Work Text:
Uzi tried to calm her panicked, heavy simulated breathing. N lay haphazardly in her arms, oil bleeding from a massive open chest wound and his faceplate. The only indication she had that he was alive was the tiny rise and fall of his chest. That and the sickening view of his core somewhat exposed to the open air of Copper 9. How it beat out a staggered rhythm as his body struggled to heal itself. She had never seen his visor completely black before. His eyes, his real ones, were all completely orange, like a dying light. The very thought of possibly losing him made her breath hitch. Uzi brushed away some of the silver fringe of his hair, partly stained black with oil, away from his face. N didn’t even flinch. Made no noise or acknowledgment that he was aware of his surroundings.
Uzi’s thumb came up and brushed against his cheek. She knew they didn’t have long until sunrise…a few hours at most. Moving him as he was seemed like a death sentence. But so was the sun. The worker drone was almost at her wit’s end until a wild idea popped into her head. She remembered what N said about disassembly drone’s saliva when they first met and how it healed nanite wounds(which this was; damn humans). Since the incident at Camp 98.7 hadn’t she basically become a more…organic version of them? She hadn’t tested to see if her saliva had healing properties but if she didn’t do something N was going to die. Swallowing heavily, she pulled his body closer to her and, after a beat of hesitation, began to rasp her tongue over the worst of the wounds.
N’s oil tasted strange in her mouth. Much different than a worker drone’s. Coppery and kind of bitter. Perhaps it tasted that way so other disassembly drones didn’t go after their own for oil? She filed the information away for later and focused on her task. N’s core stuttered in time with her ministrations before it settled into a calm rhythm. After a moment Uzi pulled back to examine her handiwork, hoping against hope that she was healing him somehow. Her core did a funny little flip in her chest when she noticed that the gash in his chest was much smaller. She couldn’t see his core anymore either. Optics traveling quickly to his, she noticed that they were slowly turning back to that bright yellow she was so familiar with.
Uzi pressed her head against his chest and was relieved to find his core beating at a regular, even pace now. His simulated breathing was also starting to deepen and even out. Uzi could cry with the weight of relief that rushed through her. The worker drone merely allowed herself to sniffle then continued her ministrations. She only passed over N’s chest wound a couple more times before she moved on to his face plate. Three of his five optic sensors were online now it seemed. Carefully she lifted him closer, almost jumping when N let out a quiet groan in response.
“It’s ok, N. I’ve got you.” she whispered, voice soft.
N didn’t respond but his whole body shuddered as she began to rasp her tongue across his face plate. The wounds here were deep and they shattered the plexiglass in some places. She had to be careful not to cut her tongue as she worked. The fractures healed first and then, slowly but surely, the deeper fissures where oil bled began to shrink. Uzi pulled back again to survey him and was surprised to see a hazard symbol blink onto his visor before it winked out and his emotive eyes blinked back on. She swiftly noted that all of his real eyes were back to their bright yellow color before seeing the exhausted, pained look on his face. Uzi bit her lip. Had she missed something? She brushed her hand along his cheek. Before she could say anything, his hand came up and wrapped around her own. A pain-filled smile found her and he mouthed out,
‘Thanks.’
Relief and empathy tugged at her core equally. Uzi managed a smile back and scooped him up into her arms as she stood. N groaned, burying his head against her shoulder. His arms wrapped tightly around her neck. Uzi fought down the blush that was threatening to overtake her visor. She threaded her fingers into his wild, silver locks and kept his face pressed against her as she began the arduous trek back to the pod.
“Let’s get somewhere safe to rest for the day, okay?”
N mumbled something incoherent in response but his grip tightened slightly so Uzi took that as a ‘yes’. In the end they didn’t make it all the way to the pod but to a smallish alcove just a mile or so out. First light was beginning to fall on the snow covered ground and they had run out of time. Uzi ducked underneath the low overhang, being sure to protect N’s head with her hand as she did so. Luckily for them whatever this ruin used to be was intact enough that she wouldn’t have to worry about the sun peeking in through massive gaps and endangering them further. Still, just to be on the safe side, the worker drone shuffled to the far end of the half-buried structure. With a huff she leaned against a corner and slid carefully down to sit on the broken tile and snow. N was now leaned against her, head lolling against her shoulder and emotive sensors shut tight. Worried, she gently poked his cheek,
“N? N, you good?”
He took in a shuddering breath, hand finding her’s once more and threading their fingers together. The disassembly drone’s emotive sensors blinked open and he squinted at her. A painful expression still scrawled across his visage but he smiled all the same,
“H-hey, Uzi.”
She squeezed his hand tightly in response,
“Hey, yourself dork.” she did a quick once over, “How are you feeling?”
N groaned slightly,
“Like I’ve been hit by a landing pod.”
Uzi winced sympathetically as her other hand began to absently scratch into his hair. N hummed softly, leaning into her touch. The worker drone couldn’t help the smirk that twerked her lips upward,
“That feel good?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
Her friend all but melted into her embrace and she could see his emotive sensors flickering as he fought to stay conscious. Her smirk softened into a genuine smile,
“Get some rest, N. I’ll watch over you.”
She could see him fight it for a few more moments before his tired body won out and he just nodded. His head fell against her shoulder once more and almost immediately his emotive sensors went dark. Uzi felt more comfortable about seeing it this time though. As all his true eyes were still that bright, vibrant yellow. N’s simulated breathing was slow but steady against her cheek and she finally felt tears building in her optics. He was going to be ok…she would make sure of it.