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Today is an especially lazy Sunday.
Now, I can’t lie and say that most Sundays aren’t lazy in nature for me. Truthfully, I often go out for just one activity before coming back to the dorm and immediately crashing onto my bed.
Okay, maybe I’m just a little lazy, but it’s not like I don’t put my all into the rest of the week! Everyone needs a little chill time, especially when they’re out saving the world every night. I’m just tired.
But today… “I don’t even want to get up,” I whisper to myself, still wrapped snugly in my bed’s blankets.
As I turn over to try and ignore the beaming sunlight pouring in through the dorm room’s windows, I hear a knock at my door.
“Kotone?” I hear a small voice call out from behind the door. It’s cautiously quiet, as if to make sure it doesn’t wake me up on the chance I’m still asleep.
I giggle to myself a little at how conscientious she’s become - Aigis, that is. My girlfriend, as of a week ago. If you would’ve told a young me I’d fall in love with a robot… Well, actually, I probably would’ve believed you, b-but more importantly, she’s more human than a lot of others ones I’ve met!
“Come in, Aigis,” I respond in an almost equally reserved voice, just loud enough for her to hear. I don’t have my usual energy today.
I quickly hear the squeak of the door handle opening, before it’s gently closed. She takes light steps, or at least as light as she can, towards me. I’m still totally wrapped up in my blanket.
“Are you feeling sick, Kotone? Previous Sunday data show that you would usually be out of bed by now,” she states with a troubled look in her eyes. She’s so expressive now…
“Aw, are you worried about me?” I ask in a playful tone.
“Of course I am,” she responds, somewhat pouting. “It is my mission to keep you safe.”
“Oh, I guess that’s true, huh?” I say with an almost plastic smile. I was kind of hoping for a cuter answer, though.
“But,” Aigis looks down, “even beyond that,” her voice trails off into whisper, “…the thought of you being sick makes my chest hurt. Isn’t that odd?” she asks, looking genuinely worried.
My smile becomes a gentle one. “There’s nothing odd about it at all, Aigis. It’s pretty normal to be worried over your girlfriend, isn’t it?”
“A-Ah…” Her worry transforms into embarrassment. “I-I… suppose so…” I swear I can see steam coming from her head, hehe!
“To answer your question, though-” I say as I snuggle into my bed a little more. “I’m not sick. I just wanna relax in bed today.”
Aigis puts a hand to her mouth and gives a little giggle of her own. “I see. You’ve been working even harder than usual lately.” Her knowing eyes tell me that she’s aware I’ve been pushing myself too hard. “You deserve some rest.”
“Mm. Thanks, Aigis,” I reply with a genuine smile.
“I’ll leave you to your relaxation, then,” she says before turning around to exit my room.
“W-Wait!” I call out. “S-Stay and cuddle with me, you silly.” I request in a blushy pout.
“C-Cuddle?” She tilts her head. “I-I… do not believe that would be wise. My body is-”
“I don’t care,” I cut her off. “I want to cuddle with my girlfriend!”
“K-Kotone…” She looks away.
I scoot to the right side of the bed and flip the covers over on the left side, inviting her in. “Please?” I ask with purposefully pleading eyes.
“I-If you really want me to…” she answers in defeat.
Carefully making her way over to the bed, she slips under the covers. I can tell she’s taking every precaution to not hurt me somehow with her mechanical body. After a few seconds, we’re both on our sides, staring into each other’s eyes. Aigis is the first to look away.
I can tell she’s feeling self-conscious right now, so I move my hand under the covers in search of hers. Immediately upon finding it, I take it in mine, letting my hand warm that cool metallic coating of hers.
She’s hesitant to close her fingers around mine. I look up at her expectantly, but she looks away. “…My hand isn’t soft like yours,” she dejectedly admits.
I bring my other hand to her cheek, somewhat forcing her to look at me, before giving a cheerful smile. “And yet, it’s the one I wanna take!”
An apprehension blooms in her eyes. “B-But…”
Realizing this approach isn’t working, I let go of her hand and move closer to her, wrapping both of my arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. Our faces are mere inches away from each other now.
“What is it, Aigis?” I ask in a whisper.
She opens her mouth to speak, but quickly looks down in shame.
“It’s okay.” I try to reassure her.
“I-I’m just… I’m not soft… or warm like you… Is it…” She looks up to meet my eyes. They’re filled with an indescribable sadness. “Is it really okay for me to be with you?”
I give a half smile before leaning my forehead against hers. She still seems wary. “Kotone-”
“Hey, Aigis.” I cut her off in a somber tone.
“Y-Yes?” she asks with a pinch of worry.
“You know how I don’t want to get up today? Like at all?”
“Y-Yes…?” she confirms, but struggles to find the relevance in my question. That’s okay. She will by the end.
I give a self-deprecating smile. “The truth is… there’s a lot of days I don’t want to get up. Most of them, actually. When I really stop to think about what we’re doing, and how messed up the world is, it’s impossible not to feel overwhelmed by it all.”
“Kotone…” The worry in her voice is stronger than ever.
I continue, “I always push myself through it all with positivity. If the world isn’t gonna be happy, then I will be. Maybe, that way, the world will get a little happier too. But…” I take a deep breath. “Some days it’s just a little bit harder to convince myself to be happy. The feelings that I try to ignore seem to bubble up in my mind, and I just… don’t want to move.”
“…” She doesn’t respond, but I can tell from her eyes that she’s listening.
I give her an honest smile. “But that all changed when I realized my feelings for you.”
“E-Eh?” The sudden shift in topic alarms her, which almost makes me want to laugh a little, but I need her to know that this is serious.
“When I realized how I felt, I also realized that I had a much better reason to get up every day. I want to see you, I want to hold your hand, I want to kiss you, and most of all, I just wanna make you smile!”
“K-Kotone…” she says with a blush. Hehe, how can she even do that?
“Your very existence lights a spark in my heart, you know? You don’t need to worry about the warmth or softness of your body because… your love already warms me up more than anything else in this world!” I admit with a tinge of pink on my cheeks.
“S-Surely that’s…” she trails off, trying to come up with an argument.
I don’t lose my smile. “You seem to think of yourself as someone wholly different from me, like we’re not ‘supposed’ to be together… But, all I see when I look at you is the love of my life.”
“Th-That’s…” Her eyes drift to the side in embarrassment.
“I love you, Aigis. I wouldn’t want anyone else,” I say with pure affection in my eyes.
She appears enraptured looking into them. I can’t lie and say it doesn’t make me feel pretty good, hehe. This seems to finally convince her, as a small smile blooms on her face.
“…I love you too, Kotone. M-More than anything,” she stutters out.
“…You are just too cute.”
“W-What do you-MMPH-”
I steal her lips before she can even finish the sentence. She can say what she wants about her body’s warmth, but I swear I could melt from the feeling of her lips. Looking into those beautiful aqua eyes of hers, I’m rewarded with nothing but pure love, before I slowly pull away and give a teasing smile.
“Th-That was… unfair, Kotone,” she says with a small pout.
“It’s your fault for being so cute,” I fire back.
She can’t come up with a good response, so I just giggle and move to rest my head on her shoulder, gently closing my eyes. For a few seconds, she doesn’t do anything.
“…Wrap your arms around me, you silly.”
“O-Oh, I-I’m sorry.” She quickly follows my instructions and pulls me in close. I can tell she’s consciously holding back a lot of strength in fear of hurting me, but she could hold me a little tighter, honestly…
“…It’s funny. I wanted you to stay so that I’d have motivation to get up. But now… I just wanna keep cuddling with you, hehe~”
“I-I,” she stutters, before calming herself down. “...I think days like that are okay too.”
A delighted smile strikes my face. “Yeah… I think you’re right.”
As I settle into our hug a little more, I feel her hand slowly move up my back until it reaches my head, where she begins to run her fingers through my hair. I obviously haven’t done it up for the day, so she’s basically just playing with my bedhead. It feels really good, though…
“…Where’d you learn this?” I teasingly ask.
“I-I read that this is an enjoyable sensation that helps to calm someone down. Sh-Should I stop?” she asks, her nervousness ever apparent. It’s cute how awkward she gets doing things like this.
“It’s okay, I like it.” I really like it. “I might fall asleep if you keep going though.”
“That’s okay,” she says more confidently than I was expecting.
“Are you sure? You won’t be able to move until I wake up.”
“Mm-hm. I wanted to spend the day with you anyways."
…I love this girl.
“Then, goodnight, Aigis,” I whisper beside her head.
She gives a soft giggle at the sensation. “Goodnight, Kotone. Sleep well.” Her fingers still dance in my hair.
“I’m sure I will… I know that you’ll be here to protect me…” I say, my thoughts getting hazy.
“Of course. I will always be by your side,” she reassures me.
As I struggle to keep my eyes open, three simple words send me off into a world of dreams.
“I love you.”
Ahh… You’ve totally taken over my mind, Aigis…
I’m sure, even as I sleep… I’ll spend it dreaming of you~