Work Text:
“So what song would you like to listen to?”
“Doesn’t matter. Put anything you like.” V shrugged.
She didn’t care enough, and it's not like she knew any recently released songs that were famous with drones. And she doubted her friend had some old human classics stored here. She and N lacked assimilation in the bunker, leaving them unfamiliar with, well… everything. Lizzy only turned her body around, facing the speakers and looking down at her phone. Soon enough, some foreign song spread across the room.
The nanite canister on her tail swayed left and right, hitting the floor in amusement. She had been in Lizzy’s room before, but never paid close attention to it. Compared to her bright personality, it was dark, really dark. Of course, there was some “cute” and “girly” stuff, but nothing too flashy compared to the deep-blue-colored walls. There were a lot of shelves with various pictures - whether they were just selfies or childhood photos. She frowned a little at an oddly familiar figure in one of the photos. Maybe complaining wouldn’t be the best thing to do, but she would never forget how that metal bar pierced her right below her core… whatever. The creaking window took the spotlight, the same one she entered. It was interesting how all three disassembly drones struggled with doors and here-
“You okay? You’re standing here like a bump on the log.” Her bestie’s words finally woke her up from her trance. She quickly cleared her throat, her tail stopping the movement completely.
“Yeah, just looking around your room”
Lizzy cocked her eyebrow up, clearly questioning the Disassembler.
“Maybe you shouldn’t act like it’s your first time here. Relax finally.” She let out a chuckle, which was a pleasant sound to V’s audio receptors. She had to get a grip on herself.
“No, I’m just… I expected your room to be a lot… pinker?”
“If everything was pink in here, it’d look garish as hell” Lizzy wasn’t lying. Pink bed sheets, pink walls, pink hangings… it would look horrible. “Besides, the contrast is much better!”
“I’m not saying you are wrong, obviously . You just don’t seem like someone who likes the color blue out of all the colors.”
“Okay, okay, I get it. I don’t wear it often.” She smirked “I should show you around my wardrobe later.”
The disassembly drone nodded, even though V doubted that looking at someone’s clothes would be the ideal way to spend time together. She watched as her friend approached her, grabbing at the base of her wrist. She has grown used to Lizzy being this close. It was mostly thanks to her disregard for her personal space. It almost felt like her best friend wanted to pull her somewhere but froze, probably asking herself if that’s a good idea.
With a sigh, V withdrew her hand away, just to cross both of her arms. Lizzy simply blinked at that action, clearly intrigued by her bestie's behavior. V watched her cross the room, heading directly to the doors. She glanced back at the other drone before opening it.
“I’m gonna get some batteries. Do you want something too?” She asked, her smirk faltering for now.
“Unless you have a corpse in your fridge, not really.”
She couldn’t help but grin at Lizzy’s eye roll. Her body plopped down on the bed with a very audible thud. She didn’t lay down, no, she just sat on it. On the other hand, her tail pressed itself against the fabric. The covers were soft; the blanket was slightly fluffy on top, which was not only smooth but also kind of slippery. The texture was just perfect for V.
But for Lizzy, this situation seemed troubling.
“Don’t you freaking dare lay down on my bed.” She pulled away from the door, her eyes narrowing imediately.
V didn’t expect that kind of reaction. Her spine fluff stuck up for a moment, but quickly calmed down. “Why the hell not? I’m not gonna cut your dumb pillow-”
A small whine escaped her throat when Lizzy tugged at her jacket. Her face frowned, annoyed at the smaller drone, yet she still put her arms up in surrender. What was her problem? The tip of her tail started to hit the bed in frustration. Lizzy placed her hands up on her hips. She seemed much more serious than usual.
“Take that jacket off.”
“W-what? Why are you-”
“It’s all dirty!”
The jacket was black, just like always, with some occasional dark grayish spots. There wasn't much to think about; it was just a pattern. V was so confused that she looked down at herself and examined her own clothes. After a short while, she squinted her eyes and waved her hand. Maybe she was blind, but at least from what she was aware of, she wasn't that blind. “Dirty how exactly?”
Lizzy grasped the collar of her jacket, which was yet another move that took V off guard. It was clearly done in an attempt to highlight a fresh, still-wet area in the fabric. She could just push her away, but she didn’t feel like it. It might accidently cause something she would regret the most.
“All greasy and… disgusting. Did you seriously kill someone before coming here?” She said, wiping the palm of her hand on V's sleeve. The disgust was drawn all over her face once she backed away enough, mumbling something under her breath. Even though V could see where this was coming from, in her mind, Lizzy was being overly dramatic.
“You’d rather have a hungry machine that is about to go on a killing spree in your home? Jesus, I was just hungry.”
I didn’t want to hurt you because of my stupid needs.
“No, but you could stop being so messy.” Glancing up and down at the drone on her bed, Lizzy arched her brows. It made V’s cheeks flush for a second. “You always eat like a damn animal.”
“Well, that's not too far off.” V let out a small chuckle; her smile widened when the worker walked up to her to hit her with a friendly punch on the shoulder. Maybe it was stupid, but small moments like those held value that V couldn’t describe.
“Still, can’t you just change clothes? It’s not hard to find a good corpse with something fancy on!”
V turned her eyes away. She leaned back on the bed and used her arms to support her body. Her tail changed from fast flicks to drawing slowly, which made Lizzy look concerned. It was most likely about the bed's safety since the sheets could be easily cut or soaked in acid from the needle. Even while V adored her new lifestyle, she didn't quite appreciate some stuff about it, especially the clothes part. Just a few months ago, she could go out and find any outfit she wanted to wear. There was no chance for that now, and it rubbed her the wrong way.
“You act like it’s so easy now. Ever since me and N moved here, all the little workers started to warden around and scavenge any kind of human clothing. They don’t even care that J is still out there! All the clothes are, I don’t know… in your dumb stores.”
“... Are you trying to tell me you can’t buy yourself anything?”
“How is a disassembly drone supposed to find a job?”
When Lizzy tried not to laugh, V rolled her eyes. For a worker drone, that was funny, but not for her. It was difficult as a disassembler to not scare anyone who could possibly employ her, and it wasn’t like she even wanted a job! There was only one person like that that she knew would make an effort to be employed. Maybe she could ask Uzi to find her a position to work at the WDF. God, they really should change that damn name already. She had heard how its main goal changed to exploring Copper-09 in search of other colonies.
“Oh my gosh, girl, that’s soooo lame.” Lizzy said, smirking at her best friend. V didn't resist when she gripped her cheeks and pulled her face closer. Why would she? “Do you need help with your job application?”
“Okay, just shut up!” She huffed and took Lizzy by the wrists, gently pushing her away. It was easy to get a good hold of her there. Compared to V's hands, they were rather tiny. Her irritation was noticeable from how hard her tail was hitting the bed. Lizzy’s eyes widened, and sweat pixels appeared on her visor. Her voice was much shakier now.
“Calm down, Jesus. You will ruin my bedsheets!”
“Not my problem, you can probably buy new ones, right? You can buy yourself anything.”
“Touché.” Lizzy sighed in resignation. “Okay, how about this? We can go shopping together! I’m pretty sure I can pick you out something nice. Something that could highlight your… figure a little.”
This was tempting. For V, being near her and spending more time with her was perfect. After a moment of pretending to think, she smiled. “Sure, but not today. I would prefer to take a nap.” She wasn’t exhausted, but it would be lovely. It seemed safe enough to rest in here.
V stretched out her body, cracking all of her joints. Her multiple eyes noticed Lizzy staring a bit too hard at her, especially the stomach area. It wasn’t strange, and it definitely wasn’t the first time it had happened, but it was hilarious. Her friend quickly focused on her face.
“Coming to my house just for that? Harsh.” Lizzy folded her arms. “But you are not sleeping with that jacket on! Not even on the ground. I am not risking my damn carpet getting oil stains!” She hurried over to the wardrobe placed in front of the bed. Lizzy looked comical with how small she was next to her own closet, probably because most furniture here was designed with humans in mind. Now, V couldn't take her attention off her, curious what she would do. “I’m gonna find you something to wear.”
“Won’t all of your clothes be… too small?”
“Yeah, no worries, I have some bigger t-shirts in here.”
The creaking of the bed could be heard as V stood up from it. Not yet removing the jacket, she put aside her crimson scarf. Sure, she was just a drone, a robot, with no genitalia and so on. However, exposing her entire body was uncomfortable. It was too intimate to show her chest and core, and she wasn't ready for that. Every time she tried, it made her feel like she was revealing her true self, and not in a good way. Looking vulnerable was one of the things she hated the most. The little glances that Lizzy was giving her made her think that she noticed her uncertainty.
Lizzy seemed satisfied with what t-shirt she chose and placed it folded on the bed, right next to V. She looked up at the taller drone, right into her visor.
“So? Are you gonna change?”
“... Can you get out of the room?” Even a simple question could be uneasy for her. She tried to play it off to not get teased. The worker might use that against her.
“Cute. Get changed, and then give me that piece of dirt. I’ll clean it.”
She nodded hastily and watched her best friend walk out of the room. The disassembler sighed, all alone now, with soft music playing over the speakers. Well, almost alone. She looked over at the shelves at a particular photo, a grimace appeared on her face. It still seemed like Doll’s gaze was piercing through her, even if she didn’t mind it as much earlier. She rotated it around with her tail, no longer feeling her eyes.
She hummed softly and grinned. It was only her and her thoughts now. Without looking down, she started to carefully unzip the clothing.
Don't look into the mirror yet .
A shiver spread across her body when cold air struck the skull icon on her chassis. By brushing fingers down the surrounding area, it was easy to feel how delicate it was. Finally, V felt prepared enough and faced the mirror. Around the glass part, there was a mark made from fragile metal. The color of it was slightly darker compared to the flexible white casing around. A reminder of her past self and what she became. It didn’t make her upset. Over the years, she has grown used to her new identity. V still didn't like her body, though. Staring at her bare self, she let her jacket fall to the floor.
Despite that, the drone couldn’t help but check herself out. Sure, the distaste was there but it was difficult to deny that she was very attractive. Her hands on her hips, smirking at her reflection in the mirror-
“Hey, are you done? I am not thrilled standing in front of my own room like a dog.”
Lizzy’s voice startled her, quickly bringing her back down to earth.
“Just a minute!”
“Then do it faster!?”
V moved to the bed, rolled her eyes, and picked up the T-shirt. It was larger than anything Lizzy was ever wearing, which made her wonder why she even had this in the first place. The fabric happened to be pleasant against the palms of her hands, but then she turned it around. Her jaw dropped.
“Lizzy, what the fuck is this!?” Her eyes twitched.
“You don’t like it?” Lizzy’s soft giggles didn’t help at all. V had no choice now, it was either that or being stuck naked. She quickly pulled it on top as she tried to ignore the vulgar text on it.
There was no need for anyone to know what lesbians eat!
It was embarrassing, no, humiliating . A murder drone wearing something like this? Everyone would make fun of her! While holding back an urge to tear the t-shirt apart with claws, she picked up the “rag” from the floor. God, she just hoped there were no hidden cameras in this room.
Jacket clenched in her hand, she opened the doors and threw it at Lizzy with incredible force, making the worker drone step back and almost fall to the ground. When she heard the shorter girl yelp after being flung back, she laughed. Her wicked idea has worked.
“EW EW EW!” Lizzy pulled it off after regaining her balance, with a small oily dot on her cheek as the only evidence something ever happened. Her furiously wiping her face was hilarious to V. She couldn’t help but laugh at Lizzy’s irritated expression, despite the disappointment in her eyes. “You’re SO fucking petty.”
“You’re not normally this disgusted by oil on your face.” Her head tilted to the side, all of her eyes focused on Lizzy.
“Well, it’s not about the oil, it’s about how dirty this… thing is!”
“Let’s be honest, it’s not even that bad… and my little revenge worked anyway.” Her smile got wide enough to show off her sharp fangs.
V wasn’t sure if Lizzy was more shocked by how she thought that not washing her clothes for years wasn’t that bad, or if she was staring at her opened mouth now.
“You’re insufferable…” Lizzy picked up her friend's garment from the floor and before V could speak out, she closed the doors in front of her face.
V’s smile turned soft. Lizzy’s attitude was always something weirdly calming to her. In her mind it was adorable. Wait, what was she even thinking? Her tail curled in excitement, but she forcefully relaxed it, taking a deep breath. She shook her head, fearing that her circuits were playing tricks on her. Whenever she was around Lizzy, it felt like her head was getting hotter, and not in the “you’re about to die” way.
After all, there was nothing to think about. They were simply great friends who just happened to spend a lot of time together, hold hands frequently, share secrets, and appreciate each other. Two friends who just happened to look like they're always stuck together, Lizzy’s hand on her waist or V’s tail wrapped around Lizzy’s legs.
There was nothing more than friendship between them, right? It was too much to look into. She just wanted to get some sleep.
When she found herself on Lizzy's bed, she made sure to be careful to not damage anything on it. A gentle purr escaped her throat, and the blanket felt even more cozy against her face - almost as if she had sunk into it. If she knew no one would be coming back, she was content with staying like this forever. The bed frame was lightly hit by the nanite canister. It was so peaceful, even her processors began to go into rest mode. It had been a long time since she felt an atmosphere this calm. To avoid overloading her systems, her core picked up a steady pace. She almost felt like it was in sync with the music that was still playing.
She felt safe .
Even the sound of footsteps inside the room didn’t startle her. She used the eyes on her head to look over at Lizzy, who stood right next to the bed.
“Next time, I’m showing you where the washroom is. I’m not your babysitter.” Her voice was a little stern with a hint of softness in it.
V’s head cocked just enough to see her through every single one of her eyes. The thought of that made her grunt. Come on, her jacket was only a little filthy! Her clothes weren't all messed up just because she'd been messy when it comes to murder! When her tail lightly brushed Lizzy's foot, she jumped in place. The steel cold blade sent an unpleasant feeling on the synthetic skin.
Lizzy watched her for a moment, but when she realized her friend had no interest in responding, she rolled her eyes.
“Ugh… Then maybe at least make some space for me? You’re sprawled out like a cow on a leaf.”
“...What kind of analogy is that?” She had never heard anyone say that, but it was an accurate description of her current position, laying all flat on her stomach, supporting her head with her forearms. Her protest would be useless; she simply rolled over to the other side. “Just come here.”
It took less than five seconds for Lizzy to jump on the bed. Out of surprise, V's back fur briefly stood up once again. Her friend hummed as her metallic limbs relaxed into the mattress. For a little bit more, they simply enjoyed each other’s company in peace and quiet.
This made V somewhat concerned.
Usually, it would be Lizzy encouraging her to talk, not closing her mouth for even a second while V would be sitting patiently waiting for her to shut up. Actually, though, she loved listening to her. Knowing that someone cared enough to share their day's experience with her felt amazing. V made an effort to ignore this change, but she couldn't resist taking a quick peek at the worker next to her.
She caught her using her phone - nothing out of norm. That was what she always did. Her eyes moved to her face, checking her expression. It appeared unchanged, even bored. Was she a boring friend to hang out with? Was Lizzy not enjoying her time with her? Maybe instead of wanting to take a nap, they should watch a movie? Go outside? The sun wasn't a threat to V at this hour. Her tail got more erratic, which diverted her friend's attention.
For a short while, she felt her bestie eyeing the headband.
“I feel them on me, you know? You’re not exactly sneaky.” Her soft giggle made V flush, and she buried her face in the pillow in shame.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“Girl, if you wanna talk about something, then don’t be scared.”
She didn’t know if her words made her more nervous or if they calmed her down. Her worries were stupid and nonsensical, a product of her own damn insecurities. If she enjoyed her time with Lizzy but Lizzy disliked it, why would she invite her over? It was painfully ridiculous to her own mind.
“Are you bored? Here with me, I mean.” She tried to seem indifferent, but her true emotions began to show through. ”You prefer more… stuff like going out. Not being in bed.”
Oh robo-god, she’ll laugh. She’s gonna make fun of me.
This one had surprised V. That night was full of wonders, huh? Lizzy set down her phone and lay down on the bed, facing the other drone. It seemed like she attempted to figure out what her friend was thinking by scanning up and down the disassembler. This turned out to be easier than usual. “You’re an idiot.”
“What’s up with the sudden insult?” Her eyes were half-lidded, not quite liking where Lizzy was going. Her closest friend simply rolled back on her back; her LEDs focused solely on the ceiling. Lizzy made a sincere effort to think about what she should say, which was a rare thing to witness…
“If I was bored I’d kick you out of the house. Yet, you are still here. What do you think?”
“I don’t know, maybe you just-”
“V, would I?” She gave V a light slap on the head. Before the disassembler could even react, she felt a sharp pang against her forehead. Apparently, Lizzy used her fingers to flick them at that exact spot. “Are you seriously convinced I wouldn't tell you the truth? Jeez. A few days without me and you’re already like a lost kitten.”
Right, why would she lie to her? When it came to sharing her own thoughts, she has been nothing but completely honest ever since that camp night. V covered her forehead while wearing a mildly irritated expression. When she noticed her friend no longer planned to play her little game, she lowered her hand down.
There was no reason to be concerned if she was still enjoying her company.
She heard her bestie shuffle in bed, who seemed to be stretching out her arms in order to retrieve her phone. Each of her joints gave a loud crunch. Of course, Lizzy just couldn’t stop herself from that.
Again, there was only silence between the two of them. Perhaps excluding the music and the infrequent sounds coming from Lizzy's phone. The room's lighting was pretty low, with only the moonlight serving as a reliable source of light - something V noticed only now. It was calming with the dark blue walls that hardly reflected any light onto the bed. However, there was one thing worth pondering about. The smaller drone could easily just switch on the light. Was it so V could sleep in peace? If yes, then she was flattered and grateful for that.
But she had trouble keeping her eyes closed, her thoughts going back and forth in her head.
I can’t fall asleep yet. Lizzy’s wide awake I can’t-
Her mind had enough of that. There was no danger lurking to attack them. She could just fall asleep with no worries. Cyn was no longer a possible threat, her body destroyed and software trapped inside the purple thing. Sadly, old habits died hard. She was lying down with her eyes wide open, zoning out while staring at the wall.
“You can come closer.” Lizzy continued to focus on her phone. “I won’t mind.”
If V had ears, they would have surely perked up from curiosity. It wasn’t a new concept for them, she had been pretty close to Lizzy numerous times now, but this felt much more personal.
She crawled over, looking sheepish. Her body flopped right on the side of her friend’s body.
V’s head landed directly on Lizzy's shoulder. Her ‘nose’ nuzzled against the bottom of the girl’s chin. Comfortable, that was the best word that could describe the whole situation.
She could swear that as she started to purr, her chest and throat rumbled a little. It felt so gentle and soft being with her like this. Her audio receptors were essentially close to Lizzy's artery on the neck. At the sound of oil flowing through her artificial veins, she had even begun to salivate.
All her systems had gotten worked up. This is not how she wanted to act out, she wasn’t hungry yet. Every portion of her body gradually heated up as her sensors gave signals to her CPU. It was her foolish instinct, a need for what she had been rebuilt for. Her own body's self-control progressively began to decrease. Sweat pixels covered her visor as she moved her mouth closer to Lizzy’s segmented neck, nearly brushing her pointy fangs against it. Nothing dangerous, though, just a small nibble.
Her mind temporarily crashed just as she was ready to commit. The feeling of tiny fingers running through her hair took attention from her primary goal. Instead, she hummed and surrendered, keeping her head still in the crook of her neck. Having her scalp massaged like that was almost hypnotizing, transforming her from a predator to a helpless kitty. V didn't mind at all, and Lizzy barely wasted any time to look at the woman next to her.
“You’re not doing that.” She rolled her eyes. “My neck is off limits for tonight, understood?”
All the disassembly drone did was nod. Being cautious not to cut or stab Lizzy's calf with the needle, her tail slowly looped around both of their legs. In an attempt to pull herself closer, she placed one leg over hers.
Touch like this was new for both of them, but it felt good. V didn’t want to cross any boundaries, and it felt like Lizzy didn’t want to do that either.
Her hand hovered over the worker's stomach, which caused her some nerves, but she eventually placed her palm over it. Even so, it seemed like her friend's shirt was getting in her way. She moved her thumb in a calming rhythm, her claw bit into the material, ripping away the small threads. Quickly losing patience, she tugged at the shirt and pressed her face against Lizzy's neck, asking for permission.
Please?
Her friend sighed. “Alright, Jesus.” V's lips curved up at the corner. She placed her hand beneath the girl's clothing as Lizzy scratched directly behind her "ear." Having such contact with her felt wonderful. The whole body section - except for the chest and hips - was elastic, with a spiral structure and hard tissue mixed in. It had mediocre protection against external damage, but it was far more mobile than a normal robot body. She ran her claw over the ridges on her surface, causing the smaller drone to shiver. With each part, she could sense how frail she was - and it made her want to be even gentler. There were too many ways she could harm her.
Lizzy rightfully got startled at the feeling of the claw but quickly resumed her petting. It looks like she has at least some self preservation instincts…
When V heard something, which was likely the drone's phone dropping on the pillow next to her, she chose not to respond. The nanite container on the tail began to wag lightly as her arm enveloped Lizzy's waist.
Her best friend placed her hand over her shoulder, then she felt her palm move up and down her arm. The chills cause V's mane on the spine to fly up, her touch tender and loving. It was soothing to hear their plastic cases scraping against one another. She couldn't tell if her core was beating more vigorously or not.
Lizzy's fingers shifted beneath her forearm in an attempt to raise it. “Can you, like, get up for a second?” Did she do something wrong? Did her friend get uncomfortable from all this touching? The sensation of the other drone stirring under her caused her to rapidly raise her head and arm, a worried expression on her face. It didn’t last long, though, because Lizzy made sure to smile at her, seemingly acknowledging her concern.
“Seriously? Girl, my arm was just going limp. Nothing happened.” She chuckled.
“You could have just said that.” V turned aside after feeling Lizzy's palm on her cheek. Her eyes were half-lidded, and the LEDs of her headband were turned down to avoid interrupting the moment. Leaning into the palm of her hand, she let out a sigh.
Looking vulnerable was one of the things she hated the most, because she always felt in danger. Typically by now she would be in some panicked state of mind. It was different with Lizzy, though. It didn't bother her as much, and even better, she relished the opportunity to let go. Especially around someone as significant as her-
Can she stop messing with my head? Lizzy’s just my friend dear robo-god…
Her eyes opened after feeling the other drone cup both of her cheeks; she had no idea what to expect, but being pulled down to the bed with her was definitely not it. She let out a little whine, and Lizzy simply snorted as she adjusted their position into something new. It took a moment for V’s processor to register what was happening.
With her hand still fiddling with the disassembler's hair, Lizzy's leg swung over the waist of the disassembler. While V's tail was still able to keep their legs together, her head placement had changed the most.
It was right in front of Lizzy’s chest.
She could hear her core.
Each tick was so clear.
Still, everything was so unexpected for the drone. “Uh Lizzy you-” She felt Lizzy grip her hair far too tightly, causing her to bite her lip. She opened her mouth to speak, but the other drone cut her off.
“Oh my god, is this too much? I thought that you wouldn’t mind. I mean, I’m sorry-”
“No no, calm down! It’s fine-” V placed her hand back on her waist.
“I just-”
They both fell silent. Yes, it was awkward, but at least the worker drone's hold loosened. V rolled her eyes and pushed her face toward the glowing pink emblem visible through the shirt. Her claws ran up and down her torso, trying to soothe her friend. She thought she needed a little reassurance at this specific moment.
“It’s fine, really. I kind of like it…you know?” She purred into the glass casing. Outside of Lizzy’s core, she has heard her fans accelerating in pace to try to cool down all her internal structure. Acting like this, being cute rather than "murdery," was strange, but it didn't matter at the moment. What truly mattered was how Lizzy wrapped her arms around her head so V could listen to every sound coming from her chest. It reminded her of so many things.
She used to notice this only while hunting.
The final sound of their mechanical heart, which she was about to devour. The last noise escaping from her half-alive prey. It lasted a few seconds, reminding her of how harsh her surroundings really were. Their core was always the last part to die out. With this one, however, minutes passed, and the sound remained unchanged. Perhaps it was hours now, yet it continued.
It was proof of her new life. Finally someone’s heart was able to beat next to her without any fear of losing its life.
[ / / WARNING: LOW ACTIVITY OF CORE MODULES / / ]
[ / / OIL USAGE SET TO MINIMUM / / ]
She almost startled herself when parts of her circuits stabilized. Her visor started to display pop-up notifications, indicating her entrance into rest mode.
Lizzy must’ve felt her friend’s body becoming heavier against her. V didn't want to fall asleep just yet. She wished she could spend more time enjoying it. Her body was almost like it was on autopilot and her tail squeezed their legs together. Worker drone fingers gently traced over her nape, and the little clumps of her mane there twitched from how nice it was.
The headband lights turned off, no longer shining as brightly. The flow of the nanite acid was clearly visible inside the bulbs.
She began to breathe steadily.
Without intending to release her grip, she scraped Lizzy's back with her claws. At least there was no oil dripping on her fingers. It also didn't appear as though her friend was experiencing any pain. Lizzy's lack of protest meant there was no reason to wake up.
But… was she really not hurt now? What if she tried to tell her something? Why was her audio turned off? Too much to think about, not enough storage to process everything. She was no longer able to create any coherent thoughts.
[ / / REST MODE: ACTIVATED / / ]
***
Shaking.
Those vibrations were causing some of her screws to loosen up in her chest. God, V's purring was really something else. Strange sensations were all over her back as well. The disassembler's claws were still digging into it, so the sting from injuries was inevitable. It was painful to move even a little bit.
She groaned and looked over at her phone.
It was so tempting to pull it closer and… take a photo of them together. Just the thought of her friend's hilarious face after seeing this was worth it. She withdrew her hand from V's hair and moved it carefully across the pillow.
While easily stretching her arm out, she felt her friend’s nail cut another layer of the elastic plastic on her back. In just a second, the device would practically be in her grasp-
The other drone stirred, making Lizzy sweat a little. Fearing that she was being spied on, her eyes looked down at V's light bulbs. Luckily, they were still off. She tried to grab her phone again, but before she could do so, she took another look at her best friend.
Seeing someone as strong as V in such a vulnerable state was still uneasy. She had a real murder machine cuddled up in her arms. And her breath hitting the glass case of her core was slightly ticklish.
All of this raised some questions. To what extent did this matter to V? This made Lizzy's face soften.
I could just take a photo and it wouldn’t be a problem, right?
There would be nothing wrong about doing this. Just some friendly teasing! However, in such a circumstance, it began to feel really inappropriate. Maybe just this time she wouldn’t seize on the opportunity.
Lizzy was too familiar with V. She knew how much she hid from everyone. How she stayed up so she could feel safe day and night. It felt harsh to use this for a straightforward "I got you" joke. It wouldn’t be a problem to do that to someone she despised, but the disassembly drone definitely wasn’t that kind of person… duh.
Ugh, I’m getting way too soft.
Her hand went back in V’s hair, continuing her scratching. This time, Lizzy surrendered. She rubbed her head on top of hers-
Ew, why did she do that? Why did she suddenly get so affectionate towards her best friend?
“V, you up?” Lizzy had to make sure she wasn’t awake. She mentally thanked herself. What on Copper-09 told her to behave like this? God, what a mess this whole evening was. This damn drone who was acting like a teddy bear had fried all her circuits. She let out a frustrated grunt. Even though V had certain things she didn't enjoy, Lizzy also had some, specifically when it came to her emotions.
Okay, no, that wasn’t worth the memory storage. She was her friend, that’s all. Just a really cuddly, big, adorable best friend who acted like a cat.
Lizzy had no way of escaping the thoughts of what was going on because the music had stopped playing some time ago. Her face was a hot, flushed mess, and she was stuck. To be honest, she realised she might have to choose what to do when they woke up while she's already at that.
She could refrain from acting like an ass for the next two days. The last thing she wanted was for the other drone to close off after making fun of her for being cute. Fair in her book, but a bit out of the ordinary. Perhaps by being a good girl, she could surprise her. Whatever happened, the disassembler’s reactions would be amusing.
Maybe there would be something else to tease her for. Something that won't hurt her and wouldn’t make Lizzy feel guilty. But when V's claws began to twitch inside her wound, thinking became challenging.
Should I… No, cutting her nails will be way too much work.
Well, this just added up as yet another thing she gave up on.
Now that Lizzy was stuck in the arms of the disassembler, it wasn't like she had anything else to do. At least it looked like she wasn’t as stupid as everyone told her she was. She felt the cog behind her visor turn, and her eyes briefly sparkled. It seemed like a genius idea. She was unable to snap a picture, but she could still record on her screen.
Was there something immoral about this? Not for her, really. She had no idea how often V would be like this. It would be better to memorize it as much as possible; a simple video just for her sounded perfect. Some evenings and nights seemed far too lonely without anyone around, so this may be quite helpful.
She pressed her head against V's, thinking nothing more. Fortunately, the recording software appeared to function well when she checked how it worked. Her fists tightened into her friend's hair.
Once the app was activated, she remained still, relishing the purr that came from V's throat.
…She hoped the audio would also be registered.