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Vee shoved open the door, walking through and letting it shut behind her without even making sure it closed properly. Her microphone tail dragged on the floor behind her, but she didn’t even care if that would damage it.
She dragged her gaze away from the floor and looked up to see many toons in the cafeteria, milling about. All in their respective groups.
Looey, Yatta, and Blot sat together. Blot was signing something to their friends. Vee’s antenna twitched. She didn’t bother activating her translator to figure out what they were saying.
Sprout and Cosmo were making some food, joking and laughing together. Vee felt a spark of irritation upon seeing him… but it fizzled with her lack of energy.
Brightney, Astro, and Razzle and Dazzle sat in another group. Discussing future club meetings or plans, Vee figured. Part of her wanted to join her friends, perhaps they’d be able to provide a bit of comfort. But with the presence of Razzle specifically, she wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with him right now.
Luckily it seemed there weren’t any other toons here that were big fans of hers. She just wanted to be treated like everybody else for once, not like she was some celebrity…
Though she had failed to notice one toon that was probably one of her biggest fans, until Shelly called out her name, and Vee glanced over, seeing her waving excitedly.
How could she not have noticed Shelly? She was supposed to be sharp and aware of everything. Maybe this was what Veronica was talking about. Maybe Vee Version 2 would have noticed Shelly.
Vee took a few steps towards the fossil, happy to see her, but still weighed down by her mood. That fluke didn’t make her feel any better, either. Shelly sprang up from where she was sitting and closed the distance between them, sweeping Vee up in a hug. The contact was alarming and unfamiliar, as it always was, Vee hated being touched, but somehow with Shelly it was different. It felt different.
“Vee!” Shelly let go and took a step back, her smile faltering. Had Vee done something wrong? Did she somehow upset Shelly again without meaning to? Though Shelly’s question was the last she was expecting. “Are you okay?”
“What?” Vee blinked, unsure if her processors understood correctly.
“Are you okay?” Shelly repeated, a little more firm this time.
Vee straightened her posture, feeling ruffled. “Of course I am. Why would you ask that?” she said.
Shelly’s eyes seemed to be traveling all along Vee’s form, like she was inspecting each of her features closely. It made Vee feel a bit warm, but maybe she was just out of it at the moment.
“Your tail’s dragging on the ground, your antennae are all droopy… You just look… sad,” Shelly explained.
“Sad?” Vee tilted her head. Nobody had ever taken the care to assess her body language, certainly not this way. Nobody cared how she felt, either, only how she made them feel. Why did Shelly care?
Shelly took a step closer, looking into Vee’s digital eyes. Vee blinked. “Is something wrong?” Shelly asked, almost in a whisper.
Vee blinked again. This felt so, extremely strange. Was there really something so wrong with her? It felt like her systems were broken, somehow flawed. It was usually so easy for her to think, what had happened to her? Was this why they wanted to make a Vee Version 2? Could everyone tell she was acting different?
It wasn’t just thar Shelly could tell she was acting different. Shelly was so observant, and she loved to help, of course she would notice if something was bothering Vee. So why was her acknowledgment of Vee’s feelings bothering her like this?
Did she hate it? Did she want Shelly to just leave her be?
“You’re…” Vee trailed off, feeling as if she was lost for words. This was strange, too. What was happening to her? “I don’t know.” Her eyes flicked to the main area of the cafeteria, surveying all the toons present, all the toons that would see her break down if she allowed herself to now. She couldn’t cry in front of them. What would they think of her then? Vee turned her head away, away from everyone else, away from Shelly. “I don’t want… to talk about it,” she said, slowly, quietly.
“That’s okay,” Shelly said softly. Vee felt Shelly’s warm hands wrapping around hers, and she turned back to look, seeing their fingers intertwined, and Shelly kept her eyes focused on Vee’s face. “If you ever decide you want to talk, or if you need me at all… I’ll be in my room,” Shelly promised.
Vee’s brows furrowed. “All day?”
“Well, I have research I want to write down today. And it’s not like anybody will need me,” Shelly replied.
“I guess.” An awkward moment of quiet followed. Vee slowly became more and more aware of the fact that Shelly was still holding her hands, which felt like they were getting warmer by the second. Her whole body, really, was feeling warmer and warmer.
More malfunctioning? If Delilah knew about this, there’d be no question in Version 1’s replacement. Maybe these were small things that could easily be repaired, Vee tried to comfort herself, but it didn’t feel very convincing. She sighed, dropping her hands and disconnecting herself from Shelly.
“…Thank you for the offer. I think I just need to charge,” Vee said awkwardly. Then she turned and headed towards her room, leaving Shelly.
***
Vee was lying on her bed, not bothering to pull the covers over herself. She felt rigid and awkward as she laid on her back, staring into the nothingness of the ceiling.
She was still thinking about what Veronica had told her. Were they really going to replace her? “Fix” her? The thought made her queasy. What exactly were they going to do?
She realized this was bothering her way too much. She needed someone to talk to. Sitting up, Vee glanced at the clock on her wall. It was about 9:30. P.M. Brightney always went to bed pretty early, and she certainly didn’t want to bother Astro. Would Vee even be able to sleep with the weight of this on her mind?
Vee turned, letting her feet hang off the side of the bed as she thought. She wouldn’t have to deal with this alone, would she..?
Then a memory suddenly sparked. Earlier today, Shelly’s offer. Would Shelly even be awake right now? Vee realized didn’t know her sleep schedule at all. But it couldn’t hurt to try, right?
As Vee walked across the hall to Shelly’s room, she silently hoped she wasn’t burdening Shelly with her problems. The thought was quickly dismissed. Shelly knew something was bothering her, she made the offer. She could always turn Vee away.
The idea of rejection made Vee’s stomach twist. What would she do if Shelly did turn her away? Vee almost changed her mind, but she raised her hand and knocked on Shelly’s door anyway.
It only took a few seconds of waiting, seconds that felt like hours to Vee, before the doorknob twisted from the other side and the door creaked open. Shelly peeked out with wide eyes, or perhaps her eyes always looked wide, and she lit up excitedly as she recognized Vee.
“Vee! You’re up late… Want to come in?” Without waiting for an answer, Shelly stepped back, opening the door wider and giving Vee room to come inside. She did so, feeling the hard wood of the hallway turn to soft carpet.
Shelly closed the door behind her as Vee stepped inside, looking around and surveying the room. Shelly’s notebook was still open on her desk, about half of it had to be filled with information, only about dinosaurs. Vee wondered how much of a notebook it would fill if she were to write down everything she knew.
“So… what’s up?” Shelly asked. “Want to share, what’s bothering you?”
Vee considered for a moment. Should she tell Shelly what was really bothering her? She didn’t want her friend to worry. Friend… Did she really consider Shelly a friend? She shook her head, as if to clear her mind, something she never had to do before.
“I feel like… I’ve been malfunctioning lately,” Vee said slowly.
“Have you told your handler?” Shelly asked.
Vee fidgeted with her microphone. “No.”
“Why not?”
“I… don’t… want her to think there’s something wrong with me.”
“But… Isn’t there? Something wrong with you?”
Vee tried not to feel hurt by those words. Shelly didn’t know. She was just trying to understand. And she was right, technically. Maybe the truth just hurt.
“What if… What if she thinks I need to be replaced?” Vee blurted. “What if she thinks I’m beyond simple repairs, and they reset me completely?”
Shelly looked surprised. “Why would they do that?” She took a step closer, gently grabbing both sides of Vee’s head. It seemed to steady her a bit, but she felt that warmth rise in her again.
“I… I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know anything anymore,” Vee huffed.
“It’s okay,” Shelly said softly. “Look at me.” Vee raised her eyes, making direct eye contact with Shelly. When did she get so close to her? “You don’t have to know everything.”
Vee felt a gentle hum, somewhere deep within her systems. What was this? Another malfunction? Everything she was thinking, everything about… Shelly. It was wrong. Was it?
“What are you doing to me?” Vee asked abruptly.
“What do you mean?” Shelly leaned back a bit, giving Vee more space.
“You… I’m… You’re making me… feel things… Think things… I’ve never…” Again, can’t find the right words. Any words.
“Are you..? Is it just that you don’t really have anyone to comfort you?” Shelly asked.
“How would you know that?” Vee pulled away a bit, and Shelly let go of her head.
“I know what your handler is like. And I know that they treat you differently from everyone else. Like you’re just a machine. Everyone does it, I think. When was the last time someone asked how you’re feeling?”
Vee blinked, processing Shelly’s words much slower than usual.
Shelly tilted her head. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
Vee displayed a question mark on her screen, so Shelly continued.
“You said you’re thinking things differently, too. What are you thinking?” she prompted.
“…Nothing,” Vee said truthfully. At least right now, she wasn’t thinking about nearly as much as she usually did.
Shelly blinked. “And what are you feeling?”
Vee paused, searching endlessly for the right word. “I don’t know. Happy, nervous. Warm,” she offered a few different ideas.
Shelly’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yes?” Was it wrong? Had she done something wrong, again?
“I make you feel like this?” Shelly confirmed. Vee nodded, feeling uncertain. “Vee, you…” She looked utterly bewildered. “I don’t really know how to explain this? Do you… love me?”
Love? Was that possible? “Can I?” Vee asked.
“Can you what?”
“Can I love you?”
“I mean… yes? I’m not stopping you!” Shelly’s mouth twitched into a bit of a smile. She looked about as confused as Vee felt.
“And… You love me, too?” Vee thought, she didn’t know much about it, but reciprocation was important, right?
Shelly suddenly pulled Vee into a hug, wrapping her arms around her, a little tighter than she had this morning. “I do, of course I do!” she squeaked.
Vee felt Shelly’s warmth enveloping her, and she wasn’t sure if her systems were heating up or if it was from Shelly’s embrace. Possibly both.
Shelly stepped back. Her tail was wagging. “Is that why you think you’re malfunctioning?” she asked.
“Maybe.” Vee didn’t say the other part, about how Delilah wanted to replace her.
But Shelly could tell. She could always tell.
“That’s not all that was bothering you, is it?” she observed. Vee sighed. She didn’t respond. “You don’t have to tell me right now, but maybe I could try to help anyways?” Shelly tried.
Vee’s antennae drooped. “How could you possibly help if you don’t know what’s going on?”
“Maybe I could take your mind off things, even just for a bit,” Shelly offered, flashing a sharp-toothed smile.
Vee perked up a bit. “How so?” she asked, eager to do anything that might ease her thoughts.
Shelly took a step forward, taking Vee’s hands in hers again. “Just focus on me.” She spoke softly, sweetly. Vee always loved the sound of her voice.
She felt Shelly’s soft but callused hands, gently squeezing her smooth metal hands, usually cool, but she felt they were warming up now, especially with how close Shelly was.
Shelly moved, gently pushing Vee backwards, backing the two of them up until Vee bumped into the side of Shelly’s bed. Shelly leaned even closer, until it felt like their faces were inches apart.
Vee felt like her fans were running loud enough that both of them would be able to hear it. She didn’t really have a heart, but she was sure it’d be beating ridiculously fast right now. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from Shelly’s face, not that she wanted to.
Shelly hummed, letting go of one of Vee’s hands and bringing hers up to hold Vee’s face where her chin would be, her thumb resting just below Vee’s mouth.
Shelly knew that Vee was more than just a screen. Vee knew Shelly knew. Of course, Vee didn’t really need to eat, but she could and she had in the past. Which allowed for her stomach to feel like it was flipping over at this moment.
Moving her thumb out of the way, Shelly leaned even closer, and so did Vee, their lips connecting surprisingly easily.
It felt… wonderful, like nothing Vee had ever felt before. She rarely got physical affection, and this… This was just over the top. It made her feel all sorts of tingly, like extra electric currents were being sent through her limbs.
She moved her free hand to Shelly’s waist as she leaned in deeper, she never wanted this to end. Her own tail stirred, as she was sure Shelly’s tail was still wagging hard. Certainly, her antennae weren’t drooping now.
The warm kindle in her stomach ignited as she felt Shelly move again, pressing her leg between Vee’s thighs. Her tail stiffened and she let out a small gasp, as Shelly leaned back from the kiss.
“Is this okay?” she whispered.
Vee managed to hum affirmative through the swamp of emotion that she seemed to be drowning in, only focusing on Shelly, only on Shelly. It was so much, yet not enough at the same time.
They locked in a stare for a moment, seemingly neither of them could believe they were really doing this.
A worm of doubt made its way into Vee’s head, and she paused. “What if someone comes in?”
“I don’t think anyone will,” Shelly replied. She seemed so certain, it calmed Vee as well. “Everyone’s surely asleep by now, and what would they want with me, anyway?”
“Hmm.” Vee blinked slowly, leaning forward again, looking into Shelly’s eyes. Beautiful. She was so beautiful. How could everyone ignore someone like her all the time? “It’s hot. In here,” she mumbled.
Shelly stepped back, and Vee felt colder than she had ever felt before with the absence of Shelly’s warmth. She hardly realized what Shelly was doing when she felt her jacket sliding off her shoulders. Shelly dropped it on the ground beside them. “Better?”
Vee’s screen felt hot. So hot. “Yes,” she said, though she wasn’t sure she was telling the truth. If anything she felt even hotter, even more of some emotion she couldn’t quite describe. Need, was the only thing she could think of. “Shelly, I…”
Shelly had paused, was waiting for Vee to continue. But Vee didn’t even know what she was trying to say.
“I need… I need you,” Vee said, as if it were difficult to talk. Was it normal to feel this way? Or was she really malfunctioning?
Shelly let out an amused breath, leaning in close again. Closer, Vee thought. Please. She decided to do it herself, pressing herself against Shelly, into another kiss. She felt she could kiss her forever and never get tired of it.
She felt the other’s hands grabbing at her dress shirt, working the buttons without even looking. The action made Vee feel warmer. Warmer. Everything made her feel so warm. So… Hot…
Shelly pulled away for a moment to breathe. Vee couldn’t stop looking at her. “Shelly…” Her voice was glitching again.
Shelly looked at her, such caring eyes, like she really mattered, more than just a machine, more than just an object for entertainment. “You doing okay? Do you need a sec?” she asked, tilting her head in that cute way she always did.
While Vee wanted more, so much more, never to stop… She did have to take a break. She had never done anything like this before, and she was worried she’d overheat if she didn’t take a break now. “Yeah…” her voice sounded breathless, even as a machine that technically couldn’t breathe.
She sat on Shelly’s bed, and Shelly sat beside her, leaning her head on Vee’s shoulder. Now she felt warm in a different way, more content, more relaxed, rather than excited.
“…Have you ever done anything like that before?” Vee asked after a while, glancing at Shelly.
“Not really. I’ve thought about it, but I’ve never had anyone to do it with,” she replied. She turned her head, meeting Vee’s gaze with a sly smile. “Why? Did you think I had?”
Vee’s screen flushed and she looked away. “I was just curious.”
They sat in silence for a while as Vee’s systems cooled down. It was comfortable. It really did help Vee get her mind off of what was bothering her.
What was bothering her… “Do you think I’ve been malfunctioning?” she decided to ask.
Shelly sat up. “What exactly do you mean by ‘malfunctioning’?”
“Like… Not acting how I’m meant to.” Vee shifted on the bed uncomfortably. “My voice box was glitching earlier.”
“I think you were just nervous,” Shelly said with a smile. “Don’t worry about it, I was too.”
“Really? You seemed pretty confident.” Vee glanced down at Shelly, who seemed a little embarrassed.
“I guess I was just… feeling it in the moment, or something. You know?” She shook her head, as if it was silly.
Vee laughed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done so, and for a reason like this. “I kind of liked it. I’m usually the one in control of… everything, really. It was strange and different, but in a good way.”
Shelly hummed, kicking her legs idly as they hung over the side of the bed. “Would you wanna… Do it again?”
Vee’s antenna twitched. “Yes… You left my shirt half unbuttoned,” she replied humorously. “Don’t you think you should finish what you started?”
“Hah, if you insist.” Shelly slid off the bed, and once she was in front of Vee, she grabbed onto the unbuttoned sides and pulled her to the ground as well. “Hmm… But first, open your mouth.”
Vee tilted her head curiously and obeyed. Just as she began to wonder what Shelly was trying to get her to do, she was yanked forwards by the shirt, and pulled straight into another kiss.
This one was so much more, as Vee felt Shelly’s tongue enter her own mouth, she thought she was going to short-circuit right then and there. She most definitely made some kind of noise, though at this point Shelly was shutting her up as her tongue explored Vee’s mouth.
It felt so strange, yet so good. Had Shelly really never done this before?
The feeling of heat and need quickly returned to Vee’s body, as if she had never let herself cool down at all, and Shelly did that thing again, pressing her knee between Vee’s thighs, sending an electric spark through her whole body.
All Vee could think about was Shelly, Shelly, Shelly. She never wanted this moment to end. She could spend the rest of her life like this and have no problem with it. Everything felt so, so good. She could feel herself trembling.
Just as Shelly leaned even further, pressing Vee into the side of the bed, the sound of the doorknob turning made them both freeze. Shelly quickly stumbled backwards, breaking away from Vee and wiping the saliva from her mouth. Vee felt too dazed to realize what was really happening, she only felt the absence of Shelly’s heat and blinked blearily, trying to figure out why she had pulled away so suddenly.
Vee realized there was foreign light streaming into the room. The door was open. She blinked, focusing her vision, and saw Shanon. Shelly’s toon handler.
Nobody spoke, nobody moved. Shanon looked completely shocked. “Um.”
Her gaze darted from Shelly, to Vee, to Vee’s discarded jacket on the floor, back to Shelly, who looked thoroughly mortified. “This isn’t what it looks like, I swear!” she exclaimed, shuffling sideways as if to block Vee from Shanon’s view.
Shanon raised a brow. “Then… What is it?”
Shelly blinked. “Why are you in here so late!?” she demanded, covering her very flushed face with her hands. Changing the subject, Vee observed.
“I wanted to check that you were sleeping, and if not, if you needed anything,” Shanon explained, which made sense, and also explained why she didn’t knock before opening the door.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Shelly begged. She looked like she was about to cry.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Shanon took a step into the room, then thought better of it. “I’ll leave you be… If you want to talk about it tomorrow we can, if not… Forget I saw anything.”
Vee’s tail twitched. She’d had her eyes fixed on the ground the whole time, and now flicked them up to look at Shelly’s handler. “…Are you going to tell Veronica? Or any of the other handlers?” she asked quietly.
Shanon shook her head. “I feel like I’ve invaded quite enough. Just… You might want to lock the door next time,” she responded.
“I didn’t think I’d need to! Nobody ever comes in here and they’re probably all sleeping anyways!” Shelly pointed out.
Shanon shrugged. “Better to be safe than have something like this happen again?”
Shelly sighed. “Go away,” she mumbled. Shanon looked surprised at her harsh words, but she didn’t say anything more, instead retreating into the hallway and pulling the door shut behind her.
“I hope she keeps her word… I don’t know what I’ll do if my handler finds out about this. Or anyone, really…” Vee sighed. All her stress seemed to be returning, including this new fear. This would certainly have her replaced as soon as possible.
Shelly turned back to Vee. “She won’t tell. I trust her,” she promised. She pulled Vee into another hug. “I’m sorry about that. Are you going to leave?”
Vee sighed again, her antennae drooping as she assessed the clock on Shelly’s wall. “It’s pretty late… I probably should.” Shelly looked a little disappointed as she stepped back, holding Vee’s hands in her own again. “It wasn’t your fault she came in. And it was still… nice…” Vee felt her screen warm again. “Maybe we can do it again sometime. With the door locked.”
Shelly smiled ruefully. “Don’t make me wait too long.”
Vee returned the smile. “I don’t think I could even if I tried.”
She left Shelly’s room, returning to the familiarity of her own. Now, staring at the ceiling, she felt different. She wasn’t thinking so much about what Veronica had told her this morning. Now she was thinking about Shelly. About the many feelings that had been left unexplored. She hoped she’d get another chance again soon to figure it all out. With Shelly.
She just hoped she wouldn’t be replaced before then.