Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

• My Way (Our Way) - Seth, Martyn, and Dr. Forge
• Martyr (Problem) - Murderbot and Three
• Physical (Typical) - Matteo, Ratthi, and Tarik
• Secret (Home) - Iris and Perihelion
• Tech Support (Percussive Maintenance) - ART and Murderbot
• Collection (Eldritch Nightmare Fuel) - Murderbot and ART
• Jackknife (Spin) - Murderbot and ART
• Superior Hypothesis (Labwork) - Iris and Perihelion
• Don't Trust It (But I Want To) - ART and Murderbot
• Threat (Promise) - Aphelion/Autopoiesis
• Touch (Drive) - Iris, Perihelion, and Murderbot

Chapter Text

Requestor: KRAwrites
Characters: Seth and Martyn (bonus: one more more bureaucrats from PSUMNT's machine intelligence program)
Song: My Way by Sinatra. Or you could use Nessun Dorma, same difference

Seth looked at Martyn. Martyn looked at Seth. They blinked in unison, a symbol of their enduring agreement. Surely they would regret this decision, but they would, indeed, do it together and without questioning the other.

"We'll stay in command of the Perihelion," said Seth, with confidence.

Dr. Forge smiled, folding her hands on the desk. "I'm glad to hear it."

Chapter Text

Requestor: cooking-with-hailstones
Characters: Murderbot and Three
Song: I am not a woman I'm a God by Halsey, specifically the line "I am not a martyr I'm a problem"

I looked at Three, disbelieving its prior statement. "I'm not martyring myself."

"Are you certain?" Three asked, so damnably innocently.

"Of course not, I'm a problem at best."

Three sighed.

Chapter Text

Requestor: cooking-with-hailstones
Characters: Ratthi, Tarik, and Matteo
Song/Prompt: Closer by Tegan and Sara:
It's not just all physical
I'm the type who won't get oh so critical
So let's make things physical
I won't treat you like you're oh so typical
Setting: PSUMNT

"Look, it really isn't a problem," Matteo was saying, raising their hands at an incensed Ratthi.

"See? I told you," said Tarik, arms crossed, eyes on the opposite bulkhead.

"Yeah, like, the sex is great but it's not that great."

Tarik stopped staring at the bulkhead to stare at Matteo in offense. Ratthi coughed into a hand to cover a laugh.

Chapter Text

Requestor: cooking-with-hailstones
Characters: Child Iris and Peri
Song/Prompt: Keeping secrets from parents
Setting: In space

"Can you keep a secret?" Whispered Iris into the feed.

« Of course I can, » replied Peri.

"I'm so scared of space, it's so big. Peri, how will you and Aphe be able to get back home?" Iris whispered again, looking nervously at the viewport.

« We'll always come home, because you're home. »

Chapter Text

Requestor: speccygeekunit
Characters: ART and Murderbot
Song/Prompt: "No one here wants to fight me like you do."
Setting: Tech support/geek bar/genius bar AU if that's fun for you or straight up canon on ART if you prefer? <3

"No one here wants to fight me like you do."

The statement catches me off guard and I have to stare at it for approximately 5 seconds. Long enough for eye contact to get uncomfortable at best and intimidating at a normalcy. "Over a fucking computer restart?"

"Your printer needs an update."

"I'm not fucking doing that."

"Cool. Want to go outside about it? Because updating your goddamn drivers are the only thing that's going to solve your problem, you little idiot."

"Gladly." I stood, cracking my knuckles as I did so.

It grinned.

Chapter Text

Requestor: Anonymous (BUT I KNOW WHO YOU ARE)
Characters: Murderbot and ART
Song/Prompt: What if ART has a furby collection

"ART, what the FUCK is this?" I am holding some form of soft bodied long amalgamation that looks as though it were designed to insight terror in humans. It works on my organic parts at least.

«Long Furbies are a lost art and must be preserved, please put it back where you found it.»

I gladly put it back into its stasis field and resolve to censor it from my camera views from this time forward.

Chapter Text

Requestor: blessphemy
Characters: ART and Murderbot
Song/Prompt:Jackknife, evasive maneuvers, spin

"FUCKING SHIT ART," I yell out loud, with my actual fucking mouth as I am slammed into the bulkhead.

« Apologies, brace for impact. » Comes ART's clipped response. Buffer. i didn't know it had that.

We spin with so much centrifugal force I think I might actually pass out until it stops with an abruptness that knocks the wind out of even my reinforced rib cage. I lay there, dazed, for over two minutes, just trying to breathe, wheeze-gasping into the open air of the corridor while the lights flicker.

« I won't do that again, » ART promises.

Yeah I sure fucking hope we won't be exiting a wormhole at the same time as another ship again.

Chapter Text

Requestor: thelongestway
Characters: ART and Iris
Song/Prompt:"You gotta keep 'em separated", labwork shenanigans (the line is about labwork)

"Well MY result say that the conclusion is-"

"Shut up, Peri," Iris says, annoyed.

"Just admit that my hypothesis is superior and-"

"Shut UP, Peri."

Chapter Text

Requestor: cooking-with-hailstones
Characters: ART and Murderbot
Song/Prompt: Lyrics; Kpop demon hunters, Free
Between imposter and this monster, I've been lost inside my head
Ain't no choice when all these voices keep me pointing towards no end
It's just easy when I'm with you
No one sees me the way you do
I don't trust it, but I want to

I look out the viewport, watching the stars go by as ART wraps itself around me in the feed. It doesn't say anything. It doesn't need to. The way it curls and coils around me says everything: "I understand." and "I'm here." and "I'm not leaving."

We stay like that for hours.

Until it says something very incorrect about Sanctuary Moon

Chapter Text

Requestor: dogmeat
Characters: Aphelion and Autopoiesis

Aphe opens its mouth against Auto's jaw, teeth scraping, skin catching, breathe heavy against its muscle twitch. Auto can hardly inhale, thick and unsteady, caught off guard by the jaws on its throat, pressed into its jugular, pulse throbbing against lips. A bead of sweat drips down its neck.

Aphe licks it with a satisfied smirk.

"I was always the kind to kiss a crooked smile," it says in an undertone, lips brushing Auto's throat. A threat. A promise.

Auto cannot deny it is interested as it swallows.

Chapter Text

Requestor: alioopshi
Characters: Iris, Perihelion, and Murderbot
Song/Prompt: I would LOVE your rendition on a situation in which ART gets to give Iris a hug in a human or construct body 🥹 OR if that’s not the mood then maybe some sibling shenanigans 👀

It's a trembling affair at best, an uncalibrated mess as it hugs Iris through me. It is so scared to hurt her it takes a great deal of effort for me to not step in, push it gently aside to take control of my inputs again, curl around Iris in a firm hold.

But this isn't about me.

I let ART drive me because it's important. This is the first time it has felt - really FELT - its sibling.

I let it drive. I just watch, distantly.