Chapter Text
The air in the lander was thick with tension, not just from the cold. Uzi was hunched over a complex circuit, the neon glow of her visor reflecting on the wiring.
"Don't you dare bump this, N!" Uzi snapped, her voice low and fierce. "It's not like I care if you fry your systems, but we need this landing strut fixed now. And stop shaking!"
N was rigid, his core temps spiking as a minor plumbing glitch coincided perfectly with his mounting panic. He was forced to lean against the wall, trying to maintain absolute stillness so his clumsy limbs wouldn't ruin the delicate work.
Uzi shifted closer, oblivious to his crisis, her concentration total. "Hand me the thermal splicer, and try to look useful for once," she commanded.
N reached with a trembling hand, trying to be careful, but his elbow caught the exposed wire harness. A faint, high-pitched whine escaped his vocalizer, half panic, half desperate need as he froze, horrified.
Uzi looked up, her expression a venomous glare. "Did you just... whine? Get a grip!" Her harsh dismissal shattered his ability to hold steady, and he could only manage a small, choked sound in response.
"M-mhm!" N gripped the thermal slicer, barely able to reach out to give it to Uzi. "Uh, wanna.. get it..?"
He paused, face flushing, overheating as it got worse. Uzi took the tool with a frustrated sigh. "Honestly, you're worse than a child sometimes..." she muttered, but there was a note of concern beneath her irritation.
Her gaze flicked up to N, taking in his flushed face and trembling limbs. "You're overheating again, aren't you? Just stay still, you doofus."
She returned her focus to the circuit, the neon glow of her visor casting shadows across her face. Her hands moved with practiced ease, connecting circuits and adjusting connections.
N trembled violently as he tried not to collapse or.. explode on the spot, he muttered, barely audible "Uh, Uzi, c-can I like, take a break-?"
He averted his gaze, seeing Uzi so busy. "I-It's ok if you say no or something, I-I don't mind.."
Uzi paused, the sound of tools and metal clicking pausing briefly.
"A break? Really?" she scoffed, glancing up at him, irritation and impatience clear in her voice. "You're barely helping, and you already want a break? Do you think I can just magically finish this all by myself?"
She huffed, trying to hide her concern. N was clearly struggling, but she stubbornly refused to admit her own concern.
"U-um..!" N squeaked, stumbling over his own feet, "Uh... Please? A break... right now..?" He said, fidgeting as his systems got hotter.
His internal fans even kicked on, and they barely even did a good job. "Please..?" He mumbled quietly, his voice pleading
Uzi's eyes narrowed, her frustration warring with her concern. She knew N struggled with overheating, and the situation was getting critical.
"Damn..." she muttered, hesitating for a moment. "Fine. You can have a short break, but only because you're about to blow a circuit."
She gestured to a nearby wall. "Sit there. Stay still and don't move a damn bolt until your core temp drops."
N sat by the wall, his face flushed. "U-uh-" he started, but he couldn't bring himself to continue. He really didn't want to tell Uzi why he was overheating. It was stupid, and Uzi certainly wasn't in the mood.
"O-okay, I-I'll stay here..." He said, his voice cracking as his eyes filled with tears that he didn't want Uzi to see. He lowered his head.
Uzi huffed, resuming her work and trying to ignore N's distressed state. She was irritated by the distraction, but her heart ached at the sight of his tears. Despite her usual tough act, she cared about N, and seeing him like this pulled at her emotions.
"Just... keep it together, okay? I can't focus with you bawling," she muttered, her voice slightly softer than before. She kept working, stealing glances at N when she thought he wouldn't notice.
N whimpered, knowing he was acting a bit stupid for a simple little system malfunction. He just felt better that Uzi wasn't acting the way V or J did before, when they wouldn't do anything for him.
Despite N liking Uzi for this, his system problem was getting worse; he pressed his legs together, trying to be unnoticed, but his twitching tail gave him away. His visor flashed with text, which he was desperate for Uzi to miss.
Uzi noticed N's anxious behavior, the twitching tail, and the way he was pressing his legs together, and it only heightened her concern. She knew something was wrong. He was hiding something.
She set down her tools, frustration forgotten. She walked over to N and knelt in front of him, her voice stern but not completely cold.
"N, what's going on? And don't you dare say 'nothing.' You're practically vibrating over there. Spill it."
"J-just a.. uhm.. overheating.." He muttered, not lifting his head to meet Uzi's gaze.
N pressed his thighs together, harder, until they trembled. It showed what a pathetic, fragile drone he was.
N tried his best to cover the sound of him crying; it was obviously a failed attempt to regain his dignity or to look fine so he wouldn't worry Uzi.
Uzi's irritation returned full force. She didn't buy his half-hearted explanation. She gripped his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"Don't give me that! You're shaking, and it's not just because you're overheating.. You're... crying. Talk to me, please!"
She tried to maintain the stern facade, but the edge of concern in her voice betrayed her. N's state was affecting her more than she cared to admit.
Uzi’s eye-lights glitched, her visor practically screaming a frustrated purple. Seeing N break down like this was way worse than any Absolute Solver threat. He was literally sprawling against the wall, sobbing like his core was being ripped out.
"N! Stop—! Just stop!" she barked, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "You’re gonna blow a fuse! It’s just a bathroom break, you- You moron!"
N’s hands flew to his face, his tail hitting the wall with a loud, metallic clang. "I-I'm sorry! I-I'm such a... a burden! I didn't want to be... g-gross... or weird..!" He choked out, his voice a high-pitched whimper.
He was trembling so violently that Uzi could feel the heat radiating off his chest. His internal cooling fans were whirring at a deafening, desperate speed.
Uzi groaned, her face flushing as she realized he was still pressing his thighs together so tight it looked painful. She didn't use words; she just grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the hallway.
"Move! Now!" she ordered, her voice cracking with her own brand of panic. "If you don't go right now, I'm gonna be the one crying because I'll have to clean the floor! You’re not a burden, you’re just a dork who doesn't know when to stop being polite!"
N stumbled after her, his legs shaking like jelly. "U-Uzi... wait! I-I can't... it's too... unbearable..!"
As they reach the bathroom door, N stops dead. His visor flashes a giant [CRITICAL OVERFLOW] warning in bright red. "U-Uzi... the door... it... it won't open..!"
(Part 2?)