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annzybwrites · 2 years

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First Comes Friendship; Ch. 2: First Kiss

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(Apparently y'all are starving for ToBecky content, so here you go!)

Becky hummed as she scribbled out the answers to some of her math problems, chewing idly at the end of her pencil’s eraser when she needed to think a bit harder. When she was stuck for a bit longer than she thought necessary, she looked up to ask Tobey if he’d already solved this problem. And was struck silent when she was met with the sight of his dopey smile, his bright, blue eyes staring right at her.

She felt heat enter her cheeks immediately as she looked away. “Did you f-finish your homework?”

“Most of it,” he hummed airily. “I’m taking a break.”

“How… how long have you been taking your break for?”

“Hard to say. What question are you on now?”

“Twelve.”

“For four questions, then.”

“Tobey!” Becky covered her now very red face in embarrassment, curling her legs up to her chest as she stayed at her desk. “You c-can’t just stare at me like that without saying anything!”

“Oh, let me indulge in your beauty.” He sighed softly, the sounds of her workbook being slid over to him hitting her ears next. “Were you having difficulty with something? Let me help.”

Becky simply groaned quietly, keeping her face covered for now. Tobey could be so embarrassing like this sometimes; staring at her randomly throughout the day, bringing her flowers and chocolates for no reason, building her unnecessary robots, trying to recite poetry to her during class. It was all so much, and yet so distinctly Tobey that she usually just let it slide.

After all… a small part of her did kind of like all the attention.

“There.” Tobey slid her workbook back over, prompting her to lift her head enough to glance at it. “I wrote out every step. Does it make sense?”

Becky scanned the page for a second before nodding, still feeling too shy to look at him. “Mmhm. Th-thanks, Tobey.”

“You’re very welcome, my dear, sweet Becky.”

Her stomach flipped around as she covered her face again. “Tobey.”

“What?” Tobey chuckled, scooting his chair closer to hers. “I distinctly remember you saying not to call you pet names in public. But we’re alone right now! Save for the door being open per your parents' insistence…”

“Well, a-also don’t call me pet names when we’re supposed to be working!” she snapped, curling up even more. She didn’t think she’d be able to stop hiding for at least a few minutes.

“Why?” Tobey hummed, clearly enjoying himself as he purred, “Too distracting?”

“Yes!”

“My, my. You must like me an awful lot to be so flustered by my gaze.”

Becky groaned again, extending her arm so she could push at where she assumed his head was. Except instead of pushing his head like she wanted, she felt him grab her wrist, something warm and soft pressing into her knuckles in the next second.

A shiver went up her arm as she lifted her head to look, her breath hitching at the sight of his pursed, pink lips resting against her fingers, and his intense, blue eyes back on her.

Becky was certain even her neck was red by this point as she pulled her arm back, clutching it to her chest. Her hand still tingled from the memory of his lips against her, and his amused chuckle was not helping her embarrassment any.

“You are downright adorable, you know that?”

“Tobey, please.” Becky closed her eyes, shaking her head lightly. “We need to focus on our work right now.”

“All right, all right. I relent.” Tobey sighed again, shifting his own workbook closer to himself. “But after this, maybe we could watch a movie against that lovely bed of yours, cuddled up next to each other?”

Becky’s heart skipped several beats as she nodded. “S-sure… after we finish our work.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Becky loved playing flag football. Being able to chase her classmates while also trying to dodge them? So her style. She just wished she could use some of her super speed during the game; really give it her all.

And this semester was even better, as she and Tobey were in the same gym class. He used to always despise this part of school, but thanks to Becky he didn’t feel quite so self conscious about his lack of physical prowess as before. Because now, at least, he knew he could improve, and he actually accepted it when the teacher and other classmates encouraged him to keep going or try again.

They were both still fiercely competitive, after all, and as Tobey improved this seemed to only spark more competition between them. He’d often boast that this was the day he’d “finally best her at her own game,” and when that didn’t happen he made a dramatic vow to get her next time. Almost like the kind of speech he’d use against WordGirl after his robots had been defeated.

Today, he was able to show off how much faster he’d gotten after months of playing with Becky after school. But not fast enough – she was easily able to overtake him as he tried to rush the ball to the goal, grinning as she reached to pull off one of the yellow flags at his waist.

Then she tripped over a bump in the grassy field, her speed causing her to collide quite harshly into him and bring them both crashing to the ground.

They both groaned in pain, though Becky was able to stand up rather quickly, gasping at the sound of a whistle blowing.

“I wasn’t trying to tackle him!” She started explaining as the coach ran over. “Honest! I tripped over the ground and ran into him –”

“Becky!” The coach interrupted with a fond laugh, kneeling beside Tobey, who was just now starting to push himself onto his hands and knees. “I believe you; accidents happen. But I’ve gotta make sure Tobey doesn’t have a concussion.”

Becky felt her gut twist nervously as she went to stand by Tobey, frowning down at him.

“Did you hit your head?” the coach asked, helping Tobey turn over so he could sit on the grass.

“Mm…” Tobey blinked a few times, grimacing from the sunlight before he covered his eyes with one hand. “A little, I think.”

“Are you dizzy?”

“Lightheaded, perhaps.”

The coach hummed, nodding decisively. “Better send you to the nurse’s office just in case. Becky, can you take him there?”

“Of course!” Becky rushed over to help him to his feet, feeling only a little better when Tobey smiled at her. “Feeling okay?”

“Quite.” He didn’t seem unsteady as he stood, though he still wrapped an arm around her shoulders, insisting, “But I think I’ll need your help to walk.”

“R-right.” Becky swallowed, cursing her heart for speeding up as she wrapped her arm around his waist and began leading him inside. He was definitely walking fine, a fact that had her feeling warmer and warmer by the minute.

Once the school doors had closed behind him, she started to slink away. “I th-think you can walk just fine without me–”

“Oh, my!” He gave a very fake stumble, able to slowly and gently wrap his arm back around her shoulders and press her close to him again. “I almost fell! No, I don’t think you can let go of me just yet.”

“Tobey.” Becky groaned, turning her face away as she crossed her arms. “Did you even hit your head?”

“I wasn’t lying about that.” Tobey huffed, thankfully relaxing his grip on her a bit. “And I do actually feel a little lightheaded. But it’s getting better quickly.”

“That’s good at least.” She sighed, back to feeling a little guilty as she glanced at him. “Well… let’s keep walking, then.”

“You’re the boss.” He chuckled, still keeping his arm around her as they walked through the halls. Becky just hoped he couldn’t feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest.

They only took a few more steps before Tobey spoke up again. “Becky?”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t… dislike being close to me like this, do you?”

Becky startled, almost tripping as she snapped her head to him. “Wh-what?”

“I’m sure you heard me.” He was actually looking away from her now, a small frown on his face.

Becky creased her brows together before facing forwards again. “Well… no, of course not.”

They took a few more steps in silence.

“Then why don’t you ever initiate contact like this?” Tobey asked quietly.

Becky chewed at her lip, staring down at the tiles as they passed them. “I… um…” It was a fair question. They’d been dating for about a month now, but Tobey was still the one to ask about holding hands, or hugging, or cuddling. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

Tobey hummed, clearly disappointed. “Well. Let me know when you figure it out.”

Becky’s stomach twisted anxiously. “Tobey, I… I do like this, you know? I just still feel so…” Conflicted, and bashful, and even a little scared. “Confused.”

Their steps echoed across the halls.

“I can.” Becky swallowed, since her voice croaked at the end. “I can r-reach out to you more. Okay?”

Tobey sighed, slowly sliding his arm off of her as he stood up straight. “Mm. We’ll see.”

Becky chewed at her lip, glancing down as she clasped her hands together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesdays were always the best, since that was the day she and Tobey went right to the library after school to read to their hearts’ content.

“I think I’ll check out some more robotics books,” Tobey hummed, tapping at his chin in thought. “Just to see if I need to alert the publishers of some updates they’re not aware of yet.”

Becky snorted before laughing and rolling her eyes playfully. “They should just give you their phone numbers at this point.”

“That’s what I keep saying!” Tobey huffed, crossing his arms. “But, no, they insist that email is ‘more professional.’”

“Let me proofread anything before you send it, okay?”

“Of course.” He smiled at her, letting his arms swing by his sides again as he chuckled. “I do appreciate you helping me with my tone; to sound more friendly and the like.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled back, before facing forwards again, the two of them climbing up the stairs to enter the library’s massive doors.

They headed to the technology section first, since Tobey actually knew what he wanted. Once he had a large stack of books with him at a table, Becky took her time perusing the children’s fiction section. She, unfortunately, was not allowed to check out any young adult fiction novels until she was at least in ninth grade, so she had to make due with what was available.

When she had a stack of her own, she joined Tobey at the table and picked out her first book. Though she found herself leaving it closed for now, her eyes wandering over to look at the blonde boy beside her instead.

Those deep blue eyes were focused solely on the book in front of him; sometimes wide with surprise, other times narrowed with suspicion, and occasionally squinted with amusement, his mouth stretching in all sorts of ways to match his expressive eyes. She found herself captivated by the different emotions flickering across his face, a small smile coming to her lips.

She jolted when his head snapped over to her, a grin quickly blooming on his face. “See something you like?”

She was certain her face was bright red as she completely turned away from him. “N-no!” She stopped, realizing that might have sounded more harsh than she intended. “I, I mean, I was just – you’re–”

Tobey interrupted her with a chuckle, the flip of a page reaching her ears next. “Oh, Becky, Becky, Becky. Still adorable as ever.”

“Hush.” Becky swallowed, slowly turning back to face him and feeling relieved at how his attention was back on his book. She took a breath before glancing at her own book, cracking it open. But for once in her life, she found it very difficult to focus on the words in front of her.

Chewing at her lip, Becky glanced at Tobey out of the corner of her eyes. He was still focused on his book, holding it tightly in both of his hands as he scanned the pages. She felt her heart in her head as she quietly scooted her chair closer, pausing every few seconds to make sure he wasn’t startled by her motions.

When their chairs were no more than an inch apart, she could feel Tobey’s eyes on her, but thankfully he was staying silent. She avoided his gaze as she slowly leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder so she could glance at the book he was holding.

“Everything in order so far?”

“... Y-yes.” Tobey’s voice cracked on the word, so he quickly cleared his throat. “Yes, they’ve gotten it all right so far.”

She could feel him swallow nervously, and she couldn’t help but smile a little at that. She supposed it was kind of fun to make him be the flustered one for a change. Though she couldn’t think of anything to tease him with before she felt his head rest against her own, nuzzling gently against her hair.

They stayed like that as he flipped through his book, Becky switching between super-reading the pages and closing her eyes to enjoy Tobey’s warmth against her. This was kind of nice, being able to feel every subtle movement of his arms with their shoulders pressed together. Her neck did start to strain a little bit, but she didn’t mind.

When Tobey was finished with his book, he gently set it down before whispering, “Becky?”

“Mm?”

“I would very much like to kiss you.”

Becky tensed up, lifting her head immediately so she could stare at him in complete and utter shock. “Wh-what? Now!?”

“Maybe?” His laugh did actually seem kind of nervous as he glanced away, tapping an anxious finger against the table. “I… I’ve been wanting to kiss you for awhile, I was just waiting until you seemed more comfortable with me, first.” He turned to smile at her, hearts practically in his eyes as he sighed out, “And after that lovely display of affection you just gave me, I assume you feel very comfortable indeed.”

Becky felt goosebumps across her arms as she looked away again, her heart beating in her throat at the idea of kissing him. It felt too soon; she wasn’t ready; she’d had to work up her courage just to lay her head on his shoulder for crying out loud!

Her mouth went dry when she felt Tobey’s hand on hers, the air shifting as he leaned in closer–

“I just remembered!” She said just a bit too loudly as she pushed the chair back, jumping to her feet. She lowered her voice, laughing inbetween her words, “Dad actually wanted me home early today! To, to help with dinner!” She slung her backpack over her back before taking her untouched pile of books in her arms, heading towards a return cart. “See you tomorrow, Tobey!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day at school, Becky avoided Tobey as much as possible. In the classes where they sat next to each other, she offered a smile but otherwise would pretend to be too absorbed in her textbooks or notebooks to offer much for conversation. For lunch she took her food outside, trying to enjoy some peace so she could think about what she wanted to tell him. After school, she made up another excuse to go home quickly, and thanked her lucky stars that this wasn’t a day that Tobey had to come over. She was also thankful that she didn’t have a cellphone yet; that made it more difficult for Tobey to contact her.

After completing her homework (and a quick battle with Dr. Two-Brains), she spent that night thinking of what she wanted to say to Tobey. Because she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.

But when Friday morning came, she still felt tongue tied and couldn’t think of a single word to say to him. So she just offered him a smile like yesterday before stuffing her face into another book until class started. She figured she could talk to him at lunch; they could go somewhere more private, and she could at least try to say some of what was on her mind.

When lunchtime came, however, she winced as her super-hearing picked up a very loud and annoyed, “WordGirl!”

Yep. That was definitely Tobey. And it sounded like he was on the school’s roof. With a sigh, she snuck off to the bathroom, transformed, and flew out the window and up to the roof to see the boy genius pacing across the cement, his hands clenching and unclenching into tight fists as a scowl rested on his face.

“Sorry to call you out like this,” he hissed through his teeth, still pacing as he looked up at her. “But it was either stand here and scream from the rooftops, or fetch one of my robots to make a scene. I figured this was better.”

Oh, no. WordGirl frowned, slowly flying over so she could hover beside him as he paced. “You’re thinking about turning back to villainy?”

“No!” Tobey snapped, flinging his hands to his hair so he could pull lightly. “But I am very upset, and the urge to smash something to bits to let off some steam is slowly becoming harder and harder to fend off!”

WordGirl could probably guess the reason. “Well… what has you so upset?”

“My girlfriend!” Tobey finally stopped pacing, his scowl morphing into more of a hurt frown than anything else. “If I can still call her that. She’s been avoiding me since Wednesday afternoon.”

“Why?” WordGirl asked, tucking her hands behind her back as she touched down onto the roof.

“I don’t know!” Tobey huffed, crossing his arms as he glanced away. “All I asked her for was a kiss! Something that normal couples do. When she first ran off I figured she just needed some time to think about the request; I even felt a little guilty for trying to push her. I was going to tell her that we could wait a little longer the next day, but she’s been avoiding me! How are we supposed to talk about this if she keeps running off at the sight of me?!”

WordGirl winced slightly. That was a fair point, but, “Maybe you just need to wait a little longer?”

Tobey scoffed, back to scowling as he glared at her. “You sound just like my new ‘friends’ at school. Honestly, I think I’ve been as patient as I can be!”

“Why don’t we try thinking about this from her point of view,” WordGirl tried a different tactic, offering a weak smile. “This is her first real relationship, right? Maybe it’s all a little… scary for her.”

“What’s scary about a kiss!” Tobey flung his hands up in exasperation. “People do it all the time! Shouldn’t she want to kiss me if she likes me??”

“Well…” WordGirl tried to think of a good simile to explain this. “People could still be scared of something they want to do. Like taking a dive off the high board, or trying a new food?”

Tobey grumbled a bit, but he seemed to understand as he slowly lowered his arms back to cross over his chest. “I… suppose that’s a fair point. But that doesn’t excuse her avoidance of me!”

“You’re right,” WordGirl admitted, grabbing at her arm as she glanced away. “It… doesn’t.”

“Ah, so you agree!” Tobey smiled triumphantly. “That’s all I needed to hear. Thank you, WordGirl.”

“Huh?” WordGirl blinked at him as he headed towards the exit, feeling a little lost. “You don’t want to talk anymore?”

“Nope!” Tobey laughed that high-pitched, scheming laugh of his, something she rarely heard anymore. “I have a plan now. Thank you for the advice!”

“But I didn’t actually give you any ad –!” The door slamming cut her off, and she groaned in disdain. Whatever idea she’d just given Tobey, it probably wasn’t good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Becky heard the distinct sounds of robotic clanking and whirring immediately after school, she knew her lunchtime hunch had been very correct. She groaned to herself when she went to the front steps, faced with the sight of Tobey standing on the shoulder of one of his signature robots.

“Becky!” Tobey called down to her right before his robot wrapped its hand around her, pulling her up to his eye level. “Hello, my dear.”

“Hello, Tobey.” Becky sighed, resting her chin against the metal finger wrapped around her.

“Ah, so you’re finally talking to me!”

“I was going to talk with you at lunch!” Becky groaned again, struggling in his robot’s grip. She couldn’t even get an arm free. At least, she couldn’t with her ‘normal’ strength. “But I couldn’t find you.”

“A likely story.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “I couldn’t take any chances, since you haven’t said a word to me in almost 46 hours!”

“That’s really not that long.” Becky sighed. “Was this really necessary??”

“Yes! And before you say anything about me turning back to villainy, I haven’t actually destroyed anything, nor do I intend to kidnap you for longer than ten minutes, so technically I am not doing anything wrong!”

“You literally just said the word ‘kidnap.’”

“But not for long!” Tobey groaned, pressing a few buttons on his robotic remote so the arm would extend, setting Becky down on the roof of the school. He used his robot’s other hand to bring him there right after, a pout on his face. “There. Happy? Can we talk now? You know, even WordGirl said it’s ridiculous that you’re avoiding me.”

“I doubt she used the word ‘ridiculous.’” Becky crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t – you’re stalling!” He pointed an accusatory finger at her, frowning again. “Tell me what you’re thinking now!”

“I don’t know what I’m thinking, Tobey!” Becky snapped, turning her side to him as she hunched her shoulders up. “I’ve never dated anyone before! I’m still trying to figure out how to act, what to do, what I even want to do.”

“What does that even mean?” Tobey seemed to be getting frustrated again. “How do you not know what you want?? It’s easy! You just ask yourself, ‘what do I want?’ and you think of an answer!”

“It’s not that simple for me!” Becky groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. “I want so many things at once, Tobey. There’s so many options to choose from and it, it’s overwhelming, okay?”

Things were silent for a moment. Becky kept her face covered even as she heard Tobey take a few steps closer to her.

“Becky…” Tobey sounded defeated, a sigh tailing the end of her name. “This is my first relationship, too, you know.”

“I know.” Becky lowered her hands, her gut twisting at the hurt shining in his downcast eyes. “So… isn’t there something you’re scared of with it?”

“The only thing I’m scared of is failure.” Tobey scrunched his eyebrows together, gripping his opposite arm. “Of doing something that makes you detest me again.” He looked up at her, staring deep into her eyes as he whispered his next words. “Of you never talking to me again.”

Becky’s insides twisted in guilt. “I… I’m sorry.”

“It really hurt, you know?” He sighed, ducking his head down so she couldn’t see his face. “Honestly, ignoring me is so much worse than anything you could have said to me. I kept thinking we were over and done with.”

“Oh, Tobey.” Becky rushed over to hug him, relieved when he returned the gesture, their heads resting against each other.

She should have thought of this earlier; of course Tobey hated being ignored. He’d felt lonely for most of his life, it made sense that her not saying anything would have bothered him so much.

“I really am sorry,” she whispered, squeezing him gently. “I didn’t mean to avoid you, I just… didn’t know what to say.”

“Anything.” Tobey dropped his remote so he could clutch her tightly, taking a deep breath. “Literally anything is better than nothing. Even if you’d just asked me to help you with an assignment I would have felt more at ease.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Becky promised, rubbing his back gently.

“Or you could have written me a note if you didn’t want to speak to me!”

“Another great idea.”

“It is! I’m full of them, you should know that by now.”

Becky just chuckled a little, closing her eyes as she nuzzled against the side of his head.

Tobey sniffled once before muttering, “I’m sorry if I was being too pushy at the library. I just get so excited, and then it’s hard to hold back.”

“I know.” Becky smiled warmly. “That’s one of the things I like about you.”

“Oh, good.” Tobey took a deep breath, collecting himself as he let it out. “Then… do you… know what you want to tell me now? About the kissing thing?”

Becky’s heart skipped a beat. She was glad they were still hugging, so she didn’t have to look at his face as she spoke into the air. “It’s still not a really clear answer, I’m afraid? Because I, I want to kiss you, eventually. But right now just doesn’t feel like the right time to me.”

“I see.” Tobey’s tone was quiet, careful, contemplative.

“I don’t want to move too fast,” Becky told him, hoping he wasn’t getting angrier with each word. “Can we… slow down a bit? Enjoy each step naturally?”

Tobey took a few seconds to respond, squeezing her gently before pulling away to show her a small smile. “Yes. I think that can be arranged.”

“Oh, good.” A wave of relief washed over Becky as she smiled back at him. “So, you’re not mad anymore?”

“No, I’m much better now.” He took another deep breath, bending down to retrieve his remote. “Honestly, just knowing that you do want to kiss me, however long ‘eventually’ will take, is enough to placate me for now.” He stood back up, regarding her for a moment before teasing, “Plus, your blushing face always puts me in a good mood.”

Becky flung her hands to her cheeks, embarrassed at the heat that had settled in them as Tobey chuckled at her.

“Come on.” Tobey pressed a few buttons on the remote, his robot’s hand flattening on the roof so they could step onto it. “I’ll take you home.”

Becky nodded, taking Tobey’s hand as she stepped up onto the robot’s hand to be lifted to the metallic shoulder. Soon they were being whisked off through the city, holding hands as Becky admired the skyline. She always flew much faster than this, and didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy the sights when she was rushing off to stop some villain. So taking it slow like this with Tobey was very nice; a welcomed change to her otherwise fast-paced life.

When they made it to her house, they turned to smile at each other, and Tobey called the robot’s hand up so she could step on it.

“Off you go, then.” Tobey released her hand, waving his fingers at her. “See you, and talk to you, tomorrow.”

“Right.” Becky nodded, about to step onto the robot’s hand before an idea came to her.

She chewed at her lip, excitement bubbling in her stomach before she decided to just go for it. She stepped closer to Tobey and, before he could say anything, pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Then she stepped onto the robot hand, smiling wide at the flush that had quickly entered Tobey’s face.

“Okay.” She giggled, hands behind her back. “Ready to be dropped off.”

“Huh?” Tobey jolted enough to skew his glasses, his expression practically melting into a smile as his brain finally caught up with the current moment. “Oh, right, yes – lowering you to the ground, ha ha, that’s what I was doing.” He cleared his throat, a dreamy smile still on his face as he pressed another button. “So long!” he called, waving excitedly to her as she slowly descended. “Farewell! Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow, but I’ll adore your lovely face in the morrow.”

Becky was sure she was blushing just as much now as she waved back, having no idea what to say yet again. “N-no robotic kidnappings tomorrow!” she called up, clearly flustered as she stepped onto her front lawn.

“I promise!” Tobey’s giggling could be heard even with him several stories above her. “No avoiding me, either! No matter how shy you might feel right now!”

“I’m not shy!” Becky argued, stomping her foot. Though she pouted as she relented anyway, “But I also promise!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I have such a cool invention to show you!” Tobey was far too excited, for once being the one to pull Becky down the sidewalk after school. “I haven’t worked out all the kinks yet, but I’ve been working on something that I think you’ll really like!”

“Slow down!” Becky laughed, yet still sped up to match him. “It’s not gonna go away if we walk.”

“Yes, I know that.” Tobey huffed, not slowing down in the slightest. “But it’s rare that I have you over to my house, and I want to enjoy every second!”

Becky didn’t have anything to say to that, certain her cheeks were flushing again as she glanced away. It was true; they rarely spent time at Tobey’s house due to his mother’s busy schedule. Which had suited Becky just fine, because honestly she found Tobey’s house to be way too big and empty to be comfortable. With all that space, she wouldn’t expect a house to feel so isolating.

As soon as they arrived at the McCallister residence Tobey dragged her up to his room, calling distractedly to his mother in the living room, “Hello, mom, we’re home! I’m showing Becky my new invention now, bye!!”

“Tobey!” Mrs. McCallister’s demanding tone made Tobey stop in the middle of the staircase, wincing slightly.

He turned around, a pout already on his lips as he squeezed Becky’s hand. “Mother, I told you about this at breakfast!”

“I know that, dear.” She strutted over to them with a firm look on her face. “But I still expect a hug before you go anywhere, young man.”

Becky giggled a little, and Tobey flushed pink. But he decided not to argue as he ran down the stairs, gave her a quick hug, and sprinted back up the stairs to push Becky farther along. “Okay, see you at dinner!!”

Once they were in his room, Becky had to tease, “Mamma’s boy.”

“Hush!” Tobey pushed her into taking a seat onto his bed, huffing before he rushed to his window to close the curtains, casting the room into darkness. “Just sit there and prepare to be amazed, Becky Botsford!”

Becky rolled her eyes playfully, but otherwise stayed quiet as she watched her plucky boyfriend pull out what appeared to be an ordinary telescope out from his closet. She raised a brow as she watched him carry it over to the window, pressing a button on the side of it so tripod legs would extend out to hold it up. He then shoved the telescope in between the curtains, clipping the cloth above and below the spyglass together so the room would still be dark.

“Don’t we have to wait until it’s actually dark out to go stargazing?” Becky had to ask, confused at the wide smile Tobey still had on.

“It’s always dark in space.” Tobey chuckled, pulling another remote out of his pocket before hopping onto the bed next to her. “Just watch. Normal telescopes can only see stars through a series of mirrors and glass, creating what appears to be a 2D image to our eyes. But this telescope!”

He pressed a button on his remote, and in a flash the darkened room was lit up with holograms of all sorts of stars and constellations, one such star appearing right in front of Becky’s face and causing her to fall back onto the bed in surprise.

“This telescope brings the stars to us!” He laughed, turning a dial on his remote to “zoom out,” the stars around them slowly shrinking in size and allowing more stars to come and light up the space. “And we can see them during the day, too!”

“Woah!” Becky sat up, her jaw dropping as she looked around her. The little dots everywhere made her think of the few times she’d actually been able to fly through space in her airship; with Captain Huggy Face’s supervision, of course. Tobey had managed to make his holograms in full color, as well, which made it much easier to tell what was a star and what was a planet, an asteroid, or even a few black holes.

“Tobey, this is incredible!” She laughed, smiling wide as she looked around her.

“Yes, I know.” Tobey beamed with pride, looking around the room with a shine in his eyes. “Studying astronomy will be so much easier now! That’s something you wanted to learn more about, right?”

Becky’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced at him, eyes widening. “Y-yeah, it is.”

Tobey chuckled, tapping another button on his remote to make the stars zoom in just a bit more as he spoke, “Like I said, not all the kinks have been worked out. The holograms are still a bit too fuzzy for my tastes, and I can’t be too sure if that lack of visual quality is affecting anything else…”

As he kept talking about all of the current faults in his invention and how he intended to fix them, Becky found herself not wanting to look at the cosmos all around her. Instead, she wanted to focus on the boy right next to her, whose expressive face shifted through expressions as fast as a hummingbird flapped its wings.

She felt something bubble in her stomach, the rest of her starting to feel warm the longer she looked at him. He really was so cute and sweet, always doing unexpected things like this for her, no matter how long it took. Always wanting her to be the first one to see his inventions, even if they weren’t finished yet. It seemed like he was always thinking of her.

“Tobey?” she interrupted, scooting closer to him.

“Hm?” He stopped his rant, turning to her with wide eyes. “Sorry, was I talking too long? I’ll –” His words died in his throat as Becky leaned in to press her lips against his, the remote slipping out of his hand and clattering to the floor.

They stayed together, with only their lips touching, for about three seconds before Becky pulled away, suddenly nervous as she looked at him. He was stunned, his face bright red and his mouth hanging open in shock while he stayed completely silent. Oh, no, did she do it wrong? Maybe she should have asked about it first, like he’d done at the library all those weeks ago?

Chewing at her lip, Becky straightened up, beginning to fiddle with her hair as she glanced away. “Um… s-sorry for interrupting you?”

Tobey exhaled quickly in a laugh, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “Oh, please.” It was as if he was practically melting into his bedsheets as he hunched over, hearts forming in his eyes. “Feel free to interrupt me like that anytime.”

Becky laughed lightly in relief, that bubbling in her stomach only getting worse when Tobey grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as he leaned close to her.

“Could we try it again?” he requested quietly. “My brain short-circuited the first time, and I want to commemorate this occasion in my memory forever.”

Becky’s heart was in her throat as she stared into Tobey’s dazed, dream-filled eyes. She swallowed before glancing away, nodding twice.

“Excellent.” Tobey wasted no time, practically surging forwards to place his lips on Becky’s again, squeezing her hand tight as he did so.

Their second kiss was just as short as the first one, but this time Tobey sighed afterwards, his free hand lifting to caress her cheek.

“Oh, Becky,” he whispered her name as if it were a prayer, and the gentle touch combined with his quiet tone sent goosebumps across her arms. “How romantic, kissing me under the stars? I dare say you’ve made me even happier than I already was.”

Becky was almost certain that Tobey said that just so he could feel how much heat entered her cheeks. She lifted her own free hand to grip his shoulder, gently keeping him at bay as she laughed quietly. “It just f-felt like the right moment.”

“Mm,” Tobey hummed as he leaned in again, but Becky turned her face to the side so he’d kiss her cheek instead.

“Why don’t you show me more of your invention now?”

That seemed to snap Tobey out of his sudden trance. His eyes widened and he straightened up immediately, his eyes wide as his face slowly turned red again. “Right! Of course, shouldn’t get too carried away the first time, I suppose?” His laugh was high-pitched and breathless as he slid off the bed, fumbling for the remote on the ground. “Just a minute. Then we can m-move the telescope and see a different part of the sky! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Mmhm.” Becky nodded, folding her hands in her lap as she took a deep breath. Her heart was still racing, and she had a feeling both of them would be blushing for awhile, but she was very happy she’d kissed him. She felt warm all over, and she didn’t try to hide her smile as Tobey turned back to her, remote in hand. “Very exciting.”

Tobey blinked at her for a second before matching her smile. He cleared his throat before climbing back up onto the bed, sitting up straight as he turned a different dial on the remote that caused the telescope to shift to the left, the holographic stars moving and changing with it.

He started explaining what part of the galaxy this was and how far it was from Earth, though he stuttered a few times when Becky laid her head on his shoulder and entwined his hand with hers.

Becky couldn’t help but think that this was the perfect way to stargaze.

#wordgirl #tobecky #tobey mccallister #becky botsford #first kiss #annzy writes #first comes friendship

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pagingdoctorbedlam · 3 years

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My final potion for @quirkyseastone ‘s “Brew a Love Potion” event is complete! Hope you’re ready for the fluffiest darn thing I’ve written for this fandom (and possibly ever).

Characters: Franky x Reader

Genre: Sci-Fi AU, Fluff

TW/CW: Mentions of loss/death

Inspiration: Kudos to “A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers for inspiring this fic~

Word Count: 2.7k words

"Alright, we've successfully docked. Good job, crew." You sit up from the captain's chair and gaze out at the starport outside your window. It's been some time since you'd landed on one of the Sabaody Moons, but you've always found the view breathtaking. The moons are more tree than earth, and bubbles slowly float from the roots up toward the stars. While some of the moons are still hives of scum and villainy, others seem almost paradisiacal as beings from far-flung galaxies intermingled in the Sabaody ports.

Before you can get too far from the bridge, the intercom of the Thousand Sunny buzzes to life. It's Franky, the A.I. that runs your ship. "Hey Captain, can I nab a word with ya' before you go on shore leave?"

"Sure thing. Need me here, or down in the core room?"

"Core Room, if ya' don't mind. I've got a super new design to run by you." Though Franky works admirably as a ship A.I., he'd originally been coded to design ships, including the one he now ran, the 1000 Suns (colloquially the Thousand Sunny to you and your crew). Even though his focus is now centered on ship diagnostics and flight procedures, the A.I. still delights in crafting new machine schematics, and you have a rule that he needs your approval before he modifies the ship.

You wave off the rest of the bridge crew, and they're all too eager to touch solid ground again after months in space. You are too, but if Franky's waited this long to check on you, it's likely something for your ears only while the rest of the crew is offboard. You stride through the winding metal hallways that make up the ship's guts, flashing your clearance badge here and there until you are down in the deep bowels of the ship, close enough to the engines that you can hear the machinery thrumming as the ship went through cooldown procedures. It's familiar. You come down here more often than others would expect, enough that you've got a futon and blanket stashed nearby for nights you don't spend in your own cabin.

"Franky? Said you wanted to see me?" You call out as you entered the Core Room. The entire room is covered in segments of a giant computer, with retractable screens and limbs for interacting with others; all of this is Franky. In a way, you're standing in his brain, which is something you try not to think about too much. What catches your attention is that all the screens are down, a rarity when Franky has company.

"Sure do!" His voice echoes, but not from the speakers. "Got a surprise for you. Close your eyes a sec, alright Captain?"

"Franky..." You're sure no other ship A.I.s play games with their commanding officers, but then again, you've yet to meet an A.I. with half the personality Franky has. You close your eyes and cover them with your hands. "Alright, ready when you are."

You expect to hear wheels, a cart with some sort of prototype wheeling into the room. Instead there are footsteps, heavy and so in-sync that it borders on unnatural. Then a hand on your shoulder, warm and soft. Too curious to resist temptation, you open your eyes and peek through your fingers.

"Franky, is this...?"

"An android body? It sure is!" He spins you around and takes a step back so you can take in his full visage. He looks human for the most part, even if the muscles in his forearms are overemphasized and patches of metal poke out from his skin. Still, he has skin, the medical-grade sort often used for replacing lost flesh in humans, and hair that's sculpted into a bright blue pompadour. He must have borrowed clothes from someone in medical too, though he's only wearing a floral patterned shirt, sunglasses, and a speedo. You suppose he was too excited for the big reveal to finish getting dressed.

"You made this, Franky?"

"Yeah, alongside Dr. Chopper and the rest of the medical team, plus Usopp over in Engineering. Surprised none of 'em spilled the beans." He flexes to show off the musculature of his arms. "We'd talked about what happened to your last ship, and figured we should make me a back-up body in case I ever needed to leave the ship with you all. Not that I plan for anything to happen to the Sunny..."

"But better safe than sorry." You still miss Merry, your sweet A.I. lost with your previous ship. She and Franky would've gotten along well, you think. "It's a good plan, I approve."

"Excellent! Now I just need to take it for a spin, test it outside the ship. Seeing as we've docked for the time being..."

Ah. Now you see what he's getting it. Pretty sly, for an A.I. "As your Captain, I'll accompany you on your first excursion out on the spaceport, to make sure everything's in working order." You offer an arm. He raises an eyebrow. "Loop it with mine. Like this...there we go. Now let's get going, shall we?"

Even among the strangest aliens, Franky stands out in his own way at the space docks. This is only partially due to his lack of pants: he claims this is because he designed his legs to vent most of the heat his body builds up, and you wouldn't want him to overheat and faint on his first outing, would you? No, he stands out because even though he's clearly an android, there's an excitement to him that would rival even the most starry-eyed space explorers.

"Would ya' take a look at this, Captain?" You'd expect to find Franky gawking at any number of the docked spaceships, and indeed he's gushed about many of them already. Instead, he directs your attention to one of the tree roots. A trail of iridescent beetles scurry up the bark, and overhead, a couple smaller Southbirds (rare here, likely escaped cargo from the planet Skypiea) call to each other as they watch the busy port below.

"Thought you'd studied all these, Franky." After all, he's a powerful computer who can research multiple ideas at once, and innately curious as any inventor tends to be. And he's asked you and the crew many, many questions about the world beyond his metal hull.

"Yeah, but no matter how advanced the notes and visuals might be, it doesn't compare with the real thing. I mean, look at 'em!" He points at one particular beetle as its shell reflects the lights of the spaceport back with an opalescent sheen. "Even if you could theoretically simulate all this on a computer, most wouldn't think to do so on their own. Out here, stuff just...happens."

You have never seen an A.I. quite so excited about life outside, but then again, you've never met an A.I. quite like Franky. "Yeah, I guess that is pretty exciting when you put it that way. Part of the wonders of space travel; you never quite know what's going to happen out here."

Then a realization hits your brain with the full-bodied force of a supernova. "Franky, you've spent so much time traveling through the stars, but have you ever actually seen them the way we do?"

Franky looks up at the sky overhead. "Hard to see 'em from up here, even if I zoom out my eyes to max. Watch this!" His eyes...actually telescope out of his head. That's a bit disturbing with how human he looks. "Figure that's due to light pollution, though. Pretty bright out here."

"Sure is." You offer your arm to him again. "Come with me; I'll show you how folks groundside go out to look at the stars."

Years ago, you'd come out of the harshest space battle of your life. Your crew narrowly avoided becoming space dust, and after giving her all to save you, you lost Merry. The ship that had been with you since the beginning, the A.I. with the biggest heart you'd ever met. As her files corrupted and her hull fell apart, you'd honored her final wish and set her ablaze once you reached planetside, cremating her as one would a human. You still carry a vial of her ashes on a necklace, so you never forget what you've lost to get this far.

You'd wandered through the streets of the moon of Water 7 in a daze. Hadn't even paid attention where you went as the rest of the crew licked their wounds. Before you knew it, a robotic voice called out to you from the depths of a starship demolition yard.

"What's got you down, Captain? Can't be you're sad to be out among the stars!"

You'd blinked, not recognizing the source of the voice. But you called back, "I just lost someone important to my crew. My ship." You didn't care if most folks didn't see A.I.s as people. Merry had been more than a crewmate to you. She'd been a friend.

Even though the voice emanating from the demo-yard was auto-tuned monotone, it took on a warmer tone somehow. "I'm sorry to hear that. But you say you're looking for a ship? I might be able to help with that." A crackle of static. "And if you'd like, you can tell me about your lost pal. I can't bring 'em back for you...but I've heard that talking about these kinda' things helps."

"You don't even know who I am."

"No one does when they first meet, do they? Speaking of which, call me Franky."

Somehow, pouring your heart out to a stranger was easier than talking to your crewmates. You'd wandered into the heart of the scrapheaps and talked to the mysterious Franky, his voice surrounding you from so many static-filled speakers. You'd watched as overhead, he controlled cranes to start putting pieces of a mighty vessel together. He'd asked about your specifications, what you'd loved about Merry both as a ship and a friend. You'd cried. He did too. And when you'd asked how much the ship would cost, he said the only charge would be that he could come along.

You agreed willingly, overjoyed to have such a skilled shipwright onboard. It was only when you talked to the demo-yard owner that you learned that the person you'd poured your heart out to was an A.I.

That didn't stop you from doing so again once the Thousand Sunny was complete, and Franky took to his new home in his core room. You'd wander down into the depths of the Thousand Sunny whenever you needed a second opinion on the ship or a mission, and soon after that just to talk. You'd spent hours surrounded by the computer that served as Franky's brain for so long, talking and laughing just as you used to with Merry. Except, it was more than that with him. He wasn't just a friend, you'd realized over time. But you'd shoved those thoughts away. It was ludicrous, falling in love with an A.I. whose brain you could walk through, whose body was a starship you controlled with the push of a few buttons.

But now he has a body. You can squeeze his giant hand, and he squeezes back so softly as he gets used to his own strength. He smiles the way you always imagined he would, grinning with pearly white teeth and eyes that (literally) glow with joy.

He follows you with infinite curiosity as you weave through the Sabaody streets and gather supplies for your excursion. You ask about his body's capabilities and discover his fuel source is...astonishingly close to soda, so you pick up a few colas along with some food for you. Franky gets to carry a blanket hand-woven by the locals, and you catch him marveling at the texture when he thinks you aren't looking. Finally, you rent a small paddleboat to traverse the moon with, and a map that lays out the canals and waterways of this particular moon.

"You know, it'd be a lot faster if I rowed," Franky says, mouth quirked into a lopsided grin as your comparatively tiny arms pull the oars back and forth. It's amazingly, how perfectly imperfect he looks, more human than any other android you've seen even with all the metal bits.

"There's an old human adage about the journey being more important than the destination, Franky. Take in the experience."

You watch as his attention zeroes in along the waterways, eyes zooming in on every detail until they're pulled away to something new. You expect him to be interested in the flora and fauna, as opalescent leaves bigger than your boat stretch over the water to shade you from the encroaching moonlight and soft purple creatures vaguely reminiscent of otters circle your boat before chasing each other down the river. But the entire world is new to him, and you find him fascinated by even the dirt or the buzzing insects swarming your head.

"Aww, look. I think it likes me!" Franky lifts one giant finger, where a mosquito (why did those have to be a universal constant?) tries and fails at piercing his skin.

"It probably thinks you're human and is trying to suck your blood," you point out, as the bugs try to use you as a personal juicebox. This only gets Franky to smile. Must feel validating, having even nature recognize him for what he is in his heart.

It takes a bit more rowing, but you finally arrive at your destination. A small island, mostly shore, with a small field and a lone tree with leaves that glow silver in the moonlight. You dock the boat on the shore, then set up the blanket and food for a small picnic. You motion for Franky to sit with you, and can't help but laugh a little at the faces he makes when touching sand for the first time. Then you lay back on the blanket. Franky joins you, and his eyes go wide.

A ribbon of starlight glimmers overhead. Hundreds of constellations twinkle overhead. You'd ask if he knows any, but you keep quiet so you don't break his wonder-filled gaze.

His giant hand encases yours. "Space seems even bigger from here than it does when you're in the middle of it. I mean, look at all those stars! I read that you could see 'em from so far away, but seeing it in person..."

"This is what inspired me to go into space," you say. Your finger drifts up to the brightest star in the sky. "I'd look at that one and say, I'm going to go there someday! Didn't care how far away it was, or even what might be around it. Just wanted to head to the brightest star I could."

Franky narrows his gaze up at that star. "That's over eight light years away. Might take a bit, even with a warp drive like mine. But if that's where you wanna' go? I'll take you anywhere, Captain. Long as we're together, I'll explore every corner of the universe with you."

For a moment, both of you are quiet. The air fills with the gentle rhythm of the flowing water, the buzz of insects, bushes rustling as creatures move in the night. In the distance, the hum of a starship engine taking off from the port; you soon see its lights trail across the sky as it ascends back into that void above, the space that's so comforting because it holds planets and stars and spaceships and you and Franky all together in its embrace.

"I think this is the part where one of us says 'I love you'," Franky says softly.

You smile and squeeze his hand back. "You're such a romantic. But yeah, you're right. And I do. I love you."

"Love you too, Captain. And thanks. For, y'know, helping me be human."

"Franky, you've got more heart than most anyone I know. You're plenty human already. I'm just here to steer you steady. And I always will."

You pass the rest of the night watching the stars overhead. And for the captain and A.I. of a starship, you wouldn't have it any other way.

#seas brew a love potion challenge #bedlam writes #cyborg franky #franky x reader #scifi au #fluff

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kessielrg · 4 years

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[Mighty Number 9] Kaberi’s Patch

Summary: In which Troilus convinces Leilani to enter Dr. White's laboratory in order to fix Cryosphere's Cabbage Patch doll Kabi.

Rating: K

Word count: 2,401 words

If you like the story, please consider donating through Ko-fi!

. . .

A cold chill ran up Leilani's spine, and it wasn't just because of the winter air. Beside her, a xel-bot that looked more like a single eye attached to a stick man body made from slim, metal piping didn't seem to notice. This bot, named Troilus, was one of Leilani's oldest friends, and he had just suggested to her one of her worst nightmares.

“Please come with me Doc, it'll be a riot with you there!” he tried to goad her, despite being distracted by a bird not far off from them.

“I think you mean a riot will break out.” Leilani retorted with a grimace. “We've talked about this Troilus- there's nothing you can do to get me into Doctor Blackwell's lab to bump elbows with the Mighty Numbers.”

Troilus turned to look at her, his eye sparkling with amusement. “Ah, but Doc, Beckie loves you. You'd make his day just by breathing in his direction!”

The young woman had to look away from her friend as she pursed her lips together. “Hard pass.” she decided in a stiff tone.

“Not my favorite photo filter.” Troilus then playfully mused. “More of a transparency kinda guy.”

Leilani let out an exasperated sigh in response.

The two continued their walk in silence for a good amount of time. It wasn't until the path led to a crossroads that they turned to look at each other again.

“Whelp, last chance Doc.” Troilus told Leilani. “I'm telling you, Beck would love to see you. Pyrogen would love you too if you gave him the chance!”

“Troilus,” Leilani then begged, taking the robot by his thin hands, “I can't enter the Mighty Numbers' lair. Just thinking about the place makes me sick- if I had to enter it, I'd probably pop a blood vessel. Don't make me enter that place unless there's something that only I can solve. Okay?”

The tall Colosseum bot gave the young woman a thoughtful blink. “Your loss.” the bot finally decided with an indifferent shrug. His eye then glittered with amusement as he gave her a little boop on the nose. “See you later Doc!”

Trying to hide her blushing face, all Leilani could do was shake her head. Troilus pretended not to notice as he gave his favorite robotist a wave before leaving for the White compound.

The main headquarters for the Mighty Numbers was a tall steel building that tended to grow with each new Number. Each Mighty had their own floor, with Doctor White's room on the floor of the current Mighty Number. It was a far fancier sight than what Troilus lived in, what with his creator and owner a mechanic than an actual robotist, but he still enjoyed coming over now and again to see the improvements done over the years.

The only thing he hated about the Mighty Numbers' compound was that he had to be buzzed in. Every. Single. Time. You would imagine that being a family friend would mean something- but nope, Troilus had to wait to be allowed into the compound as if he were the delivery man.

“Sorry for the wait.” Mighty Number One, Pyrogen, apologized to his friend as he let Troilus in.

“It's no problem.” the other bot handwaved. “One of these days I'll crack that lock and just let myself in!”

Pyrogen gave a small chuckle as he led the two into the Mighties home. On their way to Pyrogen's room, there was some activity from the other Mighty Numbers. Troilus was only able to give a small nod to each Mighty he passed- it was Cryosphere that actually came within earshot. In fact, she almost bumped into Troilus as she tried to quickly scuttle past him and Pyrogen.

“Heya Cryo.” Troilus greeted in passing.

“Hi~!” Cryosphere replied with a side wave- she had her own business to do today, and having a guest was not going to change that much. Pyrogen noted something that sat on top of Number 2's water tank, but by the time he decided to question what she was doing, Cryosphere was out of eyesight. Instead, Mighty Number One turned his attention to his friend.

“Did you notice that she had her doll with her?” he asked in a stern tone.

“I did.” Troilus cheerfully agreed. “Sure picked a good day to come over, right? If Cryo's got her little dollie with her, then trouble is sure to follow!”

Pyrogen did not seem as thrilled at the idea as Troilus was, but decided to keep silent about his opinions for now. Trouble would follow whenever Cryosphere decided to 'play' with her Cabbage Patch doll. It wasn't necessarily how she played with the doll, it was who she played with that was the most worrisome…

. . .

You would think that by now, Beck would have developed a sixth sense for when Crysosphere got out her Cabbage Patch doll. It was well known among the Mighties that he hated that thing the most- what with its half squashed face and blank brown eyes staring straight into your soul. Oh no, when Beck realized that the doll was out, it had already been too late.

What a way to find out that your worst nightmare was free when you turn around and its just sitting right there like a dead body. Suffice to say, Beck screamed.

Pyrogen was quick to react to his youngest siblings' distress; it was so quick that Troilus only blinked and Pryo was out the door. It soon became apparent that they were a bit too late to the party. Beck stared at Cryosphere with wide, fearful eyes as Mighty Number Two cradled her doll. On closer inspection, you could see that one of the doll's arms had been ripped off.

“You broke her Beck!” Cryosphere whined. “Oh my poor Kabi- she never did anything wrong! Look at what you did!”

“I… I...” Beck stammered, but couldn't think of anything else to say. All the poor bot could do was stare at Cryo's doll in shock.

“What's going on?” Pyrogen demanded once he had formed a suspicion on what had just occurred. Both Cryo and Beck flinched at his voice and immediately turned their attention to him. Beck notably became paler at seeing the older Mighty Number.

“Beck broke my doll!” Cryosphere told her brother, holding up her doll for her and Troilus to better see.

Without wasting a second, Pyrogen then asked, “And did you use it to terrorize him?”

Cryosphere shifted a bit. “Well… yes. Yes I did, but that's only because it's so much fun!”

“Not for me.” Beck grumbled under his breath. Pyrogen looked at him for a moment before turning his attention back to Cryo.

“Cryosphere,” Pyrogen then told his sister, “You know you can't go around scaring Beck with that thing. Whatever happened in the fallout is your problem.”

“But Pyro...!” Number Two started to argue, but was instantly shut down by the glare her brother gave her.

“Come on Troilus,” Pyrogen then told his friend, “There's nothing else we can do here.”

Giving his friend a skeptical glance, Troilus shrugged and started to follow the Mighty Number out. Cryo watched them in contempt- there was no way she would let this end here.

“Someone needs to fix her!” Cryosphere blurted out in a full out whine.

At the doorway, Mighty Number One hesitated. “We could ask Doctor White...” he suggested in a still, calm voice.

“But he'd never agree to it.” Beck whispered darkly under his breath. “Everyone hates that thing...”

A small silence then fell over the group in agreement. It didn't take long for that silence to be broken, however.

“I have an idea!” Troilus suddenly declared- startling Beck in particular. “I know someone who can fix Kabi!”

“You do?!” Cryosphere happily questioned as Beck gave a pitiful whimper of fear.

“I'll be right back!” the wire frame bot promised as he headed out the door.

“Hurry!!” shouted Cryo just before Troilus was out of earshot.

. . .

Something about the cafe was far too relaxing for Leilani. For once, everything just seemed at peace as she held the steaming cup of hot chocolate under her nose. But, like all things in her life, that peace was short lived as Troilus sat opposite of her.

“Heya Doc.” the bot greeted. The human gave her greeting with a small glance before turning her attention back to soaking up the hot chocolate's warmth. Troilus wasn't blind to this, so he took it as a sign to continue.

“Okay, so, Cryo was using her doll to scare Beck, see? But in the process Beck broke the doll and it's in need of a good fixer-upper. Could you do the honors Doc? Pretty please?”

Leilani made Troilus watch in slow agony as she set her cup down on the table. For a moment, she considered her words before saying, “Sounds like Number Two deserved it.”

“I'm not the judge of that,” Troilus admitted, “But one favor could lead to a better one later, and boy would Cryo be indebted to you if you help her out this once!”

To this, the human placed a hand against her chin. “I dunno...” she mused.

“You're good with your fingers Doc.” the bot then begged. “Please help Kabi!”

Leilani gave an unflattering snort. “I'm a pianist and violinist, how is any way does that translate to 'seamstress'?” she noted with a raise of her eyebrow. After a few seconds, she then questioned, “The doll has a name?”

“Well, it's full name is Kaberi Patch, but yeah. Isn't it cute?”

That was when she looked back at him in faint horror. “What does he program his bots for?” she questioned in wonder.

“Fun, obviously.” Troilus humorously suggested, completely missing the point. Leilani then took in a deep breath. There was no way he was going to stop goading her- that much was obvious.

“Fine.” she agreed. “Take me to the doll. Kaberi. Take me to Kaberi.”

Troilus's eye glittered with excitement as he dragged the human out of the cafe. Back at the Mighty Numbers' compound, Beck impatiently paced outside of Cryosphere's room. He only looked up when he heard the sound of Troilus returning- and moments after that he realized who the bot had brought back with him.

“Leilani?!” the young bot squeaked. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm about to ruin everything.” she replied with a mischievous smirk.

“She's going to help sew up Cryo's dollie.” Troilus corrected, setting his hands down on Leilani's shoulders.

“D-do you have to?” Beck nervously questioned. Noticing that Leilani had cocked an eyebrow at his fear, Beck then tried to stammer, “I-it's just that the thing's so old. You know? It… it might be able to be fixed, yeah?”

Troilus let out a loud, and incredibly amused, laugh. “It's a fabric doll Beck, not a Gateway!”

“Leilani!” Cryosphere happily squealed when she saw the human. Pyrogen was with her, and he did not look as pleased to see the young woman there. Before anyone could properly react or even greet each other, Mighty Number Two was already leading Leilani into her room. “Oh, you're perfect for fixing up Kabi!” Cyrosphere giggled. “And at the same time, there's something I've always wanted Kabi to have- you're just perfect for it!”

The girls left the boys behind; Cyrosphere not even trying to be decent by slamming the door behind her.

“Now what?” Beck asked to no one in particular.

“Now we let Doctor Lei do her stuff.” Troilus replied; his eye twinkling with amusement. Beck let out a small whimper- why did that not inspire confidence in him? What upgrades could Cryo want with a fabric doll anyway?

. . .

They didn't have to, but the boys waited diligently for Cryosphere and Leilani to come back out. It was well over an hour before the door to Cryo's room opened up.

“Introducing…!” Cryosphere announced in a loud, boastful voice, “The new and improved Kaberi Patch!”

The boys turned to see what Cryosphere was talking about and saw the doll. Beck's artificial heart stopped in noticing that the old thing looked good as new; it's face no longer squashed, the painted eyes replaced with inset ones instead, the fabric of the doll's body looked cleaner and unstained. It wasn't until the doll blinked at him that Beck knew his greatest fears had been realized. Beck wasn't the only one to have seen the doll blink either- Pyrogen immediately looked at Cryo with wide, horrified eyes.

“What did you make Leilani do, Cryosphere?” he accused.

Cryo opened her mouth to happily reply, but Leilani beat her to it. “It's got an A.I. now.”

“What?!” the boys responded at the same time- Troilus notably sounding more amused than the horrified Pyrogen and Beck. Leilani gave a careful shrug of her shoulder.

“It's not a very smart A.I.” she then claimed. “A little less than the Patch units- like one of those robot toys you get for kids where you usually end up controlling it with a remote somewhere. Along with that, Kabi can walk on her own and is generally invulnerable to most blunt-force trauma.”

“Is that allowed, considering your parole?” Pyrogen questioned. Again, Leilani shrugged.

“I just followed Cryosphere's instructions.” she replied. “Your creator (or even Sanda, really) could have done it himself if he wanted to. Whatever no-good-deed related incident comes of this, it'll be reflected toward Sanda Tech more than myself.”

Pyrogen looked at her for a moment, then gave a small sound of agreement. The two brought their attention back to Cryo- the Mighty Number happily letting her rejuvenated doll dance in place. Leilani found herself giving a small smile at the display before turning to Beck. Mighty Number Nine did not look pleased in the slightest. Without a second thought, the human walked over to him and held out a small button.

“I suggest hiding this behind your ear.” she said to Beck, “Only press it when Cryo's trying to get at you with Kabi.”

Beck worryingly looked at the button and then to Leilani. As he took the button from her and did as he was told, he had to ask, “Why?”

A smile formed on the human's lips -not quite malicious but not entirely generous either- before she said, “It's Kaberi's only weakness; the off switch.”

#mighty no 9 #mighty number 9 #fanfiction #mn9 #mno9 #fan fiction #fan fic #fanfic #beck #pyrogen #cryosphere #original character #OC #original characters #short story #uploading fics on tumblr is such a chore #people who post individual chapters are the real heroes #i can barely put the effort in to post oneshots

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theinkquiry · 5 years

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Christmas at the Tower

Prompt: Quick snapshots of what’s going on at Avengers Tower this Christmas

Starring: Peter and Tony, Steve and Bucky, Clint and Nat, & Thor and Loki

A/N: I haven’t posted in a ridiculously long amount of time, but I decided to get my ass in gear for the holidays. I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of 2018 and get lots of great gifts this year!

December 24th, 11:59 PM- Iron-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Tony yawned as he watched his bots drill in the final pieces on his new Reindeer Revolver 2.5. A t-shirt launcher style machine that could fire reindeer plushies with maximum speed, silence, and accuracy. That’ll show Barton. He grabbed his mug and tried to take a big gulp, only to be met with a few cold drops of coffee and disappointment.

“FRIDAY, whip me up a fresh brew.” Tony put down the mug and rubbed his eyes.

“Apologies, Mr. Stark. Mr. Parker has insisted you get a good night’s rest instead.” The AI replied. Tony could hear the smugness in her robotic voice.

“Since when did the kid-”

“He’s here, Mr. Stark.” FRIDAY cut him off.

Right on cue, the elevator chimed. Tony swiveled around just in time to see a tinsel-covered Peter barrelling towards him. He barely had time to get up before he caught the boy in his arms. A crinkling package the size of his upper body blocking most of his view.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Stark!” Peter hopped back, holding out his slightly crushed gift.

Tony took the package off the boy’s hands with a chuckle. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed, kid?”

“I wanted to be the first one to give you your present. Aunt May helped me with the wrapping, but I picked it out and put the bow on top.” Peter pointed to the little robots wearing Santa hats. He looked up at the man with bated breath.

Tony shook the package back and forth, holding it up to his ear. “Is it… a new robot?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Come on, Mr. Stark, just open it already!”

“Alright, alright. Here we go!” Tony peeled off the tape, trying not to ruin the packaging. Taking a look at Peter, he tore open the wrappers faster. The boy looked like he would combust if Tony didn’t open it right that moment. Leaving the loose paper on the floor, he held up a familiarly dressed teddy bear.

“It’s you!” Peter exclaimed. “At first I thought it would be kinda dumb, but then Build-A-Bear just had to go and release the new Ironman bear. But when I went it was like, totally off. They couldn’t even get your hair right, so I got a regular bear and did it right. If you press the arc reactor, it’ll make laser noises. Isn’t that cool?”

Peter seemed to shrink as he rambled on. The poor kid, Tony thought. He was at a loss for what to say. He put in so much effort just to get a bear to look just like him. It had the little sunglasses and a tiny suit and everything. And true to his word, the arc reactor let out sound effects upon being pressed.

“This is, by far, the most handsome bear I’ve ever seen. Wouldn’t you agree, FRIDAY?” Tony held it up for inspection.

“Indeed, sir,” FRIDAY responded.

“You really like it?” Peter clasped his hands together.

Tony nodded and pat his head. “Of course I do! Look at this guy, he’s just like me! Only thing missing is a little matching spider-son bear. Hey, FRIDAY remind me to get that in the works tomorrow-”

“On it, sir.”

“-Thank you for the gift, Peter. I really appreciate it. This is by far going to be the best gift I’ve gotten.”

Peter looked like he was going to burst into tears. “I’m so glad you like it, Mr. Stark.”

“Aw, don’t cry on me kid. C’mere.” Tony opened his arms for a hug and was promptly tackled to the floor by the boy. It wasn’t as soft as he’d expected, but he laid there on the floor and hugged Peter as tightly as he could. He didn’t even mind breathing in the tinsel and aroma of burnt cookies from his holiday sweater.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark.” Peter scratched his head after helping the older man up.

“Don’t sweat it, kid. These kinds of reflexes are what makes you a top mark Avenger,” Tony grinned. Peter’s smile alone could have made ten Christmasses for the billionaire. “Say, why don’t we go up for some late night cocoa, get some rest, and then you can help me put the finishing touches on my Reindeer Revolver tomorrow morning?”

“Really?” Peter’s mouth was agape.

“Sure!” Tony nodded. “Your Aunt May can help too. She makes the best gingersnap cookies, I swear.”

The two stepped into the elevator and rode it all the way up to the main living space. A twinkling tree and pile of gifts greeted them upon entering the room. Tony pulled out two mugs as Peter fished out the cocoa powder and milk.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Stark.”

“You too, kid. You too.”

December 25th, 8:00 AM- Two Old Hoots

It wasn’t exactly the most traditional thing to be out and about on Christmas morning. Everyone was probably back at the tower enjoying the premium heating and eating chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. Part of him wanted to be back there with them, laughing and celebrating, but another part of Steve told him that he needed to be here. Walking around Central Park on the jolliest day of the year all by himself.

It was tranquil and cold. It had snowed just two days ago, covering the park in fluffy white flakes and crystal ice. There wasn’t a single soul in sight, except for the occasional squirrel and bird. Deeper into the park, the city noises faded away and all Steve was left with was his own thoughts and the whispering wind.

Here it felt less like he didn’t belong. It was familiar, even if a lot has changed in the park itself as well. He could close his eyes and imagine the winters he used to know. Him and Bucky sledding down hills and collapsing in a giant pile of stitched jackets and snow at the bottom. Peeking through shop windows for toys that they couldn’t afford. Sitting near the fireplace and talking about nothing for hours, huddling closer for warmth.

Opening his eyes and being greeted with none of it. Sometimes Steve was so confused on how he felt about just existing. If he really was supposed to be here, or if he should have just spent another Christmas taking an ice nap. He exhaled, releasing a single cloud of cold breath into the air.

“Thought I’d find you here.”

Steve turned his head. A few steps behind him stood Bucky, wrapped up in a giant knit hat and scarf. His hands shoved into his pockets, and hair covering part of his face.

“How’d ya know?” Steve went back to gazing at the frozen lake.

He heard Bucky stand next to him and wrap an arm around his shoulders. “Call it intuition or years of training as the perfect tracker.”

Steve let out a single snort.

Bucky sighed. “We missed you at the tower this mornin’. I figured you just needed to clear your head. Presents already got opened though, so I figured I’d bring yours to you.”

Steve cocked his eyebrow and Bucky fished out two rectangles from inside his coat.

“It ain’t everything. Peter got you something the size of the tree, and I wasn’t gonna lug it all the way out here for your sorry ass. But these two are from me.”

Steve snorted. “That’s one way to start a Christmas.”

“Says the guy who got up at the crack of dawn to mope in a park.” Bucky elbowed the supersoldier. “Now are you gonna open ‘em?”

He gingerly unwrapped the package, revealing a picture frame. Turning it around, Steve gasped. “It’s…”

A very old photograph was tucked between the glass. Steve hadn’t seen it in decades. He recognized it as an old picture from his youth with Bucky. The two goofing off and having the grandest old time at Brighton Beach. His ma used to have it up near the radio back in the old Brooklyn apartment.

“Tony helped me track it down. I figured you could use it just about now.” Bucky squeezed his shoulder. Steve rested his head on his chest, letting a few rare tears escape from his eyes.

“It’s perfect, Buck.” He clutched the frame close to his chest and felt a wave of emotion sweep over him.

“Don’t you want to open up the other one too?”

Steve wiped away the tears with his sleeve, laughing. He handed over the first gift to Bucky while opening the second one. It was another picture, except taken in the 21st century. A snapshot of mornings at Avengers Tower. Taken by Peter, by the looks of it. The young boy tried to get into frame while holding the camera, only managing to capture the top half of his face. Steve knew he was smiling though. In the corner, Stark was scrolling through his phone but looked up just in time to shoot a casual smile. Nat had one of her friendlier blank faces on as she sipped on a cup of tea. In the back, Bruce and Thor could be seen chatting animatedly about something while Clint stuck his tongue out, holding a mug that read “Best Bird Dad.”

And right in the middle was Steve and Bucky curled up on the couch. The latter still grumpy from being woken up too early, but Steve was smiling.

Looking at it, he was overcome with a strange sense of peace. It didn’t feel like the good old days, but it did feel like home.

He looked up at Bucky, puzzled. The man only shrugged. “I know you miss it. The simpler days. Trust me, I know how you feel. We’ve lost so much and we’ve struggled. I don’t know how to explain it all that well, but I know that we ain’t alone.”

“Bucky…”

“I miss ‘em too. My ma, your ma, Becky… I know it’s not the forties anymore, but I just wanted you to know that you’ve still got a family. And you’ve still got me.”

Steve took another look at the two pictures. He still got a family.

“Now let’s head back before Tony eats all of the cookies. Peter said he saved some for me, but that kid’s big heart leads to trouble. All Tony needs to do is flash his sad dad eyes.”

The two burst out laughing as they headed out, hand in hand.

“Maybe it’s a sign that you should lay off the sweets then, punk.” Steve punched his arm.

“Jerk.” Bucky shoved him.

Walking back to the tower, Steve’s heart felt lighter.

December 25th, 2:39 PM- Reindeers, Hawks, and Spiders

Fwoop!

“Ow! That is it!” Clint stomped his foot and got up from the couch. A plush reindeer fell from his lap. Scooping it up, the archer marched down the hall and knocked on Natasha’s door ten times.

Nat opened the door to find a fuming Clint. “Merry Christmas to you too, Barton.”

“Cut the bullshit, Nat. I need your help.” Clint invited himself in and sat down on the purple beanbag chair. Nat had to buy it after the thirtieth time Clint came barging in like this.

Nat looked both ways in the hall before shutting her door. She was just in the middle of a movie marathon and a piping hot cup of jasmine tea. “What can I do that Prancer there can’t?”

Clint scoffed. “First of all, this is Vixen. You can tell by the antler shape. Second of all, revenge.”

The redhead stayed silent, making exaggeratedly loud sips.

“Stark’s stupid reindeer gun has been pelting me with these freaking deer all day long! All because I left one on his desk.”

“Really. Just one?” Nat didn’t sound convinced.

Clint whistled. “Yeah, one… every day for the entire month.”

Nat groaned. “This was your own doing!”

“Come on, Nat! You gotta help me. I got like, twenty in my room alone! I can’t even leave a room without being pelted in the face with one of these.”

“What do you want me to do?” Nat folded her arms.

Clint thought for a moment. “Stark has a little spider minion. Now it is time for me to recruit one of my own.”

“You do realize that, unlike Peter, I can’t shoot webs?”

“Oh don’t worry Nat,” Clint rubbed his hands together. “You don’t need to…”

Tony checked the lab, his room, and even the freezer. Peter was nowhere to be found. Not that the kid had to be next to him at all times, he just had a habit of always being near Tony. Especially when they’re in cahoots like they are now. Peter had been helping the man get Clint back for all the deer pranks. Something told him that not all was right in the Tower. It was way too long since Tony had run into Clint or Peter. In fact, Nat seemed to have disappeared as well. When Tony came by to deliver another batch of cookies, the spy was missing from her usual obscure Russian Christmas movie marathon. He re-entered the living room, coming face to face with the prankee himself.

“End of the line, Stark.” Clint held up two reindeer plushies by their hind legs, pointing them like guns.

Tony drew up his launcher. “I would be very careful with those, Barton.”

The tension in the air was palpable. The two men stared the other down, all the while guarding their weapons. Tony could only fire three plushies at a time. He’d need to go back to the lab or his office for refills. There was actually a sack of three dozen more behind the tree, but Barton didn’t need to know that. The price he had to pay for easy transport. Clint, on the other hand, had at least five more shoved under his sweater, but he would need to successfully hit each time. He may be a good shot, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be faster than an actual deer blaster.

Peter was having the time of his life. He didn’t know what miracle made it come true, but God or Santa must have been real that Christmas day because Natasha finally let him decorate her sweater!

“Aren’t those supposed to be used for Halloween?” She asked as he glued plastic spiders onto her red sweater.

“Yeah, but they fit your aesthetic.” Peter pointed out.

As he stood back to admire his work, which was a ton of spiders with smiley faces on them dancing around a sign that read I hope your Christmas is Deadly Fun!

Even Nat had to admit it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. The sound of glass breaking upstairs and a lot of shouting ruined the mood, though.

Peter could feel his Spidey sense go off as he rushed upstairs. The redhead trailed not far behind.

Upon entering the room, it was clear that they had just witnessed the aftermath of a war zone. Piles of reindeer plushies littered the floor. Tony and Clint lay on the floor, covered in Comets and Dashers. A few ornaments were knocked down from the tree, making a giant glittery mess on the floor.

“He started it!” They both shouted at the same time. Peter laughed, taking out his phone to get pictures as Nat shook her head.

“You two are cleaning this mess up.”

December 25th, 7:00 PM- You’re a Green One, Mr. Loki

“I don’t understand why we need to do all of this,” Loki grumbled as Thor plopped an elf hat on him. The younger sibling hadn’t quite taken to the holidays they celebrated on Midgard like his older brother. Upon learning of this fact about himself, the young Spider-boy had dubbed him ‘Mister Grinch’ and got a very good laugh out of everyone from it.

Loki only frowned. They were on their way to visit the Avengers for Stark’s holiday get-together, but the God of Mischief was dragging his feet.

“Come now, brother. Our friends are expecting us. The young lad Peter expressed to me his desire for you especially to join them again this year.” Thor said.

“Really now?” Loki scoffed. “And for what, to unveil to me more names of mockery?”

Thor only grinned. “I know you hold a soft spot in your heart for our Midgard friends. Let us go! You’ll surely feel the spirits of the holidays once we arrive!”

“I don’t think that’s what they meANT!” Loki yelped as Thor whisked them away with his hammer to Midgard.

Upon arriving at the tower, the pair were greeted with raised glasses and hugs all around. The latter coming mostly from Peter.

“Merry Christmas, my fellow Avengers!” Thor’s voice boomed. Loki slunk behind, trying not to draw so much attention. It seemed to work for the most part, as the heroes were all crowding around Thor.

Natasha walked up to him. “Did you bring the God Mead?”

Thor held out the bottle. “Yes, but I’d recommend extreme caution if you were to drink it. It could bring trouble to your tiny mortal bodies.”

“That’s just what I need.” Nat took it and went to pour herself a glass without another word.

Everyone else seemed to be having a blast on their own. Barely sparing a glance at the man all alone and brooding in the corner. The little boy-spider, however; was not as keen to leave him alone.

“Mr. Loki!” Peter rushed up to him. “I got you this!”

Loki didn’t have time to react as Peter put a felt hat in his hands. Unfolding the fabric, he could see that it was another elf hat with the words God of Mischi-ELF embroidered poorly onto it.

“Get it?”

Loki did not, but nodded anyway to spare the boy his feelings. This seemed to work, as Peter continued to talk about lots of other things at a very rapid pace. He could see how he was beginning to take after the antics of Stark.

“I wasn’t gonna sew it on, but I thought I could give embroidery a try and let me tell you, it was not easy. I looked up like thirty different YouTube tutorials. Aunt May tried to help, but I was too far gone by then. Still, I don’t think this was bad for my first time.”

“I could teach you.” Loki knew not what forces prompted him to speak those words. Yet, seeing the young boy’s face light up made a form of pride bubble up inside him.

“Really?” Peter whispered. “You know how to do embroidery?”

Loki shrugged. “Sure. My mother taught me.”

“Wow, Mr. Loki! Thank you so much! Wait ‘til Ned hears about this. I get to learn to embroider from a God!” Peter scurried off to hand Thor a similar hat that read Holly, Jolly, Godly on it.

As discreetly as he could, Loki quietly replaced the hat he was already wearing with the one Peter made for him. Looking at himself in the window reflection, the trickster though that it didn’t look half bad.

“Alright, everyone! Time for pictures!” Tony called. “You too, Mischi-elf.”

Gathering around the tree, Loki sulked in silence as Stark, Clint, and Steve bickered on how best to execute the photo.

“Nice hat.” Natasha appeared next to him.

Loki stared at her sweater curiously. “I could say the same for your Earth garment.”

“Peter.” She answered. The two shared a smile right as they announced the photo was to be taken.

Although it still looked like Loki was being his usual gloomy self in the photograph, if one looked closely they could see the faintest hint of a smile.

#marvel #the avengers #avengers #marvel imagine #avengers imagine #marvel oneshot #avengers oneshot #reader insert #stucky #iron dad #steve x bucky #christmas #avengers holiday #avengers christmas #drabbles

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5hfanfiction · 7 years

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Robotic Love - one.

Wattpad Link: https://www.wattpad.com/278520319-robotic-love-camren-one

“What about her?” Camila’s best friend Dinah questioned as she pointed to yet another girl that walked passed their table at lunch. “Oh! Actually, no. Becky Smart is definitely not the smartest decision.” She continued, making such an awful pun out of the girl’s last name. “Or what about…? Nah. Kaitlin Wheeler is as straight as a pole, which you’re quite the opposite of.”

Dinah was attempting to find her best friend the perfect date for their senior prom, which was only a few short months away. Being of the most popular girls in school, it was just a tad bit easier to find her friend someone to go with. Dinah had just about everyone in the school asking her out to the prom, so she planned on directing some of the women in Camila’s direction. Prom night was one of the biggest nights in their young lives, so Dinah insisted that everything needed to be perfect. According to her, prom would only be perfect if she and her best friend had a date. Apparently it was one of the most terrible things in the world to go to prom without someone. Camila didn’t agree, but this was all just to make her best friend happy.

“Dinah, I know that you want me to go to prom with someone, but I just don’t feel anything for anyone at this school. I want you to know that I don’t need a date. I’ll be much happier if I just went with you and whoever you choose to go with.” Camila told Dinah. She paused to think for a moment as she had noticed something. “Wait, who are you even going with?”

Her best friend let out a laugh, then answered. “You know, I still haven’t even decided. I’ve got so many options. Although, I think I’ve narrowed it down between two girls.”

Camila raised an eyebrow in interest. “Oh really? Do tell me who they are. You can’t leave a best friend hanging.”

“Well…” Dinah trailed off. “It’s a toss up between Ally Hernandez and Normani Hamilton. I’m struggling to decide because I don’t know if I want to go with someone sweet or spunky. Ally is just so cute and sweet, while Normani is rowdy and playful. They both have had my heart for a while, and now that they have both asked me, I just don’t know which one I’m going to go with. You’ve gotta help me, girl!”

Camila playfully rolled her eyes at her best friend. “I’d decide soon before they both find someone else to go with. You should know how it is Dinah. This sort of thing happens in the movies all the time. It’s a real thing, you know.”

“Don’t worry! I still have other options! Like… tons! Anyone would be lucky to go to the prom with me!” Dinah exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you, Dinah. This whole thing could turn on its head if you aren’t careful. I’ll help you make a decision, if that’s what you want from me.” Camila offered her services. “Just be warned, I’ve never dated anyone before, so I don’t know how this whole thing works. You’ll be getting advice from someone who barely knows what they’re talking about.”

“Any help would do. Now let’s get back to finding you a date!”

Camila grunted, then continued to eat her lunch, trying to ignore anymore attempts made by her best friend to set her up with someone for prom.

• • •

“I’m home!” Camila shouted through her house as she shut the door behind her.

It was a long day at school, dealing with all of the stress that Dinah was putting on her about the whole prom date thing. Not only that, she had midterms to take all day. She thought that she had done well on all of her tests, but that was beside the point.

“Camila! How was school today?” Her mother asked her with a friendly smile as her daughter walked into the living room.

“It was fairly stressful, but all of my midterms are over and done with. Dinah was also trying to get me to find a date for prom again. Do you have any advice in regards to that? Did you have a date to the prom when you were my age?” Camila questioned her mother. She was always interested in her mother’s past since it had helped her so much throughout her own child and young-adulthood.

Her mother let out a sigh, then explained everything to her. “You’re forgetting that I didn’t grow up here in the United States, Camila. In Cuba, we don’t have a prom. Instead, we have a sort of graduation dance. But to answer your question about who I went with, that was your father. We’re high school sweethearts, remember?”

Camila recalled the memories of how her parents met and how they had stayed together since they first got together early on in high school. The pair had a very traditional love story, except for the part where some force had tried to break the two apart. Their relationship and the story behind it was near-perfect.

“Oh, that’s right!” Camila face-palmed, realizing that she had forgotten. “Well, anyways… Dinah says that it would be a mistake for me to go to prom without a date. I told her that I would be fine just going all by myself, but she insists that I wouldn’t be ending my high school career in a bad way if I were to do that. What do you think?”

“Don’t listen to Dinah! You can have the time of your life if you just do what you want to do. You’ve gone your whole life without being tied down to a man, or woman in your case. You do what you need to do in order to make yourself happy!”

Camila smiled at her mother’s advice. She knew that she was right about not needing a date to the prom. Dinah was probably just begging for her to get a date because she was all about her own image. If it weren’t for the friendship they had established in preschool, the two girls probably wouldn’t have even been friends. Their goals and their personalities were just too different. But that didn’t matter. Dinah needed Camila, and Camila needed Dinah, no matter how much the two tried to admit it.

“Thanks, mom! You always know exactly what to say.” Camila thanked her.

• • •

Knock. Knock. Camila heard the sound against her closed bedroom door. She was in the middle of reading an article about the latest technology, when she was interrupted by the knocking.

“Come in!” Camila shouted from her desk chair to the person that was hiding behind her door.

Almost instantly, the door flung open to reveal her dad standing in the door frame. He looked extremely excited about something, and it always thrilled Camila to see her family members looking so chipper. She wondered about what was making him seem this way, but she felt like she was just about to receive the answer.

“What are you up to right now? Are you busy with anything?” He asked her. “I’ve made a major improvement with Lauren, and I wanted to know if you were interested in coming to see it. It’s a really incredible breakthrough.”

Camila shut her laptop, then sprang up out of her chair. She had never stood up so fast for something in her life. It was just so exciting for her to be able to see something new in regards to technology. Sure she loved reading about all of the cool new stuff, but it was one hundred times better to see it for herself. Not only that, there was something so intriguing about her father’s android that she just couldn’t ignore. Lauren was by far Camila’s favorite out of all of her dad’s projects.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” He shouted, grabbing Camila’s arm in order to tug her in the direction of his office.

The father-daughter pair nearly sprinted towards the room where Alejandro kept all of his past works. As soon as they arrived to the room, Camila’s heart nearly skipped a beat at the sight of her dad’s newest project. It had been an entire week since Camila had seen Lauren, and it excited her to be able to see her once more.

“Well, Camila!” Her father began. “I’ve created a motherboard for Lauren that should allow her to be able to gain knowledge about her surroundings. For example, if I tell Lauren that the sky is blue, she will in fact learn that the sky is blue. Or, if you tell her what your name is, she will remember you based off of facial recognition. She is supposed to be able to learn our language just by being around us. It is almost as if Lauren is a new human being that is learning like a toddler does. Why don’t you give it a try, Camila?”

Camila nodded, then walked over to Lauren. She thought about what to say, then said it. “Hi, Lauren! My name is Camila Cabello, and my best friend is Dinah Hansen. I am the daughter of Alejandro and Sinuhe Cabello, and I have a sister named Sofia.”

“Good, now let me ask her something about you.” Her father said, taking a place in front of Lauren. “Hello, Lauren. Who is my daughter Camila’s best friend?”

“Your daughter Camila has a best friend named Dinah Hansen.” Lauren said in a monotone voice, which was something that Alejandro still needed to work to improve.

Alejandro turned to face his daughter. “See? Isn’t that cool? Now she’ll be able to recall that memory from now on. One of the differences between her and a human being is that she can always recall a memory, where humans often forget things. My next goal is to speed up the rate at which she recalls memories. I also have to do something about her voice, as it’s still kind of emotionless.”

The two were interrupted by the sound of her father’s cell phone ringing. He quickly checked to see who it was, then dismissed himself from the room to take the call. This left just Camila and Lauren in the room. There was complete and utter silence in the room, until it was finally broken.

“Camila Cabello. You are beautiful.” Lauren said in a slightly less monotone voice.

This caused her eyes to widen. How was Lauren able to come up with that sentence all by herself?

#UPDATE #series #AU #slash #camren #angst drama #humour #romance fluff #scifi supernatural fantasy #submission #Robotic Love

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dottorhara-blog · 6 years

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24 Reasons the public rejects Acupuncture and responses to the nay-nays.

1. "The fear of germs"

Look, acupuncture helps you blast the more spiritual germs, of mental and emotional patterns you've stored throughout your body. FUCK YOU!!! Do you feel that gross feeling inside of you? That may now be stored inside of your body, it may have just settled into your left trapezius muscle, and you will feel discomfort until you either go work out in the gym, get a massage, meditate, or get acupuncture. That energy, unless you figure out a way of letting it go, will store itself in your body and/or it may just bounce around the walls of your mind indefinitely. But what a shame that would be, how uncomfortable! Acupuncture helps rid you of these energetic layers of germs as well. Think of the Qi blasting these mental patterns and germic structures out of your fibers totally.

2. "It will go away"

Listen, sure this pain you are feeling will go away, but when? That pain in your back, which you've started feeling after lifting those boxes, can literally vanish through some muscle releases, within a few sessions, but if you wait it may vanish as well, but maybe in a few months, but you also run the risk of that pain developing into something way more serious.

3. "Parts in Parts"

You'd prefer to see a specialist, well that's what we are, we specialize in seeing the overview and connecting the different systems together, your digestive issue is a digestive issue, don't worry it may not necessarily be connected to any other part, but I know that I can help alleviate your symptoms.

4. "Mind/body disconnect"

Let's do an exercise - SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! - notice how you feel right now? That emotion that you are feeling, notice how it's affecting your muscles in your neck, your lower back, your diaphragm? Did you notice your breathing shift at all? So there, you've just experienced the mind-body connection for yourself. And so imagine how this one jarring experience just now has affected your system, and now begin to reflect on how your body must feel after so many years of so many experiences, maybe worse than this one, and maybe better and try to imagine how the mind and body could possibly be connected.

5. "Don’t want health"

Hey, you don't want health, that's totally ok, but I know you don't want that pain you're feeling, and that's great, I can help you with that now, and then we can work on a few ideas so that you can try to remain pain free too for a longer while.

6. "Health recovery as an event"

Look, you've come to this point, in needing to recover based on a whole series of trauma you've caused your body, and that's totally fine, but now you have these issues, and so let's handle them. And yes, handle them, it may take a while to clear you out, but once we do, you'll be cruising, and won't have any more trouble. And feel free to take the Advil, but you know, just as much as I do because I've done it, that just as soon as that pain in your back went away it reappeared. But if instead we work on releasing those muscles directly, and relaxing them, then you will not have to take any Advil, at all.

7. "Health is how you feel"

You only go to the doctor when you have a necessary pain? Ideally you will only have such pain with an acute injury, but in order to ensure this, come to acupuncture - it’s a preventative approach to all of your health issues. Sure we can help your symptoms, but once those are gone and you are in good health, if you continue getting acupuncture treatments periodically as a maintenance, you will remain in optimal health.

8. "The business of healthcare"

Obviously germs are real, I use sterile needles, I clean my tables, the only reason I do acupuncture and not western medicine is because this has worked for me tremendously, and I don't like the hangover I feel from the meds. And plus, you're here investigating, are you curious? Something inside is clearly telling you to take a chance with this alternative approach to your health, you should listen.

9. "The costs of acupuncture"

It's expensive sure, but how much are you spending on drinks over the weekend or on your cocaine or pot, just to feel good and ok enough to socialize? And sure ok, maybe the pain meds are much cheaper, but once you're out of them, you're screwed, you're back in pain, and now what will you do? Spend some money now on the acupuncture, get the problem solved instead of putting bandaids on your symptoms and you'll be fine. You spend this money on your acupuncture instead, and you will feel so much better about yourself, you will stop spending all that money on the useless amazon products you buy each week, you'll lose the hoarding too, promise.

10. "Convenience factor."

Sure it may be convenient, but is it really? That doctor of yours may have you go take an MRI, now you have to book that, now you have to write 4 emails to your boss to see if you can skip work on Thursday, to reschedule your other meeting right after with your other colleague about the other report, and then the day comes, and the office is totally delayed because they keep taking emergency victims before you and you have to figure out a solution to your daughter waiting for you to be picked up at her pre-k classroom, how convenient is that? Also, let's say best case scenario none of those things happen, the visit to that doctor is not very personable, at all, the hospitals are hideous, the decor is terrible - do you really want to be subjected to such aesthetic atrocity, and know that those philistines are keeping all of your money?

11. "I hate Doctors."

Hey, look, I hate doctors, and even hate acupuncturists, so I know how you feel, but I know that what I can offer you works - and it is a way for your body to heal itself, and once we do a few sessions you won't have to come back to me ever and you can take care of yourself, but at least let me help you learn to ride the bicycle, and if you ever need a tune up or a refresher course you can come back.

12. "Live for today."

Live for today, that's totally great, and you should totally get acupuncture to help you party and live for today. That stomach ache from all the rich food your eating, let me take care of that so that at least you can keep going and not have to stop indefinitely. Keep living for today, and do it the smart way, with acupuncture.

13. "Technology will save me."

Technology may or may not save you, and I hope it will save you, I surely can't nor can your mother, and to be honest I can care less about saving you, but I can get into helping you feel better, and helping you find a place inside of yourself that will make you say oh hey, I feel pretty happy, I'm a good person, I don't feel pain anymore, that I would love to help you with, and then may the eventual robot revolution save you, and may robocop be your hero.

14. "Lack of MD Approval."

Listen, your MD does not want to approve me, because then he will lose business. I can care less for his business, and I would love for you to get the best standard of care, if it was a surgical procedure, go to your MD, they will do the best, but if it's some xxx, I can help you with that, you'll feel much better, and we can go from there. People at the top don't waste their time with the MDs unless it's something serious - look at Michael Phelps, greatest olympian, he could have any western doctor at his feet giving him treatment, and what he choose instead? acupuncture and cupping.

15. "I am a Victim."

You're a victim, ok, you can continue being a victim that's totally fine, but at least try to get your back pain resolved, don't assume any responsibility for your recovery, let your body heal itself, you just don't do anymore damage to it, stop doing that thing that led to this injury and come by to see me a few times and you'll be fine.

16. "Fear of being dependent."

Look, I can care less about you becoming dependent, I want you to feel good, and learn to be ok on your own, the moment I see you becoming dependent I'll reefer you out, ok? But you'll be fine, we can work on your need for being dependent too, and by then I'll be coming to see you for therapy, how about that?

17. "Acupuncturists aren’t real doctors."

Yea, no duh, I'm not a doctor, I've never wanted to be one, I can help you in ways they can't and will recommend you to see them directly when these circumstances arrive.

18. "Acupuncture hurts."

No no, I do a Japanese style that is very gentle, I pride myself in my non-painful needling, it's all I've focused on, so don't you worry at all, you'll be perfectly fine.

19. "Not for children."

Oh not a problem, I don't use real needles with kids, I use other Japanese non-needling tools to carry out the treatment.

20. "Peer Pressure."

Live a little, your best friend Becky cheats on her boyfriend every weekend, do you really care what she thinks?

21. "It’s a Cult/Scam."

A lot of acupuncturists are scammers, they don't take care of themselves, they don't walk the walk, I wouldn't send you to them. I know a few excellent people, you can also come see me, but I've navigated this new agey world and it is indeed full of idiots, but I'll recommend you some great people.

22. "Take off your clothes."

If you feel uncomfortable that is totally fine, we will work around this, please bring some shorts and a sleeveless tee shirt or tank top so that I can access your upper arm and knee areas.

23. "Fear of the Unknown."

You can be totally afraid of coming in for the first time, it would actually be kind of strange if you weren't afraid of coming to see someone who is about to stick you with needles and make you do deep breathing while surrounded by buddhist statues - you could easily fall into a Dr. Strange sort of scenario and that would be insane! Therefore, totally normal to feel this way; but I promise you will feel amazing afterwards should you give it a shot. Look, worst case scenario, you tell your friends a funny story about some magical man with a long white robe and scrunchy eyebrows - best case scenario, you found a new tool to help you navigate your life.

24. "Last Resort."

Sure, I mean, you can look at it as this last resort, but you could have spared yourself months of low self-esteem and headache had you come to see me directly much earlier. We could have helped you out before all of this other stuff showed up as well, but no worries, we'll work on all of these things too.

#acupuncture #cupping #orientalmedicine #china #japan #chinese medicine #funny #needles #pain #solutions #love #meditation #yoga #philosophy #energy #reiki #qi #shakti

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