Viper
Imarched into the lab, determined to rid myself of this constant need to check on the pink haired female. I had managed to stay away for two weeks. I had begun to avoid the hallway that led to the lab, having caught my feet moving in its direction when I wasn’t being vigilant. More than once, I had found myself almost to the door and forced myself to turn back.
Today was the day I gave in. My eyes scanned the lab and found…nothing. There was no trace of the female that had haunted my thoughts for the past two weeks. Irritation beat against my circuits. “Where is the female?” I bellowed, stepping further into the lab to search for someone to tell me what was going on.
Axios ducked his head out from Dr. Shaw’s office. “Why?” His brow furrowed. “What do you want with her?”
Irritation flipped into anger as my hands curled into purple fists. “Why do you want to know? What I want to do with her is none of your concern, Axios.” My jaw hardened as I fought the urge to shake the rainbow cyborg. Axios was not a complete model. Instead, he was made up of bits and pieces of different ones. In a fight, I would win, hands down. He was slower, weaker, and not all his functions worked properly. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. I made myself take a deep breath to recenter my circuits.
He crossed his arms over his chest and met my burning gaze. “It does if you intend to hurt her.”
Fuck fair. I was going to shake the ever-loving shit out of him. “I want to see her,” I spit out from between clenched teeth. “And I don’t need to offer any kind of explanation to you.”
Axios frowned. “She isn’t here any longer.”
My functions ceased and I froze. “What happened? Where did she go?”
“I am not sure I should tell you. The posture of your frame and the tone of your voice suggests you intend to do something to her that would damage her.” He shook his head. “I am sorry, Viper, but I will not risk her safety. If it helps, she is somewhere where she can’t cause any harm. You and the cyborg rebellion are safe.”
“Axios, you are out of popcorn again. Can you bring some home with you after wor…” The female’s words cut off.
I spun around, my visual systems zeroing in on the female I had come to find.
“Fuck, I can see now’s not a good time.” She held out her hands in front of her as if she wanted to show she wasn’t a threat. “I’ll just go.” She began to take steps backward trying to flee.
“Stay,” I growled. Her footsteps instantly halted.
Her eyes darted from me to Axios. “Okay. No problem. Hey, Axios, why don’t you head back to our quarters. You don’t need to be here for this.”
“The hell I don’t. I’m not leaving.”
My mouth had dropped open at her words. “For this?” What did she think I planned to do?
She sighed as her hands fell to her sides. “You’re still angry. I get it. It’s okay. What I did to you was beyond shitty.” Her eyes found mine and she squared her shoulders. “I know I’m sorry isn’t going to cut it, so do what you need to do, Viper. Yell. Scream. Hit me. Although I’d prefer it if you didn’t do the last one. At least not with all your strength. Dying wasn’t on my list of things to do today.”
I reared back like she had physically struck me. The sound of my name coming from her lips was like a punch to the gut and not for the reasons I desperately longed to believe it was. On some levels, it still felt wrong after what she had done, but on the others? It felt like it somehow belonged on her lips and my auditory systems wanted to hear it again.
And she really thought I would strike her? Take my anger out on her frame? Maybe in those first few seconds after she removed herself from my mind it had floated through my processors but now? Now I couldn’t imagine hurting her.Fuck.This had been a mistake.I shouldn’t be here. I don’t understand why the female I should hate with everything in my circuits was causing such feelings. Was I malfunctioning?
“He will not!” Axios’ roar interrupted my thoughts and my frame swung back around to see his hands were now curled into fists, his eyes blazing a bright blue. “You will not touch her. Leave, Viper,” he hissed as he took a step towards me, his frame vibrating with tension.
“Axios, stop!” The female rushed past my frame, putting herself between us. The spot between two cyborgs who were about to fight was never a good place to be, but the female didn’t seem to care. She merely strode up to Axios, grabbing his hand. “Don’t fight him. Not for me. I’m not worth it, okay big guy? Just go back to our quarters, please, Axios, please?”
Our quarters?Those two words pinged around my skull on repeat, my processors going on the fritz.It couldn’t be. Axios was with the female? That wasn’t possible.The logical part of my brain informed me it was. It cruelly replayed the female’s earlier conversation where she asked Axios to bring popcornhomeas more proof of its validity.
So that was why she wasn’t in the lab when I arrived.Red clouded my vision as I reached out, yanking the female away from Axios with a roar. I whipped her frame around, not caring if I was gentle, too far gone to care. She let out a wince as I dug my fingers into her arms, refusing to allow her to slip from my grip. “You’re with Axios?” I growled.
Her brow furrowed. “WithAxios?” Realization dawned on her face. Her eyes narrowed as she tipped her chin up in defiance. “What if I am? You got a problem with that?”
She should be terrified.But she wasn’t. The grip I had on her arms had to be painful, but except for that first wince, she hadn’t made another sound. She wasn’t begging me to let go or struggling to get away.Just who was this female?And more importantly, why did I care?
I let out another growl. “You’re a god damn menace, female.” My hands unconsciously loosened their hold. The anger began to fade as it suddenly clicked into place that I had voluntarily touched her,wasstill touching her and… I don’t feel repulsed.
I stared down at my hands against her skin in both horror and awe. “You’re doing this!” I shoved her away in disgust and she flew backward, landing hard on her ass. “You’re back in my head somehow, controlling me.”
“Fuck,” she moaned. “Do you always toss people around like rag dolls? And really? If I try again to use this hunk of junk in my head, I willdie. I already told you I don’t feel like dying today. I don’t feel like dying soon, either, but,” her eyes locked on mine, “I’m not sure I’m in charge of that.”
She rolled gingerly onto her side and began to gently rub one butt cheek, letting out a small whimper of pain. “That’s going to leave a bruise.” Her blue eyes flashed. “Thanks for fucking up one of my best features. I don’t got much, but my ass? It’s fucking spectacular.” She looked up at me, batting her eyelashes, a tiny grin on her face. “Any chance you wanna kiss it and make it better?”