Fluid clouded my vision. I remembered when I thought the three of them were obstacles in my way to pursuing Nara. I should have seen them for what they were. Three wonderful friends that made my life brighter. I smiled, the fact that they cared for me, too, making my heart light. “I will.”
“Fuck. Could the five of you get any sappier?” Reaper grumbled through the comm.
“You’re just jealous, Military Model, that they like me better thanyou.”
“It’s true. We do,” Chaos declared.
“Be nice,” Nara commanded. “You too, Brone.”
“Fine,” all four of us grumbled.
“Don’t do anything stupid. That’s an order, Brone.”
“I won’t.”
“Stay safe, my friend.” The sound of something smacking hard against a solid surface rang through the comm. “Ow! Fine! And stay safe, Brone’s female.” The comm clicked off and Nara looked up at me, a smile spreading across her face.
“They hit Reaper, didn’t they?” Her body shook beside me, laughter filling up the air. “Oh god, I would have paid to see that.”
“Don’t worry, Reaper will piss them off again, just give him time. Hopefully, we will be there when he does,” I chuckled.
She pressed her hand over her heart. “My Luxury Models are growing up. They are learning to navigate the world without me. Someday soon, they won’t need me anymore.”
“They will always need you, Nara. The three of them look at you with nothing but love and trust in their eyes. That won’t change. They will always need a safe place to fall, someone to come home to when they are sad or need advice or help. You are their person. Never doubt that.”
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes, “What about you? They went to you when I was gone, didn’t they?” She moved to stand in front of me, rising on her tiptoes to fling her arms around my neck. “They knew who would take care of them, who to trust. They choose you. Not because you created them. Because they looked past your intimidating size and saw your heart.” She kissed me deeply, making my processors spin.“They need you, too, Brone.”
“I won’t lie. At first, I thought they stood in my way. That I would never be able to make you mine if they were there. Now I see how much I gain by having them in my life. The four of you are a package deal. One I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
She shook her head. “How are you even real?”
I shrugged. “I am nothing special. Just a lone Tank Class hoping for a certain redhead to make him hers.”
Sliding her hand down my chest, she sought the mechanical beat of my heart. “That’s where you’re wrong, Brone. Not any cyborg would have caught my eye. And there is only one I plan to call mine. This redhead is ready. Bond with me?”
I froze, my systems locking up as my breath stilled inside my lungs. “Are… Are you sure? There is no going back once it’s done.” It killed me to ask. Every instinct within me was screaming that I needed to toss her over my shoulder, race with her to the bedroom, and take what she offered. To not give her a single second that she might use to change her mind.
But I wasn’t that cyborg. So, I cradled her face between my hands, my fingers trembling against her skin. “Don’t do this if you aren’t truly ready. I will wait. There is no pressure. No rush. I am not going anywhere.”
“Change your mind, big guy?”
I shook my head vehemently. “Never. You aremine.”
“Good. No more waiting. I want this. I lov-”
A boom rocked the cabin. “Get down!”
Nara fell, hitting the floor as the whole cabin shook around us.
“Nar-” Something hot struck the side of my head and I tumbled forward, hitting the floor.
“Brone! Brone!” Nara’s cries were the last thing I heard as everything went dark.
Brone
The Cabin
The sound of an engine roaring drifted on the edges of my consciousness. Red lines of code flashed across my processors, a multitude of warnings indicating damage to critical systems. My fingers dug into the floor as I dragged my frame forward at a snail’s pace. Something heavy pressed against my back, increasing the weight of my frame and making me struggle harder to gain any ground.