Work Text:
🎀💜
You received a new notification from “DARLING!!!!!<333333”
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > ugghhh I am so tired of the frickin tests
> I just wanna draw again
> and spend more time with you I guess
> but you didn’t hear that from me
N chuckled at his girlfriend’s message, glad to hear that she misses him, yet still feeling bad that she is being put under so much pressure.
He and Uzi have been dating for, uh… maybe the past year or so? Both of them met on a forum for artists and quickly got along despite their very different personalities. Neither of them are sure how they did it, but it’s as if they were made for each other in a way. They were in the type of relationship everyone wanted to have: healthy and always there to support each other's backs.
One small issue, though. All of that was online. Their relationship, their “hangouts.”. Poor drones lived far away from each other, and school was not helping them with the oh-so-long-awaited meet-up. Both of them wanted to see each other in person, but how could they when they can’t even visit each other for the holidays?
Ugh, it’s so difficult to be a teenager.
You: > I am sure you can do it, you are very smart!<33
> Not to mention that you don’t have all that many tests left, Christmas holidays are about to start soon!
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > yeahhh truee
> I wish I could see you rn man
> or have you go to the Christmas ball w me
You: > Christmas ball?
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > yeah some dumb dance my school is organizing
> I can’t even ditch it bc my dad is VERY insistent on me going
Huh.. that’s interesting. What if he were able to actually show up this time around? And surprise her out of the blue?
Who is he kidding? That’s just delusion kicking in.
You: > Woah, that sounds fun! Why are you not so excited about the dance, though?
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > because all of my classmates are freaking losers
> like
> all they do is make fun of me, why would i even bother to spend time with them in the first place?
You: > That is true, but look on the brighter side. Maybe you can find yourself some new friends?
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > I doubt anyone would like to befriend me
You: > But you will never know until you decide to find that out for yourself!
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > bite me
> thank you but you dont know how my school is
There it is again.
You don’t know what it’s like.
He really doesn’t, because he has never been there with her. Never there for her in person.
Sometimes, he wonders if their relationship will even last for that long. It’s not like they get to spend time in real life; it’s not likely that they will meet until both of them are adults. N doesn’t know if the Uzi he knows even is the real Uzi. He knows what she looks like; he knows her name, number, and age. He knows about her interests, hobbies, and how her life is.
But how much of it is true? Are there parts of her he doesn’t know about?
That’s why he hates the fact that they can’t talk in person. He wishes to see her so badly, but he doubts that it will happen anytime soon.
You: > Ya, you’re right, sorry for jumping into conclusions
> I think it’s best you study now! We can’t have you failing
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > yeah I’ll probably do that
You: > Alrighty, until later then!! <3
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > until later, you silly thing
And with that, Uzi went offline.
N sighed, dropping his phone on the bed and lying down on the cushions, staring up at the ceiling.
He wished he could support Uzi at that moment, hug her, or something. Just do something to make her feel better. N knows she needs it; she deserves it.
Thoughts about the Christmas dance she mentioned, however, occupied his mind most. Fantasies of them dancing together in gorgeous, dapper fits wouldn’t leave his head. The way he would show up out of nowhere without any announcements, how they would meet for the first time, and just the simple joy they would experience at that moment. It felt like something magical.
In just one year, he will turn 18. If only the dance happened in a year, maybe he would be allowed to go there by himself and make their dreams come true.
Sure, he didn’t ask his parents just yet. Technically, his break does begin earlier than Uzi’s, so he could visit her without worrying about school and all.
The disassembly drone groaned, running his hand through his hair while thinking. They lived on different sides of the planet; how the hell will he even get there? Transportation? Well, Copper-9 did progress enough throughout the past years. Or maybe he could fly there.
But.. the biggest problem is how he would ask his parents the big question. Although the Disassembly Drones and Worker Drones haven’t been in major conflicts for decades now, friendships between the two kinds are still very much looked down upon.
Relationships are out of the question ! These types of relationships receive massive hate, and people will do anything in their power to discriminate against them. After all, that’s a predator dating its nature-assigned prey. His kind used to murder workers in order to survive.
Sure, that is in the past. But society just can’t seem to get past it, you see!
N clenched his fists, gripping a chunk of his hair as his anger started building up.
Why can’t people just accept that love is love? Who cares if they are different species? They both can prove that falling in love with someone different is possible. That you can learn to trust someone enough to build a future with them. Just like in any other relationship out there!
Annoying.
So fucking annoying.
N wanted to scream, but he couldn’t.
His parents were home, he didn’t want to cause trouble.
Yet, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
N flipped over, grabbing his pillow and burying his face into it, drowning his screams in it. At that point, he just wanted to cry.
Everyone in his town is just incredibly annoying and mean. He will never find his true love here and doesn’t want to.
And then, when he does find someone he actually loves, she lives on the other side of the planet. N can’t just walk over to her house or take her out on a date, because she lives very far away from him.
It hurts; it really does.
N slowly began to calm down, taking deep breaths to relax. As long as no one finds out about their relationship, they will be fine. They can still prove them wrong; he knows it.
Perhaps it was weird to think of your internet girlfriend that way. Who knows, maybe she doesn’t want to meet him?
The future will tell, probably. It’s too early to think about stuff like that, N thinks.
---------------------
“So, your dad and I have been planning on visiting the West side of Copper-9 these holidays!” N’s mom announced at the dinner table, while the two other drones, those being N and his dad, sipped on oil from oil cans. “We wanted to know if you’d like to come with us.”
N thought for a bit. He had to admit he was never good at geography, so he had a bit of trouble figuring out where that was.
“Where exactly is that? Like, what cities?”
“Well, you know, the side that is mostly populated by workers! Cities like Josephine, Queland, Doorsvile…”
Huh.
Doorsvile?
“Doorsvile? We will be visiting that?” N immediately perked up.
That was the area Uzi lived in.
“Yeah! Your father and I have always been curious to see how the other species live their lives! So we thought it’d be nice to visit the “worker-only-populated” cities to check that out.”
It’s like the stars were aligning right in front of his very eyes. His parents were asking him if he wanted to visit Doorsvile. The literal city his girlfriend lives in. During the holidays.
N thought he wouldn’t be getting the chance to meet her this year at all. But not only is he visiting her very soon, he might even have the chance to ask her out for prom!
Just like he fantasised.
“So, are you in or not?” His father finally spoke up, arching one of his eyebrows. N was so shocked he forgot they were having a conversation to begin with.
“Yes! Uh- I mean, yeah, totally cool with it.” The guy nodded, trying to act very casually at the moment.
Internally, he wanted to scream and bang his head against the wall. There were so many emotions inside of him all at once; he was about to explode from the sheer pressure of those.
N’s parents exchanged quick glances before moving on with their meals as if nothing had happened. Their son did not succeed in acting casually, that’s for sure.
When N was done with his portion, he thanked his parents and left the table. As soon as he entered his room, he quite literally started jumping with excitement, giggling and clapping his hands like a child during Christmas.
Well, technically Christmas is soon, come to think of it. The only thing missing is his true gift.
His girlfriend .
N smiled, sitting down on the bed and reaching down for his phone to let his girlfriend know the news! Oh, she will be so excite-!
N’s hand froze.
…
But what if she won’t be happy?
What if Uzi won’t like the fact that N is visiting? Think of him as some stalker of sorts..?
No.. no, that’s nonsense.
N did his best to throw the stupid thoughts out of his head. He tried to grab his phone, but it’s like he was paralysed. Not an inch of his body was capable of moving at all. All he could do was watch how his hand slowly started trembling.
How suddenly, his breathing quickened.
Oh God, what if Uzi would feel obligated to meet up with him? And she won’t actually be happy to meet him??
N could feel digital tears prick his eyes. He wanted to wipe them away, but it’s like his body wasn’t listening.
’She will reject you, N.’
No.. she wouldn’t!
’Face it, that’s simply the reality. No one likes you around here; why would she be an exception?’
Stop it, please..
’You are a burden, N. She is studying. Stop annoying her and let her be.’
Like on command, N’s hand slowly inched away from the device. Instead grabbing his hair and trying to calm himself down. He didn’t even realise how his breathing quickened the more these thoughts invaded his mind. God, he hated it so much..
’ You are so dependent on her; it’s truly pathetic. I wonder what would happen if she left you one day?’
Shut up, just shut up.
N pulled his knees closer to his torso, hugging them in order to calm himself down. He wanted some comfort; he wanted to relax and forget all about his worries and pain. It’s like his mind was just a massive fog.
And that frightened him. So much.
Suddenly, a notification sound echoed in his room. N looked up and gazed at his phone.
You received a new notification from “DARLING!!!!!<333333”
N took a deep breath and grabbed his phone, unlocking it to check what Uzi sent him.
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > heyy, wydd?
N wiped the tears off his visor, fearing she might notice from his phone camera.
You: > Nothing much, just relaxing. Thinking of going to sleep soon, maybe
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > ohhh I see! I was thinking if you’d like to vc and just chat while I do my hw? only if you wanna, not forcing
The guy stared at the screen silently, rereading the message over and over again as if something might change about it.
She really wanted to talk to someone like him?
N smiled.
You: > YAYYYY SURE!!
DARLING!!!!!<333333: > WOO okay gimme a sec >:3
N’s smile grew wider, his mood instantly getting better. Why was he so worried, anyway? Of course Uzi loves him; why wouldn’t she?
’Are you really sure about that, N?’ The voice in the back of his mind suddenly asked him.
But now, N didn’t care to listen. As long as he is with his girlfriend, he doesn’t care to listen to whatever the voices are trying to tell him.
He will fight them off, no matter how cheesy it sounds. N will forget once and for all.
For Uzi.
---------------------
“Ughhhh, dadd! Why do we need to go???” Uzi groaned as she sat in her room, gripping the fabric of her sweater while sending the most intense glare she could in her father’s direction.
“Why, sweetheart, because you need to find some friends!” Khan said cheerfully while going through the shopping bags with various dresses he bought for Uzi to try on. Unfortunately, his daughter refused to go with him because, well, she didn't want to go to the dance in the first place. However, thanks to him being the literal founder of their village, he could pretty much do whatever he pleases. That includes getting whatever he wants for mere pennies.
He obviously paid for the dresses, but maybe not as much as a normal citizen would. Really shows what a great mayor he is…
“I do have friends, dad!! Stop acting like I am a lonely loser who only rots in my room 24/7!” Uzi conquered, getting up from her chair in annoyance.
“Now let’s face it: if it weren’t for school, you would be rotting in your room all day long.” Khan deadpanned. “And no, Uzi, your weird online strangers do not count as friends. I am talking about real friends.”
Real friends.
Real friends?
“You do not get to call my friends ‘online strangers.’” Uzi growled, looking down on the floor to avoid making eye contact with him.
Khan simply sighed, not wishing to enrage his daughter any further. He does not want her to skip the dance, after all.
“Anyway, here is a selection of dresses that—”
“Oh, don’t you try to switch the topic now, dad.” Uzi walked up closer to him. “What do you mean by real friends?? You think that just because I am friends with someone online doesn’t mean they are real friends??”
“You need friends that you can actually spend time with, Uzi. Hang out and help yourself learn how to socialize. By spending days on your computer talking with your so-called “friends,” you are only distancing yourself from the real world! How will you find a job? Or even a boyfriend?”
Uzi clenched her fists. These conversations happen almost daily, and it’s annoying the living shit out of her. Not to mention that she does have a boyfriend; what is his problem?!
Sure, maybe that said boyfriend lives on the other side of the world… aandd is a disassembly drone. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of loving each other! They spend time together just fine, thank you! Online or not, they can still figure out ways to hang out in their own way.
And maybe one day they might as well meet up! However, that would be a secret meeting, of course. Wouldn’t want others to find out that she was dating a different species. She gets made fun of enough already.
“How about you just mind your own damn business and stop interfering with my personal life!” Uzi barked at him. “If you really cared about my friends and shit, you would be happy that I at least found someone who cares about me.”
Khan gasped. “That is not how you speak to your father, Uzi.”
“Well, maybe if you actually treated my friends like normal people, then I would speak to you normally.” Uzi shot back. “Now leave my room; I don’t want to go to the stupid dance anyway.”
“With that attitude, I will take away all of your gadgets, missy.” Her dad threatened. “You will go to the dance, and my words are final. End of discussion. You better have tried on all of the dresses I bought by the time I come back.”
With that, Khan has finally left the room, the metallic door behind him slamming shut automatically. Uzi groaned; she was so fed up with her dad’s bullshit. She made it clear that she is not interested in going; what the heck is his problem!?
Uzi’s eyes darted over to the shopping bags. Seriously, what sick idiot even wants to go to the dance, anyway? The best thing they will probably have is food, and even that will certainly suck. Like at a kid’s birthday party or something, but certainly not something for grown teenagers.
Of course she shouldn’t expect much; she is still a “kid,” for God’s sake. But unless there was something fun at that forsaken party, she was not interested. Period.
Uzi grabbed her phone and plopped herself on her bed, opening up N and her chat to see if he sent anything.
After noticing that there were no new messages, she decided to text him herself. Rant for a bit, so to say.
You: > bro, my dad has officially lost his mind
> he legit bought me a bunch of dresses to choose from just for one stupid dance
> and then says that “my online friends are not my real friends”
It took her boyfriend a minute or two to respond, but eventually, she noticed him typing.
Pupsik<3: > WOAH WHAT??
> I would be so upset if my parents told me that
You: > THAT’S WHAT I AM SAYING
> that annoyed the hell out of me
> I wish I could come to the dance with you, maybe then it would be fun and all
Pupsik<3: > I wish I could come, too!
> But hey, time will tell, maybe I will magically spawn at your door with a bouquet of flowers? x3
You: > right
> I wish you could
Pupsik<3: > Hey, it will be alright!
> You don’t have to communicate with your classmates, just stick around and have as much fun as you can!
> It will end before you even know it
You: > idk, I hope it will
> thanks
Pupsik<3: > Anytime lovely <3
Uzi sighed; N did have a point. Maybe if she just stayed in her own circle, then time would go by fast. She could just be on her phone in the meantime.
Or.. she could hide somewhere? It’s not like anybody would notice; she could tell her dad that she wasn’t feeling well and go use the restroom. That doesn’t sound like a bad plan.
Obviously, she would still be bored. But at least then no one would bother her and all that.
Uzi’s eyes went back to the shopping bags. Whilst having a plan, she still couldn’t run away from the problem that is the dress. Honestly, she felt a little bit bad for making her dad waste so much money on her just for her to skip the dance; however, it’s not like she wanted to go in the first place.
Uzi pushed herself off her bed with a groan, making her way towards the bags to take a peek inside. Inside were maybe around 4 dresses? No wonder the bag was so huge and heavy looking.
She took each individual dress out and carefully placed every single one on the bed. In total she had 4 dresses to choose from.
The first two were extremely bright, one was a neon pink colour while the other was quite glittery. Those two were immediately out of the question. Did her dad really not know what kind of clothes she likes to wear?
Next was a dress that, while dark in colour, was very.. open? The V-neck was so huge it would show off her core, a drone’s most sacred part. She did not want to walk around like that, thank you very much. Not to mention how tight and uncomfortable it looked. Yeah, no, forget about it.
The last dress was the one that stood out most to Uzi. It was dark purple and black. The dress had a purple corset and left her shoulders bare. Along with the dress also came two transparent sleeves, purple in colour. It was neatly layered and looked very fancy. Uzi liked it.
Maybe if she styled it with her usual legwarmers, then that would make the whole outfit even more unique. A piece of herself to show off, so to speak.
Uzi smiled a bit to herself, imagining herself in this dress next to N. Dancing around in circles all alone, under the endless starry sky. If only he would be there, then maybe she wouldn’t even mind hiding during the event at all.
But that’s just nonsense; of course he won’t be there for the event; he doesn’t even live near the area.
Uzi walked up to her window, holding the dress tight to her chest while looking out her window. She wondered if she was looking in the direction of wherever N lived. Staring into his eyes from a very massive distance. Could drones feel that? Being stared at even if the person is far away?
The one drone they love?
Uzi smacked her visor with so much force she caused her systems to reset. When her eyes blinked back onto the screen, there was now a very notable purple blush just below them. She was being so corny; why do feelings have to be so darn complicated?
Anyway, she needed to try the dress on before doing anything else. She would definitely send N a picture later to see what he thinks of it.
Even though she already knows that he will flip the heck out as soon as he sees it, he really loves to receive pictures of her. So why not make him happy while at it, huh?
---------------------
The day of the dance has approached way faster than Uzi expected. Just yesterday she was staring at her own reflection in the mirror, checking out the dress she chose to wear to day X. And now she stood outside of her school in the said dress alongside her father, waiting to be let in.
Her plans for the outfit during the time period didn’t change all that much; she still chose to wear her usual purple-magenta legwarmers alongside the dress. Obviously she kept her boots as well.
Covering the majority of her open metal was a light jacket. It was quite cold outside, and although drones usually don’t feel cold much, tonight it was more chilly than usual. So, she decided to go with a light black jacket, not too warm yet enough to keep the cold away from her bare shoulders.
The only big change for her was her choker. Instead of wearing a black band around her neck, this time she decided to go with a necklace made of pearls. She found it in her mother’s old jewellery box that her dad gave her when she was younger. It made her look a bit more feminine, in a way.
It’s never too late to experiment with things, so why not give it a shot?
While her dad was distracted with other guests, Uzi took a quick glance at her phone.
No messages.
Uzi's lips turned into a small frown. N has been quiet the whole day and hasn't sent a single message back. Sure, the guy could be busy, but it made Uzi worry. He has never remained quiet for such a long period of time; what if something happened? Was he mad? Is he in danger?
The girl sighs, putting the phone back into her jacket pockets. It was rather lonely without him, not to mention how she planned on messaging him for the majority of the event. Now that he was offline? She didn’t know if her plan would go as smoothly as she thought. Obviously, there are other ways of keeping yourself occupied when bored; there are mobile games and music. But N made her very comfortable with his presence, no matter if it was in calls or chats.
She didn’t want to be completely alone tonight; she wanted to have fun with the one guy that understands her.
And now he is gone. At least for now, she hoped.
Uzi is startled by a hand placed on her shoulder in a gentle manner, making her jump slightly.
“Hey, Uz! Didn’t think ya would show up!” A manly voice behind her spoke.
To be honest, Uzi completely forgot about the existence of a certain popular guy at her school—Thad. Despite being the total opposite of Uzi, he was somehow the only one with enough courage to approach her. And not to make fun of her, no, just to simply chat with her as if she were his friend.
Uzi turned her head around to face him, a bit annoyed with being disturbed yet kind of relieved that it was Thad of all drones, not some mean girl like Lizzy or Rebecca. “Hey. Yeah, I didn’t want to come here, to be honest. But I had the misfortune of having my dad organise this whole thing, so here I am.”
Thad hummed in acknowledgement. “That explains a lot of things. Sorry to hear that, dude.”
“It’s nothing, I guess. I’ll just try to hide somewhere far away from the “danger zone” so I am not disturbed.” Uzi explained, crossing her arms and checking Thad out for a moment. He wore a regular dapper suit, except he kept his cap on and had short sleeves instead of the common long ones. It made Uzi shudder a bit. “Aren’t you cold?”
“Ah, not really. Sure, it’s a bit colder than what I anticipated, but I can live with it.” The guy replied with a chuckle. “You look sick, by the way! Never thought I’d see Uzi Doorman herself in a dress!”
Uzi groaned. “Bite me! I never wanted to be here in the first place; I don’t want to be reminded by the fact that I am wearing a dress right now as well.” She paused for a moment. Maybe it was rude to snarl back at him like that. “Uh, and thanks, I guess. You look good as well.”
“Thanks!” Thad said before looking behind Uzi, spotting his friends who were waiting for him. “Oop, gotta go! Oh, and one thing: you don’t have to hide! Maybe you will find someone to talk to; it’s not like you are one of a kind at this school. Surely there will be someone you will find similar interests with; that’s what the dance is for—to connect.” He patted Uzi’s shoulder one last time before walking away.
Uzi opened her mouth to reply, to say how she thinks he is wrong and that no matter how hard she tried, no one would truly care about her at this school. She is too weird and all. Yet, did he really need to hear those words? They are not close friends; Uzi is in no position to vent to him about her feelings and sacred fears.
She was not going to show any vulnerability. Nuh-uh, not today.
Eventually, the massive crowd of people was finally allowed inside of the much warmer area. Uzi stood in the very back, deciding it’d be best to wait rather than push through the swarm of drones. Seriously, it’s not like the dance is going anywhere.
When there were barely any people left, Uzi headed inside the building, heading towards the large gym where the event took place.
The setting was not as bad, honestly. There was a large Christmas tree in the middle of the gym, and the place was neatly decorated by those who willingly agreed to help. Most drones have already started dancing; some went straight to the food bar, and the rest were chatting amongst each other.
In other words, it was loud.
Very loud.
Uzi decided to at least check the bar out. Aka a lineup of tables with foods brought by different people. There were batteries, oil cans, and gasoline, but the latter was for the adults. There even stood an elderly drone making sure that no teenager snatches a cup of the alcoholic drink.
Uzi decided to grab herself a can of oil; she wouldn’t mind a refreshing drink right now, not to mention how she didn’t even eat much today. Perhaps she could grab herself some snacks and go tuck herself away in some old, dusty corner of a closet. No one would go looking for her, anyway.
Just as she tried to squeeze herself out of the massive crowd, she bumped into a drone, causing Uzi to drop the snacks out of her hands. Uzi mumbles something, kneeling down to get her stuff back, only to be abruptly stopped by the voice.
“If this isn’t Miss Doorman herself, let me guess, going to go into hiding from the scary crowd?”
Lizzy.
Behind the girl, two other girls snickered, Rebecca and Doll. Oh boy, this will be a wild ride.
“Maybe I will, and so what?” Uzi barked back, trying her absolute best to ignore the pit beginning to form in her stomach. She was kind of nervous; Uzi had a bad feeling about this.
“I should’ve known; what a silly question. After all, you have this huge fear of other drones, don’t you? All you do is message on your phone all day, not even trying to communicate.” Lizzy huffed. “But hey, you can spend time with us! We would looooove to have you hang out around us!”
The girl’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, making not only her friends but others around them giggle. The scene was drawing more and more attention; Uzi was not a fan of that.
“Bite me! At least I am not making fun of others.” Uzi finally grabbed the dropped things and pushed her way past the group, making quick steps towards the exit. She heard Lizzy gasp dramatically behind her.
“Ouch, my feelings! Whatever shall I do!?”
Uzi had enough of the bullshit; she was tired of being mocked all day long.
She opened up the oil can she got from the minibar. Her hands trembled slightly with the built-up rage and pain. Suddenly, everything felt like a blur to her. The voices and laughs behind her turned into a ringing noise, hurting her sensors even more; the room seemed to grow hotter and hotter. When was this room lacking so much air?
Uzi didn’t know what went wrong. She swore that she didn’t want to do this.
The girl stared at her trembling hands, the oil can gone from her fingers. People were rushing towards the scene while she heard distant whines from the girl that was mocking her just now.
Lizzy held onto her visor, a massive dent visible on it from the force of the object that was sent flying into her face. Oil was splattered all over the floor; it was difficult to tell if it was the drink or Lizzy’s oil.
No, she couldn’t bleed from that, right? It’s just a can; it can’t do much…
Right..?
Uzi didn’t even register herself throwing it into her face; it’s like she passed out and woke up mid-crime. Lizzy didn’t faint or anything, but it was clear that she was in a lot of pain at the moment. Uzi was so blinded by the rage that she didn’t realise that she just harmed a drone.
Beside her stood her dad, telling her something that she couldn’t understand. His voice was just a bunch of blabbering that Uzi’s sensors couldn’t pick up at the moment.
Uzi was terrified.
She was in so much trouble.
She knew this was a bad idea; she was ready to burst into tears, that if she wasn’t already full-on sobbing.
Uzi didn’t care to stay there any longer; while everyone was busy with Lizzy, she pushed her dad away from her and ran out of the gym. She didn’t know where she was running; for all she knew, she could jump under a car by accident if she wasn’t careful enough.
In mere seconds, Uzi was out of the building, running off to God knows where. The yelling behind her seemed to stop; no one was following her anymore. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if anyone was following her in the first place.
Suddenly, she has bumped into someone yet again. Uzi felt so dizzy and nauseous that she dropped onto the concrete, snowy ground with a yelp, gasping for air. Her “brain” was just a thick fog of fear and anxiety. Was this the police? Did they already arrive to arrest her?
She felt the mystery drone kneel beside her, gently shaking her and calling out for her. Uzi was hyperventilating, her breaths short and unsteady; it felt like she was drowning in the ocean while calling out for help, or like a fish on land.
”..zi!”
“....Uzi!”
How did that person know her name? And why did they sound so familiar?
The drone stood up and gently took Uzi into their hands, walking back inside the school building. Normally, Uzi would try to fight off, bite, struggle, and scream, you name it. But she felt so exhausted and zoned out that she didn’t even bother to protest; she just let the person carry her back inside and walk in some weird direction.
Uzi soon realised that she was put inside a classroom on the floor, finally daring to look up at the person that dragged her in here.
Her core stopped beating for a good 3 seconds when she realised just who was standing in front of her.
“..N?”
“Shh, breathe, Uz.” N told her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders while doing his best to help her. “Breathe in and out, slow and steady.”
Uzi couldn’t even breathe now. N literally showed up to her school while she was in this state; this only made her panic more. It was so embarrassing how this is the condition he has to see her in the first time they finally meet. So many thoughts were racing through her mind all at once. What was he doing here? Was this even real? Was it really N she was looking at?
“B-but… wha-”
“Later.” N said rather sternly, but Uzi kind of understood that right now there was no time for questions. “Relax, everything is okay, sweetie. I am here. You are not alone.”
Uzi slowly started calming down, not sure why. Just 5 seconds ago she felt like she would die from all the pressure, and now her body was beginning to untense. It’s like N was casting a spell on her or something.
N smiled, making Uzi’s core flutter. “Good, now take long, deep breaths. Just like I am.” He told her, demonstrating by taking a deep breath, holding it, and breathing out. Uzi followed his instructions, beginning to feel much better now that her breathing was steady.
“There you go.” N nodded before opening his arms for her. “May I…-?”
Uzi didn’t even let him finish, immediately jumping into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. While not a huge fan of physical touch in general, seeing N just made her want to wrap her arms around him and never let go.
She hates when her classmates touch her so much. But with N? She just wants to stay in his arms as he says soothing words of admiration and comfort.
Uzi felt safe.
As they both cuddled on the ground, Uzi finally managed to speak, not pulling away. “Why are you here?”
N chuckled, a sound that made Uzi blush a little. “My parents and I arrived here for a vacation; they really wanted to check out cities populated by workers to learn more about your culture,” he explained. “They went to sleep early after a long drive, so I pretty much sneaked out of the hotel to make sure I arrived on time.”
“Whoa, and they didn’t notice? That is quite impressive.”
“Yeah, though it was quite difficult to change into something dapper while being as quiet as possible. But hey, I am here now!”
Uzi blinked once. Then again, before pulling away from his chest to check out what he meant by “dapper.”.
N was, in fact, dressed in a neat, clean outfit. Black and grey outfit with some sparkles near the bottom.
Although it did look quite basic, it still looked quite hot on him. But that is something she would never admit out loud.
“You look nice.” Uzi blushed even more, feeling how her face plates were heating up a little. N's visor also lit a brighter yellow at Uzi’s compliment, so at least she was not the only one who was kind of flustered now.
“Thank you, sweetie. I am glad you like it. You look even better, though!”
Oh, this guy would be the end of her, huh? Uzi chose to ignore the last statement before she would make a fool out of herself.
“Anyway, how I got here is not that important.” N said, gently taking Uzi’s hand into his. “I would like to know what happened to leave you in so much distress.”
Uzi was so focused on N’s story that she forgot why they were in some empty classroom in the first place. Her face darkened slightly, a visible frown on her face as she stared down at the ground in shame. “It’s.. my classmates. They mocked me, and I snapped and threw an oil can into a girl’s face with a lot of force.”
N gasped a little, a quiet sound that wasn’t exactly supposed to leave his mouth. But it reached Uzi’s audio sensors anyway, which only made her more upset.
“I will say, she deserved it.”
Uzi looked up from the ground and glanced at N, her eyes turned into two zeros to show the clear shock on her face. “What?”
“I mean, think about it,” N reasoned. “You told me there was always some girl that made fun of you. I am assuming that girl was Lizzy?”
Uzi nodded in confirmation, then N continued. “So, honestly, I would also snap if someone kept getting on my nerves. Not to mention if that person has been going after you for a long time and only wants to harm you. Sure, you will obviously get in trouble for what you did, but doesn’t it feel good to have at least some justice?”
The girl thought for a second before nodding. “True, but hurting someone physically is low, even for me.”
“That is true. Yet, think about it: do you think she would go after you ever again after you showed her her place? What matters is that no one died, and a can won’t leave that much damage on one’s body no matter how hard you try. Perhaps it’s just my predatory side speaking, but there is not much wrong with what you did.”
Uzi smiled a little. “Predatory side? Really?”
“I don’t know how else to put it,” N giggled. “Just don’t blame yourself for this, Uzi. You just defended yourself; think of it that way.”
There was a long moment of silence after that; both drones looked each other in the eyes, not saying a single word. Although kind of awkward, they felt like it was right. Just sitting there enjoying the presence of the other. Uzi wanted to say something, to let him know how thankful she was.
Uzi opened her mouth, and…
“I kind of want to kiss you right now.”
WOAHHHHHH OKAYYY GOOD JOB, UZI!!! WAY TO GOOO!
N was clearly taken aback by the sudden statement, blushing so hard it looked like he was about to bluescreen. Uzi was not doing so great either, hands on her mouth processing what the fuck just slipped past her lips.
She did not mean to say it out loud. Uzi didn’t even know why that was the first thing that came to her goddamn mind. Now she has embarrassed herself in front of her boyfriend, great.
N took a second to calm down before replying. “Would it make things even more awkward if I were to say that I want to do the same?”
Both drones stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do. Neither of them had had a first kiss before, so of course no one knew what to do after saying that. The only “kissing knowledge” they had was series and books.
“Uhm, so, how do we do this?” Uzi mumbled while fidgeting with her fingers. It was so awkward Uzi would rather sink into the floor and drown there than stay here. N seemed to think a bit for a moment, finally taking a deep breath.
“Let me try.”
N slowly reached his hand out to gently cup Uzi’s face, inching his face a little bit towards hers. Uzi sat there completely unmoving, blushing more and more the closer her boyfriend got towards her.
Eventually, both of them squeezed their eyes shut and finally touched lips together; however, it was not as beautiful as they thought it would be.
Their foreheads painfully clashed together, creating a spark between their heads that made them yelp and jump away from each other. The kiss itself was very tense, like it wasn’t soft and gentle at all, just awkward and humiliating at best.
Despite the most horrible first kiss known to man, both of them were still left breathless from how nervous they were, gasping for air and trying to keep themselves from overheating by waving their hands by their faces to cool down.
Then, N giggled. It started out small, but then turned into soft laughter. Uzi couldn’t help but laugh as well. Was the situation embarrassing? Yes, it was. Yet, something about it was just funny; neither of them knew if it was just to laugh it off and forget or because of how stupid they were.
“That was.. something!” Uzi said, making N laugh even more. It made Uzi smile even more, knowing that it was her who made him laugh like that.
“Yeah!” N said in between laughs, before finally calming down. He wasn’t as nervous anymore; while still blushing, it didn’t look like he would die from overheating at any second. He turned back towards Uzi. “May I try again?”
Uzi nodded, taking a deep breath. While not feeling as nervous anymore, she still felt this weird ache in her core. Afraid of messing up and upsetting N.
The guy nodded back, his fingers coming back to the one place on Uzi’s cheek. His other hand was carefully placed on her shoulder, rubbing it in careful, soothing circles. He could feel how tense her shoulders were; he didn’t want Uzi to feel scared. “Relax, sweetie.”
Uzi huffed. “I am trying..”
“Try holding me as well,” N suggested, gently taking her hands and placing them on his own shoulders. “There you go. Don’t be afraid; just follow your core; it will all be okay.”
Uzi swallowed a lump in her throat that she didn’t even realise was there this whole time. Surprisingly, her body did relax a little bit. It helped to know that N was there to guide her into a proper first kiss, even without any worthy knowledge.
N started to move close towards Uzi, and this time, Uzi leaned in as well. Neither of them knew who got closer first, but they probably met somewhere in the middle.
N tilted his head slightly to avoid the previous forehead fiasco from happening again. Their bodies weren’t as tense anymore, which made the kiss actually enjoyable. Their eyes were closed, focusing on the sensation of the other’s lips.
After holding it for about 5 seconds, they pulled away, opening their eyes and catching their breaths. N had a sheepish smile on his face, which only made Uzi smile as well. They didn’t exchange a single word before pulling back into the kiss, this time a deeper one.
They tried moving their lips a little, just like in the movies. It took them a bit, but eventually they settled on a slow rhythm that was good for both of them. It carried a lot of mutual affection behind it, a gentle, deep kiss that Uzi wanted to melt in.
Uzi gasped a little when N accidentally nipped on her lip with his fang, startling him as well when he suddenly felt a drop of oil ooze out of the tiny wound. N’s instincts immediately told him to clean it, so he went ahead and started to snack on the oil, making sure not a single drop went to waste.
It took everything in Uzi’s power to not let out a shameful moan from how intense the kiss turned out to be; she would not let that sound slip past the lips.
Uzi felt the cut begin to heal from N’s saliva, and once the disassembly drone made sure that there was no more oil coming out of the bite anymore, he pulled away, catching his breath.
Both of them were sweaty, hot, and shocked from the kiss, recovering from the most insane kiss they had yet. Was that considered making out? Did they make out just now right after the first kiss? Uzi really didn’t know, and neither did N.
“I think I fell for you even more just now.” N mumbled, smiling gently at Uzi with a lovestruck face. Uzi blushed, opening to reply and-
Someone suddenly started banging on the door, making both drones jump in surprise. If it weren’t for N locking the door upon entering, they would’ve been caught red-handed.
“Uzi Doorman, get out of here right this instant!”
It was Lizzy; how the hell did she find her!?
Just from hearing her voice, Uzi wanted to cry. What would they do now? They were trapped in this room with no way out, this was a disaster!
N, while also clearly panicking, didn’t say anything. He grabbed Uzi’s hand to lift them up from the ground and reached to open the window, cold winter air immediately rushing inside of the room, which made Uzi shudder.
“Dude, what are you-?”
“Shh, trust me.” N whispered, taking Uzi bridal style and jumping out of the window. Uzi screamed, closing her face with her hands as she awaited their sorrowful doom. That’s it; this was a double suicide for the both of them. Jumping from the third floor of a building it was. If not dead, then a few broken parts for sure.
But the crash never came. Uzi opened her shaky fingers up to peek out, and both of them were above the clouds, showing an incredible view of the galaxy beyond.
Uzi gasped, finally removing her hands from her face and grabbing onto N’s neck for support. She noticed that his wings were spread out; he looked like an angel fallen from the heavens onto Copper-9. How was she so lucky to pull such a handsome guy?
N noticed Uzi staring at her and smiled at her. “All those stars, and yet you manage to shine the brightest. How did I get so lucky?”
Oh, now that made Uzi blush really hard. She looked away from him, staring at the sea of stars above them as they flew.
N suddenly started pulling more tricks in the air, swinging from one side to the other and spinning in circles in a graceful dance. If Uzi were to fly, he would probably make her dance with him. A dance she had always dreamed of when they started dating. This was much better than in romance movies; this was magical and dreamy.
She couldn’t believe what was happening right now. The view of the stars, N’s dance.. This is all she ever wanted in life.
N eventually landed on solid ground, a hill, more so a mountain that went beyond the clouds. N carefully placed his darling on top of the snow, gracefully coming down beside her. They sat down, watching the stars together. Sometimes N pointed out a particular star or just something about the sky, and Uzi listened, sometimes saying something as well.
“I never thought I could be so happy in life.” Uzi said. “But being around you, it.. kinda helps me realise that there is always good in bad.”
N looked towards her, carefully placing his hand on top of hers. “I will always be there to prove that. You make me happy, and I want to be there to always remind you that I would love to make you happy also. You mean a lot to me, Uzi.”
Uzi smiled, looking into his eyes as well. “I love you, N.”
N squeezed Uzi’s hand tighter, afraid of losing her right here and there, before replying. “I love you too, Uzi.”
🎀💜