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secretconstellations · 7 months ago

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Rain (Reader x sad!Nat)

pairings: Reader x Natasha Romanoff

warnings: existential topics, slight mention of death, slight swearing

summary: reader is content. they know their place in the world, and that's with the avengers. so when nat comes back from a mission lost and drained, the reader takes it upon themself to comfort her and impart some advice. hurt/comfort!

a/n: hello loves! i hope you're having a lovely day :) this is my first fic so i'd really appreciate feedback as i'd really like to grow my account and cater my work better to you. i hope you enjoy it!! also, requests are open!

Rain hit the car windows. The dim street lamps bore into my retinas, disfigured by the streaks of rain my windshield wipers were struggling to wipe away. I had always liked the rain - that was, from a distance. From the warmth and safety of my car, I sat in silence, soaking in the gentle murmur of the rainfall. Specks of rain peppered my windows, each droplet configuring itself into a unique constellation of water on my window, only to be wiped away seconds later. It was a microcosm of life, I suppose. Beautiful and vibrant for a moment, only to disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye.

In an odd way, it made me smile. No one wants to live forever. Forever sounded so overwhelmingly long. I was okay with life being short and vapid. In a way, that's what gave it meaning. Somehow some form of cosmic junk had become this solar system, my planet. Had become me. And I would live and die and leave no real mark on the universe. And I was okay with that. It gave me the agency to choose my own meaning. And the meaning I chose was the Avengers. My family. A series of calamities had somehow given me the best family I could ask for after twenty-something years of living borderline alone, and the thought took my breath away every day. They were mine and I was theirs and we were okay.

Kind of.

Nat and Tony were due to come back from a week-log mission that evening, and by the sounds of it, they were pretty banged up. Nothing too bad, but they wouldn't be in the best shape. One never was following a mission, after all. I had left to pick up something to cheer the both of them up, and had settled on getting a whole lot of takeaway for the whole team. Nat's favourite restaurant was only maybe a half hour drive from the Avengers Tower, and I couldn't find it on any food delivery platforms so I went there myself and got us a great deal of food, all Nat and Tony's favourite meals. They would need it after a long week in the field.

My car came up to the driveway, the rain still falling in heaps. It was so loud now that I was sure it would punch a hole in the roof of my car. Through my foggy window, I could make out the silhouette of the Quinjet on the roof. They were back already! I was practically jumping out of my seat to see them. I collected all the food that I could carry without dropping and ran to the door, trying my best to shield the food from the rain. FRIDAY opened the door without me asking, and I practically sprinted up the stairs to the common room.

"Y/N! I was just about to ask where you were." Nat gave me a worn out smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she made her way over to embrace me, Tony following suit.

"Hello, my loves." I beamed as the two of them attempted to hug me despite my busy arms. "How are you doing?"

"Y'know. Fine. But I would be a lot better if you let me know what the hell that divine smell is, Y/N." Tony smirked, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I got takeout!" I sang.

At this the whole team began chattering, practically tripping over themselves to grab a bag and eat whatever was inside before I shooed them away to go wash their hands, as did I. I made my way to a nearby bathroom as the kitchen sink was crowded enough as it was and I didn't feel like waiting.

"Nat..."

Much to my surprise, Nat sat on the floor of the bathroom, knees to her chest in an almost fetal position. She looked so tired. I could hear the rain pattering against the window above her. The storm was gentler now, taking its final breaths. She looked up at the sound of my voice, her tired eyes struggling to focus on my face. Her characteristic, firey self-confidence had dissipated and she just seemed so... tired. It wasn't her.

"Nat, my lovely, what's wrong?" I caught myself using the little pet name someone some lifetime ago had called me. Maybe it would be of some comfort to Nat. "Nat?"

"Uh, I'm just tired, Y/N. It's nothing for you to worry about. Go eat. I'll be there in a minute."

"I'm here to help, love, I can't just leave you. Please tell me what's wrong." I said, keeping my voice as calm and reassuring as I could as I made my way to sit beside her.

She opened her mouth as if to protest, but crumpled as if she were carrying the weight of the heavens on her shoulders.

"I'm just tired of everyone dying." She croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's so fucking pointless. We put our asses on the line every single day for people who just end up dying anyways. There's literally no point to any of this. We're just gonna die anyways, wouldn't it all just be better if we never existed? Yeah... It's all pointless, meaningless shit. I'm so tired of it!" Her voice had risen to an almost shout by this point.

"I know, I know..." I mused as I took her in my arms. "I know, Nat. It's so hard to see meaning sometimes, and that can be scary and tiring. We're on a floating rock and we'll die and be forgotten by the universe eventually, but Nat, that's okay. It doesn't mean there's no meaning. You mean so much to me and to the team, and everyone we save means something to someone. That matters. We have the freedom to choose our own meaning for our own little world. The universe can go fuck itself because the universe is what doesn't matter. Your meaning doesn't need to come from some cosmic overlord. For me, it's you all that gives me meaning. You are my world, my reason, my purpose. You just need to find yours."

We sat in silence for a bit, listening to the hiss of the rain and the echoes of our friends' laughter in the common room. I could feel every inch of her skin touching mine, each vibrant intricacy fighting for my attention. Her calloused fingers were cold, but her palms were sweaty. I didn't mind, though, I counted myself lucky to even be in her presence. Her red hair fell down about her waist, some getting caught in our embrace.

"Sorry." Nat finally spoke, as she pulled herself from me. "Sorry, this is so stupid. I'm being stupid. The mission was just harder than expected."

"Nat, you aren't being stupid at all! It's completely okay to feel this way, okay?" I turned her face in my direction. Her cheeks were soft, save for the little cuts that peppered her porcelain features. Gosh, looking at her felt like falling into bed after a long day of fighting and missions. She felt like home. "Okay?"

She nodded, a smile forming on her chapped lips.

"Let's go eat before the others finish all the food. I bought your favourite! Unless you want to sit here a while longer, that's okay too."

"Shit, I'm actually really hungry!" She giggled. "Yes, let's go eat. I'd like to see the others."

With that, I got up to wash my hands, and we made our way towards the sound of sweet laughter. Nat smiled at our friends. A real smile, this time. She smiled the smile of someone finding their purpose. Finding their meaning. Finding their home.

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goldenempyrean · 1 year ago

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From Super to Sniffly

〚Notes - Miss Somber threw some random prompts at me last night so I stayed up WAY too late writing this :P Im gonna try and get some marvel done soon…maybe :,) 〛

〚 Pairing - Supercorp 〛

〚 Summary - Lena is more than willing to look after her girlfriend when she solar flares. 〛

〚 Wordcount - 3140 〛

〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙

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“Just try to take it easy this time, okay?” Alex had sighed after she’d finished taking her sister’s vitals, “Maybe we should get you under the solar lamps for a bit, help you recharge a little?”

Kara shook her head, wincing a little at the cut on her arm where Alex had patched up earlier, “I can’t I need to get home and finish my report, Snapper will have my head if I don’t.”

Typical. Of course, Kara was worrying about her work instead of the fact she’d once again became powerless. It wasn’t really her fault this time, not entirely. The alien she’d been fighting an hour or so early had entirely drained her cells of their solar energy, in turn, taking away her powers - leaving her just vulnerable as any other human.

“Fine, well I’ll tell J’onn you’ll be out of commission for a few days. Just until we get those powers back.” Alex said, hurrying round the med bay before turning her attention back to the Kryptonian, “I’ll arrange transport to take you home.”

“No, no,” She interrupted, pulling herself off of the bed and stretching her legs, “I think I’m gonna walk myself home, I could do with some fresh air.” 

“Alright, just take care, okay?” Alex agreed, there was no point in arguing. Kara could look after herself, even if it made her worry, “No crime fighting or gallivanting into danger, I expect you to go straight home.” She added as she began to escort her to the door, watching as the blonde headed to the exit.

As she stepped out into street the cool evening breeze brushed against her skin, causing goosebumps to run up her arms and Kara pulled her jacket just a little tighter around herself. 

She continued down the street, not in a hurry by any means. She was taking her time, enjoying just how human she felt in that moment. 

But suddenly something snatched her attention, the approaching crackle of thunder overhead - she’d forgotten about the storms that had been forecasted… maybe she would’ve been better taking the transport after all. Soon enough, the first droplets of rain started to fall, lightly spattering the pavement around her. She glanced up at the darkening clouds and decidedly quickened her pace.

Not that it helped much, before long the rain intensified, turning from a light drizzle into a steady downpour. They plastered her hair to her forehead and soaked through her jacket. 

Kara hunched her shoulders, shivering as the cold rain seeped into her clothes. She groaned, crossing her arms as she walked, just trying to keep a little bit of heat in.

 Not that it really worked, on second thought maybe being Kryptonian had its benefits aside the whole superhero thing - her usually heightened body temperature normally would’ve been enough to stave off the chill settling into her. But she made her bed, so she’d have to lie in it - she’d wanted to enjoy being human and after all what was more human than this?

She knew that, eventually, her powers would return, and the weight of her responsibilities would come crashing back. But for now, she finally allowed herself to be just plain and simple Kara Danvers.

That could’ve been relaxing, only if Kara Danvers hadn’t completely overslept the following day and had to run around her apartment in a rush to get ready on time.

After she’d finally got home that previous night, she’d was shivering and soaked to the bone. All Kara wanted to do was to sink under the hold of a hot shower before changing herself into some soft pyjamas and crawling into bed, but much to her annoyance she had that report to finish, and well, work came first. 

Maybe she could’ve gone to bed a little earlier, but if a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing well. That was what she had told herself as she stared mindlessly at the screen, the small time in the corner had way past midnight by now. On the bright side she did manage to steal a little sleep in the end though, a couple of hours at least – that wasn’t by choice, she had simply just fallen asleep as she worked.

Still, it wasn’t enough to recharge her, not by a long run so here she was, rushing around, wasting the little energy she had left as she hurriedly grabbed her laptop and files before hurrying out the door. This time however she’d decided against walking, instead choosing the bus as a safer option. 

But as Kara boarded the bus, she couldn't shake off the feeling of exhaustion that seemed to have settled deep within her bones. Maybe she shouldn’t have skipped that warm shower after all. As the city passed by, her skin began to feel clammy - something she hadn’t felt before, it was felt strange - and that wasn’t mentioning the of a headache beginning to throb at her temples. 

Finally, her stop was approaching. She buzzed the bell and stood up, making her way to the front as the bus began to slow. It was just as she was about to take her step that she suddenly sneezed twice, barely able to cover with her elbow. 

That should’ve been the first sign something was up. But the blonde was too busy focussing on getting to work on time, instead she muttered a quiet apology to no-one in particular before rushing off towards CatCo.

In the end she didn’t end up being that late after all. Only by about 10 minutes or so. Of course, no-one noticed. No-one except for Lena that is. The two may have only started dating recently but the two had been friends long before that and as a Luthor, Lena had learnt to become observant of people and their behaviour. So, when Kara wasn’t sat behind her desk, or waiting happily in her office with coffee she instantly knew something was off.

“Kara! There you are, finally.” Lena sighed with relief as the blonde came into the office, “You okay? I tried calling you last night did you didn’t answer, I heard about your powers.”

“I’m fine.” Her tone came out a little snappier than intended, as she kept walking over to her desk, planting her stuff down on the table, Lena following swiftly behind.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning, someone feeling a little grumpy today?” The CEO teased lightly, keeping her voice down as Kara rubbed at her temples as she sat down.

“I'm not grumpy.” Kara sniffled discreetly as she pouted, “I just didn’t sleep too well, I had to finish this article.”

Lena couldn’t help but sigh, she knew how hard Kara worked. Most of the time it the other way round and the reporter was often scolding her for overworking but it didn’t mean she didn’t notice how far Kara could push herself sometimes.

“Maybe you could use some more sleep then.” She suggested lightly, taking on the files from her desk and pretending to read over it, not wanting to seem too bossy, not when her girlfriend was clearly exhausted, “I think an early night is in store for you tonight.”

The reporter nodded, that aching in her head felt like it was worsening under the bright white LEDs above, “Yeah, maybe.” She mumbled, opening up her laptop beforehand absently tapping away, “I’m really sorry Lena, I really need to edit this article.”  She excused, not wanting to seem rude.

Lena gave her a small kiss at the top of her forehead, just a gentle sign of affection before leaving her too it - she did have her own work to attend to after all. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off so made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

Unfortunately, as time passed Kara didn’t seem to be doing much better. She was keeping her head up by propping her hand beneath it, occasionally ducking down to muffle terribly stifled sneezes which had clearly been heard by the entire office. At one point the whole office had quietened at the sound of a rather chesty sound coming from her desk, earning a sigh of sympathy from her girlfriend.

Her head was swimming was worry as she abandoned her own work and instead headed over to a supply cupboard before swiftly yet discreetly taking an unopened tissue box and placing it on the blonde reporters desk.

“You sound like you need these.” Lena whispered, her voice filled with worry, “Baby, you don’t sound too well, did Alex give you the all-clear from the DEO yesterday?”

Kara nodded before reaching out to open the box, “She did, I just hH-“ The Kyrptonian’s breath hitched off as she hastily pulled out a handful of tissues before ducking into them with a pitiful sounding sneeze, “Hh’itshhu! Ugh, excuse me.”

“Awh love your nose is all red.” The CEO murmured, as she came to stand behind the reporter’s chair, her loving hand rubbing her back, “You sound like you’re coming down with something.”

“Maybe, my head feels funny.” Kara admitted with a sniffle, too tired to lie to her girlfriend. She’d find out eventually anyway and as the throbbing ache in her temple increased, she was feeling too crappy to deny it.

The Luthor’s caring hand came to cup her cheek, a small sigh leaving her lips as she moved upwards, letting her palm rest against Kara’s unusually pale skin, “Make that definitely, you’re quite warm dear.”

“That’s dumb because I’m freezing.” Kara failed to bite back the hint of a whine seeping into her voice as she sniffled into her tissues.

“Let me check your temperature, stay here.” Her girlfriend soothed. Kara must’ve been really out of it because Lena seemed to return just as quick as she left and before she knew it, the CEO was holding a small device to her lips, “Open please.”

She did as told, allowed her girlfriend to slide the thermometer beneath her tongue. It was rather uncomfortable, especially considering the fact it had become very hard to breathe through her stuffed up nose. Lena’s comforting hand on her shoulder made it better though and before long, a small beep rang out.

“There we are, good girl, let’s have a look,” It was hard to miss the concerned expression sank across her face as she read the numbers, “Oh Kara, 38.8, poor girl. That temperature can’t feel very good. What do you say to letting me take you home?”

Lena's concerned gaze never left Kara's face as she waited for a response. The reporter's skin felt clammy under her touch, and the combination of fever and exhaustion was clearly taking its toll. Kara's head was pounding, and every movement seemed to require a monumental effort. She swallowed, wincing at the soreness in her throat, before finally nodding weakly.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Kara managed to rasp out, her voice sounding strained and raspy. She gave a pitiful sniffle as she clutched the tissue in her hand, “Stupid immune system.”

Lena offered a gentle smile, relief washing over her features. "Alright, love. Let's get you out of here and back home." She offered her hand out but didn’t object when the blonde moved straight past it and instead cuddled into her side, her arm coming to sit on her waist.

“What! Why’s she getting an early leave?” Came the annoyed grumble from a distant cubicle as the pair passed through the office, “Fucking favouritism.”

Lena had to bite her lip to keep herself from yelling as Kara's cheeks flushed, partly from her fever and partly from embarrassment. "'m not feeling well.” She managed to mumble in response before breaking off and muffling a desperate sounding set of sneezes against her girlfriend’s sigh.

“Ignore him baby, I’ll see that he’s reprimanded later, right now let’s just focus on getting you home.” Lena whispered, “Bless you.” She managed to bite back the anger from her voice - there was no way she was going to accept that behaviour towards her girlfriend - but the discipline could wait till later, Kara was what mattered right now.

She kept the Kyrptonian carefully tucked into her side. Kara had forgotten her jacket that morning, so Lena made sure to pull her coat around the both of them, honestly, she looked like a little koala cuddled against her. 

As the doors to the elevator closed behind them, the pair finally relaxed under the shield of the metal box. Lena kept her arm securely wrapped around Kara's waist. The reporter leaned heavily against her, her once vibrant eyes dulled and glassy with fever. 

The journey down was quiet, only Kara’s small sniffles punctuating the silence before the bell dinged and they stepped out into the lobby, heading straight to the waiting car outside.

Once they were outside, Lena led Kara towards her car, making sure she was steady on her feet. She opened the passenger door and helped her girlfriend get settled before closing the door gently. As Lena got into the driver's seat, she glanced over at Kara, who was bundled up in her coat, looking miserable yet somehow adorable.

"You just focus on getting some rest love, you’ll be okay." Lena said softly, starting the car and quickly driving off towards her apartment, “We’ll get you home soon.”

Only a short drive later and the two had pulled up to Kara’s apartment. But the blonde had long since fallen asleep and her girlfriend honestly didn’t have the heart to wake her. Instead, Lena gently slipped her arms Kara's legs and carried her inside the building.

In her arms she could Kara's fever seem to be intensify, evident from her flushed cheeks. Despite her attempts at keeping her still, just as they approached her door, Kara began to stir. She sniffled again and let out a weak, congested sigh as she rubbed her eyes.

“Darling, we’re home now, baby. Can you just stand up for a second for me.” Lena asked, quickly unlocked the door before carefully guided her inside and towards the bedroom. Kara's steps were slow and unsteady, and she seemed to be fading in and out of awareness, so she was quickly prompted to take a seat down on the bed.

"Alright, love, let's get you ready for bed," Lena murmured soothingly. She moved to help Kara out of her coat, taking extra care as she noticed how chilly and feverish Kara felt against her touch. Lena set the coat aside and then knelt down to unlace Kara's shoes, carefully slipping them off her feet.

She let Kara take off her own skirt whilst she went aside to take some of her blue silk pyjamas before gently helping her pull them on. 

It was no surprise that the exhausted fell asleep quickly, Lena had barely pulled up the covers around her before the small, congested snores could be heard coming from her. With Kara asleep it gave her some time to prepare her food.

Rest, fluids and food. Those were the key things someone needed. Soup should be easy enough, something light but hearty. Just enough to soothe the soul.

She wasn’t the best cook by any means,

Alex was the go-to chef in the group. But how hard could soup be? Very hard, Lena came to discover not even an hour later. Somehow, she’d managed to burn a liquid, the stock had turned an unappealing brown colour - definitely not the light liquid displayed on the packaging. Just great, she wouldn’t be surprised if she’d managed to burn the pan too in the process.

Lena had just finished discarding the remnants of failed attempt number 2 when she heard the soft shuffling of slow footsteps approaching behind her.

“Oh baby, you’re supposed to be in bed.” She sighed softly as Kara’s arms came to wrap around the front her waist.

"I couldn't sleep," Kara admitted with a soft sniffle, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand, “And I needed more tissues.”

“I tried making you some soup, but it didn’t really work, if you go and clamber back into bed, I can fetch some tissues for you.” Lena smiled turning around to coo at the cute sight of her sniffly girlfriend.

Kara's lips curled into a tired smile under Lena’s gaze, she moved forwards a little, her warm forehead pressing gently against Lena's shoulder. "You're sweet for trying, Lena. I appreciate it. Thank you for trying.”

Lena sighed, her arms sliding around Kara's waist to pull her close. "You're welcome. But I think we might need to order some takeout soup instead, maybe from that place that does the potsickers you like.”

The Kyrptonian nodded, “That sounds nice.” She tried to sound enthusiastic, but fatigue was quickly creeping back into her voice.

Before she knew it, Kara felt Lena’s arms come to pick her up again, taking the blonde into her arms, “I’ll get that ordered for us then, but first let’s get you back into bed sniffles.”

Kara rested her head on Lena's shoulder as she was carried back to bed, her arms loosely wrapped around Lena's neck. She let out a soft sigh, feeling grateful for Lena's care and comfort. As she was gently lowered onto the bed, Kara snuggled into the covers, already feeling warmer and more comfortable.

"Thank you," Kara mumbled sleepily, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion.

“It's okay my love. Don’t worry about it.” Lena smiled, gently running her hair through her blonde hair, “Do you need anything else?”

“Just you” Maybe the statement would’ve kept its cheesiness if the Kyrptonian hadn’t had to duck into her blankets with a particularly loud sneeze only seconds later, “...and tissues.”

Lena chuckled softly at Kara's sneeze, shaking her head in amusement. "Alright, love. Tissues it is." She walked over to the bedside table and grabbed a box of tissues, placing it within Kara's reach. Then she climbed into bed beside Kara, pulling the covers over both of them. Kara immediately cuddled up to Lena, seeking her warmth and comfort.

"I must ask though; how did you even manage to get sick this fast?" Lena asked with a small, teasing smile, her tone light as her girlfriend nuzzled into her, “I mean I know your non-super immune system is downright awful but I recon this has to be a record.”

Kara managed a small sleepy, chuckle, “I don’t think getting soaked last night did me any good.”

“I don’t think so either,” Lena smiled sympathetically, placing a gentle kiss on Kara's forehead. "Well, next time, let's try to avoid getting caught in the rain next time."

Kara nodded, a little sniffle escaping her. "Yeah. I’ll try.”

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xingtongtechnology · 10 months ago

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Street Light Poles are being manufactured by Anhui Xingtong Technology Co., Ltd. We need to deliver cargos to customers before the Spring Festival.

Any need, please contact us at [email protected]

#street light pole #street light #lamp post #smart pole #solar lights #xingtong technology #high mast light pole #high mast light

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smolghostbot · 11 months ago

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Random Robot Snippet

Is it obvious I've been in a robot mood for the last few days? Here's a random word-vom I wrote about a tiny discarded robot being repaired.

Word count: 900ish

CW: POV description of a robot in disrepair, some robot-themed body horror (maintenance while awake) but portrayed softly.

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You stumble through the street, wishing it wasn’t night. All of the businesses are closed, and your solar panels aren’t picking anything up from the street lamps…

You curse your size, the smallest model of family companion, only six inches tall. Six inches that move at a negligible speed as you try desperately to find anywhere to charge… but you know deep down that this is the end for you…

You desperately stumble in view of the sky, hoping that maybe, just maybe, you’ll recharge when the sun co

System Status: Critical

You wake up. You weren’t expecting that. As you take in the fact that you’re alive, you notice an odd sensation by your arm. Ah. It’s missing. The wires that previously sent power to your fingers have been spliced into a power plug, which must be where you are getting charged from. You notice additional problems as your warning system slowly warms up. Namely, that your chassis is open, exposed to the elements. It just now occurs to you that you have no idea where you are. The room is dark, and you appear to be on a wooden surface, sat in a slumped-over position. Several tools are nearby, as well as spare wires. You begin to panic, your cooling fans turning on automatically to control the heat coming from your processor.

You hear a voice, talking. The words are hard to hear over the roaring of the fans, but you can make out some of them. “Project”, “Replacement”, “Help it”. The voice seems to be speaking to no one, you can’t hear the reply, but they sound adamant. Finally, you hear them move away from the door, as the room returns to silence, and you fade into sleep mode to charge faster.

50%

System Status: Stabilized

Your internal clock is broken, you lost internet access long before you were discarded. You have no idea how long you’ve been here. How long since you were in the street. Hours? Days? Longer? The solar panels making up your “hair” have finally activated, but at an extremely low generation rate. That must be what woke you up.

You’re now laying flat on the surface from before. Your pressure sensors feel something. You boot up your optical nodes, and see… gloved human hands, almost as big as you are, poking at your now-exposed chest cavity with rubber-tipped tools. It feels… odd, the sensation of having your insides meddled with while still awake. You take in the form of the human, their tied-back hair, their oil-stained coveralls, clearly from working on something bigger, and presumably more important than you.

Their face, covered by a welding mask, turns up to look at you, clearly noticing the blue lights from your optical nodes, and they speak in a muffled voice. “Oh, hello! You’re awake! Can you… can you speak?”

“Yes. Where am I?”

“Oh good! Sorry, I know this must be scary, this is my robot workshop. I guess you could think of it as… a bot hospital. I found you sitting in a dumpster, but I know your model had AI, I couldn’t just let you be discarded!”

Discarded, you think, taking extra time to process the word. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Where is my arm?” You ask, as your optical nodes glance over at the missing appendage, and the mess of wires in its place. “What are you doing?”

“Oh! Your arm is safe, I was doing repairs on it, and I figured ‘Hey, the chassis needs power anyways, may as well give it a jump’. I’ll put it back when you’re fully charged. As for this,” they say, pointing to your open torso, “Just a bit of an upgrade for you. On the house,” they say with a wink.

Your fans calm down as your processor slows to normal levels. This human means well? You don’t understand why they would care for an outdated, defective unit like you, but that hardly matters if they’ll help repair you. You stay awake as they continue to poke and prod, occasionally causing a power flicker but always apologizing. The way they treat you… it’s almost as if you were a human yourself. Now that they know you’re awake, they speak slowly and softly, narrating what they are doing and why. “I’m removing this, but I’m replacing it with this better one, okay?”

“Okay”, you reply, not that you have much of a choice. If they wanted, they could be, no, should be scrapping you for parts… but they don’t. Finally, it burns at you enough to ask.

“Why are you helping me?”

They go quiet at this. You worry that you said something wrong, something to upset them. Instead, they lift their mask and look at you, a gentle gleam in their hazel eyes, as they respond. “I’m helping you because you were hurt. Nobody should be thrown away like that.”

You think to argue, to tell them that you were defective, replaced by a newer, more capable model, but you hold your metaphorical tongue, afraid of upsetting this human who currently has access to your most vital parts. “You don’t believe me”, they say. You don’t. After a moment, they speak again. “That’s okay. Whether you believe me or not, I’m going to help you, okay? So just be patient and trust me.”

And, with no other option, trust them you shall.

#not my usual fare but this is my tumblr.com i post what i want #... at 10pm because the hell with 'visibility'#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t writing #robots #robotposting #my writing

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