Chapter Text
It was nearly seven in the morning, but this time her alarm clock would be the sun and its warmth. Because of the starry sky the night before, Tessa had slept with her curtains open. When her blue eyes fluttered open, she found herself being squished by Cyn in front of her and J behind her, while a sleepy V lay at the edge of the bed, her snores clearly audible.
On the floor, the purple-haired maid was still deep in sleep mode, perfectly comfortable and safe beneath the blankets she shared with her now-boyfriend, who provided a gentle warmth as he rested beside her. So when the morning sunlight reached both her and her boyfriend in the bed they shared, Uzi, as expected... didn't wake up.
Usually, N was always the one who woke up before her, and this time was no different. When N opened his beautiful white eyes, the first thing he saw was his lovely purple flower. They were still in the exact same place where they had fallen asleep, and deep down, he felt so grateful knowing that everything that had happened yesterday—his confession, their first kiss, their union—had not just been a dream.
He made a small attempt to wake her by kissing her cheek, but as expected... it didn't do much.
So N blinked quietly and lay back down, snuggling close to his girlfriend, patiently waiting for her to wake up.
Tessa sat up on her bed and stretched her arms into the air, letting out a loud yawn. Her mouth tasted funny. She scratched the back of her neck and rubbed her face with both hands, finally waking up completely.
"Morning," she said softly.
"Good morning, Boss," J replied, sitting up beside her as well.
"Wake up. Stretch. Good morning, Tessa. Hug," Cyn said.
"Hmm... morning..." V muttered as she rubbed her visor with both hands. But the moment she lifted her head and opened her eyes, her face twisted into terror.
"Oh, shit!"
"What happened?" Tessa asked, confused.
"I'm blind! I can't see anything!" V looked around in genuine panic.
"You don't say." Tessa raised an eyebrow at the obvious statement.
"Everything's blurry!" V said, sounding even more panicked.
"Hey, hey, easy there, V. We'll sort it out in a sec," J said calmly.
She walked over to the nightstand beside Tessa's bed, opened the drawer, and grabbed the short-haired drone's glasses. Returning to V, she slipped them onto her face.
Instantly, V's vision returned to normal.
"Oh. False alarm, girls. Everything's fine."
Tessa could only let out a small smile.
"Uzi?" N gently rubbed his cheek against his girlfriend's.
But she remained peacefully asleep. Her purple eyes stayed closed, and a tiny snore escaped from her metallic mouth. N was completely enamored by the absolute cup of joy lying before him. He knew it was time to get up, but he didn't want to leave her. If it were up to him, he would stay there beside his beloved forever.
Closing his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing their cheeks together and smiling softly, it had been a long time since mornings had felt this wonderful. He was so thankful that this wasn't another dream generated by his AI program whenever it powered down, then Uzi shifted her head slightly, leaving sleep mode and glancing around until she found the two white orbs she loved so much.
"Do I seriously have to get up?" Uzi asked grumpily.
"I'm afraid so, my little darling," N said with a soft chuckle. "Good morning..."
"Hmm. Morning to you too."
Uzi leaned closer and gave her boyfriend a sweet kiss on the lips.
N smiled warmly, touched by the affection from his now-lover.
"Morning to you two!" Tessa sang teasingly as she peeked over the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around the butler in a hug.
"Good morning, Tessa," they both said in unison.
"What are you lot waiting for?" A barefoot Tessa hopped out of bed and headed over to her vanity mirror, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "We've gotta get everything ready for brekkie."
"And where'd all that energy come from?" J asked, raising an amused eyebrow.
"No clue, mate, but I woke up feeling like I could do just about anything today." The black-haired human grinned optimistically. "J, what should we make for breakfast?"
"Batteries and a nice glass of oil, maybe," Uzi muttered irritably. She really didn't want to get up.
N smiled fondly at the worker drone and gently ran his hand through her purple hair, trying to calm her. The gesture made her sigh dreamily and lean into him, silently asking for more affection.
"Well..." The twin-tailed leader made a thoughtful face. "What do you feel like eating, Boss?"
"Hmm... I'm craving pancakes, but some nice waffles sound pretty good too. I reckon we've got both frozen in the fridge..."
"And what if..." J put on a mischievous grin. "We make both?"
Tessa gasped excitedly "Yes! We make both!".
"Right then. Pancakes and waffles it is," J declared, getting out of bed and leaving the room alongside her best friend and owner.
"Come on, big brother N. We have to make a yummy, yummy breakfast," Cyn said as she walked over to the butler.
"Of course, little buddy. Just give me a moment."
He turned back toward Uzi.
"Would you care to accompany me to the kitchen, Miss Uzi?" N asked in an elegant tone, offering his hand to help his girlfriend up from the floor.
"Ew, you're way too cheesy," Uzi replied with a teasing smile.
"But last night you said you liked it when I was sweet and kind with you."
"Yeah, but not that much. I'm not a beehive, you know. There's only so much honey I can handle."
Even so, she carefully reached for N's hand and intertwined their fingers.
"Well, to me, you are the queen bee... the sweetest one of all," N said with innocent joy.
"Oh, bite me."
Uzi looked away, blushing.
The damaged drone's yellow eyes shifted mischievously toward Uzi and N's intertwined hands, she knew friends didn't hold hands like that.
"Giggle. You like big brother N," Cyn pointed out.
N let out a soft laugh and turned toward his girlfriend with a playful smile, gently bumping his shoulder against hers.
"You're right, Cyn. And not only do I like Uzi anymore, she's my girlfriend now. Isn't that right, Uz?"
Uzi's eyes narrowed into thin ovals as a faint purple blush appeared across her visor, still, she couldn't stop herself from smiling like an idiot and lowering her head, squeezing N's hand even tighter.
"Yeah, she is. We're not just friends anymore. We're in love now, and we're gonna stay together..." She looked at N with an unusually sweet smile. "...hopefully for a very long time."
That expression was so unlike her that it was all Cyn needed to know this was true.
"Eyes widen. Touch cheeks. Gasp. Jump." Cyn performed each action in order "Happiness. Oh my goodness, big brother N, you've got a romantic partner. Just like in the books we read at night."
N laughed. "That's right, buddy. I finally found true love."
Ironically, N had never needed to search for it. The drone he would always love had been standing right in front of him the entire time. He just hadn't realized it.
"Yippee," Cyn said monotonously as she continued hopping around.
"Alright, now we put the pancakes in the pan and..." V said while holding a spatula in one hand and reading the frozen pancake package in the other.
"Fish!"
The innocent Cyn interrupted, proudly holding up what appeared to be an entire red snapper in front of the maid.
"Cyn, what are you doing?"
"We are cooking fish. You said so." Cyn explained. "I grabbed the biggest one so the whole family can eat."
"Cyn, we're cooking fish for lunch. Right now we're making breakfast," V patiently explained to the little drone with the bow on her helmet.
"So... we won't need the fish?" Cyn asked uncertainly.
"No, Cyn. But thanks for wanting to help," Tessa said kindly. "Better put it back in the freezer before it gains consciousness."
"Oh. Alright."
"So how are those pancakes going, V?" Tessa asked.
"Pretty good. The first batch is already coming out. How about the waffles?"
"Ta-da!"
Tessa pointed across the counter with both hands. There were three towers of waffles stacked neatly, while J was pulling the last two out of the toaster.
"Oh..." V raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Look, Tessa! I cut these into heart shapes just for you!" N said happily, showing off three waffles that had clearly been carved rather clumsily with a knife and were noticeably browner than the rest—if not for J's intervention, they probably would've burned.
"Aww, N. That's adorable, mate." Tessa smiled, gently pinching the butler drone's cheek "I reckon we've run out of maple syrup, but there should be some in the pantry."
"I'll get it," Uzi said.
The purple-haired drone grabbed a stool and climbed up to the pantry, quickly finding the bottle of maple syrup. But once again, her terrible balance decided to betray her, causing her to slip and tumble toward the cold floor below. Instead, she found herself once again caught in the warm arms and steady heartbeat of her beloved boyfriend.
"You alright, love?" N asked.
"Okay, yeah, I'm gonna stop doing that." Uzi laughed, blushing. Not that she minded the position in the slightest. "I mean, you can't keep saving my life every five minutes."
"You know I absolutely would, Uz." N pressed his cheek against hers.
"Hmm..." Uzi made an embarrassed face as the purple blush across her visor brightened.
"hey, you two! Get back to work, you dummies!" J interrupted.
"I slept better than usual. How about you?" Louisa asked her husband.
"I'd say a bit too well, actually," James replied.
"Morning, Mother. Morning, father," Tessa greeted politely, setting their cups in front of them. "I'll grab your coffee."
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow while the green-eyed man shot her a suspicious glance. Once she'd poured their drinks, brought sugar for her mother, and sat down in her chair, the silence and unimpressed looks from her parents made her lower her head, anxiety immediately creeping in.
"Hmm. About time you managed to do something properly without looking miserable while you're at it," Louisa said coldly. "You're making progress... thankfully."
"Keep this up and we might even forgive some of your recent nonsense and insolence," James added as he picked up his cup.
"Yes, Father," Tessa replied calmly.
The drones then brought over a plate stacked with pancakes and another piled high with waffles, still warm and steaming, carrying a delicious vanilla aroma, the moment she saw the food, the black-haired girl's smile returned.
She grabbed her plate, gave N a quick peck right in the middle of his visor, and loaded it with both waffles and pancakes. She decorated them with whipped cream, syrup, butter, jam, and cream cheese before happily digging in alongside a glass of fresh orange juice. For the first time, she was eating entirely by her own choice, without caring in the slightest about the judgmental eyes of her parents.
Just then, James's phone rang, and he stepped away from the table. A few minutes later, he returned.
"Mmm..." Tessa hummed happily, her mouth covered in food.
The drones couldn't help but find it endearing.
"Hope you can still fit into your clothes after this," Louisa remarked while focusing on a piece of waffle.
"Huh?" Tessa looked up. "pardon?" she asked awkwardly through a mouthful of food.
"...Never mind."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll ring you back later. Morning."
James returned to the table and ended the call.
"More trouble with those dinosaurs?" Louisa asked.
Tessa immediately looked up with interest.
"Yeah, yeah. The ones that escaped the workshop are still running around somewhere. They still haven't found them," James grumbled. "Bunch of bloody useless idiots. We never should've taken that contract. They show us perfect demonstrations, build the things with a million flaws, and then come crying to us like their incompetence is somehow our fault."
He started eating his pancakes.
"What happened?" Tessa asked.
The drones' eyes widened into thin ovals. The ticking clock was the only sound as James and Louisa stared at her with the unspoken expression of: And why exactly do you care?
Normally, asking something that simple would've earned her punishment. But Tessa was enjoying her breakfast too much to care, Louisa considered it for a moment, noticing how unusually informal her daughter was being while eating, surprisingly, she let it slide.
"Well, the company partnered with another one. They specialise in robotics and electronic systems. Worker drones are useful enough, but as you've probably noticed..." she glanced sideways at the junkyard pets standing nearby, "...they can be rather inefficient at times. So they started developing new autonomous models specifically designed to function as bodyguards."
"We call them Sentinels," James added. "They're a type of robotics platform with highly advanced AI. Aggressive, effective, protective. But because our suppliers are complete drongos, the first prototypes came out defective. They attack practically anything that isn't human, and sometimes they're just violent machines, full stop." He paused to sip his coffee "One already bit a lab assistant."
"And a few escaped from the facility," Louisa finished.
Tessa's eyes lit up, Robot dinosaurs? That sounded incredible.
"So they could actually be around here?" she asked excitedly, the remains of breakfast smeared around her mouth caused both parents to look at her with immediate disgust.
"They're not pets, missy" Louisa corrected bitterly.
"But considering how far they've had time to travel since escaping, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are somewhere nearby. Maybe beyond the gardens." James glanced toward Tessa's drones. "I wouldn't put much value on those ones, though."
N's eyes narrowed into thin ovals as beads of nervous sweat appeared across his visor, Uzi immediately noticed, reaching over and grabbed his hand. By feeling her touch, N turned toward her and offered a gentle smile before squeezing her hand back.
"I just hope those miserable fools sort this mess out soon. And enough with the stupid questions, alright? Just eat your breakfast," James said before returning to his meal.
"Yes, Father," Tessa replied.
She continued eating, but what she'd learned refused to leave her mind.
Robot dinosaurs? That would be almost like having a pet.
Surely she could repair one and make it friendlier. Maybe one had even ended up in the dump.
N had just finished cleaning the last cobwebs from the sitting room—his final chore of the afternoon. Uzi had probably finished her duties too, So he went looking for her.
When he couldn't find her, he noticed a large cardboard box from a recent delivery that hadn't yet been thrown away. He was about to take it to recycling when he realized something was still inside. Curious, he peeked in. Inside was Uzi, surrounded by several small books whose covers looked oddly similar to J's drawing style.
"What are you doing, baby?" N asked kindly.
"I'm in my fortress. Nobody gets in and nobody gets out." She hugged her knees and flashed him a smug grin. She was very clearly playing pretend.
"Wow, it looks amazing." N laughed. "Though I think it could use a bit more decoration. What are you doing in here?"
"Reading these manga Tessa lent me. I told her they weren't interesting because I wanted to look cool and sophisticated, but after finishing volume one I needed more. There's like eight of them, and I have to know what happened to Kiiro-chan after she went through that door."
"Aww. Can I be part of your super cool fortress too?" N asked excitedly.
"..."
Uzi blinked.Her core felt like it was about to explode from affection but she wasn't going to show it, she couldn't be too soft, she had a goth reputation to maintain...Even if she loved him so much.
Nobody really knew how it happened, but somehow they both ended up inside the giant cardboard box, curled together in a comfortable embrace, blushing and smiling. After all, this was officially their first day as a couple, they were still new to expressing their feelings without hiding behind the label of "friendship."
They stayed there for quite a while, Uzi showed N her manga, passionately explaining the story so far with all the energy of a preacher delivering a Sunday sermon, truthfully, N barely understood any of it but he loved listening to her. He loved seeing how fascinated she was by these new stories, the excitement in her voice, the passion in her eyes, together they read the second volume, he were surprised to discover it read from right to left and wasn't in colour. Uzi explained everything, narrated the dialogue, reacted to the twists for the first time, laughed alongside N, and spent hours simply enjoying each other's company.
And that, more than anything, was priceless.
Unfortunately, the sweet moment came to an abrupt end when a stronger force arrived. The entire box tipped over onto its side, sending both of them tumbling out.
"Move it, morrons!" the twin-tailed leader snapped irritably.
"knocking, J. Ever heard of that?" Uzi asked irritably, rubbing her head.
"I'm the boss around here, Purple Shorty. Of course I haven't," J shot back, still annoyed.
"We were just having fun," N said, still sprawled out on the floor.
"Well, you can have fun later. We've got work to do," J insisted. "Tessa's with her tutor, and her parents are getting home early."
"But we've still got time."
"Not if you're mocking around. So put away your stupid little books and get back to cleaning the kitchen. Now."
"Hey! Don't talk to her—or her manga—like that!" N stepped in front of his girlfriend, protectively placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't start acting brave now, N. I already gave the order," J replied, her white eyes glaring daggers at the butler.
"Order denied, Boss!"
"Who do you think you are?" J snapped, furious at the disrespect.
"N. My name's N. And I won't let you talk badly about my Uzi or the things she likes."
Uzi's eyes widened in shock, she had never seen this side of him before. N was usually timid around J. Whenever she got close to blowing up, he was always the one backing down and asking her to calm down. This time, though...the one who looked afraid was J. For the first time, her position as leader seemed to be slipping away when it came to N.
"We weren't bothering anyone, and spending time with your coworkers is good for workplace morale. I'm surprised you don't know that, considering how close you are to the corporation," N argued. "And maybe you think they're silly, but they're important to Uzi. If you don't have the ability to appreciate the lovely things that make her who she is, then I will."
A faint purple blush spread across Uzi's visor as she smiled, touched beyond words, and brought a hand to her core. At this point, she was a complete nervous wreck.
J's face twisted into an expression of offended embarrassment. She opened her mouth to say something—But N interrupted again.
"Look, we're only going to stay in our fortress for another twenty minutes, and then we'll finish all our chores before Tessa's parents get home. We'll still have heaps of time left over, alright?"
"But—"
"And if you say anything mean about Uzi again..."N smiled sweetly "...I'll tell Tessa."
J gasped in horror.
"I can't believe you." The leader cried dramatically before fleeing the room.
Watching her leave, N simply smiled innocently and dusted off his metal palms.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..." His smile immediately faded "I'm so dead."
"Wow... N..." Uzi grinned in amazement. "That was... really rebellious."
Did she prefer the sweet side of her adorable boyfriend? Or this rebellious side?...Both were amazing, Yeah, she liked both.
"Yeah..." N scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I don't usually talk to J like that. I just didn't like hearing her say those mean things about your manga..." He smiled softly...or your fortress."
A brief pause.
"...or you, Uz."
He leaned closer and placed a small kiss against her visor.
"She should know you're amazing. And an amazing girlfriend too."
The purple worker drone blushed even harder. Still, she looked away and lightly punched him in the arm.
"Stop making me all soft..." Uzi muttered, embarrassed.
"Aww, you're so cute when you blush." N wrapped his arms around her "You're so cute when you're happy."
"S-stop..." Uzi protested again, lowering her head as her goth pride suffered critical damage.
"You're an absolute cup of joy..." N sang playfully before peppering the top of her head with more kisses.
Uzi finally sighed in defeat,There was simply no resisting the overwhelming sweetness of her boyfriend anymore.
"You know..." she admitted quietly, smiling to herself. "I kinda like this."
N's face lit up.
"But..." Uzi continued, "...maybe we should go back to our fortress."
"Ooooh, that sounds wonderful!" N replied cheerfully. "I hope the box didn't get too damaged."
And once they were reunited inside their fortress, Uzi allowed herself to be spoiled. She accepted every hug, every cuddle, every kiss, and every affectionate touch N showered her with.
"This is better..." Uzi admitted softly with a smile.
The next day, just as the sun was beginning to set, Tessa was finishing the last two assignments her tutor had given her. Because of that, her drones were gathered in her room, helping her put the final touches on everything. Meanwhile, N sat at the edge of the bed listening to music with Uzi. They were sharing earphones, he found it adorable how immersed she became in whatever she was listening to. She was leaning against the headboard, tapping a finger against the mattress in time with the music, so N simply leaned against her and enjoyed the surprisingly calm song they were listening to together.
"I reckon that's everything done." Tessa set down her scissors and admired the small model she had built: a paper camping tent made from construction paper and wooden sticks, placed on a cardboard base designed to resemble a forest "What do you think, J?"
"Hmm" J carefully examined the model "I think that'll do. But that river could use a bit more blue. Some parts don't look fully painted."
"Yeah, you're right." Tessa nodded thoughtfully "Where'd you put my paint box?"
"On top of your wardrobe."
"I'll get it," Uzi interrupted, removing one earbud.
"You sure? I don't think those factory-defective short legs of yours are up to the task," J teased.
"J." Tessa's warning tone immediately made the leader lower her head.
The purple-haired maid frowned before dragging over a stool and placing it in front of the wardrobe. She stretched her arms upward and barely managed to grab the box.
Victory was within reach. Unfortunately, the box was heavier than expected, its weight pulled her backward, she lost her balance and everything came crashing down with her.
The moment N heard her pained cry, he immediately jumped up and rushed to her side, lifting her into his arms.
"Uzi!" Tessa stood from her chair.
"Uzi, are you alright?!" N asked frantically.
He gently supported her head while Tessa removed the fallen items from on top of her.
"Pain..." Uzi groaned. When she tried to stand, she immediately collapsed again, clutching her right arm.
Tessa knelt down to inspect it, there was now a large opening in the damaged arm, exposing several wires—one of them completely severed—and a small amount of oil was leaking out.
"Ouch. Looks like you broke your arm, mate," Tessa observed.
"Bite me..." Uzi hissed through the pain.
"B-But she'll be alright, won't she, Tessa?" N asked worriedly.
"'Course she will! Nothing a trip to my workshop can't fix." Tessa smiled confidently. "Think you can carry her there, N?"
"Yeah. I think I can." The worker drone carefully lifted his beloved into his arms and followed his owner.
"W-What are you going to do to me?" Uzi asked nervously.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," N assured her, kissing her cheek. "They're just going to help you feel better. It won't take long."
The purple-haired drone's eyes widened.
"Has she done this before?" Uzi asked anxiously. "Does she actually know what she's doing?"
"Relax. Tessa's a professional." N gave her a wink.
"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse," Uzi admitted suspiciously.
The human switched on the lights in her small workshop and tied her twin ponytails back with a plastic clip, paused briefly when a sharp pain shot through her wrists. Then she sat Uzi down on the workbench, inspected the damage with a magnifying glass, and cleaned away the oil around the wound so she could see the full extent of it.
"Alright. Doesn't look too serious. We just need to replace your arm." Tessa headed off to find a replacement part.
"W-What?!" Uzi squeaked in horror.
"Hey, hey, easy, darling. It's okay. You're going to be fine," N said as he held her hand reassuringly. "You'll see. It'll be quick, and you'll be good as new. I'll be right here with you."
"You promise?" Uzi asked, visibly frightened.
"I promise." N kissed her cheek again, earning a blush and a tiny smile from her.
A moment later, Tessa returned carrying a replacement arm, a wrench, and a small bolt screwdriver. Uzi immediately started sweating. Still, she reluctantly agreed to let Tessa work on her. N squeezed her hand, and a little digital puppy appeared on his visor. That finally made her smile, this was the kind of courage, the kind of love, That she hoped to feel from him for the rest of her life.
The process was quick. Uzi barely felt her original arm being removed, the oil cleaned away, and the replacement attached. Tessa tightened the bolts and soldered the new wires to the original connections.
"There we go. It's attached now, but we'll need to power it up so it can synchronize with the rest of your system. We'll need a little bit of electricity for that," Tessa explained as she rummaged through one of the many drawers in her workbench.
"Oh. Right... and how exactly are we going to do that?"
"Clear!"
Uzi didn't even have time to react before a taser was pressed against her arm,Electricity surged through the entire limb, fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds before Tessa pulled it away, leaving Uzi gasping while N immediately stood and began rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Would it have killed you to warn me first?" Uzi asked her owner hysterically.
"Hmm. Let's see. Try moving it," Tessa instructed proudly.
Despite her irritation, Uzi looked down at her new arm, the triangle on the back of her hand glowed purple once again, slowly, she lifted the replacement arm, clenched her fist, and rotated it in several directions, it felt completely normal.
"Wow..." Uzi admitted in amazement.
"Now take this." Tessa handed her a half-full can of oil. "You'll need a bit of energy after all that."
The purple-haired worker drone looked back at her owner and offered a friendly smile "Thanks, Tessa."
"Always happy to help, Purple" The black-haired human gently patted her on the head.
"Tessa, help! Cyn's trying to bite the model!" J's panicked voice echoed from somewhere else in the house.
"Oh, crikey." Tessa removed the plastic clip from her hair, letting her pigtails fall back into place "Mind if I go sort that out for a second?"
The couple immediately assured her they didn't mind.
"Right. Be back in a tick." She bolted out of the workshop "Cyn! I've already told you green paint doesn't taste like lettuce!"
"Heh" Uzi laughed before leaning back against the wall and taking a sip of oil.
"How are you feeling?" N asked sweetly, leaning against his girlfriend. "Does it hurt much?"
"No. It just feels weird. But I think I'm getting used to it already," the purple drone assured him. "Has this happened to you before?"
"A bunch of times." N laughed casually. "And every single time, I was incredibly brave and didn't cry once."
Uzi raised an eyebrow. She wasn't buying that for a second.
"You're saying that to make yourself sound more attractive, aren't you?"
"No. Of course not." N looked away innocently.
A pause.
"...Maybe."
Uzi's eyebrow remained raised.
"...Yeah."
Another pause.
"...A lot."
"Were you seriously though being brave would make you more attractive?"
"Yeah..." N shrugged, embarrassed.
"You're unbelievable." Uzi shook her head and burst out laughing.
Then she rested her head against the shoulder of her beloved, adorable butler.
"But am I attractive?"
"Very," Uzi sang softly.
N smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a gentle embrace. Honestly, they loved moments when it was just the two of them.
"This life has only been going for four days, and it's amazing," N admitted after a comfortable silence.
"This life?" Uzi asked curiously before taking another sip of oil. "We've only got one life."
"The relationship life. Humans always say life comes in stages. The lonely one... and the one that begins when you find someone. We're only at the beginning, but it's lovely."
It was true. Four days had passed since Uzi and N had confessed their feelings in the courtyard of that mansion and sealed their love with a kiss beneath the stars, that night, they became something more than loyal coworkers, they became a new love on planet Earth. An unusual one, Like diamonds in the sky, illuminating an unaware world with something beautiful. Life afterward had remained largely the same, the feelings they'd always carried were still there, the difference was that they no longer hid them...There was no need.
They could rest peacefully knowing their soulmate would be waiting for them at the end of every day, talking felt different now. Touch felt different, every conversation carried more meaning, holding hands, sharing hugs, exchanging kisses—those things had become part of everyday life.
Even for N, reading bedtime stories or having movie nights with his little sister had become more special, because now he shared those moments with his two favourite girls in the world.
Perhaps their feelings had always been obvious, perhaps knowing they were truly shared had simply become their new reality. And now that reality was part of this new chapter of their lives together.
"And... what do you think happens during the rest of the life we've got together?"
"We won't know until we get there, Uz..." N replied softly. "But I'd love to find out together."
"Hmm..." Uzi smiled "I don't have any problem with that."
"Did you like the stars last night?" N asked, gently running a hand along her new arm.
"I know it's kind of old-fashioned, but they're nice to look at. The biggest star disappears to make room for the smaller ones. That's pretty generous."
"So they're like little suns?" N asked with innocent curiosity.
"You could say that. Stars are basically little suns. But I don't need to see them every night if you're going to be there."
"Me?" N turned to her, confused.
"Yeah." Uzi looked away shyly "I've realized you're kind of like a little sunshine."
N froze.
"My sunshine" A faint blush spread across her visor "You shine like one. And because of your light, I get to shine too."
Oh, Robo-God.
He loved her, so much that his core physically hurt. Was it even possible for a simple worker drone to love another drone this deeply? Everything he'd read in books, everything he'd seen in movies, N always imagined that was what love felt like.
But now he understood. It wasn't...The real thing was so much better.
Uzi didn't even have time to react before N cupped her cheeks in both hands and pulled her closer, their lips met and sh immediately melted into the kiss, resting her hands against his chest. When they finally pulled apart, her purple eyes found themselves trapped within the butler's bright white ones.
"...I wouldn't mind spending a very long time in this life with you."
"Neither would I." N smiled.
Then he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. For a moment, he remembered all those nights spent closing fairy tale books,all those romance stories he used to daydream about. Every time he'd imagined what it would be like to experience something like that himself. He remembered the N from back then, the one who once wondered what his first love story would be like.
Part of him wished he could travel back and tell that version of himself that he had absolutely no idea what wonders were waiting for him.
That was what N was thinking. Meanwhile, Tessa's parents had already arrived home from work and as they walked through the mansion, they were discussing how they planned to send invitations to their colleagues and business partners for an upcoming event.
More specifically, a gala.