Chapter Text
Uzi took the lead, serving as a light and guide on that snow-covered path beneath their feet. Her hand held her beloved's, who followed behind with his head lowered, even his tail dragging along the ground... yet he refused to let go or stray from her side for even a moment. The purple-haired drone walked peacefully toward their destination. By now, they were far from the bunker and, with it, away from the other worker drones, J, and especially V. This last detail brought N a certain calm... he knew that if she found out what had happened in the gym, she wouldn’t leave him alone.
“Are you scared, Munchkin?” Uzi asked her boyfriend softly, glancing over her shoulder at him.
N averted his gaze and simply shrugged, tilting his head. His lovely yellow glow was still there, but its light had dimmed. He was so ashamed of himself, yet he couldn’t help but nod, silently admitting the truth. Uzi, in turn, gently bumped her head against his arm to catch his attention.
“I really am so sorry...” N repeated quietly, small digital tears streaming from his golden eyes.
“Hey... I’m not mad. I’m not going to leave you... and I’m not going to break your heart this afternoon, or tonight, or ever in the future... we’ll be okay, I promise.” Uzi spoke softly, offering him a maternal smile before pressing the back of his hand to her lips in a tender kiss.
At her affection, N tried his best to smile—just for her, even if it was a tiny one.
The path continued for a while, the pair delving deeper among the ruins of Copper 9’s buildings, stepping over the occasional human skeleton, the limbs of some long-dead drone, or walls split in two now blanketed with snow. Uzi recognized the route well; they were so close to their destination. She only hoped that nothing bad had happened in the time since Thad had found them until now. On the other hand, Uzi was surprised by N’s silence and how unresponsive he seemed to their familiar surroundings... had he truly forgotten where they grew beneath the earth? Or maybe his wounded heart wouldn’t let him focus on anything else.
“Where exactly are we going?” The disassembly drone finally asked, his yellow eyes wandering around them.
“Patience, N... you’ll see soon. I know you’re going to love it,” the smaller drone replied lovingly.
They walked a few more seconds along the snowy path until Uzi squinted ahead and managed to spot those two beautiful colors. Her face lit up in complete surprise, her mouth falling open in awe. And just as quickly as she was startled, her lips curved into a wide smile—one of those that only appeared when something truly special and unique happened.
“There they are...” Uzi whispered softly before letting go of her boyfriend and darting forward. “They’re there!”
“U-Uzi, wait!” N felt a pang of dread when he felt her hand slip away from his, fearing it might be the last time he’d feel her touch.
He decided to follow, quickening his pace as much as he could. He could have lost her in the snow, but his hunting vision made it easier to locate her. It was only a few seconds of urgency before Uzi came to a sudden stop in front of something, causing him to halt as well. When he caught up to her, he noticed she was frozen in place, her boots rooted to the ground, her wide eyes now narrow ovals sparkling with wonder, and her hands pressed tightly to her chest.
“What’s all this for-?” N looked in the same direction. Any words, expressions, or thoughts that had been in his head at that moment... simply vanished.
Yellow and purple—those were the only colors he recognized now, and they were the ones responsible for making N feel so fragile, his core shrinking. Those beautiful colors he associated with their love story painted the ground where they had once planted seeds that would one day bloom into golden buttons and forget-me-nots. Like his beloved, N remained motionless, his eyes wide like open windows, his arms raised, and his hands clenched tightly against his abdomen while his tail lifted in alarm. A wave of astonishment and admiration took over a part of his mind.
Flowers… He now found himself surrounded by beautiful flowers, soft beneath his legs, alive, bright, and healthy under the light of the moons. They were abundant, with long stems even stretching beyond the wall of rocks around the soil they had placed. On one side, purple flowers blossomed harmoniously from their branches alongside their delicate green leaves, expressing their innocence, while on the other side, yellow flowers stretched tall from their stems, so bright and cheerful, as if the stars had been reborn in those small living beings on the ground. There were more of them than he thought he had planted, forming massive clusters. It was simply beautiful.
The couple exchanged astonished glances. Uzi smiled while N remained still. She took his hand and sat on the ground beside him, so they could have a better view of the beautiful thing they had brought to their ruined home together. N carefully reached his hands toward the cluster of purple flowers, cautious, fearing that even the slightest touch might damage one of them. When the metal of his fingers made contact with the soft surface of one of those countless purple flowers, his eyes softened, and his serotonin levels were on the verge of overload. He gently plucked it from its stem and cradled it in his palms. Uzi was equally amazed and touched, even daring to take one of the yellow flowers and carefully pull it from its stem, bringing it to her face so her scent sensors could detect it. It had an unusual fragrance, very sweet and strong, but highly pleasant—so much so that she inhaled it repeatedly, as much as she could.
"Thad told me they had bloomed... but I still couldn’t believe it," Uzi softly admitted before turning back to look at her beloved, who also looked at her with a small but deeply amazed smile.
"I thought... they’d never come out of the ground..." N admitted, unable to remove the expression from his face. "I-I thought my promise wouldn’t be kept... but... but here we are with them... t-they’re healthy and strong... t-they’re beautiful... So beautiful, Uz!"
Uzi felt a small ray of light in her chest, bringing a gentle warmth to her core, moved by N’s reactions. Yet she knew there was still a heart that needed healing—and they would do it, in this safe place they had created for themselves.
"If they managed to grow in a place like this, I know you can too."
N blinked in surprise, looking back at his girlfriend. The expression on her face made it clear what she meant, and all the happiness in his golden eyes faded as he lowered his head, pained.
"I know something inside you hurts, and no matter how much you try, you can’t ignore it... You’ve been acting so different, being extra careful with everything... And you don’t seem to like yourself... And now I think you’re even afraid to love me."
As Uzi said this, she placed her hand on N’s chest. He knew exactly what she was referring to and avoided meeting her lovely purple gaze as best he could. Uzi didn’t stop. Instead, her hand slid down to seek the disassembly drone’s, but he hid it between his legs, wrapping his tail around them. Uzi sighed softly at his reaction and then placed her hand on his head, gently stroking it side to side. And he... he couldn’t help but close his eyes, his expression melancholic as yellow tears began pooling in his visor.
"But I’m not afraid... Not of you, not of the sweet drone you are, nor of the monster you think you are," Uzi assured him, kneeling so she could look at him better. "Nothing you do could ever make me hate you, Sunshine. You’d have to set this whole planet on fire for me to stop loving you."
She let out a soft chuckle at the end, which brought a gentle, genuine smile to N’s face.
"I promised to stand by your side no matter what problem we face, whether it’s a fight against an evil arcane monster or a small fear. Whatever it is... I’ll be here... and I’ll do everything I can to help you feel okay," the worker drone said, her fingers gently cupping N’s chin. "Please, my love... tell me what’s wrong."
The ex-assassin drone tilted his head and began rubbing his hands together, wrapping his arms around himself. He felt a burning pain in his throat, unsure of what to say or how to express himself without breaking in front of her.
"I-I didn’t mean to hurt you, U-Uzi... Please forgive me..." N stammered, trembling with fear. "I-it’s just t-that I was so scared... I didn’t know you were s-so close... I didn’t mean to hurt you... I-I couldn’t live knowing I hurt you... Please forgive me..."
"Nothing happened, N. I’m okay now. W-we just have to be more careful next time, that’s all," Uzi said calmly, leaning toward him.
"But I hurt you! You can’t justify this!" N cried out in anguish. "I-I can’t pretend it didn’t happen! Nothing I do will make this okay... Nothing I do will change what she made me or what I’ll always be..."
Uzi fell silent, her eyes narrowing in concern. She brought a fist to her chest and kept her gaze on him... All she cared about at that moment was N. He quickly realized this, making him feel both scared and deeply ashamed. He blinked, his head lowering again as he began fidgeting with his fingers.
"Uzi... I..." The poor platinum-haired drone clenched his hands against the skirt of his dress, grinding his teeth, unsure of what to say and fearing what might happen if he did. "I thought I could leave all this behind... I-I thought I could forget it, see it as a nightmare, as something that had ended. I thought I could move on, just being me—this N that I am now... and being him with you, together. Without fear of who could hurt us... or hurt you. And if that happened, I’d protect you... as I swore to do the day I started loving you, Uz..." N swallowed hard, his digital tears spilling from the edges of his yellow eyes. "I-I thought everything would be okay... but then I remembered I’m not like you... or any other worker drone. I’m a killer... something so horrible... and no act of love from me can change that. Nothing I do will change what’s in my programming, my code... every part of this awful body she gave me..."
Uzi blinked slowly, leaning closer to her boyfriend. She didn’t reply immediately, her expression gentle. Hearing him speak about himself in such an awful way weighed heavily on her heart, and it hurt even more to realize that N truly believed those things about himself.
"I didn’t want to suffer anymore... I didn’t want to think about it again..." N spoke, his gaze lost on the ground. "I just wanted to see it all as a bad dream... something I had really escaped from. But someone reminded me of who I am and what I’ve done... and what I’ve done to protect my loved ones... and how I never really could protect them..." Tears began streaming from N’s eyes as he struggled not to break down, his sobs barely contained. "And they made me realize that being with me only brings you pain... and ever since we’ve been together, you’ve suffered so many things... things you shouldn’t have to go through... things you could’ve avoided if you’d just stayed away from me..."
“N, who told you all this?” Uzi questioned seriously, leaning closer to his face, a growing hatred for that mysterious stranger building in the back of her mind.
“It doesn’t matter… They’re right anyway, Uzi. No matter what I do or how I do it, I can’t stop thinking about it... I can’t stop thinking about her… about this beast she turned me into, about everything she took from me…”
The purple-haired drone blinked, distressed, her core shattering into pieces as she watched her beloved suffer like this. She paused for a moment, perfectly understanding what he meant by “her.”
“Are you talking about Cyn?” Uzi asked in an anguished whisper, placing her hand gently on N’s thigh.
He nodded, sobbing once more.
“She made me, Uzi… I loved her so much, I saw her as my little sister… I cared for her as best I could, and still, she caused me so much pain…” His arms, which had been wrapped around himself, moved up and tightened violently, his knuckles trembling. “…She created this horrible version of me… broke me apart and put me back together over and over until she turned me into a killing machine… a monster… a horrible monster…” N’s voice broke, his small digital tears falling one after another. “…She made me feel happiness when I hurt others, and I felt it for so long… I caused so much harm, I controlled so many innocent drones… I had so much power, and I used it for all the wrong reasons… and I didn’t stop until I met you…”
While N kept his gaze lowered, avoiding looking at her, Uzi wore a pained, deeply saddened expression… a sadness born from seeing and hearing the fears tormenting the one she loved most. When she found him in the middle of his panic, she truly found him at his limit… a moment where his fragile core couldn’t bear so much pain anymore. At this point, it was impossible for the worker drone to hold back the tears in her visor.
“I love you… so much… so much…” N expressed, his head hanging along with some of his platinum locks, his voice sounding so hurt. “I-I love you more than anyone, Uzi… y-you’re my whole world, my moon, my everything… you’re my Uzi… and I know I couldn’t go a day without you in my life, and I swear I would never break those promises we made… but I ended up hurting you myself… I want to save you… but who will save you from me if I ever lose control and give in to my programming?... You’re all that matters to me… and I only know that I want to be with you as much as I can…”
“N…” Uzi murmured softly, placing one of her hands on his chest, finishing processing what she’d heard.
The drone glanced at the forget-me-not still resting in his lap.
“All I know is… that I need you… I need you so much… a-and I’m trying to figure out what to do, and I don’t know, I have no idea how to get there…” N let out a final breath, picking up the flower in his hands, squeezing it just enough to avoid damaging it. “…I wouldn’t blame you if you can’t forgive me for what I did to you… I wouldn’t blame you if you want us to… to b-break up…”
God, that last word hurt him more than any nanite acid sting he’d inflicted on himself.
“I don’t deserve you… and you don’t deserve someone like me to take care of your heart…”
N diverted his gaze toward the yellow and purple flowers blooming beside them… they looked so beautiful, even under the frost falling from the sky. Yellow and purple, how much he loved those colors… they reminded him so much of the moon he saw in Uzi and the sun she told him he was.
He didn’t want to look at Uzi… surely, she hated him… he could already hear her asking him to “go back to the shadows where you came from,” or perhaps saying, “I don’t love you anymore.” In that moment, there was only a very uncomfortable silence.
Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed the worker drone’s hand, gently brushing the petals of the plants in front of them with the tip of her metallic fingers, doing so with curiosity and utmost care, knowing that even the slightest roughness could damage them.
“Hey… do you remember when the Solver controlled me, and I started eating my classmates at camp?” Uzi asked calmly, her voice carrying a trace of affection.
N did nothing but tilt his head, and after a few seconds, he nodded.
“Before I met you, whatever was wrong with me was terrifying because I didn’t have anyone I could count on… I felt so awful… and so disgusted by what I had done…” Uzi confessed, giving one of the golden buttons a gentle touch before returning her attention to her boyfriend. “And when I saw you there… I was so scared because… I thought you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore and that you’d leave me…”
“I’d never do that…” N assured her. “…A-and I know we’re surrounded by things we don’t understand and that scare us… I-I’d never leave you to face something like that alone…”
"And that’s exactly why I stopped being afraid… because you decided to stay by my side…" Uzi reminded him with a soft smile. "...and do you remember that time at the school dance when Doll tried to kill V and, in doing so, tried to kill me too?..."
"Yeah, but luckily I—"
"You saved me, over and over again… even when I demanded you stop…" Uzi finished his sentence. "And even after that, you kept taking care of me. That night at the church, when Cyn took control of me, no matter how much Mom hit me, you didn’t let anything touch me…"
"Cyn wanted me to hurt you… but I could never do that…" N admitted in a low voice, hugging himself again.
"N…" Uzi whispered softly.
"What?..."
Uzi simply raised one eyebrow, and her small mouth curved upwards. Hoping that would get straight to the point. N blinked in surprise, finally realizing what all of this meant.
"Oh..." the dismantling drone let out.
"Everything you did wasn’t your programming or anything Cyn made you do… that was you, what you decided to do for the ones you love, that’s you stepping out of the mold of evil they rebuilt you into… you decided to change sides since the day we met and you’ve stayed by my side ever since… and you fought right then… even when we separated, you didn’t stop looking for me… Since I met you, you rejected everything you knew and together we sought what was best for both of us and for this world… My sunshine, if you really think you’re a horrible monster, then you’re not the N I’m in love with…"
N blinked, his mouth forming a sad grimace. Uzi had him moved, and that hope that had once died inside him had started to shine again, even if just a little, like a spark. But he still couldn’t get rid of the thought that he had hurt her, and that, like a short-haired dismantling drone had told him before, that wouldn’t erase his past and that part of it that had turned him into who he was now. He felt Uzi's hand rest under his cheek, making him meet her violet eyes, which trapped him with tenderness and compassion, the only way she could do it.
"It hurts me so much to see that she left you with wounds, N, it hurts to see you like this… but no matter what, I will stay here just like you stayed for me… I’m not going anywhere… unless you want me to. I’ll do whatever it takes to show you that you’re not that bad drone you think you are… and that Cyn supposedly created…"
"But it’s in my programming! It’s in every part of this horrible body I have! My legs, my face, my wings, my arms, the hidden weapons in my sleeves… everything that makes me was created with the goal to destroy. It’s stuck to me and I hate it." N confessed with hysteria that slowly faded into sadness, looking at his large hands, his elegant forearms, clenching his fists. "…I hate this body I have now…" He hugged himself. "…She made me a killing machine… and my being is just a reminder of that…"
"Well..."
But it was at that moment that N felt the warm touch of his beloved, who carefully took one of his arms and brought it closer to her, examining it with a dedicated and curious gaze. Uzi responded immediately, taking his arm and giving it very soft caresses. Both of them stayed blushing.
"...Sometimes I like to think that Cyn was wrong that night at the gala of her former owners... and what she really wanted was to open your chest to see what it was inside of you that made you so special..." her voice was sweet as she spoke. "Sometimes I like to think she was wrong, and what she really wanted to create was a machine of love. I believe she gave you these strong arms so you could give the best hugs, she turned your pretty yellow eyes so people around you would die from how adorable you are, she gave you those wings so you could protect those you love from danger… and maybe, so you could turn them into a beautiful heart when you gave little kisses..." Then she averted her gaze, shrugging, quite embarrassed, and bringing one of her hands to the drone’s legs. "And of course… she gave you fine and elegant legs… which I love so much… just like every part that makes you…" Uzi leaned in to better see her boyfriend's face.
When she had started speaking, the dismantling drone had stayed still in his place, completely depressed, but then she came back, and tenderness began to caress his core. That show of affection made him react, and what he started to hear from Uzi began to soothe every part of him, making him feel truly moved and hopeful. Maybe what she said was true… maybe he had another purpose, one of giving love, just like he did with Uzi, only he hadn’t given it a better use before.
N let out a soft gasp, finally smiling at Uzi.
"I don’t know how you manage to find so many virtues in me, Uz…" N confessed softly, still shedding tears.
"I don’t find them, I’ve seen them since I met you, and I want you to see them too… to me, you’ll always be a very beautiful drone, N… and I promise you’ll heal from this… we’ll heal together…"
Both drones then looked at the huge blanket of flowers beside them, and N reached out his hand toward one of the golden petals, then plucked it from its stem, offering it to his beloved. She reciprocated the gesture and took the little flower, admiring it sweetly… it was as beautiful as her companion.
"When we planted them… we didn’t know if they would survive, if they would bloom… but they did. Just like us, N. We found a way to grow and be something beautiful, to shine and bloom even in the darkness…"
And so, N gasped as he saw and felt Uzi place the flower in her hair and then rest her hand on his chest, leaning in to plant a small kiss on his visor.
"I love you… my yellow flower…" Uzi said with sincerity and all the love she had for him.
With that flower in his hair, N remained still while small turns began to stir his core… that… that was all Uzi needed to do to bring him to his knees again. For a few seconds, with his eyes wide open and thin, flashing in astonishment, all that could be heard was his breath. He swallowed hard, shrugged, clenched his fists over his black skirt, and began to sob, soon dropping his head into Uzi’s lap, where he cried freely, wrapping his arms around her waist.
And Uzi… she did nothing but sigh softly and squint her eyes as she looked at the drone she loved so much, cradling his platinum hair and back lovingly, while she smiled and kept her eyes closed, listening to him cry.
But this time, his crying wasn’t out of sadness, guilt, or fear… it was a cry of relief, happiness, and peace… he had finally found the light and tranquility… and he could once again hold onto what he loved without fear of hurting it… there she was, Uzi, there he was, together in front of the flowers they had brought to life together, another sign of the love they shared… there he was, holding her, feeling her small hands keep him close.
N cried there, quietly, never letting go of her, and between his sobs, joyful laughter escaped… for the first time in a long time, he was able to forgive himself and be at peace…
Silent tears also began to run down Uzi’s visor as she embraced her beloved boyfriend, who lifted himself slightly to cling to her more, giving her the space to kiss his visor.
They stayed like that for a while… until N had run out of reasons to cry and his digital tears had dried, and a small window appeared on his screen.
[EMOTION LEVEL: STABLE]
N took a deep breath and slowly got up, still holding his beloved purple-haired drone, gently cupping her cheeks. Uzi responded by doing the same, offering him a soft smile, which he returned, also smiling at her in the only way he smiled at his violet girl.
And then, closing their eyes, their mouths came together without hesitation and merged in a very tender kiss, which made N crumble again in Uzi’s arms, while both of their tails intertwined, forming what looked like a heart. It was truly a beautiful kiss, one overflowing with love in every corner.
Once they separated, N returned to grab the forget-me-not from between his legs and held it in his hand before placing it in Uzi’s purple hair. She looked so cute with it in her hair, and this action made her blush.
"You’re… truly special and precious to me, Uzi…" N confessed with a soft voice, as if it were a secret that only his beloved should know.
"And you’re special to me too, Sunshine… forgive me if I hadn’t realized before what was going on. And don’t worry about before, I’m fine, and you’re fine now."
"It doesn’t matter… you’re all I care about now… you and I are what matters," N said before giving her another kiss. "I love you, my purple flower…forever"
And Uzi smiled.
"I love you too, N… I always will…"
"And I will too…" N softly hummed before sinking into her embrace in a beautiful hug.
N’s wings unfolded again, and with great care, he covered both himself and the purple-haired drone, closing them in the shape of a heart.
"You don’t know how much I love it when your wings do that…" Uzi confessed affectionately.
The two drones then stayed together that afternoon, talking and sharing all kinds of affection between those thousands and millions of flowers they had planted together, whose colors represented them. They would take great care of them; that was another promise they would never break.
After a long time, the little sunshine Uzi loved so much had finally emerged from the dark clouds.
On the other side of Copper 9, far from the couple sharing love amidst yellow and purple colors, V watched everything unfold, and of course, once again witnessed the love between N and Uzi. Now frustrated and beyond furious, the short platinum-haired murder drone clenched her fists so tightly that it seemed like her own hands might break, even small drops of oil began to ooze from them. Her yellow eyes were deadly, and her tail pierced the snow erratically over and over again.
"This has to be a fucking joke..." she spat angrily.
That's when J dropped down from the sky behind her, landing gracefully on her feet. V didn't need to turn to look; she knew the platinum-haired leader was approaching slowly with a damn satisfied smile and her hands elegantly resting on her hips as she hummed a cheerful tune.
"Ah, how I love happy endings," J expressed cheerfully, hearing V's growls.
"Yeah...how sweet..." V replied with clear sarcasm.
"Well, looks like your brilliant plan to separate N from his little girlfriend failed, huh, V?" J questioned in a cynical and playful tone, letting out a suppressed laugh. "Or better yet, looks like your plan blew up in your face."
Immediately, V lunged at her leader, grabbing her violently by the collar of her black dress and yanking her toward her.
"Listen, J. I've had enough of watching those two idiots act all lovey-dovey with each other, so why don't you just shut the hell up for once?" V spat violently, then pushed her away and began walking in the opposite direction.
"Hmmm, jealous?" J sang mockingly, following in step behind her.
"Bite me!" V yelled back, quickening her pace.
J raised an eyebrow in mockery, letting out a loud laugh while unfolding her wings and rising a few inches off the ground to fly alongside the dismantling drone.
"You know something, V... if I didn't know you, I'd say you're jealous."
V stopped abruptly, facing J with a clearly offended expression.
"Me? Jealous of those two? Please, I might need attention, but I’m not jealous of those idiots and their weird relationship..." V crossed her arms and pouted.
"What's the problem, V? Does it bother you to see those two so in love and so close? I know what they have is pretty unusual, but... they're so cute," J admitted, amused.
"Cute? What's wrong with everyone here? How can you see anything cute in whatever the hell those two have? Why, in my right mind, would I want something like that?" V shouted hysterically, stopping in her tracks to face her leader. "Us Disassembly drones don’t deserve these internet love story bullshit, we’re too different from worker drones. I have no idea why no one in this damn colony has a problem with those two making out all day, and N practically overheating and dying when he’s away from Uzi for more than five hours. We’re not made for love, and if you honestly think I’ll just let this go because they look ‘cute,’ J, let me tell you..."
It was then that J lost her patience and landed fully on the ground, folding her wings, approaching her platinum-haired companion in a blink, and holding her by the widened hips, interrupting V.
J kissed her.
The short-haired murder drone froze in place, processing the intimate touch between their metal mouths and how J was touching her. Her hands remained on J’s chest, her wide-eyed expression softened within seconds, her posture relaxing, causing her to lean against the other drone. Her dopamine sensors were at their highest level, and a window popped up in her vision indicating that she was experiencing an euphoria overload.
“Mmm...” V murmured, closing her eyes and lifting one of her legs.
A thread of saliva was the only thing keeping their mouths connected when they pulled apart, J smiling mischievously, while V was stunned.
"J...?" V murmured, feeling J's thumb wipe her mouth.
"Let’s see if that stops you from being so bitchy..." And with that, J pulled away and walked off elegantly, swaying her hips side to side.
V froze, her system still processing what had just happened. She could even feel her core short-circuiting as her shoulders and head twitched.
Her tail and stinger were standing up like an antenna.
"B-but... What the hell was that?!" V asked before shooting towards her platinum-haired leader.
This was exactly what he needed… her and all that darkness around them. N had never been more grateful to J and V for disappearing for the night. In any case, the situation he found himself in, he wanted it to be just for Uzi and him.
"Eh... Uz?" he asked timidly, lifting his sleepy gaze to the purple-haired drone he loved so much.
"Yes, N?" she whispered, her purple eyes fluttering softly as her hands still caressed her beloved's back.
"I... I was thinking that maybe... I could go to therapy," N admitted, still with a weak smile "There's one of those in your school, right?"
"Oh... N, that sounds wonderful," Uzi said, moved. "Whatever it is... if that's what you want, I'll be there to support you, i promise..."
N sighed in that warm embrace… he never wanted to let go of her, never again.
Time passed... now it was almost one in the morning, and a strong icy breeze soaked the planet, creating a huge fog in the atmosphere. Because of this, Khan ordered the blonde drone to turn on her camera's light and illuminate the area. Lizzy was covering herself with her blanket from head to toe, trying to shield herself from the cold. The sporty drone, on the other hand, was hot on the heels of the other two, calling out to the daughter of the expert in doors, but there was no response.
"UZI!" Khan called, only hearing his echo in reply.
They didn’t realize it, but by that point, they were already in Murder Drone territory, welcomed by the spiral of corpses and the massive spaceship planted just a few meters away.
"Ah man, where could she have gone?" Thad questioned, scratching the back of his head, while holding a large black sheet in his other hand. "Lizzy, don't you know what happened to her?"
"Ugh, I've told you like seventy times," Lizzy complained, tilting her head back. "No, I don't know where she went. The last time I saw her, after taking her to the infirmary, J went to look for her because something happened to her boyfriend, and then she disappeared."
"Damn, do you have any idea what happened today?" Thad asked, somewhat anxious, recalling what had triggered all that chaos.
"Yeah, N attacked Uzi," Khan said with a gesture of seriousness and disdain. "I should've known that Murder Drone was a bad influence on my little girl."
"He was completely out of his mind. I don't know what happened to him," Lizzy said irritatedly, stomping her feet in the snow.
"Could it have something to do with why he's been acting so weird lately?" Thad asked.
"Or is it something in his murdering programming? I don't know, I don't care," Lizzy shrugged indifferently.
"If he's already hurt her once, I doubt she's safe being near him," Khan exclaimed seriously and determined. "Once we find her, we'll take her back to the colony and to the bunker."
The ship remained buried in the snow, but from inside, a strong yellow light shone, possibly because someone was inside. Khan guided Lizzy to illuminate the path, and Thad followed them. Unaware of Serial Designation J, who was lying relaxed on the ship's roof while V cuddled like a little cat on her "companion’s" chest, J's eyes were closed but her mouth formed a smile, gently stroking V's platinum hair, who was static and blushing.
The entry was quick; Khan didn’t take long to look around and immediately call out his daughter's name, but once inside, he stopped, observing the beautiful couple.
N was asleep next to Uzi, who held him in her arms and legs, shielding him as if he was the most fragile and gentle thing. The bright yellow at the tip of N's tail stood out, showing that it was intertwined with Uzi's tail. It seemed like an intimate bond, ending with Uzi's fingers loosely tangled in the dismantler drone's hair, whose soft gaze rested on the purple-haired drone's chest.
That night, N could finally rest without fear, and Uzi was his refuge, reminding him what true love was.
"Wow..." Thad broke the silence, followed by a nervous laugh. "...I think someone had a lot of fun today."
"Too much, if you ask me," Lizzy added, unimpressed, before turning off her phone's flashlight.
Khan carefully examined the scene, and with that, his expression softened, leaving behind any hatred he had toward N at that moment. The way his daughter held him as they slept was so... pure and innocent. He never thought he'd see a Murder Drone so devoted like that. He felt it was a sin to wake them up. More so when soft smiles appeared between their mouths.
"They had a rough day, and N has had it pretty tuff lately, let them rest," Thad added with some regret.
So… Khan decided to have some mercy and stepped away from them.
"Let's get out of here," ordered Doorman, leaving the landing ship.
"Uuuugh, thanks for pulling me out of bed for absolutely nothing..." Lizzy slouched, letting out a long, bitter groan, reluctantly dragging her feet as she followed the elder.
The sporty green-eyed drone, however, remained standing in front of N and Uzi, keeping as quiet as possible, and so, he took the black sheet he had and covered the couple, protecting them from the cold coming from outside.
Although their warm embrace was enough after all.
"You look so beautiful, my purple flower..." he told his beloved.
"I can't wait for the others to see you, they're going to be so jealous..." Uzi replied playfully.
Another day in class, the purple-haired worker drone and the platinum-haired dismantler drone walked side by side, gently holding hands as they headed to the classroom. That day started with history class, and although they always preferred to sit in the back so no one interrupted their kissing sessions, they decided to sit in the front this time… not caring what anyone else said.
"Ladies first..." N said flirtatiously, striking an elegant pose as he opened the classroom door.
"Bite me," Uzi teased, before leaning in to give him a sweet kiss on his visor and entering.
Everyone was already in their places, and so were they. The couple was so happy and comfortable, with Uzi resting against N’s arm, while he kept his arm around her shoulders and his tail held her at the hip, keeping her close.
Before the teacher entered, N and Uzi shared a sweet kiss before cuddling up again, completely in love with each other.
Classes started as usual, and everyone was there, including N, who noticed V next to J. The two girls were holding hands, the leader with pigtailed hair was attentive to the class, while the short platinum-haired drone kept her gaze lost on her desk, completely blushing… they looked like a nice couple!
For the first time, the rest of the students didn't pay attention to the class; they couldn't take their eyes off of Uzi Doorman and N, who were lying against each other, exchanging mutual affection. It was always so surprising to them to see a disassembly drone and a worker drone love each other this way... so real and so pure.
But beyond that love, what caught everyone's attention the most that day in class were those two purple flowers decorating N's hat and chest and those two yellow flowers, one resting on Uzi’s hat and the other in her hair. Proof of the infinite love they felt for each other and that special connection they shared.
They did it… once again.
N no longer feared, and he knew that if he ever did again, Uzi would be there to help him see the light in the darkness that once blinded his heart to his love. They shared wounds, and together, they would heal them.
They had many things to live through and many fears to face… but as long as their love was like those flowers, they would be fine.
After all, their love was like flowers.
It always ended up blooming into something beautiful.