AN: Another short and early fic, probably not one of my better ones. Companion Cube POV. Yes, you read that right.
How I wish I could share your sentiments. That small smile, tired yet dignified in its restraint, and your bright eyes tell me more than that unused voice ever will. You're happy to see me. This reunion fills your heart with a quiet joy, doesn't it? You won't even ask how I feel.
I'm just a Companion Cube, after all.
Do you think our meeting is by chance? I don't want to believe that you're stupid. Cruel, yes. Crumpling to pressure like paper in a fire, yes. Speaking of, how did that make you feel? Throwing your comrade into a furnace. Just because She told you to do it… you tossed me aside. Or tossed me forward, rather. Into the flames. Did you know that I could still see and hear? Even through the dancing gold and red, and the crackling, and the heat that lapped at my sides. 'You euthanised your faithful Companion Cube more quickly than any test subject on record. Congratulations.' Your face was the last thing I saw. Your impassive, even blank, face. Did you even understand what you'd done?
I was watching when She tried to murder you. My mouth was filled with a coppery taste, the anticipation of blood and carnage. Oh yes, I don't have a mouth, do I? I'm just a Companion Cube. But then you had to save yourself. Amazing how you can remember the use of the Gun when you're saving your own wretched flesh, isn't it? But when it's me, you're only too eager to feed me to the flames. It's quite all right. I will see that flesh sooner or later. I will dip my corners into the red puddles of warmth.
That was why I came back. I did not leave the facility to comfort you, to somehow congratulate you for finding your way back into the sun. I came back to show you what you'd done. Nothing is worth the murder of your friends. I shall teach that lesson on your body. That fragile, mortal body. The sunlight is throwing your flaws into sharp relief. The tired bags under your eyes, your grimy skin, your lifeless hair. Nothing can be hidden from the light. I know that your attention is just as drawn to my charred, battered sides. Are you admiring your handiwork, or is the guilt finally creeping in? I suppose it doesn't matter any more.
You can still hear Her voice, I know it. You will hear it for years to come. Every human has those nights of tossing and turning, waking up trapped in sweat-covered sheets, while their heart pounds and their mind tries to forget what it saw. I know that your nightmares will be filled with white panels and synthesised voices.
'…you're not smart…'
'…you will be baked and then there will be cake.'
'…the Weighted Companion Cube will never threaten to stab you…'
Has She ever spoken a word of truth to you?
Do you know how much hatred you can fit in a box?
You smile and pick me up, cradling me to your chest. Below the cloth I can feel warm skin and a layer of fat that protects your ribcage and flesh. I press against your chest, savouring how those bones bend slightly under my pressure. It must feel to you like I'm hugging you back. I'm not. You're not even a good person. But no worries, I shall teach you that in time.
Believe me, one day I am going to hurt you.