Title: Intoxication

Rating: R

Pairing: 2B/9S

Genre: Drama/Angst

Tags: substance abuse, addiction, mental illness, drug-induced OoCness, rehabilitation, sexual content

Plot summary:

9S is enthralled by this different side to 2B. One that is far less uptight, even bordering on friendly. But even as he revels in her newfound warmth, his instincts tell him that something is amiss. Perhaps this is a matter of him not wanting to know. Perhaps the truth is just too unpleasant to bear: that 2B has fallen into a destructive spiral of self-medication and drug dependency.

A/N: This story will explore the sensitive subject of drug use and addiction. May be a trigger for some. Please decide what's best for yourself before reading.

Additionally, this is a side story to Unvirtuous Treaty, as it takes place within the same historical timeline. The 9S that we encounter here is the same one who will feature in Part VIII of 2B's backstory.

This is a collaborative work between In a Quandary and Dreamfang. It was inspired by a short sequence in a video. From it, stemmed the idea 'the decay of a relationship.' I toyed with the concept for a while, as well as conversing with In a Quandary. We both enjoyed the premise enough to co-write together, petrified proses and story foundations. Now, we present this story for you, the readers, to enjoy.

xxx

Prologue – Symptom

xxx

There seems to be something off about 2B nowadays.

No, 9S isn't referring to tiny subtleties that would escape all but a scanner's keen eye. What he has observed of 2B's behaviour still lies within the expected scope, if only just. However, it's as though her personality data has been tampered with ever so slightly, creating an overall impression that... isn't quite right.

Starting with her combat style. The 2B he knows is a deadly and efficient fighter. Her strikes are often precise, aimed at weak points – like joints – to incapacitate larger enemies, or someplace vital, bringing the battle to a swift end. Also, she seems to possess a supernatural awareness of the environment, and is constantly adapting to it. That's why she can move about with such awe-inspiring grace, flowing from one machine adversary to another as she reduces them all to scrap metal.

In the past few weeks however, 2B has relinquished some of the aforementioned grace. Sometimes she isn't quite in sync with the battle, as if her focus is elsewhere – like on her own movements. This is evidenced by her switchover from precision to brute force. 9S sees Virtuous Contract in both hands rather than one – her usual grip before the onset of these aberrations – which amplifies her strength enough to carve through armour. (After all, a machine is no more dangerous as a mangled chassis as it is a pile of dismembered parts.) And yet, despite being the better tool for this... less elegant butchering job, her greatsword hasn't seen much use lately.

Maybe 2B has become so comfortable around 9S as to lessen her perfectionistic tendencies? Or maybe she places enough trust in him to pick up the slack, clean up what she hasn't managed to lay to waste?

By default, 9S is a non-combat model, and his frailer specs indicate as much. However, his unparalleled hacking skills, combined with the fact that all machines are hackable, make him an invaluable asset on the field. (That's in his not-so-humble opinion, anyway.) No one can crowd control better than he does, what with his ability to detonate foes and subjugate multiple others at the same time.

Could it be that 2B has finally recognised his usefulness? Perhaps she's now giving him the room to showcase himself, prove how good of a partner he is to her?

(9S sincerely wishes that this is the case.)

On the whole, the difference in 2B's combat style have not compromised their performance. It represents the least drastic of the changes he's observed so far, and 9S spends less time contemplating this than the others.

One such is the recent frequency of 2B's smile. (Not that 9S is in any way opposed to her smiling more often, mind you.) Battlers aren't very cheerful to begin with, and unfortunately for 9S, his partner takes cheerlessness to the extreme. 'Aloof' appears to be her default mood, though it would sometimes venture into 'fussy' or 'irritable', depending on how much he'd managed to vex her with his latest (mis)deed. Any departure from this prickliness comes as a relief, and her smile is an especially wondrous treat.

It's after the fighting, when they're patrolling or moving between objectives, that he glimpses that elusive curl of her lips. Curious as to what had inspired it – in the hopes that he can replicate the circumstances – 9S would point it out to her. Most of the time, her face would reclaim its neutral expression, and she'd try to play off the incident as though it hadn't happened. On other occasions, she would respond with an uncharacteristically loose tongue, even going as far as to describe her current emotional state. Like how she feels different. Relaxed.

(Said loose tongue has given him much to be grateful for, as it would also let slip the beloved nickname 'Nines'.)

Perplexing though her improved mood may be, that which has caught 9S off guard is 2B's sudden ease with physical proximity and affection. These days, she doesn't tend to stray very far from him, even on casual strolls. Her usual position is in the vanguard several paces ahead of him. So it's surprising whenever she slows down enough to let him to walk by her side. Equally notable is the fact that she would intercept anything that so much as stumbles in his direction, as though adamant in ensuring no harm befalls him.

(The protectiveness is a little stifling, but he relishes it all the same. Because it shows that she cares for him.)

2B has also become very comfortable with sitting close, allowing their knees to bump together and his arm to press flush against hers. Normally, it is 9S – in his desire for closeness – who would take the initiative and shuffle towards her. But 2B has started to mirror him as of late. Or she'd bypass dawdling altogether and plop herself right next to him. Her body heat would seep through the layers of their clothing and into him, suffusing his entire being with the same mellow warmth.

(This feeling, as 9S later discovers, is known as contentment.)

Still, the pleasant experience of sitting side-by-side pales to the first time 2B had patted him.

Back then, they were poring over some Resistance intel, and 9S had just unravelled a tricky bit of encryption that stumped him for the past ten minutes. Triumphant, he'd turned towards his partner with a whoop and shit-eating grin. But instead of shaking her head at 9S's antics – as he'd expected her to do – 2B had reached over to give him a congratulatory head pat.

Receiving any kind of acknowledgment from 2B was unusual enough, let alone what amounted to a silent compliment. Moreover, there was nothing accidental about the way she'd touched him: her fingers combing through his hair, stroking his scalp. The contact had shocked 9S into stillness. He could feel the fizzle of overloaded circuitry, and his black box had drummed a hot, frantic beat against his ribcage. By the time he'd recovered his wits enough to relax into her caress, 2B had already pulled away.

But 9S didn't lack for opportunity to revisit the sensation, for 2B continued with the head pats. Nor had she restrained herself to that sole display of affection, either. After battle, it wasn't uncommon for her to hold his wrist as she checked him for injury. Yet her hand would linger for longer than necessary, and her thumb would press gentle circles into the pressure point there, sending frissons up his arm.

On a handful of occasions, where they were overlooking an area atop a vantage point, 2B had shown atypical boldness by curling her arm around his shoulders. 9S hadn't questioned the embrace, though. He was too immersed in the feeling that he belonged there – that he belonged to her.

Notably, there's that one fishing trip, which 9S cannot forget even if he tries. Funnily enough, it had nothing to do with fishing at all. Having claimed her now-customary seat beside him, 2B had proceeded to disrupt the otherwise peaceful scene by placing her hand on his thigh. Her fingers had fiddled with the hem of his shorts before tracing lines of fire across his exposed skin. This prompted his vital parameters to soar to alarming levels, and he couldn't do anything to contain the burgeoning pressure between his legs.

Worse yet were the urges that flared up inside him. If only he could reciprocate her gesture, take the same liberties with her person. But he didn't – still doesn't – dare. YoRHa's stupid ban on emotions notwithstanding, 9S has yet to reconcile the icy 2B with this sudden… flirtatiousness, however much he welcomes the latter.

Wherever on his body it originates, the burst of electricity that he feels upon their contact is no less pleasurable each time it happens. For a war-torn veteran, 2B's touch is so gentle. Though she never lingers for as long as he'd prefer, there seems to be an air of reluctance about her as she withdraws.

(Does she long for his closeness as much as he longs for hers?)

As a scanner programmed with high emotional perceptiveness, 9S is well acquainted with the workings of his heart. Being around 2B evokes emotions like nothing he'd ever experienced. What he feels towards her is more than respect or fondness or attraction – it's as though she's the centre of his universe. He would do anything for her.

If she could return but a fraction of his feelings, he'd be over the figurative moon.

So it is with precarious hope that 9S reviews his interactions with 2B, relives her affectionate gestures. She is not one given to words; perhaps that's why she's choosing to express herself this way? In any case, her newfound physicality isn't something he can complain about. Not for the enjoyment it gives him, much less the fact that it hints towards something more – that which 9S desires above all else.

Despite that, 9S has definite reason to question these behavioural changes, which span only part of the entire gamut. (And that's not only his inner skeptic talking.) Unknown origins aside, they are accompanied by bouts of unpredictable and extreme mood swings. 2B would be agreeable one moment, and in the next, 9S would find himself burnt by the sudden reversion to her old persona – or a harsher variant, at that.

Said reversions take place every so often, and are more prevalent in longer missions. 2B's posture becomes unnaturally tense, and she refuses to speak unless necessary. When she does – after much prompting – it is with such waspishness that it discourages any further conversation. Not to mention she exhibits even greater violence towards their machine adversaries, as though venting her android equivalent of a spleen on them.

(9S doesn't envy them, though he's glad for their presence. Between the two, he would rather not be reduced to scrap metal.)

When it first happened, 9S assumed that he'd made an inadvertent misstep, perhaps by crossing a line or triggering an unpleasant memory. Surely it was a once-off? However, the mood swings continued. So he'd tried different responses (save the ones that would exacerbate her ire; he doesn't have a death wish). Even with careful experimentation, he hasn't managed to establish a link – causal or correlative – between his behaviour and her emotional whiplash.

Which brings 9S to the conclusion that something is wrong about all of this.

Yes, he wants nothing more than to believe that their recent closeness is genuine, a product of their deepening relationship. But in all honesty, he'd felt a sense of unease since the onset of these changes. Has he been blinded by his own desires? Is he purposefully casting aside all the odd things he'd noticed, identified as problematic? Is he deliberately playing ignorant to the truth?

9S decides that he's entertained this fantasy for long enough. For all he knows, 2B's friendliness may be an illusion, her capitulating to his relentless pursuit of intimacy. It is highly uncharacteristic of her, after all. But by presenting these two disparate personas, one hot and one cold, she appears to be functional, if not quite normal.

Even it jeopardises their relationship – even if costs him his feelings by destroying any hope for them to be together – 9S must find out what's really going on. Namely, what is causing 2B to act like this. She is his partner, first and foremost. Her well-being is of paramount importance to him, and he will do whatever it takes to support her.

She'll have to be okay. He'll make sure of it.

Thus his investigation begins.