I wrote this drabble for a woman on my livejournal so I decided to share. Lucky you, huh?
Normal Life and Snoring Robots
Sighing, Adam let himself into the dojo, moving quickly up the stairs.
It was just before six a.m. and the sky was lit with hazy pink light, the sun about to pop over the horizon. He should be in bed, desperately trying to make up the sleep he'd lost this last month and would need when Rocky went on his well-deserved vacation.
But he never slept well after giving up his powers.
His first stop was his office where he thumbed through his mail. There wasn't anything pressing since Rocky would have taken care of it but it was a hard habit to break.
Tossing the handful of envelopes aside, Adam went into the main room of the dojo. He turned the music on high and let it blast as he stretched, as he spun around the floor. It was as choreographed as a dance and had taken a year to get the way he wanted. He used it when his body was tense and he was stressed.
The only way to get rid of the energy was to use it.
Twenty minutes later, the music slowed and he began the slower movements of his cool down.
His breath was calm and even as he turned to the inner wall to turn down the cd player. There was only a slight hesitation in his stride when he saw Rocky leaning in the doorway to his office, watching him sleepily.
His eyes were heavy, shirt open, pants unbuttoned.
Rocky flipped the sound down to a low murmur. "The routine looks good."
Adam grinned. He'd been gone a month and that was all Rocky had to say. It was good to be home, back to his normal life. If it could ever be considered normal which it hadn't been for almost half his life.
Rocky turned to go into the office, throwing over his shoulder, "What are you doing here so early?"
"I brought Alpha home with me. He's developed some… bugs."
"What kind of bugs?" Rocky came out of the office, clothes straightened, and carrying two mugs of coffee. He handed Adam one of them.
"Thanks." He sat on the floor, stretching his hamstrings. "Snoring."
Rocky choked on his coffee. "What?"
"When he goes into standby, he snores. I tried to shut him down and he shocked me." Adam held out his hand to show Rocky the savage, red burn on his fingers.
Rocky had been laughing until he saw the burn then he winced. "I didn't know robots could snore."
"Me, neither," Adam said dryly, taking a sip of coffee. He frowned, looking around the nearly dark dojo. "What are you doing here?"
Rocky shrugged, walking to look out the front window down at the empty street below. "I spent the night in my office." It had become a habit while Adam had been gone but he wasn't about to tell his friend that.
"I didn't see your car," he commented. "I bet the music was a shock."
"Scared the hell out of me," Rocky replied casually, turning from the window. Adam had that crease between his brows which meant that Rocky had to peddle fast. Adam was like a bloodhound sometimes and his staying at the dojo was a mystery he would want to solve. "Hey, I have an idea. I'll buy you breakfast and you can tell me what happened while you were gone."
Adam smiled, letting go his notion of why Rocky was sleeping at the dojo, allowing Rocky to pull him off the floor. "It's a deal."