Short fic 1: Smile for me
Angelica is attending a mission briefing and AN94 and AK-12 are on standbye in the barracks. 12 is bored and decides to put 94 to a small test.
"Why don't you ever smile, An?"
It peaked her interests but she was confused by the question nevertheless. It wasn't because she didn't understand the question. The question itself was nothing out of the ordinary. What bothered her about said question, though, were two things: 12 rarely asked questions like these; and when she did, it was never addressed to her. Besides, why would 12 bother asking such questions in the first place? She'd never expressed any interest in her outside of concern for the mission. There was no need for it either. They were elite, military grade t-dolls. It wasn't like emotions were of any use to them.
Whatever 12's ulterior motives were, 94 had a feeling 12 was just pestering her again to kill time. She was almost used to it by now. Usually, she'd play along and get it over with. The problem was, however, she didn't know what to say. And thus she kept silent, refusing to give 12 a reply. She would have answered out courtesy, if she knew what to say. She'd always answer to 12, even if she didn't know why she was asked such questions. If 12 was asking her a question, she was willing to answer, no matter what.
When AN-94's reply remained unheard, AK-12 let out a small sigh and moved a bit closer to her partner. She already knew why An wasn't answering her, it was clear from the blonde doll's emotionless expression. Right now, An's mindmap was probably running into so many errors that her head would pop off like a toy's if 12 kept pressuring her like this. Simulating what that would look like in her mind, fueled the already present grin on 12's face.
AK-12 knew that An wouldn't be able to give her a proper answer, no matter how hard she searched her database. It was a underhanded and vile question, 12 had to admit, but the results were rather interesting. She'd expected An to give in but just like she refused to give 12 an answer, she didn't to give up, either. AN-94 most certainly knew that 12 was just trying to entertain herself until Angelica came back and yet it didn't stop the quiet doll from willingly submitting herself to an obvious trap. The level of devotion in An's programming was almost scary. 12 almost pitied her but something about An trying to find her an answer no matter what was so incredibly amusing, 12 couldn't help herself but push a little further.
"C'mon, An, answer me." When AK-12 moved forward once more she cast a shadow over the blonde doll. AN-94 looked up, finally shaken out of her trance, only to be met with AK-12's ever closed eyes. It was a reassuring sight. It only confirmed that 12 was just trying to get at her. With a soft sigh she pondered once more. If 12 wasn't being serious, it wouldn't be a problem if she thought a little longer, right? She'd formulate an answer as soon as possible because 12 went out of her way and asked her that personal question. Even if she couldn't answer it right now, she'd work hard to give her partner the answer she was looking for. She'd please 12 no matter what it took because that was how it had always been.
An bit her lip and resumed her thought processes but before she could shut herself out again, the grip of 12's hand on her shoulder kept her rooted to the real world. AN-94's eyes widened and she gazed at the hand that was digging into the layers of clothing that covered her shoulder. "Uh, AK-12… What are you doing?" The puzzled An asked as she looked up at 12 with an empty expression. 12 turned to her and peeked at her between her lashes to which 94 flinched ever so slightly. Did she do something wrong? 94 pondered. While An's mind was in slight panic and her processes were running on overdrive, she kept it all hidden behind her trademark poker face. The last thing she wanted was to bother AK-12 with her emotions.
"My patience is running out, AN-94. You know I don't like waiting." As 12's hands moved up to gasp her neck and chin and she gently tilted the blonde doll's face upwards to force 94 to look at her. An tried to keep her body as still as she could but failed to do so. Especially since she could feel AK-12's gaze travelling over her blank expression. She whirled in her partner's grip and the slight discomfort in An's behaviour earned her a chuckle. Their faces were only inches apart and An tried hard to regain her posture. However, due to the extensive pressure around them, it was hard for her to get her modules under control. Unlike 12, she wasn't able to suddenly switch on and off her emotions.
An felt like she was being driven into a corner, like a prey and no matter how much she respected 12, she wasn't going down without a struggle. Whatever 12 was planning, she didn't appreciate being toyed with purely for entertainment. And thus, as soon as An saw an opening, she took a hold of 12's shoulders and pushed her backwards with quite some force. AK-12 predicted her movements but was still thrown off by the sudden force against her shoulders and lost her dominance over the situation. 12 tried to ground herself because she knew she would tip backwards over the supply boxes if she moved too far but she couldn't find her balance quick enough. Well, this scenario certainly didn't go the way she'd planned, AK-12 thought to herself as she accepted her unfortunate fate.
94 looked at her partner in shock when she saw 12 tipping over. A pang of regret spiked into her gut. Almost as if she was being pierced by a knife but unlike getting damaged, she did not feel like she had any critical damage to her body or hardware. It was just a lingering, unpleasant feeling that rushed through her body. She jumped onto her feet and closed the distance between her and 12 that she'd just created and caught 12 before she could fall backwards.
"AK-12... I didn't mean to." An apologised, finally showing emotion, which 12 saw as a small victory. While AN was looking for a way to atone for her mistakes, AK-12 just smiled at her partner like nothing happened "Why are you apologising? I was antagonising you, right?"
"Yes, but-" An tried to argue but 12 waved her comment away.
"Don't" 12 shook her head and 94 immediately halted her apologies. An, worried that she might have made 12 angry, could feel her body trembling like a small animal. Her partner, now back on her feet, looked at her with knit brows and shook her head. "You're usually so uptight but when it's me you're quite timid. Am I that special to you?" 12 asked, curiously. 94's eyes flickered for a second. AK-12 was very aware of how important she was to her, why would she ask such an obvious question? It was part of their programming, right-
Wait a minute.
Of course, how could she forget. The very reason they were having this conversation in the first place was because her partner liked to mess around. She knew that better than anyone and yet she had trouble denying 12 an honest answer. Though, where was the harm in that. She owed 12 an apology and she was given a chance to make it up to her, right now.
"You're very special to me, 12." An's modulated words brought a smile upon 12's face almost instantly. The silver haired doll brought her shoulders up in satisfaction and chuckled at her partner, who stood in front of her with a statuesque posture. An rubbed her thumbs together and let her mind rest for a moment.
"I knew you'd say that but that doesn't change the fact I don't like hearing it." Her body language and expression gave off a whim of arrogance but it didn't bother 94 much. She was used to it by now. She was happy 12 was back in her usual mood but somehow it didn't feel right. An kept silent as she didn't know what to say. She'd expected 12 to return to her own business as she'd gotten what she came for but to her surprise AK-12 remained in front of her. An snapped out of her daze and looked up to observe and questions 12's odd behaviour but she was quickly silenced by 12's oddly shaped irises.
"You're special to me too, AN-94, do not forget that."
12's stare made her body ache but it did not feel unpleasant or painful. The intensity of her look surprised her but it was also somewhat reassuring to 94. Whenever 12 finally decided to take off her aloof, near-human act and temporarily lessened the priority on her emotions module, she got straight to the point. It was a proof that those words that she'd just said were genuine and knowing that, 94 couldn't help but feel at ease.
Perhaps she felt too at ease because her entire facade melted within a seconds. 94 shuffled backwards until she hit the wall behind her. She appreciated the support the metal wall was giving her because it felt like her leg joints were about to snap in half. Did 12 really say that or was she just imagining things? 94 didn't know what to say. Her entire processing power was currently focussed on trying to pinpoint her feelings but she wasn't shown any mercy by her partner.
When she finally managed to stand on her own feet again, 12 had already closed the distance between them. An could feel her 12's fingers closing around her wrists as she moved closer and closer until their noses were only barely touching each other. When she finally realised what as going on, 94's mindmap pulled a blank and suddenly all she could see was an ocean of numbers.
12's lips lingered for just a few seconds but in An's memory, it lasted forever. Unconsciously, she was replaying that scene over and over again to try and validate its legitimacy but all it did was strain her already worked up mind. Processing what had just happened proved to be difficult and her mind was about the burst but her body was begging for her to move on a reply to 12's gesture. And so she did. She gratefully accepted the invitation and leaned into another kiss. She freed her wrists from 12's grip and slid them around 12's waist with skillful precision. An pulled her partner closer and wanted to linger in this moment for as long as she could.
"I didn't know this side of you, An."
12's overly sultry voice pulled her back to earth and she suddenly felt like her cheeks were on fire. Her hands left 12's sides and 94 quickly hid her face. What just happened? What did she just do? What if somebody saw them? An shifted against the wall and scanned their surroundings. Fortunately for her, they were all alone in the barracks. Much to 94's relief, 12 was having a fit of laughter and it gave her some time to reflect on what had just happened. Just when she was about to run diagnostics, a hand ruffled through her hair, accompanied by a mocking voice.
"Now, take some time to cool off or your consciousness will get locked in level two. If that happens, Ange will definitely scold me when she gets back."
"I'm fine, 12, and thank you."
12 retracted her hand and quickly turned.
Was that… No, she was probably just imagining things.
AK-12 would never blush like that.
...But the thought alone, brought a small smile on 94's face.