Trunks didn't understand why, but there was something strangely serene about how still 17 was sitting in the corner of the basement. If he didn't know better, it was almost like having a life-sized doll with an expression on the sadder side of neutral that did nothing but stare blindly into the distance. He wished that it were so easy, that he could just leave the monster there to collect dust and silently merge with the room until he was nothing more than a particularly bad memory. But if he was going to be able to help his mother create the suspension case necessary to keeping 18 until he could figure out exactly what to do with her—or her counterpart for that matter—he had to have the lab free. He prepared himself for the very real possibility of the raven-haired cyborg lashing out at him upon being disturbed, and stepped across the cement floor towards his enemy.

If he cared about being moved, 17 hardly showed it. It was unnerving how empty his pale eyes seemed, not really seeing as he stared straight ahead while being shuffled into the house. He only seemed to wake up a little at the frustrated sigh made by his new keeper, and even then, his face hardly changed expression.

"We need the lab, and you'd be in the way." Trunks stated tersely, not really knowing why he suddenly felt the need to explain himself.

"For now, you're going to be in here."

They had reached the end of a long hall in front of what seemed to be a guest space, the android taking note of the sparse furniture. He scoffed flatly,

"Lucky me. My own room."

17 felt a tiny surge of triumph at the way the boy bristled and walked away at that. Once he was sure he was alone, he took the time to really take in his surroundings.

Given how battered the outside of the building was, he found himself vaguely impressed at how intact the room seemed. Even so, it truly was bare; with just a small desk that appeared to double as a nightstand, a bed, and a dresser against the opposite wall. A few pairs of shoes sat by the dresser, though they didn't look particularly well worn, and a small pile of laundry lay next to the shoes in front of another door he assumed was a closet of some sort. Except for a few splashes of color provided by the carpet and dirty clothes, the room seemed almost intentionally boring, making it hard for 17 to quell the curiosity starting to take over the numbness of the past week. Who would ever want to live in a place so empty of personality? Besides, there was no doubt in his mind that the Boy hated him with every ounce of his being, so why would he give him the space?

Taking quiet, tentative steps over to the dresser, he tested the pull of one of the drawers. Inside, he found mostly shirts and a few pairs of shorts. The next three drawers seemed equally disorganized, though neatly packed, an assortment of pants, socks, more shirts…

The android paused, recognition settling in his chest. These were the Boy's clothes. This was his room.

Under any other circumstances, 17 might have laughed. For the moment, he was just trying to allow it all to sink in. He looked back at the closed door by the dresser, knowing that this violation of privacy was probably not the cleverest of plans given his current disadvantage in strength. Still, he stood, reaching a hand to the knob.

To his surprise, the 'closet' was actually a personal bathroom, and a fairly roomy one at that. It, too, was bland and mostly empty, with only a pair of towels, wash bin, and some soap and shampoo by the open shower. Strange, he thought, how the scent of it was so familiar though the only time he'd been close enough to smell the Boy, he'd been too busy smearing him in the dirt. Glancing back over his shoulder at the half open drawers, he wrinkled his nose at the thought of having to wear that smell. But now faced with imprisonment for a hereto-uncertain amount of time, he realized how badly he wanted a shower, and his own clothes were in no condition to be put on after the fact.

Selecting a white shirt with blue sleeves and a plain pair of shorts from the dresser, 17 took the stolen garments to the bathroom and slipped the lock into place.

A/N: hallo, and thank you for taking the time to read my story ;w;9 i hope you're enjoying it so far. the plan at the moment is to post a new chapter every couple weeks, maybe three weeks if something comes up or i get stuck on a part of the story, but i encourage you to let me know what you think~ it's always a pleasure to see what people have to say about my drabbles/handling of the characters.

have a wonderful day, my Lovlies, and i'll be back in a few weeks

3 DC