Brian watched the rain splatter the ground, flowing into the ditches that ran down the sides of the vacant cobble road. The sky had turned into a dark blanket, sending sheets of rain sluicing down the red tile roofs of the neighboring workshops. Few people were out on the streets, most of those who had been foolish enough to step outside scampering back into their homes. In the distance lightning arced across the sky followed by the crash of rolling thunder.
The android sat on the front steps of Jay's house, head in his palms, bandana folded on his lap. The mechanic and Tim had gone to bed an hour ago, leaving him alone once more. Maybe they trusted him not to flee, or maybe they just didn't care.
This whole situation felt rather nostalgic. It had been decades since he had a proper roof over head and someone to talk to, even if they didn't trust him...
Despite the mistrust, it was better than where he had come from. His joints no longer creaked and he didn't feel like he was going to fall apart at any second. But despite that, it just wasn't right.
The only one who had stood by him was long gone. Even the loops couldn't revive them.
He sighed, steam whistling out the vent at the base of his neck, and let himself remember.
A pair of shadows flitted by, running across the tiled roofs of the Granite District. They moved quietly, the tap, tap, tap of their metal feet the only sound as they leaped from house to house, bouncing off chimneys and vents.
In one fluid motion the hooded figure had leapt onto a balcony then the road, soon followed by his larger comrade. The moonlight glinted off their carapaces, one silver, one bronze. Through the darkened streets they danced, before the masked one paused and heaved the cover of a manhole out. The two vanished, pulling the lid back over the hole.
The narrow pipe was quiet, tinted red by the lights of their eyes, before one of the robots spoke in a distorted, metallic voice.
"ArE YoU alRIght?"
A flicker of light appeared as the other android lit a match and set a misshapen candle alight, the yellow glow illuminating the damp tunnel. The hooded robot glanced at his friend's white face, before digging through his bag.
Yeah. We lost It, right?
"I thInK IT st0ped fOll0WInG Us at ThE GreEN."
Brian ran a hand over the back of his head, as he crouched next to the russet robot. They cocked their head at him, painted ink lips turned up in a tense smile. In Brian's opinion they looked like a rather large, somewhat scruffily cat. The perpetually curious look in their eyes only strengthened the resemblance.
He reached back into his satchel and pulled out a box of Methonol cigarettes, passing one to Masky. The red robot held the cigarette over the candle to light it but almost dropped it when they heard the sounds of someone stomping over the grate, shouting curses.
"WHERE ARE THEY. WHERE DID THEY GO?"
"SOmEoNe Is FeElinG pIsSy ToDAY," Masky muttered, leaning back and pushing the mask up just far enough to wedge the cigarette between their lips.
A week or two after they met, they had told Brian why they wore the mask almost constantly. As they hovered outside of Jay's window, watching for unholy creatures, they had whispered that it was the closest thing they had to a face of their own.
Brian sympathized. He had lost his real features long ago.
Well there was one thing that always cheered him up.
Brian glanced up the ceiling of the tunnel and began scribbling furiously on the chalkboard. After a moment he held it up, showing a rather crude caricature of a certain blond gun nut flailing around a pistol. Masky actually snorted and took the chalk board from Brian. When they turned it around the drawing now sported a arrow through the skull and a sign saying 'I'm stupid'.
Brian was pretty sure they had turned into fourteen year old boys that night. He didn't even know why he had thought it funny at the time.
He pulled himself up slower than necessary. He still wasn't used to his new body. It moved far too smoothly and never gave any resistance to his movements. This dysphoria would fade though. It had last time.
He sighed again and strode back into the house, rain dripping off his metal face.