Angela slowly woke; her eyes fluttering mildly until she found full consciousness. She felt an arm draped around her waist; which belonged to none other than...
"My angel awakens..." Andrew says, slowly finding the real world himself.
"Oh, stop... I literally just woke up. Let my cheeks be their natural color for one day!" She protested playfully.
"Nope. It's literally not possible for me to stop. Such beauty must know itself!" He replied comically. Angela rolled her eyes, and slowly lifted her companion's arm from over her, and started for the kitchen to begin her day with a cup of coffee. Not long after she lifted the blankets, she felt a breeze everywhere on her body. A quick glance downwards, and- yep, she was nude. Better grab some clothes.
Their previous night of lovemaking left them expended; but they refueled by falling asleep early at 8pm and waking 12 hours later. It was another day, to say the least; they didn't know what was going to happen today. That was actually far from the truth. Angela had planned to reveal something extravagant to her masculine counterpart. Something that would change the doctoring game forever.
"Wait for me!" Andrew cried after his girlfriend, wanting to share a cup of Joe with her; it was a simple highlight of his day, but a highlight nonetheless.
After a few moments, they were seated on Angela's couch, sipping away at the coffee while watching television until their workday had begun. Angela soon felt the urge to tell him about the 'big thing,' as she'd subconsciously dubbed it in her head. She opted to keep it a surprise, but she couldn't deny that she was excited to see his expression.
"Schnuckiputzi, what are we doing today?" She asked gingerly.
"Well, not much, honestly. I can ask Jack if the whole training thing can start today, if you like." He replied with a warm smile.
"No, I'd rather get some work done in the lab. I've been absent from it for far too long, and I want to show you something." She suggested.
At this point in time, Andrew had forgotten about her 'big project,' as it hadn't been mentioned. Angela didn't know, but it made for a better surprise.
"Uh, okay. Let's get ready, I suppose." He replied. Getting up from the couch, they made their way to their respective rooms; Andrew leaving to go across the hall to grab his lab coat His coat draped over his all-black outfit; the dark long-sleeve shirt and slacks providing a stark contrast to his clinically white lab coat. It hung loosely on his shoulders, and it looked just like you'd think a coat on a doctor would.
Angela's was a bit more form-fitting, as it clung to her hips enticingly since she had buttoned it up partially. If she weren't wearing a normal t-shirt like she was, some cleavage would definitely show. She made a mental note of this; might be good to use that for the next time they-
"You ready to go?" Andrew called out.
"Ja, one more thing..." She replied before grabbing her lensless glasses. Andrew had made a point one time at how she looked good in glasses; despite her eyesight being perfect. She did like that it complimented the scientist-esque style the lab coat gave, so she put the black-rimmed frames on her nose; its arms resting on her ears.
"Seriously, how do you manage to look good in something purely utilitarian?" Andrew said, nearly in awe.
"Schnuckiputzi, you do realize you're doing the same, right?" Angela shot back, though she appreciated the compliment; as always. She never took them for granted.
"I... hadn't thought about that, I suppose. There's no way I can compare to you, I just know it." He shoved his hands in his lab coat pockets and smiled sheepishly.
"Now, listen here, young man-"
"Only by two years!"
"-you are just as good looking as I am, do not say otherwise. It is silly to fight fact, you know that. I won't let you put yourself down just because I try to look good for you; just like you do for me; unintentional or not. Understand?"
"...Thanks, Angie." Andrew nodded softly, deeply considering her words.
"Now, come on, you buffoon. Let's head to the lab, you'll have plenty of time to think on the way there, and more inside." Angela grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers, before Andrew made a move she didn't anticipate. He pulled her in for a deep embrace. Not a kiss, though; Andrew wanted the moment to feel deep and impactful, not romantic. There'll be plenty of that another time.
"Thank you. I can't tell you how much you mean to me." He said, his voice wavering slightly. They wrapped their arms around each other as Andrew buried his chin onto Angela's shoulder.
"Sometimes, I just get so lost on you that I forget there's beauty in everyone; even me. I know I may not be easy to love, with the flattery and all, but I do love you, and nothing will ever change that. You're so easy to talk to, so caring and compassionate, I..." Andrew faltered.
"It's okay, schnuckiputzi." She said, rubbing circles into his back with her hand. "I know exactly how you feel, and I'm glad you're impacted by my words. I love you, too." She wanted to say something else, and decided to use the window of opportunity to say something to lighten the mood.
"It's not often I get to see my man emotional like this." She quipped in her German accent.
"Yeah... it's been weighing on me a little; glad to get it out. Thanks for... everything." Andrew shed a few tears during his fit of emotion, but he wasn't sobbing or anything.
"It's what I'm here for. Now, how about you get yourself cleaned up, and meet me in the lab? I have something I think you'll like." They broke the deep embrace they held in Angela's room, and they shared a quick kiss before Andrew nodded and made his way to the bathroom. Angela made good on her promise and went to the lab, giving him some room to recuperate and think on things.
Andrew looked at himself in the mirror, and scanned his puffy eyes. He hated crying; he didn't do it often at all. It was probably the second time he'd really shed full tears; he was emotionally strong in most regards. The first time he shed tears (above the age of 8, at least) was over his mother's death. It still hit hard today, but things were much better now. Today was the second time.
"Guess you gotta let it out at one point..." Andrew muttered to himself, before he washed his face and fixed himself up. Wiping his face dry of water with a washcloth, he glanced at himself in the mirror and flashed a grin. She was right.
After he cleaned up, he made his way down to the lab. When he stepped off the elevator to the basement, he saw a lock of blonde hair through the glass door; which made him smile. That ponytail was perfect. Upon opening the door, he was greeted with an odd scene. Angela was looking at a mouse scurrying about within a cage.
"Ah, schnuckiputzi! You seem much better." She exclaimed.
"All thanks to you; but I am, thank you." He replied coolly.
"Denken Sie nichts davon." She said in German, although Andrew knew what she meant. "Quick, I want you to see this!" She sounded excited.
"Okay. What is it?"
"One moment. This will come as a surprise, but trust me." Angela grabbed a needle and checked its contents; intent on euthanizing the creature in the cage. It was surprisingly still as she injected it, and a minute or two passed before it stopped moving completely.
"Why'd you kill him?" He asked, his voice of concern and sadness. He didn't like seeing the cute animal die, but he knew she was doing it for a good reason.
Angela only smiled, and slipped on a black glove. Andrew gave her an incredulous look, and she only smiled wider. She cupped her hand slightly, and a golden... thing appeared in her hand, and it was slowly withering away, but before it disappeared, she raised her hand in a swift motion. Angela was suddenly engulfed in a golden glow not entirely unlike what she held just a moment ago, and Andrew saw a similar light from the bottom of his eye. The corpse of the mouse was... moving?!
"What." Andrew deadpanned, his face of pure confusion.
"I resurrected him." Angela said as flatly as she could, trying and failing to hide her ecstatic emotion. Andrew was simply touching the mouse as if it weren't real.
"So, you're telling me... that you killed this little guy... then brought him back to life?" He had an incredulous look on his face.
"Ja!" She said with a happy smile.
"I don't... know what to say. That's fucking awesome!" He nearly yelled, and they embraced in a sudden bear hug. "My God, you're so smart!"
"Would you believe me if I told you that's not all?" She was practically beaming at this point.
"Hell no! But if there is, don't keep me in suspense!" He was just as happy as she was.
"Come, follow me." She calmed herself a bit as she ran to the other side of the room, Andrew following suit.
She gestured towards a long, rectangular metal briefcase on a countertop.
"Open it, schnuckiputzi." She said, her expression even more excited than before.
Andrew nodded and reached for the locks with his hands. Unbuckling the case, he saw... a staff? The stick part of it was white, and ended in a large syringe with a golden glow inside of it at the end. The syringe had three blue metal pieces guarding it. Near the syringe, he saw two buttons that gave a small amount of light when he picked the staff up. One was a golden cross; not entirely unlike the typical medical one you see on hospital signs and such. The other button was a blue lightning bolt.
"Okay, as cool as this is, you're gonna have to help me here." He requested genuinely.
"Ja, okay. Now, you're gonna love this, too. I need you to keep trusting me, okay?" She said. Andrew simply nodded.
She reached for a scalpel, and very lightly cut her arm in a place that held no veins or anything of the sort. They both winced a bit; Andrew was also as confused as last time.
"Now, stand back a bit, point the staff at me, then hold the yellow cross button down." Andrew repositioned himself, and did as she asked. What happened next was far above unprecedented.
The blue pieces around the syringe rotated, and the staff vibrated gently as a golden beam of light made its way towards Angela's midsection, and she was bathed in a golden glow. She gave a slight giggle, and motioned for him to stop.
"Yep, gonna need more help, here." He deadpanned.
"Look!" She showed him where she cut her arm, except... there was no cut.
"Hang on, lemme get this right: This is a healing staff?" He asked, his voice of surprise.
Angela nodded happily. "Do you want to try?" She asked.
"Well, I don't like the idea of cutting myself, but I think I'll be fine." He went to clean and disinfect the scalpel, and returned not long after.
"Okay, here goes..." He said, anticipating the pain. He gave himself a light cut on the same area Angela had, and started bleeding immediately. "I'm ready!" He was pretty excited.
Angela gave a single nod, and pressed the button on her staff. Andrew felt a tingling sensation all around his body, and he felt his arm begin to heal immediately. The healing process felt... odd. It wasn't bad, but it was weird. The tingling sensation was a bit stronger on the area being healed, so it did tickle a bit.
Andrew's eyes went wide, and he looked at his companion with his jaw hanging low.
"I can't believe what I just witnessed. How does it work?" He said, dumbfounded.
"It's quite complicated. I actually invented a new field of science, although on accident. It's called nanobiotechnology, and basically what's happening is: Itty bitty tiny robots are repairing you." She said with a smile.
"What." he deadpanned.
"Ja, pretty neat, right?"
"I... understatement of the century." He was just... amazed!
"Danke, but it still needs some improvements. The amount of fluid is limited, and I have to restock it if it runs out. Obviously, I'll keep plenty around for when I need it here, but I made the staff for our field work, when the time comes. The issue here is, the nanobots aren't trained to remove the bullets of they get stuck inside a patient, so I must remove them first. It's not quite magic, but near." She explained, retaining her happy expression.
"...Wow. I have... no words."
"Your amazement says everything I want to hear, schnuckiputzi." She smiled.
"So, you're really serious about the field work thing, huh?" He said.
"Ja, I want to help people on the spot. I can make good use of my abilities there. But, like I said, I'm unsure if I can resurrect humans just yet. The device is currently a prototype. I hate to admit I've taken the lives of quite a few mice..."
"Hey, it's fine. I know that must've sucked, but at least you brought that one back to life!"
"I suppose. Anyways, the staff could always use tweaking, and the resurrection device is only a prototype. I can't guarantee it'd work on people yet. But I'm not far, I just know it. There's one last thing I wanted to show you." She smiled and gestured towards a large table in the middle of the room, and a hologram sprouted from the device in the center.
"What's that?" He questioned, looking at the blueprint for... a suit of armor?
"This is the Prototype Mark One Valkyrie Suit. It acts as armor, of course; but has many other functions. For instance, the gauntlets carry additional syringes for the staff, there's a utility belt that carries simple tools for quick operations on the field, a carry bag on the back for storage of course... But the focus here is..." She said, gesturing her hand in the air to spin the 3D model.
"Is what?" Andrew deadpanned.
"The wings. That's the special part. The 'secret ingredient,' if you will."
"So, lemme get this straight: You're building a suit of armor that can let you fly? And it isn't a jetpack?" Angela simply nodded.
"Huh. My girlfriend can create a staff that heals wounds on the spot, a suit that can allow her to fly, and resurrect dead mice, but can't hook up the Holodisk player... Weird." He earned a playful jab in the arm.
"Very funny, schnuckiputzi. You want to say that to my face?" She said, playfully holding her arms up as if preparing to fight.
He just held his hands up defensively. "I'm so sorry, oh destroyer of rats! Please forgive me!" He said sarcastically.
"Ha ha," she mimicked sarcastically. "So, can you help me with this? I probably need to get in touch with Torbjorn, too."
"Would I help you? Hell, I'd do the entire thing for you if you asked nicely!" He replied with enthusiasm.
"Well, I refuse to let you tackle it alone, but I'll gladly take your assistance."
"Glad to hear it!" Andrew beamed. "Where do we start?"
"I thought we could start with the undersuit. Seems simple enough."
"Alrighty then, let's get some ballistic fiber, shall we?" Andrew gestured towards the door, and they left to find Torbjorn.
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry I'm late with this chapter, been kinda stressed out lately. I hope the story isn't taking a hit because of that; I can't really tell. That being said, I'm happy to say that we're getting some actual story progression! It's exciting! I'm actually quite excited for the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed! Please, leave some constructive criticism in the review section; I'd like to know how I'm doing! Thanks for reading, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!