*drug and alcohol mentions. One literally in the first sentence, starting off on a good foot i kno

thanks for reading!

Simone was hammered. High as a kit and drunk on her ass. Or was it off her ass? On. Off. She was sitting, so drunk on it was. Maybe it wasn't very classy or mature-or even slightly responsible- to be a six year college graduate and sit with two equally drunk women pelting food at each other like savages. Then again, if anyone deserved reprieve, it was Simone. It was more like a game of catch anyway, even if Ellie kept 'accidentally' hitting her in the eyes; hardly uncivilized.

Besides, she hadn't been able to enjoy herself all day yesterday thank to Iron Giant Jr. His double had sauntered back home two days ago before leaving the next morning, all while Simone sat at the radio listening to reports of terrorist bombings. It was an unfortunate coincidence that made her paranoid Captain America would burst down her door and bisect Simone with a righteous shield throw.

Not to mention the car ride to pick up Annalise and her girlfriend was comparable to a domestic interpretation of Fast and Furious. One where she'd eye every police car in a way that came across as 'I'm either hiding a genocidal masochist or crystal meth', and followed the speed limit aggressively. Simone was still irrationally terrified she'd be pulled over by the unconscious cop she left in the woods.

Her only saving grace was that Rocky and her ludicrously tall lover -who's name she learned was Eleanor Denir, and went by Ellie- didn't pry as to why she had a cut on her forehead or limped around like the hunchback of Notre Dame or refused to take off her scarf. They were mercifully satisfied with a feeble, 'oh, I'm an idiot and fell, what can you do?'

Not that Ellie questioned anything to begin with. The woman looked like a ghost and birch tree had a baby. A towering, supermodel baby. She stood a solid foot taller than Simone and hardly said word. She just looked around with her huge baby blue's and only occasionally pipped up. And whenever the woman spoke it was either mildly disturbing or rib splitting hilarious.

She watched everything though, and Simone nearly had a heart attack the morning after they got back. The darker woman had been dutifully observing Annalise make breakfast, seeing as she was the only one who could actually cook, when she noticed a special someone's drone wander away.

'Sasquatch' was definitely a horribly unconvincing answer if the model spotted him, but it's what she was ready to say.

It never came to that though, Ultron stayed in his dungeon and they stayed upstairs. All things considered, it went disturbingly well.

And then they brought out the party gear, which Simone was all to happy to partake in. Hardly able to wait till she heaved in three hits and felt her nerves finally unwind as they could put in a movie, and ignore Ultron.

Thankfully, it worked. She was far to occupied by popcorn and tequila shots to even think about her dirty little secret. And when the model went to the bathroom she was happy enough to spring on Annalise, burying her head in the woman's arm as she played with her hair, "I missed you, Simmy."

"Same here, kiddo."

Annalise groused, she hated when Simone called her that. It was either Rocky or her actual name. It was terribly limiting.

"I'm like… ten days younger than you, stop."

Simone blew a raspberry on her neck, she didn't care. It'd been so long since she'd seen her best friend, a year, she averaged. Her curly hair and earthy skin were a sore sight. The strong arms from years of sports wrapping around her always gave the best hugs, and it was fun to sit on her back during pushups, "Remember 'en we were cheerleaders and you dropped me?"

The other woman shoved her off effortlessly, looking scandalized, "I wouldn't never. ever. harm my flower."

"You broke my nose!" Simone laughed, "There was foot on skin contact! I have witnesses"

"Maybe I dropped you a little, but you were being a jerk."

Now it was Simone's turn to look offended, "When have I ever been anything but a dream?"

Annalise's face fell perfectly flat, "I have a list."

"Then give me an example," She said smugly, crossing her arms and falling back on the coach, holding back a grimace when she landed on her growing bruises.

"Like right now, but not telling me what's wrong."

Oh, Shit. Simone had really thought she was in the clear, "What d'you mean?"

Her friend stuck out her lip, pouting with a flourish. She looked genuinely sad and it broke her heart, "You know I hate when you lie to me, Simone, I know you think you're bein' a mama bear and keepin' me safe, but… just, please tell me?"

Siren's were going off in Simone's head. You can't just tell your best-and probably only- friend you were keeping an insane program hellbent on killing seven billion people in the basement, oh, and she attacked a cop too, there was a that… and the time she could've ratted him about but didn't.

So her intoxicated brain came up with the next best thing.

"I met someone."

Annalise's face light up like a fire cracker and Simone's stomach dropped. The woman launched herself on the other, holding her down by the shoulders, "Give me all the detail. Simone, you leave stuff out, i wanna know everything! Eye's, hair, hobbies, ideologies, give me all you got."

Blinking up at the ceiling, stunned, she extracted her head from the rolls of neck skin tried running away in, "It's uh… Complicated."

Her friend hmmed philosophical and urged her to continue. It was only vaguely surprising she didn't pull a notebook and jot down facts like it was Blue's Clues all over again, her relationships the mystery.

"We're not dating or whatever, I met the guy literally a couple months ago, it's just a weird spot you know?"

A really, really weird and totally unfair spot that made Simone want to cry, "I mean, this motherfucker thinks he knows everything. He's hardly even lived! He's a fuckin hypocrite too, Rocky, he wants world peace and all that dandy shit but the only way he's gonna get it is war."

She sighed, digging her palms against her temples, "He's so angry and he take it out on everyone."

"And there's nothin' good in the world he wants to keep cause he hasn't experienced jackshit yet, I think. And it's frustrating 'cause it's his way or the highway an' he's just… He just… I don't know. Fuck. I don't know 'im at all. I wish I never met him."

Rocky's eyes were sad again, she hated that, "He uses people instead of seeing them. 'er Some deep Plato shit like that. Hate what you are, hate what you aren't."

"He hasn't hurt you has he?"

"No." Yes.

Leaning back the woman took in Simone's figure. She was hunched, heart beating faster than it should, and wondering how long Ellie's bathroom break needed to be. Maybe she had a bladder as tall as her, but the woman really wanted her back in the room so they could drop the conversation.

"Have you given him a chance? Tried showing him he's wrong?" The woman offered, and Simone wasn't sure, she couldn't remember, but it wasn't like he was worthy of it in the first place. He tried exterminating humanity, "Simone, look at me. No one's just bad okay? There's always good in there somewhere."

'That's the kind of thinking that fucked you over,' She thought bitterly. You don't forget four years of abusive pain, not like that, but for some reason Rock tried too. But even Annalise would agree he was bad, purely one hundred percent rotten. Maybe that was a little harsh, ninety-five, no, ninety-four percent horrible, that was better.

Annalise grabbed her shoulders, shaking them back and forth gently, "Please try? You know how many chances it took me to get better, Simone, now look who at me! I gotta dream job, a beautiful girlfriend, you."

Yeah, some prize she was, trying to emotionally manipulate a psychopath instead of do the right thing.

Wrapping her arms around her friend she held on tight, telling her she wasn't going anywhere, and praying that was true. Annalise was a blinding optimist, there was never a 'lost cause' around her, that's what drew her into social work. But Simone's intuition told her the woman wouldn't feel the same if she knew who the mystery man was. No, not even her curly hair and big smiles would be open to him, right?

They pulled apart slowly, she didn't want to say goodbye to the contact- Ultron wasn't exactly the cuddling type- and went back to the movie. Napoleon Dynamite's brother was getting married. She could probably quote the movie word for word, and drunk enough, she'd reenact it. The woman wasn't that far gone, not yet, "So, will you or El pop the question first?"

Annalise snorted, coughing up tortilla chips like a junkfood dragon and blushed, "It's way to early! I'm mean… oh my goodness, Simmy. I don't know it's just so early."

She was literally too kind, she even swore like an old lady. It was disgusting and made Simone either want to keep her safe from the world or crawl under a rock in shame. "You lived with her for a year and half."

"We went to the same college!" She protested weakly, balling up her fists, "Besides, moving back out here and stuff, I haven't even met her family! They might not like me…"

"Annalise, they'll l be all over you, shut up."

The taller woman smiled and crawled up to her, hugging her arm tightly while the film finished. Simone noticed two things: 1. She was always the shortest one in the room, and 2. She had no idea how much she missed Rocky. The woman needed this, it was grounding if anything, at least one person wouldn't hate her if the whole Ultron thing went tits up.

And then Ellie finally glided back in, fully changed into pajamas, contacts out, and hanging up her phone in the process, "Sweetie, that was your mom, she says Mr. Boogie Man's been waiting for hours now. We gotta say bye."

She leaned down and kissed Rocky's forehead while Simone helped extract the woman from the couch, smiling softly when their eyes met, "There's a snake in you're bathroom, by the way."

Simone hated snakes. If it wasn't for the fact that this was Maine in early December, she would've bombed that section of her house without a thought.

When they finally said their goodbyes and the couple's bags were safely in the car, Ellie carried the smaller woman out like a drugged and wailing koala and drove off. Leaving her to start dizzily cleaning the company's mess. Chips, salsa, Smirnoff, beer bottles, the list went on and she was pretty sure Ellie spilled her pot ashes on the rug.

It didn't take long for the living room to be in a semi presentable state...save for the half empty bottle of wine she occasionally guzzled from like a bourgeoisie pig. Life is all about choices, and boy did she make the fun ones. And her post-cleaning mentality a lot more intoxicated than the pre, just how it needed to be.

On the topic of fun, she glanced at the ever-foreboding garage door. It was like some twisted version of 'The Lion, The Witch, and Wardrobe' where instead of Narnia it led her straight into Robot Hell. And for some unknown reason that's exactly where her staggering, limping feet took her. Rocky's words echoing in her ears and the sudden bravery from liquid/plant courage coursing in her veins.

If Simone was going to have the hangover of a lifetime she might as well make it worth it, right?

Her hand pushing open the door while she screamed his name. And there he was. Glowing devil eyes and everything. Right at the bottom of the stairs, which seemed, very, very, far away. She'd stay up there, the hatch's frame was great support anyway.

Simone needed to figure out what to say, thoughts were hard to grasp. She'd do what Annalise wanted and give the guy a chance, she'd still rat him out to the avengers and make it hurt like a bitch with rabies, but who said the playing field couldn't be fair?

Besides, he wasn't that bad. Ultron could funny, or… kind of funny, and he was smart, helped her walk home one time, and he also threw her around like a toy, and broke her stuff, and was scary, and violent, with a superiority complex, outbursts, and angry… the list went on and Simone was very thankful she was way to plastered to care.

"What do you want?"

Right, robot.

"Watch a movie with me."

Simone loved movies, maybe he did too. She'd show him ones with good morals and beneficial views of humanity, like Shrek or Reservoir Dogs. Wait. No, not that one, bad movie to save humanity with.

Ultron starred at her like she just tossed her cookies all over him. She kind of wanted to, it'd be funny. She blinked back towards the A.I, realizing she missed what he said and asked, "What?"

"No."

She whined and stomped her feet. He was supposed to say yes, she couldn't make friends if they didn't hang out! She'd drag his titanium asscheeks up there by herself if she has to.

'No, don't that'll make him mad,' She thought, squinting, "Why not?"

He crossed his arms impatiently, "Because even though the smell of your discount liquor is outstanding, I have a reputation to keep."

She blinked, mouth hanging open. Not only did he imply that his robot shell could smell-which seemed not only extraordinarily excessive and wrong in general- He basically just said he was too cool for her. The only person too cool for her was someone… not him, "What reputation?"

"The malevolent bad guy." He made a scat gesture, "Shoo."

"You can't do that!" She yelled, "I'm the head of this household, I pay the bills!"

Ultron groaned, rubbing his 'temples'. Did robot's even have temples? He didn't have a jaw so it wouldn't make sense, "I like you better sober and afraid."

Little did he know, she was fearless. In the first grade Simone was the first one to jump off the high dive without even being dared. She was practically the baddest person on earth. So she'd prove her point by marching down and staring at the robot. Simone wanted to stare eye to eye, -or A.I to A.I... she was a riot- before demanding to watch a movie. Only, instead of the dramatic march she envisioned, she stumbled and fell.

And Ultron stepped out the way.

"Yerr the worst," She muttered, a mouth full of concrete.

"You wound me."

Simone was getting lifted, one arm under hers and another under her knees. He was carrying her, she realized. The woman smiled at him, "I take it back."

"I can still drop you."

"You're right,"She frowned, drawing her eyebrows forward and lowering her voice," Ultron, supreme leader of all evil, harbinger of death, a merciless angel of divine retribution, would never carry a drunk."

He hummed, "I'll put that on my resume."

"I can add more adjectives!" She offered, letting her spinning head fall back as the living room passed by upside down, hair spilling out behind her, "You could work anywhere, like a McDonalds or something."

Whipping up she looked him dead in the eyes, or lightbulbs, or whatever he used to see, she tried imagining him in the uniform. Better yet, on the grill flipping patties and deep frying potato strips. He wasn't nearly as scary then, she think of him like that more often.

"Yah know-" she began taking in his face skeptically, seeing every tiny scrap and scorch mark he couldn't fix. Ultron was too expressive to be so blank, no blinking his eyes, no raising a brow or smiling. It threw her off. She focused on the how the robot's red lights set a glow across the room, it reminded her of rubies, or blood,"If it's wasn' for your Messiah complex you'd be-"

She pulled a face and her thumbs up jerkily, "A-okay!"

Ignoring his disinterested hum, Simone kept going, "You know! Rocky thinks there's good in everyone, like.. literally everyone, I think you need that. To much… negative energy all up in there."

"You're deluded."

"No!" She protested, before adding proudly, "I am hammered!"

"Thank you for clarifying, I had doubts." The A.I said, turning so he could fit them both through the door. He could've kept walking and smashed her legs against the door frame, she was glad he didn't.

"Go to bed, and don't choke on your puke," He said, straightening his arms so she went tumbling on the cushions. She tried yelling at him from her current position, but a pillow got in the way. "And have fun with that hangover!"

The door slammed behind him.

Advice: Just because Simone is rlly stupid and gonna get alcohol poisoning and w/e take my words and don't smoke n drink in the same night u will regret it... also dont mix drinks for the love of god+drink water?

Next chapter'll be very Ultron heavy done worry i cross my heart.

palpablefantasy: thnk u so much u are gem that means so much!

Sorana3: XOXO they r both digging their own graves trust me.

Please review! It means the world thank you so, so much! and thanks for reading! xoxo