Ultron kicked her out.

Not literally- she was welcome to come back anytime, immediately even, if she wanted. He insisted she needed fresh air, to clear her head and get back to 'normal'. Simone wasn't naive enough to believe he was concerned, not genuinely, but he was right. She'd been pacing. Paranoia stung every corner of life for the last two weeks, like eyes digging into her back. They were in the windows, on her laptop, when she watched TV, or sat alone to think, constantly nagging her with whispers of impending doom. He noticed-of course he did-and shooed her out, claiming her jittery disposition was annoying.

She went shopping, met a nice lady with red hair named Natalie, and even tipped the cab driver, but the eyes never left. They were deep, penetrating, they kept her up at night-invading the sinews of her flesh. They were in the park, in cars and stores, anywhere people could watch. Simone couldn't function, not with the chorus of 'When. When. When. When will they come?' echoing in the basin of her skull.

Waiting wasn't one of her talents.

Perched on the couch with the remote in hand, she listened. He'd come up to practice soon, at 1:00 pm every day, like clockwork. She could almost admit to liking their lessons. Simone saw his reflection before she heard him and didn't bother looking at the A.I,"I'm not in the mood today."

Ultron stopped, lingering over her shoulder, "Would you care to explain why?"

Because she was waiting to die. Simone looked over the living room, most of the furniture was from IKEA, cheap, creaky, but bought with her own money. From the lounge chair to the coffee table littered in junk mail and CD sleeves, it was all hers. How long would it stay that way?

She turned to him, ignoring the resistance of stiff bones, and met his gaze. They were still critical of each other, even close to two months after they met. Both waited for betrayal between civil conversation and lessons. The woman supposed she she be grateful of that, it was a barrier to keep everything from getting too close, "How long till someone finds us?"

The lights flickered in his eyes, something so quick that she would've missed it when they first met, if she hadn't known to look. It meant he was surprised, "Us?" He laughed, shaking his head at her apparent delusion, "There is no us, Simone, you're a stepping stone, a rung on a ladder leading up towards greater things. Towards better things."

A tool. She hoped he didn't notice the hurt she couldn't keep of her face. He did. He'd become a little too apt at reading her lately.

"No no no no! Not like that!" Ultron's hands waved in front of him, as if to brush away the statement, "What I really mean is, not that this hasn't been fun, but... I have work to do."

Shaking his head he spoke in a low, deep voice. It was mournful and barely over a whisper, Clips of stress hung on each word, "I've wasted too much time, as it is."

He took a step closer, attention back on the woman and voice back to its casual, chipper tune, "Once I'm, literally, firing on all cylinders, I'll leave. Poof! Like I was never there." Except for the holes in the walls, but Simone didn't see a point in bringing it up. His response was painting in her head already. He'd laugh, nodding, and say: well, nobody's perfect.

She sighed, turning away and pressed her thumb to the remote's power button. Harry Potter had been forgotten in the DVD player and the title screen began to loop. Her mind turned to HYDRA, to SHEILD, and the Avengers. She'd be an accessory to a crime, maybe a bargaining chip. Ultron leaving wouldn't be like pulling off a band-aid, quick and easy, "You know it's not that simple."

"Of course it is!"

When she glanced at him again, he was tense, wound up like a coil with fists formed at his sides. Her composure was slipping too, angry at his refusal to acknowledge their reality, "They're looking for you, Ultron!"

"There's no evidence of that," He stressed.

"They'll find you, and they'll find me." The A.I was being ridiculous. The drone was gone, that… that doesn't just happen. Some had put themselves in the equation, someone who knew who Ultron was, "I didn't think you were the kind of person to deny facts!"

"I'm not, I'm just… considering all of the possibilities equally. I'm being practical, really, I am."

Simone groaned, letting herself fall back and land on the couch cushions. What else could it be? A normal person would call the authorities if they stumbled on the droid. The empty shell would've reared its ugly head on every news channel for days. He could use it to his advantage, not that she'd tell him. But if the world began to doubt the Avengers could do their job? Chaos. The people would do Ultron's work for him, "Well consider the possibility that someone's coming, alright? And let's say that someone doesn't like you, What happens when they find out I let you stay here?"

"Oh please," He said, waving off her comment, "As if you let me do anything. If I'm wrong, and really, correct me if I'm am, but 9 times out of ten I'm the one who decides what you do."

She snorted, "I didn't tattle, don't forget that."

"Would you like a reward?"

"Yes." Simone sat up, folding her legs, arms on her thighs for support, "Attacks have been in almost every state, now they're in Maine."

"Aah, I get it," The A.I crouched next to her, lowering so they were almost eye to eye. She didn't know why, maybe to analyze her reactions, maybe it was passive, something he did impulsively, "The thieves are responsible for the drone, too. 'A finger in every pie', right?"

Something like that. Coincidence wasn't something she believed in, not any more, "Then what is it, I'm just paranoid?"

"No, no! I'm not saying it's not likely I just…"

"Don't want to admit it?" She offered, her voice lacking the bite she wanted. Simone understood, in a sense. It wasn't a pretty reality, neither wanted it to be real. But she was normal, he wasn't. Simone didn't have a magic hammer, or a bullet proof suit. She had a normal life with friends, a mother, a home. Ties like that weren't something 'special people' had. The woman didn't want to be special, she wanted the her old life back. She wanted to survive.

"There isn't enough time," He said instead. He looked away, frustration coating his voice, "There's never enough time."

"Yeah," She sighed. The silence was terrible. Simone didn't know what to say, she wanted comfort, maybe. Ultron wasn't exactly the robot to give it, that was true. But she still wanted him to tell her she was innocent, that she'd be okay, that she hadn't let her own petty goals dig herself into a pit. But she did, and it was getting too deep. She was having trouble believing she could crawl out. The woman was starting see that maybe the roles needed to be reversed, just for now; or maybe she needed a distraction, maybe they both did, "Do you wanna waste some?"

"What?"

"Time," She nodded to the movie, the menu still looping. An invitation to join her, to think of something else, even if it was just for a few hours. Ultron snorted, not that she expected any different.

"Haven't we already been down this road?" He asked, amusement tinted his voice. Simone shrugged, watching him stand up on creaky knees and waited for the robot to speak again, "I know it's heartbreaking, but the answer is still no."

There was a twitch of urgency in her gut. The desire to not be alone, even if it meant being around him. The eyes would come back, and she was desperate for relief. Simone stood, echoing his slow movements. Her feet buzzed, pinpricks of cool heat as blood flowed back into them. Gesturing to the dining room table, she asked if he was stilling willing to practice.

Simone ignored his staring and hobbled over to the wooden chairs while her limbs remembered how to move, "We can try conversation, if you want. Pressure free environment."

He paused, before following, rolling his shoulder and speaking with that typical nonchalance, "You're the boss."

Sometimes Simone didn't know what he was looking for during those brief silences. She was trying not to care, even though they put her off. Maybe he was drawing conclusions, trying to connect her to predetermined knowledge, examples of others, or maybe collecting new information all together. Simone didn't pretend to understand how an A.I's brain worked. But describing films, the worst and best she'd seen while he asked questions-sometimes with forced interest- it acted awfully human.

It lasted longer than the other sessions, sometimes stopping for Ultron's limbs to behave, but neither complained. They didn't talk about things of substance, about plans or pasts, just… drivel. It was a distraction she needed, that he needed. There was no HYDRA, no Avengers, no bombs, for a few sacred hours it was just a normal conversation between a woman and unhinged A.I. But all things come to end and Ultron stood, walking away to retreat back to 'the Cave'. She heard him working more often now, louder and relentlessly. Simone prayed it meant he was as close to completion as he acted, for both of their sakes. No. For hers, she insisted.

His hand lingered over the brass doorknob, fingertips skimming across the worn surface. Simone watched the chords of wire shift in the nap of his neck, clicking into place as he moved. The digits wrapped the object before he began to move, slowly, as if he was going to look back, like he had something else to say. She waited for words that never came.

Ultron collapsed.

His body seized, limbs twitching and crashing against the floor in a deafening thud. His back arched, rising from the ground as static rushed from him. Simone stalled. Confusion, shock. She didn't know what to do, how to make it stop. The A.I's arm snapped forward, lodging his fist in the door. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream and run away. He kicked out, striking floor and breaking it with the force. She did neither. Simone lurched forward, slamming in to the wood floor. She gasped, pain seared up the woman's legs but she refused to stop, kicking the chair her foot was stuck under away Simone scrambled to reach him. His heels was sparking, seeping oil. She briefly prayed it wasn't flammable.

"Fuck." This wasn't helping. What were you supposed to do with seizures? Hold them down? Ultron gargled static as she groped for his free arm, trying to pin it down so he didn't hurt himself. She swore, catching his wrist and pinning it underneath her, "Fuck. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck."

His chest hit her thigh, hard. She held her breath and tried shifting more weight on his shoulder. Time slowed, she didn't know how long she stayed there, trying desperately to lean away from kicking legs. Sparks caught her skin once, she ignored it, ignored everything, just focused on trying to help, regardless of how useless it felt. What couldn't have been more than ten minutes felt like hours, barely breathing and waiting for him to stop. Simone still wanted to cry, even as his back lowered and the pained waves of radio static drained from his throat. Backing away on all fours she waited and sat on her calves. The throbbing in her knees barely gained her attention.

He deflated, a relieved whine like an engine slowing down left his body. Arduous seconds passed before he ripped his arm from the door, chips of wood broke free. Ultron moved, raising his torso by resting on his forearms. Sparks sputtered from the injured wrist and something leaked from another cut wire, all in all, Simone was sure it could've been worse."Well… that's a motivator." The A.I whispered, more to himself than anything.

Simone gulped, heart hammering and approaching him. Crouching over his shoulder she moved to help him up. He jarred away and yelled, biting out the words, "Leave me alone!"

Embarrassment, she could hear it in his voice. Was it that he'd gotten so weak, that she'd seen him that way? The woman ignored him, offering a sympathetic smile, and tugged his arm around her shoulder, "Make me."

"If I have too," The A.I grumbled. She waited for him to do something, anything. Instead he adjusted the arm around her, letting the woman put her free hand around his side. She disguised letting out a breath of relief as a sigh.

Simone grunted as he leaned against her. The prick was heavier than he looked.

"Rude," Ultron teased, shakily getting to his feet.

She huffed, slightly relieved when he stood on his own. Ultron left without a word, closing the door in her face. Simone stared at the hole he left and considered leaving him a bill for damages.

Simone's hands found their way into her hair again. Weaving between knotted strands. There was a pit in her image of him on the ground was burned into her eyes. She wondered if it hurt, if it had happened before. The woman found that she hoped it hadn't.

She needed air. Again. It was late, it'd be dark in a matter of hours, but that… seed, that parasite, growing in her gut was turning into nausea. To a painful realization she couldn't deal with, not now. Simone walked to her room, barely feeling the cool floor beneath her feet. She needed to get dressed, get air, see the sky. Maybe that would purge her skull of the memories, of the sounds he made.

Simone didn't go out. She sat on the bed, hardly acknowledging the wall in front of her. There was an overbearing worry as the pit weighed her down. Pop rocks under her tongue as the parasite in her belly grew, draining her of any energy she had to resist. Tipping her head back the woman fell back on the mattress, air leaving in her in a resound swoop. One thought echoed in her mind. This is bad, this is very, very bad.

Digging through her memories, she tried to see where it all went wrong, when the tick of Ultron invaded her consciousness. When her plan to be a disconnected hard ass fell apart like a house of cards. She couldn't. There was no instance, no date and time when the noose wrapped around her neck, when a string weaved around her spine, trapping her. There was just the reality, no matter how small it was, no matter how minute the blighted feeling may be, she couldn't deny it:

Simone cared.

thank you all so much for the comments and reviews, it means so much to me and really helped me get this chapter done quickly!pull up your socks because A lot of shit is about to hit their fan really really quickly. Thank you all so much! and special s/o to LVOWL, u r so encouraging and your reviews always make me smile!

and 2 Looma, saraQ, and wade, you r the best 3333 i LOVE XoXO

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