|Reviewer's Area|
Lauren: That was my reaction. And here's the next chapter.
Lady Atheilen: Yeah, that's why I have it up. I love it when authors have a reviwer's section because it makes me feel like they actually give a damn about what I have to say. And I'll fix that whole POV thing. I meant to do it. I actually just realized that I... didn't. X_x I'll fix it soon.
Jinako-chan: He's more like a kitten in this chapter for some reason. A little more self-aware, too. He actually talks. Sleep-deprived brain? 5:54 in the morning. That sounds familiar. ^_^; *bows to brownie shrine*
Alikat: *sniffles* You... like *my* story? *cries* I feel so loved!
Prometheus: *claps hands over ears* What is wrong with you people?! Can you not whisper?! .... Sugar overdose baaaaaaaaaad. Thanks for the review!
Forlay: Don't worry, I can't draw either. X_x And yes, the possibilities are wide and varied. There's a lot of Marco musings in this chapter. Woo. *sighs* And I don't have spell check. I just have to read it over and hope. -_-;
fangrlwlotsofideas: Captain? *star eyes* Woo, I'm a captain! *gets out captains hat* Yo ho ho and a bottle o' rum! ............. X_x
Chapter Six (I DON'T have to rename these chapters! *evil laughter*)
|Erek's POV|
"Awwwww..." My eyes open, and I sit up, awakened by the sudden voice.
"Oh, hi Cassie." I say, slipping out of the bed.
"Can't even leave you two alone for one night." She teases, seemingly recovered from yesterday's horrors. I feel my hologram face flush.
"He got upset whenever I wasn't around." I say defensively. Cassie laughs good-naturedly. Her laugh seems to rouse Marco. He sits up in bed, hair tousled from sleep and face flushed from the warm night. He yawns cutely.
//Must not think about how incredibly adorable he is, must not think about how incredibly adorable he is, must not... too late.//
He cocks his head to one side, blinking. "Cassie!" He says happily, sounding very much like a five-year-old. Then he leans across the bed and hugs my waist. "Erek!" He chirps, nuzzling his face against my human stomach. A small grin flickers across Cassie's face.
"How cute..."
I gently lift Marco up and away from me, trying to stop myself from hugging him close to me and never letting go.
"What are you doing here so early, Cassie?" I ask, changing the subject. "It's about four in the morning."
She shrugs. "I wanted to see how Marco was doing before I went to school. Besides, I was having nightmares and needed to get my mind off them." She shivers, and I nod sympathetically. Images don't come for me when I'm asleep. Only when I'm awake.
She smiles at Marco, who had drawn back to the bed, and was just sitting and watching us. "You know, Rachel had a point."
"About what?"
Cassie looks torn between amused and a little sad. "He is a lot like a human pet now, isn't he?"
Without even thinking, I reach across to stroke Marco's hair. He makes a small contented noise, leaning into the little head-petting I'm giving him.
"Yeah, I guess..." I say, quickly pulling my hand away. Marco pouts a little, looking slightly hurt. "But he's a bit like a little kid, too."
She shifts her gaze to Marco. "You think the real Marco's still in there?"
I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. If he isn't, and this *is* him until the meds wear off, I wonder if he'll remember anything. Andrea probably knows, but she's still being repaired and re-programmed. I'll ask her when she's functioning again, though."
Cassie looks upset. "Do you think she'll be able to live with herself? What she did?"
I look Cassie straight in the eye. "I did."
She turns away, smiling sadly. "Sorry. I didn't forget, Erek, I just -"
"Didn't want to remember." I finish bitterly. "At least you can forget, even just for a little while."
Marco hugs my waist again, dark eyes wide and peering up at me. "Don't be sad. You were brave. You saved our lives. *My* life." For a second, I can see the old Marco looking out at me. Then he's gone again.
Cassie sighs, reaching out and petting Marco's head for a moment. She's realized he seems to like it. "You're right, Marco." He just leans into her hand.
She yawns. "I'd better go." She says reluctantly, looking at Marco. "Before I'm too tired to even go to school. At least it's Friday."
"Yeah."
She turns to go, then pauses and turns back around. "Will you be at school today, Erek?"
I shrug. "Dunno. Maybe I'll get someone to fill in for me."
Cassie nods. "Okay."
I give her a lop-sided grin. "You sound like Marco."
She smiles sadly. "Yeah." She turns away again, and walks out the door. She doesn't look back.
"Erek?"
I turn to look at the incredibly cute form of Marco. "Mmmhmm?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"No!" I exclaim, shocked. "Why?"
A saddened look crosses his face. He hangs his head. "Because you... you don't... care about me, I guess."
"Of course I do!" //More than you'll ever know...//
"Not the way I... or at least, the way I think I care about you."
I freeze. "What?"
He scrunches his nose in a cute manner. "What were we talking about?"
I shake my head, sighing. "Nothing, Marco." He yawns, and snuggles back into bed.
"Tired..."
He seems to be switching back and forth between five-year-old level and ten- year-old level.
"Then sleep."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
His face turns redder than the original heat-induced flush. "I can't sleep without you."
Ten-year-old.
"Okay." I snuggle in beside him again, secretly enjoying the chance to be so close to him.
Marco nuzzles his head into my chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. "'Night."
Five-year old.
I blush, from both the fact that he's holding on so tightly to me and the fact that I'm enjoying it. I run a hand through his soft hair.
"Goodnight, Marco."
------------------------------------
I wake up again, though this time not from a voice. It's six-thirty. I slip quietly out of the bed for the second time, and have gotten about ten feet away from the bed when...
"Erek?!"
Marco.
"I'm right here." I sigh, turning to look at him. He looks slightly frantic.
"I thought you'd left me."
I smile at him. "No. But I do have to go to school today. You have to stay here."
He looks terrified, and jumps out of bed, running to me and clinging to my arm tightly.
"No! If you leave, if you don't come back..." Tears well up.
"Marco... I will come back. There isn't much in this world that can hurt me."
He whimpers. "I don't want you to go."
"I have to." I say, feeling very much like I'm talking to a child instead of a teenage Animorph warrior.
"But -"
"No buts." I say firmly. You are going to stay in here until I get back. You can wander around all you like, but you are not going to leave unless you are in danger. Understand?"
He whimpers again, but nods. My face softens.
"Good." I pet his head again, and he leans up against me, purring like a kitten.
"And I'll be here for the whole weekend. It's Friday, so I won't have to leave tomorrow."
Marco sighs. "Okay..."
"I have to go now." I say reluctantly, pulling my hand away. He follows me all the way to the door in a sad silence. He tries to follow me through the door, but I carefully block his way.
"I told you to stay down here." I say crossly.
Tears form again. "I know. I was going to. I just wanted to say goodbye..."
"Alright." He doesn't look much happier, but hugs me anyway, pressing his nose into the crook of my human neck. "I'll miss you."
I flush. "I'm not going away forever. Just for a few hours."
He pulls away reluctantly. "Bye."
I sigh. "Goodbye, Marco. See you in a little while."
The door shuts, cutting us off from the other. But I still can faintly hear his anguished sobs.
---------------------
|Marco's POV|
I have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on.
Okay, that's not totally true. I do have *some* idea. I heard while Mr. King explained everything. But... it's weird. It's like there's two people living inside me. Me, and this weird, overly obedient, I've-been- drinking-coffee-laced-with-speed kid. Who happens to be overly affectionate towards Erek and is obeying his every order.
And also seems to be divulging every secret I possess.
Like the whole "You don't care about me the way I care about you" thing. I wanted to die of embarrassment. The whole time I was screaming at myself from way back in a corner of my mind to shut up.
I bet whoever's reading this really wants to know what I meant by that.
That was the only affectionate thing that wasn't induced by that stupid medication. Because, truthfully, I would not be going around begging Erek to sleep with me or holding onto him like a security blanket.
Okay, that's not really how it was, but it's close enough.
Do you have any idea how lonely it is being me? I don't think any of them do. I mean, I have absolutely no one that loves me. Well, Jake, Cassie, Tobias, my dad, my mom, even Ax and Rachel love me. Just not that way. I don't have anyone to run to and hold on to when I'm so scared that I can't think straight. Cassie has Jake, Jake has Cassie. Rachel has Tobias, Tobias has Rachel. Even Ax had Estrid for a little while. But I've never had anyone.
I know who I want, though. I want Erek.
I love Erek. Impossible, I know. And yet, it's possible.
It took me a long time to come to terms with it. Almost an entire year. I was scared to death by it when I first figured it out. I mean, normal boys don't go around falling in love with other boys, let alone android boys.
Then again, I'm not really normal in first place. But adding the fact that I was gay *and* in love with someone that wasn't even human didn't help my sanity any.
Hell, I didn't - and still don't - know if it's even possible for Chee to fall in love. Sure, they love dogs and nature and stuff, but I mean really love. Like mushy-romance kind of love.
I wish I knew, but then, if I did, I might wish I didn't so I could keep on hoping.
And even if Erek can fall in love, what are the chances he'll fall in love with me?
Absolutely zero. Below zero. Like, minus fifty kind of zero. Zilch, zip, none, nada.
I don't even know why I think about it. It just makes me depressed. More depressed, really, since I can't even control my own body. I can see, can hear, can feel, can smell. But I can't control my body. It's like there's a Yeerk in my head.
That thought makes me feel sick.
I have to wait three weeks. Three weeks! And, unlike if there was a Yeerk, no two or three hour break every three days. But also unlike a Yeerk, no one invading my thoughts and memories. No one laughing at me, sneering at my helplessness.
So I guess this isn't so bad.
But I hate not being able to control my own body. It's incredibly embarrassing to know that I'm very untactfully getting all touchy-feely with Erek, and being able to feel it but not being able to stop it.
Also embarrassing knowing that I'm also kind of glad that I can't stop it , because I almost don't want to.
Sometimes, I wonder if Cassie knows. I think she does. Like this morning, she seemed almost happy at my affection. I think she's guessed, or at least suspects.
"Erek..."
My thoughts are interrupted by my own voice, and my devastsated tears. //Oh, shut up.// I think angrily. //I can't wait until I'm back to normal. Or as normal as I can get.//
My body trudges over to the bed, and curles up where Erek had lain only minutes before, pulling the covers over my head, and falling asleep. I try to stay awake, try to fight it, but I only get more and more tired, until finally, my mind is asleep as well as my body.
--------------------------
Okay, no more ending off with people falling asleep! Bad KC, bad! *thwacks herself*
Erm, this chapter went awry too. X_x But at least it's keeping with my general idea for the plot. I bet nobody expected Marco to already be in love with Erek! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Lauren: That was my reaction. And here's the next chapter.
Lady Atheilen: Yeah, that's why I have it up. I love it when authors have a reviwer's section because it makes me feel like they actually give a damn about what I have to say. And I'll fix that whole POV thing. I meant to do it. I actually just realized that I... didn't. X_x I'll fix it soon.
Jinako-chan: He's more like a kitten in this chapter for some reason. A little more self-aware, too. He actually talks. Sleep-deprived brain? 5:54 in the morning. That sounds familiar. ^_^; *bows to brownie shrine*
Alikat: *sniffles* You... like *my* story? *cries* I feel so loved!
Prometheus: *claps hands over ears* What is wrong with you people?! Can you not whisper?! .... Sugar overdose baaaaaaaaaad. Thanks for the review!
Forlay: Don't worry, I can't draw either. X_x And yes, the possibilities are wide and varied. There's a lot of Marco musings in this chapter. Woo. *sighs* And I don't have spell check. I just have to read it over and hope. -_-;
fangrlwlotsofideas: Captain? *star eyes* Woo, I'm a captain! *gets out captains hat* Yo ho ho and a bottle o' rum! ............. X_x
Chapter Six (I DON'T have to rename these chapters! *evil laughter*)
|Erek's POV|
"Awwwww..." My eyes open, and I sit up, awakened by the sudden voice.
"Oh, hi Cassie." I say, slipping out of the bed.
"Can't even leave you two alone for one night." She teases, seemingly recovered from yesterday's horrors. I feel my hologram face flush.
"He got upset whenever I wasn't around." I say defensively. Cassie laughs good-naturedly. Her laugh seems to rouse Marco. He sits up in bed, hair tousled from sleep and face flushed from the warm night. He yawns cutely.
//Must not think about how incredibly adorable he is, must not think about how incredibly adorable he is, must not... too late.//
He cocks his head to one side, blinking. "Cassie!" He says happily, sounding very much like a five-year-old. Then he leans across the bed and hugs my waist. "Erek!" He chirps, nuzzling his face against my human stomach. A small grin flickers across Cassie's face.
"How cute..."
I gently lift Marco up and away from me, trying to stop myself from hugging him close to me and never letting go.
"What are you doing here so early, Cassie?" I ask, changing the subject. "It's about four in the morning."
She shrugs. "I wanted to see how Marco was doing before I went to school. Besides, I was having nightmares and needed to get my mind off them." She shivers, and I nod sympathetically. Images don't come for me when I'm asleep. Only when I'm awake.
She smiles at Marco, who had drawn back to the bed, and was just sitting and watching us. "You know, Rachel had a point."
"About what?"
Cassie looks torn between amused and a little sad. "He is a lot like a human pet now, isn't he?"
Without even thinking, I reach across to stroke Marco's hair. He makes a small contented noise, leaning into the little head-petting I'm giving him.
"Yeah, I guess..." I say, quickly pulling my hand away. Marco pouts a little, looking slightly hurt. "But he's a bit like a little kid, too."
She shifts her gaze to Marco. "You think the real Marco's still in there?"
I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. If he isn't, and this *is* him until the meds wear off, I wonder if he'll remember anything. Andrea probably knows, but she's still being repaired and re-programmed. I'll ask her when she's functioning again, though."
Cassie looks upset. "Do you think she'll be able to live with herself? What she did?"
I look Cassie straight in the eye. "I did."
She turns away, smiling sadly. "Sorry. I didn't forget, Erek, I just -"
"Didn't want to remember." I finish bitterly. "At least you can forget, even just for a little while."
Marco hugs my waist again, dark eyes wide and peering up at me. "Don't be sad. You were brave. You saved our lives. *My* life." For a second, I can see the old Marco looking out at me. Then he's gone again.
Cassie sighs, reaching out and petting Marco's head for a moment. She's realized he seems to like it. "You're right, Marco." He just leans into her hand.
She yawns. "I'd better go." She says reluctantly, looking at Marco. "Before I'm too tired to even go to school. At least it's Friday."
"Yeah."
She turns to go, then pauses and turns back around. "Will you be at school today, Erek?"
I shrug. "Dunno. Maybe I'll get someone to fill in for me."
Cassie nods. "Okay."
I give her a lop-sided grin. "You sound like Marco."
She smiles sadly. "Yeah." She turns away again, and walks out the door. She doesn't look back.
"Erek?"
I turn to look at the incredibly cute form of Marco. "Mmmhmm?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"No!" I exclaim, shocked. "Why?"
A saddened look crosses his face. He hangs his head. "Because you... you don't... care about me, I guess."
"Of course I do!" //More than you'll ever know...//
"Not the way I... or at least, the way I think I care about you."
I freeze. "What?"
He scrunches his nose in a cute manner. "What were we talking about?"
I shake my head, sighing. "Nothing, Marco." He yawns, and snuggles back into bed.
"Tired..."
He seems to be switching back and forth between five-year-old level and ten- year-old level.
"Then sleep."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
His face turns redder than the original heat-induced flush. "I can't sleep without you."
Ten-year-old.
"Okay." I snuggle in beside him again, secretly enjoying the chance to be so close to him.
Marco nuzzles his head into my chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. "'Night."
Five-year old.
I blush, from both the fact that he's holding on so tightly to me and the fact that I'm enjoying it. I run a hand through his soft hair.
"Goodnight, Marco."
------------------------------------
I wake up again, though this time not from a voice. It's six-thirty. I slip quietly out of the bed for the second time, and have gotten about ten feet away from the bed when...
"Erek?!"
Marco.
"I'm right here." I sigh, turning to look at him. He looks slightly frantic.
"I thought you'd left me."
I smile at him. "No. But I do have to go to school today. You have to stay here."
He looks terrified, and jumps out of bed, running to me and clinging to my arm tightly.
"No! If you leave, if you don't come back..." Tears well up.
"Marco... I will come back. There isn't much in this world that can hurt me."
He whimpers. "I don't want you to go."
"I have to." I say, feeling very much like I'm talking to a child instead of a teenage Animorph warrior.
"But -"
"No buts." I say firmly. You are going to stay in here until I get back. You can wander around all you like, but you are not going to leave unless you are in danger. Understand?"
He whimpers again, but nods. My face softens.
"Good." I pet his head again, and he leans up against me, purring like a kitten.
"And I'll be here for the whole weekend. It's Friday, so I won't have to leave tomorrow."
Marco sighs. "Okay..."
"I have to go now." I say reluctantly, pulling my hand away. He follows me all the way to the door in a sad silence. He tries to follow me through the door, but I carefully block his way.
"I told you to stay down here." I say crossly.
Tears form again. "I know. I was going to. I just wanted to say goodbye..."
"Alright." He doesn't look much happier, but hugs me anyway, pressing his nose into the crook of my human neck. "I'll miss you."
I flush. "I'm not going away forever. Just for a few hours."
He pulls away reluctantly. "Bye."
I sigh. "Goodbye, Marco. See you in a little while."
The door shuts, cutting us off from the other. But I still can faintly hear his anguished sobs.
---------------------
|Marco's POV|
I have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on.
Okay, that's not totally true. I do have *some* idea. I heard while Mr. King explained everything. But... it's weird. It's like there's two people living inside me. Me, and this weird, overly obedient, I've-been- drinking-coffee-laced-with-speed kid. Who happens to be overly affectionate towards Erek and is obeying his every order.
And also seems to be divulging every secret I possess.
Like the whole "You don't care about me the way I care about you" thing. I wanted to die of embarrassment. The whole time I was screaming at myself from way back in a corner of my mind to shut up.
I bet whoever's reading this really wants to know what I meant by that.
That was the only affectionate thing that wasn't induced by that stupid medication. Because, truthfully, I would not be going around begging Erek to sleep with me or holding onto him like a security blanket.
Okay, that's not really how it was, but it's close enough.
Do you have any idea how lonely it is being me? I don't think any of them do. I mean, I have absolutely no one that loves me. Well, Jake, Cassie, Tobias, my dad, my mom, even Ax and Rachel love me. Just not that way. I don't have anyone to run to and hold on to when I'm so scared that I can't think straight. Cassie has Jake, Jake has Cassie. Rachel has Tobias, Tobias has Rachel. Even Ax had Estrid for a little while. But I've never had anyone.
I know who I want, though. I want Erek.
I love Erek. Impossible, I know. And yet, it's possible.
It took me a long time to come to terms with it. Almost an entire year. I was scared to death by it when I first figured it out. I mean, normal boys don't go around falling in love with other boys, let alone android boys.
Then again, I'm not really normal in first place. But adding the fact that I was gay *and* in love with someone that wasn't even human didn't help my sanity any.
Hell, I didn't - and still don't - know if it's even possible for Chee to fall in love. Sure, they love dogs and nature and stuff, but I mean really love. Like mushy-romance kind of love.
I wish I knew, but then, if I did, I might wish I didn't so I could keep on hoping.
And even if Erek can fall in love, what are the chances he'll fall in love with me?
Absolutely zero. Below zero. Like, minus fifty kind of zero. Zilch, zip, none, nada.
I don't even know why I think about it. It just makes me depressed. More depressed, really, since I can't even control my own body. I can see, can hear, can feel, can smell. But I can't control my body. It's like there's a Yeerk in my head.
That thought makes me feel sick.
I have to wait three weeks. Three weeks! And, unlike if there was a Yeerk, no two or three hour break every three days. But also unlike a Yeerk, no one invading my thoughts and memories. No one laughing at me, sneering at my helplessness.
So I guess this isn't so bad.
But I hate not being able to control my own body. It's incredibly embarrassing to know that I'm very untactfully getting all touchy-feely with Erek, and being able to feel it but not being able to stop it.
Also embarrassing knowing that I'm also kind of glad that I can't stop it , because I almost don't want to.
Sometimes, I wonder if Cassie knows. I think she does. Like this morning, she seemed almost happy at my affection. I think she's guessed, or at least suspects.
"Erek..."
My thoughts are interrupted by my own voice, and my devastsated tears. //Oh, shut up.// I think angrily. //I can't wait until I'm back to normal. Or as normal as I can get.//
My body trudges over to the bed, and curles up where Erek had lain only minutes before, pulling the covers over my head, and falling asleep. I try to stay awake, try to fight it, but I only get more and more tired, until finally, my mind is asleep as well as my body.
--------------------------
Okay, no more ending off with people falling asleep! Bad KC, bad! *thwacks herself*
Erm, this chapter went awry too. X_x But at least it's keeping with my general idea for the plot. I bet nobody expected Marco to already be in love with Erek! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!