He bled.

He bled, he bled, and he bled, yet what came out of his body wasn't blood. It was oil, something one would put in a machine. Otto knew he was pure machine now, no longer partially mechanical and partially organic, but the mere sight still threw him off. His hand shook as he reached for Antauri. The tip of his fingers touched the oil, what was now considered Antauri's blood.

None of it felt real. It felt like a nightmare that just looked and sounded real. Otto wasn't even sure if he could consider this better than blood. He was a mechanic, yes, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do here. All he could do was stare at something so different, something he should've gotten used to by now. Despite that, he felt tears coming forth to join his shaky, inconsistent breaths.

Even if there was nothing he could do to prevent them, Otto tried to hold them back.

His whole hand rested on their chest. All his fingers twitched and shook uncontrollably. It felt like it was becoming too much. How could it not?

Antauri held his hand. They softly smiled at him, despite his exterior being smooth and hard. It was so reassuring, like he knew it was gonna be okay. Of course it was, Otto would fix them up without a problem, but it felt like the end of the world every time.

It's okay, they mouthed but Otto couldn't hear anything. You don't have to cry.

It only made him cry harder. Antauri acted like this was yet another day. While it was just that, it still reminded Otto of something that was permanently lost despite them being right in front of him.

Something he nor anybody else could touch again.