Robot Ninja's are Helpful

Disclaimer: Metalocalypse and Dethklok belong to people who are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic; it is written purely because this idea wouldn't leave me alone.

Rating: PG-13

Part: One of One

Set: Post Robot Ninja's are Scary.

Authoress note: The Robot Ninja is helpful.

For all my reviewers, who without I would have surely given up a long time ago.

Chapter Two

And so it went for two months.

Each evening Charles would come down to the library and 'work', he'd answer emails, take some phone calls and ask himself esoteric questions aloud. Sometimes he'd even give Nathan books or recommend chapters of books that were 'super interesting'.

It took Nathan a little while, but he eventually figured out what Charles was doing. He thought about calling his CFO out on his 'tutoring', but couldn't quite bring himself to do it. If he called Charles out, then it would mean admitting he was trying to pass the stupid exam and if he admitted that, then Charles would start openly encouraging him and then the pressure would build again. So long as they both pretended not to know what each other was doing, the pressure stayed low.

At least until the week before the exam.

Charles sat back, having asked Nathan about the median, mode and range of data about hurricanes, which Nathan had struggled with. Said struggle resulted in Nathan standing, swearing, and punching a wall.

"Why are you doing this?" Charles said when Nathan sat back down. Nathan shrugged. He didn't want to tell Charles about the crow dream. "There has to be a reason. Last time…" Charles trailed off. Nathan watched as Charles' expression changed to one of realisation. Charles had used his robot powers and scanned his brain or something. "Do you find yourself worrying about the future a lot?"

"I don't worry about nuffin." Nathan couldn't make himself look up from the book.

"Ah, of course, how foolish of me to think that." Nathan didn't like the smile on Charles' face. It was small and scheming. It was the look Charles sometimes got before he railroaded another company, or made an amazing deal, or lead some unwitting asshole to their death. It was the smile that made Nathan's skin prickle, though with concern or anticipation, Nathan was never sure anymore.

Four days after the outburst, Charles handed him an envelope.

Nathan tried to open it carefully but still tore the sheet of paper inside. The paper was a jumble of words and numbers, laid out in the most incomprehensible manner known to man.

"What's this?"

"That," Charles smiled, looking far too pleased with himself. "Is my gift to you."

"A piece of paper covered in robot code?"

"It's not code." Charles continued to smile, but it was fading slightly as Nathan failed to understand. "It's an investment account, one just for you. I've set it up so that a small percentage of your earnings goes in each month. It will accumulate interest and grow."

"Oh."

"Like a pension, but one you don't have to wait to cash in, you can cash this whenever you want."

"Oh."

"So, if something ever happened to the band, not that it would, but if it did, then you'd have a nest egg. Cash."

"Oh."

"So, you wouldn't have to worry about getting a job." Charles' grin was back. "But you might also want to think about other kinds of investment. Property is good. It'll give you an income if you rent it out, plus provide you with somewhere to live if needed."

Nathan looked at the piece of paper in his hand, crumpled from his fingers. His hand was shaking. Charles was setting him up, making it so he didn't have to worry anymore. He'd have an out. A back-up plan. An escape. Charles was making it so he wouldn't have to work if the band were killed by crows.

He'd never have to worry about getting a job, filling out an application form, sitting in an interview, learning some boring ass, shitty, minimum wage or less job. Charles was saving him from that.

But why?

Because Charles didn't think he would pass his GED.

Charles knew he wouldn't be able to do it. He knew if the band died from crows, then Nathan would end up in the gutter.

"You don't think I can do this." Nathan crumpled the account statement.

"What?" Charles took a step back as Nathan stood up.

"You don't think I can pass this stupid exam? You know I'm gonna end up doing some shitty job that I hate because I can't do this exam."

"I never said- "

Nathan gripped the desk and flipped it like it was nothing. Paper sailed up into the air and fell down like confetti. The books thumped down around them and Nathan stood, panting, staring hard at Charles.

"You think I'm stupid!"

Charles picked up the crumpled account statement, pulled it straight, and tried to smooth out the creases.

"You're scared," Charles said quietly when the paper was as flat as it could be. "It's understandable. I was always nervous before exams as well."

"I'm not scared. You think I'm stupid." Nathan kicked a book into the wall.

"I think you're nervous and sometimes that gets the better of you." The book flew past Charle's head, the air disturbance making his hair move.

"You think I'm fucking stupid!" Charles pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated but calm in the face of Nathan's display. He waited a moment before speaking..

"If I really felt the way you think, would I have spent my evenings teaching you? Am I in the habit of wasting my time?"

Nathan said nothing. Charles straightened his tie and turned to leave. He stopped at the door but didn't look back.

"I've never thought you were stupid, Nathan."

Three days later Nathan sat the exam.

End Fic

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