Chapter Six-...Is Human
Peter had eventually made his way back from the labs, with only the news that there was nothing but residue from the pure Blue Matter that had changed Spine. He had asked the former robot if he knew, but the Spine apparently only remembered going down to the labs, but not what happened once he was there. Luckily, Peter had also brought some clothes for him, as Lorra had nothing that would fit the extremely tall now-human. Peter had left the two of them with only the orders to keep Spine in her room until he could come get them in the morning for some tests, but to make sure he was comfortable. Once the Walter heir was gone, Spine just sat on the bed, staring at the material in his lap.
"You have to go get dressed, Spine. I can't have you hanging around in here naked. That might have been alright when you were metal, but it won't fly now. You got some junk that needs covering up." She told him candidly.
It was absolutely amazing to see the color of his new skin completely change from the normal color to a rosy pink on his cheeks and bright red up on his ears. "I've..." He hesitated, then cleared his throat and continued. "I've never really worn anything besides what I always wear. I'm not like Rabbit. I never changed outfits. Usually my clothes are just...there."
Lorra's head hung back, staring at the ceiling as she let out a frustrated groan. "I don't get paid enough for this. Remind me to ask Mr. Walter for a raise tomorrow." She told him sarcastically. "Look, I am gonna help as much as possible, but I'm not going anywhere near this area, right here," Lorra swung her hand in a circle, vaguely pointing out his groin. "At the very least, you can put the underwear on yourself, after that, I can help." Turning around, she continued. "Just put one leg in after the other. Make sure the tag is in the back and slip them up all the way." There was some shuffling, clothes falling, and many muttered curses as she tried not to laugh again.
"I think I got it."
Turning around, Lorra got a real eyeful. Not to say that she saw anything indecent (despite the fact that, technically, she already had), because Pete had been kind enough to supply him with a pair of boxers, so nothing actually showed. But, the sight of a mostly naked man in front of her was a bit shocking non-the-less. He wasn't unattractive as a human, but the change was definitely odd. He was still tall and well built (haha, puns), but it was so different to see him like that.
Apparently, she had been standing there, staring, for so long that he had grinned. "What?"
"Huh?" It shook her out of her not-at-all-subtle checking him out. "Nothing, it's nothing. It's just...weird. Almost like I'm in a really vivid dream." Picking up the plaid sleep pants Peter had picked out, she bent to help him get them on. Spine had to put one hand on her shoulder and the other on the wall beside him to keep from falling over again. Peter was a little wider than him around the waist, so Lorra had to tighten the drawstrings on the pants quite a bit to hold them up. As she grabbed the t-shirt and held it open for him, she said, "If it weren't for the fact that my face is still throbbing, I would think it was." With a gentle tug, she pulled the shirt down over his arms, head, and into place down his chest and abdomen. Even without his normal fancy shoes on, he was still so much taller than her that she was only eye-level with his chest.
"Are you sure you're ok? It looks pretty bad." He leaned down some so he could get a closer look.
"I'll be alright. I'm sure it looks worse than it is." Noticing the way his legs were shaking, Lorra pulled his arm over her shoulder and led him to her work station and sat him down in the chair. "You aren't used to actually having muscles. It might take you a while to get used to it." She moved away to pull the remains of cloth off her bed and get more sheets on it. "There's no telling how long you might be like this, but it might be long enough for you to have to get used to being human. That means eating, drinking, using the bathroom, and being way more careful than you're used to having to be. We aren't as durable as robots. Hitting us with a bass like Hatchy did to you a while back would more than likely break a rib, maybe even puncture a lung. Get caught under something, and we wouldn't be able to just lift it off like you could." With one last swipe of her hand over the sheets to smooth them out, she turned back to see him watching her with furrowed brows. "What's up?"
It took him a moment to respond. It was like he was contemplating everything she had just said much seriously than she had meant it. "I could die." He said finally.
His words hit her like a ton of bricks. "Well...yeah." Lorra pulled a stool up to sit down next to him. "I guess, when you put it like that, being human doesn't sound so great, does it?"
"No, no, it's not that. It's just...I think that may have had something to do with what happened to me..."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure...I think...no, it's nothing."
Not altogether convinced, Lorra watched him for a moment. "Ok. Well, if you think of something, you know you can tell me. Anyway, let's get you to bed. After everything that just happened, I'm sure you are exhausted."
"I don't know. I feel...like I need to close my eyes. They feel heavy." His statement was finished off with a yawn.
"Yep, you are tired, my friend. Welcome to your first night of being human. You need sleep, just like the rest of us. Come on, you can sleep in my bed for tonight. I'm sure Pete with come up with something by tomorrow morning."
"Where are you going to sleep?"
"Uh, I'll be alright. I'll just make a pallet on the floor. Wouldn't be the first time. Now, we both need sleep, so, come on. Let's get you to bed."
He let her slip her arm around his waist again and help him fall back onto the bed. It was almost silly how she dutifully tucked him in like a child, kissed him on the forehead and bade him goodnight.
Sleep did not come easy to Lorra that night. Something about the whole situation was way off. Something about the look in Spine's eye when he had started talking about what had happened put her off. It wasn't right. Whatever had really happened down in those tunnels, it was just the beginning of something huge. She could feel it.
)0(
A/N: Super short chapter, but I needed to get this one out before I finished up for the night. I will definitely be continuing this story, along with many of the others on my profile, so don't worry. I will not leave you hanging like that again, my dears.
Much loves
AcaciaDawn
