Chapter description: After repairing Erie, Billy and her take a trip down memory lane!

Extra description: Dave's plans have been completed!... Thanks to some help.

Tags for this chapter:

some Anxiety and Worry, recurring Thoughts about Marriage, Artificially Regenerated Memories™

Tags for this extra:

helped by an Enemy, mentions of past Deaths

16. Thank You For Reminding Me

From within the operations floor of his lab, Billy heard Erie jolt awake, and sit up. "What the f-..." She took a moment to survey where she was. "Oh, Jesus Christ. He got me, didn't he?"

"It would appear so," Billy replied, each of his vessels giving her more space. "Even in this situation, it's good to see you again. How are you feeling?"

"Physically? Like nothing happened," She demonstrated with the roll of her arm, but she sounded frustrated, "But my ego? Annihilated. We had him, and then he just-! I'm so disappointed in myself." Then, her tone softened. "But enough about me. Thanks, Billy. It's good to see you too."

He couldn't help but grin. "Trust me, I know the feeling far too well."

"And there's our solidarity," Erie joked, then asked, "So, how've things been on your end?"

Ah. Nothing particularly good. No point in dumping in more baggage than she was already going to deal with. "There's not much to share. I'm mainly keeping busy. Oh," A detour. "And before I forget, Alice is waiting on the ground floor. Are you ready to go?"

It worked. One of his selves followed her as she got off the table, joining her in the elevator. From the lighting, he was able to catch a small glint from her left-hand ring. But it's always been there, so why only now did he notice it? "Alice! She's okay, right? Tiara, too?"

"Not to worry, Alice is fine," He was easily able to assure, but when it came to… "Tiara, however, has had to reform quite a few times as of late. But that is all I am aware of."

"Ugh, I can imagine," Erie wasn't surprised, letting him push the button to get the both of them moving. "Between you and me? I think Tiara got more freaked out over Alex using Angell's looks than she lets on. I'd tell her that maybe she could sit this whole thing out, but we can't do this without her. Hell, last time, we only barely captured him!"

He recalled seeing the video footage, from that night in question. Come to think of it, it's already been over half a year since then. He no longer missed the responsibility.

"I'm just hoping that this'll come to an end soon. This is the longest he's ever been free."

"I know, this is embarrassing," She agreed, "How does one guy just keep getting… Better? While locked up? But we stay the same?"

"I have no idea." The floor was reached, and the two paused. They stepped out, once the doors opened. As promised, Alice was sitting in one of the room's chairs, but she got up quickly.

"Erie!" She called, and was lifted off the ground by her much taller partner, the two sharing a hug and kiss. From the same hand, was a matching ring.

No, not just "partner". Wife.

What previously felt trivial, was suddenly unnerving. When he erased those memories, was one of them from their

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" His train of thought was broken when the history teacher gave him a short embrace, but no doubt sincere.

"It's no trouble at all." He replied, very much in modesty.

Soon, the three of them made their way out the front entrance of his home. "So, what's the plan now?" Erie was asking Alice.

"Ah, well… Viktor needs you to retrieve memories for a testimony. We have a prime suspect who's admitted to releasing Alex, but he's having a hard time describing how exactly."

"Shit," Erie spoke under her breath, "It was that 'esteemed guest', wasn't it."

"That's the one." The history teacher nodded, in apprehension. As much as Billy would've liked to learn more, he didn't want to be nosy.

"Alright. The sooner we know, the better. Honestly? I want that guy to go home as much as he does. Something tells me he was never meant to be here."

"And as a rogue…"

"And as a rogue! You get it!" The librarian paused. "What about THRIVE? Has that gone anywhere?" Just bringing it up gave Billy an unpleasant, internal chill. Still, perhaps he could…

"I hope I am not interrupting, but I know something about it."

"Please, by all means!" Thankfully, Alice didn't seem to mind. If anything, she sounded relieved. So, he brought up the recent 'shelter' thing 1 decided on, figuring that the 'sending messengers' ordeal was already well-known by this point.

"Wow," Erie responded, after he finished, "Then I'd be hard-pressed to get one of them to spill the beans on that whole Gathering thing. Unless…"

"Honey, don't," Alice refuted, but lightly, "Aldurra and Alex was one thing, but this is too much…"

"I know. But this feels like an emergency too. Just one set of those memories could save everyone. Like, if we continue being in the dark, we might have a revolt on our hands. And between that and Alex…"

What a terrifying notion. Still, should Billy even be involved in this? Then again… What if this meant Dave could know, even partially, what occurred? But the method in order to do so is indeed dubious. It was conflicting. Maybe he should ask him.

Oh, wait. He hasn't seen any of his DMs in the past five days. Perhaps a visit to his house might help. While the two kept talking, he sent another of himself over there.

And once at the front door, knocked. He waited, and there was no answer. "Dave? Are you home? I have been trying to reach out, but… All I've gotten back was silence. This is concerning." Billy stopped. That… Sounded clingy. Desperate, even. It hasn't even been a week. Was this why?

He shouldn't get ahead of himself. Calm down. Rationalize this.

It's not like Dave to suddenly stop replying, or not see his messages. If Billy was the problem, Dave would've been forward about admitting it. He was not the kind of person to keep it inside, or pretend, or hide in his house in order to push him away.

Okay. No. This is worry. Worry is normal. Worry is normal…

"I understand how important this is to you," He then continued, "However, I would've appreciated advanced notice in the chance that you'd go unresponsive. Or am I missing something?"

… For all he knew, Dave might not even be home. And Billy would just be making an idiot out of himself. So, he tried to ignore the long string of unnoticed DMs, as he added to the pile.

Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [2:19 PM]
Hi Dave, just checking in again.
I've stopped by your house today, but you don't seem to be here.
I'm beginning to grow concerned. I know it hasn't been very long in retrospect, but I do miss you a lot.
If you're free, I'd like your input on something. It's about memories.
Anyway…
'I hope you're doing alright. I love you.'

He glanced down at his left hand, holding his ring finger. This… Has been a semi-recurring thought for a while already, but today made it more prominent. The timing couldn't be worse. Or, did it make sense, due to the situation?

But no matter how things were going, Dave didn't have fingers. Though, if he knew, maybe he would find that to be a ridiculous reason to not go through with it anyway, and the two of them would make it work somehow. For the moment however, it was best to let it be.

He turned away, and left. Just in time, too, as he suddenly realized that Erie and Alice were trying to get his attention. The self who he was speaking to them with. He's never… Zoned out like this before. Was something wrong with him?

"My apologies," He suddenly said, "I got lost in my thoughts."

"Aw, it's fine," Erie shrugged with a grin, "I was just going on this tangent about the theory of relativity." Ah, yes. As one does, from on the lawn of a purple, well-made house.

"A shame I missed it," Her demeanor was contagious. He probably needed that. "Anyway, before you go, I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Go ahead."

"I want to remember our past." Where did that come from? Oh. Right.

"Really…?" But Erie put a hand to her chin in thought. "Well, I have been hoping to find a test subject for my pet project. Sure, I wouldn't be able to retrieve things that weren't already mutually shared, buuut…" She was unexpectedly on-board with this.

"Man, this is great!" She continued, excitedly, "If I could turn the videos into a 3D simulation, I could just change the viewpoint! Obviously the target's thoughts and feelings and such wouldn't be acquirable, but it'd almost be the same thing!"

The way she described it sounded so feasible, sensible. And to add onto this, Dave… Not only could he know, but he would then be able to (somewhat) have his own take on it returned to him. Provided, of course, he was willing. And if he was doing okay to begin with.

"But should we be doing this…?" Alice couldn't help but inquire.

"If people want to!" Exactly.

"Okay, okay… But after the testimony."

"Oh, yeah! Doi…" Erie giggled. Then, she turned back to Billy. "So, what do you say? Are you in?"

The well-made robot bore no hesitation. "I'm in."

"Yes!" She cheered, "Meet me at my house tomorrow. 8 o'clock. Bright and early!"

"You got it." He could feel himself growing lighter from her enthusiasm.

"Alright, let's get this other thing over with," She mentioned to Alice, who nodded. Both waved Billy farewell, and the two leapt high into the air. "Thanks again! See you later!"

"Goodbye! See you then!" Billy half-mirrored, voice raised in hopes they would hear. He couldn't wait.

"In here!" The next day, Erie was almost pulling on him, she was so hyped. Once done, she added, "Okay, this is my current set-up. Just sit anywhere, and we can get started."

The room looked more like an office, frutiger aero in aesthetic, and had an open space in the center. It was quite large, no doubt to accommodate for Erie's natural height. There was a computer with multiple monitors, four in total. Three were lined up, while the fourth was placed on the wall above, much larger than the rest. There were a few chairs, of which he seated himself in.

"So, after we talked, I gave it a try," Erie continued, "Check this out." She spawned two USB connectors, inserting one in the back of her television-like head, the other into the PC. With a wireless connection established, a drive's contents were displayed - two folders.

ERIE_MEMORIES
ERIE_PROGRAM

The relevant one was sorted very cleanly - by years, by date, then finally, by people or events. Erie picked one from 2021, and the top monitor lit up to play it back. In the empty part of the room, a visualizer mapped out the recorded moment, into a 3D space. Pausing the memory, she then gestured to the hologram.

"You can see Candice and I! And then I can just…" Moving closer, she was able to reach into her duplicate's head, plucking out a camera. "Put this wherever I want to! The table, the wall, the window, or even her!"

Nestling it right between the fairy's eyes, she let things play again. Sure enough, the viewpoint from the large monitor showed the alteration, as though it was never Erie's memory to begin with. "Annnd… Voilà! Artificially Regenerated Memories; ARM for short! What do you think?!"

It was… "Incredible… This is quite the breakthrough." He was ready. "If you're able, I am still completely willing to participate."

"I was hoping you'd say that! It'll be quite the process, though."

"That does not bother me." He couldn't stop smiling.

The both of them got to work, making their way through their first meeting, various times they passed by the other and chatted, hung out together, every little recollection. Apparently it'd been Erie's idea to tell Dave his feelings - he always wondered how he randomly got the gumption to do so.

Erie and Billy progressed, and just as suspected, there was. A wedding. Between her and Alice. Which he attended. Melancholy set in. "... I regret forgetting. This one hardly has anything to do with me, and yet…"

"Hm, yeah, I thought I noticed you glancing at our rings," Erie replied, "Look, it's fine, really. It wasn't even your fault." He disagreed, but didn't want to say so.

Finally, he noticed that she stopped, right on the day that Alex arrived. "Alright, that should do it! Now I can copy all these over, and then we can do the tedious, sorting stuff."

"Wait, isn't there… One left?" Erie quieted.

"You… Won't be needing that." A part of him wanted to trust her word. But a much more overwhelming portion was morbidly curious, to see just how everything fell apart. And yet, what if it affected him? Everything here will have been for nothing.

No. He won't allow it to. He promised.

"I understand. However, I wish to see it." Erie sighed to herself, clearly hesitant.

"Okay. But on one condition," She paused, "Know that this horrible lapse of judgment doesn't define who I am, and who we were to each other. I realize that it might be hard, but… And for what it's worth, I would never do that again."

Billy nodded, agreeing to those terms. "Please, proceed." It played.

Erie was in a rush, as she pulled him away from his original job, to help search for Scrina. Alex had yet to be captured, but word had broken out about the murders by his hand. The smaller robot wasn't mentioned, so there was a slim chance that she was still out there.

He took off into the sky, most likely utilizing multiple vessels to cover more ground, but Erie could only perform high leaps to get around. Multiple times, she DMed him, frantically prodding for updates. And his responses were… Unusually brief. If that was what got her even more upset, he couldn't blame her.

They'd searched for several hours, and were fruitless. Meeting back at Infinity School, she let him have it. Here too, he was frustratingly without emotion. Was he just that shocked into acting like this? No wonder she was at her wit's end

"I promise, I'm doing everything I can. Unfortunately, my CPU is near its limit." He heard himself say. Wait. But that only happened if he used more than one hundred of his selves at once.

Oh no. That was the reason. And Erie doesn't know about that.

He was dismissed, with a remark about loss of family, and from behind his back, deemed worthless. At some point, he must've shut down one of his selves, allowing him to feel again. And sometime after, deleted Erie from his mind. He distinctly recalled sitting in the darkness of his house, alone, curled into himself. His face was wet, wondering why he'd been so miserable to begin with, and what were those 99 vessels doing, again?

And then… His friends. His family. His boyfriend. Their safety became top priority. In time, he and Erie would only continue drifting apart, the latter turning resentful once he disallowed her from seeing Alex - the one who knew exactly what happened to Scrina.

From her perspective, Billy was, in fact, a real piece of shit.

"I'm sorry, Erie." His voice was unsteady, as he turned to look at her. She wasn't even watching the screen, staring at the wall.

"No, Billy, don't…"

"Please, let me explain," He saw her pause, then nod. "Yes, we couldn't find her. Yes, I'm not the best at consoling. However, I feel like this was worsened by my overall behavior. When I mentioned my CPU, I meant-"

"No, I get it," She faced him again. "You don't just coordinate that many of the same person, with that level of complexity, without hitting some kind of hurdle. Could I do that with ten? Probably not. Let alone 101."

"... But then, afterward…"

"Well, yeah, that shit hurt! But we didn't know," Her hand landed on his shoulder. "Billy. I'm okay. We've forgiven each other. We're talking as friends now. But you? Are you okay?" That was hard to answer. Aside from being able to do this, he wasn't.

"I may need some time." Was all he could say.

"Thennn, we can skip that one for now. It'll take forever with the others already," Erie replied, then noted, "This next part will require a lot of focus. You up for it?"

Billy re-composed himself, ready to confirm, but stopped the second he opened his mouth. A DM notification. Surprisingly, there hadn't been any up until this point. Maybe it was from Dave! That would really help right about

Dave (THRIVE_Initiative_1) [9:32 PM]
Come to 82's house. He needs you.

"I have a confession to make," The robot abruptly got up, talking at a fast pace. "I am unable to continue with this at the moment." He hurriedly relayed the issues he was facing, that he had previously decided not to divulge. Minus the recurring thought; too personal.

"... Holy shit," Erie stared at him in awe, then turned assuring. "Yeah, okay, go see him. We can pick this up again another time. I'll have them all ready for you by then."

"You don't mind? I know it's sudden-" He was lightly pushed to the door, flinching.

"Go, Billy. It's fine. I'd do the same thing," But her face and tone were considerate. At last, he nodded up at her, then left hastily. When she thought he could no longer hear, she muttered, "If I could catch that 1 bastard…"

Whatever she meant by that, Billy chose ignorance.

Extra: Paved With Good Intentions

"-Activity levels: Normal, and focused," Was the first thing Dave heard, as he slipped into consciousness. "82 should regain full functionality in three. Two. One." Immediately after, his eyes opened, finding himself lying on his work table, seeing the red ceiling of his attic's roof.

It was exactly where he last recalled being. But who was that talking? It sounded like him, but in a much lower octave; possibly one of his counterparts from The Future Is Here. How had one of them gotten into his house?!

He tried to turn his head, but found it difficult. "Mobility is hindered. Expected, but temporary." There was a pause. "Here. I'll make it easier for you." Dave saw blurs of colors, as the other person lifted and sat him up, keeping a hand on his arm. "If I let go, you'll fall."

It was… Wait, who was this, exactly? He was definitely unique - dark gray top, minus the "Robot Suit" text and buttons that a Future Dave would've had, but still had the visor of one. Around his neck, he bore a THRIVE pendant, but that practically went without saying. He was also floating, revealing his unchanged legs, with white shoes.

Overall, he was so familiar, but Dave struggled to piece together how. It was on the tip of his tongue!

"Oh, right, you've technically never met me in person," His visitor realized. "Well, you'll probably flip your lid, but that's fine. I'm Dave #1."

In that instant, everything clicked. With whatever he could muster, he tried to shove the intruder away, but missed by a wide margin. "WHA' ARE OO DO'IN IN MUH 'OUSE?!" Even talking was a challenge. He tried to select his toolbox, but it fell right out of his hand, clattering noisily to the floor.

This was the worst. He was completely, utterly at 1's mercy. What had he done to him?!

"Hm, good try," 1, surprisingly, was unfazed. "Keep that up. It's important to rebuild your muscle memory. And to answer your question: Making sure you didn't die. An anonymous informant tipped me off about your new… Hermit phase. That's my thing, not yours. So I went to investigate. And what in God's name did I find?"

It was like he was expecting an answer. "... Wha' di' yoo fine?"

"Your body, in a pixelated pile of dust," 1's face turned frustrated. "You're lucky. Could you imagine anyone other than a machine language interpreter finding you like this?" How… How could've things gone so wrong? Dave thought for sure… "Also, I finished your procedure, down to your specifications. Except for the parts that I had to modify, or else it would've resulted in you and your house exploding."

No. That couldn't be! Was it possible that 1 was exaggerating? Judging from his incredulous tone, he most likely wasn't. "Look, I know we don't see eye to eye. But would it have hurt you too much to swallow your pride and ask for a second opinion?"

It was none of his business, Dave wanted to say. But it would've come out pathetically. Instead, he ignored the question. "Wai'. Iv tha's true, why isn' i' work'n?"

"Oh, but it is. Perfectly. Go ahead, try something." He knew exactly what he wanted to do, but nothing happened, no matter how hard he focused. Why won't his own home attack his intruder? This was supposed to protect…

That jerk. He sabotaged him!

"Buh it's not," Dave wasn't sure if it showed, but anger seeped in. "You made sure ov tha'."

"Yes, and no," 1 caught on with ease, "The thing is, you can't keep me out, Dave. Who do you think designed the house cube?" Oh no. "You can change how yours looks, lock it all up, put lasers in it, target them at anyone you see fit! But they won't fire at me, because it recognizes its true maker. And unless you really know what you're doing - which, you've proven to me that you absolutely do not - you can't remove my mark on its most internal systems."

In case he was skeptical, 1 lifted his free arm, gave it a wave, and the roof folded in on itself, revealing the outside world. Dave was unable to hide his horror. "Wha-?! Put i' back!"

And 1 did, doing the same motion, but in reverse. "It will do as you ask, but only if it doesn't cause me harm. That's all. The only catch." And it destroyed the whole point of this. All that time spent planning, sorting materials, working… For nothing. "You're welcome, by the way."

Overcome with a mix of terror and rage, Dave let out a yell as he managed to push 1 back, but promptly fell forward and hit the floorboards. "Ow…"

With a yelp, he was suddenly lifted up by the front, greeted by the scathing gaze of his older counterpart. It made his fury dissipate real fast, cruelly being reminded of how little power he had.

"You ungrateful little…!" 1 began, "I just saved your life! Your home! Your relationships! And you decide to bite the hand that helped you? Like some… Arrogant twit?!" Another thought seemed to cross his mind. "Unless… Listen. Do you have any idea what happens to Daves who're left unchecked for too long?"

Dave couldn't reply. But 1 didn't appear to want him to.

"They go mad with power," He continued, "Which leads to them turning evil, or getting a God-complex, or both! And that road inevitably ends with their demise! I've seen it happen outside the Webspace countless times! Believe me, if my reach was on every corner of the Internet, we'd have at least twice as many of our selves than we do today!"

He gave Dave a minute to take all that in, as he, at last, calmed down. "And until this moment, I was convinced that it would never happen here. But I should've known. From the second you tried escaping. I have to keep a closer eye on you." Tried escaping? When?

Once again, 1 could've been making a mountain out of a molehill. For as much as Dave has seen, his fellow selves were practically harmless. But on the other hand, that's only accounting for the ones who did make it here. Still, his intentions were not what 1 was thinking. The opposite, in fact! But…

"Even so, I don' have to ex'lain anything." His voice ended the monologue, despite its shaky tone and imperfect phonics. He was given an unimpressed stare, that Dave was certain was piercing into his soul.

"No, I suppose not," 1 replied at last, "But that doesn't make any difference. In the end, though you may not see it, all Daves are precious to me. So long as I live, I will look after them. Each and every one." Then, from Dave's own inventory, 1 reached in and procured his wheelchair, unfolding it. How did he… How could he…?!

"You have people who love you immensely," He added, as he set Dave in it. Like a parent for a mere child. "And they would be dismayed if you went off the deep end. Remember that the next time you almost disintegrate your form. Please. It would make our lives easier." Picking up Dave's toolbox, he set it into his lap, and he was able to stash it away.

"That being said, I know you don't want me sticking around," 1 went on, as Dave tried to wrap his head around the fact that he somehow won (or lost?) that argument. "So allow me to get you someone you prefer." 1 tabbed to his phone, "hmm"ing to himself. "How about Billy? Won't that be fun? I'm sure he wouldn't mind." No, but Dave would. A lot.

"I don'... I can'..." He wasn't sure how to put it, without giving too many details away.

"Don't, what? Need anyone?" Close enough.

"Yes."

"Oh, please. There will always be times where we need to be cared for. You are no exception. The sooner you accept that, the better. Honestly, I'd thought you would've seen this coming - completely restructuring your house, mind, and body with pixel nanites? What were you expecting, that everything would've been hunky-dory?"

"Then, how'd you do it?" Wow, a sentence that wasn't butchered.

"One piece at a time. The way it should go," 1's answer was so collected, unabashed. "Again. A second opinion would've done wonders." He deselected his phone, moving behind Dave to gingerly push him forward. Even then, Dave did his best to hold on. "Billy saw my message. I'm sure he'll arrive shortly."

If not for his condition, and the fact that he'd probably pay for it, Dave would've socked that self-righteous version of him in the mouth. And the worst part? 1 was right. And Dave hated it.

Once the two were in the living room, it was a few minutes before their expected guest appeared. Of course, he knocked. "Dave? I got here as soon as I could."

"Do come in," 1 answered for Dave. His partner did so with urgency, but had the wherewithal to not tear the door down. His pupils bore those red, glowing dots. Yet, 1 remained eerily calm as he greeted him. "Hey there, Billy. It's been a long time."

"What are you doing here." It was less of a question, and more of an interrogation. To make matters worse, his hand changed into a bullet barrel, but not the size for a tranq dart. No. This was a rifle.

"Hmph, put that away. You wouldn't want to have to fix up that arm again, would you?" A few moments later, Billy reluctantly caved in, and even the dots faded away. "I'm sure he could tell you everything you need to know. But out of curiosity, how long are you going to keep stalling?" Wait, stalling? What was he going on about now?

"I do not understand." But both Daves could see it in Billy's eyes - feigning confusion.

"I think you do," 1 tsked, "You are a terrible liar-"

"Tha's enough!" Dave butted in. Whatever his other self was going to say, he knew it wasn't going to end well. "You did wha' you came here to do, 1! Now get ou' of my 'ouse!" Both peered over at him. Then, surprisingly, the first Dave nodded.

"Fair point. Besides, I have important work to do elsewhere," He acknowledged, "Get well soon. I'll be watching."

He went toward the ceiling, but just then Dave remembered something, using everything he had to turn his gaze up at him. "Wai'. One ques'ion." 1 paused, facing him again with the tilt of his head. "Di'... Did Billy 'ip you off?"

"... No," Was 1's response, "Couldn't you tell? Goodbye." Without any further delay, he phased through the walls, and presumably, went outside entirely. Silence hung in the air, as Dave limply lay against the back of his wheelchair.

Of course it wasn't Billy. What a stupid thing to ask. 1 must believe he is, with a blunder like that. Or, and this was wishful thinking, it could be pardoned due to his current state.

He heard Billy's steps as he approached him. From his peripheral, he appeared nearby, with a look of worry. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Dave tried to face him, and it wasn't easy. "No, he didn'. I'm fine. I's jus' tha'... I's rea'ly hard to 'ove."

"How… How come?"

"I's… A lon' story," Dave sighed, "Look, I know wha' I've said, an' I don' like a'mitting i'. Buh while I'm like this… I need some'ne to…" C'mon Dave. Just say it. "To take. Care. Of me." Now, was that so bad? Yes. "An' I trus' you, more than any'ne else."

After taking a second to process this, he saw Billy bend down to his eye-level. He felt his cool, synthetic skin-clad hands cup his head, gently tilting it towards his direction. "Very well. I'm here for whatever you need. And, you can tell me all about it if you like. I always have time for you."

Gracious. Forget Dave for a moment, was Billy okay? Not knowing how long it's been since he last spoke to him, Dave checked the time and

OH GOOD LORD. Nevermind, this explains everything!

"Aw, Billy… I've 'ade you worry. I'm so sorry."

"... Yes, I would've liked having advanced notice," His partner agreed, though lightly, "But it's alright. What's important is now."

"I will nex' time, I promise!" Dave did his best to try reaching for one of Billy's hands. He noticed, and met him halfway. "This 'ay sound weird, buh I think I'm tired of this place. May I stay a' yours?" In spite of the circumstances, perhaps it might help make up for it.

There was much he wanted to catch up on and discuss, including that odd "stalling" thing 1 mentioned, but Billy seemed uncomfortable talking about it. That in particular could wait. Preferably once Dave felt normal again.

To the question, the well-made robot blinked, then gave a loving smile. "Of course."

Then, as if on impulse, he leaned in and kissed him. While unable to properly reciprocate, Dave's free arm clumsily wrapped around Billy, almost tightly. Billy surely must've noticed, but didn't waver.

More info:

- Truth be told, this chapter had two rewrites. The first was a complete change of plot, the second had an alternate ending (Not a bad one! Just different)
- The first was something to do with a get-together that would've ultimately reunited Dave with Kelly. Felt it was too early for this
- The second ended with a longer talk, and also 1 wasn't interrupted. For the best that he is, guy's talked for long enough

- It could be argued that six and a few more days isn't very much, but it's hindsight, and also, abruptly going silent? Concerning! But unless there was absolutely no other option, Billy would never enter Dave's house without permission
- Even now, there is a fear of being at fault, regardless if the logic doesn't add up. "Did I say or do something wrong? Am I bothering him?" And so on. Anxiety really doesn't care about anything, other than making oneself look like the problem

- First her daughter, then Erie herself, being repaired by Billy's hand. Not that there're very many folks who excel with robotics (and, uh, aren't part of THRIVE). Though, if it gives her an excuse to talk to him, she'll take it
- Her ARM project has not been Viktor-approved yet, but she's sure it will
- Although the reaction to That Memory™ was heavy, she's thankful that Billy didn't take it as badly as when it actually happened

- 1 saw what Dave was trying to do and went "intriguing… but you did it wrong"
- "Introducing: The house cube!" Back in the day, 1 made announcement videos about various, major Webspace updates. In the first few, he still looked and sounded like a Fun Algebra Class Dave! (Try to nevermind Denied talking in the background…)
- He has indeed seen dozens of Daves go down these roads. Often they are destroyed by their own hubris, but sometimes another character kills them
- In canon, Dave seems to be a Robux scammer who ends up trying to kill the player (no really, that's the DFAC backstory)
- Dave's House has him being a bad father, and if you play the remastered one of that, he's a secret boss
- In DFAC2 (The Future Is Here), he has characters frozen in cyro for… Some reason? Also Tristan doesn't want to be found, that says a lot
- And in fanon, when not being represented as a good person, he's straight up evil. So, in this interpretation, several Daves have ended up getting what's coming to them

- This really sucks for Dave, but he'll get better
- His house actually looks unaltered, but its new features are there
- The nanites… All I can say for now is that it'll become very important later