N couldn't help but feel nervous as he walked down the corridors. Looking nervous would hurt things, but he couldn't help the thoughts spinning around in his head. What if V figured out why he was there? What if he messed up and didn't get to ask her in the first place?
Also debatably helping things was a metal cradle they'd made specifically for Lizzy and V all wrapped in a blanket in his arms. Uzi was not going to let him be seen with it and he was honestly in agreement. This object was legitimately not intended for their use and he was not about to let the colony start talking about them in that light. They'd handle this journey on their own terms.
With a shaking hand, he knocked on their door. It slid open.
"You", was all the blonde on the other side said.
"Lizzy", he addressed her, "hey uh, Uzi and I kinda made a thing for you guys, so if you don't mind-".
Lizzy interrupted him as she called out, "hey babe, N's here".
"Alone?", she asked. He could see her sitting on their couch inside.
"He's got a thing. Or whatever", Lizzy stepped aside to let him in. N quickly entered their living space with the cradle in tow, setting it down where they could see it. V looked up at him from the couch with a disappointed look. If he had to guess, he'd just interrupted some personal time between the two.
"So, uh, hey!", he waved at them as Lizzy joined V, "Uzi and I made a little thing for you two. Hope you enjoy it". Time to pull this bandaid off, he grabbed the blanket off the thing and presented the cradle to them.
"Oh", V said, "it's uh…".
Lizzy rolled her eyes, "babe, you need your glasses?".
V huffed, "as if. I don't need glasses to see this… thing".
Lizzy smirked as she put her hands on her hips, "you can't just call N a thing. Ugh. Rude".
"You know what I meant".
"I dunno, babe. What did you mean?".
"Guys", he said, earning a look from both of them, "girls, I mean. I-Is it… really that hard to tell what it is?".
V shrugged, "it's obvious what it is".
"So tell us what it is", Lizzy smirked.
"It's uh…". Lizzy gave her a moment before handing over her glasses. When V could finally see her expression completely changed. "You dorks built us a cradle?".
N smiled, "yep! We figured it would be useful!".
"Dude", Lizzy pointed a finger at him, "you're only now giving us this? Would've been real nice to have had a year ago when we had Chloe".
V jabbed Lizzy in her side with her elbow, "we're getting this for free".
Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Fine, let me see if she's up", Lizzy said before heading into their bedroom.
V looked at him with probing eyes from the couch. He was almost convinced that she was trying to read his thoughts. He offered her a wave with a hand trying to stifle his nervousness. V answered back with the appearance of a raised brow.
The blonde Worker came back into the room with Chloe wrapped in a smaller blanket. Lizzy handed the small round machine off to N, "you woke her up, so hold her a moment".
N took Chloe into his arms, some new sense of worry overtaking him as he remembered what he was here for. He watched Lizzy fold the sheet and place it down into the cradle, the blonde drone giving him a look. "Wait", he said, "maybe we should move it first to where you guys want it?".
V got up and walked over to them. "In our bedroom, don't come in", she told N as she grabbed the object in her hands.
"I've seen it before", N protested.
"On accident", Lizzy added.
V's tail flicked in annoyance, "whatever. Bring her in". V hauled the cradle in and placed it against a wall.
"Not that side of the room", Lizzy sighed.
"And move your dresser?", V pointed out.
"V, babe, you know our closet's full. I need that dresser".
"I think where it's at is a good spot", N chimed in.
Lizzy sat down on their bed, "eh, whatever".
"N", V grabbed his attention, "over here. Let her see if she likes it".
N walked over to the cradle with Chloe, he gave V an uncertain look before being coaxed to place the infant in it. During this, Lizzy got up and wandered over to them again.
"Hoping she likes it", V said as she gave the infant a lookover.
"Uzi and I worked pretty hard on making it good. It was kind of a fun distraction", he admitted.
V gave him a look, "which one of you wanted to build it?".
"Uzi did".
"Uzi?", Lizzy said in disbelief, "that nerd's actually got some motherly vibes?". N blushed, a fact the other two adult drones in the room took notice of.
V put a hand on her hip as she addressed Lizzy, "I think I just won this bet".
"As if", Lizzy raised a hand, "you can't claim it from just that alone".
"W-What are you two talking about?". Contrary to his words, N had a very good idea what they were talking about.
V folded her arms, "as if we're gonna tell you what it is".
"...You used to not tell me things a lot", N's eyes looked at her, something approaching disappointment crossing his face.
"Well we're not gonna do anything that could mess with this little game", Lizzy said, "so stay a while and maybe we'll tell you".
N blinked. Sure, this would make what he was really there for easier to do, but at the same time he knew what they were talking about.
"Uh, sure", he said as he resigned himself to this fate.
With a careful hand, V leaned against the cradle. She gave N a questioning look, "so what made you two build this for us exactly? We've never said that we needed one".
"Oh, uh", N scratched the back of his head nervously, "Uzi makes a lot of stuff. This was something she wanted to do".
"She's never been all that attached to Chloe", V pointed out, "aside from that last time you dorks babysat her, she kinda just shys away from her".
N fidgeted nervously with his hands, "she kinda learned how to be a mom last time. It was really cute…".
"And you're sure that's all there is?", Lizzy added from the bed.
"Y-Yeah. I think".
Lizzy and V exchanged a knowing look.
"And if I let her babysit Chloe again she'd be all for it this time, right?", V asked.
"Probably…", he shrugged.
"You know, N", V put a hand on his shoulder, "you'd make a good dad".
"V", Lizzy hissed, "don't you dare force him into doing anything. Gotta keep some respect, girl".
"Jeez. It doesn't count if it's honest. Bet's still on".
Lizzy groaned, "whatever~ If I'm gonna be honest too, then yeah. Dude's good with our Chloe".
Ok, so they were on the same page on that topic at least. But he was curious, "you guys mean that?".
Lizzy was clearly about to say something else before quickly her expression changed. After a short moment of thought she said, "well, like, you're probably the one guy we can count on for babysitting. So, like, that would make you a pretty good dad".
"Oh. Thanks", a small smile appeared on his face.
"N", V began, "we both don't understand this whole family thing, but you've been… really good at picking that up"
"V", he said.
"What".
"Do you ever worry about stinging her?".
She blinked a few times before giving him a confused look, "w-what? Like accidentally?".
He froze as embarrassment set in. Yeah, he came over to talk to her about that, but letting it out that abruptly? Oh, he did not think this through.
"Y-Yeah".
"Do you?", she asked.
His eyes shifted around uncomfortably, "sometimes. I just worry that what I am could hurt someone. If I should just… remove the vial already and be as close to normal as we're gonna get".
"Has it happened before?", V asked.
"Not much. Not in a long time", he said, "never with Chloe".
V's eyes settled on Chloe sleeping in the cradle, "I don't worry about it. I'm her protector, and that includes protecting her from myself".
"Literally and all that?".
She nodded, "yeah, but also protecting her from seeing a darker side of me. She's too young to understand that yet, so for now I'm alright with making sure nothing hurts her little body".
"Babe?", Lizzy said from the bed. N could tell that something about what she said had touched Lizzy just on voice alone.
"We're not monsters, N", she looked at him, "don't let yourself believe that. Our tails, what weapons we still got… we're still people at the end of the day. We're not the bodies we were put in".
He looked at her with wide eyes, "that was… nice. You must've thought about this a lot".
"Well… You get into this situation and things change pretty quickly. I've had time to think it over and accept it", a weary smile appeared on her face. Lizzy got up to hug V, the two quickly falling into each other's embrace.
What V said really touched N as well. Now he had his answer, and he wasn't really shocked at it. What she was talking about brought him back to protecting Uzi over the years, something he was sure V had felt regarding Lizzy and Chloe. He never liked using his weapons for that reason, violence was nearly scrubbed from his system at this point. However, he imagined there were other uses for the bizarre assortment of weapons within his body. Definitely not playthings for children - though Uzi would gladly teach their future kid to use a firearm, he had no doubt about that. That wouldn't be his doing, though.
He still had neutralizer, maybe there's some other use for the vial on his tail…
"Thanks… V", he said, "I think I needed that". The two parted as their attention returned to N. He suddenly felt a little awkward, adding, "well, uh, I'd hate for this visit to be like this, so do you guys wanna hang out in the front room a bit?".
Lizzy looked at V, "I dunno, babe. Do we?".
"Oh, only if you want!", N said.
"I think we do", V said as she lead them out of the room, "pick a couch".
Lizzy and V sat together on one couch as N found himself on the other. V put the arm on Lizzy's side up on the top of the couch, her arm behind Lizzy's head. N sat politely on his couch.
"Did you hear?", Lizzy asked, "apparently we're getting a few new drones in from Outpost 6".
"Workers wanna move here?", N asked.
Lizzy shrugged, "I can't blame them. Ours is, like, so much better".
V sighed, "great, more fresh oil to introduce myself to".
"I heard about it from my dad", Lizzy explained as she leaned back into the couch, "I need to welcome them in and blah blah. They got homes picked out and all".
"Wait, why did your dad know about this?", N asked.
Lizzy sighed, "cuz they got a kid with them. Added them to the school roster and stuff. What? Uzi didn't know?".
"She and her dad are still kinda…", N trailed off not wanting to finish that sentence.
"I can't believe this colony really let that man keep his job as leader, or whatever", V said, "after how he bungled our break-in, I thought they'd kill them if we didn't".
"V", N said sternly, "Mr. Khan's not that bad".
"He just stood there as we killed people", V looked at him with such intent, "he left Uzi for dead?".
"It was kinda scary, not gonna lie", Lizzy added.
N shook his head, "V, you and I were killing people when he did that. You wanna think the same of us?".
An irritated look crossed V's face as she looked at the ceiling in annoyance. "Ugh. Fine. Yeah, maybe the guy's changed but I don't buy it".
"He's changed", N insisted, "he just really wants to be a dad but Uzi doesn't want to spend time with him".
"But you do?", V asked.
N fidgeted with his fingers, "y-yeah. He's actually pretty fun. I know what he did to her, but I don't want to hold that against him when he's trying to make an effort".
"Dude", Lizzy said, an eyebrow appearing on her screen.
"N-No, I mean it!", his hands tensed, "if I hold that against him, then what's stopping anyone from holding what I've done against me?".
V shrugged, "fair enough, I guess".
"Ew", Lizzy said, "that is some rad misplaced sympathy".
He looked at them, disappointment clear on his face, before it vanished and he grew fixated on his fingers. "Never had a dad", he said, "never knew I wanted parents until he started treating me that way".
"I don't blame you", V stated, "Tessa's folk were awful".
"I never knew…", he said, "never knew parents could be… nice".
"Does Uzi know about this?", Lizzy asked, "this is some tasty gossip, dude".
"I think she knows".
"You think , huh?", V stated.
"I don't make it a secret, V. I don't act weird when the three of us hang out", N looked at her, "I'm myself, and that's it".
"You know you'd make a better dad than him, right", Lizzy asked.
"Yeah, he told me that".
"Hold up. What?", V said, "what context?". N became flustered and tried to hide this fact.
Lizzy blinked in disbelief, "ok, wow. Didn't know the dude wanted grandkids".
"So is Uzi on board with that, or…", V stopped as a realization hit her, "did you two make that cradle you brought over as practice?".
"Uh, maybe I should go?", he suggested, "Uzi's probably worried about me, so-".
"N, you're avoiding the question", V pointed out.
He laughed nervously, "oh! Uh, another time maybe?".
"This is so obvious, dude", Lizzy stated.
"Haha, what's obvious?", he got off his couch.
"Why you're avoiding answering the question, dork", V said, "you randomly asked me earlier about caring for Chloe. Is that not obvious in retrospect?".
Digital sweat appeared on his screen, "uh, nope! Not obvious at all! You're gonna have to explain it to me".
"Oh my robo-God, N. It's so obvious that you and Uzi-". There was a knock at the door.
N was first to act, "I'll get it!", he exclaimed as he opened the door.
It was probably the last person he wanted there at the moment.
"Hey, uh. I was wondering if things were going ok here", Uzi said from outside the door.
"Uzi it's going weird", he whispered.
"N, what are you talking abou-".
"Hey, Uzi!", V shouted from the couch, "come in, we're having such a lovely chat, aren't we?".
Lizzy nodded, "very nice chat. It's an honor to allow you to join us"
"Ok. Weird", Uzi said as she walked in closing the door behind her, N walked behind her as if she were a shield, "what's with the formality today?".
"What's with the coat ", V pointed out.
Uzi glanced down at the large coat she was wearing around her body. She returned the look, "why do you wanna know?".
"Cuz it's weird, girl", Lizzy said, "I wouldn't be caught dead wearing that thing".
"The jacket is weird?", Uzi asked.
V sighed loudly, "you two make it so obvious when you're hiding things".
Uzi exchanged a confused look with N. "Like what?", Uzi asked.
"N here seems to be under the impression that you two are-", V was cut off.
"We're good and we're doing fine!", N chimed in, "now let's go home, Uzi!".
He was about to open the door when V said, "you two want a baby, right?".
Uzi's eyes hollowed out, "N? You told them?".
"I didn't. They just figured it out!", he protested.
Uzi blushed as she realized her mistake. Soon, the couple on the couch started laughing.
"Oh my robo-God, that was so easy!", Lizzy laughed.
"Ok, cash out on the bet. Looks like I won!", V exclaimed.
Uzi facepalmed, "jeez did you guys really have a bet going on for that?".
"Hold up, hold up", V raised a hand, "which one wanted it first?".
Uzi pointed at N, "he did".
V looked at Lizzy, "alright, Thad needs to pay up".
"What the hell!", Uzi fumed, "how many other people are in on this?".
"Just us", Lizzy said.
"That's still too many", Uzi sulked.
"Chill", V said, "it was so obvious you two would eventually want one. Or N at least would".
"And what's that mean? You think I can't be a good mom?", Uzi gave her a tense look as anger took over.
V sighed, "Uzi, I've seen how you handle Chloe and… you would. I think you would be good".
"Wha-What?", Uzi stammered, "you really mean that?".
"Do you want me to take it back?", V asked.
Uzi huffed, "ok, guess I won't let you then".
"Uzi", N put a hand on her shoulder causing her to look back at him, "maybe it's time we left".
Uzi pointed a finger at the duo on the couch, "listen here, you tell no one about this. Got it?". A chorus of sighing broke out on the couch as V and Lizzy reluctantly agreed to Uzi's demand. "Don't even cash out that weird bet either. We don't want to be gawked at. I am done being the weird chick the colony wants to talk about", she added.
"Girl, your personality's weird", Lizzy said, "people are gonna find something to talk about".
Uzi sulked and grabbing N, she made her way over to the door. "Uzi", N said, "Uzi hold up I think you-".
" What is that?", V asked, pointing at her.
Uzi froze, "what?".
"What the hell is under that thing?", V asked, her body lifting off the couch in confusion.
Uzi realized her jacket had slipped. Her eyes hollowed out as she realized what they could probably see.
"I think they can see it", N whispered.
Uzi shushed him as she slowly looked behind her. The jacket had slipped enough that part of the tail was no longer covered up. Her eyes met V's as she struggled to figure out to explain this.
"That's not what I think it is, is it?", V asked.
"It's… uh…", Uzi tried. Her tail twitched as she thought.
V blinked, "it's… a tail. You put a tail on?".
"...Yeah?".
A moment of silence passed until Lizzy started laughing, "so much for not sticking out!".
"Bite me!", Uzi snapped, "if people wanna treat me weird, then I'm just gonna own it! I had a tail before! It's useful!".
"I think it's cute…", N nervously added.
V put her hands on her hips, "Uzi, take that thing off".
"Tail's already super put on".
"Not that", V said, "the jacket. Take it off and own that tail".
"What? You're not gonna laugh at it?", Uzi asked.
V's own tail flicked in annoyance, "who am I to judge?".
Uzi decided to not reply that V often did, even if mostly jokingly. With uncertain moves, she pulled the jacket off her. Her tail extended out as it found more room to exist in.
V tilted her head observing it, "Disassembly Drone tail? Well, join the club".
"We pulled the vial off it", Uzi made the tip come into view.
"Smart. Certainly looks long on you, but that's because you're so short".
"And that thing's useful… because?", Lizzy asked.
Uzi grabbed the tip, "I got ideas. My old tail could grab stuff".
"I can confirm that", V added.
Uzi continued, "so I'll probably make an attachment that can do that. Or stick a hand on it or something, I don't know".
V shrugged, "whatever floats your boat. Just don't try hiding it, that's stupid".
"Thanks?", Uzi said.
V sat back down, "alright. You two have fun with the new tail and baby at some point I guess".
"We will!", N chirped.
"Uh, bye?", Uzi said as she felt around for N's hand.
"Bye~", Lizzy told them.
The two timidly opened the door out. One of Uzi's hands was held by N and the other holding the oversized jacket. N opened the door for them and they walked out.
V and Lizzy looked at each other. "They're such dorks", Lizzy said. V nodded in agreement.
Out in the corridors, the two made their way back home. The halls were mostly empty, but Uzi was glad not many looks were thrown their way. Her tail found itself wrapping around N's, the other drone not minding this.
"Hey, N?", she asked.
"Hmm?".
"Did you get what you went over there for?".
His smile deepened as he recalled, "yep! V told me some stuff that meant a lot. I'm really excited".
Uzi smiled. Though the other Disassembly Drone could still be prickly with them, they were still friends. She was glad V could help N, though she supposed V also helped her today too.
"Yeah. I am too", Uzi said, "I kind of already want to get this whole thing started now. See who we make".
N blushed at the idea, "y-yeah. I think we got this".
"We do have this, dork", she nudged him lightly.
N laughed, "so maybe we do. What's stopping us?".
"Well for one, we still got to clean up the place and move stuff to dad's".
"That it?".
Uzi thought for a moment, "yeah, I think that's it".
He turned to her excitedly, "then let's do that tomorrow!".
His infectious energy made a huge smile break out on her face, "ok, we'll do that!".