[A/N: hhhhhhh. Sorry. I had fun with this one. I hope it flows okay, it's another stitched piece.
TW/CW: anticipation/excitement, work/ing, date, flirting, friendship, robot kisses, running?, nerves, nighttime, outdoors, doing something for someone, tripping, hugging, flowers/plants, concern, a bee!, tenderness, pining, reflection, imagination?, desire?, confessions, hhh passion]
AUTO waited with incredible excitement for the day to be over. Of course he wasn't just sitting around: he was typing away on the computer consoles in the cockpit in the way that he had always done. He had proper fingers now, which sped up some of these processes, but having actually been detached from the ship forced many of his automatic operations permanently into manual mode. Being the AUTOPILOT meant that he still felt most comfortable doing all of that work himself. It was a little more tedious this way, but he would far rather keep his new ability to leave the ship over being able to effortlessly control it.
Currently he had plans for the evening. He was usually almost fully drained of energy by this time, but because he knew that he had something to look forward to, he plugged himself into his charger as soon as he returned to his station from the work day. It was made out of his old axle, so it allowed him to move around in the same places he had known better than his own coding. All of those places were carefully determined to allow him to best complete any tasks that his own personal systems couldn't control. Toiling while charging was what he had always known, and completing his duties as he charged was something that even he would consider 'natural' for himself. It felt good to work and move and charge like this again, and it lifted his spirits even farther than just his anticipation did.
He turned around swiftly as the GO-4 Hole door slid open, and his guest made an embarrassed tone to announce himself. "I apologize for the delay. I must really recalibrate the CARSTICs to be better able to repair the modified robots. They are still repairing some as if they were their original versions." He sighed. "I dislike having to reapply those modifications so frequently."
"Affirmative, that would probably be for the best. But that is something to complete later." AUTO zipped over towards him, still sitting in his charging dock. He made a happy chime. "Hello my love!!!"
Unit 2 beeped brightly. "Hello AUTO!!! How are you today???" He was still too shy to call his partner any pet names.
"I am very well!! I have been excitedly anticipating our scheduled excursion since we had decided on it! I cannot wait any longer for our date to begin!!!" He anxiously wiggled his hands.
GO-4 beeped a bit shyly. "I am eager as well! Have you completed your duties??? And how is your charge level?"
"Affirmative, all necessary tasks have already been completed. I was too roused to remain still, so i figured that some redundant work would fill the time. My charge is fine: it is at 32% currently. That will be more than enough for the few hours that we can use."
"That is… almost comfortable. You know your batteries better than i do, so i will accept your opinion. But please inform me if your charge runs low: we can always postpone any plans to complete at a later date."
AUTO giggled. "So we will be having another proper date sometime!" GO-4 beeped quizzically because he did not understand what he meant. "Oh, nevermind. Let us waste no more time here!" He popped off of his charger and unplugged the cable from himself. He beeped for GO-4 to follow him to the elevator so that they could escape the confines of the ship.
AUTO was so eager to get to where he was going that he started rushing off just as the doors had opened enough to let him through. GO-4 was stunned for a moment, but quickly caught up to AUTO, who was hurrying ahead. "Did you have any specific plans for us???"
"I do indeed! Some of the crops started blooming today and i imagined that you would enjoy seeing them. I saw that there is a waxing gibbous moon this evening, so there should be ample enough light for us to enjoy the view."
GO-4 wasn't quite too sure what those words meant in relation to the moon, but if AUTO thought that it was okay for them to go outside; with neither having proper lamps to light the darkness; then it must be safe. "That sounds wonderful, AUTO." He processed for another moment, and then made a bashful tone. "Do you really think about me while you are outside working???"
"Of course i do! I often think about you, GO-4." AUTO stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. "I love you a great deal. Even more than as a romantic partner: you are one of my very best friends."
GO-4 had almost bumped into him when he stopped, but hovered back a pace to look at him. His hard drive ramped up in speed as AUTO spoke, and he became overwhelmed at the last sentiment. He made a strange, whiny beeping sound. "W-we-we're friends???"
AUTO giggled gently. "Yes, of course we are friends!" He inched nearer and raised his hands to very delicately hold his partner. "I have considered you a close personal friend since the fourth diagnostic you had given me." GO-4 shivered a bit at the tenderness. "I am very happy that we are more than that now." He leaned in carefully and touched his front panel to GO-4's, giving him a small, sweet kiss of electricity.
GO-4 made a few quiet emotional tones and beeps, completely uncertain as to what particular feeling it was that AUTO conjured in him. He stuttered. "I-i-i l-love you!!!" He leaned forward without his usual reservations and kissed AUTO for a few full seconds. AUTO held him close and reciprocated, hoping that GO-4 understood that he wanted him to be happy.
GO-4 leaned back to sheepishly look at AUTO when he thought he had extended the embrace for too long. AUTO continued to caress him for a moment more, and beeped contentedly when he finally released him. "Come. We should not allow our opportunity to slip away." He continued to lead the way, starting out at a normal pace so that GO-4 wasn't left in the dust.
The two exited the ship and looked around at the dark world outside. The sky looked lovely, as many stars were visible, but GO-4 became concerned that there might not be enough light between them and the moon to allow them to safely wander.
"The crops are in this direction." AUTO pointed to a place not very far from the side of the ship. GO-4 immediately recognized where AUTO had wanted to go because it was illuminated clearly by several small spotlights embedded in the Axiom.
"What is casting those lights???" He followed as AUTO started to hover towards his goal.
"I set some of the emergency life pods to cast their lights upon the garden. Some positioning adjustments were made, but the power being used is coming directly from the Axiom. Auxiliary power: it will have no effect on that which is stored in the pods. I will return them to proper standby when i return to the cockpit."
AUTO had never ventured far with the things he would do with the ship. If something wasn't intended to be used in a certain way, then AUTO didn't use it in that way. Knowing his concern with safety in particular, adjusting the life pods to direct light at one point was very out of the ordinary for him. AUTO had given no hint of concern about it, so he must be very confident in his preparations. GO-4 was surprised that he went through all of that effort. "Really? You did that for us???"
"Affirmative. I want you to be able to view the flowers well. I am worried that you might not have an opportunity to see them in proper daylight, so i did my best to illuminate them using what i had available. I do not believe it will strongly impact their growth rate."
GO-4 wouldn't have been able to answer that. "That is very thoughtful of you, AUTO. It is unlike you to be so adventurous with the use of the ship."
He made a warm tone. "It is well worth it. These are all simple adjustments to tools that are unlikely to be used now that we are grounded. Besides, i know that you will greatly enjoy the view. Your happiness is an incredible muse for me to try new things."
GO-4 tripped on the words and fell flat on his face. AUTO turned around and floated over to him. "Are you alright, dear???"
His speaker was muffled. "I-inconclusive. Physical systems all seem optimal." AUTO lifted him up and scanned his front panels. "But i f-feel as if my intelligence might be c-compromised."
He spoke gently. "You simply tripped. There should not be much concern about your system integrity."
"That is… not the cause of the glitches."
AUTO giggled. "I understand what you mean, GO-4. I sometimes feel a bit silly when i am particularly lovestruck." He pulled GO-4 in for a quick kiss, and then set him down. "Are you able to see any of the flowers yet???"
GO-4 was dazed: only able to recognize that what AUTO said was completely applicable. "Huh???" He processed. "Oh!" He looked at the plants around them, but wasn't able to clearly see many individual flowers in the low light. "It is difficult to distinguish them."
"They are more visible in the light. We are almost there." AUTO had led them through the far end of the illuminated area so that they wouldn't cast shadows on the flowers. "Here we are." AUTO was aware of the difference between the way they looked in this artificial light compared to the sun's natural light, but GO-4's optic wasn't able to make such minor distinctions. AUTO felt a little bad about it, but he was happy that GO-4 was able to see them at all.
GO-4 slowly absorbed the image of the field. He looked down and was careful to identify the individual flowers among all of the leaves that encircled them. They seemed more delicate, as some of their edges crumpled up like soft fabric. He idly wondered if they found it uncomfortable to be folded up like that, but then remembered that plants didn't have feelings like people did.
AUTO watched him as he studied the plants. "What do you think of them???"
GO-4 glanced at him, and then turned back to the flowers. "They are very interesting. I have not had an opportunity to be so close to flowering plants." He looked at him again. "Our jets will not harm them, correct???"
AUTO thought his concern was very sweet. "Correct, plants are rather hardy when it comes to that sort of thing. If we had strong or hot exhausts, then we may have a problem. But the plants will barely notice the two of us being here."
GO-4 turned to them again with relief. "That is good. I do not want to harm them." He carefully hovered forward a bit, and stirred a plant enough for something to come out of it. It flew up from one of the flowers, and GO-4 backed up a pace because he was unsure of what it was. It hovered up to where he could better see it, and he tried to examined what he could of the little beast. "What is that???"
"That is a bee. They are pollinators: they help the plants grow." They watched it fly around. "They are more common during the day. I am happy that you were able to see one."
"Did i hurt it???" He was worried, as it was getting further away from him.
AUTO spoke gently. "I do not believe so. It does not appear to have any issues flying." It hovered beyond the ship's lights, and GO-4 quickly lost sight of it.
"Are there any more in the field currently???" He looked around at all of the flowers, hoping that he would not disturb them.
"Possibly. As i said, they are usually active during the day. Perhaps the lunar cycle convinces them to stay outside later than usual." He watched as GO-4 attentively scanned the ground, and he spoke softly. "You do not need to worry about disturbing them. They are fickle insects: they jump between flowers whenever they feel like it. I do not believe you could ever hurt them, GO-4." He chimed. "You and the bees could live side-by-side and never get in each other's way."
His tension eased. "That is good…" He very slowly moved around when he needed to, just in case anything was more sensitive than average.
AUTO gazed at GO-4 as he continued to cautiously examine the flowers. He was touched that he was still concerned about harming any of the plants or insects around them. It was endearing to see that all of the care that GO-4 had in him extended to these things that he had never before experienced. It was one of AUTO's favorite things about him, and he felt his hard drive run as he watched him.
He was unable to even look at the flowers around them. He was too preoccupied with watching his partner. The bright light from the life pods fully illuminated one side of GO-4's frame, and the other was softly enveloped in the darkness of the night around them. The distinction cast a strong gradient along all of the hard and soft curves that made up GO-4's body, and AUTO imagined that it would make a handsome new paint job for him. The light filtered through his dome, creating a gentle red glow on the tops on his shoulders that AUTO found very comforting. He imagined that the light would be very warm if he ran his hand through it, but he decided against it.
The thought made AUTO consider something again. He looked down at his hands, and at the leaves scattered underneath them. He closed his fingers and remembered what a fantastic job GO-4 had done to create this casing for him to be able to move in these ways that he was not built to. He knew that he wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for the work that GO-4 had done on his body, and he was incredibly thankful for all that he had done. He looked up at his lover again and wondered if he had ever considered doing something similar for himself.
He decided to ask. "May i ask you a personal question, GO-4???"
He turned to look at him and beeped. "Of course, AUTO."
He hovered up next to him. "If you could have any other attribute to your casing, what upgrade would you like the most???"
He beeped again, as the answer was easy for him. He always knew what upgrade would be best for him. "I would greatly enjoy having arms."
AUTO nodded. "That makes sense. The work that you do: it would have made sense if our designers had given you arms. I will say, they are very handy to have." He paused for a moment, and then giggled at his unintentional joke.
GO-4 felt his hard drive flutter, and he made a quiet tone in adoration. "I imagine so. They would allow my work to be more efficient. It is very difficult to hold some of the parts and tools simultaneously, even with my split stasis beam."
"Yes, it seems that arms would have greatly benefited all of the GO-4s. But perhaps our designers imagined that you all would be doing work more akin to what Unit 1 was programmed to do. Certainly he got along without, but then, he never did quite as much as the rest of you. I still wonder how he managed to attain that position."
GO-4 huffed a giggle. "Yes, it is quite puzzling. My brothers and i were always baffled as to what the humans must have intended for us, with him as the primary unit. But i suppose that it is all in the past."
"Of course. But it does not mean that the future has to remain that way. There may come a day when you all receive upgrades like so many of us have. It would benefit you now, and would certainly benefit you in the future." He glanced away. "Additionally, having arms would allow you to do this." AUTO leaned in and scooped GO-4 into his arms, holding him dearly. After a few moments, he pulled them apart only enough to look him in the eye again before kissing him. He hugged him delicately and lovingly.
GO-4 made a few flustered beeps, but made a sighing tone when AUTO reverted to the soft hug. He took a quiet minute to enjoy the embrace, but felt that he had to be honest. "I must admit, AUTO: i desperately wish that i could reciprocate these gestures." He kissed him. "The electricity is not enough to properly express how i feel about you."
AUTO made a tone. "I understand what you mean. My wheel handles would not have satiated my desire to hold you this close." He kissed him for a few seconds. "These arms do a magnificent job on my end. But i wish that i could feel your arms around me as well. I can so clearly imagine the warmth of your embrace." He sighed happily. "It is such a wonderful dream. But everything that you give me is absolutely perfect." He kissed him again.
"AUTO…" GO-4 backed up a bit so that they could look at one another. He spoke sincerely. "I intensely wish that i could satisfy all of your fantasies."
AUTO was driven to silence, but the words brightened the light in his eye to a point where it reflected off of his own face, making it look as if he were blushing. He finally released his tension in a slew of very many, very flustered beeps. He covered his face with his hands, winding down into an embarrassed giggle. He glanced at him shyly from between his fingers. "Ooohhh GO-4!!! What an intimate sentiment!!!"
He beeped curiously. "What do you mean???"
AUTO was still enchanted. "W-well, when a human expresses such sentiments, th-they intend it in a… very ph-physical manner. I-i know that you did not mean it in qu-quite that way, b-but the pr-prospect is still…" He sighed dreamily. "Very emotionally intimate. Very enticing. Veeerry alluring." He chimed a sugary tone.
GO-4's hard drive whirred hard at the nerves he got from the way that AUTO answered. He seemed very attracted to the idea, and GO-4 felt a mixture of embarrassment for suggesting it and excitement from his partner's reaction. He giggled very nervously, but couldn't think of a proper way to respond.
They looked at one another, and AUTO barely leaned towards him. GO-4 tried to compose himself a bit, but timidly leaned in to kiss him. AUTO gave more than GO-4 did, which made him bashfully reel. He didn't wait long to try again: this time kissing him much deeper than he had been kissed, which made AUTO chime out sensually. He wrapped his arms around GO-4 and pulled him in close to be flush against his body. He kissed him even deeper, flowing more electricity into his lover and making him beep in ecstasy. "Buy N Large, GO-4!!! This is spectacular!!!" He gave more electricity and tones in return.
"I am sorry that this is all that i can offer." He didn't ebb his passion.
He swooned. "This is maaaagnificent, GO-4. S… so romantic…" He could add only a small surge to his kiss, but he sighed. "Ah, i… i love you, GO-4. I love you so much!"
"I adore you, AUTO. I truly do. I wish that i could satisfy all of your desires." His disappointment was audible.
AUTO beeped negatively. "This is more incredible than anything i could ever imagine. You are more gorgeous than any dream that i could ever have. GO-4, you ARE all of my desires, and you satisfy me every time we interact." He snuggled against him and hummed happily.
GO-4's speaker skipped a few times as he tried not to choke on his emotions. He stopped kissing him and tried to back up. "Y-you are f-f-fantastic, A-AUTO. You are so remarkably beauti-tiful, you always ha-have been. You are so sta-stagger-r-ringly phenome-menal as a robot-t and an ind-dividual that i become st-stupefied whenever i e-even th-think about you. I have b-been so profoundly-ly in love with y-you s-since the first t-time we m-met, and i have wanted-d you s-so badly for centuries that j-just to have you cl-close to me i-is a dream come t-true. You are EVERYTHING to me, AUTO."
If he had a breath, it would have been completely stolen. His hard drive whirred uncontrollably, and he felt as if his systems were stuttering. He was barely able to hold himself together. His speaker squeaked. "GO-4…" They stared at one another for a silent moment more.
They pushed against one another, exchanging as much electricity as they could. AUTO held GO-4 flush against himself, pinning him as if he would ever try to get away. There were pulses and surges and charges swapped between them: anything that could convey even the slightest amount of the need that they had for one another. The tones and beeping were fragmented and disjointed, barely making sense to either of them but shouting out "i love you" as clear as day. They snuggled and smothered one another with everything they had, hoping that the other knew just how adored he really was.
They tried to stay together, to remain like this for the rest of the night, but the incessant beeping of an alarm allowed them to go no further. "What does it say???"
GO-4 sighed. "Low battery." He would have kicked himself. "I did not have an opportunity to charge before our excursion." He beeped awkwardly. "I believe i may have expended more energy than i had planned to. I am sorry."
"Oh GO-4." AUTO pet his siren. "That is quite alright. I enjoyed tonight more than any other night that i can recall. I am incredibly happy that we spent this time together. I would never have been able to imagine something as astonishingly passionate as what we had here tonight." He sighed dreamily. "You are extremely romantic, GO-4." He pecked him again.
He beeped bashfully. "W-well, p-perhaps it does not need to end qu-quite so soon." He tried to rally his courage again. "Per-permission to recharge with you t-tonight???"
AUTO beeped with surprise and made a low tone. "Oohh GO-4!" He giggled. "Permission eagerly granted." He pet his siren again. "Let us return to the cockpit to retire for the day. Perhaps we could continue a fraction of our embrace up there."
He giggled nervously. "I would like that very much, AUTO."
He leaned in to give him one last peck before letting him go, which GO-4 gladly reciprocated. He led the way back to the ship, cutting through the field so that they could experience it for a few more minutes. "Did you enjoy your time here with the flowers???"
GO-4 dreamily watched him as they floated off. "Flowers???" He had another lapse in logic processing. He beeped. "Oh! Y-yes, i greatly enjoyed the flowers. Thank you for showing them to me, AUTO. I greatly appreciate it."
He giggled. "Hopefully we will be able to view more flowers at some point. They take different shapes depending on the plant from which they grow."
He made a heartfelt chime. "I would greatly enjoy that, AUTO."
[Post a/n: coughing, choking. Um, yeah, well. I think the two fragments of fics don't go terribly well together. i think i completely dropped the tenderness for passion. I like both feelings, but i don't think these melded well together. I don't know if i'll get around to making this better. But i enjoyed it anyway.
Once again, i'll say that these robots can ONLY kiss. "Satisfaction" is either a completed job, or something i'd compare to eating a tasty meal. Um…. Hhhhhhhhh eheheheh.]