Rk900 One-Shots

holding hands

How exactly she got him to go to the mall with her was not important, but the why of it all was kinda sweet to him. It was because she thought he needed clothing for work and to be comfortable when he was at home. He didn't object, only because she seemed to like getting into arguments over small things. So, he tried not to say anything to get on her nerves. It was working, so far.

She was currently wearing his olive green sweatshirt - he certainly wasn't complaining about that because it seemed to engulf her - and some ripped navy jeans. There was a bright smile on her face that he had rarely seen. He thought it might have to do with the weather, as it was apparently warm for a March Saturday. About sixty-seven degrees felt extremely warm to a human that only felt temperature above freezing. Apparently. He didn't know how it felt, so he took her word for it.

As for him, he was wearing one of the shirts she bought him when she got the news she was getting an android. Because that's something she would do. The black tee shirt had an aeronautics company logo on the space where a pocket could've gone. It fit him perfectly, somehow, and made his skin receptors feel nice. A pair of CyberLife dark grey joggers replaced his normal slacks, the logo wasn't to be seen. It wasn't that she didn't want people to know he was an android, it was just that she didn't want him to feel like he had to make himself known to be an android.

The CyberLife part was only because there was no other joggers that fit him. Today, that was going to change. Of course, she did purchase more CyberLife clothing, only because it was cheaper since she had a policing android.

Since it was a Saturday afternoon, the large building was full of people of all ages, all laughing and smiling. So many people. It was the one thing that made her uncomfortable, it made her feel enclosed. But it was something she brushed off because today wasn't for her, it was for him.

What she didn't notice is that he already knew this, no matter if they were partnered up only a few weeks ago. She never explicitly told him this, but it was the little things he always picked up on. He excused this as a way to make working with her more seamless and easier. It was never the case.

As they walked side by side, her right hand gravitated to the layered silver necklaces resting on her sternum, underneath her hoodie. It helped her calm her nerves, which weren't as severe as she thought. Looking around the concourse, she began looking for some outlets that would hold his style of clothing. She would just have to ask.

Sudden physical contact broke her out of her thoughts, almost making her stop walking. She looked at her left hand and it was holding his right one. It was almost a perfect fit, there was no awkward middle ground. It made her feel butterflies inside. Not something to be felt with an android though, as people didn't approve. But he passed as a human and that wasn't really something that bothered her.

Why where they holding hands? She most definitely wasn't complaining, but why? She looked up and they were approaching a large crowd of people, her breath caught in her throat, "Um, hey. Can we go around them or something?" Her voice was small and she didn't even know if he could hear over the chatter of the incoming group.

He apparently didn't, and kept going. Although, she felt a reassuring squeeze, which made her heart melt a little.

Going through the crowd wasn't as bad as she thought, but whenever someone shoved her or vice versa, it was like a part of her soul died. A big weight was lifted when they cleared the people, she could finally breathe. Her eyes locked on a shop a few hundred feet away from them.

Her focus was cracked when his hand left hers, the warmth was soon being replaced with the cool air conditioned corridor they were entering. She slouched her shoulder slightly, out of disappointment almost. Or maybe was it displeasure. Who knew she could enjoy holding someone's hand. It felt stupid to her, the way she was feeling.

He noticed her posture and the way she was now carrying herself, prompting him to ask what was wrong, "Is there something wrong?"

The abruptness of his voice cutting through the diminishing conversation of others around them made her jump a little, then she began to rub her neck. She didn't mean for her reaction to be so open.

"Um..." she was close to telling him, but then decided against it because it wasn't a reason she was proud of, "I just, sorry nevermind... it's stupid."

It never occurred to him that there would be a time she wasn't outgoing and loud. She usually carried herself to be a very vocal and determined person. So, like anybody else would, he wanted to know the reason.

Speeding up just a little, he cut her off and make her stop, "No, what is it?" His tone was soft and his eyes were looking directly into hers. He noticed she wasn't looking at him, instead shifting her gaze to the tiled flooring a few yards away, "It must be important. I want to know."

One response he or his programming was not ready for was the following, "I just really like how your hand fit in mine, sorry," if his LED was in right now, it would be spinning red, as he didn't know how to respond. But it wasn't. It was on a necklace made of deep brown jute twine around his neck, "I know it's stupid."

Her neck and the tips of her ears were starting to darken as she was getting nervous for his reaction.

"Oh." Was the dreaded response. As he began to start walking again, she started to curse herself out silently. That was not the right thing to say. She should've kept it to herself and sucked it up. Her thoughts were jumbled as she began to follow closely by his side.

What she didn't know was that he was nearly malfunctioning, it wasn't every day that someone said that to him. Barely being able to walk in a straight line, he saw her next to him and decided to seize an opportunity. One that had a success rate of ninety-three percent. He gently took her hand and interlaced their fingers, giving another squeeze. Saying nothing about it.

She reciprocated the action and then pointed to the storefront of a predominantly male clothing store that she frequented, "That one is going to have good clothes."

As they entered, the sound of upbeat pop music flooded both of their ears and the smell of faint cedar wood engulfed them. She enjoyed the feeling, looking over at a rack of shirts that were new arrivals.

He seemed to be scanning other things.

What she didn't know, was that those other things would be any threats. It was revealed to him, through the internet and how she looked to him right now was that shopping was becoming to be a very vulnerable activity. Especially in a big city such as Detroit, where the only functioning mall with every outlet still being used was in the wealthiest part. Although it was an affluent area, the rate of crime was high and he didn't want any harm to come to his partner.

A comment from the woman beside him that was still holding his hand was, "Dude, you're literally so tall, how am I supposed to find something that's your size?"

He frowned slightly and scrunched his eyebrows, "Didn't you find me this shirt? There's going to be clothing my size. And, I wasn't the one who wanted to go shopping in the first place, this is all yo-"

"Hush, no complaining, I know I did. But, I'm not allowing you to wear one suit the entire time you're working with me. That's not how it's gonna go." She piped in, holding a white tee shirt to his chest.

Letting go of his hand, which did make him feel some way he knew he wasn't supposed to, she sifted through the rack of new arrivals. Even though he was still on high alert, he began searching for clothing that would seem to look good on him.

As he spent time with her, he felt his software instability climb. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing yet.