Terminator Imagines

I Love You.

Requested by: ThomasDotson2
(Note: requests are currently closed; this was received before I closed them.)
Request: A T-800 woman living a normal human life with a male partner. (I was going to add in the screenshot but for some reason it won't let me.)

A/N: I hope you like this!

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"You are home early." Her voice carries some surprise as he steps into the house, closing the door neatly behind him. Glancing up at her muscular frame in the doorway to the kitchen, Karl shoots her a lazy smile, still impressed by the subtlety of the expression, as amazed by her progress as he was the first time she smiled naturally. 

"Yeah, my boss let us go an hour before normal today. I don't know why." He shrugs, hanging his coat up with his bag, toeing his shoes off.

"That is good." She smiles at him, lips pulling fluidly into the beautiful gesture as she steps forward towards him.

"Yeah." Karl replies, meeting her half way, "Means we can actually spend the evening together for once."

She hums, dipping in close to press her lips softly against his, pulling back seconds later to wipe some of the damp strands of hair from his face.

"Is it raining?" She asks, head tilted, eyes scanning the mess of wet hair adorning his head, blinking at the sight.

Sighing, Karl nods, resting his hands loosely on her hips.

"Yeah, it's not pretty out there." He muses, glancing back at the door as if he can look right through it at the pouring rain outside, "I'm gonna take a shower so I can warm up before dinner."

Immediately, the T-800 is nodding, ushering Karl towards the stairs.

"That is a good idea. I will have food ready by the time you are finished." She tells him, lightly slapping his ass as he hesitates on the stairs, grinning as he yelps in mock outrage, "Go on!"

Yet again, Karl finds himself marvelling at how human the action is, a laugh falling from his lips as he does as she says, climbing the stairs as quickly as he can.

He goes straight to the bathroom, stripping his sodden shirt from his torso as he goes, dropping it on the floor in a pile by the toilet, his other garments soon following. As always, she's left him a towel by the radiator, the fabric warmed comfortably from how long it's been there, clean and neatly folded, not a corner out of place. It puts a smile on his face, though he's quick to step into the shower, his skin prickling in the cool air as he reaches for the shower head, mindful of the blank bottles beside his own branded shampoo, knowing how much of a pain it is to clean up the mixed chemicals when they're dropped.

They're the only indication of his partner's real identity, and even those are as subtle as she is. Even after two years, he finds it in himself to admire the fluid humanity that's become of the cyborg he once knew, the chrome endoskeleton beneath her flesh-clad exterior seemingly a dream of the past. He'd been enraptured with her from the start, intrigued by the secrets she told him. Karl has no real idea where she came from, or who she might've been in her former life, but he's come to know her well. 

At one time, he'd asked her why she was as muscular as she is, having marvelled at the rippling movement under her skin every time she lifted her arms, as curious to learn about her as she is of human life. Naturally, her explanation had made total sense: her skeleton weighed more more a normal human, it needed more muscle to hold it upright. In return, she'd asked him why he kept up his physical appearance so much, confused by the notion of shaving or cutting one's hair. It greatly amused him, though he was only too happy to help - It'd been a while since he had actually had any real time with anyone other than his work colleagues.

She had swiftly learnt about human mannerisms and behaviour, keeping up with the general nuances of normal life with relative rease. Her only downfall back then had been putting them into practice (somehow, mimicking behaviour had been missed out in her programming, despite the idea of her being am infiltration unit, as she put it). Again, she'd quickly learned how to copy people, settling into human life flawlessly.

Karl showers quickly, eager to get back downstairs and eat something. Having used the towel laid out for him, he dresses into comfortable clothes, heading back down again. A soft tune flows up from the kitchen, a wonderful smell accompanying it, the smile returning to his face again as he feels himself instinctively unwind again after a long day, glad to be home. 

Entering the kitchen, Karl stands in the doorway to observe her as she cooks, admiring the systematic movement. Each and every thing she does is precise and accurate, a programming trait she'll never be able to lose, making for a mesmerising process to watch. 

Waiting a further minute, Karl shakes himself from his head and goes inside properly, moving up behind her. Carefully, he wraps his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder as she automatically relaxes into his hold. Her hair is wonderfully soft against his cheek, her familiar scent flooding his nostrils even through the strong smell of whatever she's cooking. 

"How was work?" She asks him, never pausing in her actions.

"Boring." He hums in response, eyes lazily following her hands as they work.

"You say that every day." She chuckles, methodically chopping an onion even as she turns slightly to look him in the eye.

He shrugs, grinning boyishly.

"That's because it's always boring." 

"That makes sense." She smiles, returning to her ministrations, emptying the chopping board of vegetables into the saucepan already boiling on the stove.

Karl takes a deep inhale, enjoying the fragrant smells wafting up from the bubbling concoction she's created, pulling away from her to get himself a drink.

Opening the fridge, he grins as he notices she's placed a beer ready for him - only the one, though, as it's still only a Thursday.

"You know me too well." He laughs as he takes the beer from the fridge, going to a drawer to search for the bottle opener. Noticing him struggle to find it, she leans across and takes the bottle from him, holding it steady in one hand. Placing her thumb under the cap, she deftly flicks it off, barely exerting herself as the lid goes flying. Handing it back to him, she winks and returns to her work.

"Thanks." He shakes his head in wonder, going to sit at the island, taking a swig of his beer as he watches her work. 

"You're welcome." She replies, coming to sit with him as the food starts to cook.

Staring at her now, Karl can't help but feel a flush of affection and fondness for her, only now realising how much he's come to relish the normalness of their everyday life. It's perfect: waking up early in the morning together to get to their respective work, alternating who cooks dinner in the evenings, sharing gentle moments with each other, clicking together as if they were two puzzle pieces, as cliche as the saying is. It's a consistency he's come to treasure, his love for her going deeper than he ever thought it would.

His mouth works before his head catches up.

"God, I love you so much." He says, watching her reverently.

She smiles that beautiful, earnest smile he adores so much.

"I love you, too."

He knows she means it.