Flesh and Bolts AU

Chapter 7: First Meeting

Rodney had no idea how long he had been inside the barrel, but when he finally came to, he could hear someone walking in the alleyway he was in.

"Hello? Is someone there?" The voice sounded feminine.

As he gathered himself, Rodney blinked to adjust to the sunlight better. The owner of the voice sounded like she was getting closer.

"If anyone's here, please answer me! Hello?"

"Hey!" Rodney hollered with all his might. It worked a miracle, for the owner sounded to have stopped when she heard him.

"Hello? Who's there?"

"Hey, I'm over here!" Rodney called again. As he did so, footsteps echoed around the alleyway as she followed his shout.

"Where are you?!"

"Here! I'm right here!" Rodney struggled to pull himself out of the barrel as best as he could, but he was stuck.

When a curly-haired head came into view, he could see much because the sunlight was blocked, but he could tell she was shocked and worried for him.

"Oh, my God! Are you alright?! What happened?!" The woman–revealed to be Alli–asked him quickly.

"Can you get me out here? I've got to find my invention," Rodney asked her when he tried to get out again.

"No, no, no! Don't move! You won't get yourself out like that! Here, give me your hands!" Alli instructed him. He did so, and she placed her foot on the top of the barrel.

"Okay, on three. One...two..." They both readied themselves.

"Three!" With all her strength, Alli instantly pulled Rodney out of the barrel. The sheer force of the tug freed him from the confinements of the barrel. Fortunately, he was no longer magnetized.

But the sudden strength became a bit too much. They nearly toppled over, with him yelling and her yelps echoing around the alley walls. Luckily, they caught themselves in time, with Alli's hands on his chest and Rodney now meeting her face-to-face.

His baby blue eyes soon met the breathtaking sky blues belonging to the human female in front of him and widened instantly.

The girl who helped him had auburn-red curls reaching her shoulders and fair skin far too delicate he'd be afraid to touch. Her orange-red dress that reached above her knees in the front and the back barely meeting behind her knees flowed from the gentle breeze. Beige tights hugged her legs, her feet protected by brown sandals. A necklace in the form of a key at the end of the chain hung between her neck and over her chest

It took only a single instant–one slight glimpse into her gorgeous sky blues–for Rodney to be smitten. With his cheeks, burning red, his mouth hung open as he stared back at her.

God, she looks so beautiful. Like she was a goddess in disguise sent from the heavens above...

Alli, meanwhile, she found herself gazing back at the young lad, trapped under the sweet spell of his sapphires. Her cheeks burned rosy red as she studied his face.

She had heard about bots back in her hometown, but never in all her life had she ever met one so incredibly handsome as the man before her. The way his body was covered by a blue hoodie jacket, a shirt with a black stripe across his middle part, white sleeves with rectangle shapes on either arm, matching blue pants, and boots with white-gold lines. The way his hands were hidden underneath the fingerless gloves, but his fingers tenderly touched her back, gentle as if they were afraid to break her body. A thin line held a small thermometer-like necklace around his neck and stopped at his chest.