Lovable N || N x Harem

Chapter 4

The first thing that greeted J's eyes were frozen cobwebs and a crumbling roof that barely withstood the heavy winds the planet was known for. She groaned, rubbing at her neck as she sluggishly sat up and observed her unfamiliar surroundings. The small apartment she had woken in was caked in a sickly green, the paint faded and replaced by mould, with cracks running up the walls and ceiling alike. The carpet had long since frozen over, a result of snow coming from the hole in the ceiling that she assumed N had brought her through. While it was a far cry from sanitary and comfortable accommodations, at least it did its job in protecting her from the elements while she had been regenerating. A small courtesy granted by N after their little standoff.

She slid her legs off the couch, stumbling for a second as she tried to stand before regaining her footing. She made her way to a window and peeked outside. N hadn't brought her far, as the remnants of her fight with N was still in sight. Their fight had permanently scarred the planet's crust with a large crater and smouldering embers. A reminder of what transpired.

The memories of the fight came to mind. The rage, the way he tore her apart, and finally the climax of the battle with N ending up the victor. It had shown her an entirely new side of him; an N that was willing to scuffle and scrap, tooth and claw to get what he wanted. A side of N that showed if pushed far enough, he was just as deadly as her and V.

Her fingers ran across her elbow joint, tracing over the marks that hadn't been fully repaired yet. It sent shivers through her systems, realising that these wounds, these scars of battle were caused by him. She had...extremely conflicted feelings about that. One part of her, deep down in the depths of her core, felt an emotion she wasn't familiar with. Being the ever so perfect drone she was, pride was something she had an astronomical amount of in herself. In other drones? Not so much. But she could feel the smallest hints of pride in N. He was becoming stronger, deadlier, more efficient. He was learning to stand up for himself.

But on the other hand, his new found sense of bravery and defiance had been elicited through his worry for V. J's face curled up into a sneer, thinking about the third member of the squad. It sickened her to know that without his feelings for her, these events never would have happened. She was his driving force, his motivation, the only thing N ever cared about, cared to think about. And for reasons unknown to her, it pissed her off to no ends.

"It's always V, why is it never me?" J thought to herself, slamming her fist into the wall. The wall was already weak from years of mould growth eating away at its foundation, and the rigidness brought by the subzero temperatures. J's applied strength was only the nail in the coffin, shattering the wall. A gust of wind blew inside, giving some relief to J's rising temperature.

Seconds passed before the realisation at what just ran through her mind struck. J's mind went blank. Where on Copper-9 did that thought come from? Never in her lifespan had she ever been jealous of V's position as N's crush. She ran her fingers through her silver hair, face grim.

"Sweet corporate, maybe N messed me up worse than I thought...," J muttered to herself.

J debated going after N. Even though their skirmish still left J mad, she couldn't help but worry. N was stubborn, that was a given fact. She knew that when he set his mind to something, he wouldn't stop till his goal was complete. But add the safety of V to the equation? N would throw his life away carelessly as long as it meant ensuring V was ok.

She glanced up at the sky. As much as she wanted to look for N, the sun was out right now, which would make her search tedious as she tried to avoid the sun's glare, and downright dangerous. But while she could ignore her desire to look for N, she couldn't ignore her system's call for oil. She grimaced, ignoring the warning messages that popped up on her visor.