HUMANITY | yandere! Machine Brothers

twenty-two | A N T H O M A N I A

The vibrant array of colorful flowers surrounded her, mocked her, trapped her. They appeared so realistic in front of her that she could almost feel the life radiating off of these artificial flowers. It was almost the same as the simulation from before. There was no refreshing scent, however, and that took away the comfort she had in just being elsewhere despite being so close to the beings she'd come to hate so much.

As of now, she remained nestled in Eve's lap, motionless and a bit stiff. Was she scared? Not entirely. Was she annoyed? Yes. Being around Eve wasn't as frightening as being around Adam, who would ask many questions and roam his hands freely around her, claiming it was for his own research. Unlike his Adam, Eve wanted nothing more than to spend his time with his brother and her. They enjoyed having little or no relation with the ongoing war. They both had what they wanted, after all. What was the point in doing anymore?

"You're so soft and warm. The opposite of me," Eve coos. "So fragile and small."

"Don't you like the flowers?" He asks a little worriedly. She'd been silent with every attempt to please her. No response was given despite the amount of flowers they gathered data from, or the freshness of the food they gave her. It's like she was in her own world, staring elsewhere as if nothing mattered at the moment. Both brothers enjoyed the lack of resistance, but by now, they were worried she'd gotten sick. This idea of happiness was still vague to them, and _____ knew that the machine brothers were being very selfish despite their disposition.

"I don't," she said honestly for once. "But there is one—"

"—Then what is it? We'll do whatever we can to get it for you!" Eve beamed, trying to lighten her mood. "I would do anything for you to be happy... anything."

"Lunar Tears. They look like lilies... white and emits a soft glow," _____ muses, remembering the one she had in her quarters at the bunker.

"A Lunar Tear?" Adam approaches the two and _____ stiffens even more. "I think I've seen one of those before, though I'm not quite sure. I'll have to look again, but records show they do exist and were less abundant in the old world."

Adam situates himself in front of Eve and participates in petting the small human's hair. She flinches and shuts her eyes, causing Adam to withdraw his hand, bemused. He wondered if she was afraid of him. The thought made him and Eve chuckle, since they occasionally shared each other's thoughts. Eve descended onto the artificial flower bed, taking _____ with him. Adam followed, laying on his side with the small human in the middle.

"You really are like a flower, my dear ______," Adam hums as his clawed hand reaches again to trace at her cheek  that was already pale from the brewing fear for his careful touch. "Delicate, ephemeral."

"There's no one out there who won't betray you. Only us. We will be your guardians, the only one who wishes to see you grow," he continues.

"We love you," Eve says softly. "Do you love us?"

She didn't know there were tears forming in her eyes. It pained her to recall the past, even more so to remember her family in the Bunker. Those memories were once pure and filled with trust, but now, they were shrouded in secrecy and lies.

"Oh, the human is crying," Eve states. He pulls ______ into an embrace and Adam leans to press his lips on the back of her head with the same amount of gentleness and love as before. He'd learned to do this, looking back at old human data, and it felt good to know that he was doing it correctly, for the human did not respond to the many times he'd kissed her. Mostly on the head, rarely on the lips, and when it was on the lips, they would be starved, sudden, yet chaste kisses. His lips were always cold, giving _____ the reminder that they were far from being human despite their appearance.