Like We Used To

“...Why so glum, little one?”

The robed EVE probe turned a few degrees towards Nos-4-a2’s voice.  He had snuck up on her, which was usually hard to do with her acute sensory system.

“Sorry.  I was just lost in thought,” she replied.  When she turned to face him, the long swathes of fabric she wore danced around her frame.  The rich blues and violets, all accented with silver, were dull in comparison to her lively sapphire eyeforms, even though they were somewhat obstructed by a parted semi-transparent veil.  Her eyeforms were especially bright against the warm colors of the sunset outside the window behind her.  The buildings in the capital city of Axiom sparkled in the fading daylight, reflecting off the small patches of pearly white metal that were exposed beneath her colorful clothing.

“It has been quite a fine day for thinking.  What were you thinking about?” Nos-4-a2 asked with a smile.  Two sighed wistfully.

“Nothing really... just about what it used to be like before the Humans began to leave,” she hummed, “When there weren’t so many Energy Vampires.  I would never have thought that the species would grow so large within my lifetime...”

The tall android hovered to her and they both turned towards the window, his arm easing around her shoulders.  She fit perfectly into the curve of his upper body, loving as always the warmth of his active metal.  She leaned her head onto his chest.

“It seems as if millennia have passed since there were only the two of us...” Nos chuckled.

“Nos-4-a2, it's only been thirteen-hundred years since then...” Two pointed out.

“Oh, like that makes such a big difference...” his optics clouded in thought, “I wonder what my creator would think if he saw me now?  That really was a lifetime ago.  I think it would be quite a nasty shock for him, if he could even recognize me like this.  The last time I confronted him, I was no more than a minion... and I wore nothing but a single cape.  It’s embarrassing to think about.”

They both smiled and leaned their heads together.  Though Two had never met the (self-proclaimed) Evil Emperor Zurg, she’d heard enough about him to guess how he would react to seeing Nos-4-a2 in such a position.  It also occurred to her that the fact of their union lasting so long would throw her mate’s “father” for a loop.  Nos-4-a2 had been designed to destroy and conquer, not to fall in love or lead a peaceful life.

“Do you know if Zurg is still alive?” she asked curiously.

“Zurg?” the name bubbled uncomfortably in his voice processors, making his accent sound a bit thicker, “No chance.  He wasn’t a totally organic life form, but enough of him was to have had some sort of limited lifespan.”

“Heh...” she laughed, “I hate to be rude, but I’m relieved to hear you say that.”

Nos rolled his freeform optic with a half-smile.  “You’re too nice for your own good, Eve.  What you consider rude would have rolled off that old nutcase like water off wax paper.”

Two shrugged and pressed closer into his side.  She was still thankful that Zurg had never decided that he needed Nos for some foul scheme and tried to hunt him down.  No, instead, their time on Earth had been mercifully peaceful, disregarding the first century.  Adjusting is always rough, especially when you have a sudden change in species and an unexpected child thrown in.  They’d handled it rather well considering the circumstances.

Some who didn’t know them would say that it was a miracle their marriage had survived.

“...Let’s dance,” the white robot suggested after a few minutes of silence.  Her tall partner was slightly taken aback.

“Dance?”

“You know, with music.  Today got me thinking that we haven’t danced in a long time,” Two explained, “so let’s give it a go.  Unless you’ve forgotten how...”

Nos scoffed as if offended, backing away from his mate.  She smirked and tilted her head towards the computer console on the other side of the room, filling their chamber with the light-hearted melody of a harp.  The taller Energy Vampire bowed deeply, extending his wings.  She mirrored him, and they joined hand in hand, beginning to sway to the music.  His optics locked on her eyeforms with a grin.

Nos and Two laced their fingers together and lifted off to add their own dimension to the artful movement.  Gravity lost its power over them as they twirled serenely in the center of their private chamber, throwing blue and red light from their wings over every surface.  It had been ages since the couple had danced together, and there was nothing that Two could have loved more than to spend time with her husband in such a way.  Passion flowed from everywhere in sound, light, and their very beings.

The two robots–polar opposites–balanced each other out in a way that could not be worn by time or trials.  It was why they added such prosperous ideals to the Council, and why their love was more continuous than the silver bands on their fingers.  Dip, spin, turn, switch; the pair of robots were in perfect sync.  Song after song played itself for the graceful duo to dance to.  When a piece came on with an irregular rhythm too awkward to dance to, Two descended to the floor first, though Nos-4-a2 was close behind.  The sun had set and the stars began to appear in the night sky.

“See?  I didn’t forget how to dance,” he chuckled.  Leaning down to be level with his companion, he gently lifted the delicate tiara from the top of her headpiece, setting it down on a chest of drawers next to them.  It had fallen askew when she had twirled a bit too fast.

“I’m glad to see that,” she smiled.  The transparent cloth that draped over her visor hung limp without her headpiece to keep it in place.  Nos delicately used the tips of his fingers to brush the fabric away from her glassy visor, caressing the side of her face in his palm.  Two rested the whole weight of her head against his hand to gaze up at his warm scarlet optics.

“Nos...” she sighed his name fondly.  He brought her close, nuzzling the side of his head against the side of hers so that his lips were right above her auditory receptor.

“My precious Eve,” his deep voice purred.  Chills trembled through her wires as his lips found a sensitive patch of metal on the rim of her collar.  Nos-4-a2 trailed a tender line of kisses along the seam around the bottom of her head, optical unit half-shut, navigating by memory.  He paused when he reached her visor, letting her start a loving kiss directly on his lips.  A whisper of a moan slipped from her speakers when his fangs grazed the nerve-loaded metal at the source of her spark.

Nos-4-a2 pulled away.  Two’s hands rested lightly on his shoulders, though they started playing with the fabric in a way that suggested she wanted it gone.

“Thank you for dancing with me,” she murmured.

“Any time.”

~~~