Okay guys, before the chapter starts I have to say a Trigger Warning: This chapter contains referenced past domestic abuse, flashbacks, panik/anxiety attacks. If youâre sensitive to that, skip AT LEAST the first two paragraphs. Please, stay safe my lovelies.
âTommy, please- no!â, you yelled, begged, pressing your hands against his chest in a pleading manner. âDonât-!â You were pushed back, your head hitting the wall quite painfully. Your eyes were fuzzy as you gazed at Tommy, the red haze around him. His fists were balled, eyes cold and malicious. You cried, tears leaking out of your eyes. You needed to get away. Your eyes darted to the window, you could escape that way. Before you could act, a fist collided with your stomach.
Again and again, your body felt as if it was made of pain. Why would Tommy do this? Surely it mustâve been your own fault? You cried as he kept punishing you for something you didnât know you did.
Something landed on your face, a soft, small thing. You flinched, sitting upright in the bed in a matter of seconds. Your vision was still blurry, your face wet, when you realized it mustâve been Poppy t wake you. The sweet cat did this every time. You looked over to her, about to raise your hand and pet her, when you noticed the android. You flinched again, and suddenly his LED was bright red.
âRalph⊠heard you cry.â Itâs Ralph, you told yourself, itâs just Ralph. But still, your heart stuttered wildly in your chest, and you felt that you were on the verge of a panic attack. Slowly, you pulled Poppy into your chest, curling your arms around her, ears solely focusing on the way she purred. Sometimes you wondered if she knew how much this always calmed you.
âJust⊠a nightmareâ, you told Ralph, eyes finally focusing on his face. He seemed worried, eyebrows creased and pulled together, his hands hovering in the air as if he were unsure about what to do with them. Finally, he decided to sit down on the bed, as far away from you as possible.
âRalph doesnât know what a nightmare is. He doesnât dream at all.â His LED had gone back to yellow, possibly because you yourself were calmer and didnât appear hostile anymore.
âItâs⊠scary. Iâm usually scared and upset when I have one. For some people itâs like⊠them dying, or something. For me itâsâŠâ, you trailed off, staring at the bed for a few seconds, lost in thought. âItâs a very bad memoryâ, you finally whispered out.
â(YN) was hurt?â, Ralph asked, almost carefully. You just nodded, hugging the still purring Poppy tighter to your chest. âRalph was hurt too.â When you looked at his face again, his LED was back to red, but his functioning eye held sympathy in it.
âI⊠I thought he loved meâ, you admitted. âAnd I loved him⊠at least I think I did⊠ButâŠâ, you trailed off again. Then, you shook your head. âItâs in the past. He canât hurt me anymore.â
âRalph wonât let him.â Ralph scooted closer until he sat besides you. Finally, you released your grip on Poppy, but she decided to stay curled up in your lap.
âRalph, can I⊠can I hold your hand for a second?â Ralph hesitated, and you almost regretted asking. But then he gently held his hand out for you. He was shaking, you realized. You took his hand, quietly noting how warm it was, and just held it. Ralphâs LED turned blue after a few seconds, and the two of you just sat there, holding each others hand.
âI know Iâm still allowed to be upset. And so are you. If you ever want to talk about it⊠just know Iâm here.â You watched as the LED turned yellow for a second, before going back to blue.
âRalph will remember that.â
It was another half an hour until either of you felt ready to let go. It was already a quarter past ten, then, and you set off to make yourself some breakfast. You had the week off, thankfully, so you didnât need to leave Ralph alone in your home. You ate in peace, sitting on the couch with Ralph and Poppy, who had also been fed, mindlessly watching TV. The shock of your nightmare was still ebbing away. Thankfully, your nightmares were few and far between. It had been over a year since then after all.
The news came on. Shown was, as always, a moderator, but something seemed⊠off. Joss Douglas was talking excitedly about something. You turned up the volume.
â-the malfunctioning AX400 has been found and is currently on the run with the YK500. Both androids attacked their owner, injuring him in the process, before fleeing. The RK800 is pursuing the androids right now, and will hopefully soon catch them.â
AX400? Wasnât that Karaâs model? And a YK500, those were child androids. Did that mean Alice was an andorid as well? The TV showed two people running across a highway. You couldnât look at it.
âThatâs⊠Kara and Alice!â Panic rose inside of you. They found them this quickly?! Then⊠how much longer until they found Ralph with you?
âIt seems the two androids got away. Nobody was hurt, but Detroit wonât be safe with these two dangerous machines on the run.â
âDangerous?! Theyâre not dangerous, they just want to be free!â You buried your hands in your hair, shaking your head wildly at the rage currently filling it. You turned the TV off, standing up to pace around the living room. Ralphâs face was blank, his LED bright red.
âI wonât let them hurt you, Ralph. I wonât-â You balled your fists, pressing them against your temples. âIâm going to keep you safe, I promise.â You didnât really know why you wanted to protect Ralph so much. Maybe it was to make up for your past.
You stayed silent for now, plopping back down on the couch, you buried your face in your hands again, opening your mouth to apologize to Ralph for your outburst, when somebody knocked on the door. You stilled, head rising in silent horror. Ralphâs LED was red, his body twitchy. You cursed in your head, quickly pointing to the window. Whoever was at your door, you did not have a good feeling about them.
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