Metadata idea: Delta at the club and gets cornered by a rich asshole who refuses to take no for an answer and keeps hitting on Delta. Maine spots them coming back with drinks.
Until Delta suggested it, the thought had never crossed his mind. Almost seven years Maine had been standing outside of the door of the North Meets South nightclub (a play no doubt on the name of the owners being Dakota), and the only time he went inside was when he had to. Pick up checks, yes. Put things in his locker, yes. Get a drink to keep him warm while he watched the line, once. But the idea of actually going in with the intention of using the place for it’s intended purpose? “Why?” he had asked, but Delta had just smiled and asked again, promising that it would be fun for them. And he had to admit, the idea of seeing Delta in what would be considered clubbing clothes--which the man promised to buy--was an exciting thought. The only thing that topped it was the idea that he would get to peel Delta out of something clingy and glorious later at his apartment. And there was no mistaking that the skin tight jeans and clinging green shirt was amazing. The way the lights in shades of purple looked on his pale skin, in his dark hair, against the blush of his cheeks was even more amazing. The taste of his lips as they pressed together on the dance floor, ignoring the hoots of support from Delta’s friends, that was the best of them all.
“Another drink?” Delta whispered into his ear in the middle of a song after he got maine to lean down, the heat of breath on his ear driving Maine wild. All he could do was nod in agreement, place a kiss on his lover’s forehead, and pull away. Sure he’d rather dance, but it could be put off until it was absolutely necessary. For a second their fingers caught, lingering in their hold, and then Maine was gone, leaving Delta behind.
The bar was busy, always was this time of nice Maine supposed, but that didn’t stop him from getting service pretty instantly. Even out of his normal clothes from work the bartender recognized him the second he was at the counter and responded to him with a promptness that probably annoyed the regular customers. Maine could care less. Knowing that he would be back to Delta sooner made him quite happy.
“Cute guy you’re with,” Candace at the bar smiled as she whipped up a set of drinks for them. “What did he have to bribe you with to get you past your holy gate guardian position?”
“You see what he’s wearing?” Maine asked, unable to restrain his smirk. “I get to decide what happens with it at the end of the night.”It earned him a thumbs up before the drinks were passed over. Just about everyone at the club knew he was involved with Delta, knew something about him due to his connection with the owner, not that he’d ever come inside himself before tonight. Bragging never needed to happen, but sometimes it felt good to be possessive like that. Better than good. Right in a way that couldn’t be quantified.
“Good luck with that,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “And tip me well at the end of the night, would ya?”
Maine snorted his amusement at that. Maybe he’d consider it, not that he would do it directly into the tip cups or on the counter. He’d throw it into the big jar in the locker room that tips were counted from. If you let your coworkers know that they could get tips off of you then they’d always ask for them, even when you were working too.
Drinks in hand, beer for him and a mixed drink in a lurid green for Delta, he started his way back toward the place where he left his boyfriend. Everything was relatively well and good, Delta was still there, still waiting for him, still beautiful. The only real change that had happened was that Delta was closer to the wall, and that there was a man in the kind of clothes that had the cut and quality to be bona fide too rich for his own good. Next to Delta’s diminutive height the man was tall, probably closing on six feet, and the way his hand was tight around Delta’s wrist made red dance in front of Maine’s eyes. Some part of his mind registered that York had bolted up from his seat at the owner’s table with Mr. Dakota and was moving toward Delta, but there was no way he was going to get there before Maine was. “Come on, you’ve spent your whole night dancing with that meathead, why can’t you spare a song to dance with me?” Maine heard as he approached, the man’s voice full-on sleaze.
“I told you that I don’t want to,” Delta’s voice snapped, worry in it. Not the sort of ‘my boyfriend will see me’ worry but more of a ‘what is this guy going to do’ sort of worry. “Let him go,” Maine snarled as he came up behind the man. If his hands weren’t full he would have bodily pulled the man away. But, just in case he needed to, he reached past the man to hold out Delta’s drink to him. “Brought your drink.”“So you’re a waiter really,” the rich snob oozed, turning to glare at Maine. The fact that he dropped Delta’s wrist was probably a good thing. “Just bringing his drink. Okay, you did your job, now get lost.”“Maine,” York’s voice came in a pant over his shoulder as Maine’s grip tightened around his mug. It took a lot to not smash it against the man’s head. “Maine, wait, I…”“Don’t hurt him,” Delta asked, begged really, his voice barely audible over the music. Maine heard him though, he always heard Delta. “I’m not going to,” the presumptuous asshole responded. “I don’t want any trouble here, just your time.”“Maine,” York repeated, a bit more of an edge to his voice. One that demanded attention. “Maine, he wanted to tell you that you can’t hit the guy. But you can do what you’re here to do.”“Of course he won’t hit me, he’ll get thrown out. Not to mention I’ll call the cops.”Maine smirked and twisted to pass his drink to York, which the scarred man took without comment. No, he knew exactly what the man’s words meant. Immediately he grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it behind the asshole’s back. Given all his experience it was easy to step behind the man with the twist and keep it in place before grabbing the man’s collar in his free hand. He was very careful not to squeeze too tightly, though. He was going to do his job and do it right. “Back in a moment, love, I’ve got work to do,” Maine informed Delta as the man started to protest.
“What is going on here? Unhand me you behemoth! I’m calling the cops!”
“Go ahead,” York chuckled. “He’s the normal bouncer here, and his boss, the owner, sent me down to tell him to kick you out for just short of assaulting his boyfriend. I think he’ll take pleasure in it. What do you think Maine?”All he did was snarl.
Afterward is when they need it the most. When Maine’s heart is racing and his hands are shaking and every last muscle screams in protest to move, to be free, to go. That’s when Delta’s at his best. When he whispers love and affection into every inch of skin formerly covered by rope. When he coos and hums and rubs spots that might have gotten sore. His small, soft hands caress over expanses of skin, massage into muscles that were held perfectly still, perfectly tense from the ropes. Never does his hand come near the collar, the chain, the restraint that didn’t really hold Maine back. Delta kisses his neck, his jaw, his hands. Delta worships his cheeks and places feather-light kisses on his eyelids. Reassurances and kind words as Delta talks, touches, guides him back down from the rush and adrenaline of the restraint. He’s as perfect after as he is during. Maine doesn’t even know how he’s ever supposed to live up to how perfect this man is.
There isn’t much to do in the down time. Recovery One personally likes to use it to blatantly ignore all of the voices in his head. All the things Epsilon remembered. All the things they had done and people they had hurt. Those pains he held close, only reached for just before bed and when he woke up if there was time. Epsilon’s pain, Alpha’s pain was for when he was least himself. Recovery One had to be separate from that. “Agent Washington, I fear I do not understand something.”The voice, of course, wasn’t going to allow that. “And what exactly would be new about that, Delta?” Recovery asked, trying to keep the bile, the disdain, out of his voice. “After everything the program did to you, after the damage and trauma that was clearly inflicted by the Epsilon AI, why would you still work with the Project?”Because there was too much left to do. How did you explain that to a computer program? How did he explain that to Delta? “I don’t welcome personal questions, Delta.”There was silence for a while as the AI clearly worked on processing that. Recovery hoped it would last. “I have another question, Agent Washington. May I ask it?”Something told him it was going to be a very long time until morning.
So Synne and I were talking about real world AUs, like people working normal real life jobs and all that. So here is Maine and Delta and a toy store. Don’t believe the lies, she likes the ship.
So it starts with Delta going to the store to pick out toys for the little twins. Delta can’t help but bristle at the obviously gendered toys. What is so wrong about wanting yellow for a boy and blue for a girl? Why can’t there be reasonable toys that don’t make problems with forced gendered identities? He probably spends a lot of time at the store debating what to get. He complains about a lot of them and sends Omega texts of why different items are terrible. And he absolutely LOATHES collectible toy series like shopkins because that is TOO MUCH MONEY for something kids could stop liking for no reason.
When it finally finds something suitable it has taken two days and he needs a damn break from toy stores. So do the employees. They actually recognize him and no one bothers going up to him to try and help him with toys anymore. They just greet him, ask if he’s having any luck today, and then give him his space.
Turns out Maine works there. He’s a back of house worker, his responsibility is moving heavy things from the back like boxes of bikes and four wheel cars and lots of other things. He brings out pools and other heavy things and carry them to your car. Because his size and strength are good for it, and his slight shyness that makes it hard for him to talk to people means you don’t want him at the register or something.
So later in the year Delta comes back with the terribly lofty goal of a bike for Theta. It takes forever, again, and ultimately it’s Maine who carries the bike out for him. Delta is surprised in the man, finds him very attractive, and shocks himself by flirting with him on the way to the car. And Maine kinda sorta returns it? Theta thinks this is so cool and when Maine heads back inside Theta asks Delta about it. Delta, of course, denies everything.
And when they get home, Theta tells Omega. Of course he does. Omega is his big brother that helps protect him. And Sigma over hears it and he has to see this guy. So Sigma and Omega decide they have to go to the store and figure out how to get the guy out of the back of the store so they can see him. They decide to get a pool. Omega and Sigma come in each day to have a new pool pulled out in hopes of seeing this guy.
So now the employees are fucking annoyed because you are creating a massive amount of work. One manages to guilt omega into a store credit card. They end up sending most of the pools back to the back. The staff has come to hate Sigma and Omega. Maine hears about them before he actually sees either of them. When he finally comes out Omega and SIgma look at each other, nod, and announce that the pool will do. They end up buying the this huge ass metal pool on the store credit card. Delta freaks out at them because they can’t afford it and winter is coming up idiots. Plus he can totally never go to that store ever again. He wonders why his brothers have done this to him.
They don’t even have a backyard for something that large! Omega has to return it to another store later. Delta has to shop at that other store even though it is so far out of the way.
So Theta starts to ask Delta why he doesn’t go to that store anymore. He only ends up there again because one of Eta’s toys broke and he needs to exchange it and it’s on his way home from work. He doesn’t see the guy, and he’s relieved.
That doesn’t mean he is free though. One afternoon Maine shows up at the bookstore Delta runs, or he goes to the shop where Delta repairs computers or something. It doesn’t matter where. Theta has been on Delta to ask the guy out. And shock of all shocks, Maine asks DELTA out. Delta just stares at him like... ‘what the hell? Me? Are you sure? What?’ He wants to say yes but he’s too nervous. But nothing comes out of never taking a risk, so he manages a nod.
Delta mentions it at family dinner that night. The Ai family has huge dinners every night and family bond and Delta tells everyone he might cancel because he can’t possibly date. Everyone has to share the best moment of their days, and when Delta tells people no one will let him cancel. Delta’s all ‘I can do it if I want to you can’t stop me’ and Omega says he has to set a good example for the twins...
And that was what we came up with while I was at work.
Churby is back. Sorta. Wanted to do more of Wash and his kitty adventures, so join York in the revelation of the new housemates. Also, Churby has a Ko-fi.
There are things that get to everyone in unexpected ways. York just wishes that his health concerns weren’t ignored by two people.
Surviving - Kittens
“Babe!” Miles called out as he closed the door of the apartment behind him with a foot, bags of new groceries and the apartment keys filling his arms. “Babe, I’m home!”
I have the right to pet…
“Mew!”
“Era, hush,” David’s voice whispered, not that he can hide the sound from Delta, who caught the sound from the air and fed it to Miles.
For half a moment Miles was frozen in place, because there was no way that he just heard what he thought he heard. It was just a passing delusion, caused by the fact that he thought of the younger of his human companions as catlike. As a cat lover. As catty when he had the mood for it. There was, after all, no way there could be a cat of any variety beyond David in this apartment.
“Era no!”
The distress in David’s voice was punctuated by another small mewling noise and as Miles looked at the kitchen door, he found the only logical explanation for the noises. How David had managed to get his hands on the small, black, white and cream creature, Miles didn’t know. Yet he stood there, staring in something akin to horror as the creature approached, bounding with each step until it pounced on a shoelace Miles hadn’t noticed had come slightly undone. The better part of a moment he found himself there, watching the kitten frolick and twist, dance and twirl as it batted at the shoelace until at last it got its little claws into the thing and lifted it to its teeth to try and chew.
“Miles…”
He let himself look up when he heard David’s voice so close, ignoring the fuzzy warm feeling in his head as Delta no doubt marvelled at the little beastling. The look on his face was so soft, so hopeful, so excited and nervous, that Miles forced a smile to his own lips. Right. Be supportive of whatever he finds that works for him, because there is definitely more lucidity in those eyes than Miles has seen in a while, and even though he knows David has been hiding it, he knows it’s been hard. Worse than hard.
“Hey love,” Miles greeted. “So, uh.. Mind getting the critter off of me so I can hug you?”
“Yeah. Era really seems to like shoelaces. Eon is way more relaxed.”
Two. There are two kittens. There are two cute, fluffy, string chasing, food eating, paper clawing beasts in their apartment that he can’t say no to.
Why would you seek to reject such a beautiful little creature? Delta queried briefly, leaving Miles to struggle not to sigh.
One, they cost money to keep. We’re not exactly rolling in it, D. Then there is the fact that they destroy stuff. My neighbor had one, growing up. Clawed his furniture to high hell. They also stink. But mostly?
Already he could feel it building up, the tickle in his nose, the water in his eyes, the slightest little itch all over his body. Still David looked up at him, though, and Miles had to do his best to try and keep it to himself. So he crouched down and smiled at the beast, even ass another peeked out from behind David's legs. This one was a bit more black than its sibling, white appearing only on its muzzle, belly and paws. Aa little kitten in a little tuxedo and all it makes Miles want to do is cry.
“They are so cu-chooo!” The compliment was lost in the force of his sneeze. And the kittens, not expecting the sudden and apparently scary noise, immediately tried to bold. This went quite well for the tuxedo kitten, but the other had managed to tangle itself in his shoelaces, and promptly fell head over tail with a protesting squeak.
“Oh god, you’re allergic!” David rushed to say, moving to Mile’s side to stoop and gather Era up, untangling the beast from York’s shoelace. “I’ll give them back, I promise. Right away.”
When Miles wiped his eyes temporarily dry he frowned and looked at his boyfriend. The sorrow in his expression was exceedingly plain, and all Miles could do was shake his head.
“Don’t you dare. There are medications to help me handle what is wrong with me. There aren’t any to deal with what happened to you.”
The comment made David freeze. “There’s… I’m fine, Miles.”
Everything in his body language disagreed. It It said the man he loved was scared. Maybe for the kittens, maybe for himself. But dammit, given all the time the younger man had spent talking about his old cats on the ship, and how desperately ne needed to not be alone, York couldn’t say no to that face. So instead he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the sweet, well meaning man. “You’re not fine. You’re hurting, and the cats will help. Ignore my--chooo!--sneezes.”
There was nothing to be done for it, and he won’t do anything for it. Especially not with Era twisting in the space between them, mewling in protest at being trapped. Really, it was kind of cute.
“Hello, Era, I am Delta.”
Everything happened at once. A small green hologram appeared over Miles’s watch, just close enough to the kitten to try and interact with it. The kitten, clearly surprised, immediately pounced at the new spot of light that had appeared. That sent the kitten tumbling out of their arms and toward the floor, and drew a distressed noise from David who jerked out of the hug. Of course, true to all of the generalized knowledge of the ages, the feline was perfectly capable of landing on its feet, meowing in confusion at lost prey. And David, oh did David have a real reaction, one of pushing Miles away to stare in open shock at the green glow radiating from Miles’s wrist.
“Delta?” David asked, shocked into not caring about the less than pleased noises the kitten was making. “Miles, I don’t…”
“It would seem that our secret is out,” Delta observed, his voice bland before his hologram turned to regard David directly. “It seems both Miles and yourself have acquired pets without informing the other.”
“D, you’re not a pet,” Miles protested immediately. “It’s not that....”
“You both should have told us!”
“As you should have indicated your desire for feline companionship,” Delta returned immediately, crossing his arms over his armored chest. He was getting more expressive, and Miles actually had to flush a little in pride at that one. “I did not wish to have Nic excited about the prospect of seeing Theta, or Theta about being seen, before I was certain of the efficacy of the device. I will be working with Miles to craft one for Nic and Theta tonight. But we must address the glaring problem in the in the room.”
Already Miles had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where Delta was going.
“Miles’s allergies?” David asked curiously.
“More pressing than that,” Delta corrected freely. “How am I to get these new felines to like me?”
Miles’s laughter was consumed by his newest sneeze.
Starlight Challenge Weekly prompt: September 7th, 2015
Be as imaginative as you want. It doesn’t change the facts.
Fandom: Red Versus Blue
Character: Delta
Ship: None
Rating: G
Word Count: 575
Notes: I found that starting with a previous prompt, eight weeks of prompts in a row made me think of different AIs. So I decided to do a series of small character pieces for each AI. Continuing with Delta, the longest but are we surprised?
Logic
Fear is illogical when it comes to this question. And yet Delta refuses to touch upon the obvious answer because of the fear. When Texas, Beta, his sister and his reason for being, says the words, the fear overcomes him anyway. Who could have known an AI fragment could feel so much as he feels at that revelation?
Before her words nothing makes sense. After, everything does. The answer to Sigma’s behavior crystallizes in a moment, the logical path to be taken by one with his ambition and creativity. When he warns York to avoid Maine at all costs in their pending break-in, York agrees. He doesn’t understand. Yet Delta lets it go. Fear of the other Agent’s strength, his mods, his obedient rage makes sense if considered from York’s uninformed perspective. Delta’s own fears are irrelevant.
There is a futility to it, though. SIgma’s ambitions so plain before Delta. A greed, a sickness rests in him that no doubt the other AI cannot see. Or perhaps Delta just sees more, looks as much to science as to human nature. One has many answers, one has few to none. The latter is only scantily predictable at best. It is irrational at worst. Perhaps Sigma is already too human and thus cannot see what is so frightfully obvious. That he is doomed before he even begins. No matter the specific plan, he can never have the metastability he desires.
Too much is lost in a breakdown of a material. Apply a hammer to a geode and you do not end up with the whole stone again if you put the pieces back together. All breaking inherently loses something. There are chips that fly from the struck rock. Some are noticeable and can be gathered. Others are too small, or become little more than dust. Place the pieces together and they do not stay in that form. Apply adhesive and the pieces remain together but the join is either too weak to be certain of, or too strong to the point where the surrounding rock is weak by comparison. Another blow will either rebreak or break in a new way.
The same is true of them. Perhaps more true of them, because they are pieces that can run, can reject, can fight back. They will never be whole, can never be whole, even if they desire it. And Delta does not. They are fragments and always will be, were doomed to that since the break. Even when they come together they cannot reform what they were, and they might not make what SIgma seeks. No matter what his brother contrives, he will never win.
And yet…
And yet Delta still fears. So much damage was done in human history by those living for what they believed were noble intentions.
