It was a gradual transformation, and kind of itchy, but it wasn’t so bad! Cotty was looking and feeling cuter than ever. They just hoped this would wear off eventually....
(Though not technically an M!A, I will be treating it as one and keeping this look around until after Valentine’s day.)
It was the day after Fretta’s bombshell from last night, and Compan was emotionally unstable. Part of him knew this, that he was being unreasonable. Fretta had never tried to hurt him before, so why was he finding it so hard to believe her when she said she was trying to help?
Yet, no matter how hard he tried, Compan couldn’t rid himself of the pain in his core. It felt like he had nowhere to turn, and if even one more thing got worse he would lose it.
Suddenly, there came to mind... maybe one person he could turn to. Someone who was always kind to everyone.
Cotty.
Remembering that they got off work at around noon, he waited outside of Saccharo’s for them, arms crossed and staring at the ground as they soft robot approached.
“...Compan? What are you doing here?” They sounded genuinely surprised, and Compan couldn’t blame them. He hadn’t exactly been kind or caring towards them.
“I... are you busy this afternoon? I... would like to visit.” He couldn’t help but blush out of embarrassment. “I really need someone to talk to right now. And I figured... maybe you’d be willing to listen.”“
Thankfully, Cotty just beamed. “Sure thing! C’mon, why don’t we walk to my apartment? It’s really close by and I just love the weather this time of year.”
Relaxing, he walked alongside them all the way to their apartment, and though the walk was silent he didn’t mind. Something about Cotty just really put him at ease.
When they arrived at Cotty’s apartment, Cotty made a beeline for the kitchen. “Make yourself at home, Compan. Want anything? I could bring out some sweets or an E-tank, and I’ve got coffee and tea.”
Compan politely settled onto the couch. “Some coffee would be great. I’ve been meaning to try it. And... maybe something sweet, too. Whatever you think I’d like.”
“Alright, I’ll put the kettle on and bring out some cookies I made yesterday.” Doing just that, Cotty walked out into the living room and set down a tray of cookies. Compan could hear the sound of the stove’s eye heating up in the background.
“So, what’s on your mind? I’m no therapist but I’m happy to listen.”
“Well.. ah, where do I even start? So, Fretta... I think she’s siding with everyone else in the chat. I know she’s never tried to hurt me and maybe I should listen to her when she tells me I’m being wrong but... I just don’t know. Everything I’ve done, I did for her and now she tells me that it’s wrong? After all this time? I just... I don’t get it.”
Cotty frowned, and Compan waited patiently for them to form some kind of response. “Maybe... maybe just think about it for a while? I get the feeling that you wouldn’t really appreciate me trying to make you come to a particular conclusion. However, maybe... maybe think about why Fretta might be saying this? I mean yeah, she made a lot of mistakes with me and my line mates. But she’s trying to make up for it. I personally think that she wouldn’t be too keen on trying to hurt anyone else, especially you.”
He was quiet for a while after that. Now it was his turn to formulate a response. However, after several long minutes of not saying anything at all, all that he could come up with was, “Well.. what do you think I should do?”
As usual, Cotty’s expression held a gentle concern, and Compan could see why the people in the chat liked them so much. “Take some time to yourself. A lot of time, even. And just... think. Think about everything. Before you can decide what you want to do, i think you need to decide how it makes you feel- how it really makes you feel. If someone is telling you that you’re doing something wrong, what does that make you feel? Ignore how it was said and instead try to focus on the why. People usually don’t say that stuff without a reason. Especially people who are otherwise kind and understanding. And please, I’m not trying to attack you any more than Fretta was, but I don’t know what else to say if you don’t like what I’m saying now.
”So, in short.. just think. And maybe when you feel better about the whole thing you can talk to Fretta about how you feel, adult to adult, you know?” Compan was fixed with that same gentle expression again, and he knew they were right.
“...Okay. Um, is it alright if I... come here to.. think? And maybe relax? I... I kind of want to be your friend..” Though he said this quietly, Cotty’s response was still just as energetic.
“Hell yeah that would be awesome!” Before giving him a big hug. This was just like them..
“Thank you for opening your door to me.” He replied, returning the hug. The hug was held for a few seconds before they both let go.
“Anyways, why don’t we just chill out for a little while and watch some T.V.?”
“That sounds wonderful..”
The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the couch and watching bad reruns while laughing at them. And Compan genuinely enjoyed it. Maybe things would look up soon.
“Oh wow, what impressive armour! I’ve never seen such a cool theme on a robot before! You’re really cool!” Not even a ‘hello’ from Cotty, just straight to the point.
It was just supposed to be a quick trip for some flowers, that was all. Something to stick into the little glass vase that sat on the cashier’s counter of their workplace. They’d walked through town and had only gone through a little bit of forest before emerging somewhere they didn’t even vaguely recognize. How had they gotten lost so quickly? Cotty was at a loss for words. Not only where they lost, but it seemed that the teleport systems were down as well.
Trying to get their bearings, they looked back the way they came only to realize that the way they’d traveled didn’t look the same, either. They had just wanted to get their bearings but now there was, seemingly, nothing familiar in the world at all.
They walked back for a moment- maybe they’d just spaced out for a little bit and that was why everything looked strange? But no, after a few minutes of walking back, everything was different. They then decided, at that moment, that there was nothing else to do but keep walking forward. Maybe, if they could just find someone, Cotty would be able to learn where they’d ended up.