Hi! ☺️ I'd like to ask you for headcanons featuring Bishop, David 8, and Kirsh dealing with a jealous reader, and how they would also react to jealousy.
Androids + Jealousy
Combined 'em for maximum coverage :D This was really fun to ponder! I hope you enjoy my silly thoughts.
Included: Ash, Bishop, David 8, Kirsh
Divider by @/ poisonharvey
Ash
Oh, the android with no impulse control.
If you're going to experience jealousy in a relationship with Ash, it will be jealousy toward the facehugger or the xenomorph, strangely enough.
As your mission progresses, he spirals into obsession, spending ridiculous hours in the lab and ignoring everything in favor of studying the creatures. You're unaware of the protocols governing his actions, so to you, it looks like he's abandoning you for his new toys.
You debate speaking to him while Kane is in his coma, but it doesn't feel right to distract him like that while one of your friends is in desperate need of medical attention. So, you wait. Kane's awakening brings relief and anxiety. You're glad that he's seemingly in good health, but his recovery means that you have to gather your courage and talk to Ash now that he doesn't have any medical obligations. Your palms are sweating by the time you make it to the lab.
Ash is perfectly still as you voice your concerns, perched next to him in your usual spot on top of the workstation while he dissects the facehugger under a microscope. He's completely silent while you speak, and you'd think that he wasn't listening to you at all if you couldn't see the way that his hand twitches against the fine focus knob, the crease that's slowly forming between his brows.
Even so, his lack of attention manages to get under your skin, and you finish your speech by abruptly standing and muttering, "Alright, then. If your sole focus from now on is going to be that creature, I'll find fulfillment elsewhere."
And here's where Ash's own jealousy rears its ugly head. You're jealous of the attention he devotes to the creature, and Ash can't stand the thought of you doting on anything or anyone that isn't him.
Oh, how he loves you. How he needs you, despite every part of his programming demanding that he abandon you to prioritize the creature. He needs to make you understand that before it's too late.
You don't make it more than two steps from his station before he wheels around on his work stool and his hand shoots out to catch you by your elbow. Your body jerks backward, and he uses your momentum to pull you to him. He stands and quickly crowds you against the workstation, arms winding around your waist and preventing you from walking away.
"Don't," He whispers, "Don't leave me. I can't... can't complete the mission and love you at the same time. Conflicting protocols. You are supposed to be expendable, but you have become essential. You don't understand yet, but you will."
You don't have time to react as Ash surges forward to give you a bruising kiss, hands fisting the back of your uniform. You grapple his shoulders to ground yourself, and the sound that he lets out is a painful mixture of relief and desperation.
"Please," He whispers, "Stay."
Bishop
Poor Bishop is so confused. You're explaining your feelings calmly enough, but he notes the tension in your shoulders, the set of your jaw. Your hands wring restlessly in your lap as you speak, and he has a sudden urge to reach out and take them, but he doesn't want to interrupt you just yet. It seems someone on the ship has expressed having an interest in him, and you overheard them discussing their feelings with one of the Marines.
Even when you'd made your presence known, the recruit kept talking. It was no secret that you were in a relationship with Bishop, but the newbie seemed convinced that they still had a chance with the synthetic.
He sits across from you, forearms resting on his thighs, and listens with a patience that you've come to associate exclusively with him while you rant and rave. After ten minutes, you finally lose steam. All of the anger drains out of you, and you slump against your living room cough with a tired sigh.
"I don't know," You groan, tilting your head back to stare at the ceiling, "I know I'm overreacting, but-"
"I don't think so."
"You don't?"
Bishop shakes his head, brow furrowing as he considers his next words. His voice is low and comforting- just what your frazzled mind needs.
"It's perfectly normal to experience some sort of jealousy or possessiveness while in a committed relationship. It's how you choose to process or not process those feelings that determines the course of said relationship. I'm honored that you feel safe enough to tell me these things."
You scoff and look down at your hands, extreme relief and crushing embarrassment warring within you, and you try to keep your tone casual as you mutter, "Yeah, but you don't get jealous. I feel like such an idiot standing here and ranting to you-"
"I've experienced jealousy before." He softly interrupts, gaze flicking upward to meet yours.
The confession hits you like a truck. Bishop? Jealous? Your mouth hangs open in shock for the better part of a minute before you gain enough presence of mind to close it. His posture is perfectly relaxed, but his eyes dart to one side for less than a second- the most blatant display of nervousness that Bishop is capable of.
"You were preparing for your first extended shore leave. We were not together yet. Hudson made multiple jokes about 'taking you to bed,' and I found myself feeling responsible for your wellbeing. I wanted to protect you from his ultimately harmless but boorish advances. I felt that you deserved to be treated with more autonomy."
You can't help the fond smile that breaks across your face, and Bishop returns it with one of his own.
"I guess we have more in common than we thought."
David 8
Only one out of the four who would be happy about your jealousy- even if it's very misplaced. Likes that you spend so much time thinking about him- especially in such a possessive context.
His interest in your other crewmembers is purely scientific, but you've never discussed it with him. The attention that he showers on Holloway and Shaw makes your stomach twist into queasy knots.
After a month of watching him interact with the two of them, you finally bring it up. David watches as you try to articulate your feelings, lips curling into a sharp smile at the sight of you pacing the lab and gesturing wildly. Warm blue eyes rove over your form as he takes in your elevated heart rate and quickened breathing. You are truly a sight to behold.
When you've finished your rant, he's quick to step forward and run soothing hands down your arms, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake.
"Never question me, darling. My devotion is to you and you alone."
Blue eyes bore into yours with a softness that makes your knees weak. How could you ever question his loyalty when he's looking at you like you're the only person in the world worth living for?
When he himself experiences jealousy, it's not toward you. He could never feel anything negative toward you, but Janek...
You're completely oblivious to the captain's clumsy attempts to flirt with you, but the man isn't giving up, showering you with every one-liner and innuendo in his arsenal in an attempt to get under your skin. Really, all he wants to do is get a rise out of you, but nothing's working.
You brace your hands on the edge of the war room table, studying the topographical map of LV-223 in an attempt to memorize any useful landmarks. Janek makes another remark about "exploring your topography," and David hears the sound of fingers brushing fabric. A nervous laugh from you- your discomfort obvious to everyone but the captain. David fumes from his spot just outside of the door to the bridge. He'd been lingering there for the last five minutes, listening to your conversation and attempting to determine if you needed his assistance with Janek. Now, after such a blatant violation of your boundaries, the synthetic makes his move.
The bulkhead opens to admit him, and he crosses the room in four gigantic strides, his trajectory perfectly mapped. David stops and looms just over your left shoulder, face an impassive mask as he stares at Janek. David's voice is deceptively pleasant as he asks, "I wonder if I might steal your lovely navigator from you for a moment."
Janek is none the wiser, fixing the synthetic with a lazy smile as he drawls, "I'm sorta usin' 'em at the moment, so if ya don't mind-"
"I insist."
David's hand settles on your waist to smoothly tuck you into his side. Janek's grin falters under the synthetic's cold, domineering stare. The captain swallows hard and makes an accommodating gesture with one arm, voice catching in his throat, and you could almost swear that you can see the corner of David's mouth twitch upward as he leads you out of the room.
Kirsh
Oh, this diva. If you're going to get jealous of anything with this synthetic, it's going to be his work. He doesn't need to sleep, and he has so many things to do...
If you do get fed up and try to have the, "It's like you're married to your work/I never get to see you anymore," conversation with him, it's not going to be very rewarding.
Tilts his head to the left a fraction, eyebrows raising slightly like a parent watching their child throw a tantrum- even if your voice is perfectly level. Waits until you're done speaking to very flatly explain that he has no capacity for relationships as it is, and whatever time you spend together is pretty much all you're going to get.
"You remember that I'm synthetic, right? My loyalties lie with the company. I'm not programmed to prioritize sentiment over work."
Ouch. You knew this already, but hearing the words directly from him still stings. He notes your visibly disappointed expression and sighs through his nose as he brushes past you to get to the lab, putting an awkward but well-meaning hand on your upper arm as he goes by.
If you decide to take his words in stride and spend your free time doing other things, he will get curious.
It starts to bother inconvenience him- not being able to ask your opinion on the creature's behaviors or passively listen to you talk about your work. Worse still, when he checks the camera feeds to see what you're up to, you're with the hybrids. What could you possibly gain from spending time with them?
After five days of this, he performs all of his duties at 150% speed and abandons his station to track you down. Sure enough, you're sitting with Smee, Isaac, and Curly on the edge of the dock, toes skimming the surface of the water while you talk about the latest goings-on.
You hear his distinctive footfalls on the dock and choose to ignore him. The kids, however, turn to look at him and must see something that they don't like. All three of them blanch and scramble to flee the scene, not bothering to grab their shoes.
"You're not coming to the lab in your free time. Why is that?"
"I had better things to do."
It's a petty response, but it's half-true. A long, tense silence settles between you, and you keep your eyes trained on the water while you wait for his response.
"What... What benefit are you gleaning from spending time with the hybrids that you wouldn't otherwise gain from me?"
There it is. You bring your legs up onto the dock and slowly stand, taking your sweet time as you wipe your hands on your uniform pants and put your work boots on. Kirsh watches all of this with his hands clasped behind his back, but you can see the tension in his shoulders, the subtle way that his upper body leans toward you. He's getting impatient. Good. You straighten up and step into his space, holding your head high, and deliver the response that you've been cooking up for the last five days.
"What happened to prioritizing work over sentiment, hm? Perhaps you should talk to Boy and see about getting that fixed."
His gaze hardens. His jaw ticks. He opens his mouth to reply, and you don't give him the chance. You turn on your heel, collect the hybrid's shoes, and fast-walk toward the nearest building without so much as a backward glance. Checkmate.
