Gentle claws surprisingly go well with Dronelings
By Leefloof and SisterPaw125
Summary: The Doormans decide to go to the biannual tournament as an early birthday gift for Uzi, only for things to take a drastic turn.
ft. Nori, Uzi, Khan, N, J, V, Worker Staff
Note: Inspired by RainStormRiddle's "Arena of Death," this fic includes slight changes and there may be some inaccuracies compared to the original. Also if you find this RainStormRiddles, please ignore my cringe fic/j, this fic is just a silly what-if made for fun. (٭°̧̧̧꒳°̧̧̧٭) (Uzi is also 6-7 years old here bc I said so)
Enjoy! ✩°。⋆⸜(˙꒳˙ )
Warning(s): None, this is a sfw tickle fic, don’t like keep scrolling
DNI N$FW/F3T!$H accounts!!! 🚫🔫
Words: 6,391
⋆。‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧。⋆ ⋆。‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧。⋆ ⋆。‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧。⋆
It was an ordinary day on Copper-9. The Doorman family was currently waiting in line for the arena. The arena was a popular form of entertainment among workers and it wasn't uncommon to wait in line for hours.
Nori was holding Uzi as the droneling had fallen asleep over time, clutching her favorite stuffed cow tightly. Nori looked up to see the enormous stadium in front of her as they moved forward to the booth.
"Khan, I’m starting to have second thoughts. Are you sure Uzi’s old enough to watch the arena games? They can be a bit...scary for dronelings her age," Nori hesitated, adjusting her arms to ensure Uzi didn't slip out of her grasp.
"I'm sure she can handle a few bloody fights. Besides, my father took me to these fights when I was her age. She'll be fine, I promise. Three tickets, please."
Eventually, the Doormans made their way to their sitting area for the fight. Thanks to Khan being an important figure, they had the best seats in the whole arena, first row. Nori placed Uzi in her own seat as the couple sat side by side. The adult gently shook the droneling awake in time for the event to begin.
“Uzi, rise and shine my little bat.” Nori whispered gently
The droneling let out a small yawn as she began to stir from her sleep. She rubbed the sleepiness out of her optics as she opened them. Once she was fully awake, Uzi's eyes widened as she realized where she was. The child looked around to see the arena packed to the brim with workers, the center of the stadium filled with sand, and lights shining brightly from the dome above.
Uzi immediately leaned against the edge of the safety walls, clutching her plushie, as she looked around in awe. She had heard many things about this place from her peers at school, about how violent the fights were. From the way it was described, she knew that her parents would never allow her to watch something like that. But here they were, she never thought that she would be watching the games in the arena before.
“Wow! Are we actually in the arena?!” Uzi asked excitedly, turning her head to look at her parents.
“Of course, Uzi. We figured you’d be old enough to watch these matches!” Khan chuckled.
“So consider this an early birthday gift.”
“Thanks, Dad!” Uzi beamed as she turned her head back to the center of the arena.
As the child continued to look around, one of the nearby speakers came to life, static spewing out as it turned on. Startled, the little drone turned her head towards the sound in surprise.
“Ladies and gentlemen, workers of all ages! Welcome to the biannual Champion Tournament!” The voice blurted out
The crowd wildly cheers, yelling and screaming with joyful excitement. Confused, Uzi turned towards her mother hoping she knew what was going on.
“Mom? Who was that?” Uzi asked
“That’s the announcer. He and his other friends are supposed to tell us what’s going to happen next.” Nori explained
“Now, you all know it wouldn’t be a proper championship without our warriors for the warmup! Who’s ready to see some action?!”
The crowd cheers as two gladiators step into the ring, ready to begin the match. One of the warriors had two long ponytails, and the other had short, puffy hair. They both take their stance, waiting patiently for the signal. Suddenly, a loud horn is blown, and the gladiators began to exchange blows.
The crowd erupts in excitement, cheering for their chosen player to emerge victorious. Uzi jumps up and down, trying to get a better view of the fight. However, by the time Uzi manages to prop herself up on the safety barrier, the match is already over, with the victor raising their opponent's tag.
Realizing that she has missed the match, Uzi sadly slumps on the ledge.
"Aw man, I missed it," Uzi groans.
Nori places a reassuring hand on the droneling's head, ruffling her purple hair in the process. She understands how much Uzi wanted to see the action, it wasn't easy being the smallest drone at her age.
"Don't worry, my little bat. You'll get your chance. Besides, there are many matches to go before the special round," Nori says, offering comfort.
"Special round?" Uzi repeats, tilting her head slightly.
"That's where the ravenous disassembly drones are pitted against each other. You'll definitely enjoy that part," Khan says with a smile.
As the gladiators leave, a new pair emerges, and the speaker turns on again.
"Round two! Start!"
The pair fought and soon enough another winner was determined as the crowd cheered for them. This went on for a while. A pair of gladiators emerged and fought, with one ending up as the winner. Uzi started to get a bit bored; this wasn't as exciting as she thought it would be. Her parents, on the other hand, kept getting more and more excited as the match went on.
Eventually, the final round began and everyone was practically on the edge of their seats. Uzi slowly tuned out the cheering as she began playing with her toy, her focus shifting from the final match to the animal.
The final match seemed pretty intense compared to the previous one. The crowd died down quite a bit, with everyone holding their breath in anticipation. Then the fight ended, and the crowd went wild. Especially Nori, who jumped out of her seat.
“Wooo! Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! Let’s go!!” Nori cheered as she shot her arms up in the air.
Not expecting the sudden action, Uzi jumped as she lost her grip on the cow plushie, causing it to fly in the air.
The stuffed animal immediately fell back down as soon as it had been thrown up. Uzi panicked as she rushed to catch it, only for the toy to land on the soft sand of the arena with a squeak. Unfortunately, no one had noticed the toy as the chosen warrior was being escorted to the waiting area, preparing for the murder drone match-up.
"Oh no! Daisy!" Uzi exclaimed.
She leaned over to see where her precious toy was before quickly making a run out of their seating area, unbeknownst to Nori and Khan.
Thanks to her small size, Uzi easily sneaked through the crowd unnoticed. Once she reached the lobby, she frantically looked around for a sign. Luckily, she spotted the one she was looking for: 'Arena Grounds'.
After a bit of following, she reached the 'Employees only' area. However, as luck would have it, the door leading to the arena was locked. Uzi was about to give up when she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly hid behind a nearby chair and watched the scene unfold.
"I hope those murder drones behave this time," one of the staff members sighed.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want another worker to lose an arm or worse," another said as they unlocked the door with their keycard.
As the workers entered, one turned to their colleague with concern. "Are you sure pitching N and J together is a good idea? I heard N and V are a thing now."
"He's been doing well so far. Sure, he and V have been collecting metal pieces and surrounding themselves with it, but they wouldn't risk punishment."
"Yeah, You're right. Not like last time."
The workers passed by a droneling in hiding and went their separate ways. Just as the door was about to close, Uzi quickly dashed into the room.
-Back in the audience section-
Everyone was eagerly awaiting the big event after the staff had prepared the arena grounds for the disassembly drones. Khan and Nori watched with excitement as they began munching on a bag of nuts and bolts they bought earlier.
"So, Mrs. Psychic, who do you think will win this time?" Khan asked, leaning in beside Nori, eagerly awaiting her answer.
"I'm putting my money on N."
"Are you kidding? N never wins a round. I'm sure one of the girls will beat him, as usual," Nori deadpanned, giving her husband a knowing look.
"Come on, honey, at least give the poor guy a chance."
"Every time I thought he would win, the opposite happens. Besides, we're not betting on anything! We're only here because we wanted to show Uzi the Murder Drones for the first time."
Just as Nori mentioned them, the lights in the arena dimmed and the overhead lights illuminated the center. The show was about to begin. Nori turned her attention back to the arena as the speakers came to life once again.
"Attention, audience! The moment you've all been waiting for is about to start in three minutes. Please remove any items on the edge. The safety field will now be activated."
Just as the announcement was made, a blue light began to flicker and cover the center of the dome.
“Today, we are going to pit J and N against each other. After that, we'll see who comes out on top: Worker or Disassembly Drone?”
Nori grinned and practically jumped in her seat with excitement.
“It's finally happening! Aren't you excited, my little bat?” Nori asked.
No response, had she fallen asleep again?
“Uzi? Machine gun?” Nori turned her head towards Uzi's seat to wake her daughter up, only to find it empty.
“Uzi?” Nori looked under the seat to see if the droneling had hidden there, but there was no sign of her.
“Little Bat?! Sweetie?!” Nori's voice now held more panic.
She started to panic. Where was Uzi? When had she left? How had they not noticed? As she frantically searched for Uzi, Khan noticed his wife's distress.
“Nori? Is everything alright?”
"Not really! Have you seen Uzi?" Nori replied as she continued looking for their daughter.
Khan's core dropped as he heard that question.
"She's not next to you?!"
"No! Khan, where did she go?!"
As the parents panicked, a staff member took notice of their distress.
"Excuse me, is everything okay here?" the worker asked.
Both parents turned their heads towards them with saddened and panicked faces.
"No!" Nori whimpered.
"Our daughter is missing! We can't find her!" Khan explained as he tried to calm his wife down.
Now understanding the situation, the staff member nodded before taking out their walkie-talkie. It would give the stadium a bad name if the wealthiest patrons were to sue over their missing kid.
"Can you give me a description of what she looks like so we know what we're looking for?"
Nori was the first to speak.
"Um, she has short black overalls with brown boots. Oh! And she has a pink toy cow with her at all times, you can't miss it!"
The worker nodded again before putting the device over their mouth to inform the others that they had a situation.
"Alright, guys, I have a Code Yellow here. Wandering child, black overalls with a pink toy cow," the worker radioed.
There was a brief silence before the radio buzzed back to life. "Copy that," came the response.
The worker finished speaking and glanced over at the parents, offering them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Doorman, she'll be in good hands," the worker reassured them.
The parents returned a smile of their own as the staff member turned and left. Nori slumped back in her seat, resting her head in the palms of her hands, feeling ashamed that they had lost their daughter. Khan continued to comfort her as they silently hoped that Uzi was somewhere safe.
Suddenly, the sound of chains could be heard as the cage bars were lifted. Two Disassembly Drones appeared out of nowhere, quick and precise. They flew around the arena for a moment before landing on opposite ends in their fighting positions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, workers and dronelings alike, please give our two murder bots a big round of applause!"
The crowd goes wild at the sight of the disassembly drones. N flinches at the sudden loud sounds surrounding him, J only scoffs at the crowd before shifting her focus onto her squad mate. Her pupils replaced with an X, as N did the same.
There is a moment of silence before the female takes the opportunity to strike first, lunging at N and aiming her claws at his head. Fortunately, he is able to block the blow in time with his arm, yelping in pain before retaliating with a claw attack of his own. J quickly moves out of the way and pushes the male away from her. She unfurls her wings and boosts herself up into the air, with N following suit.
As the two circled each other in the air, the Doormans grew increasingly worried. It had been fifteen minutes since the staff had formed a search party, and there was still no sign of their daughter, Uzi. Despite their desire to continue watching the match, their processors were more concerned about their missing child.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the same staff member they had met before returned. Khan approached them, hoping for any sign of their Uzi, but the worker's expression told a different story.
"Well? Have you found her yet?" Khan asked, his voice trembling.
"Please tell us you have," Nori added, looking up with hopeful optics.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Doorman, but we searched everywhere and found no sign of her," the worker replied.
Nori looked down, panic setting in. "What?! No, no, no! This can't be happening! Oh, Robo-God, I'm a terrible mom!" she wailed.
Khan gently took hold of one of Nori's hands as he began to stroke it softly. With his other hand, he gently tilted Nori's head to face him. Digital tears started to stream down her face as she sniffled.
"Hey, look at me. It's going to be okay. We just need to stay calm or else we'll only make things harder," Khan reassured her.
"Maybe she just fell asleep in a corner somewhere. You know how small she is. I'm sure she's somewhere safe and sound-"
"Hey, isn't that a kid?!"
The entire arena turned to look, and to their surprise, they saw a tiny droneling quickly walking alongside the wall. Nori and Khan's cores sank as they realized it was Uzi in the arena.
Nori swiftly dashed towards the edge and leaned over to get a better view. Uzi was walking towards her plushie, completely unaware of the danger she was in. Nori waved her hands frantically, trying to get Uzi's attention.
"Uzi! Get out of there now!" Nori shouted at the girl.
"That kid's going to get herself killed!"
"Hey! You're not supposed to be in there!"
"Quick! Someone call the trainers!"
But no matter how loudly they shouted, Uzi couldn't hear them. The disassemblers quickly realized that something was wrong as they heard the panicked crowd.
N turned his head to see what the commotion was all about, only to find a small worker in the ring. That was strange, as they usually set the match after defeating their opponent. Curiosity got the best of him, and he dove towards the worker to get a better look.
Uzi walked over to where her plushie was and picked it up, brushing off the bits of sand that covered it. She hugged it tightly, causing the toy to squeak.
"You're safe now, Daisy. I'll never treat you like that again," Uzi said with a smile as she hugged the plushie.
As Uzi turned around to leave, something suddenly landed in front of her, kicking up some dust. Uzi coughed and tried to fan the dust away. Once it settled, she noticed a pair of legs in front of her. Slowly, she looked up, examining the body until her gaze reached the figure's face, only to see a big glowing X. It was clear that this was not a worker.
The youngling let out a yelp of surprise and took a step back, only to trip and fall onto her back. Uzi stared at the creature with hollowed eyes filled with fear.
She had only heard about the murder drones in school. They were taught that these creatures would often brutally kill workers to obtain oil for survival or simply for their own amusement. Her classmates were terrified of them, but she had always been fascinated by murder drones. She never expected to encounter one up close like this.
However, this was indeed a murder drone, and murder drones killed workers for food. So the only thing on her mind right now was how she was going to die.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the murder drone approached closer. She sniffled, then closed her eyes tightly and clutched her plushie, preparing for the worst.
The creature growled before leaning its head closer to the girl, sniffing her hair. It let out a chuff before leaning back upright. The girl opened her eyes and looked up at it. The X on its visor was replaced with two yellow pupils as the male looked at her with curiosity instead of murder.
Slowly, it reached out to touch her with one of its claws, causing her to flinch. However, as soon as the tips made contact with Uzi's cheek, the claw retracted and was replaced with a gentle hand. It stroked its thumb across her cheek gently, as if trying to examine her.
Uzi calmed down as the disassembly drone continued its strange behavior, but the peaceful moment was interrupted by the crowd's screams of horror as they tried to get the drone's attention away from the girl. Khan just stared, unsure of what to do. But before he could act, Nori climbed over the fence.
"Uzi! Get away from her, you—! Hey! Khan, what are you doing?! Let go of me!" Nori shouted as Khan and a couple of others dragged her away from the railing.
"Nori! Stop! Please! We can't do anything! The safety field—" Khan was interrupted as his wife whipped her head around to glare at him.
"That's our kid, Khan! If you think I'm just gonna sit there and do nothing, you have another thing—" Nori was cut off by an ear-piercing shriek.
She turned her head towards the source, only to be met with a grey blur flying back up towards the other disassembly drone. Her optics hollowed as one of the cameras focused on the male figure, revealing Uzi in his arms.
"Uzi!!" Nori shouted.
The bastard had used the time they were distracted to get Uzi. Nori couldn’t do anything but shout out in distress as N carries the droneling away. Nori tried everything in her power to get free from the workers, but they held her firmly.
-Meanwhile…-
Uzi curled herself into a tiny ball, attempting to make herself as small as possible. She was still frightened, although not as much as before. The Disassembly drone was surprisingly kind, soft, and warm, which for some strange reason, made her feel safe.
Before long, they arrived to the other murder drone, who happened to be female. The male disassembly drone began making various chirping and trilling noises, and the female drone followed suit. This continued for quite some time, almost as if they were engaged in a conversation of sorts.
"Look, J! I found a worker!" N beamed as he held out the droneling for her to see.
"They're a bit small though..."
J gave a low hum, bending down to look at her from head to toe before leaning back upright with her hands on her hips.
"Hmm, seems like it's a droneling. And it looks like the area's getting more brutal then. Eat her," J flatly stated as her gaze went back to N.
N gave a surprised look at his squad mate. He held the small worker to his chest again, as if protecting her.
"What! Are you crazy?! It’s a baby!" N exclaimed.
"Why else would they put her in here? Besides, it'll show the crowd that we're as heartless as they think we are," J stated as she grinned maliciously.
"Eat her, N. That's an order.”
N looks at J with disbelief. Can she really be serious? N looks down at the droneling. It's so tiny. This must be a mistake, but he can't defy his boss's orders. N notices how much the little droneling is shivering, and it twisted his core in agony. He could never bring himself to harm something so young and small.
“Alright J, sorry little buddy.” N gave a pained expression as his pupils were replaced with the same terrifying X as before.
Uzi looked up at the disassembly drone, her optics hollowed. She now saw that his visor had transformed back into the terrifying X, his mouth was now agape, revealing rows of dangerously sharp teeth.
She immediately began to struggle, twisting and turning in an attempt to break free. However, when she glanced down at the ground, it became clear that struggling was futile. The droneling was positioned too high, and any wrong move could result in her death. She turned her attention back to N, who was now dangerously close, and watched as he lunged his head towards the crook of her neck.
Uzi let out a horrified, high-pitched scream as the disassembly drone made contact. The crowd gasped in shock. They knew murder drones were cruel, but this was monstrous. Nori stopped struggling when she heard Uzi's scream. She looked up to see the creature had bitten her.
Both parents' hearts shattered, especially Nori's, as she roared in grief and anger. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she struggled even more, shaking the group around like ragdolls. But just as she was about to break free, she heard a sound she never expected to hear again in a million years: Uzi's giggle.
"Ehehehehehe! Hehehey, that tickles!" the girl giggled.
The disassembly drone ignored her and continued to move towards her face, nuzzling every reachable inch, causing her to squeal.
"Eheheheek! Nohohoho!"
The droneling squirmed in the creature's grasp, even pushing its face away in an attempt to escape the disassembly drone's affection.
"Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing? I might just eat you up!" N cooed as he moved down to Uzi's tummy and playfully pretended to 'munch' on it. Uzi's giggles turned into louder screams.
The crowd, especially J, looked bewildered by the sudden change in events. J snapped out of it and gave N a stern look. She flew closer to the two, causing him to stop his ticklish assault on the child.
"N! What on Copper-9 do you think you're doing?! You're supposed to be eating her, not playing!"
"Sorry, boss. I don't know what happened! I guess my parental instincts took over?"
N hung his head in shame, looking down at the ground. J huffed and snatched Uzi away from the male disassembly drone, surprising him and bringing him back to his senses.
"We still have a job to do, N! And this is free food we're talking about. If you're not going to take the chance, I will!" J stated angrily, positioning Uzi to bite her.
"Ugh, why am I always the one who has to do everything myself?"
J glared at him before turning her attention back to the droneling. N was right about one thing - she was small for her age, but that wasn't going to stop J from eating her. The female droneling displayed an X on her visor, signaling her impending demise. J succeeded as Uzi gasped in fear, trying to make herself as small as possible. Then J lunged at the same area N had targeted.
N was about to reach out to stop J from harming the girl, but to his surprise, Uzi started giggling again.
"Eheheheh!!! Stohohop!!"
But J didn't stop; she nuzzled and kissed the droneling affectionately wherever she could reach, causing the droneling to lightly kick her legs. After some time, J suddenly stopped tickling the girl as she went limp in her arms.
"What just happened? What did this child do?" J asked herself and looked towards N.
"I told you! It's like she hypnotized us!"
J huffed out of frustration as she realized what this meant - they had accepted the droneling into their squad as their own. It made sense, considering it was almost mating season for them and, after finding their mate, they would seek out a shell for their new baby. Since there were no baby shells available, they had chosen option two: adoption.
"What do we do now?" N asked, tilting his head at J.
"I don't care. You can keep her though," J said, throwing Uzi back to N.
"Wait, really? Thank you, J! Come on, little buddy, let me show you to V!" N smiled as he flew back towards the cage, with J following suit, knowing that she'll have to deal with a very confused and possibly angry V.
Meanwhile, the crowd died down as the two flew back into their respective cages. Nori was the first to snap back out of it as she broke free from the other workers' hold. She and Khan turned to face the employee, who flinched at the sudden movement. They couldn't blame the two for their reaction either; it wasn't every day that a disassembly drone takes off with your kid and decides not to kill them.
Nori grabbed the staff member by the collar and violently shook them, yelling, "What. Was. That?!! Where are they taking my baby?! What are they going to do to her?!! Why didn't the Disassembly Drones kill her?! Aren't they monsters?!!"
Nori was about to spew out more questions before Khan reached out to firmly but gently grabbed her shoulder.
"Nori, calm down! You're going to hurt them at this point!" Khan pleaded
Nori lets the poor worker go as they tried to recollect themselves. Once they did, they straighten themselves up to look at the couple.
“Phew, I think I know why and where they took your child.”
Nori and Khan perked up as they looked at the worker. They turned around and started to walk towards the staff only door.
“Follow me.”
-Meanwhile in the cages…-
N had arrived at the cages, where all the DDs that the arena had were kept. Each cage housed a squad of drones to prevent them from feeling lonely. However, there were exceptions to this, such as mates and rivals.
On the left side of the room, V could be seen cleaning herself inside a cage. She appeared rather bored. N quickly flown over and entered the cage.
"V! You won't believe what happened!" N exclaimed happily as he landed near his mate.
V looked up from her work, wearing a lazy smile. "Did ya finally manage to beat J in a fight?"
"Well, about that—" Before N had a chance to explain, J interrupted as she nudged N to make some space for herself in the cage.
"No, he didn't. However, there was an incident. A droneling managed to get inside the ring."
V became interested at the news, her bored expression turning into one of malice as her sharp fangs became visible. She sat up to listen attentively.
"Oh? Did ya put the brat out of its misery? Tear it apart in front of the crowd?"
"Worse..."
N proudly showed Uzi to V, just as he had done with J.
"She's been accepted into the squad!" N exclaimed victoriously.
V's eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. Of all the things that could have happened today, this was not on V's list.
“What?!” V exclaimed
"Here! Hold her for a bit too!"
N quickly plopped the droneling into V's arms, snapping her out of the initial shock.
"A kid?! N, what were you thinking?! J, Why didn't you stop him?!" V angrily asked as she glares at their leader, who only shrugged her shoulders.
She crossed her arms before looking away, a faint yellow blush of embarrassment visible in the corner of her visor.
"I...don't know, to be honest. That thing has a weird charm."
"Not you too, J," V whined.
"Guess I'll have to take care of this tiny pathetic excuse of a worker myself. More snacks for me!"
She lowered her head to look at the child, hissing and baring her fangs at the droneling. However, the droneling did not react. When you've had at least two disassembly drones trying to eat you, you kinda get used to it. V looked at Uzi in surprise before baring her fangs again, attempting to elicit a flinch from her. But once again, she didn't flinch. If anything, it only fascinated her more.
“Ugh, screw it! I’m eating this kid!”
V opens her mouth in preparation of eating the droneling. After doing a quick calculation, V strikes the droneling on the stomach. Uzi instantly shrieks with laughter.
"Ahahahahahahah! Nohot again!! Hahahahaha! Plehehease!!"
The child laughs gleefully as V kisses and munches all over the her belly. V abruptly stops and stares at the droneling, like she just got out of a trance.
J walks near V with a smug grin.
“I thought you were gonna eat her.” J teased earning a small punch in the arm
"S-Shut it..” V grumbled
"So, does that mean we can keep her?" N eagerly asks V, waiting for her response.
V hesitates before silently nodding her head in agreement. N excitedly grabs both the female disassembly drone and Uzi, twirling them around and earning a squeal from the little one.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you V! We can finally raise a family!" N exclaims as he nuzzles his mate.
V looks down at the droneling, who looks back up at her. She thinks about N's words and realizes that they had given up on ever having a child. The thought that this small, purple worker could be theirs feels like a dream, a weird one, but one she doesn't mind.
"Yeah, I guess," V smiles warmly as she hugs the droneling alongside N.
J rolls her eyes and walks to her usual corner, not wanting to witness the sight.
"Gross."
The moment was cut short as N and V perked up at a sound outside of the enclosure. Knowing who it was, N quickly placed Uzi under his wing while V went back to cleaning her claws, acting as if nothing had happened before the door opened up.
"This way. Please keep in mind not to touch any of the cages," the staff member instructed as they entered alongside the two parents. Nori and Khan looked around themselves. The thought of giant cages filled with deadly Disassembly Drones alone would give a worker a heart attack, but to see them raise their heads and look at you with hungry eyes was a terrifying experience.
Khan shuddered as he treaded closely to the group. Eventually, they made it to one of the cages, which seemed to be empty. Nori leaned forward to see if she could spot any of the disassembly drones that took her baby, only for the employee to block her with their hand.
“Don’t lean too close, miss. That’s how other workers get eaten,” the employee warned. “They could be at the back. They love dark places, especially when they sleep.”
The employee grabbed a long stick before dragging the metal tip over the bars
"Come on! Rise and shine, you three!"
The group hears a groan as they notice movement in the shadows. Soon, they see three Disassembly Drones approaching them, all lining up near the bars of their cage.
"Alright, guys, no more playing around. Where's the droneling you took?"
The trio looks at the worker before quickly turning their heads away, doing a pretty horrible job of pretending to be clueless.
"Guys, this isn't funny anymore. Give her back now."
They tilt their heads at the worker, still trying to act clueless. Suddenly, N's wing twitches a bit, then it twitches some more. That was strange. The employee focuses on the male worker's wings before realizing they were a bit misshapen. There is only one explanation as to why they were shaped like that.
"Designation N."
N jolts a bit as he looks over.
"What do you have there?" the staff points to his wing, where a big bulge can be seen, shaking a bit.
N looks at it, then back at the worker. N looks around nervously, pretending he didn't see it.
"Serial Designation N, let the child go. Now."
N stares at the worker, and the worker stares back at him. Neither of them move. As if they were engaged in a silent battle. Eventually, N looks away, turns around, walks over to his corner, and takes Uzi out of his wings. He hugs her tightly as he sits down with his back to the employee.
"Hey! You better give that droneling back right now!" the staff fumes, only for N's tail to wag angrily at him.
"Don't make me use the shock collar!"
N growls at them, his grip on the droneling becoming tighter yet still gentle on the child. Uzi looks at her "captor" before turning her head to look at her parents.
"Hey N? Can you let me go, please? I wanna go back to Mom and Dad," Uzi asks softly, tugging at N's sleeve.
N looks down at the child with disbelief. She wants to go back to her mom and dad? Why? Didn't they leave her for dead? Why would she want to go back to those horrible drones? Besides, she has a new family now, with Mama V, Papa N, and Auntie J, of course. They finally have the child they so desperately wanted, and he won't let anyone take her away so easily.
N looks over to where the group of workers was. He tries to glare at them, but his eyes widen at what he sees. He doesn't see horrible monsters that left their offspring to die. No, he sees a mother and a father with worried expressions.
N looks back at Uzi, chittering softly before biting the back straps of her overalls and carrying her near the bars. V snarls at him, as if telling him to stop, but he communicates with her, making his mate look at the ground. They both made their way towards the bars before N lets Uzi go.
The moment she is let down, Nori immediately wraps her arms around her daughter.
“Oh my baby! You’re okay!” Nori rejoices in relief.
"Don't you ever do that again, Uzi! We thought we'd never see you again!" Khan says as he joins in on the hug.
Uzi hugs her parents back tightly as they kiss and cradle her like she'll disappear the moment they let her go.
“Now please tell me, machine gun, what possessed you to do such a thing?" Nori asks tiredly.
"Daisy fell into the arena and I couldn't leave her behind! I'm sorry," Uzi explained as she lowered her head in shame.
"I know you wanted to save her, but what you did wasn't a very responsible thing. Next time you lose your toy, let us or another adult know. Okay?" Khan smiled as he put a hand on Uzi's shoulder gently.
"Okay, Dad!"
The employee sighed a breath of relief, glad that the kid was alright and that they didn't have to deal with two wealthy parents suing the place as they opened the door back to the stadium.
"We're glad that your kid is alright, Mr. and Mrs. Doorman. But we have to go now."
"Most certainly! Come on, little machine gun, let's get away from these dangerous beasts!" Khan said as he grabbed ahold of Uzi's tiny hand.
As the family began to walk towards the exit, Uzi suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing the three adults to halt and look at her.
"Uzi? Aren't you coming?" Nori asked.
"I want to say goodbye to my friends," Uzi replied.
"Your friends? Where are they?" Khan inquired.
Uzi turned and pointed to the cage she had been in just minutes ago.
"There."
The adults took a moment to realize who Uzi was referring to.
"Oh no! Absolutely not! We are not risking your life again!" Nori exclaimed, but stopped upon seeing Uzi lower her head in sadness.
They weren't harming the girl in the first place, it wouldn't hurt if she said goodbye.
"Ugh, just make it quick, okay? And stay outside of the cage," Nori instructed.
Uzi perked up, silently thanking her mother before turning around and running back to the cage. N and V, seeing that their droneling was returning, got as close as possible to the bars before lying on their bellies to be at the droneling's level. Uzi then grabbed their hands and squeezed them as a way to hug them goodbye.
"Bye N, bye V, bye J. I'll miss you," Uzi said.
"Come on, Uzi, we have to go," Nori called.
"Okay, Mama! I'll see you guys again one day!"
She waved goodbye as she ran up to Nori before she picked the droneling up and walked away. N whined as the door finally closes.
-Later on…-
"...and V has this, um, super cool face she makes that's super scary-looking, but she's the sweetest drone ever!" Uzi beamed as she tried to imitate the face V made.
"She does? You don't say!" Nori smiled, listening to her daughter's story.
"Yeah! And, and N was... so warm... and... comfy..." Uzi didn't even finish her sentence before she dozed off.
Nori chuckled before tucking the covers over Uzi and adjusting the toy cow so that it wouldn't slip from her grasp. She gave a kiss on the visor for the night before closing the door to discuss the situation that happened earlier with Khan, wondering if they should let her back in the stadium. Their voices faded as they walked away from the droneling's room.
Suddenly, tapping could be heard from the window, causing Uzi to stir and wake up. She rubbed her eyes as she looked at the glass pane, seeing a large, bright yellow X. Her optics lit up as she knew who it was.
"N!"
⋆。‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧。⋆ ⋆。‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧。⋆ ⋆。‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧。⋆
The end :)
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Love Potion
@lordoftherazzles my friend, my saviour, has been so good to provide me with a request right away and I am diligent.
So...here we go...Week 2 (There are still plenty of prompts open :) )
Words: 1154
Characters: Dwalin x Nori, Ori
Prompt: Ice-cold drinks
Warnings: Alcohol, a kiss, reference to trauma
Nori looked over at his younger brother dubitatively—he had a lot riding on this afternoon picnic, and he wanted everything to be just perfect.
"Didn't you say that you were going to the river with Fíli and Kíli?" he asked in a slightly unnerved tone as Ori kept fidgeting with the checkered tablecloth as if he had all the time in the world at his disposal.
"Do you want to get rid of me?" Ori shot back, a vexed, injured expression in his deep, dark eyes as he finally caught on to his brother's evident nervousness and impatience.
"Yes," Nori exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "The last thing I need today is my baby brother bustling around to witness my inevitable shame."
Shaking his head mournfully, Ori gave the decorations a last pat and stepped back from the little table they had erected in the middle of the small meadow behind their cottage.
"Suit yourself," he muttered fondly and gave Nori an encouraging smile. "It looks really nice, you know? You're right though, it's a terribly hot day, and I should be off."
Feeling bad for having chased away Ori—who was inoffensive and helpful by nature—Nori decided to sacrifice a part of his special surprise for his own guest to make amends for his harsh words.
"Here," he called, running after Ori's retreating figure and handed the young lad a battered flask. "Be careful!"
Mahal, Nori thought, he started to sound like Dori.
Shaking himself in disgust, he went back in to swap his worn tunic for a newer, cleaner, and more flattering one and thus began the long waiting.
He had not given his most anxiously awaited guest a clear timeline—it had been important to him to make the whole plan sound as relaxed and spontaneous as possible, despite the meticulous planning that had gone into that insouciant air of careless flirtation—and consequently, he did not know when the other would arrive exactly.
"He'll come," Nori muttered and touched his elaborate hairdo for the umpteenth time to make sure that it was flawless.
It was quite unlike him to be this nervous about what—on the surface at least—was nought but an informal visit from an old friend.
Ori had been right, and the weather had been glorious these last few days so when he had met Dwalin in the square, he had casually invited him to come share a cold drink while sitting in the meadow and laughing about their overly prim and proper siblings.
They had done this a thousand times before so why was his stomach in knots now?
Maybe, Nori had to admit, it was because he now was acutely aware of the effect Dwalin's strong, tattooed arms had on the colony of critters having taken up residence in his stomach or because he could no longer ignore the fact that his breath stuttered every time those seemingly serious eyes glistened with secret glee.
It was entirely foolish, but Nori couldn't help feeling that he didn't want to spend sunny summer days with anybody else. Come to think of it, he could also not imagine a better companion for cold winter days or mellow autumn days or any other season or moment of his life.
"Oi!"
Not one to insist on procedure, Dwalin had simply rounded the house and was presently stomping determinedly towards the small clearing, a box carefully balanced in one of his massive paws.
"The other ones out?" he asked good-humouredly as he let himself fall into one of the chairs Ori and Nori had brought out prior to his arrival. "Just us?"
"Just us," Nori acquiesced—he hated how his voice broke at the end of the sentence as if he was not sure of himself.
Mahal's beard, he had but two brothers and he was well capable of keeping track of them.
"Balin sends his best regards," Dwalin grumbled on complacently, "and his meatloaf."
"Oh, goodie," Nori exclaimed in earnest delight and patted Dwalin's bare shoulder awkwardly.
It was a sign of friendship and trust as much as a concession to the merciless, blistering heat that he had not donned the heavy leathers he was usually clad in.
Instead, he wore a light tunic and a pair of cut-off leggings that would have made Dori blanch with how crooked they looked, spanned taut around Dwalin's impressive calves.
"Let me get the drinks," Nori squeaked and dashed back up to the house to catch his breath before he could do something unpardonably stupid.
Taking out the pitcher from the icebox, he gave a heavy sigh.
No doubt, Dwalin expected some local ale, provided by one of the surrounding breweries but—on this most fateful of days—Nori had taken the enormous risk of baring a part of his soul to his taciturn friend.
He had picked up the recipe for the fruity, summery concoction on one of his most desperate thieving trips—in fact, it had been entrusted to him by a young woman who danced for coin.
Spending all her days in sweltering alleys, she knew how merciless the heat could be and had taught Nori how to stir up a refreshing, reinvigorating drink that would not addle his senses overmuch.
It had been many long years since last he had even tried to emulate her prowess, but today, for Dwalin, he had given it his best try.
Nori's fingers were clasped tight around the cold container as he made his way back slowly, dreading that Dwalin would mock him and the fruit of his labours.
At the sight of the cut-up slices of berries and apples floating in the aromatic liquid, Dwalin cocked an inquisitive eyebrow, but he didn't demure.
Indeed, he took the offered tankard eagerly and drank deep.
"That is delicious!" he cried out, astonishment in his voice, as he sprang up for no apparent reason. "You've got something..."
Leaning over his befuddled host, he cupped one of his bearded cheeks tenderly and bent towards him to kiss away the scrap of blueberry clinging to Nori’s proud moustache.
"There," Dwalin muttered throatily. "Even more delightful than the first mouthful."
Whimpering under his breath, Nori melted into the embrace of those strong arms and gasped when Dwalin's cold cup touched his back, making him jerk forward instinctively straight into Dwalin’s broad chest.
"Now, this," Dwalin purred and took another appreciative sip, "is too good to be kept a secret. In the name of fraternal loyalty, I will have to demand you hand over the recipe so I can present it to Balin as a token of my love."
It was Nori's turn to cock a sceptical eyebrow.
"You'd have to catch me first," he then hooted and, twisting elegantly, he ran off towards the nearby line of trees.
Guffawing loudly, Dwalin drained his glass, poured himself another few swigs, downed those as well, and gave chase.
@fellowshipofthefics Here's the first one for the second week then :)
Thank you @lordoftherazzles for the prompt, you're a lifesaver (and if you ever want one, please feel free to ask me, I never know when people would like any...)
Lots of love <3
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