Tangible (Yandere Elijah Kamski x Reader)

Nineteen

Ten minutes later you were seated near your creator, with enough space between the two of you for the piercer. Elijah wanted a black hoop in his ear, and suggested you have the same done in the opposite.

The process itself was swift but it didn't stop the tall male from cursing under his breath once the needle went through. "Yeah, cartilage shit hurts worse than just the lobe, man, sorry about that," the piercer murmured. "Better than going to some retail place that has those damn piercing guns, though. I can't believe they still have them around, they're terrible."

"I'd imagine so," Eli responded quietly. The ear with the brand new hole was a bright pink and rather warm, but it would go back down in several minutes. Removing his glasses he turned to watch yours being done, as well. The piercer was busy unwrapping a new needle while you sat completely still.

Wonder how long it'll take him.

"All right, Miss, I won't lie, this will hurt a bit. But the pain doesn't la--... what the everloving hell is that?"

There we go.

"That would be an LED indicator," Elijah answered for you. "It's blue, which means she's fine, by the way."

The piercer turned to stare at the tall male for a long moment before gazing at you once more. You merely smiled kindly at him, not saying a word while his mushy human brain tried to process this new concept. "... You want me to pierce your android?!"

"Not just myself; she consents, as well." Sharing a look with you, your creator chuckled under his breath. "Is it weirding you out?"

"Fuck no, this shit is awesome!" The piercer got to his feet, opening the door and poking his head out. "Hey, DJ! I'm piercing an android!!"

"The fuck do you mean, you're piercing an android?!" Derrick's booming voice came long before his presence. Only then did he realize there was a light on the side of your head. ".... holy shit."

"Will this be a concern for you or your business?" Your voice chimed in gently, but it was enough to snap the two shop workers out of their trance.

"--What? No, no, it's fine! I, uh..." Derrick paused, scratching his bearded chin. "... are you able to get pierced?"

"This is an experiment for everyone present," you answered, still bearing that gentle smile.

"... I thought you had blonde hair?"

Shit. "I have two models currently; the one you've seen is the RT600 prototype. Her name is Chloé. This," Elijah went on, gesturing towards you, "is Vi. My..."

Fuck, I never gave her a model number. She's just Vi.

"... VI500 model," he finished.

Politely shaking both Derrick's and the piercer's hand, your smile never faltered. "We apologize if this has startled or upset either of you in some way. My curiosity is at fault; we were walking by and your shop caught my attention. If you like, I can sign a form stating that I am consenting to this. I know that that is the standard for tattoo work, which I cannot physically obtain."

The piercer, whose name was Spyder- obtained after an initial scan- sputtered a couple of times before his mouth formed actual words. "Um... a-actually, no, it's okay. If... if you're..." His eyes found Eli. "... she's legit consenting to this? How the fuck...?"

Elijah, as expected, just poked the side of his head a few times. "That's a secret."

[ 01010110 01001001 ]

As the two of you walked out of the shop again, the male paused, stopping in his tracks as he gazed at you. "... Vi, give me five minutes, I need to talk to them about..." Eli didn't finish, simply turning on his heel and going right back inside.

You stayed where he'd left you, in the middle of the sidewalk; passersby veered around you without so much as a second glance.

When Elijah came back out, his vague grin was spread on his face. "I'm sorry about that, I had a couple of questions for them."

"Elijah, you were gone for four minutes and 16 seconds." His deadpan glare brought the corners of your mouth up. "What questions did you have?"

The human merely shook his head, so you understood that he wasn't going to divulge. "How's that piercing, Vi?"

"The pain lasted less than a second and my skin has already healed around the metal. I am receiving no error messages about the foreign object in my body, and the probability that that will change is zero percent."

As you answered as thoroughly as you always did, Elijah went to offer an arm, reconsidered, then slid that arm around your waist, hand planted firmly at your side. Being on your right side meant he could keep an eye on your LED, should anything change. "Let me know in the off chance that the probability changes, please," the male replied.

[Is this appropriate...?]

The pressure of his hand on your side seemed to override most of your other thoughts. As a result there was a slow-growing warmth in your face, and your algorithms were giving conflicting options in how to respond.

[Does this bother me? We are alone, and Elijah has given me no reason to be wary of his actions.]

Yet you had the concrete knowledge that if Chloé had joined the two of you, then such contact would not have happened.

Turning your head, you were met with blue eyes watching you closely. The vague smile only barely masked his concern. "What's going through your system?"

You couldn't look away. "... you are overly affectionate today, Elijah. I do not believe this behavior would reveal itself if Miss Chloé had accompanied us today." His eyebrows slowly sank, hiding behind his glasses while you continued. "Please do not promise to treat us equally, only to go back on your word when you are alone with me."

Slowing to a stop, Eli turned to face you, releasing your waist in favor of both of your hands. He'd stopped the walk in the middle of a small park, the rustle of the leaves filling your senses quietly in the background.

"Is that what you think, Vi? You think I'm going back on my word right after promising the both of you?" His voice had plummeted, offering the bass tones in a glorious murmur, gaze unflinching.

[... I cannot feel my legs.]

The grasp on your hands tightened by a fraction, squeezing them briefly as Elijah took a slow step closer. The fuel pump in your chest ached for unknown reasons, yet there was an overwhelming sense of something you could only call want.

"You know everything about me, Vi, but you don't know anything at the same time. I was fourteen years old when you came to life, just a personal assistant on my phone. Better than the manufactured ones. Better than I could have dreamed about. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am right now."

All the praise was warming your cheeks, and for a small, beautiful moment, the world around the two of you faded into the distance. "You are most certainly on the verge of becoming a tech giant, Elijah. CyberLife--"

"I'm not talking about CyberLife. I'm not talking about my work, Vi; I'm talking about you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here, holding hands that, once upon a time, you didn't have. Giving you the freedom to choose your appearance turned out so much better than anything I could have created. I know I'm selfish in so many ways, not in the very least being your eyes themselves, but..." Your creator shook his head, his gaze wandering the park for a couple of seconds before meeting your eyes once more. "Anything I create, I wonder what you'll think about it, or if you'll enjoy it. Your opinion weighs the heaviest to me. And... the more you learn to feel and accept your self-awareness, your... deviance from being a machine..."

Say it. I have to say it. I have to!

"... the harder I fall."