For You, I Would [Lil Hal x Reader]

Who are you?

It was a mellow fall afternoon, the sun was rippling through what little leaves were left on the trees. The air was cool and crisp as I walked over to Dirk's house. He had messaged me over pesterchum to ask me over, but he wouldn't say why.

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[timaeusTestified began pestering dragonessZombii at 1:47 p.m.]

TT: hey, are you available this afternoon?
DZ: Well, hello to you too Dirk
TT: sorry, I'm trying to keep it short and sweet.
DZ: yeah sure, that's fine. I'll head over in a bit. What's going on?
TT: can't say yet. You'll see when you get here. Front door is unlocked. See you in a few
DZ: wait

[timaeusTestified ceased pestering dragonessZombii at 1:48 p.m.]

DZ: dammit Dirk

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I sighed, remembering how bizarre the whole conversation was as I walked up to his door. Although he said it was unlocked, I still knocked before opening the door and walking in.

"Hey Dirk, I'm here!" I called into the house, and I took off my jacket as he came around the corner from the hallway. He smiled as he wiped the grease on his off onto his pants and came into the living room.

"Hey, thanks for coming over. I have someone for you to meet. Here, follow me." He said, leading me back down the hall to his room. I noticed he was covered in grease and oil stains, and even had some black gunk smeared in his hair. It was painfully obvious he had been working his behind off, but what for?

Dirk opened the door, and standing at the window was a tall, well-built male. He had his back turned to me, but he turned when he heard us entered. I stopped dead in my tracks, and my eyes felt like dinner saucers. Standing before me was Dirk, but not Dirk. His hair was snow-white, his skin a faint milky hue, and circuitry adorned his facial features, red standing out against white like blood-stained snow.

"W-who are you?" I asked, my voice seemed to shake, and the white Dirk smirked, the telltale Strider smirk not lost on his pale features. His appearance was... Ghostly, and it frightened me, just a little. He walked over slowly, and if I weren't frozen in place, I would have taken a step or two back.

"You haven't told her?" He asked, stopping right in front of me. I finally snapped out of my daze at his voice. It was Dirks, but there was a slightly different tone to it. It sounded... Mechanic? No... Robotic was more like it. Dirk let out a chuckle.

"It was supposed to be a surprise. I wanted to see how she would feel being in the same room with two of me." Dirk said, but I spoke without thinking.

"He isn't you." The words came tumbling out my mouth, and Dirk looked down at me, surprise crossing his features. The white Dirk locked eyes with his creator, and they smiled.

"She catches on fast, but according to all my programmed memory of her, this has been one of her significant traits." The white Dirk said, and I stood confused.

"Programmed memory?" I asked, quietly, and Dirk smiled down at me, and the white Dirk extended his hand to me.

"My name is Lil Hal, or Hal for short. I was created by Dirk as his auto responder, and we've actually spoken on a number of occasions. 413 to be exact out of you and Dirks regular 1325 in a 6-month period. I'm sure you've been unaware of these solicitations. Dirk has decided to finally give me a body, due to my recent actions becoming more independent from him. I'm becoming my own person, and it's nice to be able to see you in the flesh." He said, grasping my hand softly and giving it a small shake. He's courteous, but he was surprisingly kind. Dirk is normally very closed off even when he's using manners, but I figured it was because he wasn't attracted to women, and brushed it off.

"I believe you've stunned her into silence." Dirk said, bringing me back from my thoughts again, and Hal laughed, one that didn't sound like Dirk's at all.

"A deer caught in headlights. I'm sorry, ________. I didn't mean to frighten you. It's somewhat hard to integrate the fact that you haven't been aware of my existence up until now, where I've been aware of you for a long time. Please, forgive me." He said. For an android, his words seemed sincere, heavy with meaning. I nodded softly, his ghostly appearance still unsettling to me, and I suppose he seemed to sense it. Dirk cut in quickly, trying to dispel the tension in the air.

"Anyway, I wanted you and Hal to meet since he's finally going to start doing more things independently. Making friends independently, going about his day and such. He wants to become his own person, so I decided, why not? He's been great, helping me with self-improvement, but he's been giving me advice that I wouldn't normally give myself. That's when I realized he has developed a mind of his own, and what good is a mind without a body?" Dirk said, finally finding a rag to wipe his hands on.

"That's great, actually! Come to think of it, I was wondering why our conversations had been seeming out of place lately, but it makes a little more sense now." I said, pondering over some of the conversations with Dirk that had struck me as odd. Hal shrugged, and I shrugged along with him, watching Dirk pad around the room. I looked up at Hal, and he was looking back at me, his red eyes softly glowing through the dark anime shades. I stared for a moment, finding myself lost in them, before being snapped back to reality by Dirk moving around the room once again. He had an eyebrow raised, but said nothing.

~~~Dirk's POV~~~

What the hell was going on between those two? Every time I look away, it seems like the tension in the room builds again before I intervene and dissipate it. It's so heavy, hanging thick in the air. Do they not like each other? Is it possible that they have a mutual hate for one another? I rule out the thought quickly. ________ doesn't have a hateful bone in her body, and Hal shouldn't have a reason to hate her, being he's exactly - well almost - like me. I turn around to catch them staring at each other once again, and the tension is hanging thick in the air again. I walk past Hal, catching ________'s attention and snapping them out of it, the air returning to normal.

There's something odd between the two of them. Maybe ________ just needs time to adjust to having Hal around. I sigh inwardly, looking over at her. Knowing ________, I don't think she'll get used to the idea very soon. I think about it, trying to estimate about how long it would take before a thought hits me.

Maybe she's the reason Hal wanted to break away to begin with.