You tried to organize you mind as little things clicked together. The man standing in front of you was none other than your boss, dressed in a suit and tie and utterly smug. You wanted to slap his expression right off his face. Knowing who it was terrified you,, but also gave you a new little nugget of courage.

“Fix Leo.” You demanded, voice cold, but before you could say anything he tsked his tongue-- a sound that you often heard in the office. Hearing it here made you fist your hand in anger. “Why did you hurt him?”

“Hmmmm...” the man walked closer to you slowly, patting his large belly as though digesting and thinking was too much effort. “We'll I can't interest you in another piece of merchandise if he is still around, now can I? I may have set up the elevator incident--” he coughed, a thick gross hack that made you back up yet another step. “I may have set that one up, but what if it wasn't me? You can't take care of yourself, and you know it.”

Your fear was freezing, the core of it becoming a shard of ice and anger that held you upright. “I got myself out of that elevator.”

“So you did, so you did, but the point still stands that you wanted someone to save you.”

You had no weapon but your hands, and you wanted to use them to wring his fat neck. You said nothing, and after another cough he continued.

“Well, just so you know, 037 is repairable for now, and as a special I can even keep his memories in tact. But he had a nice full, happy lifetime; there's someone else who really could use your affections.”

He snapped his fingers, and from the darkness behind him emerged another form. You didn't see it for a moment, distracted by the news that Leo would recover. But then you saw him; thinner, taller, and as he stepped into the light you let out a gasp.

“N?!”

It was he you had tried so hard to message, but apparently it was pointless. He was already here, waiting on the side of your captor. You stumbled forward a step, trying to see his face more clearly. Was there remorse? Anger? Why was he here?

“B-but--” you murmured, trying to figure it out. “But you love Leo, how could you let them do this?!”

N was staring at you, expression carefully blank. Hollow, even. He remained silent. “I saw the way you kissed him,” you continued, gathering anger now, “that was sincere! How could you hurt him?!”

The last words exited you as a screech, a sheer demand for answers wrapped in a around a core of betrayal. N was over there. Even if he was a cyborg, how could he?!

Your boss let out another cough, forcing you to turn your attention back to him. “Don't worry about this one.” He waved towards N dismissively. “He's in a stasis right now, can't respond to you or any of that. But since he is here, I have an offer for you; or perhaps, more accurately, a choice.”

Your stomach sank. A choice? Any sort of choice that took place in a place like this was something you wanted no part in. N still said nothing, didn't even move; you wondered, if you could get close enough to tell, if he would be breathing.

“So you see,” the man said, walking around in a small futile circle, “here I am with two relatively useless cyborg boyfriends. Both bought at one time or another. However I now find myself with the issue of one having no owner. What do you do with a second hand product that has no owner?”

He paused, offering a contemplative look to N, and you followed suit. “It was all agreed with the company, of course. An extra settlement fee and we would make things look pretty bad for his little girlfriend. The sister came in, worried about her sibling being attached to a machine.” He chuckled as you felt your face pale. “Don't blame her. Not particularly a healthy thing, but then, we don't sell health.”

“Wh-what are you saying?” Your exhale shuddered; even with such a thing being spoken in his presence N did not move. Leo, still, was silent; would he even wake up on his own? But your focus now was on N, on what was being said about him as the man chuckled.

“Pretty, but often not smart. This is why you haven’t gotten a raise.” he clicked his tongue disapprovingly and despite your anger you felt the sting of shame. You tried to ignore it, instead favoring the thought of the one important thing that needed clarification.

“So….N’s Lover… She didn’t die.”

He looked at you for just a second before breaking out into a loud laugh. You waited for silence with baited breath, unable to decide how to respond to this news. N would be ecstatic.

“Oh no no, a little setup and modified memory files made that easy, no death required. She, of course, was told that… N, she called him, yes, that N had been disassembled.” He cocked his head to the side, looking at N’s stoic figure. “At the time it was a lie. Regardless, you still have a choice to make, my dear.” Your skin crawled at his disgusting pet name. Leo hardly even called you by pet names.

“No.”
“Actually, yes.” He extended a hand out to each of them, silent and unmoving in their respective locations. “Buy N, allow him a new, happy life. Leo, of course, will have is memory files wiped and will be given to another lonely girl as a bedroom playmate. Not a bad option, I might add. Or, keep Leo, keep him and all his memories, and N will be disassembled.”

The room spun before you, but he just wouldn’t stop talking. He reached out and took hold of one of N’s hand, pulling it. “Supposedly, it doesn’t hurt… too badly. They’re just wires and chips anyway, very little to worry about.” He pulled harder, until even where you were you could hear the sound of something pop.

So im just going to apologize in advanced; this got way serious and I didn't intend for it to. At all. Yet here it is! Hopefully it entertains you regardless! I promise, fluff is coming back with full force soon. Thanks for sticking with me! (also updates have been slow because the new semester just started, ill get back on track soon!)