A/N: Trigger Warning. credit to tinytushy for the chapter image!

 

 

“There’s more to life than just working, you know that, right?”

 

Her co-worker threw out the statement carelessly, already unfolding her umbrella as she prepared to brave the elements of nature to head back home. Wendy raised an eyebrow and stared at the carefree woman, shrugging when the older woman tutted at her.

 

“You’re practically working overtime every night. I’m sure you’re done with everything that was assigned to you.”

 

Wendy doesn’t understand why it mattered so much to her associate but she kept quiet, returning her attention to the words in front of her, narrowing her eyes slightly in the midst of the screen’s glare. She heard her workmate sigh and her feet shuffled on the carpet, Wendy jerking slightly when a hand was placed on top of her head.

 

“You’re going to burn out one day.”

 

Wendy shrugged again and subtly lowered her head, her co-worker withdrawing her hand.

 

The brunette was through at least another paragraph when her colleague spoke up again, a parting bellied by the sound of rain against the windows.

 

“Happy birthday, Wendy.”

 

*

 

It wasn’t that Wendy was a workaholic.

 

Far from it really.

 

She was an overachiever, proven by the various academic achievements and extracurricular trophies that lined her study from her schooling days, even graduated with first class honours in mechanical engineering. The laboratory she was working at was one of the top research centers in the country, Wendy often immersed in the new comings of robotics, playing a big role in the advancement of prosthetics and even robots, at the tender age of twenty-five.

 

She was an overachiever, that much she will not deny.

 

But she was not a workaholic.

 

Wendy shook out her umbrella and toed off her shoes, her eyes scanning the dark living room. Her apartment was silent, ridiculously so that her ears felt like they were in a vacuum. She flicked the switch and the lights came on quietly, the humming of the bulb emphasising the emptiness of her home even more.

 

Wendy made her way to her kitchen, wading through the silence as though it was the sea.

 

Wendy was not a workaholic.

 

She just doesn’t like coming back to an empty home.

 

Wendy has been alone for as long as she can remember, her parents shipping her off to boarding school at the age of ten and from then on, it was just studies and activities. She only saw her family during important occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. She could count the amount of friends she had on both her hands, the ones that would drop everything and come running on one.

 

For the most part, she was used to it, often filling her apartment with the noise from the television or coming back late from work, tired enough to not notice the stifling silence.

 

Other times, like today, just three minutes into her birthday, with a wine glass in her hand and the television remote in the other, Wendy craved for affection just as much as any other person. She would have her legs stretched out on a couch that was too long for one person, leftovers reheated because Wendy doesn’t know how to cook just enough, always a little too much.

 

She sipped her drink and sighed, cursing that tomorrow was a weekend and that it would be as empty as any other day.

 

And wondered if she could just drink the night away so she doesn’t have to wake up the next morning.

 

*

 

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!”

 

The blankets were snatched away from her, the morning chill travelling up her bare legs and Wendy curled up into a ball, groaning when sunlight hit her face. She buried her head deeper into her mattress, wondering why was her best friend invading her room when it was the weekend.

 

Brain still on shutdown, Wendy hissed when Seulgi pulled her up by the arms, her smile too bright for someone who was awake so early on a Saturday.

 

Wendy yelled hoarsely at the dark haired woman.

 

“Why are you being a pest so early in the morning?!”

 

Seulgi’s grip did not loosen, even as she forced a jumper over Wendy’s head, her eyes glinting mischievously.

 

“Morning? It’s twelve in the afternoon! I texted you like a million times so that we could go and get your present together but you didn’t reply. And part of my best friend duty is to make sure you didn’t die face down in your living room because you got scared by that stupid game you keep playing.”

 

“Excuse you, Outlast is an amazing game! Just because you can’t perceive the ingenuity of it-”

 

Seulgi ignored her, cutting through her sentence excitedly.

 

“But anyways! I got you a present! It’s amazing and one I think you will appreciate greatly!”

 

Hair messier than before, Wendy grumbled loudly and reluctantly followed Seulgi into her living room, lamenting the day she decided to give Seulgi a spare key to her apartment.

 

(Though a blessing whenever Wendy felt like the space around her was too big, Seulgi tended to abuse her key power and pop in at random times and proceeded to make a mess out of Wendy’s home

 

But apart from that, Wendy understood that Seulgi was trying her best to be there for her, though her working hours did not allow for it.

 

Though she’d like it better if Seulgi did not choose times when she was sleeping or showering to visit.

 

She can’t count the number of times Seulgi had seen her .)

 

Her heels skidded painfully against the wooden floorboards when she noticed a person sitting on her sofa, Seulgi nearly falling backwards as her arm tugged tauntly against the still statue that was Wendy. Confused, she looked behind her, only to find that Wendy was staring at the couch with wide open. Seulgi’s grin widened and she tossed her arm out carelessly, exclaiming with such pride that Wendy had to revise the reasons why they were best friends again.

 

“Ta-da! Your present!”

 

Wendy sputtered and threw Seulgi’s hand away from hers, pointing accusingly at the sleeping woman in her living room.

 

“You kidnapped somebody for my birthday?!”

 

(Wendy wondered if Seulgi’s present was really a because she can feel a vein about to pop in three different places.)

 

Seulgi’s smile never left her face, even as she was questioning Wendy in bewilderment.

 

“Who kidnapped what?”

 

“Her!”

 

Wendy waited for about two seconds for Seulgi to glance at where Wendy was pointing before a look of comprehension dawned on her face. Laughing loudly, Seulgi smacked Wendy on the shoulder hard.

 

“Silly! That’s a robot!”

 

Rubbing her shoulder gingerly, she followed the slightly older woman towards the robot, the machine still having her eyes closed as a wire came out from the back of her ear. A casual glance towards her wall plug told Wendy that the robot was connected to her charging port.

 

“You got me a robot for my birthday.”

 

Seulgi nodded happily and sat down next to the unmoving appliance, her arm going around small shoulders.

 

“Yes! Because I believed that you needed some companionship and excitement in your life.”

 

Wendy stared at her, a headache forming behind her eyes.

 

“That’s what I have you for.”

 

“Exactly! After careful evaluation, I realised that I cannot be the one and only in your life because that’s just sad, so I went and got you a robot!”

 

Wendy had to breathe in deeply, wondering when did her life get so sad that her best friend decided that she needed a robot for a companion. Unable to do anything about it, Wendy walked towards the robot hesitantly and reached out to it, prodding it in the cheek with a finger. Surprised to find that the robot was warm under her fingers, she raised an eyebrow at Seulgi, the brunette looking uncharacteristically smug.

 

“See! She’s amazing, right?”

 

Against her better judgement, Wendy started to examine the machine carefully, the engineer in her unable to overlook the fact that this robot was made so well, even better than the mechanics produced by her company. She marvelled at how real the skin was, the warmth hiding away the cool slick of the metal that Wendy could feel if she left her fingers there long enough. She trailed the tips of her fingers towards the ears, nodding once at the care that went into the design of this particular model before stopping short at the sight of the charging port.

 

“Is this an older model?”

 

Seulgi shrugged.

 

“I don’t know. The lady at the store was telling me that it’s a better model than the rest of them and she was really pretty so I got it.”

 

Seulgi and her weakness for pretty packages.

 

Wendy had to shake her head.

 

Wendy pressed next to the charging port, noting that the robot was almost fully charged. Again, she wondered why the machine had the charging port there when all the newer models had it at the back of the neck where it was proven to have better charges and longer battery life. Ignoring the explanation Seulgi was giving her, Wendy pulled the plug out, dropping the wire to her side as she waited for the robot to boot up.

 

Seulgi’s mouth clicked shut and she waited with bated breath, hiding her wide smile behind clenched fists.

 

The robot woke up silently, without any of the noise that usually came with the start up of the computer. Wendy itched to get her toolkit and open the back, just to see what kind of processor the machine had because that was something that her company was trying to go for and yet it seemed like such a faraway dream.

 

Despite herself, Wendy could feel herself sharing Seulgi’s excitement, eyes widening when the robot’s eyelids flickered realistically, nothing like the mechanical movement of the appliances founded by her company.

 

The robot turned her head towards Seulgi and lowered her chin, bowing at the woman slightly.

 

Wendy waited for the robot to turn towards her, her brow furrowing when she took in the colour of the robot’s eyes.

 

“Seulgi.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Why are her eyes blue?”

 

For the first time this morning, Seulgi looked startled, forcefully turning the robot’s head towards her.

 

“Yeah... Aren’t they supposed to be grey?”

 

The both of them fell into deep thought, leaving the robot to look at the both of them with wide eyes. Seulgi shrugged and leant over slightly, speaking quickly and brightly.

 

“But it’s cool! She’s functioning well and she’s going to make your life a happy one!”

 

Seulgi’s phone rang abruptly, Wendy jumping in shock as her friend turned off the alarm, a sheepish look overtaking her face.

 

“Sorry, it’s to remind me that Joy’s finished charging. She gets upset when she boots up and doesn’t see me around.”

 

Wendy shook her head and waved her hand at her, Seulgi standing up quickly.

 

“Go, go. I know how important Joy is to you.”

 

Seulgi smiled cheekily.

 

“Maybe this little one can be for you too.”

 

With that, the dark haired woman ran out the front door, shouting out a loud goodbye before slamming the door. Sighing, Wendy returned her attention towards the robot, the female machine still observing Wendy, her blue eyes standing out against her dark hair. Not comfortable with the atmosphere surrounding them, Wendy cleared and asked gently, somehow fearing that any louder would damage this extremely humanlike robot.

 

“So... What are you called?”

 

“The identifier is on the back.”

 

Her voice was soft, slightly husky from disuse (or maybe it was the way the creator meant it to be?) and it warmed Wendy from the inside out, the engineer blushing when the robot turned around and lifted her hair, a line of numbers printed against white skin.

 

Shaking her head at her reaction, Wendy scooted forwards and read off the string of numbers.

 

“I11-N11-J00... Okay, this is way too long, I can’t call you that.”

 

Thinking hard, Wendy traced the numbers subconsciously.

 

“What about Irene?”

 

“Yes, Mistress.”

 

Wincing at the moniker, Wendy shook her head, hand tight on Irene’s shoulder as she turned the robot around.

 

“No. None of that Mistress business. I’m Wendy Son SeungWan. I’m an engineer. You can call me Wendy.”

 

She hated it, this function that all the robots had, as though they were subservient to those who had bought them.

 

Who was she to have someone so submissive towards her when she was a nobody?

 

When she was merely twenty five and lamenting the fact that she was lonely and alone just yesterday night?

 

Her grip tightened and she stared into Irene’s eyes, hoping to get the message across.

 

“I’m your... friend.”

 

Irene nodded slowly, taking in the new directive.

 

“W.. Wendy.”

 

Wendy smiled and was pleasantly surprised when her present smiled back, a small gesture that somehow made the features crafted by the hand of men more humanlike and angelic. Irene spoke up again, this time slightly louder but with a hint of happiness that was not lost on Wendy’s ears.

 

“Friend.”

 

Maybe Seulgi was right.

 

Maybe Irene would be important to her.

 

*

 

Irene wandered around curiously, looking through her new home as Wendy took a shower. She glanced past the books on the shelves and ran her fingers across the television, looking around with wide eyed excitement as she wondered if this home would be a permanent one.

 

If Wendy would be nicer than her previous master, who had taken her back only to return her three days later because she was an obsolete model with blue eyes that were a defect.

 

If Wendy would mind if she put herself on hold while she charged like her mistress before that who yelled at Irene because she took longer than the rest of the robots in the house to charge.

 

The shower was running loudly as Irene walked past the bathroom, taking in various sights of the rooms with the door ajar. She searched the net for the few things she did not recognise and touched the ones she found pretty.

 

She found random photos scattered around the shelves and took them off to look at them closely, wondering why Wendy had the same look of sadness in her eyes, the loneliness that never went away from the moment Irene opened her eyes to greet her till she left Irene in the living room to clean up. She placed everything back in their proper places carefully and walked around some more, her ears perking up when Wendy called out to her, the woman seemingly done with her routine of sterilising.

 

“Irene! Come on, we have to go out.”

 

She hurried to Wendy’s side and tilted her head questioningly, Wendy pulling her bag strap over her shoulder.

 

“Where are we going, Wendy?”

 

Wendy smiled again and Irene noted that it reached her eyes slightly, brown alight with slight amusement.

 

“Shopping, of course.”

 

“Wendy needs something from the shops?”

 

The other woman, Wendy, shook her head and reached out for Irene, Irene looking down at the hand.

 

“You need something from the shops.”

 

“Irene needs something?”

 

This was different. Her previous owners had never told her she needed things.

 

“Yeah, I mean, you need clothes and something basic maintenance equipment. I’ll even show you how to do it, so you don’t have to rely on me.”

 

“And Irene needs to go out with Wendy so Irene can have these things.”

 

Irene watched as Wendy nodded, her new friend frowning as she stepped closer, arm dropping to her side.

 

“You’re speaking in third person. Were you set up like that?”

 

Irene shook her head.

 

“Irene has been speaking like this since Irene was first started up. The person at the shop said it was a defect. Irene’s previous master said that it was a defect. And that Irene annoyed him.”

 

Wendy continued to frown as her eyes roamed Irene’s face, prompting Irene to question her.

 

“Does it also annoy Wendy?”

 

Wendy’s eyes widened and she waved her arms wildly, Irene taking in the sudden change in physiology, the increase in heart rate, the dilation of pupils and Irene concluded that the woman was agitated.

 

“No! Definitely not! You don’t annoy me, I was just wondering, it’s a habit of mine, troubleshooting machines. I work at this robotics lab, you see and they often have me-”

 

Wendy trailed off weakly and pleaded softly.

 

“It is not annoying, I swear. It’s... kind of endearing now that I think about it.”

 

Irene nodded and stuck out her hand, remembering the time when she saw a bunch of kids do the same thing.

 

Wendy stared at the gesture, primarily at the pinky sticking out.

 

“You want me to pinky promise?”

 

Irene stated loudly.

 

“To pinky swear, or make a pinky promise, is the entwining of the little fingers of two people to signify that a promise or a swear has been made. Wendy swore earlier that Irene did not annoy Wendy. This is a promise.”

 

Wendy laughed and looped her finger around Irene’s, pressing her thumb with Irene’s in a way that the robot had never experienced before.

 

“I swear. You don’t annoy me. Promise.”

 

Irene nodded again, humming gently and confusedly when Wendy did not let go of her finger. Instead, the woman drew Irene next to her as she ushered the robot out of the door. Wendy cleared her confusion lightly as she locked the door, the brunette guiding Irene towards the lifts.

 

“You’ve never been out before. It’s so you won’t get lost.”

 

Irene felt her lips tug up slightly and knew she was smiling. She did not know if smiling was part of her code but she hoped that she would be able to continue to do it.

 

Especially since it made Wendy so happy.

 

Irene wanted to keep Wendy happy.

 

Especially since Wendy made Irene felt like this could be her home for a very long time.

 

*

 

It took Wendy several days to realise that Irene was more like a child than a fully functioning adult robot. There was an air of innocence about her, always curious about everything and asking Wendy about this and that even though she had already searched for it over the net. Irene was also like a little puppy, preferring to follow Wendy around and picking up the same habits as Wendy, such as hanging her coat over the chair and toeing off her shoes at the door instead of putting them away properly.

 

And Wendy never had a wrinkled shirt since Irene came into her life.

 

For some reason, the robot picked up an obsession with the laundry, washing everything with a precision that could only come from a motherly experience and then ironing them with corners that came from a military boot camp.

 

When questioned, Irene had smiled serenely and answered quirkily.

 

“Irene likes the way clothes are neat on Wendy.”

 

And when they went out, if they were walking, it would take them twice as much time to reach their destination. Irene had the penchant of wandering off, taking in sights with a wide eyed wonder and often tugging Wendy along to show her new things that she discovered.

 

“Wendy, look! Irene found a butterfly.”

 

Wendy lurched forward to stop Irene’s fingers from closing around the insect, sighing in relief when her hand managed to pull Irene back by the wrist. The robot looked over to her, her lower lip jutting out slightly.

 

If Wendy wasn’t an engineer, she would’ve thought her robot was pouting.

 

But knowing that it’s impossible, she brushed it off and explained gently, twining their fingers together to prevent Irene from accidentally killing every small, living thing she saw.

 

“You can’t grab a butterfly, it would kill them.”

 

“Kill; to cause the death of a person, animal, or plant. Irene does not want that. Irene will not grab anymore.”

 

Wendy wondered if robots could look earnest and if they couldn’t, Irene was doing an excellent job at emoting it.

 

“But Wendy grabbed Irene’s wrist earlier. Would that kill Irene’s wrist?”

 

Wendy had to laugh and she shook her head, pulling their intertwined hands to move Irene along.

 

“No, because I just wanted to hold your hand.”

 

“Hand holding; a sign of comfort and affection, sometimes to help. Wendy was giving Irene comfort and affection?”

 

“Well, technically, I was helping you not kill the butterfly so...”

 

Little things like these and somehow, even though Wendy had always enjoyed herself on the occasions Seulgi came over, nothing could ever beat a day when she spent it with Irene.

 

She had to admit to herself, Irene did bring something different to her life.

 

And chased the loneliness away with her presence.

 

*

 

“Wendy has to wake up now!”

 

Groaning, Wendy cracked open one eye to find the red numbers of her clock glaring at her. She swore softly under her breath and threw her pillow at Irene, the robot dodging it easily. Irene spoke up again, this time tugging at the blankets.

 

“Wendy is fully charged now! Wendy has to wake up!”

 

She groaned again, wondering who it was (Seulgi) that taught Irene to pull at the blankets and mourned for the days when Irene was a meek thing, waking her up gently and with a soft voice.

 

She’ll assassinate Seulgi when she has the chance, always teaching her robot weird things.

 

“Wendy doesn’t have to wake up. It’s six in the morning, Irene!”

 

“Wendy is fully charged! Wendy is going to ruin the battery life!”

 

“It doesn’t work like that!”

 

“Wendy has charged since ten last night, it has been eight hours! Wendy is fully charged!”

 

Irene pulled her blankets and Wendy held on tightly, aware that they both of them were acting extremely childish at the moment. She couldn’t help the smile uncurls the frown at her lips, somehow loving this small interaction between her and Irene.

 

It was all sorts of heartwarming.

 

Irene’s mechanical strength gave her the edge needed to wrench the blanket away from Wendy, the brunette groaning in displeasure as she rolled around reluctantly, though very aware that she was not as unhappy as she made out to Irene. Her robot held the blankets in her arms and spoke petulantly, very much like the child Wendy had tagged her to be after that second week.

 

(It was surprising to Wendy when Irene showed that she understood emotions, even being able to mimic some of Wendy’s expressions at times.

 

But more surprising would be how Irene’s blue eyes would flood with feeling, be it happiness or sadness and though Wendy knew the robot did not understand it, it often filled Wendy with bliss.)

 

“Irene misses Wendy. Wendy is charging for too long.”

 

“No! I don’t want to!”

 

“Please, Wendy? It’s the morning and Irene misses Wendy.”

 

Nodding tiredly, Wendy rubbed at her eyes and held her arms out, grinning when Irene dropped the blankets and stepped into the hold, nuzzling into the faint warmth that Irene could copy.

 

“I’m awake now. Happy?”

 

Irene looked down at her, hands splayed on Wendy’s shoulders and her brow furrowed, Wendy resting her chin on Irene’s abdomen as she waited for an answer.

 

“Happy; the feeling of pleasure or contentment.”

 

Wendy continued to wait patiently as it seems that Irene was still thinking.

 

“Wendy woke up because Irene misses Wendy. Even though Wendy did not want to.”

 

Irene blinked twice and her lips curled upwards as she nodded.

 

“Yes, Irene is happy. Because Wendy woke up for Irene.”

 

Wendy was dangerously close to squealing at the cute display in front of her. She settled for tightening her arms around Irene’s waist and beamed up at Irene, the robot’s fingers tracing her jaw.

 

“Is Wendy happy too?”

 

Wendy barely had to think of an answer, knowing that the mornings since Irene was given to her had been brighter.

 

“Yes. Wendy is very happy.”

 

*

 

“So... Where are my bear hugs?”

 

Wendy stared down at Seulgi and narrowed her eyes, dropping her bag into the chair beside her before sitting down.

 

“And why would I be hugging you?”

 

Seulgi puffed out her chest proudly and raised her arms, drawing the attention of the restaurant’s patrons. Wendy ducked her head instinctively, feeling her ears burn with embarrassment that came with Seulgi’s overly big gestures.

 

(Why were they best friends again?)

 

“Because! I gave you Irene!”

 

Wendy covered her face with her hand and whispered loudly.

 

“What does that have to- can you please put your hands down?”

 

Seulgi continued to smile like a lunatic but she complied with Wendy’s request.

 

“Because, and don’t deny it, you’re so much happier these days! And I know it’s because of Irene because you still don’t socialise but you’re happy.”

 

It’s endearing, really, how invested Seulgi was in making sure that Wendy was happy.

 

Not very endearing when the brunette started to waggle her eyebrows at her and extending her arms, gesturing for Wendy to hug her.

 

Reluctantly, Wendy reached over and patted Seulgi twice on her upper arms and pulled back.

 

“There, I gave you a hug.”

 

Undeterred, Seulgi stuck her tongue out at Wendy.

 

“You gave me a sad excuse for a hug. But I’ll forgive you because you’re clearly enjoying your present. As reluctant as you were.”

 

Wendy couldn’t help the smile that made its way to her lips.

 

“Yeah... Irene’s great.”

 

Seulgi clapped happily, her eyes curving up into crescents as she celebrated for Wendy.

 

(It was times like these that Wendy is truly grateful to have Seulgi as a friend.

 

Nobody else had been as invested in Wendy’s wellbeing like Seulgi.

 

As spartan and overly excited Seulgi was, Seulgi made sure that Wendy did not stay in that dark space for long.

 

But Seulgi was, at the end of the day, just one person.

 

But she tried her best.

 

And she did give Wendy Irene.)

 

They continued to chat amiably, Seulgi telling her about the time Joy decided that she was indestructible enough to jump off the second floor balcony and ultimately gave Seulgi a heart attack when she came home to find Joy standing on top of the railings. Wendy laughed loudly and shook her head, somehow unfazed by the fact that Joy was so reckless, even though she was one of the newer generation robots.

 

The two women continued to talk over their dinner when Seulgi suddenly exclaimed, her finger pointing past Wendy and towards the window they were sitting by.

 

“Hey, isn’t that Irene?”

 

Wendy’s head whipped around quickly, the smile that had formed dying when she saw that her robot was staggering like she was drunk, eyes partially closed and hair in disarray.

 

“How come she’s out of the house?”

 

Wendy got up quickly and gathered her things, dropping a few bills on the table.

 

“I told her she could go out sometimes because I didn’t want her cooped up. Sorry, Seulgi, I’ll have girl’s night some other time.”

 

Seulgi was also getting up and putting on her coat.

 

“I’m coming with.”

 

Wendy nodded gratefully.

 

The both of them rushed outside, catching Irene just as the robot pitched forwards. She crumpled under the robot’s weight, Wendy forgetting that though Irene was slight, she was still made of titanium and weighed twice as much as Wendy. Seulgi steadied the both of them and her eyes roamed Irene’s body, shaking her head when Wendy looked at her with silent questions in her eyes.

 

“She doesn’t seem damaged.”

 

Wendy nodded and pressed behind Irene’s right ear, swearing loudly when she saw that the battery bar was blinking dark red, a sure sign that the robot was practically running on empty.

 

She doesn’t know how it would affect Irene, maybe it would be like a phone dying, but Irene is a model that Wendy has never dealt with before and she cursed for not having the foresight to check over Irene when she had the chance.

 

She carried Irene back home with Seulgi’s help. The whole way back, she was filled with worry, her chest twisting painfully at the thought of Irene’s processor frying and essentially deleting the major data that made Irene who she was. She fretted over how long the battery had been blinking red and why Irene did not think to charge when Wendy had told her over and over again.

 

She does not want to think about the possibility that Irene might have damaged her power core and never be able to wake up again.

 

Wendy could barely thank Seulgi for her help, intent of getting Irene to the charging port before any further damage could be done. Irene slumped on her side, face first into the sofa and Wendy saw Seulgi glancing over to her worriedly.

 

“Wendy, she’s going to be fine.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“She’ll come back online after ten hours of charging. Max.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Seulgi sighed and kissed the top of Wendy’s head, probably knowing that Wendy wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else at the moment.

 

“Call if there’s anything you need, alright?”

 

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