One of These Nights [Part III]
The VelvetA/N: Hello everyone! Thank you all for your support and concern over my well-being, I hope you all enjoy this next part. Something escalated emotionally for me recently so I'm not in the best state right now. Finishing up this part made me feel a bit better though, so i hope you all enjoy it. Thank you again!
---
The second that she opens the door, Irene dashes to the side to avoid getting run over by her crowd of friends. There isn't a huge amount of them, but you wouldn't expect that with the amount of noise they made just entering through a doorway.
Irene always kept her birthday parties intimate, and it was in events like these that Irene didn't really think that she lacked any close friends. She has just the right amount to make her happy, and despite them being busier as of late, they managed to make time for her birthday.
Joy, Seulgi, Yeri and Taeyeon had all arrive at once with the addition of Tiffany and Jessica, Taeyeon's girlfriends. They had been together since they met back in university and Irene still didn't understand their relationship, but it worked nonetheless.
Irene had met the three on second year Uni when she met Yeri and later it turned out that Tiffany would be a model for one of her classes while Jessica was a TA for another. When it turned out that these women knew about Yeri because they were her cousin's girlfriends, Irene was first stunned but now she can't imagine them without each other.
"Remind me to never get in a car with any Sooyoungs ever again," Taeyeon mumbles with a hand on her head. She rubs her temple gently, trying to wash away the slightly traumatic scenes of them almost crashing into lamp posts or small, innocent animals.
"Both Sooyoungs are horrible drivers, how funny," Jessica snickers to herself before walking over to Irene and giving her a hug. "Happy Birthday Hyunnie!! Tiff has your gift but where's my Wendy?"
"Happy birthday!!" Tiffany exclaims right after, engulfing Irene in a hug while ignoring her dizzy girlfriend. Taeyeon is left to argue alone with Joy over the nature of her driving, Joy obviously winning with her booming voice and towering height.
"Thanks you two," Irene wasn't particularly close to them, but Taeyeon was her older cousin and one of her best friends. The two were probably going to marry Taeyeon in the future; they meant a lot to her, so they were always invited. They were pleasant company anyway and always gave her top notch artist supplies as they were in a similar field. She appreciated that factor the most as somehow, all her closest friends are in a field of science.
Tiffany places a very pink and very sparkly gift box in Irene's hands before turning to a curious Jessica. Sometimes Irene wonders if she just uses the same wrapping for every occasion, even for Christmas.
"Is Wendy in the kitchen?" She asks, seeing Jessica facing the same direction where the delicious smell of food is coming from. The two girls hold hands as they try to contain their excitement, small squeals of glee coming out of their mouths as they steal glances of the adorable red head.
"Yeah, she's finishing up dessert," Irene responds before shaking the gift. It felt solid and almost heavy, "Is this a book?"
Taeyeon pops up from behind Tiffany before giving Irene a big grin, "It started off as a joke but the girls told me that it'd actually be beneficial for the both of you. Sica tells me that meeting illustration deadlines can be really stressful, so try out some of the activities in this book. But don't open it until everyone's gone, okay? Especially not with Yerim around."
Before Irene can instantly reject the gift (with that description and knowing Taeyeon, it can only be a disaster), Taeyeon, Jessica and Tiffany turn their attention to the cute AI dressed in a baby blue apron walking into the living room.
"Wendy!!" The two women squeal in unison, running to the girl. Wendy's face lights up at the sight of them, her arms opening up and accepting their bear hugs.
Irene watches in curiosity as the three converse in what she believes to be English. Taeyeon's love for Disney movies was definitely influenced by her two girlfriends; perhaps they were the ones who originally inspired the English name, Wendy.
"Taeyeon unnie, why are those two fawning over Wendy like she's their kid or something?" Seulgi asks with a tilt of her head. She smiles fondly as Wendy snuggles into their touch, Tiffany petting her hair while Jessica pinches her cheeks.
"They were there for a lot of the process," Taeyeon answers with light chuckle. "They would visit me when I worked overtime and basically watched Yeri and I create her. They even made me program her to know English so they could talk to her. Makes them feel like parents or something, since we can't have kids of our own yet. Tiffany even originally wanted her hair to be pink and so did Yeri, but I managed to convince them that red suited her way better."
All of the girls cooed at the explanation, Yeri just nodding along as she explained the story, as she already knew the more intimate details.
"They wouldn't shut up about seeing her in the car, now I understand why," Joy comments with a shake of her head, "It's kinda cute seeing an AI with moms. Does that make them your grandparents--"
Taeyeon covers Joy's mouth in time, almost going on her tippy toes to reach her.
"Don't say that out loud or they'll kill you," Taeyeon whispers harshly, looking at her partners to make sure they're still completely occupied by their favourite creation. "I already made the joke once and I had to sleep on the couch for a week."
"Oh, harsh," Seulgi winces, biting her lip at the mere thought, "They're pretty intense."
"Like someone else I know," Irene looks at Joy as the younger girl looks away, pretending to be interested in Irene's collection of art history textbooks.
"How's she doing so far, Joohyun?" Her cousin doesn't need to reach up too high to pat her head affectionately, "Oh and Happy Birthday by the way. The second Yeri asked if we could reserve Wendy for you, I knew that she had to be absolutely perfect. I hope she's been exactly that for you," Taeyeon's grin is infectious, and it doesn't help that Yeri mirrors it perfectly.
The youngest is practically bouncing on her feet, excited to hear Irene's response as well. "She's perfect right? Bet you're not mad at us anymore for giving you such an unconventional gift."
"You know, in our defence, AIs have become much more common gifts over the past three years," Seulgi adds with a wide grin, "They've definitely become more human like."
Irene glances at Wendy, her birthday present and new companion and she smiles, but the look in her eyes is distant. She's been running different scenarios in her head, her mind and heart not exactly sure what could be next for her.
"I do really like her so far guys but...she's an AI, you programmed her to like me, and as much as I like her too," her voice gets quieter for a moment, the sleeve of her blouse covering as she takes a second to pause and calm the heat creeping into her face. She sighs, finding her composure and shaking her head.
"I can't help but be bothered by the fact that her feelings and the way that she acts towards me are well...with a lack of a better word, artificial. Do you really think I won't be able to find companionship on my own? Is this some sad, last minute resource?" Irene's voice has a tinge of sadness and the girls briefly recall Irene's history with her past partners, the longest one having stayed for only a year. With her attachment to her work as well, it had been difficult to meet new people period, but it never really bothered Irene. She was a romantic, she figured that things would fall into place eventually.
"Actually, that's not true," Taeyeon begins with a slight smile and her hand now on her cousin's shoulder, "She was programmed to be your partner in the sense that she belongs to you. Like, very much literally."
"Kind of like...a build-a-bear," Seulgi suggests, clapping her hands together at her connection. "A companion for life."
Joy just smiles and kisses her wife affectionately, "Yes, Seul, exactly like that." Seulgi sighs at her wife's motherly tone, almost blushing at being treated like a child.
"She knows things that we had installed into her hard drive, like your favourite foods, colours, your childhood, what you do for a living, but that's all basic information that can be found in a profile," this knowledge is all fact based and Irene nods at her cousin's words, starting to understand where she's going with this. "It's not everything about you, like who you really are, or the way you act. She knows little facts here and there from what we've told her, but her experience with you is always new, always changing... Just like with any human being."
Taeyeon holds back her unprofessional thoughts, that Wendy is just like her own flesh and bones, that Wendy is as human as she is, that she breathes air and lives life to the fullest, like any organic creature could. She clenches her fist as she calms herself down from almost going on a full blown rant, having so much to say about her creation.
"You decide what she becomes to you," Yeri adds in, grabbing Irene's hand and swinging it gently, rubbing her thumb across the back of her hand. "She can just be a house worker, or simply a model for your drawings, a babysitter, whatever you want her to be. She doesn't have to be your girlfriend or your lover or anything like that, we just kinda thought that you guys suited each other."
Yeri wants to add in that she's grown super attached to her, and can't imagine not having Wendy nearby. But she keeps herself somewhat professional as well, stealing glances at the smiling and talkative Wendy in the corner of her eyes.
"We know that one day you can probably get your out of your comfy, purple, weirdly scented, working chair and flaunt that beautiful face of yours somewhere and get a date on your own, but this is very...for the lack of a better word, practical. It used to be a taboo thing to be in relationships with AIs but that was years ago when they first came out and were basically tin heads with paint on them. Wendy's different, Seungwan's different, and I hope you can remember that," Joy finishes off with a ruffle of Irene's hair. She knows that the older girl hates it when she does that, so she does it every time she can steal the chance to, just to piss her off. But Irene doesn't mind it this time and smiles at her friends.
"Honestly, if Yerim and Taeyeon unnie introduced her as some other woman, we'd never guess that she was their creation. I'd just think, hey, wow, this girl is really good at a lot of things," Seulgi comments with a toothy eye smile, "Seungwan just...she just emits so much warmth, almost more than most people I know actually. Maybe even more than Sooyoun--ack!" She can't help but burst into a fit of giggles at Joy's reaction, her wife almost threatening to wrestle with her.
Everyone was so thoughtful and affectionate, so sweet to her and she really sees their deep intentions behind this gift. It was incredibly thoughtful, looking back now and she appreciates Wendy even more. It takes a lot of work to create perfection and this embodiment of flawlessness is hers entirely.
"So all of the flirting and her wanting to be so close to me...?" Irene inquires sheepishly, fiddling with the ends of her sleeves. She turns to look at Wendy who meets her eyes and gives her the brightest smile that practically steals the attention of everyone in the room.
"We programmed her personality and she picks up behaviours well, but what she does with that is completely up to her. She could flirt and use her words in whatever way she chooses, and she chooses to act in a certain way towards you, kind of like any other person would do." She sees the way Wendy looks at Irene after knowing her for barely a day and it's a look she's never seen before. It's a look she could probably imitate the second she looks at both Jessica and Tiffany.
"I'm pretty sure she genuinely likes you, Joohyun," Taeyeon says proudly before she pushes her cousin forward as the three other girls come closer.
"Enough of this serious talk and let's get some food in us!!" Joy cries out with a fist pump, her wife in a headlock with Yeri cheering along as well.
"If there's one thing that I'm thankful for with her not being directly related to Sica and Fany, is that she doesn't inherit their awful cooking skills," Taeyeon skillfully whispers to her younger partner, causing Yeri to burst into fits of giggles. Jessica and Tiffany give Taeyeon a warning with their eyes, not exactly hearing what she said but knowing that it wasn't particularly flattering either.
"Love you guys, let's eat!" Taeyeon saves herself quickly, wrapping her arms around both of her girlfriends, her smooth behaviour causing the rest of the girls to laugh.
Wendy is about to let what her creator said slip, having super sonic hearing and all, but she stops, remembering what happened the last time she uttered out loud something Taeyeon had whispered. She nods to herself and catches a wink from her creator, knowing that she learned something very important.
---
The night goes by smoothly, Wendy turning out to be very chatty and animated as a conversationalist. She listens well and responds well to everyone and it was without a doubt that everyone at the table was enthralled with the AI.
Her opinions on certain topics were fresh, as they were a combination of various past research and Taeyeon and Yeri's point of views. Despite being a "robot" at heart, Wendy had her own understanding and grasp of different concepts and ideas. These traits reassured Irene that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to pursue something more with Wendy, that maybe she was a lot more human than she thought. Especially with the way she interacts with Taeyeon, Yeri, Tiffany and Jessica, almost as if they were a real family.
Looking at her in this light, Wendy seems almost more human than Irene -- an overworking drone who was so dedicated to her work that she would sometimes shut out everyone and everything around her.
Wendy was warmth and love put into a being, and whether she was artificial or not being a problem would be solved as their days go by. Irene hopes that she can just tuck the insecurities away for now.
The birthday girl is sitting across from her gift at the dinner table and she feels herself blushing as Wendy constantly makes eye contact with her. Despite her talking to everyone else, she still focused so much of her attention on Irene, almost like she was the only person she could see. She hasn't felt this flustered in a long time, and she wonders if her heart can even keep up.
Joy notices this the most and Irene can't help but blush at the smirks that the younger continuously gives her throughout dinner. She wonders what could possibly be on her mind. She's been surprisingly very well behaved so far, so she knows it's only a matter of time before Joy does or says something mischievous.
"So this is a one bedroom apartment, right?" Joy's head is resting on her chin and her eyebrow rises, challenging Irene with her eyes.
"You know the answer to that already," Irene grumbles, suddenly losing the ability to pick up food with her chopsticks. She has to stop Wendy from insisting that she tries to feed her instead, only furthering the goosebumps that started to rise from Joy's unnecessary question.
"Yeah, she's kind of been living her forever and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't randomly get a -- oh," Seulgi catches her wife's wink before her face melts into a filthy smirk, imitating Joy in a second. Yeri's face transforms similarly before Taeyeon follows suit.
Irene is staring at four different faces with the same expression and she wants to hit all of them consecutively, from left to right, then right to left.
"You three are so creepy," Tiffany giggles before shaking her head at her girlfriend and friends' childish behaviour.
Jessica just stays silent, watching the scene unfold before her with switching between hanging open and small smiles.
"I've already checked and yes, this is a one bedroom apartment," Wendy responds for Irene, figuring that perhaps her master forgot the question or is too busy having some sort of staring contest with Joy. She also decides to take a picture of the four identical expressions before her, wondering if maybe this was a common occurrence or not. But her mothers seem thoroughly amused, meaning that this was worth taking note of.
"So are you guys going to share a bed tonight?" Joy finishes off her attack, leaning forward, the other three goons following suit in 2 second intervals (Wendy counted).
"Um..." Irene didn't really stop to think about that. She's been too wrapped up in existential crisis over Seungwan that she never really thought about what would happen tonight when the lights go out. "I mean, I guess we could share." Luckily, the mattress was rather large as Irene had a tendency to move around a lot in her sleep.
"Joohyun unnie, I'd like to inform you that I need warm hugs, especially at night," Wendy points out, matter-of-factly, as if her words didn't just cause Irene to nearly jump out of her seat. "It's a feature I'm still unclear about in terms of its functions, but around 8PM, if I do not receive enough warm hugs, I will get cold."
Irene's eyes widen, before her eyebrows rise, unsure anymore about where to go as she wraps her head around this ridiculous feature.
"You're joking, right?" She asks hesitantly, not liking the identical, satisfied looks on the Kid Team.
"I think it's an adorable addition," Tiffany chirps in, giving Wendy a side hug. "My baby is so cute and huggable, I don't think she'll ever get cold."
"Joohyun looks kind of startled at the idea," Jessica bluntly says, a smirk on her lips. "Almost like she's uncomfortable at the idea."
Wendy's face falls at Jessica's words, her eyes pleading and asking a million questions to Irene. The rest of the table laughs at the sight of Irene fidgeting and trying to find words to comfort Wendy. But feeling too embarrassed, Irene gets up and runs into the kitchen.
"Dessert time!! I'll go get the cake!" Her voice squeaks as she avoids eye contact with an irresistible, pouting Wendy, still searching for answers.
"Did I do something to upset Joohyun unnie?" Wendy asks as Irene fumbles around in the kitchen looking for the cake and her composure amongst other things.
"Nah, she adores you," Jessica is the first to say, rubbing Wendy's shoulder affectionately. "She just needs some time."
"People tend to need time to warm up and become more affectionate sweety. It doesn't mean she doesn't like you, I promise," Tiffany reassures, petting Wendy's hair as the AI leans her head on her shoulder.
"Wait, does she actually need hugs?" Seulgi asks with a tilt of her head and gaping mouth.
"Yes, it was Yeri's idea," Taeyeon acknowledges with pride, nodding her head as she remembers the day they installed that feature. "Since her name was Disney inspired and Yeri's been listening to the Frozen soundtrack during some late nights."
"She starts freezing, like she'll need a blanket and a few sweaters kind of cold if Irene refuses to hug her or give her cuddles at night," Yeri cackles, rubbing her hands together in satisfaction.
"You're truly a genius," Joy says as she raises her hand, calling for a righteous high five.
Just then, Irene enters the room with a beautifully decorated carrot cake. It took all of her willpower to not just grab a handful or maybe even finish the entire dessert itself instead of bringing it out. But she's a respectable, civil human being and shares her cake. For now, that is. Once there are leftovers, she's certain that they won't last more than a day.
The women all get out of their chairs to rush to the cake, all wanting a slice of the delicious cake. Dinner had been incredibly satisfying to the last drop, so they knew that dessert could only impress them further.
Yeri insists on singing the birthday song, but Irene turns the proposal down, not sure if she can take all of their attention on top of Wendy's expressive eyes on her. She's lucky that Tiffany and Jessica are rational people, helping her defend against the playful Joy, Yeri, Taeyeon and Seulgi.
As the guests surround Irene to ask about her latest art project, Wendy grabs onto the hem of Taeyeon's shirt and drags her creator to a corner.
"What's up Wannie?" Taeyeon asks affectionately, her eyes glossing over at the sight of her creation. While Wendy adapted to a cute and loving personality so quickly, she'd never seen the girl so nervous and uncertain. Wendy had a confidence about herself that went well with her skill set and Artificial Life status. She won the love of her and Yeri quickly, followed by Tiffany and Jessica and then every one of her coworkers. But Taeyeon sees where the doubt is coming now, as Wendy looks over at the birthday girl showing her digital character designs to her girlfriends.
"I'm not really sure what to do next," Wendy mumbles, her fingers wrapping themselves up in each other and her teeth nipping repetitively against her bottom lip. "I really...really want unnie to like me but I'm unsure of what to do next. I don't want to be forceful or anything, nor do I want to rush anything, like you had suggested before. But my heart...or well, what is a proxy for my heart hurts when I'm near her, as if it wants me to do something more."
Instead of saying anything right away, Taeyeon pulls her creation in for a hug.
"You're in love, aren't you, Seungwannie?" She almost whispers, rubbing her back, feeling the AI turn slightly warmer instantly. "I can't believe it happened so quickly."
"This is what love is supposed to feel like?" Wendy asks with a scrunch of her nose and a furrow of her brow, "I thought it was supposed to be the greatest feeling, but honestly Creator, I feel almost like I want to vomit or perhaps scream really, really loudly."
"That's exactly what it feels like," Taeyeon chuckles to herself, bringing a hand up to cup the cheek of the fragile robot in front of her, "It's like this until you learn how to express it properly."
"Do you mean through hugs, kisses and ?" Wendy asks immediately, going through a bank of romantic novels and popular media.
Taeyeon snickers to herself before shaking her head, "Well, it's different for everyone. Sometimes it's as simple as holding her hand or telling her how beautiful she looks. You can express it through surprising her with her favourite meals, or even just asking about her day and genuinely listening to her stories."
Wendy nods furiously, taking mental note of all of these suggestions. She'll be sure to try each and every one of them until she figures out what Irene likes the most.
"But most importantly, just do what comes naturally to you," Taeyeon says, as if naturally could apply in this situation. But Wendy doesn't object, although a part of her wants to.
"I'll do my best."
---
The rest of the night passes with light drinks and discussing the next time they should hang out. Jessica invites them all to her next exhibition and they all decide that they would get dinner afterwards, settling the date.
They all leave one by one, saying their sweet and cheeky goodbyes to Wendy and Irene.
Her party ends faster than she's expected and Irene almost forgets that she's not alone for the night when Wendy brushes against her after putting away the dishes they just washed.
"Oh my God, you're freezing," Irene observes, the light brush almost causing her to shiver. She bites her lip in concern, hoping that Wendy won't start malfunctioning.
"I told you, I was programmed to need warm hugs. I guess my creator meant that literally," Wendy laughs lightly, not wanting Irene to be concerned. As much as she respects her creators, she wanted to earn her hugs rightfully. But the cold was starting to bother her ever so slightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Irene responds before moving to find Wendy a sweater.
"It's okay, I would never force you to do anything you don't want to," Wendy's doubt from earlier fades as she takes Irene's warm hand in her icy one. She apologizes softly when Irene flinches in shock, but Wendy wants to melt when Irene takes her other hand and start rubbing their hands together. She finds it difficult to breathe properly, looking into her system to see if maybe the cold is effecting her functions. but she shakes it off for now, as Irene is still looking at her like she's breaking.
"You're my master, you don't have to help me," she says sincerely, looking down at their jumbled hands with traces of pink tickling her cheeks.
"I told you, call me Joohyun," Irene scolds, taking her hands up to and exhaling hot air over them. "Tell me, are you uncomfortable?"
"What does that mean exactly, in this situation?" Wendy wonders how one can be uncomfortable when they had moved to the couch to relax and deal with her cold temperature.
"Like...do you not feel ok? At ease? Relaxed? You're shivering and you're turning pale," Irene's voice is dripping with concern as she looks Wendy straight in the eyes.
Both pairs waver for a moment before getting lost in each other. Irene nearly forgets to breathe and Wendy doesn't try to stop herself when she gets closer and closer to her new owner, craving the warmth emanating from her body.
"Oh...um well, I guess you can say that I am," Wendy coughs, sitting back and little and taking her hands back. "Not that it matters, do not worry about me."
Irene smiles a little to herself, wondering where the flirtatious and brave Wendy from earlier went. She had been acting slightly submissive towards the end of the party, as if hesitating or afraid. Perhaps her reaction from earlier really took a toll. She takes a deep breath before leaning forward, pressing her body heat into Wendy's, her arms fitting perfectly around her waist.
It feels strange at first and she almost jumps up, but Wendy reciprocates the touch immediately and holds her owner in place.
"No it's-- you're my responsibility too. You are mine, right?" Irene reminds herself to breathe properly as Wendy's warm breath contrasts with the icy touches of her nose to her neck. But in seconds, the frosty touch is nothing to worry about as Wendy warms up and snuggles herself deeper into Irene's hold.
"I'm yours, yes."
Comments