Archive of Our Own ^beta

The night is settling in. Outside is filled with chilling night wind, the typical darkness filled in the outdoors. Common weather of rain and thunder is terrorizing the outside world. Raindrops slide down the window of the room.

Inside the Elliott mansion, every human and drone alike is going to sleep. Currently, in the room of the owner’s daughter, there is peace and quiet. It is the usual situation as always. The evening is turning into night as everyone is heading to take a rest for the next hours of sleep.

J was sitting, slightly riding a rocking horse. Needless to say, she was bored and tired. Today was exhausting. Since it was Friday, it meant that there were plenty of guests in the mansion, which meant more duties to deal with. Good thing that the weekends are next, they are always easier and calmer.

As J leaned on the horse’s head, resting her head in her hand, she looked around the room. There was nothing of interest to see, just a spacious room, with plenty of toys cast around.

She could see her coworkers, already sleeping in their offline mode. V chose to rest in the room’s corner, sitting on the floor and her back put against a wall. A glitchy, you can say damaged, drone named Cyn was lying on the floor near the dollhouse, her limbs stretched in a way that wouldn’t be normal for any other machine.

Only J wasn’t the drone to go into offline mode by now. She continued to ride the horse, slowly and carefully swaying. She preferred to have her sleeping place here, she just liked it here for whatever reason. Maybe it is because of the times when her owner was punished by her parents by being literally chained in the room along with her ‘dumpster pets’. During that J couldn’t go further than this rocking horse.

The maid would turn off any moment now if she didn’t hear her owner addressing her.

“Hey, J” the young female called for the drone.

J turned her head to her left, looking at the human in front of her. “Yes, Tessa?” She responded with an exhausted tone.

“Have you seen, N?” Tessa asked, sitting on her bed, curious and worried, about the location of one of her drones.

“No,” the twin-tailed robot replied indifferently. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen him for the entirety of the day,” J added, sighing. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it is bedtime and he is still not here. It’s not like him.”  The girl answered, her face seemingly upset.

Oh right, they have another drone in their little family called N, the absence of whom J didn't notice, how rude of her. Well, it is indeed strange for him not to show up. Usually, he would already be sleeping here with the others by now, but right now, he is nowhere to be seen.

“I’m starting to get worried J. What if he is damaged and we don’t know? Or what if he is lost?” Tessa started to openly panic about the worst scenarios that were entering her head.

“Relax, nothing is going to happen to him,” J spoke up before Tessa could say something else. “He is probably in the library, reading any book that has to do something with dogs.” She tried to reassure her owner, not bothering to hide the disgust in her voice when she spoke about the last part of her sentence.

Human calmed down a little. “Still, he never disappears like this, something must have happened for sure.”

“Yeah… You’re right.” J tiredly replied back, looking at the floor. “But it’s his problem.” J turned her head back to Tessa. “Since he is nowhere to be seen, can I have his turn then?”

Tessa quietly chuckled at J’s eager request. “Ha ha, no need to be greedy J. It will be unfair to others.”

“Aw, man…” J childishly returned to staring at the floor. Not only this idiot is missing, but he is also missing when it is his turn to be able to sleep on Tessa’s bed. The girl allows them, one at a time, to sleep together with her like a pet sleeping with their owner. Sure, they are robots, they don’t really need a bed to sleep in, but it is always nice to relax on a comfortable surface. J really liked to lie down cat-like during her turns.

But it isn’t going to happen today and one moron is missing such a great opportunity.

Tessa grinned at J’s little sad act. “Hey, J.”

“Yes, Tessa?” J once again tilted her head to look at the human.

“Maybe you could… go find him?” Tessa asked, a little unsure.

J didn’t like the request. “What? No!” The drone turned around, crossing arms against her chest.

“Come on, J. Please.” The girl asked, making her voice sound pure and sweet.

The maid furrowed her eyebrows on her display. “Why me? Why not V or Cyn?” She tried her best to dodge the inevitable.

“They are asleep, silly. We don’t want to be rude by interrupting other’s rest, do we?” Tessa calmly replied.

“Why not you?” That was a stupid question to ask, which J realized only after she spoke it out.

“I don’t think my parents will be happy about me roaming around the mansion at night…” The girl answered, worry and fear could be felt in her voice.

J felt bad for being impulsive enough to ask such a question. She perfectly knew what it would mean to anger Mr. and Mrs. Elliot.

The drone sighed in defeat, facing the owner. “You really want me to go and find him?”

“Yes,” Tessa jovially replied. “Just bring him here and try not to get unwanted attention from anyone.”

J stood up from the horse. “Alright, boss. I will try not to let you down.”

“Thanks, J” Tessa gladly said as she lied down on her bed.

J hates walking through the hallways of this mansion, especially when it is late. The unsettling atmosphere of this place, it is just… meh. Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder, doesn’t help in the slightest, it only creeps out even more. The spooky mansion, it is missing ghosts for the full haunted feel.

But whatever, she was on the mission and she was regretting leaving Tessa’s room with each passing second. She could have been getting her rest, but no, one idiot decided to not show up. She now has to bring him to Tessa’s bedroom and when she finds him, she is going to punch him so badly for disrupting her night that he won’t ever think about pulling out such a stunt ever again.

N, N, N… a single letter and the name of the idiot she is searching for. She hates him, starting from his character and ending with his favourite animal. She can’t stand his all-happy attitude, trying to be nice to everyone, it pisses her off. What really annoys her is that Tessa really liked him, so much that the human sent her to get him.

No! She isn’t jealous that Tessa likes not only her. It’s not like she feels challenged as to who will get Tessa’s affection. Or that this dork gets love without even trying. She isn’t jealous, shut up.

As she continues to walk, she hopes that she won’t stumble upon any human. James Elliot is a big man and there are plenty of guests in his mansions twenty-four-seven. She doesn’t want any inconvenience, having to do what she didn’t want was already bad enough.

J tries to be as quiet as a mouse. The less noise she makes, the better are chances of her not getting into trouble, because if she gets into trouble, it automatically means that Tessa gets into trouble. Knowing her parents, they will give their daughter one of the most horrible punishments without batting an eye.

The rage she feels towards these so-called parents is strong. She hates them, and she has no respect for people like them. The one who takes the cake is Tessa’s mother, Louisa Elliot. Unlike her husband, who is a relatively calm and collected man, Mrs. Elliot is impulsive and acts based on her emotions, the most unlikable person ever. She is the person behind most of Tessa’s punishments.

J remembers the interaction she shared with her. The woman acted all classy, looking down on the drone, thinking that she was the center of the Universe. J wonders how in the world James even got together with that woman, probably because both of them are psychopaths.

The drone didn’t notice as she entered the library, the place where N would be with an enormous chance. She began to look around the area and much to her surprise, there was no sign of him. If N isn’t in the library, where the hell can he else be? God knows he can be on another planet.

Well, there are only two options. She could go back to Tessa and say that she tried or continue the search. As much as she wanted to just go to sleep and let N be, she also didn’t want to disappoint Tessa. Hell no, that was the least she would want to do, besides, that would be dishonorable for her to fail to complete the task she was given.

So, she chose the second option. But this time, she had no idea where the butler could be. It was going to complicate matters. When she finds him, he is going to be lucky to stay alive, let alone in one piece.

Going through the hallways again, she can’t stop feeling watched, like there is a force watching her every move. Great… now this unwelcoming mansion atmosphere makes her go nuts. She won’t be surprised if she starts hearing voices. The dim lights from the lamps that are hanging on the ceiling, total silence except for always auditable rain with thunder, this mansion is just a magnet for some future catastrophe.

J decided to change direction and turn to her right, entering the bar. Compared to the rest of the building, it was difficult to see anything properly, only the bar stand had been weakly lightened up. Nothing of interest if not for the fact that she could see someone sitting at that bar stand, the darkish light not revealing the body.

The maid thought for a second. She didn’t want to interact with any of the humans, but getting some sort of help would be nice. And if it goes bad, she will just get away as fast as her legs allow.

J takes a deep breath before approaching the person. “Excuse me, uh… Have you seen any butler drone by any chance?”

Inside, she was preparing for the worst-case scenario while waiting for a response.

“H-have I seen…” The person weakly spoke back. “I uh… don’t remember seeing any butler drone except myself.” They finished their sentence with struggle.

J stared at the person, sitting with their back to her, confused, in disbelief. The voice! It was too similar for it to be just a coincidence. She slowly walked up, observing as much as she could, noticing that the body structure wasn’t human-like.

She takes a sit on the neighboring seat. Her eyes widened at the realization.

“N?” J asked completely shocked at the sight in front of her.

“Huh?” The drone reacted to his name being called by turning his head to his left. “Oh… J! Uh… J-Jay? J-Jane?” Butler looked confused. “…J! That’s... That's right. Hey!” He smiled, unsuccessfully trying to wave his hand.

J was speechless from what unfolded in front of her. Out of everything that could have happened, she would never have thought she would see N like this. This felt surreal, a fever dream sort. Sure, she has seen countless drunk guests in the mansion, seeing how people claiming to be culture turning into a mess. But having to interact with one of them directly, especially with a drone, especially with N! Now that was something.

Lots were on her mind, but the main one was “How the hell… How did you get drunk?” She asked, struggling to form a sentence from a pure shock factor.

N calmy smiled in return. “Heh… I don’t know.” He slurred, trying his best to get his speech together.

Twin-tailed drone scowled at such a response. The shock changed into an impatient curiosity as she laid her hands on the stand.

“Alright, let me ask a better question. Why?” J leaned closer to the drunk drone.

N held the glass in his metal hand, observing the product inside of it, barely even catching the female’s words.

“It… it just happened. I uh... don’t know, I don’t remember.” He gave an unsatisfactory response, holding his face from falling on the desk.

“Just how? I didn’t know that we could get drunk!” J asked, still not knowing how to approach this situation.

“Well… Now you do.” N nonchalantly replied back, swallowing another portion of the drink.

The awkward silence broke between the two. N was way too focused on himself, barely acknowledging the surroundings while J put her face into her hand, rethinking the entire encounter. She wanted to punch him at first, he was the reason why she was here and not in offline mode, and he made Tessa worry about him while he was sitting here, reaching new lows.

However, the urge to harm him quickly faded as simple curiosity about this situation was eating her out inside. Someone like N just sitting here all alone, so drunk to the point that he could barely construct a simple sentence without stuttering. It was just so not like him to the point that it was weirdly concerning.

“Why are you here anyway…” N broke the silence, putting the glass back on the desk, his voice sounding tougher than his usual tone. “Last time I checked, you did... you did not care about… or did ya have a change of heart?” He tilted his back to face the maid.

J sighed annoyed by his guess that she could possibly care about him. “No. Tessa was worried about your useless metal head. And here you are, just look at yourself. She is worried about you while you… do this! Do you even know what time is it?” Anger burst out of her.

Despite having an irritated drone right next to his face, the butler reacted to it as calmly as a rock.

“No…” He shook his head. “Is it… seven? Seven in the afternoon? Evening?”

“It’s ten P.M.” J answered, making the butler say a slightly surprised ‘Oh’. “Have you been sitting here for hours?” She asked, wondering how the drone was sitting here.

“Wow… It didn’t feel like, uh, a few hours had passed.” N was quite surprised at the revelation but was not concerned enough to do anything else.

Such apathy both surprised and annoyed the maid. Normally, N after realizing something like that would immediately set into panic, he would be alarmed by the fact that he was so late. But in his current state, it feels like you could tell him that the entire building is on fire and he wouldn’t even flinch.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t be so calm,” J replied, hinting to him that the situation he is in right now isn’t okay.

“You wouldn’t… I am,” N countered the response. “It feels nice to just… to just don't care about anything. Caring can be really, really tiring sometimes. Especially after...” N wanted to continue his sentence but stopped as it became hard to say something out of his throat, instead, he looked down and rubbed his robotic face.

J turned her sight away from her coworker, unimpressed by his pathetic performance. She decided to study the area around them while N was too busy rubbing his display. When she looked around, she spotted a wine bottle, the typical luxurious one. Upon closer inspection of her hands, it could be seen that all of the content of the bottle was poured out of it, only an insignificant amount was left inside.

“Don’t tell me,” J started, continuing to get more irritated, “that you drank all of this!” She was not having it.

“Wha-“ N looked up to see the maid again. “Oh, no, no, no… Not ALL! Th-there... There is still some in the glass.” He narrowly lifted up the glass in which there was the rest of the alcohol.

“Doesn’t make it better.” J put the wine bottle back on the stand. “What do you think will happen once someone finds out? Don’t you think that you can be in trouble for drinking an entire bottle of expensive wine?”

“Relax… No one will bat an eye.” The butler tried to reassure his angry companion. “These people are so… so rich that, uh, some bottle of w-why-wine is nothing to them.”

J had to agree, it was a fair point. “Still, just think of what will happen if someone finds out that the drone did this! Don’t you realize that not only you will be having a bad time, but also Tessa?” She facepalmed thinking about his carelessness. “You’re lucky that I was the one to find you because you would be done for if someone else did.” She got straight at N’s face while pointing a finger at him.

In response, N slammed a glass he held in his hand on the desk, loud noise, and sudden movement made J back down a little.

“You know what?” The once calm drone turned into an aggressive one in an instant. “It would be m-much... much better if I was found… spotted by some- someone else.” He was fully directing his attention to the drone sitting next to him. “At least, I… At least I wouldn’t have to listen to your constant compla- complant- complai… criticism!” The butler expressed his dislike of J’s current attitude.

The mood change caught the maid off guard, but she continued. “Oh yeah? Well, let me tell you that it is either this or you being scraped for metal!” J has raised her voice. “It would have been nice of you to care enough to realise that your stunt here puts us all in danger, not you only!”

“Aw please…” passive-aggressive N spoke up, turning his sight back to the glass in his hand, “…N-not only me… I get it, alright? You care only about yourself. You don’t care… nobody of you… I mean... Unlike you, I'm not selfish, I am... I am the most selfless guy I know. D-Don't dare to lecture me on this, you...” N struggled to speak for a few seconds, so he took a sip of his drink. When he gulped the alcohol, he roughly put the glass back on the desk as he felt his throat functions returning to normal. “I have done so much for others when I j-just... when I should have cared about myself a little.” N was searching for the words to say. “It's just... I just want to feel like that I mean something more to you all th-than a simple -hic-… Ah… just great…” The butler hid his face in his palm, distraught by the returned hiccups.

N was howling to himself while J was left to her own thoughts. She didn’t know how to deal with this N. Looks one the maid hit N's nerve although she wasn't aiming to do it. She sighed and was going to say something, but N was ahead of her in that regard.

“But you, J!” He spoke up, getting his head out of his hand and turning it to face the female drone. “You… You have no right -hic- to tell me that I'm selfish. If you -hic- if you want to see a selfish prick, look in the mirror.” He stated, cooling off his temper a little. “I suppose you just project all the -hic- all the cons you have on me. Maybe that's why... Oh, I get it now. I -hic- I get it... Is that why you hate me?" N asked the question which was hard to understand due to how disorganized the speech was.

The maid raised an eyebrow, more focused on the part where she was insulted. “Well, for your information, your sole existence is a good enough reason for me to hate you. And, could you be even more illegible? Because I understood that question very well.” That was an obvious sarcasm, that question went over her head.

“Don't act like you didn't -hic- understand, J. You hate me because y-you see yourself in me. Is that right? You hate me because you hate yourself... We are n-not -hic- not so different, are we?“ N was expressing his point of view. "Am I right? Or m-maybe... maybe there is something else?"

"We are very different, N." J wasn't impressed by the theory.

"Heh, I -hic- I guess you're right. I mean, unlike you, I'm not horrible, unbearable, n-noisy... noisy pain in the-"

J slammed her hand on a desk. “At least I do my job properly! You are nothing but a pathetic excuse of a worker drone!” N’s words hit her nerves. She got sick of the insults and quickly resorted to hostility as she held herself back from grabbing the butler by the throat.

N simply chuckled at J’s outburst. “Oh yeah? At least I am not a… not a prideful, egoistic p-piece of -hic- metal.”

“At least I’m not a moron who lets everyone walk over me!”

“At least I’m not someone who -hic- thrives over one’s miss- misery!”

“At least I’m not a waste of space!”

“At least I’m not a nar... ciss… narcissist!”

Both of them leaned closer, face to face, only a small distance separating them from crashing into each other. Both of them wore a hostile look, all the resentment they had was spilled out right there and then. Both of them were at each other's throats, sorting out their relationship that was full of mutual dislike, anger, annoyance, disgust, grudges, conflicted interests and so much more.

The tension felt almost tangible. The quarrel they are having right now is completely different from the ones they usually have. If before J was the only one to openly declare her dislike, then now both parties were participating in it. If things were going to get worse it wouldn't take long until there would be a fight.

“Come on,” J pronounced quietly but with burning anger inside her. “If I am that horrible, then do it, but you probably don't have the guts for it.” She said, looking at N's clenched fists.

“We both know that only I have the… balls here.” N retaliated, clearly not appreciating his foe's attitude.

“I hate you so much…” J breathed heavily. “If not for Tessa, I would straight up kill you myself.”

“It’s just an excuse… You are not so tough as you want to be.”

“And you are nothing, but a worthless and terrible junk of metal.”

“The one th-that... that will live only to dismay… you.”

“If you die, it will be by my hands.”

“I will come back from the dead and t-take you with me.”

“Then you and I get to go to hell and I get to spend the rest of eternity with you, tormenting you.”

“Even the holy fire won’t clean your... uh, soul.”

“Don’t think you are so innocent. You are not much better than the rest of us.”

“I-I am much purer than everyone in this damned mansion… combined!”

“Wow, you are such a role model. You want me to give you a cookie or something?”

“That would actually be the n-nicest thing you have ever done in your life.”

"In that case, I can smash your sensors then."

“Nuh uh... Your threats are nothing but… but weak and empty threats.”

“I can turn them into strong and full ones then.”

“But you won’t because you are nothing but a, uh… sh-sheep in wolf's clothing.”

“Don’t think you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you are not that guy, pal, trust me.”

“I’m th-the guy who will pin you down… and rip out your v-very core.”

“Rip it open! See what’s there, because I’m ready!”

J shouted her sentence spreading her arms wide open, daring her opponent to try it. The duo slowly backed down from each other, making a comfortable enough distance between each other, not separating eye contact though.

The burning hostility was gradually cooling off. Venting out their anger was pretty relieving. They never had a face-to-face talk where both of them spoke badly of each other. The main and only reason for that was that N held himself back, but in the state he is now he simply didn't bother to do it.

Unfriendly faces switched to calmer, relaxed, understanding ones. J and N nonverbally agreed to stop their argument and sit in the quietness of a room. Apparently having a mutual hatred also comes with mutual understanding.

The butler turned to his right to position himself back at the bar stand. He chose to blankly look at the glass he carefully rotated in his hand, doing his best not to spill the containment of it.

Both of them sat in silence under the sound of outside rain. The atmosphere in the room was melancholic. The duo just sat quietly, not feeling like saying something after the climax.

“Jesus...” J started, tapping her fingers on the desk. “Our relationship is so messed up.”

N responded only with silence at first, before getting the courage to speak up. “Yeah... How did we get here?” He asked, recalling way back to his first meeting with J.

“Somehow.” The maid answered, not knowing how to answer this question. "We just never liked each other from the start."

N nodded. "And then it all snowballed into... i-into this." The butler put emphasis on the last word. "I suppose we simply... j-just agreed that we are not cool with each other."

"Well, I didn't like you the moment I saw your face, and ironically enough, your face is the first face I saw in my life." J focused her sight on the tapping she made.

"Same... O-only, only then we met Tessa." N smiled a little, remembering the past. "So, I think we can say that... say that you hate me, I hate you since the first s-seconds of our lives."

"I guess." J agreed. "For me, you always will be worthless and terrible." She said it in a rather calm manner.

“And for me, you always will be a… p-prideful, egoistic, and more....” The butler retaliated, indifferent to insults.

"Screw you.” J felt slightly offended.

N rejoiced from J’s returned miffed side. “But you won’t.” He chuckled as he chose to swallow another doze of his drink.

“Since when you were the funny guy?” J peeved, quickly turning her head to her right.

“Since…” N turned his head to J as well but then looked down with a puzzled look. “… I… I don’t know how to answer this question, to be honest.” He admitted, putting a hand on the back of his head.

The maid sighed, cooling off her temper. “You are agonizing to bear.”

"Same applies, to you." The butler replied.

"As I said, I hate you." J sighed.

“Eh... You know what, J?” N looked back up at the twin-tailed drone, face and tone being sterner.

J raised an eyebrow in response, “What?”

“I love you too.” The butler’s face swiftly switched to his usual, but drunk, smile as he spread his arms. “Come here.” He leaned toward J, his torso almost falling forward, but the support of J’s shoulder he put his head on prevented it. He clung his arms around the maid’s body and hugged her tightly.

The sudden change of mood and action caught J off guard as she couldn’t react fast enough before N already got stuck to her like sticky and hot glue. He literally was hot, his metal skin was producing heat that surrounded her from all sides. Ironically enough, she was frozen in place by the unexpected touch of someone else. Emotions were mixed, she was confused and shocked, angered and outraged. She felt tense but also a bit relaxed, despite the high temperatures that made her feel like overheating, the gentle, but at the same time strong, hands that were wrapped around her felt soothing.

She was flustered and couldn’t decide if she should push the male drone away or embrace it, because she couldn’t help but like it despite trying to hate it. It didn't make it easier knowing that the drone who was holding her in his arms was no one other but N, the one she couldn’t stand all her life. So, the maid was stuck in her inner conflict.

The movement of N’s head made J snap out of her thoughts, realizing that only a second or two had passed even though it felt much longer. The butler had his head lying on the maid’s shoulder before he raised it to look J in the face.

“L-let…” He strugglingly said as he moved his hands closer to J’s face. “Let me kiss ya…” N fearlessly said as he gradually moved his lips to the female drone’s cheek, breathing out a repellent smell.

J instinctually pushed N away, giving him a slap in the face in the process. It was not so much out of disgust but of fear and embarrassment. As it was getting chilly after the hot body separated from her, she was set into panicking from the realization of what just happened. She was getting more and more anxious and turned her face away from the butler, hiding it in her palm. She felt ashamed, her display showcased a blush she desperately tried to brush off. Inside, there was a voice screaming at her for letting the situation get that far. She was furious at both N and herself. She hated to have her vulnerable side to be seen, the one she always tried to never show.

“Ouch…” She could hear N say. He said it giggling, not taking the offense to heart. “It feels funny…” The male drone put his hand over the area where he was slapped, tasting the sensation of burning pain on his cheek.

J went out of the cover that was her hand and looked back at the butler. N’s smile was as wide as he could stretch it, he clumsily scanned the hit area with his hand while slowly moving closer to the bar stand.

The maid looked at the happy drone with a frown, not feeling pleased with herself for her action. It felt dumb, she had slapped, punched, and hit the drone plenty of times not troubled about it at all, but now, it was like her empathy woke up after a deep hibernation. She couldn’t stop feeling regret at something she would do without a care in the world before.

“You’re are… uh, funny J,” N spoke up, resting his head on the hand that was still kept on the area of the slap. “O-one second you are angry, the next second… the next second you are nice and, uh, the next s-second you are angry again… and the next second…” He tiredly sighed which took him a second before he returned to looking at the desk. “… Wha- What was I saying again?” The butler lost his train of thought, confused he looked J in the eyes.

To that, J only rubbed her face, trying to suppress any emotions that got hold of her, but it didn’t help much to stop her from feeling like a piece of shit.

“You are so much worse in this state…” J huffed, still embarrassed and ashamed of the previous minutes.

“Hmmm… You’re right.” N turned his sight away from the maid and stared at the ending stock of alcohol in his glass. “Yeah... Yeah, you are right. If you want to tell me that... that I kill the mood when I am like this, th-then yeah, I guess... I guess you are right. If I’m not happy then I will make everyone sad and if I… if I make everyone sad then they will hate me, they will, they will not want me around…” N ranted, frustrated, and distressed. “T-Tessa will be sad, Cyn w-will be sad, V will be sad… you are sad! I, uh… I don’t want you girls to be sad… I want you to be happy. And if I... if I can’t make you happy then I am nothing but a… but a burden.”

J was getting used to N’s rapid mood swings. This time, she listened to his mumbling carefully, not knowing if she should just brush off the words because of N's state.

"Well, for me you are already a burden. So, I guess don't focus on that too much." The maid was unsure if she was trying to cheer N up or insult him. Maybe both.

"Heh..." It seemed like N found it comic. "I g-guess I'll be anyone for you, J."

"What is that supposed to mean?" J was perplexed by the answer.

"I don't know..." N replied, sharing his confusion with the maid. "I'm j-just saying whatever is on my mind."

J sighed. "To be honest with you, I am lost at where this conversation is going."

"Don't sweat it... Me neither." N sighed too, drilling his display into his hands.

The maid only looked at the butler, not happy about the whole situation. She crossed her arms at her chest, observing the mess that was called N.

“You know…” The butler got his face out of his hands and lifted his head up. He looked like he wanted to share something. “Talking about you girls... Sin- Cyn, she told me, uh, something… She told me about her eye thingy… She offered me to…” N’s words were becoming quieter and quieter with each passing second as his face was moments away from tasting the desk.

“Offered what?” The maid impatiently asked, snapping N out of his trance and making him alarmed by the sudden noise.

“Wha- Wher- Oh… I… I forgot…” The male drone confessed, chuckling a little.

This answer left J dissatisfied, she huffed in annoyance looking at the drone in front of her. N in that time picked up the glass of his drink with the intention to drink it.

“Alright, that’s enough,” J spoke up as she grabbed the glass out of N’s hand.

“H-hey!” N voiced his distress as he was losing his grasp.

The maid had to put all of her force into a quick and sudden move in order to withdraw the object from N who wasn’t going to let her do it so easily. Fortunately for her, N’s drunken state wasn’t too competent to react fast enough to put up a fight in this battle and in a second, she took away the glass of alcohol, taking a sharp breath of victory.

“Aw man… so mean…” The defeated drone said, sad about the situation.

“Cry all you want, but I am actually doing you a favor here. You would drink yourself to alcohol poisoning. Well, in our case, considering that you are currently overheating, to overheating.” J lectured him.

“O-okay mom,” N replied mockingly. “N-not like there was much left anyway…” He said it under his breath, crossing his arms and holding a visible grudge against the female drone.

“As I said, cry about it,” J responded, putting the glass as far as possible. “You are a one big idiot.”

“And you are a one big j-jerk.” N retaliated, staring J in the eyes.

J only shook her head from the look of the butler, unaffected by his honesty.

“Come on, we need to go.” The maid got up from her chair, not wishing to stay in this room any longer.

“What? But I don’t wanna…” N tried to resist.

“Argh! If you don’t get your ass off this chair I will bring your disemboweled corpse instead!” J got straight at N’s face, pointing at him in visible frustration.

N was as calm as a rock. He dumbly smiled as he took J’s hand that was pointing a finger at him in his hand.

“I… I would like to see you try.” He continued smiling, waiting for the maid’s next move.

Since her threats didn’t work, J was lost and pissed about the butler’s cockiness. She stared him in the eyes, it felt like his dumb smile was mocking her.

“I said,” In an attempt to gain the upper hand J used her other arm and grabbed N’s. “We need to go!” She shouted as she pulled the male drone to herself.

N was taken aback by the unanticipated pull and found himself being drawn to J. He got off the chair and fell on the maid, the latter tried her hardest not to collapse under the weight of the butler.

“Since when…” J struggled to keep balance. “You were… so goddamn heavy!”

N pretty much had his body lying on J. “Since when you were s-so weak?” The male drone counterattacked.

It hit J’s nerve. “I’m not weak! You’re fat!”

“Ex-Excuses, excuses, excuses…” N chuckled.

Needless to say, J was peeved at N’s lack of care about her words. She managed to put both of them standing on their feet.

“Eh… Can you walk?” J looked at the drone who was holding onto her like he was holding for his life.

“M-my legs… I can barely feel them.” N answered, wrapping his arm around J’s neck. “Sorry J… but you’ll have to carry me.”

“Have to?” J tilted her head to look at the butler, not happy about the situation.

“Y-yeah… Unless you want to leave me here, on the c-c-cold and hard floor on which I will… I will drown in my sorrows and regrets.” N dramatized. “…You probably will do it. You could have at least left me… left me alone at the bar stand, wh-where I could have, uh, drunk myself to sleep… Why do you want to screw me up so badly? I’m already m-mi-miserable, pathetic…” The butler started getting more and more frustrated, expressing his uneasiness by forcefully clinging to J’s cloth.

“Woah-woah, calm down! Jesus…” The maid exclaimed, starting to feel mild pain from the ungentle touches. “I didn’t say anything about leaving you here, you idiot! What kind of animal you take me for!?” J tried to ease N’s grip on her outfit, offended by the fact that he was talking about her straight up leaving him on the floor like it was already settled. She couldn’t really blame him though, she got that reputation herself.

“Wha- Really?” N raised his head and looked at J like she told him something crazy.

“Um… Yes? I’m not going to leave you here, here, you happy?” J said, looking back at the shocked eyes.

N blinked a few times before a smile started appearing on his face. “I… I knew there was good inside you, J.” He leaned closer, wrapping his second arm around J’s torso.

The female drone opposed the attempted hug, putting N’s arm away. “No, I’m doing it only for Tessa. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Come on, J. No need to act all... all b-big and mighty. You are… You are doing it because you are getting… getting soft. Your conscience, your morality, it... it finally woke up.” N said, still smiling, resting his chin on J’s shoulder.

“You know what else will wake up?” J took N’s face in her palm, making eye contact with him. “Your mind once I break your jaw if you won’t shut your mouth.” She clenched her teeth, irked at N’s words.

“We have been at this before. You are… you’re not as tough as you want to be.” Replied N unimpressed at the maid’s threat, sounding like trying to push her limits.

“Oh yeah? Are you doubting my abilities?” The ineffectiveness of her threats put her on edge. She wasn’t going to lose this standoff to someone like him, any pity was replaced with a desire to be dominant in this encounter.

“I don’t know,” N’s happy smile was transforming into a cocky one. “I haven’t seen your abilities to doubt them.”

“Don’t try me.” J strengthened her hold on N’s face.

“D-don’t try me either…” N replied back, boldly glaring into J’s pissed eyes. “… Unless you’re scared-“

J put her hand around N’s neck and started to strangle him at the last comment. In a short matter of time, N felt pain from the tight grasp and gasped with both of his hands grabbing J. As he closed his mouth from the short-lived gasp, he didn’t notice how he had bitten one of J’s hair tails.

Upon a realization, J immediately took her hand off the butler’s neck and redirected it at trying to get N off her hair tail.

“AH! Get off me!” She cried as N was pulling the tail making it more painful. In response, N only mumbled something inaudible as he continued to pull the tail in his mouth with greater force. “Alright! Alright! I’m sorry! Are you happy!? You won! Now, get off me, please!”

Seemingly satisfied with the result, N spat J’s twin tail out of his mouth, coughing out some chunks of hair. At the same time, J took her hair tail in her hands which was covered in saliva. The disgust and humiliation she felt made her want to cry.

“You see J-“ N coughed out a little more hair. “You can only pick on the ones who will… won’t fight back and it is enough to punch you back to sh-shut you down.” He wrapped his arms around the drone in order not to fall.

J soaked her assaulted twin tail dry. “You’re sick!” She tried her best not to break down as her ego reached a low she never thought was possible.

“We... We both are.” The butler smirked, pulling his body closer to the maid, and pressing his head against her chest. He felt like he was on top after crushing J’s confidence.

The maid wanted to beat up the male drone so badly, but the embarrassment she felt was too much to bear that she put her palms against her face. N pretty much hugging her was just like rubbing salt in the wound.

“We are never talking about this,” J said ashamed, hoping that once N is sober he won’t remember this.

“C-consider it repressed.” The butler responded, promising her to never mention this.

J hit her head against her palms knowing full well that she would never recover from this.

“I hate you,” J said, defeat can be heard in her tone.

“I hate you too…” N responded, calmly and quietly.

They stayed in this position for quite some time. J was coping with the loss of pride while N was enjoying the warmth of the maid’s body he enveloped in his arms.

The stasis was interrupted by the loudest thunder they had ever heard in their life. J almost jumped up but was pinned to her feet by the weight of the butler who twitched a little and hardened his hug. The loud noise spooked them to the point of them glitching out, sparkling in electricity.

J looked down at the drunk drone tiredly, she just wanted to bring him to Tessa, nothing more. She detached herself from N’s hold, waking the half-conscious drone.

“Come on, we need to go,” J said, choosing to act like nothing happened.

N tilted his head. “Already?”

“Yes,” J responded, too exhausted to add anything else

“Alright…” The butler positioned his arm around J’s neck to make it more comfortable to walk. “Lead the way, boss.”

J raised an eyebrow. “Boss?”

N raised his digital eyebrow in response too. “Yeah. I… I mean you love acting all bossy and stuff, so I called you that.”

“Well, don’t. It sounds insulting.” J didn’t really enjoy the title she was given.

N nodded in understanding. “Okay, ma’am.”

“It’s even worse. I have a name! Use it!” The maid sighed, wondering if he was doing it on purpose.

“Okay, o-okay… What’s your name J?” The butler looked her straight in the face while being serious.

J was left speechless by the idiotic question. She chose not to say anything and just started walking out of the room with N holding onto her.

“H-hey… you won’t tell me your name?” N asked bemused, trying his best to adapt to the sensation of walking.

“Did you hit your head or something? Or did my slap make you even dumber?” J couldn’t believe her hearing mechanism.

“It’s not that big of a secret. C-come on, tell me your name J.” N tried his best to get it out of the maid.

“You literally said my name in your question! You absolute moron.” J didn’t appreciate being bugged by this stupid question.

“What? No, I didn’t. I have said a letter, n-not a name.” N responded using his great logic.

“Our names are a letter!” J was in disbelief.

“What? Really?” N looked at her like he was told something unbelievable.

J was annoyed and as surprised as N but about his reaction. “Yes. Have my slap really caused that much damage to your processor? It’s actually getting concerning.”

N was shocked and looked at the floor. “My life is a lie…”

“It’s not that deep, you idiot.” The maid took a deep breath.

The butler stayed flabbergasted before getting himself together. “You know, I got... I realised something. Imagine being named Jay, like… your name is... it is literally just a letter, it’s just that ‘a’ and ‘y’ w-were added for the name not to be lame.” N expressed his thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” J was uninterested in N’s drunk speeches as she continued to walk.

So far, the duo has been quiet during their journey of going back to Tessa’s room. Reaching the destination wasn’t going to be easy considering that the mansion itself is big and that J has to carry a drone approximately her size. At least they hadn’t talked after they left the bar, she didn’t want to be bothered much.

“Hey J,” N spoke up.

As she said, she didn’t want to be bothered much so she chose to ignore that.

“J,” N continued but was ignored. “J,” Once again, no response. “J,” Seeing that he wasn’t getting the maid’s attention, he decided to become so annoying that J wouldn’t be able to act distant. “J, J, J, J, J!” He persisted noticing the mild anger on J’s face. “J!”

“What?!” J snapped, not having enough willpower to ignore N.

The butler smiled once he got the attention. “Did you know that golden retrievers, they uh... have gentle mouths?”

“Yes, I do know. Wanna know how I know? I know because your mouth won’t stop talking about dogs to the point that everyone who is unfortunate enough to meet you becomes the expert in these animals!” The words came out on their own from the maid’s mouth.

“W-wow J, I didn’t know that that you... that you cared enough to listen,” N said, glad that his passion and love towards dogs and the desire to share it with others brought results.

“It is practically impossible not to learn something about your favourite pests while being near you.” The maid made her dislike clear, considering their conflicting interests when it came to their favourite pets.

“H-hey!” N’s voice became serious. “You have no right to insult... to be rude and to be disrespectful towards the dogs!”

“Well, I am. Dogs are disgusting! They are annoying, loud, dangerous, and more!” J expressed her hatred.

“J! I can excuse m-many, many things! More than I should. But hating dogs ain’t one of them.” N was genuinely angry at J’s words.

“And what will you do about it? I will hate the dogs until my final days and beyond.” The maid responded, annoyed by N’s love for the ones she hates.

“W-well! Well… uh… Cats suck!” N shouted.

J stopped in her tracks as she gave the butler a death stare. “What?”

“Y-you heard me! Cats are the worst! They are lazy, b-bossy, and selfish. Just like you!” N looked J straight in the eyes. “Well, maybe except for the l-lazy part, but still. No wonder why you like them.”

Well, the situation escalated pretty quickly.

“Now listen here!” J was more offended about N insulting the cats rather than her. “Your opinion is invalid, your words have no value, your life is nothing, you serve zero purpose, you should kill yourself now!” She said as the loud thunder was audible.

“You’re mad because you have no... nothing else to say.” N pointed his finger straight at J’s face.

The maid squished the butler’s finger. “I have plenty of things to say about how your beliefs are wrong and how mine are right.”

“Blah, blah, b-blah…” N scoffed at J’s words. “You have n-no other arguments except for your egoistic statements.”

“What else do you want me to say? Cats are superior to dogs! Period.” The maid stood her ground.

“Oh yeah? What’s your source?” N raised an eyebrow.

“The source is that it is nothing but pure truth.” J defended her point.

“You know J… You are all noisy and annoying and stuff. Each word that comes out of your mouth is j-just a pesky bark. Y-you… you are just like a chi- chihu- cha- a bitch!” N loudly proclaimed.

J was shocked by the statement. “Wh-what?” She asked with her voice dying down, not expecting such a comment from N.

“Y-yep. A bitch. A female dog.” The butler said, puzzled about J’s reaction.

The maid sighed and relaxed a little finding out the context. “Oh, I thought you meant…” She chose not to continue the sentence.

N understood what was happening. “Oh... Yes, I meant this bitch n-not that bitch… Even though you are-”

Before N could finish what he was going to say, he was punched in the face.

“Call me that again and I will infect you with a virus.” The maid didn’t appreciate the nickname.

N winced in pain but returned to his happy mood. “Alright, alright boss. I’ll call you a p-pussy then.”

J exhaled. “Please, tell me it means-“

“A female cat. Since you like them, this title fits better, it… it makes sense.” The butler spoke faster before J could finish her sentence. As the maid cooled her temper off N smirked. “But the second meaning also applies to you.”

J groaned before facepalming in defeat. “You are insufferable.”

“N-no, I’m N.” The butler chuckled.

“If that was your attempt at humor, then it's not funny, didn't laugh.” The maid complained.

“Heh... You are the last person who should be asked about humor.” N countered.

"Do you want to tell me that I don't have a good sense of humor?" J asked, not appreciating the fact that she was called unfunny.

"You barely have any good sense, J. Y-you... You are the embodiment of... of... of the most unbearable person ever." N 'flattered' the female drone.

“Should I consider it as an insult or as a compliment?” J cocked her head.

“Consider it as a fact,” N answered. “You are horrible, unlikeable, rude... Y-you are always mean to me for… for little to no reason. I hate you, but…” The butler adjusted his position and got closer to J. “I can see that you are, uh… You are not that bad. That deep inside, you’re kind and nice. It’s just that your pride won’t allow you to be like this.”

J looked him in the eyes. “As I said, your attempt at humor isn't good.”

“Someone is in denial,” N teased.

“Are you trying to piss me off?” J frowned.

“M-maybe.” The butler teased further, widely smiling.

“What do you have to gain from this?” J was becoming frustrated.

“I don’t know, it’s j-just feels nice to bother ya. It brings me this sick... sick but satisfying joy.” N confessed, not ashamed in the slightest.

J glared at him in response. “If you want me to feel even more disgusted by you, then you are doing a good job.”

N continued smiling, acting like he was pleased by the reaction. “Heh… It’s just so easy to annoy you.” He laid his head down on the maid’s shoulder as he patted the back of her head. “A-and, you’re kinda cute when you’re angry.”

J instantly squished the arm N used to caress her. “What... did you... just say?” She asked as she was about to tear him in pieces.

The butler blinked a few times. He was confused, like he completely forgot what he said mere moments ago. He looked at the floor, the face on his display looked like he was rethinking all of his life choices.

“Oh…” N softy said, slight worry could be heard in his voice. “I… I’m not supposed to tell you that part, am I?” He awkwardly chuckled, even in his current state he understood that it wasn’t the best idea to say what he said. “Well, honesty is the best policy.” The butler chose to laugh it off, it felt right to just tell the truth.

To these words, J was the definition of ‘if looks could kill’, because she stared at the butler like she was drilling a hole in his core. She was furious, she was ready to blow up like a volcano but held herself back and simply gave him the most hateful face she could. She knew that N was trying to annoy her and giving in to her anger wasn’t the option. But both options still felt like a losing battle, it felt like he was mocking her with those words. How dare he say that? That was disgusting, outrageous, and humiliating. She felt gross. Why did she have to endure this? Was it her punishment for all of her sins? She hates how N affects her. His words felt like an insult, a stab wound in the chest. It didn’t feel like a compliment, she wasn’t going to accept one from someone like him anyway. He doesn’t really think like that, he is just trying to mess with her, right?

“But yeah… You… you are adorable when you try to act tough.” N embraced the situation and returned a smile on his face.

“Stop that.” J clenched her teeth as she turned her face away.

“No, I mean it… I mean, I really mean it.” He breathed heavily as he released his arm and played with J’s twin tail.

“I said stop!” It was embarrassing for the maid, her voice was starting to get more desperate.

Enjoying the result of his work, N decided to press on. “You are like the cats from the… from the angry cats compilation. You h-hiss and bite and scratch whenever someone tries to, uh… to touch you. And you look cute during it… wh-while trying to look threatening.” N shamelessly explained his point of view.

The cats were J’s weak spot. She searched for any comeback in her mind. “And you are... You are just like the dogs you like. You never get off someone’s face.” J tried to fight back in this strange battle.

Upon hearing those words, N raised his head and drew closer to J’s face. “Are you…” he slurred, choosing words to use. “Are you trying to say that I am cute? J-just like the dogs?” His face was full of excitement.

The maid choked on her words. “Wha- No! Hell no!”

N seemed to ignore J’s protest. “Awwww… J, I’m so happy that you are starting to like dogs.”

“No! Never-“

“And I n-never thought you… I never thought you would call me something nice for once.” N felt like the happiest drone in the world.

“Shut up! I would never-“

“I have to say. Despite being, uh, the worst creatures ever, you cats… you are hella cute that you can almost forgive them for being jerks.”

“What do you want!?” J was in despair and almost on the verge of tears, N’s speech was too much to handle for her.

“Huh?” N snapped out of his trance. “Oh…  What do I want?” He took a second to come up with an answer. “I w-want you… you to be a cute cat, not an angry one.”

“Why do you have to torment me that much?” The maid couldn't take the torture.

“Silly, I’m not tormenting you.” N chuckled. “...O-okay… maybe a little…” The butler admitted to both himself and J. “B-but, no need to be so angry and piqued.” N put his hand on J’s cheek.

J didn’t enjoy the touch and at its sensation, she instinctively jerked her head and bit N’s hand.

“There is all need to be angry and piqued at someone like you.” The maid said it defensively after releasing N's hand.

N put his hand away after it had been impaled by J’s teeth. This experience hurt like hell, who knew that J had such sharp teeth? She almost made his hand look similar to Swiss cheese. N could bet his other hand that J could bite off something harder, like a metal chain.

“Ouch…” N tried to laugh off the pain as he jiggled his hand. “Angry kitty, b-bad kitty.” The butler playfully scolded J like she was a cat.

The maid groaned at how she was called. “Do you have a death wish or something? J unsuccessfully tried to regain her composure.

“No, n-not at all.” The butler shook his head.

“Then why are you trying your luck?” J’s impatience was growing and growing.

“Because the result is worth dying for.” The smile on N’s face was only growing.

“And what is the result?” The way N didn’t take anything seriously was mentally draining the maid. It was like talking to a wall, the boldness N had at this state was a hard counter to all that she said or did.

“The result… the result that, if achieved, is going to let me die peacefully,” N said calmly, petting J’s chin like his hand wasn’t bitten not long ago.

J flinched at the movements. “I’m not sure if I even want to know now…” She felt a little uneasy.

“I just want to, uh… want you to stop being a bitch.” The butler said that unfearingly while J furrowed her digital brows. "If I can help you stop being a bitch and help you in being a cute cat more, then... then I will be pretty happy."

J tiredly looked at the male drone. "Just so you know, you have already sealed your fate."

"Th-the... The only thing I haven't sealed yet is y-your bitchness." N spoke back, mostly in a joking manner.

The maid was annihilated by such a comeback. “I am so tired of listening to you." J shook her head and returned to walking.

“If you were, you wouldn’t talk to me,” N told his fellow companion, showing no signs of stopping bothering J.

“I have no other choice because you keep bugging me!” The female drone retorted.

“W-Well, can’t argue with that.” N agreed with the point.

“In that case, can you not annoy me?” At this point, it was just J begging N to shut up.

“Nah… I love annoying you.” The butler refused to the maid’s dismay.

“Then I will hate you even more.”

“J… You hate me so much that I doubt you can do it more.”

“And why do you think so?”

“Because I do?”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“I think it does… It does answer the question.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“C-complain all you want, it indeed does answer the question.”

“Are you still trying to annoy me?”

“Yeah…”

“Do you have any conscience?”

“Oh look… O-out of all people, you are the one who… who asks about conscience? That’s hilarious.”

“Are you judging me?”

“Y-yes… yes I do.”

“You could have at least lied.”

“I don’t feel like lying. It’s better to just say the truth.”

“Your honesty kills me.”

“I wish it did.”

“So you want to kill me with your great acting skills, is that right?”

“I don’t know... What do you think?”

“I think that you are the most annoying creature to ever roam this plane of existence. You are a pest, just like the dogs you like.”

“It’s so sweet of you to compare me to dogs. I suppose... I guess you liked it when I compared you to cats.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Don’t lie to me, J. You b-blushed when I called you a cute cat.”

“I did not!”

“Yes! Y-yes you did.”

“Why do you have to be so sadistic?”

“Wh-Why do you have to be so closed off?”

“Why do you like bothering me that much?”

“Except for the ‘it feels good’ part, h-how else am I supposed to get your attention?”

“I don’t know. How about any other possible way?”

“No… that... that didn’t work.”

“Listen, I’m sorry for trying to ignore you before. Now can you please not do it?”

“Nah, I’ll continue doing it.”

“You are capable of annoying someone beyond their grave!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

"I suppose you take everything as a compliment."

"And you take everything as an insult."

"This is going nowhere."

"I think it is... going somewhere."

“So far, I haven't seen you making good progress in your goal. If you want me to be a 'cute cat' why the hell do you make me an angry one?”

“Because angriest cats p-purr the loudest.”

“That’s some food for thought, genius. Have you by any chance thought of becoming a philosopher?”

“Sounds f-fun, but no. I h-have... I have been thinking about, uh… how do you call someone who listens to your problems and stuff?”

“You mean a psychiatrist?”

“Yeah! Psy- psych- psyca- whatever. I’ve been thinking about this. J-just think how much profit I could make out of… I don’t know… out of a purple-haired girl with daddy issues.”

“Wow... that actually sounds evil. Didn’t expect it from you.”

“I suppose I may have gone a little overboard with this...”

“Maybe, but how are you sure you are classified enough for this job?”

“C-come on J, I have you. You are the perfect subject to experiment on.”

“Why me?”

“I don’t know… To be honest, this conversation feels like a… like a therapy session.” N was quiet for a moment. “And I also have V, Cyn, T-Tessa. Jesus, if I charged you girls for making me listen to your problems, I would... I already would be Scrooge McDuck.”

“Really? So you are our own psychiatrist, did I understand that correctly?”

“I guess. And I feel like I need one myself after having to deal with you all.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad, funny guy.”

N gave J a blank stare. “It can… You know it the best.”

“Alright, alright. Don’t give me that face.” J turned her face away, not enjoying the glare N gave her.

There was peace at last. The following minutes were accompanied by the silence that was only interrupted by outside weather.

It seems like N has chilled out since he didn’t attempt anything else and instead he is stuck in his own thoughts. J was just drained, she only wished to be done with it as quickly as possible.

“Hey J…” N spoke up, judging by the tone of his voice he wasn’t trying to annoy.

“Yes, N?” J responded, not wanting to go full circle.

The butler was silent for a second, seemingly considering if he should answer.

“C-can you… Can you promise me something?” The butler quietly asked.

“Depends on what you are asking for.” J thoughtfully answered, choosing the safest option.

N looked down. “Can you p-promise me that if I… if I die-“

J doesn’t know why, but these words unsettled her. “Woah, woah! That's some interesting thoughts you got right there.”

“L-let me finish!” N was unpleased by the interruption. As the maid quieted down, the butler continued. “If I d-die… can you take care of my rock collection?”

J looked at him disappointedly. “Your… rock collection?” She asked slowly, trying to understand if she heard it correctly.

“Y-yes, my rock collection. Those are some cool rocks.” N smiled.

The maid was disappointed that N requested something like this after hyping it up. “Okay… Why me?”

“Because... I don't know, I just feel like I can... trust you on this one,” N replied, sounding like he believed in J.

“Alright… So you want me to look after your rocks, that’s it?” J didn’t know where the hell the butler kept his rock collection, but wanted to sound as promising as possible.

“Yep.” N cheerfully answered. “Oh, and also... c-can... can you promise me not to be the one to kill me? Because I will be v-very sad and dead if you will.” He said it rather casually.

“Where the hell did this come from?” The sudden request caught the maid off guard.

“W-well, you said that if I’m going to die, it’s going to be by your hands, right? So, I thought about it and decided that I didn’t really want to die by your hands. So can you promise not to do it?” Compared to how he asked for his previous request, he asked this one calmly.

“Listen, I know that I sometimes tell you to kill yourself, but you know that I don’t really mean it, right?” J sounded a little worried.

“J-just promise me that.” The butler wanted an answer.

“Alright, alright. I promise, just don’t give me a reason or an excuse to.” J didn’t feel like wanting to continue this topic.

“You m-mean it?” N raised his head.

“What else do you want me to do?” J talked back.

“Hmm… How about… how about you swear on your life?” He proposed playfully.

“If I do that, will you get off my back?” The maid gave up on hoping she would be free from N’s torture.

“Just say the words.” N tried to hurry J up.

J sighed. “I swear on my life that I won’t kill you. Here, happy?”

“I th-think so.” The male drone gave his answer, feeling peaceful.

A few seconds later, they finally reached Tessa’s room. The relief J felt while having her hand on the doorknob can’t be put into words.

As she opened the door she was met with the same room she left earlier. Nothing unusual, everyone is sleeping, even Tessa. It makes J wonder how much time she spent with N, maybe an hour or two.

“Oh, l-look! We’re here.” N pointed out the obvious, not bothering to keep his voice down.

“Quiet you idiot! You will wake everyone up.” J lectured the drone while whispering.

“Wha- Are we talking like this now?” N followed J’s way of speaking.

The maid didn’t respond to the question and instead went straight to Tessa’s bed. All she wants now is just to sleep. Using the last of her strength she approached the bed while letting out a heavy sigh.

“Alright,” J felt like she was going to collapse any second now. “You go to bed and I will just go to sleep right there.” She slowly started moving towards the rocking horse while separating from N’s hold whose hands stuck to her like glue.

“H-Hey! Where are you going?” The butler was alarmed by J’s moves.

“To sleep, and you should do.” The maid tried her hardest to break free.

To that, N clinched into the female drone harder. “N-no, no, no… Don’t leave. I maybe can’t stand you, but I also can’t stand without you.” His voice sounded upset.

“Just lie down on the bed. It’s your turn, use it.” J was getting impatient each second.

“N-No. It will be lonely without you and I uh… I hate being alone.” N clearly wasn’t planning on letting J go.

“Jeez, it’s your problem. We’re done.” In another attempt, J aggressively pulled away from the butler as hard as she could.

N suppressed the struggle as he pulled J closer. “W-We’re done when I say we’re done.”

J blinked at him in disbelief. “No way you just said that you-“

Before she could finish what she wanted to say she felt being pulled even closer, falling forward. J squeaked as she found herself uncontrollably falling before roughly landing on N who had a softer landing due to it happening on the bed. She gasped as she attempted to get up.

It was no use, she tried again and again. Eventually, she gave up, having no other option than to be held in place and lie on her back with N’s arms wrapped around her waist in a deadly hold.

J was going to complain and spill out every insult in N’s address, but she stopped when she heard the loud snoring. Drones can snore? Now that was new. Not only she was unfortunate enough to find out that they could get drunk, but she now knows they also can snore.

Well, N probably went offline the second he hit the soft bed. He peacefully slept with his back on a comfortable surface while his legs hung on the bed’s edge. And in his arms, he held the person with whom he wasn't on good terms. Keep your friends close, but enemies closer, huh? And by closer, in this case, it means hugging in your sleep them like she is a small and angry cat.

She’s not small, but she’s angry, pissed at the audacity N had but is too physically and mentally tired to do anything about it. The hug she is in manages a good job of keeping her in place. She maybe would try something else to get out but is afraid to wake up Tessa who is deeply asleep on the other side of the bed.

Or maybe it is just an excuse. An excuse to not try to get out of this cuddle she is in. Because to be honest with herself, no matter how much she tried to deny it, being wrapped in someone’s arms just felt nice and relaxing, even if the person doing it was N. And how the hell is he managing to do it so naturally?

It is just so embarrassing, disgraceful, humiliating. This entire night was just one big challenge for her dignity. And right now, it is the final nail in the coffin. Who knew that out of everyone N was going to be the one to completely annihilate all of her self-esteem? And to top it off, he did it with the kindness he always has. The same kindness J looked down upon.

The butler got his revenge in some way, intentionally or not. With his processor not being able to process information clearly, he acted before thinking, and even when he was thinking, he did it not so clearly. N always was sort of a bold drone, but in his not-so-sober state, it has reached new levels. The alcohol intoxicated him to the point of having the confidence to do what he would be too nervous to do. He for sure wouldn't have the guts to do what he does now.

Does J feel embarrassed for liking her current situation? Hell yes! Does she want to get out of the hug? No. She didn’t want to leave the warmth and comfort she is now. Sure, she still hates N but not strong enough to leave this position, not like she would be able to even if she tried.

It was weird to be cuddled by the person who is supposed to have this goal at the bottom of the to-do list, while this bottom is meant to be torn out and thrown into a trash can. But yet, it felt like this goal was at the top of the said list. It was almost like N always wanted to do this, just never had the opportunity. And when he got one, he wasn't going to miss it.

The only language J and N knew and spoke between each other was hatred. J knew this language the best. The hate was the natural factor in their relationship. It was the one and only thing that drew them closer. That was the way for them to be honest with their feelings. They had this odd but at the same time special connection, through which they could somewhat understand one another. It is like magnets, with them being opposite magnetic poles, attracting each other despite the differences.

It's just that the hate felt too nice for it to be a negative emotion. Sounds bizarre and unexplainable, because it is. This chemistry was too complex for J to bother to decode it. She couldn't speak for N though, despite his seemingly open nature she knew the butler kept a lot of things to himself. But it appears like N is also troubled by the same thoughts. Hell, maybe that's why he got drunk in the first place.

Whatever it is, their mutual dislike of each other only drew them closer, although it should have done the opposite. It got so absurd that they are now here, in one of the most physically close positions. How did they get here?

J's philosophical thoughts were interrupted when she could feel N moving in his sleep as he slowly enveloped his body over the maid. He clinched into her like it was a matter of life and death. J could only wonder how awkward it looked from the other point of view. Her back rubbed against the butler’s chest while N's face rested on J’s helmet he snored loudly in.

J breathed out and made herself comfortable by pulling her knees closer to her stomach. She just wanted to sleep and was too tired to care about anything else at this point. It was nervous to think about how they were going to wake up tomorrow, but it will be tomorrow.

Judging by the small movements N makes, he is for sure enjoying having someone to squeeze in his arms. The joy could be quite literally felt in his body if he had a tail, it for sure would swing around like crazy. When you think about it, N in terms of personality wasn't that much different from a dog and this is the moment where it shines the most, only something like licking wasn't enough for him to actually- J felt how one of her twin tails was being assaulted. The maid instantly pulled away the same poor tail that was harassed not long ago. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as last time, but disgusting nonetheless. Well, that's a confirmation of her theory.

While coping with another humiliation, the maid was getting more and more relaxed, it felt like the weight was lifted off her shoulders. Whatever magic spell N cast on her, it worked. He managed to pacify the female drone. He squished the cat so much that he appeased it. J just wanted to stay like this for a really long time, she felt loved, and feeling loved felt lovely.

It all definitely looked like something out of this world, for these two to be at peace. But if it works, then it works. Maybe being kind to someone is not that bad after all.

She can finally drift off to sleep mode with her mind at peace. At this moment, she felt like an overjoyed kitten. Maybe the angriest cats do purr the loudest after all.