Tugging at the collar of his uniform top, Ace glanced up at the clock in his final class, Chemistry. Glancing at the empty seat the pinkette would occupy, the raven soon concluded that the class, if not the entire school, was boring without Robert being there.
The poor hazel-eyed teen's fever had spiked and he was made to stay home. Much to the PDA's dismay, he had no choice but to go to school, since Rob had said it was the norm and to retrieve his schoolwork.
"If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't have enrolled," he murmured under his breath as he looked towards the clock for what had to be the tenth time in the last five minutes.
Groaning quietly, he slapped his hand to his forehead, drawing the attention of the purplette a table away. Smoky grey eyes regarded the red-streaked teen that had smacked himself on the brow before raising one eyebrow.
'What the heck is his problem?' he thought, turning his attention to the board as the PDA glanced at him.
Thinking the coast was clear; Kaito glanced at the raven to see that he was still staring at him.
"Why do you keep looking at me?" Ace asked quietly yet irritably. "See something you like?" he added cockily with a faint smirk pulling at his lips.
"As if," Kai snorted. "Where's Robbie?"
"Sick," came the short reply.
"Still?"
"Yep."
"Are…you going to-"
"Ace and Kaito." Both teens looked to the front of the room to see their teacher standing there with her arms folded across her chest. "Is there something more interesting than this that you wish to share with the class?" Kai dropped his gaze to the desk while Ace propped his chin up in an open palm as he stared out the window. "No? Well, Kaito, explain what a covalent bond is and how it's formed."
Looking up at the board, the purplette scratched his head, since their teacher was a lousy artist, before looking down at the desk to see the notes he had stopped writing in order to speak with the PDA.
"Um…no ma'am, sorry," the grey-eyed teen murmured, earning him an exasperated sigh.
"Ace, ex-"
"A covalent bond is a form of chemical bonding that is characterized by the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms when they share electrons is known as covalent bonding." Red eyes slid over from the window to look at the teacher. "That's about right, correct?"
The woman remained quiet for a few seconds before nodding. She even glanced in her own book to find what he had said to be nearly word for word. "Yes."
Several students eyed him, some in awe while others rolled their eyes. The PDA had joined their class last minute and never opened the textbook, well, not unless the pinkette was present, and only few noticed that, but he still managed to have the highest marks in the room.
Content with the fact he had answered the question effectively, he turned his attention outside while he ignored what the woman was saying. If anything, he figured he could teach better than her. Heck, he was sure he could teacher better than any of the teachers there. He was more than capable after all and that way, he wouldn't have to be parted from his beloved pinkette for much longer.
"Ace."
"What?" said person replied, looking away from his outside view to see smoky eyes staring at him.
"The teacher is talking to you."
The raven looked over to see Mrs. Tarris tapping her foot. "Well?" she asked.
"Well, what?" Ace asked, holding his head up with his other hand now.
"Give an example of covalent bonding."
Rolling his eyes, the red-streaked project looked out the window again. "An example of covalent bonding is two Hydrogen atoms sharing their outer electrons, also known as valence electrons, to become more stable."
"Very…good." The PDA nodded. "What side of the periodic table is the most stable?" the teacher asked to see if the inattentive project. "And what's it called?"
"The right and they're the noble gases," Ace replied right before the bell rang.
Looking towards the board, he wrote down the homework assignments, ignoring the looks of incredulity from the purplette as well as the rest of the present student body before sliding his items into his book bag. Giving a quiet goodbye, the PDA walked out and into the flooding halls. He tuned out the hellos, the fawning, and the questions thrown his way by some of the students. He did stop to regard the piece of paper sticking out of his locker.
Guessing he could make some time, Ace walked over to it and pulled the paper out to read:
About Saturday, I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me but I want to make it up to you.
Meet me Wednesday for lunch under the tree in the courtyard.
It'll be a lot of fun and sorry again.
-Rebecca Taiyo-
Reading it over one last time, the PDA balled it up and tossed it in the trash as he walked to the front entrance. He didn't like the redheaded girl. He thought he made that obvious at the party but apparently she didn't get that. It didn't matter. Ace simply shrugged his shoulders as he unbuttoned his uniform top. Though it was nothing, the action itself gained some attention. Murmurs floated as he crossed the schoolyard. He ignored them though he did listen up for any pertaining to his shy pinkette. There weren't many but for the few that were evident, the raven couldn't help but snicker.
All of them revolved around the pair being an item, much to the schoolgirls' delight and dismay.
A smile spread along his face as he thought about it. Now, if only he could get the hazel-eyed teen to see it.
"Just…a setback," he told himself as he walked off campus and down the road.
Walking down the path, he looked around, noting how everything seemed a bit different. It then struck him that he had not really paid much attention to anything when Rob was present. Groaning at that fact, Ace took a moment to stop and register his location.
He spotted an elementary school; one he presumed to be of the pinkette's brother, Skylar. Walking along, he noticed the small shops, gas station, and library. Scratching his head, he came to a halt to take in the newer area.
Furrowing his brow, Ace shifted his bag to his other shoulder as he went to access his GPS. Mapping drew up blanks much to the PDA's own confusion.
Leaning up against a wall, he tried again and received the same results. He couldn't afford to be lost. He had school work to deliver as well as spending alone time with the teen. Kaito being there had cut it to it and as soon as he had left, the small redhead child returned from spending the night at his friend's house. Shortly after that, their mother had returned, cutting any other time out of the picture, much to the PDA's displeasure. He had to dismiss all of them as small setbacks though he was determined to have a moment alone with Robert.
With that in mind, Ace closed his eyes as he tried to find directions on how to get home.
"I don't see why we don't just ask the Harukana child to return it," Jayce said from the back seat. "And why couldn't I drive?"
Purple eyes stared at the greenette's reflection in the rear-view mirror before focusing on the road. "You crashed the car last year."
"A squirrel ran into the road and it was raining!"
"Again," Kaylen stated, "you crashed the last car." The one in the back seat folded his arms. "Find him yet?"
Blue eyes dropped down to stare at a small, three-dimensional map resting on his lap. "He's not moving but appears he's on Terra Avenue." Glancing at the street signs, Kay made a left and continued for five blocks. "Ok…" Jay said, looking up and out the windows. "He should be around here s-there he is!"
The brunette glanced up at the mirror to see where the greenette was pointing before he looked in the indicated direction.
Leaning against a wall, stood the PDA. His head was down and it appeared that it had shut down on itself since it appeared to be ignoring the small yellow bird that had decided to take a break on his head. Chuckling at the sight, Jayce undid his seatbelt as Kaylen stopped and put the car in park.
"Don't just-" The greenette jumped out the car and ran over. "-run up to him…" the purple-eyed man finished, shaking his head as he undid his own seatbelt.
Getting out the car, he walked over and stood alongside the greenette that was still eyeing the inactive project. He had shooed away the bird that had been perched on his head as well as pulling out the small feathers that had remained behind.
"Think he's shut down?" Jay asked, tilting the PDA's head up.
Dark red eyes had closed and, with his lips slightly parted, it appeared that the project had simply fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, the greenette looked over at he brunette.
"What?" Kay asked.
"C'mon, he looks cute like this and you know it." The purple-eyed man just shifted in place. "Sorta' like a broken angel."
Rolling his eyes, the brunette pushed his partner aside before leaning down to have a closer look. "Ace." Said project did not reply. "Hmm…" The man tapped his chin in thought. "1345289700, wake up."
Groaning slightly, dull burgundy eyes slid open before looking up. They blinked to gain focus before observing the pair placed before them. Tilting his head at a slight angle in question, Ace opened his mouth though he was cut off soon after.
"Well, hello, Mr. Sleepy," Jayce cooed, patting him on the head.
"Really?" the brunette questioned indignantly, gaining the project's attention. "Ace, we want you to come with us."
The PDA took a step back.
"Aww, c'mon, Ace," the greenette said giddily. "We just need to give you a quick little look over, ok?"
The corner of the raven's eye twitched subtly, going unnoticed by the blue-eyed man though Kaylen seemed to be aware of it.
"You got wet," he said. "We need to make sure you're functioning properly."
"I can function fine, thanks," Ace spat as he began to walk away. "Whoever you two are, just stay aw-"
"You know, if you keep shutting down on yourself, Harukana is going to send you back."
"Kay…" Jayce trailed off as the PDA came to a halt.
"He'll send you back and good chances are that he'd get another one-" The greenette mumbled something under his breath pertaining to not having a trial three. "- or simply not wish to have you once you're fixed up."
"What?" the red-streaked teen asked slowly as he looked over his shoulder.
"If he doesn't want you, then we'd have to shut you down and analyze your memory banks." Ace placed a hand to the back of his neck. "Once we do that, we'd wipe your hard drive clean and if lucky, you'd get sent off to someone else."
The PDA slowly turned around to face the two men. "Sent…to someone else?" he murmured, eyes trembling. "I don't…if…he doesn't want…me?"
"If he doesn't want you," Kay pressed.
Ace hung his head though he looked up at the sound of footsteps coming towards him. "Don't say things like that, Kay!" Jay ordered, patting the PDA on the shoulder. "You're upsetting him!"
"I'm telling him the truth!"
"And you can't do it a little nicer?" the greenette asked heatedly.
"What? Want me to sugar coat it?"
"Yes!"
" Like hell!" the purple-eyed man shouted, storming back over to the car. "You do it then!"
Blue eyes watched as a door slammed shut before focusing on the grieving project. "Ace-"
"He…he…wouldn't send me back, would he?" Ace asked slowly as he looked towards the greenette.
"Um…maybe we should start over," Jayce offered. "I'm Jay and that angry man that stormed off is Kay. He's not usually a hard ass so don't worry about him."
"He…he…wouldn't send me back, would he?" the PDA asked as his body twitched. "He…he…"
"Oh, dear." Taking the raven by the arm, the blue-eyed man patted him on the head. "Come with me," Jayce said, leading the other towards the awaiting car.
"Where…are you-"
"Where are we going?" the greenette corrected as he opened the back passenger door. He signaled the down project to get in, which he did hesitantly, before getting in himself. "Don't worry about it."
Dark eyes dropped down to stare at the map that had been left in the seat before glancing up at the man sitting in the seat before him.
"Are…you going to take me home?" Ace asked wearily.
"Something like that," Jayce replied as the brunette started the car and began to drive down the street. "Seatbelts."
Ace put his on before looking out the window. He watched the elementary school go by. 318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYkWhIABzP
Vetay High soon went past the window as well.
"Robert lives in the other direction," the PDA stated.
"That's nice," the driver said, making a right turn.
Burgundy slid over to view the one with green hair. "I thought you said you were taking me home."
"I said, 'something like that'," Jayce replied, glancing over at the red-streaked raven.
"Stop the car," Ace demanded as he took his seatbelt off. He pulled on the handle before hearing the locks click in place. Bristling at the action, he looked between the two men. "Let. Me. Out."
"We will after your check up."
The PDA looked back at the driver. "I said to stop and let me out!"
"Calm down, Ace," the greenette cooed, trying to ease the agitated teen.
"No!" Red regarded blue. "Let. Me. Out. Now!"
"Ace-"
"Now!" the PDA ordered, grabbing the front of Jayce's blue shirt. "You will let me out of this car." His hand tightened subtly around the collar while his other hand eased towards the man's neck. "Let. Me. Out."
"K-Kay!" the greenette stammered, throwing his fretful stare towards the rear-view mirror.
Violet eyes looked in the mirror to see the nervous expression of the usual ditzy man before diverting his gaze to the more aggressive project.
"1345289700." Said project tightened his hand along the collar. "Initiate program: Arrestare."
Ace tightened his hand a little more though it soon fell away from the man's shirt as his eyelids began to close. His vision went to black as he fell against the one he had attempted to attack moments ago.
Willing himself to stay active, Ace pushed himself up though weight started to set in as he hung his head.
"He…he…wouldn't send me back," the PDA murmured as he fell against the anxious greenette's chest. "Would he?" he added softly before shutting off.
Pushing the project off and to the side, Jayce undid his own seatbelt and climbed to the passenger seat up front. He took a quick look back at the inactive project before looking towards the driver.
"Kaylen-"
"He seems to be a bit more aggressive," said person stated, viewing the greenette from the corner of his eye. "We should take care of that, hmm?"
"1345289700-"
"Why don't you call him by his name?" Jayce asked.
Violet eyes peered at the green-haired associate before focusing on the project that had been placed on an observation table.
"1345289700," Kaylen started, "wake up."
Sliding his eyes open, Ace stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling once his vision came into focus. Turn his head, he viewed the brunette that was holding a scanner in his hands. Slowly sitting up, the PDA dropped his gaze to see that he had been stripped of his gakuran. Looking towards the greenette, Ace noticed his jacket and shirt laying atop a swivel chair. Reaching out for it, he halted his attempts as he felt a pull on his arm.
Looking down, the PDA traced the wires running from forearm to that of another computer a few feet away. Binary flashed across the screen though Ace's mind drew up a blank when it tried to decode it.
"Ace." Said project looked forward to see Kay standing in front of him. "How are you feeling?"
Burgundy eyes blinked slowly before gazing down at his left leg, seeing how red and blue wires seemed to extend from his pant leg. Reaching down to pull them out, Ace stopped as the wires connected to his arm pulled him back. Confused, and slightly annoyed by it, the raven reached over and began to pull the yellow wires out.
"Ace." The project looked over at the greenette. "Feeling better?" Jayce asked, genuinely curious.
"I want… to go home," Ace replied. "I have to get to Robert."
"No." The raven looked towards the brunette walking towards him "Not until diagnostics are finished."
"But he has homework," the teen countered.
"Don't care about that a-"
"Well, I do!" the PDA shouted, reaching out to grab the man's shirt. He came up short though he did receive a small shock. "What-let me go!"
"Jayce."
"Uh, yes, Kaylen?" said person replied.
"I think it's still aggressive."
The greenette frowned a bit before making his way to the computer behind the sitting project. He eyed the raven carefully, noting the seams from where they had opened him up to drain the remaining water before looking towards the control panel.
"Jay…" Said man looked to see that it was the PDA that had addressed him. "Let. Me. Go," Ace ordered, reaching out right before the man flipped a small switch.
The project shut down for the third time in the last three hours he had been there though he had no recollection of what happened the first two times.
Blue and purple eyes alike turned to view the data streaming of the screen in front of them. They viewed several features ranging from GPS usage all the way down to being used as a Bluetooth. Both men then viewed the sound system, finding several voices stored within the project's hard drive, one showing that it had been used several times over if not almost every day.
"What could he possibly need with those?" Kaylen asked. Jayce shrugged as he listened to a few. "Well, it's taking up space."
That being said, he deleted them all, excluding the PDA's. Next came the memories. Some were viewed though the ones pertaining to the party had parts missing. Both scientists blamed that on the pool water so those were erased. Senses then came onto the screen.
Sight seemed to be in order though they could not truly test it since the raven was currently out. Taste had been added though eating wasn't something the PDA had to do. They didn't bother with the hearing since the red-streaked project turned towards each of them accordingly. Again, touch and smell were something else that couldn't be truly tested though they were sure it was in order due to some memory pertaining to cooking.
Emotion then flashed on the screen and the greenette pulled up a chair as he gazed at the screen. The brunette stood surprised, though he wouldn't show it, as he viewed the various emotion and how often they had been used. Happiness was moderate. Sadness was lower than the previous though it was still higher than it should've been. Love, one feeling that was under careful watch, seemed to hit an all-time high though Aggression and Frustration were not too far behind. Taking those into consideration, Kaylen pulled out the keyboard and began working to lower the more hostile emotions while altering the ones of Embarrassment and Cockiness.
Seeing how the greenette had not said anything or pointed something out, Kay put the keyboard away and walked back over to the PDA. He placed to fingers along the tattooed wrist before checking the watch on his own. He counted off the raven's heartbeat before making a mental note to write it down later. Checking the red eyes with a small flashlight, the purple-eyed man watched as the raven's pupils dilated and contracted accordingly.
"Well, everything seems to be in check now."
"Is he going to be alright?" Jay asked, collecting the project's clothes.
"He should be," Kaylen replied, disconnecting the yellow wires running the length of the raven's arm. "If not, we'll simply have to adjust him."
" I guess…"
"1345289700, go on standby."
Complying with the order, Ace allowed his eyes to open halfway though they remained unfocused and unseeing. Satisfied with that, the brunette slid a thin, green wire behind the PDA's neck and slipped it into the nearly invisible seam. The raven's eyes opened a bit more to reveal the still lifeless orbs while the greenette began to type away at the keys.
"Upload his files," Kay ordered once the last wire was in place.
"Done," Jayce responded.
"Good, now, locate any memory relating to this encounter and erase it." The blue-eyed man looked back at his partner. "Security measures of course," the man replied, answering a silent question.
"Alright…"
Turning his attention back towards the screen, Jay selected choice memory files and deleted them, though some did still linger within the Nanites hard drives themselves. That was a feature they did not think of in hindsight.
"Done."
"Good." The brunette pulled the wire out and put it away. "1345289700, wake up."
The project took deep breath and stared up at the purple-eyed man. 318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs0qPB2rPW
Hearing appeared to still be in working order.
"Ace." Said project sat up slowly. "You're going to go home now."
"Home," Ace echoed softly as he placed a hand to his bare chest. "May I have my shirt back, please?"
The greenette gave the items back quickly, earning a small smile of gratitude from the PDA.
"He's going to drop you off at the corner of the street where you're staying, understood?" Kay questioned slowly, making sure that the PDA was still following.
"Understood."
"Wait, I get to drive?" the greenette asked, half cheering as he did so.
"Yes, now get to it," the brunette said as the PDA slipped back into his clothing.
"Now behave yourself," Jayce said as he came to a stop, "and please, please, don't fall into water again. It's quite hard getting it out of your circuit boards."
Ace stepped out and gave a smile. "Understood. Nice meeting you and have a good evening."
Smiling himself, the greenette waved before driving away.
Shifting his bag to his other arm, the PDA began to walk along the street, knowing where he was going this time. Happy to know his way home, Ace picked up the pace though soon slowed as he felt his head throb. Dismissing it as rotaries, the raven continued on his way as he reached the pinkette's driveway.
It was empty, given the time and day, Ace knew that Elle was probably at work pulling another all-night shift. With her gone, he would only have to occupy Skylar's time until he fell asleep. By that time, he could sit down with Robert and help with his class work from that day.
Coming to the door, Ace pulled out the keys that were leant to him, but he didn't quite seem to be able to steady his hand enough. His head throbbed again, making him drop the keys. Sighing to himself, he knelt to get them before placing a hand to his head.
To alleviate some of the irritation, the PDA closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once they opened, Ace stood up and unlocked the door. Sliding his shoes off once he entered, he looked around to see that smaller redhead was nowhere to be seen. Straining his hearing, the entire house seemed to be vacant.
Furrowing his brow, Ace made his way upstairs as he placed a hand to his head. It felt like he should remember something though whatever it was seemed to escape him for the time being. Coming to the pinkette's door, the raven knocked quietly before proceeding forward.
Robert was lying in bed with a dampened towel on his forehead. His face still appeared to be flushed though it was not as dark as it had once been. Happy with that, Ace made his way over to remove the towel and ask if the other was hungry.
Stooping down, the PDA couldn't stop the smile that spread along his face as he stared at the sleeping cutie. That expression soon faltered at the thought of not being able to see such a peaceful expression. That thought then led to restoration of several memories that should've been deleted though the defective Nanites held onto.
"Robert…" the project said hardly over a whisper as his eyes began to tremble.
Hearing his name, the pinkette opened his eyes slowly and stared up at the red-eyed teen. Blinking twice, Rob slid into an upright position as he yawned.
"Ace," he murmured, "what time is it?"
The raven backed away and went over to the computer to view the time. "6:45 P.M."
"I must've slept longer than…why are you home so late?" Robbie asked, getting out of bed to make his way over.
"I-I'm sorry," the PDA replied, making his way back over to the bed to sit down. "I…I have your work for the day."
Hazel eyes stared at the raven once glasses had been placed before them. Averting those to the computer screen, Robert clicked open his inbox to see if any teachers had sent any updates or study guides for any tests they may have later on that week. He found none, to his own relief, but did see an email with no return address. Rolling his eyes, he had an idea of who it might've been-sorta'- and clicked on it.
Your PDA has had its first checkup.
It should be functioning more properly.
We do advise you to read over the previous emails to assure that your PDA does not have any more mishaps.
Thank you.
Furrowing his brow, Rob glanced over the email one more time before closing it down to look over at Ace. His head was down while his hands were placed in his lap. The alleged work that he had brought was placed neatly on the teen's pillow though he had not said anything else since he had apologized.
"You…got a checkup?" the pinkette asked curiously as he made his way over. Ace nodded slowly; head never raised. "How…how did it go?"
The words the brunette had said to him on the street flashed in front of him, making him shudder as an after effect. It also left a baffled pink-haired teen.
"You…"
"Me what?" Rob asked, taking a small step back.
"You…you wouldn't send me back," Ace said softly, "would you?"
"What?"
"Would you?" Ace pressed as he looked up.
Any more motions of retreating left the pinkette as he stared at his PDA. The project's dark red eyes appeared to be glazed over though it wasn't from uploading files or whatever he was usually doing when Robert saw him like that. No, instead, the burgundy eyes were watery.
"A-Ace?" Robbie asked as something rolled down the PDA's face. "Are…are you crying?"
He usually received a "no".
Ace placed a hand to his eye then pulled it away to observe it. "I guess I am," he replied sadly. His attention then went to the teen. "But would you?" That question came out barely over a whisper. "Would you send me back?"
Robert regarded the raven a bit more before walking over as he hung his head. 'What kind of check up did you get?' he wondered as he lightly patted the other on the head. It was a surprise to see Ace cry though it was saddening as well. Kneeling down, the pinkette tilted his head to try to get a look of the PDA's face that had hidden itself.
"Ace," Robert whispered, noting the wet trails that had appeared on the raven's face. He then dropped his gaze to the PDA's lap as soon as a tear fell. "Don't be sad." He reached up though the red-streaked project pulled away. "Ace."
"You'd send me back, right?" Ace asked, wiping his eyes though water continuously fell.
The hazel-eyed teen never pictured the project to be so sad. "What did they do to you?" he found himself asking.
The PDA rubbed the back of his neck though he did not meet the other's gaze. He couldn't quite say what had happened in the lab since it was erased but he could remember the purple-eyed man's words from before.
"You're going to get rid of me…" Ace said, trailing off as he fell onto his back.
He had given up on trying to stop the tears since he wasn't quite sure where they were coming from to begin with. Staring up at the blurry ceiling through watery eyes, the PDA shifted his gaze as he saw the blurred outline of the shirtless pinkette looming over him. He blinked some of the tears away, trying to figure out how he missed that little detail though it did not make him any happier.
"Ace," Robbie said, wiping one eye for him, "What did they do to you?"
The red-eyed raven looked away as his eyes watered anew. "I don't know…" he replied softly. "But, please, don't get rid of me." He looked back at the pinkette. "Please?"
Sighing quietly, Rob wiped away both of the red teary eyes before mustering a faint smile. Seeing how that did nothing to ease the PDA's worry, the pinkette leaned down and placed a small kiss on the raven's cheek, leaving a slightly confused yet pacified Ace.
"Stop crying," the other told him, wiping away the remaining tears. "It's hard to look at you like that." The PDA averted his gaze. "But stop worrying. I won't send you back, alright?"
"Really?" Ace asked quiet enough that it almost went unnoticed as he sat up.
"Yes," the hazel-eyed teen said before being embraced.
Patting the PDA on the back, Robbie gave a faint smile as the other nuzzled him.
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