Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/453807.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Gunnerkrigg_Court
  Relationship:
      Katerina_Donlan/Robot
  Character:
      Katerina_Donlan, Robot_(Gunnerkrigg_Court)
  Additional Tags:
      Artificial_Intelligence, Community:_kink_bingo
  Collections:
      Kink_Bingo_2012_(Round_Five)
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-07-07 Words: 1015
****** Sympathetic Impulses ******
by dogtier
Summary
     Kat is having a bad week. Robot helps.
Notes
     Written for Kink Bingo Round Five. Prompt: mechanical/technological
It was frustrating. Everything was frustrating. That was the most frustrating
part, Kat didn't even know what she was frustrated about. There was just this
general gnawing mass of anger and annoyance at the back of her head that just
stewed and stewed and kept her from getting anything done. She tried to ignore
it, but it was impossible.
"Is everything alright?" Annie asked. "You're been acting odd lately."
"Everything is fine," Kat said. "Stop asking."
"Alright," Annie said.
Even though Annie was Kat's best friend she had a problem with sticking her
nose where it didn't belong. Reynardine was even worst. He had no place
criticizing anyone about anything romantic. Not that Kat was thinking about
romance. There was no point in it, everyone she liked was too old or turned
into birds and flew away and they were most certainly all guys thanks very much
for assuming things everyone.
Maybe she should let her hair grow out again.
"I'm taking a walk," Kat announced. The robots hanging around looked at her
expectantly. "Alone."
The trouble lately was that she was never actually alone. When Shadow had first
begun his schooling Robot had stalked him like an overprotective mother bird.
After a few weeks he had apparently dubbed the Foley classrooms safe zones
because he had turned his rooftop crawls towards trailing Kat.
"Robot," she said, rubbing her temples.
There was barely even a sound when he landed. She had made him too well. She
should have put a damn bell on him.
"Yes Kat?" Robot said.
"Why do you follow me around like this?" Kat asked.
"To protect you," Robot said simply.
"From what?" Kat asked. "What is so damn dangerous that I need a guardian angel
watching my every mood?"
"I'm not an angel," Robot said.
"Right," Kat said. "Fine, whatever, go now."
Robot hesitated, but he obeyed, slipping back to the dark corners and rooftops.
Kat wandered for a bit but eventually headed back to the workshop. Annie and
Reynardine were gone. There were still bots milling about. At first they had
only come to see the portrait of Jeanne but lately they didn't even go
downstairs. They just lurked around the edges of Kat's workroom, watching her
with avid eyes and sensors. It was becoming unnerving.
"Out," she said. "Out out out."
The robots filed out without protest, finally giving Kat some blessed quiet and
privacy. She rested her head on her worktable. She was so tired lately. Just
tired all the time. Her head was hurting again, pain pressing on her brain stem
and radiating all down her spine. Sometimes she just wanted to cry from the
frustration.
It was getting dark but Kat didn't feel like moving. If she went back to the
dorms people would expect her to talk. And they'd talk about their boyfriends
and look at her weird for not having one and it was all just too much work.
She knew she was asleep because her head wasn't hurting. That and Aly was there
and not a bird, but it was mainly the head thing.
"Hey Kat," Aly said, holding her hand.
"Hey," she said back.
She was bolder in dreams, she kissed him and climbed into his lap, them both
falling backwards onto cool, soft sheets. Aly was a good kisser, at least in
Kat's opinion. Even in her sleep she had to admit she didn't really have that
many points of comparison. The bed was rocking slightly back and forth and Aly
wrapped his arms around her. When she closed her eyes she felt the barest brush
of feathers down her bare back.
She opened her eyes to almost darkness. There was a hand resting on hers. That
wasn't Aly. Why was it dark? Why was she still so hot?
"Robot?" she asked blearily.
"I am sorry Kat, I did not mean to wake you," he said.
She was in her bed, covers tucked neatly around her. She kicked them off.
"Dammit, Robot," Kat growled "I was just getting to the good part."
"I am sorry," Robot said again.
"Fuck," Kat muttered. "Just leave alright? Unless you're going to help you
should just leave."
Robot did not move to leave. Instead his hand came to rest on her stomach.
"Oh," Kat said. "Oh, okay. Yeah."
Her hands were shaking as she shoved down her ants but Robot was steady,
perfectly steady just like she made him. She closed her eyes and pictured the
individual pins and circuit boards and wires inside him, how she had hooked
them all together and brought them to life. She had to bite her lip when those
clever metal fingers slipped lower, rubbing small circles around her clit.
"Kat," Robot whispered. Her hands gripped the sheets when he slipped a finger
inside her. A second one and she brought her arm up to her mouth, biting hard
to quiet a desperate keen.
Her heart was pounding and her legs kicked ineffectually at the sheets, bare
toes curling. Robot had carried her here, taken off her shoes, probably counted
all her little piggies. Why had she never done this before? She was an idiot.
What was the point in having a ridiculously devoted robot if you didn't exploit
that just a little?
"Ah," she gasped, muffled against her bruising skin. "Ah ah ah!"
Maybe more than a little.
Her hips lifted off the bed when she came, her eyes prickling with tears from
the intensity. Robot withdrew slowly, wet fingers rubbing circles on her
stomach as her chest heaved. It took awhile for her to catch her breath.
"Kat," Robot said.
She felt sweaty all over and completely wrung out. But her head wasn't hurting
anymore.
"Kat, I should go," Robot said.
"Yeah," Kat said.
Robot rose. Kat rolled to face the wall. She couldn't even hear his footsteps,
only her door opening and closing very gently.
She pulled up his schematics in her head, counting the delicate relays as she
drifted off. She wondered if he'd let her make a few little improvements. Maybe
something that buzzed.
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