Work Text:
Sitting with p.AI.nter on the desk in their room in heavy containment, everything was pretty quiet. You were just watching them draw, staring at their screen in a content silence. You wondered if p.AI.nter was staring back at you too. How would their vision work? It hurts your head to think about.
Their mood has changed recently, they seem a lot more cheerful than usual. It’s probably because of the body Sebastian had built for them…they’ve been so excited to try a bunch of new stuff out. You’ve listened to them ramble before about what they’d want to do, it mainly consisted of wanting to paint on a real canvas, and wanting to go for nice walks in the park that their creator and them used to go to. It was sweet to think about, they really seemed to appreciate the little things in life…
You were so caught up in your train of thought that you didn’t even notice them trying to catch your attention.
“Hey! Heellloooo?? Can you hear me??” They spoke in a tone mixed with irritation, and confusion. You blinked a few times before nodding in response, focusing your eyes back on them and raising an eyebrow. “I finished the piece. Didn’t you notice?” They questioned, poking your shoulder impatiently. You just shrugged and shook your head, before taking your time examining the art piece on their screen. It was very detailed and they seemed to be proud of it.
“It’s supposed to be a beachside view, you see- I didn’t have much to work off of since most pictures on the internet kind of suck, but I think I did good. I focused really hard on getting the details right for the water.” They spoke, before their screen went from the painting, to their drawn on face. They were smiling now. That was sweet, but you just nodded to what they said, and they seemed to take it positively, their screen lighting up even more.
Their fans whirred louder for a moment, before they quickly went back to their normal smile. “Sooo, any requests? I’m pretty good with art, y’know. I could even draw you if you wanted.” They added with a shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. You couldn’t help but chuckle at it, it was stupid. They were stupid. But you still somehow loved them for it either way.
You pretended to think for a moment, before pointing at yourself with a smile, p.AI.nter seemed to pause at that for a minute, before nervously chuckling. “Oh- you really do want me to draw you? Well, if it’s what you want..” They mumbled and shrugged, thinking for a second before their screen switched from their face, to the blank MSPaint canvas. And before you knew it, they had started sketching you already.
“Stand still, okay? Don’t move. An artist needs their reference to be perfect.” You just nodded in response and sat there staring at them, watching each line they had drawn, each color they had tested before swapping to a different one, presumably closer to the one they wanted. It was interesting to see. You could probably guess they were getting you right, you hadn’t really had the chance to look at yourself in a mirror lately….
As you were watching them, you couldn’t help but look down and notice how their hands fidgeted. You couldn’t tell if they were nervous or just excited to feel everything with their new body. Thinking about it though, you wondered if anyone had really watched them draw in a long while. Not many other Expendables pay any mind to the room they stay in, and if they do, they mostly just come and go, only searching for data. It made you think they probably weren’t used to having an ‘audience’.
Should you not stare so hard at them? Maybe you shouldn’t keep making ‘eye contact’. But what if they wanted you to? It could be important for their painting. But you didn’t want to make them uncomfortable. Whatever, you’d just stay completely still, and you’d keep your ‘eye contact’ with them just incase.
Before you knew it, they were catching your attention again, snapping their fingers in front of your face. “Hey! I’m finished! What do you think? Rate it on a scale of 1-10.” They spoke, and as you focused back on their screen, you saw the painting they had made of you. Woah. It was really good, you couldn’t know for sure how accurate it was, but it certainly made you gasp. And p.AI.nter seemed to notice that.
“Oh- did I mess something up? Is a color wrong? Should I erase something?” They quickly started questioning, before noticing you shaking your head with a calm smile. They relaxed visibly at that, and at the sight of you holding 10 fingers up. You could hear their fans whirring faster than you’ve probably ever heard them before.
“That’s uh- thank you a lot. I tried my best.” They spoke. Their screen switching from the drawing of you, to their face, displaying a smile.
Honestly. You couldn’t help but lean forward and hug them, wrapping your arms tight around them. You felt them freeze for a minute- hell, you could feel their fans doing their best to cool them down, but you didn’t mind. It didn’t take long before they hugged you back, closing their eyes and letting out a glitchy sigh.
“...i’m happy I have you down here in this hellhole…” They mumbled, and you nodded. This truly was hell, being stuck in an abandoned blacksite, but with them, it didn’t feel as bad.