Chapter Text
Cypher never expected his joke to be correct, but here he was, sitting in the Adapt Training Facility, watching his easily-excitable partner work on his overall movement as he ran and jumped through a reconstructed version of their most recent mission location.
This was a project he was truly proud to be working on, creating a floor and wall system that can expand and retract to simulate different terrains and structures. It was rather simple, especially with some help from his fellow agents and bots.
“You’re never going to get him out of there, you realize that?” Cypher stood at Brimstone’s side as the other agents looked around the site.
“Unless it’s a mission, then I guess it’s your problem,” the man laughed in response.
“He’s like a golden retriever in a crowd.”
Although he would often take time out of his day to join him, running around and blaring music through the all-expansive sound system that was also installed, this was not one of those times. It was a day where pain plagued his body, and he would still be in bed if he had it his way.
Even so, he was dragged here to ‘at least relax and be out of bed’ today.
Cypher was sitting sleepily in a lounge area that existed outside of the boundaries of the model city, which is littered with loungers and a large couch, as he tinkered with a small bot in his lap.
He had snagged a back section of the couch that had one of the lounger lengths on it and the main cushion was the size of maybe two or three normal ones. The blanket that was thrown over his legs was heavy and soft, which added further to the sleepiness he was feeling from the ache.
His hands shook as he worked on the bot, his fine motor skills trying to fail him through the haze of pain and sleep. He almost dropped a panel, before it was swiftly caught by a dark hand.
A void-swept hand, to be more specific.
“ مرحبا, my shadowy friend,” he chuckled as he reached for the piece held out to him, his voice dropping to a soft and deep tone from the exhaustion.
“مرحبا بك.” His response was short as he looked out to the training module. “Sova is training, again?”
“It helps him get his energy out. When we aren’t on missions, he gets quite stir-crazy.” With his free hand, he patted the seat next to him. “You can join me for a bit, if you wish. I am mostly just supervising to make sure he doesn’t break something.”
“You should be resting, you are in pain.” He takes the spot regardless, sitting stiffly and turning to watch the third run throughout the area.
“If I rested every time I was in pain, I would be bedridden.” The Moroccan’s hand moved up to the other’s shoulder and patted it softly. “He’s helped me keep a balance between rest and taking it easy. This is one of those days, it helps me keep myself moving.” The man just nodded in response, as the two settled into an easy silence.
The three of them had gotten closer over the past few weeks, the couple dragging the other on their adventures and shenanigans as a way to get him more involved with the others in the Protocol. Even so, this really only brought the three closer to each other.
Omen often joined them on their dedicated hangouts, always trying to keep them at arms’ length and trying to say that he was ‘supervising’ despite the fact that he would often get dragged into it just as much as they did.
He would never admit that he enjoyed the couple’s company, that they brought him in with no expectation other than to enjoy himself; held him to no standard of staying.
There were many times when he had bailed halfway through a plan because he could not handle what was going on, and they didn’t hold that over him.
He was held just as close when he was involved as he was when he wasn’t, and that struck something deep in his chest that he really couldn’t pinpoint. It was something that he had felt before, and he had realized it was probably something that he felt when he was still human.
He was brought back out by that same hand giving his shoulder a slight squeeze. “I thought I had lost you there for a moment, it seemed like you were stuck in your head.” There was a chuckle in his voice, but it was still laced with a worry that he couldn’t quite place as cerulean bionic eyes searched his face for any kind of expression.
The shadow only made a noise of acknowledgment, letting him know that he had processed the words.
That feeling was back, like a hot coal in his chest, and he knew it needed to go away. “I apologize, that was quite rude.”
“No need.” Cypher removed his hand from the other’s shoulder and held it up shakily as if to say ‘stop’. “The mind has quite the allure in times of contemplation, I can’t fault you on things I have also done.” His hand fell heavily back into his lap, eyes still trained on the other. “I am always here to talk, as is Sova. You are dear to both of us, we don’t wish to see you hurt.”
The burn got worse, spreading like a crater in the Omen’s diaphragm area, but he could not bring himself to walk away. Instead, he nodded heavily. “I am aware, and I thank you for that.”
“Of course, as I said, you mean a lot to us both.” There was a slight lull before Cypher readjusted his sitting position to lay back a bit further. “Relax, my friend, it is only the three of us here. Most have learned to not disturb Sova when he has his name down for this room.”
“I am guessing I am one of the ones who has not learned?” He let his back rest against the cushion as he chuckled, one of his legs tucking under the other and his hands coming to rest in his lap.
“You are often not involved in the happenings unless you are dragged in, so you would have found out one way or another.” His hands returned to the soldering, shaking terribly as he tried again to line up two pieces. He sighed after a moment as he turned off the machine and waited as it cooled down, keeping his eyes down on his work.
He was so sleepy, but he needed to stay awake at least long enough to put the iron away.
Maybe a nap would do him good, he hadn’t been sleeping the greatest lately.
“Sova seems to have disappeared?”