Work Text:
Google huffed as he waited on street, leaning against the wall of the little store Bing was currently in. A pet store, a family owned one that Bing always preferred to chain stores as he picked up stuff for Peggy and Midnight. Google never cared to go in, content to wait and watch the people that went by. Very few took interest in him, and even then it was just passing glances. It was funny, how much humans were so caught up in their lives. Google could probably stab someone, and few would notice. He had half a mind to test that theory.
Glancing up, Google scowled at the sky. The clouds were getting dark for so earlier in the afternoon. His weather prediction said there was a high chance of rain. Bing had better hurry up, if they didn’t want to get caught in it.
Standing on the street corner as he was, he was mostly out of the way of pedestrian traffic. So when he felt someone tap his shoulder, he was immediately pretty annoyed, not even bothering to turn his head. “Whoever you are, go away.”
He could still feel the presence at his side. Apparently, whatever they were going to say, Google really through them off, and he smirked a little, adjusting his crossed arms.
The tap came again, and Google let out an irritated sigh, giving in and turning his head. “What could you possibly want, hm?”
A young woman stood beside him. More like a teenager, really. Scrawny, in baggy, worn clothes. Unimpressive. Google just gave her flat stare, and she seemed to shrink, fiddling with something in her hoodie. “…Um –” She glanced out at the street. There seemed to be a lull in pedestrian traffic, something Google would enjoy more if she wasn’t still there. “Give – give me your money!”
Google just raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
She swallowed, though she spoke a little more confidently. “Give me your money, man!”
Google scoffed, turning back to face the street. “No.”
“I – I have a knife!”
Google didn’t even look, rolling his eyes. “Terrifying,” he deadpanned. “Go away.”
And then pain was erupting in his side.
Google gasped sharply, his body spasming in a glitch, and the teenager let out a short cry herself, quickly stifling it as she frantically jiggled her knife, trying to get it free. She – somehow – had managed to jam it right in one of the few weak spots Google’s exoskeleton had – the slits for his vents. Blue, glowing blood was soaking into his shirt, dripping to the ground as Google leaned heavily against the wall, errors flashing in his vision, and at this point he just trying not to make a scene, hissing distortedly through his teeth as his body glitched again.
She tore her knife free with a spray of blue blood, flecking across her face and the wall as she stumbled back. Google’s eyes slid to her, blazing bright blue, and she bolted, tearing off into the alley.
Google spat a swear, pressing his hand to the wound – as if that would help. when he lifted his hand, his palm was stained blue. Spitting out another swear, Google glanced around frantically, for something, anything that could help him –
The bell of the shop door rang, and Bing was stepping out, calling out one last friendly goodbye to the cashier before stepping out, his hands laden with bags. Google immediately stood straight, making sure his injured side was facing away from Bing as he tried to subtly wipe his bloody hand off on the wall. He managed a tense smile that was more of a scowl still, deciding to redirect it to the sky. “…Have fun in there?” It was a miracle his voice was still even.
“Sorry! Sorry it took so long, I got a bit carried away.” Bing flashed a sheepish smile of his own, before following Google and glancing at the sky himself. “Oh s***, we should probably get moving. But uh – you alright, Googs? You look a bit…constipated.”
Google managed a snort, crossing his arms as he and Bing began to walk back down the sidewalk. His shirt rapidly soaking with vital fluids, leaving a trail in his wake, but Google was more concerned with keeping his steps even. Once they got home, he could take care of it himself, and Bing would never have to know. It’d be fine. “Perfectly fine. I just have a time-sensitive project I need to get back to.”
Bing shrunk a little. “…You didn’t need to come with me, you know, if you had something more important. It’s not like you get anything out of just walking with me.”
Google scoffed, and he just barely held back the distortion in his voice. “Of course I do. I get to spend more time with you.”
Bing’s face lit up bright orange, and even Google was blushing a little from how sappy it was. They made it about halfway back to the manor before the rain began to fall, and Google swore internal. He couldn’t handle this. Rain and bleeding out, when every step was getting more and more difficult with the fluid that helped him run spilling everywhere? They needed to get home fast, or hope the rain was light.
So when Bing suggested they run, Google was both thankful and dreading every step.
He could feel himself slowing down. His core was beginning to stutter, his fans audibly struggling from the knife that jacked them up and leaving Google genuinely out of breath, not to mention the glowing blue trail that was only just beginning to wash away as the rain picked up.
They’d just barely made it to the mountain when Google fell.
His body spasmed just as he was taking a step, and he crashed to the asphalt, crying out with pain as he laid there. Rain soaking into his shirt, seeping inside him via the fucking hole in his side, Google couldn’t help but press a hand against the wound, swearing weakly as his hand came away much more blue.
“What – Google?! Oh s***, are you – no that’s stupid of course you’re not okay – what happened, man?!”
Google snarled. “Is that really important right now?!” He lifted his shirt, just to see the wound. On the outside, it didn’t look like much, just a blue slit in his synthetic skin, but if Bing opened him up –
“Okay, okay okay okay, okay, I-I-I’m gonna call Dark, he’ll come down here and teleport us home, yeah? Just – just haa̯͠a͋ͅa̯͌͗͢á̼͓͐n͚͠g on Googs –” The rain was beginning to get to Bing, too, as it fell harder, faster, soaking into both of them in the middle of the road.
Google managed a weak laugh as the errors began to truly flood his vision, blocking out his sight. Warning after warning after –
His core audibly shorted out, and Google’s eyes went dark.