Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"machine— stay still," gabriel sighed as he plucked another pink petal from v1's arm socket. v1 twitched and released a series of high-pitched beeps, wings fluttering angrily. "oh, do be quiet. i certainly did not tell you to frolic in the bushes like an animal..."

==

"...there. finished," the angel smiled. but as soon as he took his hands off v1, they immediately bounced into the air and into the nearest bush. foliage and flower petals flew into the air as their optic peeked halfway out of the bush mischievously.

gabriel's armor flashed red.

Chapter Text

"machine... what is that..?"

v1 beeped, pressing the charred skull against gabriel's helmet. he immediately swatted the thing away with an affronted huff. "i see it clearly, machine, but— but why do you have it??"

the robot held the skull in their right hand and lifted the feedbacker. 'i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g', they finger-spelled, wings flitting behind them as they signed, "found it in heresy. lots of them in the burning caskets."

v1 gave him three thumbs up, and that was when gabriel noticed the slight burn marks their knuckleblaster had. he sighed, running a hand over his helmet. "needless danger you put yourself in," he commented, taking the red arm in his hands. v1's fans spiked, letting out a confused series of beeps to which gabriel responded with “you worry me at times,” as he wiped soot marks off of their metal.

the machine droned sadly, followed by a few more beeps, communicating in a language somehow only gabriel understood. he nodded. "you are curious, i know, my light... just, do be more cautious, please? hell—this palace—is hazardous. you are a force to be reckoned with, yet fragile."

gabriel knew v1 was more than capable of protecting themself, but it didn't mean he couldn't worry over them. there were times v1 came to him, staggering, fuel tank dangerously low; or with one of their limbs shredded. it stressed the angel more than he'd like to admit, seeing the results of their recklessness— such as now, as he wiped away the last stray marks on their arm.

he let go of the knuckleblaster. as soon as he did, though, v1 barreled into them, wrapping all four of their arms around him. the action nearly sent them tumbling to the ground, but gabriel managed to catch them both as he slowly returned the gesture. v1 affectionately nuzzled the lens of their optic into the crook of their angel's neck, beeping something out he roughly translated as "i love you. thank you for caring."

gabriel's face immediately flushed red, burning hot with embarrassment. the yellow and blue of his wings fluctuated sharply, but a familiar fluttering feeling in his chest manifested itself as the machine trilled and chirped. he smoothed his hand down v1’s back, through their wing pack, feeling how the blades trembled under his touch.  

he found it endearing. everything about v1 was precious to him, even their recklessness.

"i...— i love you too, vee,” the angel replied, tilting his helmet up to place a kiss atop their head. he quickly added, "and, i think your skull is interesting too."

v1 trilled happily.

Chapter Text

"rest, my light," gabriel whispers, offering his hand to v1. they happily accept, the divine and the mechanical intertwining like many a time before. but this time, it was different.

the relaxation that accompanied rest and sleep eluded v1. they couldn't, being a war machine hard-wired to be hyper-vigilant and alert. not down in hell, either, where the slightest misstep, the smallest mistake, would get one eviscerated by the maw of a feral husk or shredded by the bullets of another machine. hell itself intervened at times, demanding entertainment from its favorite stringed puppet.

all they'd ever known was gore and bloodshed.

of course, after meeting and fighting gabriel, the two became close in a twist of events. he turned out to be an unexpected source of protection. v1 was able to calm their racing system code that was always screaming at them to be on the move. they were able to let the insistent, relentless thudding at the back of their head fade into their background processes around gabriel.

kind of.

a cold, unsettling feeling spread throughout their chassis at the idea of putting themself into sleep mode manually like this, being so... vulnerable. too many possibilities and worst-case scenarios simulated themselves in their processors. they'd given so much of their trust to gabriel, yet they couldn't shake the fear of him spearing his swords through their torso while their guard was down.

they didn't want to die.

"you are trembling, vee," gabriel says against their audial. "what troubles you?”

v1 let out a quiet whirr. gabriel knew that it meant that the machine had acknowledged what he asked, but didn't want to communicate further. while he felt a little disheartened for them, he knew his machine had trouble with these kinds of things. their struggle with vulnerability in any way. 

v1 would tell him their more complex thoughts in their own time, and that was completely fine with him. he held secrets of his own and v1 never pushed to know them, so he would do the same for them. 

for now, he settled on bringing physical comfort to his small machine. the angel spread out his intangible wings, curling them into a protective dome around the two. this was a method sure to calm his vee whenever they were distressed. the cyan glow of his wings was soft, not too bright or harsh. they gently illuminated the bed they laid on in one of the manors of limbo.

sure enough, v1 wriggled against him, pressing themself closer to his bare chest. they let out a series of soft, content beeps, relishing in the warmth he provided. he shifted their position a little so v1 was even closer as their legs tangled up together. he lifted his helmet slightly and pressed languid, tender kisses onto the top of their head, listening to the way their fans would speed up, before slowing down again. he adjusted their handhold, massaging the metal of v1’s palm with his thumb in circles.

“whatever plagues your mind,” he said between kisses, “let me soothe it away.”

v1 felt themself melting under their angel's affections, reward centers lighting up with non-stop signals as gabriel peppered kisses all over. their previous thoughts still lingered, but now they could focus more on how wonderful his ministrations felt. they wanted to unravel their own wings and flutter them to vent out the excess of emotion. soft, hushed trills escaped them involuntarily as gabriel nuzzled the base of their neck.

“my beautiful, precious machine,” he breathed against the metal, making v1’s vents expel air in return. “so, so pretty. a man-made wonder.”

how did they get so lucky?

maybe they’d been worrying too much. gabriel has been nothing but loving to them, indulging them in an onslaught of affection. and after having to spend so long unable to take a breather for fear of death, was it really so wrong of them to want this love? he was just so kind, patient, understanding— and gentle. oh, they loved it when he touched them. his touch was as gentle as his voice during these moments.

gabriel’s hand squeezed theirs, making them refocus on the present. he repeated this action several times, enough for v1 to recognize this was another method he used when they were stressed or panicked.

the angel’s grip was firm, but not uncomfortable. “focus on my hand, my light,” he said, running his thumb over their metallic fingers. “be at ease.”

and so, they did.

Chapter Text

"feeling alright, machine?" gabriel asked.

v1 beeped, wings flicking slightly. they did feel okay; their fuel gauge was at 87, their processors were working optimally and they had recently been cleaned by gabriel…

…but that was all physical. none of that explained the longing feeling in their chassis. it had something to do with their emotions, something they were unable to simply troubleshoot within their systems.

they'd have to do it manually. ugh. it'd be a waste of fuel…

OPTIONS:

• INCREASE CONTACT WITH [GABRIEL]
• DECREASE CONTACT WITH [GABRIEL]
• DO AN ACTIVITY WITH [GABRIEL]

why were there so few? and why did all of their options involve gabriel?

they went with the first option. their feedbacker inched closer towards gabriel's hand, making a move to join their hands together, but hesitating a little as the longing feeling fluttered in their chassis, stronger now.

in the corner of his eye, gabriel noticed the machine’s intentions. he let out a soft laugh, readily taking his vee’s hand, lacing their fingers together firmly. they released a surprised beep and their wings flared up and out, hints of cyan seeping into the tips. the wanting feeling diffused itself as an almost uncomfortable warmth through their body, but they found that it was no longer there afterwards. in fact, it seemed to light up the same reward centers that activated when they killed and refueled.

OBJECTIVE: SEEK MORE AFFECTION.

akin to a cat, v1 crawled onto gabriel’s lap and laid themself out on his legs.

“machine?” gabriel said as they stretched their limbs and wings, the blades fluttering lazily. they turned their head at an unnatural angle, yellow optic gazing up at him as they released a series of chirps, before promptly burying their head into his bare stomach.

the angel giggled at v1’s behavior. he smoothed his hand down their back, fingers wrapping around one of their wings and stroking the hard light. careful and gentle— they knew how sensitive their wings were as weapon storage units. v1 let out soft, content beeps, reward centers buzzing pleasurably as gabriel’s fingers trailed across each of their wings.

they take it back. manual troubleshooting isn't a waste of fuel if the outcomes are similar to this.

Chapter Text

“tell me about your weapons,” he had told them. v1 had released a shrill beep, optic nearly blinding him from how bright it shined in that moment.

a myriad of guns of all shapes and sizes littered the floor, each decorated with either blue, green, or red lights. the pile of weapons on the floor only grew, and grew, as v1 emptied their wings.

gabriel could only watch as they fished out the last item, a small bag of coins. it was the cherry on top, he thought, as they tossed it on top of their green marksman. his mouth hung open as he sifted through all their guns— goodness, there were so many. how long would he be stuck here…?

he supposed it would be a good learning opportunity… and seeing how v1 stared at him, optic shimmering with delight, wings flicking excitedly behind them would make the experience more than worthwhile. he'd listen to them talk about anything for hours if it made them happy.

they padded towards him and plopped down beside him, grabbing a gun from the pile. it was a simple revolver—simple compared to the others in their collection—with a blue interface. gabriel softly laughed at how they seemed to vibrate with excitement.

“go on,” gabriel said with a rotating hand gesture. the machine chirped and bounced, before lifting the gun and beginning to showcase it.

“p-i-e-r-c-e-r,” v1 signed…

Chapter Text

"you cannot vocalize, can you, machine?" gabriel had asked them one day while the two sat in the fields of limbo.

v1 shook their head. "I have a v-o-c-a-l i-n-t-e-r-f-a-c-e, but it is so badly damaged that my systems do not recognize it," they signed.

they wished they could speak.

"...are there times you wish you could?"

v1 nods in a heartbeat. "I wish I could voice how much I love you," they sign, optic careening to the side.

gabriel's face softened under his helmet. "v1..." he begins, tilting their head up to look at him. they beeped questioningly.

"even if you cannot talk, your— our love is something that surpasses verbal communication," he tells his machine, lovingly stroking the side of their head. "actions speak louder than words, as they say, and you do a very well job of upholding that idiom…”

he trails off as the robot nuzzles into his palm, unable to help themself from seeking his touch. "case in point," he says, tilting his helmet to plant a kiss on the lens of v1's optic. "your affections are simultaneously plenty and not enough, yet convey love all the same. you make up for your missing voice in other silly, strange ways, and it is part of what makes me so terribly, elatedly, profoundly in love with you," the angel finishes with a laugh. "I say 'part of' because... oh, where do I even begin? you are just so precious, so perfect…”

v1's fans ran hot with steaming air under their angel's praises, shy trills escaping them as their system processed his words. their capabilities to feel emotion, let alone love, had been limited, before they met gabriel. he was the key that unlocked the confusing, yet euphoric, realm of feeling. concepts that can't be restrained with just a few lines of code... but were restrained with the inability to voice them, and the freezing, deep pit of dread and sadness that came with it.

"do not ever doubt your ability to love, machine, no matter your supposed incapabilities. i love and cherish you so, so much."

but with those words, the thoughts surging through v1's processors calmed a little further. 

Chapter Text

this is the only way it could have ended.

gabriel collapsed to his knees, clinging onto the spear impaled into V1’s bloodied head through the optic and the weapon digging into the ground. their shattered optic still flickered with the yellow light that had once shined so lovingly into his eyes. their body still twitched with rogue electricity zapping through the wires dangling out of their chassis.

“im sorry,” gabriel breathed, blinking back tears behind his helmet as he hung his head. he tried not to choke on the blood pooling inside of his helmet. “i couldn't…— i couldn't live with the feeling of uselessness anymore…”

so why was it still there? was it because the council was dead? knowing that without them, no one would've seen or cared about him finally defeating the machine?

why did he do it? he was free from the council, he had been free to do as he pleased, there was no expectations for him to live up to anymore…— except that feeling of accomplishment that was left missing when the council ordered him to first kill the machine and failed.

yet, he went and did the exact opposite. he fell in love with the damned thing, and now, it was the reason for both their and his downfall. the feeling of emptiness had gnawed at his soul until he couldn't take it anymore. this was their ending. the price to pay for their unholy union. their tragic punishment for thinking the divine and the mechanical could intertwine and alter fate, the way of things, together.

something poked at his hand. gabriel focused his vision and saw V1’s hand—the feedbacker—weakly grabbing at him. one last desperate attempt to intertwine, if only their hands. they still wanted his touch, his traitorous touch, even after what he had done to them. even with gabriel’s spear pierced through their optic and their wires and viscera strewn throughout hell’s floor, wings clipped and broken, metal disfigured and charred… they still loved him. 

he loved them too. 

gabriel took their hand and squeezed it tight, releasing a choked sob. then another. and another, as the world felt like it was caving into the two, his lungs burning and leaving him barely able to breathe. his wings felt like boulders attached to his back, the heaviness crushing his insides and making him want to vomit. blood dripped from his own wounds onto V1’s plating, but their systems were far too gone, damaged, severed fuel lines leaking blood onto the floor in puddles.

he turned on the council, and now he's turned on the one he loved the most. how selfish of him— he wanted to be free from the council so bad, he's killed his lover just to feel validated in their dead visage.

"i— i shouldn't have d— done it,” gabriel sobbed, desperately pressing his forehead against the machine's hand. “please… p— please… forgive me.”

and when V1's optic finally shut off and their hand went limp in his, gabriel continued to weep.

“forgive me… V1…”

Chapter Text

gabriel wasn't even gone that long, only for one of limbo's sun and moon cycles at most. he decided to not linger for long on the surface; there was a little machine waiting for him below that was probably already awake. gabriel had left while they were resting.

his and their explorations of earth's surface hadn't borne fruit. even though the land was revitalizing itself, the skies nearly clear and plant life flourishing, finding a space for the two to live within the dilapidated buildings was tough. he felt like they would be better off in limbo's manors.

oh well. gabriel mustered up all the energy he could to perform a teleport. although he was stripped of his divine light, his blood still held holy energy natural to all angels— however, performing maneuvers most angels would find trivial exhausted him to his very bones. 

teleportation would be the quickest way to return, though. v1 was probably up and waiting for him. the angel took a breath and mentally prepared himself for the effects that would ensue, disappearing in a flash of light.

as soon as gabriel's feet touched limbo's grass, a bout of nauseating dizziness hit him with the force of a train. he staggered, jellied legs trying their best to stop him from collapsing as he regained his bearings.

"machine?" he called. and almost immediately, swift footsteps padded towards him. from a corner, a blue machine appeared, their optic dilated and wings flitting frantically.

with a shrill beep, v1 launched themself onto him, sending both of them tumbling to the grass in a heap. gabriel winced as he hit the floor disoriented. the sounds of excited chittering and their hard light wings clattering together was heard as they crawled on top of the angel, nuzzling their optic against his helmet fervently with a few more chirps.

“goodness gracious— hello, v1," gabriel greets tiredly, blinking repeatedly to re-orient his vision. v1 pulls away, staring down at their angel and releasing messy, ecstatic beepings. it was almost as if they were trying to speak.

gabriel rested a hand on the rim of the machine's optic and tenderly stroked the metal with his thumb. “i take it you have missed me, my light?”

v1 nods aggressively, wriggling around to adjust themself and comfortably sign, “a lot. i did not see you when i woke up. l-o-n-e-l-y."

the angel sighed. “oh, my poor vee, me too," he cooed. "it's okay now, im here. i’ll give you the love you have missed.”

the machine trilled at the reassurance, wings fluttering behind them when gabriel lifted their helmet and planted a kiss on the side of their optic. they rested their head on top of gabriel’s chest, releasing a soft, mechanical rumble that could almost be interpreted as purring. the vibrations felt soothing against his sore muscles, the constant sound quelling the migraine attempting to form. gabriel’s hand trailed down to their back, his fingers tracing circles on their wing blades. the buzz of v1’s chassis only grew, their optic fluttering shut as they purred delightedly.

gabriel laid back down on the grass, finding that the dizziness subsided when he did so. v1 did not move from their spot, wings flicking lazily as they continued to purr. the angel's hand absentmindedly wandered to the top of their head and caressed the metal with gentle, affectionate strokes.

v1's sounds became white noise, eyes threatening to flutter shut. maybe he did need a nap after today's events.