Chapter Text
The day had been unbearably hot and dry, more so than usual. It had been hours of you going through the abandoned houses of some unmarked ghost town far out into the desert of the Mojave, desperate to find supplies or anything worth bringing back. The constant coming in and out of the building to be assaulted with varying degrees of heat took a faster toll on you than expected, making you feel dangerously sluggish. You were starting to regret not taking anyone with you on this expedition, telling your companions it would be short and nothing worth dragging them along for. With a weak tug at the aged brass door knob and a prolonged creek of the door, your eyes peeped at what was inside, half expecting and hoping for at least a Rad Roach to help wake you, but were instead greeted by walls reaching from ceiling to the floor with tall oak bookcases of pre-war literature. With a hopeful and curious couple of steps forward, you were thrilled to see that almost all the books were in readable condition. Seeing so many almost pristine books definitely woke you from your case of heat exhaustion. It was hard to find any pre-war literature that wasn't burned to a crisp or mercilessly eaten away by age and radiation. Your mind also wandered to another possible threat to any decent books left in the world by the gnawing gears of the Book Chute at Big MT, which made you shake your head with a snicker at the automated personality.
After taking a few of the books in the palm of your hand and skimming the summaries, you were even more excited to find that most of them seemed to be things you were interested in. Old Westerns, horror stories, history and science books, and there was a couple that caught your interest in particular that made you happy you chose not to bring anyone along lest they find out your shameful secret...
And that is how, for the past two weeks, almost all of your free time has been spent lying in your bed up in the Penthouse of the Lucky 38, consuming pre-war book upon pre-war book of sensual and romantic love stories featuring one thing in common: robots and humans getting it on. It ranged from stories depicting a strong hero falling for their robot companion and realizing that they didn't need to be so strong all the time to a more brutal world where robots rule the Earth and a robot overlord falls for his charismatic human slave. One of your all-time favorites was a novella about alien space robots abducting a human, and they and the robot slowly fall in love and, in turn, rule the galaxy together. It makes your heart swell thinking about that story again and how the author described the intimidating yet charming robotic alien in a particularly steamy scene. In all these stories, there was another, more embarrassing common thought, which was replacing the main characters with you and your co-ruler of New Vegas: Yes Man. You were glad that no one could see you at the moment, squealing and kicking your feet while on your stomach like some young school girl, gasping out loud at plot twists or betrayals and perhaps getting a little too hot and bothered under the collar at some more intimate scenes in the book which left you grinning like some mad person. You barely left your room in the Penthouse; if anyone were to walk in, they would have difficulty finding you in the sea of stacked books surrounding your bed and nightstand. You only left when you needed to eat or relieve yourself or when Yes Man forced you into meetings to aid in decision-making. Usually, you loved those meetings and talking to your giant robot crush, but nowadays, it flustered you more than anything. You could hardly concentrate on any of the information given to you, and who could blame you when all you wanted to do was get back to the world where you and the Securitron were madly in love and waist-deep in sappy shinanigans.
While you were so lost in your fantasies, it was not lost to your co-ruler how distracted you had become ever since those books made their way into your bedroom. And it was getting pretty annoying how he had to keep reminding you what topics were being discussed at the meetings almost every minute.
Like right now.
"-Aaaand if we decide to negotiate with them on this, it might result in a less desirable outcome for us. I calculate that they may continue to rebel, and the situation at Freeside will get more out of hand than necessary! What do you think about our option?"
Yes Man's monitor flickers to a less than impressed expression when his gaze returns to you, sitting at the conference table set up in front of the mainframe, with your face cradled in your hands and elbows on the table, looking off at some random point in the room. It was obvious that you were zoning out. Hard.
"Courier. Hey, Six!" He called out, which seemed to shake you out of your head after the second attempt.
"Oh, shit, sorry Yes Man, I think whatever you decided to do will be great! I know you got this!" Leaving no room for a response, you hopped up from your swivel chair and pranced back up the stairs leading to your room, presumably to continue stuffing your face between the pages of whatever you were reading. Yes Man's screen showed him gritting his teeth at your abrupt and frankly rude departure. Thats it. He is going to find out what has got you so wrapped up. He just needs an opening, a distraction for a little while. You'd think he'd be able to peer at the contents of your books through his handy dandy secret cameras throughout the building, but alas, the quality of the footage in your room was not the best. And with you never leaving for more than a minute at a time, there was never a good time to snoop around. How about going in while you were asleep? Nope, he swore you were the world's lightest sleeper! He supposes you had to be to have survived this long in the Mojave, though. So, his only option was to create a scenario that urgently required your presence! Yes Man began brainstorming which factions he could antagonize to create a situation that needed your defusion specialties. He supposed he could try to stir up some dust with some citizens of Freeside and the Followers of the Apocolypse.. Perhaps frame some murders on a couple people and the like. Maybe on that Arcade fellow, he never did like his snarky personality..
"Damn, your birthday IS literally right around the corner, we gotta celebrate it!" His scheming halted when he heard Veronica's chipper voice coming from the mic on the cocktail lounge floor.
"No, I hate celebrating my birthdays. Don't even think about it." Boone was obviously entirely against the idea, being his usual sulking self. It was enough to leave Veronica whining and complaining about his unwillingness.
Perfect.
Yes Man zipped himself into one of the Securitrons closest to your room and rolled over to the entrance, one claw gripping the door frame and peering in to see you once again laying on your stomach with a huge dorky grin from ear to ear. He rolled his eyes.
"Hey! Six, sorry to disturb your.. bookathon.. but I wanted to make you aware that Boone's 27th birthday is in two days."
You look up from your book with a shocked expression, letting the paperback fall and bounce on your comforter.
"What?! And he didn't tell me?"
"Well, he doesn't really seem too keen on celebrating it. I think he's just shy about the attention being all on him. Maybe he feels as though he doesn't deserve it!" He suggested feeding into your kind-hearted nature and love for your companions, knowing it would encourage you to spend time planning and curating a perfect evening for Boone.
"Well, there is no way I'm going let that get in the way of such an important day! Thank you for telling me, Yes Man." He grinned at the praise; getting even a little bit of your attention nowadays felt nice. He chose not to acknowledge his silly jealousy towards the stupid piles of paper you hoarded.
"No problem, Six. Have a good night. We can discuss what all you think you'll need to gather to ensure the celebration is a success tomorrow." And with his goodbye, he wheeled the Securitron back to its post and zipped back into the mainframe, he himself turning in for the night. He was thankful he wouldn't have to waste time starting up some mini-war between the locals to solve his problem.
The morning came and went, and the 'Top Secret Birthday Bash,' as you decided to dub the meeting, was completed with the companions, except for Boone of course. Everyone was given different missions to complete to get everything perfect, which was mostly just gathering food and drinks for the evening. But Yes Man decided to tip you off about a long-forgotten party supply factory not too far from the strip that would put that perfect extra touch to the event. And, with bright eyes, you were on your way to retrieve what was left of the caches. That should buy him a couple of hours to really dig into what was in those books of yours that got you so enraptured.
Yes Man waited about 15 minutes after you left in case you forgot some gear and decided to come back up. He desired not to be interrupted, and for good measure, he locked the elevator from reaching the penthouse floor altogether. He zipped into the same guard as the night before and wheeled his way to your room, humming a little tune on the way. Yes Man was excited to finally discover what was so crazy in the mountain of texts that were strewn about. He was careful about navigating the space, trying not to roll over any misplaced books on the ground, and cursed internally at your messiness. There were so many that the Securitron had trouble trying to find a place to start his deep dive.
Until he spotted what he assumed was your most recent read since it had that cute little bookmark. He remembers he found you while you were both exploring the guts of an abandoned library some months ago. It was decorated with stars that danced among a silvery, glimmery blue sky, and at the time, he didn't tell you how much it reminded him of the times you would go star gazing in your special hideout deep in the Mojave. His screen flickered to a passive, calm smile as he recalled the memory fondly while picking up the book off the sheet of your bed. The book's title made his trip down memory lane cut short with confusion.
''Passion in the Program: Love Beyond Code.''
The cover was decorated with a scene of a large and imposing robot grasping a human in his claws gingerly, both locking eyes intensely and dramatically, with a single tear flowing down the human's cheek. In the background behind the couple were faceless humans and machines, suggesting possible antagonists for the plot against these lovers. It was enough to make him snicker at the over-theatrical cover art.
..Flipping the novella to the back, he read the summary.
'In a stunning tale that blurs the lines between science and emotion, journey into a world where an extraordinary bond is formed between human and machine. This captivating saga unravels the story of a lovestruck robot whose destiny collides with that of his human counterpart. United against all odds, they shape the future, commanding a global empire unlike any other. Prepare to be spellbound as you witness a mesmerizing journey that will challenge your notions of what's possible, leaving you in awe of the unstoppable power of love and the resilience of the spirit.'
So this is why your stupidly sweet giggles bounced in his mainframe late at night? He flopped the book down on the bed nonchalantly, trying to beat away the feeling of his fans kicking on to cool his heating core. Then, he picked up another novel from one of the stacks on your nightstand.
"Desires in Circuits: A Forbidden Robotics Love Story."
Another book left underneath the Courier's right pillow was titled:
"Mechanical Seduction: When Steel Meets Flesh."
One placed on the floor near his wheel:
"The Mechanical Heartthrob."
To say his interest was peaked would be an understatement; he couldn't help the giddy feeling that zapped around his circuits, even if the books were ridiculous. The implication of your obsessive reading genre meant that perhaps his crazy desire to have something more with you could become a reality! It was so much information his processors could hardly handle it!
..Maybe it wouldn't hurt if he took a few of these. He means it's not like you would notice them missing; there were far too many here already! Plus, he thinks he knows which pile was the ones that were already read and which ones needed to be. So, if he took some from the read pile, there is no way you would notice a handful gone.
Yet, in his excitement, Yes Man had accidentally taken the book you were currently reading as well among his handful of borrowed literature.
--
You came back from scavaging late into the night, around 11pm, exhausted. But it was successful, ending with your arms and pack overflowing with party streamers, party hats, birthday candles, and the most important among other things, a large frilly blue and white pin that read the title, 'Birthday Boy!' in the center. You were excited to finally get back off your feet and maybe turn a couple pages into your favorite book you were re-reading. Arousal churned in your lower belly, recalling the steamy and exciting parts and once again replacing the characters with you and Yes Man. You were glad it was so late at night since you knew Boone would for sure be asleep, yet you scurried towards the elevator to make sure just in case he was lurking around somewhere.
"Hey, Yes Man, I'm home!" You called through the elevator as it made the trek up to the Penthouse. You readjusted the strap of your bag as you continued.
"That was a seriously good find; I don't know how you do it! But we got more than enough for Boone's birthday and Veronica's, and that's coming up next month!"
Finally, the elevator jolted to a stop at the Penthouse floor and released you from itself with a tinny 'ding.'
You stepped out of the shaft and took a quick glance around the space before scampering up the stairs to your book-infested room, not paying any mind to the lack of response from your robotic companion. After setting your pack down in one of the only cleared corners of the floor and kicking off your boots, you wrestled your jacket off your shoulders and plonked down onto the bed, ready to continue your readings.
A cold bucket of shock and shame flushed in your chest as you realized that ''Passion in the Program: Love Beyond Code" was no longer sitting on your bed, and neither were a couple of other choice novels and novellas. Books just don't grow legs and walk away, not to your knowledge at least, which leads to the only conclusion. Someone had taken them, and not just anyone, but it had to be Yes Man. He ensured that only you and he had access to the Penthouse floor. Your mind couldn't even ask the question of why he would have wanted to take them, far too occupied with the heat of embarrassment and humiliation rushing through your head to ponder the issue. Now your robot co-ruler knew you had a thing for his kind, images of his face twisted with disgust as he read the filth flashed in your mind as you groaned.
You knew there was no point in prolonging the confrontation as you skulked out towards his mainframe. But when you reached the screen, you found it black, meaning he was not present at that moment. Where could he be? He's almost always in his main frame.
"Well, hello there, Six." Yes Man's sultry voice makes you whip around in surprise at his appearance. He had transported himself into a Securitron, but this one looked cleaner and shinier than the average guard around the strip, almost brand new. His arm was draped casually over the railing attached to the stairs on the leftmost side, and the other was clutched onto his chassis. The confidence Yes Man displayed made your core heat up, and a particularly hot scene from your book popped into your mind. Uncharacteristically, you felt shy and meek in his company, finding that toying with the worn leather of your gloves to be a good distraction from the intensity of the thoughts racing through your fantasy-filled brain.
"Oh, uh, hey. I was wondering where you were, whatcha been up to?" A piss poor attempt at conversation was made on your half, but your awkward lack of eye contact made it obvious your current discomfort.
Yes Man ignored your questioning and smoothly wheeled up to you, towering over your form. Sometimes, you forget how huge Securitrons really were, which certainly was no help to extinguishing the fire coiling in your loins. The brightness of his screen lit up the dimly lit space, forcing all your attention to his screen. You felt like a moth drawn to a flame.
His left claw came to tenderly rest upon your hip as he spoke.
"You have been far from my company for too long; I have longed to see you again." His speech confused you as he never talked this way. Something was definitely up. Something seemed familiar.
His other metal arm came around your lower back to support you as your body was dipped slightly. The claw that rested on your hip was now ghosting a caress upon your cheek. Unintentionally, you leaned into the cool metal of one of his claws and reached your hand to grasp it. The chilly sensation of his metal helped ground you enough to realize what he said was a line straight out of a scene from ''Passion in the Program: Love Beyond Code.'' Particularly one that coincidentally leads to your favorite climatic sex scene. Right before the robotic overlord confesses his love for his human companion and they plot to conquer worlds together soon after.
"What shall you do to make it up to me?" He whispered, peering down at you with a slight smile.
Your giggle bit through the tension of his charming acting; your face was reddened with heat at the romantic presentation nonetheless. Yes Man's own embarrassed smile came onto his screen as he looked away from you, realizing he had been caught, but yet he still held onto you, awaiting your response.
"I knew you took my books!" Giddy laughter tore through the quietness of the room, and your grip tightened on his hand out of excitement.
"Alright, I guess you caught me!" His face shook from side to side as to mimic shaking his head. You thought about the implication of him having to memorize that line, which meant he definitely read your stupid robot love books. Embarrassment twinged in your chest, but he didn't seem too peeved about it. He looked back at you after a beat and began to explain.
"I'm sorry for snooping through your room; it's just you've been so preoccupied with your books! I had to figure out what it was, and I knew you'd never tell me. I suppose I just wanted to win you over a little bit."
"You don't have to copy those dumb books I read to make me swoon; how about we make our own story?" You flirted with your confidence back tenfold and, in return, dipped him slightly at his chassis. That was enough to make his system need a little more coolant than before.