Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As he spoke in the command for the ship to self destruct, Buzz could hear Socks’ curious comment behind himself, “Buzz, you don’t want any of this cool technology?”

“No, onl—“ The space ranger turned away as Ivan announced its self-destruct initiation, going to crouch down to gesture the feline over when he saw sudden motion.

His voice died on his lips as he suddenly jumped forward to collect the robotic feline in his arms, tumbling away just as the foot of the Zurg mech suit came crushing down where Socks had just been.

Lightyear bellowed as he swung around. “Traitor!”

Buzz just moved to toss Socks away as he was grabbed harshly from behind. “Get out of here now!”

He couldn’t see if the robot followed his instructors as he was dragged across the ground, teeth gritted while he was jostled roughly around.
He could feel blood begin to trickle down a cut on his forehead as he was brought face to face with the mech suit, desperately grasping and clawing at the hand crushing him as Lightyear snarled at him. “Just tell me where the crystal is!”

Buzz just hissed out in a breathless gasp, “Never.”

He winced as the grip tightened, not quite able to concentrate on the words being snapped out by the other, just trying to figure a way out, biting back remarks as he could.

The older brought him closer. “Why can’t you see how illogical you’re being?”

“I’m— I’m not like you—“ he managed.

A low, bitter laugh, “Is that so? Think we’re not the same Buzz?” He could practically feel those cruel eyes rake across his beaten face, “You’re already me.”

Buzz nearly had one of the mech’s fingers loosened, eyes fluttering a bit before he was suddenly thrown. He gasped in air, a shocked inhale more like it, barely able to process what was happening.

He winced and he fell to the ground a second later. Buzz barely had the time to rub at his throat when he was raised up into the air again. Ivan’s voice announced in faux cheer, “Artificial gravity is disengaged.”

Buzz could just whisper under his breath a simple ‘blast’ as he managed to grab the top of the console. His head throbbed, and he was certain he was going to be feeling all of this abuse to his ribs and back in the morning— well, if he survived until then.

He looked back up with a grimace, back towards Zurg, and he couldn’t help but worry… how much more of this could he be able to bear?

~

Socks observed, calculated, and made a decision. He would stay close, he would get the crystal away from here, and he would try and help this new Buzz. 

He hurried along towards the closed door, and after a moment of finding his blowtorch unfunctioning, it finally clicked on. Socks had to get out, and get out quickly. 

He wouldn’t take this chance Buzz had given him for granted.

Chapter Text

“It seems to be a simple box,” Sox commented to his counterpart, walking around it with interest, “Approximately 14’’ by 10’’.”

“A-Affirmative.” Socks sat down with a slight stumble. “I do not recall Buzz-Buzz receiving a package recently.”

“I think you’re right…” The younger of the two robots tilted his head, perplexed. “So why would he leave it out? Unless it belongs to someone else?”

“Mo would have announced this, Izzy would have thrown it away already, and Darby… hm. Maybe it is h-he—hers?”

Sox rolled his shoulders in mock of a shrug. “It is plausible.”

“I szzzz—suppose… maybe it is still needed?” Socks batted at the absent material. “This is a organic material, correct?”

“Affirmative... I am going to climb into it.” Sox crouched down, calculating the height needed to be covered. Then, with a little butt wiggle of calibration, the robotic feline jumped. 

Socks observed with a tilt of the head, exposed eye whirling as it focused. “Did you ma—maa—make it?”

“I did!” A faint rustling and Sox peeked over the side, the box shifting a bit with the action. “There is nothing inside it!”

“Odd.” Socks moved to stand up, eyeing the box now. “Is there… enough room?”

“It’s rather spacious,” Sox nodded. 

“I am g-g-goin—going to jump in now.”

Sox backed up, and in a few seconds, the older robot had bounded inside as well. A bit less graceful then Sox, but Socks had made it either way.

“…Do you want to claim this box for ourselves?” Sox sat down next to Socks as the older robot took a moment to adjust to the new surroundings. 

“Yes.”

~

“Buzz! Pssst! Hey, Buzz!” 

The man grumbled weakly, blinking awake in a confused haze. “Alisha?”

“Wrong Hawthorne, Lightyear!” The voice was familiar, and with a loud groan, Buzz rolled over to see who it was. A familiar face grinned back at him, and slowly, ever so slowly, his tired mind connected the dots.

“Mmm… Izzy?” He sat up with a wide yawn, rubbing a hand down his face. 

“Morning! Okay, so! You know how I asked you for that box for tha—“

Buzz brushed back some uncooperative hair, cutting her off with a raised finger. “Izzy.” 

She blinked at him, “Hm?”

“Brain… slow. What, what is it?” He fought back another yawn, instead moving to swing his feet over the bed with a tired hum.

“Cats like boxes.”

He nodded, “Affirmative.”

Izzy grinned, “And the Sox-bots act like cats, right?”

Another nod. 

Izzy grabbed him by the shoulders excitedly, “They went into the box!”

Buzz just blinked slowly at her. “Hm?”

“The Sox-bots climbed into the box! Like all those cat videos you told me about!”

“Huh.”

A pout and Izzy gave him a look, “Are you listening?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah.” Buzz waved her hands away and moved to stand with a sigh. “Just… waking up.”

A hand grabbed his and he jolted as he was suddenly tugged along, “Well come and look then!”

The space-ranger could just shake his head and chuckle. Might as well let her drag him along.

~

“Aren’t they just adorable?” Mo stood next to Buzz with a cup of coffee in one hand while his other hand hung loosely around the other man’s shoulders. “I mean, I well, I think they’re adorable.”

Izzy stood next to Buzz’ other side, taking pictures of the two curled up feline robots in the box before them. “They are literally the cutest things ever!”

Buzz just gave a tired hum, “They are… cute.” The other two (Darby apparently was nowhere to be found at the moment, and while normally that would concern him, he was too tried for all that) gave him approving nods before he managed to slip away. “I will, however, be going back to sleep.”

He pointed sharply between Izzy and Mo, “That being said, Izzy,” she blinked at him, “send me those pictures.” His gaze went to Mo, “And you, make sure she doesn’t wake me up again unless needed.”

An offended snort from Izzy but at least Mo gave him a sloppy salute. Buzz simply tiredly returned it.

Chapter Text

“Mo.” The man kept snoring in his chair. “Mo.” Barely a flutter of an eyelid. “Mo!” The slight twitch of a leg. “MO!”

Mo jerked awake as Darby practically yelled his name, the older woman glaring at him from where she was sitting on the couch across from him.
The lean, dark-skinned man gave her a tired, confused grumble. Darby’s response was to sharply point to the two robotic cats currently sprawled across her.

“I can’t move.”

The man really didn’t see how this was his fault but he waved for her to contuine, shifting up as he stretched his arms over his head.

“I need to piss.”

He gave pause and then have her a look. “E-Excuse me? Why woul—“

“You need to come over here and pick these cats up,” her eyes narrowed, “And so help me, if you make me wake these cats up myself, I will never let you know another moment of peace.”

With an exasperated sigh, Mo stood up and walked over, “It’s not like they’d care.”

“Well I do, beanpole.”

He gave her a simple, amused hum, “Whatever you say.”

“I will punch you in the jaw.”

~

Buzz admittedly jumped when Sox ran into his leg, the man having let himself get lost in the book he’d been reading when the robotic feline had dashed over.

“Oof!” Sox fell over before hurriedly scampering back up, chasing after what seemed to be a little red dot. “Come back here!”

He sighed, raising a brow to look for whoever had the laser pointer. It wasn’t surprisingly to see Izzy sat on the floor, eyes bright and mouth stretched into a giddy grin, pointer in hand.
Her hair was down at the moment and she was in a lazy pair of pj’s, her eyes watching Sox dart about before her eyes happened to met Buzz’ bemused expression.

Giving a sheepish grin, the young woman hurriedly hid it away, “Oh! Uh, how’s that book, Buzz?”

Buzz gave her a long look before not quite managing to suppress a light chuckle, turning back to what he’d been doing.

It didn’t take long for him to hear Sox’ tearing across the room once more.

~

Socks purred rather oddly in comparison to Sox, his younger counterpart’s purr easy going and rumbling whereas his was a stutted, spastic thing.

Yet, despite such, Socks could be heard purring just as much as Sox. Be that when laying with Darby, rolling about by Mo’s feet, rubbing againist Izzy’s face, or in those quiet moments curled against a sleeping Buzz.

Socks did not have many moments like this before, with Lightyear. And while it was still… a bit saddening sometimes, to realize that the man he’d helped for so long would rather destroy him as a traitor then acknowledge him as the companion he’d been… Socks would not trade this opportunity.

He was content. Content in a way that he could have never been while with Lightyear. His younger counterpart, Sox, afterall, was like him.

He was not alone in the sense that he was a simple fluke of unintended consequence. Socks was cared for. Not thrown away, not seen as a simple piece of broken metal, and… and it meant something to him.

Something nice.

Socks was happy.