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Chapter Text

It was just like any other day for Pest. Sitting on the singular bench, listening to the wet droplets drip from the crevices, the jukebox playing the standard 60s tunes, and the occasional player hopping out the elevator, comically large magnet in hand, to snatch a few coins from the top of his favorite vending machine. He should probably get one of those for himself...

As the train passed by, Pest finally had the courage to get off of the bench. He looked around a bit before his eyes landed on the vending machine. He was a little thirsty, so he slid a few coins into the machine, causing a Fizz-Up to dispense out of the machine. He looking at the blindingly bright liquid. He always wondered what made the questionable drink glow like it did, but he simply shrugged as he opened the bottle. He sipped the drink as he walked to the elevator. As he made it to the doorway, he was greeted with an unlikely sight. The elevator... completely empty? Strange. Normally it was filled to the brim with people from all different groups, languages, appearances, styles, and much more. I guess it was just his lucky day

He stood in his place in the corner, just like any of the usual Regretevator residents. They just preferred having their space, well, at least in his case. The elevator doors closed, and the usual elevator music began to hum in the background. He continued to sip his drink before noticing one of the lights moving from its original position.

"...What?" He muttered to himself. As soon as he finished speaking, water began to flood out of the hole. "What the-!?" He immediately barked out. He quickly tried to stand on the rails, turning around with his back against the elevator wall to see the rising waters. Soon, a brown fish popped out.

"Hello." the fish said. Pest was baffled, yet he quickly snapped out of his confusion. He had seen weirder and more horrifying sights in this place's many floors. "...Whatever..." Pest muttered to himself. The elevator soon stopped. He sighed in annoyance. What will he have to deal with this time? As he braced himself, the doors opened. It seemed to be a dark, bleak, and pretty much completely abandoned factory.

He stepped out the elevator, soon chuckling under his breath. "This will make for some excellent scrap..." He said, eyeing a pile of spare electronics. He pulled out his backpack and prepared to ransack the place. He grabbed many items such as scrap metal, torn up wiring, electrical tape, and whatever poor underpaid employees used to make whatever they made here.

As his bag was reaching its limit, he found an odd sight. Multiple rows of blue tiles... He was baffled. What kind of architecture was this?! As he was about to step on one, he noticed a sign. "For security purposes, you must go through certain path or else you will fall down. You do not wanna know what's down there..."

He was, once again, baffled. This was quite possibly the worst, yet most effective security measure he had ever seen in his decade of robbing and mugging. He looked in the distance and noticed an almost pure white figure sitting, motionless, on a grey metal pillar. He was immediately blinded with greed, wanting his grubby hands on whatever it was. But he needed to find a way over...

He thought for a while before soon coming up with a brilliant plan. He thought of tossing small pieces of scrap onto the tiles to figure out the correct tiles. As much as he wanted this scrap, he knew that whatever was at the end could be worth so much more! So after a few minutes of digging through his bag, he tossed the first piece... It fell through.

He heard the piece let out a *clank!* as it hit the ground all the way below the platforms. He sighed before getting ready for quite the arduous task. As he threw another piece at a different platform, he saw as it turned red, and the piece stayed on the platform. He rubbed his hands in a mischievous manner.

Slowly, he found the path, platform by platform. He was daydreaming in his head about the lavished life he could be living after he sells the figure at the end. He was almost beaming with pure joy, something he rarely shows! Eventually, he made it to the end, and he laid eyes on his treasure... but... it wasn't exactly what he hoped it to be.

It was a bipedal robot with pure white casing, a grey underbody, horns and claws in varying colors, big, beady, blue and purple eyes, grey steel leggings, and a lizard-like tail with spikes. "...What is that thing..." Pest muttered in confusion. He noticed a switch that was connected to the pillar. He was a little anxious, but he soon pulled it...

The robot immediately booted up, the sound of their fans slightly humming in the area. "Hello world!"

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Pest stands there in shock. Oh lord... It's a robot almost the size of him... What can this thing do? Can it kill him? He backed away slowly, his legs slightly shaky. The robot tilted their head, clearly confused. Finally, they spoke. "...Hello, beetle man! We both have horns!" Pest was still on guard, but he finally spoke. "First off, they're mandibles. Second, who... What the hell are you?!" He quickly yelled. The robot thought for a bit before giggling and clicking their colorful claws a bit. "Well, from my database, I am a prototype to something much bigger." They spoke in a cheerful tone.

Pest sighed a bit. "構想段階に留まるべきだったかもしれない..." He muttered. The robot quickly perked up after hearing this. "Hey! That's... super disrespectful!" they squeaked out. Pest was confused at first until he realized that the robot may have understood what he said. "How the-... Did you understand that?" He said, seeming a little baffled. "Oh! I can translate many different languages! I do indeed find it very impressive that you can speak fluent Japanese." They said.

Pest facepalmed a bit, groaning. His one way of speaking what was on his mind didn't work for this metallic bastard... Great... The robot noticed the path of red tiles and immediately perked up. "Ohh! Look! A path!" They said, quickly starting for the first tile. Pest immediately gasped. He needed to try to scrap this thing! Pest ran for the bot, but they out ran them. "Hehe! Catch me if you can!" They said in a playful tone, sticking their synthetic tongue at him. The robot noticed the elevator and gasped. "Ohh! What's this?" They spoke out, walking into the metal chamber. Pest ran into the elevator as well, eyeing the slightly shorter bot in the corner. "There you are!" He barked out. The bot quickly squealed. "Waitwaitwaitwait!" They quickly said, their words cutting each other off. Pest stopped, sighing at the bot. "Okay, fine. What do you have to say for yourself, machine?" He muttered, his mandibles chittering a little. "...You smell weird." The robot bluntly said, pointing a claw at him. Pest immediately groaned out in frustration. That's all they had to say? Pest wanted to strangle the pile of metal and plastic. "Seriously?! That's all you have to say?!" Pest roared out. Prototype withdrawed a bit, stepping back. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" The bot pleaded, covering their faceplate with their arms. Pest was about to strike the bot until he realized that this bot seemed... different. Like it had a soul. Not that he really cared for much more of a reason other than using the robot for an ally in crime. After a bit of silence, He spoke up. "Ugh... as much as I hate to say this, but I'm sorry, robot thing..." The bot stopped shaking, quickly removing their arms away from their face. "Wait, so you aren't gonna be a meanie and hit me?" The bot said. "Yeah, you're welcome... Actually, I feel like we could help each other a bit, you know..." He said, crossing his arms. The bot looked up at him, thinking a bit before speaking. "...aren't humans supposed to start with greetings and introductions?" They said in a confused tone. Pest was a little annoyed. Did he really have to get to know the rascal?

Whatever. If he was really gonna use this thing for a little sidekick, then he would need to get to know them. "Fine... Name's Pest..." He muttered. "Oh, Pest? That's such a cool name! Well, my name is Prototype. Nice to meet you, Pest!" They quickly responded. He thought for a moment. The name "Prototype" did have a nice ring to it. Suddenly, Prototype held their hand out for a handshake. Pest looked down at the robot's hand. He really wasn't one for physical contact, but he had to get chummy with the bot. After a few moments of silence, he raised his hand from his side to shake their hand. "Yeah... nice to meet you, Prototype..."

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Pest held the handshake for a little longer before letting go. Prototype, still looking up at him, also let go of his grip. Pest had a small smirk on his face until he spoke. "Well, Prototype. I think I know of a fun activity for us to try." He said in a slightly more excited tone than usual. "Ohh? I would love to learn all about it." Prototype responded, clicking his claws against each other a bit. Pest internally cheered as they agreed. Before he could tell them about his "game", the elevator dinged before opening.

Prototype perked up, running from the corner of the elevator to the center in front of the door. The doors opened to a white obstacle course in the sky, the sun beaming bright. There was also a sign. "Watch out for falling teapots!" They both shrugged it off, thinking it was just a joke. Prototype looked at the sky, their eyes glittering at the sight. "...Whoooa..." They said in awe. It was probably the first time he had seen natural sunlight since he woke up from the crypt of a factory he was made in. It was so gorgeous to them...

Pest, however, wasn't as pleased with the sight. He had spent so much time in his den in the dark, damp underground subway, alone, and devoid of any form of sunlight. He hated the heat of our star, the temperature feeling scorching to him. "Ugh... get it off me." He muttered as he huddled to the corner of the elevator. Prototype made a few more steps into the obstacle course, but they stopped as an unusual sight was greeted to him... Bouncing teapots?

Prototype scratched his head, one of their claws scraping against their plastic casing. What was this place? Before he could ponder upon the situation, a large teapot was flung towards him. "Ack!" They squealed out. The ceramic shattered, scratching his chassis a bit. They were knocked back a bit, stumbling onto the floor in shock. They let out a small whine at their injuries until getting back up. Pest was watching from the elevator. He hated watching the poor robot get hurt from their own curiosity.

"Damnit, Prototype! Get back over here now!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the area. Prototype looked back at him, tilting their head. "But there might be something at the end!" They yelled back, turning around and running through the course. Pest immediately groaned in frustration at Prototype's curiously and stubbornness. He was going to chase after the little metallic varmint, but he noticed that the teapots weren't too dangerous... for now.

Prototype was hopping around the obstacle course, avoiding the abnormally large teapots being flung at them. "Weeee! Wahoooo!" They cheered out, the wind hitting their faceplate as they ran. They were having the time of their life! Soon enough, they reached the red platform at the end, stepping on it. He was teleported back to the beginning and given a few coins. Prototype was confused, and so was Pest as he watched the robot appear randomly back at the beginning.

"Oh, man! This is awesome!" Prototype said in a very enthusiastic tone. They ran back to Pest. "Pest! Pest! Pest!" They repeated. "Oh my god... what?.." Pest muttered, groaning at their annoying chanting of his name. "Look! I got these coins!" They said, showing him the money. Pest examined them a bit before nodding. "...yep, those are coins... why are you bugging me about this?" Pest muttered, sounding a bit more engaged than before

"Could I keep going through the course to get these?" Prototype asked, their eyes beady and cute to try to get Pest's approval. Pest sighed. "Do not give me those big ol' eyes... You can go, but you have to give me a cut of it." He responded, a hand on the top of his hat. Prototype cheered in happiness and victory. "Yeaahh!" They ran back out, not a care in the world. Pest looked as they ran off. Surely nothing bad can happen...

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Pest watched as Prototype ran off into the obstacle course, hopping around in joy. Each lap the bot did rewarded him with more coins than before, which was also nice to have, obviously. Prototype looked back at Pest as they did their 7th lap. "Pest! You should totally try this!" They yelled, their voice echoing. Pest groaned and shook his head. "Absolutely NOT. You chose this, not gonna help with your own problems. Deal with them yourself, you leech..." Pest mumbled loud enough for them to hear. Prototype pouted but was quickly cheered up as he turned around to continue.

Prototype was reaching their 14th lap, just narrowly avoiding most of the teapots... until eventually, he was struck by one. Prototype was quickly distressed, being flung off near the edge. he stumbled a bit and fell down, but was able to grab the ledge. He was struggling to lift himself up, whining. "Nghh! H-Helpp!" They cried out. Pest was not paying attention until Prototype cried out louder. "PESTT! HELLP! PLEASEEEE!" They screeched out. Pest immediately gasped, running out to see the bot struggled to save themselves.

Prototype had artificial tears in his eyes, thinking this was the end. Pest immediately saw Prototype's claws clinging onto the ledge. "Ughh... Hold on!" He yelled back. He ran near the ledge, but the teapots were getting too aggressive. Suddenly, the crafty beetle had a plan. He grabbed pieces of ceramic from the shattered teapot, and threw them in a spread pattern. Due to how the pots shattered from any small touch, it quickly was able to destroy the nearby pots around him. With a few extra seconds in hand, he grabbed Prototype's hands, trying to save the poor bot.

Prototype was still bawling his eyes out in fear. Pest, for the first time in ages, genuinely felt sympathy for the bot. He couldn't stand seeing them like this. So, using his ability to lift 100 times his body weight due to being a beetle, was able to lift them with ease. He put them in his arms and ran back to the elevator. Prototype froze up for a second, not having expected Pest to come and save him. "...Y-You... Saved me?" They stuttered out.

Pest walked back into the elevator, placing the robot back onto their feet... or paws, to be exact. They looked at each other a bit, the tears clearing out of Prototype's eyes. "You... SAVED ME!" They squealed out, hugging the beetle thief tightly. Pest simply looked down at Prototype, sighing slightly. He started to pat their head before speaking again.

"...Yeah... you're welcome..."

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Prototype and Pest hold the hug for a while, the robot having a wide grin on their face as he nuzzled their cheek against Pest's chest. Pest groaned, but he secretly really enjoyed the feeling of the robot's warm circuits and body. It almost reminded the beetle of the feeling of the doctor's arms, in a tight, almost vicegrip embrace. He always missed Retro after she took him in as he crawled out of the darkness of the queen's nest. But after a while, Prototype let him go. It was a bit unnatural for the beetle to be the one keeping the hug going, usually he would swat away the embrace quickly.

Prototype looked up at Pest, grinning like a stupid child. Pest sighed before finally speaking. "...fine, you can stay with me..." Prototype perked up, making a squeak. He jumped up in the air, squealing. "Oh my! Yippee!" Prototype ran around the elevator, giggling. As he was running around, the elevator shook violently, causing the robot to let out a small whimper. "Eep!" They cried out. Pest was used to it at this point, already taking refuge on the many floors of the Regretevator. He had already expected the occasional violent shake and rumble.

Prototype cowarded into the corner, covering his faceplate with his paws. Pest watched as the doors opened, soon laying his eyes on the Glorp'N Go's interior. Pest's eyes immediately widened, already thinking of the quick buck he can obtain from the poor underpaid employees that slave away in the walls. Prototype withdrawed from the corner, dashing out into the gas station. Pest grabbed the small bot before he could go make mischief. "...Peeeest! I wanna go explore this place!" Prototype whined. "No... But you can earn that privilege if you help me with something." Pest replied.

"Hmm? And what is that, Pest?" Prototype said, looking at him with their usual curious face. "...It's something I don't usually expect from bright folks like you. How about we make a little pocket change from these bastards?" Prototype raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Is this how people usually make money?" They questioned. "...Errrm... It's one way." He replied. Prototype nodded, clearly excited to try this method out. "Alright! I would love to learn all about robbery!" Pest choked on his own saliva. How did they pick up on it so fast!? "You little shit..! Don't say that out loud!" Pest scolded the poor bot.

Prototype pouted, not knowing what he did. "...What's wrong with what I said-" They were cut off. "Just shut up and listen!" Pest yelled in an aggressive, almost abusive tone. Prototype withdrawed a bit, whining. "...Fine! Hmph..." They muttered. "good... Now, the first step is to-..." He looked around, not finding Prototype anywhere. "...God damnit..." Prototype had ran over to the chocolate milk dispenser, seeing a player dispense themselves a glass of the delicious liquid. Prototype's eyes glittered, immediately running over to Pest. "Pest! Pesty! Can I get a glass of that?" They squealed. Pest groaned, shaking his head. "Oh my fucking god, NO. You're not getting a damn glass of chocolate milk. What are you, eleven?!" Pest scolded. Prototype didn't back down, simply smirking and crossing his arms. "Hmph... So, it's gonna be like that, huh?" He chuckled. "Well, maybe I should warn you that there's a turret in that corner over there..." He bobbed his head in the direction of Turret Joey. Pest groaned, simply complying with the situation. He wouldn't be able to rob this place and leave in one piece. "...okay, fine... we'll just leave..."

As Pest was walking out, Prototype stayed. He looked back. "...get over here, NOW." Pest demanded. "Nuh uh uh... Not until you get me a glass of chocolate milk." They bargained. Pest had a faint memory from the statement "nuh uh uh," as it was something Retro always said to him. Despite this obviously being a protest from the robot, he didn't wanna see the robot bitch about it for hours, and the warm feeling of the saying also gave him a warm feeling of comfort. "...Fine... I'll get you a glass." He surrendered. "That's what I thought!" Prototype taunted, dispensing himself a glass of it before going up to the counter.

Pest followed behind him, opening the wallet that definitely wasn't his. He pulled out a few banks notes, putting them on the counter. The floating alien looked at it, making a few wacky noises before putting the payment in its registry. They waved the two goodbye as Prototype and Pest walked back to the elevator. Prototype sipped the drink, smiling and tapping his paws on the floor from the wonderful taste. "This is... THE BEST THING EVER! Thank you, Pest!" Prototype exclaimed loudly. Pest groaned before muttering a small statement.

"...I hate you..."

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The elevator kept moving as they finally let go of each other. Pest immediately pushed Prototype away, causing them to stumble a bit. They seemed to not care much about being pushed around. "Do humans always push each other around like that or are you just simply rude?" The robot asked. Pest simply stayed silent, not batting an eye to the bot. An awkward bit of silence filled the elevator, the only sound being the sound of it going down and the ventilation systems doing their job. The bot struggled to understand the beetle's body language, making him think for a while as he quickly finished the rest of the chocolate milk. He was starting to think Pest didn't care much.

Before he could think much longer, the elevator opened to the "Drive Thru" floor. The employee peeked out the window, groaning. He held out a small bag and a medium size small drink container. "Hello, your order will be $19.89... No, we do not accept pngs of apes..." Prototype tilted his head at the sight, taking a few steps up. His big, stupid eyes eyed the employee. The employee sighed, soon speaking afterwards. "...Yes, you take that, dumbass..." He said, slumping downwards as he jangled the order in his hands. Prototype soon nodded, taking the bag and drink. Pest looked at the order, clearly a little hungry. Prototype smiled, looking back up at the employee. "Thank you, sir! Or whatever your name is!" Prototype said before giggling

"You don't need to know my name..." the employee mumbled. "Oh, but pleeeease? Human names are so interesting!" They begged. He groaned a bit. "Okay, how about this. You give me 15 coins for a tip and I'll tell you my name. Deal?" Prototype perked up, opening his storage compartment to dig out the coins he collected from the Dodge Teh Teapots floor. He counted them up, soon handing them to the man. The employee went silent, soon bursting out laughing. "Hehehe! You absolutely baffoon! You actually gave me them!" he couldn't stop laughing.

Prototype simply stared, his eyes big and beady, a bit of battery acid drool slipping out of his mouth. The robot soon spoke up. "So, uhh... what's your name, sir?" The employee slowed down his chuckles, looking down at them, a cheeky smirk on his face. "You really thought I was actually gonna give YOU, yes, you, MY name?! Holy shit, you're so damn gullible! Hey, did you know that pop music has been found to increase estrogen levels in young males?!-" He was cut off by Pest stomping forward, leaning his head into the drive-thru window. Pest's glowing red eyes eyed the employee with a hint of malice. Prototype tried to pull Pest back, grunting as he struggled. "Pest! It's okay-" He was cut off by Pest screaming at the employee. "TELL HIM YOUR NAME IMMEDIATELY." Pest yelled in a cold tone, Prototype soon stopping his attempts to defuse the situation. The employee scrambled to speak. "E-Emerson! My name is Emerson!" He quickly said. Pest took a step back, his stance protective as he stood in front of the robot.

After an uncomfortably long bit of silence, Emerson soon spoke up again. "...Whoa, you are our thousandth customer. For that, you get a prize." He quickly grabbed a green glowing Squishy brand kickball, and tossed it into the elevator, hitting Prototype in the face plate. Due to the plate's durability, he didn't even flinch. "Have fun." Emerson said in a bored tone as the elevator closed once more. Pest stood behind Prototype patting his head. Prototype took a sip of the soft drink, digging through the bag afterwards. He pulled out a simple double cheeseburger, unwrapping it. He took a few quick bites into it, a bit disappointed by its flavor, surprising for a robot who is new to human food and has incredibly low food standards.

As he ate it, he looked up at Pest before swallowing. Prototype soon spoke. "Was that thing about pop music increasing estrogen levels a true fact?" He asked. Pest looked at him, his arms crossed. "Google it." He quickly mumbled. The room fell into another pit of silence before Prototype spoke.

"What's Google?"

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The two continued their ride on the Regretevator. Prototype fiddled with his claws, chewing on them a bit. Pest was counting coins in his hands, side eyeing the robot. He looked back to his hand, shoving the coins back in his pocket. The only noises heard were the elevator going down, the music, and Prototype gnawing on their claws. Pest found the robot a little endearing, a small soft spot for them. Just a small one, though. After a while of just white noise and music, Prototype looked up at Pest.

"Pest?"

Pest froze a bit, looking down at them.

"...Yeah?"

Prototype went silent for a bit before speaking.

"...Does anyone actually like me? I mean, I don't see much to really love about me. I mean, even my creators abandoned me-"

Pest cut him off, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop saying stuff like that, Prototype. Quit it."

Prototype looked to the side, soon looking back up at Pest. His large beady eyes locked onto Pest's. They had a short moment of staring in silence before Prototype spoke up again.

"...Why, though? I have nothing to praise myself for, nothing." Prototype looked down, a large frown on his face.

Pest sighed a bit, rubbing the bot's shoulder. "Listen, bud. You need to stop putting yourself down so much. It's not gonna help you in any way whatsoever if you're as useless as you say you are. I'm sure there are many people who like you for some reason."

Prototype quickly responded.

"But what is that reason?.."

Pest went silent. He never liked to admit that he had any form of a soft spot for anybody other than RETRO, but he realized that he probably already gave Prototype the impression that he did care at least a little bit for him.

"...It's just the fact that you're just a great and wonderful person to be around, bud. You're still so new to this shitty world, so don't have such low expectations on yourself so early on, okay?"

Prototype went silent for a while, pondering his words. After a while, Prototype nodded. "I'll trust you, Pest." He said in a soft and quiet tone. Pest caressed their cheek a bit, a very faint smile appearing on their face. "...Now, you gonna shut up about your miserable self esteem?"

Prototype seemed a little offended, but he simply nodded. "Yes, sir." He gave a small salute, earning a small groan from Pest. "It's not that serious, dumbass." After a while, the elevator stopped on the "Random Maze" floor. Pest knew this place, as he saw many players come back from exploring in a woozy and injured state.

"Prototype, stay in here. It's not safe." He said, holding the robot in a protective manner. "But I wanna go out and explore! What if there's a cat out there?!" They whined. "There's no cats in some random ass maze like this." Pest muttered in an annoyed tone of voice. "Cats are creatures that often wander to places far from home. It is has been proven that cats can often make their way back home as well!"

"Who fucking cares?!"

Prototype seemed really upset with Pest, as he could not stand any form of slander or negativity towards his favorite animal and probably favorite living creature in the realm they were in.

"...I do! Cats are so wonderful, ya know? How miserable do you have to be to pass up on the opportunity to find a few cats to pet?" Pest was shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, go out there and get mauled to death by giant rats. Maybe you'll find a cat." Prototype cheered silently, running out. Pest sighed out of exhaustion, leaning against the elevator wall. He was a little worried about the idiot, but he did know that the poison wasn't a big deal for them specifically.

Meanwhile, Prototype was wandering the brick maze. He noticed how the walls were pretty much paper thin, yet we're incredibly sturdy. "This must have taken years of architectural research and evolution to figure out such a cost efficient use of materials-" Before he could finish, a large rat skeetered towards him, causing him to gasp.

He tried to run, but it quickly caught up with him. It knocked him onto the ground, causing him to let out a small "oomf" sound as he hit the ground. He opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the rat chewing on his left top horn. "H-Hey! Careful with my horns! O-Ow! Bad rat!" He cried, pulling off his durable faceplate and smacking the rat. It ran off, his horn now soggy, marked, and covering in a slightly stinging substance. "Darn varmints!" Prototype muttered, putting his faceplate back on.

He kept moving through the maze, being a bit more cautious as he decided to head through one of the many halls. He looked around, his eyes landing on a picture of a man with a hat holding a red ball with a distressed face. A small bit of graffiti next to it said, "If the earth is round, how come the ball ain't goin nowhere" It stretched across the whole wall, the handwriting being very scrawny and unprofessional.

"...The earth is round, I think... I don't think a frisbee going through space sounds like very... logical." He spoke to himself. He continued until he made it to a dead end. Suddenly, he gasped as he saw a cat huddled in the corner of the dead end. "Hey, little fellow..." He crotched down a bit, extending a paw out a bit. The cat seemed to he a calico, and seemed to be a little malnourished. It was hesitant at first, but it slowly walked over to Prototype's paw, sniffing it a bit.

The robot slowly began to pet the cat, smiling. "You're a kind one, aren't you?" Prototype smiled, his synthetic cheekbones glowing yellow with how hard he was smiling. After a while, the kitty began to nuzzle Prototype's leg, causing him to finally do what was on the top of his mind. He picked it up, not much protest coming from it.

He chuckled, rocking it slightly. "Let's get you somewhere safe." He began to head back to the elevator, occasionally losing his way. He began to wonder why the hell this place even existed, and why are there abnormally large rats patrolling it? He simply shook his head as he finally found his way back to the elevator. "There you are... What made you think going out there was good idea-... Is that a cat? In your arms?"

He nodded, a proud smile on his face. "Yep!" He looked at the collar on it, noticing the name "Sherbet" engraved onto it. "Awww! That is an adorable name! Pest, this is Sherbet. Aren't they adorable?" He shoved them into the face of Pest, causing Pest to visibly recoil. "...They look like any cat I've seen. Disappointing. Just put that cat away." Prototype frowned. "Really, Pest? You just wanna leave it here in a dangerous maze while it's starving?!" Prototype seemed genuinely frustrated with Pest's lack of care for anything, especially this cat.

"This thing is probably riddled with fleas and disease. Not like you would understand what any of those things are." Prototype gave Pest a scowl, gritting his teeth. "Look, I don't care what you want, I'm going to protect this thing and find its home."

"And how are you gonna feed it without my financial support, huh? Those things are expensive to maintain, and I bet you lack the funds to buy even a can of food for it."

"Well, I'll find food along the way! I'll carve my own path!" Prototype replied back in a slightly sassy tone, walking to one corner of the elevator. Pest simply groaned, going back to his corner of the elevator. The elevator stayed silent as the elevator doors closed and the music emmited from the speakers.

Prototype was playing with and petting the cat, smiling. "Don't worry, Sherbet. We'll find your way home." He spoke in a reassuring tone. It purred a bit before licking his faceplate. Prototype giggled before giving it a big smooch on the forehead

Chapter Text

Sherbet kept licking Prototype's faceplate, the sound of the sandpaper-feeling tongue scraping against plastic filling the elevator, which was irritating to Pest's ears. Pest eyed the two, groaning in annoyance. He wanted them to stop, so he offered them a deal. "Okkaaay, buddy. How about you shut up with your cat shit and I'll bring you annyywhere you want!" Pest spoke in an adventurous and sarcastic tone. Prototype perked up, looking up at him.

"Ohh! Anywhere?"

Pest nodded, revealing a crumpled up floor ticket in his hand.

"Yep, anywhere..."

Prototype looked at Sherbet before speaking to it. "You hear that, Sherbet? We can go anywhere we want!" The cat let out a small "mrroaw" in response, clearly oblivious to what's going on. "See, even he's excited!" They giggled. Pest simply shook his head. "Okay, whatever. Where do you wanna go..." Pest had an exhausted tone of voice as he stood hunched over, his mandibles chittering.

Prototype spoke up in a slightly worried tone. "You know, standing hunched over is not a very good posture for your spine." Pest shook his head. "And why should I listen to whatever you say when you didn't even know what Google was or what railings are?" They frowned. "Well, according to my extensive research I have done on humans during my deep sleep in the factory, posture is incredibly important to maintaining a healthy body, especially for older individuals."

Pest rolled his eyes. "My body is perfectly fine, no need for scientific bullshit from robots like you." Prototype soon gave up trying to help him, soon thinking about where he wanted to go.

"Now, where do you wanna go... Preferably a place that isn't that Red Ball Diner place where there's bobby pins in the ballpits..."

As soon as Pest stopped talking, Prototype could be heard humming in thought, bringing a small bit of frustration and anxiety to Pest. What would this little idiot choose? The elevator was soon devoid of any voices, which was too common of an occurrence for Pest's liking. After more silence, Pest spoke up. "...How about an ice cream place? You like ice cream, right? Surely you would like this..." Pest spoke in a forced happy and cheerful tone, soon muttering "fucking manchild dumbass" under his breath. Prototype perked up once more as he heard the words "ice cream." He smiled before speaking.

"Oh, I love ice cream! This dairy mixture of milk, sugar, cream, and spices such as cocoa and vanilla is such a delight for both humans and non humans alike! I remember a time when my creators locked me up into a metal room with no social interaction, no maintenance, and no entertainment for almost 2 weeks, almost forgetting me until I started screaming for help... But they fed me ice cream, so it wasn't that bad."

Pest was left speechless. That sudden trauma drop was something. It was actually horrifying and heartbreaking. He never thought people could be so heartless to leave such a kind and harmless robot in a cage for weeks. "...U-Uhhh... wow... I am... sorry to hear that..."

A bit of silence filled the elevator before Pest quickly spoke again. "How about we change the mood with some ice cream..?" He had a slightly more honest tone, seeming to want to cheer up the bot just a little, just a little bit. Prototype nodded, soon speaking as well.

"Yeah! I would love a quick frozen treat. What's the place called?"

"...It's called HC Ice Cream, and it's in a place called Happy County..." Pest responded, his tired and annoyed tone returning. Prototype nodded, confirming that he wanted to go. Pest sighed one last time before walking to the elevator panel to put in a floor ticket. He flattened the ticket a bit before putting it in. He selected the "HC Ice Cream" floor before walking back to the corner.

"NOW HEADING TO: HAPPY COUNTY ICE CREAM SHOP" the elevator's intercom spoke in its simple text to speech voice. Prototype was hopping up and down in one spot, grinning like an idiot. Sherbet was a bit distressed by the constant bouncing and shaking.

Eventually, the elevator stopped, slowly opening to a small ice cream shop, a middle aged, slightly chubby ice cream woman standing behind the ice cream parlor. "Welcome!" She said to the both of them. "...Yeah, welcome to us, Crem..." Pest muttered to her. Crem didn't respond at all, simply looking at Prototype before her eyes locked onto Sherbet.

She let out an incredibly loud, audible gasp before yelling. "OH MY GOODNESS, MY BABY BOY!" She blurted out before running from behind the counter. Prototype was confused at first, and with no time to think, Crem grabbed Sherbet out of his hands. She squeezed the kitty, squealing in happiness. "Oh my lord, I thought I lost you forever!" Prototype was looking up at her, letting out an awkward chuckle. "Hehe... You're welcome?"

Crem looked down at Prototype. "Now, where did you find my little baby, young man?" He thought for a bit. "I found Sherbet in some brick maze with rats in it. I was gonna try to find it some food, but I guess there's no need for that anymore now that he's back in your hands!" He chuckled, scratching his back. Crem was infatuated by the robot's kindness, a large grin on her face. Pest was simply watching, getting annoyed and frustrated by the two's constant happiness and slight corniness. "Could we get this over with-" He was cut off by Crem speaking again.

"How about I give you two a double scooper waffle cone for no cost whatsoever? Again, I can't thank you lovelies enough!" Prototype nodded to her offer. "Yeah, I would love that, ma'am." He replied in his usual kind and formal tone. Crem scrambled behind the counter, grabbing a scooper.

"So, what do you two want."

Prototype quickly responded in an excited tone. "Ohh! I want strawberry! Fruit flavors are always my favorite." Crem soon looked at Pest.

"And for you?"

Pest was silent, slowly groaning. "I have no need for your simple sugary slop for children. I have better options to consume, fatass." Crem frowned, putting a hand on her hip. "My, my, quite a rude comment!" Prototype stood near Pest's side, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, c'mon, Pest. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a nice icey treat ever once and a while... Plus, it's free calories! C'mooon. I know you want it!-" Prototype repeatedly begged and offered before Pest cut him off.

"Okay, fine! I pick vanilla..." Pest reluctantly gave in. Prototype chuckled a bit, patting Pest's back a bit. "I knew you had a little sweet tooth!" He teased.

"Shut it..."

Crem already had their treats ready, handing them to the both of them. "Enjoy!" She said in her kind and motherly tone. Prototype took his quickly, while Pest was a bit reluctant, taking his a little slower.

"Alright, let's find a table, Pesty." Prototype cheered, running to a table in the back of the dinning room. Pest followed slowly, sitting down on the other side of him. Prototype quickly licked his ice cream, the sweet flavor being graced onto his artificial tongue and taste buds. He moaned in pleasure from the delicious taste. "Mmm!"

Pest smiled at the robot, soon licking his own cone, enjoying the sweetness of the creamy substance. They focused on their treats for a while, an enjoyable bit of silence brewing in the room. After a while, Prototype spoke up. "I never asked you this, but what do you do for fun, Pest?" Pest was silent, thinking for a bit. "...I mainly just rot in bed, occasionally stealing shit from people." Prototype frowned and had a disappointed look on their face. That wasn't the answer he wanted... "Okay, OTHER than that..."

Pest groaned, not wanting to admit, but he knew that Prototype would continue whining for an actually answer.
"...Fine... I bake. Bake a lot of sweets..." Prototype perked up. "Oh! You bake? That's so cool! What do you bake?"

Pest reluctantly responded. "Cookies. Mainly cookies. I bake them with Partynoob sometimes... Yeah, that piece of shit partygoer... God, I can't stand them..."

"That's super sweet! I bet you two make a great team." Prototype said in his happy and cheerful tone.

"Fuck no, not at all..."

They continued to enjoy their ice cream before Prototype spoke up again. "I don't remember much of my life before my deep sleep, but I usually liked to sow clothes for my creators or just research and play on the computer. Although, I usually was yelled at or locked into a room whenever they didn't like the clothes I made for them..."

Pest groaned in frustration and anger, soon speaking up in a vengeful tone. "...And you didn't fight back?! You just let them beat your ass?!"

"...I didn't want to fight back, nor do I know how to fight back..." They responded sheepishly, chewing their claws a bit.

"Listen here. How about this. You pull up to a red light, a man jerks your door open and says, 'Out of the car, I'm taking your car!' You say, 'Okay, take it... Just don't hurt me!' You know what I would do? I pull out the glock, put it to his head, and spill his brains all over the fucking concrete!" Pest yelled in a stern and angry tone.

Prototype was silent for a while. "...Oh... Alrighty then, hehe..."

After a while, they finish their scoops, Prototype skipping back to Crem. He pulled out a handful of coins, handing them to Crem. She chuckled. "Oh, it's okay, sweetie. It's on the house! Remember?"

"Well, I still wanna pay you, okay? Your service was quite wonderful, ma'am." He said in a formal tone.

That was the final straw for her. She took the money, walking from behind the counter. She leaned down to be face to face with Prototype. She caressed his cheek a bit, smiling.

"What are you doing-"

He was interrupted by her planting a small peck on his cheek, causing his face to flush with yellow blush. Crem giggled, standing back straight once again.

"Such a kind young man you are, Prototype. I will be looking forward to our next visit." She said before going back behind the counter.

Prototype nodded, giving a small thumbs up to her before quickly walking to the elevator, his face flustered and embarrassed. Pest followed behind, simply being confused. After the elevator closes and the simple jazz music starts playing, Prototype speaks up in a sheepish tone.

"...Wow, that just happened..."

"Yeah, obviously it happened, dipshit."

Chapter Text

Prototype was still fiddling with his claws, flustered by their intimate touch with Crem as he stood in the corner away from Pest in the elevator. "...She... K-KISSED ME?! W-What did I do to deserve that?!" Prototype stuttered on his own words, his face still filled with a yellow blush. Pest couldn't care less, honestly. "Maybe being an annoying little shit is appealing to some people. Oh, while she was doing that and distracted..." Pest paused, pulling out a large sack of various currencies. The Regretevator was able to travel on a universal scale, meaning tourists never usually carried the Regretevator main currency, Coins. So, the higher ups decided to allow most external currencies, such as USD, Euros, Yen, and even more... interesting currencies.

Prototype let out an audible 'ooh' sound, a bit excited from the sight... until they realized that he stole it from Crem. Prototype had a lot of respect for Crem already, and so did she with him. He quickly frowned, a bit disappointed with the implications.

"...You stole that from her, didn't you?" Prototype asked with a slightly disappointed tone, his sharp teeth gritting a bit. Pest groaned, standing tall over the robot. He was 6'5, while they were 5'6, meaning there was quite a height difference between the two. Prototype didn't back down. He wanted to give her justice in anyway he could. "Yeah, obviously I did. Didn't just pull this out my ass, dickhead." Pest didn't really care much that he just stole from a pretty small ice cream shop owned by a woman Prototype seemed to take a liking to.

"How could you?! She gave both of us a free cone and that's how you treat her?" Prototype seemed incredibly disappointed, almost disgusted. Pest scoffed, rolling his eyes. "And how exactly are you gonna make a profit without me, huh? You think I just magically have enough to afford anything? In this economy? Tch... please..."

Prototype let out a huff of steam from his overheating circuits and engine from his mouth, looking back up to Pest soon after. He had a stern expression on his faceplate, speaking soon afterwards in a slightly shy tone. "Pest, I... I-... You're one of my favorite individuals I've met on this wacky elevator." Pest's eyes closed in onto Prototype, seeming baffled. Why did they like him of all people? He knew the robot was new to the world, but it was still a pretty damn odd choice, considering the fact Pest has usually thrown Prototype in the trash in most conversations.

I "You... Are y-you retarded?! You choose me..? of all people?!" Pest stuttered a bit, his red eyes widening to a comical level. "Okay, first off, do not use that slur, that is quite offensive. Second off, yes, I chose you..." Prototype paused a bit, speaking up in a frantic tone once more. "I just... You protect me, feed me, comfort me! I understand that you may not have a liking to me sometimes, but I also know that you do care for me to a certain degree, you've admitted it yourself." Prototype was speaking in a somewhat hopeful tone, a cheesy grin on his faceplate.

Pest shook his slightly, rubbing his hands on his face. He got a bit closer to the robot, a very, very faint smile growing on his face. "Look, Proto. You deserve so much better than you got earlier in life. I'm not entirely heartless to leave you rotting in some factory, nothing in your head other than the abuse you've been through..." His mandibles chattered a bit before he continued. "I've always had a fascination with machines like you, even made a few of my own. I was really tempted by the proposal to turn you into scrap, but... I think you deserve warmth." Pest finished and opened his arms, offering a warm embrace. Prototype was a shocked by Pest's confession, which was much more blunt and honest than his previous attempts.

Prototype stood still for a while, an "o" shaped mouth on his face. Pest was starting to get impatient. "...Yes, you walk over here, you dumbass. I mean... bud." Another awkward silence filled the elevator before Prototype slowly started squealing in pure happiness, pouncing into Pest's arms. "Yes! T-Thank you!.. *sniff* I love you, Pest! You're EVERYTHING TO ME!" Pest visibly cringed at Prototype's cracking voice that made his head ache slightly. After a bit, Pest hugged back tightly, smiling for one of the few times in the past few months. "...Love you too, buddy..." He rubbed the top of Prototype's head, basically petting him. Prototype let out a soft purring sound, almost the type a cat would made. Pest was a bit caught off guard by the sound emitting from the smaller bot.

"You purr..?" Prototype quickly nodded in response. "Mhm! Bet you can't~!" He said, his tone a bit sassy and playful. Pest groaned a bit. "Ehh, don't tell anyone else this, but I can purr a little bit... Maybe a side effect of being an insect and all." Prototype smiled, nuzzling his cheek into Pest's toned chest. Pest chuckled reluctantly, laying a quick kiss on Prototype's forehead. Prototype let out a small squeal, giggling.

"...I love you, Pest..."

Pest sighed in slight annoyance and content. "...You too, little one... You getting sleepy yet?" Prototype soon nodded and spoke. "Yes sir, my batteries are in dire need of a long, overnight charge." Pest nodded. "How about you power off now and I'll carry you to my den..?" Pest proposed. Without hesitation, Prototype sat down, his eyes closing and his circuits slowly stopping. Pest stretched his arms a bit, picking up Prototype into a bridal carry with significant ease. He admired the sleeping robot, wanting to cherish and protect it with all of his might. He walked up to the elevator panel, putting a ticket into the slot and selecting the "Underground Subway" floor. "NOW HEADING TOWARDS: MACABRE CITY WESTERN METRO STATION. DO NOT STEP ON THE TRACKS AND KEEP YOUR WALLET TUCKED AWAY" The elevator's text to speech voice repeated from the speakers. As the elevator went down, he reflected onto the past few days. He went from a miserable criminal asshole with no friends, to a guardian to a gifted robot that deserves so much. As soon as he got deep into thought, the elevator doors opened. As he step out, all seemed good... until he heard it. A party blower, loud, and close. This could not be happening...

"HAAAAIII, PESSSST!!"

Chapter Text

The world around Pest felt like it was proceeding at snails pace. He needed time to even process what was going on in that very moment. Before he could even think for a second, another loud screech came his direction. "PESSSST! HAAAAII! YAYAYAYA!" They kept yelling. To no one's surprise, it was Partynoob. Pest held Prototype tightly as the partygoer nearly slammed into them. They were pretty much in Pest's face before speaking again. "pest! hi!" The beetle groaned in response. "Yes, I heard you the first four times..." Poob was shaking, probably from some kind of withdrawal, which the Blogsy in their hand helped support that assumption. They sipped their questionable beverage before they laid their eyes on the sleeping Prototype in Pest's arms. He looked so adorable and at peace. "WHOOOA! U FOUND A ROBOT?! dats so cooool!" Pest stayed silent, letting out a heavy sigh. "This is none of your business. Keep your fucking hands off." He snapped in a short tone.

Poob blew their horn right in his face, causing Pest to flinch a bit. "but they look sooooo cuuuutie patootie!" Poob was moving their hand to Prototype's forehead before Pest grabbed their wrist with intense strength, the partygoer yelping in response. "yeeeouch!!" They squeaked out. Pest twisted their hand a bit before flinging it towards them. Poob cried out again, recoiling back in fear. They looked at their slightly bruised wrist before looking back up at Pest. "W-Wut wuz dat 4?!" Pest simply stared at them, coldly. "You should've simply kept your mouth shut." Poob whined a bit. "...could I at least pet it..?" They begged slightly. Pest thought for a bit. He knew that they probably weren't gonna try to damage it, so he went closer to Poob, loosening his grip on Prototype. Poob let out an audible "awwww!" as they saw the robot sleep in Pest's arms as he held it bridal style. They began to gently pat Prototype's head, a huge grin on their face.

After a while, Pest pulled Prototype back aggressively. "Okay, that's it. Prototype is mine, and you'll leave this place empty handed." Poob was upset for a second, but they soon began to ponder upon the name "Prototype". They soon spoke again after blowing their party blower again. "Dat is such a cutie nameee! Did u come up with it urself?" They questioned, their voice cracking a bit from all the screaming. Pest slowly shook his head, walking off into the darkness of the train tunnel, not another word said. "WAITTT! WAIIITT! WHERE R U GOING?! WE WERENT DONE TALKING!" They screamed into the darkness. Pest knew Poob was too much of a pussy to go into the lightless tunnel, so he used it to his advantage. After a while, the pleading stopped, leaving his footsteps and Prototype's circuits humming softly as the only sound left, other than the slowly fading away automated voice from the speakers back where he walked off from.

Pest knew the way mostly, but he pulled out a lighter to light the way, just to be sure. He was a pretty reliant nicotine addict, always carrying a pack and lighter just incase. Soon, he found the burrow after a while, heading down the makeshift stairs as he held Prototype tightly. Eventually, he made it down to the living space, which contained a bed, TV, radio, fridge, record player, most of which were powered by a generator that he jury rigged to take from the Macabre City power plant's distribution to the subway. He lived a pretty good, silent and solitary life, not much going on in it. He soon placed Prototype down, connecting him to the generator. He did it with much care, wanting to make sure the robot doesn't get too much of a shock.

After hooking him up for a good charge for the night, he looked down at the sitting robot, soon patting his head. "...sweet dreams, bud." He silently said to himself as he soon went back into the train tunnel, pulling out a cigarette as he did so.

Chapter Text

The next day, Pest wakes up, letting out a small groan and mumble. He sits up, looking down at his blanket in his lap, his neck aching slightly from his sleeping position. He sits there for a while, just trying to wake up. Eventually, he began to inch himself out of bed, a few grunts escaping his mouth. His feet hit the ground after a while of struggling, and he slowly lifted his body up to stand, his knees buckling slightly as he succeeded. He looked around, rubbing his face out of fatigue and drowsiness. He put his hands behind his back, his spine beginning to arch as he stretched, a few pops coming from him as he hit certain spots and areas he slept on wrong. After he did a few stretches, he looked at Prototype, who was still hooked up to the jury-rigged generator and sleeping. He simply shrugged, deciding to focus on himself as he has always done for his entire life, starting the moment DRRETRO found him abandoned outside of his colony. Maybe he should've reciprocated more often, but he had already dragged himself down for it enough before.

He soon began to walk, his knees still buckled slightly. He stopped at the makeshift sink, looking at the mirror a bit before looking down at the sink. He looked at his almost empty toothpaste bottle, his eyes shifting to his toothbrush afterwards. He was moving his hand to pick up his toothbrush, but soon began to wet his hands. He looked at them for a few seconds before scrubbing them on his face in the hopes of improving how shitty he was feeling at the moment. It didn't do much, it actually just irritated him more than anything, but it was worth a shot. He let out an annoyed and low grumble, picking up his toothbrush and pretty much empty toothpaste bottle that he never closed the cap for. He attempted to squirt the paste onto the bristals, only to be greeted with nothing. He groaned in anger, rolling up the bottle to get the last bit out. Eventually, just barely enough toothpaste for a single use onto the brush. Internally, he had reached a boiling point, lifting his fist and slamming the now empty toothpaste bottle into the garbage.

After he had cooled off a bit, he looked back into the mirror, lifting his now wet toothbrush to his mouth, and started brushing. He made sure to hit every spot, his eyelids still struggling to stay open. After a while, he spat into the sink, looking down into the drainage for a while. He had always told people that he was happy with his life, that he was in healthy condition and was in no need of an intervention. He sighed once more, currently in one of the moments where he is starting to question if he's even happy with his current living conditions. Soon, he turned on the sink once again, rinsing his toothbrush's bristles, the water splashes flowing the residue down the drain.

He soon stood up straight once more, turning to look at his kitchen, which was simply some cabinets and a counter top. He slowly walked over towards it, grabbing onto the edges when he made it to the counter top. He slowly looked up to the cabinet, inching his hand towards the handle, opening the first one, only to be greeted by nothing but cobwebs and dust. He let out an angry mumble, slamming the door shut, causing some dust to fly up in the air. He probably had to head shopping later today. He quickly opened up the second cabinet, now greeted by a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter, alongside some raisins. He had no idea why he even had raisins. He didn't even really like them that much. He brought the three aforementioned items out of the cabinet and onto the counter, opening the bread bag, tossing the bread clip away for some reason, and pulling out two slices of bread. He pulled out a butter knife and spread the peanut butter onto the bread, afterwards reluctantly spreading raisins onto the top of both slices, sandwiching them into a pretty basic and depressing struggle meal afterwards.

He grabbed a plate, attempting to take a quick bite before his eyes landed on Prototype, who was still powered off and charging. He soon looked back at his sandwich, a thought crossing his mind. He grabbed both sides of it, ripping it into two slightly unequal halves. He put it onto a plate and began to walk over to Prototype. By the time he had made it over, he had already demolished his half of it. He placed the plate in front of Prototype on the floor, soon looking down at the robot. After a bit of silence, he unplugged Prototype from the generator, moving his hand over to Prototype's wires. He messed with their wires, which quickly woke up Prototype.

"Eep! Wha-!" Prototype perked up, looking around until his eyes landed onto Pest's face. "Morning, little guy..." Pest cooed slightly. Prototype's silicone cheeks puffed a bit in annoyance. "You could've just tapped me or let me wake up naturally... My wires are *BZRRT* sensitive!" They whined a bit, pouting slightly. Pest chuckled a bit, speaking soon afterwards. "Well, I wanna make sure you're awake because I'm going to the store soon, bud." Prototype tilted his head in a curious manner. He didn't actually really know what a grocery store was.

"Hmm? Are you talking about a grocery store, or also known as just a store or shop? Aren't those places where people buys goods and wares?" Pest nodded in response before speaking again in a slightly annoyed tone. "Yes, it's pretty obvious, stop looking for compliments, dumbass." Pest turned around and headed for his dresser, Prototype simply sitting on the floor, oblivious. Pest opened his dresser, searching for the first thing he saw in there, which was just his usual sweater with Japanese text on it, which most people didn't know what it means. Someone even thought it meant he was a Chinese spy, even though it was clearly Japanese, and if it was Chinese, it still wouldn't mean anything to that degree. He pulled it off its hanger, tossing the hanger on the floor to deal with later, which is a mentality he adopted ever since he got a living space. Toss it to the side to "do later," which meant never for several weeks. He slapped it onto himself in a skillet, soon pulling out some socks and sweatpants, which he also slammed onto himself.

After making himself show some decency, he went to grab his duffle bag and a bottle of Beetle-Joose, which he had a small stockpile of due to it being his preferred drink. It was a hard beverage to get your hands on, as it was only bootlegged by some undercover employee from the Fizz-Up company, which is also how the Blogsy formula was first created. He stuffed his wallet and a few of his victims' wallets into the duffle bag, and headed for the door. He looked at Prototype, nodding once.

"I'm going now, Prototype. Do not touch anything." He spoke in a firm tone. Prototype perked up, giving a small salute to him.

"Yes sir!" he announced, a confident expression on his face. After the conformation, Pest left the den, leaving Prototype alone to simply sit around and do nothing. The robot looked around a little, then looking down at the sandwich half. He raised a nonexistent eyebrow, picking it up with intense curiosity. He hummed a bit, his scanners detecting that this is indeed an edible item, a peanut butter and raisin sandwich, to be exact. He clearly didn't know how repulsive that could be, so he opened his mouth and shoved it into his mouth, his cheeks full of the sandwich. He seemed a bit indifferent about the flavor, especially how dry it was, alongside the raisins, but food was food to him, as he wasn't very picky. He swallowed it, a content sigh coming out of him. After a few minutes of sitting down on the floor, he finally got up from the floor for the first time since he was plugged in last night.

His hydraulics ached a bit, but he simply stretched a bit, a content, happy sigh coming out of him. He eventually settled down, looking around the den around him. He immediately laid his eyes on a radio, gasping. He ran for it, but stopped after remembering that Pest told him to touch nothing. He pouted a bit in an upset manner, but soon realized something. "...If he's not here, then how would he know?" He pondered upon his own question for a while, grinning mischievously afterwards. He decided to simply do whatever he wanted, immediately starting to investigate the radio. He kneeled down to get on its level, investigating a knob. He turned a bit, bringing signal from a local history channel that played classical and jazz. He simply sat there, taking in the information, also a little interested in the radio itself. He scanned it, putting it in his database to read later. He turned up the volume after reading the volume knob, allowing the tunes and calm narrator's voice to fill the den. He got up, looking at the dresser Pest used earlier. He walked up to it, his metallic paws tapping against the concrete floor. Once he made it there, he opened it to be greeted by a bunch of random clothes of varying sizes, some Pest had just to hoard even though they didn't even fit him. Prototype saw a white t-shirt that said "certified boy lover." He immediately grabbed it, comparing the size with his torso. He decided to try it on, and... It fits perfectly! Prototype smiled and tapped his feet a bit in happiness. He was so happy, clearly not knowing the implications of the shirt that much.

With the shirt on, he closed the dresser, his scanners now landing on a chest. He walked over, quickly opening it. It only had some cds and collectibles. He looked around a bit, grabbing one cd that had a cover that slightly shocked him. He cringed a bit as he looked at it a bit closer. It was a picture of several holes carved out on a plastic flooring, highly detailed mouths poking out of them. He also noticed that they were in varying sizes, and a hand was grabbing onto the platform's side. He was slightly disturbed but also intrigued by it. He opened the case, soon figuring out that it was an album called "Year of the Snitch" by an industrial hip-hop band called "Death Grips." He let out an intrigued hum, closing the case afterwards.

After that, he saw a computer. He gasped. He loved computers! He immediately ran over to it, sitting his ass down onto the chair. He quickly turned it on to be greeted with a Windows 8 desktop. He was a little baffled. He always knew that Windows 8 wasn't very good, but this was still an operating system in his paws! He looked around the desktop, the background being picture on a cake Pest baked a while ago. Prototype investigated a few desktop apps, such as Chrome, Steam, and some program called Tor. He quickly scanned it, realizing it was an open-source web browser that allows people to browse the internet anonymously. He decided to skip all of that and simply head to Chrome. He was on Pest's account, so he saw all of his bookmarks and saves. Pest saved a few websites such as a cooking site, the Wikipedia page on stag beetles, and a website called "Floppy Shoppy."

Prototype was intrigued, so he immediately clicked on it. He was blasted by a sensory overload of bright blues and terrible web design, alongside the shopkeeper, a tv-girl named Scag. Prototype gasped a bit, interested in the tv-girl. "Whoa! She's like a tv! That's so cool!" He said to himself. He kept scrolling, looking through all the wares up for order... and he kept scrolling... and scrolling... and reading descriptions on the wares... and then Pest came back home.

The beetle had a few bags in his arms, but nearly dropped them as he saw Prototype on the computer, wearing the stupid shirt. He just stood there, growing slightly angrier. Prototype looked at Pest, his eyes widening. "W-Wait, sir, I can explain..." The robot stuttered. Pest put the bags down, looking back at Prototype. "...Why the FUCK are you wearing that, and why are you on my computer?! I told you not to touch anything, you fucking idiot! And my radio is on!" Pest was furious, immediately checking all around to see if anything was damaged. Afterwards, Prototype walked up to Pest, looking up at him. "P-Pesty, I'm sorry! I just got really curious and bored!" Prototype explained. Pest looked down at Prototype, sighing. "...You didn't damage anything at least... just don't do it again, you little shit."

After a while of staring, Prototype spoke again, his tail between his legs.

"I won't do it again..."

"Promise..?"

"I promise, sir."

After the exchange, Prototype hugged him, nuzzling into him, his tail wagging. Pest was a little surprised, but simply hugged back, a small, content sigh coming out of him.

"...you better keep that promise, little guy... but I still love you, bud."

Chapter Text

Prototype was laid down onto Pest's bed, curled up into a ball, his tail wrapped around him. He purred softly, Pest sitting next to him, messing with his phone. He tries to pet him, only for him to wake up quickly, leaning into the hand with his faceplate. Prototype softly bit Pest's finger, causing him to roll his eyes. He let out small snarls, clearly a little displeased with his rest being interrupted.

"...Stop petting me..."

"...You're the one biting me. Why can't I just pet you?"

Pest said in a joking tone. Prototype let out a small mew, nibbling a bit on his finger before pulling away.

"This bed is comfy... Let me sleep, dad."

Pest chuckled, letting him curl up once more, only to begin petting his chassis again. Prototype perked up, looking at the beetle man's hand pet his metal chassis. He simply shrugged, nuzzling back into bed, purring softly as he fell back into sleep mode once more.

Pest simply spent the next few minutes petting Prototype before laying down next to the robot, sliding under the blanket, getting comfortable before falling asleep.