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People Who Like This
#75

SCENE 72 – "Welcome Home, Idiot"

Author Author
Apr 29, 2025 25 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!JYKiqTKax9OGvxYiZp76posted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. JASON'S CUBE – EARLY MORNING

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBBGgBOC02

The door creaks open—just a sliver at first.

Jason slides in like a guilty cat caught stealing, every servo moving at a snail’s pace, optics flicking nervously around the room.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7zLzgFyhB

The cube is dim. Quiet.

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Too quiet.

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Jason grimaces, muttering to himself.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICxg31MTED

JASON (whispering)

"Death... by hug? Death... by frying pan? What's it gonna be?"

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscAGriMjXW

Before he can even think about escape, a figure moves.

A stands up from the bed, trench coat sloppily hanging off one shoulder, and strides towards him with a serious, unreadable expression.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rngdyBp5g

Jason instinctively steps back, hands half-raised like he’s expecting a punch—

—but instead, A wraps him into a full-on bear hug. Tight.

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Jason freezes.

Optics wide.

Motor functions temporarily non-existent.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgshtsidGIn

A’s taller than him—just enough that Jason’s face ends up muffled awkwardly against A’s chest, buried in the rough fabric of the coat and the smooth surface underneath.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhe7PH67j5l

Behind them, K leans against the wall in the corner, arms crossed, leather jacket catching the dim light. He rolls his eyes but says nothing.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIAaZoeWs7

A (grumbling, low)

"You idiot. You absolute idiot. Do you even know how worried we were?"

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Jason muffles a protest into A’s chestplate, arms pinned to his sides like a trapped kitten.

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JASON (muffled)

"I—I'm fine?! Let me—breathe—"

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A holds tighter for another second before finally pulling back just a little—still keeping a hand gripping Jason's jacket like he’s afraid he'll vanish again.

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Jason, utterly flustered, tries to regain something resembling dignity.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULc6sOkjXC

JASON (clearing throat, awkwardly)

"Uh. Yeah. Sorry. About that. HQ situation was... y'know, kinda exploded. Literally."

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQnW9RfFmk

A glares at him, optics narrowed in clear, unamused fury.

Jason awkwardly pats A’s shoulder.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjW4NgXvLqR

JASON (rambling, desperately)

"But I’m good! See? Mostly not exploded! Just... overheated, got scraped, washed down like a busted hover-cycle, almost melted—normal Tuesday stuff. Totally fine."

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K snorts in the corner, muttering.

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K (dryly)

"Sounds about right for this household."

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A finally lets Jason go, stepping back with a huff.

Jason immediately puts both hands on his hips and breathes like he just escaped a black hole.

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JASON (grinning, shaky)

"Next time, I'll send you a postcard from hell. 'Wish you were here, bring coolant.'"

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIDWm0VcQl

A crosses his arms but the tension's gone from his frame.

Jason can tell—underneath the grumbling and the frown—A was seriously, genuinely worried.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyxag3a6Df

Jason’s grin softens just a fraction.

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JASON (quiet, genuine)

"...Thanks, though. For caring."

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K raises a hand lazily.

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K (mocking)

"I didn’t care."

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Jason side-eyes him.

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JASON

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that, leather boy."

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K smirks, unfazed.

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Jason finally kicks off his boots and collapses onto the bed, exhausted.

A hovers nearby like a stubborn guardian, refusing to sit down until Jason does something completely normal—like eat or sleep properly.

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For the first time in hours, Jason lets himself relax.

Even if he's absolutely gonna get micro-managed to death for the next three days.

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He could live with that.

29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfojLsoPHZ

FADE OUT.

18.117.227.191

ns18.117.227.191da2
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Table of Contents
#0 Intro
#1 Welcome to Central City
#2 SCENE 1 – “Security Life” pt1
#3 SCENE 1 – “Security Life” pt2
#4 SCENE 2 – “Quiet Doesn’t Last”
#5 SCENE 3 – “Unwelcome Footprints”
#6 SCENE 4 – “Break the Silence”
#7 SCENE 5 – “The Parts We Don’t Talk About”
#8 SCENE 6 – “Still Breathing”
#9 SCENE 7 – “The Smiling Knife”
#10 SCENE 8 – “Ghost in the Pipes”
#11 SCENE 9 – “Right-Hand Problems”
#12 SCENE 10 – “Drag Marks and Doubt”
#13 SCENE 11 – “Below the Skin of the City”
#14 SCENE 12 – “What Shouldn’t Be There”
#15 SCENE 13 – “Echoes of Vision”
#16 SCENE 14 – “Fragments of a Dying Empire”
#17 SCENE 15 – “Shadows Don’t Bargain”
#18 SCENE 16 – “Rust Between Circuits”
#19 SCENE 17 – “The Breach”
#20 SCENE 18 – “Three Bots & a Parasite”
#21 SCENE 19 – “Paperwork and Parasites”
#22 SCENE 20 – “Smuggle Me Softly”
#23 SCENE 21 – “Oil, Info, and Idiots”
#24 SCENE 21 – EXTENDED: “Sleepover Protocols & Other Malfunctions”
#25 SCENE 22 – “Robot Makeover: Low Budget Edition”
#26 SCENE 23 – “Caffeine, Cloaks, and Casual Paranoia”
#27 SCENE 24 – “Rustfields”
#28 SCENE 25 – “Buzz and Circuits”
#29 SCENE 26 – “Tune-Ups and Tightropes”
#30 SCENE 27 – “Errands and Egos”
#31 SCENE 28 – “Groceries and Good Lies”
#32 SCENE 29 – “Dinner and Disclosures”
#33 SCENE 30 – “Steam, Suffering, and Swords”
#34 SCENE 31 – “Dicey Decisions”
#35 SCENE 32 – “Good Night, You Weirdos”
#36 SCENE 33 – “Dreamscapes”
#37 SCENE 34 – “Office and Off-Duty”
#38 SCENE 35 – “A Pleasant Stroll… with Minor Homicidal Undertones”
#39 SCENE 36 – “Wings and Wires”
#40 SCENE 37 – “After-Hours”
#41 SCENE 38 – “Alcohol & Stuff”
#42 SCENE 39 – “Shutdown.exe”
#43 SCENE 40 – “The Weight of Peace”
#44 SCENE 41 – “Midnight, Glitches, and Blankets”
#45 SCENE 42 – “Dawn of the Mildly Functional”
#46 SCENE 43 – “Commute to Doom”
#47 SCENE 44 – “An Office Full of Violence and Vending Machines”
#48 SCENE 45 – “Lunch Break and Clickbait Nightmares”
#49 SCENE 46 – “Rise and Resist (Routine)”
#50 SCENE 47 – “Unauthorized Research”
#51 SCENE 48 – “Wardrobe Upgrades”
#52 SCENE 49 – “Field‑Trip From Hell”
#53 SCENE 50 – “Afternoon Idleness”
#54 SCENE 51 – “Uno and Other Emergencies”
#55 SCENE 52 – “Tech on a Budget”
#56 SCENE 53 – “Delivery, Disobedience & Discoveries”
#57 SCENE 54 – “Questions & Quirks”
#58 SCENE 55 – “Privacy Settings”
#59 SCENE 56 – “Entertainment Planning”
#60 SCENE 57 – "Loyalty Reinforcement Seminar"
#61 SCENE 58 – “Friday‑Night Free Play”
#62 SCENE 59 – “Spire of Panic”
#63 SCENE 60 – “Lines, Orders, and Vines”
#64 SCENE 61 – “Infiltration”
#65 SCENE 62 – “Regroup & Re‑Arm”
#66 SCENE 63 – “Through Flesh and Steel”
#67 SCENE 64 – “Descent Protocol”
#68 SCENE 65 – “The Lungs Below”
#69 SCENE 66 – “Dead Air”
#70 SCENE 67 – “The Heart of the Hollow”
#71 SCENE 68 – “Overheat Protocol”
#72 SCENE 69 – “Sanitized and Sampled”
#73 SCENE 70 – “Totally Normal Roommates”
#74 SCENE 71 – "The Long Walk to Judgment"
#75 SCENE 72 – "Welcome Home, Idiot"
#76 SCENE 73 – "A Promise, A Vacation"
#77 SCENE 74 – "Field Trip to Food"
#78 SCENE 75 – "Cabin Fever"
#79 SCENE 76 – "Manners, Please"
#80 SCENE 77 – "Errands with Extra Steps"
#81 SCENE 78 – "Books, Pills, and Poor Decisions"
#82 SCENE 79 – "Pharmacy Phantoms"
#83 SCENE 80 – "Digital Birds and Binary Bees"
#84 SCENE 81 – "Babysitting? Seriously?"
#85 SCENE 82 – "The Babysitting Begins"
#86 SCENE 83 – "Chaos, Baby-Sized"
#87 SCENE 84 – "Midnight Meltdown"
#88 SCENE 85 – "The Dreams They Dreamed"
#89 SCENE 86 – "The Morning After"
#90 SCENE 87 – "Return of the Parents"
#91 SCENE 88 – "The Reveal"
#92 SCENE 89 – "System Error: Josh.exe Has Stopped Responding"
#93 SCENE 90 – "A Totally Normal Lunch"
#94 SCENE 91 – “Business As Usual”
#95 SCENE 92 – “After the Storm”
#96 SCENE 93 – “The Rim of Opinions”
#97 SCENE 94 – “Tales, Tails, and Talking at 2AM”
#98 SCENE 95 – “Surgery, Solo”
#99 SCENE 96 – “Sleepless Core”
#100 SCENE 97 – “Unknown Systems”
#101 SCENE 98 – “Orders and Oil”
#102 SCENE 99 – “Key Moments”
#103 SCENE 100 – “Three Days of Sky”
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