#ler!v1

@yarnprism, i thought you might enjoy this fic lol

Gabriel let out a sigh. Even though he didn’t need to breathe, it felt like an appropriate reaction to the situation at hand. After the light was torn from his body and 24 hours passed without incident, Gabriel felt lost, to say the least. It turns out the council even lied about his impending doom. Lying bastards, the lot. 

    He eventually tracked down the machine he once hated with every fiber of his being. V1 ended up exploring the surface, sustaining itself on the new life that began to prosper. It was tense at first, neither one being able to trust the other, but they bonded pretty quickly. It’s not like they had much else to do. Turns out, the machine had hobbies other than extreme violence, one of which being fishing. It provided sufficient blood and a decent meal for Gabriel, who had a newfound need for food, water and sleep. It was certainly something to get used to, after an eternity of being untouchable, but he enjoyed it. V1 taught him that what makes life valuable is that it is finite. In all his years, he could not cherish his time because it could not be quantified. It wasn’t until he (supposedly) had mere hours to live that he learned there was more to life than being a slave to the council. V1 felt a similar way, as a weapon created for a war that ended before it began. And he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel any comradery between the machine and himself. Two sides of the same coin, they are. 

    In their quest for friendship, Gabriel had gone ahead to scout for a new fishing spot for V1. He still had his wings after the fall, though less like a projection, and more feathery. Using said wings felt even more freeing than his previous projections. He could feel the wind rustling his feathers, and the sharp, yet gentle sting of air gliding against his skin. His armor was left at their base, choosing to wear just his tunic so flight would be easier. He observed the lush flora that started to flourish after the apocalypse, a sign that maybe, the world could be salvaged. Admiring the greenery turned out to be a mistake however, as he crashed into a set of broken power lines hanging over a building. Never had Gabriel been so grateful for the electrical grid being down.

    After the initial shock had worn off, he attempted to free himself, but only ended up getting himself more tangled. They’d curled around his wings, immobilizing them. It was a bit uncomfortable, but luckily didn’t cut off any blood flow. His arms were strung up above his head, the rest of his body dangling below, only inches from the ground. He was stuck. A sigh seemed to be a befitting reaction, and so he did. 

    Gabriel’s face burned in embarrassment, caught in an unbecoming situation. But! No worries, he could always just teleport himself out of these binds and- oh. He forgot he couldn’t do that anymore. He lost that ability along with his light. He groaned in frustration. He would just have to wait until V1 caught up with him. After a minute, Gabriel heard the familiar sound of the whiplash being cast out and retracted. He called V1 over.

    “M-machine?! I need assistance please.” 

The sounds paused for a second before continuing in his direction. Eventually, metallic steps sounded on the building he was strung over. An electronic trill played through V1’s speakers, a sound he had learned meant it was amused. He turned his head away in shame.

    “I… I don’t want to talk about it. Please just get me down?”

The machine nodded, approaching him to undo the binds that held the (former) Righteous hand of the Father. It grasped his waist, preparing to pull him down. He let out an uncharacteristic yelp.

    V1 quickly retracted its hands, cocking its head in concern.

    “It’s alright, you didn’t hurt me. It just…” He paused, refusing to meet V1’s optic. It definitely didn’t hurt, but it sure as hell tickled. 

    “...nevermind. You may continue.”

V1 narrowed its optic in response, as if doubting his answer. It grabbed his waist again, making Gabriel choke back some giggles.

    “Machihine! Be careful!”

It never encountered a predicament like this. If it didn’t hurt, then what was Gabriel feeling? V1 searched its database for a word to describe it, and quickly found the answer.

tick·le

/ˈtik(ə)l/

verb

1.

lightly touch or prod (a person or a part of the body) in a way that causes itching and often laughter.

It narrowed its optic again, this time in mischief. 

"What's with that look? No, wait, what are you- ngh!" He bit his lip to stop laughter from escaping as V1 poked his sides. He hadn't been tickled in over a millennium. It brought back fond memories of when he was a mere cherub, without a care in the world. His thoughts were interrupted by a squeeze to the hips. He let out a couple titters, despite trying not to. It wasn't until V1's hands wandered down to his thighs that he burst out laughing.

"Gah! Machihihihine! Nohot there!" V1 made another amused whirr. Keeping its hand squeezing at his thigh, it reached out with its knuckleblaster and gently clawed at his stomach. His laughter picked up a notch and his legs kicked out a bit. It felt like electricity was coursing through his body, despite the power lines lacking it. He hid his burning face in his shoulder. Though it was the most embarrassing moment he'd had in years, he'd be lying if he said he hated it. It felt like none of his worries mattered, not the council, not his loss of faith, just this odd sensation. Still, he had a reputation to uphold.

"Unhahahand me yohohou scoundREL! Shihihit!" The machine had added another hand to the mix, scribbling at his underarm. He cursed the multi-armed monster that stood before him. After a minute of "torture," all the hands suddenly drew back and he took the chance to catch his metaphorical breath. 

"Are…hah. Are you dohone?" Unsurprisingly, the machine didn't reply, simply staring at something behind him. It took a second to realize it was staring at his wings.

"What? Oh. No. No! Get away from me, you hunk of scrap!" Oh, that was a mistake. V1 glared at him from the insult. He shifted uncomfortably in response. Pulling at his binds only made them stretch taut.

"I-uh. I'm sorry? Wait, nononono. DohoHOHON'T! AHAHAHA!" Two hands scritched at the skin beneath his feathers, a much more intense sensation than before. An angel's wings were very sensitive, so he was glad it was being gentle, though it felt absolutely maddening. He was mortified at the snort his laughter produced. 

"Snrk-staHAHAHA!" He was struggling to form words at this point, arching his back in desperation. Gabriel screeched when another hand scribbled at his wings. Damn that arm-stealing machine! 

Meanwhile, said arm-stealer was having the time of its life. It hasn't seen Gabriel laugh much (other than during their second fight, where it was convinced he'd lost his mind), and was… happy? Yeah, it was happy. (emotions are hard) V1 was happy to help him let loose, making sure to keep its touches light, in fear of hurting the angel. They agreed no harm came to each other outside of sparring.

Gabriel on the other hand, was dying (kind of). He was thrashing like his life depended on it, squeezing his many eyes shut behind his helmet in laughter. His feathers bristled due to the sensation, inadvertently allowing more access to the sensitive skin underneath. When yet another hand was added to the mix, he threw his head back and let out a couple bird-like chirps, much to his embarrassment. With one last tug on his restraints, the power lines snapped, dropping Gabriel to the building. Luckily, the fall was negligible, but he still landed on his back with a solid oof. 

V1 beeped rapidly, its shoulders shaking up and down. It was laughing at him.

"Plehease… hah. Nehever do that again." 

The machine just snickered. Gabriel sighed, but truth be told, he didn't really mind.