Glory to Mankind (Nier Automata) ch 35

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"Hey, 2B?"

His voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Yes?"

"You've been quiet ever since we left," 9S pointed out. "Is something wrong?"

Yes. Everything was wrong. The one android who shouldn't be anywhere near a human now found herself meeting one. 2B didn't know what lies the deserter had fed him, but she could only imagine. And now Adonis was off doing who-knew-what with that information, leaving her helpless to stop it. Worry filled her like water rushing into an empty vessel, threatening to overflow. She tried to ignore it, to remain composed as always. But 9S knew her. He always knew.

When his hand slipped into hers from behind, his touch was gentle, steadying.

"It..." 2B hesitated. She wanted to lie. To tell him everything was fine. But she couldn't. Not when he looked at her like that, so trusting, so patient.

"The deserter," she admitted at last. "I don't know what she might've told Adonis. What lies she may have spread."

9S listened without judgment. He didn't scoff or dismiss her concerns. Instead, his grip on her hand tightened slightly.

"I don't think he'd believe her," 9S said after a moment. "Why would he trust a deserter?"

That...made sense. She was just a deserter, after all. A coward who had abandoned her duty.

"I suppose," 2B murmured, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Exactly," he said with a small smile. Then, releasing her hand, he stepped back. A part of her ached at the loss of his touch, yearning for it to linger.

"Hey," 9S said, his tone lightening, "why don't we go relax for a bit? You like fishing. Let's fish."

Fishing? Now? "The sea is far from here," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but the city has plenty of streams," he countered, grinning. "Come on!"

And just like that, they were off. Walking first, then running, until they found a stream not too far from where they'd been. The water flowed beneath an old, crumbling skybridge, clear as glass and bubbling with foam. It wasn't deep, reaching only thigh-high at most, but 9S assured her it was full of fish. Despite the chaos and destruction that plagued the city, the waterways somehow remained pristine.

Settling in, they fished. Holographic chairs materialized beneath them as their pods hovered over the water, doubling as fishing rods. The wind danced freely around them, cool and refreshing, while the stream hummed a soothing melody as it flowed.

They were quick to catch things. Koi, and carp. They were stowed away in hammerspace, the androids not having any real containers to hold them. 9S sighed in contentment.

"Enjoying yourself?" 2B asked, a slight smirk on her lips.

"You tell me! We've never caught this many before," 9S said, his voice bright with excitement. "Or ever. It's like...there's been more fish around ever since we sprang those humans from the Desert Region. It's like, with humanity around, the world is healing."

"Quite," 2B said, looking away. But 9S wasn't done.

"Strange," he mused. "Why didn't the Council of Humanity on the Moon ever wake them up? You'd think they'd want all of Earth evacuated."

"It's not for us to discuss human politics," 2B rebuffed, her tone sharp.

"I mean, yeah, we can't, practically. But it's still fun to theorize, you know?" 9S returned, undeterred.

Their conversation paused momentarily as the screaming of engines filled the air. In the distance, a firefight was brewing. The staccato of autocannons, the periodic ringing of artillery, and then a mushroom cloud rising into the sky.

"That was a five-hundred-kilogram bomb," 9S observed, his tone matter-of-fact.

"And how did you know that?" 2B asked.

9S scoffed. "You see, the size of the explosion says it all. The fireball was at least 40 meters wide, and the shockwave hit us about five seconds after the flash so it's roughly a kilometer away. Combine that with the mushroom cloud and the ground tremors, and it's textbook for a 500-kilogram bomb. Simple math, really."

He grinned, clearly pleased with himself, as if his explanation was the most obvious thing in the world. "Honestly, I thought you'd know that, 2B."

2B gave him a sidelong glance. "I don't spend my time categorizing explosions, 9S."

"Well, you should. It's useful," he said with a teasing tone, his grin widening. He absolutely deduced that, not because he was aware that the humans mostly fielded 500KG bombs.

"Wow," 2B said, impressed.

"Heh," 9S continued. "You can always ask me anything about humanity. I've been researching."

"Hm," 2B hummed. "Why do they call their mechs Götterdämmerungs?"

"Ah..." 9S trailed. "Good question."

He cleared his throat, straightened his back, and began, "Well…Götterdämmerung is an old world word. From a language called German. It's probably a reference to the composer Richard Wagner's work, Der Ring des Nibelungen!"

2B's head tilted slightly, amusement curling her lips. "It was based on Norse legends, wasn't it? Heroes, gods, the end of everything. Götterdämmerung…'Twilight of the Gods.' That would make sense."

9S's words stumbled, his confidence melting, more rambling than explaining. "Yeah, yeah, that's right! Symbolism, end of an age, fall of divinity, that sort of thing. I mean, maybe they thought of their mechs as-"

His cheeks burned, words and ideas flowed fast, but he could not put it together. 2B inclined, and before 9S knew it, her hand was in his hair, fingers light but firm, brushing against the back of his scalp. "It's okay. You don't have to know everything," she cooed.

"I...I..." 9S burned.

"You're so cute," 2B praised. 9S cheeks flushed more, temperature warnings spiked. He turned away, muttering something unintelligible, his voice a stutter of static. Her response was simple. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek. A sound escaped him, his hand planting against his cheek.

2B's lips glistened, red and wet as she leaned back, and for a moment her tongue darted out to taste what she'd done. To 9S, that was the hottest thing he had ever seen. He watched as she then she turned, her boots clicking against gravel, clack, clack, clack, toward the rust-eaten shell of an old car. She didn't speak. She only looked over her shoulder, a silent invitation, eyes hidden yet intent clear. She bent forward over the hood, the metal groaning faintly beneath her weight. Her chest pressed against it, the shape of her body tracing in the light. She glanced back, lips curled into a slow, deliberate smirk that made him see red.

Her hands moved down, steady, gripping the hem of her skirt. The fabric slid upward, catching against the curve of her hips, baring skin that gleamed with a mix of sweat and pond water, each droplet catching the dim light like tiny beads of glass. Her ass was full, perfect, pale against the black field of her skirt, the soft sway of it hypnotic as she shifted her stance.

"Come here," 2B whispered.

9S gulped, a dry click in his throat. His shorts tightened, his temperature screaming as as he took a step toward her. Her stance widened slightly, her hips swaying in a slow, deliberate motion, a rhythm that made his breath hitch.

He reached her. Close enough that the heat radiating from her body brushed against his own. His hand lifted, hesitant for a fraction of a second, then found the curve of her thigh. Her skin was slick, impossibly soft despite his gloves. He traced upward, slow, feeling the tremor that went through her when he reached the top of her leg.

2B's hips moved again, a small, teasing shake that made him dizzy. She didn't turn her head, only tilted it just enough that he could see the edge of her smile. Her voice came out as a low hum, sweet but commanding.

"Touch me, 9S."

His breath came shallow. His fingers brushed higher, over the firm curve of her ass, spreading the heat that pulsed beneath his glove. Her body moved in answer, slow and liquid. She arched her back just enough that her ass pressed into his palm, her skirt bunched around her waist, the faint scent of her skin and fluid filling the air.

He swallowed again, black box drumming. The hardness between his legs throbbed, a, and he leaned forward until his hips brushed the back of her thighs. She made a sound, a quiet, breathy exhale that sent static running up his spine.

Her voice came again, softer now, the edges melting into something he'd never heard from her before.

"Good boy."

The words hit like an EMP. His hand moved on instinct, sliding up the smooth plane of her back, fingers tracing the seam of her suit until he reached the bare line of her neck.

"9S..." 2B whispered. "Fuck me."

A half gasp and growl left 9S's lips as he undid the buckles on his shorts. His cock sprang free, tasting the moist air between 2B's pussy. The Battle Model bit her lip, instinct guiding her as she relaxed, baring herself for 9S. Her fingers gripped metal as 9S held himself between her folds, and slid in. The first thrust earned sharp intake of breath, her fingers digging harder as she felt his cock inside her. 2B hissed as he pulled out, her soul screaming, crying for him to come back. She needed him. She needed him back. She needed to feel him inside her. She-

She shivered, then sucked in another breath as 9S answered her demand with another thrust. His hands drifted down, grabbing her firmly by her hips, supporting him, as he fucked her. Slick, wet, obscene lovemaking filled the air. 2B wrapped him in a tender embrace. Fluids dripped out of her pussy, draining down her thighs, as 9S assaulted her. Fwick, fwick, fwick!

9S leaned in, his mouth finding the back of her neck. His tongue darted out, tasting the sweat and liquid on the back of her neck. The soft tongue withdrew, replaced by sharp, glinting teeth. 2B jerked with a gasp, the sound breaking into a throaty nnnhhh.

​

His cock ruined her, ravaged her, the air of his breath chilled and warmed 2B's skin. Her blindfold fell slightly, her cheeks utterly red, her fingers gripping metal so hard, it deformed. "Deeper, bite me deeper!" 2B gasped and 9S obeyed, his teeth digging into her skin, gripping her hard. His hands enveloped around her waist, his palms flat against her stomach. He locked her in, and 2B shivered as her lover ravished her.

His teeth withdrew from her neck, and 2B turned her head fully, her blindfold half-mast, revealing her eye, lidded and locked. Her lips looked so soft, so red. Her cheeks were crimson, blood-filled. Sweat dripped, her breaths steam, loving moans leaving her mouth with every heavy thrust. She caught his face in one hand, pulling him down into a kiss over her shoulder. Their tongues met messily, her moans spilling straight into his mouth.

They came, hard. Her inner walls clenched around him, milking every last drop of seed from his cock until he filled her up. They stayed like that for a while, bodies pressed together, gathering false but real breaths. 9S drew back, seeing 2B looking at him, staring, love in her eyes.

Their lips met again.

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But as the two androids shared their love, something else was happening. High above the clouds, in a silver-white space station.

Inside that space station, a report was received, processed, then sent, landing into the hands of one man. On it, an inquiry.

​Smith looked into it.

He paused, then turned away. He was in his office, bright and furnished. He knew that questions would be raised. Only a matter of when.

Now was that time.

He knew the truth, of course. The androids were rather frank about that. Him, Fujikawa, those in the know. But the rank and file did not know. How would they react, the androids, if they all knew that before his bunker was found, that for their entire lives, they fought for...nothing?

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A/N: The time is up. The time is Nier.