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“Prototype, listen to me-“

“Ty, please call me Ty,” the android interrupted him, pleading in her ice-white eyes and voice as she leaned forward to grip the front of Binary’s shirt. “I like it when you call me Ty.”

Binary offered her a gentle smile. “Ty,” he corrected, and she beamed. He gingerly removes her hands from his chest, beginning to speak again.

“Can I call you B?” she interrupted again before he could start. Binary stopped, caught off-guard by the question.

He hesitated. “That’s what Faye calls me,” he finally responded.

There was a challenge in Ty’s eyes, but her smile remained. “So?”

“It... would not feel right if you were to refer to me that way,” he said. Ty’s expression started to turn offended. “You may call me Bi, if you prefer,” he offered.

“Bi,” she repeated, the smile coming back on her lips.

“Listen,” he started again, pulling her attention back to him with a hand on her wrist. “I know how you feel about me, I know how you want me to feel. But I simply can’t. My heart belongs to Faye. I care about you, but I don’t love you in that way.”

Ty’s face fell instantly, and Binary registered some mixture of heartbreak and anger in her features. “Why not?” she demanded, pulling away from him. “What could she possibly give you that I can’t? I understand you in a way that human never could!”

“She doesn’t have to understand me completely to love me unconditionally,” he explained, keeping his voice level and calm. “I don’t need her to in order to love her, either. That’s not how love works.”

“It’s because I’m broken, isn’t it?” she accused, “More broken than you.” Her hands went back to his chest, this time to shove him with enough force to make him stumble backwards a step. “You hate me because I feel things stronger than I should!”

Binary made an effort to keep his composure, but internally winced. “Of course not.” He tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she caught it in mid-air, pushing it back stiffly. “There’s nothing wrong with what you feel, or how you feel it. It just means you’re alive.”

“I don’t want to be alive, because if you of all people can’t love me, no one can.” Ty sounded defeated, hugging herself with her arms and turning away.

“That’s not true,” Binary said, pulling her back to face him. “Constance-“

Prototype lashed out, hitting him away again. “Constance doesn’t care at all about me!”

“I think she does,” Binary said softly. “I was here when she came looking for you.”

“No!” she snapped. “She only made me for money and power and to ruin your wife. She never cared about me!” Her fingers tangled into her paper-white hair, squeezing her eyes shut. “You don’t understand. You had mothers who loved you. No one can ever love me.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

Ty shook her head. “It is. I was stupid to think you could ever love me. I’m too broken.”

“Ty, no, listen,” Binary said, taking her face in his hands and making her look at him. “You are not too broken to be loved.”

She searched his face for a moment. “Do you think you could have ever loved me?” she asked.

Binary hesitated before answering, searching for the right words. “I care for you a great deal. If, our situations were different, if my life had taken a different path-“

“If you didn’t have Faye,” Ty said, cutting him off. Binary didn’t respond. “If Faye wasn’t around you could love me?”

There was something in her eyes, in her voice that stirred worry deep in Binary’s chest. He didn’t respond, hiding his panic behind an emotionless expression. “I think you should leave, Prototype,” he said coldly.

“What?”

“It’s not a good idea for you to stay here,” he said.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go!” Ty protested.

“Constance will come back here looking for you,” he said. His expression turned slightly apologetic. “If you really don’t wish for her to find you, I need you to leave.”

Ty’s brow furrowed and her hands tightened into fists at her side. “It would all be so much easier if she wasn’t here.”

In an instant, his hand flashed out and grabbed her arm. Their eyes locked. Her intentions were unmistakable; Prototype, unlike Binary, was making no effort to hide her feelings. His grip tightened around her wrist.

“You will not harm her,” Binary stated, a warning in his voice.

Prototype tugged at the hold on her arm and he released her. “I don’t take anyone’s orders,” she said simply. “Even yours.”

“Leave,” he said. She took a step backwards, not taking her eyes off him. He watched as her irises shifted to a pale blue, her deathly pale skin taking on a slightly more human pinkish hue, her ivory hair turning platinum blonde in ripples.

“Fine,” she said sharply, finally turning and fleeing the room.

Binary watched her leave, a deeply uneasy feeling in his chest. He pulled a phone from his pocket, quickly bringing up one of his contacts. The line rang once before there was an answer.

“Mr. Charles?... I’m going to need you took keep a closer eye on Faye...”

Description
“Prototype, listen to me-“

“Ty, please call me Ty,” the android interrupted him, pleading in her ice-white eyes and voice as she leaned forward to grip the front of Binary’s shirt. “I like it when you call me Ty.”

Binary offered her a gentle smile. “Ty,” he corrected, and she beamed. He gingerly removes her hands from his chest, beginning to speak again.

“Can I call you B?” she interrupted again before he could start. Binary stopped, caught off-guard by the question.

He hesitated. “That’s what Faye calls me,” he finally responded.

There was a challenge in Ty’s eyes, but her smile remained. “So?”

“It... would not feel right if you were to refer to me that way,” he said. Ty’s expression started to turn offended. “You may call me Bi, if you prefer,” he offered.

“Bi,” she repeated, the smile coming back on her lips.

“Listen,” he started again, pulling her attention back to him with a hand on her wrist. “I know how you feel about me, I know how you want me to feel. But I simply can’t. My heart belongs to Faye. I care about you, but I don’t love you in that way.”

Ty’s face fell instantly, and Binary registered some mixture of heartbreak and anger in her features. “Why not?” she demanded, pulling away from him. “What could she possibly give you that I can’t? I understand you in a way that human never could!”

“She doesn’t have to understand me completely to love me unconditionally,” he explained, keeping his voice level and calm. “I don’t need her to in order to love her, either. That’s not how love works.”

“It’s because I’m broken, isn’t it?” she accused, “More broken than you.” Her hands went back to his chest, this time to shove him with enough force to make him stumble backwards a step. “You hate me because I feel things stronger than I should!”

Binary made an effort to keep his composure, but internally winced. “Of course not.” He tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she caught it in mid-air, pushing it back stiffly. “There’s nothing wrong with what you feel, or how you feel it. It just means you’re alive.”

“I don’t want to be alive, because if you of all people can’t love me, no one can.” Ty sounded defeated, hugging herself with her arms and turning away.

“That’s not true,” Binary said, pulling her back to face him. “Constance-“

Prototype lashed out, hitting him away again. “Constance doesn’t care at all about me!”

“I think she does,” Binary said softly. “I was here when she came looking for you.”

“No!” she snapped. “She only made me for money and power and to ruin your wife. She never cared about me!” Her fingers tangled into her paper-white hair, squeezing her eyes shut. “You don’t understand. You had mothers who loved you. No one can ever love me.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

Ty shook her head. “It is. I was stupid to think you could ever love me. I’m too broken.”

“Ty, no, listen,” Binary said, taking her face in his hands and making her look at him. “You are not too broken to be loved.”

She searched his face for a moment. “Do you think you could have ever loved me?” she asked.

Binary hesitated before answering, searching for the right words. “I care for you a great deal. If, our situations were different, if my life had taken a different path-“

“If you didn’t have Faye,” Ty said, cutting him off. Binary didn’t respond. “If Faye wasn’t around you could love me?”

There was something in her eyes, in her voice that stirred worry deep in Binary’s chest. He didn’t respond, hiding his panic behind an emotionless expression. “I think you should leave, Prototype,” he said coldly.

“What?”

“It’s not a good idea for you to stay here,” he said.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go!” Ty protested.

“Constance will come back here looking for you,” he said. His expression turned slightly apologetic. “If you really don’t wish for her to find you, I need you to leave.”

Ty’s brow furrowed and her hands tightened into fists at her side. “It would all be so much easier if she wasn’t here.”

In an instant, his hand flashed out and grabbed her arm. Their eyes locked. Her intentions were unmistakable; Prototype, unlike Binary, was making no effort to hide her feelings. His grip tightened around her wrist.

“You will not harm her,” Binary stated, a warning in his voice.

Prototype tugged at the hold on her arm and he released her. “I don’t take anyone’s orders,” she said simply. “Even yours.”

“Leave,” he said. She took a step backwards, not taking her eyes off him. He watched as her irises shifted to a pale blue, her deathly pale skin taking on a slightly more human pinkish hue, her ivory hair turning platinum blonde in ripples.

“Fine,” she said sharply, finally turning and fleeing the room.

Binary watched her leave, a deeply uneasy feeling in his chest. He pulled a phone from his pocket, quickly bringing up one of his contacts. The line rang once before there was an answer.

“Mr. Charles?... I’m going to need you took keep a closer eye on Faye...”