Chapter Text
Captain Burt McCrea sat on the bridge alone, his mind working overtime about how to mend his mistake. He wanted to reach out to Yun but he knew the kid needed space, so he left them alone for now. He groaned, taking off his Captain’s cap, and ran his hands over his face.
He’d been too harsh, and he knew it.
Yet, at the same time, he had duties as acting Captain of the Axiom that he just couldn’t ignore. Not for anyone. What kind of Captain would that make him if he made exceptions for his family? Surely, Yun could understand that! They’d come around eventually … Right?
But even as he thought it, Burt knew that wouldn’t be the case this time.
He’d gone too far, just like Christine always warned him he would. The more you try to hold onto something, the harder it fights to get away. Burt chuckled sadly to himself.
“Well, Christine,” he murmured, putting a hand on the model Earth he kept in his quarters at all times. She used to trace her finger over the mountains, trying to recite the different countries and continents by heart. “You were right, honey. I really messed up this time.”
The Captain began to hover away from the globe, but stopped.
No.
No, Christine wouldn’t just shrug this off as a mistake and forget about it. She’d do her best to understand their child and find a way to connect through something they loved. Captain McCrea returned to the globe and turned it over in his hands.
He remembered how disappointed Yun had been that the probe turned up empty. Cringing, he also remembered how relieved he had been. Maybe it wasn’t too late to fix things. Maybe, if he just tried to understand …
“Auto?” Captain McCrea called. No response. “Auto Prime?”
Burt turned in his hoverchair, staring up at the main porthole on the bridge. He looked around just to make sure he wasn’t crazy, but the big wheel was no where to be seen.
“Where did he go?”
He could have sworn he had ordered the robot to remain at his post. How long had he even been gone? The Captain sighed and waved the Auto Pilot off. He didn’t need him, anyway.
“Computer,” Captain Burt said to his main console. The screen lit up instantly. “Show me Earth.”
The console flooded with images and Burt’s eyes grew wide as information flashed before his eyes. The images were bright and colorful and so full of life. How had he never noticed how beautiful it was before now?
“Earth, the surface of the world as distinct from the sky or sea,” the computer responded, showing him a grand view of the Earth as it used to be from space.
“Wow,” Burt felt his mouth fall agape and his eyes mist with tears. All at once, he understood that she had never left, not really. She was here, in hers and Yun's love for the Earth.
“Define: Sea.”
“Sea, an expanse of salt water that covers most of the Earth’s surface …”
And so, Captain McCrea’s research began.
***
“You want to go on a spacewalk?!”
Yun had their hands on Auto’s shoulders while the android helped them into their spacesuit. He knelt down, buckling their boots and making sure everything was firmly locked into place.
The pair were alone in the main compartment of the airlock, the secondary attachment to the Stardeck.
This airlock in particular was used to let humans go on spacewalks. They’d put on their spacesuits and slowly tread on the hull of the Axiom, taking pictures, proposing to their loved ones and hopping around. That sort of thing. There were even guides who used to teach the other passengers about space while they clunked around in their heavy boots.
It wasn’t a secret why the spacewalks were discontinued and no passengers took issue with it being shutdown. Not after a young man made the mistake of jumping a little too high and promptly drifted off into space, never to be heard from again.
That was not a fun time for Auto.
Though, he figured he’d keep that little tidbit of information to himself.
“Are you crazy?!” Yun was saying, already panicking even without the horror story. “No human has done this in I don’t even know how long!”
Auto looked up from strapping Yun into their suit and said, “I thought that would excite you more.”
“Of course, it does,” Yun rolled their eyes. “But it’s still terrifying! Are you sure these suits are functional? They look so old.”
“Do you trust me?”
Yun looked down at Auto in surprise.
The android held their eyes with his. His brow furrowed slightly as he asked again, “Do you trust me?”
Yun put their hands on their hips, and replied, “After everything we’ve been through? You know I do.”
At this point, there was no one else on the ship they trusted more than Auto.
“Then,” he intoned sassily. “Trust me,”
Auto stood and began preparing the airlock, which was more of a runway than a true airlock. They weren’t going to be getting spaced or anything, though that could certainly happen if they weren’t tethered properly.
“My diagnostics indicate that these suits are in excellent working condition. I wouldn’t take you if I thought it unsafe.”
Yun began hopping up and down, psyching themself out, “O-Okay! I’m ready!”
Auto did one last check on Yun’s boots, helmet and tether.
All set.
Auto brought Yun to the airlock, sealing them both inside. Yun’s suit instantly transmitted the human’s vitals to him. Yun’s pulse was elevated, though from fear or excitement, Auto wasn’t sure. They clung to his arm through thick gloves and tried to regulate their breathing while the airlock sequence counted down.
The first doors of the chamber slid open. Yun swore they could feel the pressure change. They squeezed their eyes shut and braced as the doors slid open, exposing them both to the vacuum of space.
A moment later, Yun opened their eyes and –
Nothing happened. The door had simply opened, and they were still alive. Yun felt around their suit.
Still intact.
Laughing deliriously, Yun looked up at Auto with a broad grin, “We’re alive!” Their voice sounded tinny and oddly far away inside their helmet.
Auto stepped out onto the hull, his tie floating about him in zero gravity. His internal skeleton was already equipped to withstand the vacuum of space. Not only that, but it could also be magnetized so he wouldn’t drift off the ship. Auto stretched out his arms and closed his eyes. It was official. He’d gone just about everywhere and done everything he’d ever thought to do on the Axiom but couldn’t until now.
Well, almost everything.
Auto held out his hand to Yun, who took it without hesitation, and led them further and further out.
“Ohh, oh wow! We’re really doing this!” Yun swiveled their head this way and that. Their legs were shaking but they couldn’t stop grinning. It felt like they were standing on the edge of a cliff times a million. The adrenaline rush was giving them a crazy head-high.
“This is amazing!” Yun took a few panicked breaths and swallowed hard. “Terrifying, but amazing! Hoooo, oh no. I looked down … I looked down, I’m gonna hurl …”
Auto laughed again. It felt good laughing, and the best part was that it was completely involuntary.
“Thank you for taking me out here,” Yun breathed, coming up to stand beside him. “I never even knew we could still come out here. Are there any other places like this I should know about?”
Auto side-eyed them, his voice coming through the radio in Yun’s helmet, “Looking for another forbidden zone to explore?”
“Shut up!” Yun gave Auto a playful shove, then quickly reached out and grabbed his arm again, holding tightly as they remembered the vacuum of space around them. Every time Yun looked off toward the side of the shift and saw nothing but stark blackness, knowing there was endless nothing and death beyond, they felt ill. “I only went to the forbidden section because you were always hiding stuff from me.”
“I am not Auto Prime,” Auto reminded them. He knew that’s not what they meant, but he felt the need to clarify anyway.
“Is that really how you feel, now?”
Auto looked down at his hands, “I can’t explain it, but we are different, now. I am different. I am changing.”
“In a good way?” Yun asked. They already thought they knew the answer, but they wanted to help Auto figure out his feelings for himself. Yun knew that talking about their feelings always helped them sort them out.
Auto thought about his answer.
Before he could say what it was, he detected something alarming. His eye began to flash and a warning code filled his optic display. He swiveled on his feet, looking for the source of the danger.
Then he saw it.
In the distance, there was some sort of explosion coming from the aft-end of the ship. As a result, a shockwave was hurtling toward them at considerable speed, bringing with it a gust of debris that could potentially knock them off the hull.
Without hesitation, Auto grabbed Yun and shielded them. Yun yelped, holding Auto tightly while the wave washed over them both. Luckily, the debris was too small to impact them. Once it was safe, Auto pulled back to inspect Yun’s equipment for microtears.
“What was that?!” Yun looked toward the source of the explosion. They hadn’t heard it coming at all! No sound in space, and all.
Yun’s suit was undamaged and functioning perfectly.
Relieved, Auto inspected the debris cloud in the distance. The fireball had snuffed out instantly, leaving only the fading remnants of what Auto’s scans indicated had once been an escape pod. Auto felt his circuits short, sending lightning streaking across his brain. There was something significant about this, he was certain of it, but for the life of him, he could not think of what it was.
Another corrupted memory.
Auto looked at Yun, who was bouncing off trying to get a better look at the action. It seemed they weren't so scared of falling in their excitement. Auto knew he should tell them about this, but he didn’t want to ruin their good time.
“We should go back inside,” Auto called out, trying hard to hide his discomfort.
“Wait, look over there!” Yun pointed over to the portside of the ship. Auto came to stand behind them.
Something was racing toward the ship out of the blackness of space. It streaked alongside them in a puff of white and a ray of pretty, blue light. Yun and Auto watched as WALL-E and EVE, the rogue robots from earlier, whizzed by. Yun could hear WALL-E’s happy vocalizations as he and EVE sped off toward the starboard side of the hip.
“Hey, it’s those little robots!” Yun exclaimed, grinning. “I was hoping they made it out okay! What are they doing out here?”
Auto stiffened at the sight of the WALL-E unit. He had completely forgotten to investigate and dispose of the rogue garbage-processing robot. How could he let something so important slip his mind?
Auto frowned. Wait, why did he want to dispose of them again? Because they were defective? Rogue? So was he, in a way. And wouldn’t that make him no better than Auto Prime destroying the androids while becoming one himself? Auto could still see the bots clearly even as they drifted and spun through space at a considerable distance. He took a step forward. His programming demanded that he report this to Auto Prime. The obsolete WALL-E drone had no place aboard the Axiom.
It should be deactivated and terminated at once …
But he didn’t see the purpose of it anymore. Why should being defective mean death? Who decided that? Auto Prime? If he had, then he was even more of a hypocrite than he once thought. Auto himself feared deactivation. What gave him the right to do that to another being?
Auto looked at Yun who was still admiring the two bots as they soared. The odd pair of bots made stunning helixes through the stars. Yun had taken a liking to the little robots. That counted for something. Auto knew that Yun would never forgive him if he turned the bots over to Auto Prime.
And truth be told, he wouldn’t forgive himself either.
So, for the third time in just a few days, Auto disobeyed a direct order, and simply joined Yun at their side. Upon feeling him beside them, Yun looped their arm through Auto’s, jolting him out of his thoughts.
“Look!” They exclaimed, pointing. “They’re so cute, aren’t they? It almost looks like they’re dancing.”
Auto zoomed in with his optics, following the robot’s flightpath. She was carrying him, the EVE bot, and he was holding her close. This WALL-E. She moved with power and grace, leading him in their dance, as Yun said.
Auto felt it click, and suddenly he knew that he didn’t just want to protect Yun. He wanted to protect WALL-E and EVE, too. Auto wasn’t sure what his predecessor had been expecting from creating him, but he was sure it wasn’t this.
“They almost look like they’re in love,” Yun murmured, leaning against Auto’s side. “Do you think robots can fall in love?”
Distantly, Auto could see the EVE robot stop their dance momentarily to bring her faceplate toward WALL-E’s. Auto watched, stunned, as the two bots shared an intimate spark between them. Yun couldn’t share a spark with him, not in that way, but he knew the human equivalent would be a kiss. They’d nearly kissed once already. He wished he’d been brave enough to do it while he’d had the chance earlier.
Perhaps it was time to finally, finally make his feelings known.
“Yes,” Auto answered at last, looking down to meet Yun’s searching eyes. Always searching … “I do.”
Yun’s breath hitched.
Their pupils dilated again. When they couldn’t take it anymore, they averted their eyes and turned away in their puffy space suit. They began to ramble as they always did, saying, “You know, I really think you’d love Earth, Auto! I wish we could have gone home. There is so much I still want to show you. So much I want to experience with you.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Of course, I do!” Yun was surprised he’d even ask, but then they remembered the bizarre circumstances of their meeting. How angry and frustrated they had been to be settled with a babysitter. Yun realized their feelings didn’t go without saying.
Yun swallowed, feeling nervous all of a sudden, “Look, this has been a really weird week,” they began softly. “But I'm glad it happened. You’ve become my closest friend. A real friend. And you listened to me when no one else would. So, yeah. I really mean it. Thank you, Auto. For everything. I’m, uhh, I’m glad you’re here.”
Auto turned to face them fully.
He was elated, but from Yun’s expression, he could tell that they were waiting for him to say something back. His mind drew a blank. He stared at them helplessly, longing to move in closer, to hold their hand. Something, anything! He couldn’t even manage to find the words in his own language.
Yun had left him truly speechless.
Yun chuckled and gave him a playful shove, “Come on, big guy. Let’s go back inside.” Yun started waddling back to the airlock. As much as they liked being “outside,” they still had a lot of work to do. Seeing WALL-E and EVE again had inspired them.
Auto stared after them, mentally kicking himself, then followed them back inside.
***
Back on the Observation Deck with all their journals, Auto and Yun continued hunting for answers.
They found a few interesting hints and clues about what really went down during the Axiom’s extended journey, but only one thing really stood out to them. It was a section where one of the Captains, Captain O’Brien, debated on switching Auto to “Manual,” but ultimately didn’t. Yun noted that it was always Captain O’Brien who seemed to be asking questions and trying to make positive changes aboard the Axiom. Auto was more interested in the idea of being able to switch Auto Prime to his default manual setting.
The journal didn’t say where the override switch was, but he filed the information away for later.
Right now, it was getting late.
Yun was exhausted and beginning to fall asleep. Auto contemplated letting them doze off and taking them back to their room while they slept. He sat across from them on one of the couches, fondly watching Yun fight to keep their head up.
They were really fighting it. Stubborn to the very end.
Finally, when Auto felt his own body longing for powerdown, he sat forward and gently took Yun’s journal from them. They immediately protested and woke up, reaching for it.
“Hey, I was reading that,” Yun mumbled.
“You need to sleep,” Auto raised his eyebrows but handed the journal back. He didn’t want a repeat of their last game of keep-away. “When was the last time you ate?”
Yun only grumbled in response.
“Come on,” Auto took them by the hand and stood them up. “We can finish tomorrow.”
Yun wanted to argue, but they were just so tired. And once they finished their latest BNL nightmare (a potato soup shake), they couldn’t fight the fatigue any longer. They were walking so slowly that Auto finally picked them up and began carrying them.
To his surprise, they didn’t argue that either.
“May I scan your vitals, Yun?” Auto asked as he walked. “Please?”
“Why?” Yun slurred, yawning. Their thumb absently brushed along the back of Auto’s neck. “I feel fine.”
“You haven’t argued with me once since we left. If you are feeling unwell, I will be forced to take you to Medical.”
Yun snickered, “You’re such a nerd. I don’t even argue that much!”
“Okay.”
“I don’t!”
“Oookay.”
They entered Yun’s bedroom and happily found it empty.
“Oh, thank god,” Yun hopped out of Auto’s arms and immediately went to take a shower and brush their teeth. Today had been a lot. Even if they still wanted to research those files, Yun didn’t think their brain would retain any of it, anyway.
They exited the bathroom in their pjs, towel drying their hair, and found Auto drifting off at the dinette by the window. He was fading in and out of powerdown, his black hair falling into his face. Yun looked around. They wished they had a bed for him or somewhere else he could sleep comfortably. They wondered again if maybe he could fit in their pod with them.
“Auto,” they called softly, giving him a gentle shake.
Auto snapped awake again, looking at them in alarm. Once he realized everything was fine, he settled back in his seat.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, speaking quietly. Yun’s room was dark and quiet. Low, blue light streamed in from the window overlooking the Axiom. It seemed to make the room glow and Yun along with it.
“I’m alright,” Yun said, rubbing their arms self-soothingly. The sleeve of their pajama shirt slid down their shoulder a bit as they did so. “I’m scared of what else we’ll find out tomorrow, but I feel better knowing.”
“I think I understand.”
“You do, don’t you?” Yun chewed on their lip, debating asking what they wanted to ask. But after a moment, they finally decided to go for it. “Auto?”
“Yes, Yun?”
Yun took a deep breath and steeled themself. They couldn’t believe they were actually doing this, but it was too late to back out now. They couldn’t go another minute without knowing. The uncertainty was killing them.
“Auto,” they started again, moving until they were standing right in front of the android, who remained seated at the table. “About what I said earlier? On the hull? I think I like you as more than a friend,” they took a shaky breath and continued, “a-and I was wondering if you felt the same way … Do you?”
Auto froze again.
He wanted to respond. He tried so hard to respond but even when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. He had spent years thinking about this day; thinking about what he would do if he could just be close to Yun like this. To hold their hand and talk to them the way they needed him to.
Auto looked down at his hands. His hands. He could go anywhere, now. Do anything. So, why couldn’t he act? It was like he was still stuck on that track. Trapped. Operating as if he still didn’t have that freedom. He finally had a body, and yet he still couldn’t move.
As the seconds ticked by, Yun felt their cheeks flush with embarrassment.
They felt incredibly stupid all of a sudden and looked away with a nervous laugh, “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little sleep deprived!” Yun rubbed the back of their neck and gave an awkward smile. “Forget I said anything.”
Yun turned away and Auto felt something close to panic race through him.
His legs felt stiff, as if his feet were welded to the ground under his feet. But then, the memory file of that little robot sharing a spark with the EVE probe flashed in his mind, and it was like it unlocked something in him.
Suddenly, he was standing, his body moving on its own.
Yun was about to climb into their sleeping pod when they felt a hand wrap around their upper arm. Auto turned them around and they blinked up at the android, a question already on their lips.
Auto’s expression was desperate, conflicted. His eyes darted between Yun’s before drifting down to Yun’s mouth. He resolved himself, and slowly began to lean in.
Yun’s eyes widened, but they didn’t pull away. Instead, they stood slightly on their tip toes and rose to meet Auto’s kiss, surprising him. Their lips connected, fitting together perfectly in one, smooth motion. Auto let his eyes fall closed. From what he’d read, that bit was important.
Yun smiled against Auto’s lips, affection swelling inside them. They closed their eyes, too, and leaned into the kiss. They felt Auto’s hand on the back of their neck, holding them closer. It was a sweet little kiss, surprisingly soft and chaste. Perfect in its simplicity.
Yun pulled away after a moment, their eyes were sparkling in the artificial moonlight.
For once, they didn’t have anything quippy to say. No observations or nervous rambling. Instead, they stepped forward and pulled Auto down to their level. They pressed their lips against Auto’s and captured his bottom lip between their teeth for just a moment. A little test bite.
Electricity raced up Auto’s spine.
Auto’s hands fell on Yun’s hips and pulled them firmly against him.
Yun’s body felt warm. Really warm. Through their contact, Auto could feel that their pulse was racing. Auto gave Yun a return test bite on their lower lip, mirroring the human’s actions, and was rewarded when Yun moaned softly in response. Auto gave a pleased hum of his own. He wanted to deepen the kiss but he wasn’t sure how.
Before he could experiment, Yun broke away.
“You still didn’t answer my question,” Yun reminded him.
Auto smiled, “Yes, I like you, Yun McCrea,” Auto said, and it felt right. “I think I have for a very long time.”
Before Yun had time to think about the implications of that, Auto pulled them in for another kiss. Yun felt that all-too familiar flutter deep within them turn into a fierce flame and suddenly, they didn’t feel so tired anymore. Yun wasn’t sure where this would lead, but they were eager to find out.
Yun tugged on Auto's arm, moving backward until their back was to their open sleeping pod. Auto followed their lead, hoisting them onto the cushy surface with ease. Yun gasped, clinging to Auto’s shoulders. They definitely weren’t used to being tossed around like that, but they weren’t complaining. Far from it.
The pod creaked noisily as Auto began to climb in after them.
Yun snorted with laughter, but quickly clamped their hands over their mouth. The last thing they needed was their father or Auto Prime hearing them and busting in again. Especially not now that Auto Prime could drop by at any time. Yun grabbed Auto’s hand and began tugging him into bed again. Auto quickly kicked off his shoes and began removing his tie. He could feel himself beginning to overheat. His gaze was fixed and intent on Yun as he whipped his tie from around his neck and let it fall to the ground.
Yun’s eyes lit up.
They watched him unbutton his collar down to his navel, their chest rising and falling with growing anticipation. Auto was so glad he went with this model. And Yun clearly was, too. Before he could even finish taking his shirt off, Yun sat up and grabbed him by his open shirt collar.
They pulled him down into the pod with them.
And somewhere in the ship, Auto Prime was busy losing his mind.