Teaching a Robot to Love
-Disclaimer-
I noticed how there weren't many fanfictions available for X6-88 online and so I thought I'd write one. I think it would be an interesting dynamic to have a cool terminator-like synth with a curious-minded lovable SS. X6 is awesome; he is a mix of badassery and princess. MCs will all be called Sole, short for Sole Survivor, to make it easy. I do not want to add in many MC character descriptions for I want you to imagine your own MC in their place. This is my first fanfic so please review! :D
I do not own the rights to the characters or game; all credits go to Bethesda.
Chapter 1: Ma'am
"I'm already bored" stated X6-88, his voice drowned out by the barrage of lasers raining down upon the raider settlement.
"I swear if Mr. Abernathy's wife goes running off with another raider ONE more time, I am going to raze that whole farm to the ground" huffed Sole as she sniped a raider square in the forehead with her laser rifle.
It was the high afternoon in the Commonwealth, so hardly the best time for sneaking. Sole just wanted to get this done as soon as possible so she could go back to avoiding Preston and his endless Minutemen requests every time she returned to Sanctuary Hills. It was always a new Settlement that needed her help because they couldn't fight off the horde of blood bugs or some crap. It had been some time since she had returned to the Institute and she was eager to get back to working with Father, or Shaun, or whatever.
When the firing stopped, Sole motioned to X6-88 and the two sneaked towards the entrance of backstreet apparel. Sole pressed her ear to the door to gauge how many raiders they would have to take out in the first room. She counted three.
"I do not know why you bother with the people of the Commonwealth. If they cannot help themselves, then it is only logical that they perish" X6-88 commented just as Sole was about to push in the door. She turned toward him. He was leaning tall against the wall, expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. She had never actually seen him without his glasses which was odd considering the time they had spent together. While she was all the while burning with curiosity to see the eyes behind the machine, she held back. What if it wasn't what she was expecting? What if he had some goofy eyes that didn't match his cool secret agent demeanor?
"Oh hush. Yes, how dare these awful, awful people with but a cap on them and toys for weapons even DARE to ask for help" Sole exaggeratedly whispered.
"Sarcasm noted."
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Sole kicked open the door and immediately fired at one of the raiders before he got a chance to turn around, then crouched behind the counter to reload her gun while X6 quickly killed the others. The two methodically swept the room, checking for traps to disarm or ammo to pick up. X6 sighed as Sole greedily shoved some hot plates and aluminum cups into her pack for he knew that he would probably end up carrying them later. How impractical. When the two heard a light muffle, they froze. Sole looked at X6's shaded glasses, and then sneaked towards the noise. The muffled noises got louder until they reached a locked door. Sole whipped out her bobby pin and screwdriver and chuckled sinisterly.
"Heh heh heh, who do they think I am?" *click* the door unlocked. She flipped her hair over her shoulder in triumph and waggled her eyebrows at X6.
"Very good ma'am" replied X6 flatly. The door swung open to a gagged Mrs. Abernathy struggling to undo her bound hands.
"Holy shit, Mrs. Abernathy! That was quick! Good thing I can actually pick locks instead of having to clear this whole place out and loot the bodies for a key!" exclaimed Sole with a swipe of her arm, then proceeded to remove the gag from Mrs. Abernathy's mouth. X6-88 stood guard at the doorway, gun at the ready in case any straggling raiders had heard them.
"Oh my, thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if you two hadn't shown up." Mrs. Abernathy replied. She fished in her pockets once Sole had freed her hands. "I was…scavenging through some buildings when the raiders caught me. I was able to unlock a safe with a ton of caps in it and well… I just think you guys deserve to have it, since it would've been in the hands of raiders if you two hadn't come along."
Sole's ears perked up, "Oh I do like the sound of money! How much are me talking here ma'am?" Months of marauding around the Commonwealth with X6 had caused her to pick up a lot of his mannerisms. She had even started calling Connie, Mrs. Abernathy after X6 urged her too as well out of professionalism.
"500 caps. I don't think the raiders even knew it was in my pocket."
X6's head twitched toward her and Sole's mouth fell open. Caps were hard to come by in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. She was not about to turn this rare opportunity down.
"You might want to close your mouth." X6 piped in just as emotionless as before but with a twinge of snark.
"Oh hush you!" Sole waved at him dismissively. Once in a while, X6 would throw in a snide comment or tease that hinted toward a shred of personality. Something about this shred made Sole obsessively curious. If he could open a bit, then she wondered what it would take to drive a personality out of him. Of course, he was a synth. That would make things difficult.
"Deal!" She snatched the pouch of caps out of Mrs. Abernathy's hand and eyed it greedily. "Come on let's get you out of here Mrs. Abernathy."
The three got up and crept out of backstreet apparel and escorted Mrs. Abernathy back to Diamond City where she thanked them and planned to take the next trade caravan to Abernathy farm the next morning. The sun was setting, it was dusk now, and the night lights in Diamond City had just turned on. Sole took a minute to look around, taking in inventory of what she would need to pick up before returning to Sanctuary Hills. Knowing X6, she thought it would be best to pointedly avoid Valentine's office, she knew what X6 was like.
As Mrs. Abernathy was leaving them towards the Dugout Inn, she turned around to face where Sole and X6-88 were standing and glanced at them up and down. She called out, "You know, you two would make a really cute couple!" Then she continued on her way.
Sole's face flushed up to her ears with embarrassment and shot a hand to the backside of her neck, turning her head away from X6, not daring to look at his face. Well... Maybe he did interest her a little. And maybe she might have had the thought that if she could make him think she was special that would be kind of interesting. But geez! Did she have to go and say that? His cool demeanor was almost perfectly robotic.
X6-88 coughed awkwardly and pushed his glasses up closer to his face, out of sight from Sole.
"Well um, hey, X6, want to rent a room down at the Dugout Inn too? I bet Vlad will give us a discount." Sole tried to change the topic, kicking a pebble. X6 scoffed in retort however.
"I do believe it is unwise to leave our safety in the hands of surface dwellers. Perhaps it would be best if we made our own camp outside of the city."
"And if I say it is necessary for me to sleep in a nice cozy bed to ensure my speedy recovery as future director of the Institute? Then what?"
Silence.
"X6?"
"…If…it is in the best interests of the Institute then it would be beneficial to see that your health needs are met. One night. That is all." X6-88 reluctantly replied.
She smacked him on the stomach, "Thanks pal!" His head twitched on emphasis of pal, but Sole might have just been imagining things. "You just don't want to be around all these filthy humans on the surface."
He straightened his back, "Do I like wading through the filth that is the Commonwealth and all of its vermin? Of course not. But if that's what the Institute needs me to do, then I'll do it."
"Princess."
"I will not comment on that highly inaccurate assessment of me."
"Pfft you already have" Sole chuckled as they started walking toward the Dugout. Teasing X6-88 had become somewhat of an enjoyable thing for her. It was needless to say, a developed skill. When traipsing about the Commonwealth with a cold, devoted, and stoic synth, Sole liked to elicit any shred of emotion she could get out of him from time to time, even annoyance. She jammed her hand in her pocket, thumbing the pocket of caps they had gotten earlier. "X6… We made 500 caps today. We're so rich!" She giggled and spun in a circle in front of him.
At some point, he had gotten used to her quirky and unprofessional mannerisms around him. When they had their first mission at Libertalia, he thought her totally unfit in every way, shape, and form. But now, he saw where Father got his bravery and leadership from. "Be careful not to collide with objects in your path." He warned as they approached the entrance, lights flickering across his glasses.
"You know I couldn't have done it without you X6" her expression suddenly turning demure as she peered at him over her shoulder. "We make a pretty good team, you and I." She said, turning around and throwing him a wink.
"Likewise." Here it came; the human emotion. Words of praise after a completed job seemed pointless to him. He thanked the Institute he was made a synth and spared all of that catastrophic nonsense.
What he didn't expect was for Sole to quickly close the distance between them and wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. Her cheek pressed happily against his chest for no more than a few seconds, but the second he had processed the situation, she was already off of him and smashing open the door to the Dugout shouting "Time to party!"
X6-88 stood there for a second more, and then adjusted his uniform. He made a mental note that next time they made a trip back to the Institute, he needed to get himself checked out by Dr. Volkert. He seemed to have contracted an odd virus that made his synthetic heart beat unnecessarily fast.