Not Perfect - Chapter 5

The four of you enter the laundry room. And it was indeed a mess. You, V, and Cyn hide behind N with wide eyes. You look at V. A message appears on your visor saying, "But he was so lazy yesterday."

A message on V's screen appears saying, "I know."

The two of you look back at the scene, where the mechanics are trying to catch R. Even J, surprisingly, is trying to help....

Probably because she's tired of R being her problem.

"Psst!"

The four of you look back. Tessa.

"Are you busy?" she whispers.

The four of you look at each other.

Then at R.

Then at Tessa.

"No..." V whispers.

Tessa grins and gestures for you all to follow her. "Great! Come with me!"

You hesitate, glancing back at the chaos in the laundry room. R is darting around like a malfunctioning blur, mechanics tripping over themselves to grab him. J looks absolutely done with the situation, dodging a flying basket of laundry with an irritated groan.

Honestly, you’re not sure if R is glitching or just really dedicated to causing problems.

Either way… probably best not to get involved.

N shrugs. "Well, if we’re not busy, then sure!"

You, V, and Cyn exchange quick glances before following Tessa out of the room. You glance back for just a moment. J had finally pinned R to the ground. And the mechanics were rushing to shut him down.

0w0

Once you're far enough down the hall, you glance at Tessa curiously. "So... what did you need?"

Tessa folds her hands behind her back. "Oh, nothing too important."

Sure...

"I just uhhh...I need cake!"

"But Tessa, aren't you...sick?" V asks.

Tessa's eyes widen. "No! I–I'm not sick! Just very stuffy!" She looks at the four of you with a pleading face. "Just get me one slice, pleeease?"

N sighs, rolling his eyes with a smile. "Oh, alright."

Tessa beamed, clapping her hands happily.

Cyn tilts her head. "Curious. Why do humans consume cake when ill?"

Tessa crosses her arms and huffs. "I told you, I'm not sick! I'm just stuffy!"

V sighs but gives a small smile. "I’ll help N check the kitchen. Y/N, Cyn, do you want to come?"

Before you can answer, Tessa grabs your arm. "Actually, Y/N can stay with me!"

You blink. "Oh. Uh—sure?"

Cyn leans slightly toward you. "Abandoned."

You sigh. "You'll live, Cyn."

Cyn dramatically flops against V. "Melodramatic collapse."

V pats Cyn’s head. "We’ll be back soon." She then motions for N to follow her toward the kitchen.

Now alone with Tessa, you turn to her, still a little confused. "Sooo... you just wanted me to stay with you while you wait for cake?"

Tessa grins. "Yep!"

You tilt your head. "Why?"

She shrugs. "Because you're fun to be around!"

Your visor flickers. You… don’t really know how to respond to that.

Tessa leans forward slightly, inspecting you with a curious look. "Y’know, you’ve been acting kinda weird lately."

You stiffen. "Weird how?"

Tessa rocks on her heels. "Like… quieter. I mean, yeah, you still glitch and all, but you don’t seem as… I dunno. Happy?"

You glance away, gripping your arm. "Oh..."

What's there to be happy about Tessa? I'm defective. I'm messy. I'm useless. I'm... Not perfect.

"I guess I'm a little jealous," you admit...kinda. Because, be honest with yourself, you're more than a little jealous.

Tessa takes your hands into hers. "Are you jealous that N can do tricks?"

"Mmhm."

That plus he is just about everything you are not.

Cool. Loved. Perfect.

Tessa tilts her head, her eyes studying your visor. "Y/N, that’s silly."

You huff, looking down. "It’s not silly. N is... N. He’s good at everything. He doesn’t mess up like I do."

Tessa pouts. "That’s not true. N messes up too!"

You blink. "He does?"

She nods enthusiastically. "Oh yeah!" She smirks. "Once, he tried to balance three plates at once and all of them fell on his head."

You stare at her. "He never told me that."

"Because he doesn’t care," Tessa says simply. "He just laughs it off and keeps going. You should do that too."

You let out a short, humorless laugh. "Easier said than done."

Tessa squeezes your hands. "You don’t have to be like N to be great, Y/N. You’re already great in your own way!"

Your visor flickers again. Something in your systems stutters, just for a moment.

You don’t know what to say.

Tessa grins and gently pokes your visor. "And besides, I bet if you really wanted to, you could learn some tricks."

You blink at her. "What?"

"You heard me!" She lets go of your hands and claps her own together. "I bet N would love to teach you some tricks!"

You process that for a moment. "But... what if I mess up?"

Tessa shrugs. "Then you try again!"

You stare at her, uncertain.

Before you can reply, the sound of footsteps catches your attention.

"We’re back!" N’s voice rings out cheerfully.

You and Tessa turn to see N, V, and Cyn approaching, N holding a plate with a slice of cake.

"Mission success!" N announces, presenting the plate like it’s some grand prize.

Tessa beams, practically snatching the plate from him. "Yes! You guys are the best!"

Cyn tilts her head. "Do we receive rewards for our service?"

V smirks. "Your reward is getting to watch Tessa be happy."

Tessa takes a bite of cake and sighs contentedly. "Perfect."

"TESSA JAMES ELLIOT!"

Everyone's eyes widened and Tessa slowly turned around. "Hi mum..."

"I thought I told you to stay in your room. AND NO SUGAR!" Louisa snapped.

Louisa's eyes darted from one drone to another.

Her gaze landed on N first, narrowing slightly before shifting to V. Then to you. Then—

Her expression twisted with pure disdain when she saw Cyn.

"You," she hissed. "I thought I made it clear that you were to stay out of my sight."

V subtly stepped closer to you, as if bracing for whatever was coming next. You weren’t sure whether to move or stay completely still. Not that you could stay still even if you wanted.

Tessa, however, stood her ground. "Mum, I was just having some cake. That’s not a crime!"

"It is when you’re ill and disobeying me," Louisa snapped, then flicked her fan open, waving it in irritation. "And you’re still wasting time with these... things."

"I brought her the cake!" You blurt out.

Tessa, Cyn, V and N look at you with wide eyes.

You can already feel Louisa's crucial stare.

You quickly straighten up—try to anyways. "I wanted to do something Nice for Tessa. I didn't know she was sick."

Louisa exhaled sharply. "I should have disposed of you a long time ago."

Her glare shifts to Tessa. "Go back to your room. And leave the cake!"

"Can I at least take the plate?"

Louisa's glare sharpens. "No."

Tessa clenches her fists but doesn't argue. Instead, she turns to you, her expression a mix of frustration and silent apology.

You don’t know what to do. You just stand there, visor flickering slightly.

Louisa’s eyes flick back to Cyn. "And you—"

Her face twists in fury. "Out. Now."