Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kasius was still trying to figure out just how Aida had showed up in the Lighthouse; the last thing she remembered was an altercation with those thrice-damned agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that Kasius was already obsessed enough with.

They’d found her barely alive and implanted the inhibitor before she’d come to. While not thrilled about having her - astoundingly many - powers taken away, she had taken it in stride.

Sinara and Kasius were both fascinated with her, though not for quite the same reasons.

Kasius wanted to get to the root of her sudden appearance, see if he could replicate the way she had given herself her powers, figure out just how much of her was terran and how much was machine. She was a former robot, or so she insisted, which Sinara found all kinds of ridiculous but Kasius only found further intriguing.

If he didn’t have to wait for the inhuman crops to grow to maturity all on their own, they would much sooner have the funds to abandon their exile for another, one of their own choosing.

Sinara, meanwhile, just liked having a sparring partner actually worth her while. It didn’t hurt that Aida was quite pretty, as far as terrans went. Perhaps because she wasn’t truly terran.

Either way, Aida’s presence certainly made exile somewhat less boring. At times, even something akin to enjoyable.

Like when she had such a smug smile on her face as she pinned Sinara down, quickly replaced by a pout when she found herself flat on her back with Sinara’s knees on her wrists.

“Is this all you do?”Aida asked.

Sinara tilted her head in silent question.

“Well,”Aida said, janking her wrist free to put her hands on Sinara’s thighs.“I don’t mean to imply I’m not enjoying this, as I absolutely am. But isn’t there more than sparring we could do? I haven’t had this body terribly long. There’s features I’m curious about.”

Sinara chuckled.“Features? Are you really sure your brain is biological?”

“Yes, quiet.” Her hands slid a little higher.“I’m fully organic. With everything that comes with it.”

“Oh?” Sinara put on a faux confused impression, tugging a half-escaped strand of hair fully out of Aida’s ponytail to wrap it around her finger.“Careful. I might start to think you’re coming on to me.”

“Perfect,”Aida all but purred.

The clearing of a throat behind them made Sinara turn, though she stayed right where she was, right on top of Aida.

“Am I interrupting?”Kasius said testily.

“Very much so,”Aida said, equally as testily.

“He was being rhetorical, dear.” Sinara used the pet name entirely because it made the muscle in Kasius’ cheek spasm, the way it did when she pretended not to see the point in learning to read. He was wonderfully easy to annoy. She stroked Aida’s cheek and down her throat, fingers lingering at her collarbone for a moment.“He’s also being a jealous baby so I do have to go kiss that pout off his face before it gets stuck like that.”

That earned her two sets of irritated glares. If only she didn’t have a weak spot for overly dramatic pretties. Alas, she did, so she went and brushed a kiss against Kasius’ lips.

“Don’t make that face,”she said. She saw Aida get to her feet, too, from the corner of her eyes. She gave Kasius another kiss.“There’s no need to be like that. It’s not cheating with a robot. Robots aren’t people.”

“Former robot,”Aida corrected, frowning.“I’m human now, as you very well know.”

“Fine, a human, then. Just as well.” Sinara shot her a smirk.“Those things aren’t people either.”