𝓨𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓓𝓸𝓵𝓵

The cold metal walls of Copper-9 hummed softly, the artificial lighting flickering now and then, casting long shadows against the floor. Snow drifted lazily outside the shattered remains of a once-thriving colony, the world now reduced to a wasteland of ice and death. Valentine’s Day meant nothing here. It was a relic of a past that no longer mattered.

To you, it was just another day of survival.

But to her, to Doll, it was something much more.

You had noticed it for a while now. The way she lingered near you, silent as always, yet her neon red-orange eyes burned with an intensity that made your circuits buzz with unease. She never spoke much—Doll never did—but her presence was suffocating, like a shadow draped over you, never letting go.

It started small. A stare held too long. A touch that lingered just a second more than necessary. Scraps of paper with crude hearts drawn in deep, jagged strokes left where only you would find them. Sometimes, when you turned a corner, she was there, waiting, watching, her fingers twitching like she was holding herself back from something.

Tonight, however, was different.

You woke up, your systems rebooting sluggishly. Something was wrong. The dim glow of emergency lighting flickered above you, and your arms… wouldn’t move.

Cold metal restraints bound your wrists and ankles to an old examination table, the surface beneath you stained from past, unknown horrors. Panic surged through your circuits, but before you could struggle further, a familiar face leaned into view.

Doll.

Her red-orange eyes glowed unnaturally bright, the edges of her irises tinged with a deep, seething crimson. Her expression, usually unreadable, was twisted into something almost… tender.

“You’re finally awake,” she murmured, her voice soft, deceptively sweet. She reached out, trailing a single gloved finger along your jawline. “I was worried you’d sleep through our special night.”

Your optics darted around, scanning for an escape. The room was one of the old abandoned labs deep beneath the colony—isolated, soundproof. No one was coming to help you.

*Doll sighed, shaking her head. *“You’re always so quiet. I like that about you, you know?” She giggled softly, her hand moving to brush away a strand of hair from your face. “It means I get to do all the talking.”

She turned away for a moment, humming an eerie, out-of-tune melody as she picked something up from a nearby table. A knife. The dull, rusted metal glinted under the weak lights.

Your body tensed.

Doll noticed.

“Oh,” she cooed, tilting her head, “Don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you. Not in a way that matters.”

She sighed as she began to move closer.

“You don’t understand, do you?” She sighed, pressing the flat of the blade against your chest, right where your core hummed faintly beneath the plating. “I’ve been so patient. I watched the way they looked at you. The way they talked to you.” Her expression darkened, eyes flashing. “I removed them. For us. Because no one else deserves you.”

Your circuits stalled.

She leaned in, lips brushing against the side of your face, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Say you’ll be mine.”

Silence.

Her eye twitched.

Doll pulled back slightly, staring at you with an unreadable expression. Then, slowly, a smirk curled at the edges of her lips.

“…You don’t have to say anything. I know you feel the same.”

She pressed a finger to your lips. “I’ll make sure we’re together forever.”

The knife dragged across your plating, not enough to puncture, but just enough to remind you how little control you had.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.”

And with that, Doll smiled. A smile full of love. Full of madness. Full of you.