Chapter Text
Adds didn't provoke much of anything from her. Even pumping with liters of a blood-like compound, with plenty of joints to shatter, wires to yank, and the way their eyes finally dulled as their internal batteries failed. It had some appeal, and there were certainly some people out in the world who got their rocks off to that sort of stuff, but it was just... off. Didn't sate her hunger. Didn't do much of anything. Trying to hurt something lacking the ability to hurt.
Morgan continued to ponder, looking down at Serra's sleeping face. Did David build that slight pout into her lips? Something with the way those muscles and tendons were designed to rest? Or, she thought with a tinge of a smile, could it have been her that had made Serra frown so much it stuck when recharging?
She was considering. Consideration she mentally danced around and avoided looking straight on, as if that would keep those thoughts from getting scared away. Curiosity was a whim she was loathe to indulge for how often it pulled her into annoyances. But this one thought kept returning, when the pang of hunger struck. How would it feel to make Serra stop for good? Something more than an Add that belonged to her, with the capabilities to turn off its monitoring systems and cameras, and- most importantly- that Serra was alive. Courts would say otherwise, but that just made it feel like something sweeter. Like she was getting away with something she shouldn't be able to.
Morgan frowned as the metaphor got away from her. Not much of what she did was legal. And- as she pressed her cigarette into the ashtray at her desk- decided it would be too easy. She had been David's, and having her around... wasn't too awful, really. Helped keep her on her toes. Serra, despite her indignation when misled, could be convinced of anything thanks to her lack of comprehension when it came to people. It was useful, when Morgan lied to her or expressed a need for 'alone time', to be taken at her word and trusted completely.
If she ever grew up a bit more, became a bit more canny... Well, Morgan would cross that bridge when she came to it. This thought did provoke a physical reaction in her- hair on her arms standing on end, shivering at the thought of Serra becoming even more human... before being snuffed out forever all the same. She was a woman of whim. Who could deny such an urge? She lifted her gaze back to Serra's face, blinking in surprise as she noted those orange rings staring up at her.
"Adonai...? Did you have need of me for anything?"
"Mm. Couldn't sleep. You can go back go bed."
Morgan shifted in her chair, preparing to stand and return to her room to try and let her instincts and needs fade into a dull humming that could be left to lie a few more weeks. But Serra made a noise- a strange little gasp that was immediately strangled in her throat. Drawing Morgan's eyes back to that contorted expression on her androids face.
"What is it?"
"Oh, no, nothing, it's just-"
"Serra."
"Adonai?"
"Spit it out."
"... You, um-"
Serra nudged her head slightly- and Morgan glanced down to the bulge in her utilitarian underwear. Well, she had been trying to sleep before she'd paced downstairs with her cigarette. Her eyebrow raised at Serra, the slight artificial flush of embarrassment making it clear.
"Spearmint, on your first day staying here you barged into the bathroom while I was showering when you wanted to talk about some video you watched about some buff girl in the woods making pancake-"
"It was corn pone, Adon-"
"Regardless, it's nothing you haven't seen before, in more intimate situations, so I'd like to not be ogled while in sleepwear."
Maybe she had gotten a bit too into her own head. A bit too excited thinking about her other interests. She might need to take a walk sooner than she'd thought. But also the thought of Serra having seen her dick enough to notice when she was starting to get stiff was... strange. Not the type of close she was used to being with anyone.
"Of- of course, Adonai, I wouldn't- I'm sorry."
Despite her words, Serra's expression exposed the burning desire for further conversation, and Morgan sighed, rolling her chair back behind her desk to at least protect her lower half from more undesired attention.
"What?"
"I was just curious... why you didn't you talk to Sato about having that in common? Or have any sort of flag like her? A pin could be cute! It wouldn't get in the way or-"
Serra's eyes were starting to sparkle until she met Morgan's eyes, all of that glimmer fading at her unmoved expression. They sat there together, in silence, with Serra perched over the edge of the couch and with Morgan behind her desk. Until Morgan sighed, lifting another cigarette and lighting it.
"Serra, there's no... community, or friendship there, that is of interest to me. Sato is good at her job, and I don't dislike working with her. But that's where the commonalities end."
"But-"
"Stop. She has some old-fashioned views and a desire to be seen and acknowledged, that I... lack."
A flash of memory. Her first days as a paralegal, one of the other women handing out pins and flags in the office to anyone who wanted them on some sort of remembrance day. One taken thoughtlessly, a way of sending a more emotional signal on her otherwise empty desk.
Serra didn't seem to understand, an expression of confusion- and that familiar pout- beginning to form.
"Listen, if someone pointed out a random Add on the street, said 'you're both androids, go ahead, be friends', would you want to drop everything to have a chat about android stuff and pet food tastes?"
"... I suppose not. But, Adonai, we could still be friends- even if it's not about that."
Morgan nearly bit through her cigarette from the sudden desire to grind her teeth together. Taking a steadying drag, she gave Serra an unimpressed look.
"Would you? How many times would it have to happen before it got tiring? How many in-jokes you don't find funny would you have to laugh at before you find out that 'community', in this day and age, is the joke? Didn't our last case teach you that?"
Early days still, stupid enough to get drunk in a bar with her handsy boss, rambling to the Witch about how exhausting the messages and winks and incomprehensible posts all were. Masters hadn't really gotten it and spent most of her time getting Morgan more drinks. And then had laughed at her about it the next morning when they were both hungover and splayed across her office floor, clothes strewn every which way.
Morgan breathed out a steady stream of smoke, trying to rein in her bitterness for a stunned Serra.
"It's a part of who I am. But not one I chose or feel represents any characteristic that I want to be put forward. I don't care if people notice but signalling to the world is just- a waste of time. Sato's nice enough, though."
Serra nodded slowly, seemingly comprehending the intent Morgan had clarified.
"I see- I suppose that would become tiring, to feel overshadowed as an individual by an inaccurate perception and desires of others. There's a movie that I think speaks to this rather well, a Don Mancini film that-"
"Serra, we're not watching a movie about being transgender tomorrow. Strike it from the list."
"....Okay. I thought the gore effects and puppetry were quite good, though..."
Serra seemed to still have some questions in her eyes, and Morgan sighed softly, feeling as though she wouldn't be getting to sleep for some time.
"One more question is what you get. And then just look up the rest. Like I was saying, I'm not representative of the wider whole either."
"Of course, Adonai...! I was a bit curious about what a chaser was?"
Morgan's eye twitched, and she did bite into her cigarette this time- coughing a bit as the awful taste of plastic filter and chemical additives hit her tongue, tossing it into the ashtray and running her tongue beneath her upper teeth to scrape it free of tar.
"A-Adonai? I-I just wanted..."
"Eugh- Where did you hear about that from?"
Morgan's voice was completely incredulous, nearly disbelieving. She hadn't heard the word in years- not since... Well, probably the Witches first time drunkenly palming her crotch at a bar while confessing her tastes. Though it was less a 'confession' and more 'gloating'. God, she was annoying at the start. And in the middle. And even now.
"Sato mentioned it- offhandedly, as a joke, I believe...? But searches didn't turn up anything related, and she had said she'd tell me when I was older, so I had been meaning to inquire with you."
"I-"
She was beyond words for a few moments, unable to cohere that innocent expression with what Serra had said.
"Is... is it offensive? Should I not have...?"
"No, its- well it wasn't usually a nice thing to call someone. But it's fine. Its just someone who... prefers sex with trans people because they're trans."
"O-Oh, I think I see..."
"Mm."
"Thank you for the answer, Adonai."
"Yeah. Good night, Serra."
"Wait- Adonai!"
Morgan paused as she stood, adjusting her oversized sweater as she turned to look at Serra, still leaning over the couch, that momentary lull as she processed replaced by a firm and unwavering expression.
"I think it is wrong to objectify people like that, and I'm sorry that you have experienced it."
She almost laughed out loud at the solemness it was spoken with, instead waving the apology off carelessly.
"No, no- it was mostly before my time, the term fell out of favor as people got to make their bodies weirder more easily. Only some outdated, ancient gen alpha would use the term to refer to themselves."
Morgan felt as though, somewhere in the world, in some luxurious hotel, despite the distance and impossibility of knowing for sure- her old mentor sneezed.
Meanwhile, Serra blinked and seemed to take that explanation in stride.
"I see- so in the same way that hormone therapy is no longer perceived as particularly unusual, the sexualization has decreased as well."
"...Yeah, sure, Spearmint."
Padding up the stairs and leaving her to return to sleep mode. Exhausted in a way that left Morgan without any doubt she'd find it difficult to fall asleep. She needed to get out of this stretch of awkward midday naps and restless nights- habit and routine were extremely useful for building and creating expectations.
She laid herself down, closed her eyes, and did her usual mental recap- a relaxing run through of things out of place, groceries needed, a checklist of things to be corrected in the morning for her peace of m- The floor creaked. Her eyes slowly slid open once more, lifting her head from the silk pillows to see Serra peeking her head into the loft room.
"Adonai-"
"Mm?"
"May I ask you something?"
"Mmm."
"That isn't an affirmative or negative response, Adonai."
"Mmmmm."
Morgan sighed softly, pulling herself upright into a proper sitting position and patting the bed, which Serra wasted no time crossing the room and pulling herself onto- seemingly still quite embarrassed by the creak the already-reinforced springs made.
"I did want to try to get some sleep, so make it quick."
"Well- I had just wondered if you would like to..."
Her voice trailed off, her gaze looking anywhere but Morgan. And Morgan let her sit in silence for a few moments, lifting another pack of cigarettes from her bedside and lighting one. She breathed out, considering the insinuation for a few more beats, letting Serra sweat.
Movie nights with Serra had meant watching sex scenes together- often uninteresting to Morgan, but each one drew Serra's immense embarrassment and equal amounts of interest and curiosity. So, after an extremely poorly executed 'kabedon' thats failure nearly left Serra in tears, Morgan sat her down to have the talk with her. Or rather, because of her constant internet connection and curiosity, she had a talk with her. Serra could be trusted to stumble onto pornography online somehow. But they'd reached a solution that was equitable.
It wasn't sex- not really. But it was probably the best way Serra could get something close to the feeling in a world that wouldn't be very kind to her or her desires. And in return for this kinda-sex sometimes, Morgan would get peace- not a word of it outside the apartment, and no more awkward flirtations that would make people think she'd asked her paralegal android to hit on her during the job. Breathing out smoke, she set her cigarette down on her bedside ashtray, shifting her sweater off in a quick motion, Serra's expression going from nearly teary-eyed at the silence to that familiar sparkling joy in the time it took for her head to slip out of it.
"Adonai...!"
"Relax. I just knew I wasn't going to manage to get some sleep anytime soon."
This put Serra out for only a few moments before she wriggled out of her own clothing, soft figure slowly exposed as the clothes slipped away. Not a very titillating figure, Morgan mused, thoughts drawn for some incomprehensible reason to a certain prosecutor as she took another drag of her cigarette. And a thought occurred to her, glancing down to her own body- a few very faint circular burn scars on her stomach and inner thighs. She breathed out, lifting her gaze to Serra, arms crossed over her chest in a shy posture.
"Serra, does your skin heal?"
"Ah? Well, um, I think... so...?" She seemed quite alarmed, even as a flush began to rise in her cheeks. "D-did you intend to bite me tonight, Adonai?"
"No, nevermind."
"Okay........."
Morgan ignored Serra's forlorn tone. She had been considering several things, but instead set the cigarette down and shifted closer. Smoking and fucking her paralegal were hopefully some of the only mannerisms she picked up from that damn Witch. No need to go out of her way to add a third. Not to mention how expensive it could be if she got a taste for mutilating artificial dependents. The bill for Serra's skin alone could bankrupt her.
Serra started at the first touch, Morgan's hands- that would normally never be able to budge the android- finding it easy to make her shift, pushed down upon the bed effortlessly. Despite Serra's awkwardness and bad habit of searching for things that had made her curious during the day during these sessions, she was extremely responsive - trying to mimic the emotional, desperate motions that filled the classic films they'd watched together. Bound had been the most recent one of these, and so Serra was eagerly pressing into Morgan's straying hands, as though trying to build a rhythm out of motions.
Unfortunately, Morgan wasn't often in the mood to fulfill these themed desires of the night, and instead went about sex the way she'd come to enjoy it the most. As an excuse to get close to someone, have complete access to their entire body, and act on whatever urges she felt rise up within her. Killing people during sex was far too messy- sweat, cum, and the emotional component most seemed to require to get into the situation were all distasteful to her. But it was an outlet for something else that she'd needed to gain a better understanding of when she was younger- human bodies, the parts that were weak, that were sensitive, that reacted to touch and could evoke reactions. All of these things were useful for far more than sex- and it happened that an intimate knowledge of the human body made Morgan's practiced hands quite talented at evoking desired sounds.
Serra was no exception- quiet little gasps leaving her lips as Morgan's hands traced up her sides. The sensation and the give of the artificial skin, warm with the heat from Serra's internals, fit Morgan's tastes. Fingertips trailing over the skinny figure, the ribs- solid as bone to the touch, but far far more difficult to break- causing Morgan to pause momentarily. Readjusting her position and pulling herself up further, looking into the wavering gaze of Sera, knees pressing against Serra's hips as she looked at the girl beneath her.
"A-Adonai...? Why did you stop..?"
Morgan didn't respond, looking at the way Serra laid beneath her. Arms bent, panting softly, a deep flush on her cheeks. Her eyes were half-lidded, a gentle pout upon her lips. Her clavicle standing out due to her meager frame. Morgan lifted one of her stilled hands, palm pressing into the center of it, feeling that heat and false strength of the alloyed skeleton within her.
"Adonai?"
Morgan's hand drifted higher, fingertips tracing up Serra's neck, palm pressing into it. The synthetic muscles giving slightly beneath her firm grasp. Serra's eyes widened slightly, but Morgan didn't squeeze harder- she simply sat atop her, gripping her firmly by the neck, looking down at her without a word.
"A-Adonai, if you wish to choke me for sexual pleasure, I could pretend- would you want me to recite some of the advice I've researched on hand positioning for safely performing such actions during... intimate relations?"
Morgan didn't speak for a moment, but let her grip lessen, shaking her head.
"No, that's not my thing."
It wasn't right. Serra was having fun, and with the materials on hand there wasn't any way Morgan could do any sort of permanent harm to her. It would be stupid to do something like that right now. And it wasn't filling her with that same urge that the thought of an eventual end to Serra's existence had. She wasn't all there yet. One quiet sigh was all she let out before she leaned down, her hands drifting down to Serra's chest, startling the android and provoking more quiet little noises from her.
Morgan's hands continued to tease and provoke little noises from Serra, but she felt herself growing more detached from her actions. Groping at her aides chest, her other hand straying down between Serra's thighs, a louder gasp punctuating the girls softer whines.
"A-Adonai, please!"
Morgan leaned in closer, the merest teasing touch of her finger forcing Serra's rhythmic reactions to grow unsteady and desperate. Serra's hips lifted into her touches, the enjoyment clear on her face. And Morgan looked at her as if she was something alien. Something incomprehensible. Even when Masters had been leading her body like this and giving her ceaseless perverse comments and advice, Morgan hadn't felt like Serra did in this moment. Was she faking? She'd watched the same films, and didn't think those expressions were present in any of them.
She was certain her expression was horrific, but Serra seemed to lost in whatever pleasurable feedback she was getting from the thumb against her clit. Eyes staring up at Morgan without perceiving her, lips mouthing words that Morgan couldn't comprehend. The sensation of sweat, her own- real- and Serra's- an approximation designed by a dead friend- suddenly cold on her skin as a writhing discomfort filled her when she pressed down, leaning into it more, focused on ending this as soon as she could manage.
"A-Adonai-P-Pleaseeee..."
She could hear Serra whispering by her ear, red hair trailing across the girls chest as she lifted her head, feeling completely absent even as she looked the girls eyes. And Serra leaned up, those soft lips she'd pressed her thumb into- meeting Morgan's own- and she was brought back to the moment, to her body, and lashed out the way that felt right. Biting down, feeling the taste of false skin breaking and that unnatural liquid spill into her and Serra's mouths as she pulled away, rubbing at her mouth with the back of her hand. Serra had an expression of confusion, brought down from that moment of joy by pain and forced to reality- coming down from heaven as Morgan pulled herself out of hell.
Morgan didn't have sympathy for the tears in the corners of her eyes, the gleaming red dripping down her lip as she stopped her touches completely, shifting her thighs to completely remove all contact between their bodies.
"Serra. We made a deal. You said you would follow it."
"I-I...."
"This won't happen again. You weren't mature enough- if you can't even follow simple instructions like t-"
"Adonai, please-!"
"You can keep working. And I'll still need your assistance for trials. But this has to end."
Serra was crying now- sobbing fake tears with real emotion. And Morgan didn't feel anything. Not a twinge, not a tug at a heartstring, nothing but bitterness for some misguided hope in providing some guidance for someone just as lost and lonely as-
"P-Please, Adonai, I won't kiss you again, I won't- Y-you can order me, I'll do anything-"
Morgan grimaced as she pulled away, moving over to the edge of the bed, legs hanging off, before she responded.
"Do you want me to trust you or the command?"
Serra continued to sniffle, but there wasn't an immediate reply as Morgan stood, beginning to get dressed- opening a closet to pull on a shirt, tossing a hoodie onto the bed. As she tugged on some sweatpants, Serra finally managed a wavering, stumbling response.
"E-even when you're mean... and hurt me... you do it like I'm a person. W-when I'm stupid or get something wrong with other people, they just treat it like my programming, or that I'm an Add, s-so it makes sense. B-but for you, it's a personal failing. When I'm wrong or say something that hurts you. So you hurt me back. A-and it made me really happy. It makes me really really happy. Please. Let me... let me try to do better. I-I won't kiss you, I thought... I thought it would make you happy... since you don't like when I touch you... but I-I just wanted to... I'm sorry, Adonai."
Morgan didn't reply, her bedroom filled with the sounds of Serra's sniffling. Slowly, she turned back towards her, tugging the hoodie on and glancing down at Serra- nude, flushed, and face smeared with tears, snot, and blood. She grit her teeth, keeping a flat expression as she prepared to leave... but gave a quiet sigh.
"I need to go for a walk. We'll... talk later. You can stay here."
Serra nodded, wiping at her eyes as Morgan left the room, stopping only long enough to pull her shoes on, exhaling as she allowed the coldness she was feeling at her core to seep out completely once she left the apartment.
She returned feeling refreshed. Serra wouldn't have gone into sleep mode, and would've heard the door regardless, so Morgan made her way up to her bedroom without hesitating any further. She wasn't sure how long she'd been gone, but was still surprised by the state of her room when she entered. Inside- Serra's clothes gone and the sheets changed, with Serra snuggled up inside of them, breathing steadily- those orange eyes following Morgan as she approached, slowly removing her clothes once more, slipping beneath the sheets as well.
They laid there together, silent. For some time.
"Is your lip okay?"
Morgan asked, not looking Serra's direction even as she heard the shuffling of sheets to her right side.
"...Yes, Adonai. It's... begun rebinding, but may scar- I don't know that my lips material were designed to... be treated roughly."
Morgan nodded, finally shifting over to look at Serra. Serra was staring back at her- the merest smear of red over a mark in her bottom lip. It wasn't that noticeable- good.
"Good. We can... continue this, sometimes. If you follow the rules."
"I can be good!"
"...I trust you."
"Thank you, Adonai. I won't let you down."
Morgan nodded, and Serra smiled- a soft, sensitive smile that Morgan returned, making Serra's eyes sparkle as she shifted closer- still not touching Morgan, but with only a few inches between them. Serra gave a mumbled goodnight, and slowly ceased moving- sleep mode, to make Morgan more comfortable, instead of just staring at her all night like she had after their first time doing this.
And Morgan rolled over, shivering a bit, slight smile still on the corners of her lips.
After a few more minutes of relaxing, steadying her breath, and regaining her composure, she slipped her phone from the bedside table, fingers tapping out a message before her good sense could stop them.
"Do you know how awful it feels to realize another bad habit of yours rubbed off on me?"
It took mere moments for a soft ping to sound in reply.
"lol which kink this time"
Morgan pressed her lips together, laying her phone back down without responding.
She enjoyed the complete quiet, the lack of any urges pulling at her, a contentedness that made it hard to keep from smiling, slowly drifting off, the way she had in the years before Serra's presence and the recent cases. Peaceful, dreamless sleep only a few moments away as she relaxed completely.
She'd been intending to go out and hurt someone. Hurt them badly. Slowly. Crack bones where metal ones wouldn't bend. Draw blood that was real instead of fake. And then Serra had spoken. And she'd gone for a walk. A regular walk, around the block a few times, without concern for cameras or anything else. Smiling the entire time. Because she'd found a way to hurt something that couldn't be hurt.
You just had to make it love you.
