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It all happened so fast.
Uzi had been ready to take on Cyn with N by her side, confident that the two of them could overcome anything that would be thrown their way-
And before she could blink, N was swiftly snatched away and a sharp pain cut through her wrists, the focus on her solver abilities vanishing in an instant. It took her a moment to process what just happened, the fact that her hands were gone, but that moment was all it took for a tendril to snake around her neck.
Her feet leave the ground, and she struggles to get free from the hold, her body finally catching up to what's happening. Too little, too late. A strained gasp escapes her throat as she dangles in the air, and then in a swift movement her captor reaches into her and pain overwhelms her sensors.
Pain, pain, pain pain pain PAIN PAIN PAIN-
It fades, suddenly, replaced with an uncomfortable pressure around the entirety of her being. Time feels like it slows. The panic is gone for just a second as she tries to register what's going on, tugging her limbs free from... something holding them down. Her vision starts to come back to her, and she regains feeling in her body-
Oh Robo-God.
It strikes her what just happened. Her eye (Singular eye, only one, not right not right not right-) darts behind her, limbs twitching in what she now recognizes as the intense grip of something holding her, and her gaze is met with those horrible x-shaped eyes staring into her, like they're trying to burrow into her soul.
Fear burns in her very being, everything else falling away except for that horrific golden glow tearing into her mind, until a distant shout snaps her back to reality. She still recognizes N's voice, even like this.
And then, the grip around her is gone as Cyn moves onto a different target, and she falls to the floor. She can hardly think through the panic, fearing for both N's life and her own, but through the fog in her head she vaguely recognizes her own body.
She scrambles, trying to push herself- her core- back into her chest, before a jolt runs through her, and eyes are blinking into her visor, dozens of warnings popping up on her screen as her core tries to attach itself back into her insides.
She's gasping, coughing and sputtering as oil (And maybe blood? She can't tell-) pools around her. She tries to reach out with her hands to pull her core safely back inside her body, but she doesn't have hands oh God- her arms scramble to wrap around the exposed organ, but it tumbles uselessly on the ground, and her movements only grow more frantic.
She's going to die here, she's going to die because her core got ripped out and she can't get it back in, she can feel what used to be limbs attaching back into her body as it starts to beat desperately, finally having somewhere to pump liquid to again and the sensation makes her want to vomit because she can feel it and it's not in her God oh God there's oil spilling out of her mouth her arms scramble on the floor there's warnings everywhere her ears are ringing she can't breathe she's going to die she can't breathe-
Uzi wakes up with a strangled scream, hand pressing over her mouth as she desperately gasps for air.
Her vision swims in and out of focus, mind still trying to distinguish between dreams and reality, and she can still feel the phantom pains of having her core literally ripped out of her body-
The hand over her mouth moves to grab at her chest, core pounding rapidly under her grip. Adrenaline and terror flow through her body, eyes darting about but barely seeing, the only thing present being the faint image of yellow x eyes burning into her sight.
"Uzi?"
There's a quiet murmur of a voice beside her, and the familiarity of it has her panicked thoughts halting for a moment. A sweet noise that fills her buzzing processors with honey and a sense of calm, but not enough to fully quell her anxieties, as evidenced by her still rapid breathing and racing core.
N's hand reaches out to her, gently intertwining their fingers, being careful to not use enough force to make her feel trapped. He's always so considerate like that. It makes Uzi want to cry.
And cry she does, because all of a sudden sobs are wracking through her body and she practically throws herself into N's arms, who in turn wraps his arms securely around her frame. She's shaking badly enough to make quiet clicking noises as her joints clatter together.
She squeezes her eyes shut, the images in her mind still so horrifically vivid, but she tries to block them out by focusing on the warmth and gentle breathing of her boyfriend. She still doesn't know what she did to deserve someone so caring.
A sudden worry shoots through her body, and on instinct her wings rise out of her body and wrap around the both of them. She hadn't been the only one to get her core ripped out that day, after all, and her hurried mind starts to quiet with the extra barrier around them both.
N presses a gentle kiss to Uzi's forehead, and her visor lights up with blush at the action. She's still trembling in the embrace, but her breathing has slowed by now and her core is no longer threatening to beat out of her chest. (In a metaphorical way, this time.)
Some scared, animalistic thing in her head finally settles, and she melts more against N, a quiet purr spilling out of her chest. He responds with a purr of his own, vibrating throughout her body and relaxing her still shaking limbs.
"...You doing okay, buddy?" N asks her, and she pauses for a moment before nodding. "Do you wanna try going back to sleep?"
She gives a quiet hum in response, sinking even further into the hold. Sleep sounds so good right now. Preferably without the nightmares, this time.
N shifts, and settles both of them into laying down. Uzi refuses to retract her wings from around him, even though her fear has subsided by now. He doesn't seem to mind, though. Just holds her in that ever-loving embrace of his.
Eyes drift closed, and two cores beat side by side. The air around them is filled with the quiet sounds of their purring, and for now, everything is calm again.