Chapter Text
“Aaanndd... There we go!"
Test Tube exclaimed with a smile, clasping her sweaty hands together as she prepared to welcome Bot, her beloved robot creation, back into consciousness. She had shut them off previously to update their software and make sure everything was working correctly inside of them; much to her relief, everything seemed to be in tip-top shape! Since she was not used to maintenance checks being this quick, she decided to have some fun with it, giving Bot a few new enhancements.
"Hey again, Bot! How do ya' feel?" She asked happily, scooting a few steps back so Bot could hop off the operating table.
Bot replied with a small chuckle, "Hey, Test Tube! I feel just fine..! I-Is everything alright with me? No malfunctions or viruses?" They asked curiously, noticing that Test Tube was her giddy self in the moment, so the chance of something being wrong was low - they just wanted to double check.
"Oh, not at all; quite the opposite, actually! Everything seems to be running smoothly, so instead of immediately turning you back on, I decided to add some fun little enhancements to your programming!" Test Tube replied whilst flapping her hands, before reaching next to them and picking up a notebook with her sloppy writing.
"I made sure to write every addition down onto this notepad so the both of us can remember! I'll make an extra page so you can keep it for yourself." She spoke to Bot without looking directly at them, instead looking down at her notepad, flipping over the written page to rip off a blank piece of paper, grabbing her retractable pen and repeatedly clicking the button while she gathered her thoughts, pinning the blank paper against her metal desk sitting next to the operating table.
"You seem to be.. Quite excited, huh? Well, w-whatever additions they are, I'm sure they're real fun if they've got you this happy..!" Bot said awkwardly, clasping their hands together and forcing a smile. As grateful as they were for Test Tube's help to run maintenance checks on them and repair them if anything went wrong, they just wished she knew how to communicate more... They didn't even know what enhancements were installing in their system as they spoke, and that made them feel a tad uncomfortable.
"Oh, they're definitely amazing, it'll knock your socks right off!" Test Tube said, still not facing Bot, "Alright, let's see here... So, I managed to find a way to code some fun little behaviors inside of you, and, uh.." She stopped her writing for a second to look up at Bot curiously. "You.. You like butterflies, right? That's what your remodel is based off of, correct?" She said nervously, pushing her slightly smudged glasses back up onto her face, making sure they didn't fall off - they're quite large, after all.
Bot gave her a nod with a smile, a little more genuine than the last, and a thumbs up for extra confirmation. "Yep! Butterflies are super rad, and well... I feel a sense of connection with them... Metaphorically, at least!"
"'Metaphorically' no more, my beloved Bot! These new updates not only give you the instincts of an actual butterfly, I've added some features to make you look more like one, too!" Test Tube said with a grin, grabbing a small hand mirror and handing it to Bot.
Bot looked at themselves in the mirror, and much to their surprise, Test Tube wasn't bluffing; atop their head were two antennae nearly identical to a butterfly's, and when they opened their mouth, a thin yet long dark green tongue rolled out, simulating a butterfly's proboscis. A bit startled by the sight, they quickly stuck their tongue back inside their mouth.
"T-This is.. Wow.. Uhm.." Bot said, tripping over their own words, trying to think up a compliment whilst fighting the urge to lecture Test Tube about her impulsive actions. "It's.. I-Interesting!" They replied, looking up at her nervously, gripping the hand mirror tightly.
"Is something the matter, Bot?" Test Tube asked, genuinely oblivious to how this could pose as a problem for Bot. She thought to herself, 'Golly... did they not like butterflies anymore? Maybe the proboscis was too much? They looked kinda scared--'
Test Tube's nervous thinking was quickly cut off by Bot deciding to gain the courage to put their foot down. "Test Tube, t-this update is actually really really cool, I love it! But... Next time, can you tell me about these things... y'know, before you do them? I'd like to know what is happening to my own body... I-I know you didn't mean anything bad by it, really! But, it's just... I guess I wasn't prepared for this...? I mean, imagine waking up from surgery, and you find out the doctor decided to give you claws for hands because they just felt like it... It's cool as heck, but communication is key, Test Tube."
"Oh! Ohh.. Yeah.." Test Tube frowned a bit, feeling guilty for rushing into this idea so quickly. "Gee.. I'm real sorry, Bot. Like you said, I didn't mean anything by it, but you're right.. I should've asked prior." She nodded, understanding their concern. "If you want, I can try and undo what I added! I understand this is probably overwhelming..."
"N-No, no need to do that." Bot said with a soft smile. "Like I said before, I really like these new additions. Just take what I said into consideration for future reference, okay...?" Bot requested, and Test Tube obliged with a nod and a smile. "Of course, Bot."
As Test Tube finished writing on the page in front of her, she picked it up from the table and handed it to Bot. "Here, I wrote down a bulleted list of the updates, along with sub-bullets explaining what they do, and some troubleshooting methods if anything goes wrong. But if there's anything you need help with that's not on the list, you know who to call!" She said with a goofy grin, adjusting her large square glasses.
Bot nodded happily and carefully folded the paper in their hands, reducing its size to a small square. "Thank you so much, Test Tube! I'll definitely make sure to let you know if there's anything off!" They smiled, a truly genuine one this time, before hugging Test Tube, realizing how grateful they are to have such a loving mother as her. After letting her go, they began to happily walk towards the exit, a skip in their step, as they finally left her 'secret laboratory.'
As they walked along the grass, they were finally alone with their thoughts, processing everything that had just occurred, and suddenly stopped in their tracks, a thoughtful realization finally popping into their head.
'Wait... a butterfly's instincts?’