Haley Thistle
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Robot Boyfriend: Ares (complete)
🕑 Added 2020-07-23 19:01:01 +0000 UTC
You’re still getting used to your big move, and this new job is very different from what you expected. Hephaestus Academy is huge, and the mech shop you work in feels like it’s the size of a mall, two stories with an open plaza in the center. You have a workshop on the second floor completely dedicated to soldering and tight repair work. You see a lot of students daily, but mostly your skills have been used for emergency calls.
You enjoy your job, and breaking away from your old one, but this place is filled to the brim with people - heroes-in-training, teachers, all sorts of staff, and professional heroes. It’s enough to make your head spin. Luckily, when you’re in your own personal workshop, you don’t have to deal with crowds as much. Your co-worker in the shop next to you, Heidi, operates a 3D printer to make replacement parts, and the two of you have developed a pretty good friendship. She’s shown you around the campus, and so far has been the only roommate in your new apartment. You have lunch with her when you can.
“Ares should be coming back any day now,” she says offhandedly one day.
You stop in the middle of taking a bite of food and give her a puzzled look. “Who?”
Heidi gasps. “Oh that’s right, he went on a mission before you came.” She leans forward across the table. “He’s a pro hero, and a teacher here at the academy. He runs the Robot Wellness and Being courses.”
“I thought that was Mina’s class?” you inquire.
“Mina helped start it, but it was Ares’s passion project. He’s one of the few robots on staff who still takes on pro hero work. Most of the others have retired or focus on teaching.”
You furrow your brow. “Is there a reason for that?”
“It’s the stigma,” Heidi answers bluntly. “Even if Hephaestus is one of the most famous and loved heroes in the game, there’s a bias against robot heroes. People feel like they can’t trust them. Some robots get tired of that, so the academy has allowed them to teach students and hopefully bring an end to prejudice.”
“I don’t really keep up with the hero business,” you admit. “This is my first time really being immersed in it. I never really paid attention before.”
“It’s not something most people are aware of. I wasn’t until I started working closely with them here.” Heidi takes a sip of her drink and sighs. “Ares keeps going at it because he believes if he stops fighting, then he proves them all right. He was made by Dr. Lightning, Hephaestus’ archenemy, to be the perfect tool for bringing Hephaestus down.”
You’re a bit surprised. “Then why is he working here?”
Heidi has a sparkle in her eye when she talks about these things. You’ve noticed she flirts with some of your robot coworkers and is often hanging out with them. She’s admitted to being a robot fangirl when she was a teenager.
“I’m not sure of the details, but I think when Dr. Lightning tried to dismantle Ares after failing so many times, Ares turned on him and went to Hephaestus for help. He and Ares consider each other brothers now.”
“But don’t people think he’s just trying to do what he was made to do? Oh...” You realize it as soon as you say it. That’s exactly why Ares continues to be a pro hero.
Heidi nods solemnly. “There are those who still see Ares as a villain, and a creation of Dr. Lightning. He has to work to maintain his place.”
“That’s tough,” you remark. You fear it sounds a bit cold, but you have a hard time working up emotion over it.
You’re pretty tired. Having to move for this job was a blessing, because you were growing exhausted of your old life. You had been right out of college, and you were excited and optimistic about your first big job, but you were overlooked and used so your co-workers could move ahead. Over time it wore you down. You closed yourself off and kept yourself distant from anyone, and you only opened up to Heidi because she reminded you of your little sister.
A few days later, as you’re coming into work you see someone new in the mech shop. He’s well over ten feet tall, and it’s not often you feel like the short one in a room. He’s cherry red and gold all over, with a broad chest and shoulders. One shoulder is spiked, while his chestplate rises up like a cowl on the other. His biceps are gold cord and metal, and his forearms are massive red cannons with floating black fingers. His head looks like a Grecian war helmet, with sharp jagged angles around his chin and a fin jutting from the top, and the Y-shaped opening in the front shows only a set of glowing red eyes.
He turns as you walk in, and his eyes flicker as he extends his hand down to you. “You must be the new soldering specialist I’ve been hearing about. I’m Ares.”
You feel a pulse of excitement as you take his hand - or rather, one of his fingers. There’s something intriguing, even romantic about his design. All of his sharp angles somehow flow together to cut a dramatic and elegant figure.
“I saw some of your work on one of my students,” Ares replies. “It was shoddy at best.”
For a moment, you expected to be complimented. Your heart drops like a stone into your stomach.
Ares continues, “I understand there is a grace period for getting used to things around here, but you cannot dawdle with it. You need to learn fast! You’re a specialist, and no doubt you’ve already seen some professionals in need of proper care. I hope to God you didn’t treat them the way you did my student.”
You’re too shocked and ashamed to speak.
“I expect better here,” Ares says before he turns and walks away from you. You scowl after him. Typical, you think. It figures someone with the name ‘Ares’ would behave in such a way. You sweep this under the rug, for now, and get to work.
With Ares’ return there is a new, heavy presence in the shop. He comes in often with his students, and he sometimes oversees the jobs when professional heroes are brought in for repairs or maintenance. One day, you’re working with Heidi on a student who had taken some chassis damage, and the two of you are piecing things back together as well as forging replacement parts. Ares is there, talking to his student throughout all of it. His voice is kind and gentle, and for a moment you believe his previous callous words came from protectiveness.
“Watch what you’re doing!” Ares suddenly snaps at Heidi.
“Sorry, sir,” Heidi says apologetically.
Ares’ eyes flash brighter. “‘Sorry’ won’t cut it if you make a mistake.”
“She said she was sorry!” you bark at him. “We’re not working on you, we’re trying to accommodate your student. So be grateful or back off.”
Ares turns his gaze on you. “The student is exactly who I am worried for. We hire the best here, so I expect the very best.”
“It’s hard enough to work knowing that, but it’s even harder when we have someone breathing down our necks. I know you hero types get off on being watched all the time, but some of us prefer to work in private.”
“Oh...” The student gasps, then quickly looks at Heidi.
Ares scoffs. “Who are you? Where the hell did you come from?”
“The ass of the last person who stepped on my toes.” You aren’t sure it makes sense, but something about Ares makes you reckless.
“Careful, now,” Ares growls. “There’s a child present.”
“And they need my help. So if you don’t mind...” You turn back to working on the student, which Heidi seems grateful for.
That afternoon, as you’re packing up your equipment, there is a shadow in your doorway. Ares is standing there, and he lets himself in as you slam a toolbox drawer closed. “I’m done for the day. If you want to tell me I’m doing a shit job, wait until tomorrow so I’m on the clock for it.” You take your hair down from its ponytail and scratch the back of your neck.
“I’m warning you,” he starts. “Next time you want to go off to me, do not do it in front of my students.”
“Fine,” you agree. “But you could have said before. I was willing to let bygones be bygones. Bringing it up now only makes me remember how aggravating it was.”
“I had been told you were a dream to work with. How badly did you have to lie during your interview?” Ares asks.
You scowl up at him. “Like you’re any better? Just because you’re pretty to look at doesn’t mean your caramel-filled. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a frozen burrito waiting on me at home.”
Ares scoffs as you walk past him. “Well, you certainly aren’t caramel-filled either.”
You turn to look back at him. “Excuse me?”
Ares goes stiff and quiet. You narrow your eyes at him before rolling them. “Doesn’t matter. I guess I”ll be seeing you tomorrow.”
“Let’s hope it's a better day,” Ares grumbles before walking away as well.
It sucks that he’s hot, you think. But you suppose there are plenty of good-looking assholes in the sea.
It’s not until a few days later that you cross paths with Ares again. This time, he’s the one on the repair table. Some of his fingers were injured during a test, and it’s your job to piece them back together. “Listen, let’s keep chatting to a minimum,” you start off. “I’ll ask you questions, and you answer. Sound good?”
Ares grumbles. “Fine by me.”
“Good.” You tie back your hair and sit down beside him, lining up your equipment on the worktable. “Before I begin, do you feel any discomfort or any urgency?”
“No,” he huffs. “Just the need to get out of here.”
“Then we’re on the same page. Just say ‘banana’ if anything hurts.” You put on your protective goggles and get to work, and an interval of quiet passes between you. As you fix the wiring in his hand, you notice that the sum of his parts seem rather hastily slapped together. It’s surprising he’s lasted so long. “I’m surprised the wiring in your fingers is so simple,” you remark. “I would have thought Dr. Lightning would have gone all-out.”
Ares slightly tilts his head towards you, then sighs. “So you noticed?”
“Not to be rude. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” You shake your head, then stop for a moment to stretch your fingers. “I could probably build a better set from scrap than what I’m seeing here.” You give his one repaired finger a coating of oil, letting it sink into the joints.
Ares’ eyes go dim, and you can barely see them glowing within the opening in the helmet. “He made certain parts to be disposable. It was something else he took greater care in when constructing me.”
“What? Like a bomb?”
Ares’ silence is telling.
“Ah.” You sink back in your seat. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s still inside, but it’s been disabled,” he grumbles. “Something Hepheastus did for me, even though we were still enemies.”
You focus on his hands as you piece his next finger back together. “So, you really weren’t made with any thought other than Dr. Lightning pressing a detonate button? That’s rough, buddy.”
Ares chuckles and shakes his head. “That’s pretty much the sum of it.” He settles back a little more easily on the table. “I thought I was made for something, but I was really only made in frustration, like an over-complicated cartoon trap.”
“Have you ever worked as an intern?” you ask to help him save face. “It’s about the same. You do all the work, every bit of it, and still you’re the disposable one.”
It’s quiet again for a long moment. Ares flinches, and you move the soldering iron away from his hand. “Banana?” you ask.
Ares huffs. “A little one.”
You smooth oil over the surface of the next finger and let it sit for a moment.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you the day before,” Ares grumbles. “There’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have talked to a coworker like that. But I’m the first line of defense for my students, and I get very protective of them.”
“Thank you.”
Ares turns his head in your direction. “And?”
You arch your eyebrows. “What do you mean ‘and’?”
Ares’ eyes flicker a bit brighter. “Don’t you feel like you owe me some sort of apology?”
You look back down at your work. “Not particularly. But if it helps things quiet down, I’m sorry I smarted off to you in front of your student.”
Ares growls. “That will do, I suppose.”
It’s silent again. You try to think about what else to say.
“I meant it when I said I could build you a better hand,” you finally say. “Sturdier and with better wiring, so maybe there won’t be a delay in your reflexes.”
“How long would it take?” Ares asks.
“I’m not sure.” You turn off the soldering iron and remove the goggles. “I would need specs and to really get intimate with your wrist. But I could probably have a mockup in a week, and something solid in a month, depending on how regular work goes.”
Ares sits up and flexes his freshly repaired hand. “Let me think about it.”
“I get it - new hand, dealing with me. It’s a complicated decision.” You stand up and stretch your back and arms. “You know where to find me when you make up your mind.”
“It’s not that,” Ares says gently. “It’s...” He goes quiet as he rises from the work table. “Never mind. It’s none of your concern. Thank you. It’s very obvious you are the best at what you do. I’m sure what happened before was a fluke.”
You’re not sure how to respond. “Aww, you can be nice.”
His eyes flash. “Have a good day, then.”
After that, the two of you are more civil when you have to work together. Over time, you go from respectful silence to warm greetings. You find yourself smiling at him as time goes on.
“That’s new,” Heidi murmurs one day.
You huff and cup your cheek. “It looks weird, doesn’t it?”
“If someone didn’t know you, they might find you warm,” Heidi replies. “What’s going on? I thought you two couldn’t stand one another.”
“I don’t know. I think I must be coming down with something,” you grumble.
“Sure, let’s go with that,” Heidi teases.
Soon, Ares goes out on another mission. For the first few days everything is fine, but after a week you begin to worry. You’re not sure why you feel so concerned about him. All you know is that it’s hard to shake a feeling of dread.
One night, you’re woken from a sound sleep by an emergency call, and asked to come into the mech shop immediately. Ares has been severely injured on assignment and needs repairs, immediately, or his life could be in danger.
You’ve never seen the mech shop in such chaos before. Ares is unconscious in the emergency wing, already being worked on. He’s taken damage to his back, and his left arm and shoulder are beyond repair. He’ll need new ones built. Right away you get to work, and you nearly have to sit inside his chest to reach the parts there. Hours of work pass like days. Finally, Ares is stabilized, and you’re able to rest. But you want to keep working. You join Heidi and a few mechanics in reconstructing his arm and shoulder, and you decide to rebuild his right hand in the process.
Ares remains in the emergency wing of the shop for a few days, unconscious while he recuperates. One day as you’re working, attaching a few new wires to his arm, his head turns.
“I wake up, and the first thing I see is you?” he sighs.
You’re shocked, but immediately the feeling is swept away by relief. “Sorry about that. But they hired only the best to deal with you.”
“Were you scared?” Ares asks.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with one of my coworkers almost dying. I sat in your chest.” You poke his fully-repaired breastplate. “I quite literally held your heart in my hands. Don’t fucking risk yourself like that again.”
His eyes are dim, but they pulse a little brighter. “That was you?”
“For seven solid hours it was.” You snip off the excess wire. “Now, I’m finally constructing those new hands.”
Ares sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know what happened.”
“You don’t need to. Don’t think about it.”
“I can’t help it,” he murmurs. “It just… it makes my decision so much harder on me.”
You look up at his eyes with a frown. “Decision?”
“You can’t speak of this to anyone,” he says. “I don’t even know what I’m thinking.” He lifts his right arm and flexes his fingers. “I’ve been considering going into retirement.”
“Hmm.” You nod.
“That’s it?” Ares snaps. “That’s all you can say?”
“Who am I to say anything?” you scoff. “This is your decision. I don’t know your reasons or desire for it, all I know about you is that you’re an asshole.”
Ares chuckles. “You’re so kind. You know just what to say.” He sighs heavily. “I keep fighting and fighting, and I’ve lost track of what I’m fighting for.”
“For good?” You shrug.
“I used to believe that,” he murmurs. “But lately I keep feeling as though I only do it for myself, and what’s the point in that? Heroes are supposed to be about the people they protect.”
“Well, you used to be a bad guy, right? Haven’t you always been doing this just to prove you’re a good guy now?”
Ares goes quiet.
“Look, I’m just some asshole. I never gave two shits about this hero business. But if you’re tired, that doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It just means you’re tired.”
“That sounds too nice coming from you.”
“I know.” You plop down beside him to clear away your tools. “So I’m going to jab you with a soldering iron for a while.”
“Much better.” Ares’ voice sounds surprisingly sweet.
With about a month and a half of work, you and Heidi finish crafting Ares’ new arm and shoulder. Until then he’s been mainly teaching, and taking no new missions, and he’s eager to come into the shop to have it attached.
“How does it feel?” you ask when it’s done. “I have some exercise I want you to do just so you can get used to the new equipment. Also, if you end up liking that new hand, Heidi and I are already beginning the process of making the right one.”
“It feels surprisingly light,” Ares remarks.
“Heidi’s work. She used a material that’s stronger and more resilient than the scrap Dr. Lightning must have used before.” You take his hand and bend each finger back and forth. “Any discomfort?”
“Your hands,” Ares murmurs. “They feel… warm.”
“You have temperature gauges and touch receptors now,” you reply. “They should make things a lot easier for you.” You smile up at him. “My own touch.”
“I like it,” he murmurs.
“You deserve better. You’re not a weapon anymore, Ares.” Your face burns, and you turn away and clear your throat. “Anyway… I’ll message you those exercises. Try to do them twice a day if possible.”
Ares’ hand rests on your shoulder. “Thank you so much.”
As you turn to look up at him, his hand cups your cheek. You flinch, unused to being touched, but so desperately needing it. “Hey, what’s this about?”
“Your skin...” he says. “It’s soft.” His thumb brushes over your lips. “This is… strange.”
“Yeah, it is.” You push his hand away.
“Your cheeks are red,” he remarks.
You scowl up at him, then quickly look away. “Be careful from now on, okay? That’s some of my best work in that arm. I’d hate for you to gallivant out again only to get it ripped off by some kaiju or evil scientist.”
Ares’ laugh is soft and barely there. “You think I’m going to gallivant again?”
“I think you’re going to worry about your students,” you answer. “You aren’t going to sit still while they’re out there.”
Ares sighs. “I suppose you’re right.” He taps his finger against your lips. “Thanks again for this. I owe you.”
You press your own fingers to your lips and watch Ares as he walks out of the room. You’re not sure what that touch meant, but he’s obviously enjoying the new sensors.
One evening, you’re working late. The day has been grinding on, with countless small jobs being dropped on your desk, so you haven’t been able to finish your end-of-month report. You’ve stayed late, especially since your new neighbor has what sounds like fifty kids in their apartment. As you go through the stack of paperwork, there’s a knock at the door. Lifting your head, you see Ares standing in the doorway. “Oh it’s you,” you yawn. “Still here?”
“What about you?” he asks. “Everyone else in the mech shop is gone, save for the emergency wing. What are you doing here?”
You scratch your temple, glancing back to the seemingly insurmountable stack of papers before you. “Just stuff.”
Ares stands over you, then crouches down and takes a seat on the repair table. “That’s rough, buddy.”
You smile to yourself at his joke. “What about you?”
He shrugs. “I always like to make sure everyone gets home.” He glances out the door as the hall lights start flickering off. “I wanted to check and make sure you were okay before I left.”
You stretch in your chair and lean back. “Today was supposed to be a paperwork day, but life had other plans for me. If I don’t get it turned in by tomorrow, I’ll be in trouble.”
Ares tilts his head to the side. “I can always put in a good word for you.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll push through it.” You place your hand on his arm. “How is this treating you?”
“It’s amazing. I wouldn’t mind you redoing the entire right arm as well.” He flexes his arm, then moves it so your hand falls into his. “I still can’t get over how warm you feel.”
Your cheeks burn as he says this. You slowly start to pull your hand away, but he holds it. You feel a tremor in your chest and you swallow a lump in your throat. You glance up at Ares’ face, meeting the glow of his eyes.
“I can always work with Heidi again to upgrade you,” you say quietly. You roll your chair closer to him. “We can...” You tuck your hair behind your ear, then touch his right arm again. “Considering this is your dominant arm, we can strengthen it with better armor and outfit it with special weaponry.” Your hand slides along his shoulder, then along his chest. “And we can put another heat sensor here, so you’ll be able to tell if your core is overheating.” Your hand trails down further to his waist. “And this whole mesh area we can outfit with a… um...” You gulp again. “We can outfit it with a synthetic skin layer. It’ll be soft to touch and much more protective to your core.”
Glancing up, you notice his eyes are wholly on you. Your mouth goes a little dry, and you quickly pull away. “If there are any other special attachments you would want, let me know, and I can always draw up plans.”
“That all sounds amazing. I would love to work more closely with you on such a thing. I think it’s about time I upgraded, even if I am going to take a break for a while.”
“You are?” you blurt.
Ares nods. “I’m tired.”
You smile softly at him. “Well, I should get back to this paperwork.”
“Yeah, of course. I won’t keep you then.” Ares murmurs. He hesitates in the doorway. “Thank you again for taking care of me.”
You turn and jump up from your chair. There is a feeling in your chest you can’t ignore. “Would you mind walking me to get some food?” you ask suddenly.
Ares nods. “I’d love to.”
Over the next few days, you make a habit of walking home with Ares. You’ll sometimes stop and get food, or you’ll end up chatting with him the entire time. But he’s always there when you leave for the day. One evening, while the two of you are standing at your door, you pop the question. “Would you like to come inside?” you ask.
Ares nods. “Sure, if you’ll have me.”
He ducks as he comes through the doorframe, and sits down on the floor so his head isn’t butting the ceiling. You feel nervous all of a sudden, but you’re more happy that Ares is there with you.
“I was curious to know what your home would be like,” Ares remarks. “Have you not finished unpacking?”
“No. I’ve been taking my time.” You sit down beside him with a beer and sigh as you relax. “I’ve not really felt like it.”
Ares touches your cheek, brushing your hair from your face. As his fingertips brush past your lips, you impulsively lick them. Ares flinches, then places his thumb against your lips again. “What was that?”
“I was a bit curious to see if you’d notice,” you chuckle shyly. “Sorry.”
“No, do it again.” Ares says.
You set your beer aside and part your lips, letting his finger press your tongue. Ares pulls you in closer, into his lap. His fingers brush against your skin, touching you all over. You whimper softly. You haven’t been held or touched like this in so long. You take hold of his hand, showing him where to touch you.
“I want to touch more,” Ares whispers into your ear. “I want to feel all of you.”
You nod your head, unable to speak while your mind swims. You let Ares strip away your clothes until you’re naked on his lap. His hands roam your body, squeezing your waist, cupping your breasts, all while your mind turns to static.
Ares moves his fingers lower, rubbing two between your thighs. You whimper loudly, grabbing his shoulders of balance. Ares moans too, his arm shivering as he touches you. “It’s so hot here, so wet.” His voice is a low, sensual moan. “It makes me excited.” He presses a finger inside you, and his whole body tenses. “It feels good.”
You cry out like a squeaky toy. Embarrassed, you hide your face against his neck. “It does,” you moan. “I think… I think your sensors might be turned up too high.”
Ares’ thick finger pushes deep inside you before withdrawing. His moans flood your mind while his fingers control your senses. “I can’t get over how wet it is,” he groans. “I want to make you feel more.”
You whimper against his neck. “Ares. I’ll come.”
His finger moves faster, hitting deep, then pulling all the way out. He adds another, stretching you so that all you can make are animal noises of pleasure. You eventually shudder and stop breathing. Your whole body twitches as you convulse around his fingers. Ares sigh, leaving his fingers inside until you slouch against his body.
“You were surprisingly good at that,” you pant as you catch your breath.
“I’ve had lovers before,” he replies. “I’ve just never… never felt it before.” He smooths his hand down your back and supports you as you relax. “I know the upgrade I want next, but only if you’ll be the one to test it with me.”
You smile shyly towards him. “Your fingers aren’t enough?”
Ares dips down and presses his forehead against yours. “They’ll do, but I still owe you. And I owe you a lot of love.”
“Okay.” You cup his face in your palms. “I think I can whip something up for you.”
Comments
Jennifer Lynn Bolan
This is a delight!
Jennifer Crofts
Oh. My. God. I am obsessed with this. I have to commission a robot story soon. No other creator I can find writes about robot boyfriends like this. Love your work!!
