Smooth operator. [TALLY!] [M/TW]

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Really? That's convenient," Bard said on a yawn as he nestled back into the covers. With his victory sealed and his energy spent from their rutting, he had no further use for Cameron at the moment.

"Get what sleep you need, and when you wake, tend to my laundry. Wake me at 8:30, and have breakfast made for the both of us. You'll find everything you need in the kitchen. Until then..."

He motioned Cameron closer, a lazy gesture with his hand. "Come, sleep with me."

[Tally]

Do his laundry, cook for him, clean for him, all after this. 

Something burned up Cameron's insides.  It seared, like hot coals in his head—anger?  Gods alive, he'd never felt anything like it before.  It terrified him, and he shied away from it and slid in next to Bard.

Should he lie against him?  Turn toward him, away?  He had no idea, so he just stayed flat on his back and stared at the ceiling.

"How will you get me off of Libra, sir?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Cameron didn't have to decide much, because Bard made the decision for him. Turning onto his side, he threw an arm over Cameron and curled into him, his fingers tracing along the lines of his cybernetic arm.

"Are you concerned?"

[Tally]

"I'm anxious."

Funny thing about the AI--it made it nearly impossible for Cameron to lie, but so long as he gave a complete answer it didn't care or even notice when he omitted the truth.

Bard had asked a question, and Cameron gave an answer comprehensive enough to satisfy the AI's need to provide information but vague enough to hide just what, exactly, Cameron was anxious about.

Because an insane idea had gripped him.  Even if it meant they took his limbs away, even if it meant they ripped out every bit of metal, even if it meant they took the reactor that had replaced his heart...he was going to make sure neither he nor Bard made it off of Libra.

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Don't be," Bard said, idly running his fingers through Cameron's hair and brushing against the metal bits built into his face. "I have connections, and you look...human enough with the right clothing choices. It's not the first time I've smuggled someone off Libra."

He let out a yawn and nuzzled his face against Cameron's shoulder. "We'll get your wing and be on our way before you even have time to fret."

[Tally]

Cameron clenched a fist into the sheets to keep from squirming as Bard insisted on touching the metallic additions dotting his face.  He could barely stand his clothes touching them.

Human enough.  Cameron's stomach plummeted at that turn of phrase.  It snapped some kind of tether in him, and gave in and sagged into the mattress next to Bard.

"Great."  A dull sarcasm hollowed out his voice.

Five hours later he woke and disentangled himself from Bard's bed.  He did Bard's laundry and began breakfast, moving in a mechanical monotony devoid of thought.  Hopefully Bard liked coffee because he brewed decaf, a petty revenge but the only one he had at the moment.

A sickening spark of happiness burst inside him as he completed his tasks.  He'd served his employer well, yay!  Fuck everything.

At 8:30 he returned to Bard's room and turned on every light possible, flooding the room in brightness, attempting to wake Bard without having to actually touch him.

"It's morning," he said in a flat voice.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Bard just about flailed awake when light flooded the room like a freshly detonated nuke. He kicked off the covers and sat up, shielding his eyes with a hand and glowering in Cameron's direction when he announced the obvious.

He had several choice words on the tip of his tongue when he spotted the digital clock on the wall behind Cameron's head, and stopped. 8:30. Fuck. Well. He had told him to wake him up at 8:30, and wake him up he did.

"...So it is," he said instead, and brushed a hand through his hair and squinted his eyes. "Perhaps a different method, next time, with less light? Like a nudge?"

[Tally]

"Yes, sir," Cameron muttered, and he turned the lights down a bit.  That simple act, fulfilling even that small need of Bard's, stoked a pleasant warmth in him.  A task well done, a master well-served. 

Fuck Bard.

He was getting angry again.  Cameron took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Breakfast is ready," he said, a little more collected that time.