Wake her up, quick

Your mind races with the realization that you've crossed the line. An acute sense of guilt stings you. Yu being next to naked in front of you makes it worse. This isn't what you intended all along, is it?

Part of you - a dark, smiling, hungry part whispers that it'll be all right. That you'll take care of Yutong. That with your powers, and Yu's new mindset, it'll be a victimless crime.

But the bright part of you, ragged and flagging as it is, rallies at the last moment and affords you a last burst of willpower. You need to fix this. To get Yu back to normal and put an end to this test.

"Enough. That's enough. Put on your clothes." The effort of saying the words costs something from you. You feel tired.

Yutong redresses, following the command.

"Terminate."

The instant she switches, Yu blinks, and the robotic demeanor vanishes. She looks around, confused, and her eyes widen as she realizes what just happened. The blush that spreads across her cheeks contrasts starkly with the flat emotionlessness of her robotic state moments prior.

"Chase! W-What the heck was that?" she stammers, quickly wrapping her arms around herself, despite being fully dressed again.

You run a hand through your hair, a mix of liberated exhilaration and leaden guilt pulling you in opposite directions. "I'm sorry, I made a mistake. I wanted to test till failure, but things just never failed." Not exactly the truth, but it's the only way you see a way out. "I didn't expect it to get that intense."

"I felt like I was in some screwed up, sexist sci-fi film," Yu blusters. "What did you think would happen when you told me to take off unnecessary clothes? What does that even mean?"

You take a deep breath, trying to select the right words. "I needed to make sure you could operate without emotions. And I, uh, maybe I went a bit too far."

"You had me acting like a f-freaking Playboy model!" Yu trembles as she speaks.

You burn with shame. "I never would have asked if I thought you'd actually go through with it," you swear. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, really!"

"Well, you did!" she replies sharply.

Yu's frustration and discomfort are palpable. You've done it. You've hurt Yu. The one person who's never done anything other than want the best for you. This might be it. You broke your friendship.

A deep sense of loss swirls around you. All this for that thrill. That brilliant spark where for a second, everything seemed to say... yes.

"I messed up, Yu. I'm really, really sorry," you say, immensely conflicted. "I should've been more careful." The warning signs were there, you just ignored them.

Yutong, eyes shining, sighs. "This went way beyond testing your powers, Chase. It was invasive and just... not okay. But..."

But? You perk up, hopefully.

She makes a frustrated sound. "But it's clear you need my help more than ever. Gosh, what are we going to do about this?"

Oh. Your earlier claim's still in effect. Does that mean...?

"That - what you did was egregious. Even as a test. Even as a prank. I can't believe you made me take off my clothes, what the heck made you think I'd be okay with that?" But Yu's tone is one you've heard before. She's livid, but she's lecturing you. It's controlled.

Your hope grows. This isn't the end. "Well, when I asked you said - "

Yu slaps her forehead. "I was in robot mode, you blockhead," she says in exasperation.

Blockhead? Heh - you've really done it this time.

"When you asked," Yu continues, "I - I mean I knew it was wrong. I knew wouldn't normally do it, but I felt... nothing. Nothing except this drive complete the task and... and fulfill my function. And when I was posing it was just this, this steady satisfaction that I was executing a task." She shudders.

You feel bad about what you've done, but you put a stop to it, didn't you? "Good thing I didn't ask you to take all your clothes off..." That would've been a real disaster.

She winces. "Logically... yes, it was just my underwear. It could've been worse. But I thought that at the time too, and..." She shakes her head. "Do you know how scary that was?"

"At the time? Or -"

"Chase." Yu's tone is one of reprimand. "The way you set it up with your claims, I didn't have a choice. Neither did Pearl, maybe, but you didn't do anything like this with her. I'm supposed to help you figure out your powers, so you better listen when I tell you, you went too far."

"I know, I know. I messed up," you admit, feeling that knot of guilt in your stomach again. "I got carried away, and I'm really sorry, Yu."

Yutong looks at you for a moment, her expression softening, but disappointed. "Just... be more mindful, okay? Especially with what you tell me to do while I'm in robot mode. I get that you're excited about your powers, but you can't forget the impact they have. Not everything's a science experiment, Chase. I'm not."

She's right. For a second there, you let yourself get carried away and treat Yu like an object. A robot. However exciting it was in the moment, however pretty Yutong was as she daintily picked up laundry or posed in her underwear from you, what you did was wrong.

"You're right. 100%," you admit, rubbing the back of your neck. "I got caught up in the moment, and I shouldn't have." You spread your hands in apology. "Can we forget about this? Like it never happened?" Disappointment creeps into your words. "We really were making great progress until we went off the rails. Honestly, I really do think you're ready to get out there and knock everyone's socks off with your android moves."

Yutong takes a moment to think, but sighs. The edge has worn off. "I can't believe I'm relying on a robot impersonation to get through a party," she utters, her exasperation turning inward. "Chase, no more crazy tests without my permission, okay? My human mode permission."

You raise your hands in surrender. "No more crazy tests. I swear. Just the robot thing as a party trick and stage fright cure." You manage a smile. "Let's get out there, yeah? Let's have some fun."

She's conflicted after what just happened, but Yu's never been great at saying no to you. Just like when you ask to copy her homework, she eventually gives that weak, pretty smile you know so well. "Okay. We'll do it. But - I'm not forgiving you yet. We still need to talk about what you did. It has to have consequences."

The tension between you dissipates. Not entirely, but mostly. Yu's words mean less than she thinks they do. How many times have you screwed up, and she let it slide?This time is different, certainly. You've learned a hard lesson about what you're capable of if you're not careful.

Hopefully, your testing gone awry won't overshadow the rest of the night for Yutong, even though seeing her in her underwear has already overshadowed the rest of the night for you. You try to put the thought out of your mind, and keep your eyes and thoughts forward on Yu's surprise dance routine.

Yu leaves the room, and you follow behind.

If this goes well... maybe you'll be able to have even more fun together after the party?