Lilly's debt

You enter your ship and leave the door open as Lilly requested. You stand, leaning against the wall, expecting an unnecessarily flashy entrance from Lilly. Instead, you see Sherbet float cautiously through the hangar with Lilly following her closely.

As the ramp rises and the door closes you walk Lilly through your ship, talking about how she will continue to stay hidden from the vanguard while living in the tower with you, and what exactly she needs to comfortably inhabit your ship.

Eventually the entire crew of The Wayward Son with the exception of Failsafe was grouped in the control room. You were obviously acting as a translator for Flora and Lilly to communicate.

Lilly stands and breaks the conversations with a mechanical yawn. She sits back down, the humming that accompanies her voice sounding without words in a sigh. "You have an extra bed I can use?"

You sigh before explaining that she could stay in the barracks, but that they were a less than ideal living space, designed for mass storage of rank and file soldiers without comfort in mind. You didn't ask, but you also thought about why an exo would need sleep.

"I guess that's alright." She stands with another, though this time subtle, sigh.

"You can sleep in my bed." You suggest.

"Where would you sleep?"

You shrug. "I'll take the barracks, or the floor."

Lilly shakes her head in a flustered manner. "You've done quite enough for me already!" She folds her arms with a hint of aggression. "You don't have to sacrifice your bed for me too."

You smile as you shake your head and fold your own arms, teasing the exo in front of you. "I'm only saying that for a long time I was sleeping on the ground in the Exodus Black, if at all" You shrug. "So really the barracks aren't that bad for me." You lean forward towards Lilly. "But for a guardian?" You tease. "I'm not sure..."

Lilly lets out a frustrated grunt and sits back down. "Why do you even care? I already told you it was fine for you to keep your bed!"

You shrug. "I'm only trying to be a good host, so if you would rather use the barracks, use the barracks." You stand and begin walking to your room.

"You'll have to show me where the barracks are."

You sigh and continue walking. "Follow me."

You walk your way to the barracks, a small area with walls covered in upright beds designed to save space.

Lilly files in behind you and looks around before raising a finger. "Anywhere else?" She folds her arms. "That isn't your room."

You gesture to an airlock. "You could try sleeping in the drop pods."

"Fine!" Lilly throws her hands up. "I'll take your bed!"

You shake your head. "No one was forcing you to."

Lilly beging walking away, but stops abruptly before turning around. "You need to show me where it is..." She walks to your side.

You open the door to your room and gesture Lilly inside. She enters and you follow closely behind her, shushing Failsafe as you enter.

You lift Failsafe and begin to leave, but Lilly's voice stops you.

"Don't sleep in those barracks." She sighs. "Here, I'll take the floor." She steps away from your bed.

"Just sleep together..." Failsafe interjects in a gloomy tone. "You owe him. Don't you?"

"I do, but I don't see how sleeping in the same bed is going to relieve me of my debts." She seems flustered, if only a little.

You place Failsafe on the workbench and shrug. "You should make your decision." You say with a yawn. "I'm tired."

Lilly lays on the ground. "A blanket would be nice."

"Do you even need it?" You toss her a tarp that was folded in a drawer in your workbench.

"That works." Lilly tilts her head and places the tarp. "I'll change and be right back." She leaves the room and returns shortly after. She is now wearing a faded pink tank top and a pair of loose-fitting, baby blue shorts.

You lay in your bed and listen to the soft buzzing of Lilly's mechanical breathing.

Eventually, you drift to sleep.

...

You wake up to the sound of your door opening followed by the sounds of Failsafe's voice. You sit up in your bed for a second and give the room an absent-minded glance before laying back and closing your eyes. Sighing as you turn onto your stomach to feel your erection press into your mattress.

You could practically feel yourself drift to sleep as Lilly enters the room and closes the door behind her. You sit up again and ask why she moved Failsafe.

Lilly lets out a sigh and sits at the edge of your bed. "I was thinking about what she said." She lays back onto your bed, her legs still hanging from the edge. "I do owe you big time." She begins to kick her legs about slightly. "She suggested I sleep with you." Her legs stop moving as she pauses her speech. "We both know what she really meant... The way she said it. I think she has a thing for you." She chuckles. "That's weird for an A.I." She sits up and looks of her hands. "I guess I can't really talk." The stands and moves to lay in bed next to you. "Anyway, that's what got me thinking about this." She tucks herself into your sheets. "I don't think anyone has ever even thought about being in a serious relationship with me, much less having sex." She glances away from you. "If I'm honest I've thought about it more than I'd care to admit, but I always threw away the thoughts." She sighs. "Just because I'm an exo, no one pays much attention to me for anything but my work." She turns her whole body to face you. "So even if we won't be in any kind of serious relationship, even if it is only to pay off even just a little bit of what I owe you... I'd like to at least experience what it's like when people are a part of one." She turns back onto her back. "You obviously don't have to-" She starts before your turn to your side and face her, gently pressing your finger against her synthetically soft lips.