OK! At first I wasn't sure what to think of you! Also at first I wasn't too sure about Aine's character at all for a lot of personal reasons. But! You completely changed all that for me with him and brought him to life and explained him so much and I associate you with Aine and your angst has the power to kill people over in one reading. Now I just wanna protect Aine with all of my soul. You are the loveliest of people, with all the passion in the world for you muse and I love talking to you!
He wasn’t sure how Ai had forgotten something like this. It as a pretty important thing as it was his only personal form of transportation outside of his legs. Then again, the more he thought about that that made it only an importance to himself. Ai was busy with work as much as he was. Well, he supposed it didn’t matter now. His bike was here again and even though not repaired, it would be soon.
When the other male offered yet again to pay for it all he was about to deny it again. Yet, it wasn’t like he knew this person and Ai was going to get it anyways. So he had no room left to do so.
“Fine. But make sure he gets you your money back.” His hands went to the bike to go stroll it up to the employees but he thought something. “Eh, what’s your name by the way? That way if this comes up with Ai I atleast know that.”
Well, technically now that he thought about it, it was his uncle’s credit card he was going to use. But honestly? The bluenet was pretty sure his uncle’s varied work as a professor and doctor paid him a lot. So something like this on his credit card bill wouldn’t hurt him too badly. It was just fixing a bike, right?
Aine merely nodded, following the other up to the register so they could check the bike for the service order. He blinked when his name was asked for by the other man; being inside of his home and avoiding strangers so frequently these days, he felt unaccustomed to being asked. (Yet, it was better than being called a thief.)
「It’s Aine.」
He showed the message from his phone. Short and simple enough, he hoped his name wouldn’t pry any further into his past.
He had never heard Ai mention anything about family members. Then again, he didn’t really pay much attention to most of the things any of the other three in Quartet Night said a good majority of the time. He also wasn’t much on a personal level with any of them for the most part. So he supposed it could have just been an unknown thing. There was also the uncanny resemblance.
He was tempted to argue against it, more so just for the sake of arguing at this point when the picture was pulled up for him. That sealed the deal of everything and now he was just standing there realizing he was overreacting.
“What’s taking him so long to get it fixed? I need it.” Shifting his weight from one leg to the other with an annoyed sigh at this whole situation, he guessed he really couldn’t hold anything against this person now.
“You don’t gotta pay for anything, it’s not your responsibility and i’d feel like even more of an ass for making you pay for it after all this and you are actually bringing it in. Just take it up there i’ll go pay ‘em and hopefully they can get it done soon.”
「I think he forgot. Maybe.」 At least that’s what the older male assumed, but he was never sure what was on Ai’s mind. To be fair on the android though, he did live in the dorms and only visited his uncle and him every other week. He would have to ask him later to figure out what happened.
「Don’t worry. I’ll pay in Ai’s stead. He can pay me back.」 The bluenet felt a bit petty holding it against his younger “cousin” without the latter knowing, but then again it was Ai who broke this man’s bike.
He realized that technically, as Ai’s older “cousin”, it was his duty to teach the younger what responsibility was. In a sense, it would make their relation more believable among Ai’s friends and acquaintances since Aine had recently came back.
「It’s only fair since he broke your bike. I’ll talk to him later.」
He stood there waiting. And more waiting. He was sure this person was trying to make up some kind of excuse. By now his patience was slipping quickly and if anymore bullshit was given, he might not hold his word to not say anything. This was a waste of his time when he knew what was his. What was his was not in his possession either.
Just about ready to make the announcement of the fact that there wasn’t anything else to say, he sighed as apparently there was since the phone was being typed on again.
Ai? How’d this guy know Ai? It was a little odd the fact that they looked so similar but that was besides the point.
“Yeah, that’s the little asshole that broke my bike. So what, you got some kinda quirk that you get the names of people you take shit from? Like to keep a record? Trophies, whatever. You’re wasting my time and I’m a busy person so really, just let me have it.”
「No no! You’ve got it wrong. Ai is my younger cousin.」 Quickly, he swiped to his phone’s homepage and showed his wallpaper, a recent picture of him and Ai with his uncle. It was the first “family” picture they had taken, though both of their smiles looked awkward, still unsure of the other’s feelings. The bluenet prayed that the picture would be enough for evidence.
Aine quickly swiped back to text and continued typing his explanation.
「I think he left your bike at my uncle’s house and I thought it was my uncle’s. I’m really sorry and I’ll pay for your bike damages, alright?」A part of him was reluctant for offering to pay because of all the hassle that he had just went through and that it was Ai’s fault to start with. However, this was the android’s acquaintance and Aine didn’t want to be a jerk in the end. Honestly, he could understand why the other male was angry.
He seriously needed to have a talk with Ai later about the proper way to borrow things.
The whole time he was watching this other male look dumbfounded. Of course there was shock. Anyone getting busted doing such a disgusting act as thieving would be. Red handed too. The uncanny resemblance to this person and in someone else however was almost unsettling. It was kind of distracting as well.
He was take out of his sudden shift in thinking when he seen the person fumbling for something. Was there going to be a call for someone to come and help? How about not.
If his attention hadn’t been caught by the fact that the phone was suddenly in his face he would have grabbed his bike and took off with it. Or atleast have tried to.
Taking a moment to read the message being presented to him, a scoff formed all over his face to match the tone that would slip out. “Trying to play a victim now? Eh? Or afraid to try to say something back because you know you’re wrong? I know people do what they need to do, so if you just give it back i’m not gonna get you in trouble or anything.” His arms were crossed over his chest and he shifted his weight to one leg. “It’s my bike. I was trying to teach someone how to ride a bike and they broke it. They were supposed to fix it. Funny you kinda look like him..Proof though, besides all the obvious messed up on it there’s a scratch on the paint under the bottom bar, there’s a ding in the metal on the back rim, and a spoke missing on the back too.” He stuck his hand out and waved his fingers from the bike to himself. “So give it here.”
Listening carefully to the other’s words, he was astonished that the stranger knew every bit of detail to the bike in question. He ended up doubting himself after the other male raised a point. Maybe it wasn’t his Uncle’s bike after all. It made sense, considering that he couldn’t even imagine the professor having the time to ride a bike in the first place.
But then that begged the question. How did this guy’s bike end up at the laboratory anyways?
“Funny you kinda look like him.”
Then those words hit him. He had to be the one behind this somehow. It was all starting to become clear to Aine. And it was unfortunate that he had to be the one caught in this mess.
Quickly, he typed another message, suddenly feeling tired at this big misunderstanding that was unknowingly caused by his robotic “twin”.
「I’m sorry. I don’t mean to change the topic on you… but are you by any chance acquainted to Ai?」
He watched as the confused look fell over Ai’s face. “Yeah, I had to come here to try to get a new one, because i’m tired of walking everywhere.” A huff fell from his mouth as he threw his hand in the air and took himself over. He might as well just fix it himself. It’d save him some money and he could have it done before this place could more than likely.
As he did, he was looking over the damage on the bike and trying to figure out if he could actually do it or not. Maybe. Perhaps. With some frustration.
It was only as he got closer he realized that the person holding his possession was indeed not Ai. There were a few noticeable differences anyways. “Ah?” Stopping what he was doing, he titled his head at the male and stared momentarily. “You’re not who I thought you were.” One more look down at the bike though and that he wasn’t wrong on.
“But that’s my bike and I know it. Which means you’re a damn thief. Gimme my bike goddamnit.”
What was this guy talking about? It was his uncle’s bike, wasn’t it? But judging from the rough man’s expressions, Aine wasn’t sure if he was lying or not.
It would have been nice if he was able to talk to ask these questions immediately and figure out something, but unfortunately he couldn’t. As he fumbled around for his phone, the other man took over to take a look at the bike.
However, the bluenet tilted his head when the other had stopped short to look at him.
…And suddenly called him a thief?! What was going on?!
After taking a few moments to calm himself down from suddenly being accused a thief, he managed to type a somewhat literate response to the strange man on his phone. Once he had finished, he almost pushed the device to the other’s face as he shakily held it out to be read.
「I’m not a thief! This is my uncles bike! And besides, why would a thief steal a broken bike??」
He was really beginning to wonder if he was ever getting his bike back at this point. It had been sometime and he sort of needed it. Resigning to the conclusion he had, there was a decision to just go buy a new one for now. When and if he got his back, it’s not like it’d hurt to have two anyways.
Though now, standing in the shop, he was suddenly reminded of how much they could run leaving him groaning to himself. Something coming through the door caught his attention as he was looking over the choices and was that? A finger was lifted and pointed directly at Ai then down to the bike in his colleague’s hand.
“Oi, you’re just now getting it fixed??”
He was still wondering about the state of the bike. Did his uncle get into an accident with it some time ago and had no time to fix it? That was strange though– for someone who built a robot like Ai, fixing a bike quickly should have been a cinch for his uncle.
Oh well, he didn’t really want to doubt the man. His uncle was extraordinarily busy so it was understandable.
Finally arriving at the bike shop, Aine wheeled in the broken bike. It was lucky that his uncle left his credit card lying on his desk. He wasn’t sure how much fixing a bike costed, but it probably wasn’t that terrible.
Upon entering the shop, he was stopped by a gruff voice. A silver-haired man with sharp eyes was pointing his finger at his direction. The bluenet glanced right, then left, then behind him, and then pointed at himself in confusion.
He had no idea why there was a broken bike in the garage at the lab, but he decided he could be useful and fix it for his uncle. Unfortunately, since he had absolutely no technical skill with these things, the bluenet had to haul it to the nearest bike shop.
It was weird though– his uncle never told him that biking was one of his hobbies.
(What can I say? You are the Aine! lol. You've been the fandom Aine and source of Aine info for forever and it's wonderful. You helped me come around to his character a ton. A ton a ton. I actually adore him now and get so many feels and algjelkgwj Aine. ;; I could honestly only ever look at your Aine for Aine.)
outofdreams; sjfmdkdkff you’re such a sweetie mibelle ;w; i cant deny im the alpha aine im crying I’m so touched aaahhhh and fufufu yes that means I’m closer to my goal of writing a biography about Aine…. [ looks into the distance ]
