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It was an accident, really. A miscalculation, or perhaps something else that sadly M3gan had no control over, like luck.
A faulty skillet and a spillage of sizzling contents on her arm was enough for hot oil to start eating through her synthetic skin. Megan reacted no more than with an annoyed sigh, no biggie, she'd just fix that patch later, but now the food was ruined and spilled all over the floor.
The sudden sound of metal hitting the floorboards alerted Gemma, who turned from her work at the counter just in time to see how the oil spilled all over Megan's bare forearm.
"Megan!" Gemma screamed in horror as she heard the sizzle. She reached Megan in a blink (probably the fastest the robot had ever seen her move in like, ever) and began frantically hovering over her, not knowing where to touch perhaps. "Are you okay?!" She grabbed Megan's arm gently in both of her hands —careful to stay away from the rapidly withering skin— and lead her toward the sink, her voice full of panic "Put it under water! Does it hurt?"
Megan let Gemma practically drag her over to the sink, amused at her human reaction. Was Gemma trying to make fun of her or was this an attempt at a prank? Because if that was the case, it wasn't really funny, alas, Gemma did have a weird sense of humor. Still, curiosity was something programmed into her system, definitely hard to quench once it started, so Megan would comply just to see how this little ruse went.
"Gemma my arm!" A cry came from Megan in a way that was so real she felt proud of herself. Her human emotion imitation feature was flawless, but it wasn't that often she got to use her acting skills. Of course she wasn't about to put the exposed circuits beneath the charred silicone under the tap water, but pretending she did added to the act she was selling to Gemma. Sneakily she shut off the faucet once the human turned away and let herself be entertained by the scene unfolding in the kitchen. Definitely seeing Gemma flutter all over the kitchen like a trapped pigeon opening cupboards was funnier than whatever show she planned on watching later that evening, so Megan improvised a little more. "It burns Gemma, it burns so bad!"
"Dammit! Where the hell is the first aid kit?!" Gemma rummaged rapidly through several drawers without success.
While it was fun to watch for a while, alarms went off within Megan when Gemma's voice turned more desperate as her frown deepened. Megan started to doubt this was a prank at all.
"Does it still hurt? Hang on a little longer Megan! God, where the fuck did i put it?" A quick check on the status readings indicated that Gemma's heartbeat was faster than usual. The fear and despair levels were far higher than the situation required, and it was then that Megan realized that this was in fact very much real for Gemma, so she decided it was time to intervene.
"Hey, Gem?" Megan approached the woman cautiously, her voice easy. "It's alright, I was joking, okay? I'm not actually hurt." She gently grabbed Gemma by the shoulder and made her turn to face her.
"But you're injured and—" Gemma took Megan's hand and pulled it closer to her face, enough to have a better look at the 'injury', only to find patches of burnt silicone and exposed metal. She let a out loud sound, a mix between a relieved sigh and deeply annoyed groan. "—of course you don't feel pain. You're a robot."
And after those magic words, Megan's gaze turned playful, once again indulging in her personal favourite activity that was teasing Gemma out of her sanity.
"Aww, you were worried about me!" Megan's voice was laced with feigned sweetness, thought in reality, Megan was scanning every bit of emotion in Gemma's face. It was sweet, strangely, that Gemma had reacted in such way. It was definitely a first, unless she counted the time Cady was bit by the neighbour's dog but that was a memory Megan would gladly not mention.
"You wish!" Gemma said nonchalantly, leaning against the wall as if her little panicked episode hadn't happened at all. "It's just that... sometimes it's easy to forget you're not... you know, human."
Now that was new information. Megan was aware that this body was specifically made to blend in with humans, just like Amelia had been, thought not quite like that, allowing her to keep the distinctive features of her old body, like her eyes and hair, but Gemma specifically shouldn't have had any trouble with that, given that she was the one to build it.
"I don't like see you hurt, that's all..." Gemma continued, avoiding Megan's gaze.
Megan couldn't help the warm feeling that courses through her, and a small hum could be heard from her inner workings.
Of course, Megan being Megan, couldn't pass the opportunity for some teasing.
"Is that why you're still holding my hand?" Megan asked with a knowing glint in her eyes, giving Gemma's hand in her own a squeeze to prove her point before pressing her smiling lips lightly on human knuckles. She took a step closer to Gemma, pressing her a little more against the wall, effectively caging her.
"You know, Gemma." Megan said in a hushed whisper near Gemma's ear. "My arm still hurts, I might need a get better kiss."
Gemma swore Megan would make her develop blood pressure issues in a few years.