…
Watching Arcee shrink into a distant black speck against the horizon, Leon knew she would eventually return on her own.
Even so, he made a snap decision.
"Tony, lend me some juice."
Without waiting for permission, Leon placed his hand directly over the Miniature Arc Reactor embedded in Tony's chest and began rapidly absorbing its electrical output.
Within seconds—
The Mark III Armor shut down.
Tony's HUD went dark, leaving only the narrow eye slits of the helmet providing limited visibility.
Meanwhile, golden light flared across Leon's body once more. He grabbed Tony around the torso and executed a second-stage acceleration burst toward Arcee.
"Holy—!"
"Leon, are you trying to kill me?!"
"The Arc Reactor's overloading—cut it out!"
"Just hang in there, bro. I'll be quick."
Leon reassured him while shouting ahead:
"Hey, Arcee! That's Tony—my twin brother! He was joking earlier. He didn't mean to offend you!"
"Twin brother?"
Arcee's voice carried a faint chill.
"Does he not know that casually criticizing a girl's appearance is extremely rude?"
Leon immediately realized the issue. He shook Tony slightly.
"Well? Apologize."
Tony currently dangled in Leon's grip like a powerless kitten. With his armor offline, he couldn't even resist.
"Uh…"
"Arcee, right? I'm sorry. I didn't expect a motorcycle to also be a perceptive, emotionally aware young woman. I spoke without thinking."
"I apologize for what I said."
"You're… very beautiful."
He hesitated before adding:
"After all, I built that bike. What father wouldn't be proud of something he poured his heart into?"
Then, panicking—
"Wait, I'm not calling you my kid! Just a metaphor! A metaphor!"
Awkward laughter echoed over comms.
Silence.
Arcee didn't respond.
The three of them continued streaking through the sky in tense quiet.
After a long pause—
"Let this be the last time, Leon's brother."
"Understood."
Tony exhaled in relief.
Leon stopped siphoning energy. The Mark III rebooted instantly as power flowed back into the systems.
Thrusters reignited, stabilizing Tony midair.
At the same time—
Leon's golden glow faded without external energy input.
He immediately began plummeting toward the ocean.
Tony considered letting him fall for a few seconds as payback.
But Arcee reacted first.
With what could only be described as reluctant concern, she dove down and caught Leon mid-fall.
He landed astride the cockpit—effectively sitting at her waist.
"Thanks, Arcee."
"No. I should apologize, Leon."
"My emotional instability nearly endangered you."
Now that Leon had clearly recognized she wasn't an emotionless machine, Arcee stopped pretending.
"Oh, thank God," Leon sighed dramatically. "You're finally talking normally."
He half-expected a heartfelt confession scene to follow.
Instead—
She went quiet again.
Back to cool, restrained minimalism.
Leon sighed inwardly.
This was going to take time.
But he wasn't in a rush.
For someone like Arcee—who had lost everything—the strategy was simple:
Persistence.
Even the coldest warrior could be worn down by unwavering devotion.
And Leon had something even better—
He knew her backstory.
Which meant he knew exactly where her emotional core lay.
"Heh…"
Sitting on Arcee's back, Leon couldn't help letting out a mischievous laugh as certain ideas formed in his mind.
Arcee, silently monitoring him, felt a flicker of doubt.
Was choosing this man as her new partner truly the correct decision?
He didn't seem entirely… wholesome.
And worse—
None of her previous partners had survived.
She couldn't bear the thought of Leon meeting the same fate.
No.
Not again.
Memories she'd tried to suppress resurfaced violently.
Her internal systems destabilized.
Screeching electrical feedback erupted through her frame, as if she were on the verge of a catastrophic shutdown.
"Hey! Arcee? What's wrong?"
Leon leaned forward, concerned.
"Not again…"
Tony immediately increased distance between himself and the bike.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Leon, with his enhanced physiology, would survive. Tony preferred not to be collateral damage.
"Arcee, listen to me!"
"Breathe. Calm down. Don't spiral."
Leon continued speaking steadily.
During the episode, the Anti-Inertial Field Generator failed.
Arcee surged erratically—accelerating and decelerating without pattern at full velocity.
Had it been anyone else riding her, their brain would've liquefied.
Finally—
After several tense minutes—
Whether from Leon's steady voice or sheer exhaustion, Arcee gradually stabilized.
The Anti-Inertial Field reactivated.
"Arcee?"
"…I'm sorry, Leon."
"As a motorcycle, I'm utterly unqualified. I nearly killed my own rider."
"Perhaps…"
"I should leave."
Her voice carried quiet self-reproach.
"No. You did great!"
"I was having fun!"
"You're the best motorcycle in the world, Arcee. I mean that."
Leon didn't hesitate. Right now, she was fragile. This wasn't the time for blunt honesty.
Even if something was black, he'd paint it pink for her.
"Leon… don't."
"There are plenty of motorcycles in this world."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But you're the only one I want."
Silence followed.
High above the ocean, beneath open sky, the wind carried only the fading hum of engines—
And the quiet tremor of a Spark that, for the first time in a long while…
Didn't feel completely alone.
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