It had been a couple of weeks since he—Sebastian—had finally given P.AI.nter their own body. He’d known the risks from the start. A prototype like them were bound to glitch, to short, to fail in unpredictable ways. But the connection they shared had made the danger feel manageable. Worth it.

Now he was crouched over P.AI.nter’s metal frame again, sleeves shoved up, hands buried deep in a tangle of wires. The soft hum of active circuits thrummed beneath his fingertips, vibrating up through his palms. Every small adjustment mattered.

He pulled rather harshly at a loose wire.

He froze, frowning as P.AI.nter let out a soft, ragged, mechanical pained whimper; Their body twitched uncontrollably under his hands.

Sebastian’s gaze narrowed, tracking the mess of wiring to a point deep within P.AI.nter’s chest cavity. There—threaded wrong between delicate circuits—a purple wire jammed where it didn’t belong.

He grunted and reached deeper, fingers slick with sweat, trying to get a proper grip.