X-COM: Friendship Unknown

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to take off the choker?” Zossi frowned as Command unclipped the choker and set it down. “Aren’t you worried about zapping… everything?”

“Well, yes,” Command agreed. “But I’m never going to learn how to control this power just sitting around on my behind. I need to figure out how it works so that I don’t do that.” He breathed in, before relaxing and trying to figure out how the sparking sensation under his skin translated to his new mental muscle.

The viper leaned away, paused, then slithered closer to the couch. “I’ll just sit over here while you do that.”

“I’m astounded by your confidence in me,” Command muttered, keeping his eyes closed as he attempted to figure out how to call up this power willingly. That would be step one. Step two would be turning it off, then remembering that sensation and constantly applying it to himself.

Zossi’s tongue flicked out. “The air smells like ozone.”

“Yes, I need to figure out how it works before I can make it stop working,” Command muttered. Okay, he probably had enough going to qualify for step one. Now...how to stop it? Maybe suppressing the mental sensation of pins and needles…

“Ummmm…. Try relaxing?” The viper suggested.

“Yeah, my method isn’t working,” Command agreed. He then tried untensing, letting go of the feeling of power. Maybe that would work?...

Zossi glanced around as the lights started flickering. “Not sure if what you’re doing is helping.”

“I’m going to give it five more seconds, then I clip the thing back on,” Command agreed. “Nothing seems to be working...yeah, back on with the collar.” He reached for the suppressor device as he saw sparks dance along his fingers.

“Want me to do that?” Zossi asked, glancing at the suppressor.

“I think I can manage-” Command began to say, only for a flash of static to lash out and hit a lamp on Command’s desk.

“Maybe some help would be good,” he then said in a small voice.

Tentatively, the viper slithered over, took the suppressor (despite the snap of static) and snapped it closed around his neck. Thankfully, the electrical disturbances ceased. “You know there’s probably a reason that they have you wear it until your next appointment. They might have someone able to actually train you in whatever this can do.”

“Yeah...point,” Command sighed, heading back over to the couch and falling onto it with a thump. “I just wanted to show some proficiency in controlling it at least a little before the appointment, you know? Like, ‘Hey, I’m not completely incompetent.’”

“Sweetie.” Zossi sighed as she flopped next to him. “This isn’t a competence thing. It’s like… Mmmm gun training or martial arts training. You don’t go in saying hey I know how to shoot already, or Look I can do this already. You don’t have to impress anyone. It’s actually more liable to make you look kinda reckless or foolish. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, I do,” the human sighed, stroking Zossi’s scales absently. “I just get antsy with the whole idea of not being able to control this. I wanna be able to touch my setup without fear of frying it, you know?”

“Even that’s been getting better. It just goes to show you’re actually adjusting.” The viper nodded, leaning over to nuzzle his cheek. “And it seems that you do better when you’re not thinking or stressing about it.”

“Well yeah, I guess it probably takes a force of will to call up and probably doesn’t like the idea of being put away without doing something,” Command mused. “Huh. Should we maybe get like, a battery and a target I can shoot to charge it with whenever I have a flare-up?”

“Good idea, but I don’t think psychic powers are self-aware.” Zossi rolled her eyes.

“Well it’s certainly not easily controlled right now,” Command pointed out. “Honestly. Trying to figure out how to control the electricity is kinda like trying to grasp the edge of a huge problem that turns out to be the ocean when you get a little bit of it.”

“Which is why you’ll probably get a teacher.” The viper nodded sagely.

“I better, otherwise I’ll have to live in like a power plant for the rest of my days,” Command joked.

There was a knock at the door. Zossi got up. “I think you might’ve messed with the rest of the apartment.”

“Aheh...whoops?” Command tried his best to look sheepish. “I mean, I didn’t mean to…” He looked away from the door, already promising himself not to take the collar off until his next appointment, if it would mean the others wouldn’t knock on the door.

“It’s fine.” Zossi said as she slithered over to the door. And what she opened it…

A girl stood there. Her yellow skin looked a little pale, making her an off-white. Her magenta eyes looked tired, and sported some noticeable bags. Her bright orange hair laid straight over her back and shoulders. She was wearing slightly baggy jeans and a purple t-shirt. “Hey.”

“Adagio?” Zossi blinked. “Hi, are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“M’fine. Just got my internet fritzing for a sec there.” Adagio Dazzle shrugged.

“Sorry.” Zossi winced. “Somebody decided to try to test out what it would be like without a psy-suppressor.” She looked over her shoulder.

“Figured it’d be the new zappy boy.” Adagio chuckled. “So, Sonata says that the girls are avoiding your boy toy cause of his static stuff. Mind if I poke him?” She asked with a raised brow.

“I mean, that shouldn’t be a problem, but I just got done trying to get myself under control,” Command warned. “I’m probably full of static and-”

Adagio slipped past the viper and strode over to Command. She reached out and poked him. There was a ~snap~ and a ~fwoomph~. Adagio’s hair suddenly sprang up into a massive mane of curls. “That’s better.” The girl sighed.

Command blinked. “That’s...one way to use static charge,” he admitted. “Probably not my first thought, but at least someone is getting some use out of it.”

“So Shimmer told me through Sonata that I should probably get checked out at the hospital for psychic stuff. She thinks I should set up an appointment on the same day as your next appointment so we could go together. I just think she wants to get me out of the house so to speak.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “If anything it should stop the headaches. Supposedly.”

“Oh hey, actually,” Command turned to Zossi. “Do we have any of that headache medication left? She could probably use a little of it to take the edge off.”

“Yeah, you only used about half of it before switching to Ibuprofen.” Zossi nodding, slithering into the bathroom.

“Well look at you, being a drug dealer.” Adagio smirked.

“I mean, I’m not planning on using it, it’s already paid for, why not put it to use with someone who needs it?” Command shrugged. “I think I’d only be a drug dealer if you paid for it, though,” he mused.

“Here.” Zossi said, coming back out and handing the girl a bottle of pills.

“Mmmm just take with water.” Adagio commented. “Thanks.”

“Anything to help out,” Command nodded once. “Oh, have you been enjoying the food? I try to send some back with Sonata every now and then…”

“No offense, but I think I like Z’s better.” Adagio gestured a thumb at Zossi.

“Awww thanks.” Zossi said with a small smile.

“Told you~” Command sang. “Anyways, yeah, thanks for the warning, no more indoor practice for me until after my appointment.”

“Just relax and don’t stress about it.” Zossi nodded.

“Sure. Thanks for the pills.” Adagio nodded, rolling her eyes.

“Welcome, and I hope to see you around a bit more often,” Command waved from the couch. “Though if you start to have a side effect, you should probably not take them as often.”

“Good advice.” Adagio walked towards the door. “Might see ya around.” She waved before leaving.

“See ya.” Zossi waved.

Once the door closed, Command smiled and relaxed. “Well, she wasn’t...nearly as bad as I thought she might end up being,” he mused.

“Maybe she’s in a good mood?” The viper shrugged, and cuddled into his side. “How’re you feeling?”

“Boooored,” Command whined. “I can’t go anywhere near my setup for fear of turning it into scrap.”

“Well want to watch something, or want a massage?” Zossi offered.

“I wouldn’t say no to either of those things,” the human agreed readily. “Anything to take my mind off of my situation.”

“Scoot up a bit.” Zossi gestured him forward. Command slowly moved up the couch a ways, wondering what the Viper had planned. The viper’s delicate-looking, yet strong hands slid over his shoulders and gently applied pressure.

“Ooooh that’s good,” Command all but melted under her touch. “That’s…” He didn’t have words for how she was getting tension he didn’t know he had out of his system. She was just so good at it.

“Jusssst relax.” She said softly, smiling as she slowly kneaded his shoulders. Slowly, Command started to slump forwards more and more, his eyelids growing heavier the longer she kept up the massage.

“There you go.” The viper cooed as Command drifted off. Eventually she had a snoozing human on the couch. One who sparked occasionally, but it was only a quick snap before the collar suppressed it again.

There was another knock.

Zossi sighed. “Stay here.” She said getting up.

The human murmured something in his sleep, shifting only a little when she left.

The viper slithered over to the door and opened it, only to see Simon on the other side. “Hey Simon.” Zossi blinked.

“Hey- Did Command take off his suppressor?” Simon asked, raising a brow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Ummm… Yes?” Zossi asked.

“Well make him stop that.” Simon stated. “I not only felt that, he could’ve fried all the fuses in the complex.”

“Sorry.” Zossi said weakly. “He was being stubborn.”

“I figured, but still.” Simon shook his head. “No. He can’t do that until he actually knows what he’s doing.”

“Okay. I’ll let him know.” Zossi nodded.

“Hey. We have a surge earlier?” Zossi jumped as Floor spoke up. Apparently she’d walked up during the conversation.

“Yes.” Simon nodded, looking at the new arrival. “Floor, how are you?”

“I’m… ummm... fine.” Floor said with a small blush.

Zossi just glanced between the two.

“Oh! So, right. I actually came up here for Zossi.” Floor looked at the viper.

“Huh?” Zossi blinked.

“I found this. Had it stashed in a box.” The young woman gave the viper a box set.

Zossi looked at it. “A Certain Scientific- Oh! You found it!”

“Yep! Just season one.” Floor nodded happily.

“Make sure Command doesn’t take off the suppressor.” Simon commented, before walking back to his own apartment.

“I’ll be sure to.” Zossi nodded before looking back to Floor. “Anything else you’d recommend?”

“A Certain Magical Index would be interesting to watch after Railgun.” Floor said with a hum.

“Well thanks for that.” Zossi nodded as Floor smiled and turned to leave. The viper smiled back, before shutting the door, and slithering over to set the set of dvds by the tv. She sighed and slithered over to sit next to her snoring boyfriend. She smiled and gently ran a hand through his hair. He was so cute when he slept.

She leaned back and rested her own eyes, planning on enjoying a nap herself.

When Zossi woke up, she noticed that a few things had shifted during the nap.

For one, she and Command were leaning on each other on the couch now. Not that it was unpleasant, he probably was enjoying the feeling of her scales, like usual. And she liked being close to him as well.

But the most notable thing that had happened thanks to the shift was that his occasional sparking discharge had somewhere to go before it got suppressed by his collar.

And the tingles from the sparks didn’t feel bad at all. It was like a pleasant, vibrating buzz. She hummed happily and hugged him close.

That seemed to provoke a bigger snap, and the tingles started to run up and down her whole body, bringing a pleasant twitch everywhere they went. She shuddered. Maybe she could learn to enjoy some aspects of his affinity for electricity.

She shook herself and got up. She didn’t want to get too riled up without him being conscious. She looked around, now understanding why he could be bored. She spied his computer. The same computer he hadn’t been able to touch, lest he damage it. She slithered over and sat down in the chair. Turning the computer on, she hummed as she thought about what to play.

There was that server thing he’d set up not long ago. Maybe she could...make an account and log into that? It couldn’t be that hard. She hummed to herself and started typing at the account creation.

The game couldn’t be that addicting.