This was a small fishing village, and once night fell, there weren't many ways to pass the time.
You either went to the tavern for drinks, gathered for a round of cards, or went home, shut the doors and windows, and privately explored the mysteries of life and procreation.
By the time dinner was over, the sky had grown completely dark. A few villagers invited Ethan Chen to join them for cards, but he politely declined and left the tavern with 2B.
"Let's take a walk by the sea," Ethan suggested. He wasn't in a rush to return to the inn. The night was still young, and they had plenty of time.
A bit of wind and walking would help digest the meal.
"Alright," 2B replied, following beside him. Right now, her top priority was to stay close and ensure his safety.
It was quiet between them. 2B wasn't one to talk much, so Ethan took the initiative.
"Would you mind telling me more about yourself? Like what exactly androids are, why you're protecting humans, and what your original world was like."
The support pod floated forward. "If I may, allow me to explain"
"No need. I'll handle it," 2B interrupted, gently pulling the pod to her side. For some reason, she found it increasingly unnecessary.
After a moment to collect her thoughts, she began. "Aliens invaded Earth. They created a mechanized army called 'machine lifeforms'..."
As she spoke, Ethan listened, walking alongside her in the dark, the story surprisingly familiar.
According to 2B, she had been dispatched by the YoRHa orbital base to eliminate large machine lifeforms. During the mission, the pod detected signs of human life, prompting a course change that had led her to this world.
Not bad, he thought.
By the time 2B finished, they had arrived at the shoreline.
The sea at night looked nothing like it did in daylight. It no longer shimmered blue, but glowed with scattered specks of light. Glowing blue filaments danced along the waves, and every step on the soft sand sent waves of light rippling outward. It felt like stepping into a fairytale a dreamlike wonder.
But 2B didn't react at all, standing stoically like a loyal sentinel, unmoved by the beauty before her.
Ethan reached over and gently removed her visor.
The moment it came off, her eyes widened. Light flickered within her irises as she murmured, "It's... beautiful."
"Right? I never expected to find something like this here either."
"Why does the ocean look like this at night?"
"Probably because of algae," Ethan explained. "Some kinds glow after dark. When they gather and move with the waves, you get scenes like this."
"I've never seen glowing algae before."
She crouched down and swirled her hand through the water. Tiny motes of light trailed between her fingers it was fascinating.
They watched the sea for a while, then continued walking along the glowing shoreline, shoulders brushing now and then. When their hands touched again, Ethan took hers and held it firmly.
2B's body trembled slightly. That rising warmth in her black box returned, just like earlier that afternoon.
This time, though, she didn't overheat or short-circuit from embarrassment.
Still, without her visor and now hand-in-hand, 2B couldn't keep her gaze steady. She looked away from the glowing sea and turned instead toward Ethan toward his side profile, his lips.
Something inside her stirred.
Ethan wasn't oblivious. He was a normal man. And he knew exactly what should happen next.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
This time, it was no brief brush of lips.
His tongue found hers, tasting the sweetness of the girl who had once been a goddess in his college days.
He felt the softness of her body, the smoothness of her back through her thin uniform.
This was real. 2B was truly in his arms, kissing him back.
It was like reaching into the sea and catching the reflection of the moon only now, the reflection was solid, warm, and trembling slightly in his grasp.
And he did just that.
She was soft enough to lose his whole hand in.
As Ethan felt the reality of her presence, 2B felt it just as intensely.
This was a human an actual, living human not a far-off broadcast from a forgotten moon, not a hypothetical figure reduced to recycled messages and memory.
Being close to him made her body feel strange. Her black box ran hot, systems flickering. And yet, she didn't want it to stop. She wanted to stay with him, to feel more.
After a moment of adjustment, 2B began to respond, timid at first, then with growing confidence. She returned his kiss, exploring this new sensation, this warmth and closeness.
It almost felt like they would light a bonfire right here on the moonlit beach.
But sand was not ideal for... escalation.
After savoring the moment, Ethan pulled away, clinging to his last thread of self-restraint.
"Alright. Let's go back for now."
Still breathless from her first true kiss, 2B looked both dazed and concerned. Her warm breath brushed against his neck. "What you just did... isn't it harmful to the body?"
"Harmful?" Ethan blinked.
2B bit her lip. Her hand trembled as she cautiously reached out, touching him through his clothes.
Ethan understood instantly. He chuckled, then rubbed the top of her head. "Let me guess. The pod told you that?"
"Yes. It said that once stimulation begins, release is required. Otherwise, there's a risk of... internal explosion. Like an overloaded beam cannon."
"An explosion, huh? Bit dramatic, but not entirely wrong."
"So then..."
"Let's talk after we get back." He tousled her hair again. "There's no rush."
"Okay." 2B reluctantly stepped out of his arms, letting go of his hand but couldn't help stealing a few more glances.
The outline beneath his clothes had changed from barely noticeable to... unmistakably prominent. It reminded her of the hilt of a sword, and it was hard not to worry.
On the walk back, her strides were longer than usual.
She was more anxious than Ethan was.
After all, the health and safety of a human being was now her top priority.
So the moment they returned to the inn, before the door even fully closed, 2B threw herself forward again lips searching, hands already tugging at his clothes with growing urgency.
"Wait," Ethan stopped her, brushing her silver bangs aside. Her sapphire eyes were now tinted with a soft pink hue. "Let's take a shower first. We've both been sweating. Not exactly romantic."
"There's no need," 2B murmured into the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply. "Your scent is... very pleasant."
"Be good." Ethan gave her a firm pat that made her curves sway with a soft ripple.
"Mm..." 2B answered, reluctantly halting her advance under his firm instruction.
But her hands didn't stop. Since they were going to shower, undressing was inevitable.
Ethan began to do the same.
As clothing fell away, the beauty of their forms gradually came into view.
Two different types of beauty one supple, the other strong.
2B's body was smooth and soft, like silk tofu, with a proud figure crowned by a delicate bloom. Her waist was slender, but not flat soft in the right ways, enhancing her allure.
Her hips were wider than her shoulders, and her long, shapely legs hinted at a kind of fullness that made one want to claim them entirely.
As Ethan admired her, 2B was doing the same.
From the moment they'd embraced, she had already noticed the difference between him and an android too warm, too firm, too alive.
Now, with nothing between them, she could see the contours of his muscles, each defined and powerful. And one particular part of him a defining characteristic of male biology claimed her full attention.
It accounted for a tenth of his height and captured her gaze like a magnet.
2B swallowed hard.
From tonight on, this was her duty.
And with that thought, her body once again began to heat up.