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Rating: General
Fandom: Murderbot Diaries
Categories: F/F, Other
Characters: SecUnit, Mensah, Farai, Tano
Relationships: Mensah/Farai/Tano, SecUnit&Mensah
Additional tags: Polyamory, Aromantic, No Romo Fest
Word count: 300
Summary: What does a polycule with an aromantic SecUnit addition look like?
Tano is smiling and touching Ayda, like she can’t believe Ayda’s come back to them. “And it’s always listening to you? Even now? That seems very intimate.”
Ayda laughs. “It probably isn’t right now, it doesn’t enjoy relationship discussions. And it only listens to keep me safe.”
Farai takes Tano’s hand; her other hand is already in Ayda’s. “I still want to know, in its own words, what its relationship with you is.”
Ayda sighs, but she’s smiling as well. “Please, do speak with it.”
It will be okay, Ayda thinks, surely. SecUnit can handle one conversation about its feelings.
I backburnered the conversation once Mensah was reunited with her marital partners. I didn’t need to see what a three-way marriage was about. Later, Mensah warned me that she wanted to properly introduce me to her family, and mentioned Farai in particular wanted to have a talk with me.
Well, that was ominous. She probably wanted to have some kind of relationship discussion. Ugh.
It would be less painful if I knew how to answer her questions, so I did my best to guess what they’d be and come up with answers.
But Farai was already here and I had nothing.
“So, what did it say?” Tano asks Farai, after the family had met SecUnit.
“It tried to answer, but I don’t think either of us quite understood what its answer meant.” Farai looks at her spouses where they sit in a cozy triangle. “Not anything romantic though, that was clear.”
Ayda is smiling fondly. “I didn’t think it would have words to define what we are to each other. And I don’t want to define us, either. I do care about it, deeply, though. I hope it knows that.”
Farai nods, and leans in for a kiss. “It knows.”
Fandom: Murderbot Diaries
Categories: F/F, Other
Characters: SecUnit, Mensah, Farai, Tano
Relationships: Mensah/Farai/Tano, SecUnit&Mensah
Additional tags: Polyamory, Aromantic, No Romo Fest
Word count: 300
Summary: What does a polycule with an aromantic SecUnit addition look like?
Tano is smiling and touching Ayda, like she can’t believe Ayda’s come back to them. “And it’s always listening to you? Even now? That seems very intimate.”
Ayda laughs. “It probably isn’t right now, it doesn’t enjoy relationship discussions. And it only listens to keep me safe.”
Farai takes Tano’s hand; her other hand is already in Ayda’s. “I still want to know, in its own words, what its relationship with you is.”
Ayda sighs, but she’s smiling as well. “Please, do speak with it.”
It will be okay, Ayda thinks, surely. SecUnit can handle one conversation about its feelings.
I backburnered the conversation once Mensah was reunited with her marital partners. I didn’t need to see what a three-way marriage was about. Later, Mensah warned me that she wanted to properly introduce me to her family, and mentioned Farai in particular wanted to have a talk with me.
Well, that was ominous. She probably wanted to have some kind of relationship discussion. Ugh.
It would be less painful if I knew how to answer her questions, so I did my best to guess what they’d be and come up with answers.
But Farai was already here and I had nothing.
“So, what did it say?” Tano asks Farai, after the family had met SecUnit.
“It tried to answer, but I don’t think either of us quite understood what its answer meant.” Farai looks at her spouses where they sit in a cozy triangle. “Not anything romantic though, that was clear.”
Ayda is smiling fondly. “I didn’t think it would have words to define what we are to each other. And I don’t want to define us, either. I do care about it, deeply, though. I hope it knows that.”
Farai nods, and leans in for a kiss. “It knows.”
Author Notes
Date: 2026-02-21 06:21 pm (UTC)From:I had a beta for the first time ever, provided by molecular_machine. I learned a lot! Xe made my fic even better and complimented what I already wrote and gave me tips about working with betas in general, and just. Provided a really wonderful experience. Thank you so much.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-24 04:20 am (UTC)From:Farai: "You know we're greatful for how you returned her to us."
I did know, I guess. What do humans say in this situation? A quick archive search came up with some variation on "okay, um" and even I knew that wasn't going to cut it.
(Just a heads-up, when a murderbot stands there looking to the left of your head to avoid eye contact, it's probably not thinking about killing you, it's probably frantically trying to come up with a reply to whatever you just said to it.)
She added, "I wanted to ask what your relationship to her is."
Uh, in the Corporation Rim, Mensah was my owner. On Preservation, she was my guardian. (That's like an owner, but Preservation law requires they be nice to you.) But Mensah and Pin-Lee were trying to get my status listed as "refugee working as an employee/security consultant."
But I knew Farai knew all that, and I knew she was asking for an answer that was closer to objective reality. And wow, I did not have that answer. I said, "I'm her SecUnit." (Yes, that's still in the buffer.)
She lifted her brows. "And that means?"
Backed into yet another conversational corner, I fell back on honesty. "I don't know. I wish I knew."
She smiled. "Thank you."
(And that was that.)