Specs laughed very gently and went to his front doors, throwing them back with a sigh, before he could even let the thought sink in of just how much that meant; The idea of being indebted to a gang even when you are a piece of it. not daring to ask more, Specs barked; "If you want to learn about this thing and you're serious about that repaying business, I could use someone to held repair something for me...?". The room within that led to the living space was empty but brightly lit as he went in.

"I'll give it a shot. Technical stuff isn't my best set of skills but I can be a bit of a handyman when need be." He liked his trainers laughter, even as it dissolved away into a command. Seeing Specs smile and laugh just made him seem more human was all. It stripped away the myth like image that arm gave him.

Strolling into his now home Viper shrugged, looking back at the man with honesty in his eyes. Ï'm serious about repaying you guys. Fang saved my butt on the train and you continued his work by giving me a home and food. Now what do you have in mind?"

Specs held up his false arm and began tapping around until the point just above his elbow rang with a bit of hollow steel, "This. The skin is part of the metal, so you just pull back, but I could never reach the crease of my arm". Not looking happy or proud of it, Specs used his free hand to begin removing his shirt as he spoke, 'I want you to do that for me and to wet the hinge while you're there. I have everything, but...". Specs thought for a moment before he went to his own couch and slid his shirt free to reveal the soft curves of his masculine chest. Motioning with his fingers the thug laid himself out between the three cushions so that his back was exposed and nude to the light.

"I'll do my best. Now where do you keep the stuff for this Specs?"Watching the male undress he blushed lightly, nibbling his lip once his trainer layed down trustingly. it was a big step, trusting someone new with the more complex portions of his partially human form and Viper felt honored his trainer allowed him to preform such a task.

Stepping closer he examined Spec's back, stroking the curve of his shoulder blade from the fleshy human side to the wonderous technology.

Specs' shutter ceased his explanation as that feeling ran from one side to the next and triggered a hot blush that made his entire body, false arm included, turn a slightly hotter shade as he shivered lightly. Speaking through his sigh, he called. "Oh? There's some in the restroom with my things, a black container with yellow letters, and some in my bedroom; Just a lotion is all". But even as he told how to leave his shoulders rose to asked for more of that touch against his will. How many days had it been, months, since he'd had another male touch anything but his hands for the formal sense. The feeling of knowing that the long deprived latch would soon be handled and the wanting nerves beneath his fake skin soon to be calmed was a god-sent indeed.

Seeing the obvious effects of his touch on the male Viper lingered and let his fingertips dance up and down his trainers spine. He couldn't imagine how hard this would be for Specs. " Bathroom, black case with yellow letters. Shouldn't be hard to find. And when I finish upI'll take a look at you back. You seem tense." He didn't want to stop touching but quickly moved away to retrieve the needed things.


He found them in the specified locations and returned triumphant to kneel at Specs, side. "I want to do this right, so you'll have to walk me through this time. Where should I start?" He wanted to learn, to ease whatever discomfort Specs had to be in. He owed the male this much, a way to ease his pains.

"The whole thing is a prosthetic from way back, so the elbow itself pops up to show the hinges and wiring. The non-conductible lotion is just a way to keep the joints up without losing current or being back for the real skin.", Specs popped his neck as he spoke and then turned his head to look out at the other as he spoke again, "Think of this thing as an old-fashion pocketwatch just with nerve endings and fake bone. You can just pop it open around the top edge and apply what as much as you need". This was his job, always had been, but to even think he'd ever be able to do that sort of thing in that sort of spot was folly at best. And so he had to trust his trainee as it were and regain the comfort of his false elbow as well as a bit of functional strength from the upkeep itself. 'You know, Viper? You are sort of like Fang when I came in. Just not as loud or as foul-toned... I'm sure your old friends were good people to've chosen you as their company."

"Everyone close to me is dead Specs."Rin replied softly, focusing his attention on the description of the joint. He took th lotion out and popped open on the top edge likr Specs had told him. Very carefully he applied the lotion and with every breath he took he prayed he wasn't messing everything up. He treated it like it was both a real fragile limb and a sensitive piece of technology.

Specs bit down on his bottom teeth when the small hatch was opened, having no real way without his computer to shut the nerves down, but remained his usual self as the process was done just beyond his sight. it stung to hear such things coming from the male he'd thought he would allow such a compliment, largely because his intent had failed to the opposite effect. After a long moment Specs made a happy sounds of encouragement and began flexing his fingers once each to the result of the false muscle shifting in his lower arm. The view of bone and wires was clean of blood, but as the joint began to take to the lotion it became more real-looking with each stroke. Soon enough Specs' elbow was fully glazed in lubricating lotion and his eyes were laxed to the feel of that hand were it had worked on his inner arm.

Diligently Viper did his job, dwelling on his bitter words for long enough he decided. "Sorry- I just miss them is all, even just my mates back at HQ. God they must be upset I''m dead too. And without a body to bury with the rest. " Adding enough of the lotion to th prosthetic he watched Specs wiggle those fingers and gently closed the latch. "There. All done, was my first time ok?"

"Quite.", Specs nodded to himself and to the male behind him as he felt silent again. With a slight motion to and fro there were definite signs of life in his arm and signs that he was trying out the work and not disapproving save his slowly rising hum. It took alot to bite his comment as it were, "Do you hate them?", and not to beg too much or too little of his trainee's cause.

"No, just had a hard time getting close to people after my best friends died."He sighed softly and looked over Spec's bare back. "You tell me when you need it lubed up again ok? I figured this helps me earn my keep."His smooth hand wandered over the trainers back, pausing at the places when he could fel the tense knots.

"Lots of tension here, mind if I massage it out?" He asked softly, lightly rubbing the flesh there.

"That's what I mean.", Specs shifted so that he could more comfortably push into the other's wandering hands as a sign of his approval that would not break the line of his intent, "Do you not hate the Jades for taking you from that place, your friends, and bringing you to the heart of the attacks just to save their own skins? They killed you in everyone's eyes. How? How do you not hate them for that, Viper?".

"I can't hate them fot it Specs. I'm living on borrowed time as it is."He moved closer to his trainers back and gently started massaging him. Strong fingers sought out the tough spots and with practiced skill reduced the painful knots to nothingness. He continued from the shoulders down the rest of Spec's smooth back.

"Wouldn't have lasted long anyways- missed them enough to get careless a few times if you know what I mean."

Specs laughed beneath his breath and took the comment as his limit for the pursuit at hand. He would see about this kid as time went by, and maybe someday try again at his loyalty to this life so he could deem a way around it; But for the time he was content to another pursuit. Happily beneath the strong touch he purred, "Very good, Viper. A true soldier to the end". He could not look at the male but his hand was able to brush against the other's as he spoke again, "And there is nothing too rash, my dear Viper. If you know the risk and the target is of consented bounty you are free to reign as you see fit. Even down to the way one holds their hands or forgets to."

The other males skin felt so way to his touch and Viper continued to favor his strange trainer with his skill in massage. Words didn't quite matter in this state but he nodded softly, resting his palms on Spec's lower back. " Yeah, till the end. "Sighing he felt the urge to stroke his necklace, pulling on it idly until the string gave out and the charms spilled across Specs back.

For his latest attempt at implications and games, he was swiftly rewarded by the fall of something cold and hard. In an instant the male had swung beneath his couch and just missed grabbing the intended gun as he swung off the couch and sent the charms sliding for his panicked motion. "Vipe?", his word short as he caught the uninjured male in his sights and saw the remains of the necklace, "Oh god. Sorry". Specs bowed shortly and took a knee as he plucked the first one from beside the couch and held it up, "What exatly where these? And how'd they fall?". Specs spun the thing over and sighed.

He held up the tattered string that had held them with tears in his eyes. Specs held the solar piece in his hand. Asp's charm. "The string broke- when I get nervous I tend to play with it and well fearing for you life tends to put stress on things."He spid his own charm and plucked it out of its hiding spot. The silvered star twinkled happily at him.

"We need to find another one, so I can restring these. Its a crecent moon, blackened metal."he quivered, terrified of the thought that it was lost somewher they couldn't retrieve it. They always had to be together- Asp, Viper and Cobra. Sun ,star, and crecent moon.

"Sh*tty little string to keep your security blanket on, Viper. I do have superior micro-threading here if you somehow think these little bits of steel are worth restringing.", Specs cocked his head queerly at the things that had fallen and began looking about in the direction that he'd thought the other piece to have gone as he mewed, "Where'd you even get these things, anyway?".

"I'll take you up on that offer. "He sighed softly, wiping away his tears as he bent to search for the last piece. "I need them because it the only thing I have left sides memories to rememer them by. We made these charms as kids, just cutting into scraps of metal we thought were pretty."He thought he spied the last piece but came back empy handed and panicking.

"I need them.. there isn't anything lse left. Its like their with me. Can't lose Cobra again."

"scraps..", Spec bit down on his lip for a moment and sighed, "Kay, man. If I'm going through all this bullsh*t to say your *ss, you owe me more than 'scraps when we were kids'. A d*mn quickee's too much to ask of you d*mn Jades, but I can at least dig up something more on these bits of steel if I'm making a d*mn parade out of it". His half-hearted words of spite came and went as he started for his computer set-up and looked back on shy occasion. Digging through his pile took a short bit of time, but fed his own brass words when he found the thing he needed beneath a small pile of books. Retracting the set of goggles that bore a strikingly blue tint on each lens he happily turned back and began fingering the edge with his thumb until a low hum flicked the lenses into life. "Here you go, kid. Made to do body checks on customers. It should light up metals by their density no matter where they are cramped into.", he leaned down and slid the goggles along the floor, "And if they work you can just count your blessings while I find you that d*mn wiring to rehang them."

Flinching he fought back the urge to cry, sighing in relief when Specs brought out the device. For his trainers sake would would are his heart and soul in the coming words. "Asp , Cora and I were friends since a young age. We did everything together even joined the gang.'Shuddering he smoothed his hands over the charms he held.

"We grew older, stronger. Asp's old geezer knew martial arts and he taught us. Thats where we got the idea for these charms. If anything ever happened to one of us they got passed along. We never thought that would happen. But then Asp died, went out protecting someone- a group of innocent kids. Cobra wasn't the same after that. He got colder- more emotionally unstable. Took all sorts of dangerous missions until.."He sighed and hugged himself tightly.

"They were together, you know, partners and I was too much a kid to realize it. Cobra went after the SoB's that killed Asp. Beat them to but took fatal wounds. These charms remind me of the good times we had together Specs."

"Hmph.", the other male nodded at the comments and looked at the place on the carpet where he'd landed when the cold bits had peppered onto his back and startled him into that jolt. As it stood he had actually begun to care about the continuation of the missing charm, and in turn about Viper finding the central peace in locating them. As he approached he added, "Well. Bunch of desperate f*cks to have ever joined this damn lifestyle, but I don't think any of us are proud of why we joined anyway. Just pop those goggles on, man, and be careful. If you lose something like that.. Just go ahead and find it, Viper". And that was all he had to say about it. Lovers. Friends. And this one had never known. But why had the three been so close and never shared what they were with him? None of it sort of mattered as he went and began taking out the string of metal from his room, nor did any of it register as being on his mind when he returned with a victorious handful of that string. All that could have sold him away was the look of distant want that crossed his face when he returned to sitting on the couch and cast his sights on Viper as he worked.

"Its a hard life out there."Was all he could say, slipping on the goggle before he truly went insane with worry. Viper found them harder to use than he thought but little scraps of metal couldn't hide too long. By the time Specs returned with the string he was bent under a table plucking the treasured piece free of something.

And he was shedding a few happy tears. "Thanks.. I wouldn't have found it without you."he took off the goggles and shyly handed them back to his trainer.

Specs was seated on the couch when the goggles crossed his sights, not truly watching them so much as he was watching the form that held them to his place so that when he was spoken to he almost jumped. "Hghh? ....Oh. T-thanks man.", Specs nodded at the male and took back the pair of goggles as he cleared his throat with concern, "So here is that threading, same sh*t my nerves are mad of so it'd hold, but ....". Specs chose to remain silent at that and nodded gently to his friend as he changed the subject all together, "Just be careful with those, Viper. They obviously saw what potential there was beneath your skin."