#258: Artificial Lover

[sweetestjongin]

Title: Artificial Lover
Pairing(s): Suho/Kai
Rating: PG-13
Length: 9.1k
Summary: Junmyeon's plans to finish the "Fastest Space Ship" are put on hold when a decommissioned android is brought into his shop.

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoys reading this fic as much as I did writing it. Happy reading! ❤️




It’s days like this that make Junmyeon wish he was a heavy sleeper. He groans when he hears loud bickering a few feet away. That can’t be good. He reaches for his cellphone, a thin and clear piece of plastic on the nightstand right next to his bed. It’s the latest model since his last phone was sadly met with its untimely death on one of his rare drunken escapades. He taps the front a few times until a screen pops up displaying the date and time. 06:52am. Damn, it’s not even time for him to be up yet. The bickering starts getting louder and Junmyeon thinks he can hear objects being thrown as well. He sighs and rolls over to the edge of the bed, swinging his feet to the ground. He accidentally bumps his dog, Sprinkles, who only grunts in response.

“Some guard dog you are. There are people in our home, you mutt.” He lightly pokes the dog with his toes and smiles when all Sprinkles does is let out another low grunt.

Junmyeon rubs the sleep from his eyes and ruffles his cherry red hair. He lazily pulls on the first pair of pants and t-shirt he finds and makes his way to the kitchen. He hears a stream of colorful curses on his way. He’s positive it’s Jongdae. He then hears a smash and a poorly whispered “fuck you!” Junmyeon rolls his eyes and quickens his pace. Of course he’d be fighting with Baekhyun this early. He hears the yelling more clearly now. As he enters the kitchen, he's hit square in the face with what he thinks might be a spoon.

“Holy fuck! Oh my god, oh my god! Are you okay? Oh my -”

“Look at what you fucking did, you idiot! Junmyeon? Hey, are you alright?”

“Me? I was aiming it at your ugly face! You’re the one who fucking ducked! Seriously Myeon, I’m so so so sor-”

Junmyeon holds up his left hand, signaling them both to stop, while he uses his right to softly rub the spot where he was hit. He stands while massaging the spot for a bit longer until the pain begins to fade. He sighs and finally looks up at the pair. They’re worried and nervous, Baekhyun anxiously wringing his hands together and Jongdae glowering at Baekhyun. Something is definitely wrong.

“One: why on earth are you both up so early? Two: didn’t I take away my key for the apartment from the two of you? And three: why the hell are you both shouting and throwing things?”

They don’t answer him right away. They exchange a worried glance with one another until Jongdae sighs and steps forward.

“We may have found another one of us and brought him to your shop when he powered down. And by we, I really mean Baekhyun.”

“Hey!”

Junmyeon sighs as Jongdae turns and elicits a whole new argument with Baekhyun, which he really does not want to hear.

He heads to the stairs at the corner of the apartment that connects to his shop below and begins making his way down. Neither the shop nor the apartment are big, but Junmyeon doesn't mind. The rent is cheap, and he has more than enough room for himself and Sprinkles. As Junmyeon reaches the bottom, he hears the rattling of the front door.

🚀

It occurs to Junmyeon a little too late that he didn't ask for any specifics on the guy. Is he malfunctioning? Dangerous? Does he need help? Various other thoughts run through Junmyeon’s mind until he sees a tall figure trying desperately to open his shop’s front door.

“Uh, hello?” he says. The figure abruptly turns, plastering himself to the door. As Junmyeon gets closer, he can’t believe his eyes.

The tall figure is a 354I, one of the very first artificial humans to be created. Junmyeon remembers hearing about the first generation. They were extraordinary. It was the first generation who started it all, the first androids to ever be created are what caused the movement that changed the entire world to what it is now. Though, Junmyeon also remembers that all first generation droids were issued to be destroyed. They were the first of their kind, but the ones who were creating them were taking a shot in the dark. Junmyeon remembers the horror he witnessed on his grandfather’s outdated television as the first generation androids went on a rampage, nearly demolishing the whole A.I.T. building all those years ago.

The droid looks at Junmyeon apprehensively. If possible, Junmyeon thinks he presses himself further into the door.

“Please let me leave. I - I need to leave. I have to move once the sun comes up.”

Junmyeon doesn’t answer, too dumbfounded to find the right words. It takes a few moments for him to gather his thoughts, but by that time Baekhyun and Jongdae have stumbled their way down from his apartment and stand at his side. The android looks frightened. The android looks frightened. How is that even possible?

“You can’t leave! You’re hurt and our friend here can help fix you! He’s an android specialist!”

“How many times have I told you I’m just a ship mechanic Baekh–”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, we could get Junmyeon into big trouble. He’s a fucking gen one!”

“Who cares! He’s hurt and he needs our help! Please Myeon, just take a quick look at gen one. He’s harmless.”

“How the fuck would you even know if he’s harmless or not?”

Baekhyun and Jongdae go into a new dispute, but Junmyeon hears the android say something under his breath. He’s no longer pressed to the door but his hand remains on the door knob. Junmyeon takes small steps toward him. The android is much taller than Junmyeon, a whole heads worth. He’s littered with chips and dents all over his visible outer layer and the color seems to be fading into a lighter tone. His clothes are in tatters and his expression is no longer frightened, just uncertain.

“Did you - what did you say? Just now, I heard you.”

The android glances from Baekhyun and Jongdae - who have thankfully stopped arguing - to Junmyeon.

“My - my name is not gen one. My name is Kai.”

Kai. “Okay, Kai, my name is Junmyeon. Kim, Junmyeon.”

🚀

Junmyeon rummages from one giant toolbox to another. He’s certain his special kit is in one of these goddamn boxes. The android - Kai - sits on Junmyeon’s workbench, casually swinging his legs. After convincing him that he meant no harm, Kai agreed to follow Junmyeon to his workstation. It’s usually ship parts and other machinery that Junmyeon has laying on his bench. The last time he ever had an android laying on it was Baekhyun and before him, Jongdae. He remembers those two days vividly.

“Are you alright?” Junmyeon jumps at the sound of Kai’s voice, nearly dropping the box he had pulled out from underneath another toolbox. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It’s just - your emotional levels, th-they spiked.”

“Were you… scanning me?”

Kai sheepishly nods and averts his gaze. Junmyeon’s not sure what to say. He studies Kai for a bit, his tense shoulders and inability to look at Junmyeon. He looks away once he sees Kai fidgeting in place. At least he somewhat understands what he did is wrong.

“Please don’t do that again.” Junmyeon goes back to looking through the box. He grins when he sees what he’s looking for. “I knew it was in here! Damn, I really need to clean this place up a bit.”

He walks back towards Kai, who is nodding his head in agreement while looking around Junmyeon’s shop. He drags a silver stool along with him and takes a seat right across the bench. He scoots forward until he's in front of Kai.

Kai had taken off his shirt and Junmyeon can’t help the gasp that escapes when he sees the damage up close. His whole body has an outer layer of shape memory alloy that Junmyeon guesses was made to resemble skin, but none of it was bruised like human skin. Kai’s outer layer was faded and in some places completely torn. His right shoulder joint looks to have been detached and reattached many times and the outer layer of his forearm was in shreds. The left half of his chest was kicked in, the dent deep enough to puncture on of the droids artificial lungs. It must hurt for him to even breathe.

“Wha - what happened?” Junmyeon traces his hand over the dent on Kai’s chest. He takes a closer look at the shoulder joint. It looks like the wiring was connected in a rush and the joint was not properly connected to the socket, but Junmyeon could fix it. He moves down to the forearm and brushes his fingers over the alloy. There are bits and pieces sticking out and his inner wiring and air muscles are showing. It’s as if his arm had been put through a shredding machine.

“Humans still remember. As soon as they catch a glimpse at my collar, I know I have to leave.”

Junmyeon looks up at Kai’s neck, a thick white-colored band with a small box in the middle nestled around it. The box has three lights, two small lights on each corner and a slightly bigger light in the middle. It was the color, though, that caught Junmyeon’s attention. Baekhyun and Jongdae’s collars showed different shades of red, Baekhyun's just a bit darker than Jongdae’s, but Kai’s - Kai’s was shining a bright green.

“It’s hard to hide this thing,” Kai gestures towards the collar. “I usually wear a couple of layers to dim the light. That’s why I wanted to leave once the sun came up. It makes it harder to notice but some still do. They know what it means.”

So does Junmyeon. He runs his fingers over the box, the bright light shining through his fingertips. Green was the color given to droids who were to be decommissioned right away. He remembers Jongdae’s frantic mumbling and Baekhyun’s collar blinking dangerously between red and green.

“Your emotions spiked again.” Junmyeon stops tracing the box and looks at Kai. His eyes are soft and his plush lips are pulled into a timid smile. “I - I can't turn off my scanners. They’re built into my eyes. The stats just appear.”

“I’ll have to take a look at that as well then.” Junmyeon bends down to pick up the box he had been looking for and sets it on the bench. He presses a small button on the top and the box expands upward into three compartments, each filled with numerous tools and other small machinery.

“Will you tell me why you get sad while you work?”

Junmyeon straightens and looks at Kai. His dark eyebrows are angled perfectly to fit the design of his face, his almond eyes and cute nose are distanced just right, and his lips are thick but the bottom lip looks to have been repeatedly cut. He’ll have to take a look at that, too. Junmyeon takes a moment drink in Kai’s features. He’s almost positive that whoever programmed Kai’s appearance chip must have been using some kind of God as an example.

Kai continues to look at Junmyeon with what seems to be genuine curiosity, his head tilted to the side with the same timid smile he's been holding since he followed Junmyeon into his workspace. Junmyeon doesn't understand how this android can seem so - so human despite being one of the first of his kind. Even Baekhyun and Jongdae still had problems understanding several human emotions.

“I need you to lie on your back and go to sleep for a few hours. I have to open your chest to get that dent out and I have a feeling I might have to rework your whole arm. Your skin - the outer layer - it looks like it needs an immediate pump to recolor as well.”

Kai nods and does as he’s told. He lies down and Junmyeon watches as Kai’s body begins to loosen. One by one his limbs begin to slacken. Junmyeon looks into Kai’s eyes, the color slowly dimming. He might as well tell him before he drifts completely.

“The two who found you. They’re also androids. I - I saved them.” Junmyeon watches as Kai’s eyes widen but it’s too late. He’s gone into sleep mode.

🚀

“But it’s been two whole weeks! Why won't he wake up?” Baekhyun whines while he pokes Kai’s sleeping face.

Junmyeon isn’t sure either. He told Kai he only needed a few hours, not weeks. Granted, it did give him more time to work on the android's entire body. He continues to tighten a star-shaped bolt on his ship when Baekhyun plops himself on the stool next to him.

“When will you stop working on this thing?” He lightly kicks the ship.

“When I’m finished with it.” Junmyeon pushes the turner a bit more. Truth be told, he’s put in more work on his ship these past two weeks than the last couple of months. He wanted to keep a close watch on Kai in case he suddenly rebooted and for some reason didn’t remember anything, so he’s been spending most of his time working on the ship. He’s glad he moved his workstation closer to his ships a few months prior, now he’s never too far from Kai. “Besides, Jongdae says I’m almost done. I just need something to beat that asshole’s stupid PRH booster. I swear, where the hell does he even get all that stuff. I bet you anything it’s probably all illegal.”

Baekhyun shrugs, clearly uninterested with Junmyeon’s rant. He watches as Baekhyun covers his left eye and looks at the ship. Junmyeon knows he’s scanning it. He patiently waits for the analysis - since Baekhyun can only scan with his right eye now it takes him bit longer. After a couple of minutes, he removes his hand and beams at Junmyeon.

“You’ll beat that fucker. I compared one of my old scans of his ship to yours. You’re looking at 6.8 lead if you manage to patch up your speed processor and amplify it with something.”

“Something? What something?”

“I’m... not sure. Sorry Myeon, my scan isn’t showing anything specific, just that you’re definitely missing something.”

“Have you tried a UMD intensifier?”

Junmyeon and Baekhyun are both startled by the deep voice. They turn to see Kai, grinning at them both and struggling to sit up on the workbench.

🚀

“Two whole weeks. Wow, my system must have been severely overworked to override my timer and set a new one.”

After Kai’s sudden awakening, Junmyeon made sure to examine him inch by inch before allowing him to get up and roam around the shop with Baekhyun.

“But you’re better now! I tell you, he says he isn't but Myeonie is an android specialist! Look at this -” Junmyeon watches as Baekhyun pushes away his empty cereal bowl and leans forward toward Kai, bright blue eyes staring into light grey ones. “He fixed my eye. It’s still a little off, I used to have grey eyes like yours, but I can see. I don’t mind the cracks and I’m no longer seeing others with a target sign on them.”

Junmyeon smiles at the grin Baekhyun sends his way. He never did get around to fixing the cracks around Baekhyun’s left eye. It’s okay Myeon, Jongdae says the small cracks on the side look like a storm cloud and the two cracks at the bottom of my eyelid look like lightning!

“Well, I better go. I told Jongdae I’d only be gone for a few hours. He’ll be glad you’re awake! We’ll stop by tomorrow to say hi!” Baekhyun gives one final hug to Kai who smiles wide and eagerly returns the embrace.

Junmyeon thinks the dimple on Kai’s left cheek that shows up when he smiles is rather endearing. Kai is different than most of the androids he’s met. He’s awkward and shy, undeniably handsome and beautifully sculpted. He’s breathtaki- Junmyeon snaps out of his daze when he hears Baekhyun shout one last goodbye once he's out the door.

It’s just him and Kai now. After two full weeks of having the android rest on his workbench, Junmyeon isn't sure why he feels so nervous. Should he ask him how he’s feeling again? He looks a lot better. His skin is now an even caramel color and free of any chips and dents. The joints that were missing alloy were now connected to the rest of his joints. There were no more gaps that showed his inner wiring and circuitry. Kai could move his body freely now without worrying about his alloy locking or looking like he’s wearing a full body armor suit. Junmyeon could swear he made Kai look even more human than himself.

“Your heart rate is increasing.” Kai is smiling at him again. “It’s not my scanners this time. I guess you fixed it. But we have sensors that give us pulse readings. For safety precautions.”

“How is knowing someone’s heart rate going to keep you safe?”

“It lets us know that someone with an erratic heartbeat might want to hurt us or someone we’re with or - or”

“Or?”

Kai waves him off and stands. He stretches his limbs and Junmyeon can’t stop himself from staring just a tiny bit when Kai’s shirt rides up. Junmyeon stands as well. He keeps his eyes on Kai as he walks around the shop. He hasn’t really cleaned up much despite his own scolding of the mess. He had been too busy working on his ship and waiting for Kai to awaken. Kai walks a bit further until he reaches Junmyeon’s ship. Junmyeon sees his eyes brighten a bit more. He’s probably scanning it.

“This ship’s pretty fast. All the parts you have are unbelievable. Do you race?”

“No.” Junmyeon chuckles. He walks and stands next to Kai. “There’s a competition each year for “Fastest Space Ship” but it has to be built here on earth. It has to benefit humans for outside travel. There’s also a hefty prize that increases every year. I entered last year with a… friend, but I didn’t win.”

Kai steps forward and places his hand on the ship. “That’s odd. My readings show that you should have won compared to the previous winner. I accessed their designs. Who is Do, Kyungsoo?” Kai’s face scrunches up once he lets go.

Junmyeon feels his muscles go tense at the name. He rather not think about him right now.

“The guy who won. Anyways,” Junmyeon clears his throat and dust off imaginary dirt from his jeans. “Why don’t you rest up a bit? I can make us some real food later since you didn’t want any cereal.”

Kai nods and follows Junmyeon back to the work bench.

“Is this where you live?”

“No, this is my shop. I live in the apartment upstairs with my dog.”

Kai snaps his head to Junmyeon’s direction. Junmyeon is confused and slightly concerned as Kai speed walks directly towards him. He’s still taller than Junmyeon, practically towers over him.

“I - Can I meet it? Your dog, I mean. I just - I really like dogs.”

If Junmyeon didn’t understand the android before, he’s even more confused now. As far as he knows, the very first androids were made as strictly machinery. To understand and express emotions shouldn’t be possible for them. Yet here was Kai, a first generation android standing in his shop expressing his appreciation for an animal. How could Kai feel anything? Junmyeon grabs the empty cereal bowl and heads to the stairs.

“He’s an older guy, but he loves to play.”

“What’s his name?”

“Sprinkles.”

Junmyeon is two steps up when he hears loud, booming laughter behind him. He turns to see Kai hunched over clutching his stomach and laughing. Kai was laughing.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh, but that is such a cute name for a dog.” He watches as Kai reaches up to wipe a tear off his face. Junmyeon frowns and tries to discreetly get a closer look at Kai’s face. He checked his facial processor, there was no trace of tear ducts being included into his design. Once Kai catches his breath, they make their way up the stairs. Junmyeon tries to hold himself back from asking but it is a rather important question.

“A-are you - you know-” Junmyeon stutters. He doesn't want Kai to misunderstand his intentions. He and takes is a quick breath before continuing, “W-will you be staying with me?”

The pitter-patter of dog feet can be heard heading right toward them as they reach the top of the stairs. Kai immediately bends down to pet the small dog who excitedly licks his face. Junmyeon smiles, it's been awhile since he’s seen Sprinkles this excited. He heads to the sink where he dumps the bowl. Kai is now giggling and lying down on the floor, Sprinkles wiggling all over his stomach. He looks up, his eyes glimmering and his smile shining right at Junmyeon from the floor.

“If you let me, I want to stay you.”

Junmyeon feels the air knocked right out of his lungs.

🚀

“Your pulse is elevated again.”

Junmyeon looks up as Kai approaches him, a vanilla ice-cream cup in one hand and a mecha choco-pop in the other.

“Sorry. I’m just uh, thinking. Thanks.” He accepts the cup and wills his nerves to go away as Kai takes a seat next to him on the heavily graffitied bench. They’re at the park about three blocks from his apartment. Kai had suggested they take a breather since he was “physically hearing his mind melt from boredom” back in Junmyeon’s shop.

Kai has been staying with Junmyeon for about a month now. He wasn't sure what it’d be like having a stranger wandering around his home, but he came to find Kai’s presence soothing. Kai helps him around the shop with shipment and the customers. He thankfully reaches the high places Junmyeon would never reach without his handy pocket ladder. His apartment is also much cleaner now since Kai demanded he be allowed to do something. You’re practically harboring a fugitive, Junmyeon. I want to earn my place here. At least give me some chores to do. So, Junmyeon agreed. Kai even does some of the chores he's come to know that Junmyeon avoids. Sprinkles had also completely accepted Kai into their home and even made it a habit of leaving Junmyeon’s room in the middle of the night to snuggle up with Kai on the couch.

Having Kai around was nice, but it was also nerve wrecking. Junmyeon has to constantly be on alert in case someone who comes into his shop happens to recognize Kai or accidentally see his collar. So far, they’ve been careful and safe. But, right now, sitting out in the open where hundreds of people and androids pass them by, Junmyeon feels more nervous than ever.

“It’s okay, Junmyeon. No one is even paying attention to us. C’mon, at least show me your pretty smile!”

Junmyeon blushes at Kai’s choice of words. It seems to be a reoccurring thing with the droid. He always manages to say things that make Junmyeon’s face feel like it’s on fire. Junmyeon, why do you have a nice smile? Junmyeon, the mole above your lip is adorable. Junmyeon, why don't you come out of the shower with only a towel around your waist anymore? Your body is nice.

He glances at Kai and gives him a small smile. Kai laughs and bites into his choco-pop. He watches as a bright pink tongue pokes out of Kai’s lips to lick at a drip of ice cream that had trickled down the side of his lip. He shakes his head and decides that a spoonful of ice cream will simmer down the spark he feels trying to ignite in the pit of his stomach. Kai continues to eat his ice cream, his demeanor as calm as the wind blowing through the park. Junmyeon doesn’t understand.

He doesn't understand how Kai can be so relaxed. If he were on the run, he’s not sure he’d be able to remain as calm. He feels bad for repeatedly reminding Kai to keep his scarves on when they're with the customers or out buying groceries, but Kai never complains. He simply smiles and reaches for Junmyeon’s hand to give it a soft squeeze.

The first time Kai squeezed his hand, Junmyeon thought his heart would skyrocket out of his chest. Kai had been worried he had shocked him by mistake and caused his heart to become unstable, but that wasn't entirely correct. Junmyeon had felt the tiniest of jolts and his heart had felt so full. Kai had stared at him with the same wide, grey eyes he did the first day they met. Junmyeon doesn't know when it happened, maybe in the precise moment that Kai reached for him, but Junmyeon thinks Kai looks like the most dazzling being he’s ever met.

Junmyeon is brought back from his inner thoughts by Kai’s hand waving in front of his face.

“Junmyeon? Helloooo. Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Then what did I say a few seconds ago?”

Crap. “Fine, it’s just - I think we should go, Kai. It’s not safe and Baek and Dae are stopping by in a bit and the shop is a mess. Maybe we sh-”

“Tell me how you saved them.”

“I don’t thin-”

“C’mon, maybe it’ll calm your nerves to think about something else. Tell me.”

If anything his nerves will be more on edge. He hates thinking about those two days. Junmyeon pokes his ice cream with the small spoon. He takes a deep breath and tilts his head back to look at the sky.

“Junmyeon?”

“I found Jongdae in the alley by the shop. I didn't understand why someone would throw away one of the newer bots at the time, but once I brought him into the shop I understood.”

“What was wrong with him?”

“His joints weren't taken care of properly by his previous family. He says they were out for a walk that day, but I think he just deleted all his previous memories before tha-” Junmyeon freezes when he feels Kai lean on him.

“Keep going. I just wanted to rest my eyes.” He turns his head to get a look at Kai’s face. His eyes are indeed shut. Junmyeon takes another breath and tries to calm his heart. He doesn’t need Kai to notice his pulse rising again.

“Th-they left him when he locked up again. When he locks up his arms fold in but not his legs, so when I found him he was missing his right leg and his back had been opened.”

“Some humans are assholes to our kind.”

“I know.” He sighs. “I fixed what I could and once he came around I allowed him to stay with me.” Junmyeon smiles at the memory of Jongdae nearly breaking his ribs with a hug when he told him he wouldn’t lock up ever again.

“What about Baekhyun?” Junmyeon finally leans on Kai. Kai shifts so that he can have a more comfortable position.

“Jongdae and I were looking for a shop that received my shipment by mistake. The shop was around a military base. I remember reading about some older bots being given to the military for voluntary backup. Jongdae noticed him wandering around a park much like this one near that base. When we got closer we found him fighting with himself. Baekhyun had his arm cannon out with his battle-ready eye aimed and ready to shoot, except he wouldn't.”

Junmyeon can feel Kai’s gears shifting and the small puffs his air muscles exhale within him. It’s almost as if his whole body was humming. Junmyeon thinks the hums feel nice.

“But, you can’t disobey a direct order in combat mode. That was one of the first things we were tested on that back in the lab.”

“I thought he was going to shoot at us too, but he didn’t,” Junmyeon shrugs as best he can and continues, “He threw himself on the floor face down and begged for help. That's when we saw someone had lodged a shock plug into the left side of his neck by his collar. It was frying his insides and had him stuck in that mode.”

“Is that why his eyes changed?”

“That’s also what overloaded his facial processor. It was beginning to crack his face, but Jongdae managed to shut him down. We brought him back to the shop and I think I worked on him for more hours than I did with you.”

“Sounds like they’ve been through a lot.”

Speak of the devil. Or, in this case, speak of the devils, and they shall appear. Junmyeon’s phone dings several times. He pulls out the device and taps the front. Multiple messages from Jongdae and Baekhyun litter the screen.

from daedae🐱: from baekie🐶:
where r u? wHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED US??

from daedae🐱: from baekie🐶:
y invit us if ur not DAE IS GETTING ANGRY :(((
goin 2 b home?!

From daedae🐱: from baekie🐶:
junmyeon istg i will OH MY GOD LET US IN!!!!!
shoot this door dwn

Junmyeon pales. Jongdae will most definitely shoot his door down. He straightens, almost causing Kai to fall to the side.

“I think it’s time to go. Right now.”

He passes the phone to Kai who only laughs at the messages. They both stand and start making their way to the entrance of the park. Junmyeon throws his melted ice cream cup into a nearby garbage bin. He’s dusting off his hands when strong arms suddenly engulf him from behind. He feels Kai nuzzling his face on the top of his head. Kai is hugging him. He feels his heart beat increasing by the second so he desperately tries to calm it. He stands as still as he can until Kai lets him go.

Except he doesn’t. He extends one of his arms upward, Junmyeon’s phone in his hand.

“Smile!”

Junmyeon is certain his face is beet red. He manages a quick smile before hearing the shutter of the camera go off numerous times. Kai clears his throat and lets go of Junmyeon. He’s positive he can see something resembling blush on Kai’s face.

“I just wanted to thank you. For sharing. Thank you for trusting me. You’re an incredible person Junmyeon.” Kai smiles that radiant smile that always manages to turn Junmyeon’s insides into goo. He watches as Kai goes around him and starts heading in the direction they came.

Junmyeon stays rooted in his spot. He needs a few more seconds to make sure his heart doesn’t suddenly explode.

🚀

“Thank you! Please come again!” Junmyeon sighs as he looks at Kai wave excitedly at the elderly man that exits the shop. He’s supposed to be working on his ship, checking the right wing for any damage since Kai accidently dropped a box full of 16 pound bolts on it - so he’s only mildly surprised when Jongdae lightly pats him on the back.

“He looks good. He’s a quick learner.” Junmyeon hums in agreement as Jongdae leans in a bit closer to his ear. “So, when are you going to tell him you like him?”

Junmyeon begins choking on air. Kai turns and looks at them with concern, but Junmyeon waves him off. He continues to cough for a few more seconds and waits for Kai to be further away from them.

“Why are you saying those things?” He hisses.

“I’ve been observing your scans,” Jongdae crosses his arms and leans on the ship. “Your hormone levels go into a frenzy whenever you're around him and your dopamine and norepinephrine levels light up your brain like a Christmas tree. We know you like him.”

“I’m sorry, we?”

“Baek’s seen it too. It’s a wonder that Kai hasn’t said anything.”

“But I don-”

“Yes, you do.” Jongdae sighs. “We know you really like him. Those pictures you took of you both spending the day at the park were very cute.”

“You hacked my phone? Jongdae, what the hell!”

“Calm down. I didn’t hack anything. I couldn't find my phone so I unlocked yours to call it.”

“That’s hacking!”

“Stop yelling,” Jongdae rolls his eyes, he leans forwards and begins whispering, “Now, listen, between you and me, I scanned him once and he’s not the same as me and Baek. He was built differently.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care.” Junmyeon huffs. “I have to finish this ship by next month so please just - just let me focus.”

“Fine, but he’s coming this way and I’ve done all I can to keep Baekhyun quiet. Either you tell him or next ti - Heeey! Buddy! How’s it going?”

Junmyeon sighs and begins putting his tools away. He’s not going to finish checking anything today from the looks of it. He hears Jongdae talking to Kai about some new game Baekhyun acquired from their neighbor, Sehun.

“You should stop by sometime. Sehun’s a bitch and Baekhyun needs a new partner for gaming since I’m, according to him, “utterly useless.” Maybe getting away from this shop and grumpy old Junmyeon will do you some go- OW!”

“Call me old again and I will disassemble both your legs next time you decided to take a nap here.”

“Fine, I’ll leave. Asshole.” Jongdae grumbles.

Junmyeon glances at Kai who has his eyes fixed on Jongdae’s retreating figure. Right before exiting the shop, Jongdae pauses and throws one last look at Junmyeon.

“I was serious about the thing Junmyeon. I won't be able to stop him next time.”

Junmyeon scoffs and waves him off. He needs to think.

🚀

It’s been a full week since Jongdae’s rude revelation of Junmyeon’s feelings. Since then, He’s been busying himself with fixing up his ship. He took it for a spin the other day and noticed that one of the engines isn’t working properly. There’s no way he can win the title with a faulty engine.

Junmyeon had invited Kai to help him out a few days ago. Apparently, Kai had had quite a few questions still bottled up regarding the ship. Why do you spend so much time fixing it? Isn’t the ship fast enough without the SQ set? Does it run on a 62DL4? When did you last fix this set of coils? Are those WT6’s? Why is this inner wing so filthy Junmyeon? Your pulse keeps increasing, are you sure you’re okay? Needless to say, Junmyeon hasn’t invited Kai to help him with the ship after that day.

He’s head deep in one of the ship’s compartments when he hears a hard knock on the metal.

“Junmyeon? Are you busy?” He pops his head out and sees Kai, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His hair’s gotten brighter, healthier than his own hair. The silver strands don't look as damaged as they did when they first met. Junmyeon wishes he could run his fingers through them.

Junmyeon shakes the thought from his head before answering, “Uh, no, I’m - I’m just about done. Did you need something?”

“There’s a man here asking for you. He says you guys are close friends?”

Junmyeon frowns. The only friends he has aside from Baekhyun and Jongdae are Luhan and Yifan, the cute couple who sold him the shop and apartment, but they lived nowhere near this area anymore. He comes down the ladder and dusts himself off. He follows Kai to the front of the shop but stops when he suddenly turns to face him.

“This man, he - he gives me a bad feeling.”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. Kai always says he gets certain feelings around people, but Junmyeon is adamant that that can't really be possible. When he rounds the corner, he sees the last person he’d ever think would be in his shop.

“Junmyeon. Figures you’d keep running this atrocious little place.”

The man is around Junmyeon’s height, his jet black hair is swept back and away from his thick eyebrows and round doe eyes. He’s wearing a pristine black suit and struts coolly around the front aisle. He looks around the shop, entirely indifferent to the scowl Junmyeon is throwing at him.

“What are you doing here Kyungsoo?” Junmyeon tries to keep his voice steady.

Kyungsoo examines the contents of the aisle, completely ignoring Junmyeon’s question. Once he reaches the end of the isle he makes his way back, this time looking right at Junmyeon and Kai, who stands behind Junmyeon.

“Are you still working on your new ship?”

“Why do you care? Come to steal this one as well?”

“You’re not still holding on to that are you?” Kyungsoo scoffs. “We both worked on it Junmyeon.”

“Yet you took all the credit and only signed your name on all the design plans we submitted.” He can feel his anger bubbling up when Kyungsoo simply shrugs.

“I did apologize, though.”

Junmyeon is seconds away from pouncing on Kyungsoo when he feels Kai’s warm hand land on his shoulder holding him in place. He looks up at Kai who smiles down at him.

“Is he yours?”

He snaps his gaze back at Kyungsoo who now stands in front of them. Junmyeon mentally prepares himself to speak to him in a civilized manner. I can do this. I can. I can do th- Time seemed to stand still as Kyungsoo reached out to touch Kai. Junmyeon feels his hand jerk forward, grasping Kyungsoo’s hand inches away from Kai’s neck. He makes sure his grip is tight.

“Don’t. Touch him.”

“He’s supposed to be put down isn’t he?” He sees Kyungsoo’s smile grow. “I had heard that you made it a habit of taking in bots who were meant to be decommissioned and fixed them up. What was wrong with this one?”

“That’s none of your business.” Junmyeon loosens his grip and pushes Kyungsoo’s hand away.

“Fine, what model is he? He’s cute. I might ask to get one built to look like him just for me.”

He considers lying and saying Kai is one of the newer models, but Kyungsoo would see right through him. He’s about to answer but Kai beats him to the punch.

“I am a 354I.”

Junmyeon sees Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, the dots connecting all at once. Kyungsoo clears his throat and straightens his suit jacket.

“First generation. I see. So, you heard about my plans then.”

“What? What plans?” He watches carefully as Kyungsoo reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small chip. He holds it out for Junmyeon and Kai to see. Junmyeon knows exactly where he's seen one of those chips before. It can’t be.

"Pulled this off one of him," Kyungsoo gestures at Kai and continues, "It’s called a CAD chip. These are the fastest chips ever build. Too fast, in fact, which is probably why they stopped making them after those things went apeshit."

Junmyeon feels Kai stiffen behind him. He doesn’t like where this is going.

“If you pull this out of him and replace your RCD chip with a CAD, you might stand a chance against my ship. We’ll have to go head to head and see whose ship pulls through, but it’d be a matter of design and capability since we’d both have a CAD.”

Junmyeon finds Kyungsoo’s smile sickening. The way he talks about Kai as if he wasn’t standing right behind him is infuriating, and it’s taking all his willpower to hold himself down and not punch Kyungsoo’s smile off his smug face.

“Don’t worry, they won’t feel a thing if they go to sleep. I kept a memento from the bot I took it from.” He holds out his right arm and pulls up his sleeve. A thin cream-colored collar with a small box come to view. The lights are green. “Chanyeol was a sweet thing. I told him to sleep so he’d help me win. He must’ve really liked me because he did.” Kyungsoo chuckles.


“I think it’s time you leave,” Junmyeon says as he takes a cautious step forward and stands as tall as he can in front of Kai, attempting to shield him in any way possible from Kyungsoo. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Actually, let it. I don’t mind.”

Junmyeon hears Kai stifle a giggle. He mentally pats himself on the back when Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and turn towards the entrance.

“This was nice. We should hang out more often.” Kyungsoo pockets the chips and makes his way to the door. “I’ll see you at the prelims Junmyeon.”

No, you won't, he thinks.

🚀

Junmyeon wakes up during the night to tiny whimpering noises. He reaches a hand down to pet Sprinkles but finds that the dog is gone. He leans forward and hears the whimpering coming from the living room. Sighing, Junmyeon gets up and wraps the blanket around himself. He hobbles to the doorway and sees Sprinkles whining at the stairs that lead to the roof. Once he gets closer he sees the window to the roof has been opened. Junmyeon glances at the couch. Kai isn't there.

He sluggishly makes his way up the stairs and once he reaches the top, he sees Kai. He’s wearing a tank top and some pajama pants. The wind blows and Junmyeon finds that he can't stop staring as Kai closes his eyes and tilts his head back, embracing the cool night air.

“I know you’re there Junmyeon. Your heart is racing.”

Junmyeon tightens the blanket around his body as he approaches Kai. He takes a seat next to android who doesn’t open his eyes.

A few minutes go by before Kai calmly speaks, “If you're going to do it, do it quick. I’ve felt your pulse for quite some time Junmyeon. It makes sense now, why you allowed me to stay with you this whole time. If you really want my CAD chip I… I won't stop you.

“I - wha-” Junmyeon tries to swallow down the knot in his throat. He clears his throat and asks, “How - How could you think that? Is that the kind of – the kind of person you think I am?”

“Why else would your heart beat like an electric motor whenever I’m around?” Kai peeks at Junmyeon. “Ever since Kyungsoo came… you’re different. You ignored me for the past couple of days, but your heartbeat keeps pounding.”

“That’s not - that’s not why Kai.”

“Then why?”

Junmyeon wants the ground to swallow him whole. He feels like his brain might evaporate at any second and that his heart might rupture an artery from beating so quick, but he can't allow Kai think he’s some kind of monster.

“Jongdae says you were built differently. Does it – is that true?”

He watches Kai close his eyes again. He smiles a small, sad smile. Junmyeon decides he really doesn’t like that smile.

"I knew Chanyeol. He was a few months older than me. I guess he is… was. He was what you would call my sibling. He was there when the humans began hurting us. The ones that came before me were always so frightened.”

“What do you mean hurting?”

“There was an android created right before me. His name was Yixing. He was a special android.” Kai shivers. The air is getting colder. Junmyeon bumps Kai’s shoulder and opens his arms, gesturing for him to lean in to share the blanket. Kai opens his eyes but instead, he leans his head on Junmyeon’s lap and closes his eyes again. Junmyeon tries not to think much about it and covers Kai with some of the blanket.

“He had a strong presence of mind and possessed many talents that androids before him didn’t.”

“Isn't that good? That means the technology was getting better, right?”

“Yes, and no. He was rather amazing. The humans were quick to pick up on his skills and began to study him. They woul - they would tear him apart and rebuild him over and over to see if he would change. Sometimes he'd be gone for days and would come back in pieces. We’d try to fix him but they’d take him away even if he was badly hurt. One day, he just didn’t come back. It was horrible.”

Junmyeon sees tears dripping from Kai's face. He hesitates but slowly reaches down and wipes the tears away. It’s oil. Kai stiffens but doesn't push him away.

“I wasn't special. They wanted to know why an android before myself would be much more knowledgeable and talented if I was the newest version. I felt so useless. The things they did to me. I just - I couldn’t - I couldn’t change who I was.”

“You keep saying you felt things but I… I’ve been meaning to ask. First generations they - they were built to be walking machines. How can you… feel?”

“How do you think we were made?” Kai shifts so that he’s lying on his back but his head still resting on Junmyeon’s lap.

Junmyeon is startled by the question, mostly because he's never really given much thought to how the first generation androids were built. The first android he ever helped fixed was a third generation android named Minseok in his grandfather's shop.

“Uh, well... Jongdae's a 2B9N, a ninth generation android, and he's built with synthetic alloy and hydro-air muscles. Baekhyun is a 2A4N, a fifth generation, he was built with a different type of synthetic alloy. I had never seen it before. It was almost… well, almost human.”

“But what about the first generation androids?”

Junmyeon gulps at the hard look Kai is giving him. He can't look him in the eye.

“I don't - I'm not sure…”

“Touch me,” Kai says, moving his arm toward Junmyeon. Junmyeon blushes at Kai's choice of words but does as he's asked. He places his hands on Kai's arm. After a few seconds, he realizes what it feels like. He instantly recoils at the texture.

“You may have fixed me up and let me touch you, but I noticed you’ve never realized what my alloy feels like.”

"It - it feels like h-human skin."

“Back then they didn't have much to go on. Our outer layer that you refer to as “skin” was created and designed to mimic human flesh. The sensors are combined with an old formula for the first ever memory-synthetic alloy to resemble human skin. Our muscles may be air based, but they’re shaped to copy and react as human muscles. Our brains are nearly identical to a human’s. It’s designed to imitate the exact process to think and feel just like a human.”

Junmyeon glances down at Kai’s face. He’s facing away from Junmyeon, but he can see the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“So, yes, Junmyeon. I’m - I am capable of feeling any type emotion. I-I’m not some - some heartless robot that can be taken apart a-and put back together. I’m a person. I’m a p-person just like you. I-I’m-”

Junmyeon’s heard enough. He hastily pulls one of Kai’s tank top straps with one hand and turns his face to look at him with the other. Kai’s glossy grey eyes staring up at Junmyeon’s own chocolate brown eyes.

“Then y-you have to understand. You have to know why my heart – why it beats the way it does. It wasn't beating like this b-because I wanted to k-kill you. My ship - it means nothing to me compared to you. Kai, it will never be as important as your life. I - I just-”

Junmyeon can hear his pulse. It’s deafening. He leans down and hesitantly places a kiss on Kai’s cheek. Kai is still staring up at him, eyes wide, but he’s not crying anymore.

“I… I love you.”

🚀

“Wait - Wait, Kai, at least let me get a headache patch.”

After Junmyeon’s confession, Kai had sprung forward and accidently knocked Junmyeon on the head. He apologized profusely, but more importantly, he pulled Junmyeon to his feet and practically dragged him by the wrist across the roof and down towards his room.

“It’ll go away on its own.”

Once they’re in the room, Kai leads Junmyeon to the bed and is about to get on when Junmyeon stops him.

“Wait! Go close the door. If anything is going to happen I don’t want our son to see.”

“Our son?” Kai grins.

Junmyeon goes crimson. He didn’t mean to say that part out loud. He turns over and buries his face into his pillow. He hears Kai laugh and footsteps heading to the door. When he hears the click he peeks up and sees Kai at the edge of the bed still grinning.

“I didn’t mean - I just-”

“Junmyeon.”

He looks up to see Kai looking at him in a way he’s never seen before. His eyes are intense and staring directly at Junmyeon. He gulps when he feels the bed dip. Kai sits in front of him and pulls the pillow away. Junmyeon is wearing all his clothes, but he’s never felt so exposed.

“I love you too.”

Junmyeon can feel his pulse accelerate. He’s positive Kai can also.

“I’ve loved you for a while now. I wanted to believe your heart would beat alarmingly fast around me because you felt the same. But after what happened with Kyungsoo I… I just wasn't sure.”

Junmyeon reaches forward and places his hand on Kai’s cheek. Kai nuzzles into it and kisses his palm. His lips are as soft as they look.

“You saved me. And you didn’t have to. You let me into your home and into your life.” Kai leans in and places his forehead on Junmyeon’s. “Each day I spent with you I discovered new things about you. Your habits, your quirks, what you like, what you don't. I - I fell in love with you.”

Junmyeon has never felt this way. He feels his like his whole body is vibrating and his vision is starting to blur. He closes his eyes and wills the tears to go away. He feels Kai move up and is pleasantly surprised when he feels him place a kiss on each of his eyes.

“You care about others more than yourself. You’re a beautiful human being with a generous heart. You don't even realize what a wonderful person you are, Junmyeon.” This time, Kai is the one who places his hand on Junmyeon’s cheek. When he opens his eyes he sees Kai is still smiling and looking at Junmyeon as if he was the sun, the moon, and the stars. No one has ever looked at him that way.

“I love you.” Kai glances at Junmyeon’s lips then back at his eyes. “Please let me show you.”

If possible, Junmyeon thinks his heart beats faster than it ever had before.

🚀

“Myeon! You better be wearing some clothes ‘cause I’m coming in!”

Junmyeon’s bedroom door is slammed open, startling Junmyeon and Sprinkles awake.

“Wha- Baekhyun, what the hell!

Said android shoves his cellphone right at Junmyeon’s face momentarily blinding him. He swats the phone away and rubs his sore eyes.

“Have you seen what this dickhead is saying to the press? He such a prick! I still don't get why you didn’t enter your ship. We could've fucking destro-”

“Baek, please stop yelling.”

Baekhyun snaps his head to the lump on the side of Junmyeon’s bed. Junmyeon feels his face flush. He hadn't told Baekhyun nor Jongdae the reason why he suddenly decided to stop fixing his ship. They questioned him for days but ultimately let it go since Junmyeon wasn’t budging. There was no way they’d ever let this go.

“No. Way.”

“W-wait, Baekhyun it’s not-”

“Dae! Jongdae! Jongdae! DAE!”

If there ever was a time Junmyeon wishes could trade places with Sprinkles, now would be the moment when he sees the dog nonchalantly walk away from the screaming android. Baekhyun leans over Junmyeon and rips the cover off of Kai. He’s only wearing a pair of boxer briefs and Junmyeon can feel his whole body flush now.

“Why the fuck are you- no fucking way.”

“I fucking knew it! Our little Myeonie is all grown up!”

Junmyeon throws the blanket over his head in a weak attempt to hide.

“So, Kai, what’s it like to fuck Junmyeon? Is he loud? I bet he’s loud, or is he-”

Junmyeon manages to smack Jongdae with his pillow before he could finish. Baekhyun excitedly crawls into the bed and hugs a sleepy Kai and a furiously blushing Junmyeon while Jongdae takes a seat on Junmyeon’s side of the bed.

“I fucking knew there had to be a reason Myeonie gave up on old fartbus.”

“My ship is not called fartb-”

“Oh, are you going to keep the name ‘Kai’?”

“Uh, yes?” Junmyeon sees Kai frown at the sudden question. “What’s wrong with my name?”

“Nothing really,” Baekhyun shrugs. “Just if you wanted a new name, now would be the time. My name used to be 2A4N and Jongdae’s was Chen and 2B9N.”

Junmyeon knows this must be a tough decision for Kai, probably something he never even considered. He reaches over Baekhyun and finds Kai’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiles when Kai squeezes right back.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Well, while you think, we’re making breakfast.” Jongdae gets up and pats Junmyeon’s legs before finding Baekhyun’s and landing a loud smack on it. “Let’s go, you little shit. Get out of their bed.”

Junmyeon laughs when Baekhyun whines and crawls off the bed. He’s about to follow the pair out of the bedroom when he feels a slight tug on his shirt.

“Wait, I - I actually saw a name that I really liked but I want you to be the first person to hear it. This is - this is going to be the name of a person I hope you will love for a long, long time.”

Junmyeon can see Kai is visibly nervous. He’s noticed Kai’s habit of always rubbing the back of his ear whenever he feels anxious about something. He sits back on the bed with a small smile and extends his hand toward him.

“Hi. My name is Junmyeon. Kim, Junmyeon. What’s your name?”

Kai stares at Junmyeon’s hand and lets out a breathy laugh. Junmyeon’s smile widen when he sees the smile bloom on Kai’s face. He looks straight into Junmyeon’s eyes with those alluring grey eyes. He takes Junmyeon’s hand and gives it a soft squeeze.

“My name is Jongin. Kim, Jongin.”