Human After All

First, the candy shop. While Joshua usually enjoyed walking around the park, the fact that there were solar sailors at each corner took away from the pleasure of it. Most wouldn't notice, but it seemed that everywhere Joshua looked, there was a solar sailor. Joshua thought his master would tread lightly especially since he had committed a terrible felony. Maybe he was over thinking things, but all Joshua knew was that he would be very nervous if he was out in public after something like that.

Joshua ran around the candy shop again, filling up his bag full of chocolates and caramels. The chewy caramels were always Joshua's favorite, although he didn't eat too many. Perhaps one every time he bought more candies, but other than that, he didn't eat anything else really.

Then, after buying all of the candy Joshua could get his hands on and checking out with the familiar teens that Beau had gotten used to seeing whenever he and Joshua were there, they started for the movie theater.

"Wow." Beau said as they neared the large building. Joshua looked up at his master with his eyebrows raised. "I haven't been here since I was a kid.... Actually, I haven't been here ever since my parents got their jobs. Then they started working, leaving me at home with nannies and stuff."

Joshua cocked his head to the left, his hair falling as wisps across his forehead. Beau laughed, tucking the auburn hair behind his ears with a gentle hand.

"How long?"

"Oh... maybe 14 years." Beau nodded. He thought back to the time when he was about four or five years old, such a little tyke while his mother took him to see a movie about what the world used to be like without robots. Beau actually really loved that movie, but the title slipped his mind at the moment.

"Years?" Joshua asked loudly. Beau nodded, making Joshua squeal in excitement. "Oh master, then we must see a movie we will never forget!"

"But all the good movies are so expensive...." Beau said. It's not like he was in shortage of money, but that didn't mean Beau was constantly spending it as well. In fact, saving money was something very important to him. He had to have enough to go to college next year, and spending it like there was no tomorrow wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. Using money on Joshua was different. Joshua was a person with needs, to Beau, not just another charge on a credit card. "I guess I could spare a couples bucks so we can see a good movie."

"No master, if it's too much, we don't have to." Joshua said quickly. "We can just see that one—" He pointed his finger towards a banner of a movie that Beau wasn't absolutely sure he would hate anyways. But just to please his robot, Beau denied him of the cheap movie.

"No." Beau said firmly. "C'mon! I can spend more,"

Beau dragged Joshua to the front desk with a smile on his face, ordering two tickets for the best movie that was there, although he actually didn't know what it was about. Something about the fall of District 16, and Beau already didn't like it.

Joshua took a seat next to Beau who practically sat up in the "nosebleeds" (as he liked to call them), far away from others but the screen was huge, so it was like having the perfect view. Many people thought sitting in the front meant having the best seat, but you often had to crane your neck just to get a good view, which led to harsh pills needed to cure that problem. Beau avoided all that by getting the best seats that everybody forgot about.

And as the movie started, Beau knew he was already dreading it. This is a Capital movie, he thought. They probably made Ethylon to be the biggest brute ever, when he was probably much nicer than the people in the Capital. What hypocrites.



Beau awoke with a start when Joshua jumped into his lap. Something had happened in the movie; an explosion of sorts. Beau had grown tired of the movie within the first five minutes after realizing that they were only bad mouthing Ethylon. While Beau knew nobody would really know Ethylon like he did, know of his innocence, it still irked him to go in public and see others speaking ill. He couldn't speak out though; he could be arrested by the solar sailors, the people he wanted to avoid the most.

"Is it almost over, Joshua?" Beau murmured. Joshua nodded.

"Only 10 more minutes.... Master, who's Mr. Rager?" Joshua looked up at Beau with a whisper.

"Mr. Rager?" Beau said. "Never heard of him. Why?'

"They mentioned him... in the movie. I think he's coming up soon, but— Look!" Joshua said suddenly, nearly jumping out of his seat to point at the screen. The entire audience gasped audibly at the dirty teen that stood on screen, his body covered with soot, ash and blood and cuts displayed over his pale flesh. Beau furrowed his brows together, staring at the boy in such confusion.

And the movie ranted on about Mr. Rager, although nobody was really following now. The boy was so rough looking, everybody cowered in their seats, but not Beau. Joshua hid his face in Beau's chest to keep himself from being eyeballed by the strange character.

But the teen didn't look dangerous but... confused. He was constantly searching the ground as though he weren't sure he was even on the right planet. His eyes were a dazzling violet color that only peered through his long, black hair every now and then. His hands were stained with dried blood, but it didn't appear to be his own. The boy finally slid a knife out of his pocket which made the audience gasp yet again. Beau, annoyed with the constant shock, scoffed which made Joshua giggle to himself. Beau rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face, running his fingers through Joshua's sleek hair.

Then the screen went blank and everybody stood up.

"That was it?" Beau said loudly. A few people from the front gave him dirty looks as they would to a traitor, their eyes piercing and rude. Beau sneered at them before looking down at Joshua who was laughing yet again. Beau was glad the movie didn't scare him. It meant that Joshua liked Ethylon as much as Beau did, or at least trusted him a bit more than he thought he would.

"Yes, master, that was it." He smiled. "But you were asleep for half of it, that was why it seemed so short!"

"Well, it was boring...." Beau said defensively.

"I found it very interesting." Joshua said as they left the theater hand-in-hand. Joshua's fingers laced with Beau's as though they were meant to be. Perfect for each other, never to leave one another.

"Did they make Ethylon out to be a complete jerk?" Beau asked. Joshua giggled.

"Yes, but I know better!" Joshua squealed, nuzzling his face into Beau's side. "Ethylon is nothing like that. But Lejend's description seemed... accurate." Joshua said. Beau laughed, messing with his auburn locks of hair.

"Lejend isn't like you, Joshua." Beau said. "She doesn't feel the way you do. She wasn't... created the same way. There's different components in you than there are in her."

"She can feel." Joshua said. "She told me."

"You spoke with her?" Beau said, nearly shocked.

"Master, we speak constantly." Joshua furrowed his brows together. "Have you not heard her?"

"Where?" Beau said quickly, stopping Joshua in his tracks. "Joshua, what are you talking about?"

"Lejend has been coming by every single night. She said you knew, master." Joshua titled his head to the right. "She said Ethylon told you, master." Then Joshua's face suddenly grew rigid, and nervous. "Was she lying, master?! I didn't know!" He exclaimed. "But she said—"

"How does she get in?" Beau said quietly.

"I...." Joshua swallowed hard. "I don't know, master. She just appears at the end of my bed, and then she requests we speak. She wants me to... fix her." Joshua said. "Master, I—"

Beau sighed heavily, shaking some of his dark hair out of his face. While he knew it wasn't Joshua's fault this was happening, Ethylon should know better than to let Lejend run around at night, especially by herself. If the solar sailors even catch a glimpse of where she is going, they would go to Beau's apartment and steal both him and Joshua away. Who knows what they would do, especially since Beau really was helping Ethylon?

"I'm sorry!" Joshua squeaked, begging for his master's forgiveness. It seemed as Beau was thinking about Lejend, he fell into a deep gaze, and it seemed like he was scolding Joshua silently. Beau shook his head again, but this time to wake himself up. He smiled.

"Calm down, Joshua." Beau said. "It wasn't your fault."

"But I allowed her to come in."

"You didn't know." The corners of Beau's lips tugged up into a smirk, and he leaned closer to Joshua, pressing his soft and supple lips against Joshua's freckled cheeks. He finally pushed Joshua's hair away, letting a few hot breaths tickle at Joshua's ear. Joshua shivered in excitement. "How about we go someplace Ethylon showed me?"

"Where, master?" Joshua whispered back. Beau then shivered. When Joshua called him 'master' anymore, it seemed to send tingles along every nerve in his body, and since Joshua did it nearly every sentence, Beau was constantly feeling this intense frenzy of excitement surge through his veins.

Beau silently took Joshua's hand in his own, leading the way out of the theater/mall and into the heavily crowded streets. How dim they are, Beau thought, that they are walking right past a party underground.

They took a quick turn around the corner and Beau found himself staring down at the same stairway that lead to the repetitive beat party, and dancing people. He found himself wondering how Joshua would react. Would he dance? Did he even know how to dance to this kind of music? If he did, Beau was in for a surprise.

"C'mon." He pulled Joshua down the stairway, leading the way to the party with flashing lights, neon glow sticks thrown across the rooms and black lights aligning the edge of the roof. Joshua stared at all the lights, and it seemed like the first time he went in public all over again. His eyes widened at every single color, and he seemed to check on Beau to make sure he was still there. Finally he squeezed his hand slightly, and smiled.

"What is this, master?"

"Heaven." Beau replied, wrapping Joshua into a strong hug. Already he didn't want to let go, but the music came back into mind, and he let his fingers linger upon Joshua's hips. While Beau spun Joshua around so his back was pressing up against Beau's chest, he still managed to press warm kisses along Joshua's neck. Joshua smiled weakly, nearly hiding his face while a few girls gave him strange glances. Beau shot them a harsh gaze though, and they continued to dance, falling into a drug induced manner of acting. Beau's hips swayed slightly with Joshua's, but it still made Joshua squeak uncomfortably.

"Do you want to leave?" Beau said through a whisper. Joshua shook his head quickly. "Good, because I don't either."

"M-master." Joshua said quickly. His hands were uncomfortably placed upon Beau's to keep him from moving his hands any further towards his jeans. Not in public, Joshua thought. Not in public. "M-master, please."

"Please what?" Beau asked, resting his hands upon the loops of Joshua's white jeans. His fingers danced across the hem of his shirt before he ghosted his touch along Joshua's small stomach. Joshua squeaked while Beau softly massaged a piece of flesh, his touch soon moving up Joshua's stomach. Their dancing was slow, but it seemed his movements couldn't be any faster. Beau felt he was pressuring his bot to do something more, but he just couldn't stop himself. As his hands worked their way up Joshua's stomach, he reached one soft point that made Joshua let out a squeak like moan.

"Please what?" Beau repeated after what seemed to be forever. Joshua shook his head. "You forgot?"

"Y-yes, master." Joshua nodded. "It slipped my mind!" His voice heightened to a squeak when Beau's fingers trailed the way down the delicious 'v' that lead down his stomach. Beau took his hands away at the sound of his shrill squeak.

Every thought was wiped away from their mind as their movements increased and their bodies were pressed up against each other. Beau's kisses were soft and they intensified slightly as time passed. Although they lips never brushed up against each other, Joshua felt as though he were on cloud nine, as his master would say.



After nearly dancing for an hour, Beau was startled by the sound of a loud scream. Then another. And another, until finally the crowd started to yell even louder and then a stampede of sorts. Beau pulled Joshua up against the wall to hide himself from the crowd of people who were desperately searching for an exit.

Through crowds of people, Beau could see the solar sailors carrying people in handcuffs alongside them. Beau hid Joshua behind him, taking a step forward with his chest slightly pushed out.

The first thought that came to mind was, "How did the solar sailors find this place?" Then the second thought, "Who's that being arrested?" Beau could only make out a few messes of black and red hair, but nothing more than that. Some girls screamed ear piercingly loud, making Beau cringe at the sound of it. A loud voice was being projected out from speakers where the music used to be coming from. Joshua squeaked loudly when the voice started again.

"YOU ARE ORDERED TO DISPERSE. WE REPEAT; YOU ARE ORDERED TO DISPERSE."

Beau pulled on Joshua's arm, leading him up the way them came to. If they could get out fast enough, they could get home and be safe just in time.

Together they ran through the staircase just in time before the solar sailors began to surround the old underground party. A few gunshots to show that they were serious, but nothing else to show for what they were doing. Beau just ran faster while his sweaty locks of hair stuck to his forehead. His shirt was plastered to his chest, and he didn't even think of his jeans.

Then came a large group of people. sprinting as fast as they could, as far as they could get from the solar sailors. Beau was so lost in the moment that he didn't even notice the sudden wind that curled around his hand instead of Joshua's warm and slender fingers.

"Joshua?" Beau spun around through the screaming people, his voice one of many heard through gunshots and screams. But there was no messy auburn haired boy next to him. "Joshua!" Beau shouted, more frantic as every second passed without Joshua in his arms. His heart raced as he realized the solar sailors were cuffing others around him. Beau cupped his mouth and screamed once more. "Joshua, where are you!?"

Beau turned and saw the one thing that sent him absolutely over the edge.

A solar sailor held Joshua up against the hard brick wall, pointing the end of a gun at his chest. Joshua gasped loudly, and he only mouthed what Beau could make out to be, "Please help me, master." Beau's breaths caught in his throat, and without realizing it, he bound over to the sailor's side just as they planted a hard slap on Joshua's cheek.

"Master!" Joshua shouted through clenched teeth. Beau shoved one of the sailor's to the ground, kicking him in the side before jerking Joshua away from the wall.

"Let's go." Beau yelled through the crowd. Joshua nodded, his legs nearly buckling underneath him. He lost his breath as Beau held firmly onto his hand and started to sprint again.

As they were leaving the scene of complete and total chaos that the solar sailors were so-desperately trying to get a hold of, Joshua could hear the solar sailors from behind him saying, "Yes, it was him. Yes, it was PC936777."



Beau fell upon the floor of his apartment, heavy breaths slipping past his dry lips. Joshua toppled on the ground next to him, his small squeaks of anxiety calming down as he regained his composure. Drew jumped off of the couch, staring down at the both of them with wide eyes.

"What happened to you two?"

"Solar sailors— dancing— gunshots— Joshua— scared— can't breath." Beau said in between short pants of breath. Joshua pressed his head against Beau's chest, hiding himself from the world he was increasingly scared of. He knew there were parties and such, but he never knew how brutal the solar sailors really could be until they had him firmly against the wall.

"Joshua." Beau whispered, running his fingers through Joshua's tangled locks of hair. "Are you okay?" Joshua whimpered and shook his head, burying his face closer into Beau's chest. He wasn't okay, not in the slightest. "We can breathe easy. We're home."

"Master." Joshua broke into a quiet sob, looking at Beau with sorrow filled eyes. "Master, they almost took me."

"I know, but I got you."

"You let go!" Joshua exclaimed, falling into Beau's arms again. "Don't let go, master." He pleaded. Beau nodded, silently pressing his lips to the top of Joshua's head. Joshua forced himself off of his back and grabbed Beau's hands. "Come master. Let's get you in bed."

"I'm all sweaty, and grimy." Beau said with a long sigh. "And you need me right now, Joshua." Beau managed to get on his weak and shaky knees. "I let go. I'm so sorry, Joshua."

"It's okay." Joshua nodded slowly, although he was still trying to process what had just happened. He had looked a solar sailor in the eye, and it was the worst thing he had ever been through. They were cold, heartless, and even while you looked straight into their eyes, it seemed like staring into an endless abyss.

Joshua urged Beau into his bedroom, little-by-little. He trudged timidly behind him, his hands firmly wrapped around Beau's arms. Letting go at the moment seemed like certain death.

Joshua sat down on his master's bed as Beau went to take a shower. He listened to the sound of the calm city outside, as well as the sound of water falling against the tile floor of the bathroom. Joshua wondered how many people really knew how terrible the solar sailors were. Did they comprehend the danger they are in every single time they leave their homes?

After what seemed to be an hour more of heart aching moments without Beau, Joshua watched as his master emerged in loose pajama pants and nothing more. Beau's hair was soaked with water instead of sweat, and the scent of a cologne of sorts came from the bathroom. Beau stepped next to Joshua's side before he bounced on the bed next to Joshua.

"Joshua?" Beau said quietly.

"Yes?" Joshua squeaked back. He turned slightly so his auburn locks of hair fell past his eyes. Beau pushed it away, smiling weakly at his perfectly imperfect bot.

"May I kiss you?" Beau asked. "I didn't ask the last few times if you even wanted to kiss me. I was pressuring you." Joshua felt that heat in his stomach, and a feeling of certain anxiety flooded through his body. He looked Beau in the eyes and nodded.

"Yes, m—" Joshua paused. "Yes, Beau."

Beau's breath caught in his chest before he grinned widely and placed his hand on Joshua's chin. Joshua's hands instinctively locked behind Beau's neck before he gave a loud squeak when Beau laid him down on the bed, while their lips still hadn't met. Beau chuckled to himself, trying desperately to hide the spreading pink blush on his cheeks. Joshua's rosy lips feathered against Beau's through their light breaths. Then Beau, as though he were handling porcelain, placed his slightly chapped lips against Joshua's.

Joshua's eyes fluttered shut as Beau cradled him in his arms. Being awkward as he usually was, Joshua shifted around slightly in Beau's arms, and Beau laughed to himself as the corners of his lips tugged up into a smile.

Just like that it was over. Beau pulled away, but he rested his forehead against Joshua's. Joshua's fingers lingered upon Beau's shoulders, a childish smile on his freckled face. Beau laid himself next to Joshua, their fingers intertwining together.

"I won't let go." Beau said. Joshua nodded, staring up at the white roof with his glasz eyes. He smiled cheekily.

"Okay, master."