Human After All

Joshua blinked. "Music?"

Beau smiled triumphantly. He figured Joshua never knew what music was, he hadn't come programmed with that. Joshua was still confused. His eyes were full of slight desperation. It was troublesome when Beau told Joshua something new and then he didn't bother to explain it.

"Would you like to hear some music?" Beau leaned away from his bot. Joshua nodded quickly, and as strange as it seemed, Joshua only then realized how tall his master really was. Joshua was short compared to him, very short. Beau must have been intimidating to many because of his height, Joshua thought.

"Yes, master." Joshua said eagerly. "Oh, please!"

Beau led his bot into his own room, sitting him down on the bed while he turned to his personal music player. Robots doubled as a music player as well, Beau knew that, but he never enjoyed it as much. He wanted his robots to experience the music as he did, not as a duty they must fulfill.

Through stacks and stacks of old CDs that most people didn't use anymore, Beau found two that he particularly fond of; an album by a group (well, it started off with only one person, but expanded to more) called NeverShoutNever (or Never Shout Never, Beau could never get it right), and another by one of his favorite band Sleeping with Sirens. Beau never liked new music much, only old stuff from the 2000-2010 time really. It seemed like such a long time ago, but Beau thought that music back then was much deeper than the music made now (sugar-coated pop was on the airwaves almost 24/7).

Beau slipped the first album into the stereo. There came the faintest sound of an acoustic guitar, and Beau turned the music up rather hastily. While Harmony wasn't his favorite album from the group, he didn't have the resources to buy the older extended plays, but Harmony worked, Beau thought. So Beau skipped the first six songs, landing on the seventh track titled First Dance. Not the best, he thought, but it was a start.

Beau pulled Joshua off of the bed, intertwining his fingers with Joshua's. "You can dance to music you're listening to." Beau said after realizing that Joshua looked completely lost, and mentioning dancing didn't help much. "Dancing is like... moving your body to the beat. Basically. You move to the music. Like this." Beau spun Joshua once, although he held him tight enough to make sure he didn't fall. Joshua squeaked when Beau stopped him from spinning, Joshua noted what Beau was doing with his feet, and he tried his bed to mimic Beau. Beau laughed.

"Now you got it!" Beau said. Joshua smiled. "Now don't look at your feet. Your partner wants to see your eyes when you're dancing."

"You're my partner, right master?" Joshua asked. Beau nodded. "Okay." Then he giggled while Beau spun him around in his arms, yet holding on so Joshua didn't fall. Beau spun Joshua right into his own arms, and when they stopped, Beau was panting for breath.

"I haven't danced in such a long time." Beau chuckled weakly. "It's been a long time."

"Are you tired, master? Would you like to stop?" Joshua's was was delicate. He liked dancing, but he wouldn't like to see his master exhausted. Dancing could wait.

"No, no, it's all right." Beau smiled. "Here, we'll switch to a slower song." Beau reached back to the stereo, skipping the song to track 6, I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know. Beau caught his tired breath. "Ready?"

"I think I like music, master." Joshua smiled. Beau leaned forward and laced his fingers with Joshua's again. "Is all music like this?"

"No." Beau said sullenly. To be reminded of the fact that most music wasn't like this almost put him in a bad mood. This music was great, why shouldn't they make more like that? Beau guessed that even the most treasured things were brushed of as nothing at the sight of something 'better'. "This is very old music. Almost as old as my parents." Beau said. Joshua thought for a minute. He had only met Beau's mother for a few minutes in the shop when she was testing out his features and such. Beau's father was not in sight.

Then Joshua pondered. He didn't have parents. He had creators, and he had a master, but parents were different than both of those, or so Joshua thought. A parent loved their children, just as Beau's parents did. Joshua's creators were not the same. But Beau.... Did Beau love him?

"Ready?" Beau asked. Joshua nodded, he hadn't realized Beau had paused the music. Beau hit the play button, and soft music filled the air. Joshua looked at Beau's footwork once, memorized it and then followed. Beau placed Joshua's hands on his shoulders, Joshua practically had to stand on the tips of his toes to reach. Beau then trailed his hands down Joshua's sides.

"I'll only leave my hands on your sides, okay? I don't know how you would feel about my hands and your hips." Beau said nervously.

"My hips?"

Beau tapped his fingers along Joshua's waist.

"Why not, master?" Joshua looked at Beau. "Unless you're uncomfortable...."

"You don't mind then?" Beau said. Joshua shook his head quickly. Beau leaned back and restarted the song. They spent such a long time talking without actually dancing properly. The song started again, and Beau gingerly placed his hands on Joshua's hips. Joshua didn't look fazed at all. Then Beau remembered that Joshua didn't understand the concept of personal spots. He didn't react the same way another human would if hands were placed on the hips.

Beau sighed gently while they started to dance again. He had to admit that it was much more comfortable to place his hands on Joshua's hips instead of his sides. Without the intention of doing so, they moved closer little by little until they were only a few inches away from each other. Joshua stared at his master, their eyes hooked together. Beau couldn't even blink, it seemed.

Then Beau wrapped Joshua in a hug. Joshua squeaked quietly while his ear was pressed against Beau's chest. Joshua listened carefully, and through quiet breaths from Beau, he could hear a faint thump-thump... thump-thump.... thump-thump....

"Master." Joshua whispered as though he were afraid he would scare off the sound, but it was still beating steadily like a drum. "Master, what is that sound?"

"What sound?" Beau said. Joshua softly poked Beau's chest to where he thought the sound was coming from. When his finger grazed Beau's chest, the beat skipped. Joshua gasped, as though he broke it. The beat sped up a bit, but not much faster than it had been before. "That's my heartbeat, Joshua."

Joshua traced his fingers along Beau's chest. "What is a heartbeat?"

"It's the sound your heart makes when it's pumping blood." Beau said. "When people are nervous, their heartbeat speeds up. When they're calm, it's very normal paced."

"So you are nervous? Your heartbeat is very fast, master." Beau looked down at Joshua and nodded. "Why are you nervous, master?"

Beau shrugged. "I don't know. Does my heartbeat scare you?"

"No!" Joshua said, then he sighed. "I do not have a heart." He mumbled. Beau pulled him away, a look of shock on his face. Joshua didn't understand why he looked so very surprised. It was true, Joshua thought. He didn't have a heart. Robots didn't have a heart.

"Yes you do." Beau said stubbornly. Joshua shook his head. "Yes, you do. It's right..." Beau placed his finger on Joshua's chest. He outlined the shape of a heart, creating small creases in Joshua's soft clothes. Joshua felt a slight warmth linger even after Beau pulled his finger away. "There." Joshua swallowed quietly before Beau pulled him back into the embrace. Beau didn't completely comprehend what they were doing. This was supposed to be nothing more than a dance, but it progressed into something more. Something far more.

Joshua began to trace the shape he had seen his master do on Beau's chest. Joshua listened carefully to the heartbeat. It was a source of life, Joshua thought. At this point, the only sound in the room was their steady breathing until there came a slight opening of the bedroom door.

"Er, Beau?" Drew's voice broke through the silence. Beau had been holding Joshua for so long that the CD had finished playing each song, and they were only surrounded by silence. Joshua pulled himself off of his master. Even Joshua was shocked at his master's actions.

"Drew." Beau said. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to... interrupt." Drew said suspiciously. "But I just got your email."

"Joshua, can you stay in your bedroom for a while?" Beau asked. Joshua nodded.

"Yes, master." Then he scampered off in the direction of his bedroom. Dahlia, Leslie and Kiyah slipped in as well. Then they closed the door.

"Did I just see what I think I saw?" Drew asked, raising an eyebrow. Beau rolled his eyes.

"No, you didn't."

"What was that then?" Drew replied. "You were hugging him."

Beau huffed. "What if it was just a hug between friends?"

Drew laughed, almost in Beau's face. "Between friends? Your hands were on his hips, his were on your chest. I've never hugged a friend like that before!"

"Yet you do so much more than hug me, but we still only consider each other friends." Beau spat. Drew stuttered, fumbling around with his words until he huffed.

"It's not the same."

"Why?" Beau asked. "Because he's a robot?"

"Yes, that's exactly why. He's not real, Beau."

"Yes he is!" Beau was fuming at this point. As much as Beau tried to respect Drew's choices, it was difficult at times. They were both very opinionated when it came to issues such as this, and Beau usually let Drew win, but not this time. "Who are you to say that he can't feel anything?"

"I—"

"Who are you to say that there's no real love?" Beau shivered. He never used the word 'love' much. Maybe he said it to his parents, or the occasional 'I love my robots!', but other than that, other definitions for 'love' were not used much. "Have you ever really loved somebody, Drew?"

"He isn't a somebody, Beau!" Drew snapped. "There's just too many differences between a bot and a human. Too many to describe. You will never feel love with a robot." Drew paused, taking a long breath. "Love is when you meet somebody who loves your flaws just as much as you love theirs, and you try to change to meet each others needs, and you constantly feel like you're on cloud nine."

Beau rolled his eyes again. "And who's to say that I'm not changing, Drew?" Drew looked shocked. "What if Joshua is changing me? What if he's making me a better person?"

"That's ridiculous and you know it. Superficial."

"What we have is superficial!" Beau pointed at himself and Drew. "We fuck, we run. That's all we're doing, Drew." Beau shouted. "There's nothing else there. I mean, at least with Joshua I can look in his eyes and think that he's beautiful. I can't even look at you without—"

"Oh shove it, Beau." Drew threw his hands down at his sides. "Fine. You go ahead, live your little fantasy with little Joshua. You can go ahead, love him, what-fucking-ever." Drew turned his back on Beau, starting towards the front door. Drew was so angry, he had forgotten what he came over for in the first place. "You're stupid for even thinking you could love a thing like that."

"He's not a thing, and his name is Joshua." Beau grabbed Drew's arm, snapping him back to face Beau. "And I swear, if you call him a 'thing' again, I'm gonna—"

"You're gonna what?" Drew challenged him. "You're gonna sic your robots on me?"

"Get out." Beau tried his hardest not to cuss anymore. "Just go."

"Beau—"

"Go!" Beau shouted, slamming the door to his apartment. He bolted it shut behind him. What an idiot I am, Beau thought, for giving Drew a spare key.

After sliding down the door and rubbing his own head, Beau decided to stand himself up and walk over to Joshua's room. He could hear Dahlia talking away while Leslie laughed every now and then. Beau knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Dahlia shouted. "No masters allowed!" Then she giggled. "I'm just kidding, master. You can come in."

"Come in." Joshua called after Dahlia was finished. Beau opened the door and peeked through the crack. He saw Joshua working on something, although he couldn't tell what. Only when he opened the door did he see that Joshua was working on Leslie's hard drive and CPU unit.

"What are you doing?"

Joshua only glanced up a few times. "Fixing Leslie."

"How? We have doctors come over, and they can't even fix her." Beau replied.

"But this is a very simple fix." Joshua replied. "I'm almost done. Unless you forbid this, master. I will stop if you—"

"No." Beau said quickly. "No, keep.... Keep going."

Leslie sat on the bed, holding her dress to her chest. Beau smiled down at her to which she replied with a faint blush. Beau wondered if Joshua could blush. If he could, he hadn't seen it happen yet.

"You're gonna feel a spark, okay Leslie?" Joshua asked. She nodded. Beau watched while Joshua connected two different wires, and there was a tiny spark. Leslie squeaked, but giggled as well. Finally Joshua tied two wires together and pushed her CPU and hard drive unit back into her small body. Leslie gasped quietly.

"Master." She shouted. "Master, master, I can see again!" Beau smiled down at Joshua who was retying Leslie's dress around her neck. "Wow, you're older, master." Leslie leaned forward, studying Beau's face. "Very handsome." She said. Beau smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Master." Joshua said. "I could fix Kiyah tomorrow, if you wish. I'm sure there's but a small malfunction. She could be speaking in but a day...." Joshua trailed off while watching Beau.

Beau held Kiyah and Dahlia in his hands. He kissed both of their heads. Then Joshua stood up, although he wasn't looking for anything from his master. He just gave Beau a small smile. Beau reached for Joshua's hand, their fingers locking together. Beau leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Joshua's cheek. Dahlia cooed in the background, and Leslie was too busy admiring Joshua to pay much mind to what was happening.

Beau pulled away and smiled.

"Thank you, Joshua."

"It's nothing, master. I service you."

"No." Beau said. "You're not just here to service me." Beau noticed his fingers were still laced with Joshua's. "No, you're much more than just a service bot. You're a friend, Joshua."

"And you are mine, master." Joshua smiled. Then, as Beau was walking away, Joshua brushed his fingertips against the supple skin Beau had ever-so-tenderly kissed. And for a split second, Joshua thought he felt his heart speed up.



Joshua stared at Troia's fingernails. They are chipped, almost like she was fighting with them again. Troia taps her free hand against the table. Joshua asked his master if they could visit her whenever they had free time. Beau would usually say yes, he was never one to deny Joshua of much anyways.

"Your master is very kind, Joshua." Troia said. "Very loving."

"Yes...." Joshua thought back to only a few days ago where he had been dancing with Beau. They shared something. A heart, Joshua thought. They shared a heart. "He is very kind, Troia. But you...."

"You mustn't worry about my well-being anymore, Joshua." Troia took his hands in her own. "I am a strong bot. It will be years before he ever breaks me."

"But Troia, you mustn't glitch at all. Masters are not supposed to treat us that way."

"How are we to be treated?" Troia asked. Joshua noticed she would mess up her sentences every now and then. He smiled.

"They are to love us, Troia. Perhaps not romantic love, but love. As family, Troia." Troia brushed her blonde hair away from her flawless face. Her skin looked like porcelain, she was far from ugly.

"And your master.... Beau." She addressed him quietly. Beau was busy speaking the the innocent teen behind the counter. "He loves you?" Joshua peeked at him, giggling when Beau caught him staring. Troia envied him and how comfortable he was with his master. She longed to feel comfortable again.

"I don't know what love is." Joshua said. "But I do know that my master treats me as an equal, and not a slave." Joshua's cheek tingled at the thought of Beau's tender lips. He was feeling something, Joshua thought. Something good.

Troia glanced down at her wrist. "I must be going, Joshua. Until next week, yes?"

"Ye—"

Beau reached down and jerked Joshua out of his seat. Troia looked shocked, and she gasped audibly. Beau however, held Joshua against the stone wall. The look on his face was serious. Beau faced him, placing one hand on the wall beside Joshua's head.

"Solar sailors." He muttered. Many of the robots with their masters were frozen as the sailors walked into the shop. Troia sat alone at the table, staring innocently at her chipped nails. She was not a criminal, Joshua thought. What is she to be afraid of?

One solar sailor stood at the door with his arms crossed over his chest. Intimidating, yes, but what was he doing? Beau thought the silence caused by the group would allow them to hear a pin dropping down the street. It was uncomfortably silent. Beau was never too fond of the silence anyways.

"Put your hand on my neck." Beau mumbled. Joshua didn't ask any questions, but slowly reached for his master's neck. A tingle ran through his hands as he placed it on Beau's warm neck, warmth spreading through his slender fingertips. "Don't do anything." Beau whispered.

The tallest solar sailor walked into the coffee shop. He carried a club of some sorts at his side. It seemed to be the longest minutes of his own life, Beau thought, as the solar sailors walked around, murmuring things to each other before one single sailor takes a long look at Joshua and then orders the rest out. Beau heaved a deep sigh of relief once they are out of the door. Joshua's hand slid off of Beau's neck.

"Are you okay, master?" Joshua asked worriedly. "The solar sailors are bothering you, yes?"

"Just a little." Beau admits. "They're not leaving. The rogues are somewhere in town. They're not going to another district until they're absolutely sure that the criminals aren't here."

"Master?" Joshua squeaked. "What do they do to the criminals?"

Beau shuddered at the thought. He had heard tales of criminals who were force fed their own organs, or had their tongues hacked off for speaking against the government. He even heard one wives tale that claimed each prisoner was to decide who died first, and who died last. Whoever died last received the worst of the treatment. In the process of picking the order in which to die, they killed each other instead. Insane, Beau thought, but not unlikely. The government was cruel and unusual when it came to discipline. Things are not to be taken lightly.

"Let's not talk about it." Beau pushed away the thoughts. "C'mon." He pulled himself away from Joshua, turning to Troia once more to say thank you and have a nice day before they set off for home. Joshua thought that there wouldn't be another nice day until the solar sailors were out of town and Beau was happy again.