When you woke up, birds were chirping somewhere outside of your window and small streams of sunlight were just beginning to peak through the blinds. A quick glance at the clock over your shoulder showed that it was nearly ten; you loved to sleep in. A contented smile grew on your face as your stretched, arms raised over your head and toes pointed, before you realized something.

Other than you, the bed was empty.

You sat up, a bit perturbed, and scanned the slightly askew but completely empty sheets. There was no Leo there to grace you with good morning kisses today. You didn't want to admit that you had been waiting for him, but you were. You were a bit distressed at the hollow sheets. We're you that annoying the other morning? You pushed the blankets back and slid your legs out of the warmth and onto the floor.
The room was quiet. You pulled a throw blanket from the edge of the bed and wrapped it around your shoulders as you meandered out into the hallway. You didn't see him still, and as you headed into the bathroom to do your business you checked carefully even behind the shower curtain. Did he seem like the type to jump out from behind the shower curtain while you were in the bathroom? Nope. Did you trust that analysis? Not one bit. You finished your business and went into the kitchen next, somehow expecting to find him making pancakes with smiley faces on them or something equally adorable at a too-early hour. Nothing. It was empty and silent.

What was at first a peculiarly quickly became a panic. As you passed the front door you grabbed the knob but found it still locked; he hadn't gone outside, than. You went into the living room. He had been there the night before, he could still be there you supposed, but it was strange for him to not come say good morning, at the very least.

You turned the corner, heart beating a mile a minute. The apartment was not that big. The couch was it, your last hope. You hardly realized you had your eyes closed until you forced yourself to open them.

And there he was, laying on the couch, eyes closed, hands resting on his stomach in a position of relaxation. Relief swept through you in a flood and you leaned your head on the wall. Stupid. How many times were you going to do this? Once you finished beating yourself up you let out a little sigh and walked over to him, kneeling next to the couch and his “sleeping” form.

“Leo,” you said quietly, shaking his arm. He didn't need to sleep, he said, but what about some rest period? “Leo,” he moved slightly so you shook a little bit harder. He blinked his eyes blearily, looking up at you, but it seemed to be a great effort to him. You furrowed your brow.

“What, did you stay up too late watching movies?” The joke was hollow as you helped him to sit up. You would say he was downright ill if he wasn't a cyborg. Could cyborgs get sick? You were beginning to wonder. Leo was looking around as if he couldn't quite figure out where he was, and you found the seeds of panic settling in your gut once again.

“Leo,” you said, cupping his face gently and turning it to face you. “Leo do you know who I am?” His eyes looked at yours for a minute, the light in them minimal, before they suddenly went dark. His body slid out of your grasp, falling limply to floor with a harsh thud despite your attempts to catch him.

“Leo?!” You screeched, the panic growing into a damn tree as your heart pushed into your throat in panic. “Leo that's not funny, come on, get up, get up dammit!”

He didn't move.

You felt your chest heaving as you patted him cheek gently. Was he always this cold? His eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling, unseeing. You had to look away from them, looking down at his hands instead. Trembling, you held them in your own as you tried to figure out what to do. Those eyes weren't the warm human eyes that you had grown so fond of; they were cold, mechanical.

Mechanical; that was it. You jumped up, heart racing, and flew into the kitchen. You were going to fast that you had to grab the wall to stop you as you skidded into the entryway. There, propped in the corner, was the box Leo had arrived in.

You pulled it down. A care package, instructions, and upkeep manual, something must have come with him. You took a deep breath, steeling yourself in case there was nothing, and dumped it onto the floor.

A small, dense book slid onto the tiles followed by a tightly wrapped package. You scrambled for it, going through the book as fast as you were able as you stumbled back to the living room. You fell to your knees next to him, the package tumbling out of your arms to settle at his side. You kept flipping through the pages. Tears blurred your vision, but you blinked them away rapidly.

Your Boyfriend must experience a charging cycle for at least 24 hours monthly; this can be can be completed partially throughout the month or over a single full day period. When first activated, the Boyfriend will require a shorter 6 hour charge to function fully. If the Boyfriend looses power at any time, it will result in complete shutdown. If this occurs...

You found it. You read the passage, then read it again, making sure you knew exactly what to do. You dog eared the corner of the page and left it on the floor, leaning over Leo.

Gently, you cradled his head in your hands, propping him up enough so that you could settle him in your lap. His unnatural eyes continued to stare, seeing past you. Swallowing down your fears, you then reached over and grabbed the small package from its place on the floor, ripping it open to reveal a bound cord and an attached metal disk.

You leaned around the couch to the wall, plugging in the three prongs of the cord before laying the disk gently on the ground. A small green light blinked soothingly on the side. With the utmost care, you pulled Leo's head from your lap and settled him closer to the plate. He was surprisingly light, despite his larger build; when he was close enough you lifted his head and placed him with the base of his skull on the metal. You pulled back. Nothing happened. You scrambled again for the book, prying it open to the dog eared page to reread it. Wait, it said. You did not want to wait.

Suddenly, he blinked. You jumped back to him, breathing for what felt like the first time in a day, as his eyes opened again full of humanity and the essence and warmth of Leo, of recognition of you. His mouth opened, and then heavy eyelids closed on his consciousness. His chest rose and fell in a comforting, if unnecessary, mimicry of breath. You let yourself caress the curves of his face, trailing your fingertips across his lips; it had all happened as the book said. You leaned down, carefully, and kissed him gently. Six hours.