"Why do humans do that?"

    Daehyun and I were watching a movie, something with superheroes and aliens and a giant monster. It had been Daehyun's choice. In this particular scene, the hero had the female in his arms and was kissing her.

    Daehyun looked at me, cheeks full of popcorn. He started to speak and kernels sprayed everywhere. I had been living in his house for two weeks and three days and I had learned quickly that he had no table manners. I frowned at him and he chewed and swallowed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

    "What, kissing? Don't tell me you're one of those robots who doesn't know what love is." He was teasing, I deduced from his vocal tone and facial expression, but I still needed to correct him.

    "I know what love is. I simply do not understand why it is expressed with mouth to mouth contact. It seems arbitrary and unsanitary."

    Daehyun pressed his lips together. He was trying not to laugh.

    "You can laugh if you want to, you will not offend me."

    He snorted and let out his chuckles, pressing a hand to his stomach.

    "Right, right, you're just…so refreshing. Keeps me on my toes, I never know what you're going to ask me next. Well, to be honest, I have no idea why kissing is the expression of love and affection, it just…is. People learn it from their parents, who learned it from their parents, on and on back to the first humans I guess. Who knows why they chose to start kissing."

    "I shall have to do some research I suppose." I looked back at the screen. In the span of our conversation, the hero had somehow been captured and was now being tortured by the aliens. "Did you kiss Dr. Yoo Youngjae?"

    Daehyun didn't respond and I looked at him. His eyes were fixed on the screen and his expression was completely void of any of his previous smile. Instead his mouth was pressed into a line and his eyes were half-closed and out of focus.

    "Yeah…" He finally replied, fingers tightening on the rim of the popcorn bowl. "Yeah I did. He was…he didn't always like affection, but he knew how much it meant to me, being able to hug and kiss him."

    "You knew him for a long time." The hero on the screen had been rescued by one of the aliens, who had decided to switch sides after uncovering the secrets of the alien government. Now they were running through the hallways of the spaceship, shooting lasers at the soldiers who stood in their way. It was all very loud and full of explosions.

    Daehyun nodded, still holding the bowl tightly.

    "We practically grew up together, you know? My mom knew his mom, they were best friends, so they always had us play together. It didn't even matter that I was technically his hyung, heck, he acted like he was older most of the time." Daehyun's expression softened and he smiled, playing with a popcorn kernel.

    "Was he always interested in robots?" I did not want to reveal what I had discovered in the storage room, at least, not yet. Nor did I think it was a good idea to ask about Yoo Youngjae's involvement with Artifice.

    Daehyun nodded, dropping the popcorn kernel back into the bowl and shifting to get more comfortable on the couch.

    "Yeah, pretty much. He built his first computer when he was like, three." He paused. "Well maybe not that young but he was kind of a genius. We'd play video games all the time and talk about computers and one day he just started to write his own codes, make his own programs, and he dragged me into it too. He really got into robots and androids our senior year in high school, though. I don't really know what triggered it, but one day we were hanging out after school, talking about our science projects and he just turns to me with this…this huge, completely glowing smile on his face and says 'I'm gonna build a robot'." Daehyun shook his head, that soft smile still on his face.

    "Of course I helped him, I mean, that's what friends do. God, we had so many failed attempts, it was ridiculous. And then, the day before our project was due, Youngjae just bursts into my room at 3 am and tells me he's solved it. I'm still not sure I understood what he did, he woke me up and I'm not exactly functional right after I wake up."

    "But he did solve it?" I tilted my head. I had never heard of this, most stories about Dr. Yoo focus on his college years, when he graduated in record time with Doctorates in robotics and mechanical engineering. Six months later, he revealed the first humanoid robot.

    "Yeah, yeah he did. It wasn't super complicated, honestly, our robot. It could perform simple verbal commands. 'Walk', 'stop', 'speak', you know, like those robotic dogs they're marketing now."

    A quick search pulled up pictures of what he was talking about. Daehyun sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

    "You know, he was always…I don't know how to explain it. Whenever he got into a project it's like he poured everything into it, his heart and soul and mind and all of his passion." He paused, chewing on his lip. "For a long time it was hard to believe he could care about another person as much as he cared about his robots."

    I blinked at him, choosing my words with care.

    "You are talking about your relationship with him, yes?"

    Daehyun looked at me, a crease between his eyebrows.

    "How did you know about that?" He didn't deny it but his voice was wary, cautious. He was gauging my reaction.

    I considered my words before I spoke.

    "I was doing some research on your friend Jongup and Dr. Yoo's name came up. I did a related search and came across your blog. There is a post you made, prior to his disappearance, where you mentioned that you were in a relationship with Yoo Youngjae."

    Daehyun seemed confused for a few moments and then his eyebrows shot up and he snapped his fingers.

    "Right, my old blog! Wow, I forgot that was still up. I should probably delete it or something, I never post anything on it anymore…and no one actually ever read it, I think."

    "I read it," I told him.

    "Yeah, one person, let's have a parade." He was being sarcastic. I stole his popcorn to show that I did not appreciate his humor. He tried to steal it back but I stood up and used my superior height to keep it away from him.

    "Give it back! You're not even going to eat it!"

    "Of course not. My body is insufficiently equipped to digest and process food. But I can still keep it away from you."

    Daehyun dropped his arms and frowned, examining me as he put his hands on his hips.

    I cautiously lowered the popcorn bowl and watched him.

    "What is it?" I asked him after he had been staring at me for 33 seconds.

    "You don't run on a caloric engine, and I've never seen you use the recharging station. What exactly do you run on? What's your battery life? Do you have the proper radiation shielding?"

    I blinked, processing his questions. Technically, I was forbidden to answer them. They were secrets, Commander's secrets, the secrets of the entire science team that had built me. But, as I was beginning to learn, there were ways around commands and programming and rigid structures.

    I could show Daehyun how I worked. I set the popcorn bowl down and sat on the couch, pulling off my shirt. Daehyun moved to watch me, eyes fixed on my face.

    I initiated the command to retract the skin of my chest and open the metal panels underneath. Although I had surmised from the scientist's reactions that it was disturbing for a human to watch, Daehyun showed no sign of distress as the skin on my chest melted away and revealed the metal pieces of my torso. With a click and a pneumatic hiss, several sections of my chest separated and slid open, revealing the pulsing blue-white light of my core.

    Daehyun's eyes widened and he leaned forward, one hand outstretched before he caught himself.

    "It is not radioactive. I cannot tell you the details, I am expressly forbidden to reveal anything about my structure and my inner workings, but from what I was told, this is also a prototype. In theory, I will not need to be recharged for the next one hundred years. Of course, this has not been proven, but so far my power supply has been constant and in no danger of running out."

    "That's impossible…" Daehyun breathed, an expression I could not place coming over his face.

    "Improbable, yes, but not entirely impossible." I was about to continue when Daehyun cut me off.

    "That's Youngjae's design. He used to get so frustrated when he couldn't get a renewable energy source to work." Daehyun looked at me with that same strange expression and spoke in an unfamiliar, flat voice.

    "Are you one of his, then? A new secret project?"

    I blinked and let my chest plates slide back into place, the skin rapidly regrowing. Once my chest was whole again, I pulled my shirt back on and answered Daehyun's question.

    "I do not know. It could be possible."

    Daehyun frowned, fingers kneading into his thigh.

    "What does that mean?" His voice was carefully controlled but it still shook slightly, just enough for me to identify his emotions. Anger, grief, shock, all of these were playing a part in his clenched jaw and blank eyes.

    "I was assembled by many people," I began, picking my way through the forbidden dialogues and things I was prevented from saying. "And for my inner workings, I was not at the time. It is possible that Dr. Yoo was one of the people who was working on me. Even after I was , my…"

    I paused, choosing the right word. Owners was not right. Creators made it sound like I held some sort of reverence for them.

    "The men who made me," I finally said, "after they , they all wore masks. They explained that if I was ever captured and someone managed to hack into my brain and try to track down the people who made me, I would not be able to provide any good data for such a purpose. I never saw any of their faces, so I have no idea who any of them are."

    Except for Commander. But, as he had told me, he highly doubted that anyone would even attempt to go after the head of the RCS. He was too well-guarded and too public.

    Daehyun slumped forward slightly, burying his face in his hands. I hesitated before placing my hand on his shoulder.

    "I am sorry. I wish I could be of help to you."

    Daehyun didn't say anything but he didn't shake off my hand either, just sat there silently, his face hidden. Finally he sat up, eyes closed, and took a deep breath, holding it for five seconds before letting it out.

    "I just keep thinking that one day he'll walk through the door again. Like nothing ever happened." He rubs at his eyes and frowns deeply, lines cutting into the corners of his mouth and between his eyes and on his brow. His lower lip trembles and he bites it, teeth sinking into the soft flesh. "I never really got to say goodbye, you know? One day he was there and then the next…the next he was…"

    Large tears rolled down his cheeks and I did not think. I did not calculate. I did not plan. I simply moved. My hands came up and cupped Daehyun's face, thumbs swiping the tears away as gently as I could manage. I was fascinated by the moisture coming out of his eyes. I knew what it was, of course. A physical response to multiple factors, most commonly sadness or pain.

    I could not cry. I could not feel. But I could hold him.

    My arms wrapped around Daehyun and I pulled him close to my chest, knowing he could feel the hum of my power core. He merely leaned against me for a few moments before his arms slid around me and his fingers curled into the back of my shirt. I could feel his shoulders shake and his tears soaked into my shirt, making the fabric cling to my body.

    I accessed my reaction database and began to run my hand up and down Daehyun's spine. This was supposed to be a comforting motion, and after a few minutes of Daehyun's quiet crying, his trembling ceased and he merely leaned against me, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

    "I'm sorry," he mumbled against my shoulder, fingers still tangled in my shirt. "I got your shirt all wet."

    "It is washable," I told him, my hands coming to a halt. He laughed, soft and breathless, and leaned back from me, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands.

    "Thank you…" Daehyun smiled and sniffed, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt, making a face at the wet smear left behind. "I know you're not programmed for this emotion stuff. It must be weird for you, all the stupid things I do."

    I tilted my head and reached out to wipe away a stray tear clinging to Daehyun's jaw. He went still and looked at me, eyes flicking across my face.

    "It is strange for me. But I don't think they are stupid, the things you do."

    "Why?" His voice was quiet and he kept his eyes fixed on mine.

    "Because they are what makes you Daehyun." I touched the places where his face creased in laughter, the mole under his left eye, the tiny scar above his lip. His lips trembled and he pressed them together, closing his eyes and gently pushing my hand away.

    He wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand and turned back to the vid screen, a forced laugh coming from his throat.

    "Dang…we missed the good part." He made several hand motions and the movie ran backwards until he let it play again. I was no longer watching. I looked down at my hand and blinked. He had pushed me away. Did I do something wrong? Overstep a boundary?

    The movie played on, and we did not discuss what had transpired. Daehyun stared at the screen, hands clutching his popcorn bowl even though he was no longer eating it, and I copied his actions. If I had done something wrong, I had no idea where to start to rectify it.

    The ending scene had played. The aliens were vanquished, the hero and the female were gazing at each other while the mother ship exploded in the background, and the music swelled to a crescendo before the scene went black and the credits rolled. I thought there were some holes in the plot, but that was not a pressing issue.

    "I'll put the bowl in the washer," I told Daehyun, and he nodded, letting go as I took the bowl from him and walked to the kitchen.

    I dumped out the few remaining kernels and paused. Something was not right. I could not place it immediately, so I went back to my task, rinsing out the bowl before placing it in the washer. It was the only dish in the machine.

    I paused again and reviewed the room. Nothing was out of place, all of the utensils and spices and cabinets were tidy. The loaf of bread was sitting on the counter by the toaster, half of the loaf gone and the twist-tie sloppily done. I pulled open the fridge and scanned its contents. There was the pack of ham, the cheese, everything we had bought two and a half weeks ago.

    Nothing was opened.

    Except for the bread, which was out in the open, none of the food had been touched. I reviewed the past few days of my records. I had not seen Daehyun eat anything, with the exception of tonight, when he ate a fourteen inch diameter bowl of popcorn.

    With few exceptions, he and I spent almost all of our time together. Unless Daehyun was somehow sneaking past me in the early hours of the morning to go out and eat at a restaurant, then he was not eating.

    It did not make sense. He did not look sickly, and he had not lost a significant amount of weight in the time that I had lived with him.

    I looked back into the living room, where Daehyun had not moved, and the end of the credits was rolling on the vid screen. He yawned, huge and exaggerated, his jaw cracking a little. He stood and did not look at me. I wished he would. I did not understand why he was acting like this.

    "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Zelo."

    And then he was walking down the hall to his room, closing the door behind him and locking it before I had a chance to speak.

    The fridge began to beep, signaling that I was still holding the door open and letting out the chilly air. I let the door swing shut and stared at the various notes covering the door. The handwriting was nearly illegible. I could not bring myself to decipher it and went to sit on the couch, preparing myself for sleep mode.

    I had been "sleeping" much more often this past week. At first I had tried to preoccupy myself with various tasks, learning more about humanity, practicing my expressions and reactions, but it had become harder to do these things without Daehyun's presence. So instead, I had begun to engage in a sleep cycle, one that coincided with Daehyun's.

    Usually, it was almost precisely eight hours, give or take a few scant seconds. It was methodical and like clockwork. Regardless of the time Daehyun went to bed, eight hours later he would be up and about.

    As the countdown to my sleep mode began, I found myself thinking of the untouched food once more.

    I would ask Daehyun about it in the morning.

    >Sleep Mode Engaged

    ....

    ......

    >Good Night, Z310

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A/N: Wow this is quite late isn't it? I hope it isn't a disappointment.