A Quick Explanation:
All of my writing is heavily influenced by my headcanons, and this work is no exception. Therefore, I think a brief explanation is necessary.
First off, if you're wondering who Ausgris is, they're a potential Vocaloid currently being produced by VocaTone! Be sure to check out their beta demo!
As for headcanons, I know that Ausgris is agender, but I headcanon them as male and will be using male pronouns in this story. I also headcanon Ausgris is mute because their voice bank is currently unreleased. Their prosthetics are canon.
I also headcanon Fukase to be the imaginary friend of Oliver. Because he is imaginary, Fukase is like a ghost to adults but is visible to other children. He also can't eat, interact with technology, or appear to cameras.
Okay, that should be all you need to know to understand what's going on. This piece is several months old, so it may not be up to par with some of my more recent work. I hope you enjoy it anyway~
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It was another lazy September day, much like most days had been since school started back up. Though some leaves had already begun to fall, the temperature had not yet gotten the hint that autumn was coming and that colder days were becoming overdue.
In the past few weeks, Flower had stumbled upon a strange realization: she was starting to look forward to school. Ever since she had started high school, she had dreaded the long hours and dull classes, but this semester was different.
When she complimented a younger boy named Len on his Call of Duty T-shirt as she passed him in the hall, Flower hadn't expected anything would come of it. But the two soon found they had much in common when it came to video games, and soon they started meeting up after school to see who could annihilate the other. She was still proudly undefeated, but Len was not one to back down from such a challenge.
It wasn't long before Len introduced Flower to his two best friends, Oliver and Fukase, and the four began eating lunch together. And when a new student came to the school, Oliver was quick to invite Ausgris to join them, as well.
Although her classes hadn't become any more interesting, Flower found herself taking great pleasure in being part of such a crazy group of kids, particularly at lunch time. Today was no exception.
When the lunch bell shrieked its announcement, Flower gathered her things and shoved her way through the crowd. Her 'walking-to-class' face was fierce enough to drive her classmates away in terror, but there were so many students choking the hallway that it was still a struggle to walk quickly. As she finally got to the cafeteria and escaped the lunch line, she saw that the others were already gathering at their usual table.
"What took you guys so long?" Fukase smirked as he watched them approach. When he wasn't playing pranks on the teachers, Fukase simply waited in the cafeteria for his friends' classes to finish. Since he had had the space to himself, he had taken the liberty of sitting across the entire table.
Oliver sighed as he approached. "Fukase, get off the table!"
"No." Fukase stuck his tongue out and proceeded to lie down on the table.
Before Oliver could retort, Flower walked up, gave a dismissive glance, and kicked Fukase to the floor. "Hey, guys."
"Ow, my legs…" Fukase muttered weakly.
Ausgris snickered. You kinda deserved that, he wrote on his marker board. He and the others sat down, trying to suppress their laughter as Fukase struggled to his feet. Fukase shot Flower a dirty look and sat across from her. She simply smiled slyly, quite satisfied with herself.
Len started to speak when he noticed Ausgris was still writing something down. The group always tried to avoid interrupting him, not wanting to leave him out of the conversation. Anyway, Ausgris held up his board when finished, how'd classes go?
"Oh, I'd say mine went quite well," Fukase said smugly.
The others glared at him. "Must you always make that joke?" Oliver asked, exasperated.
"What else am I supposed to say? Or did you just want me to stay out of this conversation?" Fukase asked in mock indignation.
Len chuckled. "Hey, you're lucky. Mine were boring as usual," he yawned, picking at his food with a fork.
"I, uh, can't really remember what we were supposed to be learning," Oliver said. He kept his head down, looking rather sheepish. "I think I might have fallen asleep."
Flower sighed and popped open a can of soda. "Really, guys. At least try to pay attention sometime."
"Sure, mom," Len grinned. Flower reached over and punched him. "Worth it," he muttered.
"Hey, do you guys want to hang out after school, too?" Fukase asked, glancing at the clock on the opposite wall of the cafeteria.
"Definitely," Len said quickly. "Rin's having some friends over later, and I don't want to be anywhere near my house until the coast is clear."
"I would offer my place, but Hio's gonna be running errands and I'm not allowed to have friends over when he's gone," said Oliver.
What about my place? Ausgris wrote suddenly.
"We've never been to your house before," Flower realized. "Do you mind?"
Fukase scowled. "Maybe there's a reason. I bet it's haunted or something." He stuck his tongue out at Ausgris, who did the same in return.
Not haunted, Ausgris replied. Besides, I have something to show you guys.
"That sounds cool!" Oliver smiled. "I can't wait!"
When school finally let out, Flower offered to give the kids a ride to Ausgris's apartment since she was the only other person who could drive. Her car was small, but it had enough seats for everyone.
Flower was grateful to drive so she didn't have to be crammed in the back with Fukase and Len, who were currently bickering over who got to sit where. She sighed and climbed into the front seat as Oliver hopped into the one beside her. He looked rather smug for claiming shotgun before Fukase or Len could.
A few minutes later, Ausgris pulled up beside them on his motorcycle. It was a couple years old, but it ran more smoothly than Flower's car did. He dismounted and walked up to Flower's car, adjusting his helmet. She rolled down her window. Ready? he wrote.
"Yeah, one sec." She pulled up the GPS app on her phone and handed it to him. "Can you punch in your address just in case?"
Ausgris nodded and started typing. As Flower started the ignition, Ausgris tapped her shoulder. "Eh? Did you get the address punched in already?"
She looked up to see him pointing to her seatbelt and then to the three other kids. "Oh," Flower turned around, "guys, Ausgris wants you to put your seatbelts on."
Len huffed. "They just get in the way. It won't hurt for a short ride."
That's what I thought, Ausgris wrote, holding up his prosthetic arm.
The others turned in silent horror.
Ausgris snickered. Kidding, he wrote with a mischievous grin. Everyone strapped themselves in without another word.
As soon as he was satisfied with their behavior, Ausgris returned Flower's phone and hopped onto his motorcycle. Without another second's warning, he sped off and left Flower to try and keep up in her shabby car. "No need to brag!" she yelled out the window, but he was already out of earshot.
The GPS was convinced Ausgris lived three blocks away, but Flower somehow managed to keep his motorcycle in view as they navigated the bustling downtown traffic. He slipped easily through the streams of cars, but Flower nearly collided with several cars trying to avoid missing a turn. A drizzling rain began to fall as they rode, and the slick streets did nothing to help Flower's desperate attempts at safe driving.
When they finally pulled into the apartment complex, Flower sighed with relief and slowly unclenched her fingers from the steering wheel.
She stepped out of the car and into the pattering rain. As Ausgris finished locking up his bike, she gave him a satisfying punch on the shoulder. "Y'know, it would help if you would remember I'm in a car and not a tiny motorcycle that can swerve on a dime," she smirked.
Ausgris rubbed his shoulder and blushed, offering a silent apology.
As the other kids tumbled out of the car, Fukase and Len were arguing over which cereal was the best. The others listened to them for a few seconds before Oliver cried, "Fukase, you don't even eat cereal! Give it a rest!"
"Does that mean I can't have an opinion on it?" he shot back with a grin.
Oliver sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. "C'mon—let's just get out of the rain!"
Ausgris shook his head in amusement and fumbled in his pockets for his keys. After he finally located them, others followed him into the apartment as he opened the door.
Ausgris's was a small apartment, not much bigger than a college dorm. The buildings looked rather drab and run-down, but their close proximity to each other made the space feel cozy.
The interior was surprisingly clean and organized; Flower had half-expected it to be a pigsty. Like the exterior, the inside was small but inviting. A couch sat in the living room surrounded by dark furniture and a small television. Several metal contraptions were scattered throughout the room, an antique clock and radio among them.
An orange tabby cat was sleeping on the couch, and it lazily opened its eyes to the noise of the intruders. Flower wrinkled her nose.
Ausgris turned a few lights on and kicked off his wet boots in the doorway. The others followed suit, save for Oliver who, like always, had neglected to wear shoes at all. As he stepped into the room, Ausgris tugged on a small string that ran parallel to the ceiling. Flower's eyes followed the string along the wall and to a closed door, and she heard a tinny bell start ringing from inside the room.
Before she could ask, the door opened. "Welcome home," called a voice sleepily. The voice's owner appeared from behind the door. He was rather short and wore a strange, white outfit lined with wires. White hair hung past his cheeks and partially obscured his face. His eyes were mismatched; one was bright green like Ausgris's and the other was an aqua color. Flower thought she saw them flicker, but it was probably a trick of the light. There was something… peculiar about this boy, but Flower couldn't quite place it.
When he saw the others standing behind Ausgris, the boy looked startled. He gave Ausgris a puzzled look and made a few rapid gestures. Flower guessed he was using sign language.
Ausgris quickly signed back, smiling apologetically. Flower watched the two silently go back-and-forth for a few seconds. They seemed to throw the conversation to each other and catch it effortlessly.
Finally, the boy sighed. Ausgris paused to write on his board, This is my brother Piko.
"Hello," said Piko mechanically. He looked down, avoiding their gazes.
"Hi," Flower stepped forward, "I'm Flower. We're Ausgris's friends from school."
"I'm Len, and this is Oliver," Len said, glancing at the boy behind him.
Fukase bowed deeply. "And I'm Fukase."
A strange look flickered across Piko's face when he saw Fukase, but he shrugged it off. "Nice to meet you guys." He shifted awkwardly. "Sorry, we don't get visitors often."
Ausgris walked further into the room, inviting them to stop standing in the doorway. He gave the tabby cat on the couch an affectionate pat and sat down next to it.
"You have a really nice house," Oliver spoke up kindly as he looked around. "Does your radio work?" Oliver twisted one of the dials curiously, and the radio sprang to life with a blast of music. The others winced, and he quickly shut it off and blushed.
Ausgris nodded proudly. Fixed it myself.
"Ausgris patched up or built a lot of this stuff," Piko added. "He's really good at mechanics."
"Did he build you?" Fukase piped up.
Flower, Len, and Oliver turned around. "What?"
"Fukase, that's—" Flower began, but Piko put his hand up to stop her.
"Why do you ask?"
Fukase leaned casually on his cane. "Well, you don't look human to me. Too shiny. And your arms are jointed."
"I could say the same to you," Piko replied. "But, yeah," he grinned at Flower, "I'm a robot, if you couldn't tell. That's why I don't go to school with Ausgris."
Flower, Len, and Oliver found themselves frozen in surprise.
Piko shot a look at Ausgris, who merely shrugged. "It's also why I don't like visitors."
"You're… you're a robot?" Oliver breathed softly. He took a few steps toward Piko, who let him approach.
"Mm-hmm. See?" He held out his hands, which were plated in metal like Ausgris's prosthetic one. Oliver and Len examined them in fascination.
"Ausgris," Flower said quietly, plopping down next to him on the couch, "he's incredible. Did you really build him yourself?" She glared at Fukase as he jumped on the top of the couch, but he only stuck his tongue out at her yet again.
Ausgris blushed slightly and nodded. To keep me company, he wrote.
Flower shook her head in disbelief, unable to take her eyes off Piko as he explained how his eyes worked to Oliver and Len.
"How long did it take you to build him?" she asked.
Three years. He paused and added, When I was actually working on him.
"Only three years? It would take a team a decade to do that!"
Ausgris blushed deeper and shrugged. Really like building things, he simply replied.
As Piko finished explaining, Oliver's eye lit up. "Why don't you come to school with us?" he asked. "You could even be Ausgris's interpreter if he wanted."
Piko and Ausgris exchanged glances. "I… can't," he hesitated.
"Why not?"
"I'm… kind of not supposed to go outside."
"What? Do you melt in the rain or something?" Fukase laughed.
"Haha, very funny," Piko retorted. "No, but I prefer not to be seen. It's easier that way."
"I'm guessing you don't enjoy being stared at, huh?" said Flower, realizing she'd been watching him for several minutes. Everyone else suddenly realized they'd been doing the same thing and looked away.
Piko watched them with a slightly amused expression. "Well, yeah, that's annoying."
Ausgris cleared his throat. But it's safer, too, he wrote.
"Safer?" Oliver repeated.
Like you said, Ausgris turned to Flower, it would take others years.
Piko nodded. "Ausgris's amazing. He built me himself in half the time it takes whole companies. I'm willing to bet there's half a dozen agencies that would kill to study me. But I really just want to stay here with Ausgris and be left alone."
"So, you're, like, in hiding?" Len asked.
"Like a secret agent," Fukase added dramatically, making a spooky gesture.
"Uhh, sure," Piko shrugged.
Oliver looked around the apartment, absently rocking his feet. "Isn't that kind of boring? Just sitting around all day?"
"Nah, I can entertain myself. I do a lot of coding for fun. And sometimes I help Ausgris with his projects."
Speaking of which, Ausgris wrote quickly, want to see my workshop?
"That sounds cool!" Len replied. "Do you have any other robots you're working on?"
Not really. But do have some cool stuff.
Flower swore she saw Piko breathe a synthetic sigh of relief as she and the others followed Ausgris down the hall, and she couldn't help cracking a smile. That was enough interrogating for one day.
As Ausgris opened the door to his workshop, the other kids peered in, trying to get a glimpse of the room. Flower hung back patiently, entering after everyone else. When she could finally see into the room, however, her breath caught in her throat.
Unlike the rest of the apartment, this room would definitely benefit from a thorough cleaning. A thin layer of musty sawdust lay powdered on the floor and shelves and coated Flower's tongue, but even the dust transformed the room into a chamber of magic. The whole place glowed with bronze. Scattered about the room lay bits of metal and dozens of tools, all twinkling in the light from the hall. They seemed to beg to be picked up, to be held, to be played with or repaired or enjoyed. Several shelves lined the walls, holding gleaming contraptions. Flower guessed they were the finished projects—they were much cleaner and seemed better put-together.
Two more cats lounged about the room. They were everywhere.
Flower's eyes were drawn to one object in particular: an ancient, rusted motorcycle straddling almost the entire width of the room. It must have been at least fifty years old. Although dulled and chipped from so many straining years, it stood proudly, almost daring its rider to challenge its ability. It seemed a patchwork of clean and decaying, some parts looking untouched and others having been recently repaired.
"Ausgris…" Flower breathed, "did you build all this, too?"
Ausgris leaned against one of the walls, his face beaming as he watched his friends' faces. He nodded, but then pointed to the motorcycle and wrote, Not bike. Just fixing it.
"Dude, you're like some kind of metal wizard!" Len proclaimed, running over to one of the shelves. Ausgris winced, obviously fearing something being accidentally dropped or broken. Flower opened her mouth to say something, but Len stopped in front of the shelf and simply looked everything over. Ausgris and Flower breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
"Where do you find the time to make all this stuff?" Fukase asked, examining a marionette-like figure. "Don't you have a job, too?"
Ausgris merely shrugged. Sleep is for the weak.
"You're insane," Flower groaned.
"…Or a genius!" Len returned. He ran to the next shelf, once again coming dangerously close to upsetting it before stopping to look.
Flower winced again and squeezed Ausgris's shoulder. "One of them's going to give me an aneurysm—I just know it," she smirked. He laughed and walked over to Len, taking what appeared to be a puzzle box off the shelf and presenting it to Len. Best to do it himself, Flower figured.
After spending the better part of an hour discovering all of Ausgris's favorite inventions and their associated stories, the kids eventually met with the inevitable boredom of a rainy afternoon. Instead of letting up, the rain had persisted through their visit and now lashed at the windows. It would be a slippery drive home.
By the time they emerged from Ausgris's workshop, Piko was nowhere to be found. Flower was hardly surprised. She noticed a light bleeding from beneath the door Piko had first come from, but the door remained closed the rest of their visit.
As the kids searched for activities to occupy themselves, Ausgris sheepishly realized his apartment lacked most forms of entertainment, save for the television set that he admitted he and Piko rarely used. Oliver found a delicate little cuckoo-clock in Ausgris's workshop that greatly amused him, but the cuckoo's blaring honks drove Len to wrench it from Oliver's hands and return it to the shelves.
Fukase came to the rescue as usual when they fell short on ideas for fun. He whipped out his favorite deck of cards (which he profusely assured were not marked) and proceeded to teach the others some strange mix of Go Fish and Duck-Duck-Goose. It wasn't long before the room erupted in chaos, but it was just a normal day for the squad.
As he laid a card down, Oliver glanced up at the clock silently ticking on the wall. "Oh, no—I'm gonna be late to dinner! Hio might be worried."
"Want me to call him?" Flower offered.
"No, that's alright. But Fukase and I should probably head home now."
"Why is it always when I'm about to win?" Fukase grumbled, slapping down his cards.
Len laughed triumphantly, throwing his cards down as well. "I'm still undefeated!" he gloated.
Fukase studied the two hands for a second before growling, "Give me two turns and I'd have had you begging for mercy!"
Despite her best efforts to cover it, Flower let out a small laugh. "Okay, okay, you two—call it a draw?"
Fukase and Len glared at each other for a few seconds. Len blinked and started laughing, and Fukase couldn't help but join in. All their bickering was in jest, after all.
After cleaning up the scattered cards, the kids stood up to leave. "Thanks for letting us come here today, Ausgris!" Oliver said as they walked towards the door. He took another glance around the room, obviously reluctant to go so soon. "Your house is really cool!"
"And Piko's amazing," Flower added. She looked around for the robot in question, but he was still taking refuge behind the closed door. She wondered briefly if they should say goodbye, but she decided against it. Best not to bother him.
One of the cats hissed as they walked through the door. Good riddance.
Ausgris smiled, standing in the doorway as they readied to leave. I'm glad you guys think so, he wrote. Should come again soon.
"Definitely! It's really cool with no adults around," Len grinned.
I'm practically an adult! Ausgris shot back.
"Yeah, but you don't tell us to keep it down or do our homework."
Guess that makes me the cool adult?
"…Or the irresponsible one," Flower quipped. She glanced at the sky; the sun had just dipped below the buildings across the street, setting the trees ablaze in a glow of scarlet. It was getting late. "C'mon, guys, we should head out."
Although with a bit of protest, the kids finally piled back into Flower's car and waved goodbye. Flower sighed as she started the ignition—sometimes it would be easier to herd Ausgris's cats.
Piko's cotton-like head poked itself around the corner. "Are they gone?"
Ausgris nodded, shutting the door behind him.
"Thank goodness," Piko smiled. He looked up at Ausgris, who simply huffed in disapproval. Through a window they watched the car rumble away, its glowing headlights casting thick splashes of light onto the wet street. It shrank and shrank until finally turning beyond their view.
After a long pause, Piko's voice piped up quietly. "You think they'll come back sometime?"