TRIGGER WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH

So, warning, sad ending. As you can see, very sad ending with one of my characters dying. With that said, I understand if you don't read this.

Aside from that, the main pairing of this story is Frank/Leo, given it's more one-sided then anything, with a large splash of best friend Hazel. Also, there's one-sided Frazel and (because Frank's oblivious) Leo/Hazel hinted in here as well. Finally, side note, Ares may be a little OOC(more like will be), but I needed a father figure. If you're still reading, thanks.

Enter. Definition—Attomatron.

Attomatron—a child-sized humanoid robot that has the ability to grow and develop like a biological human being.

End definition.

Fix

Emily stared at her son with broken eyes. He was five now. As the sob escaped her lips, strong arms wrapped around her. She leaned into her husband's embrace but dared not look away from her boy. "Ares, what are we going to do?" She whispered, hand touching her stomach. "He was going to have a brother. Frank was supposed to have a brother."

Ares ran his hands through his wife's chopped black hair. "I'm not sure, but we will think of something. I'm sure Frank can wait a little longer."

"You said that last time!" She snapped.

At the sound of his mother's voice, the young boy looked up. "Mama?"

Emily had to swallow to keep the tears from coming out. "It's nothing sweetie," she called to him. At this, Frank went back to his card game. "Ares...I can't have another child. You heard the doctor as well as I did. The chances are low. Beside, I don't think I can live through another miscarriage."

And Ares did know that. He had watched his wife have to carry two miscarriages to term. He had watched her eyes dull and her ever lasting smile begin to crack. He couldn't stand to see that again. He couldn't watch her eyes lose happiness and fill with more pain. He loved her too much to lose her in such a way. Finally, he whispered, "I believe I have an idea."

Fix

Frank followed behind his parents as they walked through town. He was focused on the card game in his hands, that being his latest obsession, but couldn't help over hearing parts of his parents conversation.

"I do not think this is a good idea."

He heard his father sigh. "Emily, this is the second best option. Frank will be getting a brother, just like we promised him."

"But an Attomatron?" She hissed, glancing over at her son. Frank dropped his head to avoid being caught ease dropping. "Ares," she continued once assured he was distracted, "think of how judgmental children can be? If we sent it to school with our baby they'll only tease him. Then that could turn into bullying! I would rather this be avoided from the start."

"Emily," He sighed, kissing her softly. "If anything, children will think it amazing that Frank has a robot brother. You don't know a thing about little boys."

"But what about when he gets older?! They'll be cruel then! We're just causing our child's bullying!"

"Emily—"

"Woh!" Both parents were drawn to their child's voice. For the first time in weeks, Frank had found something more interesting than his card game as he stared up at a shop window. "Mama! It's just like the robot thing from T.V.!" He looked at his parents with the largest brown eyes. "Can we go look? Pleeeeasssse!"

A smile began to tug at Emily's lips. She looked to her husband, he was already pushing the shop door open. "Go for it." The boy didn't need anymore invitation to sprint inside.

The cards put away and chubby hands touching everything, Frank was easily distracted as his parents spoke with the shop owner.

"Do you folks know what makes the Attomatron brand so special? They grow! Buy a child unit and with an upgrade once a year it will grown into a full sized adult! Even better, their intelligence will grow like a normal child's! Unless, of course, you would like an upgrade to that as well. They can be used as children or have normal applications as robots do." The shop owner had been jumping around for the last five minutes, trying to convince the Kirkland family to buy into his deal. His suit was tore in several places and, if you looked closely enough, it was easy to see the panic in his eyes. His invention of Attomatrons weren't selling. Most people didn't want a robotic child to raise when they could have or adopt their own. Many said it was immoral and pushed the idea away. Still, the inventor believed if he could sell one unit—one child unit—and others saw how valuable they were, he could make a fortune...or at least stay in business.

"The make up of these units are much better than name brand Androids that everyone knows about. Not only can Androids not grow, but they must have constant updates and maintenance." The owner could see the battle going on in his costumers eyes. The man was for it, clearly thinking the idea was brilliant, but the woman...she would be the one he had to convince. He swallowed. "Miss, you must understand. This units...they aren't just robots. They grow as children. They think like children. Ignore that they were constructed instead of born, and they can easily be considered children. Give them love, a home, and its upgrade once a year, then it could almost be consider human. Heck, it's even waterproof and can eat food. This is the making of a family."

Emily's eyes seemed to light up at hearing that. All the years of going through hardship and their children passing before having the chance to live seemed to melt away. Their chance as a family was here. Their little boy could have the brother they had been promising him for years now. "I think...I think we will give it a try." She gave a nervous laugh. "What is the harm of trying, right?"

"That's the spirit love."

While his parents were off being bargained with, Frank had decided to explore the door. His his cards stuffed into the back pocket of his jeans, he went around grabbing at all the humanoid robot's clothing. In his mind, this was the most amazing thing in the world. He had seen Androids on television shows since he was a baby and thought they were amazing. His friend Jackson even had one at his house.

After a few minutes of poking and prodding, Frank came to stand in front of one particular Attomatron. It was half a head shorter than him and a lot less bulky. Everything about the robot was opposite to him. His caramel skin and milk chocolatey eyes contrasted to Frank's creamy pale skin and dark eyes. Even the way his dark curls popped wildly out his head was different to the human's uniform black cut. Still...something about the robot kept his attention. "Maybe it's the ears," he thought, noticing little points sticking out from the curls. "He's an imp!" With his excitement at finding a robot based on a mythical creature, he grabbed the robot's hand and pulled him forward.

There was a slight crash followed by an, "Oops!" His parents and the store owner were soon surrounding Frank and his "imp", whom was spread across the floor. "I didn't mean too! I thought he would move like the ones on T.V.! I'm sorry!"

Emily sighed. She knelt beside her son and ran a hand through his short hair. "Sweetie, do you want to take him home with us? He can be your brother."

Frank's eyes seemed to light up at that. "Yes! I want to take the imp home and make him my brother!"

"Imp?" Ares questioned. He looked down at his son with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yep! An imp! He's my imp now!"

Fix

The Attomatron brand had taken off surprisingly soon after the Zhang family had purchased the humanoid that became known as Leo, Frank claiming the name sounded "imp-ish". For kick starting his business, the once hopeless store owner had guaranteed free checkups and upgrades for Leo as long as he was to live.

The Zhang family had easily accepted Leo into the family. Beside those rare moments during crisis, they often forgot the boy was an Attomatron at all and treated him like a human boy. That was how he grew, at least. Leo developed his own interests—he enjoyed working with his hands, arts and craft projects to mechanics as he got older—and even his own personality—a mischievous "imp" as Frank had predicted—without the need for any programming beside motor skills and basic linguistics.

As Emily had predicted, the boys were subject to bullying as they grew. Surprising everyone, it wasn't the indestructible robot who made a difference, but Frank. The once shy, timid boy easily stood up for his brother and scared away any bullies that dared hurting his imp. Relentlessly for some, the bullies eventually left the strange set of brothers alone all together. Then, along came Hazel.

It was a few weeks into their first year of high school when she became an interest to the boys. Leo had noticed of her first and frowned as he spotted her watching them. That was the old thing, though. The look in her eyes wasn't a cruel one. It was more like one on a curious child. She didn't turn to her friends and snicker either, or point in laugh. When she noticed Leo watching, the gold eyed girl actually smiled and waved.

This took Leo by surprise. He didn't know what to do. He had never had a friend beside Frank before. Not knowing what else to do, he turned to his brother, the question clearly written on his face.

Frank, however, was grinning at him. He patted Leo on the back. "She's staring at you," he whispered. "I think she likes you Leo."

His brown eyes widened and he turned back to look at the girl. His face turned a shade of pink and he looked down. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had never thought anyone would like him in that way. Plus, though he would never admit it, he wasn't even sure if he liked girls. Not after the thoughts he had been having lately about...his eyes drifted to look at his brother then back at the ground.

As class ended, the gold eyed girl moved to stand in front of the brothers' desks. "Hi. I'm Hazel," she offered a hand to either of them.

Leo hesitated for a moment before pulling on a mischievous smile, the once his mother said told her when he was doing something wrong. "'Sup. I'm Leo and this is my brother Frank," he shook her hand.

Hazel only raised her eyebrows at him before shaking her head. "It's nice to meet you boys. So, you're the robot brother I've heard about?"

That was what started the friendship, Hazel's boldness. Hazel had been a victim of bullying herself and was amazed that Frank could stand up for, not only himself, but a thing that wasn't even human. Of course, she had gotten over that quickly and become friends with the two brothers, because that is what they really were, no matter if Leo was an Attomatron or not. She eventually became another best friend to them, seeing through all the masks Leo put up.

"You're in love with him."

Leo snorted up his juice when Hazel said that. His eyes widened and he instantly looked around for the him she was referring to. Thankfully, because otherwise Leo might have strangled her, Frank had been distracted by one of his teammates and wasn't paying attention to either of them. He turned back to Hazel. "Why would you think that and in love with who?"

The girl only rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, you know very well who. You just looked at him." Hazel sighed, reaching out and taking her friend's hand. "Besides, I don't see a problem with it. Is it wrong to be in love your best friend?"

"Not if the best friend is your brother!" He hissed, glaring at her. "My job is to protect him."

"It is not! Just tell him," she insisted. "The worst he can do is not feel the same. At least he will know and think about it. For all you know, he might feel the same as you do Leo."

He instantly shook his head, refusing to even consider that. "No, Hazel. He will not feel the same, does not. I am a brother to him. He chose me to be his brother. Nothing else on the subject. Don't bring it up again."

Hazel opened her mouth to argue, before sighing and shaking her head. "Fine, but this is not the last time we will talk about it." That she meant. She didn't care what it took. She would make sure her friend was happy if it was the last thing she did.

Fix

Click.

Number sixty three on the countdown of the hundred hottest hits started playing. Frank yawned, stretching in the bed of his college dorm. This was a constant. Every morning, his alarm would go off at the exact same time and that specific number on the radio would be playing. He liked it that way. Slowly slipping from bed, he tossed a pillow at his Latino roommate. "Leo! Get up. We have class."

The "imp" easily rolled over, groaning. "I don't want to get up," he mumbled. Only one of his eyes were open, halfway at that, as he faced his "brother". "My body hurts from the upgrade yesterday."

Frank only laughed. "Just get dressed. We're meeting Hazel for coffee before class, so we should leave in half an hour." With that said, he disappeared into their bathroom.

Leo jumped from bed when he heard the water cutting off, not wanting to annoy Frank by making them late...again. He yawned and stretched, frowning as he spotted the trios' graduation photo, the one his mother had taken. A sigh escaped his lips. Hazel...she was something. Despite all the walls the Attomatron had put up, that girl had seen through them all. He had been so confused about it all, yet she had put everything together in days. She was his miracle girl and best friend.

"Come on," Frank rolled his eyes as he came out, tossing his towel back in the bathroom. Leo glanced up just in time to see his brother slip a shirt on. "I want my morning coffee."

The mask came on again and Leo offered a wicked grin. "Coffee won't be the only thing quenching your thirst if we're meeting Hazel."

Frank's face flushed a dark shade of pink. He tossed a pillow at Leo's head, which he easily dodged. "Shut up," he managed to get out before hurrying out the room.

Leo laughed as he hurried after him, ignoring the crumbling feeling as a few more pieces of his heart broke off. Maybe he should have taken Hazel's advice when their college acceptance letters had come in. Maybe he should have went to a different college. Then again, what was his purpose if not to protect Frank, the brother who had picked him out of a store full of Attomatrons?

As usual for their pre-class morning ritual, Hazel was waiting at their favorite table in their favorite coffee shops. It wasn't the most popular, but it had a nice view of the campus park—which Hazel loved—sold hot chocolate—which Leo loved—and was cheap—Frank's favorite thing. All together, the trio enjoyed not being surround by a million other of their fellow college students.

Golden eyes glanced up from her Multimedia book as they approached. Hazel smiled, pushing a fresh cup of hot chocolate toward Leo and a black coffee toward Frank. "You two are late," she commented, closing her book and munching on her morning muffin. Today's was blueberry.

"Sorry. My bro here insisted on playing chase the whole way," Leo snorted. His mask was on and Hazel could tell. He tried to avoid her prying gold eyes. They left arrows in his body.

Frank only snorted and flicked his nose. "Don't start with me before I've had my coffee little brother."

"I'm not little!"

"You're shorter than me," Hazel pipped in, laughing as she watched Leo's face turn red. This was normal, familiar. It happened daily and the teasing didn't bother him anymore. His friends knew that, otherwise they wouldn't do it.

Fix

"Leo."

The Attomatron didn't stop. In fact, if anything he walked faster. He didn't even pause at feeling the daggers glaring into his back.

There was a huff of annoyance behind the two brothers and a mocha hand was placed on his shoulder. "Frank, you go ahead. I need to talk with Leo."

Frank seemed to hesitate as he looked at Hazel and his brother, before nodding. "Don't be late for class," this was pointed at Leo, who nodded. Receiving that, the dark eyed boy continued jogging down the sidewalk so not to be late.

Even knowing he couldn't, the brunette was already making plans of escape. "Don't think about it," Hazel warned. There was an edge of authority in her voice that made Leo turn. At seeing her face, he knew he wouldn't run. There was too much worry mixed in with the annoyance. "Why won't you just tell him the truth? Even if he doesn't feel the same way, you'll still be brothers."

Leo swallowed and turned his head. He couldn't stare into those loving gold eyes any longer. They made his heart crumble more. "Because it won't be like that. What happens if I scare him away?" Finally, he met her eyes for the first time that morning. "My whole purpose is to protect him. What if something puts him in danger and I'm not there? If I can't do that because he's sent me away? What am I worth then?"

It all happened so fast after that. The sound of screeching brakes against pavement, then a woman's scream, and finally the sickening thump. Leo didn't want to turn. Somewhere inside him, coupled with Hazel's horrified face, he knew that it was Frank. He didn't want to turn and face the truth. Yet, his mechanic body worked before his human emotions could stop him.

Then, he was the one screaming. The loud sound pierced the air as he ran for his best friend, the boy he loved more than anything—anyone—else. "Frank!" He yelled. The mechanic tear ducts began working overtime. The clear water dripped down his face in a river as he held the motionless body to him. The part of his vision that wasn't flooded flashed with red. So much red. It made him hate the color. "Frank!" He cried again.

Hands were on his back, trying to pull him away, but he wouldn't go. He was stronger than the humans anyway, so it didn't matter. "N-no!" He cried. The dark eyes had gone blank before he had gotten there, but he still couldn't look away. "I-I-I can fix you!" He insisted, only talking to Frank now. The tip of his finger popped off to reveal a screwdriver, an upgrade their father had insisted on when he got into mechanics. "I can fix you. Just a few new parts and you'll be all better. I can fix anything, right?"

Warmth gripped his face and suddenly the red was gone. Instead, it was replaced with watery gold. "He's gone Leo," came Hazel's shaky voice. "Frank isn't a machine. You can't fix him. You have to let go now."

Fix

Leo wasn't sure when he was brought inside. He wasn't sure when a blanket was thrown over his shoulders, or when Frank's body was taken away, or when the bloody clothes had been taken off. There was still red on his hands...he wondered if anyone else could see it. "I could have fixed him," the words slipped out before he could help them.

"You couldn't have." It was Hazel's voice again. He could hear it, but his eyes wouldn't focus on her face. Too much red.

"I could have! I can fix anything!" There was a sob. Hazel was sobbing. He blinked, turning his head. "Haze?"

Tears were flowing from her watery gold eyes and her body was shaking. Leo wrapped her in his blanket. "He was a human. You couldn't just buy him new parts. You couldn't just fix him Leo!"

The once trio, now only two, stayed silent. Leo comforted his friend. He rubbed her back, kissing her puff of hair, and tried to calm her in every way he could. Eventually, the pain in his chest became too much. The crumbling was gone but now he only felt empty.

"I guess I am getting my kumuppins, huh?" It came out more bitter than a joke. It still had the effect he had been hoping for, though.

Hazel let out the smallest laugh. Tears continued to fall, but there was a slight smile on her face. "The word you're looking for is karma, Leo. It means basically the same thing." There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes that continued to grow.

If only Leo could say the same thing. Sadly, all of his hope had died with Frank.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading my story.

~Goddess of the Multiverses