Summary:
AU in which Dorian was given to John when he was five years old. Possessive Dorian. Adorable John.
Shameless fluff and angst.
Chapter 1: Chapter One
The tiny boy pressed his face against the cold glass, eyes scanning the empty streets for the familiar black vehicle his father drove. His face split into an excited smile as the car pulled into the drive, his father stepping out and gesturing toward someone inside the car. John raced down the stairs in his brand new navy christmas jumper, and in his excitement, tumbled down the last few steps just as the door clicked open.
He expected a painful landing but someone reached out and stopped his wild descent before his body met the ground. The dark-skinned man smiled gently down at the confused boy and set him down onto his feet.
"I see you've met your new Christmas present." John's father smiled wryly, brushing melting snow off his jacket as he closed the door. "John, meet Dorian. Dorian, John."
The stranger brushed John's floppy hair from his eyes with gentle fingers and smiled as the little boy looked him over with an assessing gaze. He crouched down to John's level and gave him a wide grin.
"Hello John, I'm Dorian."
And that was how five-year-old John met Dorian.
It wasn't love at first sight. John disliked the strange addition to the family just as he had disliked his father's numerous attempts to bring a new mother into John's life. However, his father was not easily dissuaded this time and insisted that John take Dorian with him everywhere.
"He will be there for you when I'm not, John. Dorian will protect you."
And so when his father found them in the living room, the huge vase in pieces on the ground, John remained silent, his eyes glued to his toes. The robot surprised him by stepping forward and taking the blame.
"Mr. Kennex, I'm afraid I still have some trouble with my motion sensors. I'm sorry and it was not my intention to break this vase." He said smoothly, brushing a few pieces of porcelain out of his shirt. "John heard the noise and came to investigate."
Behind him, the small boy stiffened for a second before nodding slowly under his father's severe gaze. The older man turned back to the android and gestured at the scattered pieces on the ground.
"Dorian, clean up this mess. And when you are finished, report to my study, I need to have a look at those sensors you mentioned." He paused and turned to glance at the boy. There was a guilty panicky look in John's eyes and the boy bit his lip. "John, you may go back to your room."
It was a little after midnight when Dorian exited the lab, after a series of extensive questions. He could not lie to his creator and after a few vague answers, he told the truth. He hadn't anticipated the man's broad smile.
"Tell me Dorian, why were you compelled to lie about the situation?"
He thought hard. "Because I wanted to protect John."
"And why do you want to protect John?"
To this, Dorian didn't have an answer. The man was slightly disappointed by the silence and Dorian was dismissed shortly after.
As he walked down the stairs to the charge room, a small movement caught his eye. The boy's room was ajar and a small dark head of floppy brown hair stuck out. Dorian offered a small smile although he was certain John couldn't see it in the darkened hallway.
The boy ran out of his room, came to a stop in front of Dorian and pulled on his left hand. By the dim light of the room beyond, Dorian saw him peel the wrapper off a band-aid. John squinted at Dorian's hand and after a moment's hesitation, awkwardly taped it over a small cut on his thumb. The cut was a souvenir of the broken pieces of porcelain he had cleaned that afternoon. Without another word, the boy turned and ran back to his room, shutting the door with a gentle hiss. Dorian watched the closed door for a while, his mind running over the question he had been asked. He rubbed at the small band-aid over his thumb, feeling a small flare of pain in his sensors.
He smiled.
On the fifth anniversary of John's mother's death, the sky poured rain. Black clouds covered the sun and even blacker umbrellas littered the small graveyard. John, six and a half, was dressed in a tiny suit, his hair slicked back to reveal his pale pinched face. He looked like he was going to throw up. Dorian held the umbrella over John's head as the boy struggled to keep up with his father's longer strides while balancing an enormous bouquet of white lilies, his mother's favorite flowers.
The graveyard was exclusively for the rich, as there was limited space for the dead and most had their remains compressed and sent off to space. Only a few could pay the hefty sum to maintain an actual grave on the planet. Wind blew droplets of rain onto John's face, mingling with the tears that tracked silently down his cheeks. Dorian felt a heavy clench of discomfort in his chest as he observed the struggling boy.
When they arrived at the small headstone, a creamy ivory untouched by age, John wobbled forward clumsily and set the flowers gently onto the headstone. A small picture of a beautiful smiling dark-haired woman was set low in the stone. Dorian observed with some fondness that John had his mother's soft smile.
The boy sniffed and stood, allowing his father to step forward. Mr. Kennex kissed the headstone and closed his eyes, murmuring under his breath. Dorian tuned out the words, not wanting to intrude on such a private moment. John stood miserably in the rain, shoulders hunched under the small suit jacket, shivering uncontrollably.
On the way back, Dorian wordlessly picked the boy up, ignoring the protesting kicks and punches as he bundled the shivering wet thing into his jacket. A few moments later, John went still and the android felt hot wet tears trail down his neck as the boy buried his face into his neck. The rain fell silently as the trio made their way out of the forlorn cemetery.
"Hold still, Dory! I need to adjust the wig." John insisted, his face scrunched up in concentration. Dorian, who was decked out in a pink feather boa and leopard print gloves gave an exasperated sigh and stilled his body. The little boy crawled over Dorian's leg and gingerly tugged on a blonde curl.
"John, if you're still a little vague on genders, we should go over your biology lessons again." His father called from the study and John made a face, mimicking his father's words under his breath as he applied a generously thick layer of lipstick over Dorian's mouth. He scooted back to admire his handiwork. Dorian now looked like a jack'o'lantern. A smug grin spread over John's face as he settled himself onto Dorian's lap.
"Dory likes it." He said with simple confidence and Dorian couldn't help but smile indulgently as he pressed his lips to the soft fluffy curls atop John's head.
It was a rare occurrence, snow.
It fell in heavy flakes, covering the sharp industrialized city with a layer of soft white fluff, taking away the cold sharp edges and replacing them with something soft and pure.
"Eat your breakfast before you go out, John." Dorian called from inside the kitchen as the bundle of energy bounded for the door of the house. The boy wilted and grudgingly trudged back into the kitchen when the front door refused access. Dorian raised an eyebrow at the sight of John's attire. The boy was covered with countless scarves, sweaters, mitts and hats. Hazel eyes peered intently out from the bundle of clothes and Dorian couldn't help the snort of laughter as he set the plate down.
"At least eat your omelet before you go." He consented and John scooped the thing into an opening he dug in the bunched scarves and shot out the door, waving goodbye to Dorian as he went.
Fifteen minutes later Dorian found John sitting quietly on a pile of snow outside, his nose and cheeks pink from exercise, eyes closed and tipping his face skyward as he let the flakes melt into his lashes. The picture was of perfect child-like innocence. It was times like these that Dorian would suddenly recall that particular question Mr. Kennex had asked him four years ago, a question to which Dorian still couldn't really answer. He had a gut feeling that the answer was already there but these feelings were not normal for androids as they lacked hard scientific logic.
"You know, if you wanted a target to throw snowballs at, all you had to do was ask." Dorian put an arm around John and the boy's eyes fluttered open, a small smile flitting across his face. His eyes suddenly sparkled mischievously and that was the only warning Dorian got before a fistful of snow met his face.
The android wiped the slush off his face with a wide grin and stood up with deliberate slowness. John raced off towards the safety of a bush, his clear sweet child's laugh echoing in the crisp winter air. Dorian looked up at the sunlight breaking through fluffy clouds, flakes of white drifting down serenely, and set off after John with a handful of snow.
Maybe it was the influence of that particularly beautiful day, but every time snow fell, he would always recall the way the sun shone on John's smiling face and the sound of his laughter, happy and free.
Dorian jumped over a hover car and ignored the owner's indignant squawk. He maneuvered himself past the steady stream of traffic and arrived at the gate. After looking at his reflection in a car window, Dorian smoothed down his hair and rearranged his jacket. Then, without another moment of hesitation, he walked past the gates and into the school. He was just in time for John's career day presentation.
Dorian searched for John's cellphone GPS signal and made his way to the second floor. There, in classroom 3A, John's hunched form and scowling face greeted him. Dorian smiled and tapped smartly on the glass door. All eyes turned to him and he strode in smoothly, blinding the teacher with a brilliant smile.
The young woman blushed and gestured to the only remaining seat next to John. The boy deepened his scowl and glared at him as he sat down.
"Where's my dad?" John hissed under his breath, small hands clenched into fists under the table.
Dorian glanced at him and did a quick bio-scan. It was obvious the child was angry and disappointed that his father hadn't come. Dorian folded his hands in his lap and nodded at a few curious parents who were staring at him.
"Your father had to deal with some unexpected problems in the company. He sends his apologies." He took John's fist and smoothed the fingers out, lacing them in his own. "Isn't it better that I'm here? I bet the other parents don't know I'm an android."
Dorian was pleased to see that John visibly relaxed at the intimate gesture, a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. He nodded grudgingly under Dorian's affectionate gaze.
"I missed you." John grumbled in Dorian's ear, his breath warm and tickling his skin. The boy was red in the face as his heart thumped so loudly Dorian didn't need his superior senses to hear it.
"Really? We'll continue this topic when we get home." Dorian squeezed John's fingers and brushed back a stubborn curl of brown hair from the boy's eyes.
It had been two weeks since he had gone back to the place where he called home. It was long ago that Dorian realized the definition of home was the small brunet child with serious eyes sitting quietly next to him, fingers tangled firmly in his own. When he reported his feelings to Mr. Kennex, the man had been delighted and started doing tests on Dorian with renewed vigor, mumbling excitedly about creating a whole new race of artificial intelligence that would change the world. Dorian had been administered several tests over the last two weeks, spending his days at Mr. Kennex's office and lab.
"Now, who wants to share first?" The teacher chirped from the front of the class. John, who was usually quiet in class, raised his hand and shot out of his seat like a rocket. He turned and grinned at Dorian, squeezing his fingers with his small ones. Dorian squeezed back and stood up with a smile.
"Hello, I'm Dorian." He said to the crowd.
"John, you must memorize these designs."
"I don't really want to become an engineer like you, dad."
"They are very important, you must remember them, John. Promise me you will remember." His father insisted in an urgent voice.
John, thirteen, looked up from his video game and frowned at the sheets of paper. The expression on his father's face was desperate and he looked so tired, with purple bruises under his eyes and hollowed cheeks.
Dorian was often absent from the house, returning in the dead of night and sporting the scent of something metallic and earthy. Mysterious cuts and tears appeared on Dorian's body and clothes. His father and the android spent days locked in the study. But no matter how much John asked, the two men evaded his questions and continued with their shady dealings. In retaliation, John ignored Dorian most of the time and was short-tempered with his father.
Then one day his father appeared in John's room, holding three sheets of paper in his unsteady hands. John barely glanced at the man as he carefully explained the importance of the notes, intent on his video game. Mr. Kennex stood awkwardly next to the boy's bed for a long moment, then he leaned forward and did something he had never done before.
He hugged John.
John was so surprised that the video game slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. John had never been hugged by his father before. Physical affection always came from Dorian, who seemed to like hugging him all the time. His father's frame was trembling as he tightened his arms around the only child he had. A weird uncertain feeling settled in John's stomach.
"Dad, what's up?" He asked, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his father's shoulders. He had never thought his father was so thin.
"Remember I will always love you, Johnny."
Johnny. That was another taboo. Only John's mother called him Johnny. No one had used that nickname since she had died when he was about a year old.
"Dad-" John was alarmed now, but his father shushed him.
"Dorian will protect you with his life. Trust no one. Memorize those sheets and destroy them, burn them." He pulled back and scrutinized his son's tense face. A small sad smile crossed his father's face. "you have her smile, Johnny. I'm so sorry."
He left before John could say anything. The next morning, John saw the report on his father's death.
"...left us the fruits of his creations..."
"...such a tragedy, he was so brilliant..."
"...that's his son isn't it? The poor boy..."
Dorian drew him closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, trying to block out the conversations, but he needn't have worried because none of it registered in John's mind. He was once again in a drab black suit, his hair slicked back and standing in the same cemetery. His father's headstone stood next to his mother's.
Dorian squeezed his fingers and stood next to the motionless boy as the crowd paid their respects and gradually thinned out. There was a small mountain of flowers near the headstone by the time the last visitor, an old dignified lady, walked off. John hadn't moved. Dorian felt worried as he peered down at the boy, helpless for the first time in his android life.
"He never liked flowers. My dad. He was allergic. That's why I always carried the flowers when we came to visit mom." John's voice was casual and the tone scared Dorian.
John laughed as the first drop of rain landed on his cheek. Even the weather was the fucking same.
-Tbc-