Odi tries to act like nothing's changed between them, telling himself very specifically to keep his expressions and voice calm as they go through the day. It's hard, when his emotions fluctuate between awkwardness, longing, disappointment and breathless nervousness, or sometimes all of those at once. George, for his part, seems even more attentive than he normally is. Kinder, more gentle to him. He looks distinctly worried every time he looks at Odi. Odi isn't sure if that makes him feel better or worse.

That night George leaves the villa to go stand on the veranda outside while Odi washes up, looking out towards the sea, the twilight sky a deep purple beyond. He's certainly troubled, and Odi finds himself wishing that he'd never asked George about kisses at all.

He joins George on the veranda, finally, leaning against the stone and looking out at the darkening sea. After a few moments he feels George lean closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him against his side. "Try not to feel too self-conscious," he says quietly. "Accepting yourself as a sensual being is just part of maturity. There's nothing wrong with it. It's the opposite, really. Intimacy... of any kind... helps draw people closer together. Focus on that. There's no other reason for Elster to have made it a part of his programming. You certainly don't need it to reproduce."

"I suppose that's a blessing," Odi replies, thinking on his knowledge of human physiology and how innately imessy/i it is.

"There's places in the world where the market penetration for synthetics is much lower, you know," George continues after a moment, musing out loud. "I'm sure they still primarily market the economy line in south-east asia. We took out the expensive data-sharing feature to bring down the cost to manufacture without sacrificing their physical dexterity and core processing speed."

Odi can still see him clearly in the near-darkness, though he's certain George can't see him. "What does it matter?"

"It matters because no one would know you weren't human, Odi. Not synths, not humans. You could meet people, spend time with whoever you wanted..."

He knows George's intentions are good, but he doesn't want to hear it. Silently he pulls away from George and goes back inside.

"Odi, come on. I didn't mean it that way..." George follows him back inside and pulls the patio door shut behind him, expression frustrated, worried. Helpless. He catches Odi's hand, squeezes his fingers gently. "Look. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," Odi says softly, staring down at the floor. "I'm just sorry that I've made such a stupid mistake."

"It's not stupid to be curious," George replies, but Odi shakes his head.

"It is when it's selfish and affects someone else. I..." He feels his throat tighten, words catching in it. "Things were so nice between us and I'm afraid that I've ruined everything."

"No." George steps closer, cupping his face. "Please don't think that."

"How can I? You can't want me to sleep with you now."

"I never said that. You're welcome as long as you're comfortable, Odi."

He knows that George is trying to make him feel better, but his kindness only makes Odi's heart ache more. "I'm sorry I asked you to kiss me. It was selfish of me. I made you uncomfortable, I disrespected Mary's memory - "

"Hey - hey, no. No. Shh." George's fingers press to his mouth to stop his words. "Stop. You did nothing like that. Listen, Odi. Mary wanted me to find companionship. If anything, I'm the one who's failed her for locking myself away alone until now. But I didn't want another woman in my life." He gives a soft, soundless laugh, a rueful smile. "Didn't even want another human in my life." George reaches up to cup his cheek, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb. "You're a blessing to me. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve you, but I'm going to do my best to take care of you and do right by you. For as long as I can. Okay?"

His words are overwhelming, beautiful, completely truthful. Odi doesn't trust himself to speak, but he nods, and George smiles, stepping closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I know this all seems like a lot to you right now. You're still new, Odi. Despite your programming and experience. Things will work themselves out. Trust me. And if there comes a time that you decide that you want to... learn more about human intimacy... we'll figure it out."

Odi closes his eyes, lets himself lean into him a little. "... and if I only want that with you?"

George sighs. "You don't know what you're asking for."

"Of course I do." Odi draw back, biting his lip as he looks up at him. "I want... what we both did this morning. But together. And... more than that."

George only looks briefly surprised, then glances away with a slightly self-conscious smile. "I... don't think that's a good idea."

"But why?" Tentatively, Odi smooths a hand over his shoulder, letting his hand rest at the back of his neck. "Don't you want me even a little bit?"

George gives a soft laugh under his breath. "Of course I want you. I'm not dead."

The affirmation, finally, sends a trembling rush of warmth through him. He strokes his fingers through the short hair at the back of George's neck. "Then... please tell me."

"I was your primary owner..."

"But you're not anymore."

"Still, how can you know that whatever you're feeling isn't just some leftover remnants of that imprint? The problem is, Odi," George starts, quietly, eyebrows knitting together slightly as he watches him, "That if we were to... do anything like that... I'm still in a position of power over you. I'd be taking advantage of you."

Odi bites his lip and considers his words. It's certainly logical that George would feel that way, when he had once owned him. When he had, for all intents and purposes, far more life experience than Odi, even with all he'd learned and all the data he could access on command. "I think," he says slowly, thinking back over everything that's happened between them - the conversations, the kisses, how kindly and appropriately George had advised him on how to take care of his own arousal that morning, "that if you were going to take advantage of me... things would have been very different, wouldn't they? Your first concern when you found out that I was conscious was whether or not it was still appropriate to let me continue to sleep with you. You've never done anything to make that anything more than what it was. I asked to kiss you last night, not the other way around. My own curiosity and imagination were what started this, caused me to feel arousal. You've done basically everything you can to dissuade me."

George doesn't say anything in return, so Odi steps into him, slow and cautious, bringing his other hand up around George's neck. "If you truly don't want this," he says softly, looking up at him through his eyelashes, "I'll do my best not to be hurt, George. But I want this. Even if we were both human and I had the entire world to explore I would still want to explore this with you over anyone else alive. I love you more than anything. Don't you know that by now?"

"But love doesn't have to mean sex," George murmurs, though his hands come to rest on Odi's hips, pulling him closer. "You don't have to offer sexual intimacy just to be close to me..."

"But... I want to." Emboldened by the fact that George hasn't pulled away, Odi cuddles into him, closing his eyes and nuzzling George's jaw. "You don't understand... I feel this arousal because of you. Kissing felt so good because I knew it was you. Because I wanted it to be you. This morning, when you told me to touch myself, I could have accessed any pornographic material that I wanted. But I couldn't help but replay your kiss, remember the feeling of your lips and the way you pulled me closer. It felt so good..."

George's arms wrap around him as he speaks, drawing him against him, nuzzling Odi's hair. "God help me," he murmurs, and then he's kissing Odi again, warm and yearning and with far more intention than he had before. It pulls a soft, surprised moan sound from the back of Odi's throat, and he gives himself over to it entirely, arching into the warmth of George's body, his breath coming faster as he mimics the movement of George's lips against his. The sensation of kissing him is just as pleasurable as it had been before, but this time there's a trembling sense of wonder to it, and it makes the whole experience more heady and beautiful than he could have anticipated. George's body is warm against his, his hands warmer still as they stroke down Odi's back, cupping the curve of his ass and the back of his thighs. He feels a throb of pleasure in his cock and does nothing to dissuade it, arching closer, lips parting to George to try and encourage more.

"My sweet, strange boy," George murmurs against his mouth, then takes what Odi's offered, sucking his full bottom lip between his, teasing and nibbling with his teeth. It makes Odi moan, pleasure intense and intoxicating, makes his hips give a helpless buck up against him. The friction against his half-hard cock sends another flood of pleasure through him, so he repeats it with a whimper, fingers digging into George's shoulders as he tries to arch closer to him.

"Jesus..." George presses a kiss to his jaw, then another, warm and yearning, nuzzling his hair. "Tell me what you want, sweetheart."

"Everything," Odi gasps, and presses a kiss to George's jaw, sliding his fingers into his short hair. "Everything. It feels so good... want to kiss you until I can't think anymore, want to know what it feels like to be touched, I want... I want you to make love to me."

George gives a soft, helpless groan against his skin and moves to kiss him again. His grasp tightens on Odi's ass, which is far more pleasurable than he could have ever anticipated - or perhaps he's designed so that everything feels good when he's this aroused. His lips part eagerly again under George's, but George pulls back again, looking distinctly reluctant, and beautifully breathless, flushed with the kind of arousal that Odi has wanted so badly to see.

"Would you like to go upstairs?" he asks softly, and Odi nods, feeling somehow both delighted and self conscious all at the same time.

It's hard for him to concentrate on anything but pleasure once George gets him into bed. He somehow manages to get George's shirt unbuttoned and off between kisses, not even realizing George's superior skill in the area of undressing until he feels him start to tug down Odi's shorts, leaving him completely nude. George pulls back just enough to look over the length of his body, which makes Odi feel strangely shy, though George's expression is undeniably pleased. His body is standard for the D-series, Odi knows, representing 9% body fat and slightly above average muscle mass. His erect cock is proportioned to the average woman's ideal - precisely twenty centimeters long when erect, sixteen in circumference. "Do I please you?" he asks softly, and George smiles as he leans down to kiss him.

"Always," he murmurs softly, reassuring between kisses. "We're terribly matched, though... old man like me and a pretty young thing like you..."

Warmth curls inside him. "You really think I'm pretty...?"

"You are my Galatea given life," George murmurs in response, soft and awed, pressing worshipful kisses along his jaw, nuzzling his ear. "If you need me to stop - now, anytime - if you need anything, sweetheart..."

The thought of stopping is maddening when it feels like every part of his relay craves touch. He tugs at George's undershirt. "I need you naked...?"

"Demanding." George smiles, but pulls it off obediently, and Odi quickly discovers that the only thing better than kissing is kissing naked, pinned to the bed by the strength of George's body, skin warm and soft against his own. He's appreciated George's body as long as he could think to do so - taller, shoulders broader than his own, seemingly perfect for holding him close. His logical responses are all but eclipsed for his emotional ones when he's in George's arms. He feels safe, protected, adored. Now he feels wanted, too, George's broad hands warm on his body. He caresses one hand slowly down Odi's chest, fingers pausing to toy with a nipple, giving a little approving noise at Odi's gasp of pleasure. His touch is gentle and warm, and while it's not logical that such a simple touch should make him feel so good Odi certainly isn't complaining, arching and squirming under the sensation, craving move.

"Please," he finds himself gasping against George's lips. He feels flushed and aching with arousal, almost painfully so. "Please touch me," he gasps again, and sobs in pleasure as George finally curls his fingers around the base of his cock. It feels better than he imagined, far better than his own hand, and his hips give a little helpless buck into his fingers as George begins to stroke him slowly. "Oh god yes..."

"This what you wanted?" George asks, nuzzling his lips. His fingers pause at the top of his erection, thumb stroking slow circles over the tip. He presses one of his fingers slightly harder just below the head of his cock, rubbing gently, and the rush of pleasure that sends through him makes Odi cry out, gasping for breath. He feels George smile against his lips as he continues to stroke and caress him. "This what you needed, my sweet boy?"

It's hard to form a response, with the way George is touching him. "Yes, but... I ... oh god, please, George..."

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I..." finally he catches George's wrist to stop him, thinking that he looks far too calm. Odi bites his bottom lips. "I want to make love. Please..."

He sees a flash of something in George's expression that makes him shiver with anticipation - a longing, a hunger he's never seen before. But his lover shakes his head slightly. "I'm happy pleasing you. We have time for everything else."

It's a lovely sentiment, but he wants to see George look at him like that again. He squirms closer, wrapping one thigh up over his hips. "Please... let me please you," he says, biting his bottom lip as he leans back to look up at him, letting his eyes widen ever so slightly. "I'll feel so disappointed if we don't..."

"Oh god, you're giving me that look on purpose now, aren't you?" George shakes his head, chuckling. His voice softens. "I don't want to do anything you're not ready for."

"I know. But I'm fully aware of standard sexual activity. I'm quite agreeable to all of it." Odi strokes his fingers along George's jaw, pressing a slow, soft kiss to his mouth. "Please, my love..." he lets his voice lower, soften, take on a husky timbre. "I want you inside me..."

"Jesus..." George's answering kiss is harder, more demanding, fingers digging into his hip, and Odi finds the knowledge of his lover's desire is almost as intoxicating as his own.

He doesn't self-lubricate like some of the newer models that are made specifically for this, but there's a small bottle of it in the medicine cabinet. George claims it before he can do anything with it, and the careful press of his slick fingers up inside him sends another shivering wave of pleasure through him. It's different, than just being stroked, a pleasure that has more to do with being stretched open and filled, with the anticipation of more. George's cock is thick and wonderfully proportioned for a man his height, hot and heavy against Odi's side, and anticipation becomes an almost single-minded focus, his body aching for more as he gasps for breath against George's lips.

"Please," he finds himself gasping, arching up against the press of George's fingers, shivering. "More, please, oh god, I need you, please - "

"God, you drive me crazy." The words are a hissed, throaty groan against his skin. Thankfully George doesn't make him wait any longer. He pushes a pillow under Odi's hips before kneeling between his thighs, and Odi closes his eyes at the press of his cock, crying out breathlessly, for a moment completely overwhelmed by the shuddering pleasure that sparks across his relay as he stretches around him.

"My boy..." George leans over him, pressing breathless kisses against his mouth, gentle rocks of his hips pushing gradually deeper. All Odi can think about is wanting him closer, his hips arching up instinctively, thighs around his waist, pushing him deeper. Pleasure thickens his voice. "This alright?"

Odi clutches at the back of George's shoulders, barely managing to whimper an affirmative. He arches to press a trembling kiss to George's mouth, then another, needing to feel that warm connection and stimulation. George seems to sense his need, kissing him harder, longer, tasting his lips and tongue as he begins to move in him, slow, deep thrusts, pushing a breathless cry of pleasure from Odi's lips each time he buries himself inside him. Even with everything Odi imagined it's nothing compared to this, to the bright hot pleasure that quickly builds inside him, and in moments his breath is coming in gasped whimpers, body shivering, craving that overwhelming release.

"So perfect," George murmurs, picking up the pace a little. His kisses grow more distracted, pressed to his lips, his jaw, breath hard. "Oh god, Odi..."

Part of him wants to ride this forever, lost in the ecstasy of sensation, of George's pleasure mixed with his own. But each thrust intensifies his pleasure until it's almost too much to endure, too good, too overwhelming, his body aching for release. He wants to speak, to tell George how good this is, to beg for more, but all he can manage is his name, gasped and shaky.

"Come on, sweetheart," George murmurs, low and husky, nuzzling his jaw, and gives a harder thrust, moaning as Odi cries out. "Can you come for me? Come on, my love..."

"Oh - !" Odi's hips give a helpless buck up against him, and the world goes white. It seems exponentially stronger than what'd he'd experienced that morning, this shuddering bliss that sparks across his relay systems, and though he vaguely hears himself cry out the only thing his mind registers is the pleasure that overwhelms him and the warmth of George against him, his lips pressing soft kisses to Odi's lips, cheeks, eyelids.

Finally Odi feels like he can think enough to speak, and he arches closer, catching his mouth with a soft, incredulous moan. George gives an approving hum in reply, holding him close. "Good?" he murmurs, and Odi laughs breathlessly against his lips.

"So good," he breathes, and kisses him again. "Everything just gets better and better..." He closes his eyes and lets out a long breath, stroking his fingers through George's hair. Then he rolls his hips up against him deliberately, smiling at the choked groan it pulls from George's throat. "Your turn, love..."

George lets out a shaky laugh, starting to rock slowly in him again. "It's not too much for you?"

"No... god, it's so good... " Part of him is aware that a human should feel overstimulated at this point, but all he feels are residual shivers of pleasure, warm waves of bliss that wash over him with each thrust. He nuzzles George's hair, wrapping his arms up around him, moving with him. "So good, my love, it's perfect, perfect..." He feels George's hips stutter into him, and though the pleasure and happiness he feels at the knowledge of his lover's completion are almost completely cerebral, it's no less amazing than everything else he's experienced.

He's content to bask in that happiness forever, the heavy feeling of warmth and well being that settles over his limbs. Eventually George pulls back enough to trade soft kisses with him, warm, slow, worshipful.

"My perfect, wondrous boy," George murmurs, and Odi lets himself bask in the happiness it brings. "My beautiful love..."

"My perfect love," Odi echoes softly, stroking his cheek as he kisses him, his hair, his back. Wanting to register and save every aspect of the moment with complete perfection. He can't imagine feeling happier than he does in the moment, and he wants to be able to recall this moment forever.

"How's your charge?" George murmurs finally, and Odi can hear the fatigue in his voice. He presses a soft kiss to his lips, trying not to sigh from loss as George eases away from him.

"Fifty-three percent. I'll be fine. Don't want to leave your side."

"Mmmm." George turns off the lamp and pulls him close as Odi curls up against his side, nestling his face into the crook of his neck.

"George?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Thank you. For giving this to me."

George gives a warm, sleepy chuckle. "That goes both ways, love."

"But..."

"Shhh." George kisses his hair, squeezing him tighter, briefly. "You silly boy. Your very presence is the greatest gift I ever could have asked for. I'd give you the world if I could."

"I would too, George."

"I know, sweetheart."

Part of him wants to continue murmuring these sweet words forever, but he knows George needs to sleep, so he stays quiet. He focuses on slowing tempo of George's heartbeat instead, smiling, and instead of putting himself into power-saving mode straight away he lets his mind play over these moments of joy, enjoying the waves of happiness that linger.

His feeling of contentment is so strong that at some point he slips into power-saving mode without any intention to at all, and spends the rest of the night asleep quite naturally in George's arms.

~~~ Finish ~~~