The Human in Me
Summary: Despite being openly friendly, Son Goku has a hard time finding love—until he meets someone at his local merch shop. There, standing perfectly still yet blinking at anyone who passes by, was a person unlike any other for him. He knows it's not human, but—there's something about that cold stare and the telling, whirring purple LED eyes that reel him in.
.
Goku wipes the sweat from his palms and looks down on his folded knees. Sitting in front of him cross-legged is the android who had saved his life hours prior, its right leg now functioning properly, its flesh now protecting the wires and the metal bars, and its white blood supply now replenished.
The android looks down at him with an austere air and a raised brow, the black turtleneck singlet and fitted jeans that he now wears making him look unapproachable compared to the young man's khaki shorts and yellow hoodie—from Goku's perspective, that is.
[Well? Care to tell how you managed to get me for free while I was damaged and in a potentially permanent shutdown state?] The android taps its index on its elbow as it crosses its arms—a programmed habit, from the looks of it—and Goku can't help but whine under the stern, purple glare.
Goku knows it had been like a pact with the devil, having to accept the deviant android for free in exchange of working for PPC for the next three years or until the cost for repairs was paid. Ukoku has a way with words, almost like a man hypnotizing any potential customers—and Goku has been one of them.
Then again—
He looks at the android's stance, its back set straight as it looks at him with a passive face.
—then again, this is what Goku has wished for, right? To have his very own android. It may not be a tiny, palm-sized one, but hell, he'd gotten a computer with a 64PB memory for the price of working for three years! And that computer—android—comes in a handsome package, not to mention it comes with a sultry voicebank that sends shivers down his spine. Goku doesn't know whether to cry from joy or sadness. He'd have to work for two jobs now, he'd have to juggle time for himself and for this android.
He just hopes he'll be able to make his android happy, too, just as how he always wished for.
"I already told you," Goku starts, trying to level his voice as how a teacher would do to a slow child, "Mr. Ukoku offered you to me as long as I would start working there tomorrow. Mr. Koumyou also agreed—although, I think there's an inside joke I'm not getting when they packed you in the box…"
The android's eyebrows raise, but decides not to comment on it. Moments pass, and the android scans the young man's microexpressions. Detecting no signs of lying, it clears its throat, and sits stiffly with its palms faced down on its knees.
[In that case, let's start over again, then. My name is Sanzo, and I'm the deviant android sent by PPC. Please state your name.]
Goku stammers, and already feels this is all too much for him to handle. He looks at anywhere but at the whirling, blue LED eyes that Sanzo has, and, not wanting the android to repeat itself, Goku takes in a deep breath and smiles.
"I'm Son Goku. 'Son' is written as 'child of' and 'Goku' is written as 'enlightened sky'."
[Registering name—please hold—… Registration complete. Sanzo Series, Genjo Model GS929 now registered as the personal android of Mr. Son Goku. May I know your address and contact number?]
Goku blinks, stares a bit too long at the seemingly faraway look the android has, and tells him his address and number. After hearing how polite Sanzo can be when he needs to be, Goku can't stay calling him an 'it' for long.
[Registering address and contact number—please hold—… Registration complete. Please don't move.]
"Eh?" Goku starts, but stills when the whirring blue LEDs stay focused on his face for a few seconds—
[Facial and body recognition complete. Please hold out your hands.]
"My hands? Uh, sure." He does as he's told, and feels his palms sweat once more as Sanzo lays out his hands to Goku's, their fingers splaying as Sanzo's flesh rubber warms up to the brunet's fingertips. Goku feels his cheeks grow hot, "What was that fo—"
Sanzo pulls his hands away and lays them back on his knees and continues, [Fingerprint scan complete. Please stay still.]
"Um, okay—oh…!" Goku tries not to blink as Sanzo lightly bumps his head to Goku's brow, and stares at him intently, those spinning LEDs throwing Goku in a quiet trance—
Is this what they mean when they say being intimate with an android even when doing the most mundane things feels insatiably hot and feverish?
[Retinal scan complete. You may now choose a password to prevent anyone from potentially hacking into my database. Passwords should not be the owner's birthday or address or the last four numbers of his phone. Upper and lowercase alphabet, along with numeric and various keyboard symbols, are highly recommended.]
"Geh? Can't I choose at a later date?"
[No. You must choose now unless you want my database to be compromised.]
Goku groans and scratches his head, "A password… a password… ah! How about food? Is food allowed?"
Sanzo pauses, and Goku swears he hears him sigh. If he doesn't know any better, Sanzo might have even rolled his eyes, […Sure.]
"Yay! Okay, how about 'G0ldenOpulence!'? Uppercase 'G', followed by zero, lowercase 'lden', no space, uppercase 'O', lowercase 'pulence', and an exclamation point."
[…Registering password—please hold—… Password verified. You may now use me, your personal android, at your disposal. Default tasks include: doing household chores, counseling when owner is troubled, browsing the internet for any requested information in realtime, guarding owner's safety and property. I also come with a free space of 64 petabytes, along with a span of 25 days without charging. My required charging time is 8-10 hours for maximum efficiency. Signs which indicate that I have low battery is seen through the LEDs. If the five LEDs are diminishing one by one within 30 minutes, it indicates that charging time is imminent. If charging cables are not available, you can charge me under the sun for two hours—which results in two days of android life without being plugged in to charge. If it's nighttime and no charging cables are available, then I recommend you command me to sleep. I highly recommend using the charging station provided with my box to fully utilize my potential, though. The charging station is also solar-powered for up to five hours of being charged under the sun.]
Sanzo closes his eyes, and when he opens them, his eyes are back to its normal, bright purple hue, and regards Goku with a solemn stare. The android realizes the human has been glancing at the dot on his forehead.
[The red dot on my forehead is my switch. Only your scanned fingerprints can activate my switch—]
Sanzo grins for the first time, and tilts his head back as he looks at Goku with a sultry stare.
[Only you can turn me off and turn me on.]
Goku's mouth hangs open as he tries to take in all of the info thrown at his face all at once, and his brain tries to kill every indecent thought that has suddenly sprouted from his mind. "Switch. On-off. Turn on. Right."
Sanzo blinks, a mock innocent look now plastered on his face, [What's wrong? You're stuttering.]
"Nothing's wrong," the human gasps out. "So. Solar-powered android. Okay, cool. That's all I need. Um. What if your batteries need to be replaced? What percent does your battery have now?"
Sanzo shrugs, [Just bring me to the nearest PPC store and they'll provide you with your required supply of batteries. One battery costs $23. Current battery percentage: 93%.]
Goku tries to do the mental math, fails, and grins, "That's fine, I guess. Well, whatevs. I'll figure it out as I go." Sanzo tilts his head, confused, and Goku beams, "You saved me—so I'll do my best to make you happy!"
Sanzo blinks, and tries to process what his owner has said, [It is my duty to protect you, though.]
"Nonsense. You protected me even though I wasn't your owner yet! Why is that?"
This time, it's Sanzo's time to take a pause, his eyes switching from purple to blue, and he blinks as Goku waits for a response. And when he does, Sanzo shakes his head as he processes his thoughts for a few seconds, [I don't know—my body acted on its own before I even bought the bread. I thought you might get injured from that truck, so I…]
Sanzo's voice falters, and Goku suddenly feels ashamed. "I should be grateful, you know, but—here I am, questioning you instead of thanking you. I'm sorry."
Sanzo shakes his head, and gives him the tiniest hint of a smile.
Goku feels his heart stop as those blue eyes return to whirring, purple lights, and he can't help but smile wide—Mr. Ukoku and Mr. Koumyou made Sanzo to look like the most stunning man on the planet, and a deviant, no less—one of the most coveted android classes, thanks to their ability to have human emotion and judgment, tied with unlimited intelligence and a long lifespan of 100 years (as long as the android is maintained and well-cared for), Goku feels like the Goddess of Mercy herself has smiled upon him.
[Don't be sorry. I'm not sure why I did what I did, but, I'm glad I did. I finally get to have an owner—…even if he's dirt poor as fuck.]
Goku's smile falls immediately, and bristles in ire for the second time that day, "You take that back, you shitty android!"
[Fucking hell no.]
"Why, you…!"
Goku tackles Sanzo to the floor, and tries to fight off the squirming, yet poker-faced android beneath him. He fails, however, and it isn't until their hands meet once more that Goku finally stops.
"Say, why the need to scan my fingers? You're not a phone."
Sanzo falls quiet, his eyes shifting to blue for a moment, before turning to purple, [It is so that I'll know who's allowed and not allowed to touch me when my back is turned. It'll alert me, and I can call on you on your mobile if it happens.]
"Just from my fingerprints? What if they touched you on the shoulder and not the hands? What if they touched you on the wrist or the arm, or—"
Goku freezes as Sanzo steadies his face under the grasp of his firm but warm hands.
Sanzo's thumbs are surprisingly gentle and warm under the heat of his flushed cheeks.
[Your fingerprints are scanned and its data is delivered throughout the multitude of sensors in my body. Your fingerprints are basically your invisible and permanent mark on me.]
Goku gulps at those words, and feels his breath grow hot. What is it with this android riling him undone with just a few words—?
Speechless, Goku's breath comes out ragged, and places his head on Sanzo's chest, and is surprised to find it rise and fall, and if he presses his ear closer, he can hear the telltale sound of a heartbeat.
Goku's eyelids droop, and feels his body relax at the sound.
[What are you doing?] the android asks, and Goku shushes him. Sanzo obeys.
"Don't ruin the mood. I forgot all about my hunger from earlier, you know," Goku mutters, and Sanzo tries again, in a much quieter voice, which sends Goku's heart in a fluttered mess.
[I'll make you something to eat when you feel like it, then. Well? Do you like what you hear?]
Goku clutches onto the fibers of Sanzo's clothes, and buries his face in the crook of the android's neck. He weakly nods in response to Sanzo's question, and holds back a gasp when a large, yet gentle hand lands on his mussed up, brown hair, and smoothens it down at a languid pace.
Goku closes his eyes, and listens to the sound of his hair being caressed, along with the sound of calming heartbeat from the living android beneath him. When he does fall asleep, Sanzo keeps his task of smoothing out his owner's hair, and even hums as he lays his other hand on the small of Goku's back. He glances at the sky, and sees it dark. Remembering his owner's previous, unspoken order—shushing him—he whispers to himself.
[Current weather condition: 22 degrees Celsius. Chance of rain for tomorrow: 40%.]
He pats his owner's arm lightly, and feels his slightly cool flesh. [Core temperature, 35.5 degrees Celsius.] Sanzo looks around and scans the almost bare room. He sees an open backpack and two pairs of shoes by the entryway, some leftover empty plastic cups of udon noodles on the sink, and a rice cooker on the counter.
{Conflicting priorities.
Select: Reach for blanket.
Throw the trash away.}
He reaches for the nearby blanket by their feet as he holds Goku with his other arm. {Scanning item: Fleece Blanket. Contains: 100% microfleece.} Nodding, he drapes the blanket over his owner, and a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips as Goku instinctively burrows his head further under Sanzo's chin.
He scans the fluorescent light on the ceiling, and claps twice.
Now enveloped in darkness, Sanzo hums, and splays his hands on Goku's hair and back.
[Good night, Goku.]
.
Gojyo spurts root beer all over Goku's face as soon as he sits down with a tall, blond man on their usual spot at the school cafeteria.
"What the actual fuck, man? Who he?"
Goku groans as he blindly grabs for the nearest napkins, and Sanzo, being the obedient deviant, places a handful of tissues in Goku's hands. He then scans Gojyo's profile with eyes shifting quickly from purple to blue to red to blue—
[Name: Sha Gojyo. Age: 24. Birthday: November 9, 2021. Occupation: Bartender. Current address: not listed. So. You clean up after other people's mess.]
"Geh? An android? And whaddya mean I clean up after other people's me…—um, yeah. I think I do."
Goku cringes as he plops the tissues on the table, and growls as he throws one at Gojyo's face, "You also clean up their puke. Also, yeah. I got myself a new android!"
[He spat at you. What do you want me to do to him?] Sanzo quips as he looks at Goku with blue eyes and points at Gojyo.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, Sanzo. Please don't do violence at school. You'll get me kicked out."
[Processing request… All right. I won't do it here.]
"Anywhere is not good, either. No violence at all, you understand?"
[…Processing request… Request failed to analyze. If he does it again, I can't guarantee his safety.] Sanzo glances at Gojyo with now bright red eyes that rivals Gojyo's own, and Goku intervenes, clutching Sanzo's face in his hands.
"It's okay, Sanzo. It's okay. Okay? Please don't hurt anyone when I'm around, even when I'm not around. Especially when I'm not around."
The android's red eyes return to a serene violet, and he blinks slowly, [I'll take your assurance as a statement that he's not a threat to your safety, then. But you—] He turns to where Gojyo suddenly raises his hands up and feebly stammers out an apology. [You are now on my blacklist. Take my words as a warning, fucker.]
Goku slaps his palm to his brow, and hears a lilting laugh behind him.
"It's lovely today, isn't it? Ah, Goku. You finally got an android! Congratulations!"
Goku cranes his neck and waves at the smiling man in glasses. Knowing Sanzo will scan the man, he beats the android to it. "His name's Hakkai. He's the professor I'm working with."
Sanzo tilts his head and mentally scans Hakkai. {Name: Cho Hakkai. Age: 24. Birthday: September 21, 2021. Occupation: History and Culinary Professor. Address: Nantoka-Nantoka #121, Subdivision 5, Block 8, Building 5, Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama.}
Goku looks at Sanzo with a blank stare, "You scanned him anyway, didn't you?"
[Of course. I also find it intriguing that despite not listed as the address, Mr. Gojyo here frequents Mr. Hakkai's residence on a fairly regular basis, as indicated by his phone lying open on the table with his GPS's last known location as Mr. Hakkai's address. Although his location this morning at 8AM changed to that of the address of a brothel down in Machida—]
Gojyo pales, Hakkai's smile freezes, and Goku quickly stuffs a cheese stick down Sanzo's mouth, only for the latter to remove it with his fingers.
[I only stated the facts. No need to get worked up on it. Also, I cannot digest human food. The only thing I can digest is white blood, which serves as my fuel and energy source. You can get a month's supply at PPC. A month's supply of white blood costs $50 a bundle.]
"San–Sanzo, just please shut up now," Goku hisses as he slams his hand on the android's mouth. Hakkai's smile doesn't falter.
"So. A brothel down in Machida, eh? And just this morning, too!"
Gojyo's jaws tremble under the sight of Hakkai's kind façade and contrasting knuckles being cracked. "'Kai, I can explain—"
"You're not getting dinner for a week." Hakkai looks at the redhead with narrowed eyes and a scowl, and he walks away, but not before smiling sweetly at Sanzo the android. "Ah, Sanzo, was it? I'm very pleased to meet you! I hope to see more of you in campus with Goku!"
Sanzo nods, unaware—or simply ignoring—the damaged he has just caused, and returns Hakkai's greeting with a solemn bow, [Pleased to meet you, too, Mr. Hakkai. Please take care of us.]
Once Hakkai leaves, Goku holds his laughter back as he stands up and stretches his arms overhead, grinning down at Gojyo as he does so. "Welp, looks like my job here is done. Come now, Sanzo!"
Sanzo stands up, and follows Goku out of the cafeteria, blatantly ignoring the heated stares from humans being sent his way. His eyes fixate only on his owner—
—and when Gojyo finally recovers and tries to even out the battlefield of words, Goku has long been gone, and opts to openly laugh with the android.
"You should've taken a picture of his stupid face! Man, Hakkai would kill him so bad—!"
[I have already taken the liberty to take a picture of the manroach and have sent it to your email.]
"Oh—"
[And also, should I call on the police if Mr. Hakkai kills him?]
Goku gapes and shakes Sanzo's shoulders, watching as his eyes turn from purple to blue, "No, Sanzo! It was a joke! A joke! Hakkai wouldn't actually kill Gojyo! Don't call the police!"
[Oh,] Sanzo deadpans, and his eyes shift to purple, [well, it's a… relief, I guess?]
Goku heaves a sigh, and looks up at his android with a smile, "Silly Sanzo. Don't take things too literally." Sanzo tilts his head, his eyes shifting briefly to blue and back to purple, and Goku laughs. "For a someone who's supposed to have infinite knowledge, you sure are innocent when it comes to jokes."
[Should I take that as a compliment, I wonder?]
"N-you know what, yes. Yes, it's a compliment," Goku bites his inner cheek as his hand slides to Sanzo's, and holds the android's hand. "Now, care to tell me more about working in PPC?"
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A/N: 'Nantoka-Nantoka' literally means, 'Something-Something'. Kanagawa Prefecture is where Minekura-sensei lives.