Chapter Twenty – Strangle Hold
"Li! Ca!" John choked, eyes watering as strong hands crushed his throat. The blonde android was lost somewhere between rage and terror as it turned their bodies. John made a strangled cry as his back hit the padding, legs kicking to try and throw the android off. The naked unit was pressing John down onto the padded table, the human hiccupping around the thumbs pressing down harder against his soft throat. I can't…Lin…John thought, tears spilling over as he felt his body weaken. He dug his nails into the synthetic skin, forgetting the android couldn't feel pain. The android almost seemed to squeeze tighter as it felt the human weakening. John's hands slowly slipped from its wrists, eyes unfocused as he gazed up at the workshop ceiling.
"John!" Lin's voice cried, the pressure disappearing moments later. A metallic crash sounded as John toppled onto the floor, gagging and choking. One of his tool boxes rolled across the room somewhere as the two units fought. John was shaking and crying as he breathed again. That had been close, far closer than he'd ever been before. He felt gentle hands lifting him up onto the padded bench and found himself gripping the GT300's strong shoulders. He could have sworn the unit looked worried as he looked at him. Across the room, Lin had finally overpowered the RG600 enough to make it calm down.
"Sir, are you injured?" The GT300 demanded anxiously as it touched and pressed his delicate neck. John whimpered at the pain, shaking as he looked up at the unit. He tried to force a smile as he pushed the android's hands away. The old android could see from John's vitals how shaken he was. His pale hands were cold and shaking.
"I'm fine, just a little tender." The human replied insistently, but that dropped when Lin stormed over to stand before him. He avoided the unit's gaze, looking down at his knees with a wince. It hurt to bend his neck. It hurt even more as Lin took his cheeks and forced him to look up. The Asian was furious, forcing his hands to be gentle as he cradled John's face in his hands. "Sorry." John murmured helplessly.
"You could have been killed! I told you not to reactivate it until I came back!" Lin scolded, his pump drumming in his chest. He didn't have adrenaline like John, but his body was synthesising a similar reaction to the stimulation. He was lucky he'd managed to stop himself from tearing the traumatised unit apart. Seeing John limp on the table, eyes rolling back, was a sight he never wanted to see again. He sighed out an angry huff as he tugged John against his chest, holding his human tightly. He felt John return the embrace hesitantly and lean into it.
"I'm sorry." John repeated into the large android's shoulder, feeling guilty as he breathed in Lin's thirium scent. He'd been irresponsible. What would the GT300 do without him? What would happen to the shop? To Lin? He hadn't thought much of it. He'd just wanted to have the android run a diagnostic to see if the memory files were intact, to see how it felt. He shivered. He knew how it felt now. He couldn't get rid of the memory of those terrified blue eyes. He looked over at the subdued unit, which was crouching on the floor with the GT300 in front of it.
"Just…think next time." Lin urged as he drew back, unable to hold back from kissing John. To hell with the fact the GT300 was watching, and the RG600. He wouldn't care if the whole world were watching. "Hold still for me." He added as he finally pulled back. John whined and scrunched his face as the android pressed and teased the muscles in his neck. He was relieved to find there was no lasting damage. John would just feel sore for a few days.
"How's the RG600?" John asked in a small voice as Lin stepped back. The blonde unit looked up anxiously from its place on the floor, the GT300's gentle hand squeezing its shoulder assuringly.
"He has calmed down somewhat." The unit reported, eventually managing to coax it onto a stool. John decided it best to let the GT300 and Lin handle things. He watched as the old blonde unit probed it about its internal systems, even getting it to agree to link with him. After the link he seemed a little more relaxed, having seen some of the old unit's fondest memories of John and his time in the shop. The transfer had worked.
"Your friend, the other RG600, he's the one who gave you to us…" John reported, watching the unit's LED flash between yellow and blue for the first time as it realised his companion was still active. "He'll be happy to see you again." The human added with a little warmth. Lin ran a few more checks, testing reflexes and cognitive abilities, but the android was working just fine. He was ready to go back to the park, but they decided to wait for the next day. The other RG600 would be waiting for them at two o'clock, and it would give the blonde unit a night to refuel and rest.
John spent the rest of the day out in the main shop, wanting to stay out of the RG600's way. The unit had been guided upstairs to clean up and returned wearing a set of the GT300's clothes. It remained in the workshop, drinking blue-blood and talking to the GT300 about what it could do next. John waited behind the counter, occasionally walking around the small shop to tidy the shelves. He was part way through hanging some new AX300 series components on a hook when he felt someone behind him. His neck prickled as fingers teased his nape.
"Let me see." Lin murmured gently as he turned John's body. The human would have pointed out that he'd already examined him once, but the android looked so anxious that John couldn't refuse. He tipped his head back obediently, feeling heat rise in his skin as Lin gently caressed the darkening marks. "It's going to be black and blue for a few days." The tall man almost sighed as he traced his fingers over the blotches. There were clear circles where the fingers had pressed, and a few long marks where the fingers had rested. "Does it hurt?" He asked softly.
"Only when I move." John replied wryly. The android was sympathetic, despite this being John's fault.
"Do you need anything? Shall I bring some painkillers?" He offered, his consideration making John smile. The blonde bit his lip as he had an idea, but it was a childish thought. He would have shaken his head and moved away, but Lin had already caught that small glint in his eye. "Anything." Lin said firmly as he rested his hands on John's small shoulders.
"You could…kiss it better…" John suggested innocently, seeing Lin's lips quirk in amusement. He knew the kisses wouldn't actually stop the pain, but he remembered the trick working as a child. Cut fingers, scraped knees, a bumped forehead, it was always solved with a gentle kiss and a colourful plaster. The tall man ran his fingers through John's hair affectionately.
"I can do that." He agreed, enjoying the way John's eyes fluttered shut in anticipation when he leaned down. He took a moment to appreciate John's soft cheeks and pink lips before pressing his lips against the first circle. It was just below John's ear, close enough to one of the human's sensitive spots to make him tremble. Lin swept his tongue over the area gently before pressing his lips more firmly. He felt somewhat smug as John gripped his shirt and stepped closer, a small hum escaping his throat. He moved down a little to the next dark circle, wrapping one arm around John's waist while the other supported his head.
John tilted his head into Lin's supportive touch, losing himself in the sensation of Lin's lips caressing his sensitive skin. He hummed an objection as teeth nipped the skin, the area quickly soothed by Lin's tongue lathering and caressing the surface. He pressed his lips to the spot once more before moving to the next mark. It suddenly felt a lot less innocent than John's original intention. Either way, he'd forgotten the aches in his neck as Lin teased the skin.
"You're aroused." Lin teased lightly as he drew back to lean down to the other side. John couldn't make any answer besides a whimper, trembling in the android's hold. He flushed as he met Lin's mismatched gaze, finding a smug expression on the Asian's face. John bit his lip as Lin closed his eyes and leaned down, kissing and caressing the pale skin once more. The hand on his lower back slipped down, teasing and squeezing his pert rump.
"Lin…" John whined in objection, almost stumbling as the taller man drew back. Lin chuckled lightly as he steadied the human teen. John's skin was a deep shade of pink as he looked around the shop, particularly out the window. Anyone could have seen or come in! He thought, suddenly mortified. He looked up as a gentle hand rested on his head.
"I was running continuous scans of the area. No one saw." The android assured, though that somehow made John feel worse. It was almost unfair that John could lose himself so completely, but the android could run multiple tasks at once, even while sharing intimacy. Does that mean I'm not…distracting enough? John wondered as he looked up at Lin. "I was also running a simulation of bending you over that counter." The Asian purred as he leaned down to John's ear. The twitch in John's crotch at the idea didn't go unnoticed. "Did the kisses work?" Lin asked curiously as John turned back to the rack.
"They did, thank you." John replied, not mentioning that he now had a new problem to focus on. Now that Lin had mentioned it, John couldn't help his own mind wandering to it. The focus on his current task was gone as he lost himself in a fantasy of Lin's rough hands and demanding lips, the sharp edge of the counter digging in his hips, his toes barely touching the floor. Lin would hold him down with a hand on his neck as he jerked his hips forward, making him scream and beg for it. A small gasp left his lips as Lin's fingers brushed the back of his neck. He met Lin's gaze. The android smirked. He knows! "I-I should finish this." The human stammered as he grabbed another item to hang on the wall. He almost flinched as Lin's gentle hand covered his on the rack.
"I'll help." The android murmured, pressing his larger body up against John's. John nodded wordlessly as he bent down to grab another item, their position not lost on him as Lin gripped his hips. He gasped lightly as the android gently tugged him back so that his rump bounced against his pelvis. John's froze, silently wondering what the android would do if he remained as he was, bent over the box. He gripped the edge of the box with one hand while reaching inside, going slowly as he looked for another component to hang. Lin pressed closer, one of the hands on his hips moving to stroke a path up his back and grip the collar of his top. "You'll hurt your back bending over like that." Lin teased, knowing exactly what John was doing.
"Right…" John replied, hearing Lin chuckle lightly before he stepped around to John's side and joined him in the box. John met his gaze, his eyes somewhat hazy from his earlier thoughts. Lin plucked out the component John had been searching for and held it up.
"Let's get this finished." He said meaningfully, enjoying the way John's heart skipped lightly at the suggestive tone.