Chapter Seventy-Two – The Morning After

Rebooting…Was the word flashing red behind John's closed eyes, along with a short countdown. After it hit zero he was able to open his eyes again, blinking awake, unsure how much time had passed. It was enough time for Lin to have pulled out and cleaned him up. He sat up slowly, surprised by the lack of stiffness in his body. But then I don't have muscles anymore…

"How do you feel?" Lin's voice asked softly, the taller android propping himself up on one arm beside him. They were beneath the thick cotton duvet, which had fresh sheets on it. The whole bed had been remade during the time he was rebooting. It was still somewhat jarring. He hadn't felt a thing as Lin had moved and touched his body. He hadn't necessarily felt it as a human either, but there were times he would be half awake in Lin's arms as he was carried, or he'd open his eyes briefly when being put to bed. As an android it seemed like no time had passed at all.

"I think I'm alright." John replied, referring mostly to his internal systems. His heat levels had gone back to normal, and nothing had been damaged during their love making. It seemed that rebooting had also turned off his sexual subroutines as his member remained soft between his legs. He was secretly relieved. It would be far too easy to get addicted to that feeling.

"I brought you some thirium." Lin said gently as he handed John a large plastic cup with a lid and straw. It was mostly to prevent any blue from getting on the sheets, but it also worked to hide the blue liquid from sight. Drinking it would still make John feel uneasy. Lin had a similar cup, having waited for John to reboot before starting. "Your thirium levels were almost depleted." He warned as he sipped his blue-blood.

"Mm…If it had run out you could have kept me as a doll." John joked lightly, watching as Lin seemed to consider it. He sat beside John, resting a hand on the back of his neck and gently massaging. John closed his eyes with a hum of appreciation.

"I could just look at you forever…Occasionally I might give you just enough thirium to regain movement and run your sexual subroutines…Have you shivering beneath me…Helpless…Trembling…" The Asian purred in a deep voice. John swallowed tightly, eyeing Lin as his cheeks flushed. Lin was playful as he put his cup aside and reached for John's, the teen having taken only one sip. John's eyes widened slightly as he was pushed down on the bed. "I could do it right now…You can't stop me from linking with you and turning them on." He added as he rested his hand on John's arm in a place they both knew he could hack in from. John shuddered nervously. "Your thirium level is low…I doubt you have the strength to even push me away." Lin teased as he kissed along John's jawline.

"I wouldn't want to push you away." John replied in a small voice, Lin's gaze softening as he leaned in for a kiss. He paused, making sure John was still comfortable, before finally pressing down. The kiss was less sexual. It was lazy, comforting, affectionate. Lin pulled back and sat up, retuning John's cup as easily as he'd taken it. John leaned against Lin's side. "Maybe one day we could try it…running down my thirium level." The blonde suggested hesitantly.

"Maybe when you've had time to fully adjust…I doubt being a prisoner in your own body would agree with your mental health right now." Lin replied, having experience low levels himself. As androids lost thirium they lost strength and mobility, but if they had a working power core most internal systems would continue to work. It would be like watching the world, only without the ability to do anything. A mind trapped in a shell. "How are you?" Lin asked seriously.

"I don't know…Everything feels…different. I don't get tired, I don't physically ache, any pain seems to be temporary…My body is completely different. I have an endless amount of energy, my vision is crystal clear, like a camera lens. It's so crisp and sharp. Sound is the same, just so clear and defined…Whenever I touch things I can now feel them, but I also know things about them…sixty percent Egyptian cotton, forty percent silk blend." John added as he stroked the duvet cover. It was quite amazing, to suddenly be one of the creations he'd been devoted to his whole life. At the same time it was scary and unsettling. He was afraid of something going wrong, of being deleted or suffering some sort of failure. At the same time the news that his uncle had saved a copy of his brain made him uneasy. He'd never intended to sign up for immortality. If this counts as immortality…

"I…miss your human body…I miss your smell…the exact silken feel of your hair…the taste of your sweat…the tiny imperfections in your skin that Kamski could never recreate…and yet there is something perfect about the android you…As a human we would never have been able to link, to share our most intimate thoughts and feelings. That is something I deeply desired to share with you. There were some things I was looking forward to…I was going to trace each new line that appeared on your face, count each silver hair as it grew, watch you grow old…I won't get to do that now, but this is perhaps better…You'll never age or change, like me. We can remain on even footing for as long as we remain active." Lin murmured as he took John's free hand and ran his thumb up and down the veins visible on his synthetic skin. John nodded his agreement. He'd lost some things, but he'd also gained some things.

"We'll have to make do…I don't think Uncle Eli kept my body, so I can't go back." The blonde added sheepishly, Lin smiling and nodding his agreement. Exactly what Kamski had done with the flesh shell Lin wasn't sure. He'd been inactive at the time. It was likely that he had dealt with it like any other body, either burying or cremating it. He likely wouldn't have had a funeral or laid a headstone though. John was still alive after all. Alive as far as we're concerned…What about the rest of humanity? Will they accept him?