Chapter Seventy-Five – End of the Road

"Here, let me." Naru offered as Mai went to pick up a tray of drinks. She sighed fondly as the android easily balanced the round tray of hot drinks with perfect poise. It was annoyingly attractive. He even managed to swoop in to kiss her cheek without jostling the tray. Mai watched him circle the counter and head over to a table, where four humans sat talking loudly about the latest movie they'd just seen. They thanked Naru as he handed their drinks out, none of them commenting or even looking at the blue LED on his forehead.

"He takes good care of you." Takigawa observed fondly as he watched Naru clear up an empty table, gathering old cups and wiping it down. Mai leaned her elbows on the counter, watching almost dreamily until Takigawa teasingly waved a hand in front of her eyes. He stopped as Ayako's elbow jabbed him in the side. Mai didn't notice any of this as her focus remained on the ebony haired android.

"I think it's sweet." The redhead excused, and Takigawa couldn't argue with that.

"Looks like Romeo and Juliet got a happy ending this time." The long haired man murmured as he sipped his coffee. He looked around idly for Charlie, who was sitting at a small table with two of the RG600 units. They'd become good friends during the protest, and Charlie would often disappear with them for a few hours at a time. His partner waved as he noticed Takigawa watching, the more socially awkward of the RG600s also waving.

"How are you feeling? Do you need a break?" Naru asked for the fiftieth time that day. Mai couldn't blame him. They'd only been open for about a month, and Mai was still on painkillers, but the pain itself had lessened quite a bit. Kamski had suggested, and tried, some sort of electrotherapy and that had actually helped a lot. Despite that, Mai did often get tired and start to ache after standing for too long. "You should sit down with Takigawa for a while." The ebony haired unit pressed.

"He's right, you don't want to overdo it." Takigawa added, watching the way Naru sidled up behind Mai and wrapped his arms around her waist. She rested her hands on his arms and leaned back, letting him take most of her weight. He closed his eyes in contentment, enjoying his own sort of peace. He quite liked working in the shop. It may not keep his mind busy, but his social interactions were improving, and Mai was teaching him how to make the perfect coffee.

"I'm fine, really." Mai replied affectionately, a small yelp escaping as her knees buckled from the sensation of Naru's lips pressing the skin circling her cybernetic spine. The tickle of his lips on her sensitive skin had sent shocks through her nerves, the surprise making her collapse. Takigawa was on his feet leaning over the counter in an instant, but Mai hadn't fallen. Naru's arms, already loosely around her waist, had tightened the instant he noticed her slightly wobble.

"Break time." Naru stated firmly, easily lifting Mai into his strong arms and carrying her around the counter like a bride. Takigawa sighed in relief as he sat down and pushed a stool back. He supported Mai as Naru deposited her on the stool and shifted back around the counter. Ayako smiled brightly as she looped her arm through Takigawa's as it rested on the counter. He leaned ever so slightly closer to her in response, feeling her head rest on his shoulder.

"You know, in a few years I'll be a real silver fox, complete with the hot sugar baby." Takigawa thought aloud, giving Ayako a wolfish grin as she slapped his arm. His hazel eyes were slightly crinkled in amusement, the first faded lines already creasing his youthful face. Ayako wondered what he would look like in a few years.

"Technically you're already a sugar daddy. I'm barely four years old." Ayako teased, not missing the way his eyes shot open at that. He coughed lightly as he took her hand, amazed at how human it felt even now.

"Well…You don't look a day over six months." He insisted in a flattering tone, accepting the amused kiss that Ayako pressed to his lips. He chuckled at the look Mai was giving him, a smirk that suggested she'd been hanging around with Naru a little too much. The Asian android had returned to his place behind the counter, wiping clean cups with a tea towel and stacking them neatly on the coffee machine.

"Sorry we're late! I lost track of time at the shop." John greeted sheepishly as he pushed the door open, stumbling a little as he was pulled inside by an eager Katie. She loved the hot thirium in the café. She thought it was nice to feel warmed from the inside out. Lin followed only a few steps behind and made sure to shut out the cold.

"How's the new shop? Any trouble so far?" Takigawa asked meaningfully as the blonde approached the counter. Katie tugged her coat off and put it on one of the stools next to Ayako, who dutifully helped the smaller girl climb up. Lin ordered three thirium lattes from Naru, who set about making them right away.

"Not since the opening, but Lin handled it." John replied sheepishly, dropping his blue eyes and hoping Takigawa wouldn't ask for details. It had shocked him. Hurt him even. He should have expected it. He'd known somewhere inside that not all people would accept what he'd become, but to actually have it happen was much harder. During the opening someone had recognised him from his interview. They'd asked him how it felt to 'no longer be a real person' and then joked that they'd made a mistake, because 'glorified toaster ovens don't feel anything.' John had shut down right away, his chest tightening as he bit his lip. Lin had been at his side moments later, his fist connecting hard with the human's cheek. Luckily for them Takigawa had already given his uniformed friends the message to be on the lookout. The human had wanted Lin arrested and shut down, but the attending officers had threatened him with hate speech and reminded him that, legally, John was still registered as a human on paper.

"And how are you?" Takigawa asked a little more quietly, helping Mai down as she insisted on returning to help Naru. The android objected as she appeared behind him, but he quickly made room for her. She stood heating through some thirium as Naru pressed up behind her again, getting mugs ready in front of her and holding them steady while she poured. John took Mai's place, giving the detective a small smile.

"I'm alright…It's still strange, and it's tiring sometimes…splitting my time between the shop and Detroit. There's still a lot that Elijah wants to do, a lot of tweaks and upgrades we're working on." John replied with an edge of fatigue, secretly grateful as Lin appeared behind him. The taller man tugged him back to lean against his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around his waist. He spoke a little more about what Kamski was working on. Internal hardware to process human food into useable energy, a taste function, improved nasal sensors, physical fatigue, and a programmable sleep function. These were all in development right now, with varying levels of completion and success.

"You shouldn't push yourself so much…Let him use someone else as his guineapig for a change." Lin said, trying to hide his frustration. It was painful, watching John being hooked up, poked, prodded, sometimes suffering ill effects, in pain and upset. He didn't need to look to know what John was doing. He raised his hand and pressed his thumb against John's lip, feeling teeth nip his skin.

"No one else can…I'm the only hybrid, the only one who knows what these things should feel like." John replied as he looked up at Lin, the taller man avoiding his gaze. He knew John was right, but that didn't mean he liked it. "Besides…you help me…" The blonde added quietly, which Lin couldn't argue with. He kept Kamski in check, letting the scientist know when he was going too far. He also offered himself as a test subject, like with their current temperature software. He had to admit, it was interesting being able to feel hot and cold. John said it wasn't quite the same, but it was similar. With a few more tweaks it would be perfect.

"Of course…You're my human." Lin purred possessively, right in his earlobe. John enjoyed the shiver that ran down his spine, Lin's breath still warming his neck as the taller man teased his reaction. John gave him an almost pitiful look, a look that told him the teen was torn between enjoying their evening out and begging him to go home. "And I love you." The taller man added as he drew back, giving John's waist an apologetic squeeze.

"I love you too." John replied, taking Lin's hand and looking up at him with the same seriousness he had over a year ago. It was a memory Lin had reviewed many times. The memory of John gripping his hand and promising his help, swearing he wouldn't let Lin shut down, that he'd definitely bring back a power core. The same power core was humming in his chest right now. Beside them Takigawa had shifted his attention, giving them a few private moments as he wrapped his arm around Ayako's waist and joined her in talking to Katie.

"Naru! Mai!" A new voice greeted as the bell rang. There were warm greetings and excited greetings as Yasuhara walked up to the counter beside Lin and John. The couple behind the counter greeted him warmly and he fell into easy conversation with Takigawa as well. Lin felt the time was appropriate for them to slip away, just for a little while.

"Come with me." Lin urged quietly, tugging John's hand until he stood. They grabbed their full mugs before Lin led the way to a small table be the window, Yasuhara instantly taking their place at the bar. They sat across from each other, hands held across the small round table. "I was so afraid when I deviated…I never imagined loving a human. When you first touched me I was terrified, broken, in pieces…I didn't understand why you put so much effort into fixing me. You were the kindest, most gentle and most loving human I could have hoped to meet, and when I lost you…I'm grateful to your uncle for bringing you back, for giving us this second chance." The android confessed quietly, watching John's cheeks heat at the attention. He smiled softly. John never knew the effect he had on people. He looked at their joined hands, his thumb tracing the synthetic flesh, so much like his human skin.

"I was scared too…At first I was afraid of letting you down, then I was afraid I was manipulating you somehow…Then we figured it out, our relationship, and it was the best thing to ever happen to me…I wouldn't change a single thing. Losing my body has been…painful…I know I'm not the same, and I know you can feel it…but I don't regret it. We helped end the demonstration. The final moments of my human life went towards peace and freedom for androids, and even if Uncle Eli hadn't saved me I couldn't regret that…And when I saw you again, when we almost…I don't know what I would have done if you'd left me then." John replied honestly, his law tightening at the memory as his grip tightened on Lin's hand like a vice. Lin tried to push down his guilt. He remembered the broken cry John had let out as he'd turned his back, his pleas not to leave. "I wouldn't have been able to come this far without you…I'd probably still be lying on a bed in Elijah's lab." He added honestly.

"I'm sorry…I don't even want to imagine leaving you there. I was so ready to walk out of that garden, but when I heard your voice I…I couldn't." Lin said retracting his skin and holding up his hand. John smiled softly as he allowed the link, the couple interfacing to share their deepest thoughts and feelings. It was something they did quite regularly, but at times like this it felt so much more intimate. John could feel the pain and hesitancy in Lin's chest that day as if it were his own, just as he knew Lin could feel his despair and desperation. "I adore you, John Brown…right down to your core." The android added with a twitch of his lips. John said nothing before leaning across the table and kissing him. No words were needed. The warmth in his blue eyes was enough, it always had been, and always would be.