"John! What happened?" Ayako cried in shock as Takigawa stormed through the living room. Lin followed, with John held securely in his arms. He was eerily quiet, almost half asleep as his blue eyes gazed at nothing. Lin gently settled him on the sofa, crouching down and lacing a hand in his hair as he did so. Takigawa wasn't about to ask how Ayako knew John. Part of him wasn't even surprised that she did. It made sense. Ayako was an older Traci model. She would have needed upkeep at some point, and that was John's speciality. He wasn't sure at what point in her existence she'd crossed paths with him, but he'd likely helped her out along the way.
"There was an explosion at the shop," Lin reported stiffly as he remained crouched beside John's vacant form. John continued to stare at nothing. He wasn't even crying anymore. He looked tired. It was a sort of bone deep fatigue that had worn him to the core. Takigawa was tense as he turned away from the counter to grab some water. He took two bottles, giving one to Lin while he cracked the other. Lin took it with thanks and tried to encourage John to sit up. It was slow, but John quietly obeyed and swallowed a little water. A few drops escaped to trickle down his chin. Lin wiped them away with gentle fingers.
"Was anyone…" Ayako trailed off quietly, noting that it was just the two of them. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. She remembered that John had owned an android. An older model than her own. She'd also noted at least two other androids on display, though it was her understanding that those often came and went as people bought them. She noticed the way Lin's gentle hand paused at her question. His jawline stiffened as he dropped his mismatched gaze sadly.
"No humans were injured, but the store androids didn't survive the blast," Lin confirmed in a sullen tone, still soothing John as he choked his way through the cold water. Ayako's gaze fell, and she reached out to rest an empathetic hand on Lin's shoulder. She knew that the older model had been unusually close to John, for a service android. He may even have been deviant. She felt even worse that she didn't remember his name or model number. They hadn't interacted that much beyond his bringing her clothes. John was clearly devastated by the loss. It didn't help that he was sitting in dirty soot and thirium covered clothing. The grimy, oily feeling probably made him feel horrible. Of course it did. He was covered in the blood of his friends and companions.
"Take him upstairs and give him a bath…I'll clean your clothes for you," Ayako murmured sympathetically as she patted Lin's shoulder. His expression softened in thanks as he got to his feet. John made no move to stop Lin as he was lifted once again and carried upstairs like a princess. In the bathroom, he let Lin tug his clothes off with gentle hands. He was left dirty and naked, huddled in the cold white tub. Lin plugged the bath and ran the water, making sure the temperature was good and hot. He stripped off himself and left their clothes outside the door before returning to his human. The heat of the water seemed to help with the shivering at least.
He climbed into the tub, pulling John into his arms in the process. John was silent. He was all cried out. Worn. exhausted. Lin pressed gentle kisses into his temple as he grabbed the soap. John barely registered the gentle contact. He blinked a few times as he was scrubbed clean, leaning heavily into Lin's embrace. Lin kissed and comforted as he worked, fingers gliding over soft flesh. John hummed lightly when Lin finally reached his hair, blue eyes fluttering as long fingers teased his scalp. He was good and patient as Lin poured water over his head to rinse. He vacantly worked with Lin so that the rest of his body could be cleaned. He raised his legs one by one, got to his knees, and squirmed this way and that to allow Lin's hands to reach and tease everywhere.
Once he was clean, Lin pulled the plug and turned on the shower, letting the hot spray finally rinse their bodies. John seemed to like that part. He closed his tired eyes and hummed softly as he stood beneath the cascading water, leaning into Lin's touch as he soothed his scalp to make sure all the shampoo was gone. After a final check for stray smears of thirium, Lin helped John out of the tub. He continued to be good, accepting the large towel Lin wrapped around his shoulders and letting him pat and rub his skin dry. Since his scalp was sensitive, Lin took a little extra time in drying his dripping curls. He was still meek and quiet, but he at least seemed a little more peaceful now that he was clean.
John shuffled closer as he felt Lin move away, huddling against his chest as he pulled the towel snugly over his smaller shoulders. Lin softened slightly as he wrapped his arms around John and held him for a few quiet moments. The room was still warm, heavy with the humid air. John's towel was damp. He shouldn't stay wrapped in it for too long. He'd get cold again. Lin kissed the top of his head, nuzzling into his damp curls. His own smaller towel was secured at his waist neatly. He hadn't dried off yet, feeling it more important to see to John's needs first. Water dripped and trailed steadily down his shoulders and back, a few drops catching John's head on the way down.
"Come on…I'll see if our clothes are ready," Lin murmured after a while as he encouraged John back. John nodded meekly as Lin led the way to the door. He wasn't sure where they were supposed to go just yet. Ayako had said she'd clean and dry their clothes, but he could see as he opened the door that they hadn't been returned yet.
"Hey, over here. You can use my room…Get some sleep," Takigawa directed gently as Lin stepped into the hall. Lin wasn't sure whether he'd been waiting at the top of the stairs or if he'd just happened to come up. Either way, he nodded his thanks and led John into the large bedroom as Takigawa opened the door. The sheets were fresh, likely Ayako's doing. Their clothing had been washed and tumble-dried. Ayako had left it neatly folded on Takigawa's large dresser. Takigawa left them without a word, shutting the door quietly to give them some space.
"You should get some sleep," Lin murmured as he removed his wet towel and stood naked beside the bed. John didn't object as Lin reached out and stripped his own towel away, though he did move his hands to cover himself. Lin left their wet towels on the dresser to be dealt with later and turned down the bed, ready for John to slip into. He didn't bother getting John into clothes. He wanted skin on skin contact. He needed to feel close to his human. He wanted to analyse the softness of his skin and measure the speed and heat of his rushing blood.
John didn't complain as he crawled onto the thick mattress and shuffled over to leave room for Lin. Lin pulled the thick duvet over John's smaller body before slipping in beside him. Their hair was still damp, but Lin didn't know if Takigawa had a hair dryer, so he'd left it. The room was relatively warm anyway, so it would dry in a while. He shuffled closer to John beneath the covers, leaving the bedside lamp on. He didn't think John would like the dark. Not right now. He scanned John's vitals. He'd calmed a lot since the bath. His body was slowly relaxing, even though his emotions were dull.
Lin cradled him against his chest, enjoying the sensation of warm, pliable flesh against his own slightly cooler synthetic skin. He closed his eyes as he raised his internal temperature. John was a little cold. He was shivering. Lin soothed him, pressing kiss after gentle kiss against everything he could reach. His cheek. His neck. His temple. His shoulder. He continued even after John had fallen asleep, finally allowing his own body to shake and crumble. He swallowed hard as he leaned his head down and buried it in John's damp locks. He could feel the saline wetting his eyes and staining his cheeks.
Looking through the GT300's memories was painful. The wound was still fresh. Losing him had been difficult. He'd been Lin's first android friend, and had only come second to John in his mind. They had spent many long hours together as John had slept. Along with the memories, Lin had received a quiet plea. A wordless sensation of love and hope. The desire for Lin to stay with John. To protect him. To cherish him in the GT300's place. The GT300 had been at peace with his deactivation so long as he knew John was in safe hands. The level of trust he'd placed in him was astounding. He bit down as he felt more saline fluid prick his eyes. He closed them tightly, though he knew John was in a deep sleep and unlikely to wake any time soon. In some ways, that was worse. He didn't want to put his own loss on John, but at the same time, he did. There was something pure about the idea of falling apart in each other's arms.
Instead, he remained as quiet as possible. He deactivated his own vocal processor to keep himself from sobbing out loud. He kept his sniffles to a minimum and tried not to let his quivering shoulders nudge John too much. John was tired. He needed to rest. He'd lost so much more than him. The shop had been his business, his home, and the GT300 had been a form of substitute father. Lin had only been part of John's life for a few short months. He rested a hand on John's pale cheek as he slept, closing his eyes in relief. They had been so incredibly lucky. Had John been in the workshop at the time of the attack, the blast could have caused him serious injury. The force had been enough to rock the whole building. It had warped the storage shelves. Breaking and twisting them into coiling prongs of death. They'd ripped straight through the GT300, trapping him in place and critically damaging his systems. If that had been John, he would have died instantly.
He couldn't help pulling John a little closer at the thought. He squeezed his eyes shut as he started preconstructing every way the blast could have been worse. Every possible way it could have taken John from him. The stairway collapsing wouldn't have been an issue with Lin at his side. He could have jumped from an upstairs window quite safely. With John's free running skills, it's entirely possible John would have managed as well. He may have been injured. A broken leg, a shattered elbow, but he would likely have survived. Falling debris in the shop could have been an issue. He could have been buried. He did almost get hit on the way inside as he'd returned for the GT300. Lin had watched fiery debris tumble down in the doorway behind him. John could have sustained serious burns. He had a few even now, on his hands and feet. Lin had left them unbound after their shower. John hadn't complained, and they weren't open and weeping, so the air would do them good. Help them heal.
If Lin hadn't managed to escape the police officer outside, John could have choked to death on chemical fumes before he'd reached him. He'd already been finding hard to breathe upon his arrival. The doorway could have fallen and blocked their escape. They'd been extremely lucky in that it had fallen only after their exit. He could still hear John's helpless cries and pleas as he'd desperately tried to return. The GT300 had likely already deactivated by that point. He'd had less than two minutes left after their interface. What had he thought of in his final moments? Had he experienced any last second regrets? Fear of deactivation? Or had he been at peace? Lin hoped for the latter.
John hummed quietly in his sleep, shuffling slightly closer, as if he could sense Lin's restless state. Lin froze as much as possible so as not to rouse him. He needed to rest. He needed to recover his strength. Even now, his body was hard at work. Heat was pooling in his hands and feet where the blood was flowing through his wounds, slowly knitting the injured skin back together. His heart had slowed somewhat, easing the shock of loss. His brain would also be relatively restful, slowly sorting through the experiences and cataloguing them. He would be analysing and coming to terms with the experiences, much as Lin was.
His own stress levels were higher than usual, stuttering with his negative thoughts. He greedily accepted the subconscious comfort John offered, kissing his head and pulling him closer. He'd at least calmed himself enough not to cry anymore, though his cheeks were still damp with saline tracks. He considered wiping them away, but wiping them away would require effort and movement. Neither of those was appealing right now. He was content to bury his face in John's curls, breathing in his sweet scent as he set his stasis cycle to begin.
