North American Hurricane (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In the same vein as Bunnies For Your Amusement, I now bring you my collection of oneshots and short stories featuring the North American twins, America and Canada! Now including non-LJ drabbles.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: Random Shit, Bros Being Bros, Android!AU, hinted AmeCan

Prompt: AmeCan Android!AU, Alfred is a new model of android that can feel love and he falls for older model who cannot Matthew

...whoops?

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Matthew is a quiet model, perfect for child rearing, or so the clerk who'd sold it to Arthur informed him cheerfully. The Englishman had been doubtful at first - Peter was awfully young, and androids were a rather new technology.

But despite all his doubts Matthew was everything he'd needed and more. He could cook, clean, and sing anything that was programmed into him, and his quiet, soft nature was perfect for calming a wailing babe down with little issue. In addition, having the android allowed Arthur to return to a full time job safely, meaning he no longer had to worry about whether he'd be able to keep food in the cupboards and a roof over their heads.

The young looking android was the best investment he'd ever made.

But children grew up, and Peter was no exception. Instead of the clingy, wide eyed toddler, the boy was now a ball of endless energy, running to and fro from sunrise to sunset without any sign of slowing down.

Matthew, bless his metal heart, tried his best to keep up, but he was an old model, and had never been designed to keep up with this, so he softly agreed with Arthur when the man brought up getting a new android to help split the work.

And thus, Alfred came into their lives. Full of energy and practically alive, he's practically the opposite of the quiet, calm Matthew. Peter takes to him immediately, dragging the laughing android off for whatever adventures he could dream up. With the two playing together, it gave Matthew the chance to complete his other household duties, returning the home to a semblance of normalcy.

Alfred seems so human, in fact, that Arthur often forgets he isn't until he gets reminded, whether through lifting something much heavier than a human could manage, or just not actually eating when Peter and Arthur sit down to do so. It's startling, to be sure, but after a while it becomes normal again.

Then Alfred starts to act strange.

It's small things at first - lingering after getting his orders for the day, interruptions in his time with Peter. It's enough to make one blink, but not to question for more than a second or two.

He starts helping around the house more, something that surprises everyone, but as it doesn't detract from his primary duties the others just assume he's bored (strange to think, considering he runs after Peter all the time, but perhaps he just needs a change of pace). When Arthur pulls him to the side though, to offer him some more time to explore his own interests, he shakes his head and refuses the offer with an honest smile.

"I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry about me, Artie."

But worry he does, especially as Alfred's behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Alfred refuses to admit to any wrongdoing, while Matthew quietly reports several incidences of the younger android lingering for no reason, engaging Matthew in odd conversations, and even one time where he spent an hour sitting on the bed doing nothing, almost prompting the older android to check to make sure he hadn't broken down before the other suddenly got up and went back to his duties as if the past hour and thirteen minutes hadn't happened.

It didn't help that Peter and some of the neighbors seemed to know more about the situation than either he or Matthew did; their refusal to divulge any sort of information only made it all the more infuriating.

It culminated on a Thursday afternoon. Arthur was at work, and Peter at school, leaving the two androids to their own thing at the house. It had never caused issue before - the two got along well for the most part - so he was more than surprised to receive a frantic (for Matthew) telling him that Alfred had broken down.

It took him only fifteen minutes to get home somehow, bursting through the door to see a visibly nervous Matthew waiting by the stairs.

"I was just checking in on him to see if he'd finished cleaning the upstairs, and he was-" He cut off, looking genuinely distressed for the first time Arthur could recall.

The Englishman raced upstairs, pushing open the door to the room set aside for the two, only to stop dead. Alfred was settled in the far corner, eyes shut as if in sleep. It would be so easy to mistake him for human, even now, but for the lack of breathing. But even Arthur could tell something was missing from the android the second he'd seen the other.

During the grueling, endless thirty minute wait for a technician to come out, a million thoughts ran through his mind.

How would Peter take it if Alfred was gone? How would Matthew? How would he?

What had gone wrong with him? Was it fixable, or was Alfred…

The technician was little help, opening up the android's head to take a look at the circuits inside, only to click his tongue several times.

"Memory banks are burnt out; you could replace 'em, but you'd be back to the factory base - all of the adaptations it's made since you bought it are gone for good."

"There's nothing you can do to save him?" Arthur had almost - almost - pleaded, heart somewhere near his throat.

"Sorry, we don't really have a fix for this. We don't even know why some of the newer models like this one burn out like this - we never had this problem with the older models like your other one."

"Don't you have anyone working on it?"

The technician shook his head. "The issue isn't with the circuits; those have been tested thousands of times, and they don't just burn out on their own." The man paused, almost thoughtfully, before continuing. "Your android started acting strange before the burnout, right? Skewed routine, habit changes, all that?"

Arthur nodded. "For nearly three months now."

"And it's burned out in the same spot as the others…" The man seemed to think for a bit, then shake his head.

Arthur leapt at the moment of indecision. "What is it?"

"It's just strange to me, is all. All the calls I get for this problem are practically the same story. Someone buys a new model, they act normally for a while, then they start acting erratically, and then they burn out. It's always in the same place, and no lab tests show anything wrong with that part of the circuit."

"What part is it?"

The man looked to him. "The affection circuits." Upon noticing Arthur pale, he frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, I'll be- I'll be fine. Thank you for your help."

The man tipped his hat apologetically. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

And with that he was gone, leaving Arthur alone with the body until Matthew peeked in, drooping slightly on seeing Alfred unfixed.

"Peter's going to be upset."

"I know." Oh how Arthur knew. He doubted the boy would forgive him for months. He sighed, looking to Matthew. "Did Alfred… say anything to you, before…"

The android frowned. "...he apologized. I assumed it was for delaying on his part of the cleaning." Matthew paused. "Was I wrong?"

Arthur looked back to Alfred, so still and empty.

So vulnerable.

So human.

"No… no, I don't think so."

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AN: Friend gave me an Android!Au prompt when I asked for AmeCan prompts when I was feeling down. This somehow came out of it.

I can thoroughly say I had fun writing it. Android AUs are good AUs in my opinion. (Then again I grew up obsessing over Data soooooooooooooooo)