There's...a semi-surprising amount of people reading this, I think? So figured I ought to change the author note here, haha.

General overview is that I'd completely forgotten about this account specifically until like, the beginning of the month, and rereading this as a much older, only slightly wiser adult is making me cringe - badly. So my current plan is to work on a rewrite of the whole story, see how much better it does when I get to the final chapter, and (hopefully) finish this story about 12 years late. If it's liked enough, I'll consider doing the side stories I had planned way back when.

Updates for the first eight chapters should hopefully be once every two weeks, seeing as how that's been the general timeline for a rewrite. Thus far, I'm realizing every chapter's word count has more or less tripled, actually so. Fingers crossed I manage I guess!

This rewrite is mostly for my own benefit, so I don't have to cringe when I think about this story. If you like it enough to read it all the way through, please consider dropping a review for me!

Roderich was tired, and looking forward to getting home for the night. It was close to seven, and his class had been a little more hectic than usual for the day. He'd been a little more than relieved when he was finally able to dismiss them for the day, but he'd had tutoring afterwards and that had gone a little over what he'd planned. His head was pounding, which he was attributing to not having eaten lunch and not drinking enough water for the day, and all Roderich wanted to do was take a shower and hit his bed as soon as possible. He rubbed his eye as he made his way up the stairs to his apartment on the third floor, tilting his head to the side to crack his neck.

Dinner first, he thought as his door came into view, something simple like mac and cheese or soup, then a shower and bed. Technically, he had a pop quiz that needed to be graded, but that could likely be put off for tomorrow or the next day. It was only Tuesday, anyway, so it wasn't like they were on the edge of their seats to get their grades back just yet. As long as he got them back to the students and inputted in the grading system by Friday, Roderich mused as he put his key in the lock and twisted it to the right, then it should be fine -

"Welcome home, Roderich!" Roderich froze in his doorway at the unexpected greeting, heart stopping for a brief second before pounding in overdrive at the sudden voice. When he'd left home that morning, it had been decidedly empty, and he hadn't exactly planned for any visitors at all. On top of that, he wasn't entirely sure how this man had gotten in, because it was definitely a man in front of him. He had his arms spread wide in greeting, a bright smile on his face, but all Roderich could focus on at the moment were the more superficial details - his silver hair, the bright red eyes that seemed to have a faint glow to them, the dark clothes he wore that contrasted with his pale skin. As he finished his once over, looking back up to meet those weirdly glowing eyes again, Roderich realized that the man seemed to expect something from him - his arms didn't waver from their upheld positions, and he even seemed a bit closer than he'd been before. Like he'd moved closer while Roderich was still trying to figure out who he even was.

Panic rising in his chest, Roderich slammed the door shut in his face.

Four to five business days earlier...

Roderich placed his face on the palm of his hand, staring almost blankly at the screen before him. He had a pile of essays right beside him, a slightly smaller pile than he'd started out with an hour and a half ago, but the writing on some of them was truly atrocious and he needed to take a break from reviewing them. He'd just decided on catching up on an old television show he'd remembered from when he was young, but he couldn't seem to find it anywhere but on one of those sketchy sites that always seemed to have everything, including a ton of ads and potential viruses. It was quiet in the apartment, only the hum of the air conditioner working as the late August heat warmed the small space, and Roderich found himself scrolling through the different shows the website had to offer. He was ignoring the ads for the most part, the majority of them sexual in nature and not worth clicking on for the potential virus.

That is, until something brightly colored flashed across the entirety of the webpage, making Roderich jump as he wasn't expecting the sudden words.

ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING ALONE EVERYDAY? The ad screamed at him, bright red with a pink outline. The little timer at the bottom of the right hand corner was counting down from 30, but Roderich barely noticed as the words on the screen changed. FED UP AT NOT HAVING ANYONE TO COME HOME TO?

Intrigued slightly despite his better reasoning, Roderich clicked on the ad before it could change again. A bright, light blue webpage came up almost instantly, pictures of couples loading onto the page. Roderich squinted at one of them, convinced that the picture looked off for some reason, but couldn't figure out why that was. It was a perfectly normal couple, it looked like, but there was just something that was tickling at the edge of Roderich's mind.

ORDER A PERSONALIZED MECHA-BEING TODAY! The website boasted, letters typing themselves across the webpage as it finished loading. Roderich flushed lightly when he realized exactly what kind of thing he pulled up, even unintentionally, then harder as he continued reading and the site promised a mecha that would do anything, from simple household chores to...more, ah, personal objectives. There were...a remarkable amount of pictures on the site, though none of them showed any really suggestive imagery, and Roderich realized what had thrown him off so much about the original images he'd seen - the mechas all seemed to have ears attached to the tops of their heads, like cat ears more than anything else, though he couldn't quite tell what they were supposed to be for.

For their part, the displayed mechas did look inviting and friendly - cheerful smiles and bright expressions, a mixture of male and female ones alike all over the webpage.

Roderich found himself intrigued by the site, in spite of himself. It was a little interesting, learning about how the mechas were designed and how they could be programmed according to the owners, though the site was very clear on calling the owners 'masters' for some reason. Roderich guessed that it didn't really matter so much - owner or master, it would still be him owning a robotic piece of equipment, but it still made him feel weird. Actually, well, maybe not him per say, Roderich wasn't exactly sold on buying a mecha to begin with, but he hadn't navigated away from the website yet. In fact, despite the fact that he was flushed heavily, and very glad he lived alone because he had no way to explain why he was so red, Roderich thought over purchasing a mecha. It had been a long time since he had a companion, he mused, far too long...

With a frustrated sound, Roderich shut the page down and crossed his arms, burying the bottom half of his face in his elbow on the table. He normally hated having his elbows on the table, found the habit rude and uncouth, but right now there wasn't anyone around to see him breaking his own rule. He hated that he was seriously considering it, even though he really didn't want to be. He didn't want to, because it would be a waste of money that he couldn't afford on a teacher's salary. That would be his sticking point for now - it wouldn't be worth the cost. And besides that, he was only twenty-six, had just turned twenty-six last month even. He didn't spend his birthday alone, either - Francis had invited him out to a bar, insisting Roderich celebrate his birthday, and he'd gone along with it even though Francis usually got on his nerves. Francis had even invited Alfred, who worked at the school with them, and Antonio, one of his Catholic schoolteacher friends, and Roderich had surprisingly had a good time.

Besides that, though, the point was that Roderich had just turned twenty-six. He had plenty of time to put himself out there, so to speak, and find a romantic partner if he really wanted. It didn't really matter that he hated the matchmaking sites Francis liked to sign him up for as a joke, and that a lot of the times Roderich tended to focus on his job or his piano too much to really go out and try to find a potential partner. His eyes strayed back towards his computer as he thought, and he shut them tightly in an attempt to hold firm in his decision.

No matter what, he would not sink down so low as to buy a mecha, of all things, for company. He absolutely, positively refused.

Just because his last and only relationship had been in high school, and it only lasted a month and a half before she left to return to her homeland did not mean he was desperate enough to buy a mecha. Despite the fact that he felt lonely on occasion, and wondered how he might find a way to potentially fit in a romantic partner in his life, though he hadn't really had any interest in anyone else since Elizabeta. The point was, despite everything, he was not desperate enough to order a mecha he could program to do as he wished, who would stay with him no matter what- - -

With a sigh, Roderich re-opened the window.

Present time

"What the hell?" Roderich hissed to himself from the outside of his front door. He kept a tight grip on the handle of it, trying to ensure that the man inside wouldn't get out while he thought of what to do now. Did he call the police? He couldn't imagine them doing much for him right at this point in time - if only because of the amount of time Roderich would be stuck holding the door closed while he waited for them to arrive. And even then, it wouldn't be of much use if the interloper decided to make his escape out the window, which Roderich would have no idea of from outside the door. Inside his apartment, he could hear the man moving around, calling his name with a curious tone. God, the man knew his name, what in the actual hell was happening right now? Was Roderich being stalked? Or, rather, had this man been stalking Roderich for some time, and had decided that now was his time to make a move? Roderich breathed inwards, a little shakily as he tried to calm his racing heart, and prepared to open the door again.

Nothing much else to do but confront the man and figure out what he wanted.

The door was yanked opened from the inside before he could pull it open himself, making him stumble forward and cry out in surprise. He let go of the door, shutting his eyes tightly as he braced for impact with the floor. Arms wrapped around his waist, warm and more solid than he was expecting, and then there was a voice in his ear.

"Careful, Roddy." The man's voice was a surprise, for some strange reason, and the sound of it made Roderich jump. He scrambled away, trying to get out of the hold, and the man let him go once he was sure Roderich wasn't going to fall over. Roderich shuffled backwards quickly, into the kitchen and putting the small island between them. The man turned in place, keeping those ruby eyes on him. He looked amused, somehow, and that only made Roderich more panicked. He was sort of regretting his decision not to call the police, if only because he wasn't about to call them when this man was able to hear him.

"Who the hell are you?" He cried out, hating that the panic was clearly audible in his voice. The man tilted his head to the right- - -Roderich was entirely certain that it would've been a more...endearing action had he not been so freaked out right at this moment- - -and the silver hair fell with the motion, drawing attention to the silver cat ears that adorned the top of his head. The sight of them made Roderich's eyes widen even more, and the situation he found himself in slowly began to dawn on him. Granted, it still didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Roderich was beginning to understand where the man- - -the mecha- - -had come from. In spite of himself, he began to flush heavily.

"I'm Gilbert," the mecha grinned, and a silver tail made its appearance, striking against the black clothes he wore. Roderich felt a chill go down his body; for some reason, he hadn't been expecting the tail, and was quite at a loss on how to take that in on top of the whole situation he found himself in. "I'm what you ordered."

"Lies!" Roderich yelled in panic, and he felt like he was very much in the right by saying that. He remembered clearly what he ordered from that mecha sita: a female mecha, one who would be calm and obedient, and looked what he imagined Elizabeta, that first and only relationship he'd ever had, would look like at his age. That what he'd ordered had somehow gotten so warped and twisted that he ended up with a mecha that looked like this, her polar opposite in almost every way...

With frustrated growl, he grabbed the mecha's arm and began stomping out of the apartment. The sudden irritation at the company that messed up his order so badly had suddenly overpowered the panic he'd been feeling at the mecha suddenly showing up in his apartment. He'd spent money on this, more money than he should have realistically, and the thought of that made him even more upset about everything. "I should return you now- - -stupid company who can't even get one order right, and sending me defective merchandise- - -" Roderich was cut off when he was suddenly pulled to a stop, the wrist in his hand suddenly being pulled back against his grip instead of just passively following along, and he turn to find the mecha glaring at him.

"I am not defective." He growled lowly, making Roderich shudder slightly. Now that he was paying more attention, he could hear the slight unnaturalness as the mecha spoke; the even cadence he spoke with, and the way even his anger sounded just slightly stilted- - -likely something in his throat to keep it audible. Distantly, Roderich wondered if the mecha had a mute button. "And Boss doesn't send out defective merchandise. It would hurt the branding."

"The branding." Roderich repeated derisively, and he turned to face the mecha more head on. His head lifted slightly, as if daring Roderich to add onto his rant, and Roderich found himself more than willing to oblige. "The branding of, what, the company? The company that promises mechas that can do anything the owner wants? That branding?"

"The very same," the mecha said proudly, jabbing a thumb into his own chest in pride. "I can do whatever you want me to; that's why I was made."

"What about..." Roderich felt his face flush, and for some reason, felt as though he was in high school again, confessing to Elizabeta that very first time. His heart was racing again- - -this much change of pace for it really couldn't be very healthy for him- - -and his palms felt a little sweaty as they twisted around each other. The confidence and derision he'd just worn on his sleeve had fled rapidly in the face of this sudden thought. "Y'know. That. Um..."

"Sex?" He offered helpfully, when Roderich eventually couldn't get the rest of the question out, and Roderich flushed even more.

"Not so loud!" He hissed, waving his hands as the mecha threw his head back and laughed. His door was still open, christ above, he didn't need to have his neighbors hear his whole life drama. Or even just something so...so crude and embarrassing. "God, how do you say something like that so easily!"

"I'm good at that, too." He came close to Roderich, making the violet-eyed male's eyes widen as he tilted his head up to keep eye contact. "I'm good at whatever you want me to do, Roderich, be it sex, or house cleaning, or even cooking. So, don't return me, ok?" Roderich couldn't speak as he leaned down more, something blocking his throat as his vision filled with silver and red. "Let me stay..." Before Roderich could respond, the mecha pressed his mouth against his own.

It was as if something exploded- - -despite being a mecha, his lips were deceptively warm and soft; the kiss was gentle, despite the spark of slight pain that had burst across his mouth when their lips first connected. Roderich stiffened in surprise once more, but found that his body had locked up and frozen completely; he couldn't bring himself to move, his hands hovering uncertainly in the air between them. The mecha seemed to take this as encouragement, wrapping his hands around Roderich's waist and pulling him closer against his own body; it was warmer than Roderich had been expecting, his body softer than he'd anticipated. As Roderich marveled in how human he felt, the mecha pried Roderich's lips open with his tongue and began tracing the inside of his mouth slowly. Moaning against his better judgement, Roderich's eyes shot open as he realized what was going on.

His hands finally seemed to come to a decision and Roderich placed them firmly on the mecha's shoulder, using his entire night to push against him to try and get him off; the mecha pulled him closer instead, sliding one of his arms around Roderich's waist to anchor him more firmly against the mecha, the other hand sliding up between his shoulder blades to fist into the back of his head. He devoured the brunette's mouth with his own, kissing him with an almost single-minded focus that Roderich had never been on the end of in his entire life. Roderich moaned again when Gilbert brushed his tongue against his own, eyes fluttering shut again before he started trying even harder to get away.

The mecha finally pulled away slightly, both of them panting heavily, and for a few moments Roderich couldn't speak. His eyes darted around, trying to avoid settling on the...well, person was debatable but Roderich honestly didn't know what else to call him; he certainly felt like a person, the differences between machine and human not as noticeable as Roderich had imagined they would be. His unwillingness to focus on the mecha in front of him proved to be a mistake; while Roderich wouldn't let his gaze settle on him, the mecha clearly had no problems about moving forward as best he could. He pressed his lips against Roderich's cheek, using the hand in his hair to tilted Roderich's head back so that he could trail open-mouthed kisses down to his neck. Roderich let out a gasp, hands tightening on the mecha's shoulders, as it became apparent how much thought was put into the design of this specific machine; the kisses were warm and soft, and left behind cooling spots of spit on his skin. Then the mecha leaned back up, connecting their lips again, and Roderich found himself giving in; his eyes fluttered shut and stayed shut, his grip on the mecha's shoulders was tight but no longer pushing him away, and he kissed back more consciously now.

It should be ok, right? Roderich figured, as the mecha- - -what did he say his name was again? Something that started with a G?- - -bit his lip gently and sent a spark down his spine. It should be ok, it wasn't exactly like he'd been expecting this whole time, but technically he paid for...well, not this specifically, but it was always going to be included in the package, right? His mind wandered a little as he considered the implications, but he was jolted forcefully back to the present as he felt something slip between his legs; it was thin and long, and the mecha still had his arm around Roderich's waist and his hand buried in Roderich's hair. One end of it curled around his leg, almost possessively, and lifted just enough to put pressure right against Roderich's groin.

It was a little too much at exactly the wrong point; Roderich's eyes shot open again and it felt like everything came back at once. On instinct, he shoved his knee up and into the mecha's groin, not expecting it to do much but pleasantly surprised when he let go with a yelp and allowed for a small space to be created between them. Roderich used his advantage to push the mecha off, putting more space between them as he backed into the wall by the door.

The opened door, which meant anyone just getting home had also been able to see into his apartment. Horrified at his own actions, and his inability to realize the door had been opened this whole time, Roderich slammed the door shut with more force than necessary, causing it to echo in the hallway. Locking the door with a furious twist, Roderich whirled onto the mecha and jabbed his finger into his chest.

"Enough." He said firmly, though the effect was likely ruined by the way he was panting hard, and the mecha whined. He pressed forward, just a bit, and Roderich's finger on his chest turned into his whole hand, stopping him from getting closer.

"But Roddy - "

"It's Roderich," he corrected stiffly, and pressed the fingers of his other hand against his eyes. His head was starting to pound again, with a vengeance that hadn't been there earlier, and he still hadn't eaten. "And that's enough for now." Pushing past the mecha into the kitchen, Roderich grabbed a pot and started filling it with water. Mac and cheese wasn't exactly the fastest to make right at this moment, but Roderich didn't care so long as he managed to get food into himself at some point this evening. He leaned onto the countertop, pushing his glasses up as he buried his face in his hands. This was not a situation he'd been expecting to find himself in, and Roderich found that he was both regretting the circumstances that led to this particular moment, and wondering why he had given in last week.

Something pressed itself against his back, practically draping itself over him, and Roderich dropped his head momentarily before standing up fully and pushing the weight off.

"What did I just say?" He snapped, and the mecha actually poured at him like a child being denied a snack before dinner.

"But Rod-erich," he said hastily, like he remembered at the last second about the nickname. Roderich lifted his brow, and the mecha continued to push his luck. "There's a thing- - -"

"Quite frankly, I don't care." Roderich said, and the mecha seemed to deflate a little. Roderich, however, was at the end of his rope. His head was hurting badly, and he just wanted this whole day to be over already. "It is a Tuesday night. I am a school teacher. I haven't eaten since I left home this morning, and I want to go to bed so I can sleep until work tomorrow." The mecha opened his mouth, and Roderich held up his hand. "No, I don't want to hear it. I will deal with this whole...situation tomorrow." There was a clunk as the mecha seemed to plop down on the table, and then the sound of muttering started; it sounded petulant and unhappy, and Roderich viciously dumped the noodles into the boiling water before whirling around to glare. "Do you have an issue with something?"

"And if I did?" The mecha challenged. Roderich took a deep breath, praying for patience.

"Look, ah..."

"Gilbert." He supplied dully, after it became painfully obvious Roderich hadn't remembered his name.

"Gilbert." Roderich repeated dutifully, then pressed on. "Look, Gilbert. This is...a lot to take in. On a school night when I've already had a very rough day."

"So tomorrow?" Gilbert asked, perking up, and Roderich stared at him for a brief moment.

"Absolutely not!" He said, tone loud and incredulous. "If anything, tomorrow I need to get in contact with the company so that I can resolve this-this issue!"

"There isn't really an issue though!" Gilbert said, throwing his arms across the table. "You bought a mecha- - -I showed up- - -and now I'm here for your benefit!"

"You know," Roderich said snippily, turning back to the boiling water, "for someone who was so concerned about 'company branding' just a moment ago, you sure aren't holding up to that now." There was silence from the table, then another clunk as Gilbert seemed to plop down again, without the muttering this time. Roderich smirked a bit as he stirred the noodles.

Victory to Roderich.

He woke up the next morning to a beeping alarm clock, a heavy arm wrapped around his waist, and a firm body pressed against his back. Roderich froze, eyes wide as he stared at the wall by his bed, wondering what on earth was going on. He remembered coming home the night before, remembered feeling exhausted and then- - -

Roderich turned his head and was met with big red eyes, staring almost intently at him.

He shrieked, loudly, and Gilbert flinched away instinctively. Roderich thrashed around, managing to dislodge his arms from around his waist and, somehow, push Gilbert off the edge of the bed. The mecha flailed as he went down, taking the blanket with him, with a muffled thump that made Roderich wince. For a moment there was silence, save for the beeping of the alarm clock.

"Not cool, Roddy." Came from the floor, slightly muffled, and then there was rustling. Gilbert's head popped up, glaring at Roderich. "You know, you seem to conveniently forget that I'm here a lot considering you, y'know, bought me."

"I wasn't expecting you in my bed!" Roderich said sharply, glad that he'd changed into pajamas when he went to bed the night before. Normally he just slept in boxers, but the idea of sleeping like that when someone else was in his apartment was unsettling, and he'd decided on a light shirt and shorts instead. The alarm clock kept beeping, but Roderich kept ignoring it. "What were you even doing?"

"Sleeping!" Gilbert said, staring at Roderich like he was an idiot.

"With your eyes open?" Roderich asked in dismay, pulling away slightly. He hadn't expected that, but like...it would make sense, right? That likely meant that Gilbert was a like a computer in rest mode- - -power saving and idle, but ready to be woken and put to use. Did Gilbert's eyes glow in the dark too, while he was in sleep mode? Would Roderich be able to know where he was sleeping, just by following the red glow in the dark?

Actually, now that he thought about it in terms like that, it was kind of creepy.

"Were they open?" Gilbert muttered nonsensically, but Roderich had already tuned him out. Slamming his hand on the 'stop' button to turn off his alarm, Roderich had to do a double take at the time on the device.

"It's already six-forty-five!" He scrambled out of bed, jumping over Gilbert to make his way to the bathroom. "Shit, I'm going to be late!"

He rushed through getting ready for the day, tripping over Gilbert every time he turned around and swearing at the mecha each time it happened. There wasn't enough time to make a breakfast, either, so Roderich just had to settle for eating a bowl of cereal over the already full sink; he'd been so tired the night before that he didn't even bother with the dishes, and now he had more dishes to clean with no time to do it.

Arms wrapped around his waist, a nose pressed into his neck, and Roderich shrugged Gilbert off in irritation.

"Will you knock that off?" He asked sharply.

"No, I literally can't!" Gilbert tightened his hold on Roderich's waist, preventing him from creating space between them or even letting Roderich turn around, but he wasn't trying to nuzzle him anymore. "You started this last night, and it will have to be finished at some point, Roderich!"

"I didn't start anything!" Roderich said, rolling his eyes. He leaned over as much as he could, barely able to add his bowl to the sink with Gilbert holding onto him the way he was. "And even if I had started something, there's no excuse for acting this way! Get a hold of yourself, pull yourself together!"

"You did!" Gilbert leaned down again, this time pressing his lips to the side of Roderich's neck, and Roderich felt something go down his spine; it was pleasant, surprisingly so, and another bolt followed the first one when Gilbert started mouthing at his neck. It wasn't enough to leave any marks, as far as Roderich could tell, but it was enough to have him start feeling loose and pliant against the mecha behind him. His eyes fluttered as Gilbert continued to trail open mouthed kisses up and down his neck, slowly but confidently, and his breath left him in a shaky gasp. Gilbert's grip on his waist tightened as Roderich felt his knees go a little weak, and then his tail wrapped around his leg.

Roderich's eyes opened just a little as he debated how to feel about the extra appendage; as he did, his gaze landed on the clock on the microwave, the time reading seven thirty-two.

Class started at eight, and Roderich was meant to have left ten minutes ago. Panic jolted him into action, and he broke through Gilbert's hold easily enough.

"Ah, I'm late!" He cried, grabbing his bag and heading for the door. Running his hands through his hair to make sure it was laying properly, Roderich did a mental check of 'phone, keys, wallet, bag' to make sure he had everything before he left. Hand on the handle as he put his shoes on, Roderich absently called back to the only other person in the apartment, "I'm leaving now!"

Gilbert didn't answer right away- - -instead, arms wrapped around his waist firmly, pulling him back into a solid chest. Roderich turned to yell at Gilbert to let him leave, because it was almost eight in the morning and he needed to get to the school, and Gilbert took the opportunity to press their mouths together firmly, brushing his tongue against Roderich's. When they pulled apart, Gilbert smiled widely, though Roderich couldn't do anything but stare at him with wide eyes. His mind felt blank, and he couldn't for the life of him remember what he had been doing just seconds ago.

"Do your best today!" Gilbert said brightly, and that seemed to be what he needed to finally get moving again. Roderich flushed and untangled himself from Gilbert, slamming the door shut and locking it with more vigor than really necessary. As he did, he glanced around surreptitiously, hoping that none of his neighbors had seen that little display in his doorway.

Christ, he was going to have to find a way to train Gilbert out of that. It was embarrassing, knowing that anyone could walk by and Gilbert wouldn't even care, but Roderich did. He wouldn't be able to look anyone in apartment complex in the eye ever again, and it would make getting the mail so awkward...

"- - -and that concludes today's lesson." Roderich said, placing his hands on his desk. "Your lunch break starts now."

"Thank you, sir." The class chorused together before becoming more relaxed. The change in the room was almost instantaneous as Roderich sat down at his desk, listening to them as they began packing up. Plans for lunch meet ups were being made, students left their desks to join friends either in the classroom or in different classes, and Roderich smiled briefly as he listened to them leave. It was only briefly, though; his smile dropped as he opened the cabinet under his desk where he usually put his lunch only to find it empty.

"Roddy!" Everyone was startled into silence when the classroom door burst open and Gilbert ran in, bag flying haphazardly on his shoulder behind him. He was wearing the same dark clothes as yesterday, an even more striking contrast against his pale skin and silver hair in the afternoon sun, though his tail was nowhere to be found and he had a beanie jammed haphazardly on his head- - -likely to hide the ears Roderich knew was underneath the dark fabric.

He was relieved that the more...obvious signs of being non-human were hidden away for the moment, all the way up until he glanced to the side and realized his classroom was still half full; then his relief turned into embarrassment while Gilbert made his way over to where he was seated at his desk. Flushing heavily, Roderich intercepted him and grabbed his arm, dragging a startled and confused Gilbert out of the class room. He didn't stop just outside his classroom either- - -he remembered being in high school, and knew the gossip was already going to circulate like wildfire that Gilbert had shown up to begin with; that was not taking into consideration how quickly Roderich reacted, and he did not want their conversation to be additional fuel for the rumor mill.

God, he could already hear Francis now; it was insufferable.

"Whoa!" Gilbert stumbled when Roderich stopped suddenly outside the building, rounding on him with a glare. He was closer to the gate circling the edges of the school than he'd like, back where the teachers parked. It was the most secluded spot by his classroom, but he still glanced around to make sure they were alone. The teacher's rumor mill was almost as vicious as the student's, and Roderich really didn't want anyone to know about this. The sun was brighter than Roderich had been anticipating though, and he had to shield his eyes from it; he felt undignified, but it was better than having to squint in the sun- - -his eyesight was plenty bad on its own, he didn't need to do things to actively make it worse.

"You cannot just barge into my classroom and disrupt the lesson- - -"

"I didn't!" Gilbert snapped, crossing his arms and glaring back. There was a low humming sound, and the beanie shifted slightly where his ears were covered. "I waited outside that door for ten minutes before you said that they were dismissed!" Roderich blinked as he thought about what Gilbert had just told him; if he had, in fact, waited outside the door until they were finished, it meant he had at least a bit of what he had originally ordered. Also, it meant that Roderich had snapped at him with no basis for his argument, and that was a bit awkward. He struggled for a moment with what to say in response, and Gilbert just stared at him without providing any help as to what Roderich should say.

Actually, that was a lie; Roderich knew what he had to say, he just didn't want to admit he was wrong.

"That is beside the point!" Roderich said, shaking his head in an agitation he didn't actually feel. Push on through, that was his thought process right now, and he was determined to not be sidestepped. "What are you even doing here?" Gilbert smiled and, after rummaging through his satchel, held out a bag.

"You forgot a lunch, so I made one for you!" Gilbert looked at Roderich expectantly, his head tilted to the side. There was that soft hum again, the shifting of the beanie, that showed how Gilbert's ears moved in anticipation. That...hadn't actually been what he'd been expecting. Roderich flushed heavily at how gravely he'd misstepped with this whole...situation. Reaching over, he reluctantly took the lunch with a sigh.

Before he could apologize or say anything, though, Gilbert grabbed his arm and pulled him close, kissing him heavily. Roderich struggled half-heartedly, torn between not wanting to kiss the mecha right then, not wanting to get caught kissing on campus where there were students around, and giving into the sensations of Gilbert's mouth on his.

He was stuck in a place of indecision, close to just mentally saying 'forget it' and start making out with the mecha like a bunch of high schoolers- - -ironic, considering- - -when he felt a hand slide down his back and settle dangerously low on his waist. Then it was Gilbert's tongue, pressing against the seam of his mouth while his hand slipped ever lower- - -

"Stop doing that!" Roderich hissed out, shoving the mecha a second time to try and create more space between them. His heart was racing in his chest, which was a little tragic considering his age and all, and he could almost feel the heat radiating off of his face. Damn him, Roderich thought as Gilbert smirked at him, damn him for being so easily flustered, and damn Gilbert for figuring out how to do so so easily.

"Gilbert!" A female voice called out, startling them both out of their staring contest. Roderich buried his face in his hands for a moment; he'd assumed that no one would be able to spot them, and that this woman could have been watching them this whole time...mortifying. He wished the ground would swallow him up. "Gilbert! Here's where you ended up!" They both turned to see a woman striding towards them, one hand up in a wave, the other one holding a box at her hip. Gilbert waved at her, smiling happily.

Actually, Roderich thought as she came near, who even was this woman? Why was she here?

"Hey, Boss!" Gilbert yelled back. His ears were whirring loudly now, his beanie moving almost frantically with how they were swiveling. Roderich groaned into his hand, wondering how he was supposed to defend himself from such...wanton behavior.

"I saw that!" The unidentified woman practically squealed as she drew closer. Roderich looked away from her, trying to reign in his blush before he had to interact with her. It was only marginally working. "The base is over there, just across the way." She pointed behind her, and Gilbert made what he seemed to think were appropriately awed noises at whatever the 'base' was supposed to be. "But enough about that. I did see some pretty heavy kissing. I take it that your advances are acceptable?"

"Boss, I wish!" Gilbert answered. Roderich winced at the loudness of his voice, glancing around to make sure no students were around. It wouldn't do to have details they didn't need about his love life floating around. "We've actually only gotten- - -"

"Don't say anything like that, moron!" Roderich cried out suddenly, moving to cover Gilbert's mouth. Gilbert's eyes widened as the force of Roderich crashing into him made him wobble, and Roderich grabbed hold of his shirt to try and keep him from falling to the ground. As he did, his violet eyes met startled emerald, emerald that looked all too familiar, and he faltered. His grip on Gilbert slipped and the mecha fell to the floor with a crash. "Elizabeta?"

"Roderich?" She gasped, surprised. Roderich immediately forgot about the mecha on the ground, startled as he was at seeing his old crush in the flesh when he'd been sure he'd never see her again. She looked well, and Roderich felt his heart race at the way she stared at him with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth.

"Boss?" Gilbert questioned softly, making them both jump; Roderich felt almost guilty when he saw the sort of lost way Gilbert was looking between them, like he hadn't meant to be so obvious in the face of the mecha. It also snapped Elizabeta out of her surprised daze and she put down her box in order to grab both of their arms, dragging them away and towards the street.

"Let's go to the main office for a few minutes." She said firmly, not leaving room for argument. Roderich glanced back at the school exactly once, hoping that this wouldn't end up cutting into his next period class, but followed along amiable. Gilbert tilted his head to the side, looking at her curiously for a moment before sliding his eyes over to Roderich.

Roderich, however, was studying Elizabeta as thoroughly as he could from behind.

It seemed as though his ideas for the mecha he'd wanted originally had not been far off. Elizabeta's eyes were, obviously, still the emerald he loved and adored even now; her hair to the exact length he had imagined it would be because, despite being something of a tomboy when they were younger, Elizabeta's pride and joy had always been her hair, and it was even the same shade of brown he remembered. A complete contrast of Gilbert, she wore tight-fitting jeans and what looked like a Hungarian military jacket, showing off her curves.

It was her father's, Roderich remembered suddenly, and she'd worn it around in high school as well. It was another point of pride for her, he knew, and that he still remembered those things about her made Roderich smile. Something jostled his side, a shoulder pressing briefly against his own, but Roderich didn't pay it any mind as he focused on his high school sweetheart.

They might have only dated for a month and half, but Roderich had spent almost his entire school career before that with an enormous crush on the girl. Dating her for that month and half had practically been the highlight of his high school career.

He was so focused on her, Roderich barely paid any attention to the building they went into, and he'd only noticed that they were indoors when Elizabeta finally released their arms to make her way to a desk. She sat down at it, shoving aside some papers in order to lean onto the wood.

"So, Roderich," Elizabeta started, motioning for him to sit right across from her at the desk. Roderich sat, and Gilbert dragged over another chair so he could sit next to him. Elizabeta's eyes followed the mecha amusedly, and she didn't continue until she was sure Gilbert was ready as well. "You bought one of our personalized mecha for your own use. And were lucky enough to be able to order Gilbert, that's exciting! How do you like him so far?"

"I don't!" Roderich said, feeling slightly hysterical but unable to bring himself to yell at the woman he had never managed to get out of his mind. Said woman leaned back a bit, lifting her eyebrow and glancing at Gilbert on his left. Roderich flushed a bit at the reminder that Gilbert was next to him, but he remembered the plan of contacting the company to see what had happened. This was his chance, and so, awkward or not, he was willing to pursue this opportunity. "Elizabeta, it's nothing like the mecha I had originally ordered!" There was a small chorus of 'he' from both mecha and businesswoman, and Roderich tilted his head in acknowledgment before continuing on. "Why did the order get messed up? How did the order get messed up?" Elizabeta sighed lightly, rubbing her temples as she thought.

"We're still a relatively new company, Mecha Love Corp. Most of our mechas, like Gilbert, are still prototypes that are available for public use. It's on the site, Roderich, dear." The endearment made Roderich calm down slightly, his shoulders relaxing as she explained. Elizabeta smiled encouragingly. "Our designer, Mr. Honda Kiku, handles all our orders. It's possible that he sent you Gilbert by accident, especially because Gilbert was one of our first ones created. Unfortunately, Mr. Honda isn't in today. I'll ask him for you tomorrow, and see if we can't settle this mess."

"Thank you, Elizabeta." Roderich sighed, leaning back in his seat. Nothing had been resolved, really, but he'd managed a step in the right direction and that would have to be enough for now. He glanced over to his left, taking in the look on Gilbert's face; he was frowning slightly, staring down at his hands in apparent contemplation. He was curling his fingers inward slowly, and Roderich wondered what he was doing before Elizabeta caught his attention again.

"However," Elizabeta said, her eyes flashing, and Roderich felt his heart fall a little. "I saw you two kissing- - -and quite ardently, at that, considering the place." Roderich flushed at that, feeling once again like he wanted the earth to swallow him up. "Kiku may not want to exchange him because of that. He can be a peculiar man, Kiku." Roderich wanted to protest that a bit- - -he wasn't sure what kissing had to do with anything, let alone messed up orders- - -but a quick glance at the wall showed that he would be late heading back to class if this went on any longer. He nodded his thanks instead and stood up, reaching uncertainly over the desk to shake Elizabeta's hand. She stood as well, taking his hand but giving the violet-eyed male a kiss on the cheek instead. "It was good seeing you again, Roderich."

"You as well, Elizabeta." Roderich repeated the action, flushing lightly. Gilbert looked up, seeming to focus on the conversation again for a moment before something else caught his attention; from the way the irises in his eyes circled for a moment, Roderich wondered if the mecha had to reboot- - -sort of like a computer coming out of test mode or something. Elizabeta turned to him, smiling sweetly.

"Take good care of your master, Gilbert." She said in a mock-order, reaching across the desk to poke his nose, and Gilbert smiled briefly at her. Elizabeta kissed his cheek as well when he stood up, and they left the office together. Once they got to the street level, though, Roderich turned to head back towards his class and Gilbert started heading back home, both deep in thought.

It wasn't until two class periods later that Roderich even realized that Gilbert hadn't tried to kiss him goodbye.

Roderich opened the door tiredly, entering the quiet house and taking off his shoes. It felt sort of like deja vu; it was almost seven, tutoring had run over again, and he just wanted to eat dinner and go to bed. He sighed heavily as he turned on the kitchen light, noting almost absently how clean the area looked; he hadn't had a chance that morning to wash the dishes from dinner the night before, and though he'd made something quick for breakfast, Roderich had been mentally preparing to deal with the dishes from that meal as well. But not only was the sink empty, it was washed out and spotless. The entire kitchen was cleaned and mopped, actually, and Roderich rubbed his eye as he took it all in.

"I'm back." He called out quietly, yawning as he placed his bag down. It would be much easier to start dinner now that he knew he didn't have to clean up his mess from the night before, and he felt a little guilty that Gilbert had taken care of it before he'd had a chance to. Technically, it was what Roderich had bought him for, but still. He shouldn't have had to clean up after Roderich. "Gilbert?"

"I'm here." Came from his guest room down the hallway. It was quiet and a little subdued, and Roderich turned towards the sound. Thoughts of dinner fled his mind as he registered the fact that the mecha hadn't come out to greet him at all; considering his behavior for the past day or so since Roderich had gotten him, the situation felt like cause for some concern. "Welcome back."

"What's going on?" Roderich asked, confusion filling his eyes as he walked down the hallway in his apartment. The door was closed, and Roderich stopped in front of it. After a moment, he lifted his hand and knocked at the door. "Why are you in here?"

"Ah, shit- - -no reason." Roderich didn't buy it, especially not with the sort of panicked curse that came before the forced nonchalant answer. Debating for a moment, Roderich knocked one more time and then, hoping against hope the mecha was at least decent, he entered the room.

It was dark, and Roderich reached blindly around the wall until he found the light switch, muttering the entire time about the absurdity of standing in a pitch-dark room for no reason. Despite the slight protests from Gilbert's general area, Roderich flipped the lights on.

Gilbert was standing in the middle of the room, smiling weakly.

"Hey, Roddy..." He tried, and Roderich almost didn't hear him. Instead, his attention was caught on the way Gilbert was holding his arm; it looked like he was trying to hide something, but he was doing a very poor job of it. Some sort of liquid was oozing out between his fingers, covering his pale skin and dripping onto the floor beneath him. A weird sort of feeling started growing in Roderich's chest, worse than the sort of guilty feeling he had a few minutes prior, and it was keeping him in one place at the moment. Gilbert glanced around the room, seeming to come to a decision, and then lifted his hand from his arm to hold it up to Roderich; he held it in front of him, like Roderich was a spooked animal about to run, and spoke slowly. Roderich could see his palm was covered in the liquid, dark even in the light of the room, and was starting to trail down his wrist. "Now, don't freak out- - -"

"What are you doing?" Roderich cried in horror, taking three steps forward into the room and yanking at Gilbert's damaged arm. It was cut cleanly, but it was still cut, and in multiple places as well; Roderich wasn't entirely sure if he was supposed to find the mecha like this or not. His heart pounded in his ears as he twisted his arm back and forth to assess the damage, though he spotted one of the kitchen knives on the floor. Gilbert watched him with wide eyes for a moment, then tilted his head back and laughed. His free hand went into his own hair, tugging on the silver strands in agitation.

"I have no idea!" He continued laughing, eyes wide with a strange mix of hysteria and panic, and Roderich was again struck with how human he was even while he wasn't. "I'm doing as my master wants- - -even though I have no idea what the hell he wants, so I'm kinda just winging it here."

"You absolute moron!" Roderich hissed, dragging Gilbert out of the room and headed toward the kitchen, the mecha's crazed laughter following them. "Who says I want you to do this to yourself? Crazy asshole! Pull yourself together! What are you thinking?" Gilbert stopped laughing so suddenly, Roderich turned to look at him curiously. The silence that enveloped them was striking and sudden; Gilbert was staring at Roderich intently and Roderich couldn't do anything but stare back. The mystery liquid was still spilling out of his arm, and now it was starting to cover Roderich's hand too. It felt thick, and kind of slimy, and Roderich hoped that it would be easy to get off his hand. And the floor.

"I was thinking..." Gilbert said slowly, when the silence went on long enough that Roderich started to feel awkward, "that, perhaps, my master would want a different type of mecha- - -if I get damaged in some way, shape, or form, if it happens accidentally, or is self-inflicted, or on purpose, then my master can return me and get a different one." Roderich frowned slightly, first at the easy way Gilbert called him his master- - -it was more than a little weird, and he wondered if he would really have to get used to that- - -and then a little harder at the pensive look on Gilbert's face. Then he actually processed the words the mecha said, and Roderich found himself at a loss for words. They stood in another silence before Roderich finally managed to get his mind in some semblance of order and spit something out.

"Who said I wanted a different mecha, Gilbert?"

"I'm not stupid!" Gilbert snarled, startling Roderich so much he dropped the mecha's hands. The liquid started seeping faster out of Gilbert's arm, and Roderich made an aborted movement to take his hand again; he knew that with humans, if you kept your arm above your head, it could stem some serious blood flow- - -he figured the same logic should apply to mechas. "I saw you looking at Boss; I heard you tell her you didn't want me. Kiku's not going to switch me out, even if Boss talks to him, because he doesn't like taking mechas from their masters after they've kissed, even if they haven't gone further than that!"

"Why not?" Roderich asked, eyes wide with surprise. Gilbert snorted.

"It's some technology thing, I think." He said. "Boss was trying to tell you earlier, but it's sort of hard to explain. It...changes us, fundamentally. Kiku's got more of an answer as to what. The main point is." He took in a shaky breath, staring down at the ground. "After a mecha's kissed its master, the mecha forms a bond with them." Gilbert looked down. "And the mecha would do anything- - -literally, anything, for its master. I'm doing what I believe would make you happier." There was another silence, an eerie one, after Gilbert's declaration, the whole apartment going silent. Roderich stared at Gilbert in surprise and worry, and Gilbert steadfastly ignored his gaze. The liquid continued to flow freely down his arm- - -out in the light, Roderich could see it was almost black, like oil or something.

"You're an idiot." Roderich said firmly, taking the mecha's hand in his own again and dragging Gilbert towards the kitchen. "You think harming yourself will make me happy? If you think that, you're stupider than I thought. You doing this to yourself only...makes me worry about you more." There was a light pink dusting on Roderich's cheeks admitting that, and he knew without looking that he was going to regret that statement. When it was quiet for a beat too long, he turned around to see what Gilbert was doing. He was just staring at him, surprise covering his face before he tried to hide with with a grin.

"So Roddy does care about me!" Gilbert teased, poking his free hand into Roderich's cheek. He brushed it away with his shoulder, feeling the slide of that oily substance drip down his cheek. Roderich turned redder and pushed him into a kitchen chair.

God, he didn't think he'd ever blushed so much in his entire life. He sort of hated that Gilbert was the one who had that effect on him

"I doubt I have the items to fix you properly." Roderich grabbed a first-aid kit and a needle and thread from his bathroom, not really knowing if that would do the trick but not knowing what else to do. "However, I can sew you up and see if Elizabeta's Honda Kiku can fix you properly tomorrow." He returned to Gilbert, who pulled him down by his collar and kissed him thoroughly with his uncut hand. Roderich muffled a protest, trying to pull away, because he still had all that stuff all over his hand and Roderich didn't know how to get it off of his floor, let alone his clothes; Gilbert proved to be strong with only one hand and kept him firmly in place. Roderich sighed in exasperation through his nose as Gilbert's tongue pressed through his lips and traced through his mouth. After a few seconds, Roderich pulled away. "No more- - -let me sew you up."

Gilbert grinned and offered up his arm.

I think I'll keep the original story up on my page, but just have it be separate from this one. In a way, it really shows how much I personally have grown as a person and a writer, I think; I was probably very much too young to be writing this way back when, but y'know. Hindsight and all that.

I know the poll at the top of my page is technically still open, so I guess if people really like this story and want to see the universe expanded, you can vote up there? Or leave a comment with one of the pairings.

Also also I didn't steal the fic; I just changed the name on the account. Thanks!

OG Author's Note:

So. i'm not quite sure what i'm doing. yes, i got this idea from a manga...and i couldn't help but add the hetalia twist to it...enjoy?