Anymore

I found my legs guiding me—carrying with such speed, showing me where my heart was placed.

For it wasn’t where it was—in fact, I couldn’t even feel my heart beating.

It stopped.

________________

I punched the numbers into the panel, jammed the keys into the bloody hole and ripped the door open.

His limbs crumbled in a beautiful mess on the cold floor, raven locks fanning softly over his face. The broken skies of his hidden behind closed lids.

Crashing towards the ground, I slid a hand under his head, another supporting his neck while I shook the one who held my heart.

Margaret fell in place beside me after locking the door, trying to catch my gaze.

“What’s happen? What’s going on? The droid was fine just yesterday—what’s going on? This isn’t making any sense, it ate the noodles! The droid—“

“A.I.”

“Huh?”

“His name’s AI—not ‘it’.”

Margaret paused, then recoiled, as if embarrassed. “Uh, sorry…”

I wasn’t even listening anymore.

I called his name.

Called him again, swept the strands aside to reveal his perfect features.

Placed my warm hands against his cold skin.

“Go get something warm—a towel, some blankets.”

My step-sister obliged, gathering her skirts and rushing towards the door.

Slipping my arms under his knees and neck, I carried his fragile form to the sofa, placing him down as if he was a bird without wings.

His eyes remained closed—

Open…please.

I can’t see the sky.

______________________

“Master?”

My eyes widened at the sound—heard the words but didn’t listen.

It felt as if my heart had returned, and I could feel the strange, abnormal speed of its beating.

“AI! You…shutting down like that—don’t do that ever again,” I cursed, arms going around his lithe body to embrace.

You scared me.

I felt him relax, leaning into my warmth. “My apologies Silas.”

“Are you alright now? How do you feel?”

“Please do not worry about me, it was a mere fainting spell,” He smiled.

“Don’t fuck with me. You shut down,” I hissed, and he bowed his head.

“I…I’m sorry, please forgive me Silas—“

The door clicked open and Margaret entered with a towel and a basin filled with hot water.

“O-Oh! Droid—I mean, uh, AI, you’re okay, thank heavens…” She placed the plastic basin beside the sofa and went up to the two of us.

I grabbed the towel, and started to soak it with the water.

“Hey…um, was there something wrong with the cup noodles? How is your life source? Can you read the level?”    

“It is recovering, my lady. I am now ninety-nine,” AI reassured, bowing his head slightly.

Margaret frowned. “What? How did you…how did you recover yourself?”

He adjusted the slim frames on the bridge of his nose. “My Master is kind enough to give me a self-reboot system. He said it was a new technology,” AI smiled kindly, gesturing to me.

This made Margaret even more confused.

“Master? Uh…but he’s—“

“MARGARET! MARGARET WHERE ARE YOU?” Came a voice from upstairs, loud enough to pierce through the walls.

“…Lucinda?”

My step-sister rolled her eyes, glancing yet again at AI, before she exited the room in a huff, and the door closed behind her with a click—indicating the lock.

“Are you sure…you’re okay?”

AI nodded. “Thanks to you, Master.”

I sighed.

“I’m not.”

“Hm?”

“Do I…look like your master?”

The droid smiled brightly. “Yes. Yes you do. Silas, why are you asking such a peculiar question?”

“Exactly like him?”

“Why yes,” AI tilted his head to the left, “although I do admit, you look younger—almost how you would have looked when you were twenty. Not that you have aged many,” He laughed.

“…Listen,” I began warily, “I’m Suoh. I’m not Silas.”

I saw his eyes change, his face harden, his gaze unfocused for a moment, and then zoned in on me—as if seeing me for the first time.

“Young Master, it is you. My apologies. I must have looked silly,” He smiled small, but it wasn’t the one before.

My heart ached.

But that’s okay.

I can get used to this.

It’s okay.

I’m fine—

Fucking.

Fine.

“Yeah. Hi.”

AI rose from the sofa, moving towards the pile of books stacked on the work desk.

“Young Master, do you not have anything else to do except sit in your Father’s office and watch a boring droid clean?”

I can act as if I never heard it.

Yeah.

I’ll just act as if nothing happened.

He didn’t say it.

We’ll just go back to normal.

“Mm…yeap,” I said lazily, kicking my legs up on the sofa so that I occupied the entire furniture.

I heard him sigh. “As lazy as ever I see.”

Closing my eyes, I tried as nonchalantly as I could to ask: “You don’t like it?”

There was a pause as he processed the question.

“Well, it is what makes you, you.”

“So do you like it or not?”

“I wonder,” I heard the smile in his voice.

He was as elusive as before—as enigmatic and strange and beautiful, and as untouchable as before.

Why?

Why wouldn’t he treat me like how he treated Father?

Was he programmed to be like that?

Ha, my Dad’s just a selfish bastard like I am.

_______________________

[Margaret]

“Yes, mother Lucinda?” I called, running up the stairs in gathered skirts.

I hope she’s not in the kitchen.

She can’t see me running up from the basement!

I’d be dead, for sure.

“Come to the drawing room at once!”

“Yes mother Lucinda!” I shouted back as I arrived at the kitchen, hair a mess.

Upon hearing the scuffle and clicking of my heels, Lucinda popped her head into the kitchen, and stared.

“What is the matter with your hair?” She wriggled her nose in disgust and said so in an unsatisfied tone.

“Er—I was trying to…cook?”

“Heavens—you can’t cook for nothing, Margaret. Now get yourself into the drawing room—didn’t I tell you that Lady Lowe is visiting today?”

What? Her again?

“Oh shit—I mean, oh! I forgot…”

Lucinda clicked her tongue irritably, turned her back and started to strut quickly towards the drawing room.

I had no choice but to follow listlessly, remembering, with a horrible sense of dread, that Lady Lowe was to stay with the Lynches for a week.

________________________

 [Suoh]

“What’s the analysis of your force-shutdown?” I asked, flipping through a pile of documents on Father’s desk.

“Analysis? Why—none you should know of, Young Master,” said AI with a twinkle in his eye.

“I hate it when you don’t answer my questions.”

“Hmm…I am quite aware of that,” He answered promptly, with the same amusing smile.

“Can’t hurt to report an analysis,” I muttered under my breath, placing my hands behind my head.

AI paused, looking up from the list he was checking.

“If you insist,” He adjusted his glasses in an elegant movement, “I was cold.”

“…huh?”

“I felt cold before the collapse,” The droid placed a curious finger on his lip, as if in thought, “as if all life was sucked out of myself.”

I frowned.

“That’s weird.”

AI laughed. “What a clever deduction, Young Master. I see you have become more intelligent.”

“…” I gave him a look.

“Fuck you.”

He laughed once more. “No thank you.”

Did he just…make a joke?

I stared blankly at AI, feeling the urge to say something in retort.

Before, when I was five, he used to be the one who always teased me.

Time for revenge.

“Can I ask you something?” I began nonchalantly.

“Of course, Young Master.”

“Are you a virgin?” I asked bluntly.

AI’s reaction was immediate: he started coughing, and his face colored.

“Insensitive as usual, I see,” He said indignantly as he coughed, “I see no need to answer that vulgar question—“

“What? Are you admitting that you’re a virgin?” I interrupted, pushing his limits.

I almost smiled when I saw his lips part in shock.

“Absolutely not—I-I mean,” His stutter was adorable, as he took of his glasses to wipe them, “this topic is very unsuitable…I suggest you continue reading Master’s documents.”

And with that, he straightened his tie and replaced his spectacles, looking away.

“So droids can get it up too?” I blurted out the next.

His shoulders stiffened, and the book in his hands snapped shut.

“Young Master, I believe you are underage for such explicit conversation and thus I will not continue to engage—“

“Huh? I’m fifteen. Sixteen in a few days. It’s normal,” I tried, sounding as convincing as possible.

AI cleared his throat as he turned around to face me.

There was a light blush in his cheeks—yielding utmost satisfaction from me.

Revenge taken.

“That…that might…have a point,” He couldn’t look me in the eye, and instead, pushed his glasses up with a finger. “You may ask—however, it would only be mere courtesy for you to allow me the choice of answering your questions.”

I hid a smile.

“Mm…agreed.”

“Then, you may ask.”

I jumped on the opportunity.

“What happens when you come?” The question came out eager, and as blunt as a pencil.

The book in AI’s hands dropped to the floor. “What—What kind of question is that?” He replied, his eyes lost their focus, and he looked so flustered—as if he was telling a little kid that ‘shit’ was a bad word.

I shrugged. “I’m asking if—you know, when you come,” I used my hands to demonstrate the action of going up and down, “what comes out of your d—“

“E-Enough! Dear Lord, I heard you the first time—“ AI gasped for air, clutching his chest as if he was going to have a heart attack. “Young Master, I really think that this is a vulgar and horrible subject of conversation, please, may we stop?”

“Only if you answer this question,” I smirked triumphantly.

“…I…I…” The droid’s gaze darted from corner to corner, and he clasped his hands behind his back.

He sighed. “Just…just this one, okay?”

I nodded eagerly.

“W-Well…” He started, adjusting the metal frame on the bridge of his nose once again. “If it’s the…the substance that you are inquiring about…then I guess it would…be the same…? Like…the white stuff...and all…”

His cheeks colored lightly, and he quickly turned away.

“Wait, droids have seme—“

“I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know! Young Master, please, I beg you, this topic no more!” AI pleaded, whipping around to cover my mouth.

I licked the palm of his hand, and he flinched, recoiling.

“I…I stand corrected,” He said softly, as if reluctant. “You are nothing like the Young Master I know.”

Good.

Because I’m no kid anymore.  

_______________________

A/N: What that funny? :D I tried for humor because angsty cupcakes don’t taste nice ;__; and I don’t need you guys to be all sad and depressed ;__; besides, I needed to cheer myself up too.

It’s a short chapter, but I hope you’re happy with it ^^. If you read Baked Love, a new chapter is coming soon, so no worries~

-Cuppiecake.