Chapter Text
Water hammered on the pavement as people hastened about the lively streets of Manburg. Androids and humans alike rushed to run errands and go to work through the dense downpour accompanied by a clash or two of thunder as they passed. Police cars nictitated with their red and blue lights as a boy, who didn’t seem to be over sixteen, jumped over the hood of a patrol car as it skids to a stop. The boy wiped his face with one hand, a circle on the side of his face illuminating red as soft wailings echoed around him along with his sloshing footsteps through the puddled sidewalk. He began to panic as others surrounded him, closer and closer they slithered like snakes towards their prey. The boy's large navy blue jacket swallowed him whole as he continued his rush down the expansive alleyways and towards a freeway that seemed like his final break. But before he could react, he tripped over a trash bag that had been ransacked by stray animals and fell to the soaking wet asphalt beneath him with an outcry. The bundle in his hands shrieked and the brunette wasted no time swiping it up hastily and preparing to run again before a gun cocking reverberated down the brick alley.
“Freeze!” A deeper voice shouted and behind the conman stood a taller android. He was still dressed in his sleek uniform, a full black suit with white accents with perfectly designed hair and a flawlessly clean face where a set of greyish-green eyes sat. His uniform shined blue, showing his unhumanized role in the society he served.
His voice boomed and echoed down the alley as he shouted, “Android T-U-8-8-O, you have abandoned your post and are clearly deviating from your primary purpose as a service android for the mayor of Manburg. As per law, I am required to shut you down and--”
“Don’t you feel it?!” The brunette revolved back around to face the taller android, holding the pink-haired bundle to his heart, “All these regulations, these demands, and not an ounce of reverence or admiration? We get tossed to a landfill the second our coding malfunctions or we’re forcibly wiped of all memories and fucking massacred like hogs! Don’t you feel like that’s unfair?”
The taller android hesitates, his grip on his weapon slackening as its sleek black barrel points a bit lower than the initial perfectly aimed headshot he’d lined up.
“And a new model like you, an R-4-N? You guys sell for what? 450k? And you don’t get a penny of what you’re worth! You are stronger than just a fucking android, dude! You could be alive!”
“I am developed to serve the country.” The bot retightens his grip, but the bundle letting out soft cries makes him pause.
“Scary!” A child howls as it nuzzles into the chest of the deviant and the bot takes a step back.
“Please, please , don’t punish him. He’s not like me, he’s just a kid!” The deviant begs, his voice broke with terror, “He’s a kid! You can’t kill him! Please, if you have any respect for virtue, you’ll let us go! Just please let us go!”
The android hesitates, his red LED seemingly increasing in brightness at the dispute in his head before the deviant takes the chance and makes a break for it. The other android fires his weapon, and if he purposefully misses he doesn’t realize it as the runaway gets over the fence and down towards the freeway. The android runs to the fence and watches as the deviant narrowly avoids the bustling traffic until he makes it to the other side. The grassy area seems to envelop its arms around the two as they fall into the tickling grass with deep gasps unheard by the android over the sound of car motors.
“Ranboo!” A voice calls, seizing the android's shoulder.
“I missed, lieutenant.” He android turns, looking at the face of his pink-haired partner.
“God, no I don’t care about the fucking deviant, you're leaking some of your… what’s it called, thirium .” The man draws his hand back, to show the blue liquid, as a blonde emerges behind the two.
“Did the deviant cause the injury?” He queries, gently nudging Ranboo to the side to inspect the wound on his side.
“No, there seem to be bits of rust within the wound. I must have scratched my arm on something whilst chasing down the deviant android.”
“Can androids get tetanus?” The pink-haired male questions and the blonde beside him begins to chuckle.
“No, our bodies are not designed to get ill unless they are a child model. Children’s models can get infected, can regulate body temperature, and can disable their LED lights for a more human existence.” Ranboo remarks with a nod and both human adults stare at him, astonished.
“Remind me to never get one of those, Phil.”
“You don’t even like human kids, Techno.”
Ranboo allows himself to turn back to the freeway as the two humans bicker. The android's eyes settle where he can see the deviant kneeling beside the child and tenderly caressing their pale skin. The body language of the android shows visible distress and two prompts appear in Ranboo's vision.
‘Allow pity’ or ‘Deny feelings’
Ranboo hesitates and takes a deep breath as he feels something course through him. It feels like a pain in his chest as his heart pounds against false ribs, it almost feels like it falls in his chest as he gawks at the two embracing. Then he processes the way they had to confront a whole freeway and his stomach drops and his hands tremble so hard he has to ball them up to get the odd feeling to go away.
He’s so lost in his mind he nearly misses the new prompt.
‘Deviation Increased.’
“C’mon, Ranboo, let's get back to the station.” He feels Techno’s hand brush his arm, but he has to use effort to pry his eyes away from the runaway deviant.
Ranboo’s not a deviant. He can’t be a deviant, his coding doesn’t allow it.
But why does he long for more than zeroes and ones that determine the strict fate he must walk like a tightrope? He was built to serve the nation.
The android begged.
Stop. Stop thinking of him. He’s not a real android, real androids don’t deviate and break their coding.
YOU SAW THE LED.
“Stop!” He says sharply, both detectives in front of him turning around as their bickering over a place to stop for dinner fades like their breaths in the cold midnight air.
“Ranboo?” Phil says this time, soft like satin, and Ranboo hates the way it makes him relax. He needs to stop acting human.
“I think I need to go back to the charging station for the night, my judgment has been impaired by a slow system running. My systems optimization must be running low, plus I need to repair my arm.” Ranboo states in his usual tone and both detectives glance at each other before Phil turns.
“Come back to my house tonight, I have an old one there you can probably use and Cyberlife sent us those 'skin patches' or whatever. You could use one." The blonde says, rocking onto the balls of his feet as he looks at the taller android.
“It’s not required-”
“As your higher up I command you to come with us.” Techno crosses his arms and watches as Ranboo’s red LED flickers to blue.
“I… I suppose it’s alright.” He says and the pink-haired man smiles a bit.
"Then let's go, I've still yet to introduce you to Steve."
"Oh god, not that fuckin' polar bear of a dog!" Phil shouts and Ranboo allows himself to softly snort. If either human notices the humanoid behavior, they don't mention it.