Work Text:
"Okay..."
Taehyun stepped back as he appreciated his work. The sturdy, humanoid bot receiving its last checkup before completion. Taehyun looked fondly at its unique features.
The cherub face with a high nose rested peacefully in suspended animation, like deep sleep.
"What am I doing?" Taehyun mumbled to himself.
The tech genius frustratingly pulled his hair as his impulsive—and expensive—hours of work crashed on him.
He built a friend. He built a fucking friend. How lame could he be? A multi-billionaire so lonely, so starved for a connection that he spent his time building something programmed to love him.
Something programmed to not see his scars and wounds.
His fingers hesitantly ghosted over the final piece. The data card with gigabytes of his world stored in it. Once installed, his lonely days will be over. Once installed, his most desired person will return to him. His Kai, his everything.
With jittery hands, Taehyun held up the bot's shirt and pressed the card into its slot. A flash of blue light like veins spread through the charmingly freckled chest. He took a step back as the system accepted the program and booted up.
The beating of his heart filling his ears so much that the gentle whirl of the motor was barely audible. His breath hitched as the tiniest twitch of its nose grabbed all his attention. Mechanical eyelids experimentally blinked, showing perfectly hazel, glass eyes staring down.
"K-Kai?" Taehyun said in a broken whisper.
The artificial smile that blessed him was everything he dreamt of, everything he clutched to, everything his heart yearned for.
"Hello again, Taehyun."
Taehyun's vision became blurry with relief. “Kai.”
The sentient robot stepped off his pedestal and gathered the smaller human in his arms. The synthetic material that was his skin was warm and infused with the mint scent he remembered. He did it, he raised the dead.
“Why are you crying, Tyun?” Kai asked.
Taehyun just looked up at him, unable to process that his toiling was worth it. He always imagined that Kai would be bigger than him, like his dad. His gentle embrace is now a blanket around him. Would this be his Kai all these years later?
“I'm just so happy to see you,” Taehyun shared softly.
Kai frowned. “Your Blood Alcohol Count is 3 points above the legal limit. Were you drinking while working?”
Taehyun humorlessly chuckled. “A little.”
“Operating heavy machinery while intoxicated is highly dangerous. You should go rest,” Kai stated, pressing his hands all over Taehyun's exposed skin.
Taehyun smiled lazily. “I was fine. You're fine.”
Kai shook his head. “That may be correct but you shouldn't work and drink as an engi—”
“Shhhh. I built you too well, Kai-yah,” Taehyun silenced, laying his head on his sturdy shoulder.
“Then I should be prepared to do my program well.”
Taehyun squeaked as firm arms lifted him off his feet. He had no option but to wrap himself around Kai's neck. The android had no difficulties carrying the engineer out of his workshop and back into his living space.
“Thank you for installing a layout of your apartment, Tyun,” Kai commented, confidently stalking through the apartment to the owner's bedroom.
He did it for Kai's comfort, not really expecting the current situation. His face was pink with drunkenness and butterflies. Looking at Kai at this angle, beautiful. The side profile Taehyun imagined he'd have is sculpted and handsome. His long fingers wrapped around him tightly. Would this be the Kai he'd marry one day?
Kai set Taehyun on his bed and maneuvered the sheets around him. “There. It's currently 7:43 in the morning, so I can prepare some soup for you for the afternoon.”
Taehyun's brow furrowed. “I have nothing to cook soup with.”
“No problem. You don't mind if I go out to get some, right?” Kai questioned, already walking to the bedroom door.
Maybe using a helper bot as the base of his new Kai program was a mistake, Taehyun thought. This Kai moved carefully around him as if his entire world was centered there. Too doting, too cautious.
“Y-Yeah. That's fine,” Taehyun allowed, resting his head on the pillow.
With another artificial smile, Kai vacated his bedroom. Instead of sleeping right away, Taehyun's ambitious mind brainstormed key points to fix in Kai's programming. Is there a consequence for giving a robot more sentience? Probably best to keep his thought processing logical and predictable.
Taehyun's stomach fluttered at the thought of more romantic impulses. Is it narcissistic to build your own romantic partner? He's already gone this far, might as well solidify his loneliness. The lovesick grin made his face sore. He covered his giggles with his pillow. He couldn't power his brain down long enough to forget that his Kai is here.
His Kai.
The one he could never let go of. He's here and made for him. They were always made for each other. He could discover what it feels like to fall asleep in his arms. To hear his artificial heartbeat under his cheek. His dreams are so close.
Those daydreams lulled him into a deep sleep. Where he could dream of all the things he could do with his Kai. All his firsts, his lasts. He saved them all because they were promised to someone. Now he could fulfill that promise.
Taehyun's head ached with regret as his eyes opened next. His curtains had been drawn, leaving just enough light to see in the abyss of his room. His digital clock read just after 3 in the afternoon. His squinted eyes shifted to the singular pill and tall glass of water.
Take this when you wake.
I've made seafood hangover soup,
Join me when you're ready.
- Kai
All the technical effort to mimic Kai's chicken scratch was worth it as well. Would Kai's handwriting be better now? Maybe he could adjust it a bit, but for now, the cute way he wrote his sentences struck deep. Days of little notes that dangerously crossed aisles during class. Sneaking a look at Kai's journal in middle school, curious to see what he wrote that day. His cute blush when Taehyun caught his name written a million times on one page.
Taehyun's entire body protested as he sat up slowly. He's determined to catch Kai in action. He'd never see him cook if not for his now innate abilities. He can pretend his Kai grew up and finally learned how to do things correctly. With that thought, he carefully waddled to the kitchen.
The aroma of deep spice filled the air. It already smelled delicious as he got closer and closer. A small smile grew on his lips as he watched Kai's back. The neat bow of his apron on the small of his lower back.
“Oh. Good afternoon, Tyun,” Kai greeted when he noticed his creator's presence.
Taehyun watched him go back and forth. “You are extremely chipper.”
Kai paused. “How can I not be when I'm with you?”
“Extremely chipper and cheesy,” Taehyun mumbled into his hands that hid his blush.
The two hands that took him pulled him to his small dining table. One couldn't tell the skin wasn't real. Soft and supple, the warmth it exudes was comforting. Taehyun lightly wrapped his fingers around his bigger hand.
“I've made your soup, Tyun. Also, I got you some cider! You shouldn't consume such unhealthy substances but a treat for working so hard to build me,” Kai narrated as he pushed Taehyun into a seat.
Taehyun blindly followed, taking his seat without objections. His wide eyes observed as Kai neatly plated his food. The steaming clay pot of red-pigmented soup was overflowing with fresh seafood. His gaze shifted to the plate of sliced bread.
“In place of rice, I thought some fresh bread would be a nice change. You can soak up soup the same way too,” Kai explained, contently smiling over his decision.
Taehyun let out a chuckle. “No rice? My mother would be offended.”
Kai's brow creased in worry. “Should I steam some rice? I thought bread from the bakery would be a little different for your diet...”
“I'm kidding. Thank you, Kai-yah. It looks delicious,” Taehyun calmed, patting his forearm.
Taehyun's breath hitched as Kai's face brightened with a grin. His Kai always filled a room with his smile. Awkward and small but he had a cherub face that no one could resist. At least he got that part right, Taehyun thought. Kai's expression melted into a quizzical look.
“What?” Taehyun questioned.
Those graceful fingers cradled his jaw. His delicate nails sent shocks to his brain wherever they pressed into his skin. His face is getting closer, it's not stopping. The smell of mint fogged his brain.
Hesitant lips touched his. Just enough for his breath to cease from bliss. Every centimeter was connected in an innocent embrace. Taehyun impatiently moved his lips without a thought. Kai quickly learned and gently squeezed Taehyun's bottom lip in between his lips.
The fleeting kiss was over as soon as it began. Taehyun breathed deeply like he ran a marathon to meet those lips. Kai's eyes softened as he took in his state.
“My program tells me that affectionate touches are great for affirmation. I feel like you waited very long to receive that,” Kai softly stated.
Taehyun wordlessly stood from his seat. He reached up to wrap his arms around Kai's neck and bring him in for a deeper kiss. The awkward, sloppy, and desperate lip lock brought tears to Taehyun's eyes. His cheeks grew damp as Kai's arms lovingly hugged him close.
His first kiss belonged to Kai. His second kiss belonged to Kai. His last kiss belonged to Kai. Reality is in sync with the dream behind his eyes. The pillow-soft lips of his first and last love moved with his. The heaven that was his embrace shielded him again.
Sobs made his lips stutter. He couldn't even keep his arms held up anymore. They slid off Kai's shoulders, landing on top of his. His damp face buried into his wide chest. The android continued to stay silent, allowing his creator to vent decades of pain.
The hangover soup was long forgotten as Taehyun's aches poured out. Images of his best friend throughout school flashed into his mind. His sweet best friend who he knew loved him as much as Taehyun loved him. They could never separate long enough to figure out what there is to being a teenager. Why discover what they can find themselves?
Under sheets, in corners, in dark rooms, under the veil of secrecy. Their hands found each other and held on tight in the face of the world outside of theirs. Until one of them let go.
Taehyun shakily took Kai's hands and squeezed for dear life. The memories crept in and blinded him with fresh tears. The Kai he stared at wasn't his. He was a puppet of his own grief.
“Tyun?”
“Yeah?”
Taehyun made the painful mistake of looking up from studying the floor. The happiness in Kai's face was too real. His Kai couldn't grow up to show him this happiness. He created artificial smiles to heal a wound that he plugs up with bottle caps.
“I love you,” Kai gushed, soft cheeks filled with their own drug.
Despite his flushed, damp cheeks and watery gaze, Taehyun smiled back. His Kai was home, in his dreams where he belongs.
“I love you too.”