It was a new era. Robots roamed the streets after those who were wealthy enough to own one. They did everything, anything the owner told them to. The robots were slowly becoming a threat for those who used the bots for bad. Murder was the first conviction that made the bots a bad idea. It was worse for the robot than it was for the master, the bots were accused of completely doing it on their own. Humans believed the human saying they didn't give the bot that order than the actual bot who said they were only following orders.
It was a cruel world for most bots, many of them were shut down and kept in a cell until they could be reprogrammed. Others, who did major crimes, were taken apart limb by limb. They couldn't feel physical pain but they could feel pain emotionally and mentally. Watching themselves get ripped apart was traumatizing for bots and some were never able to get over the events.
On top of bots being convicted of murder or being tortured, they were badly treated commonly by humans. If they were sent out alone, they would be tripped or sometimes the bot would come home without an arm. It really was cruel on how the bots were treated. Those who hated bot treatement protested or were sent outside the city to live in the dying country side.
Humans got bots mainly for the daily labor they were too lazy to do themselves. Anything the humans didn't want to do, they made the bots do them. Some bots were appointed to those who were disabled. Since the mental hospitals or just general hospitals were filling quickly from bot attacks, patients were sent away with a robot to take care of them.
Robots who were taking care of their disabled master were the most treated badly. Humans didn't think robots were the correct caretakers for other humans, they thought they weren't good enough to take care of one of their precious fellow humans. The bots who took care of their human had a very visible Red Cross on their forehead, making them even more vulnerable to being attacked.
Lance had a bot, one of those that took care of him. After trying to commit suicide many times, the mental hospital sent him away with a bot. As much as Lance said he didn't want one, they pushed the robot onto him and he was only left with the decision to keep it.
His bot was a male, a law that was executed so the human and bot don't fall in love. The bot's name was Shiro, a bulky, well built bot that always greeted Lance with a smile. Lance, still unhappy about having a bot, never returned the smile and only ignored him. Lance was one of the few people who hated that bots were a thing because of how humans had become. All humans had become greedy and lazy after World War 3 and everything was destroyed. Lance, for a long time, thought it was the world's way of grieving all their loss but thought differently when they didn't change at all.
Shiro's character was quite nice and Lance felt guilty for ignoring him all the time. All the bot wanted to do was take care of him and he just treated him like he didn't exist. He couldn't imagine how that made the poor bot feel. He knew if he was ignored, he wouldn't be able to handle that and he would go into another stage of depression. Shiro, luckily, didn't have to be ordered around and did things he felt needed to be done. He went out to get groceries, he paid the bills by himself, and he even went out to get Lance's medicine, going as far as making sure Lance had taken it.
Shiro was taller than Lance by a couple of inches, maybe a bit more than just a few. The bot had a strange hairstyle, one that was ordered by Lance. He had a white floof of hair that covered the center of his forehead, the hair covered the Red Cross on the bot's forehead. It was the least Lance could do, he felt obligated to keep the bot from harm. It was his bot and even if he didn't want it, he still had to protect it at some cost.
Lance had ordered that Shiro wore normal, human clothes. He had asked Keith, a boy he had met from the mental hospital for some clothes for Shiro. The boy complied, he being one of the people who hated the way bots were treated. Keith and him had become friends instantly and frequently met up just to talk about the horrible world. Hunk, Keith's bot, had also become good friends with Shiro so the two would catch up while their humans talked.
It was a rainy day when Lance woke up. The rain poured harshly down on Earth, as it was mad for the way it has become. Lance ignored the storm though, getting up to start his daily routine. He walked down the stairs, smelling pancakes and bacon from the kitchen. A plate of food was sitting at the end of the long dining table with a glass of water and a pill.
Lance smiled a little, knowing Shiro was still wondering around doing things he hadn't ordered him to do. The door of the front door burst open and Lance spun, breath hitching. In the doorway was a circuiting Shiro, Hunk and Keith carrying him in.
Lance set into action, rushing over to his bot, taking the bot's arm from Hunk. "Go get dried up, Hunk. We don't want to worry about you circuiting too." Hunk nodded to the order and went to go get dried off while the two humans dragged the bot to his charging station. Once Shiro was laying on the uncomfortable metal bed, Lance fished out his phone and called up the one bot mechanic he knew was a bot defender.
Lance bit his lip, wishing he could do more than just wait for the mechanic to get here. Keith sat in a chair in the corner while Lance paced the room, clear panic in his expression.
"Look, Lance, you don't need to get so worked up." Keith had sighed, finally unable to watch his friend worry. "Circuiting is common for bots who stay too long in the rain. He'll be fine once Pidge gets here." Lance looked at Keith, ready to argue but thought again it and only nodded his head.
"I know you're right but I can't help worrying. He was out in the rain because I ran out of pills. If I had gotten up earlier, I could've went out to get them instead of him." Lance looked at Shiro, the bot still soaking wet and circuiting. Lance saw that the clothes he had on was soaked and clinging to his robotic body.
"This happens, Lance. Just try to keep calm until Pidge gets-" Lance shushed him, ushering him up from his seat and out the door.
"Sorry Keith, but I'm going to change Shiro's clothes. I can't stand watching it stick to him." Keith nodded, still hesitate to leave Lance alone in the way he was in. Netherless, he turned and walked downstairs to go find his bot.
Lance closed the door to the room and turned to the closet. He knew Shiro wouldn't have much clothes in here but he hadn't expected the closet to only have one other outfit in it. Lance recognized the outfit as the one he had gotten Shiro on the bot's birthday. He always saw Shiro in the same outfit, the bot must've felt the outfit was too precious to wear on a daily basis.
Lance found himself smiling as he took the outfit off it's hanger and turned to the bot. The human boy placed the outfit to the side as he started undressing Shiro from his wet clothes. He struggled to lift the bot up but succeeded and slipped the shirt off his body. He turned to replace the wet shirt with the one he had gotten the bot, it was a nice red plaid shirt that didn't have any buttons. The fabric was soft and Lance knew it would be much more comfortable than the wet clothes he had on.
Lance paused when he turned to put the shirt on Shiro. Faded bruises and scars were visible on the bot's chest. He frowned, tracing a cut that was obviously fresh. Lance slipped on the shirt, deciding he'll ask Shiro about it once he wakes up.
Lance, with heated cheeks, changed Shiro's boxers and pants. Once he was done, a knock brought his long observational stare from Shiro to the door. A small, dorky girl popped her head into the room. Lance smiled, greeting his old friend.
"What did you say caused this?" Pidge hummed as she worked on Shiro. She had the panel on his neck open and she had tools working away on him.
"He went to get my medicine and stayed too long in the rain." Lance replied, biting his nails nervously. Pidge stopped, looking over at him with a deep frown.
"This was not the rain's work." Lance frowned. Before he could ask what she meant, she continued. "Someone opened his panel and tinkered with his wiring that made him start circuiting."
"I- What- Why- How- How could someone do that? Shiro wouldn't just bend over and let someone mess with his set up." Pidge hummed at the thought. She pushed up her glasses and turned back to fixing up Shiro.
"Seems like he didn't do this willingly." The girl grabbed a wire cutter, the sight making Lance flinch. "There's a new type of oil specifically used to make a bot shut down temporarily. Whoever did this wanted Shiro to either murder you or forget who you even are."
Lance shuddered at the thought of dying at Shiro's hands. He shuddered even more at the thought of Shiro forgetting who he was. As much as Lance ignored him, he just couldn't ignore how the bot made him feel. As soon as Shiro was introduced to him, he had felt a surge of want and affection towards the man. He felt wrong for having such feelings and hoped if he ignored the bot and his feelings, that such things would go away. He was wrong, it's been a full year and they haven't even faded in the slightest, only became more evident.
"All done." Lance snapped his attention to the machenic who was now shutting Shiro's panel. She put away her tools before closing the box and standing up. "You just need to tell him to wake up." Lance rushed for his wallet but stopped when Pidge shook her head.
"B-But.." she shook her head, giving him a smile before she exited the room.
Lance turned to Shiro, heart pounding as he opened his mouth to say his order. "Wake up, Shiro." At the order, Shiro's eyes fluttered open and he sat up, eyes turning to Lance.
"Good afternoon, Master Lance." Shiro flashed him that smile. The smile that made his heart flutter. Lance smiled back, watching the bot's shocked face.
"Do you have any idea how much you scared me?" Lance muttered, falling forward and hugging the bot tightly. "Don't ever do that again. From now on, you are not to leave my side." The cold metal arm placed itself on Lance's lower back, holding him back equally as tight.
"Is that an order, Master Lance?" Lance snorted, nodding his head.
"That's an order, Takashi." Lance pulled back, wiping away the tears that had fallen. "And stop calling me 'Master Lance', it's just Lance."
The bot smiled, nodding his head. "Okay, Lance. I won't leave your side ever again. I'll stay by your side forever." Shiro flashed him a goofy smile, warning a small laugh from Lance.
"Good." Lance leaned in, catching the bot's surprisingly soft lips in his. He felt content that Shiro was alright. Shiro was his. He was Shiro's.
It got a little rushed at the end but I actually really liked how it turned out. Sorry if there’s any mistakes that I haven’t caught that need to be edited. ._. (Edit: I might make this a small little series. So maybe this is part 1)
