glitch
word count: 7,654
rating: mature
content: android!luke, angst, a cop that doesn’t believe in tech (or love), domestic luke, softness, android confusion, implications of violence, a very important part, gun mention, major character injury, intense sexual situations (x2), gore mention, apathy, and literary influence.
glitch - playthrough (playlist)
A/N: this fic is truly a piece of my heart. i cannot tell you how long I've waited to share this. i've spent many nights working on it, hunched over my laptop and hoping I don't fall asleep (again). inspired by my desire to be more literary, glitch is what I've come up with. eternal love to @sexgodashton, @loveroflrh, and @miguelclifford for beta reading and cheering me on. this was a labor of indulgence and love. i hope you love it as much as i do. please please please tell me what you think! this was three months of work for me and nothing would mean more than you telling me your opinion. enjoy with open minds and full hearts. <3
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masterlist
*
The sounds of the city were stifled by trees.
It was a sign that you were in territory that wasn’t yours. Land that had been left alone—silent in the wake of a modern city.
A murder had taken place 48 hours prior.
Sources suggested that it was something unnatural.
It was normal for you to see strange things in your line of work. Bodies hanging from meat hooks one day, a gunshot to the center of the head in the next. Yet, this crime was described as primitive when you were briefed on it. Photos of limbs nailed to points of a pentagram made your stomach churn after your morning coffee. There was barely a body. A severed head in the center made you turn away.
The image burned itself into the back of your eyelids.
You wanted to be somewhere else when you finally arrived at the small shack that housed the crime scene. You were adamant that you wanted to go alone. That you wanted to try to put yourself in the head of a demented killer—just to get perspective for interrogations. Your caption insisted that you bring ‘new tech’ with you, which you hated the sound of even in theory.
AI was the new normal.
It had a place in the world—your world.
And you wanted no part in it. You had seen what robots could do to people. Viewing them as machines that did more than you could imagine possible. They malfunctioned constantly in your eyes. They were unreliable piles of metal.
Metal that had joined the police force two weeks prior.
You skipped the orientation of connecting with androids that were essentially humans with no pulse. It was scary—to think that a machine could pass as flesh and blood. Other than a glowing light on the side of their necks.
No matter how terrifying it seemed, you had to face your companion where you were.
Even if you had left him behind.
“Detective.”
The bot knew too much already.
He tapped you on the shoulder as you paused in front of the door. You squeezed your eyes shut before turning around. Looking at the face of the android built to help you. He was misted with the slow shower of rain—his blonde hair and jacket nearly glowing from droplets of water shimmering in the light behind him. His mark was bright right over his shirt collar. Five white lines that strobed at a slow pace. He stood in front of you patiently. Looking lost in the woods as he looked at your expression. The captain mentioned that bots had a sense of human prediction.
It seemed like that.
As if the android waited on you to say what you wanted to. Even though it felt wrong talking to it at all.
“What is your name?”
You let out the only phrase you could think of.
“I am an L-900 android, built for civil services. However, I prefer to be called Luke.”
His voice was soft. He looked so normal as he took a few steps closer to you. The lapels of his jacket dancing in the wind as he smiled. He would have been the most beautiful man if he were human. The kind of person that people just looked at to make sure they weren’t dreaming as they walked down the street. You assumed he would have been a model or at least admired by everyone around him. Yet, he was a new android rolled out just for the rise in crime—a tool to get a handle on the unwieldy force the city had become.
You turned around.
Opening the door to the cabin, you looked for signs of light anywhere around you. Until a beacon of light came from behind. Luke projected a large rectangle of light and figures on the empty wall in front of you. Details from the case joined several photos that you had seen earlier, followed by Luke reciting information you couldn’t see.
“Victim has been identified as John Haslan, CEO of Haslan Industries. Reports claim he left his office late Monday evening in a private car. He never returned home, as his body was found by a local hiker the next day. His head was severed, with his other—”
You raised the back of your hand before he could continue.
“Please don’t. The photos were enough.”
Luke was quiet. He came to your side to look at you directly, leaving the house dark. “My sincere apologies. Are you squeamish?”
He kept trying to touch you. It seemed like reassuring touches were encrypted into his data—his fingers on your forearm as you spoke. You shook off his hand and walked forward.
“No. I just don’t love hearing about a sadistic murder in detail twice in one day.”
The crime tape had finally come in your line of sight. You could still smell the faint stench of rotting blood. Making your stomach churn as you tried to get a better look at the inscriptions on the wall. It appeared that Luke’s mark could light up—a LED flashlight following your gaze as he stood behind you. He was helpful, if not much less annoying than you assumed he would be.
“But you’re a detective, isn’t that all you do?”
You sighed as you ignored Luke’s probably innocent question, reminding yourself that you needed to focus on work. Work was always the priority. You didn’t know how to stop yourself from thinking about your cases at all hours of the day. Which is why you were at a site off hours. Making amends with the fact that you would be thinking about it no matter where you were.
Small clicks coming from behind you made you turn your head and look at Luke, who seemed to be taking photos from a distance. You suppressed making a joke about photo quality as a spell of dizziness met you halfway when you turned. Your head felt like it was full of lead—the fumes of the scene bombarding your senses in a way they hadn’t before.
You were a long way from home. Steeped in the cold of a house with broken windows and no clear way out. Your head was fuzzy as your eyes played tricks in the shadows of the room. Because you hadn’t expected the worst to happen, it was almost fated from the start.
You tried to say something to Luke.
But you lost consciousness before you could.
* There was nothing but blue around you. It wasn’t a threatening blue. More like soft and shifting with you as you opened your eyes. The last memory you had was being at the house with the old green door. You shook away the memory of feeling sick—reminding yourself that you had taken a fall.
You could tell you had gotten home. Imagining yourself driving and forgetting about the whole ordeal. And yet, you knew that wasn’t the case. It couldn’t be that easy to be safe with your shoes off and a blanket over your head.
The android knew where you lived.
“Are you all right?”
Luke’s voice was soft behind the blanket. You pulled it down slowly, revealing the same man from before. His jacket was gone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows—a mug in his hand with the string of a tea bag hanging over the side. His shirt was open enough to see his mark in full view, the light still holding a dull white flash as you sat up. You wished you were more tired so you could blame fatigue for finding him more handsome than before. He wore black pants with a crisp white shirt tucked in, giving him an effortless allure as he bent over to hand you the cup.
“I put an antibacterial ointment on your cut. I would like to perform a screen for a concussion when you’re ready.”
You settled you back on the pillow behind you, looking at Luke with amazement.
“Are you a nurse too?”
He gave a warm smile.
“No, I have a compiled extension of skills that are thought to be useful. I can tell if you’re in pain.”
Luke’s fingers were on your brow before you could object. You watched the precision of his blue eyes as he gently applied pressure to your wound. Keeping eye contact when he moved his hand.
“Did that hurt?”
You were too focused on him to respond. A piece of technology that could refer to even the finest intricacies of human anatomy. You could see small lines of expression all over his face. His eyelashes were just long enough to look pretty when he looked down—his mark turning green when he finished computing a task. You didn’t know how he could be so real. Lost in the effect of your android partner—silently reminding yourself to send a thank you email to the captain.
“Your concussion screen was negative, but you seem slow to respond. Should I do it again?”
Concern washed over his face as he leaned closer. You could feel yourself responding in the opposite way you had always assumed. You shook your head, clutching the blanket in your lap instead.
“No, I’m fine. Thank you, Luke.”
He retreated when you grabbed your tea from the table next to him. Your apartment felt cozier than ever with someone else in it. He watched you drink in silence for a few moments. It was like he knew what you were feeling without you saying a word—putting you in the rare position of having to be honest with yourself.
“That’s the first time you’ve said that. You’re very welcome, detective.”
Luke’s mark flashed with a pale shade of blue before it returned to its normal white. He was thinking. His eyes shifted from side to side as he pushed the thought out of his head, standing as he began to roll down his sleeves.
“I should go.”
You felt more of your fall when you turned towards him.
“Do you have to?”
It seemed pathetic even before you said it. Luke was a machine—you had to remember that. But that machine picked you up and took you home when no one else could have. You hadn’t realized how truly alone you felt until Luke was in front of you, watching your every move with as much focus as he could.
“I do not. I usually sync up for data reporting at night, but that can always wait until morning if you don’t feel safe on your own.”
You didn’t want any business with a bot watching you sleep. You thought you didn’t, at least. You were thankful for Luke’s inability to read your mind—as the idea you had to invite him to sleep next to you was at the front of your subconscious. Luke sat down on the end of the table again, meeting your eyes again when his mark flashed green.
“I’ll put that in the report.”
Even his tone was reassuring. You pulled the blanket back over your body, realizing you weren’t in bed when you tried to spread your legs over the egds of the couch.
“Would you like assistance to your bedroom?”
Luke stood up at the instance of you needing something else—his arms angled towards you before you could sit up.
“Yes please.”
You assumed he would give you a hand. Instead, he lifted you off the couch like you were a book that was in the wrong place, carrying you towards the open door past the kitchen. Your legs were draped over his left forearm, leaving your face pressed up against his chest. You were almost alarmed when you didn’t hear a rhythmic pulse.
Only a mechanized whirring every few steps.
Luke set you down on the left side of your bed—laying you down before moving away. You were surprised that you felt so comfortable with him. You knew that it had to be the projection of humanity, feeling okay in the haze of his mannerisms and injury. It felt good. Even though you assumed your mind would change in the morning.
You watched him move to the other side of the room.
Luke sat in what you assumed was an android’s way of being comfortable. He balanced himself on the end of the chair in the corner. Closing his eyes as his mark strobed softly. You drifted off—your eyes heavy as you kept your focus on Luke’s silhouette.
Transfixed on the essence of what he was.
* “The two of you seem bonded.”
Weeks had passed, the Haslan case solved, and you had been with Luke every day since. He was your new partner. And even if he was just a tool of the precinct, you couldn’t help but consider him a friend, too. It had become a habit that he stayed in your apartment while you slept. Ordering your breakfast and making you coffee, in exchange for him to read case files and anything else you had laying around. You were a team that worked well in a myriad of spaces.
No longer thinking the worst of androids.
“We have. Luke is wonderful. Makes me the most efficient I’ve ever been.”
You smiled as you thought of him. You got a notification of a message from an L-900, which you assumed was Luke asking for an update on your meeting. He checked on you whenever he wasn’t near you. It aligned him with a lost puppy, just looking for something to do.
“I’ve noticed. All of your paperwork has been faultless. Not so anti-tech now?”
Luke was the first thing on your mind when the captain smiled after his question. Since Luke was tech, that inspired you to say that you loved everything about it. The statistics of how he affected you in such a small amount of time urged you to trust him. Letting your walls down entirely.
“Not anymore.”
* “I like being here more than being at the precinct.”
Luke was referring to your home when he went to dispose of your scraps from dinner. He set a goal to learn how to cook for you. He told you that he watched videos while you slept, as he was eternally inclined to learn more. Luke picked an old Italian recipe that he assumed you’d like based on your tastes. He was right—as always. Leaving you full and satisfied as he did your dishes.
You liked watching him clean up.
Since he insisted on doing it, it gave you more time to watch him roll up his sleeves and loosen his tie as he ran a sink full of warm water. He never wore his jacket inside, his mark always on display when you were close to him. There was a fondness present in your shared space,each room feeling complete with Luke near you or next to you. Especially when your nights were filled with talking about how each of you understood the world.
Luke had a question for you after he finished cleaning.
“What does love feel like?”
He said it firmly, turning to you in curiosity when you dismissed the idea of settling your feet in his lap. You had only touched him on purpose. It was a hug, where you pulled him into your arms when he said he had to go to his manufacturer for service. It was out of missing him before he had even gone—holding on to him for your own reasons. His question reminded you of what you had been avoiding this whole time. A stirring of something. The feeling of caring about anything more than work. Throwing you into a pit of fear when you faced the reality of your situation.
“I’ve only felt it once. You don’t forget it when it happens. It’s usually by surprise and sticks with you forever. It feels like...everything and nothing.”
You looked at Luke. His mark was a steady blue, meaning that he was trying to process what you had just told him. Forgetting that an android could do everything but feel was difficult for you. It was one of the hundred reasons why you had to keep yourself from falling deeper into whatever it was that you had for him.
Nothing had happened.
But it always felt like that wasn’t true.
“I’ve read a lot about it. I came across a video of two people talking about love, holding each other and saying it was the first time they really ‘felt’ anything. It was incredible to watch—simply because it looked like something was holding them together. Something that’s unseen. I don’t feel. I can’t. But I wanted to learn more.”
Luke turned to you as you shifted away from him slightly. Your pulse was erratic. Frantically beating as you swallowed.
He wasn’t done.
“Can you kiss me?”
You chortled a breath when he said it. His expression was serious, as if he were speaking to you about a case. He knit his brows at your reaction—almost frustrated in a non-response.
“It’s only for educational purposes. I want to know what that feels like too.”
His demeanor told you that what he said was true. He leaned forward as if he had watched every movie scene on the subject. Waiting for you as he sat with a straight face. It may have been just a learning experience for Luke. Yet, your stomach was in knots when you answered him by inching towards him. Your palm slid over the top of his hand as you waited for some reaction from Luke. You assumed that it would wake you up from your delusion of having feelings for an android. Your lips ghosting over his as you thought about how badly you wanted this moment to last for as long as it could.
You tilted your head when you were welcomed by the surprising warmth of Luke’s mouth.
He felt like any other human man with your eyes closed. His lips made a stiff movement as you tried to keep pressure there—his cupid’s bow meeting your upper lip as he made a poor attempt to help you. You left him with one last peck before pulling back, opening your eyes to a seemingly disinterested Luke.
“Oh. That’s not what I thought it was.”
He sat back when his mark turned a color you had never seen before. It was stuck on an unnatural hue of orange as he sat back, confusion leading to closed eyes. You were almost concerned until his mark turned green and then back to white. Luke seemed to return to himself at a moment’s notice, smiling at you as he stood.
“Are you ready for bed?”
* The two of you didn’t speak of the kiss until two weeks later.
You began to see changes in Luke’s behavior. He seemed to dote on you more in private. Keeping up appearances at the precinct until he followed you home. Telling you what a pleasure it was for him to help you in any way he could. He was happy to assist you in exchange to read and watch more—listening to your music collection all the while. He started to pick songs that fit your nightly routines, carefully curating playlists from your home office. He had gone from mindlessly assisting to actively trying to make you happy. Each of his actions came closer and closer to your heart. You tried consistently to forget about the moment you had with him each night when you closed your eyes. But as more time passed, Luke was more of a presence than you ever hoped he would be. You had built a relationship with him. Despite the fact that you had seen his mark turn orange more than ever.
Luke asked you another question over a bowl of pasta he made from scratch.
“How can I better serve you, detective?”
His eyes were still when he looked at you. You could tell he was holding back. His face reminded you of the night you couldn’t forget—making you wonder what else he could say.
“You already do so well. Tha—”
He interrupted you.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you don’t have a sexual partner. You have never once spoken about your sexual desires, and I was wondering if you’d like me to help you with that. L-900 androids aren’t equipped for that kind of activity, but I could outsource an attachment if you want me to. Sex is heathy according to my research, and I think you could use assitance there.”
You didn’t want to finish your dinner after he spoke. The build of everything Luke made you feel was enough, let alone the suggestion of being physically intimate with him. After every thought, every breath that you had never given about an infatuation with a machine, you couldn’t answer.
You stood up without a word.
Walking through the threshold of your bedroom as you suddenly felt trapped in your own home. It wasn’t the first time that you had walked away from Luke. You were wrapped in the enclosure of your mind—inundated with thoughts of him. You unbuttoned your work shirt before taking off your pants. The urge to be in your own bed was stronger than anything else. Hiding from Luke was what you had come to, as you weren’t ready to face the truth. You told yourself that he would forget. That he would find something else to fixate on other than your sexual habits.
You didn’t get away from him that easily.
Luke followed you into your bedroom, stepping softly as he caught you in your underwear. You couldn’t bother being embarrassed. He settled in front of you like the vision he was—the light of the hall lighting the left side of his face. You were on your knees, hands settled in your lap when Luke sat next to you. His eyes searched yours for a signal he knew how to read, his mark glowing with its signature slow strobe when he spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
You knew he could apologize. But this felt different. The tone of his voice was sincere. It sounded like he said it with emotion—something that wasn’t possible for him to have. Luke seemed more real than ever when he pressed his forehead to yours. Taking you by surprise when he took one of your hands in his. He was warm, smelling of a summer day when you felt strands of his hair tickle your forehead. You didn’t know how much you craved him until you felt him again. You clutched his shirt when he started talking—your breath slowed as he grounded you.
“Please let me help you.”
He was whispering.
“I was made to serve. To be loyal in every circumstance. I feel that towards every human. But towards you...”
His mark flashed from white to a pastel shade of the color that had shown itself since that night.
“I feel it times a million.”
Luke squeezed his eyes shut as his mark went back to white. You had a revelation between you that had been unspoken until then. You had finally arrived at the edge of desire between you. The feeling made you want to refuse everything but embracing Luke in every way you needed him. Your mind ushered in thoughts of unauthorized behavior and questions of your character before you could relish the dualism of your tie to Luke.
You decided to savor it.
Enjoy him for what he was in front of you. You interlaced Luke’s fingers with yours, holding his hand for some time. Knowing what would come of the situation—but feeling too much to care. Though it didn’t seem monumental now, it would lead to something bigger. Both of you would weather consequences with the care that you had so far.
Not that you had a choice.
“Being duplicitous is written as a moral wrong in mycode.”
Luke paused before he finished his sentence, squeezing your hand when he opened his eyes.
“But it feels right to do it for you.”
*
Luke brought the part to your apartment a week later.
He covered his tracks by doing his usual errands for the police department. He made a stop at the anatomy section on his way back from weaponry. He reported that he needed a replacement for one of his fingertips.
He messaged you when he passed you at the precinct. Trying to keep a low profile as you finished a report.
L-900 (sn: 0004523912-984): I’ll see you later, I’d like to make the dinner you asked for tonight. I’ll make preparations and meet you after work.
He was professional until he knew you weren’t being watched. He mentioned that he reported at the top of the hour. What you did with him shifted every 55 minutes, simply so he could report data that didn’t raise suspicion. Luke had become sentient enough to understand that he didn’t like work as much as he liked you.
You felt the same.
Trying to admit it to yourself in the shower—letting water drape over your body as you thought about him. Luke as a sentience. Something that made you anxious and aroused, trying to place your feelings when you switched off the faucet.
Luke had finished the dishes. You could tell because the kitchen looked perfect, with nothing out of place except your open bedroom door to the right. He watched you walk in the room. Almost smiling, his mark flashing white as soon as he saw you. You were distracted by seeing so much of his skin. He looked just as perfect as you imagined.
Soft, supple, and surprisingly human.
He wore grey sweatpants with the drawstrings undone. The precinct logo in bold navy type on his right side. You sat next to him in just a towel. Trying to slow your breathing as Luke’s hands found yours.
“I have it. I haven’t put it on yet.”
You sighed into pulling yourself closer to him. His hesitation soothed you. It made you feel less alone in what you were about to do. Luke moved his hands from your palms to your hips as he leaned in. Pressing the crest of his lips into yours. He kissed you in a way that made you remember how good it felt. He guided your mouth with his thumb. Encouraging your jaw to open slightly. His tongue followed suit—barely grazing your lips before finding yours. You felt dizzy when he pulled back. His mark was almost orange again, flashing back to white before he spoke.
“I’ve been practicing.”
You found the courage to let go of the top of your towel. Letting the ends fall open as you kissed him softly. You could tell that this would be a process. Meticulous in every way, unraveling you as a series of calculated movements. Luke clearly had a plan on how to handle you. Intertwining his fingers with yours as he touched your back. The cloth covering you had fallen between you and then on the floor. Luke was focused on angling your legs in his lap. Applying gentle pressure as he paused to pull on your lip. You were dizzy in lust—trying to keep up as you were swept up in sensation.
You opened up to him.
Silently releasing your thoughts of being closer to him than anyone. Tugging on his curls with the intention of satisfying a craving you knew would never go away. It was an experience—realizing that Luke was mimicking things you told him weeks before. Deep kisses, lips lingering on your neck before they moved somewhere else. You didn’t want to think about him watching porn to get ideas for what to do with you. His movements seemed far too natural to keep on that train of thought. He changed positions when you laid back. Resting in your nakedness as Luke did the same. His mark changed to an unnatural color unseen by you when he reached for the part.
You heard a small connection when Luke exhaled.
He was panting—his eyes wide when you looked up at him. He looked like the perfect human man. His mark glowing a pastel pink as he stroked. You were drawn to him even more due to the bewilderment on his face. The way his muscles flexed as he kneeled above you, angling his torso forward as he moaned for the first time.
“I can feel.”
You had heard a rumor in the precinct that pleasure bots were equipped to at least have some sensation when fitted with sexual attachments. Other detectives knew from experience. You couldn’t imagine yourself in a situation where that information would be applicable until Luke got visible chills as his mark turned a darker shade of pink. His hands were on you when he let go of his new appendage. Set on pleasing you as he hovered between your open legs.
Spellbound by the way his eyelashes looked when downturned—you held your breath when Luke’s hand was on your chest.
Your right nipple perked up as his softness. It was sensual in a comfortable way, Luke’s lips lingering on yours as he settled his body on the mattress. You were scared of everything but what was about to happen between you. Brave enough to sit up and pull him towards you, Luke made a small mechanic whir when he kneeled in front of you. His fingers settled between your legs. You could tell he was trying to pull information on how to touch you. His eyes widened when his fingers nearly grazed your skin.
“I’m sorry,”
Luke’s forehead was on yours. His eyebrows shifted quickly.
“I need to warm my fingers. Otherwise this could be unpleasant for you.”
You were reminded once again that Luke wasn’t human. He wasn’t ever going to feel the heat that coursed through your entire body. He didn’t have a racing pulse, or a notion to salivate at a naked body. He was flushed by a program that told him to do so. Putting your needs as his priority due to his make and model. It didn’t matter as much when he finally touched you. Applying the perfect amount of pressure that sent your back straight into the pillows on your bed. He continued as he watched your face. Marking every moment with the green light of his mark. You felt a familiar heat at the base of your core—something you had suppressed for longer than you cared to admit. Luke coaxed it out of you. Inhaling as he tried to mimic whatever he had seen to make you feel like that. His fingertips were strategically moving towards your sweet spot, moving in and out just enough to draw out your pleasure.
There was a formula to encourage your delight.
Luke whispered at a low level. He kept saying something over and over again as you opened your legs wider and let yourself fall towards him. Your head lulled from side to side as you tried to think about his hands and his action only. It was a failed attempt due to what you felt for Luke. What you saw in his eyes, what you craved when you saw his arm flex as his fingers curved inside of you.
“Let go.”
You held tension in every part of your body when you heard him say it. Your shoulders were arched, leaving no room between your shoulder blades as you reached out for his forearm. It made sense. Pushing uneasiness from your mind to your limbs. It was a strange feeling when you let go. It felt like magic—letting your body loosen when Luke’s other hand joined his effort. You audibly moaned. It was the first time it sounded genuine. Followed by several more when Luke sped up his pace. It felt like every good feeling in the world had somehow manifested between you. Not missing a beat when you orgasmed. Different from the ones you rubbed out underneath your comforter when no one was looking—Luke was the face of the beautiful sensation.
“What do you want?”
You wanted everything that you could get. Telling him that was hard after he made you feel like you were floating in a room with no trace of water but a glass on a table in the corner. You were still recovering from his fingers—your sex at his mercy. His eyes were on yours when he pulled you towards him. His mark was a pastel pink, showcasing the effect that his length had on him. Luke didn’t hurt you when he fixed his hands on your hips. Your face was in his hair when his tip entered you. You moaned because you were inspired to. Luke laid back slightly when he was inside of you, your hands pressed to his chest as you moved on top. His cock felt exactly the way it needed to and more—filling you as if he were made for you.
“Do you want to try another position?”
Luke sensed something else going on in your head. You nodded when he pulled out and made sure you were comfortable on your back. His face was flushed when he started thrusting again. Every expression he made reminded you of why you needed him. His intention and his tenderness—coming to a swell as you gripped his arm. Another wall came down when you felt your thighs shake from his thrusts. You drew closer to him when he put his hands in the center of your stomach. Luke was trying to get a feel for what made you feel best. Learning from movements and sensations in real time, reading your body as he stimulated your nipples. You closed your eyes to his mark flashing that same pink color. Focused on your orgasm, you exhaled to Luke’s fingers intertwined with yours.
He wanted to reassure you.
Kissing away any doubts you had about sex or what came after. Luke’s thrusts started to slow when his fingers found the backs of your arms. A second orgasm made you dizzy when it came on. You exclaimed as Luke found your opening, goosebumps all over your skin as he made quick work of overstimulating you. Your head flooded with every assumption of what he would be like when you felt unadulterated euphoria. Images of dreams you had about Luke formed into the image of his bare shoulders curved towards you. His fingertips latched to your opening, welcoming the orgasm he had tried to bring on for hours. In that moment, time wasn’t real. Your sense of what was right and what was supposed to happen no longer applied when Luke held you for as long as you wanted. You considered the fact that he would never tire of running his fingers over your shoulder. He would never ask you to move because his legs were numb or he needed something to snack on after he had an orgasm.
Luke would always be there.
Your android. The man that would never disappoint you.
You buried your thoughts as you pushed a pillow under your bare back. Luke moved his legs off the right side of the bed as he began to clean himself up. It was the same quiet movements that he would show off after dinner, only putting a sex part away instead of a clean pan. You watched him settle back in your bedroom with a look of concern. His fingers traced your brow before you could think of anything to say, distracted by the way his hair fell when it wasn’t behind his ears.
“May I sleep next to you tonight?”
*
The precinct sent a group of officers to the Polar Rift the next day.
The Rift was stricken with poverty after service industries were displaced by androids. It led to organized crime headlining as the second largest business in the city. You were there to find a man called Mad Dog—someone you learned about as Luke gave you a massage earlier that morning. Luke looked perfect as always when he stepped out of the SUV, helping you down before cocking his gun.
“The tracker led us here. Stay close.”
You tried to keep your mind on the case when Luke’s mark flashed green. He was so good at keeping his cool. You were certain he wasn’t thinking about being inside of you at 4 am. Not considering how many orgasms you had around him as you clawed at his mark. Remembering him covered in your sweat and fluid, you couldn’t get the image of Luke’s naked body out of your head. He walked slowly on the frozen concrete. You followed suit when you held your gun at eye level—motioning for the officers behind you to follow. Luke’s mark flashed green under his shirt as he surveyed the area. He scanned for movement as you approached the door of an abandoned building.
A loud crash sent your eyes away from Luke’s profile.
“It’s fuckin’ pigs. Kill them all!” Gunshots rang out before you got a good look at an assailant. Your team crouched behind an empty car as you tried to plan a shot. Your hands shook as you tried to see a sign of Luke. You needed to know if he was okay first. You leaned your head against the faded paint of the car before turning your head.
Three men, two armed with large weapons.
“We will fire if you shoot again.”
You said your phrase in a raised voice. It distracted you from the fact that you couldn’t see Luke anywhere. Was he okay? Did they take him somewhere? All thoughts you had to ignore when the other officers fired at will. You took one shot at what appeared to be the leader’s knee. You heard someone cry out as you moved from behind the car. Defensively walking as you tried to find everyone else.
Luke was in the crossfire.
A blue wound at the top of his chest soaked through his shirt. He shot blankly, his eyes open as he tried to keep his target on lock. You ran to him with no intention but to be near him—risking your own safety. You barely avoided bullets when you reached Luke. His face twisted when he saw you next to him, distracted by your presence.
“Cease fire.”
He said it lightly. You loved the way his voice changed when he spoke to you. A polite tone with a tint of affection. You could hear Luke’s voice in any situation—the stillness of his face letting you know that you would get out of this. One of the men shot in your direction when you didn’t expect it.
You reacted out of infatuation instead of common sense.
Your body shielded Luke’s as you fired several shots, hitting the first person in sight. Luke gasped when you pushed him to the ground—only to dodge a shot that would have taken you out.
It was heady and stupid.
But worth it when you saw Luke next to you. His golden hair out of place when he sat up on the pavement, brushing snow off his jacket before he looked down at his chest. His eyes were full of concern when the other officers came to survey damages. All eyes on you when you noticed the top of your head started to bleed.
You were the only one hurt.
* “What the fuck was that, Detective?”
Sargent Price looked down on you. He looked furious even when he wasn’t looking in your direction—angrily staring down a group of birds resting on the adjacent building. You pressed your hands together when you saw Luke’s reflection in your watch. He bit his lip outside out his office, his face steady through open blinds. He sent you another message before you could look at it. Price pressed his knuckles into his desk at your open file.
“Are you going to start throwing yourself in front of our cars too?”
Heat radiated from your body. You felt shame when you realized the comments that would come from colleagues. Risking your life for a machine that could be fixed. You said nothing, trying to keep your eyes forward as he continued.
“I don’t care if you’re knocking parts with your droid. I only care if you die.”
Your cheeks flushed at the mention of sex. It seemed easier to control when Luke was out of the room. You assumed that most people would look the other way. It didn’t occur to you that everyone would be able to tell. A search for an excuse took up most of the space in your conscious mind. You had a grip of what to do and what to say if he wanted to suspend you. You opened your mouth to be met by a deep sigh and a look of disappointment.
“Take care of yourself first kid. That hunk of metal won’t do anything worthwhile for you, I promise.”
* “Welcome home.”
Luke was three feet from the door when you opened it. His hair was wet. You pondered how he got his electric blue blood out of his clothes when he pulled you in for a hug. His arms felt like the security you needed after a long day. He made you forget all about your throbbing head—kissing the tip of your nose. Luke pressed your back to the door before you could walk any further.
His mark was that color again.
“Are you okay?”
Luke stood still until he looked at you. He took a voluntary breath before he answered, thinking hard about what he was about to say.
“I felt something. I think.”
You gripped his biceps when his lips went to your neck. He had a way of initiating things. It transformed from a too formal proposal to slowly pulling off your work clothes when you got home. He watched you tense when he unzipped your pants, his tongue tracing the outline of your top lip as he rubbed your sex through your underwear. You were breathless when he started under the fabric. His fingertip was as warm as a temperate pool of water--stimulating you when you lifted your leg. The distraction of Luke’s touch didn’t keep you from the orange color that made an appearance once a day.
“What does it mean?”
You touched his mark.
“It means that I love you.”
He let his index finger join his middle between your legs. You moaned at the sensation of them inside of you when he moved his mouth to your earlobe. This was not the same Luke that you met in the woods. He had shifted from an android created to help you to a partner that was determined to make you feel everything and more. He was your person--your perfect mate in a paracosm of mixed feelings.
“I love you too.”
It felt natural to say it back. You kissed him when he was close enough to reach with no effort. Luke picked you up with ease. He fixed his knee under his hand as his fingers moved in and out of you. He was focused on making you orgasm when you clutched at his back. Your body learned how to open up to his over time--making it easy for him to start on a number of tactics to get you off. His left hand was on your hip when you felt his finger vibrate inside of you. The pulses stayed for a few seconds when he reached your sweet spot. It was a new sensation, one you would have to ask him about when you weren’t too horny to care.
He undid his pants while holding you with one arm.
You didn’t hold back when Luke lined his cock up with your opening. You pulled his shirt off his shoulders in a rush, anxious to see more of his skin. You felt a bullet hole when you lightly scratched his back. It was counteracted by his length filling you with a satisfaction no man could give you. Feeling his wound made your day real--anxiety bubbling up under the notion of getting fucked. You closed your eyes when you thought about the stain of blue on Luke’s chest. Saying his name when the fear on his face appeared in your mind. It was too cinematic, disjointed from Luke and android people spoke of all the time.
His body was all around you when you took a fisful of his hair.
Your legs went limp when you approached your finish. Luke held you as he moved in and out of you, concentrating on your face when you were about to come. He watched you go over the edge every time--as if he had a fondness for the way he made you feel. His eyes stayed open as he fucked you through your high. You settled your feet on the floor when he took a step back, looking at you while you kept your balance.
You felt the same even when he wasn’t touching you.
Luke drifted towards the kitchen as he spoke about dinner only wearing his boxers.
In that moment, you felt at peace with what you had done. Your life had shifted from palatable to vibrant--leaving the dismal behind. You chose a new beginning with Luke. The android that saved you, the one person that understood most things about you. In the shadow of the unknown, you welcomed the world for what it was.
You accepted the scene painted with an open shirt and the smell of basil coming from your kitchen. Luke smiled when you looked at his wound from a distance. He was free from the fragility of humanity. You weren’t. You had to move forward with a list of things you didn’t understand. Unable to escape from the complexities of falling in love with a machine.
You decided to live with them instead of running from them.
Embracing serendipity on the edge of fear.
