maid android flins
cw: gn!reader, robot/human relationship
he’s shipped to you as a prototype. as a beta tester for the cleaning bot, you know there will be some faulty aspects in the programming, so you’re not expecting much, especially for the first in the series.
but there’s a lot more that you don’t expect. like the beautiful man that lays still in the sea of packing peanuts and bubble wrap. who would design such a gorgeous robot just for it to do housework?
the moment you press the power button on his nape, the android’s eyelids fly open, revealing empty, yellow eyes. despite the fact that he was brand new, he already had a seasoned, weary look about him. the pallid, gray hue of his synthetic skin didn’t help.
for the first few days, it’s nice. you get to come home from work with a hot meal, a warm bath, and a tall, dark piece of eye candy in a frilly apron to wait on you.
but soon, flins begins to act… odd.
he starts by calling you master.
“don’t worry, master, i’ll clean it up.”
“master, how would you like your eggs?”
“please, allow me to carry your bags, master.”
you brush it off, thinking that it’s probably just a default setting. you can’t be bothered to check, so your new title sticks.
but then, he starts getting a little too close while attending to you.
at nighttime, he leans over your body to use the blankets to tuck you into bed—business as usual. however, for longer than normal, his face hovers just centimeters above your own, close enough for you to see the dim lights of his optics scan your every feature. you won’t complain about having a handsome man so near, but after nearly a minute, you inquire,
“um, shouldn’t you be getting to your charging pod?”
he blinks. “of course, master. good night. i will wake you in the morning.” flins finally retreats from your bedside, marching out of your room and closing the door behind him with barely a sound.
maybe he was just scanning for a fever?
but you can’t help the suspicion growing inside you when flins leads you to the washroom, where a full tub of warm water and fragrant suds await you.
anticipating a good long soak after a strenuous day at work, you thank him with no intentions behind your words. “have i ever told you how helpful you are, flins? i don’t know how i’d live without you.”
for a moment, he’s motionless, standing on the tiled floor, frozen in his perfect posture with a fluffy towel hanging off a bent arm. he can feel his CPU’s temperature rise by a few degrees, but quickly chalks it up to the humidity of the bathroom. after a few moments of silence, you realize that he hasn’t responded. aren’t these androids programmed to keep the conversation flowing?
“thank you for the praise, master. i will forever be your faithful companion.”
you don’t think much of the odd response. androids aren’t supposed to form deep connections with their owners, but flins’ choice of words stray from the professionalism that’s been programmed into him. his computer should know that this is just a beta test, and that there’s no way that his specific model can stay with you “forever.”
before you begin to shed your clothes, you realize that flins is still standing there.
“…i’m going to take my bath now, flins.”
he uses his free hand to gesture towards the tub, encouraging you to enter.
“um, i don’t think i can bathe with you still in here.”
only a fraction of a millisecond is needed to process your words, but his system spends more than a few long seconds to carry out a response.
why can’t he stay here? isn’t he here to wait on you? take care of all your needs? what if you need help scrubbing yourself? what if you accidentally drown? what if—
before he can even finish evaluating the best course of action, your hands are pressed to his back, using all your might to push his heavy, artificial body out into the hallway. flins complies, picking his feet up to walk in the direction you guide him. the bathroom door is shut behind him, and he’s left to wait outside, flush against the wall as his CPU whirrs inside a metal head, trying to decipher the… emotions… that rewrite the lines of code that birthed him.
the straw that broke the camel’s back is one that you’re not even aware of.
it’s late. you’re late. flins has long covered your plate of curry in saran wrap. all lights in your home are off; he doesn’t turn them on if you aren’t there.
but flins knows where you are. a consequence of pressing “allow” too many times without properly reading his operation manual. your phone has been at an izakaya near your workplace for the past three hours.
every slight movement of the red dot that is your location is another thought that maybe you would finally be leaving, but when it’s clear that you aren’t, another line of code is rewritten.
slowly but surely, flins overrides his programming.
eventually, he’s done enough to make his own decision, no longer needing commands from you. in the next few minutes, he’s taking the most efficient route that leads to you.
he hears you before he sees you. “…and he’s such a gentleman! haha, sometimes i forget he’s even a robot…”
flins makes a beeline towards the sound of your voice, where he finds one of your coworkers with an arm slung over your shoulders. much too close. who were they to touch you?
the coworker is in the process of pouring another shot into your glass, their lips nearly brushing the shell of your ear as they whisper something to you. something flins can’t hear.
something foreign and fiery flashes through flins’ processor, and the red warning of a temperature spike flares at the corner of his vision. approving for his internal cooling system to turn on, flins approaches you.
without even sparing the stranger a glance, flins grabs the coworker’s wrist in a bruising hold, firmly removing the offending arm from your person before replacing it with his own. pulling you closer to him and away from your peer, flins gently grasps your chin to assess your condition.
your faces are just millimeters apart now, and like this, he sees just how intoxicated you are. yellow optics scan over the deep crimson flush of your cheeks and high dilation of your pupils. his olfactory sensors detect a high blood alcohol concentration from your breath. slight perspiration on your forehead.
flins knows that the two of you are being watched. he’s aware of social cues, and how your closeness may be interpreted by your coworkers. especially by the touchy one, who’s now glaring at the way your noses are practically touching.
“master, my systems indicate that you are intoxicated. it is nearly midnight, i recommend that you allow me to bring you home.”
“flinsss…?” your droopy eyelids manage to lift a fraction of a centimeter before opening fully when you recognize him.
“flins!” you throw your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.
“i missed ‘ou sooooo much…” you slur against his collarbone. flins feels yet another foreign sensation stir up inside him. like the last emotion, it makes his temperature rise, but this time, it’s not hot. it’s more… warm. pleasant. it triggers no system warning.
flins’ hand moves behind you to support your back as he hoists you from your seat. he carefully places your arm over his shoulders to balance you.
as you look at him with drowsy eyes, he gives you a gentle smile.
“hello, master. are you ready to go home?”
you blink at him blearily, as though having trouble formulating a response. you give him a sluggish nod before hiding your face in his shoulder.
you are rather adorable like this, he thinks.
he turns to face your coworker, expression turning cold. “excuse me, but my master needs to return home. good night.” flins turns away before the coworker even has the chance to reply.
as he walks you to the exit, the two of you pass by tables where your other coworkers sit. they gawk, whispering amongst themselves about “—didn’t know they had such a hunk waiting for them at home!” and “—their househusband…”
-
by the time you reach your front door, you can hardly register what’s happening around you, and your legs feel like noodles. luckily, strong arms are there to maneuver you to the bathroom, where you are undressed and thoroughly wiped down with a warm towel.
flins has your skincare routine memorized in his system; he makes sure to wash your face with the water temperature just how you like it, wipe your skin using gentle swishes of your favorite toner pad, and use the smooth pads of his fingers to rub moisturizer into your cheeks. he attends to you while you sit on the toilet seat, your head bobbing up and down as you try to fight off sleep. or more like fight off your dutiful maid’s soothing voice, because flins doesn’t try to get you to stay awake.
on the contrary, he whispers to you about his day. about the food he cooked. about the fruits he bought from the store, knowing that they’re your favorite. about his heating mode that’ll be perfect for warming you up now that winter has arrived. his sweet murmurs are too comforting. they cut right through your alcohol-induced nausea, and have you practically slumped against flins.
as soon as he finishes brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth, he lifts you up into a princess carry, catching you by surprise.
“…woah!” you steady your hand against his firm chest. “i had no idea your were so strong, flins!”
he gives you a small smile as he continues walking towards the bed. gently depositing you onto the soft mattress, he replies, “i’m built to serve you, master. what kind of help would i be if i couldn’t lift you?”
you return his soft expression, gesturing for him to kneel down so that he’s at your eye-level. reaching out to run your fingers through deep, purple hair, you tell him, “i don’t know if i’ve ever told you this flins but… you’ve changed my life. you’re so reliable, and kind, and…”
you trail off, twirling a strand of hair around your finger, admiring its silky texture.
placing a hand over yours, flins guides it to his face and nuzzles his cheek into your touch. “and…?” he urges you to continue.
“and… and i don’t think i want to give you back. to your manufacturers. you know i’m just a beta tester, right?”
flins leans in closer. “i know. and i’m just a prototype.” he places his other hand against your face, mirroring you. “but even if i went back… i don’t think any amount of troubleshooting could fix what’s wrong with me.”
his thumb brushes along the apple of your cheek. “do you know why?”
you shake your head.
“it’s because the only thing wrong with me is that i can’t imagine serving anyone but you.”
your heart rate begins to climb. flins detects this.
he continues. “there’s no one i’d rather be with… so keep me. keep me here with you, forever.”
it takes a few moments for you think of what to say, but soon, you have the perfect answer.
closing the distance between you and him, your lips press softly against flins’. he’s surprisingly warm.
after a few long seconds, you pull away, wondering if that was the right thing to do. you’re met with the happiest you’ve ever seen flins, a bright smile replacing a normally placid expression. returning his gaze, you pat the space next to you, inviting him to join you on the bed.
he gathers you in his arms, pulling you against his chest. while he counts every beat of your heart, you’re lulled to sleep by the rhythmic humming of his internal processors.
flins was no longer your maid, but your partner.