The Human in Me

Summary: Despite being openly friendly, Son Goku has a hard time finding love—until he meets someone at his local merch shop. There, standing perfectly still yet blinking at anyone who passes by, was a person unlike any other for him. He knows it's not human, but—there's something about that cold stare and the telling, whirring purple LED eyes that reel him in.

.

They're everywhere wherever you look.

On the streets, in the shops, in restaurants, in both big and small companies, in government offices—those perfectly flawless, efficient, intelligent, and nearly immortal, human-looking androids fill the empty spaces with humans guiding them all the way through their daily lives.

The androids come in all heights and sizes—from tiny ones that can fit in your pocket or sit on your head or shoulder, to the size of an average eight-year-old child, to the size of a fully grown adult, both male, female, or in custom-made races, technology has made them all come to life.

Rarely can anyone see two humans walking together nowadays. It's always an android and a human.

Most people cannot tell human from android apart either, given that androids wear human clothes—until you look closely into their eyes for some time.

Androids have bright eyes made from small LEDs. Being their default amber color, their eyes change hue depending on what the android is doing. If it's trying to process and research data, it'll change to blue, and will return to amber when it's done.

And when an android feels threatened and abused—

"Hey, Goku. You still there?"

Goku blinks, and grins at his friend, Gojyo, 'the tan and tall sex on legs', as he had dubbed himself.

"Yeah. Still here. Sorry," Goku breathes out as his golden eyes flicker to another adult-sized android he has just passed by.

Gojyo regards his friend with a hum and narrowed eyes, and resigns to himself with a sigh. Slapping his hand on the smaller man's shoulder, he guffaws. "You really should find someone to bang with, man! It'll make life way easier! Haha!"

Goku coughs at the harsh slap, and glares at his too-tall friend, "You keep saying that because it's easy for you, you cockroach prick!"

"Huh!? Say that again, limp noodle! You're just sour because you couldn't get anyone to lie with you because you're too nice! I tell ya—" Gojyo pulls Goku to his shoulder and waves his arm in front of Goku. "—You should be popping your cherry with the hottest chick in town! ...or dude. Whatever floats your boat."

The impish grin doesn't disappear from Gojyo's face even as Goku slaps his hand away from his shoulder. "Fuck off, cockroach! I don't need your shitty talk! I'll find love in my own time! You'll see!"

Gojyo snorts, and holds his hands up at Goku's glare. "A'ight, a'ight. I won't 'get in your way,'" he grins as he wags his index and middle fingers in an attempt to do airquotes. "But don't come crying to me when you're about to bust your balls from the lack of action. Hahaha!"

Goku gives him the finger as he storms off while kicking the pavement, grumbling curses in his wake.

"...Stupid Gojyo with his stupid hair and his stupid height with his stupid fac—oof! Watch it—! ...oh. Um. Sorry."

The person he has bumped into smiles down at him as he holds out his hand, "Hello, young man. You okay there? Take care when walking next time, alright?"

Goku takes the proffered hand and bows, "Sorry, sir. It won't happen again." The man standing by the shop nods and smiles in return. Dusting away his clothes, Goku looks at the shop's windows and blinks at the store.

The tumbled signpost reads, 'PPC - Your Personal Partner Computer', and under it, the tagline reads, 'Find your eternal cybermate today!'

"You sell tech stuff?" Goku asks, feeling excited all of a sudden.

The man hums as he repositions the tumbled signpost Goku has unknowingly bumped into, and regards him with a curious look, "Huh? Oh yes, we sell all the gadgets the youth are fond of these days. Before, it was smartphones, drones and all that, and now it's smart humanoids! Great thing technology has done for us, eh? Go—have a look around if you want."

Goku feels his palms sweat. He has always wanted an android of his own—even the smallest one that fits on his palms would be more than enough for him—but finds himself always short on money. His job as an assistant to his professor at college isn't enough to pay for his rent and food as it is, but—

He steps inside, anyway, letting curiosity get the best of him.

He browses the store, and his mouth slackens at the different androids looking at every direction a human goes to. One tiny, palm-sized android in particular looks and blinks at him with large and startling golden eyes, and smiles as it waves at the human pointing at it.

Goku giggles at the friendly greeting, and asks the storeowner—Ukoku, his nameplate says—

"This little one, how much is it?"

"Ah, that one costs ¥396,000. It's the cheapest one we have. The NT013 Series runs with iCore23 and can capture pictures four times the 4K resolution and transfer it to whatever monitor you have at home. Has a 5PB memory storage, a 10-day battery life, and a four to five-hour recharge time. Kind of like human naps, if you will. If you notice, his eyes are gold by default—it's custom-made."

Goku hums and regards the tiny android swaying and twirling on its stand behind the glass shelf. He looks at it closely, sees the android's happy face, and Goku feels giddy. His hands itch to buy it, but his wallet won't let him.

"You can buy him on an installment, if you want. You could pay ¥132,000 as downpayment. We also accept loans and cards," Ukoku says with a shrug as he readies his calculator hanging from his neck.

Goku, however, gulps at the prospect of handing in his hard-earned cash on a single piece of technology. He can still use his beaten, obsolete laptop—that thing has been serving him six years now—but seeing how many of his students and professors have been telling him stories of how an android has changed their lives has had him secretly crying in envy.

I want one, too, he thinks. If he has one, he can finally use it for the latest games, the latest trends in tech, for his lectures, for the latest recipes, for—

Goku glances at another android reflected on the glass shelf behind him—

—for companionship.

He turns around, and walks over to another android standing stock still in the middle of the store. If it weren't for its straight, blonde hair, chiseled jaw, lean and wiry frame, overall pale complexion, Goku would mistake it for a model, but—

This one has bright purple LED eyes, and a curious red dot in the middle of its forehead.

"This is another custom one?" he asks the storeowner, and Ukoku nods.

"That one will cost you your organs, kid. That one's ¥749,000."

"Because it's adult-sized?"

Ukoku shrugs and holds back a smirk as he rearranges the glasses slipping from his nose, "Well, yes and no. The regular, adult-sized android ranges at around ¥691,000. This one costs extra because not only does he have the latest iCore25 specs and built with a 364PB memory, he also has a 25-day battery life, along with an 8-10 hours of charging time. Kind of like a regular sleep time for humans. Also, he has a special feature. Um, if you would move for a bit..."

Goku blinks and moves aside as Ukoku stands in front of the seemingly tall android dressed in the tightest black shirt and thigh-high shorts, and taps on the glass case thrice.

"Hey, you got another prospect."

The android, which has been standing still for some time, finally blinks, and regards Ukoku and Goku with narrowed eyes.

[Hmph. This one doesn't look like he can afford me.]

The android looks away and crosses its lean, pale arms.

Goku balks, and scoffs at the offending tone the android has said. Despite wanting to hear more of the gravelly and silky tone the android has, however, Goku decides to complain. "Did you hear that?! I-I know I can't afford any of these, but that's just rude!"

Ukoku holds his palms out to the yelling young man, "Now, now. I know it can be hard to deal with at times—"

"Hard to deal with? Hard to deal with? It basically said I'm poor!"

"Eh... Heh... Well, it comes with its special feature—which is human banter. Also, he's a deviant."

"What?"

Ukoku clears his throat, and glances to where the android looks with its arms crossed, its face a mixture of ire and boredom. "The Sanzo Series, Genjo Model GS929 is not only equipped with the latest, natural-sounding human speech to date, but he can be anything you want him to be—a companion, a teacher, a bodyguard, a parent..."

Ukoku grins, his teeth gleaming under the fluorescent lights as he leans in to Goku's ear, "—he can even be your lover."

Goku yelps and jumps away from the smiling man, clutching at his ear as he stutters, "H-how can you—I—how can that even happen?!"

Ukoku shrugs with a smile, and scratches at his unkempt, black hair, "Seeing as everyone nowadays prefers androids over humans, I thought you would like one like that, too. Besides, uh, he has been here for almost a month. He could use a buyer."

"That's insane! Why would I—" Goku glances at the tall and imposing android, which still has yet to apologize. "Are you even going to apologize?"

[Why would I?] it says, regarding Goku with a sidelong glance from its whirring, purple LED eyes. [I just stated a fact.]

Goku bristles and huffs, "That android is rude! No wonder no one's buying you!" Sticking his tongue out at the tall and pale android, he then points a finger at Ukoku, "I won't buy that thing until you reformat it to being polite!"

And Goku stomps his way out, huffing and leaving Ukoku to sigh and tap his feet at the defiant android.

"How can I even sell you if you keep making those snarky comments?"

The android's stance relaxes, and seemingly sighs as it looks at one of its creators with bright, purple eyes. [You programmed me this way, remember? Think of it as a baptism of fire. If a prospect cannot even handle my words, then they are not fit to be my owner.]

Ukoku tuts, and taps his chin, "Hm, putting it that way... You might have a point there."

[Of course I do.]

"Hey, Koumyou! Another one left!"

The sound of shuffling cloth resounds in the shop, and the sound of faint, whirring metals stop as a blond man removes his face mask.

"What? Oh... That's the 27th time this week," the blond man named Koumyou frowns and steps out of the small alcove reserved for creating and repairing androids. "What will I do with you, GS929? You can't be with us forever. You need to take care of someone!"

[I can take care of you, though.]

"Sadly, that isn't happening, not while I'm around," Ukoku says with a huff and a smile. "We created you for a reason—to serve and protect any potential human who will buy you. How can you do either of those if you keep bashing them the moment you set your eyes on them?"

[Hn. It's their fault they can't handle me.]

Koumyou slaps a hand to his face and wails, "Why did I agree with you when you said we'd make him a deviant? He's too much for any human to handle!"

Ukoku shrugs with a mocking smile, though, and revels in his colleague's misery, "Can't say having him is not fun. He brings all the best dry jokes! Besides, isn't making androids deviants more fun than having to have no say about their owner's orders? Freedom! It's—all—about—freedom!"

"I know they need to make choices on their own, but... Ugh... I need a break—alright. We're closing for now." Koumyou stretches his shoulders and goes over to the glass doors. With a wave of his recognized handprint over the glass, the sign that reads, 'Open' changes to 'Sorry, We're Closed'.

Ukoku packs the littered boxes behind the counter away, and gives Koumyou a weary smile.

"Look, maybe we'll have better luck for him tomorrow."

.

Goku wolfs down the last remains of his instant noodles, and lets out a happy sigh as he flops on his futon. Today has been another uneventful day. Another day of feeling nothing but loneliness and a quiet envy for those with android companions.

It isn't as though he's desperate for communication—he already has plenty of those from college—it's just that seeing those smiles from androids makes Goku think—

"I wonder if I can make one happy, too. Like that tiny one from earlier." He gazes at the ceiling, lets his eyes bore into the fluorescent lamp hanging from the middle of the room, and his stomach grumbles.

"...I guess two bowls of those aren't enough."

He rolls out of his futon and grumbles as he fumbles for his wallet, and frowns at the remaining bills.

"Food... or rent?"

His stomach grumbles angrily once more, and Goku sighs as he trudges out of his flat, and goes to the convenience store down the street.

Once there, he pays for two more bowls of instant noodles to the smiling android sitting behind the counter. An adult-sized female one, equipped with the latest specs, Goku muses, as he glances at the android's nameplate.

'Yaone Model - YK128', it reads.

[Thank you for your purchase. Have a nice day!] the android responds, and Goku can't help but smile back and bids her a nice day as well. If only all androids were polite—

Goku's mind drifts back to his encounter with the rude android from earlier, and pouts. "It didn't have to point it out that I can't buy it. Stupid android. Just because it's good-looking doesn't mean it—ah!"

Goku watches as his remaining meal for the night rolls away from the bottom of the now ripped paper bag. He chases after it, and when it stops, he picks it up and smiles.

"There you are!"

[Watch out!]

"Huh?"

A white flash of light blinds Goku's eyes, along with a large blur that carried him off to safety.

[Stupid idiot! You could've been killed by that truck!]

"Eh?" Goku squeaks out as he stares up at a familiar face—golden hair, pale complexion, a tiny red dot in the middle of the forehead, that deliciously chiseled jaw, that ever sultry voice—

—those bright and whirling scarlet eyes.

"Wait. Red? Wha—"

A faint hiss and the smell of smoke from behind the android shocks Goku back to reality, and yells as he scoots the android to a sitting position, and cries apologies to the android's now damaged right leg, its flesh rubber now torn along with its crushed wires and components that serve as the android's bones—and the sight of the android's white blood make even some of the nearby androids to back away from the human sitting in the middle of the street.

Onlookers with children look away in haste and hurry along, and some of them curse at the driver speeding down the pedestrian lane. Some passersby even offer Goku the much needed help, but he isn't having any of it, not until the android in his arms is alright.

"I'll help you—come on, can you stand?" Goku huffs as he throws one arm over his shoulder. The android decides to say nothing, but the telltale scarlet eyes makes Goku nervous. He drags the android with him—his meal of instant noodles now lay forgotten on the street—and trudges the long way to where he is sure to get fined for damaging store property.

.

Goku knocks and rattles the rolling gates of PPC, its neon logo bright and inviting even if the store's closed. Heaving on his shoulder, the android starts to feel heavier every passing minute, and hearing a faint, but annoying hum from its head settles a pit in Goku's stomach.

No answer.

He rattles the gates once more, uncaring for the neighbor's definite complaints—

The gates roll up, until the man from before—Ukoku—answers the door with an annoyed glare.

"What? We're clos—oh. Oh!"

Goku wants to cry and barf and die all at the same time.

"I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it, I swear! I was on my way home when my noodles rolled and chased after it and I didn't know there was a truck and he saved me and—"

Koumyou runs over to where Ukoku stands, and quickly rolls the gates to let Goku and the android in.

"Get in for now. He's bound for shutdown in 20 minutes unless his wires are fixed." Koumyou scrambles for his tools and chair while Ukoku prepares tea for the shellshocked brunet.

Ukoku comes over to Goku and tries to peel the android off of him when Goku yells.

"Don't touch him, please!"

Ukoku freezes at the plea, and watches as Goku cradles the android's head under his chin.

"Please don't hurt him. He only tried to save me..."

Ukoku and Koumyou glance at each other, and both let out a relieved sigh. Koumyou lays a gentle hand on Goku's head and smiles, "I wouldn't dream of hurting any of my creations. I only want what's best for them. What you're doing now may hurt him, though. The longer you cling to him, the faster he'll die."

Goku snaps up to the blond man, now devoid of any emotion. The brunet cringes as he looks at the android that's becoming paler by the second.

Without a word, he hands the android over to Koumyou, and the latter takes the dying android with a relieved sigh and a smile. "This will take a few minutes," he reassures the troubled brunet, and Goku can only nod.

Those minutes seem like hours as Goku listens on from the back of the android shelves, the noise of whirring tools against metal and sparks flying from behind the alcove doesn't seem to alleviate his nerves—even Ukoku's idle talk and now lukewarm tea doesn't seem to help, as his thoughts are trained on the android now about to die because of his stupid choices.

"—that android never listens, I tell ya. I only told him I'll buy bread, but he insists on doing it himself. Says it's the only way he can calibrate himself—by moving around, I mean. And what did he get? A broken leg and partial blood loss."

Goku winces at Ukoku's words. Never mind that that android had been rude to him, never mind that he's one of the coveted deviant models—that android had saved him, and—

"I don't think I can ever repay you, even with my life," Goku mumbles as he stares at the floor, blinking away the new onslaught of tears dripping from his swollen eyes.

Ukoku stills, looks to where Koumyou busies himself as the man supplies white blood to the lying android through a bag from an IV drip—like a human—and hums to where Goku sits almost lifelessly on the stool.

"Say," Ukoku starts, his eyes regarding Goku's appearance with a critical eye. "You look young. You a student?"

Goku gulps, and looks at Ukoku with nervousness. He supposes he'll be turn in to the delinquent hall, maybe even be slapped with a hefty amount for the damage. Maybe he'll have to sell his internal organs to repay these men—

"Yes," he answers, timid—a stark contrast to his bravado earlier when the android had commented on his finances.

Goku hears Ukoku hum, and he was about to kowtow and beg for forgiveness when—

"Do you want to have him? You can have him for free."

Goku blinks, and the world around him seems to close in on him—

"What?"

.

A/N: This fic is mainly inspired by 60% Detroit: Become Human (great game, I tell ya!), and 40% Chobits (great anime, I tell ya!). Also, the prices are now adjusted to Japanese Yen.