Lin continued to stroke John's hair as he watched the television. John was lying sprawled out across the sofa, curled up on his side, with his head resting on Lin's thigh. One of his delicate hands was lightly resting on Lin's knee, barely brushing his cheek. He'd fallen asleep a few minutes ago, tired after a long day spent fixing a run down GX300 android that had been dropped at the shop earlier that day. He'd managed to alter a GX400 component to fit the poorly maintained android, but it was really only a temporary fix. The android was old. Too old to be fully repaired. The parts just didn't exist anymore. The old owner had been sad to hear the news, but understanding. John had kindly offered to replace the GX300 when the time came. He had a few androids that would suit her needs. She mostly just wanted company and someone to help around the house. Lin could tell it bothered John that the GX300 had to shut down at some point. His eyes had drifted to the GT300 more than once throughout the day.

The GT300 wasn't as old as the GX series, but his parts were becoming more and more hard to find. There was a small section in the storeroom dedicated to storing compatible parts in the event he needed them. Every time he came across a compatible part, John would buy it and add it to the storeroom. Lin had also noticed notes scattered around the apartment here and there where John had been trying to figure out how to alter various new components to keep the GT300 running in the event he couldn't secure an original part.

John had cheered up a little later when Katie had stopped by for a check-up. Her father and mother had waited in the main shop while Katie had happily sat out back on the padded table, telling John all about school and her friends. Apparently, she had a boyfriend called George. He was nine, and very good at football. John had smiled and agreed that he sounded charming. She'd been very patient as John had checked her reflexes and measured her vitals. He'd used a small scanner to check that her internal components were all in working order. He'd been pleased to find her in full health, with no signs of wear and tear.

John had seemed fine at closing time, though perhaps his shoulders had slumped a little more than usual. He'd let Lin help tidy the workshop while the GT300 had cleared up the front of the store and restocked ready for the next day. Lin had followed John upstairs and had him sit at the small table while he prepared a simple stir-fry for dinner. John had smiled gratefully, telling him as usual how good he was at cooking. It was a simple meal. One of his go-to recipes. It had been popular with his previous human owner. John's eyes had drooped more than once while eating, but he'd managed to finish before stumbling through to the sofa. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to send him straight to bed, but if he'd done that, then Lin wouldn't currently be watching John's sleeping face while stroking his golden hair.

John sighed lightly in his sleep, rolling over to his other side to face Lin's stomach. Lin liked this position better. He could see John's face this way. He'd wondered, at first, whether his affection for John would lessen over time, but as the months wore on, he found it had only deepened. Every day he seemed to find something new about his human that endeared him. Today, it was the way he hummed in his sleep as he snuggled into Lin's hip and gripped his shirt. John was wearing a pale blue T-shirt today, which was currently rucked up high on his waist to reveal a strip of soft pink skin. He'd changed out of his jeans earlier into some loose grey sweat pants that rested low on his slim hips, the sloping bones jutting over the elastic. Lin slowly lowered his hand to touch the exposed flesh. John hummed in his sleep as he felt the touch on some level. It wasn't enough to wake him. Lin smiled softly as he settled his hand on the warm surface, his skin automatically trickling back to the wrist as he tried to interface.

"Incidents of android attacks continue to increase, forcing people to ask this question. Are you safe with your android? Here to give us some answers is Dr Su of Cyberlife's development team," the female newscaster stated in an unnecessarily dramatic tone. The news was troubling. Reports like this were becoming more and more common. John had had more than one customer come in with a damaged android recently because of some unruly protestors attacking them. They'd continued to be lucky with incidents around the shop. Trouble seemed to have stayed in the city centre around the Cyberlife stores so far.

Lin blinked his mismatched eyes as he sensed it. John's breathing pattern had changed and strengthened. His heart rate had picked up. His body twitched and stiffened slightly before relaxing once more. The hand gripping his top tightened and loosened as John shuffled even closer. He didn't make a sound, but Lin wouldn't have been surprised if he'd let out another of those small hums. The fact that he didn't, led Lin to the conclusion that he was faking sleep. He smiled warmly as he examined John's face. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. He could see the lids twitching as he tried not to blink them open to look around.

"Are you awake now?" Lin asked softly as he circled the soft flesh of John's hip. He brought up his other hand to stroke the soft blonde locks again, massaging John's scalp as he did so. John mumbled his denial softly, but Lin knew he was awake. He'd noticed as soon as his breathing pattern shifted. "Do you want to stay here or move to the bed?" he asked quietly, John's head burrowing further into his thigh in response. Lin smiled softly, content to let him have his way for a while. He was lying down in a relatively comfortable position, so it was unlikely he'd get too sore from the experience.

"So warm..." John murmured quietly, his voice slightly muffled by Lin's top. His forehead somehow burrowed even further into Lin's stomach as he curled up more. Lin continued to smile to himself as he tousled John's hair and slowly gathered him into his arms. He repositioned him so that he was sitting across his lap, almost bridal style. He wrapped his arms more securely around his waist and rested his blonde head in the crook of his shoulder. It was nice. He enjoyed holding John like this.

"Are you cold?" Lin asked softly as he nuzzles John's temple. John nodded tiredly in response as he relaxed into the embrace. Lin blinked as he increased his internal temperature slightly. John sighed in contentment, reaching up to grip the collar of his shirt. He soon slipped back into unconsciousness, leaving Lin free to watch the reports once more. Statistics showed a large drop in the amount of people who felt safe around androids. There had been a matching drop in Cyberlife shares because of it. The latest deviant incident report was about an accountant who'd been murdered by her android. There was a lot of theatrical speculation, but it was thought to be because she'd planned to replace it with a newer model. That sounds a lot like the Detroit incident a few months back...Lin's eyes thinned as he recalled how that incident had ended.

"They're wrong..." John mumbled as his brow pinched. He was still half asleep as he blinked his tired eyes open to look at the screen. "The androids...they just want to belong...They're scared and hurt..." His eyes closed once more as Lin pressed a series of gentle kisses to his temple and murmured his agreement. The news was both worrying and depressing. The amount of android incidents was rising, but it matched the amount of android related property damage. Humans are deliberately antagonising androids and making it worse. They're making deviants with their abuse...Of course, it would never be put like that on a human centred news channel...He quietly wondered what an android news channel would say about these incidents if such a thing had existed.

"I think we should go to bed," Lin decided after a few moments, though John gave no response as he remained limp in his arms. He stirred slightly as Lin rose to his feet, easily hefting John's smaller body. John murmured something about not being tired, making Lin chuckle in response. He nudged John's bedroom door open with his foot and lowered him to the sheets, surprised as John's arms looped around his neck tightly to hold him in place. More awake than I thought...

"Stay here," John murmured into his shoulder as he nuzzled closer. Lin relented. He'd only been intending to turn off the light and shut the door, but that could wait a while. He helped John climb beneath the covers before sliding in beside him, still fully dressed. John was curled up in his arms moments later. He hadn't changed much in the past few months, but Lin had noticed a very slight increase in muscle mass. It was probably from all the free running they were doing. His hair had grown a little, his bangs now sweeping down over his eyebrows so that he had to shake it out of his eyes constantly. Lin made a mental note to offer to trim it soon. It wasn't something he was programmed for, but he'd be accurate enough to do a simple cut.

I should probably make him shower, but...John looked so peaceful, he didn't have the heart to rouse him. It wasn't the first time John had fallen asleep early. He'd usually wake up a few hours later and get ready for bed then. Lin enjoyed these few quiet moments. He stroked circles on John's clothed spine and breathed in his scent. It was tainted slightly by thirium and dried sweat from his earlier work, but the usual sweetness remained beneath. His clothing was clean. He'd changed out of his work clothes before dinner, not wanting to trail thirium through the apartment. He could have showered then, but he'd been too tired to bother.

The light in John's room was a gentle yellow glow. It wasn't so bright that it kept John awake, but it wasn't dim either. Lin examined John's pale skin. There were no blemishes on his skin. Even those bruises on his neck had faded somewhat. They were small yellowing circles now, and would soon disappear completely. He'd shaved that morning, so his skin was still soft and smooth, not a trace of the fuzzy hair left behind. He was still in his teens, so he had no lines on his face yet. He couldn't imagine him ever getting them. John getting old wasn't something he often thought about, though he knew it would happen at some point. He caught himself smiling at the thought. One day, they would look the same age. It was sadder to think that one day John would surpass his designed age by many years. The thought made him raise his hand to John's pulse, checking his heart rate to ensure he was still alive and healthy. John murmured sleepily, tilting his face into Lin's touch.

The world outside was relatively quiet. The silence was broken occasionally by the sound of a passing car, but it was a weekday and most people would stay home. It was also cold. Another deterrent for people going out. With that in mind, Lin decided it would likely be a peaceful night on their small street. He took a final look at John's sleeping face and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He closed his eyes and set a stasis cycle while running a constant scan of John's vitals. If John woke up or showed signs of distress, then he'd automatically reactivate.