"Excuse me?"

Teki glanced over. His blue eyes settled on the shorter man with round eyes and a shock of pink hair looking up at him, phone clutched to his chest. Teki's eyes widened some and he cocked his head.

"Yeah?"

"Is this seat taken?" The boy pointed to the open chair.

Teki glanced at it. He pointed at the chair. "It's empty..."

"Oh, okay, thanks!" With a grin, the boy slid into the chair and hunched over. He pulled out his phone, tapping at it quickly.

Teki looked back out the window and yawned some. He settled his chin in his hand and sighed. Mornings were quiet, almost too quiet.

"Hello? Yes, this is Nishida Hideo from apartment 208..."

It was the boy. Teki's eyes cut over to him curiously as he listened to the kid's voice change from childishly nervous to a lighter tone. Humans always seemed to do that, change their voices for other people. Why?

Settling in, Teki looked back at the street but continued to listen.

"Yes, yes. I know she moved out last week and rent is due Saturday but that's what I needed to talk to you about. Daiki doesn't move in till next month and—"

The kid needed a breath. Teki peeked at him with a squint of worry.

"—I don't have the full rent cause my sis was paying half. I'll have it all once Daiki moves in but I can't really ask him to like pay upfront and stuff and that's why I needed to talk to you. Just one month and I promise it'll get paid. Two weeks really—hello?"

The pause hung in the air. Teki perked up and looked back over before looking down and stretching quickly. Humans didn't like being watched, that much he knew. He pretended to stretch out his steel ligaments as the pause pressed on for another ten seconds.

"Hello...?"

Another long pause. Teki peeked up.

The boy pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it. He cursed and gripped it tight. "No, you can't do this to me now. I put you on the charger for an hour. Aghhh." He leaned his head back. "I need this call...darn it." Hands going to his face, he rubbed over his eyes and groaned loudly. "He's gonna kill me, then kick me out."

Teki looked up this time and took a glance at the boy's phone. It was most certainly dead. That couldn't be good. Humans were sort of attached to those things. He looked up at the distraught boy and lifted a finger. Teki poked the kid's shoulder. "Excuse me?"

The boy jumped. His eyes widened twice their size as his hands dropped from his face. "Huh? Oh, s-sorry. Yes?" 

"Do you need a charger?" Teki pointed at the phone. "Your phone is dead."

The boy's grey eyes dropped to the phone and then his eyebrows shot up as he looked back. His hands clasped in front of his chest. "Wait, really? Yes, please, do you have a charger? You're a lifesaver."

Teki flipped his arm over. He fished into his pocket and pulled out the cord for his own phone--the humans had them, why not him? He then popped open the panel on the inside of his arm and plugged in the cord. When the boy looked up, Teki held out the other end of the cord to him.

"I have one, charge it off me."

Arms enveloped him. Teki stiffened at first, not sure what the boy was doing as he started up from the chair and came at him, wrapping his arms around the robot's middle. 

"Thank you, thank you so much!" 

Staring down at him, Teki blinked. He relaxed, though, the warmth of the human boy's arms seeping into his metal skin. He put his free hand on the boy's back and nodded. 

"Yes. I have the cord..."

The boy pulled back and flushed for a second as he nodded. "Sorry, I got a little carried away, thank you again." He opened his eyes and reached to take the cord.

His hand paused, hovering mid-air as the air went still for a second and a half. The boy's mouth opened, closed, and he tilted his head briefly before reaching out and taking the cord. He inspected it. His eyes traveled up the length of the cord to Teki's arm. "Wait--when you said to charge it off--"

Teki flexed his fingers. "I'm a robot. Don't worry about my batteries, they're self-sustaining. Is that the right cord?"

"Yeah..." Looking back down at the head of the cord, the boy inhaled. He shrugged a bit and then plugged it in. Teki laid his arm on the bar so he wouldn't pull the phone off with his movements.

He leaned into the back of the chair and kept his eyes on the phone as it began to buzz and wake from its dormant state. Stretching and curling his fingers, he waited in silence before looking up at the kid who was still staring at the phone in a sort of dumbfounded daze. 

"I'm Teki by the way," Teki smiled. 

Wide grey eyes turned up to face him. The boy blinked and nodded. "Oh, right. Nishida Hideo. That's who I am I mean." His daze broke and turned into a squinted grin as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry, I'm still processing the fact you're a robot."

"That's okay." Teki laid his hand flat on the table as the phone buzzed again and the screen turned white. 

"Um, so what brings a robot to Tokyo? Or do you live here?" Nishida cocked his head to the side some and rubbed at the bandaid over his nose. 

"I wanted to see the city. There's a lot of people here, and I thought it could help me blend in. Do you live here?"

Nishida nodded. He leaned back into the chair. His eyes trailed back to the slowly waking phone. "Yeah, but I dunno how much longer that'll last." He laughed and brushed his hair to the side. 

"Is something wrong? You sounded distressed on the phone." Teki tapped a finger on the table. He blinked a bit sluggishly. Phones used a lot of power. He rubbed at his face. My batteries will recover. 

Nishida nodded quietly and bounced a leg against the chair. "Well, not exactly. My sister just moved out and I uh...well, I can't afford my current apartment on my own." He rubbed his nose and ducked his head. "I suppose I could if I had budgeted for her leaving, but I only work part-time...so...yeah. You didn't need to know that anyway, sorry."

Cocking his head to the side, Teki shrugged. "It's interesting. Are you getting a new apartment?"

Nishida shook his head. "No, an old college friend of mine is moving in soon, but my rent is due Saturday. I can't ask my sister to keep paying for an apartment she doesn't live in, and I can't ask my new roommate for money yet either...so I'm stuck." He grimaced off to the side. "Anyway, sorry for laying it all on you."

"You already apologized." Teki's eyes cut down to the phone as it came on finally. Nishida sat up quickly and picked it up, cupping it in his hands. He glanced up.

"Oh, sorry, thank you, though. Mind if I leave it--" he glanced at Teki's arm, "--I promise this won't take long. I hope."

Teki shrugged. "Go ahead." He leaned back and relaxed as Nishida typed in the number quickly and put the phone to his ear. He hunched over so as not to strain the cord and Teki shifted his arm a little closer. He watched Nishida tap his fingers against the back of the phone, faintly aware of the ringing noise on the other end.

The ringing stopped. Teki's eyes snapped to the phone. 

"Hello?" Nishida stopped tapping his fingers. He leaned forward more. "Yes, so sorry. My phone died. Really, I'm so so sorry. I don't know where it cut out--" he paused. Silence for thirty seconds while Nishida bit at his nails. Teki used his free hand to brush back his hair. He glanced at himself in the reflection of the window and touched his small bun to make sure it wasn't falling out.

"Oh, yes, right. Okay...um, I can see if Daiki would be cool with moving in sooner...one week? Okay, I'll ask him." Nishida was chewing at his finger now, his knuckles caught between his teeth. Teki watched the boy's expression squinch up into a grimace and fall into a small frown. Humans had so many expressions. How did they make them?

He glanced in the window again and tried to squint up his eyes. Not exact, but close. He brushed back another stray strand of hair and looked back at Nishida.

"Yes, yessir, I'll ask around and see. Thank you so very much. Thank you, I promise you'll get your full payment next month. Yessir, thank you." A pause of silence and then Nishida lowered the phone. Teki lifted his eyebrows.

"Did it go well?"

Turning off the phone, Nishida bowed his head and nodded. "Yeah. He said as long as I can get another person into the room in the next week, he'll only charge me half-rent. Then Daiki can pick up his half when he moves in."

A smile spread over Teki's metallic lips. "So you only need one more person. That's good."

Scratching the top of his head, Nishida nodded. He laid his chin on his arm and slouched forward. "Yeah, I don't know anyone else looking for a room, though. Daiki told me he can't move in sooner than next month, he's still packing." Nishida rubbed at his face and groaned. "Maybe it's time to get a smaller apartment."

Teki poked his shoulder. "Can I stay?"

Nishida's eyes cut to him. He blinked. "I mean...where are you staying currently?"

"Nowhere." Teki smiled. 

Nishida sat up straight. "Then heck yeah." He paused and squinted. "You won't kill me in my sleep?"

Teki shook his head. 

"Perfect." Grinning, he grabbed his phone off the charger and got up. Teki rose as well and wrapped up the cord. Sticking it in his pocket, he looked around. The cafe was starting to fill up finally. He closed the panel on his arm. 

"Are you going home now?"

"Yeah, just gotta grab the coffee I forgot I was gonna buy. I do need to stop off and pick up groceries, you cool with that or you wanna meet me later...I don't know if you have any errands, or robot stuff?"

Teki shook his head. "I'll come with."

"Cool! Be right back."

"I'll wait outside." Teki waved as Nishida heard off and slipped in line. Teki stepped outside and peeked up at the blue sky. A small voice caught his attention and he looked down at a little girl tugging at her mother's hand, pointing at him. He smiled and waved at her.

The door opened and Nishida skipped outside, holding a paper cup. Teki's quick glance at it registered the temperature as high enough to burn something. He shifted back an inch. 

"By the way, thank you, again," Nishida said. He looked up and grinned some. "You're a lifesaver."

Teki shrugged. "I'm actually a robot." 

"Well, you're the nicest and only robot I know." Nishida grinned and brought the cup of coffee to his lips. 

Teki stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Thank you. That's too hot to drink." 

Hesitating, Nishida lowered the cup. "Oh, right. Thanks."

Teki nodded and smiled. "It's temperature will be within safe consumption levels soon, though." He peeked back at the cup.

"This is so weird...but hey, I suppose not everyone can say they met a robot." Nishida laughed. He gestured to the right and started down the sidewalk. Teki kept in stride with him, trying not to outpace the shorter man. He glanced around at the signs and people. Kids peeking at him and chasing after their parents, people holding signs with oddly drawn faces.

"Does this make us roommates now?" Teki asked. 

"Yup." Nishida lifted the coffee cup to his lips again. Teki didn't stop him, just kept peering around. 

"I've never had a roommate before."

"Well, I hope you like anime and music, plus a lot of instant ramen."

"I don't eat."

"That's fair." Nishida kicked his feet out in front of him and stared down at them. "By the way, call me Hideo, since we are roommates after all."

"Alright, Hideo." 

"So, Teki, you think you'll stay in Tokyo for more than a week? I don't mind introducing you to Daiki. You two would probably get along." Hideo's eyes trailed off to the side at a sign for manga in the window of a shop across the street. Teki followed his gaze. 

"Why not? I like Tokyo."

"Yeah, me too." 

"Do you want me to finish charging your phone?" Teki glanced down at Hideo. "It's probably not on full power yet, I can plug it back in."

Hideo's eyes turned down to his pocket. He fished out the phone and peeked at the home screen. "Do you mind?"

Teki shook his head. "Nope." He smiled.

Hideo grinned. He held out the phone. "Thank you."

"How does this thing work anyway?" Teki pulled ut the cord and plugged it back into his arm. He took Hideo's phone and plugged it in as well before sticking it in his pocket. He glanced at the pink-haired boy and cocked his head to one side. 

"My phone?" Hideo squinted at him.

"Yeah."

"Uhhh...I dunno. You're the robot, shouldn't you know these things?" 

Teki looked up and squinted as well. He felt the skin around his eyes scrunch up and wondered if it looked as funny as Hideo's face did when he did that. He scratched at his chin. "Should I?"

"I mean...you are tech?" 

Teki lifted his arm. He turned it over and let his metal fingers glint in the sunlight. "Hm, I suppose you're right."

Hideo laughed and tilted his head back. Teki glanced at him and just smiled. Humans were so odd. Then again, I guess that's what makes them human. 

"Hey, you want something for breakfast?" Hideo asked. He kicked a pebble into the street and then bent over to scoop up a piece of trash, tossing it in the bin as they walked past. 

Teki shook his head. "I don't eat."

"Right. I knew that. That's gonna take some adjustment." 

Teki shrugged a bit. 

Hideo rubbed at his nose and shook his head. "Still can't believe you're a robot."