Static Crush {M/M} ✔

EPILOGUE PT.#1

It took the better part of the winter to finish building their home. Much of that time is spent waiting for a spot of good weather so the masonry could set. Bit by bit though, it comes together.

In the intervening time, no one came to Rothfall or to the build-site in search of rogue androids. The news frothed over Bionic Capital's decision to pivot their business into android upgrades, repairs, and bots without artificial intelligence. Though the Samis hadn't resurfaced or appeared in these broadcasts, their influence could be felt. Controversy boiled in the public sector over the continued use of androids both industrially and domestically.

The situation was still far from perfect, but it was changing.

Hale and his friends gather around with cocoa to toast to their first night spent under the roof built by their own hands. Their living room is spartanly dressed, decorated by cushions with quotes like, I'd Call You a Cunt, but You Have Neither the Depth Nor the Warmth hand-embroidered by Damo. While Theo tells them about the wildlife she tried to feed that day, Rayner looks across the room at Hale making their cocoa. When Hale meets his eyes, the smile shared is a stolen thing. A snatch of pure contentment they never knew they could have.

A few months later, it's Rayner's birthday, and it's been eight days since Hale last saw him.

The extended separation required some technological intervention on Theo's part. Without his symbiont in close proximity, Hale couldn't recharge, so Theo had engineered a solar-powered portable generator—a temporary measure but useful for what he had planned.

The truck they travelled in was still parked outside Roberta's home where they'd left it. She assures Hale she has no need for it and welcomes him to stay as long as he wants. Due to her influence, the tiny community is far more accepting of androids and don't mind Hale's temporary presence there either.

Renovating the truck presents certain challenges. The first of which is finding odd jobs so that he can afford to rent the heavy drones necessary to airlift the truck over the mountain and into the glade they call home.

Night time proves the largest challenge of all. Hale's data streams light up with Rayner's erratic movements and general restlessness. In the long days and nights when they were still building their home, Rayner's insomnia had worsened before it got better. In the dead of night he would scream himself awake, or gasp into consciousness as if he'd been drowning. No matter how gently Hale woke him from his nightmares, he always opened his eyes as if expecting something other than the warmth of their bed and Hale's arms around him.

"Were they any different this time?" Hale would ask. Like maybe that would improve Rayner's quality of sleep, if only the nightmares were varied.

"No. The same one."

It was always this: Hale, inert and vacant-eyed, dragged across concrete and leaving a trail of blue blood behind while Rayner couldn't stop him being taken away.

Over the course of months, the nightmares waned in frequency. Some mornings, Rayner even woke up fully rested and smiling. Since Hale's absence though, the nightmares returned.

Hale puts the final touches on his gift that morning, waiting for the drones to arrive so he can rig up the truck to them. Only now do the fears plague him that this absence, and the gift itself, will seem trite and repetitive. Particularly given the sleep Rayner sacrificed for it. Hale promised he'd make Rayner another sanctuary like the one they'd left behind. It seemed appropriate to re-establish the sense of safety instilled by the previous incarnation.

Now Hale wonders if it's too predictable. A paltry surprise.

It's too late for regret though. Standing next to the truck outside Roberta's house, the insect hum of the drones floats over the rooftops. Hale catches sight of one, then the other. They stop above the truck and unleash the industrial load restraints for attachment. It only takes a few minutes to rig up. Once complete, the straps running under the truck and up to the drones look like monstrous, grasping spider legs.