rewrite the stars - jaywon

chapter 4

"These two are gonna be joining us today,"

Jungwon jabbed a thumb back at Jake and Heeseung. Jay looked at them, then nodded at Jungwon, expressionless at the unexpected addition of two new companions. Jungwon suppressed a sigh.

Jake slid in first, taking the seat behind Jay. "Whoa-- why'd they make it so handsome?"

Jay's grip tightened on the wheel-- just enough to make his knuckles stand out. Jungwon was surprised to see that, when his synthetic skin stretched thin, his knuckles went pale, as if he had bones and ligaments underneath. But Jungwon had looked at the online catalogue the night before, and he knew that was just an illusion. Underneath Jay's synthetic skin, he only had a skeleton of plastic and wire.

Jungwon swallowed, then swiveled to glare at Jake.

"He can hear you." he hissed.

"That's alright," Jay spoke, drawing Jungwon's attention from a wide-eyed Jake. Jay looked in the rearview mirror, pointing his gaze right at Jake, "I was designed to perfectly integrate with people. This face helps me do that."

Understanding dawned on Jake's face. He lifted his eyebrows in amazement.

"Ahh. So, like... because people automatically like pretty people better... they made you pretty?" Jake asked, leaning over into the middle of the backseat.

Jungwon's eyes went back to Jay's hands on the steering wheel, watching his knuckles for any giveaway of rising tension. But Jay's hold on the wheel actually relaxed, loosening out of his white-knuckled grip.

"I guess that's one way you could phrase it."

"You think the 'bot's pretty?" Heeseung asked. His voice was quiet enough that Jungwon figured it was a question meant for Jake's ears alone.

"I mean. Kinda, yeah," Jake replied, just as quietly.

Jungwon reached forward to turn on the radio, quickly busying himself with scrolling through the car's interface to find the perfect playlist. He didn't want to intrude on whatever conversation was going on in the backseat.

"Jay, what kinda music are you into?"

"Music... I..." Jay took advantage of a redlight to turn to look at Jungwon. His eyes were wide and helpless. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

Jungwon laughed as he landed on a playlist from the late 2010s. Jungwon smiled. He was feeling like going for throwbacks. He wondered if Jay had musical preferences, at all. If that was the kind of thing they programmed into androids.

"That's cool. I kinda figured. But this means I get to expose you to the best stuff first! You're so lucky you ended up as my android."

"Yes, I agree," Jay's words were almost lost as the music started up-- the high tones of Ariana Grande were unmistakable. Jungwon grinned-- he knew all the words to this one.

"Huh, sorry, what? I missed that," Jungwon prompted, upon picking up the thread of conversation once more. He mouthed along to the song, rapping the beat on the dashboard.

"I agree. I'm lucky that I ended up with you and your family," Jay didn't even pause speaking as he took an unavoidable sharp turn that Jungwon had always had to be sure to take at about five miles an hour to make sure he didn't crash.

Jay continued speaking, without hesitation. "You're all kind to me, though you don't have to be."

Jungwon's hands stilled as he lost the song's beat. He looked behind him. Jake and Heeseung were still lost in their own world, laughing at something on Heeseung's phone.

"We're just being decent," he said, eventually. Because they were. He knew there were people out there who didn't treat their androids right. People that acted like their robots not having emotions was any excuse to beat them or abuse them or overwork them.

Jay hummed, "Thank you, for being decent."

Jungwon didn't deal well with sincerity. Sarcasm was where he was most comfortable, his natural state of being. Biting humor, he could do it. But Jay's completely open, completely unmotivated sincerity was utterly alien to him. Jungwon wasn't used to it, and had never seen anything like it. He felt his cheeks heating for some reason, felt the blush spreading across his face like wildfire.

"This music is pleasant. Its tones seem to elevate me, though we actually haven't increased our altitude."

Jay wasn't as hung up on his own sincerity. It was just the way he was-- No, it was the way he was programmed, Jungwon had to remind himself. Jungwon checked the car's display. Bazzi.

"You like R&B?"

They weren't even at a red light, but Jay's eyes still flicked to the side to meet Jungwon's, "I guess I do."

— the end of chapter 4 ♡