An Object Of Study

Why, David?

"What do you mean with 'hot'? My actual body temperature is 36,3 degrees." he said with a slightly tilted head and curious eyes. Why the heck did he always look like a curious child when he did this?
"I didn't mean your body temperature. I meant your outer shape. When a human calls another human 'hot'... well… how do I explain it? It's a word to… to express attraction… sexual attraction that is."

His eyebrows flew up for a split second, then he furrowed them and blinked a few times. He seemed to process this very intensively. Then he looked at me again.
"So you actually want to tell me that my outer shape attracts you in a sexual way?" I took a deep breath and tried to not look at him. Nonetheless I felt how my cheeks started to burn with shame. "I'm only made of flesh and blood. It's not my fault. Your designer's to blame for it. I presume… you said you were created for interaction with humans, right?" David nodded.

"Well… humans interact easier with handsome counterparts… pleasing exteriors… which explains your handsome face and your slender hands as well as your voice. Those are the things a human always registers first, David. And we tend to trust a pleasing exterior. Did you register that all of us trusted you instantly? Right after waking up from stasis?" David nodded again.
"We all felt absolutely miserable after waking up… and I can't speak for the others, but I felt very happy that you took such good care of me after waking up… not because I would actually have registered your exterior… it was your voice. Warm, comforting even. I heard your voice and felt better instantly, you know? If I hadn't known that you were an Android, I would have thought you were a human… because no Android I ever worked with had such a perfect human voice as you… their sound modules are always slightly creaking. Yours isn't." "Because I don't have a sound module. My voice comes from actual vocal cords and a tongue." Now my jaw finally dropped. This was absolutely amazing. But how the heck was this possible? Vocal cords needed air to vibrate…

"But… but you don't breathe. How does this work?" I asked in total astonishment and had to step closer to him again. "I might not breathe in the common way, but it works with air, as human vocal cords do. Otherwise I could not have learned ancient languages. A simple voice module can't reproduce glottal sounds."

I was no longer amazed, I was in sheer awe. Whoever had designed and built this hadn't just been a master in engineering but an artist. Slowly I lifted my hands. "Would you… would you allow me… to touch you? To touch your throat? While you are speaking?" I asked. "For what reason?" "Because… because I… I need to feel this. I need to feel the vibration. Look…" I said and took his big hand to put it around my throat. It covered my whole throat, only not covering my neck, and if he had wanted it a small squeeze of his fingers would have been enough to smash my throat like an ant between them. If I had been able to think straight and not like a total technical fangirl I would never have done such an insanity… to put my life into his hands without need. On the other hand… my life was already in his hands, so what did it mean either way?

"Now, when I'm talking, you sense that my throat is vibrating, right? Because of the vibrating vocal cords in my larynx…" He nodded. "I have knowledge in anatomy." I lowered my gaze apologetically. Of course he had. His implied database surely provided a profound knowledge in all matters of science.
"Please forgive me. I keep forgetting what a masterpiece you are…" I whispered and slowly he withdrew his hand around my throat. "I accept your apology, Jules. And I give you permission to touch me."

Carefully and slowly I lifted both my hands, putting my left around his throat and my right against his cheek. What a beautiful long neck he had. "Should I produce any sounds for you or does a normal conversation suffice?" he asked and a shiver rolled through my body when I felt the soft vibration of his voice. "Con… conversation suffices… good God…" I wheezed. This feeling was so extraordinary… I closed my eyes to only feel his voice.