The Emotional Support Android

1. The Awakening

"Can you hear me?"

My eyes snap open, making eye contact with a man behind a large glass window. He wore a basic white lab coat, his expression bored as he raised his mug to his lips. "Yes." My voice was soft, this being my first time hearing it. I look around the room as white mechanical arms surround me, attaching my body parts. Other than machinery there was nothing but a door in the corner of the room.

"State your introduction." He spoke through the speaker, continuing to sip out of his mug.

"My name is Maru, I'm 26 and have a variety of skills. I can clean, cook, and speak any language that you need of me. I know first aid and can care for any children if your presence is needed somewhere else. I can be used as a romantic or sexual partner as well. I have countless of other abilities that you can ask me directly, or read about at Maru247.com."

He nodded before pressing a few buttons. As soon as he finished I was released and my feet gently hit the floor. "Alright Maru, I want you to start walking around."

I did as he asked, slowly taking a step forward. I spun around, giggling to myself as I watched my feet.

"Very good, everything is perfect. Please step out through the door and get dressed in the clothes provided. Once you're changed go into the pod and enter rest mode."

I nod before taking my leave, exiting the room. Opening the door I am greeted with racks of white dresses and multiple pairs of flats. I grab one of the dresses and slip them on, pulling the zipper up behind me. I take one of the pairs of flats and put them on. Once I'm done I look to the other side and see a mirror and two transport pods. Going up to the mirror first, I give myself a good look. I had blonde hair that just barely passed my shoulders.

Taking a closer look I had dark blue eyes. My model is very expressive, most androids don't have emotion but we were designed to display it quite frequently. Our eyes change colours to show our moods and each model have anomalies like stuttering, hand motion, sneezing, etc. We were designed to be mistaken as human, but I know what I am.

Finishing my thoughts, I lay down inside of the pod, pressing a few buttons that are on the inside which causes a glass barrier to slowly move to cover me. I go into power saving mode and my eyes soon flutter shut, drifting off into a world of black.

I wake up from my slumber, checking the time it was 7:38 AM meaning it had only been 3 hours since I was last awake. Taking in my surroundings, I was already out of my pod, standing on dark planked floor.

"Hello Maru."

A man's voice went through the speaker, my head automatically turning at the noise. "My name is Vega, I'm a AI system that helps the Doom Slayer with information and navigation when he goes on missions. Your job is to assist him with any of his needs as well as be his emotional support android with any trauma he has."

A notification popped up in front of me and I clicked the hologram.

Doom Slayer, 28, 6'8, weighs 360 lbs, needs 3-5 meals a day.

Do not try and wake him.

Do not go into his workshop.

And do not, under any circumstance, make him spicy food.

I clicked the okay button, chuckling at the last part. I looked back up at the speaker, but it seems that Vega was done talking to me as he remained quiet. From the looks of it I was in the entrance hall. Walking out, I made my way into a kitchen. It was a beautiful kitchen but you could barely notice it because of the mess. Dirty dishes were stacked, the garbage overflowing, and random pieces of garbage littered the island and counter.

Not being one to judge I decided to ignore the mess for now, even if my brain was screaming commands at me to clean up. I had to start breakfast though, so I opened the fridge and took a peak. It was mainly just sauces, but there was half a jug of milk, full carton of eggs, and bacon. Opening the drawer, he also had some spinach and red bell peppers.

I open up a tab and quickly type in the ingredients, giving me a few recipe results. I pick the first one and give the counter a quick wipe down before starting to cook.

It was now 8:00 AM and I had just finished making about 3 servings of breakfast wraps. I was cleaning off the island before I heard loud footsteps coming from the door. I look up and soon I see a very very tall man in green armour.

We stare at each other for a second and I shifted uncomfortably. I decide to speak first, "Good morning! My name is Maru and I will be helping with any cleaning, cooking, and many other things! If you have any questions-"

He walked past me and was checking out the breakfast wraps. "Those are the breakfast wraps I made, they contain eggs, bacon, spinach, and red bell pepper. If you enjoy it, please let me know and I'll use it again as a future meal." He ignores me again before taking the plate and leaving the room. I sadly smile as I watch the door close behind him.

"He doesn't seem to like me... you told him about me, right?" I looked up at the speaker, my eyes glowing a light blue. "He doesn't like to admit that he needs help with things, he is stubborn like that. However coming home after a 56 hour mission and needing to clean the base isn't exactly easy, even for the Doom Slayer himself. This is why I purchased you Maru, you can help with things I can't like cleaning, cooking, counselling, and sexual activity. I'm counting on you to help out."

I couldn't help but blush a bit at the last part. Despite being created with the body parts, it felt weird knowing that I was designed for that kind of relief too. I brushed it off and smiled at the speaker, my eyes going back to a darker blue.

"I think you're good at comforting, Vega."

A notification popped up and I clicked on it, showing a map of the base.

"Thanks, but I'm sure you'll do a lot better. Here's a map, I marked down the locations that need attending to the most. That blue marker there is where your sleeping pod was placed. Now, get to work!" He joked before it went silent, indicating that he was done chatting.

Taking his word's seriously, I got to cleaning.

About an hour in I had cleaned out the fridge, picked up and thrown out any garbage, wiped the counters down, and finished the dishes. I was now sitting by the island, scrolling through recipes as I opened a new tab and made a grocery list. "Hmm... most humans like hamburgers so I guess I'll make that for lunch." I would like to go over his meal plan for the next week, but since he doesn't like me yet I'll have to use foods that most humans like. "And maybe some lasagna for dinner... but we need to add vegetables... maybe a salad along with the lasagna?" I mumbled to myself as I started searching for a salad recipe.

After finishing my list I sent it out, it should approximately take an hour. Getting up and going into the dining room, it wasn't too messy but I wanted to get it cleaned so that he could enjoy his meal. All it needed was a wipe down and some dusting but wanting to go the extra mile I grabbed some candles and placed them over the room. I'll light them the next time he eats.

I can hear his footsteps again and I look up. "Hello sir." He stood there with an empty plate, and I offered to take it for him by reaching my hand out. He quickly dodged it though and went around me, ouch.

"Well that was rude." Vega's voice rang out as he put the plate in the sink. The Doom Slayer just responded with a low grunt, ignoring Vega's comment. "N-No it's fine, I understand." I responded with quickly, not wanting to put him in a bad mood. "I cleaned the dining room, I was hoping you would eat in here. I'll leave to clean other rooms if you don't want to eat in front of me."

He remained quiet for a second before giving a nod, causing me to smile. "Great! We're having hamburgers for lunch, I sent out the request for ingredients. It will be ready at 2:00 PM." I felt a bit of pride over his nod, but not wanting to spoil it I left and entered a hallway, deciding to clean the bathroom. On the map he has three, one of them being private for the master bedroom, but I'll start off with the one by the dining area.

I'll build my way up overtime.