Sincerely

Deckard pulled me back to my apartment and made me unlock it. He carried some duffle bags inside. He set them down inside and I locked the door to make him feel safer but it just seemed to make him more nervous. He kept looking around as if the authorities were going to pop out and take him away.

I guided him to the couch and had him sit down.

“You’re safe, I promise,” I murmured.

He pulled the hat he had on his head off. I sat next to him wanting to comfort him but not wanting to make him feel any more trapped than he already did. I waited as he shifted and probably thought about what he was going to say. I didn’t want to rush him either. He took a deep breath eventually and sighed as he blew it out.

“I need to tell you something, I, I don’t want to lie anymore,” he murmured.

“What is it?” I ask, wanting him to be honest. “I’m missing something I know I am. You wouldn’t be scared to tell me either if it weren’t serious.”

“No matter what, just know that I really do sincerely care about you, okay?” he reasoned, reaching out and gently touching my chin.

I looked at him.

“Of course,” I replied, looking him over.

He takes his hand away from my chin, he reaches up to the side of his head where the icon most androids had would be if they didn’t remove it or press it down to hide their identities. He pressed down on his temple and the icon reappeared as a spinning neon circle in a yellow colour currently. He pressed it again and his features changed, reverted to their originals, and he looked like Carlos Fairfield’s android. He pressed it again and his skin tones retreated before he went back to looking like the Deckard I knew him as.

“You’re an android,” I stated quietly, not moving.

“But what I feel is real,” he exclaims quickly.

I look into his eyes and I saw fear, the same fear that was in Bailey’s eyes when I and Alcuin came across him in the abandoned warehouse. Or the fear I saw in victims of many people who were discriminated against. He lived in a world that scared him.

“If you’re going to tattle at least give me a head start,” he murmurs.

“Did you hurt Carlos?” I ask instead.

“No,” he states in reply.

“Who did?” I ask.

“Are you going to believe me?” he counters.

“Was it Huxley?” I ask in return.

He glances up at me momentarily.

“You were sad about Carlos dying, he didn’t bat an eye or show concern about you getting away, Deckard,” I reason.

“Deckard, look at me,” I stated.

He did, still with hesitation. I took his face in my hands so he had to look at me directly.

“They’re looking for me, I need to leave, I can’t stay here,” he exclaims. “Please don’t turn me over to them, let me have a chance to live. I didn’t hurt Carlos, please.”

I hugged him closer to me, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him closer.

“Why would I turn you in? You haven’t done anything and I care about you. I don’t want to see you in prison,” I reply.

“I wouldn’t end up in a prison, I’ll end up in a scrap yard or they’d reset me because I’m a deviant,” he states.

“Either way, I’m not letting any of that happen to you,” I reason, pulling away from him to look into his eyes again.

“Huxley is the one who committed the crime, he’s the one who should be punished for it,” I continue.

“Who else is going to believe me?” he replies.

His eyes are filling with tears again, I reach up and wipe them away.

“Are you seriously going to risk yourself over how you feel for me?” he asks after.

“You risked your safety for me,” I state.

“I don’t have a lot to lose, I couldn’t stay with Elias anymore, his place was compromised. You have a life, job, and friends, you have lots to lose,” he replies quietly.

“Am I supposed to value those more than your life? Cause that’s what you’ll lose if I were to turn you in,” I reply.

“You’ll lose yours if you don’t, or you might,” he replies.

“We are equal, Deckard. My life isn’t worth any more than mine. Your life shouldn’t mean any less because you’re not human, you feel things, just like us, and you’re crying right now. You’re safe here and my job is to give justice, I’m supposed to find out the truth, even if the truth hurts those it’s supposed to save, like Huxley, he has to face the consequences of the crime he committed,” I reason.

“I wouldn’t be the first person to lose their job for love, either,” I whisper after.

“You’re not the only one whose feelings are sincere,” I whisper into his ear.

He hugs me back then, pulling me in closer.

He pulls back for a second to look at me before he leans in and kisses me gently. I’m surprised at first but return it quickly.

“Thank you,” he whispers when he pulls back.

“Don’t thank me, you saved me, too,” I replied gently.

“You should lie down, you’ve been through a lot in the past two weeks,” I continue quietly guiding him to my bed. I had him lie down in bed. He shut his eyes but I could tell he wasn’t out, I doubted androids need sleep.

I got up to go eat before joining him.

“Don’t go,” he whispered grabbing my hand as I got up.

“I’ll be back, I promise. I need to eat, I’m hungry,” I replied quietly.

His hand released me slowly. I slipped out of the room and found something simple to eat in my fridge, I sat at the table and switch on the TV, the noon news was on.

“Several humans have joined the android revolution in support. Believing the robots’ emotions are real, police warn anyone found supporting or harbouring these deviants will be arrested and charged,” the news castor announced.

I changed the channel, I guessed it was a good thing Alcuin had gotten out when he did and that Deckard had hidden his identity, or they’d be after us right now.

I thought about the fact that he said he couldn’t stay here. But where could we really go that wasn’t going to persecute us if they found out?

Once I was done eating, I shut the TV off and went to join him in the bed. I wrapped myself around him, glad he was safe in my arms, and that he had been honest about his feelings for me and the truth about who he was.

“I think Huxley was jealous of me, I think that’s why he killed Carlos. They’d recently been arguing about revising the will because Huxley was unable to support himself, so he didn’t want all his money wasted on pointless things so he talked about lowering how much Huxley would get, and he wouldn’t agree to it. and he thought Carlos saw me like the perfect son and was going to give it to me. I’m just an android, what am I going to do with that kind of money?” he whispered.

“Don’t worry about it right now,” I murmured against his ear.

We had to get out of Seattle soon, I didn’t want to spend what little time we did have left, contemplating why Huxley killed Carlos, whatever reason he had wasn’t a good, justifiable one. Especially, when instead of owning up to it, he blamed an innocent party.

He turned around, curling into my chest and I rested my lips on his forehead. I knew I loved him then, and I wanted to help him prove his innocence and make people value his life just as much as a human’s but I didn’t tell him, afraid I would scare him because it meant his life wasn’t the only one in danger anymore. So was mine.

His breathing seemed to slow.

“Deckard,” I said lightly.

He didn’t move, like he was asleep, maybe androids did need rest, just like other electronics or things, they needed to recharge, I fell asleep with my arms around him, wondering tomorrow where we go.