Saved from the Scrapheap Pt. 02

This is a slow burn and doesn't currently contain sex, though future chapters will eventually have some.

Many thanks to Dazmine for helping me edit this.

Emily shuffled downstairs around noon, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt and clutching her head. She brightened up when she saw me on the couch in the living room, breaking into a smile. "You're still naked? Didn't Rosie tell you where your clothes were?"

"She did," I admitted, setting down the rather boring book I had been leafing through. "She also said that you liked to pick out her outfits."

"Well, yeah..." Emily looked away, rubbing the back of her head. "It's not like she has to wait for me. She told me she likes it."

I stood up. "I think I'd like it too."

A tiny, shy quirk of her lips made my heart sing. "Alright. I don't mind playing more dress-up." She started back up the stairs, and I followed her into my plain light-blue bedroom. "I should probably warn you, though. According to Rosie, my fashion sense is, uh, questionable."

"Rosie said that?" Even with my limited experience of their relationship, I couldn't imagine Rosie telling her mistress she was wrong.

"Well, not in so many words, but I got the idea after a while..." She started to dig through my closet. "Dammit, where is that dress...?"

She continued rummaging, tossing out items of clothing every once in a while as I looked around. I had spent a few hours exploring the house in more detail, especially this room. There was a mostly-empty dresser, a full-length mirror, and a single bed with a charging cable that snaked up the leg to dangle from the headboard. A peek in Rosie's room had shown it to be basically the same, though hers had a number of personal touches: art on the walls, various books, a colorful vase, and a framed picture of her and Emily.

"Aha!" Emily said triumphantly, tugging a vibrant purple dress out of the closet and holding it up to my chest. I looked down hesitantly, and her smile faded as she followed my gaze. "What's... oh, yeah. Legs. Hmm."

"Maybe stockings?" I offered, staring at my pale shins. Somehow it looked even more odd when the connection between my dark and light skin was hidden.

"Yeah..." Emily sighed. "I would have bought some if I'd thought of it. I don't think Rosie has any that would work. Damn. This'd look really cute on you, too."

I shrugged, trying not to show my own disappointment. "I can just wear pants for now."

"Yeah. Alright, pants it is." She returned to searching through clothes, gradually assembling a few outfits that didn't show off my unusual coloration. I tried each one on in turn, showing off for her and checking myself out in the mirror. She apparently had a thing for bright colors; there didn't seem to be any grey or black in my entire wardrobe, but I wasn't complaining. The way she smiled, the way her eyes sparkled when I modeled something new - that was all that mattered.

She eventually settled on some plain white underwear, a cobalt blue blouse, and jeans that hugged my new legs. I obligingly put everything on, posing in front of her, and she held up a hand, beaming. "Perfect! Just one more thing..."

She hurried out of the room and down the hall, coming back after a minute with a gold necklace in her hands. She fastened it around my neck and put her arm around my shoulders, guiding me over to look into the mirror.

"Beautiful..." I murmured, raising my hand to touch the small, intricate pendant.

"Yeah, you are," Emily said, breaking into a grin. She looked as proud as could be, and I couldn't keep myself from smiling even as my cheeks grew hot.

"Do you have makeup that I could use?"

"Yeah..." Her grin turned a bit sheepish. "You'll, uh, have to ask Rosie where it is. She uses it more than me."

I realized I actually hadn't ever seen Emily with makeup on. Not that it made her any less adorable. I wondered how to say that to her, and went for the blunt option. "You're very pretty without it."

She blushed and looked away, smiling. Okay, maybe a little too heavy-handed, but I considered that a success.

"Anyway," she said, patting my shoulder and stepping away. "You're dressed. I won't always have time to do this, but you're welcome to change whenever you want. You don't normally sweat or do any of the human things that get clothes dirty, so new stuff every few days is what Rosie does. I kinda got you a lot of skirts and dresses, though. Your choices'll be a bit limited for now. I'll have to order some more matching skin if I can't find it anywhere."

"I don't mind the legs." That wasn't exactly true, but she had already gone to so much trouble for my sake. "It doesn't really matter. I'm just an android."

"No!" she said sharply, her gaze snapping up to meet mine. I stared at her in surprise. After a few moments, she said more gently, "No. You're not just an android. Don't say that. Never say that." She stepped closer to me, cupping my cheeks with her warm, rough hands. "I hate when people think like that. I hate that you're programmed to think the same way. You're a person. You might be an android, but you're a person. You're not a Lisa. You're my Lisa. You're special, and- and unique, and important. So- don't talk about yourself like that, okay?"

I nodded slightly, made speechless by her sudden strength of emotion. She pulled my head down to her lips and planted a kiss in my hair, holding me there for a little while before stepping back. She avoided my eyes, apparently embarrassed by her outburst.

"I'll, um, go see what Rosie's making for lunch." She lingered for a few seconds at the door, but left without another word.

I stared at the empty doorway for a while, trying to process what she'd said. Androids not being people seemed logical to me. Was that wrong? We were built by humans to do things. To be tools. I knew that, and yet I was starting to think I didn't really understand it. Did I really consider myself to be... lesser? Did others? Emily was my only point of reference. I felt she probably treated me and Rosie the same as - if not better than - humans. Did that make us people?

Why had I never thought like this before? Did I just not remember it?

I realized that I was involuntarily taking deep breaths. My heart was pounding, cycling coolant through my system as fast as possible. My casual clothes felt stifling. I reached a hand up to my forehead and found it scorching, sticky with sweat. My processor was boiling hot, and the realistic human cooling systems I was equipped with weren't up for the task. If this kept up, I'd start to cook myself.

I made it two steps towards the door before I realized there was no time. I needed to shut down, now. I collapsed onto my bed, raising my hand to my power switch-

-and looked up into Rosie's eyes. The room was dark now, my body a normal temperature. Rosie straightened up, wearing her typical politely blank expression.

"Mistress sent me to tell you dinner is ready. You are invited to join us."

"O-Okay..." I managed, my panic fading. Why had that happened? I still struggled to understand what Emily said to me, but something like that shouldn't have given me processor heatstroke...

"It is dangerous to turn yourself off without telling anyone," Rosie admonished. "You should notify Mistress or me when to wake you if you do not wish to use the charging cable."

"I- I will."

"Will you be having dinner with us?"

"Um..." I remembered Emily's disappointment the last time I had said no. "I'll come down in a minute."

"Very well." She gave me a nod and left the room. I sat up slowly, holding my head. Even now, I realized, I was warmer than I should be. I had been running hot ever since Emily revived me. I had to talk to her about this, but I had a feeling that she would freak out and drop everything to fix me. I could sort of gently let her know there was a problem after dinner. I checked myself out in the mirror. I looked normal, maybe a little worried. Nothing that would be a problem. Satisfied, I headed downstairs to the dining room and met Emily's bright smile.

"Hey there, sleepyhead."

Both of them were already seated at the large table. Emily was at one end and Rosie on her right, with plates, glasses, and covered dishes clustered around them. I slipped into the high-backed chair on Emily's left, where a place was set out for me.

"Alright, time to eat," Emily said happily, taking the lid off a ceramic dish and serving herself a large helping of what proved to be enchilada casserole. Rosie took a rather smaller portion, and I followed suit, shifting a messy heap onto my plate. I hesitantly raised a bite to my lips, but paused when I noticed Emily pointing to a small cup of water next to me.

"You can actually drink that," she said after swallowing. "It's saline, for all your bodily fluids. Rosie takes it before eating anything, though. You don't want it to wash down bits of food."

The freckled android across from me was indeed drinking her water. I downed my own, finding the sensation of it flowing down my throat and into my internal reservoir relatively pleasant.

"That should account for the moisture you lose day-to-day with breathing," Emily explained. "Let me know if you ever get thirsty." She returned to digging into her food, making noises of approval towards Rosie. A little unsure, I returned to my own plate and cleaned off my loaded fork, starting to chew thoughtfully. It was good. Really good. Considering I had nothing to compare it to besides the saline I just had, I could safely call it the best thing I'd ever tasted. Then... my chewing gradually slowed to a halt. I couldn't swallow it. I looked at Rosie questioningly, and she picked up a tall, opaque glass that was set next to her, gesturing to a matching one by me before raising it to her lips. Grasping her meaning, I picked up my glass and, as politely as I could, spat out the mess of food. Emily didn't bat an eye, so I took another bite with more confidence, enjoying the flavor before I had to empty my mouth. After a little while, I felt comfortable enough to ask Emily a question that had been on my mind since the morning.

"So, what is it that you do for a living?"

"I fix old stuff," Emily said with her mouth full.

"Mistress is an expert in restoring archaic mechanical technology," Rosie clarified.

"Like us?" I asked, and Emily laughed, raising a hand until she was able to swallow.

"No, no, you girls are brand new, comparatively. I do antique cars, machinery, that kind of thing. Rebuilding androids is- mostly a hobby. I don't get a ton of business, but it's almost all collectors and they pay well. I get to work from home a lot, too, so that's a plus." She smiled at Rosie. The android's reaction was subtle, but if Rosie was anything like me I was pretty sure she was melting inside.

"There was something else I wanted to know," I said after a few more bites. "How long was I on that table?"

"Hmm..." Emily bit her lip, thinking. "A few months? Is that right?"

It felt like my brain stuttered. "A few months?"

"I think so." She started counting on her fingers, but Rosie was faster.

"Mistress brought you home on February third." Somehow, I wasn't surprised that she knew the exact day.

"So... February, March, April, May, and today's the twentieth..." Emily mumbled under her breath, then said, "Yeah, almost four months."

"I thought... a couple weeks, maybe," I managed, shaken. "I guess I can't really tell when I'm shut down."

"Well, you were totally conked for two months straight. I turned you on for the first time a few weeks in, once the basics were working, but there was a lot to do after that."

"Huh." I scraped up another bite of enchilada while I processed that. "How long did it take with Rosie...?"

Emily's expression dimmed. "About a year. She was my first, so... it was harder. I made more mistakes, and it took longer to fix them."

So subtly that I might not have noticed it, Rosie shifted her hand closer to Emily, stopping just before she touched her arm. Emily put her hand over the android's and gave it a brief squeeze before returning to her food. Curious but unwilling to press further on what seemed like an uncomfortable topic, I changed the subject. The brief strangeness was dispelled as Emily chatted about her latest project at work, carrying the conversation while Rosie and I listened intently and asked occasional questions.

"Shall I clear the table, Mistress?" Rosie asked eventually, standing up and pushing in her chair.

"Sure." Emily pushed herself to her feet. "I'll help you with the dishes."

"Actually, could I talk to you for a second?" I said, holding out my hand.

"Oh, sure." Emily sat down as Rosie gathered up plates and glasses. "What's up?"

"I didn't want to interrupt dinner with it, but I had an overheating problem earlier today."

Her eyebrows went up. "Overheating? What happened?"

"I think my processor was working at full capacity for too long, and my body couldn't shed the heat fast enough."

"Huh." She put a hand on my forehead as Rosie headed for the kitchen with armfuls of dishes. "I noticed you were hot this morning- actually, ever since I got you functional, but it's never been a serious problem. I was thinking about upgrading your cooling. When did you say this happened?"

"Earlier today. Just after you picked out my outfit."

"Hmm. Were you thinking about some kind of..." Her eyebrows came together. "Hold on, how hot did you get? Don't tell me you went critical?"

I was sort of hoping to avoid scaring her with my unplanned shutdown, but I wasn't going to lie to her face. I nodded, and she put her head in her hands, blowing out a heavy breath.

"Lisa... God, Lisa!" She rubbed her face, groaning. "You have to tell me these things! I thought I made it weird and you wanted to stay in your room for a while, not that you almost burned out!"

I sank into my seat. "I'm... sorry-"

"No, no," she interrupted, holding up her hands. "I know why you did it. And- I appreciate the thought, I really do. But..." She took one of my hands, clasping it between her own as she stared in my eyes. "If you didn't tell me about this, and you died because of it, it would tear me apart. It would be a hundred million times worse than worrying about you could ever be. Okay?"

I nodded, blinking rapidly. I didn't think I could speak.

"Rosie used to be the same way. She'd throw herself in front of a bus if that got it to stop for me. But... that's not how it works. You being happy is all it takes. Don't get me wrong, I- I'm grateful for the other stuff, but- putting yourself in danger to give me peace of mind? Hurting yourself? Fuck, it's like a knife in my chest. So, please..." She stood up, coming over to pull me into a sideways hug and holding out her other arm. "You too, Rosie."

I realized the redheaded android had been standing silently in the doorway to the kitchen. She obediently joined the embrace, and Emily held us both tightly, rubbing our shoulders.

"Alright," she murmured eventually. "Come on, let's take a look at you."

Rosie returned to clearing the table as Emily and I went to the garage. With a bit of trepidation, I sat down on the edge of the table that I had so recently escaped from as she set up her laptop and toolkit next to me.

"I'm gonna have to root around in your head for a while," she warned, turning on the computer. "Do you want to be off for that?"

My only conscious experience with android surgery was a couple of quick tweaks she had to do during the calibrations of my hand, but the feeling had been decidedly uncomfortable. "I'll turn off."

"Okay. Lay down, then." I did so, and she leaned over me, giving me a smile as her finger found my power switch. "Sit tight."

I opened my eyes and sat up, finding that I was surrounded by tools and there was an empty coffee mug by my leg. Emily was slumped in her chair, rubbing her face, but she managed a smile when she saw I was awake.

"Hey there."

"Hey," I replied, feeling a little pang in my chest. This was exactly what I'd hoped to avoid. "What's the verdict?"

"Well..." She sighed. "I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong, but it took me too long to figure out. I gotta go in tomorrow, and it's already..." She peered at her watch and winced. "Late. I'll fix it tomorrow, but I installed a limiter for the time being. You'll shut down automatically if you hit dangerous temperatures." She stood up and cleared away the tools to my side, giving me another, brighter smile. "Now come on, it's bedtime for both of us. I'll show you how it's done."

I slipped off the table and followed her upstairs to the second bathroom, where she picked up a blue toothbrush and handed it to me. I stared at it, unsure.

"I know it's not something androids are programmed for, but you had dinner. You have to clean out all the little bits from your teeth." She ran her brush under the sink and demonstrated the proper technique with her mouth open. I hesitantly tried the same. "Yeah, that's it. Now do it with toothpaste. Humans are supposed to do it for two minutes, but you can probably get away with less."

I added some minty toothpaste and scrubbed my mouth clean along with her, but the way she showed me didn't seem quite right. It was better if I moved my head like this... and closed my lips like that...

"Um, Lisa?"

I realized she was staring at me. Around a mouthful of foam, I mumbled, "What?"

"You're kinda... uh... sucking it."

I spat out the toothpaste. "It feels more natural."

She snorted. "Well, I don't doubt that. But- you should stick with what I showed you."

I looked at the toothbrush in my hand, then at her. All of the sudden, my face seemed to be experiencing a very localized overheating problem. "Oh."

"Yeah," she laughed, rubbing my arm. "Rosie did the same thing in the beginning. I forgot about it until now. Something about sticking stuff in your mouth brings out the subconscious programming, I guess."

I wondered if blushing could trigger my automatic shutdown. I almost wished it would. "Sorry..."

"Don't apologize for how you're made," she said firmly. "Anyways, it's not a problem. Just rinse your mouth out and let's get to bed. I'll show you how to floss some other time."

I washed the remaining foam from my mouth and went with her to my bedroom, my embarrassment gradually fading. She turned on the lamp and peeled back the covers, yawning.

"So, I haven't picked out any real pajamas for you yet, but I'll show you the old Emily special." She undid her loose jeans and let them fall around her ankles before stepping out of the bunched material. "Ta-da! Pajamas."

I tried not to stare at her shapely legs. Or the cute pink boyshorts that hugged the curve of her hips. I could only guess what she looked like from behind, but boy was I guessing.

"Okay," I blurted, suddenly aware that I should say something. I fumbled at my pants and tugged the tight material off, matching her state of undress.

"There you go. Now get snuggled on in there." She patted the bed and I lay down, slipping my bare legs under the covers. She pulled the blankets up to cover me, smiling. "That's pretty nice, isn't it?"

"Yes." It was definitely warm and comfortable. The fact that the gentle look in her eyes was making me melt helped a little.

She sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over me. "You'll turn off a few minutes after I plug you in. I think it's set to five. Then you'll wake up at..." She checked her watch. "Eight thirty-seven. I'll be at work by then, but Rosie can handle anything that comes up. She'll keep an eye on you and I'll fix your overheating thing when I get home. Okay?"

"Okay," I murmured. "Um... thank you. For everything."

Her smile grew. "No problem." I felt a tingly warmth as she plugged the charging cord into the port next to my power switch, then a much greater tingly warmth as she cupped my cheeks and kissed me on the forehead. "G'night, Lisa. Stay safe."