Work Text:
Do Androids Dream of Falling in Love?
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
An android was not built to be warm.
Even the most realistic and best-engineered versions tended to run colder than an average human body might. And as machines, running too warm would always be a cause for major concern when it came to the operation of the system. The I-System was no different when it came to these facts.
Simply put, warmth and machines did not mix.
Yet, Honey Kisaragi craved warmth. Whether it was warm food or the warmth of a hot shower, it was like her system couldn’t get enough of it. It yearned for the heat the way a moth was attracted to a flame, a dangerous pull towards something that should be avoided.
If she were the more philosophical type, perhaps she would have wondered why. Why have such a strong desire for something that by all logic should be considered a bad thing for your well-being?
Then came what Seiji referred to as “the mannequin incident.” A time when Honey’s system became so overwhelmed by attacks, both externally and internally, that it shut down completely. Yet, even in that frozen state, one thing was able to reach through to her.
Warmth.
The warmth of words. The warmth of tears. The warmth of friendship.
The warmth of Natsuko’s bare body pressed against her own.
Somehow, that warmth reached into Honey's heart and restarted her system, defying all logical explanation. Could an android even have a true heart? And if so, could they really feel emotion?
Behind the scenes, these were questions important agents asked themselves as they received the reports about the incident. The Warrior of Love couldn't really be powered by love, could she? But the more they dug into her creation, the more they began to wonder.
From a scientific standpoint, it would explain why the Sister Jill system failed and the Cutie Honey system seemed successful. That one factor of difference.
Still, it wasn't until things escalated to a worldwide problem that they could test this theory. But when their oldest agent phoned in a personal request, they were quick to give her what she requested.
A plane, Seiji, and clearance for one Natsuko Aki.
It was a risky maneuver, requiring a nano-restart program solution to jumpstart Honey's heart. But that wasn't the variable. That could only reboot the system. To initiate the program once more, her heart would need to beat in a way most commonly associated with something quite unscientific. Love.
They would need love to wake the sleeping princess.
It seemed more like a fairytale than science, but if they could get her heart racing again, then she should be able to break free of Sister Jill's slumber. And, much to their relief, they'd been right.
Once more, Natsuko's heart was able to reach out to Honey. And with her back online and functional, Honey was able to do something no one had ever dreamed of with her I-System imagination. She reversed the impact of a nuclear missile and saved everyone in the blast zone.
After such an impossible feat, the agents began to wonder if there was anything Honey couldn't do.
To their surprise, one such problem arose.
Cutie Honey, who proudly declared herself the Warrior of Love and who had saved everything with the power of love, seemingly had no idea how to navigate the fact she was in love.
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
It had begun with a simple question to Granny.
Honey had asked her what kind of gift you'd give to a special person, and Granny had, quite teasingly, asked her what kind of special person.
She'd paused, suddenly unsure. “There are different kinds?”
Granny explained that there were gifts for friends or family that differed from gifts for lovers.
Still, Honey wasn't sure which one of those fit Natsuko best. She was a friend, of course. But also, she was Honey's precious partner.
“What if they're your friend and partner?”
Granny raised an eyebrow. “A partner can be like a job friend or a lover. It depends.”
A frown settled on Honey’s face. “Then… I'm not sure what we are.”
They were definitely friends; she knew that much. And they did work together a lot recently. But lovers? Were they that?
Technically, Natsuko had only laid with her when she shut down in order to warm her up. And although she'd kissed her, it had been to administer the restart solution. It didn't help that Honey wasn't even quite sure how to put a label on her own feelings for Natsuko.
What did you even label someone who you promised to come home to?
Perhaps part of her hesitation was that she wasn't built for this. She was an android first and foremost; could she even call herself a human? Did Natsuko consider her one? Maybe it was just everything Sister Jill had said to her getting under her skin, but she worried that she wasn't qualified to call it love.
The second concern was that she didn't want to push Natsuko away. The rejection of her first offering of food still echoed in her mind, and she knew it had been enough to shut her down. If that happened again now, after all they’d been through, Honey was sure she'd break.
Maybe, and this thought scared her the most, maybe an android like her wasn't capable of loving a human. Maybe they were incompatible and it would never work out.
“Honey,” Granny said again. This time, she finally registered it.
“Ah, sorry Granny. What did you say?”
“I said it's nothing to blow a circuit over. Plenty of people don't know how to label their relationships.”
“Oh.”
“What matters is how you feel in here,” she said, pointing to Honey's chest.
“In… my heart?”
“How does she make you feel?”
Honey thought about that, really thought about it, but everything kept coming back to one word.
“Warm.”
Granny chuckled. “Normally, I'd say that's cause for concern. But in this situation, that's a good thing.”
Honey blinked. “It is?”
“What else makes you feel like that?”
She thought, and it was all things she really loved. Good food, hot showers, cozy blankets. Even just the idea of them made a smile curl at her lips.
“Exactly, my dear.”
“Huh? I didn't answer.”
She reached over and gave Honey's hand a gentle pat. “No need to; you're as easy to read as a book. If those things all make you smile, then you have your answer.”
A wave of relief washed over her. Was it really that simple? She thought back over everything Granny had said, and she kept coming up with the same answer, over and over.
Like her whole code had been rewritten with the phrase, “I love Natsuko Aki.”
Maybe it was hard to pinpoint because it was so obvious, but now that she'd found a word for it, it made perfect sense. Stars in the sky, flowers on the earth, love to human beings. And for Natsuko, the warmth that blossomed in her heart every time she was near.
She turned and gave Granny a bright smile.
“Thank you. I think I understand now.”
Granny grinned back at her. “Good. Now about that gift… have you considered a ring?”
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
THE END