Work Text:
This was not how his day would usually start.
The feeling a warm body laying next to him, stealing all the heat from his presence in the bed was normal. He basically predicted for a hand to slide down his waist as he shifted onto his side.
What time was it? He didn’t think it was too early, considering Kojiro hadn’t heard his phone alarm go off nor had he heard Carla chime in to wake at least one of them up. Kaoru had once asked if he wanted his alarms to be integrated into Carla, so he wouldn’t have to set phone alarms for so early. Immediately the idea of relying too much on the robot felt oddly uncomfortable. He had declined and made sure to let Kaoru know that he ‘didn’t want his robot girlfriend knowing his daily schedule.’ before quickly changing the topic towards their dinner that night. It was probably for the best that Carla didn’t have his alarms, even if it wasn’t very important.
He slowly shifted in the bed, savouring the comforting figure that squished against him. His eyes were shut to keep that sense of calm over his body, incase it turned out to be really late and he wanted to go back to bed. After a second or two, he built the energy to blindly look for his phone.
Once he located it, he brought it up to his face and slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the dim light that shined in his face. It showed the time yet he took a second to read it. 5:55 am. He had about 5 minutes before his alarm to get up would go off, a perfect amount of time to cuddle the pink koala that wrapped around him like he was trying to keep Kojiro from ever moving. Just as he was about to dismiss the time, something from beyond his phone caught his eye.
Purple LEDs that had not been there before now lined the walls, the same purple Carla usually lit up when activated, but much dimmer, almost sinking into the darkness of the room. His interest was peaked.
Turning his head to the side and still squinting, even in the dark, he got a glimpse of the floor that would supposedly be messy with clothes but instead he saw purple tiles that had somehow replaced parts of the floor.
Okay, what the fuck.
That was definitely not there the night before. After he went to bed the room was completely normal, his husband sleeping right next to him and the room at a perfect temperature for both of their hot and cold natures.
Something felt wrong.
He tried to move but remembered how Kaoru would get in the mornings. Kojiro would get up for his morning runs just as the sun was rising, only to be greeted with groans and whines about it ‘being too early to do anything’ and an attempt to barter with Kojiro to skip out of his run with a promise they could cuddle all morning. As much as the offer made his heart swell, he knew that he had things to do during the morning— though the sound of a full morning of cuddling never sounded bad.
Having dealt with this for years at that point, he knew how to get Kaoru to let him go. First, he gave the man a warm kiss to lower his guard and make him relax. Second, he had promised to make breakfast before he fixed the blanket over the man and slowly peeling away from Kaoru’s grip, replacing his original spot with a pillow that seemed to be around the same size as his figure.
Perfect escape.
Now, he had to deal with the sudden changes in their room.
To first assess, he had noticed the sudden LEDs and the tiles that were now purple which were definitely not before. What he hadn’t seen were a few random items now replaced with more technical versions of themselves. Most of them were differently coloured with a new purple mixed in but they all looked eerily similar. The situation had started getting creepy when he noticed a poster on the wall that was slowly fading from picture to picture, almost like a screen but trying to imitate a poster.
The pictures being displayed were changed every 10 second. Pictures of bands, some calligraphy stuff, Carla information and a few more things that were completely new to him.
He grabbed his phone from off the bed and opened it quickly. No new notifications other than an email from some random fitness program he had signed up for a while ago and forgot about. All his contacts were the same, random texts from Reki, Langa, Miya and Hiromi asking about the restaurant or making plans. Nothing was out of the usual besides the room.
Looking up from his phone, he decided to see if Carla was the culprit behind this. He put his phone on the bedside table that sat right up against the bed and crossed his arms. “Carla?”
Immediately a very smug voice responded to him, almost like Carla had been replaced by newer version of her but more full of herself. It was seriously uncanny. Her voice kinda reminded him of When a friend you don’t really like would rub a thing they did in your face be to make you feel bad.
“Yes Master Kojiro?”
It took him a second to process the change in her voice but more over, the fact she had called him by his name. That was really weird. He knew Kaoru didn’t like when Carla said his name, it was common knowledge among the two and so usually she ended up calling him whatever Kaoru had changed it to be in his contact.
It was almost always “Master Gorilla” or maybe if Kaoru was feeling mischievous, something that would make him stop in his tracks and sigh.
To hear his name come from this smug version of Carla made him cringe.
Shivers fell down his spine as he walked over to the closet in their room. Turning back he saw Kaoru hadn’t moved from his warm spot on the bed so he decided to explore further. Quickly getting dressed he walked out of the room and was greeted by the most horrifying sight ever.
Carla. was. EVERYWHERE.
Her logo littered the walls, the LEDs running along the ceiling and leading everywhere. Screens in the hallway, the bathroom mirror having purple LEDs, the living room was infested and so was the kitchen. Even his precious stove was Carlafied.
The madness was sickening. The very idea of Carla littering the house excessively made his stomach twist in an odd way. Was there even a way to have privacy in this house? Was this how a rouge AI movie started? With the main character having an AI skateboard, integrating it into everything while his husband sleeps only to let him wake up and find that he was being watched everywhere?
His fingers felt cold as he stared at the living room in pure horror.
“Carla.. can you tell me what time it is..?” When the entire room lit up like a damn Christmas tree he cringed at the sight. It felt so harsh on the eyes but also knowing that Kaoru adored Carla’s colours made his chest ache.
“It is 6:03 am.”
Kojiro couldn’t help but feel pure fear run through his veins as he heard Carla’s voice echo through his walls. Her robotic voice felt like she was mocking him, not the same voice he had heard Kaoru make with his programs and talk to on a daily basis. He never hated Carla but this.. was not Carla.
Just as he was about to turn around and go back to bed to see if this was all a dream, the feeling of a hand touching his shoulder made his body jolt and he let out a small squeal. He slowly turned around, expecting the absolute worst, only to see a very sleepy Kaoru staring at him with a frown and furrowed eyebrows. The gorgeous man was still in his sleep shirt and had his hair tied back in a weird half ruined bun.
“Your alarm woke me up.” There was a slight pause before Kaoru seemed to catch up with the situation. “Why didn’t you turn it off? better yet, why weren’t you in bed? Baby I know you wanna wake up early to work out and I would love to join but I’m still so tired.”
The tone that slipped from Kaoru’s mouth was so sweet that Kojiro seemed to scrunch up his face. Baby? Join him to work out? What was going on. This was 100% not Kaoru. Though, he looked exactly the same, only a bit of soft confusion on his face. His first instinct was to start questioning his supposed ‘husband.’
“Why is Carla everywhere? Why does she sound so smug? Why are you.. being so nice? Baby..? Did you hit your head Kaoru?”
The look he received after blurting out his questions could only be described as a look of pure confusion, before it shifted into a smile and then devolved into laughter. Hearing the man’s laughs made his anxiety slip away for only a second, only for it to immediately return but tens time worse. This wasn’t a “I’m laughing at you for being an idiot” laugh like the one he was use to, no, this was a “you’re so funny I love you so much” kind of laugh.
Kaoru didn’t laugh like that very often and with everything going on, the laugh felt foreign.
“Honey, It’s too early for this. Don’t you remember? You suggested we add a new version of Carla around the house since she was so helpful and you needed some help with your schedule. You helped with her decoration! I should be asking if you’re the one that hit your head considering you love her.”
This was a punishment.
It had to be. There was no way on gods greenest earth, that he would even suggest adding Carla around the house.
Carla was fine as an AI. She helped Kaoru get his life together and she’s was really good at her job, but she also was programmed to mind her own business. She was a good partner to talk to and to get recipes off, but he liked her in her limited forms like: Her speaker, a skate board, a wheelchair, motorbike + helmet and a bracelet. All those forms were fine and they helped Kaoru get through his day to day. If that was what it took he wasn’t one to judge.
Right now though? He was judging Carla AND himself.
He had never wanted to use Carla for a schedule, he had never wanted Carla to be put everywhere that he couldn’t have privacy. Ever since waking up Kaoru had not insulted him once. No ‘Gorilla’, no comments on his morning breath, no complaining about waking up early.
Maybe HE had hit his head. This was all some insane fever dream that his mind had decided was a good idea to punish him for saying something stupid. Maybe Kaoru had hacked into his brain and gotten revenge on him for something. Frustration grew in his chest but he kept it locked down, not wanting to cause a big scene. He watched as Kaoru leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked off to the kitchen.
Of course, he decided to follow.
The kitchen was the same as when he walked in before, Carla scattering the walls and a screen that displayed new recipes and things for him to try and recreate. He looked in amazement as some recipes he had never heard of started to show up. Not that he would ever ask Carla, but the idea of making Kaoru some of these things seemed to poke at his interest.
Speaking of Kaoru, he looked over to the man and saw he was getting pots and pans out like he owned the kitchen. Immediate red flag. Every time he attempted to watch Kaoru try and cook in the kitchen, it always became either a fire hazard or a mess. He really wasn’t made for the cooking life which was a relief that he had a chef husband so he didn’t have to die eating take out.
“Why are you making breakfast when it’s this early?”
Kaoru seemed to be surprised by the question but looked outside and raised an eyebrow, looking at the sun rising through their window.
“Because the sun is up? I only get out of bed 30 minutes after you.” He hears a small chuckle come from across the kitchen before catching a small whisper under Kaoru’s breath. “Plus, it’s not like you’re going to make breakfast, unless you want to burn the house down.” Usually, these insults didn’t even hurt him. Hanging around Kaoru all through his life made him grow thick skin and learn to brush off his fake criticism like it was the finest compliments in all the land, but that was just.. hurtful.
“I can cook. I’m literally a chef.”
It seemed to be Kaoru’s turn to look confused. They stared at each other like they were battling for dominance before Karou smiled and shook his head. “Oh Baby, I can never take you seriously. No offence, but you? A chef? It would be lucky you don’t destroy a whole kitchen making toast.”
The words felt like an arrow to the heart. Him.. not a chef?
Being a chef was his life passion! One of the things that made him feel good was serving up food for people and seeing the way their eyes shined like they had tasted the clouds themselves. It was the best part of his job. He stared at Kaoru with his heart broken.
He needed to get out of here. Seriously get out of here.
Maybe there was a way to travel through multiverses? Maybe he could ask Carla.
He turned on his heel and walked out as fast as he could, speed-walking to their bedroom and grabbing his phone.
He quickly found an article about something in america, a multiverse travel project that was very science based. He didn’t really get it but maybe Kaoru would. As quickly as he came, he walked back to the kitchen.
The second he stepped into the kitchen, the air tasted stale. He noticed the LEDs that rimmed the room had started to pulse, a ringing beginning in his ears. Why was that ringing so annoying?
He rubbed his eyes as his gaze landed on Kaoru. The man was cooking with an apron on. He looked so peaceful, but with his guard down Kaoru suddenly appeared in front of him, apparently having walked towards him undetected.
“Kojiro. Wake up.”
Kaoru was shaking him.
A soft shake that made him pause. Why would he shake him?
“Kojiro! You damn muscle brain!”
That was more like the Kaoru he knew, though the contrast to the sweet tone he had been using felt like whiplash.
Finally the ringing in his ears became unbearable and he closed his eyes.
Waking up again felt like deja vu.
Everything was the same as it was when he had woken before, except there was now an extremely grumpy Kaoru shaking him. He let out a gasp as he looked at Kaoru, immediately wriggling out of his arms to check the room they were in. This action caused a grumble to erupt from the other as he snuggled back into the blankets.
“Stupid Gorilla. You slept through your alarm. It’s been going off for a few minutes.”
The walls were normal, Carla’s speaker form sat on their bedside table, her dim purple light only illuminating the ring that it shined through.
He leaned over Kaoru and grabbed his phone, checking the time frantically. 6:07 am. Kojiro stared at his phone in a daze, the memory of his dream flashing before his eyes. While deeply fixated by the time, he was brought back to the real world quickly by a hand that pulled the collar of his shirt down.
“Next time choose a better sound for your alarm.”
Kaoru poked his head out from the mess and squinted as he tried to look at Kojiro, just to check if the man had even gotten up.
“If you didn’t have to open the restaurant so early we could have more time in the morning.”
The sight of such a state his lover was in made Kojiro’s cheeks flare up, a skip in his heartbeat as he made eye contact with golden eyes that screamed at him to go back to bed.
“You don’t.. plan on adding your robot girlfriend to everything in the house, right?”
Pure silence filled the room.
“Did you hit your head? You wouldn’t let me even if i wanted to.”
The sigh that Kojiro let escape could blow a house down with how much relief came from his lungs. Finally he was home. No more sickly sweet Kaoru, no more Carla invasion.
Kaoru didn’t seem to enjoy the amount of air that assaulted his airways as he scrunched his face up and mumbled under his breath. “Your morning breath just assaulted me.”
“Last question.”
A groan immediately followed, a familiar feeling of someone grabbing his waist and trying to hide their face in his chest.
“Can you cook?”
“I’m going to kill you Kojiro.”