Kurt flopped down on his bed, the pile of magazines beside him toppling over. Hed been back in Lima a few days and already things werent going as planned. None of his old high school friends were in town. Mercedes was going to visit home but not for another couple of weeks, Sam had gotten a summer job out of town and might spend a few weekends home, Puck was stationed who knew where, and everyone else seemed to be staying at school, or in Santana and Brittanys case taking an extended summer cruise.

Kurt was back in Lima and alone. Hed tried calling Rachel just to chat, but she was in rehearsal and couldnt talk long. So hed spent the last couple hours perusing some old copies of Vogue, but he could only do that for so long and he was starting to get bored out of his mind.

He pulled himself up from bed, put on a pair of boots and went down to the repair shop. It was busy. Burt was talking to a customer up front, Grace and Steve were both working on some android parts and Dan was on the phone making appointments. Then there was that droid. Kurt started in surprise when he saw him walking in from the back room with some parts in his hands.

"Is this what you wanted?" he asked, holding one up for Graces inspection, one brown eye squinting in concentration while the other eye was still empty and blinking.

Grace took the part and nodded, "Youre getting better at this."

The droid smiled happily and turned to Steve with the other part. "Here you are." Steve flinched a little when he turned and saw how close the droid was and then took the part before moving away quickly. "Yeah, thanks."

The droid licked his lips nervously, and wow, that was such a human thing to do. It made Kurt feel bad for him, the way Steves response was obviously bothering him. The droid rubbed his head like it ached, "Um, sorry to startle you."

"Yeah, yeah," Steve replied, not looking up from what he was working on.

The droid looked around the shop a little helplessly until his eyes landed on Kurt and a bright smile covered his face. "Kurt!" he called excitedly, and Kurt realized hed been staring. He smiled back and moved forward to join the droid and Grace. "Busy today, isnt it?"

"The summer always picks things up you know," Grace said. "Some droid parts just dont function that well in the heat."

Kurt nodded. "A lot of overheated robotics today?"

"You bet."Grace smiled and nudged the droid still standing there smiling at Kurt. "This guy is learning to help out though."

"I am!" The droid said excitedly. "I mean, for a droid I dont know a lot about droid repair, but Im trying to learn quickly and be useful."

"Well, for a human, I know very little about human repair," Kurt said, and the droids face lit up. "I used to help out in the shop with my dad all the time growing up. It isnt too hard, youll learn fast." The droid beamed at him, making Kurts heart melt a little.

"Grace!" Burt called and waved her over, she walked to the front and had a whispered conversation with Burt before coming back, looking a little embarrassed.

"Um, sorry to ask this, but that customer up front is… well…" She looked at the droid and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

The droids face fell. "Am I scaring them?"

"I think they are just a little… edgy. Maybe you could go work in the back for a little while?"

"Sure." He nodded and smiled, but it looked sad, and he took to rubbing his temple again.

"Ill help!" Kurt said before even thinking about it. "We can organize the new stock. I know dad just got a shipment in."

The droid looked at him in surprise for a moment before smiling shyly. "Id… Id like that a lot, Kurt."

Kurt followed him to the back room, feeling foolish. Why was it so important to him to keep this droid smiling? It wasnt as if its feelings were actually hurt, it didnt have feelings, it just… it was just programmed to demonstrate them.

Besides, being around this droid made him feel… funny, nervous. Not in the way that customer or Steve were nervous around him, but the way Kurt felt when he was trying to make conversation with a crush or something. Oh lord no, Kurt couldnt let himself feel like that for a machine, that was too messed up.

"Thanks, Kurt. For helping me," the droid said, opening a box and pulling out the packing list.

"Of course! First you want to check the packing list against our order book," Kurt said, pulling the book down from the shelf near by. "And check the packing list against what is actually in the box." Kurt flipped to the right page and noticed small, neat writing next to previous entries. "Are these your notes?" Kurt asked, looking up.

The droid rubbed his head and nodded.

"Okay, so you dont need me showing you how to do this then," Kurt smiled.

"Burt has me working in the back often. Steve says I am off-putting to the costumers." The droid was rubbing his temple in hard circular motions, and if he kept it up he was going to give himself a bruise… Or actually, no, he probably didnt bruise, but still… It looked uncomfortable.

"Whats wrong with your head?" Kurt asked, stepping closer.

The droid took a deep breath and blinked at Kurt with his one good eye. Kurt tried not to look at the other one. "I um… I…. headache. I mean I have a headache." He cleared his throat and looked down at the floor. "Its not a big deal."

"Hey, look at me for a second," Kurt said, and the droid looked up again. Kurt placed his fingers on where the droid had been rubbing. "It hurts right here?"

"Yes," the droid said softly.

Kurt touched the same spot on the other side. "But not right here?"

The droid shook his head, his gaze never leaving Kurts face.

"Okay, I think I may actually know how to fix that."

The droid raised his dark eyebrows. "Really?"

Kurt nodded towards a nearby table before walking over to it and patting its surface. "Come sit." The droid did as he was told as Kurt rummaged through the shelves until he found a small travel repair kit. He walked up behind the droid, "Im just going to… open this," Kurt said, pressing on the back of the droid's neck until a panel slid open with a hiss. Kurt now had access to what was basically the central nervous system of a droid.

This was good, Kurt decided. Looking at the wires and the motherboard and the blinking lights. It was a reminder that no matter how human this droid looked and acted, he was still a machine. Kurt needed that.

Kurt opened the repair kit and pulled out the small tool he needed for this delicate work. He adjusted there and tightened this. The headache was probably from some wires crossing. It wouldnt cause any damage, really, but it would send an uncomfortable pulse to the droids right temple.

The droid flinched after Kurt tightened something, and Kurt immediately put his hand on his neck to comfort him. "Sorry! Sorry about that."

"Its okay," the droid answered, and Kurts fingers slid over the smooth warm skin of the droids neck. And okay, maybe this wasnt good at all because yeah, the panel reminded Kurt he was a machine, but being this close to him was making Kurts stomach do funny flips and he needed a distraction because the slope of this droid's shoulders was awfully nice and his back was strong and firm and-

"What about Gregg?" Kurt said suddenly, and the droid started to turn his head in Kurts direction. "No, dont move."

The droid froze. "Who is Gregg?"

"You, maybe?" Kurt said as he continued working. "What do you think?"

"I dont know. Do you think I seem like a Gregg?"

"Not really," Kurt said with a smile, finishing up and sliding the panel back in place. He walked around the table to face the droid. "How does that feel?" The droid tentatively lifted his hand to his head.

"Better. Great actually. Better than Ive felt since I woke up. Thank you."

"You should have told my dad about the headache. He could have fixed it even faster than I did."

"I didnt want to be a bother."

"Youre not a bother, Phillip."

"Phillip?"

"Im trying it on for size."

"Phillip," the droid repeated and scrunched his nose up.

Kurt laughed. "Okay, okay, not Phillip. Well keep thinking."

Kurt put the tools back in the kit and the droid went back to unpacking the supply order. He was meticulous in his work, making notes, counting everything, putting the supplies where they belonged. Kurt worked alongside him, fascinated by how he moved and how his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration and how his laugh rang out any time Kurt said something he thought was funny. He really was the most remarkable droid Kurt had ever seen.

"What is your favorite thing about New York?" the droid asked as they dug into another box of parts. Kurt had been telling him about NYADA and living in the dorms this year because Rachel got her own place.

Kurt paused for a moment, thinking. "I dont know exactly. I mean, the bagels are amazing."

The droid smiled at that.

"But I think it is… the energy there. I mean, it's called the city that never sleeps, but it's more than that. It just feels so awake. It can be hard there, you have to be tough, but somehow theres just this vibe telling you, you can make it." Kurt shrugged. "I dont know, that sounds silly."

The droid placed his hand gently over Kurts, making him pause in ticking off items from his check list. "That doesnt sound silly. That sounds amazing."

Kurt looked down at their hands, the droids tan skin against his pale skin and the warmth that radiated between them. They were quiet for a moment before the droid pulled away.

"I want to see New York someday. Im adding it to my list."

"Your list?" Kurt asked, looking up at the droids face and not even noticing the blinking eye socket this time.

"Oh I..." The droid's cheeks grew rosy. "I started a list of things I want to do someday."

"Really?" Kurt asked in surprise. "Could I see it? I mean… If it is private, you dont have to let me, but I…"

"Thats alright," the droid said with a smile as he got up from the floor where theyd been sitting. "Ill get it." He walked to a tool desk and opened a drawer pulling out a piece of yellow paper from a legal pad, like the kind Burt kept in the office. He sat back down cross-legged next to Kurt and unfolded the paper.

"Um… This is going to seem… The things on here most people have done, but I havent really done anything, so…"

"Im not going to think it's silly," Kurt said. "And you only have to read the ones you want to share."

The droid smiled and nodded before clearing his throat. "Go to the movies," he read and then looked up. "Grace was telling me about this movie she saw with a spy and there was a scene where he was hanging from a helicopter or something and she made the whole movie sound really exciting." He was smiling so brightly and was so obviously enamored by the idea that Kurt couldnt help but smile too.

The droid looked back down at his list. "Taste ice cream. Read a book. Write a song. Climb a tree." He looked up at Kurt again. "I get to watch the TV in the office sometimes and there was a commercial with a bunch of kids climbing trees and it just looked fun."

"Go back," Kurt said, leaning forward. "What came before climb a tree?"

"Oh. Write a song?" The droid tilted his head like he was thinking. "I love music. When they have the radio on in the workroom,it always makes me smile, and I think I might be able to do that, you know... Write a song? I just havent done anything, so I have nothing to write about."

Kurt nodded and swallowed, a hard lump in his throat. What kind of droid was this? Never in his life had Kurt heard of a droid who wanted things. Outside of doing their job or being useful at least.

He wanted regular things, human things. Things that brought people joy and amusement, and made people feel. How could an android want that? How could he even understand those concepts? And how could he look so beautiful and endearing while talking about climbing trees and writing songs?

"I probably couldnt write one anyway," the droid said nervously, obviously misinterpreting Kurt's silence.

"I dont know," Kurt replied. "Ive never heard of a droid doing any of those things."

The droids face fell.

"But Ive never heard of a droid wanting to. So I think you should try as many things on your list as you can." Kurt stood and reached down to help the droid to his feet. He clasped Kurts hand and didnt let go immediately once he was standing. Kurt found himself staring again, at his smiling lips and sweet expression and his one eye shining with delight.

Kurt moved his hand and his thumb brushed across the raised surface of the droids serial number, Kurt looked down. "B821," he read, and then looked up at the droid again. "What if I just called you B until we found something else?”

"B? B… B." The droid rolled the word around on his tongue. "Actually, yes, I think that works."

Kurt reluctantly let go of his hand. "How about we take a break?" Kurt asked. "I could use some lunch and guess what we have in the freezer at my house?"

"What?" B asked excitedly.

"Mint chocolate chip ice cream. I think you should try some."

Bs mouth fell open and his eyebrows shot to his hairline. "You want me to come back to your house with you?"

"Yes," Kurt said, wondering if hed ever even left the shop since getting here.

"And you want to eat ice cream with me?"

"Of course, youre not eating it by yourself," Kurt smiled and without thinking about it grabbed Bs hand. "Come on, well turn on the radio and everything, okay?"

B glanced at their clasped hands as Kurt pulled them out of the workshop. "Okay," he said a little breathlessly, and Kurts heart thudded happily in his chest.