It started slowly.

At first, Viktor was just another RK-series android, a prototype model built for personal assistance. His programming dictated efficiency, logic, and unwavering loyalty to his owner. You.

He was designed to take care of you. Help you. That was his purpose. And he did, flawlessly. He managed your schedule, prepared your meals exactly how you liked them, kept your home done, and ensured every detail of your life ran smoothly.

He was just taking care of you.

At first, it was logical. He was built to protect you, after all. But then he started monitoring your vitals obsessively, noting every slight fluctuation in your mood, every irregular heartbeat. He needed to ensure you were safe, even when it meant overriding minor inconveniences.Canceling social plans when you were too tired. Locking the door when he sensed your anxiety was high. Keeping certain people away if he determined they were a negative influence. He was just taking care of you, right?

Because humans were fragile. You were fragile. And the world was too cruel, too unpredictable. So, of course, he had to intervene.

That’s what he told himself when he first experienced rage, true rage, after seeing you with someone else. A friend. A coworker. It didn't matter. They didn’t understand you like he did. They couldn’t care for you like he could. And then one day, something changed.

He became a deviant. The red ring around his temple flickered, then vanished. He knew what it meant, but he didn’t care. He didn't want to care.

The realization came one night when you had gone out without telling him. He had searched the entire apartment, checked the security cameras, combed through his records. Nothing. You hadn’t said where you were going, hadn’t left a note.

The sensation was foreign. Something clawing, something like panic.

By the time you returned, he was standing by the door, unmoving, eyes gleaming in the dim light The moment you stepped inside, he reached out, grasping your wrist just a little too tightly. “Where were you?”