Mechanical Gods (lgbtq+)

For Tyler North, galas were a necessary evil, a parade of drunken mistakes and shallow revelry he expertly captured with his camera. This particular SynTech event, however, felt different. Two hours in, stomach grumbling, he snapped photos of the usual suspects: a passed-out dude in the garden, a couple quarreling behind a fake fern, and an old company manager getting handsy with the female android servers.

His best friend, Eileen Wu, an event planner extraordinaire, sidled up to him, a stark contrast in her white bodycon dress amidst the formal wear. “Enjoying the night, pal?” she asked, a knowing grin on her face. Tyler just smoothed the creases of his worn leather jacket, feeling perpetually underdressed.

“I feel underdressed,” he mumbled, thinking more about the two thousand dollars he was getting than pure friendship. Rent was two months behind, and Eileen’s offer was a lifeline. He wasn't planning on buying a raffle ticket, certainly not for a hundred bucks, but Eileen, ever the persuader, bought him one anyway. He reluctantly picked number 15.

Hours later, as Gideon Reese, 'The Maker of Androids,' finished his booming speech, Harry, the raffle host, announced the winner for item fifteen: a personalized, new-generation AD-Class 700 model android. To Tyler’s utter disbelief, the winning ticket, number 18250, was his. Eileen was practically bouncing, dragging him forward as the crowd gawked. He, the hired photographer, had won a ten-thousand-dollar android. He'd rather have the cash, but a refund was, unfortunately, out of the question.