A/N: I MEANT TO UPDATE THIS MUCH SOONER. But better late than never, I guess. *laugh* I'm still super with this story dw! I'm just... easily distracted.

Thank you to lala32903, HipsterL, Xample, vaibhavsingh4jan, Lunette3002, Maraderchik, Addles28, warmsundae, larmmason, Sezony, and guest for reviewing!

Title: The Turing Test

Author: liketolaugh

Rating: T

Pairings: None

Genre: Drama

Warnings: None

Summary: Genos' pursuit of the Mad Cyborg leads him to find a place on the Avengers, where communication is a foreign concept and Steve and Tony can't seem to agree on anything at all.

Disclaimer: I don't own One-Punch Man or the Avengers.

One of the biggest surprises about FRIDAY was that she didn't share JARVIS' rather suspect sense of humor. In hindsight, Tony felt that he should have expected it.

Unlike JARVIS, who was activated in a near-empty house during one of the loneliest phases of Tony's life, FRIDAY had been dropped into a fully-formed and distinctly tumultuous team, only shortly before she was called to mind Karen and, by extension, Peter.

It the end, FRIDAY developed into someone carefully polite, cautious, and chiding, with a lighter and more overt sense of humor than JARVIS had had.

Tony ached, and he wasn't sure if it was pride, grief, or disastrously encroaching old age.

The result of this, though, was that she remained silent until they reached the elevator, and when the doors closed, the speakers crackled just briefly before she spoke.

"Hello boss, Peter. I see the retrieval went well."

Genos started, but only slightly, tilting his head back and locating the main speaker almost immediately. Tony stifled a smirk; Steve had jumped a foot the first time JARVIS spoke to him, and then turned around two full times before either of them explained.

Good times.

Beside Genos, Peter snickered a little and elbowed him gently, gesturing upward.

"That's FRIDAY," he explained, taking all the fun out of Tony's life. "She's an AI, and she runs Mr. Stark's house." Peter gave the speaker a grin, eyes bright and glittering. "She's great."

"An AI," Genos echoed, audibly interested and still looking intently at the speaker. "It is a pleasure to meet you, FRIDAY."

"And you, Genos," FRIDAY returned lightly, and then, with an echo like laughter, "I'm afraid you won't be able to get into boss' servers by force, but I may be able to let you through if you tell me what you're looking for."

Genos had the good grace to look abashed, releasing a small puff of steam from his shoulders as Peter turned to give him a wide-eyed look. He even glanced at Tony, clearly worried.

Tony just snorted, raising his eyebrows. (He did way worse on a regular basis, anyway.)

"You haven't been here ten minutes and you're already trying to hack my systems," he mock-lamented, crossing his arms with a sly smirk. "Why do you even have that capability?" That wasn't a standard cyborg ability.

Genos hesitated, making as if to step back and shifting his gaze away. "I feel like anything I say will be incriminating," he said at last.

Tony rolled his eyes, while Peter stifled a laugh. "Tell FRIDAY what you were looking for, she'll let you in if you're allowed," he told him, resigning himself to unrepentant teenagers.

Still looking distinctly uncomfortable at being called out, Genos lifted his gaze back to the speakers.

"I was looking for floor plans and access to security footage," he informed the AI awkwardly. "Real time only, not the records."

"Certainly, Genos," FRIDAY said immediately, and her voice still sounded like laughter. "Floor plans are well within your clearance. I can add labels for the rooms, if you desire."

"I would be grateful," Genos acknowledged, letting out another puff of steam. Tony smirked.

"However, you only have partial permissions for security footage," FRIDAY continued, by all appearances perfectly businesslike. "I can grant you access to the common areas and your own quarters."

"That is sufficient," Genos assured her, relaxing a little as he presumably gained access. "Thank you, FRIDAY."

"It is no trouble, Genos."

As soon as FRIDAY went quiet, Peter burst out, "I can't believe you tried to hack into the Tower. Right away."

Genos coughed, visibly embarrassed, though without the steam this time. "It is habit," he defended weakly.

"That's worse," Peter insisted, but he was fighting off a laugh.

"Give the borg a break," Tony smirked, eyes glittering with mirth as Genos grew more flustered. "I do the same with every building I enter."

"I don't think you're a positive example, Mr. Stark," Peter said seriously. Genos made a staticky strangled sound, and a moment later, Tony and Peter both gave in and laughed.

"Alright," Tony said when he'd recovered, still snickering. "It's high time we go introduce you two to, well, our half of the team." His mirth faded. "Peter, you already know these people, so go wild, I guess. Genos, you haven't, so remember their faces; you'll be stuck with them for a while."

Genos' embarrassment faded from his expression, and he nodded. "Understood."

Don't say it like that, Tony thought crabbily. I'm not your military commander.

"I can introduce him," Peter volunteered eagerly, and Tony gestured vaguely in a 'knock yourself out' kind of movement, which just made Peter grin wider. Kids were weird.

The elevator had stopped a while ago, the minor fiasco of a security squabble more than enough to pass the time, so Tony nudged Peter off and followed Genos, hanging back a little.

Tony's people knew better than to expect him to arrive in a timely manner, so they weren't real inclined to wait idly. Natasha was polishing a gun, by all appearances simply nonchalant. (Natasha's displays of dominance were one of Tony's favorite things about her.) On the other couch, Rhodey and Vision were both leaning over a tablet; from the sounds, Tony thought they were watching an old flight documentary.

A flicker of a smile crossed Tony's face before he lifted his fingers to his mouth and whistled, as obnoxiously loud and piercing as he could make it. He had to duck a knife, courtesy of Natasha, but the way Rhodey jumped and glared was worth it. (The fact that Vision just looked over expectantly was unfair.)

Tony smirked at them and gestured broadly at the two beside him. Peter, he noticed, actually looked more fidgety and nervous than Genos, despite having met all of these people before. His eyes flickered from person to person, and his hand rubbed at his elbow restlessly.

"Cyborg and the Spidey," Tony explained, flicking his fingers lightly. "Now, I'm not Fury, I don't have any boring files for you, but I think Pinocchio's is public info and you all know Spidey already, he's nothing to be scared of." Peter, who Tony knew could lift weight equaling several semitrucks, made a face at Tony, who gleefully ignored him. "Don't scare them away now, I know how you all are." He considered naming names but he didn't want to die, so he just stared intensely at Natasha, who smirked.

"Hey!" Peter said weakly, waving one hand even as his cheeks colored.

Genos looked less uncomfortable, giving the room a curt nod, though his gaze shifted away as well. "Thank you for agreeing to work with us," the boy said politely, hands clasping.

Rhodey looked Genos up and down and raised his eyebrows, leaning forward with interest. "How much metal have you got on you?" he asked the cyborg, and then, aside, "Good to have you on the team for real, Spiderboy."

"98% of my body mass," Genos answered while Peter grinned at Rhodey in clear delight, and then shifted his gaze to Vision, intent again. "Are you an android?"

Vision gave him a small smile and a slight nod. "I am, yes. It is good to have you both on the team, Peter, Genos."

"I'm glad that the testosterone in this tower is ever-increasing," Natasha deadpanned, tipping her head toward them without faltering in polishing her gun.

Genos and Peter made identical weird faces. Tony understood why Peter had made that face, but Genos made him curious. Because he was a cyborg and all his hormones were artificial? Glancing over, he saw something flash behind Natasha's eyes, because of course she'd caught it too; he wondered what she'd make of it. Peter wasn't out to the team, but Natasha probably knew anyway.

He dismissed the thought and lingered in place, watching the two new recruits. Genos shifted his weight to one foot, unsure, sweeping his gaze over the others. Peter's head was tilted toward Genos, obviously waiting on him to act. Natasha leaned back and started putting her gun back together, by all appearances disinterested. Vision looked patient, and Rhodey crossed his arms and moved his gaze to Tony, prompting.

For a brief moment, Tony entertained the thought of Steve, striding forward because he was socially fearless with everyone but women, and starting up a conversation that would probably have them comfortable and open within the first few minutes. His smile faded.

After a long moment, Peter mercifully broke the stalemate, grabbing Genos' wrist and tugging him forward with inhuman strength. "You should talk to Vision!" Peter informed the boy confidently, ignoring his confused expression. Embarrassment flickered across his face then, and his gaze skittered away before returning to Genos, a little more tentative. "I mean- Vision likes philosophy, and even if you aren't into it much already, you seem like you would be?"

Genos blinked. "I like philosophy," he said, and looked up at Vision, who smiled reassuringly and beckoned. Genos tilted his head a little, and then said, "You are not quite all metal, I see…?" The end of his sentence tilted up slightly, his questioning gaze almost boring into Vision.

"Entirely synthetic, however," Vision said cheerfully, and then tapped the crystal on his head. "Though this may be counted otherwise, being an ancient and mysterious artifact from the depths of space."

Entirely too much amusement colored his tone, and Tony's melancholy faded enough for him to huff. He was still annoyed about that; it rubbed him the wrong way. Ancient and mysterious space artifact. Ugh.

A flicker of a smile crossed Genos' face, and he sat down by Vision, careful but quick. Peter flashed Tony a pleased grin and sat on his other side, arms set on his knees. Tony allowed himself a small, brief grin, and then went to sit by Rhodey, who gave him a lightly exasperated look that contained far more amusement. Tony nudged him by way of objection, and Rhodey bumped him back before Tony returned his attention to the others.

"Pound for pound, Vision made have about the same amount of organic material as you," Peter was telling Genos, excitable and rapid. "Mr. Stark studied his brain a little, and it doesn't work quite like a regular human's does but he said that it was ideal for someone whose mind is an AI's like Vision's is-"

"Thank you, Peter," Vision said, gently placing a hand on Peter's shoulder, and Peter ducked his head.

"Sorry," he apologized, abashed, and Vision gave him a small smile before looking back up to Genos.

"I've had much cause to investigate both the nature of humanity and the construction of morality," Vision said to him, calm and easy. "However, I've done some research in many areas, if your centers of interest lie elsewhere."

Genos tipped his head a little, considering. "I have also been investigating morality recently," he said, hesitantly hopeful. "As well as the effects of power?"

Vision smiled. "A matter of interest," he agreed, and Peter leaned forward, his attention caught.

"Oh, God," Tony muttered, catching Rhodey's attention. The man raised an eyebrow, and Tony explained, "Peter talks about how to use power way too much for a kid his age. They could go on forever."

Rhodey snorted. "When I was a kid, I didn't worry about much more than keeping my head down and my grades up so I could get into MIT," he complained. "I definitely didn't worry about what to do with my superpowers."

"You still don't worry about that, honey-bunch." Rhodey punched him in the arm, and Tony yelped and rubbed his arm petulantly. "Ow! Don't shoot the messenger!"

"If I don't, neither do you," Rhodey informed him, and then stood up with a grunt and crossed the room; Tony's response died as his attention caught on the slight whir of his braces, tweaked just a little to help make his walk more natural. "Hey, can I join this robo party or do I need your special brand of existential angst?"

"You are always welcome, Colonel Rhodes," Vision assured him, shifting a little to make room. Genos looked up, and then his eyes darted briefly down to Rhodey's legs before he nodded thoughtfully, moving closer to Peter to give Vision more room.

Rhodey sat down with a bump and then tilted his head expectantly at Peter when the boy leaned forward, hands sliding down to his calves. Halfway across the room, Tony took out his phone and pretended not to watch. Natasha, on the other hand, made no pretense.

"Do you like to do that kind of research, Rhodey?" Peter asked, tipping his head.

Tony was so bitter. Why did Rhodey get first-name treatment?

"Some days," Rhodey shrugged, leaning casually on the arm of the couch. "Most days I'd rather not, though. It's too abstract, you know? I like something I can use." He snorted. "Doesn't apply much in today's world anyway. Too much has changed in the last ten, fifteen years."

He got two blank looks and a half-hidden grin from Vision, and Tony covered his face with a suppressed groan. God, he felt old. Why did he always feel old now?

Eventually, Peter bobbed his head in acknowledgement and hummed thoughtfully, clasping his hands. "I guess it's not so much of an issue on a team," he said, quick and rambled. "I mean, there are several of you and you talk a lot and have to agree on whatever you do, so…"

Genos turned to look at him, amber-black eyes interested. "Perhaps that is why there are so many hero organizations, and why they are more popular with the public than independent vigilantes?" he suggested.

Peter smiled brightly, sitting up straight again. "Maybe! I know that's why I tried not to go after situations that were real ambiguous, street fights and drug deals and stuff. I'm just one opinion, right? And there's the accountability argument, too, that always comes up with vigilantes, and it's definitely a big deal!"

Genos nodded, tapping his knee as a slight frown creased his face. "Civilians scare easily," he agreed. "And in this situation it is quite an understandable reaction. After all, if the police will not or cannot deal out consequences for negative actions…" He trailed off.

Vision, smiling in subtle but clear delight, stepped in and remarked, "This is the conflict of the Accords. A system of checks and balances is vital to the success of any official system, but what can check a group of unmatched individuals, and what role does legal procedure have when lives are on the line and the clock is ticking?"

Rhodey shot Tony a look and a shrug. Tony interpreted as I tried.

Tony understood far, far too well.

"I hate to say it," Rhodey cut in, leaning over to catch their attention. All three turned to look at him. "but the Accords are pretty bad as-is. It looks like they tried to model it after the procedures used to decide whether or not to start a war, but that's not what the Avengers are for, you know? The battle's already started and we need to react. We need something, but the Accords aren't really it."

Vision tipped his head, conceding the point. "It is a good thing we have someone with the political influence to alter it, then," he murmured, gaze cutting briefly to Tony.

Rhodey snorted and grinned a little. "No one else I'd rather be doing it," he agreed, and then tacked on with a smirk, "As long as he doesn't try to add in a clause about skimpy uniforms."

"I should do that," Tony said on instinct, glancing up from his phone with a smirk of his own. Peter gave him a horrified look and Genos a moderately scandalized one, and he grinned. "Relax, no one would notice anyway. You think people read these things? No. They're boring and they suck out your soul."

Tony didn't know when Natasha had moved – he never did unless she wanted him to – but the next thing he knew she was right behind the four sitting together, right between Peter and Genos but with her eyes on the latter and a sly smirk on her face.

"It wouldn't bother you any, would it?" she asked, voice tinged with amusement as Genos twisted to give her a confused look. "Don't tell me you have a metal dick down there, Genos."

Tony had to bite back a laugh – what adolescent wouldn't get flustered by a question like that from a woman like Natasha? – and Peter's head swiveled to give Genos an interested look. Genos blinked, and then, to Tony's surprise, grinned a little.

"I do!" he informed her without missing a beat, and if the expression on his face wasn't so guileless Tony would have almost thought it was a poorly advised come-on. "It's for dysphoria!"

Natasha just nodded, not appearing surprised, and Peter perked up visibly and only hesitated a moment before offering,

"I wouldn't have thought that a flesh-to-metal transition would cause dysphoria," he said, carefully casual and not quite meeting Genos' eyes. "But it makes sense! It is technically a whole new body."

A moment of hesitation hovered palpably between them, and then Genos smiled again, a little gentler, and nodded.

"Doctor Kuseno said it is not unusual," he said, and then continued in an even-toned ramble, gaze shifting away, "In many cases where body parts are replaced with mechanical ones there is a sense of confusion and wrongness, particularly when the replacement was abrupt, unexpected, or traumatic. As I understand it, it is not unrelated to phantom limb syndrome, as the mind has an internal picture of what the body should look and act like, and when this does not match to the physical reality precisely-"

"Breathe, Genos," Vision chuckled, reaching over to tap the cyborg's shoulder, making him start. Vision glanced over at Tony, a light of amusement in his eyes, and Tony shrugged. Hell, he didn't know why he attracted the rambling sort. It wasn't as if he did it or anything. "There is no need for discomfort."

Genos hummed briefly in acknowledgement, fans speeding up audibly for a moment before settling again.

"As much as I like philosophy," Rhodey said into the ensuing silence, fixing an expectant look on Genos, "that isn't exactly the focus of this team. What are your combat abilities like?"

Genos considered visibly and Peter perked up a little, excited.

"Why don't you and I go spar?" Vision suggested, shifting to float to his feet and then turning around to look at Genos again. Genos brightened.

"Certainly," he agreed.

*smile* Honestly, they were supposed to talk about a lot of things this chapter and I only hit on like half of them, and philosophy wasn't supposed to be a major point and neither were the Accords, hehe. I do want y'all to know that Natasha's line about Genos' metal dick was marked in the outline as 'Natasha makes a remark about Genos having a metal dick meant for a straight cis boy. Genos, being a gay trans boy, goes 'Yeah! It's for dysphoria!' Coming up with a flirtatious remark that wasn't an active come-on was kind of hard though. Thanks for reading, and please review!