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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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Detroit: Become Human

PIANO LESSONS: Markus x fem!reader

Summary: She always wanted to learn how to play the piano and luckily Markus was there to teach her.

Notes: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistake I may have made while I wrote this short story.

I'm in my DBH era again -- this man is soo beautiful!

To V. <3

Warnings: swearing

•••

By the time Carl Manfred sat at the table, her daughter was already practicing playing the piano. He just smiled at that, being happy that she listened to him and took his advice - it's never too late to learn new things.

"Thank you, Markus." Carl said after Markus put the plate in front of him. "Now why don't you go and see if my daughter needs help?"

So Markus was soon standing next to her, not saying a word until she finished playing the song. The same song he taught her when she asked him if he'd like to help her learn how to play the piano. The very first song he taught her to play.

After she finished the last few notes she turned to look at him, her lips forming a wide smile.

"You're getting better and better." Markus complimented.

"Thank you." she said, her cheeks turning pink. "I have a pretty good teacher."

Markus smiled too, suddenly experiencing an unsual kind of peacefulness and happiness.

She made some space for him on the chair, letting him sit down next to her, their legs touching.

Markus quickly looked up more simple songs to teach her that morning, and after he found a suitable one, he played the first few notes, looking at her face to see if she's familiar with it or not.

"Imagine." she said after figuring out what he was playing. "By John Lennon." she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're not teaching me these, because my father told you to, right?"

"No. I'm just teaching you simple ones until you're ready for something more complicated." he explained.

Markus was about to show her the first few notes once again, but slower, when she noticed his torn shirt. Her eyes were immediatelly full of worry, her hands gently touched his arm, turning him toward her so she can take a better look at the damage. She touched the torn material, than her left hand was on his chest, fingertips lightly touching the area, making sure he wasn't hurt.

She was so gentle.

She was always gentle when she talked to him or touched him, as if he was a real human being. And sometimes, when Markus was spending some time alone with her, he felt like it too.

His Thirium pump was pumping the blue blood faster through his body at her touch and his LED turned yellow.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice was quiet.

"Just some protesters, you have nothing to worry about." Markus's hand touched hers and pulled it away from his chest - her touch alone could make him overheat sometimes.

"Of course I have things to worry about!" she explained, her voice suddenly becoming loud and angry. "God damn idiots!"

Markus just looked at her.

She rarely ever cursed - her father didn't let her and always scolded her when she did. But that time Carl stayed quiet.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No." he said. "They just threw me around a bit, but I'm okay."

She swallowed down the next few curses.

"I'll buy you a new shirt." she stated. "A normal one. Not this Cyberlife bullshit. We can go tomorrow afternoon."

Markus didn't protest. He knew he should have, but he didn't. He enjoyed her kindness - and he especially enjoyed it when it was directed toward him and him alone.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing, really." she turned toward the piano again. "So... John Lennon."

"Yes." Markus looked at it too and gently took one of her hands. "The first chord is C."

She let his hand lead hers, her finger pressed down the said chord.

"Then a C major 7, an F..."

They went on and on, until she had a small part of it memorized.

Markus kept his hand on hers, his LED turning yellow every single time she looked up at him with a smile. When she messed up she giggled - and Markus smiled.

He loved her laugh.

Carl ate breakfast in silence, watching them from afar. At one point her daughter rested her head on Markus' shoulder as she watched their intertwined fingers.

And Carl knew...

He knew they'll end up falling in love - maybe they already had. He just hoped he'll still be around to witness the development of their relationship.

Carl felt at ease knowing that when he'll be gone, they'll take good care of each other.

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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he got dibs on being Alice’s father for like 3 seconds (;_;) poor ralph, lil bro tried

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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Connections Pt. 2

Pt: 1 2

~ Summary: Set in post-revolution Detroit, You've been assigned to the recently developed Android Crimes Division; and it's already off to a rough start.

Pairing: Connor x Reader

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: more slow burn so sorry

“And you’re really sure this is gonna work?”

You crossed your arms as Connor looked up at you, tilting his head to the side, his hair falling over his eyes. It was such a small thing, but the way those strands framed his face, and the look in his eyes at you questioning his expertise; it was enough to make you blush.

“Yes, Detective.” He drawled, sarcasm lacing his tone, “My program indicates an eighty-five percent success rate.”

His voice sounded playfully smug as his LED spun from yellow to blue. You let out an exasperated sigh and turned on your heel. The room was totally fluorescent, equipped with white walls and bright lights. There were several Cyberlife crates and one of the walls was full of drawers. A few monitors also cluttered up the space. There was enough equipment in this room to create an android if you really wanted.

Moments after you’d arrived at the crime scene, the android had been transported to Cyberlife Tower. You’d been directed to a room on the twenty-fourth floor where his body lay motionless on a dimly glowing surgical table. According to Connor, he’d been here plenty of times and knew exactly where you were going.

“Which parts do you need?-” You started, cutting yourself off as you pulled one of the drawers open. A pair of legs lay nestled in black styrofoam, neatly packaged, and clearly never touched. Next to them was a pair of forearms, equipped with hands.

“Connor, I feel like I’m in a morgue right now.”

The android let out a soft laugh and moments later you felt his body press against your back, his hand gently resting on your shoulder. You swallowed hard and warmth flooded your cheeks.

With him pressed against you like this, you could feel the beat of his thirium pump, the firmness of his torso, the sturdiness off his fingers.

Connor pulled open a drawer above your reach, sliding it completely out of its place.

“Watch your head.” He murmured, “Everything we need is in this one.”

You ducked as he lifted the drawer over you, quickly turning to follow after him.

You pressed cool hands against your face, hoping you could persuade the flush into taking its leave.

“So uhm- How many times have you done this?” You cleared your throat, praying your voice came out steady instead of weak.

“I did it a handful of times during the revolution.Taking parts from androids, swapping them between each other, trying to find any clue that could lead me to Jericho.”

His voice was soft, full of remorse as he spoke.

You placed your hand on his arm and offered a comforting smile.

“That wasn’t you, Connor. They made you do that. You were just following orders.”

“It doesn’t quite wash my hands of all that thirium though, does it?”

You frowned, choosing to stay quiet as you watched him work.

He placed his hands on the androids stomach, the synthetic skin peeling back as he opened the androids chassis.

“The wiring definitely looks a little fried. Like Nines said, his reactivation will only last for a minute, if that.”

Connor replaced a few biocomponents before connecting two wires together.

The android suddenly gasped, his eyes shooting open.

“Where-- Where am I?” The android's voice came out scrambled, almost like static.

“We don’t have much time,” Connor started, “I need you to relax. I’m going to interface with you.”

Before the android could protest, Connor had already grasped his forearm. You watched as both of their eyes fluttered, the damaged android convulsing on the table.

“Fucking hell-” You shuddered out, averting your gaze from the two.

The android abruptly stilled, his eyes going dim, and synthetic skin sliding back into place.

Connor dropped his arm, taking a step back and pushing his fingers through brown locs.

“Connor? You okay?”

Connor paused, his LED spinning red as he made eye contact with you. He gave a short nod.

“I just- I can feel the death, when I’m connected like that..” He said, LED still blaring red.

You hesitantly took his trembling hands in yours, “Wanna try a breathing exercise?”

“A breathing exercise?” He repeated, his fingers instinctively intertwining with yours, “I don’t have lungs, detective-”

You laughed softly, “I know, I know. But maybe it’ll help? Cool your systems off in a way.”

Connor gave you an uneasy look.

“Just humor me, okay?”

The android sighed, giving a small nod and closing his eyes, “Okay.”

You took in a deep breath, Connor inhaling along with you and almost too easily matching his faux breathing pattern to yours. You stayed like this for a few minutes, up until the android’s LED returned to its cool blue.

“Okay. Now what did you see in the interface?”

Connor cringed, “It was too fried to make anything out. The images were warped and blurry. The only thing I managed was the terror he felt through it all.”

You let out a frustrated ‘Ugh’, gently dropping your friends hands and turning to face the android on the table.

“There has to be something. Some kind of lead or something to connect this to– Something we’re missing. The only person who could get away with this without leaving a trace would be another android, right?”

“Or a very smart human.”

“But if it were a human you’d have found something! Finger prints, fibers, anything.”

Connor furrowed his brows, looking over the other android for a hundredth time.

“I’ve scanned him several times, detective. If we’d missed something we’d have caught it by now… It’s possible it could be a human acting through an android?”

You groaned, “Well that’s another theory, I suppose.”

“We’re overdue for one of those corkboard late nights, anyway.” He teased, clearly trying to lighten the mood, “Hank can make the coffee runs this time.”

In a way, it was sweet to know that Connor still thought of those moments so fondly. You figured he’d have thought of them as insignificant or just work. You tipped your head back, taking in a deep breath and shaking your hands out.

“Yeah, okay. We tend to do our best work then, huh?”

“Even if we don’t, I still enjoy it.”

You glanced at him, something purple catching your eye in the motion. You paused, turning back to the android on the table.

“Was that there before?”

Engraved on the android's arm was a symbol. One you’d seen before just the other night.

“Hm… It would appear his skin had been hacked to hide the symbol, but now that all his systems are completely shut down…” Connor trailed off, tilting his head as he looked at you.

“Fuck. Okay, I have to show you something.”

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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Detroit Become Human - Masterlist

Masterlist

mostly Gavin Reed x reader

The Academy (Prequel to Lawmen)

Chapter 1 - The supreme art of war (is to subdue Gavin Reed without fighting)

Chapter 2 - Storm in a teacup

Chapter 3 - Douche level: onion

Richard (John) Perkins / Gavin Reed / Captain Allen x reader

Lawmen

Chapter 1 - The Jackal and his vixen (Richard Perkins appears first)

Chapter 2 - Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest

Chapter 3 - Douche in shining armor (Gavin Reed appears first)

Chapter 4 - Love is a tale told by an idiot (18+)

Chapter 5 - A brief spell

Chapter 6 - Train and gain (Captain Allen appears first)

Chapter 7 - Thou shalt love thy detective as thyself (18+)

Chapter 8 - The mission

Chapter 9 - (Don't) judge a book by its cover (18+)

Chapter 10 - Broken (18+)

Coming soon....rewritten as Elijah Kamski x sister!reader

Christmas spirit (Gavin Reed x reader)

Christmas present (18+) (Richard Perkins x reader)

Mistletoe (Ralph x reader)

Icing (18+) (Ralph x reader)

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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Connections

Summary: Set in post-revolution Detroit, You've been assigned to the recently developed Android Crimes Division; and it's already off to a rough start.

Pairing: Connor x Reader

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: Mildly gorey description of a body, slow burn oops

There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world that could make this morning any more bearable. Connor and RK900's bickering was usually something you could handle, but after the night you just had– your nerves were shot to say the least.

“You state that you are ‘better’ than me in every comparison. I feel that’s just unlikely.”

You ignored the two androids, making a beeline for the break room. The coffee, as perusal, was lukewarm and honestly it could’ve been enough to break you. Your night had been seemingly uneventful– spent looking over casefiles and drinking some cheap wine you’d picked up at the grocery store.

It was around 2 in the morning when a new file appeared on your laptop.

It wasn’t from the station, that you were sure about. It was just suddenly there in your personal drive, its only announcement the notification in the bottom right: “ Local Disc (C:): Unknown File “

“What the fuck…” You murmured, your cursor hovering over the new icon. It was dated only a few days ago and it wasn’t very large. Your gut told you to wait until the morning and have Connor look it over.

You tapped twice on the touchpad and watched as the contents within the folder began to load in– A series of unnamed images and a single text document. That wasn’t eerie at all.

You sucked in a breath before opening one of the images, the clicking of the touchpad one of the only noises in the apartment. Saying that you felt sick to your stomach would be an understatement.

“Long night?”

You looked up from the coffee pot, eyes landing on Gavin Reed.

“Didn’t know you were capable of being here so early.” You grumbled, “Are you responsible for this gross, cold coffee?”

Gavin snorted, “Do you not know how to work this thing? It’s ridiculously easy to make a pot of coffee these days.”

To be honest, you’d never messed with the machines in the precinct– They were slightly more techy than the one you had at home. You usually brought a cup with you, but you’d downed it before you’d even made it halfway to the station.

The detective nudged you out of the way before placing the empty pot in the machine and pressing a few buttons.

“If this police business doesn’t work out, you should consider being a barista.” You teased.

Gavin glared at you as he pressed a mug into your hand, warmth flooding through your fingers and up your arms.

“You can get your own cream and sugar.”

You gasped and pressed your hand to your chest, feigning heartbreak as the detective walked away.

“Not only am I faster, stronger, and more resilient, but I’m equipped with the newest technology. Perhaps your analytical program is outdated as well.”

You saw Connor’s LED spin red as you approached, taking a very long sip of your freshly brewed coffee.

“What if– And hear me out; You didn’t argue like children today?” You mumbled around your mug.

“I’m not equipped with an ‘argumentative child’ program.”

If you had an LED it would be red too.

“Anyway,” You started, drawing out the syllables, and setting your mug on Connor’s desk, “Can you pull up the most recent case assigned to us? Should be about an android found down at the docks. The one on Lakeside.”

“That one’s new.” You nodded, pushing fingers through your hair as you sighed, “Yeah. Got assigned early this morning.”

With Hank back on human homicide, you had been assigned to the new android crimes division. The Lieutenant wasn’t particularly happy about Connor being reassigned to your team, but he understood. You on the other hand didn’t quite understand Fowler's reasoning for splitting up the two. Before the revolution you had worked briefly on the deviancy cases, assisting Hank and Connor when they met a dead end or just making their late night coffee runs while they mulled over case after case.

You thought they’d worked well together, more so when Connor loosened up. You supposed Hank was just too valuable in the human department.

Connor pulled up the file on his computer, you and RK900 crowding around the desk to get a better look. You knew they were humoring you by pulling it up on the desktop, when they easily could’ve scanned it in their heads.

“This file is practically empty. They don’t have any leads?”

You shook your head, “Barely anything. It’s also hard to place how old the body is because androids don’t decay like humans do. I was hoping you’d be able to scan him and get us some more info.”

“I supposed we’d better get going then, hm?”

Upon arriving at the docks, you found it blocked off with the digital, yellow tape. A few police cars were parked along the street and several officers stood around the scene.

“Chris!” You called, “Any witnesses?”

The officer turned to meet you, giving a shake of his head. “It’s sorta creepy how this crime went without a hitch. The android’s too damaged to even reactivate or make an attempt to access his memories.”

You let out a deep sigh as you slipped past officers, “He’s over here?”

Chris nodded.

The sight before you made you feel just as sick as last night. An android dangled over the side of the dock, ropes around each wrist and tied to the railing; his body half dangling in the water. Not only did the physical damage render him incapable of reactivation, but the water damage totally scrambled all his wiring too.

“Fuck..” You breathed out.

Brief pressure on the small of your back drew you from your thoughts, you barely had time to register Connors hand before it was gone.

“Hey, don’t get too far in your head. We’ll find a connection.”

You shook your hands out and gave him a small nod, “Notice anything?”

“The body is approximately two days old. But he’s only been here since last night.”

“How can you tell?”

“My scan gave me details about the water damage. If we replaced a few biocomponents back at the station, we may be able to reactivate him.”

RK900 suddenly appeared at your side, crossing his arms over his chest as he also scanned the android. You watched as his LED spun yellow.

“Reactivation could be possible, but it’d be for less than a minute if everything.”

A minute was better than nothing. A minute had the potential to provide you with a lead, a witness, anything.

Especially if one of them could interface and access the android’s memories.

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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What is a random scene you would have liked to have seen in canon?

0. Markus converting machine Connor / Connor having no choice but to deviate on his own due to SI reaching some peak, without a choice to remain non-deviant

I don't like the scene with him "become deviant/stay a machine". It's the most underwhelming while also most awaited scene of the game that could have been better, whether by having a scene that shows Markus converting him (slipping into his memories through an interface and making it a combined effort in breaking those walls for him) or through some kind of emotional shock (maybe later in the game)

If there is a scenario in which he has no choice but to remain a machine, there should have been the opposite. Markus vs Connor fight scene being only available in machine route is a crime.

1. HANK DECIDING NOT TO THROW CONNOR DOWN THAT ROOF 💯

I hate hate hate how that's the only decision he can make while Connor can decide to change his mind on this. I mean, I get it, but also, I wish there was a way for Connor to turn deviant somewhere during or after this scene. And I know there are people (exactly one lol) who'll fucking bite me for that and call me a stupid mf but Yeah, I want that

"You're a machine, Connor. Just a machine"

Well, there could have been literally no choice for Connor to become anything else, and you're a fucking hypocrite

1.1 OR Connor throwing himself off that roof like he does with Allen, but it being like

Hank: "<...> But humans don't come back, do they?"

Connor: "No, they don't. But I will."

2. Connor calling Hank out on his bullshit after shooting Chloe (previously being shot himself)

The fact that we can Never call him up on his hypocrisy is ANNOYING. I want to rub it back at him.

3. Markus(maybe together with North) meeting Kamski

Being presented with a test, but turning the gun on Kamski, or instead stretching a hand to help Chloe up (while converting), then handing the gun to her to decide.

I want a reverse-kamski test.

4. Alice saying Kara who she is when they're at Rose.

Get rid of that stupid fucking policeman scene and finally make it about Alice and Kara. And remove that stupid twist about her "knowing all along"

5. Jericrew members each talking about their past and how they got to Jericho first chapter they're introduced.

Not only North (although she might be the one who reveals her story later, like she does in canon)

6. Amanda showing more appealing traits making the player like her (more).

Making her look reasonable and trustworthy, not only strict and chronically disappointed to the point where status "betrayed" makes the player celebrate instead of going "oh, I think I might have fucked up". I don't have a specific scene in mind for this, just a general vibe.

7. EGG CONNOR 🥚

Show me. At least one scene, I'm begging. I don't know the context, whether it's Markus's final speech where EVERYONE is taking their skin off (please, why isn't it real), or maybe he himself turns it off to make a point, perhaps in response to Hank's whining about "what are you really" and him going skinless looking him dead in the eyes and going "a machine" or actually not saying anything, turning the skin off is enough of a power-move that doesn't require more words to be said out loud.

8. RA9 obsession among at least one of the protagonists. How is that they're all immune to that?

I don't know if I'd like it to be played along with RA9 = the player with some of them breaking the fourth wall and saying something like "RA9, help me" looking straight into the camera, or for it to be something completely different but idk, I really wish something could have been done about it. Perhaps it being a password needed to break the walls/escape the garden?

9. Appearance of current CyberLife CEO on the news or if not CEO then SOMEONE who's currently working in that company.

How is it possible that we only see Kamski who had been away from CyberLife for years and know absolutely nothing about who's currently in charge? Show usss, let them say something publicly.

10. More Perkins scenes.

Let him live his villain era to the fullest. Perhaps making him machine Connor's new partner after he's out of the DPD. I wanna see the two of them working together in order to achieve common goal of stopping Markus.

I think I'm forgetting something...ah YES (ignore the order, it means little about the significance of those non-existent scenes)

11. Markus crying during the revolution

Not only when Carl dies. (Why is it more soul-crushing for him than the death of his friend or lover?)

I can never understand how could they create a scene where Simon/North is literally giving him their heart and him taking it with barely any visible emotion. And in general, the way Markus can loose all of them, every single one of them, and never tear up. FUCK, let him SOB

If not here, make him have tears during his final speech or close to the end of it. From all the weight from recent events and grieve accumulated over the time of the game to the point where it's not possible to contain it in a stoic way. He's not a damn captain Picard to take everything with a strict frown.

Okay. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but it's a solid list already.

Thank you for the ask! Fuming about scenes that don't exist but could have been cool is never getting old with this game...

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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AU where Gavin and Nines body swap but they don’t tell anyone so they go to work and try to act like everything is normal.

Gavin as Nines has to hang out with Connor and Hank and Nines as Gavin has to hang out with Tina.

Everything is going fine until Hank asks Nines and Tina asks Gavin

“So, what are you going to do about your crush on Gavin/Nines”

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

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future of us

pairing: connor (rk800) x f!reader

summary: after finding a box of home videos, you're overwhelmed with thoughts of the future. only connor can ease your worries.

word count: 2k

warnings: panic attack sorta, good ol' daddy issues, a 6yo (and a however old you are)yo having an existential crisis about death, i actually don't know what this is i just felt like writing it, rushed ending

author's note: yes i was complaining about my angsty gameplay in my last post and yes i am posting angst after saying i needed more fluff to feel happy. what about it. i like the angst, it makes me feel smth.

The television flickered in the dim living room, the shadows shifting like otherworldly creatures. The heavy rain pounded against the windows combined with the quiet whistle of the winds. You would think that with such advanced technology nowadays the intense weather wouldn’t affect the power. Apparently, that hadn’t been a priority during this era of technological breakthroughs. But you didn’t mind. The flickering screen and hissing static were comforting, reminding you of the days Hank still had his old-fashioned television.

In the peaceful hours of the early morning (or late night depending on who you asked), you sat huddled on the couch with your eyes glued to the television. Wearing one of Hank’s old sweatshirts that was far too long for you, you hugged your knees tightly.

You watched the screen as a little girl sat bashfully at the head of a long dining table, kicking her feet giddily as a birthday cake with six blazing candles was placed in front of her. She was surrounded by loved ones who looked at her fondly, singing in unison with enthusiastic, booming voices. One voice– the cameraman's– overpowered them all, his voice uncharacteristically jaunty and cheerful. As the singing reached its end and the little girl blew out her candles with a big breath (and a lot of spit), the cameraman squished himself into the frame with a wide grin.

And there was Hank Anderson. A younger, much happier Hank, but Hank nonetheless. He grinned at the camera, calling the little girl’s attention. They both smiled brightly into the camera, ignoring that it was a video and not a picture. Hank and his goddaughter. Hank and you.

You were honestly surprised when you found the box of old VHS tapes. Yes, VHS tapes. No, you weren’t that old, far from it actually. Hank was just always old-fashioned; he never had a knack for technology. So any videos from your childhood were found on VHS tapes that Hank had kept for all these years.

You found them when you were organizing his garage. The entire day, you had been cleaning around his house with Connor’s help because his drunk ass could never do it. You hoped that maybe by giving him a clean environment he might be able to clean up his act. You weren’t too sure about that, but the thought was there.

When you found the tapes, it was already well into the night. Hank had passed out hours ago, and you released Connor to recharge not long ago. That’s when you decided you were deserving of a much-needed break, dragging the hefty box of VHS tapes into the living room for your viewing pleasure.

Only you hadn’t realized the experience would be the exact opposite of pleasurable. The more videos you watched, the more your misery grew.

You couldn’t exactly explain why you were so upset. All you knew was that your chest was heavy with dread, your eyes forlorn as you watched video after video.

You were so distracted by the video of your sixth birthday (Hank was now interrogating you about the differences between being five and six, ever the detective) that you hadn’t heard Connor’s light footfalls. Though you probably wouldn’t have heard them anyway. Androids were scarily sneaky like that. You didn’t realize Connor was even in the room until he was standing right beside you, his figure nothing but a shadow in your peripheral vision. You had almost forgotten he was here, simply resting (or whatever it was androids did) in Hank’s spare room.

Your attention snapped to him, fumbling for the remote to pause the video. With only the light of the television to guide you, you struggled to find the pause button. By the time you finally found it, your cheeks were unbearably warm with embarrassment.

Watching videos of your childhood self to remember the good times with Hank before he practically cut you off completely, dried tear stains on your cheeks and fresh tears welling in your eyes? Pathetic.

With your face buried in the baggy sleeves of Hank’s sweatshirt, you tried to casually wipe away your tears, but you knew it was too late. Connor had already seen them. And even if he hadn’t seen them, you were sure he could guess by the shaky tone of your voice.

“Hi, Connor,” you greeted weakly.

Connor was silent for a moment as his eyes trailed over your figure, surely analyzing you. His LED circled yellow for a long time. Even when he sat down beside you, it continued to show yellow.

“Are you alright?” Connor asked softly, reaching a hand forward to rest on your knee and giving it a loving squeeze.

You were so surprised that he didn’t offer some kind of thorough analysis of your current mental state that a guttural laugh escaped your lips. The sound confused even Connor, his eyebrows furrowing at your impromptu reaction. You covered your mouth sheepishly, flashing Connor a look that said “I’m-sorry-I-don’t-know-what-that-was-either-kindly-ignore-that.”

Connor was silent again as he considered what to say. His eyes flitted to the television screen that had paused on a frame of you shoving your face into the camera with a toothy smile. You were missing two of your bottom teeth.

“Is that you?” Connor inquired. He was only being polite. You both knew that with a simple facial scan he had already determined that it was, in fact, you.

“Yeah,” you answered lamely. “My sixth birthday.”

Connor’s hand that was resting on your knee moved to your hand, slowly pulling the remote out of your grip. He unpaused the video and sat stiffly, his eyes darting from you to the screen like he didn’t know which to watch. The television showed you as you flaunted your missing teeth before pulling back to answer another one of Hank’s questions.

“Alright, last question, kiddo,” Hank said off-screen, his tone teasingly serious. “We gotta hear the final verdict… d’you like being six?”

Your little self squinted her eyes in consideration, lips pursed into an extreme pout. For added effect, you put a finger to your chin and tapped it thoughtfully.

“Hmm…,” you thought loudly. “No!”

“No?” Hank repeated with a hearty laugh. “Why not?”

“I don’t wanna get old,” you admitted innocently as if it was the easiest answer in the world. “Getting old means I’ll die.”

You snatched the remote from Connor’s hand and hurriedly paused the video again. All of a sudden, your breaths were coming out in sharp pants as your body was filled to the brim with an inexplicable panic. You needed a distraction, you didn’t want to think about any of this.

Connor was calling your name calmly, his voice a steady, grounding force. Your wide eyes snapped to meet his, hands moving to clutch both of his. As you latched onto his warm gaze, you felt an odd imbalance. You couldn’t tell if you were comforted or stressed by his presence.

“How can I help you?” Connor murmured, allowing you to grip his hands as tightly as possible.

“I don’t know… I don’t know,” you stammered. “I’m scared, Connor.”

“What are you scared of?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay… okay,” Connor whispered soothingly.

Freeing one of his hands from your grasp, Connor’s hand snaked to the back of your head and pulled you forward until your forehead was resting against his lips. He pressed light kisses against your skin, murmuring comforting words as tears started to silently spill from the corners of your eyes. You collapsed forward until your face was buried in the crook of Connor’s neck. His lips moved to your head, kissing along the top of your head.

Why were you crying? Why were you crying? Why were you crying?

You didn’t understand why you were so overwhelmed, you just knew that you were. You had felt it so suddenly that there hadn’t been time to ask why.

“Are you scared of… losing Hank?” Connor questioned.

No, that wasn’t it. Well, yes, you were. But that wasn’t the cause of your unexpected anxiousness.

“Are you scared of… dying?”

Yes. Yes, that was it. That was it. Sort of, at least.

Too broken to speak, you simply nodded against Connor’s body.

“Can you tell me what scares you about it?”

Could you? You thought about it, blinking furiously to slow the tears. Why were you scared? Sure, death was scary in general, but there was something else. There had to be something else because your heart was still pounding furiously.

“I… don’t know,” you croaked.

“Okay,” Connor said patiently. “That’s alright. You don’t need to know.”

With his hands still on you, Connor carefully pulled away from you to meet your gaze. The corners of his lips were raised in a loving smile as he studied you, his thumb absentmindedly running along your knuckles.

“I want you to know that you’re safe with me,” he continued.

You matched Connor’s smile hesitantly, feeling your heartbeat slow to a resting state. Your attention was drawn to Connor’s spiraling LED as it returned to its usual blue.

That was it.

Your smile vanished quicker than it appeared. Your eyes were now fixated on the LED at Connor’s temple, a constant reminder that he was an android. And you were only human.

“I’m going to lose you,” you whispered hoarsely.

A puzzled look crossed Connor’s features, the crease between his brows returning. His LED blinked yellow again as he realized you were still in distress.

“You won’t lose me,” Connor promised, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze. “You can’t lose me.”

“That’s the problem, Connor,” you sniffled. “Someday, I’ll die. And you’ll keep living.”

The tension in Connor’s face eased as he realized the root of your sadness, though he didn’t look at ease himself. His LED quickly turned to a solid red. He looked so… sad. As if it hadn’t occurred to him until now the inevitable future of the two of you.

The look on his face made you want to apologize profusely. You were sorry for ever putting that thought in his head. But you didn’t have the words to speak. You were frozen, just as he was.

Connor broke your suspended state by inhaling slowly, nodding his head as he thought to himself. You noticed that his grip on your hand was tighter as if he was afraid to let go. His other hand had moved to rest on your upper arm, rubbing it soothingly. It seemed to be a calming gesture for both you and him.

“Maybe that is how it will be,” Connor muttered, his eyes finding yours again. “Or maybe there’s another way we don’t know of. But that… that’s far in the future. That’s not something we need to concern ourselves with right now. Right now… is right now.”

Your tears had stopped falling long ago once there were no more left to cry. You resorted to chewing your lip worriedly, ignoring the bead of blood that infested your tastebuds. Connor’s hand moved to caress your jaw, running a thumb across your lips to stop you from hurting yourself.

“Right now… I’m holding you. On this couch. Because I care about you,” Connor continued, though his voice was still slightly frazzled. “And that’s all we need to worry about.”

Either way, his words did do something to calm you. You nodded along as he spoke, leaning into the warmth of his smooth palm. Your fear wasn’t gone, not completely anyway. But it was certainly less than it was before.

You moved quickly into Connor’s arms, pushing him back so that he was lying on the couch. Your head curled against his chest, holding the front of his shirt tightly. You never wanted him to leave. His arms naturally fell around you and lightly rubbed your back.

It wasn’t necessary for Connor to breathe, but you could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest. You knew he was doing it for your sake. You followed the pattern of his breathing until you finally felt a sense of peace for the first time that night.

“Will you keep holding me like this?” you mumbled.

“I’ll hold you like this, right now and forever.”

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devianttothecore · 1 year ago

Note

Heyyy I saw it comment in my post

How about Connor or Markus (whatever u want, I'd rather a one shot about one of both of them rather than HCS, or a mix!) just being at home with reader. And they see reader dying their hair and just interact w em and stuff (for example reader joking about getting poisoned with the chemical smell or sun)?

Hope you enjoy it!

I Love It When You Look My Way

He is 20 minutes earlier than normal.

Sentenced to unpaid community service at his old job at the DPD. Which was... Less worse than what he expected for killing two Cyberlife guards. He thought of himself jailed or, most likely, executed.

Sounds of gunshots still echo between his ears, of cracks and splattering of skulls of a life long forgotten. Sitting on a desk and producing timesheets and budget justifications for nine hours straight was a change.

You were a change.

The sound of your chough, horrendous throaty, it's a not change he's comfortable with, though.

He moves from the doorstep to the bathroom, and discards his jacket and tie. The apartment is yours, humble but comfy, silent for most. Your clothes, your things, and you.

Connor finds you with the face red and eyes watering, nose running up, and for the first time in a long time, his mind goes blank.

You're using an oversized old shirt, all stained with pops of color, half of your hair leathered with the same colorful hue. You're on the verge of a breakdown.

A dozen different chemicals on his HUD. "What are you doing?"

"The worst decisions of my life," you mumble back, trying to figure out how to position your arm to brush dye over your hair.

You're smiling at him despite the clear discomfort from the acrid smell. Welcoming him nevertheless.

"This is cancerigneous," he says, pointing at the box.

"I can get cancer from anything nowadays." You take a breath, setting the brush aside. Sniffling with your nose all red.

From slouching on the doorframe, he moves closer to you.

You never placate Connor. His hand twitch with the need to bury his fingers deep in your hair. Serious if not confused.

Before the revolution, people used to say that an android's eyes were like a doll's. Dulled out, soulless.

It's one of the biggest lies humanity has ever told. Connor, for instance, had the softest brown eyes by design, yes, but he's unique in the way his eyes shift to happiness and fondness when upon seeing you.

Sure, he knows why you're changing your hair (a little change never's too bad), but still had too many questions to answer. Too many to even formulate.

One wins through when he exhales out, "Do you want me to do it for you?"

You feel your hands shake, his eyes unmakes you with efficiency. Hair dye really stings the eye. "Yes."

And he reaches to you like his hands belong touching your skin. Open and full of love.

He huffs, taking the brush from between your fingertips. "I just need to follow the instructions."

Connor loves you. "Yep," you say, letting the tiniest laugh escape. "Just follow the instructions."

And then,

"You were coughing like a sick victorian child."

Too bad you like him just the way he is. Including accidental misshapes.

You giggle. "Thanks."

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