#I’ve been bamboozled! tricked! your highness I will NOT wear that

[thedevilsfamiliar]

Oh to be a peasant minding your own business only for a royal to catch sight of you and think “what a funky looking creature, I must interact” and now they simply do not leave you alone

[refinedbuffoonery]

Flawless (6)

masterlist.

Content Warning: swearing, violence, sex, PTSD

Not gonna lie, this is a bit of a filler chapter. But the NEXT chapter...that’s the one you’ve all been waiting for. Also, I’ve had “bad guy” by Billie Eilish stuck in my head for DAYS, so that’s the song playing during the runway show. 

*****

A week after the job at the director’s house, Riley sank into her first-class airplane seat and immediately opened her laptop, the tan pleather chair squeaking slightly as she crossed her legs beneath her. Dimming the brightness, Riley angled her laptop so no one could see it but her. She’d been profiled plenty of times in the past while writing perfectly benevolent code. Riley certainly didn’t need anyone catching her working on something more nefarious. 

If she did this right, then she’d be able to just connect her phone to whatever Louvre computer that controlled security and be free to do whatever she wanted. 

If she didn’t...she’d need to brush up on her French. 

Nikki dozed in the seat beside her. She’d been bouncing off the walls all morning in anticipation of getting to see Fashion Week in person after Riley had promised to go with her to as many fashion shows as they could sneak into. Nikki’s excitement was infectious. While the priority was to see the runway show of the designer whose Louvre afterparty they were crashing, before they boarded the flight, Riley found herself sifting through fashion blogs to determine which other shows she wanted to see. All couture, of course. 

Across the aisle, Jill had her nose buried in an incredibly thick book Riley couldn’t see the cover of, and behind her, Cage and Desi curled together like a human pretzel as they watched a movie. They were disgustingly happy, and that made Riley happy too. 

When they were somewhere over the middle of the Atlantic, Nikki awoke, grumbling, “You’re going to ruin your eyes if you stare at that screen any longer.” She was right. Riley’s vision had started to blur at the edges hours ago, and she knew she’d have a hard time focusing on things in the distance when she finally looked up. Riley saved her work and shut her laptop. 

Nikki still hadn’t budged from her awkward curled position, but her eyes were open. Riley figured now was as good of a time as any to make Nikki answer her last lingering question. “So you still haven’t told me why you and your boyfriend broke up,” she probed. “You know, the one who hacks everything else.” 

Nikki sighed, rolling her head to glare at Riley. “Do I have to tell you?” 

“Yes.” 

“Fine.” Nikki sat up. “When we met, he told me he worked for a government think tank. Really nerdy stuff, does a lot of consulting. I figured he was smart but harmless.” 

“I remember.” 

“That was a lie. He’s a government agent, all right. But not the nerd kind. The double-O-seven kind.” 

Riley nearly choked. “A spy?” she hissed. “You dated a fucking spy?” 

“Surprise.” 

“How did you find out?” 

“The same way he found out about me. I originally told him I was a freelance art appraiser”—not far from the truth, actually— “and the IT job was to help make ends meet. We both bought each others’ lies at first, but over time we both struggled to keep our stories straight. And then one day it all just...fell into place, I guess. We had a massive fight, and by the time the dust settled, I think we both knew there was no going back to how things were before we knew the truth.” 

Riley laced her fingers through Nikki’s, conveying her empathy through touch rather than words. “What agency does he work for?” 

“The Phoenix Foundation.” 

“What the fuck is that?” 

“It’s DXS. The name changed while you were gone.” At least Nikki couldn’t still say the P-word either. But DXS...DXS could move Christmas. If Nikki’s boyfriend told anyone about her real job, they were all in trouble. Big trouble. 

“Think he’s going to come after you? Come after us?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Trying to lighten the mood, Riley said, “Ignoring the part where he knows you’re a criminal, it must’ve been pretty cool to date a real-life black-ops spy. I bet he knew all kinds of tricks.” The innuendo easily rolled off Riley’s tongue. 

Nikki smacked her shoulder. “We were having a nice moment and you had to go and ruin it by being gross. What the fuck, dude?” 

Riley rolled her eyes. “Love you too.” And she did. Despite the grudge she may or may not be holding, Riley loved her. She never stopped.

*****

They landed in Paris at night, and the Five Eyes crashed the moment they made it to their swanky, overpriced hotel room. The next day, they bounced around the city attending as many runway shows as traffic allowed. Riley didn’t understand the hubbub and overdone romanticism; Paris was just like any other major city—loud and overcrowded. And snobby. So very snobby. 

On their second day in Paris, the women chose to divide and conquer. Desi, Cage, and Jill teamed up to scope out the Louvre. Riley and Nikki attended the runway show of the designer whose masterpiece they intended to steal. 

As she and Nikki found their seats along the runway, Riley made a mental note of all the exits. Their seats were in the back, against a wall. Nikki hoped for a better view, but Riley liked it better this way. Sitting by a wall, she had something solid behind her and could see everyone come and go without having to turn around. Riley had always kept meticulous tabs on her surroundings—that’s what made her so good at her job—but the fear of not being able to see what’s coming was new. 

She didn’t tell Nikki about it. 

The blonde blended right in with the highly fashionable crowd, wearing a floor-length, gray plaid coat with hot pink lining. Nikki was completely in her element here, and sometimes Riley thought her friend would’ve been better off legitimately pursuing a career in fashion rather than letting Riley drag her into the world of shadows, secrets, and cons. 

While they waited, Riley fidgeted with a button on her black blazer. Her whole outfit was the same shade of her signature color—blouse, blazer, leather leggings. But her boots were the real showstopper—thigh-high black suede with intricate gold embroidery down the entire front. Riley saw them in a window yesterday and had immediately gone inside to purchase them. The boots were outrageously expensive, but it didn’t matter. Riley Davis was already a filthy rich woman, and after this job, she’d have more money than she would ever know what to do with. 

The house music quieted, and the designer—older man, favored his left leg, voice thin and raspy like a smoker—strutted down the runway, microphone in hand, welcoming the audience and beginning the show. He rambled on, ruminating over his inspiration for this collection. Nikki hung on every word. Riley tuned him out. 

So this was the man who was renting out the Louvre. Riley couldn’t even imagine the amount of money and favors it took to secure such an ostentatious party venue. 

What she could imagine, however, was that she’d surely be subjected to yet another one of these long-winded speeches at the afterparty tonight. On the bright side, that would buy her and her team extra time, making the job that much easier. 

The show began with a sweep of the lights as the music dropped to a low, pulsing beat Riley could feel just as much as she could hear. The crowd murmured respectfully as the first model appeared wearing a shiny black gown that looked like a trash bag had been melted to her body with the excess pooling on the floor. She told Nikki as much, earning an eye roll. 

The next gown was better—sheer fabric with countless thin, metallic gold vertical stripes. The skirt had pretty lines, giving the model the illusion of curves she didn’t have. After that was a strapless canary yellow ball gown with a full, pillowy train. 

“I don’t understand why designers keep making yellow clothes,” Riley hissed. “No one looks good in yellow.” 

“That model does.” 

“No one looks good in yellow.” 

Nikki twisted in her seat and glared, which Riley ignored. “Are you going to say anything nice?” 

“You’d miss my commentary if I stopped.” Riley’s snide comment earned her an elbow to the ribs, but she caught Nikki’s smile all the same. 

The next gown was cherry red satin, with huge ruffles on one shoulder and the opposite hip. The extra fabric was a lot, but there was something elegant about the gown nonetheless. 

Leanna would look good in that one, Riley stopped herself from saying aloud. Nikki—nor anyone else, for that matter—hadn’t said another word about Leanna since Riley first asked weeks ago. Suddenly their longtime friend was taboo, and Riley didn’t want to disrupt the tentative peace she had with Nikki just to push for answers she probably wouldn’t get. 

Another ugly gown, this one feathery pink with a sort of netting over top. 

But the last one...the last one caught the eye of every single person in the audience. 

Including Riley. 

The sheer dress was covered in intricate silver beading that accentuated its long sleeves and mermaid silhouette and left little to the imagination. It was the kind of show-stopping gown one wore when they wanted to be the center of attention. 

Despite the audience’s rising hum of approval, Riley still heard Nikki murmur, “That one is all you.” And it was. Riley would wear that gown in a heartbeat if she had the opportunity—too bad most jobs required her to blend in, not stand out. 

She was too busy lusting after the gown to respond. 

From her seat, Riley could just see into the wings, and she spotted who could only be the designer’s assistant, running the show behind the scenes. Even from a distance, Riley had a feeling the young woman’s hawk-like gaze missed absolutely nothing. The designer would be easy enough to bamboozle during the heist, but this woman could very likely become a problem. 

Riley committed the assistant’s appearance to memory and set the thought aside for later.

*****

Later that afternoon, the Five Eyes reconvened in their hotel suite. They still had a couple hours until they needed to get ready for the afterparty. Since only Cage and Nikki had been there before, Desi, Cage, and Jill had spent the day scouting the Louvre. It was good for Jill to work with Desi for a change; because of her military background, Desi’s way of thinking through a job diverged greatly from everyone else’s. 

Team meetings like this were one of Riley’s favorite parts of the job—swapping intel and strategizing the best way to pull off the job. Or the most fun way, which was usually also the riskiest. But tonight, the team was in unspoken agreement that they would play it safe, both because of Jill and the importance of this long-awaited job. 

Piled onto one plush, king-sized bed, the five women sat tangled together as they tore through the box of pastries Riley purchased on the way back to the hotel. For the first time in forever, Riley was hungry. She avoided dwelling on that fact as she licked her fingers and picked up stray crumbs that fell on the off-white comforter. 

“So, what did you learn?” Nikki quizzed Jill. 

Jill pushed up her glasses with her middle finger, speaking with her mouth full. “The room the party will be in is super fancy and at the far corner of the building.” She swallowed. “First floor.” 

“Good. What else?” Riley prompted. “How do Nikki or I get to security and the building’s system control?” 

“There’s an employee door in the hallway…” Jill trailed off. “Wait. This is a test, isn’t it? You already know.” 

Riley smirked. “I do.” 

Disbelief etched Jill’s face. “How? You told me yourself that you’ve never been there!” 

“I have my ways.” Riley would tell her eventually, but for now, it was more fun to lure trade secrets over Jill’s head. She reached for another buttery pastry, selecting one topped with slivered almonds.  

But before Riley could continue her taunting, Desi spoke up. “There’s something you should know.” The mood plummeted into seriousness. 

Riley and Nikki both raised their eyebrows. Go on. 

“Nikki’s ex was at the museum.” 

“Which one?” Nikki asked cautiously. Riley could hear the dread in her tone, the same dread that churned in her own stomach. 

“You know which one.” 

Riley swore. Nikki’s ex, the spy, was at the Louvre. “Did he see you?”

Cage answered, “We have to assume he did. And we also have to assume he recognized Desi and me as Nikki’s friends.” Riley set her pastry down, no longer hungry as the heist of her dreams started to crumble before her eyes. She refused to let that happen. 

“He was with a middle-aged man who definitely had a gun tucked into his belt,” Desi said. “Based on that and his haircut, I’d say he’s probably ex-military.” 

“Mac is too.” Tucking her knees to her chest, Nikki’s voice was uncharacteristically small as she spoke. Defeat wormed its way across her features. Nikki thought they couldn’t pull off the job now, Riley realized. 

No way. She wouldn’t let one stupid ex-boyfriend get in the way of her dream job. And her grossly large payday. 

“It’ll be fine,” Riley reassured. “He knows you’re into fashion, right?” Nikki nodded. “Then he has to assume you’re there for innocent, legitimate reasons. Innocent until proven guilty, remember? All we have to do is avoid looking suspicious, which we already do anyway. He won’t have any evidence to pin it on us besides a hunch, and even if he shares that hunch, he’ll get in trouble for not disclosing information about you and your relationship sooner.” 

Jill said, “That seems overly optimistic.” 

“Which one of us is the expert?” Riley snapped. Jill flinched, and the other three watched Riley warily. “Sorry,” she grumbled. 

The tension only somewhat dissipated. 

“Anyway,” Riley redirected. “We picked up the replicas.” She gestured to Nikki’s Balenciaga bag sitting open on a nearby chair. 

“Replicas?” Riley fought the urge to sigh at Jill and her constant questions. 

“What did you think we were going to do? Just take the jewelry and run like hell?” 

Jill’s silence was a resounding yes. 

“Pickpocketing 101. What did I tell you?” 

Understanding dawned in Jill’s wide, blue eyes. “When you steal something heavy, put something else in its place.” A pause. “We’re going to replace the jewelry with fakes so no one even realizes the real set is missing.” 

It was Cage’s turn to smirk. “She’s catching on.” The blonde leaned in. “So, can we see them?” 

Nikki was off the bed in an instant, retrieving a package wrapped in plain brown paper from her purse. She let Cage have the honor of unwrapping it and revealing the masterfully crafted jewels. 

The faux-sapphire and diamond necklace and earrings were stunning. And exact replicas of the real set. The only difference was a tiny, insignificant bump Nikki’s jeweler added to the back of each piece so they could quickly tell the difference between the replicas and the real deal. 

Desi whistled. “Damn. Those are stunning.” Beside her, Cage nodded appreciatively. “You would look so hot wearing those,” Desi murmured to her girlfriend. “Wearing only those.” 

Blushing furiously, Cage shoved her girlfriend off the bed. 

Riley knew that if she let them, her friends would spend hours examining the jewels. Clearing her throat to get everyone’s attention, she asked, “Everyone clear on the plan?” 

The four other women nodded in turn, first Desi, then Nikki, then Cage, and finally Jill. 

“Good.” 

“That’s it?” Jill questioned. “No team pep talk?” The other women chuckled, but Riley just rolled her eyes. 

“That one,” Desi pointed at Riley, “is the wrong person to ask for a pep talk.” 

Riley’s jaw dropped in mock outrage. “Hey! Speak for yourself.” Desi shrugged. Directing her attention back to Jill, “You really want a pep talk?” 

Jill blinked. 

“Don’t fuck this up.”

~ Tag List ~ Want to be added? Send me an ask. 

@macrileyedits​ / @hellishrose​ / @incorret-macgyver-quotes​ / @mylifequotesshowallofthem​ / @thecarrieonokay

[shigarakis-fifth-hand]

Momo Yayorozu and Shoto Todoroki, the daughter and son of the richest families in all of Tokyo. They went to UA together, lived together, and were what every couple wanted to be. Shoto was protective, strong, and quiet. Momo was outgoing, polite, and brilliant. They were what everyone wanted to be... except for their secrets.

It was 4 am, and Momo was wide awake. Not with her boyfriend, but her girlfriend, Jirou.

“Mmm.” Jirou moaned, tangling her hands in Momo’s hair as she was pinned to the bed. “Mmm, why can’t we stay up later? It’s okay Friday.” Jirou playfully tried to pull up Momo’s shirt as her girlfriend smiled sadly. 

“I have my conference meeting at my father’s rally.” Momo went back to kissing Jirou passionately. As much as Momo wanted Jirou’s pants on the floor, she knew that she would need sleep for tomorrow. “You mean another one if his anti gay-marriage rallies?” Jirou asked sadly as Momo nodded, trying not to talk about it. She wanted to avoid crying at all costs, it made her eyes puff.

 “Yes, Todoroki and I are going to represent a normal couple.” Momo smiled jokingly as Jirou smiled back. “Oh please, I could see Deku’s hickeys miles away. There’s nothing normal about you and Todoroki in a couple. A lesbian and a gay boy should not be forced to date.” Jirou kissed her girlfriend’s nose. “I love you Lovebug. Just stay safe, and I’ll bring you something sweet to class tomorrow.” The two giggled, kissing again as Momo’s hands explored Jirou’s body.

In the room on the other side of the building, Deku and Shoto were having a similar situation. 

“Shoto!” Izuku yelled as Todoroki slammed into Izuku, leaving his knees weak. “Harder baby.” Deku murmured, unable to talk as Todoroki slammed his cock in and out of Izuku, leaning him over the desk. Shoto did exactly that, pushing in and out faster, pushing in as much as he could, leaving Deku a moaning mess as he reached his climax. “That... was amazing.” Deku whispered weakly as Todoroki carried him over to the bed. “I love you Zuki. Never forget that.” Deku smiled at the nickname Todoroki would only say behind closed doors.

 “I won’t Todoroki, why do you keep saying that? I’d never forget it.” Deku tried to sit up before sitting back down in pain. “My father is making Momo and I give a statement about why gay marriage is bad this afternoon.” Todoroki hid his face in the pillow, trying not to cry or look into Deku’s eyes. 

“Aww, Todo. It’s okay. I know none of those feelings are true. I see the way Momo almost barfs when she has to kiss you.” Deku tried to joke as Todoroki began to cry. “No, Shoto. Don’t cry, it’s going to be okay. Once you’re an adult, you will be able to come out to the public and be a gay icon for everyone. We can finally make our relationship public and all the homophobes will feel bamboozled. Then... we can finally move in together and...” Deku began to kiss Todoroki’s neck, hugging him close and gripping his thighs like Todoroki did when Izuku cried. 

“I wonder why you’re with me Izuku. Why you stay with me even though you have to watch me kiss a girl and hold hands with a girl. When my father calls you my best friend in interviews, and not the love of my life. You deserve so much better than this situation.” Shoto ranted as Deku held Todoroki close, sucking on his neck and leaving tender kisses.

 “Don’t be stupid. How can I complain when I see the way you and Momo struggle? I’ve found Jirou sobbing, seen Momo silently cry behind her father’s back, and then I see all the pain you’re going through. I know none of that is real, and it never will be. In some way, I’m glad I’m not the one being lied to.” Deku smiled, pecking a kiss on Todoroki’s lips. “Deku, will you come with me to the rally? I don’t think I’ll make it alone. Momo will be there, but I can’t look at that girl while we’re pretending to be a couple. It feels so wrong for the both of us. Jirou is coming with Momo, I was hoping you’d come with me.” Deku smiled sadly before nodding. 

“Of course I’ll come baby. I can’t let you forget how gay you are.” Todoroki let out a chuckle as the two laid down, leaving Todoroki to spoon his boyfriend.

It was the beginning of the rally, and all four of the teenagers were tired from last night. “Nice hickey you lesbo.” Deku whispered in Jirou’s ear as the two tried not to burst out laughing. “Don’t think I can’t see the concealer covering Shoto’s.” Jiro squeezed Deku’s hand before adjusting his tie. “How about we try this whole straight thing? See who can be the best actors? Maybe turn it into a game?” Jirou asked as Deku snickered. 

“Yes, we can make this situation at least not as awful.” In that moment Deku wrapped his arm around his gay friend, while she grabbed his hand, intertwining his fingers. “Nice rainbow nails.” Deku teased, looking down at the nails Momo had done for Jirou. “Oh please, nice white-and-red promise ring.” She looked down at the silver band that Todoroki had painted to match his hair. That was Deku would always have Todoroki with him. 

The two turned red, trying not to laugh out loud and draw attention to themselves. They knew the news were already taking pics of the UA students from the Sports Festival.

“Okay, okay. Mics on, Mics on. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Todoroki Yayorozu campaign for fixing young adults. Welcome pro heroes, thank you for joining us.” The small crowd began clapping as the two men sat down in front of their Mics. “Now if you’ll allow it, our reporters have many questions regarding your Movement.” The two men nodded as one reporter spoke. “Sir, how do you plan on tricking the minds of these children to think normally again.” Deku felt Jirou squeeze his hand angrily at the word normal. What was normal about forcing your children into a relationship to prove they’re not gay?

“Oh no, there is no tricking here. It is simply fixing. See, let’s look at our star couple. Momo and Shoto, will you please stand?” The two stood up side by side, wearing the same outfit of a black and white suit. “When they entered high school, they were not interested in each other, but simply we were able to put them together and they’re happy. Children’s minds are like clay, if you form it right, it’ll eventually stick. Isn’t that right boy?” Endeavor softly punched Todoroki as he nodded. 

“Yes, right now we are in a perfect relationship.” Todoroki explained, his voice showing no sign of emotion. His heart was nowhere near his words. The crowd murmured in response to Todoroki, and Deku couldn’t help but feel a pounding in his heart. He wanted to go up there and kiss his boyfriend, like how he should be able to. Not have to sneak around because his father was a douche.

“The next one if for the couple. What do you two think about gay marriage? Our viewers say that they trust your opinions because they see you with closer ages to them and therefore deem you as more relatable.” You could see Momo look at Jirou nervously, sweat forming on her brow. “Um, I- no comment.” Momo couldn’t take her eyes off Jiro as she pushed away the mic. “Nonsense dear. Here, they’re tired. Let’s get an opinion from other teens like them. Shoto, invite your friends up here.” As soon as Deku stood up, followed by Jirou, the entire crowd stared at them. 

Walking up, Todoroki stared at Deku, and felt so hot in that very moment. He hated every bit of this, and the tension in the air between the four could be cut with a knife.

“U-uh, we think that...” Jiro couldn’t think of a response, looking between the audience and Momo, who she was sitting next to. “Ugh, I can’t take it anymore!” Momo screamed, causing all the reporters to step back and snap pictures. Momo knew that she would be on every cover of the newspapers freaking out if she didn’t act fast. She stood up, staring down at the men on the other side of the table. “You and your hatred disgust me! I’m gay dad! I like, no, I love girls!” In response, the crowd was filled with murmurs, some surprisingly happy. “Who are you to speak like this Momo?! You don’t know what you’re talking about! You have a boyfriend, you-”

 In an instant, Momo pulled Jirou from her chair and kissed her, seeing cameras flashing from every direction. Now this was some great cover. Momo would only imagine the dream of seeing her kissing Jirou all over the media.

“Shoto Todoroki, how do you respond to this? This has got to be heartbreaking.” The crowd went silent as Shoto began laughing hysterically. “Oh please, this has been going on for at least two years now. Momo and I never had romantic feelings for one another.” Todoroki smiled, gripping hands with Deku as he stood up. “And I’m not confused father, your heart is filled with so much hatred that you’ve become confused with people who are different than you, and bad people. They are not the same father.” 

And with that, Todoroki grabbed Deku by the hand and walked out of there, leaving the kissing lesbians behind. 

“Shoto! Any comment on your relationship? Our viewers will want to know what stage you are at with your boyfriend.” The reporters followed them out the door and to Shoto’s car. “Here’s a comment.” Todoroki turned to the cameras before kissing Deku in front of all the cameras, hearing so much flashing and clicking. “Shoto!” Deku yelled, embarrassed as he turned away from the corners and into Shoto’s chest. “What? If the lesbians can make out, I can kiss you.” Todoroki smiled at the cameras before getting in the car and driving away.

“I cannot believe that just happened. That was crazy! All the reporters, they even looked happy when we all did that. Did you see the look on your dads face? That was insanity!!” Deku ranted as Todoroki smiled, holding Deku’s hand. “I know.” He smiled before turning into a cafe’s parking lot.

“All this gayness has gotten me hungry.”

[nadineselfships-archived]

*slams hands on table* PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR YOUxMARKUS SELFSHIP YOU WONDERFUL BEING

!!!!! Oh goodness okay!! Oh golly where to start akskdkfkfkfkal Okay well!! I have three au’s for it so too keep this short I’ll just talk about the first one I made!! (This turned into a long af how we met and fell in love and confessed thing I hope that’s okay?? XD)

In my au where I’m a human helping Androids to hide and repairing them with my sibling Markus and i meet because a few androids arriving at jericho mention us and what we’re doing and how we could replicate thirium so he decides that maybe we could help the damaged androids at jericho!! So he shows up and I’m busy repairing an androids arm when my sibling walks in with him in tow and the second I see his eyes I am Done For. He sees me and of course can see I am a relatively attractive human but he’s much more focused on asking if we will come to Jericho, so he does so and after some discussion we agree to go.

So while we’re at Jericho Markus will find me whether I’m repairing an android or making some more thirium in the make-shift lab he set up for us and will talk with me for hours, at first he’d just ask why I wanted to help androids and ask me about my views and beliefs and thoughts on the revolution but then he soon starts inquiring about my life, my hobbies and more personal things like that. Me, being the emotionally damaged human I am, become smitten with the android leader who is nothing but kind and sweet to me and cherish the times he comes to speak with me; I ask him questions about him and his life and he tells me all about Carl and has such a fondness in his voice when he talks about him that makes my heart swell.

Markus starts wanting to see and talk to me more and more, enjoying how easy it is to talk to me and how kind I am, he also finds it adorable with how goofy and childish I act at times. As the revolution continues on and things get more stressful he’ll find himself seeking me out for comfort and advice, which I happily give of course! We’ll sit either in Jericho or ontop of somewhere high because we both like high places and I’ll try to help ease his worries and conflictions as much as I can, I assure him we’ll all be there with him no matter what happens and the sincerity in my voice and eyes leaves him feeling less heavy.

I don’t get to join the first March but I do go with them on the final March and stand with them in the barricade, it’s high stress and Markus is worried I’ll get hurt so he makes sure I’m always in his line of sight. When they throw the smoke bomb and start firing I get hit in the leg and after shielding and helping other androids Markus finds me behind a barrel with my sibling hovering over me protectively and assures me I’ll be okay. And I am, after the stand off and the beautiful song the androids sang I got sent to hospital where the bullet was removed and I made a full recovery.

When I returned to Jericho Markus was the first to see me, he’d been waiting outside of Jericho and the moment he saw me he rushed to envelop me in his arms and we stayed in a tight embrace for what felt like forever. After this I attend meetings with him and all the continued marches, I no longer need to replicate thirium or repair androids because it was passed that all androids should have free, neverending access to thirium. I get to meet Carl and we get along!! So well!! I gush over his paintings and he tells me great jokes and Markus can’t understand why he’s so happy to see us get along so well. Carl makes a point to tell him when I leave, this is when Markus realizes over the time he’s spent with me he fell in love with me; my kindness towards everyone, my softness when I repaired androids, my honesty and sincerity, my smile, everything about me seemed to set him on fire and for an android who made speeches constantly he couldn’t figure out how to put into words how he felt for me.

So now Markus finds himself in the predicament of wanting to tell me but being too busy with meetings and marches and interviews and paperwork and the strange occurrence of now fumbling over himself when around me, the words he wants to say getting jumbled and becoming lost as he feels a new sense of fear. Fear of rejection, fear of putting unwanted attention on me if I returned his feelings, fear of not being able to give me what an human could. Meanwhile I was worried about him because he was acting so strange, I was concerned all the meetings and stress was taking a toll on him so I talked to the rest of the Jericho and planned an impromtu, 24 hour, vacation. Of course Markus would never just say yes to ‘abandoning’ everything for a day so we have to trick him and with Carl’s added help trick him we do.

It isn’t until Markus is sitting in the living room of my house, in a messy pillow fort that he realised that he’d been bamboozled and even though he wants to protest he can’t seem to bring himself to say no to my big brown puppy dog eyes. So he tries his best to let himself relax, which isn’t easy when he’s being cuddled by the person he loves who happens to be wearing a cute sweater and short shorts and glasses he didn’t know she had and look very cute on her. It’s been a while since he’s been alone with me so he finds himself panicking, this would be the perfect opportunity to confess but he wasn’t sure if he should. I of course noticed he wasn’t relaxing and decided to introduce him to some of my favourite movies, which he didn’t really watch because he was too busy watching me and admiring how excited I got at certain parts.

When nighttime came and Markus realised the time he had alone with me was drawing to an end he finally caved and while I was dancing around the kitchen making myself a small dinner he walked up to me and took my hands gently, a fearful yet hopeful expression on his face.

“Nadine, I’ve been trying to think of all the ways to say this for months but no words or metaphors can explain the feelings I have for you. I could stand here and list all the reasons but we would be here forever, I- This feeling is new to me, and I only feel it when I’m with you. I don’t want you to feel obligated to return these feelings at all, I just need to tell you, I’m in love with you. You don’t-”

“I’m in love with you too! I- I’m not too great with words, as you know, but I am so, madly, undoubtedly, in love with you Markus Manfred.”

Be it the wave of emotion, the closeness or the addition of his last name, Markus leant forward and kissed me with all the passion and feeling that was in his body. I had already had my first kiss but this first kiss with Markus made all other kisses before it seem insignificant, the love and sincerity and passion made me dizzy and left a tingling sensation on my lips. After staring into each other eyes giant grins split across our faces and we began laughing, feeling nothing but pure joy Markus spun me around and held me until I realised my food was burning.

We didn’t tell anyone besides Carl because Carl could tell the moment he saw us and trying to hide it from him would have been impossible. Slowly the jericrew and my sibling began to catch on and we eventually told them but still kept our relationship lowkey, being the first android/human relationship and said android being the leader of the revolution made Markus very wary to let it be public.

Our relationship is full of love and support and goofiness and comfort and is so sickeningly sweet, we call each other pet names and cuddle and cover each other in kisses and we never have enough compliments for the other. We can’t go out on public dates for the beginning of our relationship so Markus will plan private dates like inviting me to Carl’s house and playing piano for me and dancing with me or sneaking into my house and making a pillow fort and having a movie marathon with me but eventually when we can go on public dates he takes me on roadtrips, to the beach, nature walks, an actual movie theater, rollerblading, so many dates.

He doesn’t need to sleep but he loves having me curled up on his chest with his arms wrapped around me protectively, he loves watching me so peaceful and loves even more when I slowly open my eyes and greet him with a small hum in the morning. He’ll make me a coffee and breakfast in the morning and if he has the day off he’ll spend it with me and sometimes we’ll go see Carl, my sibling or the jericrew!!

We end up moving in together and getting two dogs!! A chihuahua named Ralph and a husky named Carl!! (You may be wondering how I know Ralph in this au, he was one of the damaged androids we helped and took in and I!! Became very fond of him!!)

Thank you for asking about me and Markus and letting me get out this word vomit i adore him with my heart and soul and will never pass up an opportunity to yell about him!!! Lemme know if you want me to ramble about the other two au’s because I am down to do that always!!!! Anyway thank you again and I hope you’re having an awesome day/night wherever you are anon 💜💜💜