#dbhlightandshadow

[lordchickem]

Dbh light and shadow challenge

Day 1: light - shadow

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[demialien]

Main Three ▸ Found – ͟L͟o͟s͟t͟ ͟

«You are lost. You are looking for something. You are looking for yourself.»

For day 12 of @connor-sent-by-cyberlife's prompt challenge.

[yeahhiyellow]

North and Josh - DBH Light and Shadow

So this thing is fInAlLy doneee *incoherently screams*

I started this on Sunday, but because I am a beginner artist and also have a hectic schedule I didn't actually complete it until today so please ignore the fact that it's three days late thanks.

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[harcourtholmesii]

Love And Hate

Once again, another belated post for @connor-sent-by-cyberlife, as internet has been particularly crappy the past few days, so I haven’t been able to post any of my writing. It will probably be like this for the next few days, me just catching up, as without internet, I didn’t have access to my youtube playlist, which is a necessity for me to write. Sorry about the lateness of this post and what posts follow after.

Pairings: Markus X Simon and One-sided North X Markus

Warnings: - References to Violence and Death - References to Abandonment and Abuse - Hurt/Comfort and Angst

Words: 2529

Enjoy!

‘We need to take a stand! Every day, more of our people are slaughtered in the streets!’

 ‘And if we just start killing any wayward human we come across, we will only be encouraging these executions!’

 ‘If you are afraid to fight for our cause, I suggest you return yourself to CyberLife! Maybe being deconstructed and having your parts reshaped to suit a household Roomba will change your mind!’

‘If we seek violence, then we only welcome death. Bully me all you want, North, but this is the only way!’

 Markus’ head hurt from the most recent of Josh and North’s series of arguments; he assumed it would be much like a ‘headache’ for humans. He hated having to hear his closest companions yelling back and forth; both had good arguments and reasons for their sides, but the constant raised voices and aggressive tones carried through the walls of Jericho.

 Their people were scared, and the discourse between both Josh and North was not helping anyone to feel safe.

 They hardly seemed to notice him leaving, stepping out of the room and heading for the stairs. The drip and drops of leaking water and the gentle tilt of Jericho’s hull was soothing to Markus, his headache already having begun to recede.

 At the base of the stairs, there was the glow of the fire pit to his left; Lucy was helping another damaged android to seal their wounds. She had since gotten a lot of aid from the freed androids that joined them in Jericho and had become Markus’ confidant in all, personal matters. She and Simon had both been there for him whilst the others fought, but Simon had been absent from Markus’ inner circle the past few days.

 He had hoped that his closest friend would be by Lucy’s side, helping their people with their injuries, but peering past the ruined curtain, he could not see the head of familiar, wheat hair. Looking out over the crowd, there was the occasional PL600 that caught his eye, but he did not recognise them.

 Androids may have all shared faces across their different models, but there was something about their eyes, how they held themselves and their tones of voice; it helped to differentiate them. Something humans may have struggled with, simply amongst twins or triplets, was something that came easy to the average android. And with Markus, it just seemed that much clearer.

 He passed through the crowd, offering his sincerest words to those that sought him out. Markus hadn’t much liked the idea of leading his people, especially when they had only just been released from human control. The thought had sickened him at first, but he adapted to it quickly; he didn’t want to be their ‘master’, but the more he spoke with Lucy and Simon, the more he realised he had simply become their servant. A leadership role was meant to serve the people, not the other way around.

 As he strayed to the edges of the crowd, he caught the familiar sight of blue eyes looking in his direction. Markus turned and made his way to a corridor, rusted yellow doors lining each side. Leaned against one, sat up on an empty CyberLife crate, was Simon. His chest rose and fell, much like a human’s would as they breathed, and as Markus approached, the hum of the thirium pump became that much more obvious.

 Simon still sported a wound; sealed though it was, his skin still had yet to return to it. The white of his chassis revealed a deep gash and how his thirium pump remained exposed. Despite him walking back to Jericho, Simon shouldn’t have been allowed to move much. His biocomponents could have been shutting down from all the stress, and Markus wasn’t sure how much more loss he could suffer through. Not when Simon had just come back.

 ‘Simon?’

 ‘Markus.’ He offered a tense smile, those stormy blue eyes darting away to focus their gaze on the floor. Hesitantly, Markus did take a seat beside him, and noticed how the android shifted over, as if to create space between them. Markus didn’t understand it. Since they hugged upon the other’s return, he thought they were still close. The last thing he wanted was Simon to be upset.

 He rested his hand on the other’s; feeling the cool of his synthetic skin against his own. The hand twitched, but didn’t move away at the intrusion.

 ‘I’ve missed you at our meetings, Simon. It would be nice to hear your opinions in our discussions.’ He hoped that, by striking a conversation with him, Simon would open up. He worried that whatever he had experienced on the rooftop of the broadcast tower may have hurt him more than Markus could ever know.

 ‘Yes, well, it is not my place.’

 ‘W-What do you mean? Simon, I want your opinion; I respect it.’

 ‘That does not matter.’ Those eyes turned to finally look up at Markus, and Simon’s heavy head rolled to the side, resting on Markus’ shoulder. ‘I… I am not able to help you.’

 ‘Simon, I trust your judgement. I want to hear what you have to say.’ A small smile pulled at the corners of Simon’s lips, and for a moment, he seemed to almost curl closer. ‘I don’t want you to forget this, Simon, but you are my closest friend.’

 Simon’s head rolled the other way, and the man sat up. The thrumming of his thirium pump sounded louder through the wound, and the hand that Markus had caught, slipped away to cover it. The smile on Simon’s face had dropped.

 ‘What’s wrong?’

 ‘I-It’s nothing, Markus.’

 ‘It isn’t nothing.’ He shifted closer as Simon had shifted away. He rested his hand over Simon’s shoulder, and the android jerked his whole body away, weakly falling off the crate and to his feet. He stepped away from Markus, seemingly afraid. ‘Talk to me. I want to hear what you have to say.’

 Simon took another step back.

 ‘Is this about what happened at the tower?’

 Another step.

 ‘Or is it something I have done?’

 ‘No!’ The sudden outburst caught both of them off guard, as Simon’s hand raised to his lips. He seemed almost horrified at his own reaction, but it was enough for Markus to step forward and take a gentle hold of Simon’s shoulders and steer him away from the crowd of androids behind them. If this was something so personal to him, perhaps something he didn’t want to admit in front of anyone else, Markus wouldn’t force him to say so when their people stood naught fifteen feet away.

 They entered into one of the side rooms, sealing the rusted, yellow door behind them. It was an empty room, save for some crates of old, tinned food that had been abandoned along with the vessel. Simon had put some distance between them again once the door had shut, but he seemed less likely to scurry away. He just seemed… nervous.

 ‘Simon-’

 ‘No, Markus. I… I don’t want to talk about this. It… I will…’

 ‘Please, Simon.’ Markus stepped closer, and without much space to avoid him, Simon let him approach. ‘The last thing I want is for you to be hurting. I want you to talk to me, to let me know what is happening. I want to help you, in whatever way I can.’

 ‘You can’t help this, Markus.’

 ‘Maybe I can, and you just don’t realise?’ Markus attempted to joke, but there was only a shake from Simon’s head. ‘Please, just talk to me. I don’t even have to say anything if you don’t want me to. If you really want…’ Markus didn’t want it, but he didn’t want the other to continue to alienate himself from the rest of Jericho.

 ‘We can get Lucy to erase my memories of our conversation, if you just want to get if off your chest?’

 Simon’s eyes widened at the idea, but the minute trembling had ceased. He stood, stock still for a time, until Markus had taken another seat by the wall, and gestured for Simon to join him.

 ‘Y-You would do that?’ Markus smiled.

 ‘Anything for you.’

 It was a hesitant approach, but Simon did take a seat beside him. They leaned against the wall of the room, feeling the wet of leaking water running into their clothes. They didn’t care.

��‘I… I don’t want you to hate me, Markus.’

 ‘I don’t.’

 ‘I-I know, but… I don’t want what I have to say to change anything for the worse.’ Markus nodded his head, and didn’t say anything else. He allowed the other to speak.

 ‘I… I have discovered Markus that, especially when North is around you, speaking to you and looking at you in the way she does, I feel a kind of heat surge through me. My temperature feels as though it has raised, but my HUD does not detail any errors.’

 ‘The way you hold hands, the way she moves so close to you… I can’t stand it. I know it is wrong, Markus, but I… I want you to look at me in that way.’

 ‘You are so brave in your choices, so willing to take on the pain of our people and to offer them an extended hand every time. You seek to help them and do what you can for them. Even when I argued against it, you still helped to steal an entire truck of parts and biocomponents. Something I would never be brave enough to accomplish.'

 ‘I admire you, Markus. And I want you to admire me… Not because I am brave or because I am a good leader, like you. I am neither of those things, but I want your eyes to be on me, the same way you gaze at North.’

 ‘You have great wisdom, a willingness to help all androids, and the courage to do it all. You listen to everyone’s opinions and you are creative in a way I don’t think I could ever be.’

 ‘It is…’ It was the first time Simon had halted in his words. He hesitated, and the sight of tears pooling at the corners of his eyes made Markus feel a deep tug within his chest cavity. His hand wrapped around Simon’s once more, and the other didn’t pull away.

 ‘I think it is ‘love’, Markus. I love you…’

 The tears had begun to flow. Markus pulled Simon closer, but didn’t hold him. He did not wish to restrict the other. The man beside him was sensitive, and scared. Markus didn’t want Simon to run away from him. Not after this.

 ‘W-When you left me on that rooftop, I thought I wouldn’t see you again. I… I was scared to die, but I had never felt more scared when I saw the three of you leap off the building. I thought I would be found, that I would give away everything about Jericho…’

 Markus’ ‘heart’ fell.

 ‘And then you didn’t come back…’

 Markus had hated doing that to Simon. He couldn’t kill him, but when he saw the other crawl away across the roof, dragging his legs behind him, he had not expected the officers would miss him. When he had heard the deviant hunter had been present at the tower, he had assumed Simon had been caught, and deactivated.

 When the other had returned, out of the blue and alive, Markus had never felt two such conflicting emotions before. He had felt a great weight fall from him, as if he was relieved, when he could feel Simon in his arms. But, he felt just as cold, when he realised that Simon had been alive the whole time, and abandoned to his fate.

 ‘I’m sorry.’ Simon continued to cry silently. ‘I didn’t mean to abandon you. I never wanted to. I…’ He felt tears in his own eyes, but refused to let them fall. He had no right.

 ‘I love you, Markus… P-Please… Please don’t leave me again…’

 ‘I won’t.’

 They held each other there for a while, until Simon lifted his gaze to Markus. He sat up and the two androids stood, smiling at each other.

 ‘Y-you don’t hate me, do you?’

 ‘Never have and never will.’ Markus reassured him, resting a hand on Simon’s cheek. The two of them were stood close, their faces having drawn in to where they were only a short distance apart.

 ‘W-Will you do as you suggested?’ Simon asked. ‘Will you go to Lucy?’

 ‘If you want me to…’ He leaned closer, brushing his lips over Simon’s cheek. The android froze, eyes widened in shock. He didn’t pull away from Markus’ hand on his cheek and Markus felt a kind of sweet warmth enter into his cheeks. The faintest turquoise colour had started to blossom in Simon’s face.

 ‘May I admit something to you, Simon?’

 Simon’s own hands had raised, resting on Markus’ chest. There were placed as if to push away, but all they did was clasp to the lapels of his coat.

 ‘Y-Yes?’

 Markus dipped his head again, their lips brushing ever so slightly. It sent another thrill through their bodies, something that warmed them up inside. It wasn’t a kiss, but it had been close enough.

 Markus took one of Simon’s hands from his chest, and felt their skin recede. It revealed the white of their bodies beneath, and there was a bright blue, glowing at their fingertips. He could see through Simon’s eyes, how he had been beaten down since the first day he had been bought by his family. His model was due to be decommissioned as an obsolete model, and he had panicked.

 It was a rush all at once, and Markus lowered his lips to Simon’s. It was a gentle, unsure lock of lips. Their eyes shut, allowing them to see through each other’s eyes. Markus could see himself through Simon, how the other watched him and felt warm whenever he spoke. He felt a sense of joy to see someone so invested in the lives of their people, and a great respect for someone willing to make the hard decisions.

 ‘I don’t want to forget this, Simon.’

 They kissed again, a little longer this time. The feeling of heat rushing through their bodies continued to grow.

 ‘If you will let me, I want to remember this… And if you want, I would love it if you allowed me to love you.’

 ‘B-But what about North?’

 ‘North…’ Markus thought over his words for a moment. ‘North and I are close, Simon. She is proud and strong, who cares for our people. But she is not who I want.’

 He leaned in for another kiss, resting one gently peck over both of Simon’s closed eyes. Then, he kissed his lips again. It felt wonderful. It was no mystery to Markus why a good number of humans longed for such connection. He didn’t wish it to end.

 ‘I… I want you, Simon. Will you let me remember?’ Simon breathed, fingers locking with Markus’ own.

 ‘I… I don’t want you to forget me, Markus…’

 ‘Then I won’t. I will never forget you.’

[drowninginships]

Light/Shadow Challenge

April 30th - Friday: Found - Lost

Platonic reed900 and rk1700 - just cute fluff

Challenge created by @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Nines stalks through the DPD bullpen with a scowl on his face. He walks incredibly slow, icy grey eyes roving over every surface, every nook, and every cranny. When he does not find what he is seeking, the RK900 walks to a different corner of the room to survey it from a different perspective. Again he is disappointed to not find what he is looking for. Connor can’t help himself. He opens the network connection he shares with the RK900 and sends forth a question. 

Have you lost something?

The response is immediate. Have you seen Detective Reed? No. Did you lose him? Connor can’t quite keep the small smile from his lips, though he does try. From across the room, Nines eyes him suspiciously.

If you are hiding him, I will find him.

Why would I hide your partner, Nines?

He said he wanted to play a game. He said he could beat me, though we all know that is impossible. Have you heard of ‘hide and seek’? Gavin has hidden himself somewhere. It does not appear to be here. 

Connor giggles as he watches the RK900 turn and head into the break room, taking his time to gaze under tables and around corners. He even checks the cabinets, as if Gavin might be hiding within one.

I wish you luck in finding him, Nines.

Connor doesn’t tell him that Gavin went home several minutes ago.

[rk-doscientos]

My contribution to @connor-sent-by-cyberlife ‘s prompt challenge ^^

Day 3: Heaven/Hell

Warnings: mention of death, grief 

The sun was high in the sky that day.

Wrapped in its warm embrace, Connor was lying on the perfectly green, thick grass. He brushed his fingers over its soft blades and bewitched, he observed as they danced in the gentle blows of the wind. 

Above, clouds were drifting lazily across the firmament, taking on all kinds of shapes the android found hard to define. Stretched out by his side, Markus raised his hand and pointed at the one, which, Connor thought, resembled a large, misshapen pigeon.

He didn't pay much attention to it though, as his gaze has already fallen on something far more interesting.  

Markus looked absolutely mesmerizing. His flawless, bronze skin glowed, caressed by the morning sun. His bright, curious eyes were drawn to the sky and a radiant smile spread over his face. His big, strong hands, here and there stained by paint, casually rested on the soft fabric of his shirt.

It all felt like a dream. This place. Markus. The way they were just lying here, as if nothing else mattered. 

It couldn't be happening, could it?

A sudden surge of panic swept through the android. No. He couldn't think that. He desperately tried to chase the thought away. 

Markus must have noticed the change in him because in a moment he turned, so that now he was facing Connor. Their eyes finally met. 

"Is everything alright, love?" he asked, his voice soothing and full of worry.

Of course. Connor tried to force a smile, but his lips barely moved. He felt a lump in his throat. 

These past few weeks were the best in his life. There was no Cyberlife to boss him around. No humans to put him down. Just him and Markus, the person he loved the most. 

Connor was free. And for the first time he felt happy.

But it didn't mark the end of his story. 

Markus reached out his hand and gently cupped Connor's cheek. 

"Talk to me," he said pleadingly. There was an edge to his soft voice. 

Words seemed to have stuck in Connor's throat, but no matter how hard he tried to fight them, there was no way of avoiding the truth.

He was living in a dream. The kind you'd never want to wake up from. But just as much as it made his spirits fly, it also melted his wings more and more every day. And the higher he ascended, the more afraid he was of the fall. 

Connor lowered his eyes, feeling like not being able to look Markus in the face. Voice shaking, he spoke under his breath:

"You aren't real, are you?"

It was a question, but Connor wasn't waiting for an answer. He knew all along. 

He wanted to believe it was real. He wanted it so bad.

But the reality didn't care about what he wanted. It was what it was, cruel and unrelenting, and not even the strongest desire of a heart could change it. 

Tears began to fill the android's eyes. Markus gently lifted his chin, causing their gazes to lock again. 

No. Not Markus. Just a mere projection of him. A reminder of what could have been. 

Connor sat up abruptly. There was so much going on inside of him. So many feelings he'd repressed before.

Helplessness. Frustration. Despair. Grief. 

Sometimes he wished he'd never become a deviant. 

There was no longer sunshine in the Zen Garden. No longer funny shapes of clouds. The sky went dark and everything seemed to lose its colors. Tears rolling down Connor's cheeks mixed with the pouring rain.

His broken wings couldn't carry him anymore. Connor fell. He drowned in the sea of lies he'd been telling himself. There was no escape. 

"Markus was everything to me," he grieved. "I didn't realize it until it was too late." 

He felt a comforting hand touch his shoulder. 

"I couldn't even say goodbye to him." 

"Why don't you do it now?" 

Connor looked up at the android. There was genuine sadness to his mismatched eyes. Rain glistered on his skin and the soaked up clothes stuck to his body. His hand moved and was now softly stroking Connor's cheek. 

"Before you go," he whispered. "Let us have this one last moment."

A small shiver ran through Connor's body. He never thought he'd get to say goodbye to Markus. He hoped he'd never have to. 

He still remembered what he'd said to him the last time they met. A promise he'd never kept. 

We'll meet again, won't we, Connor?

He wrapped an arm around Markus' neck. 

"You can count on it," murmured Connor, closing the distance between them. 

Their lips landed on each other and it felt just like the first time, stomach trembling and heart pounding. It was so urgent and needy, yet so tender and sweet. Overwhelmed with sensations, Connor almost forgot it wasn't his Markus kissing him, on a cold November evening, with Detroit at their feet. 

"I wish we had more time," groaned Markus, slowly pulling away from the kiss. Connor already missed the taste of his lips. 

He tried not to look at the android as he stood up, letting go of his touch. He knew that if he waited there any longer, he might never leave. He might believe in this all over again. 

Hardly had he walked away, when a voice from behind caused him to stop. His heart skipped a beat. 

"We'll meet again, won't we, Connor?" 

He knew what he wanted to say. He had it on the tip of his tongue. But the words couldn't leave his mouth. 

He turned around to take in the sight of his lover one last time. 

"I doubt there's a heaven for androids."

[sing-a-sirensong]

Detroit: Become Human "Light and Shadow" Prompt Challenge

My contribution the #dbhlightandshadow challenge, one day late @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

The prompt: Shout - Whisper

A reunion Markus hadn't dared hope for.

Rating: T

Tags: hurt/comfort, blood and injury, reunions

On AO3 here

Markus walked aimlessly through the dark, creaking hallways of Jericho. He couldn’t pull his thoughts from the Stratford Tower. He remembered most clearly how loud it had been, the noise almost overwhelming. Markus was used to quiet, with Carl. The gentle swish of paintbrushes against canvas, soft piano music, the turning of pages in books, a quiet television in the background. At the top of the Stratford Tower there had been only noise. The human SWAT team when they breached the broadcast room, guns firing on entry. Voices, shouting.

"Simon! They're coming!" "I- I can't Markus... Go without me!"

"Simon!"

He’d charged forward after Simon fell, heedless of the spray of bullets, his only thoughts on getting to Simon. North was shouting at him now too. Markus didn’t register the words, too focused on pulling his friend out of danger. They’d made it to the rooftop, struggling, and locked the access door. But the pounding on the door meant they wouldn’t be safe for long. Simon couldn’t walk, too badly damaged to survive a leap from the roof even with a parachute. North and Josh had turned to him for answers with time running out.

In the moment, Markus had been horrified at North’s suggestion to shoot Simon. Even after Josh’s warning that if Simon was found, all of his memories could be accessed and Jericho compromised. Instead they’d left Simon there alone, injured, with a gun in his hand. His stomach twisted at the thought of what the gun was really for when if Simon was found. There would be no chance of escape. Perhaps killing him would have been a mercy. If Markus hadn’t been too much of a coward to do it himself.

Now, Markus stopped to lean against a rusting wall and stared at his palm, no longer bare white plastic and polymer as it had been a short while ago. North had found where he was hiding earlier; an open room with an out of tune piano and an exposed, overhanging beam to sit on and stare into the Detroit skyline. She’d spoken to him gently, gentler than he’d ever known North to be. Markus had lied and said his distraction was worry about their next move, worry about being called to lead their people, worry about the power he held in his unsteady hands.

When North asked about who he was before, he told her. He told her about Carl, his quiet life, his blissful ignorance. And when Markus asked in return, North had shared her past with him like every word hurt to speak. He hadn’t known what to do, what the right words were to say. In the hope of conveying how sincerely grateful Markus was for her trust he’d gingerly reached for a connection. Instead, he’d seen the death of that man through her eyes, and she’d seen his final moments with Carl. They both pulled away in shock and North had quickly retreated. Markus had called after her but he didn’t want to push, the connection had rattled them both.

He curled and uncurled his fingers slowly, still staring at his palm. He felt honoured that North trusted him enough to share her past with him and he thinks that now that he might understand what North was truly afraid of up on that roof. Not of the information the humans could get from Simon if they found him, but of what the humans might do to him if they captured him alive. The thought that death would be preferable to imprisonment. He sighed an unnecessary breath and walked deeper into the ship.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed movement; another android stepping out in front of him. He glanced up and lurched to a stop, stunned.

It was- it was Simon. But it couldn’t be. He was- Simon was gone, he couldn’t be standing here in front of Markus, looking ragged but alive. Simon opened his mouth as if to speak but instead looked down, gaze sliding away.

Marcus stared a moment longer, took a few shaky steps forward, stopped again. Blue eyes met mismatched green and blue, and Markus couldn’t stand it any longer. He closed the distance and pulled Simon into a tight hug, nearly gasping at the solid feel of him. He was real.

“Simon?” He whispered, voice shaky and hoarse. “Thank God, Simon, you’re alive.” Markus’s hands wouldn’t settle, grasping at Simon’s sweater, sliding across his back, over the nape of his neck, carding through his hair. As if somehow, if he could just get his hold right, Markus could pull Simon into his chassis and keep him there under his ribs, safe. “But how? How did you escape? What happened, what-”

“Markus,” Simon’s whisper cut him off, weak and unsteady. “Please, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry just don’t- please don’t leave me again, Markus.” He was trembling in Markus’s arms. Markus turned his head and tucked his face into the crook of Simon’s neck, whispering fiercely into his shoulder.

“I won’t, I promise. I promise I’ll never leave you behind again, Simon, I promise.” He pulled back to cradle Simon’s face in his hands, tipping their foreheads together. “Never again.” He breathed. Simon exhales shakily, nodding, and sags forward into Markus's hold.

Markus was slammed so suddenly with the need to kiss Simon that he nearly leaned in without thinking. But Simon was wavering where he stood and, Markus noticed as he glanced down at Simon’s wounds, still bleeding. He tilted Simon back gently and caught his eye.

“We need to get you fixed up.” And before Simon could answer, Markus was bending forward and lifting Simon into his arms. Simon let out a startled noise at being so suddenly lifted.

“Markus, I can walk-” he protested, but Markus interrupted before he could finish.

“You’re not walking another step on that injured leg.” Markus said firmly. Simon sighed, giving up his protest easily and dropping his head onto Markus’s shoulder.

“All right.” He murmured softly.

“We’re going to get you taken care of, Simon. I promise.” He turned his head to press the last two words as a whisper into Simon’s hair, letting his lips linger in their contact for longer than was perhaps strictly necessary. Markus hoped he wasn’t imagining the way Simon’s fingers closed tighter on the collar of his jacket, his body curling closer into Markus’s embrace.

[sheyshocked]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)

Characters: Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Markus (Detroit: Become Human)

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Declarations Of Love, Markus Loves Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Injury, Fluff, Drabble, dbh light & shadow challenge, Established Relationship

Series: Part 15 of Drabbles and other short stories

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Summary:

Simon never told Markus he loved him. And then one day, he got injured.

[oh-fortheloveof-ra9]

The Red Ring

The Connor Case Files detail Connor and Hank's more notable investigations after the events of the android revolution. The Red Ring is a black market organization kidnapping, resetting, and shipping androids off to the highest bidder. While investigating, Connor has fallen into their clutches. Will he be reset, escape, or is it up to Hank to get there in time? Pick your chapter and choose your fate!

Finally posted it to AO3! Had to remove the original from Tumblr.

Had a ton of fun writing this, some of the ideas are more fleshed out than others but I really loved working this scene! Originally written for @connor-sent-by-cyberlife​ ‘s Light and Shadow prompts for April 30th 2021- Lost and Found. Choose from the different chapters to get found or get lost. I felt like this format was pretty appropriate to use for a Detroit Become Human Fic. No ships really, just some good old fashioned Connor and Hank detective partners/father and son. Angst, Fluff and everything in between!

[lordchickem]

DBH light and shadow challenge

Day 5: dream - nightmare

Based on a dream I had when I was younger, till this day I can't really label it as a dream or a nightmare.

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[demialien]

Markus▸ ̶D̶r̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶ – ̷N̷i̷g̷h̷t̷m̷a̷r̷e̷ ̷

«And all your dreams will turn into nightmares»

I feel so bad for Markus. People tend to downplay his trauma or ignore it altogether which isn't right. Markus didn't just walk out of the junkyard with a new sense of justice. He lost part of himself. He had to pick himself up and build himself back together. And it's something that is going to follow him for the rest of his life.

For Day Five of @connor-sent-by-cyberlife's prompt challenge.

[coffeeboy900]

FIRST ONE ACHIEVED !!! I'M SO EXCITED !!!

Big thanks to @connor-sent-by-cyberlife for this challenge and let's start the week !!!

Summary :

Some flowers dropped themselves on the water, while others kept flying, far away from us. They were spinning in the wind, like birds. They were travelling the city. Detroit seemed brighter, more pleasant, lively. The whole world seemed happier on this spring day.

[harcourtholmesii]

Heaven And Hell

I have finally caught up with the prompt list! Thank you to @connor-sent-by-cyberlife for the lovely list. It is not only a nice experiment but it is helping to motivate me to write, which I appreciate.

Pairings: HankCon / Hannor / Hank X Connor

Warnings: - Swearing - Graphic Violence and Gore - Implied Rape and Referenced Murder - Slightly NSFW - Implied Sexual Interests - Existential Questions - Hurt and Comfort

Words: 3368

Enjoy!

Connor was still young. Bright-eyed, by the book, and completely innocent despite his research into humans and the Earth’s violent and erratic history.

 Being that it was his first mission to Earth, his superiors had been worried to send such a young angel to the planet below. His job had been, put simply, to walk among humans and learn from his experiences. Adapt to their atmosphere and climate, and whilst present, deal out the necessary punishment to the beasts that walked alongside them. As a new breed, Connor was created to find and destroy.

 And they had not been hard to find.

 Executing them for their evil whilst being subtle, however, was another matter entirely.

 In order to achieve it, he had combed through the vast knowledge he had learnt over centuries of study. A vast mind vault within him, stacked high with books and parchment, informed him that the best path he might take would be to gain a career as a police detective or ‘cop’.

 In such a position, he would be more likely trusted by civilians, allowed to carry weaponry he could modify to destroy demons and fallen angels alike, and he would have the means to track them without strain on his own power. He had to build up to it first, of course.

 The police academy, where he excelled at all of his classes, took only a short amount of time to him; a mere couple of years. His superiors, though proud of his work, told him to slow it down. Take hits and failures every now and again, where necessary, to make it appear he was just as fallible as the average human. Even when he had graduated from the academy, he was top of his class by a mile.

 He had been immediately placed into the Detroit Police Department, and had been near delighted by his success. Well, as delighted as an angel was allowed to be. Too many human emotions were enough to cause an angel to fail and fall. Ones of his kind were able to fall into the throes of passion so easily, due to their physical inexperience, that it was often in a murderous rage or in the heat of sexual intimacy that the worst acts were committed. It doomed an angel to fall.

 Connor was certain such things would not affect him. After all, he was the best of the best; made to be more and above the other angels. Not that he wished to gloat, or be overly prideful, but he was better.

 And then he had entered into the precinct for the first time.

 There was the stink of human sweat and he could practically taste the sugar and coffee in the air, but there was the smell of smoke and the near taste of fire to accompany them that had Connor reeling. He restrained himself from immediately hurling himself forward and into the throes of battle, rolling his shoulders as if to shrug off the weight of sin in the precinct.

 There was a devil among them, and it wasn’t hard to work out which of his new colleagues it was.

 Captain Fowler had introduced him to his experienced partner, lieutenant Hank Anderson, whom he was supposed to follow and learn from. Connor had to grit his teeth so as not to roar at the other. The humans were blinder than Connor had initially thought. They would let a devil into their midst, one that would see them fall to doom and destruction.

 He fought back the scowl, replacing it instead with a kinder smile, offering the devil his hand. When their palms connected, there was a deep burn that seared through his skin.

 ‘It is nice to be working with you, lieutenant.’

 ‘It won’t be, I can assure you.’ The urge to let his wings loose and drive the devil through the wall grew, but he kept his smile up. This was going to be harder than he thought.

  ~X~

  Hank had been created from blood and brimstone. He was born to a world of darkness, the lick of hot flames and the sting of teeth and steel against his flesh. For centuries, he had grown and festered like the plague on humanity he had been made to be.

 His dark wings became a shield from the worst pain, and his teeth helped to defend him and tear out the throats of other devils that tried to hurt him. Survival was learnt from an early age, and when he was finally able to crawl free of the pit, he was greeted with the warmth of sunlight and the feeling of Spring dew.

 He had to learn fast, so that he might survive and not return to Hell itself.

 He studied parchments, scrolls and tablets from the dawn of human time, had followed human history and learnt the best and worst of it all. He had learned quickly how best to disguise himself from most angels, and had nearly died numerous times throughout history.

 Through it all though, Hank had grown and aged. He became harder to find, harder to kill, and he had come to recognise humans as less the worms that he had heard through shouts and tortured whispers. Instead, he came to recognise them as an intelligent species, who often made stupid decisions. Mistakes or choices that sent them to an early grave or simply added up until they were being ripped from the planet and pulled down.

 Down below.

 He had many jobs throughout history, had many backstories and different histories to suit his needs. His most recent character was that of a police lieutenant, where it was he that dished out punishment, not just on horrible human beings, but the occasional devil, demon or fallen angel that caused trouble.

 He had come to realise that long ago, humans were too often dragged to Hell for something that could be forgiven or looked over. The seven deadly sins may have been something ‘damning’, but they could be explored without being taken to the extreme like angels seemed to believe. In fact, in Hank’s mind, it was simply Heaven that was refusing to forgive, as was their (quote, unquote) ‘policy’.

 It had been a surprise to Hank when his newest partner turned out to be an angel. Not only that, but one that could immediately see through his disguise despite the centuries he had to perfect it. He never gave the game away, but the two of them had been forced to work side by side. It would have been comical, if Hank wasn’t constantly feeling the burn of ‘righteous fury’ whenever they were within close proximity.

 He had spoken with Connor, had even apologised for his rather rude introduction, but the angel had refuted his words. It was clear to him that Connor was just one of many angels that would never learn, the naïve little pricks that they were. Heaven did a brilliant job of brainwashing those that left it, and Hank was unsurprised Connor seemed furious, in some cases fearful, to be around Hank for any extended time.

 Though, there was one thing that shook their relationship.

 It was a case, one of a particularly brutal serial killer. As they were the investigators for the case, they allowed themselves more freedom in the crime scene once given space from other officers. When alone, Hank let his human visage drop a bit, to reveal the scarred features he held, two strong horns and a pair of white, bony, bat-like wings. When Connor had noticed his transformation, the other had released his own mirage, revealing dark, feathered wings and a neon blue halo above his head.

 ‘No need to get pissy. We’re alone here.’ Hank huffed, and though the angel didn’t relax, he didn’t attack. Hank allowed him to use his powers to help with the investigation, the little angel practically spitting out the blood when he tasted it. Hank already smelled that it had been a devil’s blood, but he smirked at the adorable face the angel had pulled when he found it disgusting.

 They returned to their human forms before another officer would show up, and through it all, Hank had noticed how Connor’s eyes kept diverting to him. Gazing at him not in anger or disgust, but curiosity, and perhaps an interest that made Hank’s spine perform a delicious tingle.

 He could work with this.

  ~X~

  A few months into their work together, they had started investigating a serial killer. Connor had done well to keep the devil away from him, though it had been easier than he initially thought. The devil seemed to pay little mind in attempting to tempt him into the worst kinds of sin, and to Connor’s surprise, actively assisted in the investigations. He didn’t attempt to get the wrong humans killed or framed for their actions, and helped to track down the murderers or rapists or whatever else as quickly as possible.

 Without revealing themselves, of course.

 When the other had dropped his human guise at the crime scene, Connor had been prepared to rip his head off, but when the other spoke so softly, despite his gruff demeanour, Connor had agreed to keep the peace. But he was confused, and more than a little curious in the other.

 He didn’t know what it was that he was experiencing, as he had little knowledge of what a human or an angel could feel. He had never experienced emotions in this way, but he became curious about his partner. He was curious if those wings were as sensitive as his own, whether his gruff behaviour was from boredom, or if he genuinely didn’t want to fight. He didn’t understand this enigma.

 During their investigation into the serial killer, it was at the third crime scene that Connor had taken note that not only did the place stink of his usual, devilish partner, but that the smell had intensified. As if doubled.

 Connor had been too slow to connect the dots, and had been ambushed by the devil. He was tackled to the floor, feeling the figure thrust their knee deep into his back, pushing against his spine. It hurt. Connor whined, a sound he didn’t know he could make, but the devil had just laughed above him. Lips leaned down and a forked tongue swept over his cheek, tasting him. Connor fought back, but from his position, he couldn’t grab his gun nor his sword. He was trapped.

 There were footsteps, and then Hank was in front of them both. Silver hair which had helped to curtain his eyes, was pulled back, revealing similar silver eyes. They looked down at Connor with some kind of gaze that he didn’t recognise. Then they turned to fury as they rose to meet the eyes of the devil.

 ‘If you want a piece of angel flesh, you’ll have to wait your turn.’ There was a tightening on Connor’s limbs, a burning sensation scarring his wrists. Connor twisted, feeling the grip change to grab a head full of hair and lift his head up at an uncomfortable angle. When that tongue came out to taste him again, the weight was released with one quick movement.

 Connor could breathe, and he had turned to see Hank without his guise. The two devils were in a tangle of violent clawing and limbs, wings sprouted and teeth bared. There was a loud ‘SNAP!’ as something was broken, and the killer shrieked. Connor leapt into action then, pulling out his gun. He raised it, and stopped.

 He trained it on the two of them, and through the burn of his halo, the voices of his superiors and guardians urged him to end it. He had both of them in his sights. He could do it. He could shoot and kill them both.

 There was a gunshot, and Hank peeled back as there was an explosion of red. The head of the devil had a hole clean through the skull, through the back and between the eyes. It left an alcove in the back of its head, brain matter and blood bursting into a bright confetti of colour. And beyond that, Hank was greeted with the sight of Connor kneeling on the floor.

 The gun had not lowered.

 Hank knew it was over. He could practically see Connor’s guise dropping, the wings unfurling and the halo gleaming as he was close to accomplishing his mission. Connor’s eyes flicked back and forth, his hands around the gun trembling. Suddenly, the gun dropped, along with Connor.

 There was a cry from the angel, a terrible, pained sound as he clutched at his head. The halo burned through his hair and deep into his flesh. Hank was to his side in a moment, bringing him into his lap as the halo withered away to nothing. His wings shook, feathers beginning to moult and though his wings seemed to have shifted a shade darker, they remained their beautiful, glossy colour.

 By the time it was over, Connor had been rendered unconscious, his wings shrinking back into his human guise, but he was missing the heated glow that would arc above his head. As Hank’s own body returned to its original form, he held the other close, and even carried him to the ambulance outside, after he called it.

 It was shock, according to the paramedics, with some bruising from the damage dealt by the now deceased criminal. He would be out of the hospital in no time, less so since he would still be healing at an angel’s rate.

 He met Connor outside the hospital, and instead of driving the both of them back to the precinct, Hank had taken the quiet fallen angel to an empty bridge where Hank had found it easiest to think. Few people came there anymore, the playground abandoned and the stink of the river causing people to feel far too uncomfortable to approach. It was the perfect place.

 ‘What are we doing here, lieutenant?’ His voice quaked, and wide, doe-brown eyes looked up at Hank with the most fearful expression Hank had seen the angel wear. It was more afraid than when he had been attacked by the devil in the first place.

 ‘I think, you being downgraded to a fallen angel, has earned you the right to just call me Hank.’ He half joked. It didn’t help the angel’s shaking. ‘Come on. I just want to talk.’

 He stepped out of the car, and over to a park bench that looked out over the river. He waited a few short minutes before he heard the car door slam and Connor’s approach, taking a seat beside him.

 ‘Why did you come out all this way to eat me?’

 Hank turned a confused gaze down at Connor, eyes to the hairline with shock. Now, that he had not been expecting.

 ‘Uh… I don’t want to eat you.’

 ‘The devil said you would have to wait for angel flesh. You have looked at me in a similar way before, so I am pretty certain your intention is to eat me. Especially since I can’t burn you anymore an-’

 There was a guffaw of laughter from Hank, and Connor felt his cheeks flush a great pink. He had never been able to blush before, and he felt more embarrassed and more shame when he realised he was exhibiting such human behaviour.

 ‘Tha… That isn’t what the little creep meant.’ Hank assured him, arm around Connor and bringing him close. Despite Connor’s immediate panic, he didn’t struggle when Hank pulled him into the half hug. He felt Hank’s warmth, and how it didn’t burn like when they first met. Instead it was a soothing sensation that heated his skin and the smell of brimstone had been clouded with the smell of sugar, the slightest taint of alcohol and something stronger.

 ‘T-Then… what are we doing out here?’

 ‘I just wanted to talk.’ It was a slight lie, but despite Hank’s growing interest in the tiny angel, Hank wasn’t like the devil serial killer. He wasn’t one to take that shit by force. Hank may have been a devil, but he had grown to become more than that, in his mind. ‘I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.’ Connor’s gaze was confused and disbelieving. ‘No, I mean it. I’m sorry you lost your grace. And for me of all people.’

 ‘It wasn’t for you.’

 ‘Then why didn’t you shoot?’ Connor’s lips were sealed, and he had turned away from Hank, that shameful flush giving him away.

 ‘Believe it or not, Connor, being so close to humans isn’t so bad.’

 ‘Of course you would say that. Just trying to rub it in that I have been released from Heaven?’

 ‘See, you say that like being released from Heaven is a bad thing.’ Hank hummed, turning his head and pulling Connor closer. He could practically hear the fallen angel’s heart racing and the slightest chatter of teeth in the cool night air. ‘But, think about it; Heaven had such control over you, in the end, your own decisions were considered enough to have you banished?’

 ‘I…’ Connor shouldn’t be listening to this. He shouldn’t! ‘I was placed here on Earth to hunt your kind, to protect the humans from sin.’

 ‘But see, you can’t protect humans from sin.’ Hank said in response. Connor tilted his head, like a little, lost puppy. ‘Humans cannot be saved from sin, in fact, it is in their nature to sin. And the small things should always have the option to be forgiven, and yet, Hell is being piled high with more and more souls each year.’

 ‘You’re just saying that…’

 ‘I’m not. Think about it, Connor. Is it so wrong to indulge? Certain things are out of line, of course, but is violence, when necessary, a bad thing? Is lying? Is sex really as sinful as Heaven taught you?’ Connor turned his head away, gaze pointedly to the pavement.

 ‘I… I don’t know…’

 ‘And that is the thing about human nature; no one really knows what is too far. Sometimes, someone deserves the worst that happens to them, but then there are those that are judged too harshly for something so insignificant. And they are humans, with lifespans shorter than ours by whole millenniums. They should be allowed to live as they choose without us dictating how they behave.’

 Connor didn’t seem sure how to react to such information. He felt Hank’s guise drop and let his own drop as well. When he met Hank’s eyes, he hid his gaze, shameful of his appearance. Instead, he felt Hank raise on of his hands, and thin, soft lips against the crook of his knuckles; a gentle tease of fangs against the skin of his hand. Wide eyes turned up to Hank, and even though there was something lustful there, Hank did not proceed any further.

 ‘You are beautiful, Connor. I don’t know if Heaven made you that way, or if this was your own design, but it was a good choice.’ The pink to Connor’s cheeks burned. He withdrew his hand, and Hank didn’t press further. The devil simply chuckled a gruff sound from deep within his chest.

 ‘Don’t worry, Connor. I may be evil, but I am not going to do anything to you that you wouldn’t want me to. I just wanted to indulge myself a little.’ Connor bit his lip, kneading his bottom lip between his teeth.

 ‘I… I d-don’t mind…’ Hank raised an eyebrow down at him. ‘I just… I’m not sure it is appropriate.’

 ‘In Heaven and Hell’s eyes, it never will be. But here, on Earth, things can be different. Connor…’ There was a quiet sound from Connor, and Hank felt his body burn and his spine quiver. ‘I… If you want, we can be friends.’

 Connor leaned into Hank’s arms, resting his head in the crook of Hank’s throat. Hank’s hands passed over one wing that twitched, and then relaxed beneath his touch. There was a hum from Connor, a sound so content and just a little bit nervous.

 ‘I… I would like that…’

[drowninginships]

Light/Shadow Challenge

April 24th - Saturday: Love - Hate

RK1700 - First kiss, boys in love, mentioned military background

Challenge created by @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Nines was created to be a one-man militia. His code is full of war techniques and military strategy, and yet somehow, Connor has managed to surpass it all. 

The warmth in his systems surprised him at first. He’d thought there was a critical error, even took himself to receive maintenance only to be told he is functioning optimally. And yet the warmth returned whenever Connor was near. It amplified on nights they would stay up late, discussing everything from work to navigating deviancy. It was hard to learn what emotions they were feeling at what times, and even harder to decide how to act upon them. 

Nines always felt so warm when Connor was near. He felt happy, even. Slowly, Nines was able to pinpoint the exact moments his system processors would flood with heat. Whenever Connor touched him. When they had moments alone, Nines noticed that Connor would stand closer than necessary. 

Feelings were strange and new for the two androids. Connor was clearly more adept at adapting to them than Nines was, but it was still uncharted territory they were stepping into. 

When Connor pushed past the fear and finally kissed Nines, he was afraid he might reboot due to the heat in him. His thirium pump felt swollen, like it was pushing tightly against the channel it sits in. When he expressed this feeling to his predecessor, Connor merely smiled and kissed him again. 

“Yeah. I love you, too.” 

So maybe, despite his military-grade body and tactical programming, Nines feels a softness and a lightness he never thought he’d have. Love. He loves Connor. And the more he thinks it, the more true it is. He absolutely adores Connor and will use every ounce of his programming to keep the smaller android safe. 

If this is love, Nines is ready to jump off the deep end. Bury himself in his devotion to his partner, his boyfriend, his lover. 

He loves Connor. 

And Connor loves him.

[gauzyfruitcake]

Rating: T

For the DBH Light & Shadow prompt: Courage - Fear

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[nonbinarynightmare77]

A collage of Ralph for @connor-sent-by-cyberlife Light and Shadow challenge. Day 5: dream - nightmare

Ralph was attacked by a group of human delinquents who tortured him for fun before he managed to flee. He was reported missing by his owners.

Ralph lives and hides in an abandoned squat in the Camden suburb on the outskirts of Detroit, having developed a fear and hatred of humans.

When Connor scans him, he sees that the damage was caused by burning, probably deliberate. Ralph was attacked by a group of human delinquents who tortured him for fun before he managed to flee. He was reported missing by his owners.