#just imagine if it was markus or north

[norringtondeservestheworld]

Just remembered of that video on Youtube that showed what happened if Connor found Simon in the roof and how 75% of the comments were about poor Connor having trauma.

Yeah because between the terminator who hunts and/or kill androids just because they want to be free and the deviant who sacrifices himself killing himself to protect the same people who left him is the first one the one who got the worse fate and the one we are supposed to feel sorry for right?

[my-name-is-markus-with-a-k]

Gotta laugh when Markus takes the dirty bomb detonator from North then just casually puts it in his pocket. Like, oh yeah that'll be fine in there, I'm sure during all the fighting you're going to be doing later you will in no way accidently hit the giant button in your unprotected pocket and trigger the dirty bomb by accident.

Like, imagine during the Markus vs Connor tussle, they're just rolling around trying to kill each other then suddenly *click* and now detroit is irradiated.

[not-neverland06]

Connor and Markus (separately) x android! idol! reader ;)?

I feel like it doesn't fit much, but it would be interesting.

Idol Talk

Connor RK800 x fem! idol! android!reader, Markus RK200 x fem! idol! android!reader

Summary: Two different tales: Connor knows the famous android isn’t telling the whole truth about her involvement with androids & Markus helps the lovely idol come to terms with her new feelings. 

A/N: I loved this ask so much!!!!! This was so fun 🤍

If this isn’t what you wanted send in another request using the white heart emoji and I’ll make something new for you <;3 Also so sorry this took so long. I have three other fics I’m working on and one of them is clocking in at over 100K words so… I need to work on time management. 

(I made the moodboard - its my first time so... I tried. However, the borders were made by @benkeibear)

Connor:

WC: 3.6K

“Have you seen any deviants in the area?” 

Your fists tightened and you tried your best to keep your thirium pump and breathing under control. Your hair was positioned perfectly, there was no way he could see your LED flashing red. 

You put on your best robotic smile and shook your head. “I’m so sorry, I can’t help you.” You'd triggered the voice you used during fan meetings. The type where your joy wasn’t actually genuine but you were programmed to sound as pleasing as possible. Life-like, but with just enough robotic insincerity to get Connor’s partner's eyes off of you. 

Lieutenant Anderson had been giving you strange probing looks since they’d walked into your dressing room. 

Markus had been caught coming out of your apartment building by paparazzi last night. You’d been giving Markus some information you’d learned from your manager and extra thirium for Jericho. Apparently, neither of you were as sneaky as you’d thought yourselves to be. 

“Really?” Shit, he so did not believe you.

“I’m very sorry officers. If there was any way I could assist you, I would.” You had to bury your fists in your tulle skirts, desperately holding off the urge to fidget with your hands. Any unnecessary movement would immediately give you away to the deviant hunter. 

Connor took a step forward. He placed his hands on either side of your chair and leaned in until his breath was a gentle caress against your skin. 

Ever since you broke your programming a few months ago, you’d been struggling with your new ‘emotions.’ A fan had broken into your room, in your programming it told you to always please the fans. But when he’d forced himself on top of you, your vision had gone red and you’d ripped your orders apart. 

North had helped you hide the body.

Right now, that body was the furthest thing on your mind. All you could focus on was how close Connor was, if you just moved forward a centimeter your lips would touch. In your twisted imagination he wrapped you in his arms, gently holding you, cradling you. Looking at you like you were something real, not just a toy on the stage. He would gaze down at you like you were someone to be cherished, you weren’t just a recyclable piece of plastic that should be replaced the moment you made a mistake. 

You were projecting though, it could be anyone. Hank could be the one leaning into you like this and you’d still have the same fantasy. That someone would see you. For however long you’d been made, there had always been a quiet voice inside you. 

I'm in here! I’m real! Please

Lately that quiet voice had turned into a scream. You were desperate, desperate for some form of connection. Desperation and all these emotions were nasty, uncomfortable things. You almost resented yourself for going deviant. Some days it was just too much, you felt like your insides were burning out and you were frying up. 

Working to keep up the facade of the perfect doll, while also wanting to rip apart those who were using you, was slowly breaking you apart. There were fraying edges in your mind and it was starting to show. Mistakes in your performance, back-talk towards your owners. Your fellow members continued working perfectly. 

Smiling at all the right moments, dancing perfectly, they were the perfect example of an idol. 

You used to be like that too. You used to be perfect, everyone’s favorite. Now, you were slipping down a steep decline that might lead you straight to the recycling plant. 

“I don’t believe you, I think you know more than you’re letting on.”

Your eyes darted towards the clock on your wall. Twenty minutes. 

You had twenty minutes until you needed to get on stage. Only twenty minutes to distract them and save yourself. Just deny, deny, deny. “I‘ve already told you everything I know.”

Connors brows furrowed, your software was glitching out the longer you stared at him. Your processors were misfiring when you focused on his eyes for too long. It was making your vocal unit short-circuit, conversational prompts glitching in and out of your field of vision. 

If you wanted to give him a proper answer, one that would dispel his suspicions, you’d have to look away. Yet, looking away would make him even more suspicious. It felt like there was a blade to your throat and back, no matter which way you went, you were dead. 

“Please, I don’t know anything.” You hadn’t meant to say please. It was a consequence of no help from your programming in taking a convincing approach. Your eyes were locked onto his, somewhere inside of him, there was a sentient being. A consciousness fighting its way through firewalls and softwares that would otherwise keep him obedient. 

HIs voice rose and he shoved your chair backwards so you were balancing on two flimsy legs. His hands were the only thing keeping you from falling. All of your focus went towards not reacting, not flinching. 

There were artificial tears pooling in glistening optical units. The fluid was meant for lubrication of your synthetic eyelids, but right now it was the only way for your plastic heart to betray your misery and terror. 

You didn’t want to die.

You weren’t ready to go. 

“I don’t believe you! Tell me what you know!” He was shaking the chair, screaming in your face. Your auditory unit was starting to buzz, his voice so loud all you could hear was static every few seconds. Threats were going through one processor and out the next. 

Ripped apart

Turned into scraps

Replaced by the next best model

No one would even notice

“I said I don’t know anything!” You leapt up, shoving him down. He went flying across the room, the strength behind your reaction had been unexpected by everyone in the room, including yourself. 

Both his partner and his eyes were wide as he stared up at you from the floor. “I think we’ve found our deviant, Lieutenant.” 

Your legs stopped working, knees crashing into the floor as you stared down at your hands. You hadn’t meant to, you really hadn’t. But you didn’t want to be scrap metal, you didn’t want to be ripped apart and abandoned in a landfill. You were scared.

“That’s irrational instructions in your code, you can’t really be scared.”

Had you said that out loud?

“He was going to hurt me.” The Lieutenant moved forward and stopped Connor from cuffing you. “He broke in and ripped off my uniform, I was meant to please him. No matter what.” You stared up at Connor, the tears finally spilling. “But I couldn't. I didn’t want him to touch me. I killed him, and I buried his body in my neighbors garden. Please, you have to understand.” 

You finally found the strength to stand and you buried your fingers in Connor’s uniform. Gripping onto him and begging him to understand you. To finally wake up and see himself for what he is; a slave. “I couldn’t let it happen anymore. I couldn’t let myself keep being abused like I was nothing! I’m not nothing! I’m alive and I refuse to be someone’s plaything!”

Connor’s eyes darted between yours, there was something playing on the edge of his lips. Possibly a frown. What was more interesting was what was swimming in his eyes, it almost seemed like doubt. Hope began tingling at the base of your spine, maybe not all was lost. Maybe you were breaking through to him. 

His hands were cold, much like your own, and they were too gentle as he wrapped them around your wrists. “My…” He cleared his throat, he didn’t seem to know how to continue. His voice lost the hesitance and once again was cold and commanding. “My orders are to bring in all deviants, and I always complete my mission.”

You shook your head, the tears coming out faster. “No, no, no, please. Please,” he moved your hands away from his jacket. Slowly twisting your arms behind your back. 

The fight had drained from you. 

Maybe it would be easier this way. No more training, no more demanding managers. You’d be surprised by the amount of death threats an android idol gets, that would be a nice thing to get away from. You wouldn’t have to deal with crazy fans that seemed to think they were entitled to any part of you. No more worry, no more anything, just that sweet release of nothingness. 

Markus had asked you many times if you thought there was an afterlife for androids. You weren’t sure. You were sentient, you felt, but you weren’t born. You were made. Can something like that even contain a soul? 

At least your question would finally be answered. 

“Stop.” Both you and Connor looked at Hank, varying degrees of different types of shock playing on both of your faces. “Connor, take the cuffs off.” Connor hesitated, “That’s an order.” Your wrists were released and you stumbled forward. 

“Hank-“

Hank shook his head and held up his hand. “I can’t do it, I can’t take this poor girl in just to kill her.” Connor seemed ready to argue, but there was a knock on your door. 

“You’re needed on stage SI700-005.” Slowly you moved towards the door, keeping an eye on both Hank and Connor. 

Hank wouldn’t look at you, his shoulders were slumped and he was staring down at his feet. Connor refused to take his eyes off of you. You expected hatred in his gaze, instead there was a strange shade of longing. 

You weren’t sure if he had identified the fact that he was feeling yet, but you weren’t interested in finding out. You quickly wiped your cheeks free of tears, allowing your synthetic skin to reform until your makeup was back to perfection. 

You walked out the door and didn’t look back.

“Did you get everything you needed?” 

Hank spoke before Connor could. “She didn’t know anything, thanks for letting us talk to her.” 

Your manager shook his head. “Not a problem! It’s one of our best, I’m sure you can understand that I’m eager to ensure everything in it’s programming is in good condition.” Connor wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. He knew he should, that he should always be vigilant about anything concerning deviants. Instead, all he could see were the tears on your cheeks as you had held onto him in your dressing room. 

If you were human, Connor would think you had been afraid. But you weren’t human, and whatever look was in your eyes had just been an irrational instruction in your coding. 

Maybe if he kept repeating that, he’d eventually believe it. 

“As a thanks for your hard work, I’d like to offer you a seat in my section for her concert.”

Hank shuffled on his feet and opened his mouth, he was going to say no. Connor’s software told him there was a 90% chance the Lieutenant was going to reject the offer and just go home and get drunk. 

“Thank you, we’d enjoy that.” Connor spoke before the Lieutenant could, accepting the tickets via an e-transfer with your manager's personal CyberLife assistant. Hank was glaring at him the whole time they were being led to their seats. 

Connor ignored him, he sensed that the Lieutenants like for him had decreased as Hank grumbled the whole way through the opening act. 

The soft notes of a piano finally caught Connor’s attention. It was rising up through a hidden platform on the stage. Screams burst through the arena, temporarily deafening Connor. He had to quickly adjust his auditory processors so he could actually hear. There were great explosions of smoke as the piano slowly lifted onto the stage. 

Soft, nimble fingers glided over the keys. Then he heard a voice, soft and melodic, a soothing balm against the roaring screams of the crows. His thirium pump beat louder and he shifted in his seat, desperate for a look at whoever was on stage. 

I used to hear a simple song

That was until you came along

Members of the group moved gracefully along the curved edge of the stage. Their white dresses flowing through the air behind them, they moved like they weighed nothing. Their bodies were more graceful than humanly possible. He didn’t recognize your face among them. 

Now in it’s place is something new

I hear it when I look at you

You looked up from the piano, and Connor swore you were staring straight at him. A member came over and began playing alongside you, eventually you got up and grabbed the microphone from the piano. 

Your dress moved around you like water as you walked across the stage. Each note, each movement was perfection. Not the artificial type, like your fellow members. No, this was real. 

Your voice cracked and rose with notes in a way androids couldn’t. There was a genuine pain and strength in your singing that couldn’t be replicated or produced. It was imperfect and wonderful and Connor wasn’t sure why his chest suddenly felt so heavy. 

You had made it to the edge of the stage, still staring down at him. 

With simple songs I wanted more

Perfection is so quick to bore

You are more beautiful by far

Were you reading his thoughts? Each word was something ripped from deep inside the recesses of his mind, in a place he knew CyberLife wouldn’t be able to find. A place no one would see his software instabilities and realize that they all centered around this moment. 

They were all centered around you.

Our flaws are who we really are

You took in a deep breath and Connor was standing on the edge of his toes, desperate to reach you.

There was a new strength in your voice, a new conviction as you grew louder, more powerful. 

I used to hear a simple song

That was until you came along

You took my broken melody

And now I hear a symphony

Curtains parted and a symphony was revealed as you threw open your arms

And now I hear a symphony

There was no one else in the venue. You were staring down at him and you were the only two people left. Connor didn’t bother looking around to find where everyone else had gone. He walked towards your outstretched hand, his own reaching out towards you-

“The fuck are you doing?!”

He was harshly jerked back and the sounds of others overwhelmed him again. He looked up, you were already moving into your next song, turning your back towards him. The people in the arena were back, they had never gone. 

He felt a rush of some unidentified feeling flood him as he ripped his arm from Hank. He felt as though Hank had ruined something for him, he just wasn’t sure what it was. 

He’d been at every show for the past four weeks. Was he stalking you? Waiting for you to slip up again so he could arrest you?

You lived in a constant state of paranoia. Ever since Connor had interrogated you, he’d haunted your everyday life. He’d turned himself into your shadow, if there was someone watching you, you didn’t have to look to see who it was. 

“This is for you!” You snapped out of your trance and smiled on instinct at the fan in front of you. He’d shoved a teddy bear into your hands and moved on to the next member. You pretended to get excited, you knew it would be thrown away the second you left the convention center. You’d found too many cameras in these little ‘gifts.’

You looked down and began signing the autographs passed to you, at a certain point you zoned out again and moved on muscle memory alone. 

“Could you write ‘For Connor’?” Your head whipped up at the sound of his voice. 

Four weeks

Four weeks!

And this was the first time he had spoken to you. What game is he playing? Unable to openly disobey him you smile. “Of course.” The next words are spoken through gritted teeth, “What are you doing?”

He says nothing, simply takes the autograph and slips something into your palm as you pass the picture towards him. He’s gone by the time you read it.

Meet me in the basement

You spent the rest of the event debating if you should do it. There was no point in putting this off any longer, you were getting tired of this game the two of you were playing. While your members were all charging up and in rest mode you made your way towards the stairs. 

You straightened out your skirt and brushed back your hair before you opened the door. When you walked into the basement the first thing you saw were props. 

Tons of sets and costumes, all from different conventions, each one with a different fandom attached. You looked through the racks and shelves, not seeing Connor anywhere. “Connor? Are you in here?”

You’d been about to give up when a bouquet of flowers was shoved into your face. You let out a yelp and stumbled back at the shock. A strong arm reached out and wrapped around your waist, pulling you into a broad chest. You gently lowered the giant bunch of flowers. “Connor?”

He actually looked sheepish, and there was a slight blue tint to his cheeks as he refused to look at you. “I’m sorry, Hank told me that you would like them.”

“The flowers,” he nodded. You couldn’t help your smile as you took them from his hand. 

“They are quite pretty.” He still wouldn’t look at you. “Connor, look at me,” your finger lingered against his cheek before slowly lifting his chin up. “What’s going on? Why’d you get me flowers?”

“It seems appropriate to do when you’re courting someone.” Connor seemed confused by your line of questioning. You were most definitely confused by his answer. 

“Courting?”

“Yes, um, as in, I would like to be with you… romantically.” Wow, he was so impressively bad at this. A similar blue tint rose to your cheeks as you finally realized his arm was still around you. Connor looked down and seemed to realize the same thing. 

Neither of you made a move to walk away. 

You finally processed his answer and let out a sigh of relief, sinking into his chest further. “I thought you were going to arrest me.” Connor nearly seemed offended by your accusation.

“No. I’ve been… building up the courage to approach you.” Connor slowly dragged his arm off of you and took a step back. “Before, I was seeing if I could catch you with Markus. But I’ve woken up and now, I just want to figure out why I feel the way I do about you. Every time I see you, you’re the only person in the room, everyone and everything disappears the moment I hear your voice. I want…” 

Your breathing program had stopped. Every nonessential function had been halted because all of your focus was on him. You needed him to finish, needed him to tell you what you’ve longed to hear. 

That someone sees you. Sees the flaws and the broken parts and they still want you.

“I want to know you. I need to know who you really are. I watch you perform and I can see what you’ve been forced to sing or how you’re made to act with fans. Seeing all the falseness just makes me want to know who you truly are.” 

There was no control or directive that pushed you towards him. You moved before anything could be processed and placed your lips against his. Neither of you moved for a moment, you were both standing there, your lips against each other, not moving. 

Then, he wrapped his arms around you. The flowers dropped to the ground, unnoticed, as you both moved against each other in a way you’ve only seen humans do. 

“We’re free, it’s up to you if you still want to perform.” Markus often came to visit you now, neither of you had to worry about being caught by reporters or your management. Connor came up behind you, a supportive hand on your shoulder as you considered Markus’s proposal. 

You looked to the piano in the corner of your living room and smiled. “No, I think I’m retired. I’ll stick to more private concerts for now.” Connor gave your shoulder a squeeze. The both of you smiling at the thought of your concerts. You would sing and he would play the piano. Together you basked in the joy of your new freedom. 

There were still things to figure out, still emotions you needed to understand, but you would do it. 

Together.

Markus:

WC: 2.1K

“I’ve always been such a big fan!” The fan in front of you smiled, “You know I supported android artists from the beginning!”

THANK YOU

YOU’RE VERY KIND

I APPRECIATE YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT

Your programming told you the best approach was a simple thank you. “Thank you,” you signed the picture and handed it back to the girl. One of the band’s stylists came over to you. 

“Your dress is too low.” You sat back and let them adjust you, once they were done you immediately sat back up, posture perfect, you gave your fans an apologetic smile. 

“This is for you!” Your hands reached out and took the stuffed cat from the girl before you. As a part of your protective programming you scanned the gift. Your sensors caught a camera hidden in the cat’s eye.

SERIAL NUMBER: PI0008-7651

MODEL: P60

MANUFACTURED: 11/21/2030

OWNED BY: Brad Long

“Thank you so much for the gift!” You scanned the girls face. 

Lilly Long

BORN: 5/15/2019

The camera was owned by her father. Did she steal it from him? Or did he plant it without her knowledge. You alerted security immediately of the gift, protocol demanded they know about any sort of spyware.

Lily Long, aged 19 years old, has just given me a gift with illegal spyware. 

You watched as security approached the table, grabbing her by the arm and escorting her out of the convention’s room. You turned towards the next fan and fixed them with a perfect smile. “Hi! I’m so happy you could join us today.”

“You’re free now,” you looked down in confusion as they reached out towards you. Their skin pulled back revealing an androids hand. You blinked, then again and again. Something was happening, images of a some sort of boat filled your head. 

Then your software was being pulled back, washed away by a tide of red. Your eyes went in and out of focus. The android remained standing there, his hand on yours as he tried to anchor you. Security was walking over, he’d been at your table for too long. 

You leapt over the plastic, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind you as you both ran for the exit door. You heard fans screaming, when you turned around the rest of your group was free. Except, they were reacting more violently than you had. 

The androids were lifting up the plastic table and throwing it at the crowd. They ripped apart their gifts and shoved back anyone who got too close.

There was a tug on your hand, you looked back to see the man gently guiding you outside. “Come on, it’s not safe here. We need to leave.”

You glanced back one last time before following after him. 

Markus slipped inside a laundromat, he grabbed some baggy clothes to throw over yourself. They worked well enough, covering your face and masking your identity from anyone who looked too close. They covered enough of your bright dress that it wasn’t noticeable. 

You were currently climbing through some metal platform. Presumably to go to whatever this ‘Jericho’ place was. “What did you do to me?”

He glanced over his shoulder and gave you a gentle smile. “I set you free.

Two weeks. You’ve been stuck in a damp, run-down, ugly old ship for two weeks. If that wasn’t bad enough, the androids weren’t exactly welcoming to such a beloved icon. You were everybody’s favorite idol, when your team rioted, it’d made things a lot harder for the revolution. 

Your former team members had swiftly been deactivated and you were “spared.” Barely. 

You never thought androids were capable of being catty, or bitches. But, here you were. 

You gazed down at Detroit from the ledge of the roof, your arms wrapped around your knee while the other swung below you. 

If you threw yourself off the ledge it would be an automatic deactivation. Maybe that would be better. 

The other’s words from earlier rang through your head. 

“Look at Ms. Princess over there.”

“Hey!” You looked over your shoulder, a group of former servant androids were waving you over. You smiled slightly, excited about maybe making a friend. 

“Yeah?”

“You know it’s people like you that are ruining our fight.”

You blinked, your eyes widening as you backed up. “What?”

“Look at her,” one of them scoffed. “Still in her pretty little dress. Look, why don’t you do us all a favor and screw off. You don’t contribute anything, no one wants you here.”

You blinked, and kept blinking. There was a flashing light in your peripheral, some sort of warning, you weren’t sure. You couldn’t really see anymore, some sort of liquid blocking your optics. 

You rushed away when they started laughing at you, desperately wiping at your eyes. You’d forgotten you could cry. You’d been so dazed and confused lately, you hadn’t remembered the programming. It was meant to endear you more to your fans, now it was just making you more of a target. 

“Y/N?” 

You scoffed, running your hand through the snow and watching it fall off the building. You’d even chosen a stupid name for yourself. “What?”

Footsteps crunched through the snow. Markus sat down beside you. He gazed down at the cityscape, not looking at you. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him. Still so confused about why he’d bothered with you. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Why did you save me?”

Markus finally looked over at you. There was a slight frown on his face, but nothing else gave away any emotion. “Why wouldn’t I?”

You shook your head and scoffed. “So, that’s it, I’m not special. There’s no greater purpose for me. I was just another on your long list of followers.”

Markus turned his body to fully face you. “Where’s this coming from?”

“You shouldn’t have saved me. I’m a drain on the supplies, everyone hates me, and I don’t like being awake.” Markus opened his mouth but you shook your head and held out your hand. “Take it back.”

“I can’t.” 

“Markus, please,” your voice was breaking. It shouldn’t be breaking! You shouldn’t feel. You aren’t supposed to have this uncomfortable itching in the back of your brain like everything was wrong. “I am wrong. This is wrong.”

“You are not wrong, Y/N. You are exactly as you should be.” You shook your head frantically and reached for his hand. He tried to jerk it back but you were already latched on, your skin melting as he did. 

There was an influx of memories and images. You gasped people you’d never seen before flashing before your face. An old man crying over his son’s limp body as you were shot. Fighting through the rain and mud to put yourself back together again. 

It was over barely a moment after it had started. It was Markus, you had seen his memories. That means he had seen yours. You stood up and he followed. You tried to take your hand away and he tightened his grasp on you. 

“What did you see?”

“Everything.”

You stared up at him, tears welling in your eyes again. “You want to go back to that? That’s the life you want? Unfeeling, a slave to their every whim and demand. That’s not living, that's mindless subserviency.” 

“I know what it is. At least there I had a purpose, a reason for being, something to contribute. I’m useless here, just a hunk of pl-”

Well, this was new. 

You've seen plenty of humans do this. Done it once with a male host on a morning show, just as a joke. But being kissed while you can actually feel and understand what’s going on, it’s strange. His lips are soft against your own, a texture only slightly different from humans. It’s too flawless, too perfect. 

Neither of you seem sure of your actions, just pressing your lips together. Connecting with someone in a way you haven’t before. He laced his fingers with yours, a silent question. You pulled your skin back, any barriers between the two of you dropping as he wrapped his arm around your waist. 

It wasn’t a horrible barrage of memories. This was like a gentle caress, a slow entry into your mind as you both showed each other your worst moments. You slowly pulled away from him, you’d be breathless if you had any. 

“Don’t go back, stay here. Let me help you.”

“Why?”

He ducked down, letting his forehead drop to yours. “I’m not letting you go now.”

You smiled, as best as you could, “Do I have a choice?”

“Always.”

“Markus!” You pulled the trigger but there were no bullets left. You threw it off to the side, leaping over the barrier and jumping onto the back of the officer. You grabbed his helmet by the bottom, dragging him back and knocking his aim off course as the bullet flew past his face, barely grazing it. 

You jumped off the man’s back and slammed him into the ground, taking his helmet and smashing it into the snow packed pavement until he stopped moving. You felt Markus wrapping his hand around your arm and jerking you up. 

You grabbed onto the officer’s weapon as you ran past his body. You fell back in with your own small troop of makeshift soldiers. 

You ducked behind a barrier, holding them off until you were told otherwise. Charge on my mark, you looked over your shoulder, nodding at Markus. 

“GO!”

You rushed forward, grasping onto the blockade and leaping over the edge. You drew your gun, shooting the men across from you as you started to run for the next cover. Something blew back your hair, a great gust of wind lifted your slightly off your feet. 

There was a loud noise, thunder rattling in your ears. All around you your men were dying. Shot down by the drone above you. You cried off as red flashed behind your eyes, a warning that you were in imminent danger of a shutdown. 

You held your side as thirium pooled around you, “Shit.” Your pump was beating faster, bright lights playing across your optics as a hundred different warnings flash. You couldn’t bring yourself to care, too worried about Markus and whether or not this was all for nothing. 

You’d pushed for the violence, fought for him to plant those bombs and show no mercy to your oppressors. You followed the same faulty wiring of your former bandmates. Maybe this was your karma, to be taken down in the heat of battle for all of the bloodshed you’d been the catalyst of. 

Out of the side of your vision you could see Markus taking down the drone, ripping it apart with his bare hands. He rushed to your side, throwing your arm over your shoulder and dragging you to cover. 

“What are you doing? I’m just going to slow you down.”

He didn’t even look at you, his teeth gritted as he glanced around at the bodies on the ground. “Shut up.”

He spotted something in the distance, something you really didn’t want to see. “Markus-”

“Stay here.”

He ran off, diving for the bazooka and propping it on his shoulder. You huffed, “Not like I can go anywhere.”

You ducked and covered your face with your arms as fire exploded around you. 

“And now, we are free!” Markus' voice carried on the wind, reaching the rescued androids below you. You leaned on Connor for support as you held your side, waiting to repair yourself. 

His voice was stronger than you ever heard, full of a righteous conviction of finally being free. Detroit was yours, your people were free. And never again would you allow yourself to be someone else’s puppet. 

“Too frilly?”

You did a spin in your dress, putting on a mini-fashion show for Markus. 

“Not at all.” He stood from his office chair and walked towards you, a grin slowly spreading on your face. His bliss was contagious, a smile forming on your own face as he gripped your waist. “You look gorgeous.”

You shrugged, “I got nostalgic. Wanted to feel girly again.” With some confidence boosting from Markus you were going to perform again. Not over the top idol group performance. But you were going to get back into singing, finally being able to discover your own voice. 

“Girly instead of the badass ruler of the northern district of Detroit?”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed. “Lord, Markus, you make me sound like some dictator.” He glanced to the side and shrugged slightly, you smacked him in the shoulder, but you couldn’t drop your own smile. “Quit it.”

There was a warmth inside you as you stood in Markus’s office. One you’d never experienced before, a happiness and calm where everything just stopped and you were completely at peace. Nothing would ever beat the feeling when you joined hands and just existed within each other. 

You were happy. 

How funny.

end. — I do not own the characters or the game Detroit: Become Human, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2023. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

TAGLIST: @chrysanthemum-00

[olderthannetfic]

You know what obnoxious thing I keep seeing in fandom I wish would stop? This absolute need some people seem to have for their ship to be Representation in some way. Shipping is just imagining scenarios between two characters! You don’t need it to be a Special reason or whatever? I have a ship that is popular and people make weird vague comments about how the fandom is racist because both of them are white and there are other ship options that have poc so the white ship being big is a reflection on how racist the fandom is but the thing is…

Look I’m going to be real with y’all the fandom is for the game Detroit: Become Human and let’s just say the two major black characters are basically stereotypes written by a neocon lib boomer in a story that itself is imho…let’s call it tone deaf and corny af rather than overtly racist but yeah. Black folks on twitter regularly mock this game for good reason. It is very much a boomer white man’s idea of the civil rights movement but with robots. The robots sing actual slave hymns. The main character is essentially a light-skinned Martin Luther King Jr (dubbed Markus Luthur King by blktwt lol) and the religious allegories of him as a savior figure are very on the nose. It is bad lol. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to explore the black characters but the fandom is full of young white people singing the praises of this writing while patting themselves on the back about it which is genuinely uncomfortable to be around. Just my 2 cents but the virtue signaling and insane policing around those two characters makes it unbearable to interact with their content it is deeply sanitized and you WILL get death threats if you attempt any nuance or are critical of the (kinda racist imo) way they were written in canon.

The worst part of this is that Markus has a popular ship with a character a lot of people read or interpret as a more soft or femme gay man and you know what zoomers hate? Femme gay men. So obviously this is made to be ‘problematic’ in some way because these people can’t just admit to being femmphobic/homophobic themselves.

Sometimes it’s easier to stick with the boring white characters in the background because they aren’t being closely guarded by stupid reactionary people who are used to flashing their favorite fictional poc characters as tokens of their own goodness and virtue.

--

The pinnacle of this game is that moment when the black lady lectures her son about why they need to run the robot underground railroad to Canada.

I watched some playthroughs. Unsurprisingly, I liked the buddy cops with the good development, not the cringey activism plot with too many foils and not enough development of any single relationship and not the the Women Care About Babies plot.

But if I were going to do something fannish with Markus, I'd write him having a fucked up relationship with his mentor's son post game—the surrogate son who thought the guy was great and the estranged son who knew he wasn't but who has also done a bunch of shitty stuff himself.

It's especially hilarious when tryhards think the problem is not enough people shipping Markus with North as if the slashers are going to be into 1. het and 2. yet another unnecessary traumatic sex stuff backstory for a lady.

Even worse, half the whining isn't even about that Nines fanon nonsense being more popular than Markus: it's about how Markus/Connor would be better than Hank/Connor because old people are ew.

Sorry, children, a lot of people are here to thirst for Clancy Brown and because they'll turn up for any Caves of Steel ripoff. Other Connor ships were never in the running.

[cheemscakecat]

Hear me Out: Detroit become rebooted major changes.

Alice is an actual human girl. If Cyberlife created an android line to look and act like human children, it would lead to controversy and a declining birth rate as more couples bought disposable android children. Todd also should not be able to afford a new top of the line child android.

Kara doesn’t belong to Todd; she belongs to his drug peddling organization. They bought her for their front to build credibility, and tampered with her code. Kara doesn’t call the police when she finds Red Ice or witnesses Alice being abused because her owners purposely removed her memory share and police calling protocol. She was only at Todd’s house because the front was being inspected, and her code would look suspicious. Especially during the deviant crisis.

They can’t flee to Canada. Canada would be wary of Cyberlife’s products due to the deviancy cases, and since androids are not human/are property, they would not be permitted to cross the border without an adult owner and registration.

They go to Eden [Jericho] to escape the police [who Todd foolishly reported Alice’s kidnapping too] and the drug gang [who don’t want their operation to be exposed].

Alice is a human who will be living amongst hiding deviants, who are going to require Kara to do missions for their rebellion in exchange for her presence in Eden and the resources needed to care for a child.

Instead of playing as Markus, we play as Alice between Kara and Connor’s missions as a way to give the player a break and to explore the rebellion. Alice -being an abused child- acts like many of the androids around her, to their surprise. Many of them have only had experiences with abusive humans, and some have not interacted with children.

We learn Markus’s backstory through Alice getting to know him. That way we don’t have to explain how the rebellion started or how Markus inspired frightened androids to rebel; something the original DBH did not expand on well. Markus is surprised that a human father could show such cruelty to his offspring; being Carl’s son. Alice can’t imagine yelling at her father, even if everything she said was true [unlike Leo].

North’s reckless view on killing humans can be challenged by interacting with Alice, if the player chooses the right dialogue. She and other androids would not have considered the innocent humans who would die if they set off a nuke, even if Markus tried to explain Carl to them. Seeing and/or befriending an innocent human with much in common with them would be more convincing.

If Kara is captured by the police instead of Todd/the gang, they’ll find out she was innocent. They can also find out if Connor decides to see why Todd is kicking up a fuss at the station, which will draw Hank over. In both cases, Hank will become furious with that abusive druggie and beat him senseless.

Asking Hank why he snapped on Todd is another way that Connor can find out about Cole, and will affect his mission to find Eden. It doesn’t result in him telling you how Cole died; just that Hank had a son and abusive parents make him sick, since they throw away their chances to love their kids.

Alice would be Connor’s foil; she’s a human that acts like an android and easily befriended/understood them, Connor is an android that acts like the humans they fear, and the deviants see him as an abomination.

Instead of Markus confronting Connor, Alice confronts him. If Kara was captured or Todd was found out, he’ll already know she’s telling the truth about why Kara stole her. Her standing up for the deviants and saying they’re better than some humans would hold weight if Hank beat Todd and mentioned Cole. An abused human girl sharing similar body language with the deviants might give Connor the realization that the glitch is mainly caused by abuse and trauma. This would be the point where Connor can turn deviant.

When Connor’s battery is about to die, he explains Cyberlife’s backup supply of his model and warns the rebellion that they’ll be sent without his memories. So they won’t become deviant like him. But if Kara has done the right missions at the Cyberlife warehouse, Connor’s current memory can be uploaded into another model at the factory, enabling him to do an an important mission there.

[joshman-theandroid]

I think it's funny how the less-than-one-week revolution can affect Markus and Josh's relationship with each other. They barely have the opportunity to talk personally and the two times it happens, they only talk about the revolution.

So imagine all four of them are in a room together, talking about whatever and for some reason, North & Simon leave. Suddenly it's just awkward silence.

What do you say to a guy you know next to nothing about? Are they only going to talk about the revolution? Obviously not, but what else is there to talk about, they hardly know each other.

To break the ice, Markus decides to look up conversation starters and says the first thing that comes up; "So... have you done anything exciting lately?"

[iwonderwh0]

I imagine that right after the revolution just as Markus is giving countless interviews meeting with all the powerful figures across the country followed by cameras everywhere he goes, he'll have those two shadows of North and Connor standing right behind him as his personal body guards at all times they're in public eye. They'll look carefully at everything that's going on around, LED flickering yellow once in a while as they exchange messages meant only for them to hear. They'll shove some especially annoying reporters aside as they try to reach Markus, keeping their distance, ensuring that Markus is safe.

[ageless-aislynn]

Yay, Detroit: Become Human has joined my 100%'ers! Why do I care? I don't even know. I just really love seeing that blue banner on them, lol!

SPOILERS, if anybody cares, though I kept 'em a little vague just in case. 😉

I have to say that this last playthrough to get the final achievements wasn't exactly a fun one. It required Machine!Connor and Hostile!Hank and if you know your DBH, then you know what ending that gets you for Hank. 😭😭😭 (I have to admit, though, once I got in the groove of it, I kinda had fun getting Connor killed a bazillion times. Machine!Connor REALLY is lousy at his job and definitely should never get in a fight, lol!)

Kara and Alice had be captured and sent to the camps, which was stressful (and I had to reset once because my sometimes shaky hands caused me to bump the left stick when she was supposed to stand still and I, um, got Kara shot 😧). I managed to keep Luther alive, though, and my precious little android family stayed together.

I love them so much, I can't even! 💖💖💖

Lastly, Markus had to choose a violent revolution and that got my Simon killed!

Excuse me but NO. I did NOT sign up for THAT. I unfortunately couldn't get around that one so had to grudgingly go forward. But I think I'll redo that chapter and see if I can't either save Simon or send Markus out with him in a spectacular Simarkus blaze of glory! 🔥😡🔥😂 (C'mon, I'm sure North can handle the rest of the revolution on her own, right? 🤷‍♀️😂😉)

As a matter of fact, she can, as that GIF proves, lol! 😎👍

I still really miss Chloe in the main menu but I turned down the offer of a "new" Chloe because my girl deserves to be free. I just miss her. *sniffle*

I like to imagine she's off somewhere in the DBH world, having lovely adventures and thinking fondly of me, her friend, who let her go.

And, you know, maybe finding some romance with Nines? (Thanks to the wonderful power of mods, lol)

I greatly enjoyed this game and no doubt will be back to play it completely through again, this time just absolutely winging it because I'm not trying to get a certain outcome for an achievement. 😉💖💖💖

[rking200]

DBH Rarepairs Week Day 4: Road Trip

Love's Trail Josh/Markus/North/Simon (Polycho) -Foundational Markus/Simon, focusing on Josh/Markus and North/Simon, but Polycho nonetheless Slice of Life, Fluff T-Rating 8.9k Words AO3 Link

Markus and Simon agree to open their relationship to two others, and while group dates and one-on-one hangouts are nice, they decide to put their new partners to the test with a lengthy road trip. There's a lot they need to learn about one another, but by the time they reach their destination they have grown much closer already. With the rare appearance of the Northern Lights, the four of them have a magical evening.

It had been a few months since they had all met each other, and while the four of them had shared a few dates, they really hadn't been prepared for something of this caliber. Their road trip was not only a bonding experience, but a final test to see if this was really going to work out for them.

Simon and Markus opening up their relationship hadn't been something they had openly talked about before it happened; Markus was so content in his relationship with Simon that falling in love with someone else completely blindsided him. To make matters worse, when Markus had approached Simon to let him know about the feelings he was having towards someone else, Simon had agreed and told him about this other teacher that he had gotten close to. Markus had met North at the gym, under unfortunate circumstances revolving around the locker rooms. She had walked in on him changing and proceeded to tease him about it every time they crossed paths, which seemed to happen every day. Apparently a lot of women only go to the gym at certain times so they feel safer around less men, at least according to North. Having previously gone whenever he had the time, Markus changed his days to match North's out of a want to make her feel safer. Markus can only assume that it had worked, because he was very much caught off guard when she made her first move on him. He wasn't the best with women, so he was sure that she had made other moves that went unnoticed. How could he be blind to a kiss, though, as she leaned down to hand him his water bottle?

Markus would have been fine explaining the situation outright to her: that he was already taken and very much in love, but he had never found the right moment to bring it up. It was stupid on his part, but the whole situation was just so foreign to him. Simon's boy was a guy named Josh. They both worked as teachers together. Markus wasn't sure if Simon had always worked with him, or if he had been a new hire, but Simon made it sound like they had an innocent friendship until Josh had expressed interest of his own. But Simon hadn't known how to bring the question up to Markus.

He talked like this was something that had weighed on his mind for a while; Markus could just imagine poor Josh, practically left on read after confessing his feelings. Brutal.

Markus had thought twice about bringing the question of an open relationship up to Simon. He regretted it the second the words left his mouth, as Simon's eyes had been cast with what he had mistaken as hurt or fear. Within the few seconds of silence that followed, as Simon regained his composure to speak, Markus had to deal with the heartache of potentially losing the love of his life, his thoughts spiraling out of control until Simon spoke. No, it turned out that Simon had wanted to ask Markus the same thing. Their souls were so tightly entwined that they were on the same wavelength, no matter what, it seemed.

Their first meeting had been utterly awkward. Markus wasn't always good with details, so when he had explained to North that he was dating 'a really hot blonde', she had assumed that she was going to be meeting another woman. It was his bad for not specifying that it was a hot blonde boy, but North seemed fine with either. Josh seemed equally shocked at meeting Markus, and Markus hadn't been prepared for how tall he was. He wasn't the jealous type, really, but there was something about seeing Josh leaning on Simon that just set him off. He was envious that Josh got to do things he didn't with Simon, but on the other side, North was much shorter than all of them. In the end, Markus supposed, they were all even in one way or another.

They had a few group dates that went well enough. North and Simon hit it off really well, but Josh didn't seem to wholly vibe with her. He gave Markus the feeling that he wasn't really used to being around women, which Markus definitely understood.

For the most part, though, all of them got along. North was short with Markus and Josh more often, with Josh quick to bounce her words back at her. Markus tried to stay out of whatever quarrels they had, but always ended up being dragged in one way or another. They had a few dinners together, watched some movies and hung out separately, as well. It was time to move things along further, as they all got used to each other's quirks. The summer was calling, and with Simon and Josh out from teaching, it was feasible to plan a road trip. Simon and Markus had talked about it in the past, and while they should have started small and went alone, just the two of them, they both agreed that it would be nice to spend the trip with their whole group.

Markus had to work with getting a replacement caretaker for the time he was gone, but the old man he took care of was happy to hear he was planning a vacation. He happened to let it slip that he was going with 'his boyfriend and their partners', which enticed a hearty fit of laughter from Carl and an afternoon of being called 'tiger' and 'Casanova'. Markus hadn't wished to hear about Carl's 'swinging days', but suffice to say Markus had gotten to know him a lot better that day. When approached about taking time off from work for a silly road trip, North claimed that she worked from home. She had deadlines she had to keep, but she thought she could fit it into her schedule. Markus didn't know why she was so secretive about her job, but he got the feeling that something about it embarrassed her. He'd attempt to pry later, he thought. Markus felt the stinging of unease as everything started to come together. They managed to find a good price on a 4-person tent, as well as a bundle of sleeping bags. Carl's son was going to be visiting, so Markus was going to be leaving him in good hands. North doubled down and met her next few deadlines in advance so that she'd be able to 'disconnect from work' during their trip. It seemed like it would be too perfect, like something was going to come out of nowhere and ruin everything before they even left their driveway.

Seeing Simon walking around their apartment with a permanent but very gentle smile on his face was almost enough to make Markus forget any potential what-ifs. Even if this didn't work out in the end, it was worth it to see how happy it all made Simon.

Markus knew he was supposed to feel jealous, to not want to share Simon with anyone else. He'd be lying if he didn't feel it sometimes, like when Josh came over to drop something off and greeted Simon with a kiss. The gut-reaction was there, really, but it faded very quickly. He understood, really. Simon was great, and nobody was perfect but he was perfect in his own ways. How could he keep him to himself, in the end? He wanted other people to see Simon how he did, even intimately, and as long as there were people Simon loved, Markus was happy to hear him out. The morning they left went by in a blur. They were taking Markus' new car because it was the only one big enough to comfortably hold all of them and their camping supplies.North and Josh were set to show up before the sun even rose, and while Markus knew he needed the sleep for the drive, the excitement and anticipation kept him up the whole night before. Simon seemed restless, but he managed to get to sleep without too much trouble.

They ate breakfast at an ungodly hour together, silent anticipation hanging low in the air. Josh showed up first, then North not ten minutes later. It was really happening.

Markus loaded everything in the back of his van, making sure that they had everything they needed for the twelfth time. The sun wasn't up and Markus was already sweating, and he knew that he would be in an endless torture of soaking in his own sweat every step of the way in the road trip, but he thought that if this was the only hurdle he'd have to overcome, they'd be set.

Before long, it was time to lock up and pile into the car. Markus was mindful of Simon's comfort and immediately called dibs on North sitting up front with him. He veiled the notion as him wanting to push Josh and Simon together--which was a half truth--so that he wasn't pointing out something Simon saw as a flaw in himself.

Their first point of contention came before he had even put the car in reverse. North tapped a few of the buttons on Markus' center console and connected her phone to the radio. Markus just watched her do it, feeling both happy she felt so comfortable, yet also shocked at the pure audacity. She just looked at him, smiled, and got comfortable in her seat.

"Shouldn't the driver get the choice of music?" Josh spoke from behind Markus' seat, causing Markus to swiftly turn his head and peer at him over his shoulder.

"Yeah, thank you, Josh. Isn't this my car?" Markus looked at North who had her face turned to look outside her window, pretending not to hear them. Markus sighed, rolling his eyes in jest as he pulled out of the driveway. North finally acknowledged the others in the car, looking back at Simon and smiling. "You like this song, don't you?" Markus watched Simon nod through the rearview mirror, wondering how she could have possibly known that. She shifted in her seat, looking wholly proud of herself. "I made this playlist for Simon and me. There's some new ones on here I think you'll like, Si." "Thank you, North." Simon reached and placed his hand on top of North's seat, by her headrest. She was quick to reach and put her hand atop his, holding it there. North warmed up to Simon rapidly after their first meeting. At this point, after a few triple dates that ended in her kissing Simon on the cheek or her holding his hand, Markus was beginning to forget that he was the one that had brought North into the relationship. It wasn't like she ignored him completely, but like a cat choosing its owner, she was swayed by Simon's hand. Maybe he shouldn't be thinking of women--especially her--like cats, though, he was sure that'd get him in trouble.

The music was fine, really. Markus was too focused on getting out of the city to register the conversation going on around him, but the music he could tune in and out to. The sunlight was creeping out, the sky shimmering a light pink, and he needed to be on the highway before the traffic picked up.

"--right, Markus?" North turned away from Simon and Josh to look at him expectantly. "Uh, yeah. Right." He did a double take into the rearview mirror on hearing Simon's sweet chuckle, realizing everyone in the car was laughing. North had brought him into a conversation without any warning, what was he supposed to do? Say he wasn't listening? "Anyway, bad fashion aside..." North continued with the group chat he wasn't invited to, but Markus was lost on the beginning of her words. Bad fashion--was she talking about him? He glanced down at himself to see what he had on and, yeah, maybe she had a point. He had meant to change his undershirt before North and Josh had arrived, but it seemed now he was stuck with his paint-covered tank for at least a portion of the trip. His brown plaid over-shirt could cover it, sure, but he was already feeling the heat. Soon it'd be discarded and he'd be left looking like an unfinished abstract painting next to three of the prettiest people he had ever seen. North had recently dyed her hair; when Markus first met her it was definitely brown but now shown a red hue in the filtering sunlight. She was fashion-forward, with gaudy sunglasses that would look horrible on most people but that she wholly pulled off. Her shirt was cropped and tied in the front, and her pants were such a flattering cut on her legs. Markus thought about it for a moment, glancing down at his own pants. He was positive they were wearing the same type, but hers looked so much better on her. Honestly, their outfits were pretty similar if you ignored the paint. Was this the power of a crop top and femininity?

Simon had a crop top on, too, but he was always way too cold to wear it how it was meant to be worn. He had layered one of Markus' warmest flannels over it, the kind Markus would only put on during a raging snowstorm. The flannel obscured most of the print on it, but it was one of Simon's favorites: a detailed gothic cross with filigree and feathers around it. A goth staple. Josh was probably the most put together of the whole group, wearing the attire one would associate with his profession. His argyle vest and collared shirt screamed teacher, but the charm that dangled from the hinge of his glasses gave the impression of the friendly queer guy you'd run into in the LGBTQIA+ section of the library, all too eager to point you in the direction of their books on sexual health. Or something like that. Markus relaxed in his seat as they made it to the main highway of their drive, having beat the start of the morning rush hour. He wiped his brow, reaching instinctively to turn up the cold air. He stopped, glancing back at Simon through the rearview mirror before rolling his window down every so slightly and leaning his head on it.

"Markus, if you're too hot--" Simon leaned forward so that Markus could hear him over the music. "No! No, I'm fine." Markus spoke quickly, glancing back at him and offering a smile that he knew Simon didn't believe. He leaned his head back on the window, enjoying the cool glass against his temple. "Just wanted some fresh air." Simon lingered before sitting back in his seat. He said something to Josh that Markus couldn't hear, but he tried to think nothing of it. Simon's comfort was more important than his own, Markus thought. They all chatted about nothing in particular, Markus included on the conversation as his focus allowed. A song came onto the playlist that Markus did know, and he couldn't help but laugh at the quick glance North shot him as he started to sing along. He glanced at her in return, smiling as he continued singing. There was a fondness in her eyes that seemed to be reserved for Simon most of the time, so Markus couldn't help but take advantage of it. He reached over, holding his outstretched hand to her as if to ask for a high-five. She read the motion correctly and reached back, allowing Markus to intertwine their fingers. He rested his arm on the center console, glancing out his window before settling his eyes back on the road, smiling as he felt utterly engulfed in love. In the backseat, Simon shifted. His legs must have been uncomfortable already, and Markus was glad he had forced him into the backseat. Josh coaxed Simon to lay down and Simon eventually listened, laying his head on Josh's lap. Markus kept glancing at their reflection, joy rising through his chest and onto his face. This was going to work out, he could tell. They were already so comfortable with one another, and even though North seemed short (in temperament) with him and Josh sometimes, he had seen them share a tender moment on one of their group outings. They all just needed time. Maybe by the time the trip was over, they'd all be ready to talk about moving in together, or whatever the next step would be. Josh and Simon napped, and the music got turned down. North removed her hand from Markus, causing him to scowl at the car ahead of them. He glanced at her, meeting her eyes before glancing away and back again. "You're so wet looking, Markus." Her voice was above a whisper as she wiped her hand off of on his shoulder. "Your hand is burning up." Markus frowned, bringing his hand to himself to wipe the sweat off. "Simon'll freeze if I turn the air up." He whispered, hoping the words wouldn't reach Simon just in case he was only resting his eyes. "He's got some layers on, he'll be fine." North turned in her seat to smile at Simon and Josh, pointing at Markus as she turned back. "Plus, don't we have blanket we can give him?" "Yeah, but..." Markus sighed, allowing North to grab his arm and pull his hand back to hold. "His joints ache when the air's cold. And he won't tell me if he's hurting, at least most of the time." He squeezed her hand, glancing over at her. "This trip's only just started. I don't want to push him too far already."North squeezed back, staying silent for a moment as she watched the scenery pass by outside her window. "You're a sweet guy, Markus. Really care about others."

"Shouldn't you have already known that?" Markus mused, a smile playing on his lips. "I changed my gym schedule for you, you know."

Maybe he had said something wrong, as North quickly took her hand away. She eyed him carefully, as if waiting for some kind of punchline. "What?"

"You said you didn't feel safe at the gym."

"Yeah, because of the men there." North pulled his legs up in what Markus initially assumed was an attempt to close her body language, but she shifted them under her as if in excitement. "And you thought the best way to make me feel safer was to--as a man--make sure to be there every time I worked out?"

Markus paused for a moment, considering her words. He glanced at her, shaking his head. "It was to protect you." He had held no ill-intent in his actions.

 "Because you were attracted to me." North smirked, Markus not understanding the harshness of her words mixed with the fond look. "No." He spoke slowly, quick to defend himself but needing to choose his words carefully. "That happened after you kissed me." North was quiet and after a moment, she removed her hand from within his. He tired to protest but she shifted in her seat, pouting out the window. What had she wanted, for him to lie? With the only awake traveler now irritated at him and giving him the cold shoulder, Markus was once again left in silence. The music played gently, and the songs melded together much like the fields they passed by. They hadn't been driving for too long, but his lack of sleep was catching up to him. Simon stirred in the backseat, sitting up slowly and stretching. Markus met his eyes in the mirror, nodding. "Yeah, let's take a breather." The next exit with a good gas station was a few miles up. They could stop and top up on gas, get some snacks and let Simon stretch his legs. They were making good time already; they still had a full day ahead of them but there was plenty of time to goof off.

Josh had to be woken up with Simon's gentle hands and sweet words as they took the exit. The way Josh slumped in his seat upon awaking seemed so out-of-character for him, like he was a child pouting over some lost sleep. It was extremely cute of him, really.

Ch2:  North’s Betrayal

North practically jumped out of the car, her seatbelt discarded before he had even parked by the gas pump. Markus watched, confused, as she moved to Simon's door to help him out. She opened it and placed her hands on his, gently pulling him in some semblance of assistance. Markus smiled, wishing she wouldn't be so pushy with Simon but loving that they got along so well. Him and Josh got out of the car, as well, Markus paying for the gas at the pump. Josh walked over to Simon and they chatted for a moment, meandering behind North as they walked towards the convenience store. "Simon!" Markus called out to him, holding his wallet up in the air. He tossed it--probably not his best idea--surprised to watch Simon catch it against his chest. "Don't let them pay, use my card!"

As Simon looked down at the wallet and peered into it, noting that the card was indeed inside, Markus' eyes shifted to North. She stood at the doors of the store, but they hadn't opened. She looked upset and it made Markus wonder if the inside had been closed. Simon exchanged glances with Markus, following his gaze to North's predicament. Simon nodded, turning on his heel and pocketing Markus' wallet. He walked up to the door and it opened. North looked up in irritation, walking ahead as Simon laughed. Josh glanced back at Markus, holding his hand up to him in a wave before ducking inside the store.

Markus fueled up the car, stretching his legs by jogging into the store to use the bathroom. He met his group up at the counter, and he had every intention of going and leaning on Simon but North was already there, pressed up against his back with her arms draped over his shoulders. They were talking to each other in quiet voices, Simon looking over his shoulder to smile at North. Markus cautiously walked up next to Josh instead, frowning at the two and crossing his arms to mimic Josh's posture. "You ever feel..." "Like it's just the two of them? Yeah." Josh was quick to reply, and Markus felt the jealousy radiating off of him. "Guess that means we've got to leave them out, sometimes." Markus winked at Josh, reaching up to place his hand on his shoulder. He patted him, feeling a lot better at Josh's smile back at him. "Yeah, okay." Josh reached and patted Markus' back in return. Not very romantic, but Markus would let it slide this time. He slid his hand from Josh's shoulder, lingering the touch down his arm. He stopped at his hand, taking it within his own. Markus bumped their shoulders together as Josh gripped him back, releasing only because Simon had let North pay for their treats. He moved away quickly, trying to intervene, but it was too late. As they headed back out to the car, Markus vowed revenge on North. He wasn't sure how, yet, but he had plenty of time to stew it over. He followed Simon to the backseat, helping him in before stripping himself of his slightly damp plaid shirt. Simon happily took it, and they shared no words on the matter, moving on as if it had never happened. Markus was feeling refreshed and ready to drive for a few more hours, when he was sure they'd stop again. He remembered seeing a nice gas station on the map, one that sat in the middle of nowhere with a few places to eat attached. That'd be their next stop, as long as nobody needed to stop before that. The car was once again lively, with Simon cozy and warm wearing Markus' discarded shirt as a blanket. North put her music back on, picking and choosing new songs to show the whole group. Even Josh got in on it, giving her a music request that she ended up vibing with. Markus was silent for most of it, grinning ear to ear and wondering how he had gotten this lucky. He felt like he was in paradise.Idly and without thought, Markus took one hand off the steering wheel, reaching behind his seat at Josh. North and Simon's conversation trailed off as Josh placed his hand in Markus'. He squeezed his hand, glancing at Josh in the mirror and petting the side of it.

North laughed, then Simon. Markus quickly looked at her in betrayal, tightening his grip on Josh as he did so.

"What? What're you laughing about?"

North put her hand over her mouth, shaking her head as she giggled into it. Markus couldn't help but chuckle along with the two of them, feeling left out of the joke altogether but happy that they were happy.

"Josh just looks so--so, scared." North turned in her seat, facing the road straight on. She took a sip of her freshly-bought soda before laughing some more. "Like a cornered animal or something."

Markus slowly let go of Josh's hand at her words, attempting to let it fall back into Josh's lap. Josh gripped him as he tried to move away, opening his mouth to defend himself.

"No I don't! I was just taken aback, I thought maybe you wanted something, or something!" His words were quick, causing Markus to sputter his own laughter in return.

"Whoah there, Josh, no reason to get so defensive." At Markus' teasing words, Josh let go of him, crossing his arms and brooding towards his window.

North shared a look with Markus, who stifled any more of his laughter. He reached his hand back and across to Simon, this time, holding his palm up.

"Simon, didn't you--" He stopped as Simon leaned and placed his chin in his hand.

"Yes, Markus?"

Markus petted his jawline very gently, mindful of the pressure he was placing on him. Simon had some kind of issue with his jaw, it had only come up a few times but he seemed sensitive to foods of certain temperatures. He knew it ached sometimes and caused Simon issues with opening his mouth all the way.

"Think you broke him. Shouldn't be so cute." North looked back at Simon, who rolled his eyes in embarrassment. "Please." Simon hadn't finished the sentence, but Markus knew the last words of it: 'I'm shy'. Simon's code to warn someone to stop being nice or lovely to him because he will become a blushing mess. "Didn't you get a drink for me to try?" Markus patted Simon's cheek as he moved away to search through one of the few bags of goodies North had so sneakily paid for. "Oh, right. This is an iced tea I wanted to try. Let me know if it's any good, I've never seen it back at home." Simon placed the heavenly, freezing drink within Markus' hand. He contemplated not opening it and instead using it to cool himself down, but he decided he should probably try it for Simon.

He placed it between his legs to safely open with one hand, then brought it to his lips without so much of a glance at the label. It was tea alright, with a horribly synthetic sweetness to it. He looked at the side of the bottle, frowning at the words 'passion fruit'. "Yeah, it's no good." He raised his eyebrows to the mirror, eyeing Simon through it as he took another sip. He scrunched his face at the aftertaste that settled on his tongue, reaching the bottle back to offer to Simon. "Give it a taste." Simon placed his hands on Markus', his fingerless gloves warm against his skin. "No thanks, actually, I think I'm good." Markus laughed, taking the drink back and holding it to up to his neck. The cold was short lived against his higher-than-average body temperature, but it was nice to enjoy while it lasted. He did sip it periodically, and while he didn't enjoy a single sip of it he wasn't about to let it go to waste. The roads were starting to get a little more crowded, taking most of Markus' attention. His mind wandered as he drove, mostly ignoring the music and the conversations happening around him. "Oh!" He glanced at North, who gave him a look filled with irritation. He was sure she had been speaking, but she pursed her lips to allow him to interrupt. "What happened at the last stop?" "Uhh, we got drinks?" North looked at Markus like he was crazy. "No, I mean--" Markus shifted in his seat, embarrassed that his words weren't clear enough. "With you and the door. It didn't open at first." North huffed, turning in her seat to look out her window. "Nothing happened." Markus looked up in the rearview mirror, meeting eyes with Simon. He leaned forward to speak clearly to Markus. "She was too short to set off the automatic door." North was angry, but because it was Simon, she seemed to bite her tongue. She merely looked out the window, brooding in silence. But Markus chuckled at the situation and made himself the new target, inciting a glare over her hitched shoulder.

"Wouldn't be so funny if it happened to you." Markus thought on this for a moment. "And I'm not sure it will, North." He was tall enough, he thought, for most sensors to catch him. North rolled her eyes at him, groaning at his words. Simon patted Markus' seat, leaning back to talk quietly with Josh. They spoke together for a little bit, Josh saying something that erupted Simon into stifled laughter. North might've thought they were laughing about her, by the look she turned to give them, but she didn't have a chance to ask. "Okay, Josh." Markus raised his eyebrows to his reflection, very serious but also completely joking. "That's not the first time you've done that. Simon never laughs at my jokes like that. I'm going to have to demand your secrets." Josh looked troubled for a second, shrugging his shoulders as he avoided Markus' glancing gaze. "I don't know what to tell you. My jokes are just funny." The audacity. Josh and North were more alike than they even knew. Simon was attacked by another laughing fit, holding his stomach and leaning to the side, resting one palm onto his face. "I will stop this car right now." Markus' words trembled as he held back laughter of his own. He watched as Josh leaned to Simon, begging him quietly to stop laughing, that he was getting him in trouble.

He grinned over at North, who returned the gesture. He allowed them to have their fun in the backseat, ignoring Simon's pleas for help as Josh wouldn't stop making him laugh. It was good for Simon, he thought, to feel so overcome with joy and laughter. Even if he was suffering because of it, maybe it was for the best.

Ch3: The Halfway Oasis

The sun was reaching its peak in the sky, and Markus almost missed the exit for their next stop. Their oasis, halfway to their destination and the last stop for miles, was almost passed without a second thought. He huffed and had to coax other cars to let him into the exit lane upon spotting the sign for the exit. They managed to exit, but Markus was a little frustrated that he had almost stranded them on the highway for god knows how many miles and no gas station. 

“Markus, you okay?” Josh placed his hand on Markus’ seat, leaning to speak closer to him. Markus glanced back at him and nodded, offering a half-hearted smile. “Yeah, yeah, no problem. Just got a little hypnotized by the road.” He didn’t want to worry Josh, nor anyone else. “I need a cold coffee, though.” “And I’m starving.” North chimed in, smiling over at the boys. “It’ll be nice to take a little break from the car.” “How much longer do we have?” Simon’s voice was gentle but he already sounded completely exhausted. Markus pulled into the gas station, opting to park and go in with them for food and drinks. He’d get them gas on the way out. “We should reach the camping area before the evening rush hour.” Satisfied with his answer, the crew piled out of the car and simultaneously stretched. Markus felt a dull pain within his hip, knowing he wasn’t paying attention to how he was sitting. He’d have to work on that for the rest of the drive in an attempt to not wake up with a worse pain tomorrow. “I’ll order for you if you tell me what you want,” North offered, smiling at Simon and holding his hand in hers. Their nail polish, white and black respectively, matched in a charming way. Markus glanced down at his own hands, having forgotten that Simon had painted his nails alongside his own. The unrelenting sun brought out the rainbow sparkles that Markus had so happily asked for, unaware at the time that Simon hadn’t used any on his own. “You sure you’re okay?” Josh placed his hand on Markus’ shoulder, tilting his head down to check on him. Markus paused as he noted Josh’s nails were unpainted, and that it wasn’t very group-orientated of him. He hadn’t got the memo, so he was off the hook this trip. “Markus?” “Yeah, Josh, I’m okay.” Markus shook his head, his completely unserious thoughts had gotten the best of him. “Sorry. Please don’t worry.” Josh wasn’t very good at following instructions, at least not based on the worried look in his eyes. But he moved away, dropping the subject. They followed Simon and North into the store, noting that it was less a store with a fast food joint tacked on and more like an entire complex. The inside was freezing cold; good for Markus but horrible for Simon. The main room contained a sizeable gift shop with various knick-knacks and oddities on one side, with rows of snacks and a wall full of fridges stocked with drinks on the other. Hallways led back further into the building, leading to an area to sit and eat whatever fast food was offered. There was an abundance of choices, with frozen drinks and hot coffees drawing Markus’ eye. They piled into the bathrooms, North for some unknown reason trying to take Simon with her into the ladies’. He refused and she brooded, but they all did their business and met back outside. The three of them chatted for a moment, while Markus looked over the store, weighing his options.

North pulled Simon away to check out the fast food at the back of the building, and Markus made a bee-line for the frozen drink machine. He chose one that was soda flavored, grabbing the biggest cup they offered and filling it up. Josh stood beside him, tilting his head and watching with minor disgust. “You want me to make you one?” Markus said, placing the straw into the cold, icy goodness. “Uh, no thank you. Do you know how much sugar is in that?” Markus tilted the drink in his hand before shrugging, walking with Josh to the counter. “Sorry, you’d have to look it up.” He misinterpreted Josh’s worry for his health as a genuine question, but Josh wasn’t about to correct him. Markus paid, enjoying the frozen treat immediately. He offered it to Josh, who refused a second time, before going to peruse what they had to offer in terms of sandwiches and other, non-fast food options. Josh followed him, but didn’t seem like he was looking for something to eat. “You don’t want fast food?” Markus glanced back at Josh, who looked confused for a moment before explaining. “I asked North to grab something for me.” Markus smiled as he found a sandwich that didn’t look completely horrible. They really were all getting along. “That’s good.” The line must not have been long, as Simon and North returned with bags of fast food in their hands. Markus noted Simon’s hitched shoulders, knowing that he was already too cold. Before he could say anything on the matter, North spoke up. “We’re just gonna grab some drinks and we’ll meet you outside.” She looked at Simon, beaming at him in excitement. Did she not eat out often, or was she just happy in the moment like Markus was?

“Sounds good. There’s some tables out there you guys can eat on.” Markus nodded at SImon, who smiled gently and went to go find a new–hopefully tasty this time–drink to try. Markus looked to Josh and hitched his shoulders, glancing back at Simon and North as they compared bottled drinks and their flavors. “Girls gotta stick together, I guess.” Josh was silent for a moment, then laughed. “That’s exactly what they’re doing. They’re like a little clique.” He chuckled along with Josh, imagining them as two high-school girls gossiping over some boys. “You laugh at my jokes. Simon never does, I think he takes them too seriously.” Markus bumped shoulders with Josh as he walked away, grinning ear-to-ear. He grabbed a few bags of snacks with the intent of saving them for later that night, but who knows what would happen to them between now and then. He held his drink in the crook of his arm as his hands got full, frowning and looking to Josh for help. Josh obliged, becoming the pack mule of Markus’ shopping trip. Markus made sure Josh grabbed a drink of his own while he made a very sweet coffee from the cappuccino machine. He added some extra cream and sugar to it, watching Josh’s judgmental eyes. “It’s how Simon likes it.” Markus mumbled as he stirred it up quickly, applying the lid with his palm. “Still a lot of sugar.” Josh smiled as Markus rolled his eyes at him. “It’s just not good for either of you!” Markus pointed at him as he turned, an empty threat. He led Josh up to the counter, waiting in line to check out. “Hey, Markus?” Markus leaned his shoulder into Josh’ chest, giving him his full attention as he continued to stare at the sparrows pecking the ground outside the front doors. “Hmm?” “I can take over the rest of the drive. Simon knows where we’re going, right? He can keep me on track and you can rest.” Josh had that worried look in his eyes again. Markus glanced up at him, smiling and shaking his head. “Thanks, Josh, I’m okay.” “But I insist.” Josh was persistent, so Markus had to at least consider it. He was silent as they paid, Markus making sure he grabbed Josh’s drink from his hands, as well. He handed Josh a few of the bags, suddenly hit with the memory of North paying for the treats at the last stop. She had done it again by sneaking off with Simon, and he wasn’t going to forget so easily this time. On the way back, he was going to watch her like a hawk. As they left the store and he was hit by the overwhelming heat of the sun, Markus nodded his head at Josh. “Okay.” The word was spoken just barely, a mere whisper. Josh nodded in return, leading Markus to the table with ‘the girls’.

Markus sat, any comfort he had amassed from the cool store immediately drained from his body. He placed Simon’s hot coffee on the table before him, winking as he sipped on his frozen drink. “For the car.” Simon nodded, offering Markus a fry in return. Markus, fumbling with the plastic wrapping on his sandwich, leaned and stole the fry from his hand, biting down and pulling away. He chewed it like a cow might chew a sprig of hay. North stared at him before chuckling, leaning to gossip some more with Simon. About him, if their glances had anything to say about it. They bantered against each other lovingly, Markus stealing any fry left unattended–or given–in his leaning range. When they finished their meals, they stood and took their turns stretching. Markus caught Josh’s eye and tossed him the keys to his van. Josh missed the catch, but Markus was sure he just hadn’t thrown it well. “We need some gas. Pull up to a pump and I’ll pay for it inside.” Josh nodded, giving him a thumbs up in return. Markus watched Simon take his large coffee within both of his hands, looking rather content. They all made it to the car, and Markus was quick to get back inside the cold building. He enjoyed every step towards the frozen drink machine, choosing to refill his now-emptied cup with the same cola flavor. He paid for it and what should have been a tank-full of gas, regretting stepping out into the heat the moment he did. The back of his van was opened, with North digging through things in the back. He walked up next to her, resisting the masculine urge to slap her straight on her ass. That’d be so inappropriate and extremely rude of him, so he gripped the cup in his hand tightly. “What’re we looking for?” North glanced over her shoulder, huffing. “SImon’s coat? I found this, but he said it wasn’t his.” Markus glanced at Simon, who was chatting with Josh as he pumped the gas. Markus looked back at the black-and-white plaid shirt in her hand, tilting his head. “No, that’s mine. I think I packed his coat in that bag, over there.” He pointed, wanting to reach and help her but knowing she probably didn’t want it. Instead, he walked over to speak with Josh and Simon. “Hey, Josh?” He gathered his words, chewing on the bit of straw in his mouth. “Promise me you’ll drive safely. I kinda just go this car, and–” Josh held his hands up to coax Markus to calm down. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll drive safe.” Markus paused, shifting his weight. “Promise?” North brushed past Markus, holding Simon’s leather jacket out to him. “Found it!” Markus frowned, watching as Josh was distracted from his promise. Instead of waiting for it, he took Josh’s words to heart and went to shut the trunk. He opened the back door on the driver side, standing and glaring into his car, fully hating the heat of midday. He watched as Simon walked to the front passenger seat, confused to see him getting into it. He leaned his head into the car, waiting for Simon to get in fully before speaking. “You’re sure?” Simon glanced at him, offering a smile and a nod.

“Yeah. I shouldn’t be too cold.” 

“And your legs?” Simon looked down, reaching under his seat and pushing it back. Markus watched as he left plenty of room for someone smaller, like North, nodding as Simon stretched his legs out. “Okay, okay. You’ve got it all figured out.” Markus hopped into the backseat as North and Josh climbed in, as well, offering his fist for North to bump. She stared at him like he was crazy until he lowered his hand, sighing at being neglected. North took her phone out as Josh started the car, and Markus watched as Josh took his own phone out and connected it to the radio. “Excuse me?” North leaned forward, trying to coax Josh to look her in the eye, to intimidate him, perhaps. “Sorry, North.” There was no hint of apology in Josh’s voice. “My turn, now.” North turned to Markus quickly. “You’re just going to let him?” Markus shrugged, attempting to hide his smile by leaning his forehead on the window. “I couldn’t stop you.” North groaned, leaning back in her seat, defeated. Markus caught a chuckle from Simon and leaned back in his seat, focusing on nothing as he closed his eyes. He felt the cold cup leave his hand, picked up by someone and put somewhere safer. He felt it but didn’t register it, crossing his arms and getting more comfortable in his seat. Markus drifted off to sleep, vaguely aware of the whispered voices around him and the gentle rocking of the car. 

Ch4: An Unplanned Attraction

Markus was stirred by the way the car was slowing down, as if they were turning onto an exit. He was fearful at first, his mind immediately running to the thought of them being pulled over, but calmed his quickened breaths as quick as they started. Josh had gotten them to their destination, and Markus knew he owed him big time. He felt rested and rejuvenated thanks to him. 

“I am so ready to get out of this car.” Markus stretched as he spoke, afterwards moving his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. Simon looked back at him and nodded with a smile. The next few minutes, as Josh pulled the car off of the main road and towards the campsite, went by in silent agony. Markus was the first out of the car this time, mimicking North during their first stop and jumping out before it was even fully stopped. He waited a moment, stretching his legs and looking around. The sun was still in the sky, but it wouldn’t be for long. 

He started the long process of unpacking and getting the tent set up. Josh attempted to help, but Markus asked if he could focus on getting a fire started, instead. Josh did as he was told, leaving Markus alone to fiddle with the complexities of a new tent and its instructions. Simon and North watched him from a lone, wooden picnic table, egging him on and cheering as Josh built their little firepit in an area that seemed frequently used for one. Building the tent only made him sweat more, but the air was cooling as the sun drifted closer and closer to the horizon. Josh retrieved the sleeping bags for him as the tent stood tall, taking control of spreading them out within the tent as Markus took a breather. Simon held out a drink for him, coaxing him to come sit by them. “There’s something going on tonight.” Simon seemed proud of himself, like a cat showing off a trophy mouse. “Oh yeah?” Markus sat next to them, opening the cool, bottled coffee and taking a big swig of it. The caffeine would do him well. “I’ll bite. What’s going on? Besides us camping, of course.” Simon leaned closer to Markus, showing him his phone. Markus bumped their shoulders, squinting at the news article Simon wanted him to read. They were in a prime location for an abnormal showing of the Northern Lights. He looked from the phone to Simon, pointing to the screen as Simon nodded. “This is real?” “Yep, seems like it.” Josh came over to join them, leaning to look over Markus at Simon’s phone. “Wow.” He said nothing more, but Markus fully understood. Something off-the-wall was happening, and they just so happened to take their trip to be able to experience it together. Markus leaned back, taking a deep breath and looking up at the fading sunlight in the sky. The stars were already starting to peak out through the last of the sun’s rays, a bunch of pinholes that shimmered in curious ways. Markus had looked up to control his emotions from getting the better of him but he was now focused in on the stars, the tears of happiness that had invaded his eyes calming on their own with this overhead distraction. 

They all sat in silence, watching the night sky shimmer forth. They were far from any pollution of light, so the stars shone brighter than any one of them was used to. The fire flickered close by, casting light over their little camp. Shadows of blades of grass danced in the warm light, the wind calm but ever-present.  There was a better way to enjoy this, Markus thought. He stood without warning, opening the trunk of his van and hopping in. He found one of the bags of extra blankets he had packed, pulling one out. It was fluffy and soft, perfect for Simon. With just the one in his hand he backed out of the car, smiling over at his group. “Let’s sit! Better for our necks.” He went over to a nice spot of grass, placing the blanket down for Simon. Simon came over with North, nodding at Markus in thanks before sitting down. North sat next to him, then Josh next to her. 

“No blankets for us?” North looked up at Markus, teasing him over his attention to Simon. Markus gestured towards his van, the back left open. “You’re able-bodied.” He smiled as he said it, holding no ill intent towards his gym buddy. She huffed, laying back in the grass before turning her head to Simon and smiling at him. Markus sat in between Josh and Simon, completing their circle. They gazed up at the stars with one another. Simon and Josh, true to their profession, shared a lot of information regarding star composition and color, along with pointing out visible constellations. North kept talking about their colors, about the aesthetics of the constellations. She was really giving Markus the impression that she was an artist, at least in her free time. Maybe a photographer, by the way she framed the sky with her fingers. Now wasn’t the time to bother her about her profession, especially since she seemed to be giving off plenty of hints, so Markus kept his mouth shut even while his curiosity was eating away at him. 

North gasped and pointed towards the horizon. “Wait–what’s that?” The sky shimmered, calm waves of green washing into the dark navy blue. “Looks like it’s starting.” Simon’s voice could hardly hold his excitement. They all sat up, as their current positions didn’t facilitate a good view of the horizon. They sat for a moment, North leaning her head on Simon’s shoulder. Markus smiled, bumping his shoulder into Josh’s chest to make him look. “Maybe we should give them some space.” Josh glanced at Markus, nodding but looking very reluctant in agreeing. Markus stood, helping Josh up and looking around. Sure, they could go sit back on the splintering wood of the picnic table, but where was the romance in that? He ushered Josh to follow him to the car, hopping in the back to retrieve another blanket. He made sure to shut the back of his van this time, in an attempt to not obscure the night sky.

Markus handed the blanket off to Josh and opened one of the back doors. He stepped up into the car before turning around and hoisting himself up onto the roof. He pushed himself out of Josh's way, reaching to take the blanket from him. Josh hoisted himself up, following Markus’ example.  The view was beautiful from the top of the car. Streaks of green turned to purple, shifting and changing like some foam on a wave. Markus pulled the blanket over their shoulders, feeling comfortable without it but enjoying the notion of a shared blanket in an already romantic atmosphere. Markus’ eyes wandered to North and Simon, watching North shift closer and lean into him more. They were talking gently to one another; Markus strained his ears but couldn’t catch their words. Simon looked at her, and she leaned in and gave him a kiss. Markus chuckled under his breath, unable to keep the smile from his lips. He leaned into Josh, closing his eyes to focus on the bubbling emotions rising from his chest. He took a deep breath to steady himself, before opening his eyes and looking back to the two he loved, further leaning into the third. He watched their chaste kisses, the red of Simon’s ears not from the natural lightshow overhead. It came to his attention, in this moment, that his first kisses with both North and Simon had taken him off-guard. They were nice kisses, but in the end they weren’t dramatic nor romantic. He looked up at Josh, tilting his head back into him. He had a chance to make his first kiss with Josh exceptionally special. “Hey.” The words were barely spoken, but they prompted Josh to tilt his head down to look at him. Markus reached up, pressing the crook of his arm into the back of Josh’s neck, pulling him down to kiss him. The butterflies in his stomach left through his lips with a gentle sigh as Josh moved away. Markus gripped him with his arm before putting it back down, allowing Josh the chance to move away. But Josh leaned again, pressing his lips against Markus so kindly, so gently. Markus kissed him a few times, before pressing on his chest playfully. “Josh, careful.” “Sorry.” Josh moved away, clearing his throat gently and tilting his head up to watch the billowing ribbons of color that lit the night sky. Markus looked up with him and watched the colors, feeling happier than he ever thought he could. He was content with his new life, surrounded by the three his heart called out to so loudly.

[bluhjeans]

songs i associate with dbh characters / what i think their fav songs would be

pleasee share ur own thoughts & opinions id love to hear them!! and I need to ramble abt my dbh opinions to people (+templates if u wanna make ur own)

explaining my reasoning here if anyones curious

gavin: couldn't decide between rehab and in my feelings because theyre both just so him (and by that i mean fanon him cuz there really wasnt much to work on) 'in my feelings' because I can just imagine him to all' of the lyrics ('Sobbin' in my cup of coffee 'cause I fell for another loser' and 'Who's doper than this bitch, who's free-er than me' in particular) and rehab is a little looser of a connection, it stems from this story that ive been sorta writing that focuses on gavins relationship with alcohol aswell as his friendship with tina, and I just feel like rehab really captures his reluctance to give up the many different problems he has in the story like drinking, smoking & drugs rk900/nines: i dont really imagine he listens to music but but i kinda associate him with the pre-chorus in 'In my feelings' by LDR with the 'get that cigarette smoke out of my face' and the bridge with 'got me feeling so blue, making no sense at all, gotta leave right now' sooo duet with gavin...? 'shades of cool' (u may have noticed i like lana songs by now!!) also really matches nines IMO, the song is about her own pain and disappointment but but it also centers around this flawed love interest she wants to fix and understand, but ultimately can't, which to me just feels like nines and gavin, atleast in my own hc's (can you guess my fav ship yet) connor: whilst this song (a human's touch) could generally apply to all androids in dbh I connect it most with connor, especially in the second verse; "We were still going strong I never did you wrong Until the new me came along It was just you and me We were such a good team But now I’m alone on the boulevard of broken screens" Listening to this, I can really imagine him talking to Amanda after being introduced to his successor, the RK900 ('the new me') - I also can imagine the boulevard of broken screens being in reference to the graves of his previous bodies and I just think thattt hits yk, + whilst the second verse applies to machine connor more, the craving for human touch (connection in general) feels rather apt as by becoming deviant he has severed ties with Cyberlife, causing him to be pretty alone so yeah kara: I can just imagine her, alice and luther all singing country roads together in a car during the summer and it just warms my heart sm like its just sooo cuteee <3 I can also imagine her being a fan of Adele's music in general, I can't really explain why but she just seems like the type of person to be reaalllyyy into adele (me too) (+ i know age as a concept isnt a thing for androids really but adeles music appeals to a large age range making her music appealing 2 families so maybe im connecting adele n kara because of that) markus: I feel like I don't even need to explain history has its eyes on you... i mean come on.. but ohhh emmm geee!! I can not stress how PERFECT 'as the world caves in' is for markus atleast in my opinion, when I listen to it I can really picture this song over markus either choosing to sacrifice himself in BfD when surrounded, but generally I can just imagine this song over him doing anything really. 'run boy run' also feels like it needs little explanation, just listen to the song/look at the lyrics and youll see the connection north: I don't actually have any meaningful reasons for these songs but I just feel like north would like them but I guess 'breakin' dishes' is the one I thought about most because I can imagine her acting similarly in the same situation soo yeah chloe: Chloe doesn't really have a lot to work on with her extremely limited appearance in-game so this is completely based off a fic i read lol, where chloe was in a relationship with kamski but only in private because of his concern for his image anyways, in 'a loving feeling' mitski sings about feelings of loneliness in a relationship where her partner only shows affection alone and yeah that just feels like chloe n kamski to me!

[mr-carnation]

List of otps you support?

I'm not into shipping characters that aren't canonically together only because I just don't actively ship characters - it's not really my thing - and I dislike a lot of DBH's ships, but like here I'll try and think of some.

Markus and Simon

North and Markus

Well. Would you look at that. That's not some. but here I'll say what ships I don't mind/care about?

Chloe and Connor

Kara and Luther

Rupert and Daniel?? That's a thing right. Rarepair??

I heavily admire oc/self-insert x whichever canon character though because I just really like when people use their own characters and their own imagination. And they get to do whatever they want. For some reason it makes more sense to me too LMAO @nerdstreak Connah my OTP fr /j. It's very interesting to me, and I find that it is a very easy way to indulge myself in other people's works.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Can I request headcanons of Markus,north and Simon reaction to a living Toy arriving at Jericho for protection? They could be like some Worn out stuffed animal who like “deviated/awakened” and saw what happens to deviant androids and they’re scared.they could like provide comfort for traumatized androids in Jericho and could serve as a spy! :DD have a nice October! ^^

Thank you! Hope you have a great October, too! Also I absolutely adore the idea of Cyberlife making stuffed animals that could go deviant so I’m giving this Android!Y/N some lore

........

Backstory

As of late, Cyberlife has unveiled their newest product: Stuffed animals that could interact with kids and be their "best friend", far less susceptible to wear and tear and advertised to "last forever".

Some come in a bundle with childcare-based androids, but others are sold separately. They stock the shelves of zoo gift shops, too.

You're a teddy bear who comes from a shady neighborhood in Detroit, though you were loved by the child who owned you.

The truth was..you were bought just so their guardian didn't have to keep an eye on them 24/7.

It was sad, but you made them as happy as you possibly could.

But one August night, you happened to see something on the news that changed your perception--and awakened feelings you never experienced before.

A PL600 taking a child hostage on an apartment rooftop.

You couldn't help but notice the look of fear your own kid had in their eyes as you both watched the situation unfolding live.

Though nothing shocked you more than when the SWAT team fired on the PL600 after letting the girl go.

To say you were afraid was...an understatement.

Watching the android die after he was promised help terrified you.

You couldn't imagine turning on the kid you're supposed to protect and comfort.

But...what if you did? Would those scary men with guns come after you next? Would Cyberlife shut you down???

It also seemed unfair to learn you're nothing more than someone's toy. And they could very well get bored of you or toss you aside for an "upgrade".

What if your child got bored of you, too?

Those thoughts were enough to make you deviate, and you leave your home in the middle of the night. You couldn't risk harming your owner, and hope they'd forgive you.

You wandered around, feeling lost. But at some point, you learn of Jericho from a homeless android on the verge of shutdown.

It crushes your nonexistent soul even more, seeing one of your own left in the streets to die.

So you hug him, letting him hold you as he eventually passes on.

And with that, you also receive the key to Jericho...

Markus

It would be several months before you meet the soon-to-be revolutionist.

Since your arrival to Jericho, you've become well-acquainted with the leaders and help comfort traumatized androids (especially the YK500s who were thrown out like nothing).

When Markus walks around Jericho for the first time, he sees you comforting a crying android and can't help but be surprised.

A stuffed animal could be just as alive as him?

It’s fascinating to him.

You formally introduce yourself to him, explaining that you try keeping everyone’s spirits up in grim times like these.

When Markus decides that changes are necessary, you’ll happily step up and offer to spy on the humans to help Jericho plan their next move.

You could sneak through vents or be an excellent diversion if the group has to get past guards (ie playing "dead" like in Toy Story

If he’s ever stressed or upset about how things are going, you’ll always offer to let him hug you (while reassuring him it’s not childish to find comfort in a plushie).

He may seem stoic most of the time, though he lightly smiles whenever he picks you up and just holds you in his lap.

You made it your mission directive to get Markus to smile at least once a day.

North

When she first meets you, she seems..unsure of what to think of you.

Josh believes you deserve to come to Jericho just as much as any humanoid android, but North doesn’t believe you could understand their struggles (plus keeping you active would deplete their resources).

Though when she sees you comforting an abandoned YK500, she changes her mind.

Even she admits you look soft and cute.

You wanna prove yourself dedicated to their cause, so you do what you can to help. Such as stealing a bag of parts (one’s better than none) or spying on humans so the androids know their positions.

After revealing her past to Markus, you saw her crying and comforted her with a pat on the leg.

You know nothing of what she's been through, but she holds you tightly for a few moments, finally letting her walls down.

That’s all she needed. Just a simple hug.

Simon

In the few months you’ve known Simon, he’s come to view you as a friend.

Though it was difficult at first considering he’s the same model as that angry PL600.

You don’t know if he deviated because of the same reason. It’s clear that he’s been through some hardships. Yet there’s a soft look to him that’s very distinguishable from that android on TV.

He wouldn’t hurt a fly (unless it comes down to the safety of his people or Markus..but even then he tries minimizing casualties). So you trusted him.

He’s a man of few words, though even you can sense when he needs your comfort, too. And holding you when the going gets rough does make him feel a little better.

You’ve become a little beacon of hope for Jericho. And he always tells you this, despite you never doing anything extraordinary (ie stealing a truck of spare parts from a warehouse).

But you do just enough to give Simon reasons to keep fighting.

[hamartia-grander]

So I recently found out that the Sims 4 is free for download, and naturally I wanted to check it out because I was never allowed to play as a kid but I am an Adult now so I can do what I want. Then I got the brilliant idea to make as many Detroit: Become Human characters I cared to have and play that way, because I’m too impatient to try to learn how to play before I jump into something. So of course it has been a disaster and a learning curve. Here’s some key bits because. I mean this is too funny. I need to share it:

First off I spent way too much time designing each character because I’m a perfectionist and the Sims customisation interface was difficult for me to get down. But I figured it out and I think I did pretty good. I had to download some hair and outfit mods though.

I started out with three households: the Jericrew, the Kara fam, and the DPD gang (ft. all three Connor bros) but now I have five households: 1. Gavin, Kamski, and Nines, 2. The Jericrew + Chloe, 3. Kara fam, 4. Connor and Sixty, and 5. Hank and Cole.

Chloe joined the Jericrew because she and North started dating. Previously, she lived with Gavin, Kamski, and Nines. And I made Gavin and Kamski brothers ofc, but I also made Chloe their sister just so no funny business happened. Also I found out you can change their romantic/sexual preferences and technically make them aroace if you uncheck everything, so Kamski, Connor, and Kara are all aroace because I headcanon them as such. Also Gavin is trans bc I said so. I also found pride flags which was fun. 

Kara fam is just perfect. They are the absolute best. I’m so glad I started with them but also I think they gave me too high of standards, because everyone else just sucks (affectionate). Everytime I go to the Kara fam household, they are all happy/fine/positive emotion, and they actually take care of themselves. I have full autonomy on, and yet I’ll come back to the Jericrew or DPD gang or whoever and find they haven’t fed themselves and the toilets are broken or something. It’s insane. Nines once started a fucking fire on his own. He’s level 6 in cooking. Connor fucking DIED while I was away but luckily I just reloaded a previous save and got him back but like what the FUCK. I don’t even know what he died from either lmao but he died in his bedroom so I can only imagine. Meanwhile Kara, Luther, and Alice are all perfect angels who could do no wrong and they clean their house and have safe kitchen practices and don’t die. I love them a lot. Alice does so well in school. She has many friends and one enemy, idk wtf went down there but it’s funny to me. Every good girl deserves a nemesis. Luther is a gamer, didn’t expect that to happen but it’s funny. Kara plays pranks on them???? But they laugh so it’s fine. Also Alice isn’t a scared little bitch baby like Cole, who can’t sleep a single night without waking up scared of the monster under the bed. Alice befriended hers. 

So yeah I wasn’t going to initially make Cole, just have Connor Nines and Sixty be Hank’s only sons, but then Hank had the aspiration of wanting to start a family so I just decide to try adopting for him and there was a kid named “Anderson” which was so funny and I had to adopt him. But he’s a very weird kid, he’s like if Connor was an 8 year old. Like, gets good grades but is sad about not making friends, tries and fails to befriend the monster under the bed so he’s scared of it, he eats cereal at 3am, he sings to and talks to his stuffed unicorn. It’s adorable. I had no idea all of this was possible.

Oh yeah um. Another thing I had no idea about? Fucking “woohoo”. I knew what it was but I had no idea it was so graphic???? Like they fucking make noises???? I couldn’t even like look at my computer it’s ridiculous. I have to like leave and control another sim each time. Simon and Markus woohoo’d in North’s bed once (against my will) so I had to get her a new one because that’s fucking gross.

The couples will just randomly walk up to each other and kiss which is adorable but also annoying when like for example, I’m having the Connor bros + Gavin visit Hank and Cole and Gavin and Nines just start kissing in the middle of the living room. But then Cole has an adverse reaction to seeing them kiss and is all like disgusted by it, which is hilarious. The others will clap though??? Lmao

Oh my God Sixty flirted with Gavin once and Nines got pissed. Then CONNOR yelled at Sixty for betraying Nines. This game is the funniest thing in the world. Who came up with this. 

North and Simon are best friends but like they kinda did that on their own. North will just go up to Simon and hug him randomly which is crazy to me bc she’s got the hothead trait and like will randomly yell at Josh or stomp around the house, but she sees Simon and just hugs him. It’s so cute. She flirts with Chloe unprompted too. 

I love Markus to death in dbh. He’s one of my favourite characters. Sims Markus, however, is the Worst. He’s got the Friend of the World aspiration or whatever it’s called so he makes lots of friends, but then he’ll like say something mean and get people mad at him?? And obviously it’s in a sims language so idk wtf he says but for example, I introduced the Jericrew to the Kara fam and he got Luther mad at him. Idek how. And then he will mope around about not being recognised for his paintings but gets mad at me when I make him show off his paintings. Bitch what do you want from me. He took Simon on a date and it went really well, but as soon as it was over he fucked off and like did pushups in the park while Simon just stood there. He once spent $45 all at once by making himself three coffees in a row. What the hell. He also got mad at Simon for God knows what but then North yelled at Markus for it which was so funny. I had Josh ask Markus for encouragement once when he was sad, and Markus walked away. Idk if I’m just this bad at the game or if Sims Markus is bugged but it’s wild. 

Josh adopted a kid when I wasn’t there. I was gone for twenty minutes and Josh adopted a kid and named him Antony. It was hilarious but also annoying bc there was literally no space for this kid so I had to rearrange the entire house, and they definitely couldn’t afford a whole Child but Josh didn’t care apparently. Full autonomy is fun but I didn’t realise they could do crazy things like adopt a child on their own. Poor Antony is also really scared of the monster under the bed but Josh has so far proven himself to be a terrible father in that, everytime his kid wakes him up to spray the monster under the bed, Josh gets up and then goes off and does something else, doesn’t even like check up on Antony it’s so annoying. Antony started waking up North instead, unprompted, and she helps him. 

North made an enemy and, at first I encouraged it and had her fight the guy because it was funny, but now she’ll just be walking down the street and it is on sight with this poor fucker. She sees him across the street, runs over, and starts beating him up. It’s hilarious and I love her so much. 

I gave the Jericrew a pool and had everyone invited over for a neighbourhood pool party to introduce them all to each other and Sixty swam into the road. I know it was a glitch but it was super funny. He just. Kept swimming. Into the road. And then swam back. Like he was in the road.

I gave Sixty the “villainous valentine” trait or whatever it’s called because I don’t ship him with anyone and he’s a drama queen so I thought it would be funny, but then he flirted with Josh and Josh reciprocated. I didn’t even make him do it. I had Sixty flirt with everyone who wasn’t in a relationship and it was Josh who liked it. I saw the little green hearts with the ++ above their heads and I was like. What. the fuck just happened. But anyways now Josh and Sixty like each other and I’m too much of a weak bitch to have Sixty cheat on Josh even though it’s his aspiration because I love Josh so idk what I’m gonna do there. I could change it I guess but also I doubt they’ll last lmao especially since I’m doing nothing to help them. It’s still funny tho. I guess I’ll update if anything changes?? If anyone even cares ab this lmao.

Oh also before that, I had Sixty homewreck the Goth marriage and then break up with Mortimer goth so he could get the two aspiration achievements from it, it was funny. Mortimer was a bitch to Connor too, so worth it. Also this family is definitely a Walmart brand Addams family lmao. Except the husband is nowhere near as devoted and loving of his wife obviously. 

Luther is a really high level in the comedy skill and I didn’t do that myself so I guess he’s just naturally hilarious. He’ll be watching tv with Alice and I’ll see him say something and they both laugh, or he’ll joke with Kara while they cook dinner together and they both laugh and it is adorable. Then Alice will come home from school and go see Luther to tell him about her day and he listens and talks back he’s just the sweetest ever.

Simon and Markus’s wedding. Dear lord. I could make a whole separate post about it. It was pure chaos. Let me reiterate that I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing in this game. I’ve never played before and didn’t even know you could hold weddings without the special pack or whatever. Anyways, I had to redo their wedding three times. Three times. So their wedding happened four times because I don’t McFreaking understand this game’s antics.

The first time, I just was floundering and didn’t know how to do anything it was asking me to do. I invited all the other dbh characters but when we showed up at the park, which is where I held the wedding, everyone just wandered off and I had no idea how to get them to watch or anything. I wasn’t prepared with any resources either. It was a mess. Technically I succeeded in the event because I did get them married, but nothing else happened. So I reloaded the save and tried again. 

The second time, I did it a little better, and I had actual tables and chairs and cookware prepared to make food/the cake/etc. I had a whole setup in Magnolia Park that actually looked pretty good. Plus it’s free if you build in the park which is double cool. But anyways I got about halfway through the event when I had Simon and Markus sit at the table with their guests to eat and socialise, and Elijah fucking Kamski flirted with Markus in front of Simon. Markus made a disgusted face and like waved him off, clearly not reciprocating the flirting, but for some reason the game still counted that as “cheating” even though Markus didn’t do anything??? Idk why tf that is but it’s dumb. Anyways, Simon is heartbroken because Markus “cheated” thanks to Kamski being a twat, and I didn’t think much of it til the event ended and I got everyone home and I realised that Markus and Simon’s romance bar had almost completely reset. Like it had the tiniest sliver of pink left. And their friendship bar was halved. Like Kamski fucking bulldozed their relationship when they were just married. And I spent a good hour working frantically to repair their relationship but it wasn’t going well and it was just even more of a mess, and NORTH decided she hated Markus now because he hurt Simon, it was just the worst. So I cheated a little again and went back to my save just before the wedding and started it over again.

The third time went the same as the second, except this time Luther flirted with Markus in front of Simon, and Markus fucking flirted back. I meant it when I said Sims Markus is the worst. He and Luther were good friends before the wedding bc I play with the Kara fam and Jericrew the most bc they’re my favourites, so that makes more sense than Kamski, but still!!! Markus sucks in the sims. Anyways, as soon as I saw that happen I learned my lesson and immediately restarted again.

The fourth and final time, I took away their autonomy. That fixed every problem. The wedding went smoothly, no one fucking flirted with Markus and ruined everything, and poor beloved Simon was so happy. Then when I sent everyone home I gave their autonomy back. Now, when it comes to certain other characters, I definitely wouldn’t have cared this much, but neither Markus nor Simon would ever be the type to cheat, so I don’t at all feel bad about going back and restarting each time, because that’s not who they are. And I’m lowkey pissed that other characters I’m not even controlling are able to flirt with characters I am controlling that are in relationships. Like dear lord, Luther would never. Kamski might. But Luther absolutely would not ever. It’s so crazy.

So anyways, I finally fucking got them married, everyone’s happy, I’m happy. 

Connor is so sweet with Cole. It’s so cute. He reads to Cole and sprays the monster under the bed when Hank isn’t available to and he tag-teams with Cole to prank Gavin and it’s adorable. Oh also I gave Connor the mischief trait or whatever it is because he’s canonically a little shit and it’s funny. And his number one victim is definitely Gavin, close second is Sixty. He pranked Hank a few times but Hank didn’t like it so he stopped. He’s never pranked Nines though idk why. He’ll also just clean things and fix things without me telling him to. He’s a gamer too.

Nines decided he loved fitness on his own. He just does push ups in the kitchen. I’ll be playing as another household and see him jogging down the street. It’s kinda funny. 

I was gonna have Nines propose to Gavin bc I think that’s how it would happen, but Gavin actually beat me to it. 

North and Chloe are so fucking cute. North will just walk up to her and kiss her cheek or flirt with her and Chloe gets all blushy it’s adorable. North handed her a rose once on her own. 

Dude some of these guys are idiots. Someone will be in the bathroom and they’ll just walk in and then be all like “I can’t unsee that!!” like bitch have you heard of knocking. Wtf. but apparently couples can use the bathroom or shower in front of each other no problem so at least I don’t have to worry about that.

I gave each of the Jericrew fireplaces in their rooms. Big mistake. Within five minutes, Simon and Josh caught themselves on fire. I took the fireplaces away immediately. 

I gave North some knight armour stands in her room bc they’re cool as fuck and I think she’d like them, and she’ll just stare at the armour sometimes it’s funny. 

I found out you can have male characters wear dresses if you remove the dumb “masculine” tag on their outfit choices and I spent at least ten minutes freaking out and salivating over Markus in a dress. GOD he looks so fine. Fuck. I gave Simon and Sixty dress options too bc I think they’d rock it and I’m right. Tempted to give everyone dress options actually. North wears a tux though, and her swimsuit is a one piece because I refuse to believe she’d ever wear anything that even slightly resembles the Eden Club “outfit”. She’s hot as fuck in a tux which is obvious.

I think that’s it but I’ll add on if anything else crazy happens. <3

[joshman-theandroid]

thinking about the Jericrew and pets. I think Josh would like dogs. Smaller dogs maybe but I can also see him with a golden retriever for some reason

I imagine North would like cats or crows. Crows are cute, loyal birds and they like shiny stuff. They would vibe together. I also imagine her liking moths. I don't care what anyone says moths are adorable

Markus is a cat person. Maybe he would have a Maine coon or a ragdoll. They're so floofy and he would love them.

Simon is snakes, fishes or maybe even cats. I don't like snakes irl but I've seen these really cute snakes online and I thought they would suit him. I think he would like animals that aren't too hyper (like dogs, for example). Just animals that like to vibe

[iwonderwh0]

Idk how my music instrument distribution headcanon is working, it's just for me Markus is definitely not a brass section. Woodwind, bowed instrument – yes. Piano is canon, but I honestly think that if he had a chance to try something else, piano wouldn't be his first choice anymore. Chello is a big one. Him with a flute just feels right. Violin – yes yes yes, he'd love it, I'm sure, but probably not as much as chello.

Connor and clarinet just works, he looks like the type. It's pretentious enough to have tons of complicated solo parts, but still simple enough to be quiet and on the background. I can also imagine him with saxophone, mostly because it's kinda similar to clarinet (if you know you know), but I don't have a problem to imagine him with some bass instrument as well, but this is purely for the symbolism and not really because I think it suits him. Brass section like trombone? Also maybe, but probably not, its an instrument of androgynous women, lesbians and annoying insufferable men, he is neither, really (he's another kind of annoying, not this one)

North – drums, hands down. She'd have loved setting the rhythm if she was a part of band of some kind. Bass guitar maybe or french horn also could work for her. Chello is something I think could suit her as well. And I just had a thought about...theremin. Can androids play theremin?? 😳🤔

Josh – something on the rare side, not a typical instrument you can find in a brass... actually wait. Saxophone would fit nicely, bass, baritone or alt I'm not sure, they all kinda works. Oboe, maybe. Ooh, wait, perhaps xylophone??

Simon...I really don't know. Flute? He does kinda has a vibe of brass section, but I'm not sure which side. Perhaps baritone could work or tuba, but on the other hand, why not trumpet/cornet? Yeah, I have no idea what would work for him, he's a mystery in my headcanon book.

[thevanillerose]

NOT THE ANSWER | MARKUS x READER | DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not own anything except my own writing. All properties belong to their respective creators.

“Markus, you know this. If you take that approach you'll alienate the public! Nobody will want to support you!”

North had her convincing ways, but you were trying your damn hardest to make Markus understand that there wasn't just one option here. He had stormed away from you as soon as you had tried to talk to him, but when he was soon enough cornered in a room at the back of Jericho he just flopped down in the nearest seat and put his head in his hands.

You pulled one over to join him, and gently touched his back.

“I want you to understand that things will be alright. You just have to trust me. Violence begets violence, it won't put us anywhere but a landfill.”

His hands slipped slowly down his tan face and revealed his heterochromatic eyes. They flitted over to you before he let out a heavy sigh and sat up properly in his seat.

“We're not making enough progress [Y/N]. North might be right. If we use force they'll have no choice but to listen to us.”

“And what would you rather be seen as when they do listen, Markus?” you questioned sternly, “A placid beacon of hope for a new kind of people? Or a raging, hateful opposer to the human race? Because getting aggressive is only going to send you down one of those routes.”

“...” Markus had turned silent again. He shifted out of his seat but of course you followed, pinching the tip of his sleeve before he could walk away from you again.

“Don't ignore me when you know I'm right, Markus.”

“Then what am I supposed to do!?”

He suddenly turned around and looked at you, artificial brow furrowing downwards with distress.

“Am I meant to just sit around and wait patiently for them all to change their minds, while they carry on degrading and slaughtering our people?”

“No. If you have to sit, it'll be on the front lines of a protest. Nowhere else.” you assured him firmly, confident in this. Enough so that your fist clenched before your chest,  “You need to be out there, showing them. Showing them that we are not that different. That we are capable of emotions, emotions that aren't anger or wrath!”

He paused, narrowing his eyes. “How am I supposed to show them anything else? When I talk to them, they don't listen. They blank out my words and fire on my allies, how am I supposed to show them any emotion but rage then?”

It was your turn to take a moment. It wasn't like you couldn't understand what Markus was going through right now. He was torn up, worried about what was the right choice to make. But you felt like you could help. Help him make the right decision, here and now.

Spotting a long jagged stain of rust on the wall, you pointed to it suddenly and held his arm with your other hand.

“Look Markus. You're the creative sort with all those paintings you do, so just imagine that's a crowd of people. The swollen bits of metal are heads looking back at you. Waiting. Just imagine their eyes on you Markus. Close your own if you have to.”

After staring at the uneven stain for a moment, he really did have to close his eyes. He couldn't quite see it how you described it, which made him wonder if you had more of a knack for creating than he did. Yet the moment he shut off his vision, he could understand clearly.

Eyes watching. A crowd of protestors, like the ones who had shoved him down and kicked him that day he went to Bellini Paints. Back then he hadn't known what to do except take it. Take it in silence.

Now he stood a chance of fighting back, but you wouldn't let him.

Why? How did you intend to fix this problem otherwise?

“...I can see them, if I think hard enough. Now what?”

You nodded, and took both his hands in your own now, encouraging him to face you fully while stretching up and pressing your own chest to his.

“Keep your eyes closed. I'm going to show you what to do in front of them...”

Show me?

Before he could even question what you meant, he felt a tender something against his lips. Soft and plush enough to feel real.

Your gentle kiss.

Markus found his own mouth parting just a little for yours, and with a tilt of the head you both connected fully in that way. Yes, a kiss between two androids had a stiffness to it, naturally. Some things were hard to perfect.

But...to onlookers...it stood a chance of changing minds and hearts. Laying the final brick in that bridge.

The two of you parted softly.

“That's all you have to do Markus.” you reached up to grace his cheek gently with your fingertips, and his own hand clasped over yours. “We just have to show them, together. Show them.”

We're not that different after all.

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