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“So, Y/N. Are you going to tell Markus how you feel?”
You’d been taking a long sip from your cup of water when you were asked this question, making you pause in the middle of swallowing said water. The sudden halt of both air flow and consumption sent you into a coughing fit, and because you didn’t want to spit all the water in your mouth at your elderly neighbor, the cup held still in its position at your mouth, where it eagerly received the onslaught of liquid, albeit with the addition of some bubbles and tears.
“Ack-hac-ha!!” You coughed violently when all the water left your mouth, bring the cup of water down to the safety of the table as you bent over and wheezed in pain. “Ca-rl!” you admonished between coughs, sending a pained glare at the older man. “I-(*cough)-told you-(*gasp)-not to bring it up-(*cough)-when he’s around!”
Carl Manfred, your beloved neighbor, and surrogate grandfather only smirked at you smugly, the corner of his aged eyes crinkling in mischief. From the pure satisfied expression on his face, you were ready to stop him should he call for your android crush, but then you felt the touch of something on your back. Still coughing, your eyes widened when Carl sat back in his wheelchair, beyond satisfied at the outcome of this embarrassing situation.
“Y/N? Do you need help?” His voice was smooth as he rubbed gentle circles into your back, and although you knew that he couldn’t breathe like a human would, you could feel the breath hitting your skin as Markus spoke into your ear.
You nodded and closed your eyes as you fought to regain your breathing, focusing on the gentle touch of the android, no, the man , before you. Carl seemed to always plan for these types of incidents, whether it be startling you into a panic attack, or making you choke on your beverage, just so there was an excuse for Markus to come to your aid, pulling you into close quarters to soothe your nerves or coughing fits. The old man, to your chagrin, seemed dead set on setting you up with his adopted son.
Once the fit subsided and your breathing was back to normal, you slowly opened your eyes to peer at Markus, who was knelt by your side patiently, still rubbing circles on your back, and… your eyes descended to rest upon your hand, where Markus had gently laid his other hand. Was it getting hot, suddenly? You were sure that your face had turned completely red because in your lapse of attention while calming your breathing, Markus had taken your left hand and started to trace patterns on the back of said appendage. And as he smiled at you gently, your eyes flickered back and forth between his beautiful green eyes, and his gentle touch upon your hand, before flying to glance at Carl’s face, who was too busy grinning in triumph.
“Ahem!” you coughed, slowly and reluctantly withdrawing your hand from Markus’s grasp, “Thank you, Markus. I feel much better now.” The heat still hadn’t retreated from your face, so you knew that despite your attempts at rebuilding a cool facade, you were very visibly embarrassed.
Markus tilted his head to the side as he observed your face closely, lips twitching subtly as he decided that you weren’t going to deteriorate into another coughing fit. Nodding kindly, he stood from his knelt position to look towards Carl. “Carl, it’s 10pm. Would you like me to start getting you ready for bed?”
While not doubting Markus’s ability to tell time, you glanced down at your watch to confirm nevertheless. You’d stayed much later than you intended for your nightly chat with Carl, and not wanting to intrude upon the older man’s bedtime, you stood from your seat, finding once again, that you barely reached Markus’s shoulders. “I’m sorry to have stayed so late. I should probably head home now.”
Carl shook his head with a sigh, waving his hand at you dismissively, “Nonsense, Y/N. You’re always welcome to my home whenever you fancy it. Though at your age, I worry that you might be spending too much time with this old man.” At this, you gave the artist an unimpressed look when he stared at Markus pointingly, “You should be out there, enjoying life. Maybe find yourself a boyfriend.” Your expression didn’t change and Carl conceded, “Fine, fine. Markus, could you please walk Y/N to her home? Just to make sure that she gets home safely.”
“Of course, Carl.” Being that it was technically a command from his owner, Markus was obligated to follow through with Carl’s request. Turning from the older man to face you, Markus smiled and extended his arm, “Right this way, Madam.”
Your heart raced at the charming grin that Markus sent your way when you hesitantly placed your hand on his built arm. From the corner of your eyes, you saw Carl give you a wink and a thumbs up before Markus escorted you out of the parlor.
“Oh, and Markus?” Carl called out to his adopted son, “Remember what we talked about.”
Confusion only seemed to consume you when you watched your crush turn to nod at Carl, a knowing gleam in his eyes. You weren’t going to be a petulant child about it, but damn did you want to be in on the secret. But not wanting to seem desperate, you settled on simply asking, “Is everything okay, Markus?”
Calling his name seemed to bring the much taller man’s attention back, green eyes meeting your own and making you feel as if you were the most important person in the world to him. “Everything is fine, Y/N. Carl was just reminding me of this morning’s life lesson.”
By now, the two of you had crossed half of the foyer, passing the two mechanical birds as they chirped in an energetic song. Amused, you allowed a teasing smile to pass your lips, “Morning life lesson?” you questioned, passing through the front door before Markus, pausing to wait as he closed the front door. “What do you normally discuss during your life lessons?”
“We speak about a lot of things.” Markus replied vaguely, leading you down the path towards the sidewalk. “Most days, we discuss music and art. Carl seems fond of my gradual improvements to playing the piano, and I value his critique.”
“I bet you play beautifully.” The assessment was less a graceful compliment than a sudden vomit of flattery. God, you were on a roll with embarrassing yourself today, huh?
But before you could amend your word vomit, Markus beat you to the punch. “It is in my programming to be able to play beautifully, yes. But not with a beauty that humanity possesses.” You bit your lip to prevent yourself from a harsh rebuttal. Markus believed himself only an android meant to serve, that there was nothing human about him.
“But you have more humanity than most, Markus.” You whispered, bowing your head sadly. And suddenly, you could feel his gaze upon you like a searing beam of sunshine. By now, you’d both stopped on your front door step, but you didn’t feel like leaving Markus just yet. Taking a deep breath, you lifted your head to look into green eyes in order to show Markus that you mean what you’re about to say. “You recognize the beauty in humanity despite the violence that surrounds you. When I touch you, it feels like you give off the most comforting warmth. You even breathe despite not needing to. And, Markus? When the people, the humans, that walk around you act indifferent, you find yourself able to care. I’ll probably get lynched for saying this out in public, but you’re as human as I am, Markus. You’re alive. And… you’re loved.” With that last remarkable confession, you gave him a shy smile and turned around to retreat up the stairs to your front door.
Just as you were about close the door, a hesitant voice rang out from the bottom of the steps. “Wait.”
And you waited, turning around and observing patiently as Markus struggled to find the words he wanted to say, green eyes flickering with insecurity, and LED turning yellow. Perhaps you shouldn’t have pushed Markus. Even acknowledging the possibility of being more than a machine might have screwed with his programming. And no matter how much you wanted Markus to be an individual, you wouldn’t risk him malfunctioning from CyberLife’s strange programming.
“Markus.” his head snapped up to look at you so fast that you winced from the whiplash he must have gotten. “Take your time. We can speak when you’re ready.”
“No. I-” his brows furrowed together in concentration as he forced himself to speak. “I want to speak to you later. After I put Carl to bed. Can I-” Markus paused again and swallowed despite not needing to, “Can I visit you tonight?”
A smile graced your face as you nodded eagerly, “Of course, Markus. I’ll be waiting.”