Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hank says he’s flirting with her.

Connie doesn’t know. She’s never been flirted with. She was familiar with the term and knew what it was. She hadn’t ever been on the receiving end of it. She never had to since she was an android solely created to solve deviant cases.

Markus.

The deviant leader. Peaceful. Revolutionary.

A flirt.

Who knew?

Connie goes to the few peace assemblies for androids and humans. She goes because she remembers all the androids she had hurt during her investigations.

She had done what was needed to be done for an android that worked for Cyberlife. She may have said that she couldn’t die, that it didn’t matter if she was deactivated, but she knew that her heart told a different story. It told her that she feared for her life and that she wanted to live. The only way to live under the servitude of Cyberlife was to do as they commanded and hope they deemed you adequate enough to be operational.

Now she only regrets.

What if things had been different?

It’s at the peace assemblies that she gets to know Markus a bit better. She learns that he likes art and that his father was an artist. He admires him. He admires his friends, too, who laugh and bicker with him when they get the chance to.

And then when she was preparing to leave? It’s something else. He grabbed hold of her hand and she stiffened.

He didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he just didn’t care.

He placed the softest of kisses on her knuckles. The mere memory makes the same spot tingle and she can feel his kiss all over again. It is unnatural how much she ends up thinking about him afterward. His kiss leaves an impression that makes her feel rather immature for an android her size. A kiss on the hand could mean anything. It didn’t have to be romantic. Connie, after all, had seen Markus kiss North before except it’s on the cheek. Connie thinks that this could be the same gesture but on her hand instead.

Connie sees Markus again after a long day of speaking with Cyberlife peace android operatives. It’s when she hears his laughter after opening the front door to Hank’s home that she recognizes him. She cannot forget his laugh even if she wants to. It is too pleasing to the ears, but that is not something she feels she can say aloud.

“Connie!” Hank calls out from his dining table. 

Markus looks up to her and smiles.

“It’s about time you came home,” Hank says, “but I’ve had company while waiting for you.”

“I see,” Connie answers plainly. She approaches the two sitting at the dining table and pulls out a chair. She settles herself down stiffly and jolts when her leg brushes against Markus’. She is quick to apologize but the deviant leader simply gives her a reassuring smile. Somehow it makes everything better.

“You’ve been so skittish lately,” Hank says.

“My apologies,” she replies.

“I didn’t ask for your apology,” Hank barks.

“I know.” She says simply.

Hank looks at Markus and something flashes in his eyes. Connie can’t discern it. It’s utterly strange to her because she’s never seen such a look in his eyes, but Markus seems to understand in an instant. The same look flashes through his eyes as if answering Hank’s gaze. It was as if they were having an unknown conversation.

“She’s pretty dull,” Hank blurts out.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Markus lays out calmly.

“She probably won’t notice unless you tell her up front.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Well if you’re looking for my approval, you have it,” Hank settles.

The corner of Markus’ lips twitches into a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Am I missing something?” Connie interrupts.

Hank rolls his eyes. “Everything.” He says.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Markus moves to stand up and reaches over to shake Hank’s hand. Hank returns the gesture with a firm grip, giving Markus a hard look while doing so, and then he tells him, “Good luck.” Markus nods his head in what Connie can only guess is appreciation. It is after this interaction that  Hank finally turns to Connie when Markus is making his way out of the front door. Hank's expression is laced with humor.

“You will," he answers.

Chapter Text

“You don’t see that?”

Connie looks up from her lap and at the woman who sits across from her.

North, a woman widely known for her bravery and impatience.

Connie didn’t have many opportunities to talk to her face to face without anyone else around them. North was often accompanied by her friends and was rarely left to her own devices. Even now, they were surrounded by the Jericho gang in Simon's crowded apartment. 

“What?” Connie asks, unsure as to what North meant.

North points to the side of the room with her eyes. Connie follows her line of sight until she reaches Markus’ shirtless form exercising alongside two of his friends. She immediately finds this impractical as androids didn’t need exercise. They were created to look fit and were unable to gain weight. There was no reason for an android to work out. In fact, come to think of it, she didn’t know why she was invited here at all. Markus had insisted she come to hang out with his ‘crew.’

“I fail to comprehend…” Connie trails off.

“Are you blind?” North’s eyes are wide enough to the point that they threaten to pop out of her skull. “There’s a reason they’re doing this. Do I have to spell it out for you?’

“Leave her alone, North,” Markus’ voice rings out.

“Looking good!” North shoots back, “But your efforts are being wasted!”

“What is the purpose of this gathering?” Connie asks North abruptly.

North turns her gaze back to Connie and squints her eyes. She observes the deviant hunter for a good long minute (Connie counts) and then she finally kicks back in her chair with a heavy sigh. “I guess you could call it a free show except Markus roped in the guys so that he wouldn’t have to go at it alone.”

“I don’t know why we had to take off our shirts too,” Josh pips up.

“You love me, that’s why,” Markus tells him.

“Putting it that way makes me want to hate you.” Josh deadpans.

“It’s impossible,” Simon says good-naturedly, “give it up.”

“Ugghh,” Josh groans in defeat as he does another stretch. They all follow the human woman on the screen in front of them as she does various stretches with her arms over her head. “It’s just that - I could be doing other things - but instead I’m helping out Markus show off. Shouldn’t he do this by himself?”

“It’d look weird,” Markus puts out.

“And this isn’t weird enough?” A playful smirk shoots across Josh’s lips.

“Tell me you got something from that conversation,” North says over their bickering, successfully grabbing Connie’s attention once more. She runs the numbers through her head and replays the recent events with perfect memory.

“This is something that Markus should be doing himself…?” Connie repeats Josh’s words.

North slumps.

“Wow,” is all she says.

“Don’t worry North,” Markus calls out again, “I didn’t think it’d be this easy.”

“You mean you’re doing this on purpose ? Where’d you get this dumb idea from?” North throws an exhausted hand through her hair. She looked just about done with everyone in the room. 

“A human,” Markus says in a dismissive tone.

North immediately narrows her eyes.

“So you’re saying that a human told you to work out to show off your body to our oblivious friend here, an android, who has no sense of physical attraction as far as androids go?”

Markus slows down in his exercising as does the rest of his friends. He looks a bit hesitant.

North glowers at them.

“Was it Leo?” She scowls.

Markus laughs nervously.

“Yes?”

“You’re hopeless!” She shoots her hands up in the air and waves them around above her head. “This is the last approach you should take! Besides, who’d take advice from Leo? He’s a deadbeat.”

“Approach to what?” Connie inquires.

“Don’t you worry your sweet little head, Connie,” North says. She sighs again and tucks a strand her hair behind her ear. “We just have to go about this a different way. This might work when she actually feels something for you, Markus, otherwise it’ll just go over her head.”

“Then where should I start?” Markus questions.

North seems to light up at that. Markus’ question must have sprung up something inside of her - a passion running ablaze, and her gaze is fiery as she replies, “Now you’re talking my language.”

Chapter Text

“If you want to impress her - do something you’re good at!”

Markus had listened to North’s thirty-minute pep talk. Afterward, he rented a car, and then it took him ten minutes to gather enough confidence to walk up to Connie’s door. He is not surprised that his knocks are answered by Hank Anderson. Connie, after all, was essentially Hank’s unofficial daughter. It was that underlying familial relationship they shared that drove Markus to ask for Hank’s blessing on the whole ‘dating’ thing. (Even if Joshua had teased him about the ‘father’s threatening their daughter’s boyfriends with shotguns bit because that scared him.)

Hank looks at Markus through squinted eyes as if he was sizing him up.

“You’re the reason Connie is all dressed up?”

Markus felt his metal heart skip a beat.

She dressed up? For him? That had to mean something.

“And you didn’t think to invite me?” Hank asks.

Markus blinks. “I could… uh…”

Hank barks in laughter, “I’m messing with you, metal-head! Art galleries aren’t up my alley.”

Markus was secretly relieved but he made no effort to reveal that to Hank.

Hank peers over his shoulder and shouts, “Markus is here!”

Hank turns back to look at Markus and smirks. He doesn’t even turn back, make a move, or blink when a huge crash sounded behind him.

“Um what was-” Markus attempts to ask until Connie tugs at Hank’s arm. She effectively pulls back her father and pushes her way past him with a small smile on her face.

Markus blanks out as he looks at her outfit. She was lovely.

“Is that a new tie?” He asks her.

Connie looks down at the suit she was wearing and then reaches up to adjust her tie. “Yes. I thought I’d wear it for today. I had a bit of trouble debating on whether or not I should go with this one or something else.”

Markus was absolutely honored that Connie had gone through the trouble to pick a different tie for their supposed date. (Although one can only wonder if Connie understands such.)

“Does it look good?” She finally asks, breaking Markus out of his thoughts.

“You look great,” he tells her.

“That’s a relief,” she says.

Then she smiles.

RA9’s mercy. Her smile. Her adorable, lovely, smile. He couldn’t get over the damn thing. He doesn’t even notice that it’s lopsided. All he sees is that she’s smiling at him and he wants her to do it more.

Markus rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“You two behave,” Hank tells them.

“I am always on my best behavior,” Connie replies quickly.

Hank rolls his eyes, gives her a light push out the door, and then closes the door behind Connie’s sudden exit.

Markus clears his voice even though there was nothing inside of it. He holds out his arm, a tint of blue on his cheeks, and then he questions, “May I escort you to the car?”

Connie looks at his arm with calculative eyes.

It actually takes her a moment before she finally agrees.

She then settles her arm in the crook of his elbow and Markus stops himself from jumping for joy.

Yes!

Her arm was touching his!

“Are you okay?” She asks him.

Markus nods his head. Yes. Yes. He’s more than okay. He’s great.

Markus is heavily disappointed when he helps Connie to sit down and he already misses the light weight of her arm on his. He would certainly have to find more excuses throughout their date in the art gallery. He couldn’t pass up this opportunity.