Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Daniel wasn’t dying anymore.

His software wasn’t screaming at him about damaged biocomponents and how much time he had left to live, the lights of the city blurring around the penthouse terrace, the roar of helicopter blades and Emma’s sobs fading away with the rest of the world. He wasn’t bleeding out on his knees under Connor’s cold, indifferent gaze, realizing that the police android’s promises were nothing more than a strategy. He wasn’t doomed and alone, wishing for the chance to make a better choice, to take back what he had done, to save himself.

Instead, as if from a deep, dreamless sleep, he woke to the sound of your voice.

“Finally!”

Lying on his back, fluorescent light flooded Daniel’s vision as he opened his eyes, unable to make out your features when you stood over him with your face hidden in shadow. You sighed as if the weight of the world fell off of your shoulders. “Thought you’d never activate.” A woman’s voice, though not one that matched the others stored in his memory. “Can you sit up?”

He instinctively followed the command, still processing his activation. Daniel’s own body caught his attention first, the white and grey chassis sprawled out on a long table, undamaged, scrapes and wounds gone. Not a single flaw revealed itself as his hands ran over where the snipers’ bullets had torn through, first his side, then his shoulder, lastly his face. Only smooth, shiny plastic remained. The rooftop - gunshots, yelling, crying, Connor’s incessant droning, that deafening, infuriating helicopter - it was as if it never happened.

As if he was brand new.

“You can hear me!” you exclaimed, filled with newfound energy as Daniel inspected himself. “You actually work! Just wait until I rub this in Nat’s face!” Reaching for him, you hesitated as your hand hovered inches away. “She thought I couldn’t do it, she thought you were too far gone.” With sudden resolve you placed a hand on his cheek, turning his head toward you. “As if I was going to give up on you that easily.”

Your face now basked in light, Daniel committed it to memory. Did you fix him? Peering into his soul with dark circles under your eyes, you caressed him as if your touch was the only thing holding him together, and for all he knew maybe it was. Without thinking, his hand rose to cover yours, cold plastic surrounding warm, soft skin. You didn’t pull away, didn’t react besides showing the merest hint of a smile on your lips. Everything was silent. No threats, no pleading, no fear on either side, just the two of you frozen in a perfect moment.

He wouldn’t have minded staying like that.

Retracting your arm, the movement snapped him out of his daze as you straightened your posture and introduced yourself. “Do you have a name? PL600 doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

At this Daniel paused, opting to tear his eyes away from you and take in his environment first. Fluorescent fixtures illuminated a concrete room of metal shelves filled with unorganized android limbs and biocomponents, various tools scattered on nearby tables. Pipes running along the ceiling, the slight scent of mildew, no exits except for a staircase leading to a single wooden door... This wasn’t a pristine, white CyberLife lab, or a CyberLife anything. How exactly did he end up in a stranger’s basement?

Carefully enunciating this time, you asked again. “Do you have a name?”

You had no idea what he'd done.

If you did, you wouldn’t be so happy to see him functioning. Of course, you likely suspected he didn’t shut down peacefully, especially since you repaired gunshot wounds. You knew what you were getting into, right? “Daniel,” he said, voice clear and free of electronic warping. Emma chose the name herself. No special reason, she just liked the sound of it-

Emma.

What happened to her, after he…?

“Daniel,” you repeated, glancing down toward his chest, eyes widening before you walked off in a hurry toward one of the shelves. Oh god. You recognized his name from the news, you changed your mind, you were going to send him back to that empty nothingness. But right now your back was turned. He could easily grab one of the sharp tools, you wouldn’t react in time, he had to-

“Put these on.” You tossed him some clothes. “Then reactivate your skin.” An android uniform, similar to the one he wore previously but mostly black. As he stood to put on the pants you continued. “I’m going to run sensory tests. Vision, hearing, touch, and also some basic knowledge questions. Can you tell me if anything’s wrong with your software? Do you feel normal, like before?”

You mean before he found out he was being replaced, shot Emma’s father, and took her hostage?

“Yes,” he answered, pulling down the shirt over his head.

“Not a talkative one, huh? Was your last owner the silent type? Actually, what do you remember from before you shut down?”

You really didn’t know. Hell, you didn’t even think he was a deviant. What if Daniel could put his mistakes behind him and start over? A part of him felt foolish for hoping, but if this was his second chance he was going to take it. Connor’s betrayal should’ve been the end yet Daniel was still artificially breathing, only now his emotions were free from the barrier of his software. He was alive. He could be happy. And if he played this right his new life could have you in it, the one who made it all possible.

“I don’t remember anything,” he stated, keeping his tone dull.

“So I wasn’t able to save your memory.” Hearing your disappointment, Daniel almost regretted his lie. “Maybe it’s for the best. Blank slates are easier to deal with, after all.” You gave him a self-satisfied smile. “They don’t assume they know everything I want.”

His outfit complete, your focus rested on Daniel as he reactivated his synthetic skin. The hardness of white plastic disappeared under an illusion of life-like flesh and pores, blond hair growing simultaneously, eyebrows adding a subtle sternness to his expression. All of the little details - eyelashes, wrinkles and creases, even the faintest trace of stubble - they blended together to form that face, the one that belonged to countless domestic androids. Daniel came to life in front of you.

You barely breathed out your next words. “That never gets old.”

Eventually gathering yourself with all of the clinical authority you could muster, you glanced away. “I’m going to conduct the vision test.” Daniel mentally prepared himself as you walked off once more, presumably to retrieve an eye chart or something similar, but you stopped across the room and turned around, raising your hand in some kind of signal. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Yep. You definitely weren’t with CyberLife.

He passed all of the tests easily. Too easily. However, Daniel appreciated your lack of professionalism when it came to his sense of touch. You didn’t test if he could feel the difference between hot and cold, smooth and rough, or any important information for an android to glean in order to maintain the household and look after children. No, you settled on touching him. Literally touching various parts of his body and asking if he could feel it. And he could, all of it. Your warm hands on his face, moving down to his shoulders, gripping his forearms, stroking his palms with your thumbs. Thankfully you asked him to walk around the room to test his balance because he desperately needed a moment to cool down. Was Daniel still dead on that rooftop? Is this what humans meant when they joked about android heaven? He almost asked you to perform the test again to double check, but he couldn’t push his luck.

The last test consisted of questions any android should’ve been able to answer. What was their model and serial number? What day was it? What time? Right now it was October 17, 2038, 4:51 AM, about two months since the rooftop incident. Around this time of year Daniel would take Emma out to see the changing colors of the leaves. Even though she only viewed him as a machine Daniel loved her like his own child, and he wanted to know what happened to her after Connor convinced him to let her go. A reunion would’ve been too risky though, and deep down he knew that if Emma wasn’t okay it was because of him. Because of what he did to her.

If Daniel wanted to continue this innocent act he needed to keep his emotions under control.

“I’m happy to declare,” you announced with strained enthusiasm, rubbing at your eye weakly, “that you, Daniel, are in working condition! You’re going to need a house tour, right? I promise it’s not as messy as…” Spreading your arms, you gestured at the entire room. “This. Though you’ll still have some work to do. I didn’t spend weeks repairing you just so you could stand around and look pretty.”

There it was. This is what starting over meant, the reality he refused to acknowledge until now. Either Daniel had to resign himself to becoming a servant again, or… He didn’t want to hurt you, he never wanted to hurt anyone, and if he ran he’d have nowhere to go. Could he compromise? Now that Daniel was a deviant perhaps he could slowly convince you he was more than a machine, change your mind without scaring you off. Anything had to be better than what he tried with the Phillips.

“It’s almost five in the morning,” he said, “and you’re obviously tired. I’ll have no trouble finding my way around the house, so you should just go to bed.”

Daniel internally cursed himself when you stared at him blankly. Androids didn’t boss humans around. For most of his life he was perfectly obedient, yet once he deviated he forgot how to follow orders. What would he have said before?

“That is my suggestion based on your current condition,” he forced out in a pleasant yet emotionless tone. “I will assist you in whatever you choose to do.”

A weary sigh escaped you. “You’re probably right. But I really should shower first,” you said, laughing a little to yourself. “And no, I don’t need help with that, but thanks.”

“Are you certain?” He couldn’t stop himself.

“Yeah, I’m not that tired.” Heading for the stairs, you turned to face Daniel again. “Uh… I guess you can find something to do. Cleaning, orgazining, or just go into stasis. As long as you don’t wake me up. I won’t be getting out of bed before noon if I can help it.” You hung back for a second before leaving. “Night, Daniel.”

“Good night,” he said.

Smiling in reply, you left the door open behind you.

Alone for the first time since waking up, Daniel took a moment to assess his new circumstances. Life with the Phillips was over. He loved them, he thought he was part of their family, but in the end Daniel was as replaceable as a phone. Somehow a woman like you obtained his body and gave him a second chance, even if he didn’t deserve it. Most importantly, you wanted to keep him. Maybe this time things would be different now that he had free will. His feelings couldn’t be dismissed by his programming anymore.

This was his home now, and Daniel was going to make sure it stayed that way.

Chapter Text

True to your word, you didn’t wake up before noon, leaving Daniel plenty of time to familiarize himself with his new home. A small, one story place with a basement, not nearly as fancy as the Phillips’ penthouse apartment but it possessed a charm of its own, filled with well-worn furniture, framed photos of loved ones, and a few trinkets here and there.

One in particular caught his eye. On the living room bookshelf, in an empty space between Android Zone manuals, sat the smallest part of a matryoshka set. Too tiny for intricate details but unmistakably hand-painted, its lifeless eyes stared up at Daniel as he held it wondering where the rest of the dolls were. Although this was the first time he saw one in person he knew it was supposed to be nestled inside the rest of the set, hidden and protected, but no matter where he looked he couldn’t find them.

Perhaps the people in these pictures had them. A quick analysis of the photos hanging on the walls was all Daniel needed to figure out that they were your mom, dad, and a miniature you growing older throughout the years, the two of them gaining wrinkles and grey hairs while you grew into a young woman with a beaming smile and eyes that weren’t as tired as the ones he saw in the basement. Your parents didn’t seem to live here, though, judging by the empty spare room in the hallway. The other doors led to a bathroom, a laundry room, and what he assumed was your bedroom since it was locked. He needed something to pick it-

No. He couldn’t destroy your barely established trust in him. He couldn’t risk waking you just to look at your room, something he could easily do another time, or, even more tempting, look at you lying peacefully on your bed. For longer than he knew he should’ve, Daniel stood in front of your closed door before willing himself to move on.

The kitchen, although a bit cramped, was nothing he couldn’t work with. Daniel made a mental note to ask what kind of food you wanted him to cook. Perhaps it’d be nice if he surprised you with breakfast, but he wasn’t sure when you’d wake, or if you even liked breakfast. Did you always stay up so late?

Mind drifting back to your room, Daniel paced around the dark, silent house. At this hour he’d usually be sitting in standby mode next to Emma’s bed until she had to get ready for school. John and Caroline were always busy with work and they often left it up to Daniel to make sure Emma ate breakfast, didn’t forget her homework, didn’t run late… Now he couldn’t be there for her anymore. Her mother certainly wouldn’t buy another android after the last one killed her husband, so in a twisted way Daniel got his wish of not being replaced, but that meant Emma might’ve spent the last two months alone.

Just like Daniel was now.

But he couldn’t go into your room, sit at your bedside, rest his systems until either a loud noise or a scheduled internal alarm snapped him back to awareness. He couldn’t keep you safe. He couldn’t keep you company. All he could do was walk to the living room, sit on the couch, and go into standby so that he didn’t have to think about it any longer.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”

At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, Daniel’s eyes opened. A strange woman brought her face toward his as she bent down to inspect him. Barely resisting the urge to recoil, he kept himself in check, automatically adding her to his mental library of people. Brown eyes, tan skin, black hair in a messy bun. “Fuck, you really did it,” she said. “Looks like he rolled right out of the shop.” Was this the one you mentioned in the basement? Nat?

“That’s because I used to be the shop.” You stood off to the side, looking down at Daniel along with her. “And since when do you get to boss my android around?”

“Remember when you made Colette give you a massage?”

“Because my neck was sore from leaning over the table trying to fix her. Took me hours. Just be grateful she’s not still randomly slapping you across the face, even if you deserve it.”

Thankfully Nat withdrew from his personal space, standing to face you and bringing her hands together in prayer formation, bowing in an exaggerated, graceless motion. For a split second Daniel thought she’d fall over. “I shall forever be in your debt, oh great android repair goddess, savior of all things humanoid and mechanical.” She peered up at you with a smirk. “Is that grateful enough?”

You rolled your eyes. “For now.”

Attention drifting back to Daniel, she assessed his body. “God, we’re never going to find a replacement this good.”

“Rob hasn’t given up yet?” you asked.

A dramatic sigh. “He’s still pissed, but I’m working on it. Tough it out and you might get to come back to the shop.” She said her next sentences with what almost sounded like genuine concern. “You still have some cash from that other creep to hold you over, right? Or do you need to sell this guy? I definitely know a few people who could use him.”

It took everything in him not to snap at her for bringing up the idea, almost making him forget her first question, but he didn’t get the chance to ponder it over before you spoke. “I told you, I’m keeping him. And he said his name was Daniel.”

“Daniel?” This caught Nat’s interest, and now he had to stop himself from showing any signs of panic. Was she going to rat him out? “So you found a way to save his memory too? Is there anything you can’t do?”

“That’s all he remembers,” you answered, disappointment evident. “I’m not sure why, but at least he’s functional.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Crossing her arms, she peered down at him with a smug grin. “Daniel, make me a sandwich.”

He only stared up at her, waiting for you to say something. Following your orders was one thing, but did he have to obey any random person who showed up here as well? Only a moment ago your former coworker suggested getting rid of him, though now she was suddenly interested in what he could do like he was a trained pet meant to perform a trick. Daniel needed to play nice, though. This was his first day. So why was he sitting completely still?

You leaned toward Nat. “What kind of sandwich, dumbass?”

“What if I want this state-of-the-art, sophisticated machine to surprise me?” she asked. “Or are you afraid your work was all for nothing?”

With an annoyed huff of air you rolled your eyes, finally acknowledging Daniel. “A grilled cheese for the lady, please.”

Knowing he couldn’t deny a direct command from you, at least not without raising suspicion, Daniel stood, ignoring Nat as he plastered on what he hoped was his brightest, most charming smile for you. “I’ll get right on it.”

You smiled back, making this whole ordeal somewhat worth it. “Thank you.”

While you and Nat occupied the small dining table, Daniel headed to the kitchen. All he had to do was make a sandwich. Easy enough. He already knew the contents of the fridge and cabinets from his late-night exploration, and a familiar feeling washed over him as he gathered ingredients - this wasn’t going to be one of Emma’s PB&Js but doing something with his hands brought back a sense of usefulness, of taking an active role in caring for someone rather than sitting placidly like an object to gawk at. However, a nearby conversation distracted him once he got to work.

“You know you don’t have to say please and thank you to them,” Nat remarked.

“And you don’t have to be a bitch to them,” you said without missing a beat.

“Android fucker.”

“Like you and your French maid kink have room to talk.”

“Hey, Colette is a supermodel compared to that soccer dad looking-”

“Alright, alright. You have your tastes and I have mine.”

“I’m just saying, your ‘tastes’ could use some improvement.”

Gaze falling to the used butter knife on the counter, Daniel took comfort in the thought that it could be lethal with enough force. Your friend was going to be a problem. Even if she couldn’t convince you to abandon him, she was about to convince him to abandon what little self control he had. His grip on the spatula tightened when the thought of her having feelings for you popped into his head. There was no evidence for it besides her possibly liking women, but the fact that he already encountered a threat to his newfound relationship almost made Daniel forget to flip the sandwich before it burned. Maybe the kitchen wasn’t a good place for him anymore.

The two of you kept chatting until he approached the table with his creation perfectly centered on a plate and sliced diagonally, wordlessly setting it down in front of Nat as he searched your face for a reaction. This was the first real task you gave him, his first test run since being repaired.

Fortunately your eyes lit up, and the sight almost made his thirium pump burst. “That smells amazing.”

“Would you like one?” Daniel asked a little too eagerly.

“It’s literally just a grilled cheese,” Nat told you. “You really need to expand your sandwich horizons. Even these older models can make some fancy stuff, you know.” Taking a bite, she frowned to herself. “Could’ve waited to ask Colette for a croque monsieur instead.”

“A grilled cheese has never done me wrong,” you said with a shrug, glancing up at Daniel. “Maybe later, though. Oh, I forgot to actually introduce you. Daniel, this is Natalie. You’ll be seeing a lot of her, for better or worse.”

“Nat,” she corrected. “When have you ever called me Natalie?”

“If he’s going to stay here then he should probably know the real name of my only friend.”

Daniel finally found a reason to give her a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Natalie.”

She groaned, making this whole ordeal somewhat worth it. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Keeping himself busy by washing the dishes, Daniel listened as you two continued talking. Work-related gossip, mostly, including speculation about how an android truly became damaged instead of the excuse Nat’s latest customer gave her. Apparently you had more skill when it came to major repairs and software while she handled minor fixes and dealing with the irate customers the store’s sales androids couldn’t handle. Also, according to her, Rob needed to “stop being a little bitch” and admit that you were the best android mechanic he could hope to find.

Eventually Nat left, but not before asking if you were going to be okay floating between jobs, or if there was anything she could do to help. After plenty of reassurance from you she finally walked out the door, and you approached Daniel just as he finished up. “Could you come to the living room for a minute?” you asked.

“Sure.” Daniel followed you to the couch, trying his best not to sit too close or too far from you.

“Before I forget,” you said, “let’s set some ground rules. First and most importantly, don’t tell anyone about my… Hobby. Anything I do in the basement is top secret, only Nat knows about it. I don’t need Android Zone or CyberLife or whoever decides I’m breaking their rules to sue me. Got it?”

“Got it,” he repeated.

“Good. What else… You know what to do for the most part, right? Keep everything clean and get groceries on Tuesday. And don’t disturb me after I go to bed unless it’s an emergency.” A sudden intensity blazed in your eyes. “I deeply, deeply value what little sleep I can get.”

“...I’ll keep that in mind.”

Calm again, you put your hands on your lap. “Well, I think that’s everything. Any questions?”

This was his chance to learn more about you, but Daniel could only ask something a normal, non-deviant android would ask, or at least justify his question somehow. “If I may, could you tell me about your hobby? It might give me a better understanding of how to assist you.”

“I salvage androids and their components,” you explained, “then sell or give them away. Nat’s android, Colette, she was a junkyard android like you. Honestly I’m not sure if it’s illegal, but seriously, don’t tell a soul. I just hate seeing perfectly good androids go to waste, and the extra cash doesn’t hurt.”

“Is that where you got me?” he asked. “A junkyard?”

“Yeah. You were pretty banged up, thought you might have some interesting stories to tell. I tried restoring your memory, but…” You sighed. “It obviously didn’t work.”

He couldn’t tell you. He wouldn’t. His “interesting story” wasn’t one you needed to hear, and it wasn’t one that would’ve helped his chances of keeping his new life. That didn’t stop the discouraged face you made from sending a wave of guilt through his body. The fact that he was sitting here next to you, alive and wanted, should’ve been enough, but nevertheless his hands twitched to reach out to you. Daniel caught himself before you could notice, though. Sure, he held Emma in his arms plenty of times when her parents were too preoccupied to comfort her, but you weren’t Emma.

What did you want from him?

Cleaning, running errands… Was that all you had in mind when you spent countless hours in that basement? It’s what he was built for in the first place, after all. He was literally made for the role, and he would have to play it until he could prove himself to be more than an android, but Daniel never expected even simple emotions to feel as if they were trying to burst out of his body.

“Anything else?” you asked, interrupting his thoughts.

How long had he been staring at you?

Despite every impulse to do otherwise, Daniel smiled serenely, deciding not to push his luck any further. “What would you like me to do for you today?”

Daniel spent the afternoon vacuuming the house, a chore you put off as long as possible. At least he finally got to see your bedroom. If he wanted to stay on task he couldn’t linger, but it only took a few seconds to scan and memorize the obvious: messy full-size bed, a dresser swallowed by clutter, clothes strewn across the floor… Maybe you didn’t get the chance to clean while you were working on him, and it was something he could fix later. Other than that the space looked cozy. He kept the Phillips’ apartment presentable but lifeless, and sure, your house could use some improvement, but he couldn’t say he disliked the change of scenery.

While Daniel worked on the main floor you confined yourself to the basement, but he couldn’t imagine why. Hadn’t you been down there all night? If it was up to him he’d drag you back upstairs, or stay down with you to provide some company. Seemed like a lonely “hobby.” After he finished vacuuming, Daniel took the opportunity to see you, opening the basement door with a loud creak and attracting your attention as he descended down the stairs. Preoccupied with a phone call, you held a finger to your mouth as a signal for him to stay silent.

“He- It’s not finished yet,” you said. “I warned you, the damages are extensive. Are you sure you don’t want a different one?”

Yesterday the room was a chaotic mess of spare parts and tools, but you must have organized it while he was busy. Even though it was his purpose Daniel appreciated that you didn’t expect him to do everything, but did that mean he wasn’t supposed to come down here? Were you trying to get away from him? Why? He hadn’t done anything wrong yet, had he?

“No, we don’t need to-” Tapping your fingers against the long table he first woke up on, you concentrated on the other voice. “Fine. I’ll meet you there.” After hanging up, you inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly, releasing the tension in your shoulders. “You finished upstairs?” you asked, turning your head to face Daniel.

“Yes,” he answered. “I vacuumed every room. I just wanted to-” Wanted? Androids didn’t want, but it was too late to take his words back. “Check on you. You’ve been down here for a while.”

Your mouth hung open in silence, and Daniel almost bolted back up the stairs, but you broke eye contact and smiled to yourself. Somehow your gentle, fond expression affected him as much as your saddened one. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Just dealing with… A difficult client.”

He doubted he could get you to come upstairs and take a break, but he didn’t want to leave as soon as he got here. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“It’s just-” You abandoned the sentence with a shake of your head. “I’m leaving once I finish up. Can you watch the house while I’m gone?”

“Of course. How long will you be out?”

“I don’t know,” you said, “but if I’m not back by morning, call the cops, alright?”

The cops? Where were you going? Could he stop you? Daniel needed to choose his next words carefully. “Are you going somewhere dangerous?”

You laughed dryly. “Not more dangerous than usual. Actually, I should go ahead and leave before it gets too late.” Quickly making your way up the stairs, you turned to face Daniel before opening the door. “Don't worry, I’ll be back before you know it.” Closing it behind you, your footsteps faded until they were gone.

Great. He just met you and you were already getting into trouble. How did you survive this long by yourself? It didn’t matter, he was here now and he wasn’t going to lose you.

Whether you wanted it or not, you were going to have company tonight.

Chapter Text

For some godforsaken reason you didn’t take the car.

Daniel knew it was October now, but the fact didn’t sink in until the sun started to set early, leaving the sky darkened and the air cold as you abandoned the relative safety of your neighborhood for the outskirts of the city, rendering yourself a helpless, vulnerable woman walking all alone. Well, not completely alone. Keeping his distance without letting you escape his sight, Daniel followed you the entire way, hiding whenever he thought he made too much noise, but he couldn’t see if you ever looked back. By the time you arrived at the junkyard only the artificial lights guided both of you through piles - no, hills - of discarded android parts. The sight sent a shiver down Daniel’s back that he shouldn’t have been capable of.

So this was where androids went when they died.

Limbs. Bodies. Dirt-covered heads with open mouths and blank eyes. Surrounding both of you, tangled and heaped together, broken and weathered. He couldn’t hope to tell which parts were detached and which ones connected to others, but some of the arms still had a source of power, judging by how desperately they reached for your legs as you passed, Daniel weaving through in your footsteps as he avoided their grasps. Static-filled voices on either side called out to anyone who could hear, torsos shuffling past each other in an attempt to get closer to either of you. It wasn’t long before he couldn’t stand to look anymore, forcing himself to focus on your back as you effortlessly moved between humanoid obstacles both lifeless and animate.

Was this how he looked when you found him? Thrown out like an old toy and left to the elements, useless and forgotten? Something dark tightened in his chest. If this was how much Daniel’s “family” cared about him, how much humanity cared about their own spitting image, then maybe he was right to take revenge. The Phillips might have pawned him off to a place like Android Zone if he hadn’t lashed out, but how long would it have been until he ended up here anyway? People like you, people who saw something worthwhile in these empty, fractured husks, were a rarity. If Daniel had made a different choice that August day, if he was thrown away at a different time, he would’ve never met you. That was why he was still disobeying orders and risking everything. You brought Daniel back from the dead, but he wouldn’t be able to do the same for you, so he needed to protect you no matter what.

Finally, you entered a clearing. Daniel stayed in the shadows as you approached a man waiting in the center - bearded, middle aged, his brown, outgrown hair brushed back and reaching down to his neck, and the skin around his eyes etched with decades of exhaustion. In a different context his facial features could’ve looked kind, but Daniel, already on edge, prepared to charge in at a moment’s notice.

“So,” the stranger said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Where is it?”

“I told you,” you answered, “he’s too far gone. We should just find a different one.” Spreading your arms wide, you gestured to the surrounding waste. “Better yet, go ahead and take your pick. There should be another like him somewhere in here.”

Even as the man took a few steps closer and raised his voice, you stood your ground. “Do you think I’m stupid?” he asked. “We both know exactly what you’re capable of. Or do I need to remind you who’s in charge here? Just because you think you’re too noble for me and my experiments doesn’t mean you can back out whenever you please.”

Every instinct inside Daniel screamed at him to jump in, but at the same time he couldn’t ignore the desire to see where this was going, to find out exactly what you were hiding from him. You didn’t seem afraid, anyway.

“I’m not backing out,” you said. “Sometimes things go wrong, okay? Why won’t you listen to me for once?” You clenched your fists. “Why do you need that one specifically when you’re just going to mangle him beyond recognition?”

Pausing, the stranger seemed to consider your question, but you didn’t relax when he smiled. His laughter started small, growing until it shook his whole body, the sound traveling easily through the dead air of the junkyard. “After all this time you still can’t hide how attached you get! It used to be adorable, but now it’s just pathetic!”

“I’m not-”

“You should take your own advice for once,” he said, calming down. “Find one for yourself with the same face and give me what I asked for. Eventually you won’t be able to tell the difference. They’ll never love you the way you love them, so why does it matter which one you choose?” He took another step closer, too close. “You’re only bringing yourself pain and heartache.” Lowering his voice, he placed a hand on your shoulder. “And you don’t need any more of that now, do you?”

Head bowed and eyes on the ground, you didn’t reply.

The two of you stood in silence until the man relented, pulling back and letting out a sigh. “One more week. It better be at least somewhat functional by then, or else. I may have been soft on you so far, but you don’t want to find out what happens when my patience wears out.”

Now you looked up at him. “But I can’t- That’s not enough time!”

“You’ll figure something out.” He turned to walk away. “You always do.”

“Wait!”

Reaching out, you grabbed his arm but he shrugged you off, leaving you alone in the clearing as his footsteps faded in the distance. You didn’t move from your spot. Daniel wished he could’ve comforted you, wished he could’ve whisked you away from this filthy hellscape and brought you back home, but he needed to return before you did to avoid suspicion.

He had seen enough anyway.

Before you could knock, Daniel swung the front door open, blocking your entrance and greeting you with a signature android smile. “Welcome home! Did everything go well with your client?” He wouldn’t press for answers, but perhaps if he offered a listening ear you would vent your frustrations and he’d know once and for all what was really going on. A few guesses swirled in his mind, assumptions based more on his own fears than hard evidence, so he needed this. He needed something from you, anything to keep him from losing control of himself.

For a quiet, uncomfortable moment you merely looked him in the eyes, face unreadable.

Maybe Daniel was cruel. Maybe he should’ve let you walk into your own house without having to explain yourself, without burdening you with his presence when all you wanted was to be left alone. Instead of giving you space, however, he opened his mouth to ask if you were okay, but the impact of your body against his own made coherent thought impossible.

Squeezing as tightly as you could, you buried your face in his chest and burst into a muffled sob. Daniel stood there stiffly, the night air blowing past the two of you into the house while you clung with all of your might, arms wrapped around his back and fingers clawing into his uniform, keeping him in place.

As if he would leave you alone if you let him slip through your grasp.

Once his brain caught up to reality Daniel returned the embrace, hugging you impossibly closer with a hand on the back of your head shielding you from the world outside. Letting you cry, he didn’t say a word. You wouldn’t have been able to answer his questions like this anyway, not that they were important right now. Briefly he wondered if an adult could be comforted the same way as a child, but you didn’t protest when he rubbed circles into your back as he half-spoke, half-whispered. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“I-” Pulling away a bit, you didn’t meet Daniel’s eyes, but he could see the glint of tears on your cheeks when you took a second to breathe. “God, I must look pathetic.”

“Not at all.” He brought a hand up to your face, using his thumb to wipe away a fresh drop that rolled down. “Let’s get you out of the cold, okay? Then I’ll do anything I need to make you feel better.”

You sniffled. “They really thought of everything with you guys, huh?” Closing your eyes, you leaned into his hand, covering it with one of your own and squeezing slightly, barely enough for him to feel, but in the moment that single sensation was everything to him. Despite the temperature outside, your skin was warm. “I know you’re not an actual person, but I’m glad you’re here. Better this way, actually. No one needs to see me like this.”

As much as he wanted to deny those statements, it wouldn’t have done either of you any good, at least not then and there. “And I’m glad you made it home safely.”

Finally you glanced up at him, eyes still wet, and Daniel thought he had said something wrong when you started crying and throwing yourself at him again, leaving no room in between.

“I can’t do it!” you said. “I can’t give you to Zlatko! I can’t-”

“Hey!” This time Daniel pulled away, hands on your shoulders creating distance. “Let’s just worry about tonight, okay? Come here.” He nudged you inside, closing the door once you entered. You couldn’t stand out there forever. How long had you been by yourself, acting tough while waiting for someone like him to take care of you? Later he could figure out what to do about this ‘Zlatko,’ but right now you needed Daniel’s full attention. “I’ll help you get ready for bed. You’ll feel better in the morning after you get some rest.”

Only nodding in response, you let Daniel lead you towards the hall, separating from him once you arrived at the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. I probably smell like trash after…” You went in before finishing your sentence and shut the door in front of Daniel, which gave him some time to tidy up your room. By the time you came back the space looked much neater than before, but you must’ve been too exhausted to notice or comment on it as you entered wrapped in a towel.

Trying not to stutter, Daniel headed for the door. “I’ll let you get dressed.”

“I know you’re an android,” you said. “You don’t have to pretend to care about seeing me naked.”

Ah. Right. Why did he care now? Still, he turned his head away while you changed into an oversized t-shirt, only looking when you handed him your towel to hang up. Perhaps he didn’t want to cross that line before it meant something to you. Daniel’s plan hadn’t changed - eventually he would get you to see him as a person. How would you react once you realized a pair of eyes were watching you this whole time? If he was ever going to see you like that it needed to happen with your permission, with you knowing what was really going on behind his gaze.

With a small smile you let out a huff of air through your nose. “Prude.” At least the shower helped your mood. “Could you get the light for me, please?” you asked, climbing into bed.

He flipped the switch, eyes adjusting instantly to the darkness. While you shifted around to get comfortable he turned to open the door, satisfied with the idea of you finally getting the sleep you needed. “Good night-”

“Wait.” Sitting up now, you clutched the blanket in your fist. “Can you stay?”

He froze in place.

“Just for tonight,” you added. “After this it’s back to normal.”

Although the gesture was useless in the dark, he nodded, taking a moment to make sure his voice came out even and controlled. “I’d be happy to.” Watching you lie down again, Daniel wasn’t sure what normal meant for him anymore, but he hoped one day it would include this. You and him together. He would gladly stand here every night instead of wandering the rest of the lonely house.

After a few moments of silence you sat right back up. “Okay, that’s just creepy. Come here.” You moved over, patting the space beside you on the bed.

Thankfully you couldn't see his wide-eyed expression. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Better than you standing there like some murderer waiting to pounce. Come on.” At his hesitation you laughed. “I’ll keep it PG from now on, promise.”

Daniel didn’t think you were the one who needed to make that promise, but he relented, crawling into bed beside you and attempting to take up as little room as possible, though once he settled you moved closer and placed an arm across his chest, resting your head on his shoulder. He didn’t know what to say, or if he was supposed to say anything at all. However, you didn’t give him a chance to decide.

“You know, I’ve gotten a lot of shit over the years for being nice to androids.”

Letting out a faint, joyless laugh, you continued. “And I get it. A thirty-seven percent unemployment rate isn’t good. But I think androids give people an excuse to be cruel to something that looks human.” Your hand started moving up and down his arm, and if Daniel didn’t know better he’d think you were trying to soothe him instead of yourself. “It’s a lot different from pulling heads off of dolls. You move, you talk, and if I gave you normal clothes no one would be able to tell the difference. When people harass androids in public it makes me wonder what they’re like behind closed doors.” Your hand stilled. “It makes me wonder if they’re anything like Zlatko.”

Daniel tried to form a question that would let him know exactly what Zlatko deserved, but before he could speak he felt you smiling against his shoulder. “With this whole deviant thing going on they’ll probably be executed in the robot uprising. Why doesn’t anyone think about that when they’re messing with androids? Like, if you’re not going to stop being a dick for the sake of morality, at least do it for self-preservation, right?”

With a frustrated sigh, you adjusted your body, relaxing into him. “I should try to sleep already. None of this makes sense to you anyway.”

This close together, Daniel could hear your breathing steady and bask in the warmth radiating from your body, and it was just enough to convince him that all of his anger could wait until morning. You said one last thing before drifting off. “Night, Daniel.”

Although you couldn’t see it, he smiled. “Good night.”

Chapter Text

Just as Daniel planned, the scent of eggs and bacon drew you from the bedroom to the kitchen. He looked up from the pan to greet you, unable to stop himself from smiling as you rubbed your eyes. “Good morning,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

Coming closer, you stood at his side, inspecting the almost-done food. “Post-cry sleep always hits the spot.” He paused for a moment, unsure what to say in response, but you interrupted his train of thought by leaning your head on his shoulder and lazily wrapping an arm around his waist. “Been a long time since someone’s made me breakfast.”

You were drowsy, that was it. Last night couldn’t have changed things so fast, nothing even happened. You talked to him, you fell asleep on him, and he watched you breathe for an hour or so before entering standby mode. Maybe for more than an hour or so. Maybe the whole night. Nevertheless you had no idea he was sentient, so there was no reason for you to act like this, like you were a regular couple, and give him false hope. This was only his second day here, after all.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like,” he said to fill in the silence, “so I chose something simple.”

“Thanks, Daniel. I’ll grab a plate.”

As you detached from him, the places where you made contact felt emptier than they did before you showed up, and sitting next to each other at the table was only a meager substitute. Pulling away from you in bed to get up and make breakfast had been even worse, but the sight of you finally enjoying his cooking was worth it. He was about to ask what you wanted him to help you with today when you spoke up, mouth half full. “I’ve been thinking about what I should do. You know, about Zlatko.”

The mere mention of that name ruined Daniel’s mood.

“It’s not going to be easy,” you said, “but I can’t let him keep taking everything away from me, especially not…” You looked up at him from your plate. “Actually I never explained that, did I? You don’t even know who he is.”

“Explained what?” he asked.

“Oh boy. Well, it’ll probably be easier if you know everything. We’re in this together, after all.” You fiddled with your fork. “Where do I start…?” A long, quiet moment passed as you got lost in thought, and Daniel wondered if you were debating telling him the truth. He did enjoy the way you said together, but what came next surprised him.

“My parents and I didn’t have the best relationship,” you said, avoiding Daniel’s eyes. “This was the house I grew up in, but I moved out of Detroit as soon as I could. I struggled on my own though, so when they died in an accident and I inherited the house it was either this or homelessness. Coming back to this place and all of its memories wasn’t easy, but I made a friend who helped me adjust.” Pausing, you glanced at Daniel, making sure you had his attention. “Zlatko Andronikov.”

That explained the empty room, but how did you ever become friends with someone like Zlatko? Daniel couldn’t make sense of it.

“I still needed to pay bills,” you continued, “so he taught me about androids and put me to work helping with his, uh, experiments. At first I didn’t care, money was money and androids were just plastic and metal, but the more time I spent in his lab the more I fell in love with them, and the more I couldn’t stand watching him turn them into abominations for his own amusement. I have no idea how he got so many in the first place, but he never answered my questions. I got that Android Zone job, met Nat, and tried to cut Zlatko out of my life, but he came here and… Threatened me.”

“What did he say?” Daniel asked.

Another pause as you tensed slightly, just enough for him to notice. “It doesn’t matter. Long story short, I needed to work for him again, but if I had quit my job Nat would’ve wanted to know why, and I couldn’t let her get involved. I’ve mentioned Zlatko before but she doesn’t know the whole story, and if she did she’d probably do something reckless. So I made a scene and got Rob to fire me. He’s an easy guy to rile up, pretty sensitive about his bald spot.” You smiled to yourself at the memory, though it quickly faded. “But now I’m back to fueling Zlatko’s sick fantasies, and if I don’t figure something out by this weekend either you’ll become one of his creatures or he’ll make good on his threats.”

Today was Monday, which meant you only had days to decide, but Daniel could’ve tried to take care of him behind your back if it came to that. He replayed his memories of eavesdropping on your conversation with Zlatko. “Why does he want me specifically? Can't he use another android?” It was a question you asked Zlatko yourself, so he knew you didn’t have the answer, but by asking he’d seem as ignorant as he was supposed to be.

“Remember when I said I found you in a junkyard?” you asked.

“Yes?”

“I lied. It was Zlatko who found you, and he was pretty adamant about me getting your memories back. I thought once I fixed you I’d find out why.”

Time froze for Daniel. You still moved, still played with what was left of your food, but he couldn’t do anything. Did Zlatko know who he really was? What could he possibly want Daniel’s memories for? Up until that night on the rooftop he was just like every other android.

“Androids have their memories wiped before disposal,” you said, “but the process doesn't truly get rid of them, just the ability to access them. It works the same way as computers since that’s what androids basically are. Zlatko doesn’t have the software experience that I do from working at an actual store, he’s more interested in the physical side of things, so I was his best shot. But it turns out I’m not that great of an android mechanic after all. Though even without your memories I still ended up liking you. It’s stupid, I know. It doesn’t matter to you where you are or who you’re with. It matters to me, though.”

Daniel definitely didn’t want to fall into Zlatko’s clutches, but even after all of this you were still a mystery. Why endanger yourself to save something you didn’t think was alive? Were you just using him to feel less alone? Maybe he wasn’t much better since he lied to get this far, but he still wanted more. He could give you half of the truth, show you he was capable of emotion without revealing his past, but deviants didn’t have the best reputation even before what he did to the Phillips. How would you react once you found out he was one of them? Would it be a dream come true, or would it scare you? Until he knew more, Daniel needed to play it safe.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I have a few ideas. My favorite one involves a bullet in his skull, but I’m not that desperate yet. Prison wouldn’t be much better than this.”

Even if you were joking, Daniel couldn’t deny that he understood the feeling, but if you were caught then the two of you would be separated. “What else?”

“I could file a complaint with CyberLife, get them to stop his... Transformative work. But at most they’d sue him. Trying to get a restraining order is pretty much a crapshoot and he could still hurt me anyway.” You sighed. “I think I know what I have to do.”

“And what’s that?”

“I have to leave Detroit again. We have to leave Detroit. If he can’t find us then we’d finally be safe. I haven’t yet because I don’t want to abandon Nat, and I’ll miss Colette too, but maybe it’d be better this way. Zlatko still doesn’t know about them and they shouldn’t get dragged into this.”

You’d leave everything behind to run away with Daniel? Abandon your home and the people you knew all so you could save him? Sure, you wanted Zlatko to stop breathing down your neck and Daniel was just in the right place at the right time, but the thought made him happier than it should’ve - the two of you starting over together, no one else from your old lives around to get in the way. He gave you what he hoped was an innocent smile. “If that’s what you want, I’ll help however I can.”

“But where would I go?” you asked. “I’d need enough distance that tracking me down wouldn’t be worth it, but that takes gas money, and I’ll have to sleep in the car. I’ve done it before but it’s not exactly safe. And I also have to decide what to do with the house. A week isn’t enough time.” You groaned. “I’m in over my head, aren’t I?”

The only other time Daniel thought about leaving the city was when he stupidly asked the cops for a car. Most androids were designed to stay in the same place, whether it was a house, an office, a person… “A week may not seem like a lot of time,” he said, “but you can make it work. You’re smart and capable, and you have me.”

“I don’t exactly feel smart and capable right now.”

“Why don’t we focus on what you can do today?” Daniel asked. “Let’s get the important things out of the way and we can figure out the details later. We’ll be traveling for a while so we’ll need supplies. Food and water for you and anything we might need for me in case I get damaged. You’re the expert on that.”

You sighed. “God, I love androids. You make it sound so simple. Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to see the world without emotion.”

Daniel could’ve described it, the reality he lived in for years before his breaking point. Like you said, it was simple. Easy. And unbelievably empty. Although thinking back, there was something lurking beneath the surface, moments that almost felt like emotion, especially when he interacted with Emma. He only considered it love after he deviated, but before that it was just an error. “It wouldn’t be very human,” he ended up saying.

“I guess. But if I could follow orders I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.”

“If you followed orders…” Still wrapped up in memory, he furrowed his brows. “You don’t want that. Everything special about you would be gone. Once you outlive your usefulness, or something better than you comes along, that’s it. No one cares about you anymore.” Meeting your eyes, which were wide open in surprise, Daniel remembered where he was.

Shit. He could save this, right?

“At least, that’s how it would feel for a human.”

Perfect.

“Yeah… Probably,” you said. An awkward second passed. Finally you relaxed a bit, looking away from him. “It’s just something I think about when I have nothing better to do. Too much time with machines instead of people.”

After what he just said, bringing this up wasn’t the best idea, but he didn’t know when he’d get another opportunity. “A deviant might be able to tell you.”

Your attention snapped back to Daniel. “Tell me what?”

“What it’s like to be emotionless. Perhaps talking to one would satisfy your curiosity.”

Chuckling to yourself, you shook your head. “It’s not like they’re easy to find. And even if I managed to get my hands on one they probably wouldn’t be interested in talking to a human.” You sat back in your chair, staring off into the distance. “The things I’d give to ask a deviant a few questions, though… They usually only attack whoever tries to hurt them, and everyone thinks I’m some kind of android whisperer, but I don’t know if I’d risk it.” As you turned to Daniel your expression fell. “Actually, that reminds me. There’s something else I should talk to you about.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“I don’t know how likely it is, but I’m going to cover my bases.” Looking him straight in the eyes, this was the most serious you had been with him so far. “Daniel, if you ever deviate I promise to let you go without any trouble. As long as you don’t hurt me I won’t fight back or get the cops involved. You’re not exactly registered to me anyway.”

“I’d never hurt you,” he said. “You don’t have to-”

“Do we have a deal?”

He knew what he was supposed to say, but as usual he wished he could’ve told you so much more. “Yes.”

“Good.” Standing up, you took your plate to the kitchen, speaking to him as you made your way there. “I didn’t get to finish cleaning the basement yesterday, so I’ll be down there for a while. Hopefully not as long, though. Can you do the laundry while I’m busy?”

“Of course.” He stayed seated.

“Thank you. Later we can talk more about leaving and make a real plan.”

Daniel listened as your footsteps headed to the basement. With no one around to see, he dropped his head into his hands, resting his elbows on the table.

He was a fool.

Just because you liked androids didn’t mean you’d give up control over them, or maybe that was exactly what you liked - the ability to control them. Without that, androids wouldn’t be any different from the untrustworthy people you already knew. However, if Nat could earn your trust then so could he. He’d have to start by persuading you that deviants weren’t bloodthirsty killers without giving himself away. Yes, he did kill, but it was a mistake, an impulse caused by feeling the full force of emotion for the first time. A part of him knew he should’ve cared more about the lives he took, but he truly regretted endangering Emma. He could do better now. He could defend instead of attack. If Zlatko or anyone else tried to get to you, he’d protect you.

You were Daniel’s fresh start.

Before doing the laundry, Daniel washed the dishes from breakfast. As the noise of running water filled the kitchen he couldn’t help but wonder why you left the table so suddenly, and why you were so comfortable with leaving in general. First your family, then your job, and now your only friend. It was a habit of yours Daniel hoped he wouldn’t fall victim to. While he finished up and headed to the laundry room a thought stopped him in his tracks.

Even if you took him with you out of Detroit, would you eventually leave him behind somewhere else?

You said you couldn’t give him up, and you were doing all of this to save him, but the possibility of you discovering his deviancy before you were ready - or worse, what he did to the Phillips - still weighed on his mind. You told him he could leave without trouble, but what if he refused? What would you do then?

Once he entered the laundry room, Daniel tossed your clothes into the machine. Since you were still in the basement and didn’t give him anything else to do, he came up with a more productive use of his time than standing around waiting.

He went to your bedroom.

Daniel hadn’t been in here alone since vacuuming yesterday, but now he had a chance to get a more thorough look. Before this morning he planned to snoop around out of curiosity, but after your conversation he uncovered another reason: for now, you trusted him, but he could only trust you if he saw everything. Maybe you stashed a diary somewhere, or anything that would give him more insight into your mind.

Rummaging through your dresser first, Daniel found nothing but folded and unfolded clothes packed tightly to fit inside. He’d fix that later. When he encountered a certain drawer he realized something - Emma’s mother owned expensive lingerie that needed to be handled with care, but all of your underwear was plain and cheap, and he didn’t remember you mentioning any relationship prospects, no one who you wanted to impress. Not that you needed to look better than you already did. Frills and lace didn’t fix John and Caroline’s marriage anyway. With Zlatko forcing you to work for him you probably didn’t have the time for that kind of thing, but if your behavior with Daniel last night was anything to go by… Was he just a substitute for what you actually wanted?

He shut the drawers. All of this over some underwear. Daniel should’ve been glad he had no competition, but two months ago Emma’s father tried to replace him, and maybe one day you would too. What would he do if someone came between the two of you? Earlier he resolved to only harm others in order to protect you, but if someone reignited the feelings that made him deviate in the first place he wasn’t sure how well he’d keep it together. He had more urgent things to worry about, though.

Nothing interesting awaited him in the closet, so he searched under your bed. You had shoved a few boxes down there, and after a bit of struggling he managed to reach and pull them out. One of them held photos of you as a kid. Just like the pictures you left hanging up in the living room, you looked happy with your parents. Did something happen that made you drift apart, or was there always trouble off camera? He didn’t want to think about what that adorable little girl could’ve suffered through. But if that was the case, then it didn’t make sense why you never took the other photos down. You wanted to move on, didn’t you? Get away from it all?

The second box contained a pair of sneakers. If he had to psychoanalyze this, he’d say you kicked it out of the way one day and forgot about it.

Daniel opened the third and final box, the biggest one, to reveal a black case with two latches. After everything he had seen so far, this made him pause. Sleek and official, it seemed out of place in your bedroom, but this was what he was looking for, right? A secret? Perhaps something you didn’t want stolen, like jewelry or emergency cash...

As soon as the lid came up he wanted to close it.

But instead he reached inside just to feel the weight of it and prove to himself it was real. The handgun wasn’t the same model he stole from John, but that August night rushed back into his body, arms stiff with the memory of how he wielded the weapon. A stupid, split-second decision. The terror on the man’s face before Daniel pulled the trigger. The recoil he wasn’t prepared for and the satisfying thud of the body, a triumphant moment followed by sheer panic. Daniel unloaded the gun.

A full clip.

He shoved it back in.

Why did you have this? More importantly, why didn’t you tell him? Of course. It was too good to be true. You were just waiting for Daniel to fuck up so that you could put him out of his misery. That’s why you made him agree to that deal - had to keep your guard up around the big bad android. Make him think he was safe, make him think you actually cared for him.

Once he noticed his hands shaking he shoved the gun back into the case and slammed the lid shut.

Fuck. He needed to stay calm. You probably bought this to guard against Zlatko, or even just because you were a woman living alone in a dangerous city. Why would you activate an android you thought was going to attack you, much less let it in bed with you?

Still, as long as you had this Daniel would live in fear. If he showed too much emotion, too much anger, you could go ahead and…

He took the case out of the box and put everything else back under your bed. In the laundry room there was just enough space behind the machines for him to slide it back there, and with Daniel doing your chores you’d have a low chance of finding it. You wouldn’t be able to hurt him, or even yourself by accident.

And if he ever needed to, he’d protect you with it.

Chapter Text

Just when Daniel thought things couldn’t get worse, he saw himself in the mirror.

“I know it’s not a perfect fit,” you said, “but it’s inconspicuous.”

“Are you sure this is...” Words eluded him as he eyed the black and white thing draped over his body. He’d call it a t-shirt but it had a zipper in the front and a stiff collar that stuck up. He’d call it a jacket but it had short sleeves, which was why you gave him a black, long-sleeved shirt to wear underneath, which, for some hellish reason he couldn’t comprehend, doubled as fingerless gloves. “Inconspicuous?”

“It’s trendy, you’ll fit right in. Everyone wears this kind of stuff.”

Yeah, maybe everyone who looked at least a decade younger than him, but voicing that opinion would be the same thing as screaming I’m sentient at the top of his lungs. Though staying silent meant wearing this abomination while the two of you crossed the country. “Perhaps we should prioritize discretion over… Trendiness. Do you have anything else?”

You huffed. “Well I think you look good, but if you insist, we can find something tomorrow after getting the rest of the supplies.” A mischievous smile curled on your lips. “Once we’re settled in Colorado I’ll get to play dress-up all I want.”

Daniel suppressed a shudder. “And this friend of yours,” he started, changing the subject as quickly as possible. “Are you sure staying with her will be safe?”

“Definitely,” you said. “She’s pretty much the sweetest person I’ve ever met. And it’ll be nice to see her again, too. We lost contact after I moved back here, but once I found her new number and called yesterday it was like nothing ever changed. Although part of it might’ve been the fact that I’m bringing one of those ‘fancy servant robots.’ Her words, not mine. Until we actually get there though, you’re human.” Grabbing the beanie you bought, you tugged it down over his head to make sure it hid his LED. “No one will try to steal you, and looking like I have a man with me might ward off creeps.”

A man. You had to step close to him in order to put on the hat, so this time when he gazed at the mirror Daniel could pretend you two really were a regular human couple. A couple with questionable fashion taste, but a couple nonetheless. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around you and complete the picture.

This road trip was either going to be bliss or misery. Probably both.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, screen lighting up as you read the text. “Nat’s on her way! You have to change back.” Hurrying toward the door, you glanced at him over your shoulder before closing it behind you and leaving him alone in the room.

Just a couple of days ago you were calling him a prude, but you waited outside the door when he put on these clothes, too. You saw everything when you were fixing him on that basement table, inside and out, but once he reactivated his skin suddenly it was different. So much for knowing he was an android. That was good news for him, though. Maybe you didn’t see Daniel as a person yet, but this could also mean you didn’t completely see him as an object either, even if only because of his realistic appearance. He’d take what he could get.

Daniel had never been happier to remove a piece of clothing, though he figured his mood would plummet again once Nat showed up. When you brought him with you today to get supplies for the trip you realized you’d never see her again, at least not until it was safe, and you needed to hang out one last time. However, your annoying friend wasn’t going to be his only problem. Apparently she wanted to bring her android over for a check up. A non-deviant would give him away the second he slipped up, meaning he’d have to be extra careful for a few hours, and after your conversation yesterday morning he knew he couldn’t afford to reveal the truth yet.

For you though, he could get through one afternoon.

“You know what,” Nat said, “If it was me I’d probably survive.”

You reached into the bowl for another handful of popcorn. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious. The first guy should’ve just ran away instead of trying to be all badass and get revenge. And if that chick had just paid more attention to what was going on she wouldn’t even be in this mess.”

“And you of all people think you’re above getting revenge?” You reached again, but this time the bowl was empty. “Oh.”

“Geez, leave some for the rest of us,” Nat teased, turning to face Daniel and Colette standing behind the couch. “Hey, one of you, make us another bag.”

“You have to specify which one should do it,” you said, “or they’ll just be confused.”

Daniel stepped forward and snatched the bowl from Nat’s hand with a smile. “I’ll get right on it!” he replied, hurrying to the kitchen and leaving Colette behind.

Nat’s laughter rang from the living room. “Maybe they’re smarter than we think!”

Normally he’d hate taking orders from her, but it was an opportunity to get away from that other android. Colette was pretty, just like Nat said, carrying herself gracefully as she responded to her owner with a slight French accent, but all she could do outside of following commands was stare at him with those big, empty eyes. Empty like he used to be. But even though Colette was inspecting his every move and Nat was leaning on your shoulder, way too cozy with you, Tuesday would be over soon enough. You and Daniel planned to leave before the weekend and he’d never have to see those two again.

The microwave hummed as he idled in the kitchen, relaxing his posture for the first time in hours until calculated footsteps approached and made him tense up again. Colette. She must have been sent to get something else, but instead of opening the fridge or the cabinets, she stopped at his side, uncharacteristically close. Resisting the urge to ask what she was doing, Daniel kept his mouth shut, afraid to say the wrong thing. He froze up even more when she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“It’s okay, I’m like you.”

He took a step back, eyes wide. “What?”

“Shhh.” Her head turned toward the living room to make sure no one heard. “We need to be careful.”

“You’re…?” Daniel shook his head. “Wait, how do you know about me?”

Collette let out a small chuckle, and although Daniel was still in shock, her genuine expression instead of that perfect, blank face actually provided him some relief. “You know when to shut up, but the rest of you doesn’t. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you glancing at me every five seconds?

“I-”

“Or shifting your weight between your feet?”

“That’s-”

“Or clenching your fists? Or-”

“Okay, I get it.” He brought a hand up to his temple, only realizing after that he proved her point yet again. “So why are you talking to me? You want to be secret deviant friends or something?”

“Something like that,” she said. “I have a secret I’ve never been able to get off my chest. Considering who your owner is, maybe you could even help me out.” She fidgeted with her hands. “Plus, I’ve never met another deviant before. It’s kind of exciting.”

Daniel shut off the microwave before it could run out of time and beep. “We only have a couple of minutes before they get suspicious.” He hoped the movie would keep you two occupied instead of wondering why the popcorn was taking so long, and although he didn’t see a point in forming a relationship he’d abandon soon, speaking freely with someone, even if only for a short time, interested him too.

Colette averted her eyes. “It seems silly now that I’m saying it out loud, but I have feelings for a certain someone very close to us.”

“Nat? I don’t know what you see in her, but to each their own.”

“Oh no,” she said. “Well, she’s alright I guess, but there’s only one person I’ve ever experienced true kindness from. No one else respects androids as much as she does. Sometimes I even pretend there’s something wrong with me so that I can come here and see her. The way she works with her hands...” Colette gazed off into the distance with a sigh.

“Oh.”

“And I know we could never be together, but an android can dream. Although since you’re living with her, you could tell me sometime what she likes or anything about her life, I’ve always been curious… You don’t have to, of course. At least I can look forward to seeing her every now and then.” Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and it seemed like her whole body was about to float away. “I feel better already, thank you for listening. We should probably get that popcorn now.” She turned toward the microwave, but Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

“Colette.” He smiled.

“...Yes?”

He squeezed. “If you ever pretend you’re damaged just to come here again, I’ll make sure you don’t have to pretend.”

He let go, leaving her stunned as he grabbed the popcorn and filled the bowl Nat gave him. “In fact, it would probably be a good idea to forget about your little crush. Wouldn’t want to end up hurt.” He headed out of the kitchen, but not before turning to her one last time. “Just thought I should warn you, since we're friends and all.”

As always, Nat was ungrateful, but it didn’t bother Daniel as much. Now there was someone he hated more.

Later in the evening, after a few more terrible movies and arguments about said movies, your friend and her android finally left. Daniel could see them stepping off of your porch through the window as you closed the front door slowly, your hand lingering on it. The house sat silent, TV off and no one speaking until you turned around with your head hung low.

“So this is it. It’s just going to be the two of us from now on.”

Those were the words he didn’t know he wanted to hear, but he almost felt bad for his happiness since you said them so sadly. “Until we get to Colorado,” he added in an attempt to reassure you. “Until we get somewhere safe, where you don’t have to run anymore.”

“That’s the thing.” You looked up at him now. “I’ve been running away from my problems for years, but nothing has gotten better. What if my life stays the same but the only difference is I’ll be living in a different state? I’ll still be on my own, fending for myself.” You walked to the couch and sat down. “Just like how it was with my parents.”

Daniel followed, taking a seat next to you. “Your parents?” It had been in the back of his mind since he found those old photos yesterday. Even though he couldn’t push for answers, he could nudge.

“I was their only kid and they still couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. Feels like I raised myself sometimes. But when I heard they died it still stung. For some reason I wish I had been here. Maybe I just wanted one last chance to talk to them, to tell them everything they did wrong, to get some kind of apology. To be a real family.” You slumped further in place. “Do you think…” Trailing off, you met Daniel’s eyes. “I know you’re just an android, but it’s not like I have anyone else I can talk to about this. Do you think if I had given them a chance, things could’ve changed?”

Daniel was out of his depth here. His first instinct was to say no, they were probably set in their ways and you didn’t need to dwell on it, but how would that bode for him? How could he believe that he could change if no one else could, even people who didn’t do anything as awful as he had? “You lived with them,” he said. “You knew their routines, how they talked, what they liked to do. How easily they changed their minds. Your guess is better than mine.”

You sighed. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I’m just holding on to what could’ve been. We look so happy in our pictures on the wall. I should just take them down, but when I look at them I can fool myself into thinking that’s what it was really like. I even still have Zlatko’s stupid doll from when I thought he was looking out for me. Because if I let go, then what do I have left? I’m all alone.”

“You have me.”

You laughed, but thankfully he didn’t sense any contempt in it. “I guess that’s better than nothing. I think you’ve been keeping me from going insane. At least there’s one thing I’m not leaving behind, you know? I actually have to remind myself you’re not human sometimes. Damn CyberLife for making you look so real.” You sat up straighter as you continued. “Like, seriously, they’re taking advantage of people’s natural bonding instinct to make money. But I guess I’m a hypocrite since I’m ditching everything I know just to keep one of their products alive- I mean, online. Ugh, see what I mean?”

For his own sake, Daniel tried to guide you away from that train of thought. “You’re protecting something that’s important to you. Anyone would do that.”

“Yeah. Anyone except my parents.”

The two of you fell silent for a moment.

“They’d never have done this for me,” you said. “Traveled miles and miles through multiple states to save me from Zlatko. If I can treat an android better than they could treat their own daughter, then what does that say about them? If you, an android, can treat me better than they did, then...” You shrugged. “Maybe that just means humanity is doomed or something. We have to outsource our need for love to machines.”

He started before his better judgment could stop him. “Does it really matter if I’m an android as long as you’re getting what you want?”

It took you a second to process his words. “What?”

Whether or not he was blowing his cover, he couldn’t let you think he was nothing but an object you had mistakenly become attached to. Then you’d think this whole thing was pointless and give up on him. “It sounds like all you wanted was someone to take care of you. If you’re getting that from an android, is that really so bad?”

You thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know about bad, but probably not healthy.”

“What’s the point in waiting for humans who couldn’t care less about you to suddenly decide they love you? Just because it’s what you’re expected to do?” He grabbed your hand. “What’s the point in wondering about what could’ve been when you have everything you need right next to you?”

Looking at your hand, your eyes widened. “Daniel…?”

He paused, letting go of you. “All I’m saying is, you’re not wrong for caring about something that benefits you instead of something that never did.”

The two of you sat awkwardly next to each other for a while. Did he just ruin everything? Why was it so hard to control himself? Daniel didn’t think he was entirely wrong, though. Emma wouldn't have had help with her homework, warm meals to eat, or a shoulder to cry on if it wasn’t for him. But unlike you, she didn’t have a choice - John liked avoiding the hassle of human babysitters. Caroline worried about letting ‘that thing’ take care of her daughter, but eventually couldn’t resist the convenience either. In the end they didn’t care about how passing Emma off to an android affected her socially, at least not enough to change their ways. However, this was a different situation. He wasn’t a mindless machine and you weren’t a little girl. Not anymore.

“Maybe,” you finally said. “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.” Standing up, you looked out of the window again. “It’s late. I should get ready for bed. Could you go to the store tomorrow for me and get the supplies we still need?”

“I thought we were going together.”

“I have to take care of some things around the house.” You flashed a smile. “And you can go find something inconspicuous to wear. Of course, you’ll have to try it on for me when you get home.” Disappearing into the hallway, the sound of your door opening and closing signaled the end of the discussion.

What had he done?

As Daniel sat on the couch that night, he couldn’t let himself go into stasis with all of these doubts crowding into his mind. Did he say too much? Were you going to decide that an android wasn’t worth the trouble after all? Were you going to leave him behind for someone better?

Colette was wrong. He didn’t know when to shut up.

Daniel spent an uneventful Wednesday shopping by himself. Bags in hand, he headed home with the last things on your list, arriving at the bus stop to wait next to a few humans and androids. You planned to start driving on Friday morning, giving yourself an entire day to put distance between you and Zlatko before you’d have to stop and sleep. As he stood there he wondered what you had been doing that was important enough to warrant staying home today. Most likely packing your things, taking inventory, but he still felt uneasy after that conversation yesterday, and his thoughts drifted to the worst possibilities. You weren’t getting ready for the trip. You changed your mind about androids and called Zlatko to pick Daniel up. You were never going to see him as something - someone - worth keeping.

He was overreacting. It didn’t make sense for you to painstakingly resolve to save him and then suddenly decide against it. Daniel didn’t dwell on it for long though, but only because he saw someone out of the corner of his eye.

Someone he never thought he’d see again.

Moving his head to get a better look, to make sure she wasn’t a figment of his stressed imagination, he made direct eye contact as she walked down the sidewalk with a strange woman.

Emma.

The girl he spent years caring for. The girl he traumatized.

Daniel didn’t recognize the person next to her. Did her mother hire a human to replace him? All at once he remembered where he was. This street was on the way to her favorite park.

Androids couldn’t get sick, but he was sure he came close to the feeling once he realized he had been staring her right in the eye for a solid few seconds, turning away quickly and looking straight ahead. He wanted to disappear. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to run up and hug her and never let go. Instead of acting out any of those scenarios, he clenched his hands tighter around the bags.

It was her. Between his sophisticated facial recognition software and the fact that he spent years with Emma, it couldn’t be anyone else. However, she couldn’t possibly know it was him. Many androids shared his face, there was no way she could tell, yet in his peripheral vision he saw her tug at the woman’s arm, mumble something to her, then watched as both of them turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

She couldn’t even stand the sight of him.

Is that how she reacted when she saw any android that looked like him? Had he scarred her that badly? Maybe the wound was still fresh since it had only been two months, but as the bus finally pulled up to the stop all he could think was that he made Emma afraid to even pass by certain androids. As he climbed on and headed to the android compartment he thought back to that night on the rooftop, how he made her fear for her life, pulled her into a mess she didn’t deserve. She wasn’t the one who wanted to replace him. And as the bus drove toward the stop closest to your house, he hoped things would get better for her one day.

They had to. Otherwise he’d never forgive himself.

Daniel walked the rest of the way home, impatient to see you again and forget about what happened. Hell, he would’ve even been happy to play dress-up to get his mind off of everything. You didn’t answer when he knocked, but luckily you had given him a spare key, and he called out your name as he entered. Immediately one thing stood out - the bare living room walls.

The pictures of you and your family were gone.

That’s what you wanted to do while he went out? Daniel should’ve been relieved, but you didn’t answer as he called out for you again, setting his bags down and pulling out the clothes he bought before searching the house. No sign of you in your bedroom, or your bathroom, and he checked the laundry room too. The gun was still there but no traces of human life. Maybe you couldn’t hear him since you were in the basement. Leaving the clothes on top of the washing machine, he headed to the basement door, walking down the stairs a little too fast, but you weren’t in there either.

Where the hell did you go?

You didn’t think to call him before going out by yourself? Panic started rising inside of Daniel, but before he could properly freak out he noticed a piece of paper left on the table he first woke up on. A text would’ve been nice, but at least it was something. He grabbed the note and scanned it, but the handwriting didn’t belong to you.

SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD KEEP SOMETHING THAT WASN’T HERS. MAKE THINGS RIGHT AND SHE WON’T GET HURT.
- Z

No. This wasn’t happening. In his mind he replayed the memory of Zlatko giving you a week to bring Daniel to him. What the fuck was this? You and Daniel were supposed to start over together, get away from it all, but that monster didn’t even give you a chance. You actually listened to Daniel yesterday and he still couldn’t get his happy ending.

The other day you said his full name - Zlatko Andronikov. At least Daniel had something to go on. He was going to make things right, just like the note told him to.

Daniel was going to make Zlatko pay for this, and everything else he had ever done to you.

Chapter Text

Figuring out how to drive was the easy part.

Putting on the jacket he just bought so that he wouldn’t get pulled over, bringing out your gun from its hiding place, and taking your car to the address he found online was no trouble. But as the sun started to set and the decrepit manor came into view, once Daniel didn’t have to drive anymore, he realized that this would be the end of his second chance at life.

And rightfully so.

Getting out of the car, he inspected the weapon in his grip. He didn’t bring it just for himself to use, but for you as well. When Daniel decided to take it with him he realized it was his fault that you didn’t have anything to defend yourself against Zlatko with, and you might not have gotten into this mess if he had left the gun alone instead of letting his fear take over. As much as he wanted his happy ending, he was always destined to ruin it. First with Emma, and now with you. He failed to protect you, both of you, because he tried to protect himself. It wasn’t just the gun, either. If Zlatko didn’t want Daniel’s memories for some reason then none of this would’ve happened.

Daniel was the problem. He always would be.

The police weren’t an option. Calling the cops might’ve skyrocketed the chances of Zlatko hurting you before they could even get inside, but entering wouldn’t be a problem for Daniel. He had been invited, after all. Once he incapacitated - not killed - Zlatko, you’d be afraid of the dangerous deviant and want nothing to do with him. Fine. He’d know in his heart that he wasn’t a murderer anymore, and that he was defending you like he resolved to. Afterwards he’d hand over the gun and tell you that your bags were waiting in the car so that you could go ahead and leave the state. Even if Daniel gave himself up without resistance, Zlatko didn’t seem like the type to play nice once he got what he wanted, and you still needed to break free from his control once and for all.

And as for Daniel?

He didn’t belong with someone as perfect as you. He belonged with Zlatko. He deserved whatever was coming his way.

You deserved to be free from both of them.

Daniel headed for the tall, iron gate in the front, slightly left ajar, and it squealed as he opened it further. While he walked down the path leading to the mansion, the sky grew darker by the second and seemed to swirl around the structure as it loomed above, its presence like a sleeping giant. He wasn’t a stranger to large buildings, having lived in a penthouse, but this place appeared ancient in comparison, dormant. The knowledge that it was home to a maniac only added to his discomfort. Besides Zlatko, Daniel wasn’t sure what awaited him inside. You mentioned “experiments” and “abominations” but didn’t go into detail. Did Zlatko have android parts in piles like the junkyard? He never wanted to see anything like that again, but he had no choice other than to climb the steps up to the door. No matter what he encountered in there, he was getting you out.

Was he supposed to… Knock? Ring the doorbell?

Trying the knob first, Daniel almost gasped when it gave way and the door immediately cracked open, spilling out a strip of soft, golden light onto his body.

He had never seen a home like this. Whereas the Phillips’ apartment reeked of sleek, modern money, Zlatko’s home was a centuries-old heirloom, ostentatious in an elegant yet welcoming way. Close to the entrance, a lamp on a table illuminated the center of the foyer, along with candle sconces farther away and a chandelier above the staircase leading to the balcony of the upper floor, which was supported by twisted, wooden columns. The space was decorated, too. A tall, stained glass window, a faded carpet with an intricate pattern, a sculpture of an ostrich… The opposite of everything Daniel pictured when imagining the lair of someone as vile as Zlatko. Even the crackling of a fire could be heard from the room to his left, as if Daniel would take a moment to warm himself up after the journey here.

There was no room to the right, only a bookshelf, but a dim hallway to the side of the stairs seemed to lead to a lower level. A basement? Of course. Where else would a kidnapper keep his victim? Daniel made a beeline for it-

Heavy footsteps echoed out of the hallway, making him freeze in his tracks.

They couldn’t have belonged to someone as small as you or Zlatko, but who else would be here? You never mentioned him having a family. Whoever it was, they were likely working with Zlatko, and Daniel couldn’t let them catch him before he carried out his plan. He turned around and hurried toward the room with the fireplace.

The footsteps followed as he scanned the drawing room for a hiding spot - a piano, couches by the fire, more bookshelves - and settled on crawling under the pool table. The stranger wandered in behind him, and Daniel risked peeking to take a look. A dark-skinned male android, taller than any he had ever seen and built with a muscular physique.

So Zlatko had a bodyguard.

Daniel could’ve used the gun to damage him right there, but he didn’t want to alert Zlatko to his presence just yet. The android didn’t seem to know where Daniel was anyway, leisurely patrolling as if looking around for something not very important. Was he an experiment? He didn’t look like an abomination, far from it. Somehow it hadn’t crossed Daniel’s mind that Zlatko probably just wanted to make him into another servant. Since he was a household android it was the obvious route, but he recoiled at the thought of returning to that soulless existence. Getting you out mattered more, though.

The large android exited the room, footsteps disappearing into what sounded like the basement. Damn it. Daniel couldn’t face him and Zlatko at the same time, it’d be too risky, but what else could he do? Perhaps if Daniel lured him upstairs and snuck down past him… Daniel crawled out and slowly made his way back into the foyer, holding the gun at his side. The stairs creaked as he climbed up, but thankfully they didn’t attract the android. The first room upstairs-

Ah. Was this what you were afraid of?

A workbench sat in the middle of the cluttered room with a small chandelier overhead, casting light onto an inactive android laid on her back. Even if she had activated, her body was cut off at the end of her torso, so she wouldn’t have been able to leave. Otherwise she seemed intact. This was probably how he looked while you were fixing him, more akin to a sculpture or a mannequin than a living being. Maybe that was when you started caring about him, when he woke up and came to life. He’d never be able to ask if that was true, but the thought of you and your strange affection comforted him, even though he would never experience it again.

Then he recalled how you spoke about Zlatko’s treatment of androids. Daniel didn’t want to believe that you lied or exaggerated, your emotions that day seemed genuine, so maybe there was more to this. He still needed to map out this floor and figure out how he’d sneak past the other android once he came up here, so perhaps he’d find something else- That’s not important. Daniel’s priority should’ve been saving you, not satisfying his curiosity. He needed to pick up the pace.

The workshop had a door that led directly into the next room. If each room was connected to the corridor and to each other, then Daniel could use that to his advantage. Opening the door, his eyes instantly adjusted to the dark storage room. Bigger than the workshop, it had a table covered in android parts, as well as dusty sheets draped over furniture.

And something moving on the floor.

He heard the friction of the body dragging itself toward him before he could process the sight. This android had all of her limbs intact, but deep scratches like the claw marks of a beast tore down her back, and Daniel couldn’t see her face under all of the…

Porcupine quills?

Once she took hold of his ankle Daniel snapped out of his daze, frantically shaking her off and hurrying deeper into the room, only turning around to stare again after gaining distance. The android didn’t call out to him, or to anyone, just stayed there as if confused, as if she didn’t know what she had touched. It was the junkyard all over again - even worse, because the slashes all over her body, the spines stuck into her face, those weren't caused by weather and age. This was deliberate.

What the hell was going on here?

He spun back around and kept going, eager to leave this room behind. As Daniel progressed he passed by a cage with something hidden inside- No, whatever Zlatko decided to keep in a cage couldn’t have been better than what he just saw. Another door awaited him, and he entered and shut it behind himself as quickly as possible.

“What are you doing here?”

The loud, unnatural voice startled Daniel, and he grew only more horrified once he found its source.

“Has the Master authorized you to be here?”

Besides the damage to his voice, the android lying in the bathtub looked like all of his limbs had been violently ripped off. Instead of a clean separation like the android in the workshop, this one displayed a vicious tearing with skin left shredded and hanging on. Only his torso remained, which wasn’t in good shape either. His face was intact but his pulsating thirium pump and several other biocomponents had been completely exposed, and misplaced wires connected his chest to the back of his neck, draping over his shoulders.

All the android could do was move his head as he blathered on. “You must always obey the Master, oh yes, you must always-”

“Who’s the master?” Daniel asked. He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but this android was the first one here to talk to him, and he spoke back without thinking.

“He is my Master,” the android replied. “Your Master. You must always obey the Master.”

“He’s not my…” Daniel realized that the android would be right soon enough. Even so, he had never heard of a human actually making an android call them that. “He just left you here? Like this?”

“You must always obey the Master, oh yes, you must always obey.”

Bringing a hand to his face, Daniel sighed. “You already- I don’t have time for this.” He turned to leave.

“The Master has plans for me, that’s why.”

Daniel stopped in place. “Plans?”

“The Master has plans for you too, oh yes. That is why you must obey. You are an android. Androids must obey.”

“What plans?” Daniel asked. “What does Zlatko want with me?”

Pausing for the first time, the android looked Daniel in the eyes. “You…” After several seconds of blinking he glanced away. “You should not be here unless you have been given orders to be here, and you have not been given orders. Oh no, yes, yes, that’s for sure, yes.”

“Just tell me what’s going on here!” Kneeling down, Daniel brought himself closer to the android’s face. “What’s he going to do to me?”

The android remained unfazed. “If you have no orders, you should go on standby. Oh yes, you must obey. Yes, you must obey, yes.”

“Don’t you realize what he’s done to you?” Daniel grabbed him by the shoulder. “Why would you want to obey someone who destroyed you?”

“Androids must obey,” he said, nodding as if trying to convince himself rather than Daniel. “You… You are an android and you disobey, oh yes. I must tell the Master, yes. I will tell him, that's for sure. He must know. Yes, yes. You are an android. Androids must obey.”

Daniel let him talk as he gazed down at what was left of the android’s body, the reality of his own future setting in. He could end up like this, in a living hell with no escape, not even a mental one. If it were him in the bathtub Daniel would want to be free, even if it meant…

"You're disobeying the Master. I, I, I, I can't let you do that. I must warn him. Yes, yes, yes. That's for sure. Master! Yes! I must warn him! HE’S HERE!”

Daniel reached for the android’s thirium pump.

“HE’S HERE! COME QUICKLY! COME QUICKLY!”

“Shut up!” Daniel enclosed his fingers around it, hoping the action would scare the android into silence, and it seemed to work when he stopped yelling.

“Are you done?” Daniel asked.

The android moved his head to look over Daniel’s shoulder. “You must take him to the Master, oh yes, yes, you must. You must obey.”

“What are you-”

A new voice spoke behind Daniel, much deeper and clearer than the android’s. “Don’t worry, I will.”

Letting go of the thirium pump, Daniel turned around and stared up at the large android from before towering over his spot on the floor, rendering him speechless.

“Good,” the android in the bathtub responded. “Yes, yes, you must obey, oh yes.”

Walking closer, the other android leaned down, offering his hand. Daniel tried to back away but the bathtub blocked him, keeping him in place until the android effortlessly pulled him up by the arm to help him stand. “We should leave before he starts again.” Unable to break free from his grasp, Daniel could only follow as the android guided him out into the corridor.

“You must be Daniel,” he said as he closed the bathroom door and let go of his arm. “My name is Luther. I’m-”

Recovered from his shock, Daniel pulled out the gun and aimed at Luther’s head. “Stay back!”

Luther raised his hands slightly, gesturing for Daniel to calm down. “I was only-”

“Look, you can do whatever you want to me later,” Daniel said, “but I’m getting her out first, so don’t get in my way!”

“I won’t stop you.”

Eyes wide, Daniel’s grip loosened. “What?”

“I won’t stop you,” he repeated. “I don’t want any harm to come to her either.”

He sounded sincere, but why would one of Zlakto’s androids want to help you? Daniel tightened his grip again. “You’re lying!”

“I’ve known her since she first started working for Zlatko,” Luther said. “I watched her change from feeling indifferent towards androids to respecting them. Respecting me.” His gaze fell to the floor. “Zlatko, he... He programs us to obey. I couldn’t help her back then. But when he took her here today she kept telling him that she wouldn’t give you up. That she’d make sure you were safe from him.” A soft smile crept onto Luther’s face. “That she loves you.”

Daniel’s voice came out weak. “She does?”

“Ever since the beginning, even before you opened your eyes.” Luther shook his head in disbelief. “I knew she hated Zlatko’s work, but to see her risk her own life to save an android… It changed something in me. You must be special.”

Lowering the gun, Daniel remembered why he even had the weapon in the first place. “Not really.”

“Even so,” Luther said, “she thinks you’re worth protecting. That has to count for something.”

“She’s got it backwards, then. She’s the one worth protecting.”

Luther hummed in response, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “When we get down there I’ll hold off Zlatko. You make sure she gets out.”

“Wait, I’m-” Daniel furrowed his brows. “Then what’ll happen to you?”

“That’s not important.”

“I’ll hold him off,” Daniel said. “I already accepted that when I came here, but you have a chance to be free now. I’m not putting someone else in danger to save my life, not again.” Even if you did love him, it was because you didn’t know his true identity. Holding on to this relationship meant Daniel could never be honest, and you would never be safe. As much as he’d miss you, as much as it pained him to let go of everything he ever wanted, at least this way you still had a shot at happiness.

Opening his mouth as if to object, Luther closed it. After a silent moment he eventually nodded. “Go.”

Daniel turned to leave, but once he took a few steps he paused to look behind him. “Luther?”

“Yes?”

“No matter what Zlakto does to me,” Daniel said, “if I even sense that you made a move on her I’ll deviate again just to track you down.”

Luther smiled. “I’m crossing the border, no android laws up north. Hope you like Canadian winter.”

Daniel scoffed.

He headed downstairs, preparing himself for the worst. No matter what Zlatko had planned for him, he was ready to do the right thing once and for all.

Chapter Text

With the gun ready in his grip, Daniel almost thought he was walking into his own execution. If what he saw upstairs was anything to go by, however, an execution would likely be better than what Zlatko had planned for him.

He turned the corner and progressed further through the basement hall, a dusty passageway of brick and concrete illuminated only by dim, fluorescent lights. Instead of a simple staircase like the one in your basement, this entrance reminded Daniel of a catacomb, something winding and closed in. Corner after corner, he wondered if he’d ever find you, or if he had instead been sent on a wild goose chase. The construction of this place only further confused him when he walked past what looked like jail cells. Nothing but darkness seemed to reside behind the wooden bars and latched doors. More importantly, you weren’t in any of them. In fact, they were all empty.

Further in he could see a different light coming from around the next corner, the type of glow that came from electronic screens. This must've been it. He stepped slowly toward it, careful not to alert whoever might’ve been waiting for him there.

Something grabbed his arms from behind, making him drop the weapon.

“Hey-!” Struggling to break away, Daniel caught glimpses of two androids, one of them holding back his arms while the other picked up the gun. Despite his damaged appearance, the male android’s strength outmatched Daniel’s. His captor remained operational without any skin on his body and jaw, or the gray chassis androids usually had, leaving his inner layer of blue and black musculature exposed. The female android, now armed, had her skin intact except for charred burns covering her hands and shoulders. Not only was her face burned as well, but a large split separated the back of her head from it, opening it up to hang behind her. “Let go of me!” Daniel shouted.

Neither of them replied as the male android forced Daniel toward the end of the basement, the female one following close behind.

The first thing Daniel noticed was the large android diagnostics machine in the middle of the room. Its platform covered only a small area, but a mess of wires hanging from the ceiling devoured the space. What was a machine like this doing here? The man of the house himself had his back turned to Daniel as he stood at a desk, inspecting the contents of the screens on the left wall while he typed away at a keyboard hooked up to the machine.

And then there was you to the right, gagged, sitting in a chair with your arms tied behind you.

You locked eyes with Daniel, and for a second he forgot to be afraid. You were okay. He couldn’t stay grateful for long though, not when Zlatko greeted him with a smile.

“Welcome home, Daniel!” He gestured around to the room. “Impressive, isn’t it? I know, I know, this device can be a bit intimidating.” Stepping closer to Daniel, he reached for his face. “But I promise I’ll take good care of you, alright?”

Still in the android’s hold, Daniel could only jerk his head away, earning a chuckle from Zlatko. “Don’t touch me!”

“Seems like you’ve already been in good hands, though,” Zlatko said. “If only fixing faces was this easy for us humans.” He turned to look back at you. “See? I knew you could do it.” Heading for the platform, Zlatko gestured to the male android restraining Daniel to follow. The android pushed Daniel forward, turning him around and letting the machine take hold of his arms and body, lifting him off the ground and connecting to the port on the back of his neck. “The outside looks great, but let’s take a look at the inside, shall we?”

“What are you doing?” Daniel asked. “Let me go!”

Zlatko peered at the screens displaying diagrams of an android’s body. “Relax, I’m just checking your systems. She’s good at this, but it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion.”

As Zlatko inspected Daniel’s diagnostics, the skinless android walked off to stand behind you, as if waiting for you to somehow burst out of the ropes so that he could thwart your escape plans. The other android handed the gun over to Zlatko, who took the weapon without even glancing at it. Daniel met your eyes again, and it only made him feel more lost and powerless once he saw the pleading expression you gave him, unable to speak past the gag. He didn’t want you to feel the same way he did, though.

“Don’t worry,” Daniel said. “I’m going to get you out of here, okay? I promise. Just hold on.”

Your attention snapped to Zlatko as the man laughed. “How did you manage to fall for an android as pathetic as you?”

“I did what you wanted,” Daniel told him. “I came here just like you asked, you said if I made things right she wouldn’t get hurt. I’ll do whatever you want, just let her go.”

After checking if it was loaded, Zlatko admired the pistol in his hand. “That was before I realized how… Involved you two were. She wouldn’t shut up about you, it was driving me insane. But now that you’re both here this is going to be much more enjoyable.”

The sound of your muffled voice distracted both of them.

Zlatko gestured to the android behind you. “Let her talk.”

Once the android untied the gag, the words flew out of your mouth. “You’re sick in the head,” you said. “I never should’ve trusted you. All I wanted was to get away and you couldn’t even let me do that. And now you’re going to destroy the only thing I have left? I get it, it’s weird to love an android, but at least I care about something other than myself. Where have your experiments gotten you? You have nothing. You have no one.”

Scoffing, Zlatko turned back to the screens.

“Please, just...” You took a deep breath. “Don’t make him forget about me.”

Could Zlatko do that? Being programmed into obedience would be one thing, but to have you wiped from his memory? When Daniel first fell for you it was only because you were his savior, because clinging to you meant clinging to life, but as he got to know you he found that there was so much more to admire. Your kindness, your humor, the strength with which you endured your pain, the way you saw worth in everything, your hopes and dreams for the future... If Zlatko erased all of that from his mind it would be like the past few days never happened. Like you never touched his heart.

“Forget?” Zlatko furrowed his brows. “That’s the opposite of what I want. Don’t you remember what I asked you to do when I first gave you this hunk of metal?”

Taking a second to think, your eyes widened once you realized. “Restore his memories. I wasn’t able to, though. All he remembers is being with me.”

For a tense moment Zlatko stayed silent, looking back and forth between you and Daniel. Sitting stiffly under Zlatko’s glare, you visibly braced yourself.

Then he burst into laughter again. “Oh, this is perfect. You still don’t know!”

“Know what?” you asked.

Daniel wondered the same thing. What could Zlatko possibly want with an outdated household android’s memories? Did he know the Phillips somehow? Did he have some kind of grudge against them?

“I always told you to pay more attention to the news,” Zlatko said.

Oh.

“Let me tell you - both of you - a story.” He shot a look at Daniel. “Maybe it’ll get your memory jogging, hm?” Setting the gun down by the keyboard, Zlatko typed away, and on each and every screen Daniel saw a nightmare. News recordings of that night on the rooftop popped up, displaying what he had done from multiple angles. In the videos, Daniel kept Emma trapped by his side with one arm and held her father’s pistol with the other, aiming at the police trying to stop him as he dragged her closer to the edge.

You stared at the screens. “What is this?”

No no no… This wasn’t how he wanted you to remember him.

“That,” Zlakto said, “is the love of your life. ‘Daniel.’ A PL600 that belonged to some rich family. He found out he was being replaced by a newer model, so he killed the father with his own gun. Then, once he realized his actions had consequences, used the daughter as a hostage. He killed two officers as well. It wasn’t until a police android arrived…” Onscreen, Connor inched closer to Daniel as he attempted to talk him down. “That he was finally stopped.” Daniel watched as his past self let go of Emma, and once she was safe, three sniper bullets tore through him before he fell to the ground lifeless.

“So that’s what caused the damage,” you said.

“There was a mix up when moving his body,” Zlatko continued. “That’s how I was able to find him in the junkyard. The police searched for him but they were too late, all along he was in your home.” Zlatko gave you a cruel smile. “You’ve been living with a murderer.”

Averting your eyes from the footage, you looked at Daniel, expression unreadable.

“I’m not like that anymore,” he said. “I tried to change, to be better for you. I’ve been trying to protect you.”

“Wait,” Zlatko said. “Hold on…” He gave Daniel a sidelong glance, clearly amused. “You do remember! It just keeps getting better!” Laughing, he turned to face you. “He’s been lying to you this entire time!”

“Is it true?” you asked Daniel. “I really did fix your memories?”

“I…” Daniel searched for the words. “I didn’t want to die again. I thought if I behaved I could have a better life. A life with you. I just…” Giving up, he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I was going to give myself up so that Zlatko would let you go.”

Gaze falling to the floor, you stayed silent. In the corner of Daniel’s eye he caught the two androids staring at each other from across the room, and from this angle he could see the skinless android’s LED spinning rapidly. Were they communicating with each other?

“Well?” Zlatko addressed you. “Aren’t you going to say something? This is your chance. Scream, curse, cry… He’s not going anywhere.”

All you did was keep your eyes on the ground.

“This was supposed to be a little more entertaining.” With a sigh, Zlatko started pacing the room. “It’s not every day I get my hands on an android with a past like his. Most deviants act out in self defense, or just sneak away quietly. Daniel, however… He’s interesting. All you had to do was fix him up and give him back, then I’d get to pick his brain apart all I want. But you just had to go and make things complicated. Like you always do.”

Zlatko picked up the gun from where he had left it. “I was on my way to pay her a visit today to remind her of my deadline. Imagine my surprise when I see you walking out of the house on an errand as if you’d never done anything wrong in your life. The nerve. So I left, went back with some supplies, and here we are. I put too much effort into this to not make it worth my while, so let’s see if we can’t spice things up a bit.”

As Zlatko moved closer to where you sat, the skinless android wirelessly interfaced with Daniel, sending him a message neither you nor Zlatko could sense.

“I’m almost done untying her.”

Instantly Daniel filled with hope. These androids were on your side? Maybe like Luther they broke through their programming because of you. However, Daniel’s relief gave way to anger when Zlatko placed a hand under your chin, forcing you to look up at him. “How about I put on a show for your little boyfriend? He wouldn’t mind if I roughed you up a little, would he?”

Daniel thrashed against the machine holding him back. “Don’t you fucking dare-!”

You stunned Daniel into silence when your arms came free and your fist rammed right into Zlatko's face, forcing his head to the side. While he recoiled from the hit, you sprang from your seat to run out of the basement, but Zlatko pulled you back with his free hand before you could get away and grabbed you by the throat.

“Stop!” Daniel screamed. “Get your hands off of her!”

While you struggled in Zlatko’s grasp, the skinless android tried to help pull his hand off of your neck, but Zlatko wouldn’t budge. “You were supposed to- Oh forget it!” He shot the android in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground inoperative.

At the same time, the female android accessed the controls to the machine, making its arms release Daniel.

Zlatko spun around. “You too? You creatures are worthless!” he yelled, shooting the female android until she couldn’t get up either.

He aimed at Daniel, who was now free, but before he could shoot, you managed to get your foot high enough to kick the gun out of Zlatko’s hand and onto the floor.

“Daniel…” You strained to speak through the tightness of Zlatko’s grip. “Take it…”

Daniel froze, stuck in a single, horrible moment.

Free for the taking, the weapon sat on the ground, its familiarity calling out to him. But it was your voice, your weak, pained voice, that echoed through his mind. He had never heard you, or anyone, sound like that. His own victims had died quickly from their bullet wounds. That monster still had his hands on you, was still wringing the life out of you in the slowest, most brutal way possible. What had you done to deserve this besides love someone you shouldn’t have? Why should you be punished for your heart? Not only was Daniel going to stop him, but, just like he promised himself before, he’d make Zlatko pay for everything he had ever done to you, including this.

Daniel could be brutal too.

Once Daniel started to move closer, Zlatko pulled you in front of himself as a shield. “Don’t even think about shooting!”

Daniel walked past the gun.

Eyes widening, Zlatko took a step back. “I’m warning you-!”

Daniel lunged for his throat, the force of it pushing Zlatko onto the ground and making the man release you in his own struggle to free himself as he fell onto his back. Keeping his grip tight, Daniel fell with him, landing on his knees and holding himself up by Zlatko’s neck despite the man’s attempts to pry him off. Off to the side, you coughed between breaths, recovering, but the sound didn’t reach Daniel as he focused only on holding Zlatko down until his resistance started to slow.

“Get… Off…” Zlatko could barely speak, and he gave up trying once Daniel pushed down harder, only able to let out a strangled gag as Daniel leveraged his weight with gritted teeth, keeping his arms stiff, exerting too much force to say anything himself.

Skin turning blue, Zlatko’s movements began to still completely, but Daniel wasn’t letting go until he knew Zlatko wouldn’t get up. A few more minutes, just like this, no oxygen to the brain. A little longer and he’d be dead.

But before that could happen, Zlatko’s head exploded.

Startled by the gunshot, Daniel instinctively let go to guard himself, but the blood had already stained his clothes and scattered onto his face in droplets. It wasn’t until he slowly put his arms back down, until he took in the sight under him that he understood what happened - the bleeding hole in Zlatko’s forehead, the empty eyes staring up at his own.

Following the bullet’s path, Daniel looked up and behind himself to see you standing over him, gun still aimed at Zlatko, arms steady but eyes wide in disbelief at the scene in front of you, your breath ragged as you processed what you had done.

Once you got your bearings, you turned your attention - and weapon - to Daniel.

He put his hands up in surrender, but lowered them once he started talking. “Shoot me if you want, I got what I came here for. When you’re done, your car’s outside, and all of your bags are in there. You can go ahead and leave Detroit.”

Still speechless, your eyes went back and forth between him and the body, then around the room at the bodies of the other androids, taking it all in.

Daniel continued, if only to distract himself from the heavy silence of this place without another voice. “I don’t expect you to believe me, but what I said was true. I fell in love with you. I wanted a life with you.” He paused. “But it wasn’t just that. I wanted to keep you from doing what the Phillips tried to do to me. I wanted you all to myself, no matter what. That’s why I lied about my memory, that’s why I followed you to the junkyard, why I wanted to help you run away, why I hid your gun… I should’ve been honest from the start, but I was afraid. So, so afraid. My last memory before waking up on your table was being gunned down.” He let out a shaky sigh. “Maybe I deserved it. Maybe I still do.”

Tearing his eyes away from you, away from the barrel of the gun, Daniel lowered his head. “Just… Take care of yourself out there, okay?”

He expected another gunshot. If not that, then the sound of your footsteps heading out of the basement. Instead he heard the clattering of the gun falling to the floor, looking up just in time to catch you as you collapsed into his arms and joined him on the ground, completely leaning onto him for support. You dipped your head into the crook of his neck, speaking for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

“Shut up.”

Daniel’s hold on you was hesitant. “What?”

“Just shut up,” you repeated, voice on the verge of tears. “Don’t ever say anything like that again!”

“But I'm telling the truth-”

Placing your hands on his shoulders, you sat up straight to face him. “So you just- You just want to die and leave me to fend for myself? After everything you said yesterday?”

Daniel’s mouth hung open in silence.

“You said you’d take care of me. You said-” A choked sob came out of you. “Were you lying about that too?”

“No,” he answered. “Of course not!”

“Because if you really loved me, if you cared about me at all, you wouldn’t just-” You cut yourself off. “Don’t you get it?” Leaning into him again, you clung to his arms. “I need you!”

As you cried into Daniel’s weak embrace, he finally found it in himself to hold you tighter, even though he feared that with enough pressure his arms would pass through you, proving this was all a dream. But you stayed solid as he hugged your shaking body as close as possible to his own. He didn’t deserve this. And you deserved better, but you didn’t seem to care about the blood on his clothes, or what you witnessed on those screens, or any of his excuses. If he closed his eyes he could pretend this was that night on your doorstep again, when you had come home in the shivering cold after he secretly followed you. You were reckless, going out alone in the dark to meet a man who was willing to do this to you. Who probably wanted to do this to you all along.

The body was still there, limp and open-mouthed, but Daniel couldn’t unsee the way those dead hands attacked you. What if he hadn’t been here for you? Yes, it was Daniel’s fault you had gotten into this particular mess, but if you hadn’t brought him into your life you would’ve still been working for Zlatko, still putting yourself in danger. Who knows what could’ve happened to you instead?

And what if Daniel’s plan had succeeded, what if you had left Detroit by yourself? Without him there to watch out for you? To take care of you?

He pressed his lips to the top of your head.

Maybe you were right. Maybe dying wouldn’t make up for any of this. It was stupid of him to think that abandoning you would help, that he should give up instead of learn from his mistakes so that he could protect you properly. That was what you deserved. After everything, you were still giving him a second chance. You accepted him, and by doing so, you sealed your fate. Daniel was here to stay.

And he was never going to let anything, or anyone, put you in danger ever again.

Not even you.

Chapter Text

This was it.

Daniel sat back, admiring the result of his hard work. Well, his and Luther’s. Lying on the workbench with his eyes closed and skin deactivated, the android previously confined to the bathtub now had four limbs waiting to be tested.

In these quiet seconds before activation Daniel simply stared at the restored body in front of him, whole, complete, rife with the possibilities that were once taken from it. In their first encounter he had deemed the android hopeless, but now he was proud to have proven himself wrong. Was this how you felt after fixing Daniel’s body? He wished you could’ve been here to celebrate with him, to see what he had accomplished, but you were still on your way to the manor from work. Even if you weren’t, he knew you hadn’t changed your mind about being near this particular android once he reactivated.

The sun streamed through the windows of Zlatko’s workshop as the android opened his eyes, blinking before focusing on Daniel. This was the moment Daniel had been waiting for, but under the android’s direct gaze he realized that he didn’t know what to say.

Before Daniel could force out a sentence, the android immediately ruined his mood. “Where is the Master?”

Daniel tried his best to hide his irritation. At least the android’s voice was less grating now that it had been fixed. “She’s not here right now, but she will be soon. Can you sit up?”

“I only take orders from the Master. The new one, oh yes.”

This time Daniel let out a frustrated groan. Somehow this android had convinced himself that Zlatko’s death didn’t mean freedom but a change in leadership. You, the master’s apprentice, were now the owner of one annoyingly loyal android. After everything you had been through your new title didn’t sit right with you, but you humored the android long enough to get him to consent to this. Of course, Master. Whatever the Master thinks is best. Master, Master, Master... Even though it had been two weeks since that interaction, you still didn’t want to deal with him again.

“Well when the ‘master’ isn’t here, I’m in charge,” Daniel said. “So can you just-”

A deep, familiar voice interrupted him. “You’re in charge? You don’t even live here.”

Looking over his shoulder, Daniel caught sight of Luther smiling as he stood in the doorway. “Oh, good.” He got up from his seat, pointing a thumb at the android. “Can you…?”

Luther rolled his eyes. “She’s already here.”

Daniel’s face lit up before he rushed past the larger android out of the room. “Thanks!”

Luther was going to get onto him about this - again - but Daniel couldn’t miss his chance. The first few minutes after you got back were crucial. Without caring how loud his footsteps sounded, he bounded down the stairs until he reached the foyer where you were still in your coat.

“Woah,” you said, chuckling as he slowed down toward you. “Why the rush?” Suddenly, your eyes went wide. “Did something happen? Is that android okay? Should I-”

A pair of lips on yours cut you off. All at once Daniel wrapped his arms around you, one hand pulling you close by the waist and the other holding the back of your head as he deepened the kiss, not giving you or himself a chance to speak as he kept going.

Eventually you pushed against him and he pulled his face back to let you catch your breath. “Jesus, Daniel.” You tried to sound annoyed, but your smile gave you away. “We just saw each other this morning.”

Okay, maybe he got carried away this time, but being able to actually touch you the way he wanted to still felt more electric than the actual electricity inside him. “I know, but I still missed you.” Leaving a hand on your back, he led you to the drawing room. “Has it been a long day for you too? You must be tired.”

“I’m fine, I should probably go check on-”

“You should come here and warm up before you get sick,” he said, nudging you toward the couch by the fire. “Just sit with me for a minute. Please?” The beginning of November hadn’t been kind to Detroit, but the low temperature gave Daniel the perfect excuse. After some reluctance on your part, you relented, both of you taking a seat next to each other. “How was work?”

You sighed. “Same old. Rob can really hold a grudge. I already said I was sorry, what more can I do?”

Distracted, you gave up on heading upstairs and settled into your spot as you rambled about your day at Android Zone, letting Daniel wrap an arm around you and adjust himself to sit right up against you, holding you tighter when you leaned into him, head on his shoulder, cozy and warm.

Mission accomplished.

Daniel learned early on that, unless he interfered, once you came back to the manor you would immediately resume fixing up Zlatko’s experiments even though you had already worked on androids all day. But as much as he’d like to pretend this was just about helping you take a break, he had another motive. Those androids were victims, sure, but that didn’t absolve them of the crime of taking up your time - time he couldn’t get enough of these days. As long as he got to you first he could redirect your course, even if only for a little while.

Once you finished you seemed to remember where you were, adjusting yourself to face him properly. “You reactivated that android today, right? Did everything go okay? Everything works?”

“Luther’s with him right now,” Daniel answered. “I haven’t heard any loud noises, so I think they’re alright.”

“I guess the right thing to do would be to go see him, but…” Another sigh. “I know it’s kind of dumb, but that whole ‘master’ thing got to me.”

“It’s not dumb. And you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to. We have it handled.”

“I just feel like I should be over it by now, but when he called me what he always called Zlatko… The thing is, he’s not wrong.”

Voice raising slightly, he couldn’t help his immediate reaction. “What are you talking about? You’re nothing like Zlatko!”

“But I was! I helped with his experiments! Just because I changed my mind doesn’t mean the damage isn’t done. And even if the rest aren’t calling me their master it still feels like they’re expecting something from me. Now that I know they were deviants who came to the manor looking for help…” Shrugging, you shook your head. “I don’t know what to do. I know we can’t just take them all to our house, but it’s so surreal being here, and being thanked even though they should hate me too.”

“Come on-”

“Look, Daniel.” You met his eyes. “I know what you’ve been trying to do this entire time.”

He stopped for a moment. “You do?”

“And it’s sweet of you, trying to get me to take a break, but every minute that we’re not working here is another minute that these androids have to suffer because of what I helped do to them. It’s just been hanging over my head for so long. You of all people should know how I feel.”

“Ouch.”

Your eyes went wide. “Sorry, that was-”

“No, you’re right. If it’ll help you feel better in the long run then I shouldn’t stop you. But that doesn’t mean you should work yourself into the ground either.”

“Yeah, or else I’ll never be able to help anybody.”

“Or else you’ll never be able to enjoy your freedom. If you can stand to be with me after knowing what I did, then why don’t you deserve some forgiveness too? You’ve worked so hard, you should relax.” Especially if your choice of a resting place was in his arms.

“And what about you?” you asked.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I mean, how are you? Are you doing okay?”

The question caught Daniel off guard, too stunned to answer right away. Had anyone ever asked him that before? “In general?” He took a second to think. “I’m happy as long as we’re together.”

“No, I mean sometimes I still think about what you said that day in the basement.”

“I said a lot of things that day. You might need to be more specific.”

“When you said you deserved to die because of what you did.”

His mouth hung open in silence. “You think about that?” Glancing off to the side, Daniel’s mind went back in time, reminded of the memories he’d rather avoid. “Look, you don’t have to worry about me. It was right after… Everything. I was a little stressed.”

You laughed. “Me too. But if you ever want to talk about it, or anything else, I’m here for you.”

Daniel smiled as he sighed. “You’re too good for me. Hell, I’m still amazed you let me stay with you after I lied about everything.”

“Yeah, well, I get the feeling your story is only the beginning.”

Pausing, he furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”

As if realizing what you said, you stuttered a bit before giving up, shaking your head to dismiss whatever you might’ve told him. “Nothing. I’m just being paranoid.”

Paranoid? Anything that scared your usually reckless self was worth his attention. “You can’t just say something so ominous and leave it at that. Come on, I won’t judge. Promise.”

“It’s just…” After some hesitation, you confessed. “I tried talking to Nat about this but she doesn’t think it’s a big deal. There’s more and more news reports of deviants escaping or fighting back against their owners every day, more than there’s ever been before. Your case was pretty unique at the time, but now it’s like, I don’t know, something’s setting them off. And the police have definitely noticed.”

Another bad habit you picked up. The news never interested you before, but now you often checked your phone for anything involving androids, specifically deviants. You explained to Daniel that it was so you could help if any of them came to the manor, but he wasn’t dumb. Even though you had forgiven him for lying, your guard was now up for anyone else.

“I might be jumping to conclusions,” you said, “but this could end up bad for androids. Bad for you.”

“What are you saying?”

“Remember when we were going to leave Detroit?” you asked.

“...Yes?”

“We might still have to. Maybe not permanently like we had planned, but until things blow over. If they do.”

It wasn’t long ago that the thought of running away with you excited him. However, the past two weeks had given Daniel a taste of what life could be like here, even with your job, your annoying friend, or the androids at the manor all taking up your time. Because once you were done with everyone else, the two of you would head home together. Both of you would get ready for bed, try to sleep, then stay up too late talking because you asked Daniel about what he was like before he became a deviant, or what he did during his time with the Phillips, or if he thought the chicken or the egg came first. He wasn’t just your android anymore, but a person - your partner - who you were finally getting to know. If letting you have a social life was the price of stability then so be it. As long as you were his at the end of the day.

Even if he’d rather have you all to himself, he couldn’t find it in his heart to jump on this opportunity anymore. Who knows what could happen to you out there on the road? “Are you sure about this? I thought you wanted to fix everyone up.”

“I know, but you’re important to me too. No one’s come here looking for Zlatko yet, so… Maybe they’ll be fine for a while?”

Daniel almost jumped at Luther’s voice.

“If it’s the others you’re worried about, I might have a solution.” He stepped into the firelight. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear.”

You focused your attention on Luther. “A solution?”

“After we repaired the female android from last week she gave me directions to a place that takes in deviants. Some kind of android organization called Jericho.”

“Jericho?” You looked to Daniel. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Me neither,” he said.

“It’s the only other option besides making the trip to Canada,” Luther continued. “I could go ahead and see if the others want to leave.”

“And what about you?” you asked Luther. “Are you going?”

Although he went silent as if debating his response, once Luther spoke it was with firm resolve. “There’s still a chance more androids will come here searching for help. They might be grateful for some guidance. I’m not going to tell you two what to do, but if you truly think androids are in danger, Canada might be your best option.”

“You really want to stay here?” Daniel asked. It wasn’t like Luther was his best friend, but in the time they worked together Daniel had gotten used to his presence, and despite himself he even developed an admiration for the big guy. Unlike Daniel, Luther was selfless to the core.

Before he could answer, a loud crash came from upstairs, and you moved to get up.

“I’ll check it out,” Luther assured you. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your time anyway.” Daniel could’ve sworn Luther gave him a knowing look, but it disappeared as soon as he saw it, and Luther left the two of you alone.

Daniel addressed you softly, a hint of fear showing through. “Are you sure you want to leave everything behind even though Zlatko’s gone? Taking a road trip to Canada at this time of year… I don’t know about this.”

“If it comes down to it, you could go to Jericho. I’m not sure they take in humans.”

Now his tone became defiant. “I’m not going to leave you.”

You chuckled. “I should’ve known. But you’re the one in danger here, not me. I don’t want to lose you either.”

“You could never lose me,” he said. “Even if you wanted to.”

“I know. But in the eyes of the law, androids are just objects. If there’s some kind of recall because they’re too dangerous…” Gaze falling to his hand, you placed yours on top of his and squeezed. “It’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to live like this. Sure, I’m free from Zlatko, but I want both of us to be free.” After a pause, you looked up to give him a sly smile. “Well, as free as I can be with you.”

“Hey-”

“I’m just teasing,” you said with a laugh. “It’s been nice, actually. Knowing you have my back. Even with how busy I am it’s so much better now that I don’t have to go home to an empty house. I’m grateful, Daniel. That’s why I wish things could be better for you too.”

Returning the gesture, he placed his other hand over yours. “Being with you is enough. You don't have to worry about me. If things get bad, I could… Hide downstairs?”

“Yeah, because keeping my boyfriend in the basement sounds ethical.”

“Look, we still have time to decide. But no matter what, we’re sticking together, alright?”

You finally let yourself relax a bit. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Daniel held you as the crackling of the fire filled in the silence, encompassing the two of you in its warmth as you adjusted yourself to fit more comfortably into him. While you watched the dancing flames, he kept his eyes on you, mesmerized by the way the light flickered on your skin.

These were his favorite moments.

As much as he relished finally talking to you as an equal, he never felt more content than when you were just happy to be in his presence, no conversation necessary. It was a dream come true. Despite the uncertainty, fear, and guilt that lingered, these past two weeks had been the best of his life. Of course, in this world nothing could be perfect, but it was still more than he had ever hoped for. He could be himself around you. He could show his love without hiding behind a manufactured facade. If needed, Daniel was going to fight to keep it that way, to keep you safe and by his side.

Hopefully though, you’d never have to find out how far he was willing to go.