Detroit Is Alive || Detroit: Become Human fanfic || Markus x OC

Chapter 1

Nov 5th, 2038

9:58 AM

"Alarm deactivated. Welcome home, Markus", I hear the alarm voice say. I exit the kitchen to find Markus staring at a mirror. I walk up beside him. "Don't tell me you're getting a big head by looking at yourself in a mirror", I say with a grin.

Markus shakes his head at me with a playful glare. "Why? Don't I look good?", he jokes with me. I let out a playful scoff. "You're okay, I guess", I muse out trying to hide another grin. He gives me a mock expression of fake hurt.

He puts his jacket up. I go back to the kitchen with Markus following behind me. "Have you eaten yet, Cierra?", Markus wonders as he finishes setting up a tray. I hum in response as I grab my cup of coffee. He gives me a pointed stare. "Yes, I have", I answer before letting out a small laugh, "you were given to my dad to look after him, not me".

"You live in this house as well. It goes just the same for you", Markus replies. He starts getting another plate set up and putting food on it. "Markus, you don-", I begin to say. "No, you are eating. I know you didn't eat that much food", Markus cuts me off.

Once he is finished setting food on the second tray and another drink, he starts bringing both trays to the dining table. As he puts them on the table, I head into the studio. Upon entering the room the curtains open up. I look around before going and picking up a couple of paint cans that were on the floor.

Markus walks in a few seconds later and starts putting a box on a shelf and putting a cup with dirty paint brushes in the sink. We get all of it cleaned up a few minutes later. I follow Markus back out to the hallway and up the stairs. I go to the direction of my room. "Not going to say hello to Carl?", Markus questions to me. I look at him. "I wanted to grab a book from my room", I say to him. "Grab it later", he responds and starts moving towards the opposite direction. I sigh and follow.

He opens the curtains. "Good morning, Carl", Markus greets. "Good morning", Carl greets back. Carl moves up a little more in his bed. He looks at me with a smile. "Good morning, sweetheart", he says to me. "Morning, dad", I tell him with a smile of my own. "It's 10 AM. The weather's partly cloudy, 54°, 80% humidity, with a strong possibility of afternoon showers", Markus says.

"It sounds like a good day to spend in bed", dad replies. I let out an amused laugh. "I did go to pick up the paint that you ordered", Markus informs to my dad as he walks to stand beside him. "Oh yes, I'd forgotten! That is the difference between you and me, right Markus? You never forget anything", dad muses a little. "Show me your arm please, Carl", Markus inquires. "No", dad protests. "Carl", Markus says as though he is talking to a child. My dad moves his arm over. "Thank you", Markus muses.

"I just opened my eyes and I'm already gritting my teeth...Humans are such a fragile machine...They break down so quickly. All this effort to keep 'em going", dad says. Markus grins a little. "What happened to your clothes?", dad asks Markus. I look at Markus with furrowed eyebrows. "Oh, it's nothing...Just some demonstrators in the street, Carl", Markus answers. "What a bunch of idiots. They think they can stop progress by roughing up a few androids? I hope they didn't harm you", dad says a little concerned. "Oh, no, no. They just pushed me around, Carl, I'm fine", Markus assures.

"Markus...It's not fine. It isn't okay for them to do that", I say to him. He gives me a look as though telling me to drop it. "I'll take you to the bathroom now", Markus tells my dad and picks him up. As he does this I head off to my room. I know he said he was fine, but I can't help thinking I should have gone with him to pick up my dad's order. Hearing that a few demonstrators were rude to him annoys me.

I grab my book I have been reading before I leave my room. I make my way back downstairs and into the dining room. I take a seat where my tray is and open my book to the page that I had left off. "I'm starving", I hear my dad say as he is rolled into the room. "Well, your breakfast is ready. Bacon and eggs, just the way you like them", Markus says. "Thank you", my dad says back. "You're welcome", Markus says as he gets things set up for him.

"Cierra, eat", Markus looks at me. "Later", I say with a shake of my head. A second later my book is snatched away. I look up at markus. "Give it back", I tell him. "Eat", Markus responds keeping my book in his hands. I stand up and try to grab my book back, but before I can grab it Markus moves away. "Markus", I say with a little whine.

"Eat, then i'll give you your book back", he says to me. I let out a frustrated growl as I sit back down and eat my food. Markus walks over to the chess table. Dad gets done eating and rolls over to the chess table. "Speed chess?", one of them wonders and the other agrees. "That's what I call a thorough beating...It's not easy for an old man to compete with a machine", dad says. "Well, I know you don't like losing and you don't like when I let you win. So I felt I didn't have many choices", Markus teels him. "True, we humans are complicated. One day, I won't be here to take care of you anymore. You'll have to protect yourself and make your choices. Decide who you are and wanna become. This world doesn't like those who are different, Markus. Don't let anyone tell you who you should be", dad says to Markus. I look over at them as I finish my food and stand up. "Let's go to the studio", dad requests. I follow them to the studio.

Dad gets onto a mechanical lift and has markus open the sheet so he can continue painting. I try to grab my book again, but Markus moves away. "Markus can I please have my book back?", I ask him. He pretends to think about it. "Not really", he muses with a grin. I grab his arm and grab a hold of the book. "Cheating", he says. I let out a small laugh as I pull the book from his grasp. "I don't care", I respond to him.

We look at my dad and his painting. "So...What's your verdict, markus? Cierra?", dad asks us. "Yes, there is something about it", markus tells him, "something I can't quite define. I guess I like it". "The truth is I have nothing left to say anymore. Each day that goes by brings me closer to the end...I'm just an old man clinging to his brushes", dad responds. "Dad, it looks great", I tell him. "Carl", markus says. "But enough about me. Let's see if you have any talent! Give it a try. Try painting something", dad insists looking at markus.

"Paint? But, what I ...painting what?", markus wonders. "Anything you want. Give it a try", dad insists again. Markus takes the paint from him and turns to face a blank canvas. Markus paints the desk beside him. "That is a perfect copy of reality. But painting is not about replicating the world, it's about interpreting it, improving on it, showing something you see", dad says to markus.

"Carl, I don't think I can do that. It's not in my program...I", markus inquires. "Go on, go, try, grab that canvas", dad says next. Markus changes to a new blank canvas. "Do something for me, close your eyes. Trust me. Try to imagine something that doesn't exist. Something you've never seen. Now, concentrate on how it makes you feel and let your hand drift across the canvas", dad instructs to markus. We watch him for a few minutes as he starts to paint.

"Oh my god", my dad says once markus finishes. I tilt my head a little with a small smile forming on my lips. "Hey, dad", I hear a male voice speak up as the studio doors open and close. We all turn to face the person. "Leo...I didn't hear you come in", dad says. "Ah, I was in the neighborhood...I thought I'd stop by. It's been awhile, right?", Leo answers. My smile drops as I look at my brother.

"You all right? You don't look so good", dad wonders to leo. "Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Hey listen, uh...I need some cash dad", Leo starts. "Again? What happened to the money I just gave you?", dad asks him. "Uh well, it just goes you know?", Leo replies. "You spent it on red ice, didn't you?", I ask with disappointment towards my brother even though I already have my answer.

"Yeah, you're on it again, aren't you?", dad adds in. "No, no, no, I swear it's not that", leo persists. I cross my arms over my chest. "Leo", I say just as dad warns, "Don't lie to me, leo". "What difference does it make? I just need some cash, that's all", leo insists even more. "Sorry the answer's no", dad says refusing. "What? Why?", leo wonders annoyed. "You know why", dad continues.

"Yeah, yeah...I think I do know why. You'd rather take care of your plastic toy here than your own son, eh? Tell me dad, what's it got that I don't? It's smarter? More obedient? Not like me, right? But you know what? This thing is not your son. IT'S A FUCKING MACHINE!", leo says and pushes markus.

I start to move forward, but my dad shakes his head at me. "Leo that's enough", dad warns to him, "ENOUGH". "You don't care about anything except yourself and your goddamn paintings. You've never loved anyone. You've never loved me, dad. You never loved me", leo says and leaves. I walk over to markus. "Are you okay?", I ask him a frown still on my face as I look at him with worry. "I'm fine, Cierra", he says with a smile to reassure me.