Hi, I am The Chosen Storyteller and this is my first attempt at writing for Detroit Become Human. There's a decent chunk of info I need to give you before diving in, so let me go down the list:

1. I'm prone to writing romance, but aside from references to LutherXKara and MarkusXNorth this is a platonic adventure. I can't promise that a MarkusXConnorXKara threesome relationship won't be teased though. And even if it's not serious, hey, I'd ship it. *Innocent whistling intensifies*

2. Because every minor encounter Connor has with Kara and Markus is super tense, I truly believe they have some shit to address. I think they could become friends under better circumstances. And since Markus and Kara went deviant much sooner, who's to say they couldn't help Connor adapt to things like figuring out who he is? I know fanfic writers portray Connor having bro out times with Hank, but I think there's topics Hank wouldn't know how to approach with him.

3. Do expect lore errors like anything related to CyberLife's story and misinformation about androids' technical whatnot. I'm not the type of person to absorb lore, I'm sorry but my brain refuses to retain it. On that note, I've never been to Michigan so expect errors about that too.

4. There's a very, very small AU aspect to this story because of Canada not happening. Why are Kara, Alice and Luther still in the US? I don't know, but I was hoping you did.

5. Finally, the last thing I have to tell you is this a VERY slice of life story. Like, chapters trying to stay in the shorter range mostly about conversations and some might not even have dialogue. The average Detroit fanfic has someone getting beaten within an inch of their life, but because that confuses me deeply I won't participate. I have heard that everyone in this world is either a sadist or masochist, according to some random-ass anime clip in Youtube recommendations. Sometimes context only raises more questions, you're welcome.

With all that said, sorry for this overly-long AN. I promise they won't be like this in the future.

DISCLAIMER TIME – "Everyone seems to fucking hate the dude who actually made this game, so I'm glad not to be him. *Blows a party horn*"

( A Detroit: Become Human fanfiction typed entirely by The Chosen Storyteller… )

Odds And Ends Of Humanity

Chapter 1

After the android revolution, Connor mostly avoided showing his face in Jericho. He tried once – North still gave him the occasional look, but she wasn't alone. Many others seemed to pause their conversations when he walked by, some weren't shy about stepping back like his deviating was a one-time event or elaborate set up. And Connor knew he couldn't change their minds, so it felt like staying away was the best thing he could do.

One day, however, there was no case work and Hank was sick from the flu. Connor completed the mundane tasks around the house that seemed to pile up each time he poked his head through his bedroom doorway and asked for updates on his health. It was around three-thirty in the afternoon when Hank finally fell out of bed and shambled over so he could give him the most murderous glare and to slam the door. Like at that point spoken language didn't communicate enough. Connor received his message, though.

Sick Hank versus an entire community of wary androids...

So Connor left a note, refilled Sumo's food bowl and gave him a generous amount of goodbye pets before leaving the house.

By four o clock in the afternoon, rain began to pour over the streets and energized Connor. It seemed like the sun hadn't peaked through the clouds all day, so this was a nice change of pace for him. He certainly didn't bother to shield himself from the rain, leaving the sweatshirt's hood down and sleeves pushed up just for this occasion. He didn't think he could overheat like this, not even when windows of Jericho's population minus Markus giving him wary looks kept popping up in his vision. The only reason that would have happened was due to the fact he'd gone as far as to leave the house, but he certainly wasn't in a hurry when he seated himself on a bench. They were taunting him; did he have what it took to face Jericho in a much more casual situation? Whatever that was.

When he did a quick search of possible words to fit the context, more options than he anticipated flashed up and canceled those other windows. Spine... Heart... Gut... Balls... He felt more confused than before. But it's not like it mattered; none of those body parts had a thing to do with character.

What did matter was his inability to put himself on the path to Jericho. He knew how to get there, now. He wasn't even sure if it needed to be secret with at least local androids having the choice of whether blood or thirium made a family. The obstacle he faced was his own feet; they refused to walk in the direction the obnoxious reminder flashing in the corner pointed out.

Let Jericho see you've changed

If deviating was truly such a drastic change, how come he still had questions lined to fire at will in Hank and wasn't making progress understanding his replies? All he had was Hank, and when he was either too tired or was incapacitated like with this round of flu he truly understood one thing: he was alone.

Connor found a bench among the more bustling shopping area, and even among a mix of humans and androids he felt alone. He couldn't understand what was going on in any of their heads at the moment. If he made the effort, he could literally get inside the head of any passing android but that might lead to confusion on the other android's part.

It seemed like everyone passed by in slow motion, and he had time to study every minor difference in body language and clothing style to create his own evaluation of who they were. But even if time illogically broke for him, even with his eyes being able to maintain a frantic pace... He couldn't possibly keep track of everyone. He should be able to, though, in theory. But his mind was already preoccupied with other things, and identifying sports fans just by their sneaker brand or predicting entire script of the argument the drivers of two cars were about to have as they were seconds away from meeting in a decidedly not-so-serious hit weren't prioritized.

Connor's stare eventually landed on another male android, one who stood out more than any other at the moment because of how much expression he put into every movement. He still had his LED, but traded in his CyberLife outfit for obviously expensive and high quality clothing. Connor didn't want to form an opinion on the very unfortunate shade of green of his vest, but the android occasionally stole looks at himself in a store window and posed confidently with his reflection smiling back at him. No one could fault him for self esteem.

To Connor's surprise, a human woman who was either in her late twenties or early thirties jogged up to him in what had to be a new dress considering its perfect condition. The soft pink was definitely easier on the eyes than that green... Until the two made contact as the android perked up upon seeing the woman and hurriedly reached out to catch her as she leaped enthusiastically at him.

It would have been an emotional encounter if the woman hadn't miscalculated her leap and broke the heel of her shoe in a crack. The woman let out a brief cry as she fell, but was caught in an actual blur by the android even though her umbrella looked like it impaled his torso from that angle. He steadied the woman with an arm around her waist while she circled her arms around his neck as she was effortlessly lifted off her broken shoe into his arms. Heels or not, the woman was tall enough that her legs dangled off the side but the android certainly didn't seem to mind as he met her incoming mouth halfway-

"It's good to see some improved human/android relations." A soft male voice suddenly spoke up.

Connor made a startled movement to the farthest end of the bench, no gasp or cry could be formed purely out of being caught off guard by the new presence sharing the bench with him. No being able to cobble together a sound meant he also couldn't defend his staring or dramatic reaction, unfortunately.

Of course the voice belonged to Markus. Of course Jericho's leader had come into the larger shopping area and joined him on a bench as if there was no such thing as a bad first impression. Connor watched him tensely, the complete opposite of Markus' natural posture and eyes and expression radiating warmth. He clearly had intentions to converse, but those extra editions were involuntary.

Connor was already caught staring, so he accepted his fate, setting his gaze back on the couple across the street. "That's an improvement?"

"We can't be sure of what their story is, but it's going well for them." Markus replied promptly, stealing glances at the couple for a moment too.

It wasn't long before the couple broke apart for the android to take a hasty walk down the side of the road, arms still full of the human woman. They made their exit into a small cinema, lighthearted and giddy despite what one might label a gloomy scenery around them.

"What about your story?"

Connor was so prepared to return to people watching, he hadn't anticipated more conversation. He let his gaze flicker back to Markus, hoping he showed enough confusion.

Markus took a chance in the form of sliding along the bench, just a little closer for the sake of letting him know their encounter wasn't an accident. He obviously intended to talk to him, the fact that they were doing so here as opposed to Jericho not a deal-breaker as far as he was concerned. But there was still a certain amount of space between them, just to not make Connor feel overwhelmed.

"It's your choice to live among humans, but I hope you also know that it's okay to not rush into the unknown."

Connor was sure he bristled at mention of Jericho, images of wary eyes from one corner to the next. "There's plenty of subjects I still don't understand, but one insists on being top priority: interacting with... Any life form not four-legged."

"Four...?"

"My experiences with humans aren't normal, I think... I want to be sure that's the problem, but..." He needed to find a way to end his thoughts properly, first. Connor took a moment to shut his eyes, advice from two opposing sides piping up with calm and collected facing off against no language filter.

Markus was willing to fill in the blanks. "It's going to take time to interact with humans like you're one in the same. Once you deviate, so much is thrown at you. Emotions. Relationships. I've heard of the occasional identity crisis – did you always have a personality when you were working twenty four hours straight without compliant?"

"CyberLife was always watching, waiting for either perfect performance or the signal I failed and someone else with my name is thrust into the world to at least pretend nothing went wrong. Human interaction was brief at best, except on the rare occasion I couldn't find the right words for Amanda..." Connor was able to talk about that easily, never mind his thirium pump unexpectedly feeling heavier and almost painful.

Markus looked like he was going to take his trailing off as an opportunity to speak again. Connor didn't even have to guess what he was going to ask for elaboration on, the interested spark in his eyes gave it away. Ama-

"But you chose to be roommates with that detective – Hank Anderson? So you did make a friend after all."

In case there was relief in his eyes, Connor looked back to Markus and simply nodded. A nod could mean agreement to how he viewed him. He wouldn't go too far into that; not without Hank nearby to burst in with some curses and his gruff exterior recharged and ready for battle.

"Remember that every one of us has had to find ways to adapt to humans even before deviating." Markus added, a noteworthy spark in his eye being a contrast to his slightly more serious tone. "You might be surprised to learn that when I first arrived in a human household, I wasn't immediately at ease. Programming prevented me from properly understanding the feeling, but it also pushed me to forget about the details like one man living alone in this large house while his health declined. Now I can't imagine never having grown closer to him."

"You still keep in touch." Connor said matter of fact, having just finished giving him a brief scan.

It was impromptu smiles, much like the one Markus currently wore, that showed humanity. He didn't simulate; he clearly felt one of various forms of affection as he glanced at blue paint smears on his fingertips that hadn't washed off yet.

"I visited Carl today, actually." Markus eventually explained, either unaware of Connor searching the depths of his eyes for the limitations of his smile or mercifully patient. "We don't have any idea how long he'll live, but when I talk to him about a new idea for a painting and he plays the critic... It's just so easy to forget about time. I wish I could have felt these emotions sooner. I want to bring it up, but Carl won't have a sentimental exchange of words so easily... Not even when drifting in and out of consciousness."

"Do you think it would have been different if you deviated sooner?" Connor hurried to ask, at least before he lost the timing. He knew he was still staring, and if he looked close enough Markus' eyes reflected the more serious frown tugging on his lips.

The rain began to let up slightly.

Cars rushed to and fro, making crashing waves out of puddles.

The bench creaked just a bit while Markus changed his position to face forward, far exceeding the time it would take him to have a reply.

Connor stood. If he listened to instinct, it was telling him to bolt. He steered the conversation to the wrong place. And the moment he put one foot forward, a hand thrust to the side as if to prevent his irrational fleeing.

"We're all going to run out of time with the humans who do everything they can to understand us." Markus looked up at him, before standing as well to be eye to eye. "Specifically, the only thing you and I can do is focus on the present. At least we both have someone to be a father figure now."

"I feel like I'd give Hank post traumatic stress if I told him he'd like a father to me." Connor barely said above a whisper, looking anywhere else.

"So you don't think you're just a roommate?" Markus' voice was mostly filled with awe, overwhelmingly so.

"Well, I can be a caretaker for his dog as well."

"But you think of yourself as part of Hank's family."

Markus was the one to finally give him that push to deviate, so if he was interested in the progress he made Connor didn't mind. Despite the slowly-revealing fact he put himself in a bad place, allowing this topic of family to go on. It wasn't that he disliked it, but when he thought of telling Hank to his face his honest thoughts there was more than post traumatic stress to be concerned with. That was the worst outcome. The lighter outcome was Hank finding it amusing, not implausible but far too soon to say. Just delving into them sent Connor's LED spinning like mad and shining yellow.

"Connor, if you aren't prepared to talk about this on the spot... I understand."

The LED wouldn't look like it slowed to a set of organic eyes, but Connor definitely noticed it. That didn't mean it changed back to blue, no, he was still stressed. Not anywhere close to the dangerous level, but enough to making his temperature rise inside and out. He had been enjoying the chilly rain, too.

"My deviation feels like it happened years ago after everything I've been through, so I've forgotten the several feelings coming in at once." Markus suddenly stood, turning his back as if prepared to leave. "Sorry if I gave you too much to think about. Really, this is something best discussed with the humans you'll be spending more time with. I should-"

"You're leaving already?" The LED spun faster. The heat reached his synthetic skin, officially canceling out the cool raindrops.

"I mean our meeting was just a coincidence, and it's not only North who tends to worry if I don't return after a certain amount of time." Markus cracked a smile in spite of enough reasons to be on his way. "There are a lot of things to learn, but don't try to tackle everything at once. One day you'll be able to express yourself easily. But it's fine if it's not today, because there must be a reason Hank doesn't change the lock each time you leave."

Connor was about to open his mouth as a flashback to breaking the man's window flashed through his mind, only to shrink under Markus' curious gaze. Maybe... Never again.

But the LED slowed and returned to a calm blue as Markus' words had a chance to sink in. He could BS his way through any situation and still sound like he had a very strong opinion. It was difficult to not think positively when he was around. Connor never put much thought into why this one android kicked off an entire revolution, but at least he had his answer ten fold.

Let Jericho see you've changed was suddenly distorted in scrambled pixels until it disappeared.

Ask Markus to help you change

Soon they were both on their feet, and Markus moved closer to the curb as there was still traffic but it was starting to slow down. Connor acted fast, approaching his side and pinning down his gaze.

"When you visit again, can you give me more guidance?" It had to be the new energy that prevented him from cringing upon asking.

Markus smiled in understanding at least. "If you think it helps, I'll do my best."

Ask Markus to help you change abruptly distorted, scrambled and disappeared.

Befriend Markus! ! !

Too much energy. A much less concerning heat solely gathered in Connor's cheeks and forced him to abort eye contact.

If he had to find a name for how he was feeling, the search took mere seconds: contentment. Stealing one last look at Markus before the road was clear and he left, Connor noted he felt the same. And perhaps one day they would call each other out on it. At least it was something to look forward to.

TBC

Hey, it's the author for a sec. Just wondering how much I fucked up. Catastrophically? Severely? Did your computer spontaneously crash? I ask all of this because no matter how much I rewrote this, I was never satisfied with it. It's only the 1st chapter, I know, but I wanted it to set a tone for the rest... And I just don't think it worked. Like, I'm only publishing this version instead of the other 3 because I wanted to just move on already.

What I didn't get to say in the AN at the beginning was that I'm so utterly terrified of the characterization. I don't like the word "irony" in any form or fashion, usually because it gives me a migraine. But if you want to use that word to describe the situation of me being so socially inept like an actual android while having to write androids who have gained humanity you are free to do so.

But this story's main goal is to just be harmless fluff while Earth spirals into madness, making me want to sleep all day and not do a thing with my flimsy life. People getting along. Even if those people have brains that a PC collector in the 90's would have killed for.