Life is way too hectic right now. Guess that's what happens when you are going to be getting married in under two months. *squeals*
Anyway, something really interesting came out of that vote. It turns out my FF and AO3 readerships voted completely opposite ways: FF wants Gavin/Katie, AO3 wants Connor/Katie. Talk about awkward! There was a definite winner in the end though.
You guys will find out about that later because I'm a total tease ;)
(I've mentioned this to anyone who left me reviews, but the romance is only going to be in the background, a bit like Markus/North/Simon. The main focus of this will always be the father-son relationship between Hank and Connor, and the various mishaps that their friends join them in along the way)
Special thanks for reviews: Subtle Shenanigans, Maria Annette, DyeTheSheep, Crashrox92, Darnea, lordvaatithewindmage, Roseheir, Hallilujah, xNarielx, crimson dragonX, KaguyaAmaterasu, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, JusTiNSaNiTy, Celestic1234, Regret this now, xaonrider92 and one Guest.
Credit for this cameo goes to less-sugar! If people like the inclusion, I'll happy add a follow-up to this prank!
As soon as Connor got the call from Markus, he was suspicious.
After the embarrassing mishap with the magnets at the house, Connor was pointedly ignoring the Jericho crew as much as he could – which was more than a little awkward considering they were still looking after Hank – but Markus told Connor that it was a genuine situation, with which he could use help for. Connor knew that Markus wouldn't use that as an excuse to lure him out, there was still a level of trust there, so he reluctantly drove the cruiser to the Jericho apartments.
He didn't expect the company that was standing outside when he arrived.
Connor exited the vehicle and was surprised by the bright wave of Alice, who was standing next to a smiling Kara. Markus was standing nearby with a soft expression of his own and beckoned Connor over with a hand. The detective approached, mildly stunned, and was almost blown away when Kara hugged him warmly. Both she and Alice were vastly different from the last time Connor has seen them during the final day of the uprising. Their life in Canada obviously suited them from how relaxed and happy they both were.
Which begged the question of why they were there.
"It's good to see you again, Connor," Kara said happily as she pulled back, at which Alice gave her own, shy hug.
Connor slowly wrapped an arm around Alice, which had the girl beaming as she pulled away, and looked between the two adult androids in confusion. "It's nice to see you too, Kara. And you, Alice. I must admit that I am…curious as to why you are here, however."
Markus smiled wider. "Kara got back in contact with me last week, asking how things were. She saw the news of the latest wave of android laws and was wanting to know if life here was really improving."
That made sense. It had been a long, hard fight, but androids now finally had the right to own their own property, as well as securing rights to vote and stand for election in certain areas. Detroit was one of those few places, and various members of their community had already volunteered to become elected representatives. Everyone expected Markus to throw his hat in the ring, but Connor knew he wouldn't. There would be a lot of restrictions and bureaucracy with the process that was slowly taking shape.
No, Markus could do a lot more acting freelance, and his influence was powerful enough that he already had enough sway. Not only that, but Markus wouldn't leave Detroit to be part of the political movement. He was now enjoying life too much in the city to even think about leaving. The android was quite happy to let someone else face the challenge of human stupidity, if they felt up to it.
Kara nodded in response to Markus' statement. "It really is fantastic to see how far the city has come since we left. It's refreshing to see androids existing so openly here. While we may be free in Canada, we still have to be careful about out identities: androids are still regarded with suspicion."
"That's unsurprising," Connor continued, "they saw the fallout from the uprising and the drastic actions the humans took. It was always going to take time for that fear to fade."
The female android smirked. "Speaking of which, I hear you two have now officially been adopted by humans. I didn't see that one coming."
Markus shrugged. "Carl and I always knew we loved each other like father and son, it was no thought to make it official for us. Connor's story is much more interesting."
A raised eyebrow was Connor's initial opinion. "The way I found out certainly wasn't."
"Okay, granted, but the effort Hank went to was endearing – and I am well aware if he ever heard me say that, I'd be at the end of the same threat to be shot that North is. Speaking of which-"
"I hid both Hank's pistol and revolver last night after he fired the warning shot," Connor reassured. "I do think that North is more determined than ever to push his patience, however."
Markus chuckled. "You say that as if they don't both enjoy the banter. Do you think I should maybe start only sending over Simon and Josh?"
"I believe North is alleviating most of Hank's boredom."
"That wasn't exactly helpful, Connor."
Kara and Alice giggled. "Sounds like there's a lot of fun here!" Alice chirped.
Markus and Connor shared a look before both broke out into matching smirks. "Well…there is somewhat of a prank war going on…" Markus said slowly, and neither of the male androids missed the gleam which lit Kara's eyes.
"Are you all seriously playing pranks on each other? You're just like bunch of five-year-olds!" she sniggered. It was easy to tell that Kara had settled into her job as a babysitter well.
Markus raised an eyebrow. "Well, I am only two, technically."
Connor shrugged. "I'm not even one, yet."
Kara groaned. "Ugh, men."
The group spent three hours talking. Everything from Markus' plans for the future to Connor's experiences working at the DPD to Kara's new life in Canada with Luther and Alice was discussed. Some serious, some not so. Kara was glad to reconnect with Markus after their brief interactions before, and she was happy to finally get to know Connor beyond all the stories. Markus had frequently included details about him in his messages, but Kara was happy to see how he'd evolved given his situation working alongside humans.
After telling Kara various stories about the prank war, along with other misadventures in the months since the uprising, Connor received a concerning message from Josh. The male android confirmed that it was not an emergency and nothing serious had happened…yet.
Although Hank and North had started a casual game of 'dodge the knife'.
As yet, all of Hank's shots had missed, but Josh was concerned it was only a matter of time until North retaliated. Connor groaned loudly at the message – sometimes he wondered how Hank hadn't managed to get himself in more serious trouble before now.
Or maybe this was just the effect he and North had on each other. Markus gave an apologetic smile as Connor informed him of events, confirming that North maybe was just that bad an influence.
So long as Sumo was well out of harm's way: Connor was happy to hear that Simon had foreseen enough to remove the dog and take him on a long walk.
Deciding to collect Sumo and Simon en route back to the house, Connor was preparing to leave when he realised Markus was acting strangely. His infuriating 'mysterious' smile was in place, and that meant only one thing.
Connor wasn't going to fall for it this time.
He kept Markus in his sights as the quartet started walking back towards the car, Alice pestering Connor about his coin tricks in an effort to learn them. Kara encouraged Connor to show them off, but the detective refused to take his scanners off Markus. He didn't trust him in the slightest right now.
Coming to a stop next to the cruiser, Connor knelt and let Alice study his coin tricks in detail, seeing the fascinated expression on her face. He smiled and showed off some of his more intricate ones, his eyes flashing slightly in aggravation when he saw Markus shuffling towards the driver's door via his scanners. As Alice took Connor's coin and tried a couple of the techniques, Connor quickly analysed the new shape concealed under the handle of the door.
A small electrical generator. No doubt meant to short circuit him, or something along those lines.
Deciding to play Markus as his own game, Connor gave Alice a friendly smile and spun to face Markus with a raised eyebrow. Markus smiled innocently back at him; Connor was having none of it. "You know, Markus," the younger android began, "maybe you should come back with me? We might require your mediation techniques to stop things escalating again in the next future."
Markus laughed. "You're the one who is officially a negotiator, Connor."
"Perhaps, but I know how stubborn Hank can be."
"And I know that North is as bull-headed as they come. That really your best argument?"
Connor shrugged. "I thought it perhaps a valid one, though not necessarily convincing. Is there maybe a way you can convince her not to antagonise Hank to the point of violent reactions, however?"
He cringed slightly. "That's…easier said than done, Connor. Okay, sure, I guess I can give it a shot."
"Good, I'll let you drive."
Markus froze and looked at Connor with narrowed eyes. "Why would you let me do that, exactly?"
"Why not?" Connor offered innocently. "It will give me time to submit several work reports I am finishing up."
"Connor, I'm not that stupid."
Connor's eyes sparked at Markus. "So, what makes you think I am?"
The android leader's eyes sharpened again for a moment before it all melted away and he broke into a cocky smile. "Because you are when you want to be, Connor."
Next thing Connor knew, a bucket had been dumped over his head and he was soaking wet.
Three sets of laughter rang out around him and Connor pulled the bucket off his head with a scowl. Kara and Alice were standing behind him, holding their sides in hilarity while Markus was leaning back in a deep belly laugh. Connor felt like kicking himself.
Of course Markus didn't think Connor was stupid enough to fall for that door handle trick. He had only been playing as a distraction for Kara.
Connor looked down and groaned openly as he realised just what he had been soaked by. It couldn't just be plain-old water, could it?
No, it had to be water dyed pink with glitter the same colour through it. His white shirt was now a hideous shade compared to what it should be, and he was covered head to toe in glitter. It was even clinging to his hair and making it flop in ridiculous directions. He just knew Hank was going to about kill himself laughing when he got home.
Markus had caught him again.
Kara was the first to get her laughing under control and spluttered again at Connor's unimpressed look. "You know what? Pink is a good colour on you, Connor," she giggled.
Alice looked up at her mother with big eyes. "Can we maybe dye his hair next time?"
Connor sighed in annoyance. "Markus beat you to that one, sorry, Alice." At that, Connor turned to fix a glare at Markus. "Really?"
Markus smirked. "I just mentioned the prank war and the fact your reactions are utterly priceless, those two decided to join in of their own volition. I may have suggested inviting you here to enact it, but the idea was their own." His eyes then sparkled with mirth. "And it has been an effective solution to stopping the knife throwing competition. North says you suit the pink."
Connor groaned even louder. Trust Markus to be livestreaming the footage.
All right, so maybe it was slightly sweet to see Kara and Alice so much fun after their last experiences in Detroit…
That didn't stop the fact that Connor now had to get Markus back. And he wanted to do it in style.