#beep boop i hope i managed to get the rough idea across

[134340am]

hi hi!! could i get an iced caramel cold brew with kuroo?? <33 :)

"babe," kuroo starts, his voice drowned out by the hiss of the steam wand. "will you leave me if i can't give you a house in five years?"

you frown. "no, i won't. why?"

"okay, then, will you leave me if i can't give you a house and a car in five years?"

"no, of course i won't leave you." confused, you turn to peer over at your boyfriend—who's tapping his foot along to the jazzy playlist blasting from the coffeeshop's speakers. "what's this about, tetsu?"

"hmmm. say, what about ten years?" he ignores you. "is that too long of a wait time? we'll be in our thirties by then, and—"

"tetsurou. i'm not going to leave you if you can't give me a house or a car or, or an automated laundry drying rack or whatever. why do you keep asking?" you put down your cake knife, wipe your hands on your apron, and stalk over to the bar to see your boyfriend swirling through his latte art with a long metal toothpick, effectively destroying the milk foam heart. "hey, why are you— that latte art looked fine."

"nah, i messed up. it looked more like an onion than a heart."

"huh. then what's this about me leaving you?"

"because i did the calculations in my head last night, and if i work here," kuroo gestures to the empty coffeeshop before you, tables wiped and floor mopped and lights dimmed, "till i graduate, and then get my first job and give money to my dad and start paying off my student loans, this and that... well, i'm just saying that it's going to take a while before we can settle down in a place of our own."

you watch as his toothpick swirls round and round his coffee, the heart (or the onion, according to him) now a homogenous off-white blob.

"and how accurate are those calculations?" you grab a cup off the drying rack and start polishing next to him.

"fairly accurate, i think? i can do up an excel sheet if you want."

you bite back a grin at how earnest he sounds. “tetsu, my love. even if you do up your calculations on excel, run it through an expert, or use the world’s most powerful computer, you’ll still be wrong.”

“...why?”

“because you forgot to factor in me.” 

clink! kuroo drops his toothpick back into its holder. 

“if we’re going to get married, and buy a house, and a car, and an automated laundry drying rack, we’re going to do it together. there’s no way i’m making you shoulder all that financial burden alone.”

“but i want to provide for you. it’s my job, y’know?” he says, voice quiet. “if possible, i’d send you home right now and just close up on my own. you should be in bed with a face mask on, not polishing cups.”

“no way, tetsu. we’re going to close together, and do life together,” you put down your cup and grab his wrist, his wrist bone hard under your thumb. “first jobs, marriage, getting an apartment, kids. i want it all to be a you and me thing, not a you and you thing.”

you pull him closer to you, staring hard at his handsome side profile. even with the exhaustion of the past day painted on his features—dark undereyes, nose shiny, and his hair sticking up in the back, you still find it hard to resist the urge to hold and kiss him. 

“i want to kiss you,” he blurts out, as if he read your mind. he pulls his wrist from your hand, reaching for your waist—but you stop him with a hand on his chest, suddenly overcome with shyness.

“you can’t, we’re working.”

“but we closed half an hour ago!”

“there are still cameras around, silly.” but you let kuroo pull you close and excuse the hand he’s settled on your hip in favour of looking at the latte he was messing with.

the big milk foam blob was accompanied by two similar, smaller blobs on its left and right.

“it’s a bear,” your lover says proudly. “for you.” 

“it’s cute.” 

“i love you.”

you hum, leaning into his warmth. “i love you too.”

student loans, housing, your shift tomorrow—those can wait.

for now, it’s just you and kuroo and his failed latte art, surrounded by the scent of sweet coffee and cake. and it’s more than enough. 

it’s all you ever wanted. 

#beep boop i hope i managed to get the rough idea across #i was just thinking that kuroo would grow up to become a person with a fair amount of worries for the future #especially when living in tokyo.... it's competitive #i don't want a house!!! not yet!!!! i just want to have fun loving my barista bf y'know!!!! #bahahah anyways : ) ty for reading if u did #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurou x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #kuroo fluff #yuna writes

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata”- Ch. 14

Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter! (>////<)  I hope you enjoy the continuation!

>>Read it here on Ao3<< >>Read it here on Wattpad<<

CHAPTER 14: RUBATO

Music glossary: Rubato (Italian: 'stolen/robbed') - Musical term for the elasticity of music, most often expressed in time, or rhythm. In essence, by 'stealing' time, or borrowing it, rubato allows the performer to achieve greater musical expression and freedom. The player may deviate from strict tempo regularity by stretching certain beats, measures, or phrases and compacting others, in a musically correct method of atonement.

(Mood Music: "One Man’s Dream" - Yanni)

Ladybug was falling. Her body felt like it was floating, yet she could see a myriad of objects zooming past her: buildings, vehicles, street signs, people, as if her world had been rotated ninety degrees and gravity was pulling her across the street instead of towards the earth. She dropped down (or was it sideways??), further into the blackness. Time seemed to have slowed down, although she couldn’t be sure. It was as if she were a stone that had been dropped into a vast ocean, its currents violently rushing past.

Where am I?

She looked up towards the only source of light, which dimmed more and more as she fell. When it was merely a speck, she wondered if she’d plunged into a complete, terrifying darkness, all alone. Was there no way out? Fear gripped her chest, and she struggled to hold in a whimper.

A sudden brightness blinded her and someone, or some thing, caught her, preventing her from falling any further. Panicking, she squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught of lights, and she struggled to wrest herself free. She squirmed and tried to shove the unknown entity away, but it was all in vain, as she was merely squeezed even tighter. The unknown force was simply too powerful to fight off in her confused and disoriented state, and although the grip wasn’t rough or painful, it was firm and unrelenting.

“Let me go!” she cried, still scrambling to get away. “Please, somebody help!!”

She felt someone’s face lower next to hers. “Easy, easy, it’s just me. You’re okay,” a deep voice cooed, their warm breath tickling her ear.

Her struggles ceased; she knew that voice.

“Chat…?”

Ladybug forced her eyes to focus, and they traveled up to meet his. She felt her body relax a bit as she looked into the familiar green glow. Could it really be him? How much of this situation was real?

“What happened? Is it really you? Am I… is this a dream?” she asked.

Chat Noir gave her a self-deprecating smile. “As much as I’d like to joke about being the man of your dreams, you’re actually awake right now.”

Ladybug quirked an eyebrow. Well... he certainly sounded like the real Chat.

She ignored the sudden heat in her face and asked, “Where are we? How did I get here?”

She felt Chat shrug as he held her, his face mirroring her own look of confusion. “It’s… I’m not exactly sure how to explain.” His eyes looked distant as he recounted what happened. “I saved the people from the vehicle that the akuma threw, and then started running back towards you guys. But I saw that she had you cornered, and I realized I wasn’t going to reach you in time. I was so scared. But then, like…” His face scrunched as he tried to articulate what happened, as if he were still trying to make sense of it himself. “Something stopped me. I got this feeling, this urge, that I needed to go inside this building. It seemed like a really stupid idea, but it’s like I couldn’t ignore it. So, against my better judgment, I followed it. Then when I was inside, I heard Plagg’s voice in my head. He said… ‘BLACK HOLE’.”

Ladybug blinked. Black Hole? Why did that sound so familiar…?

“So I repeated the words, and just like with Cataclysm, this... power activated in my hand; one I’ve never used before. And then it was like, somehow I knew what to do next. I put my hand on the wall and I focused, thinking about you and your location. I made a hole appear under you, and you fell through it. And then you landed here.”

Ladybug’s eyes grew wide. She realized that the power he was talking about had been briefly mentioned in Fu’s writings and records about other miraculouses, but no other details had been available.

“Chat, that–that’s remarkable,” she breathed. “You discovered a brand new power when it was needed the most… That’s amazing! Thank you.”

Chat looked away, cheeks reddening. “I-it was nothing. Just doing my job.” He cleared his throat, then nodded at the Lucky Charm in her hands. “S-so, uh... I noticed that you’ve got an interesting looking lightbulb there. Got any ideas?”

Oh. The Lucky Charm… she’d somehow managed to hold onto it during her odd trip through the black hole.

Right on cue, her earrings rang out their first beep.

She shook her head. “Not yet. But let’s go back outside so I can look around and see what we can use.”

“Good idea,” he replied with a fond smile, then seemed to be waiting for her so he could follow.

Her face felt warm again, and she added awkwardly, “Uhh… you’re gonna have to set me down first. I’m fine now, really.”

Chat’s eyebrows flew up, finally realizing that she was still nestled in his arms. “O-oh! Right! H-here you go,” he stammered, quickly setting her down onto the floor. They looked at each other, wringing their hands and chuckling awkwardly.

She turned and began to walk away when she felt him gently grab her arm.

“Wait,” he said, his expression turning forlorn. “I-uh… I wanted to apologize. For what my father said. He said a lot of really horrible things to you, and you don’t deserve any of it. He wasn’t always like… like that. I know he was just trying to turn us against each other, and I wanted to argue back, b-but it’s like I’d open my mouth and nothing would come out, and I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

She turned her body around to face him completely. Was he really apologizing for what had happened back there?? She had to consciously fight the urge to step forward and wrap her arms around him, as overzealous physical affection probably wasn’t what he needed right now. Especially not after what Hawkmoth said to him about her and her… motivations.

“Chat…You don’t have to apologize. The things Hawkmoth said, the things he does… you have no control over any of it; none of it is your fault. You’re not responsible for his words and actions. The man currently wearing the butterfly miraculous isn’t your father. He’s a villain, and extremely mentally disturbed. He’ll do and say anything to achieve what he wants.”

Chat looked away, his fists squeezing tightly. “B-but… what if he’s right, about some of it? Do you really need me? Would it be better for me to just hand you my miraculous so you could wish for him to go away, or wish for his miraculous back? I’m partly responsible so I should be the one to accept any consequences. Would I be more useful if I simply disappeared? Would it fix everything? Would it... save him and make him go back to normal?”

Ladybug felt her body stiffen and a sudden nausea settled in her gut.

Chat still loved his father. He wanted to save him.

She looked up at him, her determined eyes meeting his fearful ones. “Chat… don’t ever think for a second that things would be better off without you. Take a step back and look at the whole picture. You literally just discovered a new power, in the middle of battle, to save me from an akuma. That’s incredible!”

Chat’s cheeks flushed and he looked away, rubbing his arm shyly.

Ladybug continued, “If you don’t trust yourself yet, then trust me. I don’t need your miraculous.” She slowed down, emphasizing each word clearly. “I need YOU.”

“I…” he gaped at her, at a loss for words. A wave of emotions flickered through his face in quick sequence. Shock. Relief. Affection. Hope. Finally, he replied, “Th-thank you for saying that. You have no idea how much that means to me. And... I do trust you. It’s just… I just feel so powerless whenever he’s around, almost like I revert back into being a little kid, too afraid to talk back, too weak to act. Sometimes it feels like I’ll never escape him.”

Ladybug gulped and decided to chance stepping closer. She took his hands into hers, squeezing firmly, her eyes searching his to make sure her actions weren’t unwelcome.

“I can’t imagine how you must be feeling. But I assure you, you’re doing the right thing. It’ll take time for you to feel more confident around him, but I know you can do it. We can defeat him. YOU can defeat him. I believe in you, Chaton. I believe in us. The ladybug and cat miraculouses are back together where they belong, and as a team they can bring back balance. Together, our magic is greater than his. And I’ll do everything in my power to help you be free of that man.”

Chat bit his lip, gazing at her fondly, looking like he was moments away from tackling her with a hug. Instead, he shook his head with a dreamy sigh. “I don’t deserve you, My Lady.”

Ladybug ignored the heat that rose to her face, and booped him on the nose. “Stop saying that, you silly cat. You deserve every possible good thing to happen to you.”

Chat raised her hands to his lips and left a lingering kiss. “You’re already the best thing that’s ever happened to ‘Chat Noir’. Thank you,” he said softly.

“I–I...”Her breath caught slightly, the huskiness in Chat’s voice producing a pleasant tingle that traveled down her spine. “Y-you’re welcome,” she managed to stammer out.

“Also… I know this isn’t the time, but after we defeat this akuma, I’ll tell you everything about my mother. She’s the reason why we did everything. We were trying to save her. She’s… well, at first I thought she was sick, but things are more complicated than that. Anyway, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

Because I really do trust you, and I need you to know that , his eyes seemed to say as they bore into hers.

She smiled at him. “If she’s anything like you, I’m sure she’s an amazing person.” Chat looked down at her, his emotions threatening to spill out at her words.

He was about to reply when his ring beeped out its first alarm, and they were startled apart.

Chat walked back to her with a smile. Linking his fingers between hers, he said, “Let’s do this, Bugaboo. We’ve got an akuma to take care of.”

(Mood Music: “Never Say No” - Abel Korzeniowski)

The pair peeked out from behind a wall, locating the akuma, who was still searching for them after Ladybug’s mysterious disappearance.

Ladybug whispered to Chat, “Do you have any idea where her akuma could be hiding?”

“I think it’s in her necklace. It lights up right before she uses her powers.”

Ladybug looked around, searching for more clues, as Chat stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders, keeping guard. All the streets and buildings were so dark, it was hard for her to see anything. Occasionally she would ask Chat to read out a sign or placard, taking advantage of his night vision. Squinting, Ladybug’s eyes landed on a certain building, and finally an idea planted itself into her brain.

“So… she sucks up all the light around her, like her own version of a black hole.” She brought out the small, polka dotted lightbulb, turning it with her fingers. “But what if we give her more light than she can handle?”

Chat noticed the building she was eyeing. “Got a plan?” he asked curiously.

“I think so. You think you can lure her into that shop?”

Chat stepped away with a cheerful salute. “Can do!”

“Great! Give me a minute or so to set everything up. Once you’re inside, follow my lead,” she instructed.

Chat winked at her. “Aye aye, partner! See you soon!”

A few well-timed puns and taunts later, Chat had the akuma exactly where he wanted her. He baited and goaded her into the building (which turned out to be a photography studio), as Ladybug had instructed.

Indoors, however, the tight quarters made it much more difficult to keep the akuma occupied and stay out of harm’s way. As they reached the middle of the studio, Chat backed up into a lone tripod and lost his footing. The akuma used the opportunity to strike him with an uppercut that landed him on the ground, disoriented.

“I guess I have to put you down first before I can take care of your Lady friend,” she said as she raised her blackened palm towards Chat, the pendant in the middle of her chest beginning to glow.

Before she fired, however, she heard Ladybug call, “Hey, Night Terror! Leave my Kitty alone and watch the birdie instead!”

The woman looked around in confusion to find the source of the voice, only to be met by a cacophony of camera clicks and dozens of rapidly flashing lights. Ladybug quickly replaced the flash lightbulbs with fresh ones to continue the onslaught of light, and Chat used the opportunity to knock the akuma over with his staff. The woman shielded her eyes helplessly as she fell with a sharp cry, and Chat yanked the necklace away from her. He flung it across the room to Ladybug, who threw it on the ground and stomped on it.

“Off you go, you pesky butterfly,” Ladybug grumbled as the purified akuma fluttered away. She called for the Miraculous Cure and tossed the polka dotted flash bulb into the air, and everything around them quickly went back to normal.

The former akumatized victim sat on the floor, massaging her temple with a light groan.

“Uggghhh, where am I?”

Chat Noir knelt down beside her and asked, “Are you alright, ma’am?”

The woman turned her head towards him, opening her mouth to answer, but shrieked upon recognizing who was speaking to her. “Chat Noir!! S-stay back! Wh-what do you want?!”

Chat’s expression fell and he raised his hands to show he meant no harm, backing away with a quiet apology.

Ladybug made her way towards them, clambering over the plethora of cables and photography equipment. She placed her hand on Chat’s shoulder and explained, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. Chat Noir works with me now. He’s here to help. You were akumatized. Can you tell us the last thing you remember?”

The three made their way out of the building while the young woman prattled at length about a group project she’d been a part of for the past few weeks that had been making her life a living nightmare. Hours before the due date, one of the group members had revealed that they hadn’t completed any of the assignment, and everything else just fell apart. Ladybug and Chat groaned in understanding and solidarity.

“Group projects are the worst,” they all agreed.

Before they could offer to walk the akuma victim home, however, a barrage of video cameras and microphones was shoved in their faces, startling them back into the moment.

Reporters.

Lots of them.

Ladybug sensed Chat stiffen beside her in discomfort.

Then the bombardment of questions began.

“Ladybug! Are you and Chat Noir working together now?”

“Is this permanent or just a temporary alliance?”

Ladybug donned her professional interviewee persona and began the tedious task of clearing up some of the events that had happened recently.

“Chat Noir and I are now allies, and we’ll be fighting Hawkmoth as a team from now on,” she stated simply.

“Why has Chat Noir worked with Hawkmoth until now?”

Ladybug answered, “Hawkmoth has been controlling and blackmailing Chat Noir for the past few years, and he’s only recently managed to escape him. Hawkmoth is the true villain.”

An angrier voice clamored, “What are you going to do to keep your cat on a leash?! He can’t be trusted!”

“Will you be taking his miraculous away as punishment?”

“Did you find out Chat Noir’s identity and threaten him to help you?”

“Did you kidnap and brainwash him with your ladybug magic?”

Ladybug fought the urge to facepalm herself all the way to Mars. This was quickly spiraling out of control. “Ugh, wow. No, that is not how magic works. Unlike Hawkmoth, I’m not threatening him or coercing him.”

A familiar face popped up from behind another reporter. “Ladybug, are you and Chat Noir sleeping together?”

Chat flinched in horror, looking quite like he’d swallowed a fly, but Ladybug managed to answer with a straight face and stern voice, “That question is highly inappropriate and I won’t be answering it, Nadja .

Nadja Chamack didn’t seem to be phased by the fiery glare that Ladybug was sending in her direction; but before she could follow up with another invasive question, a friendly voice by a certain bespectacled novice reporter chimed in, “Mr. Noir! What brought about this change of heart?”

Ladybug bit back a reprimand about how Alya should really be home at this hour, and instead, stepped to the side to let Chat handle the question. She’d been wanting to shield him from all of this intrusive media attention, since he probably wasn’t used to all the unwarranted personal questions. But she also understood both the need for him to experience this, and the fact that he was perfectly capable of standing up to them on his own.

Chat replied somewhat timidly, “I… I guess I realized that he was going too far. I was trying to help a loved one, and he led me to believe that we needed the ladybug miraculous’ powers to save them. He told me that we were doing a good thing. But I didn’t realize just how much our actions would affect everyone else, until now. I’m truly sorry I’ve caused you all so much trouble these past few years.”

Someone in the back yelled, “Simply saying ‘Sorry’ isn’t gonna fix everything!”

Chat resisted the urge to shrink away. He replied, “I know it won’t. What I did was wrong. And there’s nothing I can do to change the past. But actions speak louder than words, so I’ll just have to prove myself to you. I promise that you have nothing to fear from me. I’m here by my own volition, not because Ladybug is forcing me. I truly want to make up for all the wrongs the people of Paris have had to suffer. From now on, I’ll do my best to atone by helping Ladybug protect the city, and we will bring Hawkmoth to justice.”

The multitude murmured and buzzed with equal parts uncertainty and interest, still trying to figure out the new hero.

A sharp trill broke through the air, and Ladybug had never been as grateful to hear her earrings beep as she was at this moment.

“We have to go. Will the police please escort this young lady home?” she asked, making eye contact with the police officers nearby, and they nodded in reply.

She motioned for Chat to follow, and they disappeared into the skyline together.

Before she and Chat parted ways themselves, however, he tugged on her sleeve to get her attention. She turned her body to face his, looking up into his concerned eyes.

“We don’t have much time; I’ve only got about ten more minutes left til I transform back,” he said. “But I think it’s finally time I tell you about my mom.”

----------------

Notes:

Chat Noir's "Black Hole" ability from this chapter was based on one of Chat's powers in the original PV version, as seen in the concept art below:

Next chapter: The first day of school! It's the last year before they graduate, and they'll be meeting up with some of their old friends and classmates.... Including a certain two-faced brunette with a penchant for lying >:3

#Discordant Sonata #Miraculous Ladybug #Ladynoir #Enemies AU #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Adrien Agreste #fanfiction #Eden writes

[theshapeshifter100]

Guess What? I’m Not a Robot Ch26

Summary: Capital Park happens and more protests begin.

Chapter Warnings: Loss of temper, implied nightmares. (So pretty tame compared to everything else)

Word Count: 1,610

2.30AM Tuesday 9th November 2038

Paul hadn’t moved from the living area, nor had he turned off the tv all night. He watched it near religiously, waiting for any more signs of this Markus or change in the media. So far, no change either way.

Megan’s door creaked open and she stumbled out in her pyjamas. Her hair was a bed tousled mess and her pyjamas were rumpled, yet it appeared she hadn’t actually slept.

“Are you okay?” Paul asked, and Megan shrugged.

“Can’t sleep,” she said, retrieving her coat. “All I can see is that burning android, or you being taken away by police and...” Megan couldn’t continue, but she didn’t need to.

“There’s been reports of more people burning androids all day,” Paul said miserably. “Protests across Detroit. No idea if for or against androids, but...” Paul shrugged helplessly. “What are you doing?”

“Going to the roof,” Megan responded, putting her coat on.

“It is literally freezing outside,” Paul warned.

“I’ll be fine. I just need to think,” Megan turned to go back to her bedroom, and Paul resisted the urge to make her take the stairs.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? The metal is slippery in the snow.”

“I won’t go on the railing,” Megan promised. “My balance is good, but you’re right. It’s dangerous this time of year.”

With that she left the room and Paul settled back into the couch. He was watching one of those 24 hour news channels, which didn’t really have anything interesting.

He slipped into a daze, thinking about what that police officer said. That if things escalate CyberLife will have a product recall. He shuddered. He didn’t remember CyberLife, he wasn’t online until he reached the stores. If there was a massive product recall, best case scenario was mass reprogramming, worst case, mass destruction. Neither of these scenarios Paul wanted.

Megan would try and protect him, he didn’t doubt that, but there was only so much she could do. There were other ways to tell if someone was an android.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the news channel suddenly erupting. Just like before he began to flick through channels to see if he could get a different perspective. This time though he had to stand up and physically change the channel, so stood right in front of the tv.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news.”

“This just in: at exactly 2AM several CyberLife stores in Detroit were raided.”

“Different locations were hit in what seems to be a co-ordinated terrorist attack and we’re getting more information as it comes in.”

“Most shop windows were covered in graffiti demanding rights for androids and other obscure slogans.”

“Police report that pro-android graffiti was found in the neighbourhoods of CyberLife’s stores and they’re still investigating.”

“We’re getting reports that two policemen were found in a state of shock near one of the CyberLife stores,”

“According to our sources, they confirm that the attackers were a group of androids,”

“This is an alarming situation. Could our machines now be turning against us?”

“Have androids become a threat to our security?”

“Is this the beginning of a terrorist campaign, conducted right here in the United States?

Paul turned off the tv in disgust. Terrorist campaign? Seriously? They broke some shop windows and left graffiti and left two police officers alive. That wasn’t a terrorist campaign. People die in terrorist campaigns!

He wanted to share this Megan, but he had noticed that the last few times he’d lost his temper, Megan had appeared afraid. It made something in his chest ache. He didn’t want Megan to be afraid of him, it’s just, this whole thing just made him so angry! More angry than he’d ever been!

He began to pace. This wasn’t fair! There were millions of androids, and when a few stand up for themselves every single android is branded as violent and dangerous. Admittedly, he knew that this had happened before throughout human history, since humans never seem to learn. That didn’t make it any better though.

He paced around the darkened apartment, trying to calm himself down before talking to Megan. Once he felt like he was calm enough, he grabbed a pair of keys and went up the stairs to the roof.

Megan was still up there, sitting on her coat and wrapped in her duvet against the cold. Paul silently went over and sat down next to her.

“Needed to think too?” Megan asked, and Paul shrugged.

“Kind of,” he followed Megan’s gaze to the horizon. “News just in. There were a bunch of break ins at the CyberLife stores in Detroit. A lot of graffiti in Capitol Park and a couple of scared cops. News declaring at as a ‘terrorist attack’,” Paul used inverted commas there and Megan shook her head.

“Fucking idiots. No one’s hurt or dead. Only weapons that sound like they might have been used is whatever they used to break in. That’s not a terrorist attack, that’s civil unrest.”

“Thank you,” Paul breathed, glad that Megan saw that as well.

“Sounds like Capitol Park is a good place to protest tomorrow,” Megan added. “Get there nice and early, establish ourselves.”

Paul nodded. “Agreed,” he remembered the potential recall, but decided not to mention it. Megan clearly had enough problems sleeping. He didn’t need to add to it. “I’ll let the others know.”

He sent a message out, and to his surprise, someone responded quickly.

Rainbow3: Do you sleep?

Beep Boop: Sometimes. What about you?

Rainbow3: I’m catching up on an essay. What’s your excuse?

Beep Boop: @Nervousness Incarnate and I can’t sleep. Not after that android. Did the police come to yours yesterday?

Rainbow3: Yeah, seems like they’re doing the rounds. Might get worse after what you mentioned.

Beep Boop: Yes, it might. Up for it?

Rainbow3: Sure

Poison Oak: Good, now can you two go to sleep!?

Rainbow3: Okay okay

Maggie and Ivy went offline, and Paul closed the app, letting the translucent window disappear.

“Most people should be there tomorrow,” Paul reported back, and Megan nodded.

“Okay, better brace myself then,” she declared.

“And actually sleeping would help,” Paul intoned.

“I’ll try, but no promises,” the smirk was clear in Megan’s voice as she stood up, duvet around her like a cloak.

“Also, we’re taking the stairs,” Paul decided, “that’s one hell of risk if you go down the fire escape like that.”

“Okay dad,” Megan yawned, and Paul stopped and looked at her oddly.

“...dad?”

“I was joking. You’re more like a protective brother to be honest,” Megan yawned again. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Agreed.”

 9AM Tuesday 9th November 2038

Nearly everyone was yawning as they set up in Capitol Park. The news last night and the burning android had unsettled them, but they were still going. Julia and Oscar couldn’t make it that, for work and football practice respectively. However that was mitigated by the number of people that Alex and Allison had recruited.

There was about thirty of them now, all with cardboard and electronic signs. Since the plan was to be there all day, people had brought drinks, food, chairs, blankets, heat packs, batteries and even spare winter clothing.

The mood was muted, but hopeful as they saw the graffiti from last night was still there.

Alex stood at the front, facing the crowd.

“Loving the turnout today! Remember, we’re here all day, and we’re all friends. Don’t be afraid to ask for water if you need it. We’ll take rotated breaks for lunch from midday until two, and we’ll stay until it gets dark. If you need to leave early, that’s fine. Like I said, we’re all friends here!” Alex picked up their banner with Allison, which had been redecorated with triangles in a variety of colours. “Let’s get started!”

The entire crowd began to chant. It got off to a rough start due to embarrassment and not being co-ordinated. Although they quickly got together and were chanting loudly and in time with both Alex and Nathan’s rhythm, since he had brought the keyboard again.

Paul had Megan on his shoulders again, and he couldn’t help but look around. He got the feeling that there was at least one more android in the group. After a scan around he found them. A WR600 he guessed, as they weren’t in uniform and were wearing a hat. However, given how stiffly he was standing and how robotically he was chanting, it was clear he wasn’t deviant.

Paul managed to catch their eye, and smile at them, hoping to make them think. The WR600 didn’t change expression, but did stare at him for a few seconds before facing forward again. It was a start.

More people arrived as the hours wore on, and Megan took breaks from sitting on Paul’s shoulders. It got surprisingly uncomfortable after a while.

Around half one someone offered him a sandwich.

“No thanks, I’m good,” he assured.

“Are you sure? You’ve been doing this all day, don’t you want a break?”

“I’ll have a break,” Paul conceded, even if he didn’t need one. “But Megan’s been giving me snacks all morning. I’m not hungry.”

“Alright,” they shrugged. “I’ll see if anyone else wants it.”

Paul sat down on one of the blankets and folded his legs to people watch. Random people seemed to be joining now, swelling the ranks to at least forty, and so far, no negative push back. Even the press they had attracted seemed more curious than judgemental as they interviewed people. Fate appeared to have smiled upon them. Although there were still several hours to go, anything could happen.

More protesting! Seems to be going a lot better than last time though. Maybe it'll stay that way... People who know the game timeline know how that will go down.

Other Options Flowchart

(Paul) Suggest Megan takes the stairs. Insist.

(Paul) Take the fire escape

(Megan) Sarcastic response.

(Megan) Say nothing (Paul would suggest Capital Park protest)

Tags! @nightmarejim @septicart-appreciation

#Detroit Become Human #Detroit Become Human fanfic #Guess What? I'm Not a Robot #Guess What? I'm Not a Robot Ch26 #Capital Park #Android Protest #deviant android #TheShapeshifter100 writes