Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"No this can't be."

Kara stares at the letter in her hands, not wanting to believe it is real.

The evicted letter.

There have been some rumors that the city plans of building a new mall in order to make new jobs.

However, in order to do that, the apartment building that she and Alice have been living in has to be teared down.

The building itself is pretty old, around seventy years old. It's made out of chipping bricks and peeling paint. The walls grimy from the overexposure from the city. But the rent was cheap.

Kara bites her lip, worrying it.

What is she going to do? Sure she has her job at the bakery and part-time waitress in the weekends, but it was already hard enough taking care of Alice. She barely has any time to drop and pick up Alice from school during the busy hours at the bakery and Kara usually comes home tired after bustling around in work.

Now she has to go house hunting. But where?

A soft patter of footsteps reach Kara.

Alice looks at her mother, noticing the badly concealed distress over her face.

"Hey, honey. Do you need anything?" Kara asks.

Alice also notices that mommy is trying to look happy, giving her a tired smile.

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Alice. Everything's fine."

Alice frowns at that.

"Mommy."

Kara signs as she holds the letter tightly. Of course Alice would notice something is wrong.

"Alice," Kara pauses, suddenly anxious "We have to find a new apartment."

"Why mommy?" Alice asks, confused.

At that moment, Kara feels like crying. Alice doesn't deserve this. She shouldn't have to worry about money.

"We have to Alice."

-(Time Skip)-

It's been six days since the eviction letter arrived and Kara has been continuously anxious since then.

Ever since the letter arrived, Kara would walk towards the library, for free wi-fi, with her old laptop she got from the second hand store. She would stay there searching for places to live that were close to her job and Alice's school.

So far she has no luck.

Kara groans in frustration as she stares at the prices of apartments, even studio apartments, that are on the costly side.

What is she going to do?

Looking at the time, Kara decides to go back home since it is already closing time.

After gathering her laptops and notes, Kara loses herself in her thoughts.

The letter says that the people living in the building must leave within two weeks time.

In moments like this, Kara really wants to curse at fate.

When Kara was very young, her mother died in a car accident and her father left her as an orphan. When she was in the system, she jumped from house to house. Usually it was because the parents didn't really connect with Kara or there was disagreements between her the other children.

Alice on the other hand-

No.

She will not go to him. Ever. Especially what he done to Alice.

Kara doesn't notice as she walking back home, she bumps into someone.

And falls on her back ungracefully.

"Oh, I am so sorry!"

The man she bumped into quickly goes to her side, gently pulling her up.

"Are you alright?"

Kara looks up at the man. No wonder she fell.

The man stands tall, maybe around six foot tall, compared to her stature of five foot four inches. He has a very fit built with broad shoulders. His head is shaved and he has a slight stubble.

But what caught her attention is his eyes. One green and one blue. Both twinkling, giving them a feeling of liveliness she doesn't see often.

In short, he is stunning.

The man took Kara's silence the wrong way.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Should I call the hospital? I think there is one nearby."

Kara blinks snapping out of her thought, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I had worse."

The stranger doesn't look too convince, but lets it go.

"Well anyway, I have to get back home. If you excuse me-," Kara says then stops when she looks at her laptop.

Broken.

The laptop's screen is broken giving the appearance of spider webs across the length of the screen.

How was she going to find a new apartment now? She could use the library's computers, but then she needs to pay for a library card. And even though the laptop was worn down, she payed $60 for it.

The sight of the broken laptop reminds her of how broken her life is now.

Kara begins to finally cry.

Gosh, she feels so exhausted from work, researching for a new home, and taking care of Alice. She feels angry at the eviction letter, wanting to will it away. She feels lost: what now?

Now she feels embarrassed. Look at her, she starts bawling in front of a stranger.

Before she knows, strong arms wraps around her.

They held her down, firmly. Reassuring and relieving her from her worries.

She doesn't even notice the stranger giving her words of comfort until she stops sniffling.

"Hey, Hey, it's okay. Breath with me... There you go."

When she finally stops crying, the stranger says something to her.

“Huh? Sorry could you repeat that again?”

“I’m sorry that I broke your laptop. Do you want me to replace it?”

“No! No. It’s fine. I think I take it to a repair shop.”

Even though Kara should have taken the opportunity, she doesn’t trust him that he would do something wrong.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Uh. Sure.”

The stranger pauses for a moment, thinking to himself.

He then asks, “Did you actually cry because of the broken laptop? Or was it something else?”

The genuine concern in his voice surprises Kara.

She doesn’t know what made her do it, but she begins to tell him about the eviction letter and finding a new apartment and how difficult it was. She even tells him about her stress, anxiousness and worries.

The man ponders at the information. Kara feels stupid. Why would she tell a stranger about her troubles-

“Do you need a place to stay?”

Chapter Text

Markus rolls his shoulders, trying to relieve some tension.

He sighs in relief as he rotates in his chair eliciting a series of pops.

Markus is in his studio working on touching upon his new paintings for the upcoming open gallery. Between the paintings and changing the arrangements again because somebody couldn’t plan schedules rights, Markus was busy for the past few weeks.

Looking at the time, he noticed that it is already a little past midnight. Since he has to see Carl tomorrow, Markus heads straight to bed.

-This is a time skip-

The drive to Carl's home only takes about fifteen minutes. After parking his car, Markus strolls to the door and rings the bell.

A young man, Carl's caretaker, recognizes him and opens the door and lets Markus in.

When Markus walks into the main room, Carl was resting in his wheelchair, watching the news.

“-reports from last night, a police chase turns deadly as they try to apprehend suspects-”

“Hello, Carl.”

Carl turns his head at the familiar voice, smiling when he sees Markus.

“TV off,” Carl says as the television turns off.

“Markus, welcome home. How have you been?”

“Wonderful, if you don’t count the constant schedule changes.”

Carl gives a low chuckle and smiling at Markus.

“You should hire a new secretary.”

Markus hums at the thought, “I could, but I am too busy to deal with that right now.”

“That’s true,” Carl says, “Have a seat, my son. It has been a while since we had a chance to talk. Drink some coffee too.”

Markus takes a seat next to his father and pours himself a mug of coffee.

Carl Manfred is said to be one of the most inspirational painters of Detroit. Despite the rumors circuiting around that he wasn’t a family person, he did adopt Markus.

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Is it true that you are going to the library later to teach children how to paint?” Carl asks.

“Yes, I am. My friend Josh works part-time there and asks me if I was interested in teaching children how to paint.”

Carl smiles in an almost teasing way.

“Maybe you could find somebody there. Single parents do like a man who can paint.”

Markus almost chokes on his coffee before swallowing it. After a few coughs, he turns to Carl with a mortified blushing face.

“Carl!”

“Well, it’s true. Markus, you’re one of the youngest and most successful painters at the age of twenty-three. I think after this gallery you should go and find yourself a partner.”

“C-Carl. I am not going to do that.” Markus could feel blood rush to his ears and neck.

“Okay then.”

Markus sighs in relief.

“Maybe more than one partner instead.”

“Dad!”

“I heard polyamorous relationships are such a rave in your generation.”

“Carl-Dad. I’m not going to find myself a relationship. I’m not really into anyone right now.”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

Thankfully in Markus’ case, they talk about another topic until Markus has to leave to work on finishing his last painting for the gallery.

-This is a time skip-

“Here you go,” Josh says as he gives Markus a cup of water.

“Thank you, Josh.”

“No problem. Thanks for coming in and teaching the kids.”

“It’s no problem really.”

“The kids like it when you started to paint the puppies...”

Markus takes a sip from the cup.

“... and the adults liked it when you bend over when you dropped the water bottle.”

Markus chokes at the water.

Josh pats his back with a pleasing smile.

“First Carl, now you?”

“It’s true. You need to expand your horizons and meet someone for a change.”

“I will when you ask Simons out.”

Josh immediately blushes at the mention of the blond’s name.

“T-that’s not- Markus that’s foul play.”

Markus raises an eyebrow, looking at Josh.

“Did you even try yet? Or did you stop and instead just stood there looking at Simon?”

Josh blushes even more.

“Sorry, sorry. I won’t ask anymore, but until then I’m not going to find someone unless you ask Simon. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Josh looks at the digital clock. It reads 8:55 pm.

“Markus, it almost closing time. You should get back home.”
“Got it. See you later Josh.”

“You too.”

“Don’t forget to ask Simon out!”

“Don’t say that out loud!”

Markus exits the library, laughing. As he walks in the direction of his car, he thinks of what to do for the rest of the evening.

Lost in thought, he doesn’t notice a shorter figure who collided with him.

The stranger, a young lady, falls to the ground.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Markus says as he rushes to her side.

He gently pulls her up and asks, “Are you alright?”

The lady stares at him for a long period of time.

Markus begins to worry when she just continues to stare at him. He notices the dark bags under her blue eyes.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Should I call the hospital? I think there is one nearby,” Markus asks, concerned that she might be hurt somewhere else.

She blinks, snapping out of her thoughts.

“Don't worry, I'm fine. I had worse,” she replies.

Markus lets go of her reluctantly, not convinced.

"Well anyway, I have to get back home. If you excuse me-," she says then stops when she looks at the ground.

Markus follows her gaze and sees the broken laptop.

The whole screen of the laptop is cracked beyond repair.

Markus immediately feels guilty. He turns to the lady to apologize, but she starts to cry.

Her body shakes as the sobs increase. Her whole face tenses as tears pour out of her eyes, wheezing.

Markus acts on instinct and wraps her with his arms, hugging her.

Markus gives her comforting words as she sobs in his arms.

"Hey, Hey, it's okay. Breath with me... There you go."

The lady’s breathing starts to even out and she eventually stops crying.

Markus takes this chance to apologize.

“I’m sorry that I bumped into you and broke your laptop. Do you want me to replace it?”

“Huh? Sorry, could you repeat that again?”

“I’m sorry that I broke your laptop. Do you want me to replace it?”

“No! No. It’s fine. I think I take it to a repair shop.”

Her eyebrows scrunch together, thinking to herself.

Before Markus could even insist on replacing the laptop, he feels a slight buzz.

“Can I ask you something?” Markus asks.

“Uh. Sure.”

Markus pauses. Before he could stop himself he says, “Did you actually cry because of the broken laptop? Or was it something else?”

The lady seems surprised at his concern.

Then she tells him about her situation. How she is going to be evicted because of the construction of a new mall and her difficulties of finding a new apartment. She tells him how exhausted she is after working long hours. She tells him the stress she is under, trying to make ends meet.

After she finishes speaking, Markus decides that maybe he could somehow help the stranger.

“Do you need a place to stay?” Markus asks.

“What?”

“I have a studio that has two floors that acts like a house too. If you want, you could stay in one of the guest room.”

The lady looks at him, dumbfounded at the change of events.

“There’s also a kitchen and bathrooms-”

“I-I can’t take that offer. Sorry.”

Markus still wants to help her. He had been fortunate enough when Carl took him in from the streets. He wants to offer her a place to stay even if it is for a little while.

“What I mean is, I’m a stranger. You don’t even know me and I don’t know you. I just can’t take that offer,” she says.

“But-”

“No. It’s fine. I appreciate the offer though. Thank you. But, I’m just going to leave and find another solution.”

She goes to pick up her dropped items and turns to leave.

“Wait!” Markus says before she starts walking away.

“Could you wait for a moment?” Markus asks.

She looks at him with uncertainty, but nods and stands there waiting.

Markus quickly takes out a post-it note and a pen that he carries around to doodle on and writes down his number.

He hands her his number, saying “Look, if you need any help, you can call me.”

She looks at the note then back to him.

“Why?” she whispers.

“Because somebody once took me in and I want to do the same for someone else.”

Chapter Text

Kara stares at the post-it note. It’s a typical yellow one, its corners worn as Kara keeps holding it in her hands.

Kara then looks at the cursed letter to her right.

The offer is tempting, but she doesn’t know if she should take it.

What is she thinking? Of course, she shouldn’t accept the offer. For all she knows, the man could be a serial killer and might hurt Alice. Or worse.

Kara is angry with herself. She couldn’t believe that she told him about her troubles! She doesn’t even know where that came from!

But he was so gentle with her when he helped her up. When he embraced her, she felt safe and relieved…

Kara’s face warms at the thought.

No. Stop right there Kara.

Frustrated, she places her face against the table.

It’s Sunday and it’s her day off, so she used this day to pack everything. But she already finished an hour ago and dinner is cooking in the slow cooker.

She has been sitting there for a good twenty minutes, looking at the yellow note.

If Alice isn’t around, she would be cursing at fate.

“Mommy.”

“Yes, Alice?”

Kara turns her head to face Alice who is holding a couple of letters.

“Mom, the mail came in.”

Alice holds out the letter for Kara to take.

“Thank you, Alice.”

Alice nods and goes to the living room to play with her fox toy.

Kara sifts through the mail. Ads. Ads. More Ads. Letter.

Puzzled, Kara looks at the letter’s address and froze.

She quickly opens it with shaky hands and begins to read it.

The letter states that the date for people to of eviction is set earlier and that they are sincerely sorry for the change of plans.

“Sorry, my ass.”

That now leaves her with two days to find a new place.

Maybe she should call the stranger.

-In another place-

After finishing the last painting, Markus gathers his supplies for the upcoming art class and starts driving towards the library.

Ten minutes later, Markus is stuck in traffic.

Markus lets out an annoyed sigh. Looks like he going to tell Josh that he is going to be late.

Then, Markus hears a loud siren calls from two patrol cars as they race past him and stop in front of a building.

Markus turns to look behind him. Four officers got out from the patrol cars and rush into the building.

A few moments later, gunshots ring through the building.

People standing outside of the building starts screaming and running away. Another patrol car arrives with two more officers coming out.

Several gunshots later, people start to abandon their cars to look for safety.

Then a male in his thirties, wearing a white shirt stained with a strange green substance, runs from the alleyway with a gun in hand. When he sees the two other officers who arrived at the scene, he starts shooting at them.

One of the officers hides behind a brick wall, the other isn’t so lucky.

When the shooter points his gun at the officer, the officer starts to move towards the right.

A bullet hits the young officer’s left arm.

“Connor!”

Officer Connor hides behind the patrol car, clutching his arm.

“Lieutenant, I’m fine. It’s only a graze,” he says blankly.

The man that came from the alleyway starts shooting randomly, yelling incoherently.

A civilian screams as one of the bullets pierces through their leg. Connor, noticing the civilian is exposed and unable to move, tries to move towards them but stops when the shooter fires a couple more rounds at the patrol car.

Witnessing this scene, Markus acts.

Using the cars left in traffic as shields, he quickly moves towards the civilian and pulls them into safety, behind a car.

Markus applies pressure to the bullet wound and dials 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“There’s a man shooting at people and someone got injured. Send an ambulance.”

Markus gives the address when the operator asks where he is.

“Okay sir, the ambulance is on its way.”

“Thank you.”

Markus turns towards the bleeding civilian.

“Don’t worry you will be fine. Could you apply pressure on the wound for me?” Markus asks.

The civilian nods, biting their lip and panting hard.

Markus takes off the jacket that he was wearing and places it on the wound.

He then hears some shouting and the man that shot the civilian runs past them with a knife.

Markus tenses when the shooter notices them, holding the knife towards them with a crazed look on his face.

Markus shifts himself into a ready position if the crazy man decided to attack them. He hopes the years of street fighting can get him out of this mess.

Just then a figure moves over Markus for a moment as the officer from before vaults over the car. He rolls as he lands and dodges a swipe from the knife. He quickly disarms the shooter in a single fluid motion.

Sensing that he is outmatched, the shooter tries to escape. The officer rotates, raising his leg, as he delivers a kick at the shooter’s face, knocking him out.

The officer takes out handcuffs and cuffs the shooter.

The lieutenant, an older man, walks toward Markus and the civilian.

“Are you okay? Should I call the ambulance?”

“I already call 911. The ambulance should come sooner or later,” Markus replies.

The lieutenant is about to say something before his partner interrupts him.

“Lieutenant I’m going to join the other officers in capturing the other criminals. You should stay here with the civilians,” he says in a monotone voice.

He then runs back to the building where the occasional gunshots could be heard.

“Connor! Come back-goddamnit!”

The Lieutenant looks conflicted as he looks at the building and then back to Markus and the civilian.

He groans and mumbles a curse to himself. He goes towards Markus and the civilian.

“I’m Lieutenant Hank. Do you feel anything? Like coldness or feel clammy?”

The civilian shake their head no.

Just then, an ambulance arrives and the paramedics quickly put the civilian on a stretcher.

Hank ushers Markus to a safer place, away from the conflict.

They hear a series of footsteps as two more criminals run out of the alleyway. Then Connor emerges from the alleyway too, chasing them.

Connor sprints, gaining speed. Like a finely tuned machine, he runs along the wall and pushes off from it with one leg and kicks a criminal in the face. The criminal is now unconscious.

Crouching low, Connor pivots his body, sweeping his leg at the other criminal, making him fall. As the criminal picks himself up, Connor punches him in the face.

From the alleyway, three officers arrive at the scene. Two of them handcuff the criminals. The third officer scowls at Connor muttering “Bloodhound”.

The chase didn’t even last a minute.

“Holy shit,” Markus says.

To say that chase is impressive is an understatement. The officer captures the criminals with such dangerous yet graceful precision is astounding.

And fucking hot too.

Immediately, Markus notices the cute freckles under Connor’s brown eyes and how soft his hair looks. His suit gives him the appearance and air of professional and pristine. How his black slacks cling at the right places on his long legs.

Markus blushes lightly at that thought and it got worse when said officer walks towards him.

Markus quickly clears his throat.

“Was it Con-Officer Connor. I like to thank y-”

However, Connor ignores Markus and approaches Hank.

“Lieutenant I have captured the criminals. May I have permission to search the crime scene?” Connor asks in a polite tone.

“Of course,” Hank sighs “Connor I told you don’t need to go to me for permission.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

Then Connor walks back to the building and past the criminals who are going to be driven to the police station.

“Don’t take it personally.”

“Huh?”

“He’s very dedicated to his job,” Hank says to Markus as he walks away.

Markus stands there, thinking about the freckled officer.

Chapter Text

Markus was eating breakfast when the doorbell rang.

When he opens the front door, North stands there and grabs for Markus’ shoulders, shaking them.

“What the hell Markus Manfred?! You stupid lovable idiot!”

Getting a bit dizzy, Markus stops North from shaking him and asks “What are you talking about?”

“This!”

North holds up her phone that shows a video from a news station and presses play.

“This is just in, a brave act from a young man. Markus Manfred saves a life during police shooting.

Yesterday, a police shooting occurred in Parkinson Street. Four policemen were in pursuit of the wanted criminals from the deadly police chase the other day. One of the criminals escaped the building from the alleyway, wielding a gun. Two more policemen came to the scene, but the criminal started to shoot. Within the crossfire, a civilian was shot in the leg and was unable to move, exposed to the shooter.

That was when Manfred saw the injured man. Instead of running to safety like everybody else, he dragged him to safety behind a car.”

The video switched to a hospital room, where the injured civilian was laying on a bed.

“He pulled me to safety,” said the person “He saved my life.”

“Despite the fact that in the past, reporters had trouble contacting Manfred on public matters, hopefully, we can get insight soon on why he saved the civilian's life.”

The video ends and North gives him a scolding look.

“You could have been killed! And you didn’t tell us about it. Did you forgot or something?”

Markus gives North an apologetic face.

“I was framing my paintings for the gallery?”

North pinches the bridge of her nose, closes her eyes, and gives out a long weary sigh.

“Uh. I made muffins?” Markus says, trying to appease her.

North rolls her eyes.

“Only you Markus. Only you would do that.”

North looks up at him with a fond smile.

“I forgive you Markus for now, but Simon is out for your ass.”

Markus tenses at that. The only person who is scarier than North is Simon in his mother hen mode.

“Is he really that angry with me?”

“Josh is the only one who is holding back Simon from coming to get you. They sent me instead.”

“How merciful of them.”

“Yes, very. Now you mention muffins?”

“They’re the banana nut.”

“Markus, your officially forgiven.”

Both enter the kitchen and North goes straight to the dining table where the muffins are placed on a plate.

Markus pours another cup of coffee for North and sets it down in front of her. They eat in comfortable silence until Markus’ phone rings.

“Do you think it’s the reporters or Simon?” North asks.

“I really hope it's neither.”

North laughs and stifles her giggles and Markus glares at her as the call goes to voicemail.

“Uh, hello? This is the girl who bumped into you a couple days back. Um,” the voice gives an awkward cough “I would like to take on your offer for room boarding. If you could please call me back as soon as possible and we can talk about living arrangements.”

The voicemail ends and North gives him a questioning look that turns into a teasing one.

“Who was that Mr. Supposedly-Single?”

Markus blushes a little bit and clears his throat.

“North it’s not like. I just happen to offer someone a place to stay for a while until they can find somewhere else.”

“Why does it feel like I’m missing some important details.”

“North.”

“Spill the beans Markus and tell me who is this mystery-soon-to-be-girlfriend.”

“North, I’m not interested in her.”

“Hm, whatever you say. She sounds a little awkward, but pretty nice.”

Markus gives her a stare which North matches.

North raises an eyebrow and says, “Tell me now unless you want me to bring Simon’s nagging to the table. I’m pretty sure Josh would join too.”

“Fine. You win.”

North gives him a victorious smile and waits for him to continue.

“Remember a couple days ago when Josh asks me to teach children art? After the class, I bumped into the girl and made her drop her laptop. I apologized and she started to cry. Then I try to comfort her with hugging and got her to calm down.”

“Way to swoon a girl.”

“North not now.”

“Right. Right. I’m listening.”

“Anyway I offered her if I could replace the laptop and she refused. Then I asked her if there was another reason why she was upset. You know the news of from the mayor that he decided to construct a new mall? Yeah, apparently her apartment building is in the planned construction site and that the people living there are evicted. So I offered her a place to stay.”

“In your studio?” North asks.

“Yes.”

“As much I feel sorry for the poor girl. Did you just offer your home to a stranger?”

“When you put it that way, yes.”

“Markus you can’t just offer your house to a stranger! For all you know, she could be a serial killer!”

“She didn’t seem to have bad intentions.”

North runs a hand through her hair and lets out a frustrated sigh.

“Markus this is uncharacteristic of you. You’re usually very careful.”

“North, she needed a place to stay. Just like how Carl took me in all those years ago.”

North’s face softens.

“Fine. But I’m keeping an eye out. And please be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

-This is a time skip-

Kara fidgets in her seat, waiting for Markus. People in the plaza walk from place to place, their voices mixing and buzzing from various conversations.

Alice doesn’t get out of school in a few hours so that they have a few hours until they figure things out. Kara chooses this place because it’s public and police stations are near in case anything happens to her.

“Hello.”

Kara looks up and sees Markus standing at her table. He’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, covering his noticeable features.

Kara gets up and extends her hand.

“Hello, my name is Kara.”

“I’m Markus.”

They shake hands and stand there awkwardly for a few moments.

“Do you want to sit down or...” Markus says.

“Uh, yes. Lets... let's do that.”

Both take their seats.

“Thank you for coming on such a short notice,” Kara begins.

“No problem. When do you want me to pick up your belongings?”

“Whenever you're available. Preferably today or tomorrow.”

“Got it. I have a pick-up truck that you could use.”

Kara worries her bottom lip. Now here comes the hard part.

“There something else I want to tell you. I have a daughter living with me.”

“She can come too.”

“Really?”

Kara stares at him critically.

“Don’t worry I won’t do anything to you or your daughter. You have my word,” Markus says reassuringly.

“I hope so. I saw you on the news.”

“Oh yeah. That.”

“What’s wrong? You did save a man.”

“It’s not that. I just don’t like it when the media makes a big deal of it. Anyone would do the same thing if they were in my position.”

Before Kara could respond, a woman approaches their table.

“Are you Markus Manfred?” the woman asks studying him “You are! Tell me. What went through your head when you saved that man? Were you scared for your life?”

The cameraman behind her starts recording. Hearing her exclamation, the customers around her start to notice Markus.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Markus Manfred!”

“Didn’t he save the man yesterday?”

“He is practically a hero.”

The murmurs start to increase in volume and people pull out their phones to take pictures.

“Shit,” Markus mutters under his breath.

Markus looks at Kara and takes her hand and starts to run.

Kara hesitates as Markus pulls her through the crowd.

“What are you doing?” Kara asks.

“We have to go before we get swarmed!” Markus says, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease.

“Wait! Come back, Mr. Manfred! We have so many questions!” the reporter screams, running after them.

Kara and Markus run out of the plaza and into the city crowd.

“Here,” Markus says, pulling Kara into an alleyway and behind a large dumpster.

“Wha-”

“Shh,” Markus whispers.

They stay quiet and hear a hurried clacking of heels outside of the alleyway.

“Where did he go? Ugh! Damn it, we were so close!” the reporter screeches.

The sounds of footsteps of the reporter and cameraman gradually decrease, leaving Markus and Kara alone in the alleyway.

“Okay, it’s safe now,” Markus says, standing up.

“Does this always happen?” Kara asks.

“Very often,” Markus lets out a sigh.

“What now? I don’t think we can talk in public.”

“Did you drive here?” Markus asks.

“No, I don’t have a car,” Kara replies.

Markus considers their options and comes to a conclusion.

“How about seeing your new living space?”

Chapter Text

The car enters through the iron gate and into the driveway. The lawn is decorated with various shades of flowers placed in no distinct pattern, a sea of colors. The tamed yet overgrown bushes spill slightly onto the driveway. The old but strong trees shadow over the car as it parks in front of the garage.

Kara steps out of the car with an awestruck face.

“I didn’t know you have so many plants,” Kara says “It looks like a forest.”

“Sorry about that. I got the house from my father recently and I haven’t made any renovations yet,” Markus replies.

“Don’t worry. It’s beautiful. But… ” Kara worries her lip “It’s a bit far from where I work by foot.”

“You could borrow my other car.”

“You don’t have to!”

“Don’t worry about it. The car is kinda of old and would be less conspicuous.”

“You already offer your place to live. I can’t just take your car.”

“You’re not taking it. I’m offering it. Besides, I only need one car to drive.”

Markus and Kara stare each other down, not budging an inch.

Kara sighs.

“That’s not the problem,” she says.

“Then what is it?”

“I haven’t driven for over a year now and I don’t trust myself behind the wheel now.”

“Oh.”

“It doesn’t matter, I could just-”

“I can teach you how to drive or I could just supervise you,” Markus suggests.

“Like I said, you don’t need to!”

“But what if I insist you do it.”

“Ugh! We are getting nowhere! Stop being so stubborn!” Kara says letting out a frustrated groan.

“I’ll stop being stubborn if you agree to let me teach you how to drive.”

They stare at each other again. Internally, Kara feels like she wants to pull out her hair while Markus waits patiently.

“Fine. Show me the ropes later Mr.Manfred.”

“Just call me Markus.”

-Another place-

Hank rubs the space between his eyebrows, pinching it to relieve an impending headache he is going to have.

Across from Hank, Fowler glares at Hank.

“Lieutenant, I swear I thought you would keep an eye out for the kid. Now he got injured again! What is it, his third injury? And it isn’t even Tuesday yet.”

“It’s my second and both are minor injuries,” says a polite voice beside Hank.

Fowler turns to the officer sitting next to Hank with an irritated expression.

“You don’t get too say anything about this since apparently, you can’t take care of yourself properly.”

“But I usually get at least six hours of sleep every night, and I eat balanced meals-,” Connor says without skipping a beat.

“I don’t care if you get enough rest or eating healthy! You put yourself in too much danger! We can’t have one of our best officers going out there and getting themselves killed because of their lack of self-preservation!”

“Sorry, sir-”

“Don’t sorry me. You have to understand that you aren’t some one-man army. You’re an officer and you have others to back you up.”

Even though Connor puts on one of his best poker faces, Hank can see the slight tense of his shoulders and his hands itching a bit at his pocket where Hank is sure his quarter is.

“That is all. Connor, you are dismissed.”

As Connor leaves the room, Fowler turns to Hank, lowering his forehead into his hands and lets out a frustrated sigh.

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure other police departments doesn’t have this much trouble with their officers.”

“At least Connor made some progress since the first time he came to this department,” Hank says, trying to reassure Fowler.

Fowler turns his head to stare out the window of his office and at the police officers below.

“Hank you know that the police department’s policy is to protect and serve,” Fowler watches a group of younger officers talking to each other “But some young people who join the police force have naive ambitions of making the world a better place and forget that their lives matter too.”

Fowler looks back at Hank with a frown and tired face. Hank returns with the same look.

“Anyways, how is the investigation going?” Fowler asks.

Hank grunts and holds out an envelope to Fowler who takes out the contents to read them.

“Apparently there’s a new drug out in the market. A mixture of Red Ice, Cocaine, and a few other drugs, it’s called Raider. It lives up to its name as it raids its victims of their inhibitions in a larger scale and makes them act in irrational rage, harming themselves and others.”

Fowler reads some of the notes and a picture of the substance. It looks like Red Ice, but instead in a green shade.

“Besides taking the drug in its solid form, Connor found out the drugs could be taken through liquids by mixing powdered Raider and adding it to water or inhaling it by heating it up with a lighter,” Hank continues.

“How did he find that out so fast?” Fowler asks “This new drug hasn’t even been out for two weeks!”

“He noticed a few stains on the carpet when we inspected a dealer’s apartment and some slight discharge from the dealer’s nose.”

“I’m glad Connor is in my department despite his self-sacrificing tendencies.”

“Yeah,” Hank agrees.

-Another place-

“Is this all of your stuff?” Markus asks.

“Yes. That’s the last box,” Kara says as she straps the cardboard boxes to the of the trunk.

Kara and Markus went to Kara’s apartment to pick up her and Alice’s belongings, not after Markus redos his disguise.

“Oh no. What time is it?” Kara asks.

Markus takes his phone and looks at the time.

“It’s 3:26 pm.”

“Shit! I have to pick up Alice. Her school ends at around 3:30 pm. It’s a ten-minute walk from here!”

“Don’t worry. We can drive there.”

Kara relaxes a little and gives Markus a small smile.

“Thank you, Markus.”

Markus smiles back.

As Kara gives directions to Markus while he drives them to Alice’s elementary school, Kara thinks about Markus. He is generally a nice guy who ends up helping her with her current situation. Though, his popularity might be a problem. If people see them together, it will start some bad rumors or draw unnecessary attention.

“We’ll just live with Markus for a little while until I find somewhere else,” Kara thinks.

They arrive in front of Alice’s school and park in one of the parking spaces. It’s a typical public elementary school with red brick walls with a flat roof and a few trees surrounding it.

Kara steps out of the car and turns to Markus.

“I’m going to pick up Alice. Could you wait here for a few moments?”

“Sure, don’t worry,” Markus replies.

Kara walks into the school and scrolls through his phone.

“Markus is that you?”

Markus turns towards that familiar voice.

“Simon?”

“Markus! It’s nice to see you again!”

Simon walks to the truck with a smile on his face.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Simon questions.

“Just doing a favor for someone.”

“Wait don’t tell me you're helping someone move into your house?”

“How did you figure that out? And who told you that?” Markus asks, shocked.

“North did. Anyways, you have cardboard boxes with words like ‘clothes’ or ‘kitchen appliances’ in the back of your truck. Guess the person who’s moving in with you has a kid?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh.”

A few moments later, Simon looks back at Markus.

“Hey Markus, could you do me a favor and get out of the car? I want to show you something,” Simon says.

“Sure.”

Markus steps out of his truck, only to be met with a slap to his face.

Smack!

“Ow! What was that for!?” Markus yelps as he holds one side of his face.

“That was for running into danger!”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t think I didn’t see the news! I can’t believe you sometimes! You’re a civilian and the police were there. They could have handled the situation,” Simon scolds.

Markus looks down at his feet, feeling a little guilty.

“Oh, come here you.”

Simon pulls Markus into a hug.

“You lovable idiot. You never change do you?” Simon says.

“Heh. Sorry about that, but I just couldn’t leave the guy out there.”

“I know.”

“So do you forgive me?”

“I suppose for now.”

Markus chuckles at that and Simon smiles, shaking his head.

They hear footsteps coming towards their direction.

“Mister Simon? What are you doing here?” Kara asks.

“Oh Miss Kara. Let me introduce you to one of my long-time best friends,” Simon begins.

“Simon, Kara is the one who is moving in with me,” Markus says.

Simon gives Markus a surprised look.

“What a small world it is,” Simon says “Alice did mention moving with someone. Didn’t think it would be you, Markus.”

At the mention of Alice’s name, Markus notices a young girl behind Kara. She is quiet and shies away from Markus by hiding behind Kara.

Markus crouches down so that he's at Alice’s eye level and reaches out a hand.

“Hello. You must be Alice. I’m Markus,” Markus says, giving Alice a friendly smile.

Alice stays silent, staring at the hand.

“Alice, it’s okay. Markus is a nice person,” Kara says.

“Don’t worry he won’t bite. He’s one of my best friends,” Simon adds.

At their remarks, Alice slowly reaches out to hold Markus’ hand. Markus lightly clasps around Alice’s small hand easily, shaking it gently.

“Hello, Markus,” Alice mumbles.

She lets go and retreats behind Kara.

“Alice’s a little shy,” Kara says.

“Don’t worry about that,” Markus replies “Do you want to go?”

“Yes,” Kara gives Markus a smile “Let’s do that before you get swarmed again.”

Markus quickly got into the truck at Kara’s suggestion.

Chapter Text

“Wow.”

Alice stares at the house and lawn, decorated with colorful plants.

“Alice, we will be staying here for a while. Are you okay with this?” Kara asks.

“Yes! It looks like it came out of a fairytale book!” Alice says excitedly with a smile on her face.

“I’m glad you like it. Do you want to see what’s inside?” Markus questions.

“Yes, please!”

The trio enters through the front door and into the spacious front entrance. There are three doors, one to the side and two across from them, that have a wooden polished look to them. More plants are arranged in a neat format and the walls adorned by paintings of different styles. A carpeted staircase to their left leads up to the second floor.

Markus shows Kara and Alice around the house. From the living room, kitchen, backyard, bedrooms, and balcony.

Finally, they reach to Markus’ art studio.

“Sorry about the mess. I haven’t had the chance to clean up for the past few days,” Markus says.

“No, it’s fine. It looks pretty clean actually,” Kara replies.

“What kind of art do you do?” Alice asks.

“I like to explore other types of art with different materials. I’m more focus on painting surrealism now.”

“What’s surrealism?”

“Well, Alice. It’s a type of art that expresses imaginative dreams and visions, not weighed down by conscious rational thought,” Markus answers “In other words, it's your imagination.”

Alice’s widens with wonder and looks at the tarp-covered paintings with curiosity.

“If you want, you can look at the paintings,” Markus offers.

Alice nods, waiting as Markus pulls off the tarp.

Kara moves to Alice’s side to look at the paintings.

To say they are beautiful is an understatement.

The paintings have various textures of rough and smooth brush strokes. Contrasting splashes of colors and perspectives and settings that set the mood of the paintings.

The one that stood out the most is a painting of two hands reaching towards each other, one from the top and one from the bottom of the painting. Light pours from the top, extending towards the bottom pit black.

Looking at the painting, Kara couldn’t help but feel something similar to hope.

A ringtone draws Kara’s attention away from the painting to Markus.

“Sorry about that. I’ve got to take it,” Markus says as he accepts the call, walking out of the studio.

Once he left, Kara and Alice resume looking at the paintings again.

Several moments later, Kara hears Markus arguing with someone on the phone.

“I thought I said that it would be better to move the gallery days a week later because of the weather. It would be an inconvenience for anyone to come. I told you to change it several times! Also, what happened to the free viewing events to the public?”

Markus keeps arguing with the person on the phone and ends the call with an exasperated groan.

Noticing he got Kara’s attention, Markus gives her a tired smile.

“You okay?” Kara asks.

“Yeah. Just secretary problems. Always keep changing the schedule.”

“Shouldn’t you get a new secretary?”

“Not now. Probably after this gallery. I don’t have a lot of time to find another one right now. It’s better if I handle the scheduling myself.”

Kara worries her lip and hesitantly asks.

“Then why did you take us in if you were so busy?”

Markus closes the distance and looks at Kara in the eye with a kind smile.

“I already told you. I want to help you.”

Markus moves to join Alice as she asks him a question about one of the paintings.

Kara stares at the man in front of her.

Maybe there are actually nice people in this world.

-Another place-

“Lieutenant!”

Hank raises his lower head, trying to stave off a pounding headache.

“Lieutenant Hank?”

There he is again, pestering him. It's officer Connor.

And again, Connor draws quite a bit of attention towards himself on this too early morning. Other officers watch him with interest, more so than others. And possibly for different reasons too.

“Lieutenant, I have more information on the new drug, Raider,” Connor informs, waiting for a response.

“How are you so awake at this hour?” Hank replies instead, slowly.

“It’s only 7:12 am right now and how is that relevant to the case?”

Can the kid understand his pain right now? Hank has been again drinking last night and got a pounding headache the next morning, along with the other after-effects of drinking too much.

“Have you been drinking again?” Connor asks this time showing a bit of concern on his face, breaking his normally professional mask.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just give me a few moments.”

Hank hears soft footfalls walking away from his desk.

Finally some peace and quiet.

A few moments later, the same footsteps return.

Nevermind.

A sound of drawer sliding open and a rattle of a bottle gets Hanks attention.

Connor offers a mug of water and a painkiller to Hank. With that look in his eyes and eyebrows scrunch together slightly, betraying his worry.

Goddammit.

Hank pops the pill into his mouth and takes a sip of water that clears his throat from the acid taste of his time with the toilet that morning.

Connor’s professional face goes back to normal, not after giving Hank a small smile.

“We should proceed to the forensic lab,” Connor says.

The duo walks to the lab on the other side of the police department, passing other officers who try, but fail, glancing at Connor.

Hank glares at them with a scowl and they quickly return to their jobs.

Something deep inside of Hank really wants to punch these outliers and cover Connor from their gazes.

Hank can admit why people would stare at Connor. He has a handsome face with a fit body.

However, if they truly get to know Connor, they would discover he has the emotional range of a teaspoon. Even though Connor is getting better at expressing his emotions, it’s not enough in a social setting.

They finally reach the forest lab and Connor walks up to one of the complicated machines.

“I’ve done some tests on the drug and found some new information,” Connor starts.

“What happened to the other forensic technicians?” Hank asks.

“They are currently busy with other cases that need immediate attention.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, the drug apparently doesn’t essentially make the victims violent,” Connor continues.

“What do you mean?”

“We already know that Raider lowers the victim’s inhibitions, but something unusual happens. The drug targets the victim’s mind, making them act on their desires.”

Connor gives Hank the test notes and drug effects on victims who taken Raider.

“That is what I have for the moment. We need to investigate this drug more,” Connor says.

Hank frowns after reading the notes.

“If this gets out to the market, who knows what type of mess this drug would bring,” Hank scowls.

This drug is worse than Red Ice.

Not only is Raider a dangerous drug with very negative side effects, but the other drugs within this toxic mixture could lead the victim to death.

“I have a hypothesis. If a victim is exposed to very small amounts of Raider, instead of acting out on their wants, they are ‘persuaded’. They would also not get any harmful side effects if Raider is exposed in small amounts,” Connor hypothesizes.

“Huh, that’s nice to know. Anything else?” Hank asks.

“I’ve interrogated the users on their consumption of Raider. Apparently, they feel this ‘buzzing’ sensation which differs in degree depending on how much Raider a user consumes.”

Hank sighs and hands back the notes.

“We should start patrol,” Hank says.

“Yes, it’s almost 7:30 am.”

Hank turns to walk out of the lab.

“Lieutenant Hank?”

“Yes?”

“Try to avoid donuts and coffee with sugar and milk. It’s bad for your health.”

Hank scowls.

Chapter Text

Markus looks over the schedule again with a satisfied smile. He finally made the necessary changes to the gallery program. He should probably find a new secretary soon.

Currently, Markus stands in his art gallery in one of Detroit's art museum. The gallery opens in four days and Markus couldn't help but feel nervous. Even though this isn't his first gallery, he is still new to his art profession.

When Carl adopted him all those years ago, he noticed Markus’ raw talent for art. Carl taught Markus how to make artwork and express his emotions through it. It didn't take long for Markus’ paintings gain attention as he won awards for his artworks. Six months after college he submitted his first gallery and was dubbed as one of Detroit's successful artists at such a young age.

It has been almost two years since and this would be Markus’ third gallery.

“Mr. Manfred, the police officers are here for patrol,” a security official says.

“Thank you for informing me.”

The security officer gives Markus a nod and walks back to their post.

Yesterday, Markus‘ spent the day hanging up his paintings. It's one the reasons why there is an increase in security since other artists are putting up their artworks to prevent theft.

Markus was making sure everything was in place when he saw him. Officer Connor.

Markus stays in his position, not moving an inch.

“What are you doing, you idiot?” Markus thinks “Go over there and talk to him!”

But what would he talk about? He can’t just go up to Connor and strike a conversation.

Think of an excuse.

Now that Markus thought about it, he didn’t have a chance to properly thank Connor.

Yeah, that’s what he will do. Walk up to Connor and thank him for protecting him from the criminal.

Connor, not noticing Markus’ stare, readjusted his black tie in a neat manner.

Markus wishes he has his sketchbook with him. He has such nice hands…

Aughh! What’s wrong with him? Just go up to Connor and thank him!

With a burst of confidence and a dash of impulsiveness, Markus walks up to Connor.

And stands in front of him awkwardly.

Finally, Connor notices Markus moving and standing in front of him, not saying anything.

“Does he want to talk to me?” Connor thinks as he stares back at Markus, waiting for Markus to speak.

They stand there awkwardly for several long moments.

Markus’ confidence from before suddenly disappears with nervousness replacing it.

“What are you doing? Just say anything!” Markus thinks urgently.

“I just-”

“Do you-”

“Sorry. You go first,” Conner says.

“No, no. You should go first,” Markus replies.

“I insist that you say what you need to.”

“I think-”

“Would you two stop yapping over there? It’s too early for this bullshit.”

Connor and Markus turn towards to the voice.

Sitting in a foldable plastic chair, an old man in his fifties with gray hair and mustache looks at them with a scowl on his face.

“Sorry, Lieutenant Hank,” Connor apologizes.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Connor looks back at Markus and asks “I was going to ask you if had anything to say to me.”

“Oh. I was going to thank you for taking down that criminal.”

Connor scrunches his eyebrows together in slight confusion and then relaxes them.

“The one from over a week ago? The criminal with a gun and knife that shot a civilian,” Connor says, remembering that day.

“Yeah, that one. Thank you.”

“Your welcome. It’s my duty to protect the public.”

Upon a closer look, Markus notices a fresh bruise on Connor’s jaw.

“How did you get that bruise?” Markus asks, concerned.

“This bruise?” Connor says, pointing at the purpling bruise “It was from a fight with another criminal.”

“Doesn’t it hurt? Now that I think about it, didn’t you also got shot from that shooter too?”

“It was only a graze. It’ll heal,” Connor checks his watch “Lieutenant, it’s time to go. Our shift is over. I’ll be in the car.”

Connor walks out of the room, leaving Markus alone with Hank.

“That’s what he always says, ‘I’m fine’. Kids these days are so reckless,” Hank gruffs out, leaving the room to follow his partner.

Markus lets out a relieved groan and starts to rub his sweaty hands on his jeans and trying to calm his beating heart.

What was that?! Why did he have to be so awkward around Connor?

Why does he have to have a slight crush on Connor?

After checking the time, Markus decides to go home.

-This is a time skip-

“I’m home!” Markus says.

Kara’s head pops out from the kitchen entrance, greeting him with a small smile.

“Hello Markus,” Kara greets.

“Hey Kara,” Markus says, smelling the air “Are you cooking dinner?”

“Yes, it’s roasted chicken.”

“Do you want help?”

“Knowing you, you would probably just help anyways.”

“Heh. You’re right.”

Markus washes his hands in the sink and puts on an apron.

“What are you making right now?” Markus asks.

“I’m going to do the side dishes since the chicken is in the oven,” Kara replies “I’m planning to make the green beans and mash potatoes.”

“I’ll start on the mash potatoes.”

Markus grabs a metal pot and fills it with water. After placing it on the stove on high heat, he starts washing the potatoes.

“Peeled or skin on?” Markus asks.

“Doesn’t matter, though I would rather have it skin on.”

“Skin on it is. I like that way too.”

They work in comfortable silence as the water boils. Markus cubes the potatoes so that they will cook faster. Kara cuts the green beans into smaller lengths and minces the herbs to go with it.

They’ve been cooking together for the past week as a way to get to know each other. The first time was awkward since Kara didn’t know where everything was in the kitchen. After a couple more session, Kara quickly learned where each kitchen equipment is placed and falling in love with Markus' variety of cooking appliances. Now they can have casual conversations without to much awkward silence.

Once the water starts to boil, Markus places the potato cubes into the pot.

“Kara, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Do you want to go to my gallery?” Markus questions.

“Your art gallery? During the public viewing, right?”

“No, during the party.”

“Huh. You mean the party when the gallery first opens? With all the other artist and VIP guests?”

Rich people who wear fancy clothing and jewelry that cost more than Kara’s paycheck of a whole year.

“You don’t have to,” Markus says reassuringly.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go. But it’s just that I don’t have anything appropriate to wear.”

“We can go shopping.”

“You don’t have to! It’s okay. I can just wait until the public viewing day.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Markus drops the topic with a barely noticeable frown. Kara notices it.

“Fine,” Kara says, giving in.

“Really?”

Markus smiles with that dorky look on his face. How could Kara say no?

“But, I don’t think I can get anything fancy.”

“I can pay for it.”

When Kara tries to object, Markus gives her that look again.

“Alright. When do you want to go?” Kara asks.

“How about this Saturday?”

“That’s fine.”

For some reason, Kara feels like she is going to regret this decision.

Chapter Text

The next day Markus and Kara set out for a clothing store in the center of the city.

When they arrive, Kara looks at the sleek automatic doors that leads into shiny and pristine racks of clothing.

“Markus, maybe we should go somewhere else,” Kara says, nervously.

“Don’t worry. We will only get one dress and leave,” Markus reassures.

She hesitates and looks into the store. Mustering up her courage, Kara walks through the glass doors.

There are orderly racks of clothes that are trending with different colors, textures, and patterns. Even though the store only opened up thirty minutes ago, there are several people milling around.

“Is it okay for you to be out in public? You know with all these people around,” Kara asks, looking around for an impending mob of fans.

“We won’t get mobbed. One of the many benefits of this store is that you have to schedule an appointment and check in at the front desk,” Markus replies.

“What?”

Just how expensive is store if you have to schedule an appointment?

Markus strolls to the white desk with a stern looking lady sitting there, typing away at the computer.

“Hello. I schedule an appointment at 8:30 am,” Markus says to the secretary.

The secretary looks up, immediately recognizing him.

“Yes, Mr. Manfred. Here you go,” the secretary hands him a clear card with the store’s name on it “Return this card when you have the items you want to purchase. I hope you find what you are looking for.”

“Thank you.”

Markus motions Kara to follow him further into the store.

“Do you have a particular style? Or what you want to wear?” Markus asks.

“I guess a dress down to my knees would be good. Nothing shorter than that,” Kara says.

“Got it.”

It turns out that Marcus is too invested in finding a dress for Kara. Very invested.

“No not this one,” Markus says putting back the twentieth or thirtieth dress.

Honestly Kara loses count.

“What’s wrong with this one?” Kara asks.

It’s a pretty cute dress with pink patterns.

“Sure it looks nice, but you have more of a slender frame. This dress won’t accentuate that. Also this fabric isn’t comfortable. It’s too scratchy,” Markus says.

Kara takes a quick glance at the price tag.

$2200?! And it used to be $2400?

“Hm, how about this one?” Markus mumbles to himself “Nope. Not this one.”

Markus continues his hunt for the perfect dress as Kara tries to not touch any of the expensive dresses.

Who would pay a skimpy dress for $4500?

“Markus is that you?”

At the mention of his name, Markus turns his head to the voice.

“North? What are you doing here?” Markus asks.

“I’m asking the same thing,” North says, spotting Kara “Is this the girl that you mentioned? Kara was it?”

“Yeah. Kara this is North. North this is Kara.”

“Hi,” Kara says, voice squeaking a bit.

“Hello. It’s nice to finally meet you,” North replies, studying Kara.

Kara could start to feel her palms sweating.

Is this Markus’ girlfriend? No, wait. Markus mentions that North is one of his friends.

North gives a comment for a dress while putting a hand on her hip and flipping a strand of hair out of her face.

Damn, she’s hot.

“Kara, come over here. Try this dress,” North says with a serious look in her eyes.

But she’s intimidating.

Kara walks over, eyeing the knee-length light blue dress.

“North, that one isn’t the right one. This pattern is ugly. ” Markus says, rubbing his temples “At this rate, we won’t be able to find the right dress.”

Markus moves onto another rack of dresses.

“He won’t admit it, but he’s a huge fashion snob,” North whispers to Kara “It’s even worse if it's for a special event or party. How long have you been here?”

“One hour? Maybe two?,” Kara mumbles, massaging the space between her eyebrows.

“It’s about 10:00 am right now.”

“We arrived here at 8:30 am.”

North pats Kara shoulder, shaking her head.

“One time Markus went shopping for three hours because he couldn’t find the right pair of shoes.”

“Your joking.”

“And he left without buying anything.”

Kara dreads for the next few hours.

“Wait, I think I found the one!” Markus says, holding up a gray dress.

It is a dress that is long enough to reach the floor with gray and white rhinestones and small flourishes, decorating the torso and alternating along the skirt with gray material. In short, it’s beautiful but not to fancy.

“It’s perfect, but...” Kara says, looking at the price tag.

“Like I said. Don’t worry about,” Markus replies, giving her a smile.

“Okay.” Kara returns a smile of her own.

“Now we have to find matching shoes.”

“Markus, don’t you dare. The dress will cover her feet!” North says.

“Just only one pair!”

-In another place-

“You gotta be kidding me Fowler,” Hank groans “Why do we have to guard some snobbish artists’ gallery with the same stuck up rich bastards.”

“Maybe if you shut your damn mouth I can finish my sentence,” Fowler says, giving Hank a frown.

“Fine.”

“Anyway. You and Connor will be a part of the security force for the upcoming art gallery. We also suspect that there maybe a chance that an artist at the gallery is distributing Raider in some way,” Fowler continues.

“Wait, you’re not shitting me right?” Hank says.

“Lieutenant, I don’t think Captain Fowler would do such a thing,” Connor quips.

“Connor… please.”

“What did I do wrong?”

“... Nothing.”

“All you have to do is look out for any suspicious behavior and report it. So do you agree with the plan?” Fowler asks.

“Hold up-” Hank starts.

“We will do your best!” Connor interrupts.

“Hey-”

“I’m glad to hear,” Fowler says.

“Come on- Oh, nevermind! I’m retiring for the day,” Hanks scowls as he exits the office.

“Get home safe!” Connor yells.

After Hank shuts the door with a resounding bang, Fowler lets out a chuckle.

“He’s really becoming an old grumpy man,” Fowler says.

Connor smiles a little.

“Now that’s out of the way,” Fowler turns to Connor with a frown “We need to have a talk.”

Connor immediately schools his face blank, waiting patiently for Fowler to continue.

“Connor, besides looking out for any suspicious behavior, I want you to inspect one of the famous artist there. Namely, Markus Manfred,” Fowler says.

“May I ask why?” Connor questions.

“We believe that he might have some answers for the appearance of the new drug Raider or somehow connected with it.”

Fowler unlocks a locked cabinet to take out a file and hands it to Connor.

Connor quickly reads the file, his eyes widens a bit.

“If this is true...” Connor says.

“Then we are looking at a problems that could eventually cause havoc on Detroit- no on the whole country,” Fowler says “Connor do not forget what you are trained for.”

Connor nods.

Fowler sighs, “And don’t forget who you are.”

“...”

“Connor? You know you can talk to me.”

Connor looks down at his lap and clutches his hands together.

“It’s just that… Hank doesn’t know and-,” Connor lets out a huff “The fact that Hank opens up to me and I can’t-”

Fowler reaches forward and places a hand on Connor’s shoulder, grounding him until Connor calms himself.

“Connor, you are human.”

Silence envelops them for several moments.

Connor lets out a shaky gasp.

Chapter Text

“Kara?”

Calm down, it’s only a party.

“Kara.”

Just a party with other rich people who probably shower with money and use hundred dollar bills as napkins.

“Kara… ”

All you have to do is not mess up and trip over your own feet! Yeah and not embarrass Markus… Oh, this is impossible! She is going to trip once she enters the room! And people are going to laugh! Maybe it is a bad idea! She should-

Kara feels a flick on her nose.

“Ow! What was that for?” Kara asks, instinctively clutching her nose.

“You didn’t respond,” Markus says.

“Oh, sorry.”

“You know, it’s okay to be nervous.”

“B-But what if I trip! Or spill something on my dress! What if I don’t laugh at the right time or speak a certain way! What if I use the wrong spoon or fork or whatever weird small fancy utensils rich people use to eat!-”

Markus places his hands on top of Kara’s shoulders and looks into her eyes with a reassuring look.

“Kara, look at me. Think about Alice,” Markus says.

Kara relaxes instantly.

She thinks about Alice’s smile whenever she hugs her, looking up at Kara with sparkles in her eyes.

Alice is in safe hands with Simon as her babysitter back at Markus’ home.

“Kara everything will be alright. You are not going to trip because you are wearing flat shoes. Anyways, you aren’t clumsy. Don’t worry about how you act. You are already a polite person and people appreciate that. And this is a party, not a dinner gathering,” Markus smiles “And if you feel like you need to leave, you can tell me. After all, there is so much snobbiness I can handle in a day.”

Kara huffs a laugh.

They stay in the same position for while.

“His hands are so warm… ” Kara thinks, looking at Markus’ large brown hands that prove to be gentle and create beautiful things.

“She has such slender shoulders… She reminds me of a fairy” Markus thinks, staring at the woman in front of him.

Even without the makeup, Kara is still beautiful. But when she dresses up for the occasion…

Damn.

With her hair clipped back, Markus can see the gentle crystal blue eyes surrounded with long lashes, pairing with soft features and smooth skin. The dress hugs her slender frame and her curves just right, giving her an elegant appearance. The jewelry, ones that Markus convinces her to wear, are sapphire clip-on earrings and necklace that complements her eyes. At this close proximity, Markus can make out the light freckles that scatter across her pale complexion.

“So, could you… ,” Kara says, looking at Markus’ hands on her shoulders.

“Oh, sorry,” Markus removes his hands and places them awkwardly at his sides.

Kara kind of misses the weight of Markus’ hands on her shoulders.

Silence filled the space around them.

“Small fancy utensils?” Markus asks, trying to break the silence.

“Oh shut it,” Kara replies with a small pout.

She looks cute with that pout…

“Well you aren’t wrong, but don’t worry. There aren’t any thumb sized spoons or toothpick sized forks. I can assure you.”

“That’s a relief.”

They both let out a laugh.

“I forgot to ask. Is this ride really necessary?” Kara asks.

They are both traveling in a black limousine with a driver at the front, steering them towards the party.

“My father, Carl, arranged the limo,” Markus replies “It’s reinforced with bulletproof glass and all the other security measures. Celebrities can attract unwanted attention from fans, reporters or haters.”

“That’s nice of him.”

The limo slows to a stop in front of a modern building with crisp edges and glowing, shiny windows despite the lack of sunlight, being that it’s nighttime.

Markus and Kara exit from the limousine.

“My lady,” Markus says, offering his arm in a flourishing manner.

“Sir,” Kara replies, threading her arm around the offering arm.

Both giggle at their antics and proceed to walk inside the building.

After confirming his invitation at the reception desk, both enter into the gallery.

Kara’s eyes widen at the sight. There are so many people chatting and walking around the spacious room, wearing so many different colors and looks.

Kara tenses at the new surroundings, her breathing quickens-

And she stops panicking when she feels a warm callus hand easily enclosing her’s.

Markus gives her a smile.

Kara takes a deep breath. She could- no can do this.

They both walk into the loose crowd of guests. Some, taking notice of the pair, whisper to each other. A man walks over to Markus and starts talking with him.

“Mr. Manfred! It’s good to see you again! Your artwork is splendid as usual,” a man in his forties says.

“Thank you, Mr. Caller,” Markus replies with a practiced public smile.

So this is what Markus looks like in a public setting.

After several moments of small talk, Mr. Caller asks: “What price are you setting your painting at?”

“Which one?”

“I think it's called ‘Waterfall’.”

“The large one with the cliff and waterfall leading to the forest below?”

“Yes, yes. That one. Does it start at $250,000?”

Kara pauses.

$250,000!? As is a quarter of a million?

“I’m pretty sure I set the price at $100,000,” Marcus says.

Mr. Caller lets out a boisterous laugh.

“You always joke like this! The painting is worth at least $250,000!” Mr. Caller exclaims.

Markus lets out a mental sigh. Might as well go with it.

The two of them talk about Markus’ art and other artists works.

“May I ask you something, Mr. Manfred?” Mr. Caller asks.

“Sure.”

“Who is this pretty lady with you?”

Kara freezes at the mention of her name.

“This is a friend of mine,” Markus says “By the way, how is your wife? You’re expecting a baby soon?”

As they move onto a different topic, Markus quickly glances at Kara and gives her an encouraging nod to go and enjoy the party.

Kara hesitates but breaks away from Markus’ side and goes to look at the paintings.

She hears other people commenting on the paintings of other artists. They talk about the meaning of the paintings or any other topics that come to mind.

That is when she sees him.

Standing out from the crowd, even though he dresses in a plain suit with a professional stance, he catches Kara’s attention.

The wrinkle-free suit and black tie don’t. Brown eyes and even darker soft hair styled in an aesthetic fashion.

Damn, he’s hot.

And those freckles are pretty cute.

Without forethought, Kara walks towards the mystery man.

The man notices her when she stands right next to him.

“Hello,” he says politely.

Even his voice sounds nice.

“H-Hello,” Kara replies.

Great job Kara.

“My name is Connor.”

“I’m Kara.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Um, you too.”

The way he talks is a bit stiff. Maybe it’s because of the social setting.

“What do you think this painting represents?” Connor asks.

Kara looks at the painting across from them and notices it’s by an artist named ‘Eric Welsh’.

It’s chaotic.

The background clashes with vivid colors mixing together violently, fighting for space on the canvas. Within the center, a sickly green mass emerges from a black hole. From the edges of the canvas, a messy crowd of greedy hands mindlessly reach towards the green mass in a rush and desperate way.

For some reason, this angry yet distraught painting makes Kara feel uneasy.

It reminds her of Todd.

His screams. His fists. His fury.

White noise fills her head and static jumbles her thoughts.

Run away. Escape. With Alice…

“Well?”

The static stops. Kara snaps back into reality and looks back at Connor.

“It’s well… um... chaotic, I guess,” Kara replies, looking at anything other than the painting in front of her.

“Chaotic… I see.”

“Well… what about you? What do you see?”

“Obsession.”

When Kara doesn’t respond, Connor continues.

“What I mean is that it’s more of an addiction. Greedy hands trying to grab the green mass in an animalistic way. A bait that pulls unsuspecting people into a bleak future.”

Kara watches Connor’s face grow blank with a gaze that sends shivers down her spine.

“Hey, Connor! What are you doing over there? Aren’t you supposed to be patrolling?”

An old man in his fifties walks towards them and holds a champagne glass in his hand.

“Lieutenant Hank, you shouldn’t be drinking. It isn’t even midnight yet,” Connor scolds.

“Let an old man live a little will ya?” Hank says “And who is this young lady?”

“My name is Kara. I’m just a guest,” Kara replies.

“Wow. Who would’ve known? Connor, I didn’t know you’re a ladies’ man.”

“It’s not like that!” Kara yelps, face flushing with slight embarrassment.

“Lieutenant, you’re misinterpreting the situation. We were only discussing the artwork,” Connor says.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

“So… what do you mean by patrolling?” Kara asks.

“Both of us are policemen who are here to guard the artworks,” Connor replies “Sorry Lieutenant, I was distracted by this painting. It intrigues me.”

Hank looks at said painting with a frown.

“Who would buy this piece of-”

“Kara?”

The three of them turn to the voice and see Markus walking towards them.

“Sorry about that. I just finished my conversation with-,” Markus stops and stares at Connor “O-Oh. Hello, Officer Connor.”

Kara doesn’t miss the stutter.

“You know him?” Kara asks.

“Yeah, this is the officer who saved me from that criminal,” Markus replies “It’s nice to meet you again.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Manfred,” Connor says, offering a handshake.

When they shake hands, Kara notices a barely noticeable blush on Markus’ cheeks.

“Huh. Does he have a crush on Connor?” Kara thinks.

Connor and Markus keep their hands interlock for several more awkward moments before Markus hastily pulls away.

“A-Anyway. How’s the party Kara?” Markus asks.

“It’s okay so far,” Kara looks back at the painting “Just wondering. Do you know the artist who painted this?”

“Eric Welsh?” Markus reads the label “Oh, I remember. We used to be in the same art class back in college. He was my senior by two years. He sometimes comes to the party late.”

Markus looks around the room and spots him.

“There he is. He’s right at the- What is he doing?”

The group turned to look at the direction where Markus is looking at and see Eric panting heavily with bulging bloodshot eyes.

Eric raises his hand to reveal a pistol.

And shoots.

Chapter Text

Bang.

The shot resounds through the room.

A scream follows afterward with a man clenching his arm.

“Hahahahaha! Take that, you shithead!” Eric snarls.

The crowds of guests start to scream and run out of the room. Some people tripping over each other, rushing to escape.

Eric fires a few more shots into the ceiling, laughing with delight.

He turns towards to a young man and points his pistol at him.

“Do you want to get shot?” Eric asks.

The man shakes his head vigorously, unable to make a noise through his panicking mind.

“Well too bad-”

Smack.

Connor’s fist collides against Eric’s temple with a quick strike, knocking him unconscious to the floor.

Taking out a pair of handcuffs, Connor locks Eric’s hands together behind his back.

“Are you alright?” Connor asks the man.

“Y-Yeah.”

“That’s good.”

Just then Connor’s comm in his ear buzzes.

“Officer Connor and Hank, we have a problem,” Officer Millers says.

“What’s the situation?” Connor asks.

“At least a dozen armed men entered the building from the front. A few of them slip by and it seems that their objective is something in the gallery. We have a few injured.”

“What about the officers patrolling at the back of the building? And officers at the side exits?”

“I try to contact them, but they’re not responding. I just got word that the officers at the side exits are escorting the guests out of the building.”

“Thank you for the information.”

“Wait, Connor what are you going to do?” Hank asks over the comm.

“What I am supposed to do.”

Hank watches Connor run out of the room, going whatever the fuck he’s going to.

“Connor? Connor?! Damn it!” Hank yells.

The comm buzzes again.

“Officers this is Captain Fowler. Your main objective is to evacuate the guests from the building. Backup is on its way in seven minutes.”

The message ends.

Hank looks back to the door that Connor left through then at Markus and Kara. Kara looks around frighteningly and breathing harshly with panic in her eyes.

“Let’s go… ” Hank says “What are you waiting for? Come on!”

Markus takes Kara’s hand and squeezes it reassuringly.

Taking out his gun, Hank leads the two out of the room and into a hallway.

After passing a few hallways, they see an emergency exit down the hall.

The comm buzzes.

“Status report?” Captain Fowler asks.

“Captain, we have most of the guest out of the building,” Officer Miller reports.

“Most of the guests exited the room when the madman shoots his gun. I just need to get these two out,” Hank says “We’re almost there.”

Up ahead, they see a man in riot gear appears from the corner with an unusual gun in hand.

“Look out!” Markus yells.

The man fires at the group, hitting Hank in the arm.

Expecting searing pain from the bullet but felt a sharp prick instead, Hank looks at his arm in confusion.

“What the fuck,” Hank pulls out a bullet-shaped needle from his arm.

“Damn it-” Hank steadies himself against the wall, feeling dizzy before passing out.

The man points the tranquilizer back at Markus and Kara.

Immediately, Markus pulls Kara behind him.

“Hello, Markus Manfred. How are you this evening?” the man asks in a discombobulated voice.

“What do you want? Who are you?” Markus demands.

“Just come with me and nobody else has to get hurt,” the man checks his gun before staring back them “It’s not that hard. You don’t want the little lady over there getting hurt, now do you?”

Markus glances back at Kara’s from behind him.

“As for who I am. I just happen to be a man who adores this type of chaos,” the man continues “You can call me Machai.”

“Wait, as in the daemons of battle and combat from Greek mythology?” Markus asks.

“Mr. Manfred, I’m impressed. Didn’t think you knew Greek mythology. Bravo.”

“It’s fitting, I guess.”

“Why thank you. But enough with the chit-chat, I know what you are doing. Waiting for someone to show up. Hate to break it to you, but nobody is coming to save you. We have men infiltrating the building and they are very skilled.”

Machai raises his gun.

“Now stay still and come with me and I won’t hurt the girl. How does that sound?” Machai asks.

“Fine,” Markus hesitantly replies.

“Markus… no. Don’t,” Kara pleads.

Markus walks up with his hands raised beside his head until he is a couple of feet away from Machai.

“What a good boy,” Machai says with a grin.

“You know for a criminal, you talk too much,” Markus says.

Markus wraps his hand around the barrel of the gun, pointing it towards the ceiling before punching Machine in the face.

Stunned, Machai loosens his grip on the gun, allowing Markus to pull it out of his grasp.

Markus points the gun at him with a steady stance.

Machai looks up and rubs his face with a thoughtful contemplation.

He smiles.

“Hm. I’m liking you more and more, Mr. Manfred,” Machai smirks “Though you should be careful. I don’t think you want your lady to get hurt.”

“Ah-”

Markus turns around and sees another man wrapped his arm around Kara’s neck and places a gun to Kara’s head.

“Kara!”

“Too bad. Almost had it,” Machai glances at Markus “Well Mr. Manfred, we don’t have all day.”

The man releases the safety on the gun.

Kara looks at Markus with fear in her wide eyes.

Markus drops the gun.