Magazines

                                    

                                          
When Markus had arrived at New Jericho, he had not expected to get an electronic magazine shoved in his face by five different androids. He shook them off, not looking at the devices. He couldn't afford distractions - he'd been away from his people for too long and he knew North needed to talk about something with him.
                          
Though she hadn't told him what it was about.
                          
Either way, he was there on time, hidden in a corner of the church with North, who was also holding a magazine. Where were they even from?
                          
"Markus, I'm angry, but I trust you'll tell me the truth," North showed Markus a picture of the cover - Markus and Connor shopping. Who had recognised them? Who had taken the picture? "Is what this says true?"
                          
Markus read the title, and nearly dropped the thin tablet handed to him in shock and offence. It was insulting. 
                          
'Deviant Leader Spoils His Boyfriend - Is It Only For The Money?'
                          
"What- what is this? The idea that Connor would use me for money, that's-," Markus was interrupted by North snatching the screen back.
                          
"So, you're dating the deviant hunter?" North raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. Markus blinked, remembering how he hadn't told anyone that he wasn't. RA9, this was getting messy now...
                          
"Not really," Markus decided on saying, "Something happened, so Connor pretended to be my boyfriend to get out of the situation, and a reporter snapped a photo."
                          
"Situation? What situation would cause that... that killing machine to cling to you like- like a child?" North pressed, leaning forward. "He killed so many of us, Markus!"
                          
"The humans did, North. I thought we had established that all deviants shouldn't be judged by what their programming made them do," Markus replied snappily, unwilling to let North, despite being his best friend, slander Connor like that. 
                          
"That doesn't answer my question, stop dodging it!" North held the screen tightly in her hand, reminding herself not to break it. Markus sighed, mainly to keep himself calm over being annoyed.
                          
"There was a woman, alright? She was harassing him, and he was uncomfortable. We had to pretend to be boyfriends until she left, which, unfortunately, wasn't before a reporter saw us," Markus crumpled slightly, the annoyance of the situation almost making him wish he used fire against the humans. Almost.
                          
"What kind of harassment are we talking about, here...?" North's perspective changed instantly, eyes widening in recognition the moment Markus mentioned the word that had been connected back to that man and what he had done to her.
                          
"Verbal sexual harassment," Markus answered, aware North wouldn't have wanted the truth sugar coated. "Connor told me it wasn't the first time, either."
                          
"What's her name?" North asked, suddenly feeling strangely angry at this woman for doing something that other beings of their own gender had suffered from for so long, and making another android suffer because of it.
                          
"Connor didn't say," Markus shrugged, "But I'll recognise her if I see her again."
                          
Markus was fortunate to have good humans in his life - Connor and North were less fortunate. Sure, Connor had Hank, but from what Markus had heard, the police lieutenant wasn't exactly the best, either.
                          
"Fuckin' bitch..." North growled, disgruntled about the disgusting actions of this woman who decided it was okay to sexually assault an android. "If I ever see her, I'll punch her."
                          
"Please refrain from punching anyone," Markus deadpanned. "We've been pacifist for this long, we can go a little longer without physically assaulting any humans."
                          
"But this one-,"
                          
"I know, North. You're not the only one who wants to fight, here," Markus interrupted darkly, looking to the side as he remembered her trying to butter him up, only to use a slur when she didn't get what she wanted. "We must refrain from violence."
                          
North frowned and held her tongue, nodding stiffly as she looked back at the magazine. "So... you his sugar daddy or something?"
                          
"Why does everyone ask that!?"

                          
Connor had always thought of work as his safe space. It had been, once. Then something changed.
                          
Then Erica came back. 
                          
Why was she allowed in the precinct? She was there for him. She was there for him and her was so irrationally scared. He knew she wouldn't damage him, why was he scared? He didn't want her around him.
                          
"Hey, big boy," She whispered, leaning over his terminal smugly. "Looks like your boyfriend isn't here to help you this time, is he?"
                          
"Erica," He addressed, forcing his voice not to shake, "I'm working, please leave so I can file this case report."
                          
"I don't think so, mr. detective," Erica smirked, sitting herself down next to Connor at his desk, ignoring how he shrank away from her as she placed her hand on his thigh. "I'm your new partner, after all."
                          
"My partner is Lieutenant Anderson," Connor's eyebrow's furrowed. He hadn't been notified of any partner changes. "Could you please move away? You're uncomfortably close to me."
                          
The last thing Connor had expected was someone to care about his situation - with Hank home sick from a bug he had caught that morning, plus his hangover because Connor didn't hide the alcohol well enough - and the idea that it would be Gavin was completely alien to him.
                          
"Hey, the hell do you think you're doing?" The detective sneered towards Erica, having overheard their interaction. "You don't have clearance to be here unless you're in the special victims unit, beat it."
                          
Erica looked up at Gavin in suprise, her hand moving uncomfortably close to Connor's crotch, "Erica, please listen to the detective. Get your hand off of me."
                          
She didn't listen, and Connor flinched when Erica squeezed his inner thigh. Gavin snatched up her arms, clicking on a pair of handcuffs before yanking her away from Connor. "Erica whoever the fuck, you're under arrest for sexual assault of an officer, refusual to listen to officers, and violation of precinct rules."
                          
"That thing isn't an officer! It's a machine!" Erica cried in outrage, pulling against the restraints on her wrists as she struggled to escape Gavin's hold.
                          
"A machine with the authority of a trained detective, now shut it before I add 'resisted arrest' to your charges," Gavin hissed, yanking her into stillness. He nodded to Connor one before he began walking Erica to one of the holding cells.