leo was guarded, anxiously flicking the end of his cigarette as he crossed his arm over his chest. he didn’t hold any hate in him for the android—not anymore. it took weeks of long-overdue sobriety to pull leo to reality and make him realize that markus was never the issue, it was him.
leo woke up in the hospital after several days—his dad long gone, but a nurse filling him in that the painter had stayed with him as long as he could while he was asleep. needless to say it was a shock to turn on the news and find an entire android revolution had taken place; and not only that, but at the hands of markus. the android that took care of his father, that he picked a fight with, that ended up crawling out of some dump and going rogue because of his actions. leo’s actions.
for years leo had assumed carl just wasn’t the fatherly type—from the moment he was born leo was a blip in his story that could be written away and ignored for the right price—but then markus stepped in. carl could be a great dad if he wanted to be, to some damn android that leo had never seen as anything but an inanimate glorification of humanity, just not to leo. the human swung between blaming carl and blaming himself, but never markus. not anymore. markus was the first thing leo saw that he could channel his anger onto, and they both bore the consequences.
carl was a pretty shitty dad, but leo was a pretty shitty son, too. he told himself that he would get clean to not be such a damn burden on him and markus, to make up for all the terrible bullshit he’d done while he was high and mold himself into a better person. but here he was, carl nowhere to be found, and still not high. he should see it as some sort of accomplishment, but he just felt lost. he told himself that he was “staying clean for his own sake”, but it felt like nothing more than another lie he told himself to get through the day. if he managed to find some red ice in this god-forsaken city, leo didn’t know if he’d be able to hold himself back. he didn’t know if he would want to. this conversation was making him question his stance on recovery entirely ( at least a fucking drink would be better than speaking to markus sober ) but guilt was a great motivator.
❝ what’s that supposed to mean, markus, hm? ❞ he asks, pushing his body off the wall he was bracing against. his voice lacks it’s usual, harsh bite. his anger would never reach the same level it did on red ice. it’s not nearly as violent as it once was between them, just forceful and heavy, frustrated that he couldn’t figure out what markus wanted from him. surely he had better things to deal with than to babysit him and make sure leo’s veins were clean, even in this weird city. markus was free, moreso here than he ever was in detroit. he could do whatever he wanted, and leo was certain that he had nothing to do with that. leo spoke with his hands, like it would shake the uneasiness out of his fingertips. words spilled from his mouth and dropped to the ground before he even had time to process what he was saying, erratic and riddled with apprehension.
❝ why are you acting like you care, huh? like you give a shit either way if i’m dead in the street or getting loaded in some fuckin’ alley way. all that matters is i’m not leeching off of dad’s money and he’s not here for me to even get a chance to fuck it up, so why? what do you want? to make fun of me? have a good laugh? to watch me fail? to finish the job and kill me? whatever the fuck it is can you just get it over with already? ❞
If it weren't for Leo's tone that lacks the usual bite, Markus could have sworn his LED would have flickered to an alarming bright red if he still had it attached to his temple. He had to deal with Leo's mood swings more times than he has fingers to count and each time, he was instructed not to retaliate. Back then, he had thought that he didn't care for the guy whose temper was once a wild storm to be endured. But looking back on it now, Markus comes to realize that he did care. Maybe because he had seen how Carl would express genuine concern for his own son when they're alone; he saw how watching Leo spiral into an inferno of self-destruction plagued Carl with uncertainty and heartache.
Does that mean he genuinely cares about Leo's well-being though? Or does he just care about how his actions were affecting Carl's already deteriorating health?
It could be the latter. Carl hadn't been a good dad to the recovering addict and it didn't take long for the painter to admit that to Markus. Yet, that never swayed the android's opinion on him. Markus had still frowned at the mere sight of Leo and had deemed him selfish for constantly asking their dad for money to support his venomous lifestyle. Not once did he ever stop to think about the source of Leo's restless distress. All he ever did think about was how he could show Carl that he can be the son he never had— that even though he's just an android, he can prove that he could be a better son than Leo.
Somehow, within his synthetic organs and the flow of Thirium 310 circulating throughout his system, he wanted to show that he’s alive. Carl always knew that though. Carl always reminded him that he’s more than what he was created for. But that never stopped Markus from competing anyway. A disapproving frown at Leo’s direction or a cautious warning to Carl about Leo’s intentions; they were all carefully calculated decisions made to protect his guardian and his sense of comfortable security in the elderly man’s life.
A flawed perspective, he realizes.
He can’t blame the guy for assuming the worst in his sudden display of concern for his welfare. Markus never went out of his way to show that he cares. How could he when it was never about Leo’s safety, but Carl’s? Things are different now though. He does care. More genuinely than he initially thought. All it took was to uncover what lies outside the comforts of Carl’s home and wipe away the biased fog clouding his mind. Leo was abandoned. Discarded. Like a defective android thrown to the junkyard to die. Except, like Markus, he still had enough leverage to crawl out of it in the form of skeptical financial help from Carl.
From what Markus can see, he can go about this conversation with three different options: desist, ignore, or convince.
The first two won’t get them anywhere, but the last one could further infuriate Leo.
❝I want you to know that I care.❞ He takes a chance on convincing the other male. ❝Maybe I didn’t back then but I do now. Not because Carl told me to, not because you’re his son, but because that’s how I really feel. So whether you like it or not, I’m not going anywhere.❞
