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Dec 2, 2021

🎄 DBH Advent Calendar 2021 🎄

By @sheyshocked

Christmas Miracle

Christmas was still a novelty to them. Not as a whole; rA9 knows they had enough of standing in never ending queues and carrying shopping bags around the malls for their masters. But the customs? Or the act of gift-giving? Quite the news. So it was kinda excusable when Markus suddenly found himself at a loss what to give to his loved ones. Especially Simon.

Everyone else was quite easy to figure out. He had already placed an order for an expensive whiskey for Carl, a nice and sturdy Swiss knife for North, and a signed copy of the new philosophy book for Josh. But what about Simon? Nothing seemed meaningful enough for their first holidays together.

He wasn’t dumb by any means. He could tell that he was overthinking it. But he couldn’t help himself. Every first should be somehow special. Or so he thought. He recalled their first kiss, first date... It sounded crazy that they were about to spend the first Christmas together. And it had to be perfect. Memorable. To show Simon just how much he was cherished. But as luck would have it, he couldn’t come up with any idea that he wouldn’t reject just a few seconds later.

As the holidays were drawing near and he still didn’t have anything for his better half, he decided it was time for desperate measures. He gave North and Josh a call.

“Hey, guys! Could you spare me a moment, please? It won’t take long.”

“Are we in trouble?” came North’s retort, and he couldn’t tell whether she was joking or not.

“What? No! Why would you be?” Eyes squinting with suspicion, he made a note to check what these two have been up to lately. Ever since that last incident with the senator who didn’t know his history, as Josh argued (he was right, but that’s a whole another story), he learned to keep a close eye on them to make sure they wouldn’t cause a diplomatic scandal before lunchtime. “I just need some help, that’s all.”

“Help? Help with what?” Josh asked, clearly getting intrigued.

“I’m gonna get a shovel,” North announced and Markus could almost imagine her teeth flashing in a broad grin, the one she came to like after the revolution. No doubt it suited her, but unfortunately for Markus, it never meant anything good.

“What you don’t immediately think of,” he rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not that kind of problem either. I just could use some advice picking a gift for Simon.”

There was a stunned silence on the other side. It dragged on for way too long, Markus almost believed he lost a signal there for a second or two. But then North’s voice broke through, and it sounded careful and amused at the same time. Right. Laugh about someone else’s misfortune.

“For your lover boy? Shouldn’t yoube an expert on what he likes and wants by now?”

He scoffed at the crude remark. “Maybe, but you knew him long before I even came into your lives, and you still spend much more time together at the New Jericho than I do. So I thought you might give me a few directions to impress him. But it was a bad idea. Forget about it.”

Before he could cut the call short, Josh hurried to stop him: “Wait! We didn’t say we wouldn’t help. We were just... surprised. You have been dating for quite some time now, it’s easy to forget it wasn’t always like that.”

“Yeah,” North joined in shortly after, and now she sounded embarrassed. “Sorry, Markus. I didn’t mean to sound so rude. We’ll do everything we can to help you. Let’s see...” her voice trailed off, only to return smugger than before. Uh oh. „You have heard of that new romantic novel? The Countess and the Highwayman or something like that?”

Markus furrowed his brow, captured deep in thought. Hm. Sure, he has already seen Simon reading paper books a handful of times before, but he never imagined they were romantic stories. On the other hand, Simon has never told him what he was reading, so it was possible that he was simply embarrassed. Even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about! Truth be told, Markus found it kinda adorable. Always knew Simon was a romantic soul beneath that thick shell of pragmatism.

He did a quick Google search for the book and the smile that crept onto his lips vanished as quickly as it appeared. “But... that book is mostly smut. And it also has some pretty mediocre reviews.”

“Yeah? So what?” he could almost feel North arching one of her elegant eyebrows at him with hands crossed tightly on her chest. “Not every one of us enjoys reading Nietzsche in original like certain someone.” To be honest, Markus had no idea whether she meant him or Josh. Both, most likely. “Reading trash fiction is a fun way to de-stress. And trust me, Simon has a lot of stress to deal with all the time.”

Like the imaginary angel sitting on his shoulder, Josh joined the debate with an offended gasp. “Yeah, but giving him an erotic novel for Christmas? Really? Shouldn’t a gift be something more wholesome?”

“Oh, shut up, you. What would you give him in Markus’ place?”

“I don’t know!” Josh most likely threw his hands in the air as usual. “Maybe I would just askwhat he would like. Or do something nice for him that he might enjoy. Does he like massages?”

Markus had no idea. And to be honest, Simon probably didn’t know himself. There was still so much they had to learn about themselves and each other. But he wrote it down for later use. “I’ll try to find out. At any rate, thank you for your suggestions.”

“Anytime. Oh, and merry Christmas, Markus,” they wished him well before he ended the call with a sigh.

If he was completely honest with himself, he didn’t think he could use any of these ideas. A dirty novel and foot rubs really didn’t sound like appropriate gifts for the holidays.

Still, as he rode home from work, he stopped by a small bookshop, one of the precious few that managed not to go bankrupt after the massive rise of popularity of electronic books. The Countess and the Highwayman sat right there behind the shop window as if taunting him. Even its cover looked horrendous like it appeared straight from the seventies or eighties. Yet, against his better judgment, he went in and soon returned with a decently wrapped package and face burning from all the blood that rushed to his cheeks. This was a horrible idea, but what else did he get?

Simon seemed to arrive home shortly before him. He found him in the living room, going through some reports. He always looked so tired after finishing his shift, it made Markus’ heart bleed. He crossed the room to press a kiss onto his neck. Only then he noticed two android canaries sitting on his shoulders, chirping and preening but doing nothing to fly away. He chuckled, which alerted Simon.

“Nice to see you getting along,” he murmured warmly, brushing his cheek with a short butterfly kiss, but that small wistful smile on Simon’s face gave him pause. Something wasn’t right.

“Of course. Lemon and Chirpy are always great company when you are away. Isn’t that right, boys?” His question was followed by silence, which only made Simon’s expression turn even sadder. Markus would do anything to cheer him up a little. So he gently nudged his face, trying to get his attention.

“Wait. Lemon and Chirpy? Really?” he asked while giving a side-eye to the two tiny fluff balls resting on his shoulders, and that finally got him a flash of a genuine smile. Even if it was only for a brief moment, it still outshone the sun.

“Yeah. Carl told me they didn’t have names yet, so I gave them some. Hope you don’t mind." He sighed. “It’s a shame they can’t break free of their programming as we did, don’t you think?”

Markus hummed in agreement. Then an idea struck. If it went down well, it could be called a small miracle, but then again, they won a revolution in less than a week, so he thought they had pretty good chances. An excited grin spread upon his face as he cradled Simon in his arms, mindful of the canaries. With a stroke of luck, he could have the perfect gift for his beloved. If not, well, he still had the book.

* * *

It was the miraculous night before Christmas, and Markus untangled himself from Simon’s embrace, got up from the bed, and sneaked down the darkened hallway where the cage waited. Lemon and Chirpy were sitting there quietly, their tiny inner mechanisms ran out of energy yet again. Markus took a deep breath and ever so gently pulled one of them, he couldn’t tell which one out of the cage.

The little bird's body felt lifeless in the palm of his hand, and for the first time since he got this lunatic idea, Markus was filled with doubt. What if this didn’t work out? Their software was much simpler than theirs, after all, their bodies too small. What if it was only going to hurt them? Simon would never forgive him, and neither would his own conscience. But he had already decided that he has to at least try.

Here goes nothing, he thought as he pressed two fingers against the canary’s LED like he would usually do when waking them up. This time, however, he let the skin of his hand vanish, and he transferred just a tiny fragment of his mind and soul to the bird with a single command.

Wake up.

Nothing happened. Not even a twitch. Not used to defeat, Markus tried it once more, and then some, but with the same results. The canary stayed just as still as before. He heaved a sigh. He really wanted this to work and couldn’t help himself not to feel a little bit disappointed. But alas, there was nothing more he could do. What a pity.

But right before he could put the bird back behind the golden bars, he finally stirred in his hands. He watched in awe as the tiny creature slowly came online and blinked, looking around as if he saw the world for the very first time. He didn’t seem very impressed by what he saw, though. Then he spread out his wings and took off.

Markus was so mesmerized by the beauty of watching a new living being experience life for the first time (it could never get old), that it hit him much later. It was the middle of the night, and he has a wild canary on the loose.

He tried whistling to lure him back inside his cage, but the bird, Lemon if the tag in his software was correct, paid him no mind. He tasted freedom for the first time and wanted to savor it for as long as possible. Which Markus would usually approve of with his whole heart if he were not so afraid that the loony bird would hit a window or the chandelier and manage to kill himself right from the bat.

Fortunately for both of them, Lemon soon decided that he had enough for now and returned to his feathery friend, who was still waiting for activation and awakening.

Markus reached behind the bars to do the same process once again, but this time, he was met with resistance. The moment he went to grab the other canary, Chirpy, Lemon suddenly went berserker and pecked him. Hard. A few drops of thirium stained the cage floor. It was just a scratch for someone of Markus’ size and shape who couldn’t feel pain the way humans did, but still it was quite an impressive feat for such a small bird. This little guy had some fight left in him.

“Ouch,” Markus hissed, even he himself had no idea whether he did it out of courtesy or just habit, but didn’t move an inch, still prepared to grab Chirpy, much to Lemon’s displeasure. What was bothering him so much? “Hey, calm down, little buddy. I’m not gonna hurt you or your friend. I just need – there you go!”

Finally, he was able to fish the other canary out of the cage. His hand was covered in scratches and beak marks by the time he managed to do so – nothing concerning, he was more worried about why Chirpy was suddenly acting up so bad. Was he violent because of deviancy or something entirely else? Either way, Markus quickly closed the cage door before the canary with newly discovered anger issues could follow him outside. No way he was going to let the tiny tyrant damage some of his more delicate parts. Like his eyes, for example.

Once secured, he proceeded with his plan as if nothing had happened. Chirpy’s LED was spinning rapidly as he gently reached into his software. First blue, then yellow, then red, red, red. It was taking way longer than before, and with each second grew Markus’ anxiety. Oh no. This shouldn’t be happening so slow, should it? But then he noticed it. The subtle twitch.

Chirpy slowly came to life and immediately went to fix his tail feathers, preening himself like a diva. Markus had already seen this process a mere seconds ago, and yet it still felt like a bloody miracle all over again. Even more so than with his fellow android deviants. They at least had much more complex software, making them more prone to deviating from the norm, but this? This was the equivalent of breathing life into a clockwork toy. Bloody amazing.

By now, he expected the tiny fellow to test out his wings, just as his friend did. It was what Markus himself would do in his place. But no. Chirpy instead jumped down on their cage and let out a short screech directed at him, as if he was trying to tell him something.

“Wanna go inside? Already?” He was met with an agreeable whistle, or what he interpreted as an agreeable whistle. His friend who was already perching inside joined him with his much more piercing voice, which nearly made Markus jump out of his synthetic skin. They were going to wake the entire house! “Shh! All right, all right, you little blackmailers, I’ll let you in, just keep your voices down!”

As soon as the door opened, Chirpy flew in and they both started jumping all around the cage like crazy, screeching nearly non-stop (so much so for being quiet). Great,Markus rolled his eyes. Now they are fighting with each other. Perhaps this wasn’t such a great idea after all...

He was just about to separate them, when they finally settled on the perch, one preening the other’s feathers with a gentleness that was so unlike how they reacted before.

“You two are... oh.” It all suddenly fell into place. Markus could tell that he was smiling like a moron, but he couldn’t help himself. This was the sweetest possible thing to happen. “Well, Simon is gonna be overjoyed when he meets you.”

The birds chirped in response. As much as it was music to his ear, to hear their authentic, less machine-like voice, he had to shush them – Carl and Simon were still sleeping upstairs, after all. Now that his work was done here, other presents hidden underneath the neatly decorated tree, he should go too. He gave Lemon and Chirpy one last look, overflowing with pride, before wishing them a good night and making his way back upstairs on his tiptoes like a lowly thief. Memories of one unpleasant visit during that fateful night, of gunshots and pouring rain, soured his mood a little, but he pushed them away. There was no place for them anymore.

He thought he was being quiet as a mouse, yet, he could have sworn he saw Simon flinch in the dim light as he entered their bedroom. However, it could have been just his imagination. Who knows.

As always, Simon slept hidden underneath a plethora of blankets, and Markus wasted no time worming underneath them and cuddling up to his nice, wide back, arms closing around his middle. Even though he would probably wake up in some other position, this was still his favorite to fall asleep in. He listened to their joined heartbeats as he slowly drifted off to sleep...

* * *

The morning came sooner than he expected. To his surprise, he woke up feeling refreshed too, his sleep not plagued with terrible dreams for the first time in what felt like a small eternity.Just one more unlikely event taking place,he chuckled, and I might start believing in a Christmas miracle.

Christmas... A sudden bout of excitement coursed through his body, and he glanced at Simon, who still slept soundly in his arms. His chest remained deathly still in his slumber, no unnecessary breath taken in to make it rise and fall and disguise him as something he was not. Here, they didn’t have to pretend, and Markus found that beautiful, just like everything else that was his beloved.

All right, let’s see how much time we have... Oh, dammit,he huffed in frustration and plopped back on the pillow like a starfish. His inner clock told him that it was still way too early to begin their day; it wouldn’t be until an hour or so later that he would have to go wake up Carl and until their guests came. Plenty of time indeed.

He should try to get some more rest, but for some reason was unable to do so (it was the expectation of seeing his loved ones open their presents). So he just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

At some point, he heard the sheets rustle, and before he knew it, Simon’s hands were wrapped around his shoulders and he could feel him smiling against his collarbone. “Up so soon, Markus?” he asked in a drowsy voice, words slurred together because his systems still haven’t finished calibrating themselves. Then, like the sly fox he was, he switched to a more teasing tone. “You weren’t about to sneak out again and open your presents early, were you?”

Oh, so he really was awake when he returned last night. He should have known. But two could play this game. He bared his teeth at the top of his head in a toothy grin. Simon couldn’t see it, but it was there, ready to strike right back. “No, I wasn’t. But I may go downstairs and steal some of Santa’s cookies, now that you talk about it.”

Simon raised his head from where it lay comfortably on his chest to look him in the eyes, all smug as a cat. Markus couldn’t help but marvel at how he looked at that moment. Even having a bad hair day and struggling to fully wake up, he has never been more beautiful than when he finally allowed himself to relax around him and be comfortable in his synth skin. It didn’t come naturally to him – his past, which he chose not to speak of, left him scarred more subtle than North or even Josh. That’s why every moment like this had to be cherished.

rA9, he really did love this man.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Simon gently flicked his nose, only to kiss it better a few seconds later. “Partly because it would go against your morals, but more importantly, there’s no thirium in them. I am much more concerned that Carl might have eaten them at night.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a likely scenario,” Markus chuckled in response, then froze. He had just received a call from North. So soon? Something bad had to happen; otherwise, she wouldn’t bother calling him. He mumbled a quiet apology to Simon and picked it up.

“Hey! Could you come downstairs and let us in? Josh insisted on coming here early, so we could help you guys out with preparations and such,” she announced cheerfully and Markus couldn’t hide the smile that found its way on his lips. They really had the best friends.

* * *

Having Josh and North around while setting the table and adding the last finishing touches to the celebration helped them immensely. This way, they could wake up Carl without having to worry about all the other things that had to be done. And once Leo arrived sometime later, they were ready to open the presents that waited for them underneath the tree.

Leo brought a gift to Carl, some sort of album with the photos he took recently. The old man had tears in his eyes as he went through it, admiring his son’s talent. But what took everyone by surprise was when the older Manfred son came to Markus, face flushed with embarrassment, and shoved a present into his hands, mumbling a quick: “Merry Christmas, Markus.”

This had to be a dream. No way Leo was going to give him a gift so shortly after making up. Even he didn’t know how to behave around him just yet, the wounds still too fresh to his liking. But he took it as a laurel of peace between the two of them and thanked him just as awkwardly, then unwrapped the paper to discover a very nice tie pin. Well. He could always use that.

He got way more gifts than he probably deserved. And even more were waiting for him in the mailbox back at the New Jericho from fans and android admirers. It hurt to think of those. He didn’t deserve them. None of this.

Then he felt a comforting squeeze on his arm, and caught a glimpse of familiar ocean blue eyes, staring at him with so much care and love... It made his heart explode with emotion. “Markus, are you all right?”

Looking up, he noticed that not only Simon was concerned about his well-being. In truth, all of them were. All paused, looking at him. He had to fight back tears that threatened to spill down his face like a river. This, this was the greatest gift he could ever get. Their love and friendship.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbled and quickly hid his watery eyes. Simon gave him a knowing gaze and pressed a handkerchief into his hand, then departed to bring him one last present. It was neatly wrapped, nothing like North’s desperate attempt, before she apparently decided “fuck it” and brought him a half-wrapped mess of papers and duck tape. The tiny heart next to his name immediately let him know who was the gifter. He accepted it with adoration written on his face. It only deepened when he opened the package.

“Those... those are tickets to the new theater house. I thought they were all sold out.”

Simon smiled. “They were. But I pulled some strings.”

Markus drew him closer for a hungry kiss. But before their lips could meet, they were stopped by Carl, who was nursing his brand new bottle of Scotch (“Suddenly feeling like feeding my vices now, are you?” he asked them with mirth in his eyes after unwrapping it, to which they replied: “We maymake an exception since it’s Christmas.”): “Come on boys! You can go make out later! We still haven’t seen what Simon got for Christmas.”

“Ah, of course!” They stepped away from each other’s embrace, thirium making their faces a light blue shade (it was always more prominent on Simon, so much so that Markus became thankful for his darker complexion), and Markus had to bite off the frustrated groan he was about to make. Simon hurried to show off the presents. “I got an anti-stress coloring book for adults, some new pencils, and audiobooks. Oh, and there’s also this very nice sweater...”

Markus suddenly cut him short. “There’s still one more present waiting for you in the hallway. Well, two to be exact, but that other one has to wait until later.”

Judging from the way his eyebrow rose, he managed to pique Simon’s interest. Good. “Really? Well, let’s go see it, then. Lead the way.”

Markus took his hand and led him towards the cage, hidden underneath a heavy piece of fabric. Just a precaution, to make sure Lemon and Chirpy wouldn’t give themselves away before the big reveal. Simon was clearly confused until he pulled the fabric aside and the canaries immediately began screeching and jumping about the place in hope of being released for a quick flight. There was even something that resembled a nest made from paper that Markus gave them to help them pass the time until they got them proper toys.

He opened the cage, and both Lemon and Chirpy left their perches and flew outside. Chirpy then decided to land on Simon’s head and began nesting there, much to the man’s surprise. He gasped. “They... they are deviants too. How did you...?”

Markus smiled. “Well, it wasn’t easy. But for you, Si, I would go any length.”

Simon laughed, it was one of the most pleasant sounds Markus has ever heard, gentle, yet strong, like bells from the old times, and leaned closer to press a kiss onto his cheek. Then the other. The tip of his nose. And finally, the lips. They locked together in a dance that was both gentle and passionate. Shame it ended so quickly.

“This is the best gift anyone has ever given me,” Simon whispered between their lips once he drew back, never leaving him, always staying close, his breath ghosting on his cheek. It was a delight. And yet Markus couldn’t help but feel sad, because he felt the implication hidden in his honeyed words.

No one has ever given him a gift before.

However, this was not the time to be melancholic. Or angry at how ill the world has done them. So he recovered and shot Simon a mischievous wink, although his cheeks were getting hotter with embarrassment and nervous energy. What if Simon finds the book (rightfully) ridiculous?

Well, there’s only one way to find out.

“The best one yet. Remember that I’ve told you two gifts are waiting for you.”

He saw a flash of pearly white teeth, perfectly straight (For a not so straight android,Markus thought with a grin, only to mentally punch himself a few seconds later. No, stop it.) as Simon smiled again. It was the most precious smile in the world. Sometimes the hardest to get, too, when Simon was having one of his dark episodes. “Markus, the anticipation is killing me. Why won’t you give me the present now?” He squinted his eyes. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing wrong, just... it’s not exactly for the public eye, you know.”

A bewildered pause. It lasted a second or two. Then the realization dawned upon Simon, and he went all shades of blue. Indeed, he looked so, so pretty when he blushed, and Markus wanted nothing more than to make that blush go even darker.

Agh, focus!

“Oh,” was the first sound that left Simon’s lips before he bit them. Hard. For some reason, Markus found that very distracting. Was it just him or was it getting a bit hot here? “I mean... there’s always your room. I’m sure the guests will manage to entertain themselves for a little while.”

And before Markus could say anything more than “right”, Simon took his hand and nearly dragged him up the stairs to their bedroom. Well. Someone’s eager, Markus would chuckle if he could catch his breath, or think at all. As soon as the door closed behind them, Simon was all over him, capturing his lips in a kiss that was downright sinful. It took Markus by surprise at first, he wasn’t expecting this, but melted into it a few heartbeats later anyway, giving in to the hurricane of bliss.

He has never experienced anything like this before. The way his skin tingled when Simon’s lips grazed on it with just the right bit of teeth, or how light his head seemed to be... It felt like he might die if he tried to pull away. But he had to. No matter how much he wished he could lift Simon up, press him against the wall and discover all the other deliciousthings they could do together, Carl and their friends were still right there down the stairs... So despite the pain it brought him, he left the warmth of Simon’s embrace with a breathless chuckle.

“Hey, slow down. You should go unwrap your present, remember? It’s on the desk.”

At first, Simon blinked owlishly at him, not quite catching up. Seems like the kissing affected him as well, Markus beamed with pride. Then the poor man finally looked in the direction he gave him.

His eyes widened almost twice their size when he noticed a package sitting there, draped in a pretty Christmas-themed paper. Thousands of emotions flashed across his face at that moment, until it finally settled on embarrassment. He started fidgeting, and wouldn’t look Markus in the eyes, despite him trying to coax him to do it. Oh no. He was overthinking again, pondering whether he had crossed a boundary or something silly like that. Wouldn’t be the first time.

“Sorry. I must have misunderstood...”

No. This wouldn’t do. Markus quickly went to set the panic that threatened to overcome his beloved by grabbing his hand and placing it over his heart, to let him feel just how quickly it raced, how much it longed for his touch. Their eyes finally met again, and there was so much love and worry in them that it became almost overwhelming.

“You did nothing wrong, Si. You... are not the only one who wants this. And I would certainly like to continue someday in the future if you are amenable, I mean. But not right now. Anyone could hear or walk in on us. Besides, I want to make it special.”

To his relief, Simon gave him a tiny smile and looked up at him from beneath his eyelashes, fingers caressing where they were touching his chest. So intimate. “It’s already special when it’s with you. But I understand. I will be more considerate next time.”

Despite the event being the epitome of embarrassment, the talk seemed to calm the anxiety that was brewing inside Simon’s chest and Markus felt much better as well. With one last peck on the lips (to show Simon that this part was very much allowed), he ushered him towards the desk where his prize waited.

With all of this going on, he completely forgot what the gift was until he saw the way Simon’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. He shuffled his feet. Suddenly it was him who couldn’t look the other in the eye. But then he heard a chuckle from above. “Oh, but how did you know? I was just thinking about getting this one the other day!”

Oh, great. He didn’t hate it, then. As if sensing his bad thoughts, Simon crossed the room and kissed him on the cheek, murmuring warm: “Thank you, my darling. You made this day unforgettable.”

And, despite himself, Markus couldn’t help but smile. Merry Christmas, indeed.

#DBH Advent Calendar #Simarkus #Detroit Become Human #dbh #Door 2 #Markus x Simon #very light mature content

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