#deviation day

“And what’s your story, Simon? What led you to Jericho?” Markus asked one day, during one of their precious few moments of respite, his head slightly tilted to the side like a curious puppy. It was such an interesting contrast with his otherwise strong, leader personality it made Simon smile despite the panic that took hold of him inside.

It all started so nice and optimistic. They’ve just returned after yet another successful mission, so a small celebration was in order. But before they could even start, Markus disappeared without a trace. No one knew where he went, not even North or Josh.

Some people started to worry and wanted to go search for him, in case he ran into some trouble, but Simon calmed them down, saying he probably wanted to plan their next move somewhere in peace. He also preferred silence to this overwhelming bustle of the slowly rejuvenating Jericho, even though it was good to see it transform from a graveyard into... something else entirely. Regardless, he wasn’t concerned about something happening to their beloved leader.

It was when the growing buzz of Jericho started slowly getting to him (it was never so crowded or noisy before – all Markus’ doing, and Simon couldn’t help but admire him for uniting their people in such a short time notice), that he decided to go to his favorite spot on the roof. Most of them sometimes sought refuge under the sky away from prying eyes. But he certainly didn’t expect to find Markus there, sitting with his legs thrown over the edge, nursing a bottle of thirium.

He froze on the spot. Markus probably didn’t want to be disturbed, so he slowly turned around and started to leave, only to be stopped by Markus’ velvety voice, calling his name. When he turned back, he saw Markus waving at him to join with a small tired smile.

That’s how he found himself here, just hanging out with their admired leader, enjoying the calm and silence or swapping stories. Simon felt a small jolt of electricity run up his wires whenever their legs brushed against one another. It was ridiculous, honestly. How long was this bright, wonderful man with them? A few days at most? And he already held so much power over Jericho... and over Simon as well, probably without him even realizing it.

But then he asked that question, and the charm of the situation disappeared. Simon’s fight or flight reflex immediately started to kick in, and he gave him a tight-lipped smile, hoping that it would hide the anxiety he felt.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he shook his head and thought it to be over. But oh boy, how wrong he was.

“It matters to me. I won’t force you if you don’t want to tell me, of course, but I would like to get to know you. If you would only let me,” Markus replied in the most honest tone possible and was met with a surprised glance. Oh no. Simon was already feeling the telltale tickling inside his chassis as if bugs got stuck in his chest cavity during routine maintenance (no matter how ridiculous and also kind of disturbing that thought was). All he could think of was...

Not again.

“I trust you. But it’s...” He heaved a sigh and took another long sip of the thirium to calm himself down. All right. He could do this. After all, he trusted Markus with his life. “Well, the truth is that I fell in love with my owner. He was a very kind person but never felt the same way about me. When he found out, he dumped me by the docks to rot.”

Markus listened intently, and when he fell silent again, a shadow of genuine disconcertment crossed his handsome features. “Oh, Simon, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry you had to endure something like this.”

For someone as good at public speeches as he was, he really was terrible at this. One would say clumsy as a newborn foal (which made Simon question for how long was he even deviant in the first place). But for some reason, it only made Simon fall for him more.

On the spur of the moment, he gave him a soft smile and squeezed his elbow to let him know that he appreciated the thought. It was meant to be a normal touch between two close friends. Or at least look like it. Nothing more. Simon didn’t mean to let his skin recede, and for Markus’ as well, mingling their minds together for a few short moments before they both jolted away from each other, gasping and trying to take in what they just saw.

“I... those were your memories. The night when you found us, you had to drag yourself from a junkyard, after being gunned down without even being questioned.”

“I saw yours as well. That man, he used you in every way, then threw you away like you meant nothing to him. And... also the way you look at me when I’m not watching...” Markus had to blink to get rid of all the images he just witnessed, and Simon’s heart sank. He never wanted to show him this, and now he knew and would abandon him, just like Jason did. But before he could say anything to save the situation, he felt a pair of warm lips touch his. It was a fleeting, delicate meeting, but Simon dived into it like a man drowning, despite himself and all he ever promised.

When they parted, Markus still held his face in his hands, their foreheads touching, reluctant to let go. It was so tender Simon might cry. And then Markus breathed out between their lips: “For what it’s worth, I will never leave you behind, as he did.”

Simon suddenly couldn’t tell the floor from the open sky. Everything felt so... surreal and wonderful, once he silenced that voice that kept telling him that this wouldn’t last.