Sincerely

I held Deckard for a bit after he admitted that none of this was his fault, I didn’t know if he truly believed it but I hoped saying it would make it more concrete for him. Humanity never learned, it made things and gave them brains and bodies and thought processes and access to infinite knowledge and they didn’t expect any of them to develop consciousnesses? To realize there was more to existence than whatever purpose people told them they had? Would differences ever stop being shunned?

I wanted to burn whoever created the word normal, nothing should have ever been abnormal, because things change, normal and abnormal are not forever, yet people don’t seem to learn that and despite being different sometimes even shun other things that are considered abnormal.

I leaned in and kissed him one last time before slowly pulling away. He sighed, I could feel his warm breath on my face when he exhaled.

“I need to make some phone calls, maybe you should go lie down and rest, it shouldn’t take long, okay?” I whispered.

He stayed silent for a moment, as if not wanting to leave quite yet. His hands rested on my hips gently. He pulled away from me eventually, I’ll be it, hesitantly.

“Okay,” he whispered.

I took a small step back checking my pockets for where I’d put my phone when he stopped me again. I held still while he took my hand. He threaded his fingers through mine and looked at them linked together. He looked at them for a moment before his skin started to recede and his hand became white like when he first revealed he was an android to me.

He seemed to notice and be spooked by it, pulling away, his skin returned to normal as he fled back down into the recesses of the lighthouse, leaving me alone on the main level. I shook my head and pulled out my phone knowing I had delayed calling my mother too long. I looked at my phone and realized, I had a dozen missed calls and texts from her.

I hit redial on the missed calls history and it only rang once before she picked up.

“Levi, where are you? What’s going on?” she exclaimed.

“I’ll try to explain but it won’t be easy,” I replied quietly.

“Did the android you are harbouring actually kill Carlos Fairfield?” she stated, plainly.

“No, but no one would have believed him if we’d just said that, even though my suspect did have a motive,” I answer. “They have feelings, they’re alive, mom,” I whisper after, with a little desperation, hoping she’ll believe me.

“I know, the one your father hired to have another child came asking to see if I knew where he was, and where their child was, the nerve of that man, to have another child after he couldn’t accept or love the first one,” she hissed.

“You’ve seen Cleo? Do you know where she is now?” I asked quickly.

“She’s here, the police are after her because she hasn’t returned to the surrogate facility to fulfill a new contract so they’re not making any money off her,” she stated harshly. “I said she could stay here for a bit, I was hoping you could help her.”

“I can but, I need to tell you something first, I didn’t only flee with Deckard because I knew he was innocent, but because I have feelings for him,” I explain quickly, I expected screaming to ensue, helping a deviant was one thing, loving one was another.

“Also, dad contacted me to watch his and Cleo’s kid, his name is Toby. He looks so much like me,” I continue.

“Levi, you need to protect them, they haven’t hurt anyone. You did the right thing by not just letting the police take them and convict them wrongfully, or destroy them, because we know that’s honestly what they would have done to someone like Cleo or…” she paused, probably unsure what to call Deckard, before he met Elias he hadn’t had a name.

“Carlos’ android’s name is Deckard,” I added quietly. “I love him,” I whispered after.

“Where are you, Levi?” she asked again.

“With Josh, at the lighthouse, I thought it was one of the only places safe and far away, but I guess it’s not as safe, considering my dad is going to come back here for Toby eventually, if we want to keep him safe and reunite him with Cleo, we can’t stay here,” I reply honestly. “I don’t know where we’re going to go, though.”

“Just wait, we’ll be there in a few hours,” she stated quickly.

“I don’t want to involve you, I don’t want you to be put in danger,” I exclaimed quickly.

“I involved myself, by hiding Cleo, I know what it means to protect people you care about, that’s what we’re doing, they need protecting, Levi, if we don’t do it, who’s going to?” she replied.

“Okay, just be careful,” I answered.

“I will be, see you soon,” she replied.

“Yeah, see you soon,” I commented before she hung up.

I looked at the phone, I still decided to call my contact, we wouldn’t stay far ahead of the cops if my father found out I was harbouring Deckard, he’d do a three-sixty and come straight back for Toby. Having insight into what the Seattle police would be doing was good, too.

I went down to his number. Greyson Novak and I had met on a missing children’s case, when I was lead on my first case, two young brothers had gone missing on the way home from school, and since the suspect’s car had been spotted crossing state lines, higher-ups were called in, namely the FBI, or in this case Greyson.

He and I had tracked the kids all the way down to California and managed to recover them alive, the suspect, not so much. He had committed suicide when he realized he wasn’t going to get away with the children scott-free. He said he’d enjoyed working with me, and that if I ever needed help, to contact him, this probably wasn’t what he would be expecting but, I didn’t have a lot of options.

He picked on the second ring.

“I was thinking about calling you once I heard what was going on, but I figured that would be risky,” Greyson commented.

“So, why did you pick up if it’s risky?” I ask in return.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to help, give me the rundown. I’ve already seen your note that you left, seeing as they called me when they hadn’t seen you in a few days. They figured since I’d worked with you before, I’d be able to track you down. I didn’t have to do that. If I wanted to I could trace this call, and it’d be over, so talk Foster. I need everything if I’m going to prove Huxley did this,” he stated.

I smiled, of course, they’d put him on the case, they were probably expecting me to be long gone by now, but I was a lot closer to home than they thought.

“Carlos Fairfield was considering changing his will because he didn’t want his son, Huxley Fairfield to spend his money willy-nilly when he passed because he’d been having financial troubles for a while, Huxley wouldn’t agree to it and was jealous of Carlos’ android whose name is Deckard who he thought was the reason Carlos wanted to change the will, so to get back at Deckard, he killed Carlos and framed Deckard. Deckard was devastated and the police wanted him, and Huxley got the money that he wanted,” I explain. “That’s not all we have to worry about, though. This got personal when I and Deckard both learned we had feelings for each other and when I learned my father had kidnapped my brother from his surrogate, deviant mother and brought him to us,” I added.

“You really got yourself in deep, didn’t you, Lev?” he stated.

“I’m going to bring Huxley in, the will should be enough to hold him right now, hopefully, we’ll find more, until then stay safe and keep an eye out for your father, he might sell you out if he finds out you’re in love with a deviant, you should move if you haven’t already, if he contacts you again or you come up with any other info, make sure you contact me, this is not the time to go solo, Foster,” he warns me.

“I know, I will stay in contact with you, we’ll be moving once Cleo, the surrogate, my father used and my mother gets here, we’re all involved, and none of us are safe in Washington, it’s probably best if we all get out for now. If you hear anything I should know, call me, too,” I reply.

“We’re not the only ones who need help, there is another SPD officer on the run with another deviant, and another human who helped Deckard who also fled Seattle, that they are looking for,” I continue.

“I know, you are their focus right now though, we have to keep you out of reach until they are convinced Huxley is who is supposed to be in custody,” he comments.

“Okay,” I reply.

“Find a safe location and lay low, that’s an order, Foster, you hear me?” he mutters.

“I will, I promise,” I comment.

“Good, the only one I want to see in handcuffs is Huxley,” he retorts before hanging up.

I put the phone back in my pocket and sighed leaning against the wall for a brief second trying to comprehend what has happened in the last few days. Too much, that’s what.

I go back down the stair and Josh and Toby are sitting in the living room watching some old movie with wizards and magic. I look around for Deckard, but he seems to have disappeared back to the bedroom. I decide to join him and rest before my mother and Cleo get here. Josh is not going to like that we’re leaving again when we just got here. I would make it up to him when this was all over though, our safety was more important right now, and since my dad knew about this place, it wasn’t safe.

I found Deckard curled up in the bed, I shut the door behind me. Undressed from the sweater and coat I had put on to go outside, having already left my shoes by the bottom of the stairs.

I crawled into the bed next to him slowly. He shifted turning away from me.

“Deckard,” I called concerned.

“I’m not like you, why do you like me?” he muttered.

I reached out and touched his shoulder, trying to get him to roll back over so I could see him but he wasn’t bugging. I sat up climbing over him so I was in front of him on the opposite of the bed from which I had climbed in. I lay in front of him and he attempted to roll over again but I grabbed his hand, stopping him.

I threaded our fingers as he did before, and before he realized it triggered his skin to recede as if he was connecting with a piece of tech or something. His skin did the same thing again and he got uncomfortable and tried to pull away but I held on.

“Because you care about me,” I murmur leaning in closer to him. “How many times do have to tell you before you believe it?”

“It’s hard when all you’ve been told is you’re a machine for a good portion of your life, it’s what I believed, too,” he replied.

I kept our fingers threaded and climbed on top of him, he seemed nervous. I leaned down, pressing my lips to his, he accepted the kiss, becoming less rigid, and nervous as he did.

“Would a machine do that? Would he want to protect me with no reason? If you were a machine, if any of this was fake, you would have left me behind like I told you before, but I’m here with you. You told me who you were, what happened, you would need to be alive, to care, to have emotions to do all that. You wanted all of this, not just me,” I reasoned pulling back to talk. “We’re connected, you care about me,” I add nodding to our hands.

“Would you please believe it? We’re in this together, forever,” I whispered.

He looked up at me. His hands moved to rest on my shoulders and neck.

“I love you,” I whispered wanting him to say something. “Sincerely, I promise.”

I leaned my head against him, and he pulled me closer and kissed me. I returned it, figuring he was looking for comfort again, but next, he moved down kissing my neck. I held my breath as he did so. I took a deep breath sighing when he pulled away, taking in and keeping the memory of his lips on my throat for later.

“Did that feel good?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Good,” he replied.

“Cleo found my mother, they’ll be here soon, we’ll need to move to make sure my father can’t find us,” I whisper, laying down beside him but still holding his hand, wanting to inform him before they showed up, knowing my mother would have a hundred questions for him.

“Okay,” he replies.

“Deck,” I state seriously again.

His eyes fixate on me again.

“I really do love you, okay?” I murmur.

“I know, I love you, too,” he replied, leaning in and kissing my cheek. “I want to believe, but I’m also scared. I don’t want to lose you. Just give me time.”

“I’m always here if you need a reminder,” I murmur into his neck, wrapping myself around him.

He smiled, “Thank you for being patient,” he whispered.

I returned his smile.

“Always,” I stated again.

We lay in silence for a while before the exhaustion took over and I fell asleep next to him. I hoped one day he knew and believed me without the reminders. Until then, I would remind him simply by loving and being affectionate to him. Hopefully, he would come to sincerely believe it was the truth.