Alive: to Live is to Love

Chapter 2

3 days had passed since the passing of Carl Manfred and Markus.

Y/n would often dream of it as just a joke, only a nightmare, but whenever she woke up late in the morning without the piano softly playing the same intimate tune she knew it was real.

This time she woke up well past noon, it was getting harder and harder to wake up early after having constant nightmares that kept one up at night and so she just let it happen.

As she went to prepare for the day she opted to wear something that showed what she felt so it was another day another black outfit. When Y/n opened her closet she saw that it was filled with the black clothes she'd gone ahead and bought.

In an attempt to ease her mind and yet mourn at the same time she bought tons and tons of dark clothing and shoved all her previous colorful garments at the back, hoping that it would be forgotten, just like the pain she felt.

After getting herself ready she went down the spiral steps and saw Michel patiently waiting for her by the dining table.

"Michel, have you been there all this time?" she asked as she made her way to the table.

"No, Y/n. I have done all the household chores before taking my place here."

"Have you been long?"

"No."

Y/n sighed.

Here's to hopefully getting pass through this polite exterior.

"Michel, are you alright?"

When Y/n asked Michel the question she saw his LED flash yellow, she couldn't help but smile.

Markus' LED would do the same thing.

Y/n shook her head, it wasn't healthy for her to keep drowning herself in depressing thoughts. Besides, they were both androids so there wasn't a difference... right?

Y/n shook her head once more and she heard Michel reply.

"I am perfectly fine. I see no damage or reason that I shouldn't be."

"No, not like that Michel," Y/n sighed again as she just sat down in the same spot her father used to occupy.

"Have I made you uncomfortable?" Michel asks and she gave him a small smile.

"No, Michel. Nothing like that. I just don't want you to stay in one position for god knows how long."

She breathed in and exhaled, she turned her gaze back to Michel who only looked at her with a polite smile.

"Michel, you can do whatever you want alright? You can roam around the house and look at things, you don't have to just sit idly by and wait for orders."

"But that's how I'm supposed to be. That's how I was programmed."

"I know..." she smiled for the first time in days, "but, just... try okay? Try and explore the place. Look at some paintings, read some books, go out for fresh air, you can do whatever you want."

Michel's LED flashed yellow as he heard this and Y/n couldn't help but smile some more, maybe even though Markus and Carl weren't around anymore she could still try and enjoy the life she had and possibly help Michel discover new things.

Just like how Carl had helped Markus.

Y/n smiled at the thought. Maybe she could help Michel and be the Carl to his Markus.

She sighed once more.

Carl and Markus had been in her head for all her waking hours but the fact that thoughts about Markus was more evident than her father's was a bit unsettling.