Detroit: Become Human Imagines {Requests Open}

Escape Route Pt. 2

Third Person P.O.V.

One month.

That's how long it had been since Ralph escaped. It only took him a few days to find a secluded, abandoned house in the Ravendale District. In the kitchen of his makeshift home, he carved tally marks into the wall to count the days until (Y/N) arrived. He was already at thirty-five tallies.

The next wall over was littered with carvings of rA9. Ralph didn't know what it meant, yet he'd heard it from another deviant during his travels. The only thing he knew was that it had some significance to it.

Meanwhile, (Y/N) had only escaped two weeks prior. She never had the opportunity until then. Her dad was at the bar one night, so she snuck out of the house and rode the bus for a little while. She checked every abandoned building she could find. She even set up camp in the buildings if she thought it was safe for the night. 

She was slowly losing hope of finding her Ralph. Two weeks on the run was very tiring for the human, but she knew she had to keep her promise. She may never admit to it, but she loved the sweet android. Damaged or not, she knew the real him. He was innocent, quiet, and treated each of his plants like a fragile child. He loved bringing life to them, and (Y/N) admired that about him. He was too pure to live with that abusive asshole, so she treated him with the respect he most certainly deserved.

-A few days later-

Ralph had encountered some new visitors. It wasn't the one he was hoping for, but rather an android with a little girl. Ralph was scared and held his knife to the girl, although the android talked him out of hurting her. They seemed nice so Ralph opened up his home to them. Having company felt nice for a change, since all he ever did was wait around for his human.

"Make yourselves comfortable. Ralph would like to stay with you, but he has some business to take care of in the other room," he said as he walked into the kitchen.

Kara, the motherly android, went to check on him after tucking Alice in by the fireplace. She found the damaged android running the tip of his knife along the wall. "What does all that mean?" she asked, referring to the carvings.

"I-I don't know," he stuttered, looking towards her. Her gaze turned to the wall on her left.

"Thirty-eight tallies. What about that?" she asked curiously.

"It's how long Ralph has been away from (Y/N). She told Ralph to run from the bad man that hurt him. She promised to find Ralph. (Y/N) was the only good human. Ralph hasn't seen her for thirty-eight days," he rambled on about her. He didn't know how to define it, but he felt a slight skip in his regulator at the thought of (Y/N). He was thankful for the respect and care she showed him.

"She should find you as long as you stay put. You may be going the opposite way if you try to leave," Kara offered her advice with a gentle tone.

"Ralph knows. (Y/N) told him to find a place to stay." he smiled slightly.

"Well, I'm going back to the other room. Goodnight, Ralph," Kara said sweetly.

Ralph nodded, turning his attention back on the wall.

-The Next Morning-

When the sun came up, Kara checked on Ralph in the kitchen again. She found him carving another tally into the wall.

Thirty-nine

"Ralph?" she called to him. He brought his attention to her, bringing his knife wielding arm to his side. "We'll be on our way once Alice wakes up. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Why is Kara and the little girl leaving so soon?" he asked. He had enjoyed their company, he was confused why they wanted to leave.

"We have a place we need to be. We could only stay for one night," Kara explained, keeping her tone gentle to not anger the damaged android.

"Ralph doesn't want them to leave. But he'll allow it. He hopes Kara and the girl stay safe," he responded calmly. Kara was relieved she hadn't set him off.

"Thank you, Ralph. I hope that you and (Y/N) find each other."

And with that, they left. Ralph felt odd being alone again. He found their company to be relieving, and the crackling of the fireplace calmed his racing thoughts. It was at this moment that he craved (Y/N) more than ever. He wanted to see her face again. He wanted her to run her fingers through his hair like she used to in secret. He hated being alone.

Ralph frustratedly threw his knife, and it stuck itself in the wall. He whimpered and breathed heavily, although it was not needed. "Ralph hates being alone. Ralph wants (Y/N). But she broke her promise. She hasn't found Ralph!" he cried, unknowing of the tears falling down his cheeks.

Moments later, a creaking sound from outside halted him from his break down. He inched closer to the boarded window, wanting to know what was outside. When he peeked out of the window, his functional eye caught sight of another pair of eyes. Ralph jumped back in surprise, letting out a yelp of shock. 

To the figure outside, the thirium-flooded eye could be recognized anywhere.

"Ralph?" a familiar voice spoke. The android perked up at the sound like a dog hearing a doorbell. Tears continued falling as he let out a breath of relief. He rushed to the door, unlocking the rusted knob as quick as he could. Once it was open, he was immediately pulled into a tight hug. "Oh, my sweet Ralph. I was so worried about you," she mumbled into his poncho covered shoulder. He tightly wrapped his arms around her back, making sure to keep his hands in a respectful place.

"Ralph was afraid (Y/N) would never find him," he whimpered, breath shaking.

"Hey," she started as she pulled away. She gently cupped his torn cheek. "I promised you I'd find you. I never back down on my word, especially not to you."

She cupped his other cheek, bringing his head lower to place a kiss on his forehead. Ralph smiled contently, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch. "Ralph wants to tell (Y/N) how he feels, but he doesn't know how," he admitted innocently.

"Does it feel like a painless ache in your chest?" she asked, hoping he was feeling what she was. Ralph nodded his head. "Do you crave my presence?" Another nod followed. "Would you risk your life for me?" He nodded again. "That feeling is called love, Ralph. It's the most powerful of them all."

Ralph took a moment to process the new information. He felt as though there wasn't a better word to describe it. Love. He liked the sound of it.

"Ralph loves (Y/N)," he admitted.

"I love you, too."