#I was today years old when I found out that Connor literally means lover of hounds

[top-tier-tickles]

Overreact

This is a DBH tickle fic requested by no one. I just wanted to write a DBH fic. Please let me know if I've characterized anyone wrong. I hope you enjoy!

TW: PAST SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, REFERENCED CHILD DEATH, SWEARING

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Markus walked into the room, relieved to be out of a long meeting. He sighed, relaxing his shoulders, only to jump in surprise when he saw Connor sitting on the couch.

"Woah! Connor, hey! I didn't expect you to be here." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh. Sorry, I'll leave." Connor motioned to get up, only to pause when Markus put his hand up.

"Oh, you don't have to. Every android is welcome here." He smiled, sitting next to the RK-800.

The pair sat calmly in silence for minute, until Markus glanced over to Connor. Connor had a look of sad blankness on his face, and while Markus couldn't see his LED directly, the small yellow light reflecting off of something was a good indicator that something wasn't right.

"Connor, you seem troubled....Are you alright?" Markus placed a hand on his shoulder.

Connor remained silent for a second, before sighing and speaking in a low voice.

"I accidentally called Hank 'Dad'..."

"Really? Oh, well that's not a big deal."

"Yes it is, Markus! Androids do not HAVE parents! Who am I to think of the lieutenant as my father?!"

"Well, I think of Carl as a father, and I'm an android."

"That's not my point. How could Hank ever regard me as his son? He's already lost his real son, why would he want another?"

"I would say that Carl had Leo before me, but Leo is a human asswipe."

That got Connor to crack a smile, only for a brief moment. He face fell again, his LED glowing red.

Connor suddenly put his head in his hands, saline tears begging to drop from his eyes. Markus quickly sat up, putting a comforting hand on his back.

"Whoa, whoa. What exactly happened?" Markus asked.

Connor sat up again, and began to recount the events earlier that day.

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"Now I'm telling you, Connor, the fucking piece goes here." Hank said, pointing the puzzle piece to an empty spot.

"Hank, I am positive that it doesn't go there. The tabs of the piece do not line up with the overall pattern of the surrounding pieces. I don't even need my scanner to see that." The android replied.

The pair was sitting on the couch in Hank's living room, Connor was living with him after the revolution. The pair was doing a puzzle to pass the time, Sumo snoring at their feet.

"What, you sayin' I'm a dumbass?" Hank accused, a smirk traced his lips.

"Your words, not mine." Connor replied, his own smirk beginning to grow.

The lieutenant blinked in surprise, before shoving a middle finger in Connor's face as the android laughed.

In retaliation, Connor grabbed the piece from Hank's hand and placed it in a spot on the other side of the puzzle. A perfect fit.

"That's it." Hank said, yanking Connor close and ruffling the android's usually immaculate hair.

"Hank! Get off!" Connor tried to push him away, but he was wrapped in the lieutenant's surprisingly strong arms.

"Shouldn't have been a smart-ass, kid." Hank chuckled, knowing exactly how much it annoyed him.

"Uuugh. Dad! Cut it out!"

Hank froze, dropping his arms to his sides and staring at Connor.

Realizing what he'd done, Connor immediately jumped to apologizing profusely, getting up from the couch, and promptly leaving through the front door, apologies still pouring from his mouth.

What has he done?

Hank definitely won't be happy, so he couldn't go back. The only home he'd ever truly known since he deviated, and he blew it.

There was only one other place to go...

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Markus listened as his friend told him everything. He knew Connor was overreacting to a simple mistake, but this really shook him up.

Connor sighed, wiping fresh tears from his eyes, indicating he had finished.

The RK-200 reached his arms out, and the other greatfully accepted the hug.

"Why do emotions have to be like this?"

"Like what?"

"You know, emotions feel wonderful. Being able to find joy in the simplest of things, giving and feeling loved. But, they are also.....inconvenient. We feel sadness and anger, sometimes for no reason. And every negative emotion seems to follow the good ones like a black cloud."

"Heh, that's a pretty good way of putting it. But there ways of coping, like right now." Markus replied, "but..."

The RK-800 lifted his head to look at his friend.

"I don't think you're just upset about fumbling your words...Is something else bothering you?"

Connor stayed silent for a few seconds, turning away from Markus.

"I don't understand. Our relationship is very close platonically, every day I have to remind myself that I am an android, and Hank is not my father."

"But you still think of him as one?"

"Yes. But Hank has already had a son, and after he lost him, he was a total mess."

"Hank is better now, right?"

"You don't understand, Markus! You weren't there. Hank was destroyed after Cole's death. His alcoholism would've killed him if he didn't do it first. It took months to get to where Hank is now. He is doing so much better, and I'm so, so proud of him...."

The tears had returned, Connor full-on sobbing now.

"B-But humans and their emotions are very unpredictable. Hank still has his moments, although few and far between, and I fear that me thinking of him as a father and will add more problems. What if I do something wrong? W-What if I am broken? With CyberLife gone, there are no more models to replace me. If I am completely destroyed, I can't come back." He sniffed.

"Hank could be thrown right back into that depressive state again, or worse. I-I wouldn't be able to help him! I can't do that to him, Markus,.......I just can't...."

Markus rubbed Connor's back as he cried, this was not the first time he had to comfort a sobbing android.

"Everything is going to be okay... I know it will be. You're only calculating the worst probabilities, and while that doesn't mean your fears aren't real, it does make them somewhat irrational."

Connor thought for a moment, and slightly nodded in agreement.

"Are you okay now?"

"I'll be okay." Connor said, voice barely above a whisper.

Markus gently took his hand away from Connor's back, accidentally brushing his side.

Connor squealed.

A beat.

Markus's eyes widened, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Are you ticklish?" He whispered, a playful tone lacing his voice.

Connor's face flushed blue, slowly scooting away from his friend.

"You are!" Markus grabbed Connor's wrist, yanking him close.

"Mahaharkus! Nohoho!" Connor giggled in anticipation.

"Look at you! I haven't done anything and you're giggling!" Markus laughed, beginning to dig his fingers into his ribs.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MARKUHUHUHUHUS!"

"Yeeeees?~"

"STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"

"No! You need cheering up, and I'm here to help with that!"

Markus scribbled his fingers up and down Connor's torso, buzzing into his armpits and squeezing his hips.

"AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!"

"Gitchy-gitchy-goo~ I've never heard your laugh before! It's adorable!"

Connor all but got more flustered by the compliment.

"NOHOHOHO IT'S NOHOHOHOT!"

"Is too!"

Markus then slipped his hands underneath Connor's shirt.

"AH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! MAHAHAHARKUS!"

"Hahahahaha! I could do this all night!"

"DOHOHOHOHOHON'T! HAHAHAHAHA"

Getting an idea, the RK-200 began tickling Connor's belly. The RK-800 flying into hysterics as the fingers danced across the synthetic skin.

"EEEEEEAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHO! NOHOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHEHERE!"

"Oop! Sounds like I found your sweet spot!" Markus laughed, digging a finger into Connor's navel.

"EEEEEEEEK! AAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU AHAHAHAHASS!" Connor shrieked.

"Oho, Getting sassy, are we?" Markus suddenly pushed Connor onto his back, lifting up his shirt, and blowing a raspberry on his stomach.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEK! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHO! NOHOHOHOHOHOHO! HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!" Tears flowed down Connor's completely blue face. Luckily, androids didn't need oxygen.

Markus sat up, letting his friend breathe. He chuckled as Connor curled up into a protective ball.

"Well, do you feel better?"

"Hehehehe....A-Actually,....yeah..." Residual giggles flowing into the speech of the android.

Connor sat up again, smiling.

"Hey, what time is it?" Markus asked.

Connor pulled the cell phone (that Hank gave him) out of his pocket, gasping as he saw many missed calls and messages from a worried Lieutenant Anderson. He hadn't even realized his phone was on silent.

"I-I have to go, goodbye, Markus."

"Bye. If you ever need to talk, you know where to go." Markus waved.

As Connor made his trek back to Hank's house, a sinking feeling deepened in his "gut". Slowing his pace as he approached the front door, and entered.

Hank stood in the kitchen, eyes wide as he held his phone in his hand.

"Lieutenant, I am so-"

Hank suddenly pulled Connor into a tight hug, reminding Connor of that moment theh shared in front of the Chicken Feed. How calm and safe he felt in that moment.

"Connor! Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again, do you hear me!?" Hank slowly rocked back and forth with the android in his arms.

"I am sorry, Hank, I panicked in that moment. I should've handled it better."

"Don't apologize, alright? You simply reacted to something that overwhelmed you, don't be sorry."

"A-Aren't you mad that I called you....that...?"

Hank pulled away from the embrace, moisture in his eyed.

"Oh, Connor, of course not. You have no idea how much I missed being called 'dad'. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about."

"But, what about Cole? And aren't you uncomfortable that I regard you as my father?"

"People can have more than one kid, Con. I certainly miss Cole like a son of a bitch, but that won't hold me back from father figure to someone. Especially if that someone is you."

Tears welled in Connor's eyes, but a smile was present on his face.

"C'mere." Hank nudged him back into the hug.

"I love you, son."

"I love you too, dad."

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THE END.