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mediumgayitalian · 9 months ago

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Nico is going to be smote by Hermes.

As he trudges through the muddy lake water, seething, he weighs each elaborated murder he has planned for each member of Cabin Eleven against how harshly Hermes will punish him for it. Connor will be flayed alive. Travis will be cooked over an open flame. Julia will be strapped to a rocket and blasted into the sun. Alice will face death by a thousand paper cuts.

And Cecil.

Fucking Cecil.

Cecil Markowitz will face a death so tortuous and harrowing that the constraints of the crime cannot be adequately covered in any mortal tongue. Crucified is too light a term. Nico is going to kill him in a way that is unspeakable — to hell with Hermes and his wrath. Nico is going to smite his dumbass children himself, and it will be worth it.

His boyfriend waits for him, lips pressed together and eyes trained to the sky, on the dock, holding several towels.

“Say nothing,” Nico hisses, slamming his sword on the wood and dragging himself up after it.

“Wasn’t going to,” Will lies. He immediately begins to cough, face turning slightly red. “Well, if I were to say anything —”

“William,” Nico warns.

“I just mean to say,” he soldiers on, setting all but one of the towels down, “that you look —”

He cuts himself off with a quickly smothered giggle.

“I swear to all that is fucking holy, Son of Phoebus.”

He lets Will maneuver him about, towel turning almost black with all the mud it’s absorbing off Nico’s clothes. He has to move on to another towel once he’s finished just Nico’s arm, dripping the soaked towel with a wet plop.

“It’s not that bad.”

Nico stares at him, deadpan. In fact he has to swipe pond scum out of his eyes and hair to glare properly.

“I am the fucking Creature of the Black Lagoon, Solace.”

Will bites his lip, hard. A burst of laughter escapes anyway, heedless of his desperate attempt to smother it, and the worst part is that it’s gorgeous and it makes his eyes light up and his stupid face looks stupid divine, when he’s giggly about something, and it makes Nico want to crush him a little. In the facial region, with his own face.

Except his own face is covered in stinky lake mud.

And Will is laughing.

Hard.

“I mean,” he manages around giggles, holding up a new towel to dab at Nico’s face, “it brings out your eyes, honestly.”

Nico closes his eyes. He lets that sit for a moment. He exhales for ten solid seconds.

“William Andrew.”

“It does! I mean, it’s really the perfect shade —”

“Romance is actually, genuinely dead.”

“— makes them look very deep, actually —”

“I should’ve listened to Demeter and married a doctor.”

“— and lake mud has so many uses! Most of the microbes on you are excellent for the skin. Who wouldn’t want to be compared to lake mud?”

“Oh wait! That is useless advice.”

“And you didn’t even pick up any leeches! Just all this dark, beautiful lake mud, as brown and beautiful as your eyes —”

“I’m returning you to whatever lab you were created in. Obviously you’re defective and I want a new model.”

“— in fact I’ll write a haiku about it.” He clears his throat. “My boyfriend is so hot —”

“Enough,” Nico interrupts, slapping his semi-clean hand over Will’s motormouth before things get any worse. Unfortunately the mud still caked into the lines of his skin contrasts beautifully with Will’s sparkling eyes, making them even bluer somehow. That’s a felony. “Also, that’s six syllables, dumbass.”

“I’ll revise,” he shoots back, muffled.

“If you promise not to, I’ll move my hand.”

Will presses a kiss to his palm because he’s a sappy loser who knows exactly what he does for Nico’s heart problems, based on the wiggle of his stupid perfect eyebrows.

“Deal.”

Nico removes his hand slowly. He lifts it back up when Will opens his mouth, threatening, but luckily he changes course before Nico has to make good on the threat, leaning down to kiss Nico softly, properly.

“I’m crucifying your best friend,” he mumbles against his lips. “That is step one of a ten step torture process.”

“‘Kay.”

“His siblings, too.”

“Sounds good.”

“Hermes might grind me to dust, after.”

“Trying really, really hard to focus on something right now, babe.”

“Right,” Nico breathes. There is still mud drying onto him and it is the Worst, actually, and he still has several homicides to play out, but.

But.

He can spend a little time kissing his boyfriend first.

(As long as that will keep him from spouting any more damn haikus.)

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poppadom0912 · 7 months ago

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Is it too late?

Warnings: Mentions of periods, hospitals, surgery, pain and illness

Summary: When your older brother is a fancy surgeon, being sick is the last thing you want.

Requested by @1chicago5021

A/N: I'm still alive people. I had a sudden burst of inspiration and thought I'd finally get all these requests done before the next round of exams. I am in a lesson right now so I can’t do the usual aesthetic collage I always do. This was sent quite a while ago but I actually had so much fun writing this so thank you! I hope this lives up to your standards <3

*****

Two weeks ago now, your body randomly started not working the way you wanted it to, but you put all the blame on your period whose cramps hadn't been very forthcoming.

The painkillers were a coming in at a constant stream, hot water bottles never having the chance to go room temperature.

Your never-ending migraines and 24/7 cramps were a constant, so you expected to feel relief once you were back to normal. But that never came because this week started and somehow, you felt even worse.

When you woke up this morning to your throat feeling weird, you knew something was wrong when you drank water and the feeling didn’t go away.

Despite that, you went to school anyways, bidding your brother goodbye when he dropped you off, completely unaware of your wellbeing. But you couldn’t blame the guy, he was stressed enough over work as it is, you didn’t need to add to his already overflowing workload.

You only felt worse as the day progressed. It was only spring, nearing summer, but your body temperature wouldn’t stop fluctuating. One minute you were shivering and asking to borrow your friend's hoodie but the next you were sweating like you had just finished a marathon and was trying to get rid of as many layers as possible.

The cramps were immense. The worst you ever had and to consider you just got off your period, you weren’t a stranger to post period cramps, but this was on another level. You hadn’t been in this much pain ever even while on your reds. None of the pain killers your friends kindly provided for you alleviated the pain. Death would feel ever so sweet right about now.

You knew you were seriously sick when you were on the verge of collapsing at lunch. Your friends all shouted in alarm when you faltered on your feet in the cafeteria. You ignored their efforts and attempts to get you to the nurse's office. There wasn’t long left of the school day, there wasn’t any point in leaving with barely two hours left.

As soon as you got home, you fell face first into bed. As soon as your head hit the pillow and you pulled the covers over your body with however much strength remained in your arms that got heavier as the day went on.

You were in a deep sleep, so deep in fact that your dreams were non-existent. You weren’t too sure what time it was, but you felt someone shaking you, going from gentle to a hand tightly holding your shoulder, a muffled voice inaudible as you came in and out of your slumber.

Their gestures were painful, but you didn’t have it in you to tell the intruder as you struggled to even muster a groan. Your eyes fluttered, face digging even deeper into the pillow as if to suffocate yourself. That was all the indication the person needed to shake you harder, adamant to wake you up.

With a blocked nose, breathing out through your mouth proved itself to be a much more difficult task than it should’ve been. And stuffing your face into your pillow might not have been the best idea taking that into consideration.

Their voice sounded way too far away, as though they weren’t in the room with you. One second they were roughly holding you, the next, all pressure ceased but the pain didn’t.

Before you could even register what they were doing now, your eyes heavy with sleep dropped once more as you were enveloped into darkness again.

*****

Over the past two weeks, Connor had noticed your depleting energy but when the mood swings came along with your hot water bottles, he didn’t think any much more of the matter.

But then you showed no signs of improvements and at first, he could hardly notice. You hid it quite well at first but as the week progressed, it was apparent to him you were getting sick, and you were too stubborn to admit that to your surgeon brother.

Nonetheless, things didn’t look too bad that staying home was necessary. You were managing quite well, going to school the entire week without complaints, so he found no reason to intervene into something he knew would end up in an argument that would result in you holding a grudge and not talking to him for a few days.

He dropped you off and drove to work expecting nothing. You smiled at him when you left the car, and nothing seemed physically wrong when you picked up the pace to meet your friends.

His twelve-hour shift seemed to never end. When he had a moment to himself, he messaged you as he waited for his coffee, staring at his message that sat alone with no replies for hours. School has finished, you were sure to be home now, so why weren’t you answering?

He didn’t think much of it till he was meant to go home at twelve. He was all ready standing at his locker but then Maggie called his name and he saw several ambulances piling up outside.

As amazing as he was, his attention couldn’t be in two places at once and unfortunately for you, car crashes had more significance in this situation. But as soon as this was all over, you’d be his number one priority once more.

It was all over six hours later when he came out of the second surgery he had to take lead in.

Stepping out of the surgery theatre, he thanked all his co-workers and was dashing away to collect his things, not wanting to be here any longer. Having time to finally check his phone again, his concern skyrocketed when you still hadn’t replied to his messages.

Waving off the few staff remaining in the emergency department, Connor wasted no time in driving off. His adrenaline had yet to die down from the rush of a packed-out emergency room and doing several successful surgeries. Adding to this was his building concern for you. Maybe you were just sleeping, and your phone was on charge. Maybe it was on silent, and you didn’t hear anything. Maybe it was stolen, and you couldn’t contact him-

Connor sighed as he parked the car. Wasting no time, his body still thrumming from the surgery high, he walked into the building and took the stairs instead, taking large strides as he skipped every two.

The house was drop dead silent when he opened the door which you hadn’t locked from the inside like you usually would. That and the completely pitch-black apartment was the first things that put him on edge.

He locked the door behind him, walking in further and inspecting the living room and kitchen that didn’t look lived in. Everything was in its same place as he left it in this morning. Closing the blinds in the living room, he walked towards your bedroom, your door slightly ajar which had never been the case since you started living with him. You always shouted at him whenever he left the door even a slither open, you always needed complete darkness to sleep. The tiniest bit of light always hindering your sleeping ability.

Pushing the door open, Connor poked his head inside first to survey the room. He finally let himself relax at the sight of you lying in bed, your figure completely drowning in your duvet. The weird lump in your sheets being the only reason he could identify you.

He felt himself relax, his body physically deflating now that he had eyes on you, knowing for sure that nothing was wrong.

For some reason, your curtains were still open which they never were since you were young, always complaining, once again, that you needed complete darkness to be able to sleep. Closing your curtains, he found your phone on your bedside desk, and it was littered with notifications from not only him but all of your friends too. All of them were asking in variations if you were okay, if you felt better, did you get home safe and how you were feeling.

They were all sent at three in the afternoon. It was now two in the morning.

Concerned at the topic of the messages, Connor came over to the side of the bed you were laying on and placed his hand on your forehead, his eyes widening immediately. He felt himself warming up just from how hot you were.

Sitting down on the space by your knees, Connor shook you gently, trying to rouse you from your apparent very deep sleep but the only movement you made was from what he was doing.

“Y/N? Hey, wake up. Can you get up for me really quick?”

The adrenaline that was just dying down was picking up again along with his heart rate, why weren’t you waking up?

He shook you once again but this time, he was more rough, his worry meaning he gripped your shoulder tightly and shook you with a force that he’d never use on you before as his baby sister.

This time he tried calling you name while he tried getting you up. Lifting the duvet off your body, not only were you shivering but you were sweating a very unusual amount.

Swallowing harshly, Connor tried one more time, calling your name and roughly shaking you. “Come one, I need to you wake up Y/N.”

“Y/N. Y/N get up.”

But you just wouldn’t budge.

Deciding that enough was enough, he scooped you into his arms and it must’ve been the sudden movement that caused you to let out a small whimper in what was clearly pain. It was small but it was the most he’d gotten from you since he got home and that was better than nothing.

Foregoing his jacket, Connor made sure to slip your cardigan over your torso, so you weren’t going to die from the cold outside. He quickly slipped into his own shoes and left the building not a moment later.

*****

No one had been expecting Connor to be back at work so soon, not even him. It was a few minutes to three and the ED was relatively calm taking into account the big accident not too long ago, but Connor was grateful.

Getting out the car, Connor looked into the ED and called for the first person he saw.

“April! Get me a gurney!”

Said nurse was caught completely off guard, jumping from where she stood at the nurse's desk with Will not too standing behind her. He too clearly was confused but Connor had no time to dwell on them.

Not checking if she was listening, Connor rounded the car and picked you back into his arms, your head resting on his bicep and your legs on the inside of his elbow. Slamming the door shut, Connor strode into the emergency department and luckily for him, April and Will were more than ready to help.

“All the gurneys are used up from before, but we’ve got a free bed.” April said, leading the surgeon into an empty treatment room where Will was lowering the bedside rails.

“Talk to me Connor.” Will said, understanding there was no time for formalities when he saw it was you Connor was carrying.

“No clue what happened but she’s as hot as anything, she’s shivering and sweating at the same time and will not wake up for anything.” Connor started, gently laying you down and standing back to let Will and April do their jobs. He was itching to help but physically had to move further away from you so that he wouldn’t do anything stupid.

“Pretty sure she’s been sick and in pain for a while now, but she never said anything.” He continued, looking at all the numbers on the machines that were popping up as they were connected to your body. “When I asked last week, she just kept saying it was her period cramps.”

As April hooked you up onto an IV drip, Will started palpating your body in search for any particular place of pain. And when he came to a particular area in your lower abdomen and you cried out, the three of them looked at each other knowingly.

“Kieran should still be on shift.” Connor said, remembering the surgeon he left behind that was in charge and available.

Will nodded in confirmation, “Let’s move.”

*****

Waking up felt different to all the times before. Your levels of disorientation and haziness and confusion were on another level.

As soon as you opened your eyes, the first thing you noticed was the lack of pain. You couldn’t feel not even a pinch in your stomach, maybe it was weird to say but it felt liberating to not be in debilitating pain.

“Oh, thank goodness your awake.” Connor looked dead on his feet in the doorway of the room but the immense relief painting his face was like no other.

You made him feel and look like that- Shit, what happened, what did you do?

Before you could say anything, Connor beat you to it. “How are you feeling? In any pain?”

As he questioned you, a poured you a cup of water, holding it so all you had to do was drink and not need to exert energy that he knew from experience, you didn’t have.

Once again, before you could ask, he answered for you. “It was appendicitis. Your period cramps were in fact your appendix and last night it burst.”

“But it’s all good. We got you into surgery and your appendix is gone as should your pain.”

“Wow.” You said shakily, your voice so quiet from the lack of use.

“Please don’t do that next time.” Connor said, sitting on the empty seat by the bed, taking your hand into his. “Please tell me when you're in pain and when you feel sick. You matter to me; all your small or big problems are mine too. I don’t care how trivial they are.”

Silence followed as he set the glass aside. “You scared the shit out of me kiddo.”

And to say you felt guilty was an understatement.

“Claire’s pissed.” You both winced at the thought of your sister finding out. “She’s going to visit when she’s finished with work. I told her your healthy and out of surgery but she’s still pissed.”

“M’Sorry.” You apologised, voice hoarse and lips chapped. “I didn’t want-“

“Y/N.” Connors face made it look like he was in pain from your admission he cut off. “You’re never a bother to me okay? Me being a doctor is a good thing, use it to your advantage.”

You nodded, confirming to change next time if there was another time. Fingers crossed there isn’t.

“How hard was it to not do the surgery?” You smiled, squeezing his hand and poking his bicep. He was still in his scrubs from his shift last night.

Connor rolled his eyes and groaned. Such a sight made you laugh.

#one chicago x reader #one chicago imagine #one chicago fic #onechicago #chicago med #one chicago fanfiction #chicago med x reader #connor rhodes #connor rhodes oneshot #connor rhodes x reader #connor rhodes imagine #connor rhodes x sibling #sister reader

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witchygagirlwrites · 1 month ago

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Mine (Pt.2 /2)

Kelly Severide x Reader

You're in love with Kelly and Jay is your best friend but when you're hurt on the job it puts them at odds.

Warnings: cursing, character (temporarily) dying, fluff

When Sylvie and Emily arrived on scene Kevin and Adam had to forcefully move Jay from your side so they could do their job. "Save her" Jay barely managed to get out as he looked down to see your blood smeared thickly across his hands and chest. Emily and Sylvie were forced to push any thought out their heads besides saving your life. They couldn't think that this was one of their friends bleeding out in front of them.

Emily and Sylvie worked fast loading you into the ambulance and shooting questions off at the same time as to just what had happened. "She took a damn bullet to block for me" Jay managed to get out before tears starting streaming down his face. Hank clarified what caliber as Emily nodded then ran to the driver's seat."We'll give you an escourt" Adam told her before slamming the back of the ambulance. Him and Kevin ran to their car to clear the way to med while Jay,Kim,Hailey and Hank watched them pull away.

"Jay you and Upton go to med. Me,Kim and the uniforms can handle this" Hank offered and Jay nodded blankly "She can't die. She just can't" Hank touched Jay's shoulder to bring him back to his own head and when he looked him in the eye half smiled "She's strong as hell Jay and Gaffney has the best doctors that will be waiting on her to get there"

"C'mon let's get going" Hailey offered slipping an arm around Jay's shoulders to lead him outside but he couldn't help but look back one more time at the thick puddle of your blood staining the concrete and wondered if that would be the last time he ever saw you alive.

----

Firehouse fifty one was a family plain and simple. When one was hurting everyone was there to back them so the moment they knew why Kelly and Matt was headed to med Herrman and Mouch was right behind them.

Matt kept glancing at Kelly as he drove for the simple fact he was afraid he may be going into shock. Every other time someone close to him had been hurt Kelly showed a temper but this time? It was like he was barely holding on, as if the moment the bullet had hit you one had hit him as well.

Kelly felt like he could barely breathe. If only he'd knew he would've held you just a little longer than morning. Kissed you a little deeper or just flat out refused to let you out of bed. He couldn't lose you. Any time he pictured the future you were front and center. Without you there wasn't a future he wanted to live in.

When Matt pulled into med Kelly hardly gave him time to get the truck stopped before he was heading inside. He spotted Sylvie and Emily standing in front of an exam room and felt like his entire body had been dipped in ice water the moment he saw the bloody gloves they were both taking off. The tears they were both fighting to hide told him everything he needed to know before he even got in the door good.

Every person in the emergency department might as well have been non existent for all he cared. You laid on a bed covered in so much blood as Connor and Will worked desperately to save your life. He barely registered hearing Matt,Adam and Jay walk up behind him.

He knew you'd lost too much blood just from the color of your skin. The usual warmth that you radiated was gone replaced by a shallowness he'd seen too many times. "Shit we gotta get that bullet out" Connor spoke moving around to your abdomen. "We gotta get her stable enough to move her" Will said glancing up when the screen monitoring your vitals started getting off a loud pitch alarm.

"GET ME A CRASH CART" Will hollered and April pushed past them all into your room. "Push a round of epi" that alarm was making Kelly flinch every time it sounded off as he watched praying to see the flat line start moving again. "Charge the paddles...Clear"

When Will touched the paddles to your chest your body jumped but the line remained flat "Shit another round of epi" he ordered so April quickly did as he said. "Clear" this time when your body jumped they were rewarded with the sound of the alarm being replaced by your heart beat "She's back" Will annouced letting out a breath as Connor and April quickly wheeled you out towards surgery.

"Rhodes wait!" Adam tried but Connor shook his head "Will can update we gotta move!"

----

"Will is she going to live?" Kelly asked before anyone else could even get it out. Will let out a sharp breath and said "Her body took alot of damage mixed with the blood loss honestly it's a situation where I don't want to say yes one way or another. If Connor can successfully remove the round and repair the damage there's a good chance she could but this early it's too soon to tell" then spoke to Jay "I promise we're going to do everything we can. She's like a sister to me too remember?"

Herrman and Mouch started trying to wrangle everyone towards the waiting room but despite his better judgement screaming at him that you would never want him and Jay fighting he had to know what happened. Why didn't your partner protect you?

"Where the fuck were you?" He asked feeling his voice break at the end and saw a flare of anger in Jay's eyes "Don't just fucking don't Kelly" He knew it was a bad idea he really did but the thought of losing you was pushing him a little too close to the edge of that person he'd been years before. He shoved Jay's chest hard enough he stumbled "YOU PROMISED TO BRING HER BACK IN ONE PIECE"

Jay regained his footing and shoved him back "I'VE KNOWN HER FIFTEEN YEARS ASSHOLE. DO YOU THINK I WANT TO SEE HER LIKE THIS?"

-----

Matt grabbed Kelly's arm pulling him back from Jay while Adam grabbed Jay's arm pulling him back from Kelly. Maggie who had witnessed what had just happened slid between both men and put a hand on either of their chests "Both of you back off! Jay she is your best friend hell she's basically a third Halstead and Kelly we all know you're in love with her but she needs both of you right now. If she does pull through you think she's gonna be top notch over night? No. She'll need you both at her side now stop this stupidity. Take your behinds to the waiting area and Will or myself will update you as soon as we can. She's strong and she loves you both more than anything remember that"

They looked at each other across Maggie and slowly nodded. Matt and Adam walked close to the two of them as they headed for the waiting area. By then all of intelligence and most of fifty one had showed up as well to see how you were but they'd all given the two men hurting the most some space.

----

Kelly was the one to break the silence first. "Jay man I'm sorry about what I said" "Don't stress it" Jay answered not looking up. "Jay I just I can't lose her" He admitted feelings tears flowing from his eyes again. When Jay finally looked up Kelly saw the tears in his eyes "We won't. You know for a fact me and you both have been through alot that we shouldn't have walked away from. She's stronger than either of us"

Kelly nodded wanting so very much to believe Jay's words. "You know I didn't know she even considered us friends until Shay died" He said and Jay cut his eyes back up "What'd she do?"

A small smile slipped onto Kelly's face at the memory "She showed up and wouldn't leave. I asked her to so she threatened to climb the fire escape to get back in" Jay laughed slightly and nodded "Sounds like her" "Turned out she and Shay were close. Shay had made her promise long before she died that she'd keep an eye on me if she ever couldn't" Kelly said closing his eyes to fight back tears.

"You really do love her don't you?" Jay asked already knowing the answer before Kelly opened his eyes and said "I'd trade places with her in a heartbeat if I could"

"She's gonna pull through this man. We just have to believe that until her very last breath we got to have faith in her. If there's anything I've learned from the years I've known her is to never bet against her" Jay offered and Kelly half smiled "Yea she hates getting told she can't do something"

----

Hours passed with Kelly and Jay taking turns pacing the waiting area while everyone else sat around talking or silently asking whoever was listening to bring good news about you.

Finally Will emerged and glanced around before his eyes landed on Kelly and Jay. He motioned for them to come to the edge of the group and when they did he smiled "Surgery went well. They got the bullet out. It grazed her spleen but they were able to repair it. We've given her several pints of blood and her vitals are holding stable. She's currently on a vent just to help take some stress off her body until she wakes up but it's looking promising. I can take you two back to see her if you want"

With the news of hearing you had a better chance before they thought of themselves Kelly pulled Jay into a hug. They laughed when they pulled apart then Jay said "Let us tell everyone and then yea we wanna see her"

----

Kelly followed close to Will as he lead them down the halls then lead them into one room. He had to take a deep breath to keep his emotions in check as he took in the sight before him. Your body from neck to waist was wrapped in gauze and you had wires seemingly springing from every part of your body. The noise the vent made was jarring but hearing the solid beep that marked your heart beating was music to his ears.

"You can sit with her. If anything changes hit the call button" Will advised before leaving the room.

Jay walked to the left side of your bed while Kelly headed to the right. He could see Jay was struggling as much as he was before Jay squeezed your left hand gently and said "Partner you scared the hell out of me. You're the closest thing to a sister I have. When I was in a really bad head space you pulled me back now I need you to come do that again please"

He leaned down and left a light kiss on your hand before glancing at Kelly "I'm gonna step in the hall and get some air. I'll be right back" Kelly nodded hearing the way Jay's words broke at the end of his sentence.

----

Kelly sat in the quiet simply holding your hand in his, tracing every line. When he finally spoke it was to say "Sweetheart I've never been more scared than I am right now. Burning buildings? Guns pointed to my head? Carwrecks? None of that scares me like the thought of waking up without you by the side. I love you more than I ever knew I was capable of. You came along like a damn hurricane just when I needed to be knocked flat on my ass. Please wake up baby. I need you. Jay needs you.This whole city needs you"

He leaned his head down on the bed and felt your fingers when they slowly curled around his hand and his eyes flew up to see your face twitching like you were trying to wake up. "Baby?" he asked and when your grip on his hand tightened he hit the call button summoning both Jay and Will back in the room.

----

Your eyes slowly opened and you glanced around in a panic from the breathing tube down your throat. Will quickly moved to the head of your bed and smiled "This is going to be uncomfortable but I'm gonna get that tube out ok?" you nodded so Will began to pull the tube out causing you to gag then cough which in turn made a look of pain flash across your face as you grabbed your stomach.

"What happened?" You asked your voice hoarse as your eyes jumped from Will to Jay then to Kelly. "You remember getting shot?" Jay asked and you nodded. "Well Connor patched you up" Will offered with a smile until Jay elbowed him and said "This bozo helped save your life too. Same as Sylvie and Emily. You've got a whole army behind you partner"

"Glad to know" you said with a smile before hugging both Will then Jay. "I'm going to grab you some pain meds. I'll be back in a few" Will offered kissing your forehead before leaving. Jay kissed your cheek then said "We have a waiting room full of cops, firemen and paramedics who are getting antsy to know you're ok so I'm going to go tell them"

You grabbed his hand and smiled "Thanks for not letting me go Jay" He smiled "Always" then walked out the room.

----

Once it was just you and Kelly you cut your eyes over at him "I'm sorry for scaring you" "You heard that?" He asked with a slight grin. "Every word baby, I think that's what helped pull me back. I knew I had so many people waiting here for me" He smiled and leaned up almost to your lips "I can handle just about anything in this world but I can't lose you. Not today not tommorow not fifty years from now. I love you sweetheart. You're it for me" You smiled and said "Good because you're it for me too Kelly Severide" He closed the space between you to lightly brush a kiss against your lips then sat back down beside you holding your hand.

"Thank you for coming back to me" He said before laying his head over on your hand. You turned it to cup his cheek to make him look up at you and said "I'll always find my way back to you"

Part 1

#kelly severide x you #kelly severide x reader #kelly severide fanfiction #chicago fire fanfic #chicago pd fanfic

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pupmkincake2000 · 2 months ago

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I'm pretty much tired of people using that Hank's "every time you died it made me think of Cole" line as a proof Hank considers Connor a son. Since it really sucks as a proof at all. So let's talk about that very scene.

First of all

this topic doesn't even come up unless Connor dies multiple times. Instead of it Hank says this

he basically calls Connor selfish, ruthless, and brulat.

To hear it at all, you need to avoid any good relationship with Hank, any hints of friendship. Which means, when Hank says these words to Connor, he dislikes if not hates him to the bone, there is no hint of friendship between them, even if Connor is deviant at that moment. So, to get such a result, Connor needs to remain a machine and/or show no sympathy for androids and die many times. But shouldn't parental love be unconditional? After all, parents love and accept their children no matter what, while Hank hates Connor, even if he became a deviant, but did a lot of unpleasant things before.

Not only he hates Connor here but the humanity in general. He gave up all hopes for the better future.

Secondly, read the phrase again.

Hank says: every time you died and came bak IT made me think of Cole. IT. The fact of death, and not Connor himself. It is not Connor who reminds him of Cole, but simply the fact that humans are mortal. Hank knows humans do not come back. It is this fact that upsets him the most. He is indignant that the machine, which he feels the strongest dislike for, can "die" and come back with ease, while his little boy cannot. This phrase does not mean that he compares Connor to Cole or that he sees Cole in Connor, it is just an unpleasant fact that humans DIE FOREVER, and no matter how much someone wants to, they will not be able to return from the dead, while a machine that is "not alive at all" can be sorta reborn over and over again.

And this is what kills Hank, he cannot bear such injustice and therefore unalives himself. He does not care about Connor at that moment, he does not consider him his son, he does not compare him to Cole, he only understands that machines have no consciousness and no soul, he does not listen even to the deviant Connor. So those who say that this line of Hank's is a proof of their father-son relationship, just didn't watch this moment well. Because it means Hank's despair and dissapointment in humanity and androids, that's all.

And what I mean is that people can, of course, see them as father&son if they wish, but this scene pretty much sucks as an argument they use against shippers.

#detroit become human #detroitbecomehuman #detroit: become human #hank anderson #dbh hank #dbh rk800 #dbh #dbh connor #connor rk800 #rk800 #detroit rk800 #tag it as hankcon as well #because why not

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toasttt11 · 3 months ago

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first game

October 2, 2019

Hayden spaced out as she was eating her pregame meal and flinched slightly when Ellen sat down next to her.

“You okay Haydes?” Ellen asked her looking at her in concern. Ellen knew what today day, Harrison’s birthday and Hayden’s first game.

Jim and Ellen had come to Edmonton for Hayden’n first game as Hayden and Quinn are playing each other so they get to see two of their kids play their first game.

Luke was very upset that he couldn’t come because he had two games the same time in Michigan and he wanted to miss his games to be able to see Hayden but Hayden managed to convince him to play his games and she had bought him the Oilers package so he could watch every game of hers if he wanted to.

“Yeah.” Hayden nodded not showing much emotion making Ellen worry more. Ellen has noticed how off Hayden has been since she moved to Edmonton and she had a feeling it has something to do with the fact Hayden is living in her childhood house and it’s only reminders of her parents and Ellen is sure the rink has just as many reminders of Harrison and instead of Hayden healing she’s worried Hayden is just sitting in her grief.

“Okay.” Ellen accepted Hayden’s answer not pushing her, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of Hayden’s head, “You can tell me if your not.” Ellen quietly reassured Hayden.

Hayden nodded and stood up putting her dishes away and her phone in her pocket, she hugged Ellen and Jim and petted Archie before she headed into the garage and got into her car and started the drive to the rink.

Hayden pulled into the arena and parked in her spot, she stood her breath and let out an annoyed chuckle as her first ever game would be on her father’s birthday, something she would be happy about if he was alive.

Hayden took a deep breath and knew she needed to enjoy this as much as possible because that’s what her parents would want, they would want her to be happy and to enjoy all of the moments, so she promised to herself that she would try.

She grabbed her headphones and pulled them on and turned on her playlist that is from Jack that has become a routine to listen to before games.

Hayden grabbed her keys and played with the little croissant keychain that Matt got her years ago that she keeps with her always. She fixed her outfit, she was wearing a pair of black pinstripe pants and a white long sleeve with blue converse.

She got out of her car and walked past all of the cameras into their arena, she headed down the hallways nodding to staff as she headed to the locker room.

Hayden paused by the mural of her father and pressed a kiss to her fingers and pressed her fingers to her father’s face, “Happy birthday Dad. I’ll make you proud, i promise.” Hayden mumbled barely audible.

Hayden took a deep breath and headed into the locker room and to her stall.

Hayden didn’t really linger around any of the team and headed right to her stall and in her own little world as she got dressed in her warm up outfit.

Hayden liked to warm up alone now that she doesn’t play with Jack. It was weird playing games and not having Jack there, not being on the ice and immediately knowing where Jack is to pass, not having to tape Jack’s stick, no longer having celly’s with Jack.

Hayden has and will always think of Jack as her other half, her platonic soulmate, the closest thing to a twin she will ever have and it’s really difficult not knowing seeing him everyday and no longer knowing everything going on in his life.

Hayden shook her head and headed out of the locker room and warmed up until she had to go back to the locker room and start getting ready for her first NHL game.

Hayden slipped off her father’s bracket into her stall and tucked her mother’s necklace under her compression shirt.

“Ready for this?” Connor leaned over and asked Hayden once she was done getting ready.

Hayden looked at Connor and saw his encouraging eyes and she nodded making him smile slightly and clap her shoulder, “Than go enjoy your lap, rookie.” Connor told her with a fond smile.

Hayden nodded and stood up and followed Leon out of the locker room, she got many pats on the back and fist bumps as she walked down the tunnel for her rookie lap.

She paused at the ice and looked up quickly scanning her father’s banner hanging and took a deep breath before hopping onto the ice and knocking pucks onto the ice. Hayden shot a few pucks onto the ice and skated around the half.

Quinn watched with a fond and very proud smile watching his baby sister complete her rookie lap.

Hayden finished her lap and looked over at the Canucks bench seeing Quinn already watching her proudly and she smiled seeing him.

Hayden skated over to the end of her bench as Quinn hopped onto the ice and skated over to her, “Happy first game.” Quinn smiled softly and pulled her into a tight hug, he squeezed her a bit tighter hating that she doesn’t get to have her parents on her big day and he wished they were here too.

Hayden let out a small fond laugh and hugged her brother back, “See you after.” Hayden patted his arm and sent one more smile.

Quinn nodded and smiled at her as he watched her leave.

Quinn and Hayden both got lucky as Quinn was staying in Edmonton the night and most the day tomorrow so they get to spend time together, something that Jack and Luke are both pouting about.

Hayden finished warming up and got ready for the game to start. She was on a line with Connor and Leon, a line she has been on a lot in practices and preseason games and it’s a damn good line.

Hayden was proving immediately she is a damn good player and playing so smoothly as if she has been in the NHL for years already.

Before the first period was over, Connor skated down the ice with the puck and passed across the ice to Leon who stick handled the puck before passing the puck backwards through his legs right to Hayden and Hayden smacked the puck right into the back of the net.

Hayden let out shocking laugh and beamed as she realized she just scored her first goal in the NHL, she was hugged from both sides and Leon and Connor were both beaming as they celebrated with her.

Hayden laughed giddily in the hug making Connor and Leon share a determined look knowing they wouldn’t stop until they got Hayden to smile and laugh like that more.

Hayden skated by the bench hive fiving her team and saw Quinn on his bench sitting closest to her bench and he had a very proud smile on his face and his hand out for her. She smiled and high fived him.

Hayden didn’t score another goal in the game but she assisted on both Connor and Leon’s goals in the game. The game ended 3-2 and Hayden won her first ever game.

Hayden was taking off her gear in the locker room as Connor stood up holding the puck from the game, she didn’t know it was the one hit into the net.

“Great game everyone and a good way to start the season. I think it’s obvious who’s getting this today.” Connor told the team as he shook the puck in his hand, “Hayden. Well done today and congrats on your first game.” Connor gave her a smile as she stood up and took the puck and accepted the small hug from him before she sat back down.

Hayden didn’t mange to escape media as it was her first game so once she finished answering all of the questions she took a quick shower and got dressed.

She grabbed her things before heading out of the locker room and down the hallway seeing Ellen, Jim and Quinn all waiting for her.

Ellen smiled seeing her girl and pulled her into a tight but gently hug, “Well done Hay.” Ellen praised her goddaughter making Hayden flash a thankful smile at her.

Jim pulled her into a tight and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Hayden leaned into Quinn’s side as his arm rested over her shoulder as they walked out together.

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aydaptic · 18 days ago

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If writers word is law and canon must always be respected then Reed900 is also wrong?

Given that Cage has said that he doesn't make games for faggots?

In the game itself it is never explicitly stated that Hank and Connor are father and son, and myself and thousands of others never picked up that they were supposed to be. Writers saying things outside of the media when they chose not to explicitly put it in is meaningless. Like JK Rowling constantly tweeting things that aren't in her books.

If they wanted it Canon, they could have explicitly added it. They chose not to.

(1/2) At what point did Williams/Cage say something like "Gav sees Niner as a son" -- which would make shipping them equally as bad -- like they've come out and said "Hank sees Con as a son?"

You've lost all credibility comparing the two.

Cage allegedly saying what you claim, to my knowledge, is nothing but an unproven accusation. Where's the proof? Anyone can throw accusations.

An author stating something outside of a product is not "meaningless." To think you can override the creator/dictate what's canon is self-entitlement. It's their sandbox, and if they want to change the sand, that's their right. The rest of us are just playing in it. It's like saying that whatever I reply in an ASK -- when ppl ask about my Reed900 Alive series -- isn't canon in my very own ficverse.

Someone: "What does your Niner do when he's severely stressed?" Me: "Singing 'Hold On' to soothe himself -" Someone: "That isn't canon bc I didn't see him doing so!"

I hope you understand where your arguments fall apart now.

As this ASK was sent less than 5 minutes before another, I assume you're the same anon, so I'll add it here not to clutter tags/dashboards.

(2/2) Other ASK below the cut:

I repeat... It's "objectively creepy/wrong to ship two characters" when the lead writers themselves coded them father/son.

Hank isn't "replacing" Cole. A man can have several sons. I've heard this ridiculous argument so many times and it boggles the mind that ppl still use it. My big brother didn't cease to exist when I was born.

Just bc you need them to state so in-game doesn't mean it's not canon. The world doesn't revolve around you. Just as the world doesn't revolve around me. Ppl have different opinions/takes on many things. To demand everyone think the same is to erase individuality.

Clancy Brown isn't a lead writer. He's an actor. Neil Newbon has said plenty of things himself about Gav/Elijah. Those are their own fanon headcanons of the characters they played. Not objective facts. The only objective fact about Gav that Neil has talked about, as far as I'm aware, was when Neil said he and Cage agreed the nose scar was recent. It's also proven by the scar being red still and not white/healed.

If you have more to say -- as I don't wanna clutter the tags/dashboards with ASKs talking about the exact same thing -- do it in the replies.

#dbh #reed900 #anderfam #detroit: become human #Q&A #long post #anonymous #*aydaptic #-----#i have 1 more ask about this and that's the last i'll respond to

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goldenheart-supremacy · 1 year ago

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Nimona AU - How to train your Dragon

@kestrel-wylde I kinda went nuts here...

During a dragon raid, the chief of Berk, Valerin's husband died.

They were both alternating battling dragons and helping their people.

When Valerin found her dead husband's body, she saw that he'd been burned badly.

Then she found that the reason his arms were tucked into himself was because he had been doing his best to protect a small bundle in his arms.

It was a baby. Since his parents seemed to have died in the raid as well, Valerin had decided to take the child under her care and adopted him since she and her husband haven't the chance to conceive yet.

Time skip to the future.

Ballister was an only child to his biological parents but if he ever did have siblings, he would've been considered the 'runt of the litter', as he didn't seem as well built for a Viking child his age.

At least, compared to the other Viking children his age.

Maybe Valerin and Ballister has a better relationship than Stoick and Hiccup did in the start of this AU story.

The conflict for Ballister is getting the village to accept his as the chiefess's scion and future chief.

Maybe when Ballister finds out and starts training Nimona, his reason for wanting to keep the secret is as to not make his reputation worse. [I don't know yet how he ends up injuring her like Hiccup did Toothless in the movie]

I just added my OCs for more character dynamics, like the original team had in the movie but feel free to use them or not or make your own OPs for the AU hahaha 😆

Some dialogue ideas...

Ballister, voiceover as a narrator: [Tomorrow, when training begins, I'm going to prove myself and show that I can stand at par with the others. Aerin Shieldstone, Connor Silverlock, Todd Sureblade, Abigail Swiftfeet, Atticus Valorarm and...]

Ambrosius was running away from some dragons, and he jumped over some barrels as a Zippleback launched a fireball at him.

Ballister, in a dreamily way: [... Ambrosius...]

Avoiding the impact of the blast, Ambrosius used the remaining leverage from jumping over the barrels to backflip away and ended up landing unto Ballister's arms...

Ambrosius, grinning: Good looking out, Bal.

Ambrosius pinches Ballister's cheek affectionately before leaping out of his arms, grabbing his axe and a bucket to see if there's anywhere else he needs to be...

Ambrosius: Look alive, Bal! Let's get rid of these beasts! Ballister, grabbing a sword: Right behind you, Ambs!

Trainer: Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight! The Deadly Nadder! Atticus, mumbling: Speed: eight; Armor: sixteen. Trainer: The Hideous Zippleback! Atticus: Plus eleven stealth times two. Trainer: ...The Monstrous Nightmare! Atticus: Firepower: fifteen. Trainer: The Terrible Terror! Atticus: Attack: eight; Venom: twelve! Trainer: CAN YOU STOP THAT?! Trainer, sighing: And the Gronkle. Atticus, more quietly: Jaw strength: eight. Connor, smirking: Someone's done some advanced reading... Ambrosius, chuckling: Only about a lot, too Atticus, smiling sheepishly: I read the book seven times. Ambrosius and Connor: Wow.

During training with the Gronkle to avoid getting hit...

Aerin, keeping his eyes on the Gronkle's location: Todd, keeping his eyes on Aerin: So, I moved to my parent's basement. Todd: Got some weights in there, you should come over some time to work out. Aerin, barrel rolls away: Todd, calling out to him: You look like you work out!

Then, the Gronkle hits a shot on the spot Todd was standing at...

Aerin and Connor - my OCs, besties Atticus and Abigail - OCs I remembered reading from your fic 'Love At First Fight', I just gave Atticus a temporary last name. Unless, you know, @kestrel-wylde wants to make it final haha I didn't write Abigal yet since I don't know much how to write the character. Atticus is based off the otter knight from the movie, so I kinda headcanon him as someone nerdy with animal facts, so I made him like Fishlegs here.

Edit: Please check out Kestrel's Httyd Nimona AU art!

#Nimona #Nimona AU #Httyd AU #Ballister Boldheart #Queen Valerin #or is it Chiefess Valerin now?#Ambrosius Goldenloin #Todd Sureblade #Nimona OCs #Aerin Shieldstone #Connor Silverlock #Abigal Swiftfeet #Atticus Valorarm

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oldfangirl81 · 1 year ago

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I feel like around college but summers are particularly in need of stories about what Stiles was doing. It would be extra fun for brief crossovers.

"Hey Dad, sorry about earlier. Turns out I'm out a job again. This place wasn't lying about being the most haunted city in America. Oh, no it wasn't the ghosts who destroyed my place of employment but local ghost hunters. The ghosts are neat."

"Derek, I promise I'll be there for Eli's first birthday. A friend is going to fly me. Um, no need to pick me up from the airport. Connor just wants to meet you in return. Something about winning a bet against his boyfriend."

"Hey Scott, do you know anything about baby foxes? Yes, Damian, I promise he can be trusted to find out what we should do next."

"Hey Melissa, can you make sure Dad got the package? Not sure when I'll be on the planet again...I mean back in town."

"Boyd, I'm going to need you to keep the pack from watching the news. I might have gotten caught up in a tiny Tsunami in Santa Monica."

"Peter, how could you not warn me that royal family is actually werewolves and that Doctor Who was just really lampshading facts? Also, there is one less Argent alive. Apparently trying for the first son's lover is a bad thing for longevity."

"Erica, make sure to repeat I'm fine and on my way home if Derek sees the news. But the BAU was impressed by my internship over the summer. So really it is a win. I should get a punch card over how many serial killers take me hostage."

#fic prompt #teen wolf #stiles stilinski #crossover #sterek #danny phantom #dc universe #doctor who #911 abc #rwrb #criminal minds

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rosemary-morgan · 2 years ago

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Connor(RK800) X F.Reader - Safe heaven (Part 1)

(Pictures are not mine! Found on Pinterest/Google - Collage made by myself. OC Steven belongs to me.)

Many thanks to @fangirl-ramblings 🖤 she has been beta reading for me 🌹

Warning: mention of domestic violance! hurt and comfort, angst, reader is very affraid!

Summary: Connor always made you feel safe and protected. Oh, but if only Connor had seen the signs earlier, he could have gotten you out of your hell faster...

👉Read part 2

Connor(RK800) X F.Reader - Safe heaven (Part 1)

Detroit Police Department

19 May 2040 - 22:45

Michigan, Detroit

"How does that feel, you piece of shit?"

Hank looked at the young man in front of him, his nose already smeared with blood. Handcuffed, he sat in the interrogation room and Hank was more than determined to make this bastards life miserable.

"Well, talk!"

But Hank was only met with a hateful glare and Hank was losing his patience!

"You picked the wrong girl, asshole! Sucks when she's got cop in the family, huh? Son of a bitch!"

Hank wasn't shy about getting physical. Who was going to do anything about it? For Hank, there were no rules at the moment. Besides, rules were made to be broken. Especially since he had already given Steven a bloody nose even before he brought him to the police station.

"I don't know what that crazy bitch told you! I didn't do anything..."

Without warning, Hank punched him right in the face and this time the man groaned loudly.

"FUCK!"

"You're not getting out of here alive, Steven. I know for a fact that you did this to her. You fucking scumbag!"

"The whore has started! She provoked me!"

And another punch in the face! Hank could go on like this all night long. Steven had just confessed that he had attacked Y/N.

"Just give me one reason, and I'll blow your fucking brain out!"

And when Hank Anderson was pissed, he was capable of anything! Especially when it came to protecting his loved ones and Y/N was very important to him.

"ANDERSON!"

And just as it was starting to get fun for Hank, his boss interrupted him. Unlike Hank, Fowler kept strictly to the rules. However, this one didn't know anything about this particular case yet...

Anderons looked at Y/N tormentor with hatred, leaning out towards him.

"You won’t escape me," he whispered threateningly, making Steven visibly nervous.

At the same time in Hank's apartment...

"Y/N?"

The young woman was completely beside herself, not even hearing Connor at first. The android had been very careful not to startle her, making his voice sound melancholic, so that she knew she was safe here. Here, with him. Connor looked at the young woman with concern as she sat huddled on the sofa, staring off into space. She was chewing on her fingers; her gaze seeming so blank, but at the same time you could see the countless tears running down her cheeks. Probably everything was playing out in her mind's eye at the moment. Her body was trembling and Connor feared that Y/N would not forget so easily. Inwardly, the android sighed, wondering over and over why people hurt each other. The android approached her carefully, kneeling on the ground in front of her, so as not to startle her.

"Y/N?"

This time she responded. Her gaze sought his. His warm, loving gaze that she had always liked.

"You don't have to be afraid. He can't hurt you anymore."

Not as long as Connor was with her. And Hank would never let anything happen to the young woman either. Y/N let out a sob, but nodded before her face turned back to sadness and finally burst into tears. She let herself fall forward, right into Connor's shoulder, seeking comfort from him. Carefully, Connor wrapped his arms around her delicate body, trying to soothe her by stroking her back and letting her cry on his shoulder, until she would calm down.

Here they sat now, in Hank's apartment, while the lieutenant at the station was giving hell to the man that had hurt Y/N.

"You were very brave today, Y/N," Connor whispered to her as he gently stroke through her hair. She moved a bit away from him, to look at him. Into his brown doe eyes that radiated so much warmth.

"I-I'm so glad you guys are here!"

She sobbed softly, wiping tears from her cheeks as she clung to Connor's gray jacket with her other hand. The android smiled warmly at her, nodding. Hank and he would always be there for her.

Connor stayed seated with her until she calmed down a bit.

"Would you like some tea, Y/N? Or would you like something to eat? Do you want me to order something to eat?"

But the young woman wasn't hungry. She just shook her head, smiling weakly. It was sweet how much Connor cared about her.

"No, thanks. I don't want anything right now."

Suddenly Sumo, Hank's big dog, came over, sniffing at Y/N first before nudging her with his nose and eventually resting his head on her lap. Loving as the young woman was, she stroked his thick, soft fur and sighed contentedly. Connor stroked him as well, and the dog couldn't be more comfortable at the moment. However, Sumo felt her pain and that made him sad too.

"When is Hank coming?" the young woman asked. Hank was like family to her. He had known her father well, always remembering Hank's countless visits when she was a child. After all, she was almost like a daughter to him.

"Hank's still at the office. I don't think he'll be back so soon."

Connor knew what Hank would do to Y/N's tormentor, and honestly, Connor would love to keep him company and beat some manners into Steven. Is that how you treat a woman? When Connor had found her an hour ago, her face had been streaked with tears and her nose had been smeared with blood, her top completely torn... Clearly she had been abused by her boyfriend and Connor was very glad that Y/N had asked Hank for help. She was very lucky they were both nearby. Worse things could have happened.

"Is he going to jail, Connor?"

The desperate look on her face nearly killed Connor. She was terrified of Steven and he could understand that. The android sensed an increased heart rate from her. Her body temperature changed, and when Connor reached for her hands, her fingers were so cold.

"Hey... It's going to be okay. You're safe with me."

Carefully, he lifted her chin, searching the look in her eyes that held so much fear and pain. What had this man done to her? How many days and months had she gone through this now? Connor wished he had realized all of this sooner.

"Hank and I will make sure he stays locked up!"

Hank and Connor had arrested Steven while still on the scene. Steven had been carrying a knife, had been yelling like a madman, threatening Y/N. This was clear evidence that would lead to Steven's arrest.

"I'm so scared. What if..."

Connor knew exactly what she was about to say and he interrupted her immediately.

"No, Y/N. He won't dare come near you and he will be condemned. However, you must agree to testify against him."

Connor could imagine how difficult this would be for the young woman.

"I-I... oh God, Connor..."

How was she going to do this? All she wanted was to forget and live a normal life! To have her old life back, before she had met Steven. Why had this demon come into her life? Why hadn't she noticed the red flags right away?

Y/N's whole body started to shake and Connor sat down with her on the sofa, gently pulling her into his arms, something Y/N appreciated at the moment. While burying her face deep into his chest, she could sense the fragrance of his aftershave. Aftershave? Certainly unusual for an android, but a lot had changed in the last two years. Especially after the revolution of the machines. Connor was no longer a programmed android who only took orders. No, he was an individual person who could feel emotions like sadness and love. Fears and worries; and right now, all his worry was on Y/N.

Connor was a little surprised when Y/N laid her head on his lap while stretching the rest of her body on the sofa. Connor's eyes were completely on her as he gently stroked through her soft hair, silently being there for her. It wasn't long before Y/N fell asleep from exhaustion. Finally, after so many months, she could sleep again. Without having to fear that she would be harmed in her sleep. She knew Connor was with her, and on top of that, she was in Hank's home. Her safe place was right here. Connor watched over her and he imagined all she had been through with Steven. She was so exhausted, completely broken down, and in the last few weeks she had laughed less and less. Connor hadn't known her like this. When he had first met her two years ago, she had been full of life. Her beautiful smile, her friendly nature was special in this cold world. And then Steven had taken this from her piece by piece. He was so infinitely sorry to see her in this condition.

"Don't be afraid. I will always be with you."

He was her angel who would protect her...

Careful not to wake her, Connor disengaged from her, only to gently pick her up in his arms, taking her to the guest room. She was fast asleep, the android could tell by her breathing. He laid her down in bed, covering her so she wouldn't get cold.

"Good night, Y/N..."

He bent down to her, gently kissed her forehead and stayed with her for quite a while...

As the first rays of sunlight fell through the window and warmed Y/N's skin, the young woman gently sighed as she slowly awoke from her sleep. At first, she didn't know where she was and her eyes searched the room, yet she was deeply wrapped in the sheets and she wouldn't dare get out of bed so quickly before she understood where she actually was. But when the memories came up so slowly, she understood immediately. She was more than relieved to be at Hank place.

"Thank God," she whispered as she threw herself on her back and stroked her hair. "Dear Lord, thank you..."

Instantly, Steven crept into her thoughts and fear overcame her again. What if he sought her out? What if Hank had to let him go again after all? She felt sick, her stomach tightening painfully at the thought. She pulled the blanket over her again and hid under the sheets, seeking shelter and protection as she began to cry.

"Connor..."

Was he still here?

"Connor? Connor!"

A few seconds later, the android was standing at the door, looking anxiously at the young woman who was looking at him for help. His LED glowed a deep yellow. Had she had a nightmare? Usually, after traumatic experiences, people tend to relive many things in their sleep.

"Y/N? What's wrong?"

The android sat down with her and the young woman instantly snuggled against his chest, sighing in relief as she felt Connor's strong arms around her.

"It's all right now", she whispered. Connor smiled at her words, his LED glowing a bright blue again.

"Did you have a bad dream, Y/N?"

"No", she whispered as Connor gently stroked through her hair. "I was just afraid you wouldn't be around..."

"I'll always be there," he replied softly, hugging her a little tighter to give his words even more expression. The young woman felt very comfortable around the android and she didn't feel any fear at the moment either.

"Are you hungry, Y/N?" Connor asked her after a while, but the young woman just shook her head. She had no appetite. Connor didn't think this was a good idea, but he couldn't force her to eat anything. Still, he tried to reason with her, because eventually a hot meal certainly wouldn't go amiss.

"I know you don't have any appetite. But maybe try some fruit and yogurt first? Or maybe even some pancakes?"

The young woman seemed to think about it before sighing deeply and finally agreeing to his suggestion.

"Okay, Connor."

Satisfied with her answer, the android smiled.

"Okay, then I'll prepare some for you quickly!"

The young woman ran a few recipes through her head, because pancakes with fruit and fresh yogurt sounded really good! Fluffy and delicious! Just comfort food! Wait, Connor would make them? She had to smile at the thought, because the fact that he was going to the effort to do this for her was sweet.

Then Connor rose to leave before Y/N gently grabbed his hand and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Connor. For caring so much."

And in his eyes she suddenly saw that gleam, that look of affection, which made her heart beat faster for a moment.

"No need to mention it, Y/N."

Because she was incredibly important to him, and he wanted her to be okay. Most of all, that she felt safe and secure around him. Connor would really do anything to see her smile again.

"Connor! Y/N?"

Hank brought the android out of his thoughts. The lieutenant must have been done with the interrogation and was certainly tired. After all, he had been out all night.

"Over here, Hank!" called Connor to the man. Y/N rose from her spot and met Hank halfway. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and he held her close.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?"

Hank sounded tired and exhausted.

"Connor's with me. I'm fine with him," she whispered, and those were the exact words Hank had wanted to hear.

"Good. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet. But Connor's about to make some pancakes."

At that, the lieutenant raised a brow.

"'Him? Pancakes? Are you sure, Y/N?"

"You want some, too, Lieutenant?"

"Sure, Connor! There's nothing like having to spend all day in the shithouse, after eating your pancakes!"

It was meant as a joke, and it didn't miss its mark, as the young woman laughed. Hank really couldn't imagine Connor cooking up something like that. But what could he say? He trusted the android as he had surprised him so many times in many ways. Probably this would be the best pancakes Hank would ever have.

But for Y/N now, of course, was interested to know what would happen to Steven now.

"Hank?"

Her serious and, at the same time, worried expression, made the smile on Hank's face slowly but surely disappear.

"Come. Let's sit down, Y/N."

Hank gently took her by the hand and led the young woman to the sofa, where he sat down with her. She looked at him with curiosity and her heart hammered madly, her hands getting cold all over again as she got all nervous. Hopefully Hank would have some good news for her.

"Y/N, we need your report."

"B-But... I don't have to see him, do I?"

The lieutenant shook her head. She wouldn't cross his path, he had made sure of that.

"No. But you have to tell us... everything," he said softly, before running a hand through his hair. He didn't like the idea of the young woman being pressured into telling the police everything in detail either. He was afraid to hear what had happened. What that bastard had done to her. But Hank knew that it could help to put Steven in jail for several years.

Connor listened to the conversation while he took care of breakfast. Sumo was not far from his feet, dozing off. Connor's LED lit up yellow again when he thought of Steven. This guy had been suspicious to him from the beginning and he cursed himself for not noticing sooner what an asshole this guy was. But he was all the more proud of Y/N for being such a brave woman.

"Okay, Hank. But I'm only going to talk to you and Connor..."

Hank nodded as he put his hand on her shoulder. Just Connor and him.

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song-writer-melo-wrath · 8 months ago

Note

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite mechanical characters, be they robots, androids, cyborgs, or something else? And what do like about them?

OOOOH...

Well, first, gotta mention my man Data.

A lot of people has said that he is autism-coded in the way that he is presented, and in how other people react to him. And I kind of agree tbh. He's also just a sweetheart, and his bonds with the crew (especially Laforge), his cat Spot, and sometimes with people who are briefly onboard are so lovely.

I also feel I should mention Connor,

Because his arc has probably inspired so many OCs at this point. Bryan Dechart did such an excellent job playing him, and his growing bond with Hank is very well-written. I think it's honestly touching how it's often emotional bonds that show humanity.

Another I feel would be a crime not to mention,

Because between the iconic lines and the dynamic he has with John Connor, and the way it shapes his various decisions, how could I not? And yes I'm specifically talking Terminator 2 here. Though I will say he makes an EXCELLENT force of nature and presence of absolute horror in the first movie.

Then, of course, the sapphic community's favourite,

Because "Want You Gone" hurts me on a personal level, and I don't just mean because it's how GLaDOS says farewell. I relate to that song so much (and did a cover of it :D) and, in general, relate with much of her story. Of course, she's a sassy motherfucker who you can't help but love. But for how much Portal 2 is considered the inferior game, it really does make her story into one of self-discovery and complicated morality. I guess it just gets overshadowed by Oh hi. How are you holding up.

Next,

I MEAN. COME ON. This guy used to be, and honestly still is, one of my biggest fictional crushes. His charisma is magnetic, of course. His STORY being wrapped up by the connections he used to have being rekindled, resulting in him choosing to be a star for those who need one most, rather than a star for the most people possible???? Ugh, poetic cinema.

Speaking of stars,

[vibrating] I have so many headcanons when it comes to this one But more to the point, Star Dream is an absolute force of nature. Its boss fight is incredible, an absolute marvel of multiple types of play styles coming together. The themes? Slap.

Star Dream's draw, for me, is that its sentience is so…debatable. I'm on the side of “had sentience the whole time”, and more to the point, “based on how much Haltmann copied homework, it's possible he brought something back from the dead” but I dunno, I don't like arguing my case when it comes to the second. The point is, for many of things that it does, it's uncertain whether that's just part of its program, or if it's a sentient decision. Was Susie sent away because of something accidental, or was it Star Dream's intention? The fact that Haltmann became so focused on its creation after her disappearance, in my eyes, kind of implies the latter…

… It's also interesting that even without Haltmann giving it a voice via him-being-possessed, it only chooses to speak to Meta Knight.

Can you tell I have The Kirby Autism, is it noticeable, is it obvious—

Also I'm gonna put two of my OCs here, because self-indulgence is alive and well.

This is Palharine and Mayday! They're my favourites out of a group of robot/android characters I created about three years ago, and have finally taken the time to draw recently:

From left to right, you got Eodel Remidoros, Palharine, Mayday, and Ziah Hyperion. All very different interpretations of robotic.

Palharine and Mayday stand out to me due to their emotional states. They're kind of opposites, in that regard. Mayday is a very sensitive gal, who has been through a lot of pain, and is trying to become stronger so she can confidently say she has no doubt in who she is. Palharine, as far as they're aware, has no emotions. Which is interesting, since the other three all seem to, to some degree. Among the four, Palharine is also unique in that they're programmed to dream. Both of these things shape them a lot.

But these two have a very sweet bond, where they're both passionate about biology, especially botany. Mayday, in a training exercise, also nearly wipes the floor with Palharine. It's more touching than it sounds.

Also, Palharine's genderfluid and Maydays a trans woman, so those things just inherently spark joy for me, haha!

This has been, real robotic character hours.

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zahri-melitor · 8 months ago

Text

Newish Comics:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12: It...just occurred to me this Gotham Academy era story is in fact a flashback/alternate continuity set probably shortly after Second Semester, because Alfred is alive and they go to the ordinary Cave. Which tracks with my usual hypothesis that everything happening in Gotham Academy is NOT actively connected to main continuity unless proven otherwise. Anyway, this again is proving that Maps isn't actually an active Robin in the main continuity, and right now she's appearing as Future!Meridian which is actually a cooler role for her, honestly.

I honestly haven't read much Gentleman Ghost so this was interesting? Nice to see a bit more than him just appearing in a group scene.

Artemis story remains excellent, apart from the tragic fact it intersected with the stupid current Wonder Woman plot. I do like that it's portraying the ridiculous level of overreach involved in the 'ban the Amazons' concept.

(for reference, they're currently in Qurac)

It's damning to me that every other person working around this storyline is building a more interesting narrative, but what can you do?

There's a Swamp Thing story and I loved it and I am getting closer and closer to going wild and starting a massive Swamp Thing read. It's some gorgeous conception of death though.

The henchman story is...fine, I guess? If you're a fan of looking at the socioeconomic dynamics of the Gotham hench crowd, it's probably up your alley.

The Flash #8: We can have Barry wondering how Wally does it all and Wally being central to the universe, as a treat.

Green Arrow #11: I am so torn on this title. I think its biggest crime is possibly being just a little TOO indulgent and juggling too many balls, rather than focusing in telling one or two of these stories in better detail.

Because. In terms of what Williamson is doing here, he's: reuniting the entire Arrow family for the first time since 2010 or so including bringing in peripheral characters like Cissie for the first time (but not Sin); he's given specific 'you're alive!' reunions for Roy and Lian, Ollie and Connor, Ollie and Mia, and so on, untangling situations where people simply didn't know the other was bopping around again; he's doing a lot of work setting up Waller for Absolute Power; he's giving us an excuse for why Green Arrow as a title has been off page for so long; he's making it a love fest for lovers of the Arrows by the list of artists involved, including multiple nostalgic favourites AND Sean Izaakse doing modern redesigns for everyone's costumes...and he's doing it in a title that was originally sold as a mini, expanded to a maxi, and then finally given an ongoing.

I think, honestly, the title is overwhelmed with too many goals crammed in just in case this was the only Green Arrow story we got for the next however long.

And equally, while being overly ambitious in terms of what it wants to achieve, the plot itself is moving at a glacial pace and is pretty underwhelming, in that there simply isn't time and space to devote to plot when the title is also busy juggling "has everyone seen that Lian and Connor are alive yet?" and flashbacks to re-establish everyone's connections to Ollie, and explanations to retcon previous behaviour, and and and...

I think it would be less frenetic if it had been signed off from the beginning as an ongoing, so the book could have just gone "5 issue story, followed by a Roy and Lian reunion issue, followed by 5 issue story, followed by an issue that's about Ollie finding the house full again and juggling kids moving back in," and so on.

All that said, I do think it's a good title to give to someone who's curious about Green Arrow as a title as an intro to get them interested and excited about the range of characters involved. I just don't think it's showcasing the best of Green Arrow storylines well.

And that's okay! But I think it's trying to achieve the reset that say Jeremy Adams' Flash gave the Flash books, without having the space and pacing that Adams had over 33 issues to achieve his final goal.

Oh, the actual story this issue? It’s Merlyn trying a bit hard to convince everyone he’s really one of Ollie’s biggest foes (typical Merlyn).

This made me laugh however:

Love that Izaakse specifically decided to use a bunch of particularly mid to sucky Dinah and Roy costume choices here and didn’t include their best costumes. You’ve got my back.

The Warlord #49: This week in the Lost Land of Skartaris, Shakira bets Travis that he can't go an entire story without using his gun.

They proceed to investigate a mysterious castle, where Travis and Shakira are avoiding traps and seeing skeletons. They end up defeating a mummy.

Travis, apparently unmoved by the promise of large piles of gold. He lives only for war!!!

But then...a leopard jumps out at them! Travis reacts and shoots it!

Sucks to be you, Travis.

Also we get a check in with Jennifer, who while asleep in her bed in the mysterious new castle encounters...a head-hand man?

Nightmare is a good description, yes.

Also we had a freaking Mongo Ironhand story running in the bottom panels of each page, that contained Legally Not Gollum.

Gollum's 'pretty' is a book of magic, which turns him into a demon known as the Evil One.

Also there's a Claw the Unconquered backup, which is pretty ordinary, but this particular panel is just some beautiful art.

#z canon read throughs #newish comics

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rhinozilla · 2 years ago

Text

Detroit: Become Family 2022 - Prompt 4: Remember

@dbh-found-family

“Sixty?”

“Yes.”

“…Sixty?”

“…Yes.”

“Christ.” Hank swore and took a step back, turning away and running a hand over his hair in disbelief.

Connor remained seated where he was at the kitchen table, watching Hank curiously. His arm was extended on the table: the skin program turned off up to the elbow and the primary panel inside his forearm open, exposing the intricate system of wires and circuitry that lay beneath, wrapped around his thirium lines and synthetic muscle belts and metal frame. The precautionary cloth beneath his arm had proven to be a good decision, as more than few dots of thirium had dribbled out of the opening during the maintenance process.

The technician at the DPD station had removed the bullet that had gone through Connor’s arm that afternoon during an arrest that had gone…understatedly awry. The suspect was in custody now, and no other officers had been harmed. Connor had been the only person in the altercation to receive any damage, which he considered to be the best case scenario. However, it had also churned up the old protocol in his software that he thought he had deleted.

The replacement protocol.

Prior to the revolution, when he was still the property of Cyberlife on loan to the DPD, it had been determined that if the RK800 sustained damage or experienced a malfunction, that model would be immediately replaced with the next model in the prototype’s line. He was to be the crown jewel of Cyberlife’s repertoire; he could not be less than perfect and could not be allowed to walk around damaged or defective when so many eyes were on him to be the masterpiece that Cyberlife was touting him to be.

It had already taken 50 predecessor prototypes to get RK800-51 ready for the field. It was fortunate that he had not sustained any damage or malfunctions severe enough for Cyberlife to deem him deficient and in need of replacement. Fortunate yes but…even the damage that he HAD sustained had been rapidly repaired by either his own internal repair program or by Cyberlife technicians within hours of it happening.

Now Cyberlife was gone, and his internal repair program had its limits. And he had been shot through the arm today.

“Which one did I kill in that basement?” Hank asked, having stepped away from the kitchen table where Connor had been replacing the bandaging around his arm.

Hank had actually taken over the first aid aspect of this task, but he was now exhibiting clear signs of distress at what Connor had thought was a fairly obvious statement of fact.

He was replaceable. He was not unique. He was disposable. He was one of sixty models identical to himself, from outward appearance to internal mechanisms all the way down to his coding.

“The RK800 that we encountered that night was number 60,” he replied, pulling his eyes away from Hank and back to his arm, resuming the cleaning and bandaging task in front of him.

Hank breathed once. Twice.

“And you’re 51…So what happened to 52 through 59?”

Connor hesitated. “Cyberlife’s actions became very volatile in those final days during the revolution. I…assume…they had all other models in my series destroyed.”

“Jesus,” Hank hissed through his teeth. “Killed before they even had a chance to live…”

“They were never alive, Hank,” Connor said, carefully pressing his wires back into place before closing the panel on his arm. “They were empty shells, never activated, and would have become me if I was to need a new body.”

Which was…true, he supposed. That was the truth that Cyberlife had programmed into him.

“Should I have become incapacitated, my memories would be uploaded into the next model in the series, with the expectation that some data would be lost in the transference, and then I would have carried on the mission like normal.”

“Like normal…like fucking normal?” Hank’s face was reddening.

Connor could inwardly admit that it was…unnerving if he thought on the process long enough, but…it was the only process that he had ever known. You fail, you are replaced. You are still you, but hopefully better. If you fail again, you will again be replaced.

If the other models in the RK800 series were never activated, if they were never alive…then they were all Connor, all just vessels waiting for his memory upload. If they were…each themselves alive…as unique and free thinking and capable of differing opinions as Connor himself was, as all other androids were deviating to become…then Cyberlife had in effect murdered 59 of his…brothers?

“So…you would remember dying?” Hank blurted.

Connor wiped some residual thirium off of his arm, slowly looking up to meet Hank’s eyes in silent question.

Hank stood behind one of the kitchen chairs, wrapping his hands around the back of it. “Say you had been killed during our mission together. If you’d tried to go after that deviant across the highway and gotten obliterated by a car. Or I hadn’t found you at Stratford Tower before you got your…thingy…back in your chest before you shut down. If…If I had shot you in the park that night…Would those memories have been uploaded to the new you? Would you remember dying?”

Connor eyed him. “In theory…yes.” He straightened up, feeling an edge of defensiveness creeping through his shoulders. “I was designed to be continuously improving. If I failed in a previous body, then those memories would have been invaluable to studying my errors, analyzing my mistakes, and preventing their recurrence.”

Hank looked horrified at that, and Connor looked away from him, down to his arm again. He watched his fingers curl and uncurl from a loose fist. Everything felt properly calibrated and on the mend, and he resumed the skin program on his arm, watching the plastic disappear beneath a smooth projection of hologram flesh.

True, he would have remembered dying, and that would have been…unpleasant. But given that he had not been destroyed in any of those hypothetical—but very possible—ways, he was discovering an unexpected insight.

He hadn’t been obliterated by a car because Hank had nearly physically tried to restrain him from pursuing that deviant.

He had reinserted his thirium pump regulator in time to prevent shutdown at Stratford Tower and in time to neutralize the deviant before he could do more damage, but the first memory he remembered of that incident was Hank seeing the tears in his shirt and the blue blood staining his chest and the lieutenant frantically asking if he was hurt, if he needed assistance, if he was okay.

Hank had not shot him in the park that night, though Connor was sure that had been entirely contingent on the answers that Connor had provided to his questions. He didn’t want to preconstruct a set of circumstances where he would have been killed that night by his friend, only to meet him again the next day as a new Connor…prepared to resume the mission with minimal disruption.

He preferred to remember the worry on Hank’s face, the concern, the care. Connor had never had anyone look at him in such a way. Even today, despite this being a minor injury for an android of his caliber, Hank had hovered and fretted over Connor’s condition with a fervor that, while ultimately unnecessary, was deeply moving and appreciated by Connor.

In the reality where he had been disposable and easily replaced, it had been a waste of time and effort for anyone to be concerned over his wellbeing.

This new reality…while terrifying in the mortality that he was now burdened with…allowed for the time and effort of someone to care and worry about him…But it still surprised him that someone would.

The kitchen chair legs dragged across the floor, jogging Connor out of his thoughts. Hank was pulling the chair around the table, before sinking down onto it and leveling Connor with a hard stare. Connor held the stare, resisting the urge to squirm under it. Hank’s eyes bored into him for a beat longer, and then he was reaching across the table and resting his hand over the newly replaced panels along Connor’s forearm.

“That explains your lack of self preservation,” Hank said dryly, clearing his throat and patting Connor’s arm lightly. “But I need you to get it through your head that you’re not replaceable, kid. Never have been. Never will be. Not to me, all right?”

Connor frowned slightly. “It would have still been me, if I had been replaced—”

Hank shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t have been. Because if that’s true, then that number 60 son of a bitch was you, and I killed that you to protect this you,” he poked Connor’s arm, “and that you about shot me in the head while this you fought to stop him…My brain can’t handle that. He was him, and you are you, and all those others…they were them. Remember that.”

Connor opened his mouth to argue, found that he didn’t have a real counter argument that Hank would appreciate, and closed his mouth, letting the horrifying implications of that kind of mass murder settle low in his core.

He might have had brothers. Siblings. He might have had a family, if Cyberlife hadn’t destroyed them all. Now they were all gone…and he remained.

“How’s your arm feeling?” Hank asked, visually inspecting the damage site.

“Mending,” Connor replied quietly, flexing his hand again. “All functions should be fully restored tomorrow, and I can return to duty—”

“No.”

“No?”

“No,” Hank snorted, kicking back in his chair. “You got shot today—”

“And I got better.”

“And you are going to take at least a few days to get over that, whether you think you need it or not, before you go gallivanting back into the line of fire.”

“I do not…gallivant.”

Hank laughed at that, standing up and clapping Connor on the shoulder. “Take it easy for a few days anyway. You’ve earned that. In the meantime, looks like you lost some more blood there. You need a top off? Got some thirium in the fridge.” He offered, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “I know you prefer it chilled.”

Connor couldn’t help a small smile at that. “Yes, I…do require some additional thirium.”

Hank bobbed his head, meandering over to the fridge. “Coming right up, son.”

#detroit: become family event #dbh connor #hank anderson

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heliads · 1 year ago

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love is stored in the sonata

Connor Lassiter thought he'd stop hearing the Graveyard's piano once Risa Ward left. Y/N L/N may prove him wrong. It does not hurt him as much as he thought it would. Far from it, actually.

masterlist

Connor Lassiter almost thinks he’s hallucinating when he first hears the piano.

It’s not that he’s so far removed from any semblance of humanity that the possibility of culture and art is obscene; despite what Proactive Citizenry would like to argue, AWOLs aren’t gremlins nor creatures of destruction only. Connor can stand to hear a melody. He just isn’t used to it. Not here.

Certainly not since Risa was abducted. The piano did not desiccate into ash and dust when she left, and the fact that she’s being held hostage somewhere unknown to Connor does not glue all the keys in place nor stop them from being played. Every Unwind here has the capability to bang out a tune if they so desire. They just don’t, either out of respect to Risa’s memory or perhaps a lingering fear that someone will see a prodigy in their fingers and try to carve the skill out of their digits themselves.

Connor stands motionless in the shadow of a grounded jet, listening to the chords echo off of the rusting metal. It kind of feels like he’s being haunted by the Ghost of AWOL Girlfriends Past, even though he and Risa never agreed on anything of the sort. However, referring to the lingering feeling of wrongness nestled between his lungs and ribs as just, like, the Ghost of Crushes He Thought He Had but Maybe That’s Just What Happens When The Only People You See On A Daily Basis Are A Tithe, Roland, And One Token Girl, is way too many words.

So, Girlfriends Past works. Kind of. Not really. What does work properly around here, though? The Graveyard lives up to its name. Kids come here carrying with them only the memories of when they understood what was going on around them. You can find a job to do, and you can like it enough to make the days pass by until you survive to seventeen, but it’ll never fit you like anything did before you came here. Functionality is best. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to keep you alive.

Connor thinks this mysterious piano player might have to agree. He can hear occasional slip ups in the music, nothing too jarring but still there if you care to listen. He is, of course, hanging onto every note like it’ll save him from all of the Juvey-cops combined, so he listens.

This, if nothing more, is how he knows it isn’t Risa. Risa always stopped when she made a mistake, every single time. Even if it was something as simple as a skipped rest or one forgotten flat. It was like she was looking for excuses to point out her imperfections, subconsciously proving that StaHo Ohio 23 was right to kick her out.

By contrast, this latest would-be maestro just doesn’t care. They could actually be flawless, or they could just be human. Either way, the melody keeps going. Connor decides that he likes it better that way, which is pointless, because the music doesn’t need his approval. It’s also kind of mean to Risa’s legacy, but Connor’s mind is still Connor’s with or without Risa there, and he likes the melody with accidental sharps instead of flats regardless.

Impulsively, Connor slips out from his hiding place underneath the jet, searching around for the distant sound of chords until they get louder. It reminds him of being at a public pool when he was younger, playing a game with his brother. Marco. His footsteps seem to crash through the relative quiet of the Graveyard; everyone else has ceased work for the evening, but he’s here anyway. Polo. The piano sounds out a path for him to follow.

He takes one last turn and then it’s there right in front of him. The piano has gotten a little dustier since it first appeared out of nowhere in the airplane junkyard, but they’ve all attempted to clean it off every now and then. A figure is seated at the bench, and after a moment of squinting, Connor recognizes them. Y/N, Y/N L/N. They’d arrived recently, all things considered. They never knew Risa but they know him. Isn’t that better?

They lay off playing abruptly when Connor steals too close. “Sorry,” they murmur, eyes wide, “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Connor shakes his head quickly. “No, no. Keep going.” He realizes belatedly that sounds a little harsh. “If you want to, of course.”

They crack a cautious smile. “You sure? I can pick up another time if it’s disturbing people’s work or sleep.”

Connor glances back at the slumbering hulks of metal and flight machinery behind him. “No, I think they’ll be glad for it. It’s been a while since we’ve heard someone play.”

Y/N’s expression turns bleak. “Yeah, I heard about that. Risa Ward used to play this piano, right?”

They start to draw their hands back from the keys. Connor reaches out an arm, as if to physically drag them to the ivories once more. “She used to, but you do now, right? Don’t let her stop you.”

Y/N blinks up at him, and Connor is starting to wonder if he can perhaps call a parts pirate to just take him away now forever when they smile again, cautious and sweet, and put their fingers back on the keys. Good.

Connor leans against the curve of the piano, and he lets the music vibrate through the instrument and into him. If he tries, he thinks he can feel it pressing against his bones, his blood, his organs, invisible surgeon’s hands not trying to dissect him, just to remind him that he is still alive. This is almost the opposite of unwinding. It feels as if he is being put back together.

A few minutes, or perhaps centuries of unadulterated time, later, Connor registers that the music has ceased. He’s not sure how long ago Y/N stopped playing, nor when his eyes closed, but perhaps everything has always just been in his head, anyway.

He looks over at Y/N, who is looking at him, and he is struck by the magnitude of all the things he wants to say. He should compliment them on their skill, or at least appreciate their courage for playing when people like him could hear, but instead of anything good or at least neutral, he coughs once, and asks, “Am I being weird?”

Y/N laughs, easy and clear. “No, you’re not. Really, you’re not,” they add, upon Connor’s face twisting doubtfully. “I’m glad to know someone likes it. It would be more weird if everyone thought I was terrible but they were all too afraid to say something about it.”

Connor chuckles. “Well, there’s no chance of that, trust me. If they try to complain, I’ll fight them off.”

Y/N grins. “Well, if you’re going to be my guard, you might as well stay. You can sit, if you want,” and they gesture to the empty space next to them on the piano bench.

Connor stares uncomprehendingly at the open spot, and then moves cautiously to sit down by their side. They almost touch, and the ghost of that would-be contact makes him feel far more alive than if their shoulders were pressed all the more firmly together.

“Another song?” They ask him.

“Please,” he answers, and the fingers are placed upon the keys once more.

Connor tilts his head back, staring up at the sky. He imagines what it would feel like to leave this body, this world, behind, and soar all the way up to the sky. He could leave these fears and dangers behind, these rumors of parts pirates and Juvey-cops and parents who did not want him enough to keep him. Listening to Y/N’s music, he thinks he is halfway there already.

unwind tag list: @schroedingers-kater, @locke-writes

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