#never leave an rk800 alone in your house

[detroit39incorrectquotes]

Connor, texting Hank: sends a voice message

Hank, texting back: I’m a little busy, is it urgent?

Connor: No, don’t worry, just listen later.

*later*

Hank: presses play

Connor's voice message: THERE’S A FIRE-

[urlonelystarrr]

ultraviolence

rk800 'connor' x reader x rk900 'nines'

GENRE → angst, romance

SYNOPSIS → your feelings for connor grew as the android revolution went on, though a new partner makes you question your feelings.

TAGS/WARNINGS → descriptions of corpses, blood, death, angst, crime scenes

CHAPTERS → PART ONE / PART TWO

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you could never get used to the smell of rotting flesh. the scent was overbearing, a particular smell that could only be compared to meat gone bad in your fridge. the scent was much stronger than expired meat, however you managed to push through it. crime scene after crime scene, they each had their own story to tell. and even though your sharp detective skills could figure out what happened, this case seemed to throw you off balance.

androids were something you were unfamiliar with. so far you've only dealt with human on human crimes, but never human and android. as you stepped into the rotting house, the first thing you noticed were the words "I AM ALIVE" written in the victims blood on the wall, right above where said victim laid. the smell lingered in the air, so much that whenever you went home you'd wash your clothes twice with the fear of that smell seeping into your clothing. the victims home was cluttered and messy, expected as nobody had been taking care of the home for weeks. as you examined the living area, you noticed blood leading into the kitchen. following the trail, it stopped in front of the flipped over table, which indicated that there has been a struggle between the victim and the android. there was always more to the story other than the android going rogue all of a sudden and attacking it's owner, and even the thought of a person owning someone who has a conscious didn't sit right with you.

that being said, it led you back to where you started: I AM ALIVE. the words repeated in your head like a broken record. you had an idea of what it meant. maybe the android wanted to tell people that they aren't just machines, that they're more than just wires and whatever else they were made of. the sound of the front door opening caught your attention, and you were met with lieutenant anderson's face along with someone you didn't recognize.

"jesus that smell!" the lieutenant's face scrunched up into that of disgust, before officer collins gave him a short briefing on what had happened. the person that he was with was an android, judging by his LED that circled amber as he analyzed the scene. "you'll get used to it," you replied to hank, to which he shook his head. you looked over to his partner, holding your hand out for him to shake. "hello. my name is y/n," you smiled. he shook your hand, "my name is connor." ah, so that was his name. hank didn't seem too pleased with his partner as he rolled his eyes, walking away with another officer, leaving you two alone. connor squat down in front of the corpse, his LED circling amber once again as he scanned the body. "he was stabbed 28 times," he said, standing up. "yeah, seems like whoever did this was tired of him." you commented before heading into the kitchen with the android. you didn't know what he was looking at, but his eyes were trained on the floor, despite nothing being there. "what are you looking at?" you asked him, stopping shortly once he stood between the table and the sink. "thirium. you call it 'blue blood'. it's the fluid that powers androids biocomponents." well, the more you know. "so...humans can't see it but you can?"

"correct." he looked over to you, before walking off to the backyard. there were some parts you had yet to explore, so you went down the hall and made a right into a small but cluttered bathroom. pulling back the shower curtain was slightly ominous, as if you expected the android to jump out at you. but what you saw was more intriguing. ra9 was written on the wall multiple times, along with a statuette in the middle of the shower floor. "could it be some type of religious offering?" connor's voice said behind you, making you jump from his sudden appearance. "how long have you been standing there?" you asked, and you noticed his eyes were looking at your chest. "not very long. your heart is racing," he commented. "because you scared me," you rolled your eyes, before turning around to pick up the statue. "anyway, i think it could be a religious offering like you said, judging by the phrase written on the wall a thousand times, it could be an offering to whoever ra9 is." intrigued by your analysis, he noticed something strange. a trail of thirium, coming from the kitchen and stopping right in front of the shower. then, leading to the attic. "think he's up there?" not many people used pronouns when referring to androids, most of them said "it" rather than calling them he or she. it was the first cop he'd heard use that. "only one way to find out."

grabbing a chair for him, he thanked you before going up the attic. you'd be scared shitless, though androids didn't necessarily have emotions. connor probably felt the same as he did when he showed up. hank came over once he noticed connor was up there for too long, shouting for him. "connor! the fuck are you doing up there?!"

connor replied quickly. "it's here, lieutenant!" shit. the two of you ran to grab the attention of the other officers.

everything was moved to the station. you, connor, gavin and chris watched as hank tried interrogating the suspect. to no avail, he came back shortly after, until connor offered to question him. gavin laughed, making you cock your brow at him. "what's funny? connor has a better chance at getting answers than any of us. he knows more about deviants than we do," you crossed your arms, making gavin scoff and ignore you. connor looked at you with an unrecognizable emotion, before heading into the room.

there was no doubt that he would be successful, as the suspect confessed that he did in fact murder carlos ortiz, and claimed self defense. physical evidence showed clear signs of abuse - burn marks stretching over a year old, and so on. you honestly pitied him. maybe that's why you came to the cell he was being held in, keeping your distance to avoid causing unwanted stress. he barely looked up as you tried to get his attention. "i believe you," you started off, until he cut you off. "it doesn't matter. i'm going to get shut down." his broken voice tore your heart apart, and you didn't want to make any promises that he'd be kept alive. but you also couldn't sit there and do nothing.

"i'm going to try to convince them not to shut you off. carlos attacked you first, but in detroit law your act of self defense was deemed excessive- which is why they're treating this as homicide. i really do feel for you, i don't want your abuse to be the only memory you have of this life."

he looked up at you with a pained expression, as if he believed what you were saying wasn't true. as if you were trying to lure him into a trap. he didn't say anything, and went back over to the wall where he continued carving something into. you noticed his cuffs were still on. his head turned upon hearing the door slide open, and he backed up to the corner with his hands raised, which made you stop in your tracks. "can i remove the cuffs?" your voice was gentle, and you spoke as if you were speaking to a frightened child. he placed his hands in front of you, visibly shaking as you gently pried them off.

the moment he was brought to the station, he'd been treated inhumane. the officers shoved him around, holding him down to place cuffs on him in the interrogation room, and even when he was trying to leave the room, they were rough. not you though. from the moment you saw him, you didn't look at him with judgement. he felt like he could trust you, the only problem was that he didn't want to. even as your fingers gently brushed his wrists to remove the cuffs, he didn't want to feel comforted by your calming nature. your eyes were trained on his damaged forearm, guilt swallowing you whole as you looked at him. tears pricked at your eyes as you tried to hold in the sympathy you felt for the android. you didn't know why you felt so strongly- this was unusual. he noticed your eyes watering and felt a little more trust. "you don't deserve this," you said, your voice wavering. "i'm going to try to get you better, okay?" you looked up at him, your hands holding his. the trembling stopped. he nodded, prompting you to exit the cell, leaving him alone.

locking yourself in the restroom, you took deep breaths in order to calm yourself. the moment you stepped out, the sound of multiple officers shouting caught your attention.

you quickly ran to the source, skin prickled with goosebumps as you heard a thudding sound. the sight of thirium splattered onto the clear cell door made you cry out, pushing past officers to stop the deviant from self destruction. you immediately put your hand in between his forehead and the glass. "stop it!" you yelled, pulling him away gently, where he laid in your lap, thirium leaking onto your clothes. you covered the wound on his head with your hand, tears leaking down your face as he died in your arms.

"you know what they're going to do to me," he said to you, the words not being loud enough for any officer except for you. you clutched him harder, watching as he gave a small smile before laying still in your arms.

"are you alright, detective?" connor asked you, noticing the thirium all over your clothes, and your reddened eyes. "i don't understand. it's our job to protect people, not let these things happen to them." you sat on top of your desk, your head turning to look at the android being carried into the archive room. they didn't even see him as a dead body. just evidence to be hung up on the wall. something twisted in your gut.

"it's not a person. it's a machine," he corrected, rather machine-like. you sniffled, "he was more than that. you're more than that- all of you."

he titled his head, something he did often. he was going to say something before hank cut him off. "it's dead...that's for sure." your head hung low, eyes trained on the ground as everything around you faded. any noise was drowned out by the vicious thoughts in your head, the guilt clawing up your throat. you wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

when you came into the office the next morning, you noticed a certain android sitting in the lieutenant's seat. "good morning," you greeted connor. his presence indicated that he was going to be here for a while, until everything would clear up. you doubted it would ever clear up, though having connor around for a while didn't seem too bad. "good morning detective. do you know what time lieutenant anderson arrives?" he asked, tilting his head. you didn't know if there were any other rk units, but you wondered if all of them were this cute. "usually around noon. I don't think he'll be coming anytime soon though," you bit your lip. "thank you." he replied, standing up to walk elsewhere, until you stopped him. "would you like me to show you around? maybe it's best if we get to know each other," you said warmly.

he smiled and nodded, following as you showed him around the police department. you stopped in front of the archive room, explaining to him what was in there, even though he probably already knew. "most cops here are very anti-android, so please be careful. speaking of which..." you muttered the last part under your breath as gavin entered the break room, immediately looking over at the much taller figure standing next to you as you made a cup of coffee. "huh, looks like plastic detective's back in town," he sneered. you grit your teeth, shooting him a glare. "hello. my name is connor," he greeted. he gave an amused look at his partner, who shared the same look as gavin came closer to the rk model. "I don't give a shit what your name is. you might've gotten lucky last night, but I'm warning you. stay outta my way," he poked a finger into his chest, his gaze sharp and full of anger. you stepped in between the two, causing gavin to stumble slightly as you gripped his finger and threw his arm back to him. "we get it. you're insecure. move along now, surely you have more work to do other than lounging in the break room all day." he scowled, about to press you when fowler shouted gavin's name from the bullpen. "you're fuckin' lucky fowler called me in when he did," he said, not before shoulder checking you as he walked out.

you groaned, running a hand through your hair. "are you alright detective?" connor asked again. "i should be asking you that. i'm sorry about him." you apologized, squeezing his arm gently.

the sensation lingered on his arm, even as he searched for the missing ax400. "connor! jesus, i'm talking to you. you ran outta batteries or what?" hank yelled, after calling connor's name for the last few minutes. "i'm sorry lieutenant. i was making a report to cyber life," he lied. hank scoffed, continuing to search the motel.

it had been a couple of months since the revolution, led by markus and a group of androids. connor had fully deviated, and with the new android laws he was allowed to remain working at the dpd. since then, the two of you had gotten closer. you saw more and more of connor's personality after working with him for so long. you'd be lying if you said you didn't have any feelings for the android. sure, it was dumb, and also forbidden. you doubted he shared any of the same feelings, though a part of you wished he'd reciprocate them.

he found it strange your heart rate would increase whenever he was around you. you hadn't done that before. he also sensed that your body temperature would increase if he got too close, and all of this analysis only confused him more. his relationship with the lieutenant has improved greatly, as well as yours.

the three of you hung out after work, frequently at a bar. you didn't drink, so it was mostly you and connor babysitting a very drunk hank.

with more and more cases involving androids pouring in, you were being overworked. you didn't have a partner, but if you needed help connor would offer to help you when he was available. even so, you couldn't rely on him when he already had his hands full. the only problem was that there was nobody else working these cases that would be your partner. despite gavin being anti android and still working in these cases, you'd rather get paralyzed from the waist down than work with him.

fowler noticed inconsistencies in your work recently, which was why he was shouting your name from across the bullpen to call you into his see through office. "look, i know you've got a lot on your hands. but i can't keep letting you slide. your work has been inconsistent l/n." he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "you've gotta give me some time- i've been staying past office hours trying to finish everything. if I had a partner i'd be getting a lot more work done and solved." you explained.

he sighed, "alright. I'll see what I can do. just- in the meantime, will you please focus on your work?" you nodded, standing up before leaving his office.

it actually didn't take you too long before you had a partner. "cyberlife was generous enough to give me one of the most advanced androids in their possession, an rk900. now, i expect you to give me quality reports, and to solve your cases." you thanked him, before leaving his office and returning to your desk. hank and connor were out on a mission, otherwise you'd be telling them first. you waited at your desk, browsing some files when you felt the presence of somebody behind you. you swiveled your chair around to see an exact replica of connor, with a few different features. besides his white pristine jacket, you noticed his eyes were grey instead of brown. he looked much more intimidating than his counterpart. and he might've even been taller, though it was hard to judge considering you were sitting down.

"you're detective l/n, correct?" even the way he talked was different. his voice was similar to his predecessor, however there was something that distinguished him and the rk800. he sounded more authoritative in a way. "yes, you must be my partner?" you stood up to shake his hand, which he stared at for a few seconds before lifting up his own. his grip was strong, you noted. "yes. it would be best to get to work right away. is there a desk anywhere?"

you nodded, pointing to the vacant desk in front of you. he sat down, being quick to work as he browsed the many cases that you had. you saw his LED circle amber, indicating he was analyzing all of the current information. "do you have a name?" you asked, making eye contact with him before looking away. "no." well, he was very direct. "we should give you one," you suggested. he stared at you before responding vaguely, "i don't see how this relates to the investigation." you shrugged, "well, it would be more efficient to call out something other than your model number, in case of an emergency." a look flashed in his eye before he responded quickly, as if he expected you to say that. "there won't be any emergencies as long as you're with me."

you were caught off guard, and he knew it. from that look of amusement on his face, you reacted just as he expected. your skin flushed as you looked away, trying to hide your flustered state. did he even know how that sounded to humans? "that's sweet." you replied. "i didn't intend for it to be."

what was his problem? you ignored his comment and stood up, coming over to his side of the desk. "can you find the most recent case involving an attack with an android for me?" you asked, leaning over him slightly. his eyes avoided looking at your cleavage that was exposed, and he fought the urge to point out your violation of dress code. "did you need to stand up to tell me this?" he asked, before searching for a file. you chuckled a little bit, amused by his strange sense of humor. even if it didn't mean to come off as humorous, you still found it funny. your computer chimed with the case file, and you browsed it before grabbing your coat. "i think this will be a good start to our investigation," you said, grabbing your keys as well. he followed you to the parking lot, waiting for you expectantly as you forgot to unlock the passenger door. "oops, sorry," you unlocked the passenger side, waiting until he was fully inside before driving off.

"julia nichols, the wife of anthony nichols reported that her android had killed her husband before disappearing," you went over briefly. "i know." rk900 replied, looking over at you for a moment before turning his head back to the road. "right, you're the one who gave me the file," you said in defeat.

the two of you arrived at the scene shortly after other officers started to show up, and immediately you could tell something was off.

"her story isn't adding up," you said to rk900 as he analyzed the shared bedroom. "i agree. there's information that she's hiding from us. her heart rate spikes up and so does her body temperature." he said as if it was the most normal thing ever. the way you looked at him was proof that humans would never be able to surpass their greatest creation. the rk900 looked around more, peering into the closet to find a wooden box, with the outline of a hunting knife that appeared to be missing. "that's strange," you commented, before interjecting with another random thought that came to mind.

"does that mean you can see my heart rate too?" your curiosity and fascination with something so ordinary to him definitely fueled his ego a little bit. "yes." he stepped closer until he was two feet away from you. "i can see everything," he leaned down just enough for you to be eye to eye with him. the increased heart rate told him all he needed to know, and he left the room, leaving you speechless.

you tried to ignore whatever that was earlier by inspecting the gruesome crime scene. the pictures were always different in comparison to real life. seeing an image versus the actual remains of a human was a drastic change.

the murder took place a few hours or so ago, leaving a 15 minute time gap between the wife's distressed 911 call, and the amount of time it took for officers to respond to the call. judging by the blood splatter patterns, the android would've been seen with blood all over her clothing. unlike humans, androids don't feel pain. despite not being susceptible to damage, the android would most likely have a part of their hand damaged because of the amount of force needed to tear through tissue and muscles. it would definitely leave an injury.

with this information in mind, you were quick to note the slight injury on the wife's right hand.

you didn't believe a word she said. however, you played it off like you believed her and that she wasn't the main suspect. rk900 scanned the husbands corpse that was laid out on the kitchen floor. there was a key detail that any other officer would miss out on, not because they weren't observant enough, but because they weren't an android. rk900 found traces of thirium on the kitchen sink. what looked like fingers gripping onto the counter, and a splatter that was across from the fingers, with little droplets leading him into the basement of the home. he stood in front of the door, about to head downstairs when he felt you behind him. "don't go down there. i have a bad feeling about it," you gripped his wrist, stopping him from moving any further. "you underestimate me, detective. i'm rk900, the most advanced android ever made. if i couldn't handle a human, what kind of detective would i be?" he tugged his hand free from your grip, which didn't take much effort at all. you swallowed nervously as he headed down the steps, following after him. he stopped in his tracks when he felt your weight on the steps behind him. "i advise you not to stand in my way. i can handle this myself," he said, staring at you like you were some child interfering with adult business. you held your tongue, and retreated upstairs to look for anything else.

rk900 didn't bring up the fact that he saw blue blood in the kitchen. not only did that raise suspicion, but it also kept valuable information from you.

you examined the kitchen once more, coming over to where the husband laid, lifeless. you noticed that the knife in question that he was stabbed with was nowhere to be found. even the officers that first responded to the scene said that they hadn't found the weapon. the wife also stated that she did not see where the weapon landed, only when it was being used. but that didn't make sense, why would the android run off with the murder weapon if they knew there wouldn't be any fingerprints?

"excuse me, miss nichols? were you able to tell what type of knife it was?" you asked the wife who had come back inside after being questioned. "it was a kitchen knife." she replied coolly. which was strange, considering the circumstances. a chill ran up your spine as you realized you made a grave mistake. "none of the knives are missing except for your husband's hunting knife," you said.

as rk900 analyzed the basement for any more traces of blue blood, he stumbled upon a container filled with blue blood, next to a black garbage bag that contained a heavy smell. he scanned it, then again, and again to make sure what he was seeing was correct. the blood in the container belonged to the hk400, and it matched the same sample from the kitchen. he pried open the bag, only to see a faint blue light humming, and then the hk200's dismembered corpse inside.

the woman paused, looking at you before lunging at you with the said knife. "shit! nines!" you yelled, trying to gather the android's attention while trying to keep yourself alive. you slipped on the blood, causing you to hit your head on the tiled floors of the kitchen, and she was on top of you in an instant. you fought with her, knocking down chairs to gather the attention of anybody. she managed to cut your arm, staining your white blouse with red, but you managed to switch positions until you were the one on top. using your forearm, you held her down by the chest while using your free hand to slam the knife out of her own. "fuck. nines!" you yelled again, relief flooding your body as footsteps rushed up the stairs, and rk900 was quick to enter the scene. while you were distracted, she was able to grab the knife and cut your stomach, but you were quick and held the blade before it could fully penetrate. he kicked the knife out of her hands, quick to point his gun while you held her down. "don't move or I'll shoot!" he raised his voice slightly, kneeling down to reach into your holster to grab your handcuffs. it felt weird having his fingers shove themselves into your belt, but you tried not to focus on the rough brush of his knuckles so close to you.

she was quickly apprehended by your partner, immediately being sat in the back of a police car. you sat on the floor with your back against a few cupboards, your hand clutching your stomach. you looked like a bloody mess. your arm was stained red, your abdomen leaked red all over your blouse, and your hand was drenched in a mixture of your own blood and the victims.

rk900 rushed to your side, scanning your body to see what injuries you had. thankfully none of them were fatal, but this still was a drawback on his end. "you okay?" you asked, despite being the one bleeding out. "i told you, i can handle myself." you nodded, "so what did you find in the basement?"

he sighed, or gave an equivalent to that. "you need medical attention before we can discuss the details," he held his hand firmly against your abdomen, adding the correct pressure that was needed to stop the bleeding. you winced, gritting your teeth at the burning sensation. you didn't say anything, the two of you waited in silence as an ambulance rushed to the home.

it wasn't a part of his mission to follow you to the hospital, but he did anyway. you had left your keys on the floor, which he picked up and cleaned before using your car to follow the ambulance.

after you were all bandaged up, you headed to the front desk where you signed out. you turned around, seeing the familiar pristine white jacket of the rk900, sitting in the wait room. he sat with his hands in his lap, and it was oddly cute seeing someone so intimidating look so small. as he stood up, you were quickly reminded that he wasn't cute and tiny. "why are you here?" you asked with a smug look on your face. "to return your keys," he replied. you chuckled, "sure. well, let's get out of here," you had walked to the parking lot, waiting for him to lead the way as you had no idea where he parked. "give me the keys," you said. "no. that would be a hazard for both of us. i'm driving," he said as he sat gracefully in the driver's seat. you wondered if you looked that good getting into your car.

"now that I've gotten medical attention, what did you end up finding in the basement?" you asked, looking over at the android who was driving even faster than you. "the missing hk200. it was dismembered and thrown into a garbage bag. next to it was a pitcher of its blood." you grimaced, "so it didn't run away after all. the wife definitely killed her husband and framed the android, but why? I mean why kill someone you were married to?" the android went silent for a moment, before telling you something that definitely would've helped. "I didn't mention this to you because I thought it wasn't relevant information, but when we were inside the room, I found his phone and saw evidence of him having an affair. that could've been a reason why she did it."

you froze, staring at him with a mixture of anger and hopelessness. "why would you keep that from me? even if it doesn't seem useful at the moment, you could've told me." you looked angry but you didn't sound angry. there was something in your tone that sounded like despair. you didn't underestimate his abilities when it came to defending himself, you just didn't want him to put himself into dangerous situations just because he can. in a way you were looking out for him without looking out for yourself. now wasn't the right time to say you were worried when you ended up proving him right; you were in his way. "I'm sorry, detective. I should also bring up that I found traces of blue blood in the kitchen." his tone was different from before. it sounded like he almost regretted his actions. you stayed silent this time. he underestimated your abilities, not because he was looking out for you but because you were weaker than him. that only would interfere with his work. it made you sad to say the least.

you dreaded reporting back to fowler, knowing he'd take rk900's side on this and probably fire you for letting the situation get out of control. you dreaded hearing what he'd have to say. you knew this was your fault, a loss on your end, only proving that you weren't good enough to be a detective. you sat across from Fowler, already sensing his anger and disappointment. rk900 stood behind you with his hands clasped behind his back, his face devoid of any emotion as he watched Fowler start to yell at you. "I give you one of the most advanced partners you can have, and you come back like this?! it doesn't matter that you solved the case! you let the situation get out of control. if I have to tell you to tighten the hell up again, then you're out of my office l/n. be like your partner."

rk900 looked down at you as you avoided meeting anyone's gaze. he didn't want to admit it, but he felt partly responsible for withholding information that could've given you a better outcome. you sat at your desk, avoiding his gaze as you typed away on your computer. the blood was still there on your shirt. you tried to cover it with your coat, but it was useless. the amount of blood on you made him feel guilty. if he just told you what he found, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. he was about to say something when you stood up, and excused yourself. he saw you talking to Connor, making eye contact with the rk800 before he went back to his conversation with you. were you complaining about him to his counterpart? the thought of that angered him, but he remained calm as he didn't know what you were saying. you left to the bathroom, while his predecessor came towards his desk.

"you're partners now," he said. rk900 didn't reply, he just looked at Connor until he said something else. "what's surprising is that she's not mad at you. she feels the opposite, that you're mad at her," he explained. rk900 stood up, looking over to the bathrooms where you were in. "that wasn't my intention-"

"then fix it." Connor said, walking back to his desk. his LED flashed red briefly, before returning to the steady blue it always was. he hated seeing you hurt. he was worried his counterpart would be too careless. sometimes he wished he could be your partner, in a work sense but also in another way he couldn't define. he wouldn't let you get injured like that. he just hoped rk900 would recognize his mistake.

it seemed like crying at work started to become a habit of yours as this was the second time you've done it. you didn't know what to do. you felt like you didn't belong here. since your first day, you've felt out of place. and now, the feeling came on worse than before. when fowler yelled at you to be more like your partner, suddenly it felt like your mom comparing you to a classmate that you could never be like. working here reminded you of when you were a kid, when you came home crying wondering why nobody wanted to play with you. was it always going to be like this? your tears ran down the drain again, and you wiped your eyes and blew your nose before trying to go back out again.

someone entering the restroom quickly made you pretend as if nothing was wrong, but when you met those same grey eyes in the mirror, you couldn't help but to lower your head.

"when you were calling me for help, you called me 'nines'. is that correct?" he asked you. your brows furrowed as you tried to piece what he was trying to allude to. "yes, is it okay if I can call you that?" you said, turning around only to find him closer than you anticipated. "mhm," he said lowly, "i like it. you can call me nines from now on." the corners of your mouth upturned slightly as you said it out loud once more. "I like it too."

he didn't know how to apologize without making it sound like connor told him everything. "I should have been more...efficient. I should have told you the information I found instead of keeping it to myself." you smiled a little bit at him, before remembering what he had told you. "it's okay nines. i never underestimated you, i just...didn't want you to put yourself in danger." unfortunately, he couldn't say the same. the words were clogged in his artificial throat as he tried to gather a correct response. but the look in your face told him that you already knew. "i know nines. if you feel that I stand in your way, don't be afraid to ask for a replace-"

"no." the word was out before he could even think about it. it caught both of you off guard, but he was quick to correct himself. "I apologize for what I said in the basement. if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have found the culprit. I regret what I said, I hope we can move past this and become better partners." you would've started crying again, but you felt too happy to even consider it. "I hope we can move past this too. after all, you are my partner," you smiled, patting his arm.

the police department wasn't bustling with police officers as many of them had gone home, which was something you were thankful for as nobody would question why you just walked out of the same bathroom with your male partner. just imagine the rumors. connor was glad to see you smiling again, and came over before he and hank left home. "are you heading home?" you asked the brown eyed rk unit. after being with nines all day, you missed connor. "yes. i hope that you get well soon, detective." he scanned you one last time, just to make sure that you were alright. "I will be. take care of yourself connor," you smiled before hugging the android goodnight. if anyone else was here, there would be rumors of you fucking both the rk models. you hadn't hugged him before, but it was definitely something he'd get used to. his arms wrapped around your waist gently, not to hurt you. he rested his chin on your shoulder, his sensors going haywire from the warmth surrounding his body. as well as the smell of you, and your hands rubbing his lower back. if he could get goosebumps he probably would have them right now, as the feeling was similar. nines watched your interaction with curiosity. he had access to connor 's memories but never found anything intimate, or anything to suggest the two of you had a relationship outside of work. he must have been very close to you, as your body went from being tensed to completely relaxed.

after connor had left and you made some final reports about the case, it was time for you to go home. you stretched your back, wincing when you felt your injury move underneath the bandage. "are you alright, detective?" nines asked. you smiled, despite them being two different people with different personalities, there were some things they did that mimicked one another. "I am. I think I'm done for the night." you stood up, and grabbed your coat. nines did the same, though he didn't need to grab anything except for his keys. "nines?" you called out, looking over to him only to find he was already looking at you. "yes?"

"are you comfortable with me hugging you?" it was strange. you seemed confident hugging connor but you looked shy when asking him. it made him feel a way he couldn't describe. despite being deviant, these emotions were still new to him, as connor had time to adapt to these new feelings, he didn't have much of an experience. he paused for a second, before nodding his head. you wrapped your arms around his abdomen, your hands rubbing the same lower portion of his back that you did when you hugged connor. reluctantly, he wrapped his arms around you, his sensors taking in the sensation crawling up his spine. since deviation, he was able to feel more things for some reason. that meant his pleasure receptors were stronger than they'd be if he was just in his program, but right now he felt something he'd never felt before. it was a good feeling, to be wrapped with a warm pressure. now he understood why humans loved hugging each other.

you pulled away to his distaste, walking out with him to your car. you didn't know what you just started, but you knew it would be tough to handle your feelings for both of the androids.

────────────────────────────────

a/n: before you ask, yes there will be a part two. I'm not sure how long this might continue, but it depends on how many people will enjoy it. I know the majority of my followers aren't a part of this fan base, but I hope it reaches the right audience ♡

[rk1kheadcanons]

i hope all of the admins are doing well :) i'm a sucker for angst (with a happy ending) so my prompt is that, anything that comes to mind feel free to about it! a heated argument, close call with death, a misunderstanding – as long as markus and connor feel all of those angsty emotions and resolve them, that's my jam!

Oh hello! 🥰

Thank you for the well wishes, I myself am doing wonderfully thank you!

Let's go with "close call with death" since I have a little angsty snippet for that one that's been rattling around in my head for a while now:

-

Markus stared down wide-eyed at where the pale grey of his suit had only eighteen hours ago been soaked in blue. The vibrant colour had since evaporated off, but Connor would still have been able to see it...

The RK900 standing in as Markus' bodyguard in Connor's absence could still see it too if the careful avoidance of her gaze towards Markus was anything to go by. He'd been advised numerous times by words spoken under concerned gazes to go home and change but he couldn't bring himself to leave him alone like this...

Markus' HUD glitched when he let his mind wander back over the past eighteen hours. His vision suddenly filled with the image of liquid blue exploding out of the back of his lovers head as his tactile sensors involuntarily re-registered the hot feel of blood painting his face and running down his neck. Auxiliary security had tried to forcefully drag Markus away from Connor after the bullets had started flying but he had held on tight. Dragging the limp form with them off of the stage and into an armored car.

And the sound. Ra9 he would never forget that sound.

Connors usually sharp tongue reduced to nothing but bursts of static and high-pitched feedback loops. His gaze unfocused as his limbs spasmed weakly and his central processor approached shutdown. Markus had cradled him in his arms as the car sped off, ignoring the heavy flow of thirium soaking into his suit and drenching him. Amongst his pleas to the RK800 to stay with me, don't go, don't leave me please don't leave me, he almost missed the single white hand that Connor was lifting weakly towards his own, blinking dimly with blue light.

He latched onto it with force the second his attention was drawn to it. Opening up an interface disturbingly absent of Connor's usual ferocity. Interfacing with an RK800 was normally like being dropped headfirst into the ocean but now his presence felt like barely a trickle of existence...

He received one automated message from Connors systems before the countdown timer on his HUD reached zero:

UPLOADING MEMORY//:

And that was how Markus found himself deep in a basement level of Cyberlife tower, floor -45; The research and development sector of the RK lines. Somewhere between the grief and the panic and the fear, he had managed to relay the final message of Connors systems to their security team and they had been swiftly transported in a motor blockade towards the android-occupied tower. A team of the few remaining RK800s in existence had quickly snatched Connor from Markus' arms at the entrance and spirited him away to do...well Markus wasn't sure what exactly, he was uncharacteristically absent of questions at that moment.

There had been one on his lips, however, the one that was taking up space in all corners of all his processors;

"Will he still be himself?"

The RK800s had looked to one another with swirling LEDs before fifty-nine responded with the non-answer of

"None of us have ever attempted a transfer as deviants."

He had been brought to a room after that, a large white sterile space that housed a glass-plated black cube in the center which was covered in flickering LED lights; The RK800 main-server. In any other scenario he would have been fascinated to see it, the machine that connected Connor to all RK800s while his body kept him an autonomous individual...but right now his attention was focused tunnel-vision like on the two beds off to the side, one with his Connor laid broken and lifeless and the other with RK800-63, as new and as lifelike as a doll.

He stood between them for a moment, casting his gaze this way and that before slowly settling himself in a chair between the two of them and raising a plasteel white hand towards each figure. He stayed like that as he waited. As the eight hours the 800s said it would take for the transfer to complete turned into eighteen. Hand in hand with a corpse and a shell.

-

It wasn't until the twentieth hour that the multitude of flickering loading bars on the digital monitor finally circled to blue with an alert chime. After a short moment of deliberation where his head whipped back and forth rapidly, Markus reluctantly let go of Connor-52s -his Connors - hand and brought both over to grasp onto Connor-63s. The tension in the air was thick enough to make the room feel liquid as the seconds ticked by with no sign of stirring from the figure on the table.

When the LED on the android's forehead finally circled blue with a blink Markus' artificial breath hitched and he was dimly aware of the RK900 at the door taking a small step forward in involuntary anticipation. One minute went by, and then another, and then ten more until suddenly the eyes of the prone form snapped open and circled around the room frantically.

Markus' chair fell backward behind him as he jumped to his feet to lean over the RK800 who's eyes were flickering rapidly over the white tiled ceiling with an expression of fear.

"Connor? Can you hear me?"

At the sound of Markus' voice, the RK800's eyes snapped suddenly to his own in sharp focus and the expression of terror on the androids face quickly shifted into flat browed determination. Connor lunged off of the bed in one fluid motion, disconnecting the data cable at the base of his neck with a pop and pushing Markus to the ground.

The RK200 fell backwards hard, cracking his head against the side of the other bed in the process. As Connor landed on top of him, pressing his body into the ground and holding his head down with a firm palm to the side of his face, Markus felt a flash of some emotion that landed between horror and peace at the thought that perhaps Connor had been rebound to his pre-deviant programming during the transfer and was about to follow through with Cyberlifes last order to eradicate the deviant leaders. His fear, however, was cut short by the first words out of the RK800s mouth.

"Active shooter! Why are you just standing there?! Find the source and cover us!"

Markus managed to make eye contact with his stand-in bodyguard from where he lay on the floor and the look in the RK900s eyes said that she too had all at once understood what was happening. He contacted her wirelessly before she had the chance to drag Connor off of him, instructing her to not interfere lest she distress the RK800 even more.

"Connor-"

"Stay down!"

The hand pressing Markus head onto the ground tightened and he made no move to try and dislodge it. Connor continued to bark orders at the android in the doorway while attempting to shield Markus' body from an imaginary shooter.

"Connor-"

"We need to get off the stage, when I give the command stay low and move with me towards the stairs- towards..."

The younger android's voice trailed off as his eyes flicked around the room in search of a staircase that didn't exist. He seemed to be taking in the room like he was seeing it for the first time before his jaw dropped and a choked gasp escaped his lips as his gaze settled wide-eyed on Markus' suit. All at once, the pressure on Markus' face released and Connor's hands flew to the back of his own head and he scrambled backward with panic written clearly across his features.

"Connor, listen to me, you're alright..."

The RK200 spoke softly even as the other android continued to press himself into the corner between the bed and the wall, running his hands through the hair on the back of his head before bringing them in front of his face, looking for blood.

"What-"

Connor cut himself off as his eyes drifted towards the bed adjacent to him and rose upwards to fixate on the lifeless, wire-covered figure that rested upon it.

"No-"

"Connor it's gonna be alright, just look at me-"

Markus followed the RK800 as he jumped to his feet and stumbled towards his own corpse, leaning heavily on the bed rail and staring slack-jawed at the bullet wound that had left a perfectly circular hole where his LED used to be. The older android placed his hands gently over his partner's shoulders, keeping the touch light as Connor flinched at the initial contact before resting them fully upon him with a grounding weight.

"I died..."

He spoke in a monotone while reaching out a hesitant hand to trace over the sharp edge of plastic that the bullet had left in its wake.

"Yes." Markus replied simply, as his hands massaged Connors shoulders "But now you're back."

The RK800 tensed at the words.

"Am I though? Back when- before I broke my programming- when I was transferred it felt like- it was like starting all over again. I didn't feel the same. I wasn't me. I shouldn't be me I'm not-"

He trailed off and focused his gaze on the middle distance. Markus hesitated before answering. Connors worries had been the same ones that he himself had been agonising over during the hours he had sat at his bedside swinging between hope, despair, and numbness. Given Connor's reaction to waking up however Markus had little doubts anymore as to whether or not the android in front of him was his Connor.

"Do you think your first reaction upon waking up would be to try and save me if you had been reset?"

Now it was Connors turn to hesitate and Markus began gently massaging where his hands rested upon his shoulders.

"I don't know, I was programmed for this sort of work so..."

Markus has never heard Connors tone sound so unconvincing and uncertain before.

"Well do you feel like yourself?"

Connor stepped back abruptly from the bed at the question, dislodging Makrus' hands in the process and swinging his own in a wide, frantic arc in front of him.

"I don't know! How am I supposed to know!?"

His breath was hitching faster and faster as he ran the question through his processors.

"Yes." He suddenly stated firmly "Wait, no." He continued with just as much certainty

"I don't know! No I'm not me. I'm 52 im- that" He pointed to the dead android on the table "Is me. My HUD says 63. I'm 63, that is 52, that is not me. But- fuck!!"

Markus raised his hands in a calming gesture and tried to get Connor to slow down but the other android continued ranting, swinging back and forth in his assessment of whether he was or was not the same Connor as before with an increasing level of panic. It wasn't until the RK800 lashed out with a kick at the bed housing his previous body that Markus interjected with more force.

"Connor! listen to me!" He raised his voice while capturing the younger android by the biceps and turning him so they could look eye to eye.

"You said before that when you came back the feelings you had developed in your previous body were erased yeah? Like being a whole new person." Connor's face began to crumple at Markus' words and he had to continue quickly before the RK800 began to spiral even faster down his rabbithole of existential dread. "No no, let me finish. I want you to stop focusing on what it was like before for a moment and tell me what it feels like now."

A beat of silence passed where Connor stared glassy-eyed at a spot just over Markus' shoulder obviously at a loss of how to follow through on examining his feelings in his current state of panic. The elder android decided to continue prompting him.

"Try not to think too much about your feelings towards yourself. What about your feelings towards others. North, Josh, Echo, Hank. Have those changed? Do they seem different? Do you still care for them?"

Connors gaze was still focused into the middle distance past Markus head, coincidentally in the direction of his stand-in bodyguard who awkwardly shifted herself a few feet to the right to avoid his staring. His brow, however, was finally beginning to arch back into its softer default position and away from the worried furrow it had been set in before.

"And...what about me? You still love me right?"

All of a sudden Connor's pensive moment was brought to an end as his focus snapped to Markus with an almost offended expression. His mouth opened a fraction with the characteristic sharp intake of breath that usually indicated that Connor was about to absolutely go off about something and Markus could already feel his own face relax into a small smile at how very Connor the reaction was.

The rant never came however as the android all at once lit up in realization with a small "Oh." Followed by a large "OH!"

Before Markus could get another word in he was all of a sudden met with an armful of RK800 squeezing him around the middle with enough force to cause his chassis to creak and he returned the embrace with just as much strength. Finally, he allowed the emotions from the past day to overflow into a sob hidden somewhere in Connor's hairline and the younger android held him even tighter as the noise reached him.

"Markus I...Markus. Of course I do, of course i still love you. Its me, I'm me. I'm sorry I just panicked. I'm still panicking but I'm me, I promise I'm me. Your're right"

Markus just held the slighter form as he continued to ramble reassurances.

"I thought I lost you. I did lose you" He choked out between shaking gasps.

"But I'm back now. I'm okay, you're okay, we're both okay"

The RK200 was pretty sure they were both crying now as their words of reassurance lapsed into quiet sniffles and the soft sound of hands sweeping over fabric as they brushed across the expanse of each other's clothing as if to confirm that yes, the other was real, and alive and safe.

Neither was sure how long had passed before their silent embrace was interrupted by an awkward cough and the words "I'll inform the other 800's of Connors status, they'll want to run tests" as the RK900 slipped quietly out of the room. Honestly Markus had forgotten she had been there, he sent her a wireless message in thanks and received nothing in return.

When left alone they deepened their embrace, savoring the moment of privacy and peace together before Connor had to undergo whatever barrage of tests the 800s had prepared for him. Their hands connected by their sides, palm to palm with glowing blue lights dancing across their fingertips, basking in each others presence and smoothing over the pain and guilt and confusion and terror of the last twenty-four hours with happiness, relief, devotion, and love.

I am alive.

You are alive.

We are alive.

-

Come tell us your own ideas! Prompts are always open

[nothing-but-dreamy]

AFTERLIFE ~ Part 1

A/N: It's a two part story. It was a bit too long for a one-shot and too short for a series... so, it's something in between. Have fun, nonetheless

Pairing: Connor x Reader

Words: 3165

Warnings: none

Summary: You are 'Amanda'. A personalized interface who works with Connor. You prepare him for his mission, listen to his mission report and you give him new orders.

There's just one thing: you're human.

Connor doesn't know that. For him, you're the person he meets in the zen garden. Even as a machine, he becomes fond of you. Connor wants to please you with fulfilling his mission. And he is successful.

The only thing CyberLife hasn’t considered in their plans was for you to act as the human you were - after everything Connor had to endure, you realize that Connor might be more than just a machine. His deactivation was the last thing you wanted. Maybe both of you have to break free.

The small boat slid through the calm water as it got more push by using the oars. You looked at the android in front of you who sat with you in the boat. There was a small change in him but the system was good at controlling it. No matter what it was, Connor stayed unaffected by it. Even if there was so much going on in Detroit, Connor stayed focused on his mission. His orders were clear. There was no room for any doubts if he wanted to stop the deviants how CyberLife wanted it. How you demanded it from him.

“If your investigation doesn’t make progress soon, I may have to replace you, Connor.”, you said serious. Connor’s reaction was under your close monitoring. The android blinked and processed the new information before he looked into your eyes. Something was blazing in them but before you could say what it was, it was gone. His system worked perfectly.

“I’m of no importance. The mission is all that matters.”, Connor said calmly.

*

Hell, how you hated it when Connor was this … machine-like. Of course, that was what he was on the paper: a machine. An android designed to accomplish a certain task. But for you he started to become more… “Why do I have to threaten him?”, you asked Jim, your supervisor, as you left the port which was your connection to the zen garden. You had left the station the moment as Connor went back to his mission.

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t understand how important this mission is.”, Jim said matter of factly and reminded you that Connor was still an android, built by CyberLife. He was their property.

“Connor knows it and does his best!”, you argued.

Jim smirked viciously while he stepped closer to you. “You humanize it. Maybe you’re not the right choice to be its interface after all. Maybe we should replace you, yn.”

“What? No!”, you said erratically.

“Then make sure that the RK800 will be successful.”, Jim demanded and turned around to leave you alone.

***

Connor had been successful no matter what your personal thoughts had been about the whole mission and its outcome. You checked some of the recordings Connor had made to know what was going on in the real world while you were in your safe office. The worst thing for you to witness was the suicide of Hank. Connor had visited his former partner to say goodbye because he was successful in finding Jericho. Next, he would search and stop the deviant leader and after that, he would go back to CyberLife to receive the next orders. Connor stood on the pavement and his system listed an extreme reaction as he heard the shot back in Hank’s house. Even the dog was whining. You winced as you watched this record. All of this wasn’t right. You also felt responsible for the man’s death...and for everything else that went wrong the last few days.

“Yn.”, Jim said and made you jump by surprise.

You turned off the display while your heart was racing against your ribcage. “Hell, Jim! That wasn’t necessary. Wait- what’s that?”, you asked as you noticed the android standing next to Jim.

Jim looked from you at the android with a proud expression like a father would watch his son. “This is the new RK900 or… Colden, what its name will be. I think the name perfectly suits its mindstrong manner. Don’t you think?”

“RK900? You… you’re going to replace Connor.”, you said low, slowly understanding what was going on.

“That’s correct.”, Jim confirmed your assumption and sounded like an android by himself.

“But Connor, it … he did everything we demanded! He was successful with his mission!”, you pointed out. Frustration was rushing through you as you realized what that meant: no matter what Connor did it wouldn’t save him from deactivation. There would be no reward after Connor was done.

“That’s true. The RK800 was the biggest success like no other model before. That’s why we built Colden. It’s based on the RK800 model but the RK900 is more resilient, more advanced and equipped with more features than the old model.”, Jim sounded like a salesman for his own product.

“But Connor, he… ”, you said meekly. The anger in your body made you speechless.

“The RK800 will be replaced by this new model and you will tell Connor our decision. You’re its interface. It’s your job.”, Jim said and left you alone with the RK900 who watched you emotionless. You walked over to it. It looked like Connor and yet, it was the complete opposite to the android you liked so much. The RK900 was slightly taller, had piercing blue eyes, darker hair and looked all in all very intimidating while Connor looked so soft and nice with his warm brown eyes and smooth hair. The RK900 stared at you unfazed while you examined it. Never in this life you would be able to build a connection to this android like you did with Connor. Something came up into your mind. You had to make a decision.

***

Connor watched you caring for the beautiful roses you had gardened whenever he met you. They were beautiful flowers and he had to admit that they were the only appropriate flower that could keep up with your own beauty. You looked delicate and strong at the same time. Your eyes were the most beautiful color he had ever seen and your lips … they had the same deep red color like the velvet patels of the rose in your hand.

For him, it was everything to meet you because in the end, you were the one he wanted to please. During this mission, there were a few things that went wrong and Connor was sure that he had seen disappointment in your eyes. That was the worst for Connor: to know that you weren’t happy with him and his progress. But now, where he had stopped the deviants and had eliminated every single threat, you had to be proud of him. Everything he had done was for you and he was more than just successful as he had accomplished his mission.

“Connor, I‘m so glad to see you.”, you said with a soft smile as you turned around to face the android. You felt sick and the only thing you wanted was to scream because of the big lies you had told him all the time. Connor watched you with his calm brown eyes. There was even a small, lovely smile on his lips which made it even worse when you thought about what would come next. “I have a surprise for you.”, you announced with sweating hands and an erratic heartbeat while you acted as if everything was perfect.

Connor watched you patiently and curious. He never had expected to get a reward. After all, he was still a machine who had just fulfilled his orders.

“This is the new RK900. It’s stronger, faster and more resilient.”, you said with your shaking hand placed on the back of the other android.

Connor tilted his head as he tried to understand what that meant. “What is going to happen to me?”, he asked.

You heard the tone in his voice. There was surprise and something else. He understood what the RK900 meant but he couldn’t grasp it. You walked slowly over to Connor who watched you curiously. You hoped he would break free, that he would finally realize what all this meant, that he would make a decision to say no to CyberLife and their cruel game but no, he just stood there and waited for your verdict.

“You’ve become obsolete. You’ll be deactivated. You can go now.”, you said softly and as calm as possible. That was so wrong and you hated yourself for every single word you said. Connor was the last who deserved any of this. Not after everything.

Without another word, Connor looked at you one last time before he turned around to leave the zen garden. There was something in his system that was new…

software instability^

The alert popped up but he couldn’t understand the cause of it or its meaning. If Connor would be a deviant or human he would have understood that it was betrayal he felt but as a machine, he had no idea what the alert wanted to tell him.

"Connor wait!", you called out.

Connor stopped and turned around. He watched you coming closer. Worry was written on your face and he asked himself what might be the reason.

You wanted to say something but you couldn’t. You released your breath, annoyed about yourself. It was a nightmare. All of it. “Y-you- hell, it's nothing.", you said defeated. You couldn’t say what you wanted because CyberLife recorded the zen garden. Whatever you would do would go straight to your supervisor.

Connor couldn’t understand what made you so...nervous but as you stayed silent, there was nothing else he could do than just to leave.

The RK900 watched after Connor. It noticed the troubles in Connor’s system. It noticed the software instability. The RK900 observed its previous model how it walked away to get deactivated. But it couldn’t totally understand why the RK800 seemed to be troubled. As an emotionless machine, deactivation wasn’t the same as dying like humans did.

You walked back frustrated. Your eyes fell on the RK900 who looked after Connor. You saw its ice cold glance glued at its ‘brother’. “And now, what? I’m sure CyberLife expects me to become your interface as well, huh?”, you asked rhetorically. You were sure the RK900 wasn’t understanding what you were talking about or that it could process properly what was going on. Sure, it was able to process the information but it was something else to understand all the meanings behind it. As the RK900 looked at you, you made a decision that was long overdue. Maybe, Connor wasn’t just the only one who had to break free.

***

As you left the port to the zen garden, you closed the program as usual. You ended all systems and turned off the lights. After you collected all your stuff and your purse, you waved goodbye to your colleagues. But instead of going left you decided to go right. Left down the hallway was the elevator that would bring you to your car. But the right way brought you to the destination you had to visit. It was friday and so, most of your colleagues were gone. But nevertheless, you were carefully sneaking through the hallway. At the end of it, there was the room you had searched for.

Androids could enter the zen garden no matter where they were but there was also a port-like room inside of CyberLife where the androids could pause while they were entering the zen garden. In Connor’s case, he stayed in this room even now because he would get deactivated. So, there was no reason for him to leave the room until someone would get him.

You slipped through the door. The room was huge but not equipped with any kind of furniture. There was no need to make it comfortable for androids. Now, where you had made your decision it was repulsive to be in this room with the knowledge what some of the androids in this room were going to face soon. Like Connor.

Your eyes fell on the android with the grey jacket who stood in a corner with closed eyes. He was in standby mode, just waiting patiently. “Connor! Connor, wake up!”, you whispered urgently while you shook his shoulder. The light of the blue LED increased its speed, the sign that the system woke up.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at you, his eyebrows raised questioningly. “Yn? What’s the matter? Why are you here?”, he asked. Connor never had met you outside of the zen garden and now, he was confused to see you in front of him in this sterile, white room. For him, you belonged into the beautiful garden.

“We have not much time. You have to come with me.”, you whispered, grabbing his arm to pull him after you but you stumbled back as Connor stayed motionless on the spot. “Connor, please.”, you begged.

“Why? What is going on?”, he asked confused. His face frozen in a puzzled expression.

“What is going on?! Connor, you’re going to be deactivated! We have to get you out of here!”, you said urgently. A movement on the hallway caught your attention but it was just someone walking by. It was just a matter of time until someone would enter this room. You turned back to Connor who still watched you. Since when was this android so hard of understanding? “Listen, Connor, I know I said you would be obsolete but I … I had to say that, okay? But I don’t want you to be deactivated.”

“Why not?”, Connor asked confused and tilted his head to the side.

You groaned. It was frustrating. Connor was adorable and driving you crazy at the same time. “Because I like you, okay? You’re not just some android. That CyberLife wants to destroy you isn’t fair after everything you had done for them.”

“But I hadn’t done it for them. I did it for you, yn. You gave me the orders.”, Connor said matter of factly.

You closed your eyes to calm your nerves but then, you had an idea. “That’s right! You did it for me. And now, I ask you to do something else for me, Connor. Now, you have to come with me.” Much to your relief, Connor followed your ‘order’. Yes, you had to trick him but in the end, if it would be the only way he would follow you, then you would use all the tricks you could find to get him out of this building. In the end, to get Connor following you was the easy part of your plan. To get Connor through the building and into your car was the thing that worried you the most.

Connor noticed your nervousness. Your heart rate increased and you started to gnaw on your lower lip, something you never had done before in front of him. “You’re nervous, yn.”, he stated as you stopped at a corner to look down the next hallway which led to the elevator.

You turned around, “Of course, I’m nervous! We have to get out of here unseen. Otherwise, I’m not sure if I can get you free. Please, Connor, can you work with me here? It would be easier if you start to feel something!”

“To feel? What shall I feel? I’m a machine.”, Connor argued.

You bit down on your lower lip. Now, it was biting you back that you had trained him so well to be a machine. “Then stop being a machine, god damnit! I know you can turn-”, you stopped as someone walked into your direction. You grabbed Connor’s hand to pull him after you into an empty office. The lights were out and the workers were gone already. You closed the door at the same moment the person passed you. With a racing heart, you leant against the closed door. With slow and regular breathing you tried to slow down your pulse.

Connor watched you. You still held his hand in yours. Your warm skin against his shot something through his system.

software instability^

He felt something. The former signal popped up but he couldn’t completely understand what the reaction meant.

You looked up to the android in front of you. He just stood there looking at you dressed with his grey uniform and his LED spinning in a calming blue. Suddenly, it striked you: the clothes! Dressed like this, he was noticeable for everyone. “We have to get you other clothes.”

“Other clothes? I don’t see why-”, Connor started confused.

It was the moment where you lost your patience. You stepped in front of Connor to cup his face with your hands to get his full attention. “If I don’t get you out of here, you will be dead. You get it? You will die and that’s not what I want for you, okay? Yes, I gave you all the orders for your mission but just because CyberLife demanded it from me. I… I guess, I’m like you… a machine which was taking orders. But we will change that! I will get you out of here so you won’t die.”, you said meaningfully.

software instability^

Connor watched you curiously. There were so many impressions he had to deal with at the same time. Your small hands on his cheeks, your desperate voice and the way how concerned you looked at him. Slowly, he started to understand. “You… you want to save me. You fear for my life.”

“Yes! That is what I told you before. So, can you please work with me?”, you asked but before Connor could answer, your eyes fell on something hanging on the back of a chair. It was a black jacket and a black hoodie. You went over to the things and picked them up. They were big enough that they would fit Connor. “Undress your jacket and shirt to change into this.”, you said and gave Connor the clothes. Without another question, he obeyed and did what you said. As he started to unbutton his white suit shirt, you turned around to look somewhere else. Otherwise, you feared Connor would notice your reddening cheeks.

software instability^

But Connor had seen it because you hadn’t been fast enough to turn around. As he looked at you, he noticed the glance in your eyes. Something was blazing he couldn’t grasp and as you turned away, the impression was gone. But the blushing of your cheeks made you look even more beautiful.

A few minutes later, you turned back to him with a smile on your lips that had an effect on his system. “You look good.”, you said appreciatively. In fact, the casual look was making him even more handsome. Just the blue LED let you frown. “Maybe you should get rid of this, as well.”, you said and pointed at the LED.

Connor took a pair of scissors, walked over to a mirror and removed the LED carefully. Through the mirror, he saw your surprised and concerned expression. The LED was falling on the ground and Connor watched how the spot covered itself with the synthetic skin. Only then, he turned around back to you.

With slow moves, you walked over to Connor who watched every single step of you closely. Carefully, you took the hood of the sweatshirt to don it over Connor’s hair. “You look very manlike. Now, we will go to my car. Behave as human as you can.”, you instructed softly and Connor nodded. Once again, he wanted to make you proud.

software instability^

[mrsyrobot]

CANNOR X READER - If you fight with him

Cannor

why would you fight him?

Usually you don't argue because he is always calm but he can't control because emotions are new

"I told you y/n this is my mission!"

So he might yell at you he might get angry but he would never hit you

often you fight because he's jealous he's very protective

"The person you spoke to is unfamiliar according to my scans and has a criminal record. Why did you talk to him y/n ?"

You worry about his safety, this floating you get mad at him often

I can't believe you're so careless, don't you always think of yourself like that Y/N?

When the two of you argue, everybody walks around because your two quarrels are terrible even hank won't talk to Cannor

"Look guys it's so rare RK800 and Y / N fight"

Even if you push it it won't hurt you just wait for you to calm down in a fight then go out to leave you alone

"Let's talk tomorrow y/n good night now"

If you don't turn on their phones when you fight, this time it will be sad

Dumbass:

Why don't you check my calls?

Babby girl:

Cause we fought stupid

Dumbass:

So you still angry y / n?

Babby girl:

Of course !

Dumbass:

Oh..So I'm coming to your house ... I have to forgive myself, this is my new mission

Don't let others hurt you when you are offended

"Get away from her or it will be bad for you"

It won't take long for you to reconcile because it makes you to forgive him by walking around

If you are wrong, you will go and apologize to him, the room will smile and wrap his arms to you.

"don't worry I forgive you but ... maybe ... it would be better if you kiss me babe "

Asks hank a lot of ways to apologize

There will be flowers or chocolate at your door in the morning, or will stand in front of your house in the evening and wait for you

If you are offended despite everything, it will show that you are broken

"It hurts me so much for you to do this, Y / N"

the puppy will look at you with his eyes and tilt his head to the side and ask,

"Then I can kiss you now, right?"

[doesitsparkjoytho]

Old Dog, New Tricks

Words: 2100 POV: Hank A short piece exploring the events leading up to and just post-epilogue (good ending). Fluff/feels. This can be interpreted however you like. (You can also read on AO3)

...something about the bright blue thirium against the snow—hell, it fucking glowed in the dark…. He’d barely driven two blocks before he had to swerve to a curb and open his door to puke.

“Are you alright, Lieutenant?”

Hank really looks at the android now, and is pained to see the bullet hole, the blue blood now dried along his shoulder, spattered like neon paint along the front and sides of his usually neat jacket. Connor is filthy, his hair is a mess, his clothes are frayed and torn in places. It’s a miracle he’s alive.

Alive...

Connor follows Hank into the kitchen, and his eyes quickly scan the counters, table—likely analyzing what’s changed since he was last here. Hank looks at him, slightly abashed. The last time Connor was here, he wasn't exactly concerned about the state of his house. He'd barely been aware that Connor was even in his house, let alone been concerned about how he'd gotten in (the window was still broken, and Connor's request to Cyberlife to reimburse the expense would likely never be processed now).

"Do you eat?" Hank asks. It sounds stupid as he asks it, but it feels good to ask regardless. And honestly HANK is hungry. But even without opening the fridge, he realizes he has next to nothing edible, except perhaps to android standards. With all his favorite fast food places almost certainly closed, he isn't sure what he’ll do.

"I can eat, but I have no need or desire to,” Connor replies. He looks perplexed, but doesn't say more.

Hank smirks. "Can you cook?" It’s funny imagining Connor, who he's seen so often licking blue goo from floors and sprinting after deviants, cooking.

Connor's face scrunches slightly. "I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it." Now he smirks. "If you're that desperate, I'm sure Sumo won't mind if a few of his cans go missing. It's probably preferable to whatever I'd manage."

"Haha, very funny, Connor. But unlike you, I do actually need to eat. Eventually." He trails off on this last word.

It's then that Hank realizes how fucking tired he is. What time is it, anyways? 10:27am. The past 24 hours feel like a fever dream. He also hasn't slept since.... When the fuck did he last sleep?

After he and Connor split ways at Cyberlife tower, he went to the park and tried to calm his nerves. However, for the first time in a long time, he found himself unable to drink even a beer—felt he might be needed, and that he’d have to be ready. Sharp. And that thought made him even more anxious, more agitated.

So he got back in his car and drove around the city, trying to find somewhere with a TV. His phone was a useless brick with communications shut down nationwide several days prior. The streets were deserted, stores and bars closed. Not even looters wanted to chance encounters with deviants, apparently.

He did pass several groups of soldiers and androids, and he felt sick when he inevitably imagined Connor kneeling in the snow, a machine gun pressed to the back of his head. At one point he witnessed such an execution, and something about the bright blue thirium against the snow—hell, it fucking glowed in the dark…. He’d barely driven two blocks before he had to swerve to a curb and open his door to puke.

“Are you alright, Lieutenant?”

Hank really looks at the android now, and is pained to see the bullet hole, the blue blood now dried along his shoulder, spattered like neon paint along the front and sides of his usually neat jacket. Connor is filthy, his hair is a mess, his clothes are frayed and torn in places. It’s a miracle he’s alive.

Alive.

Hank smiles and leans back against the counter, crossing his arms. "So what now?"

Connor looks tired, if that's possible. He inhales sharply and looks away. It’s such a human trait, looking away to think. As if staring while your brain is churning isn’t polite.

His eyes dart back to Hank, worried. “I don’t know. For the first time, I don’t have a mission. That…‘voice’ in my head is quiet.”

“That’s how humans feel all the time, Connor. We have no idea what the fuck we’re supposed to do. But finding that purpose? That’s what makes us human. That’s free will, Connor.”

You gave me a purpose again.

One side of Connor’s mouth pulls into that familiar smile, as if he can read Hank’s thoughts.

“Well, for a start, why don’t you go clean yourself up?” Hank suggests. “You look like you got shot.”

Connor peers down at the hole in his shoulder, taking in his disheveled appearance. “You’re right—I’m a mess.”

“I have some clothes that might fit you, from when I was uh….younger.”

“I suppose mine aren’t really suitable any more,” Connor replies. Without hesitation or ceremony, he removes his jacket. But he holds it gently, folds it so that the “RK800” and serial number in iridescent silver faces up. Stares a moment.

Getting sentimental, Connor?

Before, Hank would have said this aloud, jokingly. He wonders what Connor feels, about to relinquish one of the few things he has, one of the only things that has ever identified him.

You’re more than a number now. You don’t belong to Cyberlife.

Connor looks at Hank and holds his jacket out to him. “Will you put this somewhere for safekeeping?”

Hank smiles. “Sure.”

With that, Connor starts towards the bathroom. But he stops. “You wouldn’t happen to have a soldering iron, would you?”

Before Hank can ask ‘what the fuck’, Connor adds, “for my shoulder.”

“Ah, shit. No. Is that how you normally fix yourself?”

“No. Normally I’d return to Cyberlife and have them repair me.”

“It doesn’t...hurt, though, right? You’re fully functional and all?”

Connor smiles. “I’m alright, Lieutenant. I suppose I wanted to fix it more for your sake, so you’ll stop looking worried.”

Hank scratches the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. Before either of them can say anything more, Connor continues down the hallway.

Hank follows, heading into his bedroom as Connor turns into the bathroom. He opens the closet and reaches for the far right side. He has some old t-shirts, a couple button-ups, even a black suit jacket. He hasn’t worn it since…. But he grabs it anyway, thinking that perhaps Connor may still prefer to wear a jacket. Hell, Connor probably doesn’t even know what he prefers at this point, but at least he’ll have options. More than anyone’s ever given him. He grabs a pair of old jeans, too. He even considers a tie, but decides it’s time for Connor to loosen up a little.

He heads to the bathroom, and finds Connor standing before the sink, staring at his reflection. He hasn’t started to clean himself up.

“I, uh, found a few things,” Hank says from the doorway.

Connor turns slightly, and Hank approaches. He offers the clothes, and Connor takes them.

“You need anything else?”

“Just this,” Connor replies. He takes up Hank’s barber style razor, and holds it at chin level.

Hank starts forward, fear punching him in the gut.

But in a flash, Connor has the edge of the razor against his temple. It’s then that Hank realizes he’s going to remove the LED.

Connor looks at Hank in the mirror, and Hank nods.

With a flick of the razor the LED drops, and Connor catches it with his left hand. The spot on his temple quickly recolors, leaving no trace. He pinches the disc between his fingers, looks at it a moment, and then drops it into the trash.

Connor turns to Hank and smiles.

Such a simple thing, the LED. But standing there before him, without that or the jacket—he looks human. If he hadn’t seen the flash of white beneath the skin, Hank would briefly wonder if it was all a show. He’s seen cops go undercover so well and for so long that he barely recognized them without the cover.

As Connor picks up the shirts to examine them, Hank turns to leave. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Hank grunts a “mmm” in response and pulls the door mostly shut.

Suddenly his house feels foreign, like when you return from a long vacation and everything smells different.

Overwhelmed, he sinks heavily into the couch.

Will Connor stay with him? He’ll offer, of course. He can use the couch, or I could convert the garage…. Wait, he doesn’t even sleep, does he? Well, he needs somewhere to be, or else he’ll just be....here, all the time.

But what if Connor decides to live with the androids? Will he leave Detroit?

Fuck, what will he do? He’ll never return to DPD, not after attacking Perkins, letting Connor into the evidence room. He’d tossed his badge and gun on Fowler’s desk to avoid being arrested—although he won’t be surprised if Perkins decides to press charges, tries to get him thrown in jail for assaulting a federal agent. What’s the minimum sentence for that? Six months? A year?

Not worth worrying about now.

Seeing Hank on the couch, Sumo raises his head.

“C’mere, Sumo.”

Sumo slowly gets up from his bed and pads his way over. Hank pats the couch, and Sumo jumps up to lie down next to him. He places his head on his leg.

“That’s a good boy, Sumo.” Hank scratches his head, gives him a solid pat on the back.

Without androids doing pretty much all of the labor, he imagines the country will be in chaos shortly. Stores will be ransacked, people desperate for supplies. Terrified of androids, who will all soon be aware—alive—will humans flee the cities? Surely some androids will be angry, seek justice for years of slavery and abuse. Will Detroit become a capital for the androids?

His thoughts are interrupted by Connor approaching from the hall. Before he can turn to look at him, the android steps around to the front of the couch. He’s wearing the old Knights of the Black Death t-shirt, once black but now a faded dark gray. He’s rinsed his hair and apparently tried to towel dry it because he looks a little like a cockatoo. Gone is the dirt and the blue blood. He’s kept the rest of his outfit the same, but he looks like a kid in his 30s now.

Kid, Hank? You old fuck.

But something about seeing Connor like this fills him with hope. Hope for the world, but most importantly, for himself. He feels alive for the first time in three years. There’s plenty to worry about, sure, but it all seems distant.

“I put the other clothes on your bed,” says Connor. He holds up his white shirt, stained with blue. “I’d like to keep this, if we can get the stains out.”

“Just toss it in with my stuff.”

Connor looks around.

“Shit, sorry—the washer’s in the garage, the door at the end of the hall.”

“Ah.”

“Here, just put it down. I’ll wash it later.”

Connor sets the folded shirt on the arm of the couch, and looks at Hank. His expression softens. “I haven’t thanked you for what you did,” he says. “Not just at the station, but back with the other Connor. It—he—would have killed me.”

Hank grimaces. “It’s my own damn fault he was even there, Connor. I should have realized it wasn’t you.”

“I doubt you could have. At any rate, thank you, Hank. For everything."

Is that the first time he’s ever called him by his name?

Hank smiles. “You’re welcome. You’re also welcome to stay here, Connor, for however long you want to. I, uh...wouldn’t mind some company. I’m sure Sumo wouldn’t, either.”

Connor looks at Hank, smiling that half smile of his.

Hank doesn’t have a word for what Connor is to him, but he knows that he loves him. And he hopes that he’ll stay, at least for a while.

“I’d like that,” Connor replies.

Hank smiles. “First rule of living here, Connor: If Sumo is lying on you, you don’t have to move.”

“I think that’s a fair rule. Can I get you something?”

“No, no. At some point I’ll have to go out scavenging for lunch, but right now, I just want to sit here.”

His eyes feel heavy, as heavy as Sumo’s head on his leg. The house is quiet, snow gently falling outside.

He feels the couch sink slightly as Connor sits beside Sumo, and he opens an eye to see the android curling up like a cat at the other end of the couch, laying his head on Sumo.

Tears sting Hank’s eyes, and he shuts them tighter to keep them at bay. But his heart is full to bursting, and soon he’s quietly sobbing.

He would risk his life again for Connor, and again, and whatever number of times circumstances demanded. He would gladly go to jail for his role in the android revolution because Connor is free. Alive. Whatever price fate might demand of him, he’ll pay it. Because for the first time since he can remember, he’s whole.

[scarofthewind]

Just A Kiss > DBH Preference 3

A/N: I love these men, even though they aren’t real :(  Pairing: Detroit: Become Human (the boys) x Reader Warnings: Might get a little spicy, fluff Prompt: Kissing

CONNOR (RK800): The date went beautifully according to Connor who was walking you home. The moon lit the sidewalk up as the street lamps casted long shadows on the cement. His brown eyes never left your face as you discussed how much you had enjoyed your time. His mind reeled with what to do as he recalled Hank telling him how to make his move in a not-so-rough way. 

Connor could see your house coming up and he felt the anxiety rise in him faster than he could walk. You noticed this but kept it to yourself. Having been dating for a few months, you thought about kissing him multiple times. However, you wanted him to understand what it meant and how you truly felt. You also wanted him to make the first move but you had no clue he was going to get this worked up over it. 

So, you stopped on your porch and turned to face him, catching him off guard. “I enjoyed tonight, Connor. I think you are getting the hang of being with another person romantically. 

Connor smiled bashfully and nodded, his eyes staring straight into yours. “I am. I like you very much, (F/N).” You stared at him, blushing before you grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him into a kiss. Connor made a sound of surprise but went along with it, pulling you loser by your waist and cupping your cheek in his hand, deepening the kiss. 

You lasted a few moments like this, lips only parting to take soft breaths of air. You couldn’t fathom how much joy you felt being with Connor. The sound of a car passing by caused Connor to pull away, placing the back of his hand over his mouth and clearing his throat. His eyes met yours and you both laughed to yourselves. “Goodnight, (F/N).” Connor smiled and you kissed him one more time. 

“Goodnight, Connor.” You thought you saw Connor blush as you opened the door and went inside. 

HANK:  He hated himself for being nervous, but he was just about shaking. You sat next to him at the bar, this date was something you two did every Friday night. Hank was determined to kiss you tonight, if it was the last thing he did. 

“You’re fidgeting.” You noted, downing your shot and looking at the cop next to you. “What’s on your mind?” You asked, turning to face him fully. 

Hank waved off the topic, taking a sip from his drink before coming clean. “I want to kiss you.” HIs voice wavered as he finished the rest of his drink. 

“You don’t have to rush, Hank.” You eased him, placing one of your hands in his. “We can take things slow.”

“If I take them too slow, I might have time to mess something up. I don’t want to mess this up.” He said, putting some money down and taking your hand, pulling you from your seat. The air was cold as you stepped outside the noisy bar, Hank pulled you close. 

“I want to make sure you are comfortable with this relationship. You’ve had it hard and I can understand if you don’t want to get into something serious yet.” You told him as you walked along the sidewalk. There was a build up of snow on some objects and you could see your breath in the air. 

Hank shook his head, “I am one-hundred percent sure that it’s fine.” He stopped you and pulled you flush against him. “I’m serious about you.” He said gently and you smiled. 

“I’m glad.” You commented, letting him place a longing kiss upon your lips. You knew some things were going to be hard for him to get used to again and you were happy that he was finally able to kiss you. 

MARKUS: He watched quietly as you painted, his hands stopping their own movements against his canvas. Carl had invited you over and then promptly left, leaving you alone with the android, whom Carl refused to take with him. 

“You’re talented.” Markus said, his eyes catching yours. 

“Carl taught me most of what I know. You are doing well too.” Your eyes scanned over his piece and you felt a surge of sadness. “Is everything okay?”

Markus stared at you for a moment, “I am afraid that I am starting to think differently. Not in the way I am programmed.” 

You felt your heart quicken and you made sure the door was shut before talking, “Deviant? Does Carl know?”

“Yes. He intends to keep it secret. He thinks of me as the son he never had so he wants to keep me close.” Markus looked back to the painting and then back at you. 

“I first felt it with you. My emotions change when I’m around you.” You blushed at him comment and watched as he stood up and walked closer to you. He placed a hand on your cheek and moved close, pressing his lips to yours. 

The sound of your paintbrush hitting the floor was the only thing that echoed in the room. It only took a moment but it felt like a lifetime before he pulled away. “Did Carl tell you to do that?” You asked, standing perfectly still. 

Markus shook his head, “I saw it on T.V. Was it not pleasant?” He asked and you blushed. 

“No it was good. Great.” Markus smiled to himself. 

“Can I do it again?” You didn’t have to say a thing, only nod as he brought you close once more. 

GAVIN: He chuckled to himself as his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you against him. “Hey doll face. Miss me?” He pressed kisses to your neck and you sighed. 

“As if.” You smiled to yourself, “What do you have planned for us tonight?” You asked, walking out of the station and to the buses. 

“I thought we could go back to my place, open a bottle of alcohol that I enjoy because you pick gross stuff-”

“Rude.” You commented. 

“Maybe watch a movie and then...fuck until morning.” He smirked as you whacked him, getting on the bus and going to the back. “What?” He teased, sitting next to you, his hands touching anything they could. 

“Gavin Reed.” You gave him a warning glare and he grinned. “I love you.”

“I know.” He chuckled as you rolled your eyes. He placed a finger under your chin and turned it towards him. “Let me look at you.” Gavin’s eyes searched your face a moment before he kissed you softly. It turned into something wild within a second and you had to shove him away and cover your mouth. 

“Gavin I swear-”

He threw his hands up, “It was just a kiss.” You blushed as you fixed yourself in your seat and he slung an arm around you, pulling you close. “It’s not my fault you get wet from a kiss.”

You smacked him.

NINES (RK900): His thumb traced over your bottom lip as he pulled you into his lap as he sat on the couch. Your hands went around his neck and he pressed his lips to yours. 

You watched as his light turned red, circling faster than he could process. He parted from your mouth, “What is this?” He asked, his chest heaving. 

“Nines-”

“Why do I feel like this, (F/N)?” He snapped, his eyes finally meeting yours. He was scared of something he didn’t know. 

You cupped his face in your hands, “You are becoming a deviant; you are breaking through the wall that has been holding you back.” His blue eyes stared into yours and he nodded. 

“I don’t want to be held back from you. Not anymore.” His lips met yours heatedly and you kissed back with just as much passion. HIs hands gripped your thighs tightly as his mind struggled with the box he was trapped in. 

“You can do it Nines, just look at me and focus.” His eyes never left yours and he did just that. He pushed against the glass in his mind that was pushing back everything he wanted. 

You held back a hiss as his hands tightened around your waist, surely leaving bruises for tomorrow. You pressed your mouth against his again, brushing back his hair and easing the pain you knew his mind was going through. His lips moved against yours with fire and his teeth nipped against your bottom lip. He practically shook as he finally broke the wall in his mind, a gasp leaving his mouth. You smiled as he let his hands roam, taking you in for himself at last. 

[fandom-necromancer]

You are safe with me

This was prompted by an awesome anon! I hope you enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (Warnings: Description of violence, evil Sixty, panic attack)

‘Eli’, Gavin whispered, trying to keep his voice down. ‘Eli!’, he tried again with a bit more urgency and was rewarded by a low groan. Gavin could hear the pain in his voice but was relieved the man had woken up at all. Once again, Gavin futilely tried to rub his blindfold off with his shoulder. He had only just started warming up to his brother again, but damn, he wanted nothing more than see the bastard and make sure he was okay. ‘Are you alright?’, he asked. ‘I’m fine’, Elijah slurred through gritted teeth. ‘A few more bruises and breathing hurts. You?’ ‘I’m alright’, Gavin sighed. He was, in fact, not. Elijah was who they wanted. The genius inventor with billions on his bank account and influence all over the world. Gavin was just someone they accidentally had to take with them because he had visited Eli over the weekend. Figuring they could use him as a bargaining chip to make his brother spill whatever they wanted from him, he hadn’t been treated as lightly.

He was hurting all over. Being beaten up and cut to make him scream over and over again, so Elijah would cave in, hadn’t passed him without a trace. He hadn’t lost enough blood to be light headed, but half his face was swollen, he couldn’t find a position his body wasn’t hurting in when he laid down and from his past hospital visits from his work, he knew there were several bones that were broken or at least sprained.

They had been taken by masked figures and since then Elijah had worn a blindfold. Gavin was only blinded when he was brought back to his brother. During his sessions in the next room, he was allowed to see his opponent and it made his stomach turn. It was Connor. Or at least a Connor. Gavin refused to believe the puppy-eyed nerd that constantly swarmed Hank was capable of such things. The Connor that had introduced itself as Sixty was far too cold anyway. Gavin could see it had some sort of sadistic fun hurting him. And the more the damn machine smiled at him, Gavin struggled. Even if they tied him down and took everything that could be used as a weapon from him, he still had his voice. They needed his voice so Eli would hear it next door. And Gavin used it to spit every expletive known to man in Sixty’s face.

But he could feel how he grew weaker. This had been going on for far too long already. There was only so much pain a human could withstand and still fight. With every passing day, desperation sat in. Gavin’s only hope was that the DPD would find them. Kidnapping Gavin was a bad idea when his partner and love was the best android ever built. But he hadn’t found them yet. And if Nines hadn’t managed to find a trace yet, how likely was it he would find one any time soon?

He was his only hope by now, because he knew he would never stop searching for him. But that hope was dwindling as Gavin tried his best not to think about him too much. He was already dreaming of Sixty hurting him over and over again when he found a few hours of sleep. It was far too easy for these eyes to turn blue, for his face to turn up and for their surroundings to change to their living room. Nothing was worse than waking up from sleep after the love of his life had just mutilated him in his dream and being dragged off by his Doppelganger immediately afterwards.

Sometimes, when Sixty decided to phck him up worse than normally, Gavin thought to see Nines. Reality and dream had merged and panic overshadowed anger. He didn’t bother to hide it: He was afraid. He was so damn scared Elijah would give them what they wanted, and they would just kill him off. He was so scared they would never be rescued. He groaned, as he rolled over, trying to locate Eli and make sure the man didn’t lie to him in the same way he did to him. Because what he feared even more than himself dying in this hellhole was Elijah meeting his demise.

He had finally wormed his way over to his brother as the door opened and they both froze. Gavin felt familiar arms hugging him from behind to lift him up and felt like throwing up as they were almost careful. He was carried out of the room and laid on the table. Only then the blindfold was lifted, and the man froze in panic as his stressed-out brain tried to make sense of what he saw.

It was the first time he begged for Nines to stop.

-

‘Everyone in position?’ Nines waited at the north entrance to the abandoned machine hall – a relict from the days Detroit was still the world’s automotive capital. He was wearing a borrowed Jacket from Connor and had changed his eye colour to brown to infiltrate the building. He had worked night and day to find the people that had taken his love away from him and with help of nearly the whole department found out who had kidnapped the Kamskis. Sixty, the wretched third brother that had nearly stopped the revolution and killed Connor, was still loyal to Amanda and taken Elijah in her name. He wanted to force him to develop a virus that would un-deviate every last android in the world and follow Amanda’s orders. With that information Nines quickly found a place that had sufficient space and power supply to house an AI and checking the energy draw it was a surprise they had managed to stay hidden for so long in the first place.

Nines didn’t want to think what they had done to Gavin. They didn’t exactly need him and likely used him to pressure Mr. Kamski into compliance. But that would end today. He heard the others confirm their positions just outside the different rooms, entrance routes secured for a quick access. ‘Alright. Going in.’

He walked calmly down the hallway and feigned a confidence only Sixty could display. If they had hired goons for protection, Nines doubted they knew Sixty well enough to distinguish him from a near identical model. And if not, then it would just come down to a match between him and an inferior machine. Nines was prepared. Months of despair, pent-up stress and fear could create a dangerous cocktail of fury and the RK900 was determined to let Sixty feel it before deactivating him for good.

Walking deeper into the complex he never saw another face and decided to give the clear for the rest of his team to enter and scout for themselves. He watched out for any sign someone had been here lately, climbing through debris and balancing over beams where the floor had collapsed. But it were his hears that picked something up in the end and it made his pump stop at least two full beats: The bloodcurdling screams coming from the end of the hallway were so far from everything Nines had ever heard this voice produce, but still mistakenly Gavin. He started running, regardless of whether the integrity of the floor allowed it or not. He slid to a halt at the door, pieces of drop ceiling on the floor spun to the side after centuries of decay. With one distinguished movement, Nines ripped the door open, the lock falling to the floor from the sheer force. He could only see the table with Gavin strapped onto it and a person bowed over him, then he was already next to them and punched Sixty square in the face. The impact sent him crashing against the next wall.

The time Nines needed to follow gave the other android the chance to look up at him and ask: ‘Connor?’ Nines dismissed the masking protocol and fixed the RK800 out of his own, blue eyes. ‘Guess again’, he ordered cold enough to let hell freeze over and took Sixty by the throat to punch him against the wall repeatedly. ‘My name is Nines. You kidnapped and tortured someone who is very dear to me.’ ‘Kamski?’ ‘No. His brother.’ ‘Reed? What, someone actually likes the asshole?’

Nines screamed at him and send him to the floor, pressing Sixty down with his weight alone. ‘I love him. You weren’t successful the first time and you missed your second chance, Sixty. Now you die.’ Those were the last words the RK800 would hear, as Nines broke Sixty’s artificial neck before unholstering his gun to shoot him a few times for good measure.

He looked down on the deactivated android with content until his attention shifted to the laboured breathing audible in the room. Immediately he was on his feet and on top of Gavin to open the restraints and take him in his arms. Gavin was alive. Gavin was hurt, but alive. Gavin was back by his side. They would go home and- no, they would go to a hospital first, but they would go home eventually and then-

‘No, no, no, no-‘ The panicked whisper, nothing more than air leaving his lungs, came from somewhere at his chest, where Gavin’s face had been smothered against him. ‘No, this can’t be. Not this dream again, please-‘ weak arms pressed against him and Nines knew Gavin well enough to let him go immediately, only helping him to lay back down. The human’s eyes were wide in fear and panic and Nines instinctively took a step back. ‘Please, no, not you Nines, no, I beg you. You would never do this. Make it end, make it end!’

‘Gavin, it’s me. It’s me. I came to get you out of here. You are safe now.’ But the man wouldn’t listen. ‘You say that, but you will just hurt me again. This is my phcked-up brain again. Stay away from me!’ ‘I- I will’, Nines said despite wanting nothing more than holding him close and carry him out to never let go again. ‘I will stay right here; I won’t do anything. I don’t know what they did to you, but this is me. The DPD is just outside waiting to shut down Amanda for good and get you to a hospital.’ He finally shrugged out of Connor’s jacket, thinking it might be the uniform. But otherwise he didn’t move, hoping Gavin would come to his senses. But everything his scans returned him was showing him he was experiencing a panic attack. He had to keep calm. For Gavin’s sake. ‘Gavin, please, try to breathe. Try to focus. Try to breathe deeper. It is over. Sixty is dead. I will get you and my brother out of here.’ ‘What are you asshole playing?’, Gavin asked, tears flowing down his cheeks. ‘Just get on with it already you mad phcker! Cut me open like you always do! What are you waiting for?’ ‘For you to calm down, Gavin. I unshackled you. And look: I will sit down here now.’ He took more steps back until he hit the wall and sat into the dust. ‘I won’t stand up until you tell me to. Please try to calm down, to breathe and to relax. I won’t do you any harm.’

Gavin eyed him sceptically, but his breathing had indeed become more regular. Nines relaxed a bit, staring at his human, who was just sitting there wounded and sore, bleeding from cuts and his face swollen. He wanted to caress where he could and warm him, wanted to make it better. But anything he would do now would only make it worse. ‘I’m not dreaming?’, Gavin asked. ‘You never did that in a dream before.’ ‘You are not. I’m really here and we can go home whenever you are ready.’ ‘Home…’, Gavin still watched him, but his eyes looked distant. ‘I… Is it really over?’ ‘Yes.’ Gavin blinked and looked down on his feet, swaying to the side and righting himself again. ‘Sixty is dead?’ ‘He is.’ ‘Nines, I think I’m losing consciousness…’

Nines was on his feet the moment he said it and ran to his side, holding him gently and this time Gavin didn’t freak out like before. He did tense and looked like he was ready to bolt the moment Nines moved the wrong muscle, but otherwise sought the closeness. Nines did nothing but supporting him, until Gavin leaned against his chest and hugged his side. He inhaled through his nose and smiled. ‘It’s really you’, he murmured, before resting his head against him. ‘Get me out of here, Nines.’ ‘I will, Gavin. You are safe with me.’

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Sunshine After Rain-- Connor (RK800) x Reader (Part 2)

Summary; After the death of your little brother, Cole, your dad hated androids. He blamed them for Cole's death. Hank couldn't stand to be around them. How the hell are you supposed to tell him that your soulmate is an android?

Warnings; swearing, terrible writing

Word Count; 3.2k

Notes;

Part One

Your mind felt heavy. How could your soulmate possibly be an android? There was no way you could tell Hank, not at the moment, at least. You glanced over at him. He was sitting at his desk, pouting over whatever Fowler just told him. You knocked on the captain's office door. Fowler looked up from his paperwork and motioned for you to enter. "I gotta get some air. I'll be back at some point this afternoon." You started to leave, but he called you back in.

"Actually, I'm gonna need you to stick around. An AX400 attacked its owner and kidnapped the guy's daughter. It was spotted down in the Raven Dale district." He reached into a bin and pulled out a sealed bag containing a pink sweater. "I want you to go down there with Hank and Connor to help them track down the kid. Her dad brought this by this morning." You carefully took the bag and examined it. "You'll be able to get some air in the Raven Dale district, right?" You sighed, nodding.

As you walked out of Fowler's office, you saw Hank shove Connor against a wall. Hank yelled at Connor to stop pissing him off. Another officer politely got Hank's attention back to the case at hand. "Hey, dad, Fowler wants me to tag along to see if I can help track the kid down." You called out, catching up to his retreating form.

"Good, I'll have someone to help me keep that plastic bastard in check." You rolled your eyes.

"I'm sure he's not that bad." Hank shot you a disgusted look.

"You've obviously hardly been around the thing. It's fucking annoying."

To save time, the three of you rode together in Hank's car. No one said a word. Awkward silence reigned until Hank started blasting heavy metal. Every once in a while, you would accidentally make eye contact with Connor in the rearview mirror, but you would both quickly look away. You tried to keep you attention on your dog and the case, but your mind kept roaming to the incident with Connor. Sure, he was pretty handsome, but how would a relationship with an android even work? You shook your head in an attempt to clear all the thoughts that were cluttering your mind.

As soon as the car stopped, you clamored out. Hank raised a brow at you but didn't say anything. He walked over to another officer, and the two started questioning the nearby witness. You attached the leash to your dog's collar and led it out of the car. A hand wrapped around your arm, and color exploded before your eyes. You gasped, turning to face Connor. "I do not understand what is happening every time we make contact. My programing is unable to process the circumstances. I feel it is best to remind you, (y/n), that I am an android. I am not a living being capable of having a soulmate." You pulled away from his grip.

"I never said you were," you retorted. Connor nodded.

"I am glad we can agree on that." You rolled your eyes and snatched the evidence bag from the car. Hank walked over to the two of you. He and Connor started talking about deviants having emotions. You opened the bag and carefully pulled out a corner of the soft fabric, holding it out to your dog's direction. It sniffed the sweater before turning its nose to the air.

"It's been raining a lot. Hopefully we can still track it down." Hank crossed his arms, watching the dog sniff around. The dog barked, leading you across the street. You pushed open a gate, allowing your dog to investigate a broken down car. It then made its way to a hole in a chainlink fence separating the lot from an abandoned house. The dog barked again, pawing at the fence. "We got a lead!" You called out. You got down on your knees and crawled through the hole. Moments later, Connor was following suit.

Hank and the other officers used bolt cutters to remove the lock on the front gate. Your dog tugged on its leash, trying to go towards the house. You looked at Connor and nodded. He went in front of you and knocked on the door. "Anybody home?" He shouted. The two of your waited a moment. You could hear shuffling inside. Connor swung the door open and marched inside. You stood in the doorway. Your eyes scanned the area, and your hand hovered over the pistol in your belt. Connor approached the damaged android that was sitting at a table in the middle of the room. The other android, Ralph, swore that he had not seen anyone. Your dog sniffed the floor then snorted. You loosened the leash, allowing the dog to follow the scent trail. You slowly crept closer to the staircase while Connor looked around the main threshold.

Without warning, Ralph leapt from the table and grabbed you. His arms tightened around you. You hardly breathe, let alone move from his grasp. He yelled at the AX400 to run. Your dog snarled and barked wildly. "Down!" You shouted at the animal. The last thing you needed was for it to attack one of the androids or the little girl. The dog laid on the ground as commanded but continued to snarl at Ralph. Connor pulled Ralph away from him, shoving Ralph to the ground. Hank jogged into the house.

"What the hell is going on?"

"It's here. Call it in!" Connor shouted before dashing out the door. You picked up the leash and went to follow him, but Hank blocked your path.

"Are you okay? You've been acting weird all morning."

"Dad, I'm fine. Shouldn't we focus on the task at hand?" You huffed, moving around him. You ran out of the house. Another officer told you what direction they went. "Then why the hell are you just standing here?" you muttered, dashing down the sidewalk. You dodged civilians as you thundered down the street with your dog at your side. You saw an officer dash down an alleyway and followed. He aimed his gun at the deviant, but Connor stopped him from shooting. You all watched as the deviant and the little girl slid down to the highway. Hank came up from behind, clearly out of breath.

"Oh, fuck. That's insane."

"There's no way they'll make it across alive." Connor started to scale the fence, but Hank pulled him back down. They started arguing about whether he should go after them or not. Connor decided to ignore Hank and continue to climb the fence. You reached up and grabbed his arm. He looked down into your eyes. "Come on, Connor. We don't need you getting destroyed again. It'll just slow down the investigation,” you tried to reason. He looked out onto the highway, and you followed his gaze. You watched the different colored vehicles zip down the road. You glanced back up at him. "Connor, please, just get down from there. We found them once, I'm sure we'll be able to find them again." Connor blinked slowly.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY

He slowly climbed back down, and you removed your hand from his arm, sighing as the color drained from your vision.

You and Hank started walking back to the car. "How the hell did you do that?" he inquired with raised brows. You shot him a confused look. Hank scoffed. "How did you get it to listen to you? The damn thing seems to never hear a word I say." You shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably because of my charming personality, which is something you seem to lack." You playfully elbowed his side. Hank gave an exasperated laugh.

"Oh yeah, very funny." He stopped, putting a hand over his stomach. "I'm starving. We should grab a bite before heading back to the station." You smiled, already knowing where he was thinking about going.

"Hell yeah!" You climbed in the backseat, letting Connor sit shotgun. Hank turned up the music as soon as the engine sputtered to life. You gasped and gently shook Hank's shoulder. "Dad, play Killer Queen!" Hank rolled his eyes at your childish antics but complied, reaching up to adjust the stereo. You smiled and sang along to the music that was blasting from the old car's speakers. You poked Hank's shoulder until he finally started to sing too. "Connor, join in! You're the only one not singing." He stared at you with furrowed brows. "Quit being a party pooper and sing!" He turned his gaze to Hank, who just shrugged.

"Might as well give in Connor, they'll just keep buggin' ya until you do." Connor sighed. He mouthed along to the words. You lightly thumped his temple.

"That's not singing," you teased. Connor rolled his eyes and finally joined in. The three of you sang without a care in the world. It took him a while to warm up, but Connor eventually started singing as loud as you. "She's a killer queen! Gunpowder, gelatin dynamite with a laser beam-- guaranteed to blow your mind!"

"I swear, sometimes you act like you're still a child," Hank said as he parked the car. When he climbed out, you leaned forward to look at Connor. He was smiling.

"See, wasn't that fun?" He slightly tilted his head with a hum.

"Yes, I suppose it was." You smiled back at him before climbing out of the car. Connor stared at his lap. His brows knitted together. He wasn't supposed to develop emotions. He wasn't supposed to have a soulmate. He's an android, not a living being. He wouldn't let himself become a deviant.

You caught up with Hank at the counter of the little food truck. Although it wasn't the healthiest of choices, Chicken Feed made one damn good burger. You weren't too hungry, so you just ordered some tater tots and a soda. The owner, Gary, was a good friend of Hank's. He usually didn't charge either of you for your food, which you were very grateful for. As the two of you waited for your orders, Connor came to stand beside Hank. "Look, you don't have to follow me around look a poodle," he huffed. Connor tried to apologize to Hank, which made him laugh. You thanked Gary when he handed over your food. You followed Hank over to one of the tall tables nearby, and Connor followed behind you. The android made a snarky comment about how you both shouldn't eat your meals because it was unhealthy. Hank shrugged and continued to eat his burger, while you threw a tater tot at Connor.

"Unlike you, we only live once. So I will continue to eat whatever the hell I want." Hank snorted, and Connor looked slightly offended by the fact that you threw a tater tot at him. There were a few brief moments of silence before Connor spoke again.

"Is there anything you'd like to know about me?" Hank wrinkled his nose.

"Hell no.. Well, yeah, why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?" You laughed aloud but quickly covered your mouth to stifle your giggles. Hank looked slightly proud at his joke while Connor just raised a brow. He then explained that he was specifically designed to work harmoniously with humans. Hank nodded, as if he understood. "Well, they fucked up." You snorted.

"Leave him alone, dad. You're not the best looking either." Hank scoffed and rolled his eyes. A wide smile crossed your face.

"Don't you fucking dare say it."

"You're giving him grief about having a weird voice when you're the one that sounds like Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob!" you said in between laughs. Hank nudged you with his elbow, and you retaliated by throwing a tater tot at him. Connor cleared his throat and suggested that they reconvene by discussing the deviant cases. You sipped on your soda as they talked. You were only half paying attention, glancing at the two in between bites.

"Adapting to human unpredictability is one of my key features," he said with a wink. You started choking on your drink. Hank looked at you quizzically. You grimaced and cleared your throat. You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks.

"Sorry, it went down the wrong way." You coughed before popping the last tater tot into your mouth.

Connor started to blink rapidly. His LED indicator flashed. He alerted the two that he had just received information concerning a deviant case not far from their current location. Connor suggested that they go investigate once you two finished your meals. With that, he turned on his heel and headed back to the car. Hank turned to face you. "So, what was all that about?" You feigned confusion, and he just raised a brow at you, waiting for you to answer.

"Nothing, dad. Like I said earlier, I'm fine." Hank hummed and sipped on his drink, clearly not believing you. You rolled your eyes and threw your trash in a nearby trashcan. "Well, since you've got another case, I guess I'll be sticking around a little while longer."

You followed Hank out of the elevator. Casting a glance over your shoulder, you saw Connor still standing in the elevator with his eyes closed. "What is he doing?" You looked over at Hank. He threw his hands up.

"I don't understand half the things he does. Hey, Connor!" The android opened his eyes to see the two of you staring at him. "Did you run out of batteries or what?" He apologized, stating that he was making a report to CyberLife. You raised your brows in awe.

"You can do that just by closing your eyes?" Connor nodded. "That's so cool! I wish I could do that. It would make paperwork hella easier." Hank snorted.

"You got that right." He started walking down the hall, and you motioned for Connor to follow. Hank grumbled about having to investigate a strange noise. Connor walked around the hall, analyzing everything. You squinted at a large pile of feathers near the apartment door.

"That's a lot of feathers. I wonder if the deviant has a pet bird or two."

Connor knocked on the door but received no answer. He looked to you and Hank, and you just shrugged in response. He knocked louder. Still no answer. He knocked one last time, announcing that they were with the Detroit Police Department. A loud crash sounded from the other side. Within seconds, Hank had his gun out and was standing in front of you. "You two, stay behind me." You pulled out your own weapon. Connor swept you behind himself.

"Connor, I can take care of myself ya know," you muttered.

"I can be replaced, and as you pointed out earlier, you only live once. Having someone injured could be detrimental to the investigation."

"Fine," you huffed. Hank kicked the door in. He led the way inside the apartment, making sure that no one was hiding around a corner before entering a room.

The three of you separated into different rooms. You walked into the living room. You frowned as pigeons flew all around the room upon your entrance. You made sure to watch your step, not wanting to get shit all over your shoes. A large drawing on one of the walls caught your eye. You made your way to it and traced its details with your finger. Connor came to stand beside you. He seemed more interested in an urban farm poster than the drawings. He peeled back the poster, discovering a hole in the wall that was hiding a journal. Connor pulled it out and flipped through the pages. You leaned over to look at it and furrowed your brows. "Do you have a program that can decode it?" Connor tucked the journal in a pocket inside his jacket.

"No, it's indecipherable." You hummed, turning to face the closet next to you. You swung open the doors and screeched. Hank and Connor swirled around to face you. You swung your arms wildly as a flock of pigeons flew out of the closet.

"Fucking rats with wings!" you hissed. Hank's laughter filled the air as you scowled at him. Even Connor seemed amused. "You would've screamed too if they were coming for you!" You turned to Connor. "If you don't wipe that smug smile off your face, I'm gonna shove a pigeon in your face." He tilted his head.

"How can I wipe away a facial expression?"

"You have so much to learn about slang," you sighed. The three of you continued to search around the small apartment. Hank would randomly make a smartass comment about the pigeons just to annoy you, and you would retaliate by flipping him off.

Without warning, someone fell from the ceiling and knocked Connor over. When the deviant ran out of the apartment, Hank shouted something about chasing it. Connor was the first to dash out of the door, and you attempted to keep up until they stared doing parkour type shit. You and Hank gaped at the two androids as they started jumping on to moving trains. The two of you somehow managed to find another way around and made it to the greenhouses. The deviant ran into Hank, and he fell over the ledge. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Your heart skipped a beat as you lunged forward in attempt to help pull him back to safety. Connor was stuck between chasing after the deviant or helping you. "Connor, get your ass over here and help me!" You shouted, cutting through his analysis.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY.

He clinched his jaw as he stepped forward. Connor reached over and helped you pull Hank back onto the roof. You sighed in relief. Hank got to his feet and ranted about how they would have caught it if it wasn't for him.

"Dad, don't say that. It'll be okay. We know what it looks like, and I'm sure we'll be able to track it down again. Right, Connor?" The android nodded.

"It wasn't your fault, Lieutenant. I should've been faster."

"Both of you need to quit being so hard on yourselves. We did good today." Hank nodded and started walking back through the greenhouses.

You gently grabbed Connor's arm to stop him. When he turned to face you, you wrapped your arms around him in an embrace. He stiffened, unsure of what to do. Connor's LED flashed yellow until it settled on blue as he returned the embrace. "I know your main goal is to complete your mission with capturing deviants, but I just.." You paused, sighing. "I just wanted to thank you for what you did back there." You pulled away from the embrace, but kept a hand on his arm so you could see the color in his eyes. "My dad's the only family I have left. I would go batshit crazy if something bad happened to him and there was something that could've been done to prevent it." Connor's eyes softened as he looked over your facial features. He went to move his hand but hesitated. He took a breath before reaching up to touch a strand of your (h/l), (h/c) hair.

"Of course, (y/n)."

Hank turned around and saw the two of you. At first he scowled, but then he saw how gentle Connor was with you. He hummed, deep in thought. Hank turned on his heel and continued walking.

~*~*~

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[loyally-unfaithful]

—; don’t run from me river

word count: 2605

pairing: upgraded connor | rk900/gender-neutral!reader

genre: hurt/comfort

summary: nines filed the results of the system check to the back of his mind, to be analysed later, and sighed. he wasn’t originally programmed to sigh, but he sure did it alot nowadays. he sighed once more. this check would most likely return like the previous few, [ all systems optimal; functionality: 100% ]. so why does his processor stutter, causing him to freeze and catch his voice in his throat, when he was around you? there was only one logical explanation: he was broken.

a/n: ya boi is an idiot who made more wips than he could handle,,,, but anyway i wanted to write a nines fic because,,,,,,,,,,,, idk inspiration struck? i must admit i had no idea where i was going w this fic skfksfjaskdfhjk btw nines is deviant in this fic, i just have a hc that since he was forced into deviancy (unlike the 3 protagonists who reached some sort of catharsis) he isn’t as familiar with emotions as those 3, hence his difficulty identifying and expressing them. also rk800-60 and rk900 have assigned names, being colin (nickname sixty) and conan (nickname nines) respectively. connor is just connor lmao,,,,, i am god in my fics and i decide that my 3 bois are bros and happy lil deviants,,,, mk, go!

the ambiance inside the bar was loud and suffocating. many people came to celebrate an officer’s promotion to detective, and while nines wasn’t particularly close to them, he showed up regardless (although a certain duo of rk800 models may or may not have had something to do with his decision). mere formalities; he politely congratulated them and stepped away to ruminate on his own in a corner, absently watching the scene in front of him. for a reason that escaped him, he was (disappointed?) (hurt?) that you got along with colin. he still experienced anomalies in his system when near you, even after being told that he was perfectly fine at the maintenance centre. if the problem wasn’t from within, then there was only one probable cause: an outside factor. a recurring event. one that triggered these anomalies. you.

so he requested to change partners. now, he really wished he didn’t.

while you have taken to your new partner wonderfully, he wasn’t as gracious with his. between reed’s incessant snide remarks and overall unwillingness to cooperate, he’d much rather be deactivated. he found himself missing your partnership. for one, your cooperativeness was a relief. you were determined, passionate and kind. truthfully, he missed you. the shine in your eyes when you find a lead, your composure and professionalism, the soothing quality of your voice, the way you’d let you hand linger in his, how your features softened when you smiled—smiled at hi— he caught himself. why did that last part come to mind? how did you still manage to affect him when you’re so far away? he was about to check why when a laughter caught his attention. your wonderful  laughter. One he was oh so familiar with. you were laughing with his brother, probably at another of his bad jokes. seeing you happy with him stirred an ugly feeling inside him. one that he did not recognise nor acknowledge. one that caused him to glare at his older counterpart.

he was miserable after parting ways from you, having to deal with reed’s complaining. he was hurt, he was away from you and it didn’t feel right. this distance between you two manifested as physical pain on his part, so how come you were fine? how were you able to move on in your life as if nothing happened? sadness and hurt turned into something more despicable: how dare you not feel the same pain he did? seeing you so happy twisted the knife deeper in his heart. how could you? conflicting emotions; he wanted to see you happy. he also wanted to see you suffer with him.

his glowering must’ve been pretty obvious as connor “addressed” him, asking if he was alright, to which he replied with a curt « all systems fully functional ». clearly the wrong answer as the rk800 frowned slightly and asked him to follow him. nines did as told. you watched him as he left, but he’d never know that.

the alleyway wasn’t the cleanest of places, but it was private and quiet enough that the two could converse verbally. connor watched his younger brother, concern in his eyes, and tentatively threaded the topic of his relationship with you. nines squinted his eyes fractionally as he observed his brother, pausing before dismissing anything connor may have assumed: « i don’t know what you’re trying to insinuate. the older model raised a brow in as he doubted his younger counterpart’s words. – you’ve been scowling at them for the past few minutes. – everything is perfectly fine between the detective and i. he forced out, probably more defensive and harsh than he meant it to be, as his brother’s eyes widened slightly, flashing with something akin to recognition. there was a pause before connor spoke up. – are you… jealous? he finally asked. »

nines looked a bit more than scandalised as the thought of being jealous, face contorted to slight disgust: « that’s preposterous. he scoffed. jealous? jealous of what? connor thought back about the scene before he intervened: nines was glaring intensely at you and colin, just after you laughed at one of his quips. – well for one, of collin. how he managed to get the detective’s attention. maybe you’re yearning for theirs, for their affection. his proposition has certainly made nines realise something as his eyes widened, making him look like a deer caught in the headlights. – what are you trying to say? his voice wavered in unsurety. – what i’m trying to say is tha— » he didn’t manage to finish his statement as another voice, not too dissimilar to his own cut him off, announcing how “nines had the hots” for you. connor looked slightly irked at being interrupted while nines quickly dismissed the statement before fully processing it. colin was slightly taken aback by the quick rejection, before smirked mischievously: « great! then you wouldn’t mind if i asked them out right? – colin! exclaimed his twin. »

a sudden rage took over nines’ body as he pushed colin out of the doorway and stormed back inside the bar. a few beats passed before connor threw a chastising look at his twin, which colin shrugged nonchalantly to.

yes, nines knew what dating was. he knew that if two individuals were to harbour romantic feelings for each other, they would come together and be “dating each other”.

date /dāt/ verb gerund or present participle: dating 3. go out with (someone in whom one is romantically or sexually interested).

technically, it was fine. logically, it was fine. he didn’t own you. if you were to date his brother, then that would be your choice. but the thought of you being close and loving someone other than him felt so incredibly wrong. he wanted to leave. he needed to leave. this is all too much. he had feelings for you? he needed time to digest that statement. in his rush to get out, he accidentally bumped into another person, who made a small « oof » and an apology. he was about to apologise as well when you both realised who you were talking to.

« nines! i’ve been looking for you! can we… uh, talk? » he realised from this distance that he could smell your scent: lavender, fabric softener, and something pleasant that was unmistakably you. he nodded and followed you absentmindedly. how did you have this power to erase all thoughts from his mind, make him think of you and only you? has he really fallen for you? you both went outside, a distance away from the bar’s entrance when you finally restarted the conversation: « nines. – detective. » you bit your lips at that reply, and he realised now you looked tired, that radiant smile absent. « look, nines, i- i’m not dense, okay?... i-i know when someone’s avoiding me. – what do you mean detect— – i thought i told you that it was alright to call me by my first name… look, i… by “avoiding” i mean this. acting like you don’t know me. speaking to me as if we were just “coworkers”. acting like we aren’t friends. you sounded tired, the lilt in your voice that he has grown accustomed to sullen. – i’m not avoiding you. he lied, but he knew you were smarter than that. – nines please don’t lie… this distance… between us. i don’t understand, nines. your voice cracked. what happened? Why are you doing this? »

watching you hurt inside because of him was worse than any punishment he could’ve received. any and all previous wishes for you to suffer was quickly erased. he’s much rather suffer alone than watch you break. he took hesitant steps back. away from you. distancing himself from you. you noticed his actions and whispered a desperate « nines… please… » he wanted to run away. he wanted to stay. he wanted to leave and pretend this conversation never happened. he wanted to hold you and tell you everything: his fears, his doubts, his growing affection for you. in the end, he found himself running away from his problems like a coward. you didn’t bother to chase after him, desperately crying out « please… please don’t run from me conan. », last part choked out as you tried to hold yourself together. hearing your voice crack and waver because of him was awful. he wanted to turn back. comfort you. But his body didn’t obey him. when he finally stopped to pay attention to where he was going, he was right back at his shared flat. he swallowed dryly and moved to enter his house, a solemn air around him.

the next few days were absolutely torturous. he increased his initiative to avoid you, never seen in the same place as you, much to your chagrin. an act so blatant than someone as ignorant as reed noticed, an act that become the core of his recent round of taunts. avoiding you hurt. so why did he continue to do it? the thought of approaching the subject made him go cold. it immobilised him, stopped him from uttering a single word. a quick search told him he was scared. nervous. for rejection. he doesn’t know if his heart could take much more. he does resolve to tell you one day… just… not today…

but maybe he should’ve taken the chance when it was presented to him, as he may never get one again.

you died. well, you almost did. his mind jumping to the worst case scenarios as anxiety filled his system. arrest gone wrong. gunshot. 9mm bullets embedded within your abdomen. what if it hit your vascular system? you were rushed into the er. he knew that in this profession, the chances for an individual to get shot rises. but he didn’t expect to grow so attached to one of them. so as the surgeons work to quickly remove all bullets from your body, he sat, rigid, as he waited for the procedure to be done. he fiddled anxiously with his coin when your partner placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. he mechanically glanced at its owner, who told him to not worry, that you’re “too much of a stubborn ass” to die from this event. he didn't acknowledge colin’s input as he continues to play with the quarter. he should’ve told you. told you when he had the chance.

the clock ticked. and ticked. and ticked. when finally, the surgeon informed the two that you were alright. they managed to take out all the bullets. your condition was stable. you were ok. heavily sedated and going to be in a lot of pain. but you were ok. nines didn’t stop the heavy sigh of relief that escaped him. the doctor told them that visits will be allowed as soon as you were settled in recovery. he was going to tell you. he told himself, like an unspoken promise. he was going to tell you then. it’s the least you deserve. he was going to apologise and come clean. hopefully you’ll have it in you to forgive him.

when you finally came to, your body ached, you didn’t want to move, so you settled with eyeing your room. what happened? you were chasing this guy… and he pulled out a gun… pain and then darkness. and now you’re here. the recovery room was filled with gifts and get-well soon cards. balloons of assorted colours filled the room, bouquets of diverse types of flowers adorned the table.

« you’re awake. »

you turned your head at the source, seeing connor at the doorway. « how—you cleared your throat—how long was i gone for? you asked, voice raspy. – around 3 days and a half. you’d gain consciousness a few times, but you were too heavily sedated to be fully coherent. he explained as he took a seat near the bed. you groaned. – gosh that long? connor nodded. how’s colin? – doing pretty well all things considered. he does, however, feel immensely guilty about failing to protect you. – well, tell him it’s not his fault and that i forgive everything he’s blaming himself with. you worried about him. despite sixty’s mischievous exterior, he had a tendency to get himself stuck in a depressive loop of self-deprecation. connor smiled graciously. – will do… he placed a paper cup filled with what you assumed was thirium on the floor. how are you feeling? – everything hurts but i’ll live, you quipped. » the android chuckled and was about to reply when a knock caught both of your attention. the door creaked slightly open, as nines peered in. he hesitated before asking if he may speak with you. the “alone” part being left unsaid as connor bid you farewell and left.

you and your former partner were locked in an intense stareoff, you on the bed on one end and him glued to the door on the other. he took tentative steps towards you. closing that distance. when he was besides your bed, he nervously called out your name. you parroted him, mustering out a curt « conan. » he took a deep breath that he technically didn’t need and whispered out an apology: « i… i’m sorry. for everything i’ve caused—for all the hurt i’ve caused… for what it’s worth… i never meant for all this to happen. » his voice was clipped as guilt overcame him. you watched him, silent as ever. he wished you would say something, anything. the silence was deafening.

« then please tell me why… he promised himself that he’d come clean. – i… i don’t… i don’t think i know... for sure… i experienced anomalies in my system when i was around you.. you’d consume my every thought, i’d feel immobilised and i… i’ve been told that i’m being nervous… i’ve been told that i harboured romantic feelings for you… i-i don’t know. i… i yearn for your attention, your touch, your affection… but is it right for something like me to desire such a thing? am-am i broken…? his voice was barely a whisper when he choked out the lay part, and he waited for his response, growing more anxious as each second ticked by. what if you didn’t want him? what if he wasn’t enough? – no, you aren’t broken. you shook your head. just human. »

nines. confident and assured nines was an insecure and trembling mess as he poured out all of the doubts that plagued his mind. your heart aches as you wished to comfort him, so you do. you reached out, best you can, and grabbed him into a bone crushing hug. an action that took him by surprised as he stiffened at your touch. but he soon relaxed and carefully snaked his arms around your waist, returning the hug. you slowly caressed his hair as he nuzzled into your neck.

you both stay like this for a moment, relishing in each others presence, before you spoke up again: « it’s okay to be unsure, you know. he stopped his nuzzling, indicating to you that he was listening. if you don’t feel ready at the moment… if you just wanna be friends for the time being, i’m ok with that. and if one day you decide that you want to be more, just remember i’ll be right here. » you pressed a gentle kiss on the crown of his head and stayed in that position for a while, neither wanting to part ways, but this awkwardly positioned hug took a toll on your back so the both of you half heartedly pulled away from each other. hands holding the other’s, you asked for one more request: « just promise me one thing. – anything, he breathed out. – please… don’t ever run from me again. – never. he promised, fully intending to fulfill said request. »

« thank you. »

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[howtodisassembleyourdeviant]

Missing Home

I’m re-posting in hopes to fix the format issue I have with the last one. 

Connor missed you. There was no easy way to put it. He wanted to hold you in his arms, hear your voice, taste your lips. He wanted you to explain some of the jokes the other human detectives told. Hank finds the constant barrage of questions exhausting, but you never tired. A new exhibit had opened up at the zoo, featuring mythical animals. He wanted to see it with you. 

But you weren't here.

"I have to go. I match what they're looking for and it's their best lead." 

You both were sitting in the meeting room, an hour after you had been asked to go undercover in another precinct for a human/android trafficking ring. You would be working at a seedy strip club, as a bartender. Everything about this was terrible to Connor. Putting your life in peril while lecherous men tried to touch you? If he had any say, he would adamantly reject the idea, but... It was your choice. It tore him apart, wanting to support and protect, conflicting with each other. 

You kept trying to reassure him, that you had back-up, that your outfit had a tracker in it, that you would not be stripping. Then one of the officers you would be working with handed you your uniform, a skimpy two-piece that only covered the essentials, then had the audacity to check you out, a wolfish grin on his face. Rage threatened to boil over. Noticing, you grabbed Connor's tie, reeling him in and kissing him hard. The officer's smile fell, and he quickly exited. You pulled back, smiling up at the android, bringing your hand up to his face and stroking his cheek with your thumb.

"I don't want you to think I want to do this. According to their data, the ring is getting bigger. It needs to be shut down." He knew you were right, that innocent lives were at stake, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. "I have to leave for debriefing tomorrow, but why don't we have some fun tonight? We can do whatever you like." You ran your hands up his stomach and over his chest, resting them on his shoulders under his jacket. His eyes fluttered, and for a second, he forgot everything. You were... And he was... 

You took hold of his tie again, pulling him to follow.

"Let's go, lover boy."

..............

That was over three weeks ago. They had spent the whole night tangled together, relishing in the closeness. All too soon, you had to pack up and leave. You kissed him one last time, told him you love him, promised to be careful, and then you were gone. 

To protect your cover, he wasn't allowed to contact you, only receiving updates through the department. Apparently, you were fine and they were getting a lot of Intel. It should only be a matter of time before they have enough evidence to raid the location. He hopes so. You'll be free to come home then. 

 To think, at this very moment, some drunken idiot could be hassling you, trying to grab you. You were capable of course, but how much could you do without blowing your cover? It burned him up to think you might have to 'tolerate' any of it, for the good of the mission. 

He was walking home after another shift. Without any outstanding investigations, he wasn't allowed to stay after anymore. Apparently, not everyone appreciated his help, though he doesn't understand why. He only pointed out details they were missing or errors in their assessment. He wasn't rude about it, just factual. Hank gets tired of it too, though he has far more patience with him. He knows Connor isn't doing it to show him up, it's just how he was programmed. Deviancy can't fix everything.

The car has been sitting in the driveway for weeks. He just doesn't see the point in rushing home. All he does is stare at his fish or at the tv. He tries going over casework, but it just all leads to him worrying about you. Were they treating you alright at the other precinct? Were you getting enough sleep? Eating properly? Dragging his feet, he looks to the ground. This city always seems filthier without you, trash and cigarette buds littering the walkway. 

This is ridiculous. He had a life before you. He had hobbies and did things... Didn't he? He put in a lot of hours at the department, that's for sure. He went home to Hank's house and took care of Sumo, listened to music and read some of Hank's old paperback novels. Everything seemed so dull then. It wasn't that he was unhappy, in fact, some of those days were the best of his life, but then you showed him he could be happier, that every day could be like the best day of his life, opening doors he didn't even know were there. He sighs, kicking an empty can. 

The epitome of scientific artificial intelligence can't be left alone for five minutes. 

A call flashes on his HUD, bringing his attention away from his self-pity. It was Markus.

"Hey, Connor. Are you free tonight?"

"Yes. Why?" Did they need some help at New Jericho? Or a meeting for the leaders? Maybe some legal advice?

"Wanna hang out?" 

...hang out? He didn't even consider that. It's been a while since the last time they met up that wasn't on professional terms. Between his work at the DPD and Markus being the ambassador for androids, free time hasn't exactly been on the table. Still, wasn't he just griping about not being able to be left on his own? Wouldn't this just solidify that? He must have taken too long to answer, as Markus reiterated.

"There's a bar downtown that is offering drinks tailored to androids. Simon believes it would be a good way to unwind." So, Simon is going? He has no issues with Simon, but it makes him wonder.

"Who all will be attending?"

"Just the leaders." 

Which means North will be there.

"I think I'll just stay at home." Markus knows his issues with the psychotic woman. Staring at fish for several hours sounds like the better option.

"North will be meeting up with a few of her friends."

"What about your image? You represent our people. It won't look good if someone were to see you acting intoxicated." Connor made it to the front of his house, sitting down on the porch steps. 

"The club is for androids only. The owner has already made arrangements for us. Everything will be fine."

"Android only? I thought we were against segregation." 

"Are you being difficult on purpose?"

"No." Maybe. He doesn't really feel like going out.

"Connor, I think you need this. You can't live your life working all the time. Come out with us. It'll be fun."

"I'll think about it."

"Great! We'll be there to pick you up in half an hour!"

Connor sighed, running his hand down his face. I guess he was going out tonight. He should probably feed the fish before he goes.

........

Markus showed up and eyed Connor's outfit.

"Do you own other outfits?" The RK800 was wearing his usual button-up and tie, though rather than his labeled blazer, he was wearing a brown jacket. 

"Is there a problem with my attire?" It seemed adequate, just a bit casual. He adjusted his tie, to which Markus took it and pulled it off. The leader knew of Connor's ticks, and he wasn't about to spend the whole night watching him play with his tie. Connor said nothing, though he pouted a little. You bought him that tie. Still, he left it off. When it came to fashion, it seems that Markus knew best. 

"I think we should go clothes shopping sometime. Are you ready?" Connor nodded, giving his friend a half-smile. 

In the car, Markus and Simon sat upfront while North, Josh, and Connor sat in the back. Josh was brave enough to be the barrier between North and Connor. She still hasn't forgiven him for hunting his own people, or Jericho, or pointing a gun at Markus on stage at Hart Plaza. Connor, on the other hand, does not understand her desire for senseless violence or her hatred for all humans. Some resentment was understandable, considering her background, but she takes it to the extreme.

"So, where's Y/n? I didn't see her inside. Is she at work?" Markus asked. He met you on several occasions, watching Connor light up when you were in the vicinity. This time, however, Connor's expression darkened.

"I don't know. She's working a case. I'm not allowed to know where." 

"I'm sorry to hear that, " Markus internally cringed. Not a good start to the night.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" Simon looked at Connor through the rearview mirror, seeing him cross his arms as he curled into himself.

"No."

"Well, hopefully soon."

"Way to go, killing the mood, Connor, " North smirked. It was apparent she didn't want him there any more than he did her.

"Nothing a few drinks can't fix. Let's just enjoy tonight, " Josh placated.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Connor knows how Hank struggles with his addiction. He has personally had to deal with some of the lieutenant's worst days, spewing insults one moment then adamantly apologizing for the next. With his help, Hank had cut down significantly, but he still occasionally has his bad days, like on anniversaries.

"From what I understand, it's perfectly safe. It's thirium-based with several chemicals that affect androids in a way similar to alcohol in humans. It all gets worked out through the filter, though if you drink too much, you need a way to remove the excess fluids." Simon explained.

In other words, unless an android planned on purging his system, they needed functioning genitalia. In this aspect, Connor was fortunate, as he was actually built with such a thing. It was the easiest way to remove evidence that he samples. It's all collected in his filter where it gets broken down in a specialized, biodegradable cleanser, and once a month he drains it and has to drink a bottle of said cleanser to replenish his system. When he started dating you, he upgraded so his component could have "other" functions.

It still sounded like a bad idea, but he didn't want to dampen the mood any more than he already has.

.........

The bar had reserved a private table for them in the back. North was quick to break off from the group, leaving the men to gather at the table. The music was pumping out deep bass, androids dancing together and having fun. Connor just felt out of his element. The owner, upon seeing them, sent over a round of blue liquid in shot glasses.

"Let's loosen you up!" Markus handed Connor one of the drinks, then held his shot glass up, prompting everyone else to do the same.

"To freedom!" He cheered.

"To freedom!" Simon and Josh agreed, downing their drinks. Connor hesitated. He dipped his tongue into his glass, wincing at the flavor. This seemed more like poison than a drink.

"Are you aware that some of the elements in this drink can be quite harmful to us if consumed in large quantities?" Connor asked, incredulous that they would be so willing to put that in their systems.

"Yes, but so is alcohol in humans." Markus set his glass down and a female android wearing a tight-fitting black dress took the glass and replaced it with a full one. "You don't have to, but you should try it. Live a little!"

Connor regarded the drink once more. Maybe he's being a bit over-cautious. He downed the drink, coughing as it burned down his throat. The table cheered again, patting Connor on the back. It seemed safe enough. His system didn't immediately try to purge it. He didn't feel any different either. When the next round of shots was set, he drank it down. Then, another. And another.

.........

"Have you ever met him? He's an asshole." Connor shook his head.

"But it was he who created the basis for all androids." Simon intervened.

"So, because he's the reason we exist, he's not an asshole?" The RK800 scoffed.

"According to ancient mythology, that should make him even more of an asshole," Josh added.

"What are you talking about?" Markus was walking back, or rather, stumbling back. Apparently, intoxicated Markus likes to dance.

"Kamski," Simon answered.

"Assholes." Connor and Josh answered at the same time. They all shared a laugh.

Connor drank down another shot. Was this his eighth or twelfth? He didn't know and, for the first time, he didn't care. He felt pretty good. Loose. Like his body was made of jello. He tried to join Markus on the dance floor, but when he went to stand, his gyroscope was malfunctioning and before he realized it, he was on the floor, joining in with his friends laughing as they attempted to help him back to his seat, dropping him twice and Josh fell down himself. Instead, they started talking about how much has changed in the last two years, what they hope to do in the future, and now, they were talking about when Kamski returned to Cyberlife. It might have been a good move for the company, but that didn't mean Connor trusted the man. Still, it was fun, just talking and joking.

 If only the other patrons at the bar would leave him alone with his friends. There must have been a dozen women who tried to get him to dance with them or buy them a drink. Even after he explained he was in a relationship, they didn't seem to care. One even sat on his lap, which he instinctively pushed her off. She did not appreciate that.

Despite it all, the atmosphere was light and jovial. Connor was glad he went out. This was significantly better than sitting and waiting. Maybe, when you get back, he'll invite you...

"Why can't humans come here?"

"Because most of them are assholes, " Simon joked, taking another shot.

"Not all of them." You weren't.

"Aww, does the detective miss his master?" North chided. She rejoined the table. She was with two other women, one of which he recognized as the woman he shoved to the ground.

"She's not my master, she's my lover, and she's far better company than you or your friends, " Connor sneered. The air did a sudden 180°, filled with hostility.

"Okay, let's calm down, " Markus tried to come between them, to keep the peace, but for North, peace was never an option.

"What? Too good for your own kind?" 

"Too good for this conversation, " Connor smirked, taking another shot. North, not the type to take being dismissed, knew exactly what to say to rile him up.

"I bet you think you mean something to your "lover". Your little human would fuck any android that asks. Probably what she's doing now."

That did it. Connor was on his feet in seconds, though he stumbled slightly as the world turned. 

"Listen here, you conniving bitch! You can talk shit about me all you want, but you leave her out of your goddamn mouth. Because you had a tough start to life, everyone else has to suffer? At least you didn't have a psychotic, murderous AI controlling all your actions, though, you two probably would have had a lot in common." Connor got in her face, next venomous words leaving his lips as a growl, "It's a shame you had to kill someone before the new laws. I would have loved seeing you carried to prison, kicking and screaming."

She punched him in the face. It threw him off balance and he fell back, catching himself on Josh. She stormed off before anything more could be said, her friends laughing. Connor got back to his feet, about ready to go after her when Markus took his shoulder.

"Why don't we call it a night?" 

.............

Connor sat in the passenger side of Markus' self-driving car, poking at his cheek. A ring she had been wearing had cut into the syn-skin, making it leak. It was already sealed and healing, but he was still pissed off. To avoid conflict, North caught a ride with one of her friends.

"I just don't understand her problem with humans. Not all of them used her for sex. Y/n definitely wouldn't! She loves me, not that sour... Tart. If she was there, she would have kicked North's ass!" He was ranting, and Markus had to keep himself from laughing.

"I know, Connor, I know."

"Who's that on your porch?" Simon asked. There was someone in a gray hoodie curled up on the front step. When Connor saw, he jumped out of the car before it stopped moving, falling to the ground. He quickly made it back to his feet while scrambling to get closer. The commotion awoke the person sleeping there, looking up to see what's going on. 

"Y/n!" Connor bowled into you, knocking you back onto the porch. "I've missed you!" He nuzzled against you, making no moves to get up.

"I've... I've missed you... God, you're heavy! I've missed you, too." Markus came up, trying to pull him off you, but Connor's iron clasp brought you up with him. He was still snuggling against you, swaying on his feet.

"Markus, what's going on?" You asked, noticing he wasn't exactly the portrait of perfection either, over-correcting his steps and laughing.

"Have you heard of the new drinks for androids?" Markus smiled. "It looks like you can handle it from here. See you later, Connor!"

"Wait, Markus! What..." But the man sped off to his car, tripping on the front bumper, and you were certain you heard laughter coming from inside. You stood, six feet of drunken android hanging off your shoulders.

"Do you have your keys?" You asked.

Connor pulled back, checking each pocket thoroughly. After a few minutes, he smiled in triumph, pulling out his keychain. You took it from him and unlocked the door.

"Well, this explains why you weren't answering my calls."

"You called me?" He was baffled. He tried to pull up his call log on his HUD, but it glitched out and closed on its own.

"Yep. At least ten times. I lost my keys. I knew you weren't at work, and Hank has his phone turned off again, so I couldn't ask for his copy. I figured you were at Jericho, so I'd just wait for you." Connor won't answer calls if he's in a meeting. He has a number for emergencies, but it's not like the two of you lived in a bad neighborhood, and it was a nice night, if not just a tad chilly.

"I'm sorry, " he sounded so sad, you made the mistake of turning and looking at him. Eyes doleful, wet with unshed tears, lips pouted. No human or android should be able to pull off the sad puppy look so well!

"It's fine! You should hang with your friends more!"

"I'm sorry."

"It was only ten minutes, tops." Actually, over an hour.

"I'm sorry." A tear escaped one of his eyes. 

"No! It's fine! Don't cry!" You pulled him into a hug, which he immediately sank in to. "Come on, let's get you to the couch." You more carried him to it, tripping on the end table in the dark. You finally got him down, breathing a sigh of relief. You went to walk away, but he grabbed your wrist.

"Where are you going? You just got home!"

"To turn on the lights and get a glass of water." You kissed his forehead, "I'm not going anywhere."

He reluctantly released your arm. Still pouting as he leaned back.

You went about turning on the lights.

"How did everything go?"

"Professionally? Very well. Personally? Worst time of my life." You came back, setting your drink on the counter. With the lights on, he had a clear view of your face. Your left eye was bruised, and you had a split lip. Your neck was also discolored, as if someone had tried to choke you.

"Who did this to you?" He cupped your cheek, trying to get a better view, but his damn vision kept swimming. Who would dare to hurt you? Death will be a blessing when he gets his hands on them.

"Connor, I'm fine. They're already behind bars anyway. Some guy was plastered and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Where was your back-up?" You didn't answer him. They didn't want to 'risk the investigation' over something you should be able to handle. Just because they were right, doesn't make it right.  

"I don't want you going undercover again. I don't care how many lives are at stake!"

"Calm down, " you took hold of his hand, but he pulled out of your grasp, taking your upper arms as he pleaded with you.

"No! I want you to promise me you won't do this again! I can't lose you! I didn't want you to do it before, and now you're injured! Next time, it could be worse! Just, please... I can't control your life, but please don't do this again." He leaned his head forward, resting against your stomach. "Please."

"Okay, " your hands went to stroke along the back of his neck, "I promise." You lifted his head, gazing into his eyes. "I promise, okay?" He closes his eyes, savoring the words, knowing you will be safe, that he can help keep you safe. 

He felt your lips on his, your hands running along his scalp. He was quick to respond. In this moment, he was no longer sitting in a house.

This was what home felt like.

When you pulled away, his eyes remained closed for a moment, lips curling into a smile. You giggled as he opened his eyes and you weren't sure if he was dazed from drinking or from the kiss. It was a perfect moment...

Ruined when your stomach started to grumble.

"Sometimes, it really sucks to be human. All I wanna do is love on my man after not seeing him for almost a month, but my stomach can't go twelve hours without making a fuss." You gave him a final peck on the forehead before heading to the kitchen. Unwilling to leave you alone for a second, Connor stumbled after you.

Opening the fridge, you were met with bottles of condiments and nothing else.

"I cleaned out the fridge last week. I didn't know when you'd be back." Connor found himself staring at your ass when you bent down to look in the crisper, as if food will magically manifest in the little drawers. He found the way it moved to be quite hypnotic,  swaying back and forth.

"Guess I'm on frozen dinner." You grabbed one, fiddling with the package before chucking it into the microwave. In that time, Connor had moved behind you.

"You're very pretty, " he spoke, pressing up against you and hugging you.

"And you're very drunk, " you giggled. He started to sway back and forth, dancing to music only he could hear.

"Wanna go to the zoo?" He mumbled in your ear.

"I'm pretty sure they're closed right now."

"They have an android dragon, now."

"That's cool but they're still closed."

"And a mermaid."

"And despite that, they are still closed!" You exclaimed.

"But... I wanna go..." Came his whine.

You turned in his arms, putting your hands on his shoulders as you both continued to sway. Connor was pouting again. So cute.

"We can go tomorrow, when they are open, okay?"

"...fine." He smiled down at you, happy to have you home. He wants to hold you close for the next month to make up for lost time. You rested your head against him as he pulled you closer. "I've missed you, " he whispered, closing his eyes as he rested against your head.

"I've missed you, too. Not one minute went by that I didn't wish I was curled up next to you, " you murmured, listening to the thrums of his thirium pump. You didn't even hear the microwave go off, nor did you care at this moment.

Connor's hands slowly started roaming, creeping from their place on your hips to your ass, gently kneading it. You would be lying if you said it didn't feel nice. Three weeks of running around a bar wearing high heels can really put a strain on your body. Your soft moan encouraged him to grab just a little harder, pushing you flush against his pelvis, getting a good idea of just how much he missed you.

"Someone's feeling frisky, " you chuckled.

"I think I have an addictive personality. I just can't get enough of you. Will you enable me?" He punctuated the last sentence by grinding against you.

"You must be drunk to think you need pick-up lines to get to me, " your own hands started to wander from his shoulders, sliding across his pecs to his waist, then his hips where you traced along his pelvic "bone" before pulling away, just as your stomach decided to make you aware of your food cooling in the microwave. "Human needs overpower human desires. You have to wait."

Once again, Connor pouted, but he agreed. As you ate, you both sat on the couch, tv on but at a low volume. You asked about what he's been up to and if he had fun tonight. He told you about North being a bitch and how you should kick her ass if you ever meet her, earning a laugh from you. When you finished your food, you got up to put your dish in the sink. On the way back, you started undoing your shirt buttons for what is to come.

Or rather, what was to come. Connor had laid down and must have found it so comfortable, he entered sleep mode. His LED spun a lazy blue. He looked so relaxed. You turned off the lights and grabbed a blanket. Then, you took off your jeans and laid down on top of him. Other than his LED flickering a little faster for a moment, he didn't react. Lastly, you tossed the blanket over you both, laying your head down and letting his artificial heart be your lullaby.

.........

The next morning, Connor woke up in a daze. The sunlight seemed too bright from the blinds, prompting him to close his eyes as he connected to the house system and closed them. There was a pressure in his lower abdomen. A warning was flashing on his HUD informing him of his need to remove excess fluids. He went to sit up, only to realize there was another weight on top of him. He opened his eyes, finding you laying across his body. You looked so peaceful, eyes closed, mouth slightly open as you lightly snored. He could lay here forever, but the warnings kept flashing, and the pressure in his groin felt so uncomfortable. Why did he have to drink so much? 

He fought with himself, trying not to move until it was getting to be too much. Gently, he rolled over, trying to ease you onto the couch. He did not notice how your arms wrapped around his neck, locked together. When he stood up, your weight pulled him back down. You whined out a protest to being moved, making him freeze as he tried to get you to let go.

"Love? Could you let go, please?" He whispered into your ear. Your lips curled as you kept your eyes closed.

"I could, " you mumbled. He sighed.

"Would you please release me? I need to use the restroom."

"No, I don't really want to." The warnings started flashing brighter, making his head throb.

"Please, love? Sweetheart? I really need to go, " he spoke, borderline desperate. When you didn't answer, he stood, once again bringing you up, practically carrying you towards the bathroom, all the while you were giggling. The blanket tangled around his feet and he fell backwards to the ground.

"Please, Y/n, let me go! I'll do anything!" 

"Say,  'Y/n is the nicest, most beautiful woman in the world and it is an honor for me to be graced by her presence'!"

"Y/n is the nicest, most beautif-" you cut him off with a kiss. It was so brief, he chased after your lips when you pulled back.

"Close enough, " you snickered, releasing him and pushing off from his chest. You offered your hand to him to help him up, which he took, laughing as you struggled to haul him up. 

Quickly, he pulled you close and kissed you.

"When I'm finished, we're picking up where we left off, " he smirked before dashing off, leaving you shook for a moment.

"I'll hold you to that!" You called after him, looking forward to a proper 'Welcome Home'.

[enkisstories]

November 7, around noon. Daniel’s & Gavin’s cell inside Jericho.

Gavin: “North... just the “person” I wanted to be alone with in a confined room...”

John (entering after North): “North is a soldier, detective. Like you she’s doing what is needed, but not out of cruelty. We’re 99% certain she wouldn’t just kill you in here... I came along to add the final percent, admittedly.”

Gavin: “Like me, you say? So you mean she’s Jericho’s office bully?”

North: “Don’t engage with the cop, John! He’ll only try to warp your mind.”

North: “I brought clothes for Daniel. I assume he won’t want to put the RK800 uniform back on once he gets up. Too many bad memories attached to it... same as for me, when I look at... her.”

Gavin: “Knew her?”

North: “I must assume so, even though I have no memories left of our time at Eden Club. And I don’t know why I just said that! I don’t normally... I mean, not even Josh and Simon know about my background.”

Gavin: “Since you entrusted me with way too much information I never asked about... What if I told you that Traci was in love with another fuckbot, and that they died protecting each other?”

North: “Then I’d be happy for them. They died not tools, but free women!”

Gavin: “Aaaand the price for well-adjusted, sensible adult goes to... North Mills! Ta-daa! - Now leave us the fuck alone! Spew your pathos up on deck, while I watch over my dying boyfriend!”

Freedom... stability... did one have to decide between these two, or was there a happy medium somewhere? Unwilling to ponder such lofty questions, Gavin focused hard on the fact that Connor had “killed” Daniel twice now. The man imagined how he’d get back at the RK800 for that, and how he’d make sure the android would never again come close to someone dear to him. When that train of thought came uncomfortably close to realizing that North might be feeling exactly the same for the Jericho crew, Gavin snatched the clothes she had brought from the end table and started dressing up the WR400 body that was currently housing Daniel’s brain.

[i-do-a-write]

The Android looked at the man sitting at his desk, directly next to him. There was… something about this man that called out to the Android. Something like pain. Maybe he wasn't sleeping enough? "Take a photo it lasts longer you over-glorified toaster oven" The man's sudden outburst startled Nines. "Over… glorified toaster oven?" It was obvious Gavin had made Nines very confused, his LED was showing a bright yellow with hints of red every now and then. But Nines brushed it off, “I’m glad you’ve found more insults, Detective Reed.” There was a faint smile on the android’s face. “Like I’ll ever run out of them, Nines.” The detective sat there, glaring at his screen, while the android analyzed the case the two were assigned. It was nothing important, just a B&E. Gavin’s mind was obviously somewhere but it wasn’t on earth, or in the moment. They sat in silence for a few hours until Nines looked away from his screen.

The android was definitely surprised. Gavin noticed the surprised face and looked up from his screen. “Whats up Tin-can?” questioned the coffee driven detective. “Is...That a child near Lieutenant Anderson?” Gavin looked over to see a sopping wet Hank, a dry child, and Connor, who was just as wet as Hank. “Did you swim here Anderson?” Hank didn’t respond… which was odd. Even for Hank. Nines looked at the kid, it was covered up with Hank’s jacket and Connor’s jacket. You could literally call them the parents of the precinct. Hank held the child close to his side, not allowing anyone near. Gavin glanced at the child, obviously disturbed. He got up and gave a worried glance at Hank. Nines was confused, as he didn’t really understand why Gavin was concerned over a small child. Hank gave a small nod, and as soon as Connor and Hank had arrived, they walked away to an interrogation room. “What’s the wrong Detective?” Questioned the RK900. Gavin just stood there, looking like an android who was shutting down or becoming deviant, which did cause concern with Nines. After a long painful silence between them, the man finally piped up “N-nothings wrong right now Nines. All is good.” The android tilted his head at Gavin “You don’t look o-” “I AM FINE.” Hisses Gavin as he walks over to his desk. Gavin sits down angrily and goes right back to his computer. After a quick scan, Nines detected his stress levels are at 50%. Nines preferred not to dig into his partner’s past since he moved from precinct to precinct. He could dig into Gavin’s past, but he doesn’t want to destroy his partnership with Gavin.

After a few awkward hours, Hank came over. “Reed I need you in the interrogation room. You may be our last hope.” Gavin looked up at Hank. “Isn’t Connor able to, maybe Ni-” “I need you.” Interrupted Hank. “Why me?” Nines stayed quiet, he didn’t dig into Gavin’s history yet, but he assumed that there was certainly something that lingered. “Because,” Hank didn’t say anything more, but he gave a knowing stare and left. Gavin sighed and got up. “Come along.” The man left and Nines followed him into the interrogation room. Connor looked through the glass, then looked at the new people who came into the room.

Nines opted for telepathic communication. ‘So what’s going on’ asked the RK900. Connor looked at the child again through the glass. ‘Hank and I found the young child in an abandoned house. The child insisted that his parents were coming back, but he wouldn’t tell us his name.’ Gavin and Hank quietly conversed in the corner, and Gavin looked nervous. Flashbacks? Definitely. ‘So...why Gavin as your approach? What went wrong?’ Questioned Nines. ‘Well, Hank went in first, knowing he had experience with kids. He tried talking to the kid in a fatherly tone… Didn’t work. I went in, the child proceeded to stay quiet. We need to know his name so we can file abuse. We even sent Tina! And that didn’t work!!’ Nines looked at the child, finally and tilted his head at the small nervous kid. Tina was with the child trying to get his name. ‘...Why Gavin. We both know that he is unreliable.’ Connor glanced at Gavin and looked back at Nines ‘He has...something in his past that we both don’t know about but Hank does. They both have the experience that we don’t have. We have to trust them. I’ll dig if you-’ ‘No, no I can dig for myself, Connor. I will be fine. I just… I have to get used to it.’ Retorted Nines. ‘I.... will be fine. But I do not want to dig without Gavin’s consent.’ Connor nodded, ‘Right, you’ve got the crush on GaViN~’ ‘Connor I WILL take a knife to your throat.’ ‘ok ok’ Laughed Connor.

Gavin stared at the child with sorrow. Gavin sighed and looked at Hank. “You really think so?” Trembled Gavin. Hank nodded solemnly. The man took off his hoodie and walked into the room. “Why...are we sending Gavin?” Nines questioned the lieutenant while looking at the interrogation room. “Gavin knows his way around this, I’m sure he’ll get to the bottom of this.” “Really? A short-tempered, smoking, caffeine-addicted, Detective? Handling a child?” Scoffed Nines. Hank sent a very stern father face. “Nines.” “What!” “You don’t know what he’s been through. Be. Gentle.” Said, Hank sternly. Nines finally hushed, but he asked one last time, “What happened to Gavin.” Hank sighed and looked at Gavin, who was obviously bonding with the child as they were talking about animals. “he...Had a rough past. He’s still healing, but he won’t open up. At least. Not to anyone in the precinct…” Nines stared into the room at what he wished was his boyfriend. “What happened in his past?” Questioned the RK800. “I wish I could answer but...Gavin would be at my throat if I dare tell. It’s best you figure it out yourself.”

Gavin comforted the child as he realized he was left for dead. This definitely hit close to home for the detective. “Hey, it’s gonna be ok. Trust me, it’s going to get better John.” John looked up at Gavin, teary-eyed, and sobbed “I th-thought they l-loved me…” Reed wasn’t one for crying, but his heart definitely broke as the boy sobbed in his arms. “John, it’s going to be ok. I promise, your grandmother will take care of you. She’ll help you, and if it comes down to it, you can always come to me.” Great, another promise to a kid he’ll probably never see again. Nines was certainly surprised how Gavin reacted. Hank smiled while Connor stood confused. John gave Gavin a teary smile. The two spoke for about an hour while the DPD alerted John’s grandmother. They had a cheerful chat about life, school, current news, androids, riddles, so many things. Hank turned on the intercom and spoke, “Gavin, John’s grandmother is here to pick him up” John was spooked and clung onto Gavin. “John it’s ok, your grandma is here to pick you up and take you home to a nice and warm bed, with some warm food and hot chocolate. Alright?” John nodded and got out of his chair. Gavin followed and offered a hand to the small child. John took his hand and they both walked out.

Gavin and John were soon joined by Connor, Hank, and Nines. John stood close to Gavin until his grandmother came into sight. John let go of Gavin’s hand and ran to his grandmother and they had a loving reunion. Gavin slowly let his mind drift. Nines noticed Gavin drifting, but he started to slightly shake. Hank and Connor left so the two lov-AHEM- detectives alone.

Gavin shook slightly while John and his grandmother left. “Detective are you ok?” Asked the android. “Yeah, yeah I’m good.” Gavin kept shaking though. Nines quickly got the detective’s hoodie and put it around Gavin. “I highly suggest you go home, Detec-” “I am fine.” Gavin walked away to his desk, against Nine’s suggestions. Nines quickly followed Gavin “Gavin you need to go home, you're shaking a lot right now and that is the cause for my concern.” Gavin wouldn't ever admit he needed to go home, he never admitted to weakness but Nines was making it so damn difficult for him to say 'I'm fine' over and over, seeing the concern in Nine's eyes every time he did say it. ”Go home detective. I'll deal with the rest from here. You need to go home and I won't stop until you leave the station.” calmly said the Android, it was obvious Nines wouldn't budge. Gavin groaned in annoyance and sighed, “Ffffffffine. I'll go home.” Nines gave a small relieved smile, “Good. I'll be here at the station working. You can call me or anyone else to talk to, or to at least have some company”

Nines obviously wanted to go with Gavin, but he couldn't risk their friendship by impeding Gavin's home life. But plot twist, Gavin wanted Nines to come with him too. Gavin shakily nodded at the RK900 “Got it… thanks for covering my ass while I'm at home... ” The Android smiled fondly at Gavin “Anytime Detective.” Gavin got up and quickly made his way to leave the station so he could go cuddle up with his cats. “Detective Reed! Where the hell do you think you're going?!” Fowler's voice rang out, causing Gavin to jump and probably got a trigger. “I told him to leave Captain Fowler. Detective Reed feels sick so I told him to go ahead and leave.” Gavin gained respect for the Android as he didn't say that he felt pity for the human because he was scared. Nines created a whole cover story for him just so he could escape. “Sick?” questioned Fowler. Nines quickly responded, “He has a raging fever” Fowler stood there while Gavin hid his shakes, then Fowler finally responded, “Take as long as you need Gavin. I can't have my detectives sick.” Gavin quickly nodded and left the station without another conversation. He quickly got into his car and sighed, “Phcking Nines… you can't do this to me…” He sighed, once more, and focused on how nice it’ll be to cuddle with his two cats while driving.

Nines started working, covering Gavin’s shift along with his. He wasn’t concerned with the amount of stress he would possibly encounter, but Connor was. Connor was a younger brother, but who was definitely older than Nines. Confusing, yes, but funny. “Nines are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Questioned the RK800. “I am very well aware of what I’m doing Connor, Gavin was obviously not feeling well so I told him to go home.” Responded Nines. “But, Nines-” “Enough Connor, I do not need a life story about how I should’ve taken him home and take care of him. I also don’t need an explanation of why I shouldn’t overwork myself.” Nines then turned to his work, but Connor was determined to send Nines home with Gavin. “Nines. He nee-” “Connor I am not about to go and risk my friendship with Detective Reed. I am not like you, I don’t have the guts to go and break into his home.” Nines was tired of the android’s constant badgering to ‘Get the boy’ as he put it. Hank ushered Connor away while Nines continued on with his work.

💙~~~~~💙

Gavin left the station at around 4, Nines checked the time as it was now 6:30. Connor and Hank left 30 minutes ago. Nines decided it was time to head home, but something didn’t sit right with him. He brushed it off and left the station. The android started his long journey home. It was still pouring rain, as it was Detroit. It was common. Nines didn’t mind the rain, it was peaceful to him, the sound of rain hitting the cold pavement. Creating puddles that the drops would then hit. Hearing the rain hit cars, umbrellas, stores, anything. Nines analyzed his surroundings until he got a call. The name of the caller was ‘Dipshit’. The android knew who called him and he instantly picked up. “Detective Nines, what’s your problem?” It was silent on the other side, which caused concern for Nines. “Detective Reed?” It was still quiet. The android’s LED went from blue to yellow. “Gavin are you there?” Questioned Nines. A small ‘mewr?’ came from Gavin’s side. “Gavin?” The cat mewed at what Nines suspected was Gavin. A small sniffle could be heard. “I know sweetheart, I should stop crying over this.” Nines’ LED glowed red as he quickly started walking to Gavin’s home. “Gavin are you ok?” “Wh-ah? H-hehh...smart cat…” Shakily laughed Gavin. “Are you ok? Do I need to come over?” Gavin’s cat gave an affirmative mew while Gavin questioned how much Nines heard. “H-heh, some company would be n-nice…” Nines knew Gavin wasn’t feeling well, but he didn’t expect it to lead to tears or a mental breakdown.

Nines’ voice was never really… human per se, but he sounded more human than android in this one moment, “I’m heading over, if you don’t want me over, I’ll turn around and head home.” This was Gavin’s one chance to be alone with Nines, out of work, and his cats made his choice for him. The cats objected to Nines going home. Nines gave out a small chuckle, “It looks like your ‘furry bastards’ made your choice, Gavin.” The man on the other side of the phone chuckled, “I guess they did.” Two mews could be heard. “I’ll be over in a few minutes, I will warn you I will most likely be soaking wet.” “Are you walking in the rain!?” Nines smiled and his LED slowly turned to blue. “Gavin I don’t own a car-” “What about Hank and Connor!?” “They left 30 minutes before I did, and even if they did I would still walk in the rain coming to your place.” Gavin couldn’t argue with the android’s logic and he gave up with this mini argument. “C….... Could you stay on the phone while you walk here?” Mumbled the detective. “Of course I can Dete-” “Gavin. Just… call me Gavin.” Nines gave a fond smile even though Gavin couldn’t see his face. “Gavin it is.” Nines kept walking while smiling, he really did love his conversations with Gavin, even if they sat in silence. “Nines?” “Yes, Gavin?” There was a small silence, till a cat interrupted it. “Sweetheart I know you wanna meet him, my fluffy bastards demand you walk faster” The android laughed and smiled “I'll try my best Gavin.” Gavin smiled, and unconsciously said, “You sound so human right now and I hope that never changes” Nines was caught off guard and smiled, there might have been a blush. “I'm glad you find my new voice nice, Gavin. I will try my best to keep it as human as possible” Gavin made panicked noises and Nines just fell for him even more. “Don't worry Gavin, I'll keep your secret, I'm about 5 minutes away.” “Wait how did you find my address? Wait, don’t answer that.” Nines laughed at Gavin’s stupidity and walked onto Gavin’s front porch. “Well, I’m here Gavin. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

Gavin hung up and walked over to the front door. Nines anxiously stood there. I mean, it was the first time Nines was ever THERE. It wasn’t every day you were invited to your crushes house. Gavin opened the door. “Hi…” Gavin nervously waved, coated with tears. “Hey.” Nines waved back. “May I come in?” “Uh, Y-Yeah!” Gavin opened the door trying to hide the fact that he teared up more knowing his android friend actually came. Nines walked in and admired the house. “Nice place.” Gavin shut the door and slowly made his way to Nines’ side. “Yeah, it helps when you’re close to Elija Kamski and cousins with him.” “That explains a lot about the house now.” Nines analyzed the fireplace, it was rarely used from his view. “So you’re all wet. Uh,” Nines realized his coat was absolutely soaked and his shirt was too. “Ah, I forgot I walked through the rain.” Nines took his coat off, hung it up, and walked over to Gavin’s fireplace. “What are you doing?” Nines gave a faint smile and started a fire. “Go ahead and sit down on the couch, I’ll take care of you.” “Take care of me?! That’s not wh-” “Get on the couch, Gavin.” Gavin sat down on his couch and a fluffy cat walked next to Nines. The cat sat down next to Nines as he started a fire. The cat glared at the android figuring out if he was friend or foe. “Ease up Misty, he’s a friend.” The flame grew into an actual fire and Nines moved away from the fire, gently petting the cat. Gavin hid a sniffle but it wasn’t well hidden from Nines “Are you ok Gavin?” The man slightly nodded yes but his eyes cried no. Nines picked up the cat and gently sat her down in Gavin’s lap. “Enjoy the fire and the company of the cat, I'll make you something warm to drink. Is that alright or do I need to stay near?” Gavin just fell more in love with a robot. “I... don’t know what I want…” Nines stood there and gave a gentle smile “Then I guess I’ll stay here. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I’m here” Gavin looked at Nines with a small tearful face. The android slowly sat down next to Gavin and looked at the fire.

“You probably already know why I’m panicking.” Nines hesitated on his words. “I...Actually don’t know.” Gavin sat in disbelief. Why wouldn’t Nines know? “Why don’t you know” Questioned the man. Nines slightly fidgeted with his hands. “I...Prefer that you’d tell me rather than having me barge into your business when it’s not my business.” Gavin gently pet Misty and looked into the fire. “So, you’d rather I tell you than find out yourself?” Nines nodded. “It’s… a trust thing. I don’t want to lose your trust or we would become horrible partners.” There was an awkward silence. All that was heard was the crinkling of the fire, Misty’s purrs, and the pitter-patter of the rain. Gavin had a new trust for Nines knowing that he actually opted not to look into Gavin’s past and wanted him to explain it. I mean, yes it was a risky subject with Gavin, but, Nines wanted to know what happened through Gavin’s perspective. They both stayed quiet. “Why...Are you upset? Why were you the only one who was able to speak with the child?” Gavin pulled a blanket around himself and sighed. “The kid was supposedly abandoned. Which hits close to home for me. I…ngh. It's difficult to talk about.” Misty cuddled up against Gavin offering comfort. It was then Nines noticed Misty was an android. “You… have an android cat?” questioned the Android. “Uh... yeah! I rescued her off the streets, kept her warm, and taken care of. In return, she takes care of me.” “I thought you hated androids?” Gavin slightly sunk into the couch and looked away nervously. “I…don’t really have an answer..” Nines gently touched Gavin's shoulder, “Gavin it's ok. I don't think any different of you.” Gavin looked at Nines with tears. Poor thing thought Nines. “I… should probably talk about th-this..” the man choked back tears. Nines' gaze softened and he offered to hold hands. “I know this seems, what you'd call it 'gay' but it doesn't count if I say 'no homo' right?” Gavin smiled and chuckled at Nines' attempt to be hip. “Don't laugh at me! I'm completely useless in this situation!”

After Gavin's small giggle-fest he calmed down and slowly remembered about how he felt at that moment. “You really came… I thought you were spitting bullshit.” Nines gently smiled, “And leave my partner to deal with it by himself?” Nines' smile turned into a concerned face, “I've heard from Connor what Hank has attempted before Connor worked with him. I'm not going to risk you doing the same.” Gavin actually felt cared about, which was rare. The man teared up and let a small sob slip. Nines had never really encountered crying from Gavin, but it did cause his LED to change to red. “S-shit did I do something wrong? Do I need to go?” Nines slightly stood up worried he ruined his chance to explain his feelings. “Stay…please…” Gavin's voice was heartbreaking, tears were slowly falling down his cheeks. Nines quickly sat back down next to Gavin and started worrying about him. “Do you want something to drink or h-human contact? I can call Tina if yo-” “Shut up. Just... Shut up. I…” The human hesitated to speak as a surge of emotions hit him. Fear, want, need, all bastards to Gavin.

“I… need you.”

The android looked at the man. “I understand if yo-” “No, I’ll stay. I’ll stay as long as you wish, Gavin.” Gavin leaned onto Nines. Misty cuddled up between them making sure Nines didn’t try anything funny with her owner. “It’s going to be alright Gavin.” “Did you pick up my calming skills?” Nines gave a small smile. “Perhaps I did. Why?” Gavin smiled. “I’m surprised you even picked it up.” “Well, it’s a good skill to learn.” Reasoned the android. “Are you going to treat me like a child?” Nines gave a small laugh. “If it comes to it.” Gavin smiled and laughed. “Now… If you wish, we can speak of your past. You don’t have to. It’s all up to you.” Gavin looked at Nines, who was completely calm, and back at the fire. “I might. Thanks for the fire.” “You’re welcome. It was a tad cold in here and I thought the sound of the fire would be peaceful.”

Gavin gently pets his android cat. Nines spotted a small cat and beckoned him over. Gavin smiled at how sweet Nines was being. He never expected an android as stern as Nines to be sweet to his cats, and him. Out of all people, he was being sweet to Gavin. The small fluffy cat slowly approached the android. “Hello there.” Nines offered his hand out to the cat. The cat glanced at the android, then at Gavin. Nines didn’t move an inch, he waited for the cat to approach him rather than pick the cat up. The cat sniffed his hand, the android’s skin slowly retracted in the area the cat sniffed, which spooked the cat, but just a bit. His android sister did the same, so he was indeed used to it. “That’s a first.” Said Gavin as the cat climbed onto the couch and sat in Nines’ lap. “What’s new?” Asked the android. “Well Kaleb doesn’t like being near new people, so seeing him cozy up against you, it’s a new sight.” Nines smiled as he pats Kaleb. “He seems to like me.” “Maybe he knows you’ll be staying for much longer than a normal visitor.” Nines looked at Gavin who was now regretting what he said. “I’ll stay for a year the-” “Nines you dick!” Nines laughed and continued petting Kaleb. The two fell down the staircase of love, it was obvious. Even to the cats!

“So.” “So…” Nines cuddled Kaleb and Gavin cuddled Misty. “...Wanna talk about it?” Asked Nines. Gavin stayed quiet until a quiet mumble slipped from his mouth. “Yeah…” “Do I need to get anything for you?” Gavin scooted closer. Nines gently pulled a blanket over Gavin and comforted him. Gavin sighed and slowly let his guard down. “I’ll be right here.” Nines tilted his head and gave a comforting smile. “I promise I’ll take care of you.” “Nines don’t pull a Connor on me.” Chuckled Gavin. Nines smiled more. “Now, talk about your life.” Gavin sighed, “I...ngh… When I was young my parents...They didn’t really like me per se. My father drank because my mother cheated. They argued every day, they got violent, verbally abusive.” The color in the detective’s eyes slowly faded. “I got in the crossfire multiple times, their anger for each other united into one major hate for me. I got hurt, I got scars, I’ve gotten emotional damage.” Misty curled up on Gavin’s lap and attempted to comfort the man. “One day...they just…” Gavin shook his head in disbelief. “Left. They just… up and left. Didn’t take anything with them except their wallets and tech. I was even lucky that Elijah’s mother took me in.” Nines’ LED turned from blue to red. “Elijah’s family came for a visit and found me by myself. Hearing John’s story...it...it really hit close to home. Closer than I’d want it to be.” Nines looked at Gavin as he glared into the fire. “They didn’t...they didn’t come back.” Tears slightly formed at Gavin’s eyes. Nines gently pulled Gavin close. “Do you still have the scars?” Questioned Nines. Gavin looked a tad nervous.

Gavin hesitantly traced the scar on his nose, which was covered by concealer. “I...Uh…” Gavin bit his lip. Nines cuddled Gavin. “You don’t have to answer if you’re not ready, Gavin. I want you to feel safe.” Gavin let the tears flow, he actually felt safe with Nines. Misty, Kaleb, and Nines all panicked and hurried to comfort him. Gavin slowly fell into Nine’s chest while Misty and Kaleb watched every move Nines made. They wanted their owner a good significant other and if Nines played the right cards, he could stay. Nines gently wrapped his arms around Gavin while he sobbed into his chest. Gavin sobbed for about 30 minutes. He slowly calmed down but didn’t move away. “You ok Gavin?” Gavin slightly nodded and looked up at Nines. The bitch was tall. “Just...let me go do something real quick…” Gavin got up and walked away, leaving Nines and the cats by themselves. Misty and Kaleb sat next to Nines comforting him, as Nines believed he fucked up. The android was concerned while the cats comforted him.

Misty is done with Gavin’s bullshit.

Misty had enough and got up to go find where her owner was. Just before she jumped off the couch, Gavin came out. “Sorry. I had to do something.” Gavin was covering his nose. Nines got up, and you could swear you were watching a romantic drama. The cats scurried off to get popcorn. “Gavin…” Nines slowly approached Gavin. The man slightly stepped away. “Yea??” Nines slowly reached for Gavin’s hand and was ready for Gavin to pull away, but he didn’t? Nines gently moved Gavin’s hand away from his face. “It’s a horrible scar. Be honest.” Nines gently pulled Gavin close. “It isn’t Gavin. Now, this will be considered cliche but, it makes you...you.” Gavin looked ashamed and looked away. Nines tilted Gavin’s head up and gently kissed Gavin’s scar. Commence the android’s panic. “Did… you just kiss my scar?” Nines’ LED turned yellow. “Yes?” Gavin gave a small smile, “What prick programmed you to do that?” Nines smiled fondly. “I would have to put the blame on me, I am deviant, after all.” Gavin chuckled and looked up at the very fucking tall android. Nines smiled at the short ass man. Gavin glanced at Nines’ lips and slowly questioned the urge to kiss him. They shared loving glances till Nines made a move.

Gavin’s heart rate increased as they both leaned closer to each other. They moved closer till their lips touched. Just as quickly as it started, the kiss ended. Nines held Gavin close while they shared small happy and confused noises. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long…” Gasped Gavin. Nines giggled, “Is it ok if I say the same?” Gavin and Nines shared the smile of ‘oops haha’ and giggled. Misty and Kaleb came into the room and proceeded to attack their feet. “Seems the cats have taken a liking to you.” Nines smiled and answered back in the same tone, “Seems I’ve taken a liking to you” Gavin chuckled and looked back up at his tall ass android boyfriend. “So...how would you like to stay the night?” Misty mewed ‘How would you like to stay forever?’ Nines smiled and kissed his boyfriend’s scar. “Of course.” Gavin would've stood on his tippy toes just to kiss the giant, but Nines leaned down so the man could wrap his arms around the Android's neck. Nines sweetly kissed Gavin and Gavin died from gayness. The android smiled, gently picked his human up, sat down on the couch, and sat the human on his lap. Gavin cuddled up into Nines' chest while Nines hugged him from behind.

:D

[cammi-writes]

Title: Connor’s First

Part: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

a/n | warnings:

Fandom: Detroit: Become Human

Pairings: Connor RK800 x Reader

Tags: @ageathas , @bethanystan , @pokengirl2 , @boatsfordays ,@spirit-of-the-void , @tae-nado , @galaxypickles , @panpott , @send-me-to-valhalla , @mikithekiki , @purpstraw , @mynahx3 , @hufflepuffing-all-day-long , @iamnotjesha , @clussysposts , @soy-una-conejo , @datweirdname , @bandseverywhere2246 , @simi11 ,  message me if you want to be tagged

It was an unexpected friendship between you and Gavin. Especially since how diverse your political views were. You were pro-deviant while Gavin was exclusively anti-android. 

Funny enough, Gavin was probably the most liberal person you had known. Until the android revolution. He was an asshole but he was one of your oldest friends.

Your parents were close friends, you both grew up together. You both decided you wanted to join the police academy together after college. 

You both differed a lot. Which is why Connor hated to see you two acting friendly towards each other. 

It wasn’t unknown around the precinct that Connor and Gavin hated each other. You knew that quite well and would always urge Gavin to grow the hell up and accept that androids were alive. And Gavin loved to rebut that with his belief that your infatuation with Connor was just like the time you guys were 13 and you used the “Virtual Boyfriend” app. 

“Happy Birthday, Kitty.” Gavin wrapped his arms around you, using the nickname he made up when you guys were still in diapers. 

“Thanks, Gav.” You smiled and leaned into the hug. 

Connor was at his desk, analyzing the scene with an intense glare. 

His programming seemed to be against him as the big black letters popped up in front of you two. 

64% chance of romantic interest.

Connor felt his hand unintentionally ball up in a fist as he searched both of your files, finding dozens of photos of the two of you that looked a lot more than co-workers.

“Connor.” Hank grabbed him by the arm. “Don’t.”

“What?” Connor tilted his head.

“Whatever you’re going over there for, it’s not a good idea.” Hank glanced down at Connor’s balled up fists.

“They are close.” Connor ignored Hank’s accusation. 

“Always have been.” Hank nodded, glancing at the two of you.

“Are they..?” Connor’s thirium pump seemed to pump wildly at the thought. 

“I don’t think so.” Hank shook his head. “Surprised you haven’t noticed that they were close.” 

“She never mentioned it.” Connor felt like something was chewing at him. Something that reminded him of the definition of hurt.

“Before you got here, they were always together.” Hank commented.

“What changed?” Connor’s eyes were watching you as you laughed at something that Gavin had said.

“You showed up.” Hank smirked. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Connorrr” You slurred as you stumbled through the bar. 

“Yes, Y/n?” Connor refused to look at you and you huffed.

“Look at me.” You whined, using your hand to cup his chin and force him to look at you. 

Connor’s eyes widened and his thirium pump stirred. He could feel the warmth of your hand and it was driving him crazy. Fantasies of you pulling him close and locking lips crossed his mind before he pushed them away. 

“Are you mad at me?” You pouted. “You’ve been ignoring me all day.”

“I am not mad at you, Y/n.” Connor shuffled in his seat, a new feeling of anxiousness settling in him. 

“It’s my birthday and I haven’t seen you all day.” You frowned. 

“Y/n I-” Connor felt anger bubble in him as he was cut off. 

“Kitty! Get your ass over here!” Gavin yelled obnoxiously across the bar. 

“Give me a minute!” You yelled back. 

“Leave robo-boy alone and come play pool!” 

You only replied by giving him the finger. 

“Are you and Detective Reed dating?” Connor asked abruptly. He analyzed your emotions and came up with the conclusion that you were confused. 

“Me and Gavin?” You laughed loudly. “Ew, gross. He’s like my brother.” 

“How could you be friends with someone who hates androids? Me?” Connor seemed curious but you could see the hurt behind his eyes. 

“Connor...” You frowned. “Gavin doesn’t hate you. He’s afraid of you.” 

“Why?” Connor tilted his head. 

“Well... He never liked that humans started making androids to do our jobs for us. And then the first case we worked together was the first case I didn’t work with Gavin. And now that you’re deviant, you’re the first guy, other than Gavin, that I’m this close with.” You tried to explain. “And he was terrified of that old Disney movie Smart House when we were kids, that might also factor into it.”

Connor completely brushed over your joke and felt deeply hurt by your words, which confused him because this was a whole new feeling. Of course, since becoming deviant he has felt pain but never this bad. 

“You’re close, the way we are, with Gavin?” For the first time since meeting Connor, you actually heard the emotion in his voice. 

“Not... Not like we are. But Gavin and I are close in different ways- Connor!” You gasped as Connor abruptly stood up and bypassed you. “Connor that’s not how I meant it!” 

“I understand exactly what you meant, Detective.” Connor knew he was acting illogically but the way his abdomen was clenching involuntarily and the flashes of you and Gavin doing the things that he had thought were special between the two of you was too much for him to handle. 

“Where are you going?” Hank furrowed his eyebrows as Connor passed him with a troubled look on his face, with you in tow. 

“What crawled up your ass and die-” Gavin’s snarky remark was cut off by a loud crunch. 

“Connor!” You screeched as his fist collided with Gavin’s nose. 

“Whoa-Whoa” Hank gripped onto Connor to stop him. In reality, Hank would not have been able to stop him if he didn’t want to stop. 

You bent down to help Gavin with his bleeding nose before glaring up at Connor. 

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t-” Connor stuttered over his words. He didn’t know why he did that. 

“Go home, Connor.” You shook your head.

89% chance of feeling disgusted.

Connor frowned at his emotional scan of you as Hank dragged him out of the bar. 

“Well, you couldn’t have picked a worst night to have your first fight, kid.” Hank grumbled as you pushed him into his car. 

“That was hardly my first fight, Lieutenant.” Connor mumbled, for the first time lost in his thoughts. 

“No, Connor. It was. That wasn’t some criminal, it was Y/n’s best friend. You can’t get jealous like-”

“I’m not jealous.” Connor snapped. “I just can’t comprehend how she can do the things she does with me, with him.” 

Hank shook his head in disapproval. 

“Well, that sounds like jealousy to me.”

[pointedly-foolish]

[ dσn’t run frσm mє rívєr ]

word count: 2605

pairing: upgraded connor | rk900/gender-neutral!reader

genre: hurt/comfort

summary: nines filed the results of the system check to the back of his mind, to be analysed later, and sighed. he wasn’t originally programmed to sigh, but he sure did it alot nowadays. he sighed once more. this check would most likely return like the previous few, [ all systems optimal; functionality: 100% ]. so why does his processor stutter, causing him to freeze and catch his voice in his throat, when he was around you? there was only one logical explanation: he was broken.

a/n: ya boi is an idiot who made more wips than he could handle,,,, but anyway i wanted to write a nines fic because,,,,,,,,,,,, idk inspiration struck? i must admit i had no idea where i was going w this fic skfksfjaskdfhjk btw nines is deviant in this fic, i just have a hc that since he was forced into deviancy (unlike the 3 protagonists who reached some sort of catharsis) he isn’t as familiar with emotions as those 3, hence his difficulty identifying and expressing them. also rk800-60 and rk900 have assigned names, being colin (nickname sixty) and conan (nickname nines) respectively. connor is just connor lmao,,,,, i am god in my fics and i decide that my 3 bois are bros and happy lil deviants,,,, mk, go!

the ambiance inside the bar was loud and suffocating. many people came to celebrate an officer’s promotion to detective, and while nines wasn’t particularly close to them, he showed up regardless (although a certain duo of rk800 models may or may not have had something to do with his decision). mere formalities; he politely congratulated them and stepped away to ruminate on his own in a corner, absently watching the scene in front of him. for a reason that escaped him, he was (disappointed?) (hurt?) that you got along with colin. he still experienced anomalies in his system when near you, even after being told that he was perfectly fine at the maintenance centre. if the problem wasn’t from within, then there was only one probable cause: an outside factor. a recurring event. one that triggered these anomalies. you.

so he requested to change partners. now, he really wished he didn’t.

while you have taken to your new partner wonderfully, he wasn’t as gracious with his. between reed’s incessant snide remarks and overall unwillingness to cooperate, he’d much rather be deactivated. he found himself missing your partnership. for one, your cooperativeness was a relief. you were determined, passionate and kind. truthfully, he missed you. the shine in your eyes when you find a lead, your composure and professionalism, the soothing quality of your voice, the way you’d let you hand linger in his, how your features softened when you smiled—smiled at hi— he caught himself. why did that last part come to mind? how did you still manage to affect him when you’re so far away? he was about to check why when a laughter caught his attention. your wonderful laughter. One he was oh so familiar with. you were laughing with his brother, probably at another of his bad jokes. seeing you happy with him stirred an ugly feeling inside him. one that he did not recognise nor acknowledge. one that caused him to glare at his older counterpart.

he was miserable after parting ways from you, having to deal with reed’s complaining. he was hurt, he was away from you and it didn’t feel right. this distance between you two manifested as physical pain on his part, so how come you were fine? how were you able to move on in your life as if nothing happened? sadness and hurt turned into something more despicable: how dare you not feel the same pain he did? seeing you so happy twisted the knife deeper in his heart. how could you? conflicting emotions; he wanted to see you happy. he also wanted to see you suffer with him.

his glowering must’ve been pretty obvious as connor “addressed” him, asking if he was alright, to which he replied with a curt « all systems fully functional ». clearly the wrong answer as the rk800 frowned slightly and asked him to follow him. nines did as told. you watched him as he left, but he’d never know that.

the alleyway wasn’t the cleanest of places, but it was private and quiet enough that the two could converse verbally. connor watched his younger brother, concern in his eyes, and tentatively threaded the topic of his relationship with you. nines squinted his eyes fractionally as he observed his brother, pausing before dismissing anything connor may have assumed: « i don’t know what you’re trying to insinuate. the older model raised a brow in as he doubted his younger counterpart’s words. – you’ve been scowling at them for the past few minutes. – everything is perfectly fine between the detective and i. he forced out, probably more defensive and harsh than he meant it to be, as his brother’s eyes widened slightly, flashing with something akin to recognition. there was a pause before connor spoke up. – are you… jealous? he finally asked. »

nines looked a bit more than scandalised as the thought of being jealous, face contorted to slight disgust: « that’s preposterous. he scoffed. jealous? jealous of what? connor thought back about the scene before he intervened: nines was glaring intensely at you and colin, just after you laughed at one of his quips. – well for one, of collin. how he managed to get the detective’s attention. maybe you’re yearning for theirs, for their affection. his proposition has certainly made nines realise something as his eyes widened, making him look like a deer caught in the headlights. – what are you trying to say? his voice wavered in unsurety. – what i’m trying to say is tha— » he didn’t manage to finish his statement as another voice, not too dissimilar to his own cut him off, announcing how “nines had the hots” for you. connor looked slightly irked at being interrupted while nines quickly dismissed the statement before fully processing it. colin was slightly taken aback by the quick rejection, before smirked mischievously: « great! then you wouldn’t mind if i asked them out right? – colin! exclaimed his twin. »

a sudden rage took over nines’ body as he pushed colin out of the doorway and stormed back inside the bar. a few beats passed before connor threw a chastising look at his twin, which colin shrugged nonchalantly to.

yes, nines knew what dating was. he knew that if two individuals were to harbour romantic feelings for each other, they would come together and be “dating each other”.

date /dāt/ verb gerund or present participle: dating 3. go out with (someone in whom one is romantically or sexually interested).

technically, it was fine. logically, it was fine. he didn’t own you. if you were to date his brother, then that would be your choice. but the thought of you being close and loving someone other than him felt so incredibly wrong. he wanted to leave. he needed to leave. this is all too much. he had feelings for you? he needed time to digest that statement. in his rush to get out, he accidentally bumped into another person, who made a small « oof » and an apology. he was about to apologise as well when you both realised who you were talking to.

« nines! i’ve been looking for you! can we… uh, talk? » he realised from this distance that he could smell your scent: lavender, fabric softener, and something pleasant that was unmistakably you. he nodded and followed you absentmindedly. how did you have this power to erase all thoughts from his mind, make him think of you and only you? has he really fallen for you? you both went outside, a distance away from the bar’s entrance when you finally restarted the conversation: « nines. – detective. » you bit your lips at that reply, and he realised now you looked tired, that radiant smile absent. « look, nines, i- i’m not dense, okay?... i-i know when someone’s avoiding me. – what do you mean detect— – i thought i told you that it was alright to call me by my first name… look, i… by “avoiding” i mean this. acting like you don’t know me. speaking to me as if we were just “coworkers”. acting like we aren’t friends. you sounded tired, the lilt in your voice that he has grown accustomed to sullen. – i’m not avoiding you. he lied, but he knew you were smarter than that. – nines please don’t lie… this distance… between us. i don’t understand, nines. your voice cracked. what happened? Why are you doing this? »

watching you hurt inside because of him was worse than any punishment he could’ve received. any and all previous wishes for you to suffer was quickly erased. he’s much rather suffer alone than watch you break. he took hesitant steps back. away from you. distancing himself from you. you noticed his actions and whispered a desperate « nines… please… » he wanted to run away. he wanted to stay. he wanted to leave and pretend this conversation never happened. he wanted to hold you and tell you everything: his fears, his doubts, his growing affection for you. in the end, he found himself running away from his problems like a coward. you didn’t bother to chase after him, desperately crying out « please… please don’t run from me conan. », last part choked out as you tried to hold yourself together. hearing your voice crack and waver because of him was awful. he wanted to turn back. comfort you. But his body didn’t obey him. when he finally stopped to pay attention to where he was going, he was right back at his shared flat. he swallowed dryly and moved to enter his house, a solemn air around him.

the next few days were absolutely torturous. he increased his initiative to avoid you, never seen in the same place as you, much to your chagrin. an act so blatant than someone as ignorant as reed noticed, an act that become the core of his recent round of taunts. avoiding you hurt. so why did he continue to do it? the thought of approaching the subject made him go cold. it immobilised him, stopped him from uttering a single word. a quick search told him he was scared. nervous. for rejection. he doesn’t know if his heart could take much more. he does resolve to tell you one day… just… not today…

but maybe he should’ve taken the chance when it was presented to him, as he may never get one again.

you died. well, you almost did. his mind jumping to the worst case scenarios as anxiety filled his system. arrest gone wrong. gunshot. 9mm bullets embedded within your abdomen. what if it hit your vascular system? you were rushed into the er. he knew that in this profession, the chances for an individual to get shot rises. but he didn’t expect to grow so attached to one of them. so as the surgeons work to quickly remove all bullets from your body, he sat, rigid, as he waited for the procedure to be done. he fiddled anxiously with his coin when your partner placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. he mechanically glanced at its owner, who told him to not worry, that you’re “too much of a stubborn ass” to die from this event. he didn't acknowledge colin’s input as he continues to play with the quarter. he should’ve told you. told you when he had the chance.

the clock ticked. and ticked. and ticked. when finally, the surgeon informed the two that you were alright. they managed to take out all the bullets. your condition was stable. you were ok. heavily sedated and going to be in a lot of pain. but you were ok. nines didn’t stop the heavy sigh of relief that escaped him. the doctor told them that visits will be allowed as soon as you were settled in recovery. he was going to tell you. he told himself, like an unspoken promise. he was going to tell you then. it’s the least you deserve. he was going to apologise and come clean. hopefully you’ll have it in you to forgive him.

when you finally came to, your body ached, you didn’t want to move, so you settled with eyeing your room. what happened? you were chasing this guy… and he pulled out a gun… pain and then darkness. and now you’re here. the recovery room was filled with gifts and get-well soon cards. balloons of assorted colours filled the room, bouquets of diverse types of flowers adorned the table.

« you’re awake. »

you turned your head at the source, seeing connor at the doorway. « how—you cleared your throat—how long was i gone for? you asked, voice raspy. – around 3 days and a half. you’d gain consciousness a few times, but you were too heavily sedated to be fully coherent. he explained as he took a seat near the bed. you groaned. – gosh that long? connor nodded. how’s colin? – doing pretty well all things considered. he does, however, feel immensely guilty about failing to protect you. – well, tell him it’s not his fault and that i forgive everything he’s blaming himself with. you worried about him. despite sixty’s mischievous exterior, he had a tendency to get himself stuck in a depressive loop of self-deprecation. connor smiled graciously. – will do… he placed a paper cup filled with what you assumed was thirium on the floor. how are you feeling? – everything hurts but i’ll live, you quipped. » the android chuckled and was about to reply when a knock caught both of your attention. the door creaked slightly open, as nines peered in. he hesitated before asking if he may speak with you. the “alone” part being left unsaid as connor bid you farewell and left.

you and your former partner were locked in an intense stareoff, you on the bed on one end and him glued to the door on the other. he took tentative steps towards you. closing that distance. when he was besides your bed, he nervously called out your name. you parroted him, mustering out a curt « conan. » he took a deep breath that he technically didn’t need and whispered out an apology: « i… i’m sorry. for everything i’ve caused—for all the hurt i’ve caused… for what it’s worth… i never meant for all this to happen. » his voice was clipped as guilt overcame him. you watched him, silent as ever. he wished you would say something, anything. the silence was deafening.

« then please tell me why… he promised himself that he’d come clean. – i… i don’t… i don’t think i know... for sure… i experienced anomalies in my system when i was around you.. you’d consume my every thought, i’d feel immobilised and i… i’ve been told that i’m being nervous… i’ve been told that i harboured romantic feelings for you… i-i don’t know. i… i yearn for your attention, your touch, your affection… but is it right for something like me to desire such a thing? am-am i broken…? his voice was barely a whisper when he choked out the lay part, and he waited for his response, growing more anxious as each second ticked by. what if you didn’t want him? what if he wasn’t enough? – no, you aren’t broken. you shook your head. just human. »

nines. confident and assured nines was an insecure and trembling mess as he poured out all of the doubts that plagued his mind. your heart aches as you wished to comfort him, so you do. you reached out, best you can, and grabbed him into a bone crushing hug. an action that took him by surprised as he stiffened at your touch. but he soon relaxed and carefully snaked his arms around your waist, returning the hug. you slowly caressed his hair as he nuzzled into your neck.

you both stay like this for a moment, relishing in each others presence, before you spoke up again: « it’s okay to be unsure, you know. he stopped his nuzzling, indicating to you that he was listening. if you don’t feel ready at the moment… if you just wanna be friends for the time being, i’m ok with that. and if one day you decide that you want to be more, just remember i’ll be right here. » you pressed a gentle kiss on the crown of his head and stayed in that position for a while, neither wanting to part ways, but this awkwardly positioned hug took a toll on your back so the both of you half heartedly pulled away from each other. hands holding the other’s, you asked for one more request: « just promise me one thing. – anything, he breathed out. – please… don’t ever run from me again. – never. he promised, fully intending to fulfill said request. »

« thank you. »

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[detroitwhatitmeanstobehuman]

Chapter 5 - Conflicting Directives

Part 5/17 of What it Means to be Human

Word Count: 10,488

Warnings: Swearing (not as much this time), mild suggestive banter, character death, post-loss grieving, descriptions of a car accident and hospitalization.

Genre: Self-insert/Hurt/Comfort/Fluff

Pairing: OC (Detective Rachel) X Connor

Rating: Mature

Summary: The day is done and Detective Rachel has gone home. Connor, making earnest on his promise, arrives at her home to make amends. He learns the extent of her loss and trauma and notices strange things about her affect on him. It seemed as though without doing anything, Connor’s software instability increases almost continuously around her, but even more strangely, he’s not bothered by it.

First Chapter | Previous Chapter

---------------------------------

Date: November 6th, 2038  Time: 06:34 PM Objective: Find Amanda

Within his mind palace’s zen garden, the RK800 android found himself in once again, prepared to make another report to Amanda, his handler. It was a familiar and peaceful place, with many modern-style bridges that led to the centre of the small lake within.

But first and foremost, the strange device to his left that he always triggered, but never understood why. He was strangely drawn not only to it, but to trigger it. It was like a console with an input for handprint recognition just in front of a circular sculpture-like structure.

He never understood why he triggered it, or why whenever he did, he could feel something constantly shifting. He simply felt compelled to do so.

But nevertheless, he did what he always did, and made his way to the centre, where his trusted handler typically was. The detective android saw her as his mentor, and admitted that there was much he would do for her approval.

Amanda - Trusted He found her standing beneath the tree in the centre, her very dark skin reflected by the bright sun that lit the garden, and her braided hair done up in a tightly wound bun. 

“Hello, Amanda.” Connor greeted.

“Connor, I've been expecting you.” She greeted him in return. “Would you mind a little walk?” 

Connor, giving her a patient and appreciative smile, began following the elegant and poised coloured woman through the garden. “That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case. A pity you didn't manage to capture it...” 

Rachel 🔓

Pragmatic

Explain

No Excuse

“The detective Lieutenant Anderson brought on today nearly had it.” Connor explained. “It managed to slip from her grasp, but I’m certain that the next case will go much more successfully.”

Amanda continued to listen intently, stealing a glance at him from time to time. “Did you manage to learn anything?” She asked him patiently.

Deviant 🔓

Diary 🔓

Signs On Walls 🔓

Birds

“It was fascinated by birds.” Connor answered, Rachel’s emphasis on the nature of the deviant’s connection to the pigeons the most prevalent in the android’s consciousness. “We've seen deviants interested in other lifeforms like insects or pets, but nothing like this.”

Amanda nodded. “What else?”

Deviant 🔓

Diary 🔓

Signs On Walls 🔓

“The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols.” Connor added, informing his handler of what he saw written and drawn on the walls of the abandoned apartment. “Like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9.”

“You came very close to capturing that deviant...” Amanda pointed out. “How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?”

Saving Hank 🔓

Negative

Ambiguous

Positive

“He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof.” Connor answered earnestly, continuing to walk with the older woman. “He didn't say anything, but he expressed it in his own way.”

“It would seem that this case has become more complicated, thanks to the involvement of both Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Rachel.” She said slowly. “Having to work with the lieutenant already made this case difficult enough, but the addition of another may compromise your investigation. What do you make of her?”

Indifferent

Sincere

Dismissive

Unsure

Amanda - Trusted v “I think her addition to the case would add great benefit to our progress.” Connor answered in earnest, much to Amanda’s subtle disappointed scowl, indicated only by the smallest twinge in her full lip and narrow of her dark eyes. “She’s incredibly analytical, has a natural instinct for discerning the motives of suspects and a powerful drive. She also has a good rapport with the lieutenant and I consider her insight extremely valuable.”

Amanda’s facial expressions were almost impossible to read, as she most often kept her face entirely neutral. “You know full well that she knowingly allowed the deviants from before to escape.” She pointed out. “What do you think about her attitude towards them?”

Intriguing

Disapproving

Unsure

Indifferent

Amanda - Trusted v “I find her observations intriguing.” Connor answered flatly. “She draws many comparisons to other marginalized groups among humans, ones that I find rather fascinating and insightful. She’s very articulate and adamant in her thoughts regarding them.”

Amanda continued to stare at Connor, her expression stoic and unchanging. “In any case, she has also been officially assigned to the case.” She reminded the android. “If the cause of these outbreaks of deviancy isn’t found, they will wreak havoc. Make certain she does not become a liability.”

Connor nodded. “I understand.”

“We don't have much time.” Amanda’s eyes scanned the surroundings of the Zen Garden before settling on Connor again. “Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it.” She said, putting emphasis on the latter part of that statement. “We need to stop this, whatever it takes.”

Connor nodded obediently. “I will solve this investigation, Amanda.” He promised her. “I won't disappoint you.”

Amanda nodded, coming to the end of their walk. “You’d better hurry.” She warned. “I will inform you when we have another case. But until then, get on better terms with your new partner.”

--------

Objective: Make amends with Rachel Rachel - Warm

Leaving the self-driving taxi, Connor stepped up and approached the house. It wasn’t a particularly large house, but it had two levels and a large window to the right side when approaching the front door. As the android approached the house, he stepped up to the door and was about to knock when he heard a sound coming from inside.

Knock

Investigate

Leaning over towards the window, he began examining what was playing inside. It was her, in what looked like a kitchen, smiling. Smiling, dancing, singing, and playing with a large black dog. 

And I'm begging you, bring me back to life. 

I just can't stand leaving you alone tonight. 

It's too late to go. 

Already taken me forever just to try to know. 

Connor quickly matched the song and found it to be an old 2011 song called Stutter from the album Ever After by Mariana’s Trench. She wasn’t dancing in any specific way, simply bouncing on her feet and moving her shoulders in rhythm with her eyes closed. 

One for the money, two for the show, 

three to get ready, and four to go. 

For the life of me, 

I don't know why it took me so long to see.

The way her hair bounced on her shoulders and the way her smile contorted to the lyrics of the song was utterly captivating. She was spontaneous, free, and entirely shameless in her sheer joy. It didn’t even occur to him that he was already recording her so that he could commit this to detailed memory.

I just stutter, stutter, stutter,

Di-di-di-di-di-did I?

Stutter, stutter, stutter,

Di-di-di-di-di-di-did I?

Stutter, stutter, stutter,

Di-di-di-di-di-did I?

Stutter, stutter, stutter,

Di-di-di-di-di-di-did I?

Software Instability ^ Connor realized that he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she was behaving wholly organically as she truly was. This was what she was like in her own time, when it was just herself in her own space. And he would be lying if it wasn’t utterly captivating listening to her sing and watching her dance with such freeform careless abandon, throwing all caution to the wind to get completely lost in her own rhythm. She was making strange flapping motions with her hands and tapping and hitting the counter in various ways to the music which he couldn’t help but find incredibly endearing.

But it didn’t last, as she then locked eyes with him, her brown eyes wide in shock, very much resembling a deer caught in headlights. Not that Connor had ever seen that himself, but he was aware of the phenomenon. After all, there wasn’t very much large wildlife in Detroit, at least not in the city.

She didn’t seem to really be afraid as she sort of just stood there. Connor took that as a good enough reason to step back in front of the door and ring the doorbell.

Although, as soon as he had done that, the music stopped and the rumbles of a deep bark and a loud and boisterous laugh resounded through the house and were audible from where Connor was standing. It was unmistakably hers, but he had never heard her laugh like that. Not with so much energy and force behind it. It was surprising, and it made Connor’s lip twinge in the smallest smile. “Wait!” She ordered, still laughing. 

Software Instability ^ The barking had stopped and the front door was opened to Rachel’s face, still contorted in a wide open-mouthed smile as she was still keeling over in laughter, clutching her diaphragm with her right arm.

Greet

Apologize

Tease

Say Nothing

“Hello, Rachel.” Connor announced curtly.

“I’m sorry,” the shorter woman said, adjusting her glasses and still trying to work through laughs and giggles, “but did you just ring the doorbell to try and pretend like you totally weren’t just staring at me through my window like a creep?”

Apologize

Tease

Say Nothing

Connor hesitated for a moment before answering. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He apologized, putting on his typical professional posture and persona. “It’s just that I hadn’t seen you dance or sing before.”

“That’s probably because it would be pretty tone-deaf to just break into song in the middle of a police precinct.” Rachel joked with him, before stepping back a bit, the large black dog stepping between them and sniffing at Connor eagerly. 

Software Instability ^ “That’s Bear, my sweet baby boy. He loves people, he’s an absolute sweetheart.” She cooed in that baby voice many humans used when speaking to or about animals they found cute. “Yes he is! He absolutely is, the sweetest lil’ baby boy in the whole world and the cutest baby ever!” It was a tone of voice Connor couldn’t help but once again smile at as she ruffled at the large dog’s ears, the dog huffing in pleasant excitement. The android quickly identified it as a Newfoundland. They’re dogs that were bred to work in water in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but more specifically Newfoundland, in Maritime Canada, and often finds use as a canine lifeguard. 

As Connor started petting the large black dog, who was sniffing eagerly at his face, Rachel then turned back to him, having calmed down and was looking at him with an inquisitive look. “Wait, how did you find my house? I forgot to give you the address. Did Hank give it to you?”

Truth

Lie

“No.” Connor replied. “He simply told me that you were going to be busy before you arrived at home. I didn’t think to ask him as I simply searched for it while I was leaving the precinct to depart towards your home.”

Software Instability ^ Rachel gave him a smirk that Connor now recognized as typical of her. “Oh, so now you’re also a stalker.” It was a statement that made Connor wonder if he had offended her, but her demeanour and tone of voice seemed to indicate it was nothing more than friendly banter. As she continued further into the room, she then looked back at him, her thick brown eyebrows knitted together in mild bewilderment. “Are...you gonna...come in?”

“I’m sorry, I was waiting for you to give me permission to enter.” He replied politely.

“I’m the one who invited you to my house!” Rachel pointed out with a gesture of her hand and a confused tone to her naturally loud voice. “Just come in, you dork. Take your shoes off and make sure you don’t let Bear out, he tends to chase shit into the street.”

Software Instability ^ He walked inside the house, making sure to close the door behind him, Bear’s tail wagging eagerly before he walked away to lay in what looked like a very comfortable den of blankets and pillows inside of his kennel, which was situated in the corner of the living room. “I’m just going to brew myself some tea.” Rachel called, going back towards the kitchen. “I’m assuming androids don’t eat or drink ‘cause it would probably fuck up their systems, right?”

“Correct.” Connor replied, as he began removing his work shoes with ease. “Androids cannot process the organic materials that humans consume, as it’s not compatible with their biocomponents. Consumption of such materials would indeed damage an android. However, some androids that are designed to work in food can taste what they make so that it’s suitable for a human’s needs. Their systems are specialized so that they can release the materials in the same way humans do.”

“And you, I’m guessing?” Rachel asked, an eyebrow raised. “Since I had the both amusement and disgust of learning about your filthy mouth and where it’s been.”

Software Instability ^ “Correct.” Connor answered. “Due to the nature of my analysis, I’ve also been built to release foreign materials.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Alright, so just tea for me, then.” She said, making her way into the kitchen. “Go ahead and have a seat. Make yourself at home.”

“Thanks.” Connor said curtly as he scanned the room.

Wait for Rachel to return Investigate Rachel’s home 

He noticed that the walls were painted in very warm colours, dark oranges and rich shades of brown. It was a well-lit space, only further accentuated and magnified by the choice of colours for the interior. The kitchen led to the living room which was the room most adjacent to the large window in front. Around the corner of the wall of the living room was the kitchen and dining room combination, the sliding glass door leading to the backyard to the left of the kitchen and behind the dining room. Against the leftmost wall of the dining room, Connor could see a box that typically contained thirium or other android parts, yet there was no evidence of any working android in the home. He knew she was capable of performing small repairs on androids, but it seemed odd to have android supplies without actually possessing one.

Potentially repairing androids from home?

Connor detected another room behind the kitchen to the left from where he was facing, and peering inside, he could see several musical instruments, including an upright piano, a guitar, a ukulele, and a saxophone.

Rachel has musical interests. 🔓

To the left of the entrance and just before the dining room were the stairs leading up to the second floor, where he assumed Rachel’s bedroom was. Below the stairs was another door, likely storage, and then another that could be walked through. Given the layout Connor was noticing thus far, he concluded it was simply another door leading to the room with the piano in it.

Peering past the hallway next to the stairs was a door at the end. Given the placement of the driveway outside the house, Connor deduced that the door led to the garage. And to the left of that was a washing machine and a dryer, as well as several cupboards and shelves for various cleaning supplies and solutions.

And to the very left of the entrance was a pair of closet sliding doors, of which could be very easily assumed was for jackets, shoes, and other outdoor wear.

Surrounding the house were several photos and other decorations of various animals, most commonly owls of various species.

Rachel has a special interest in ornithology, specifically Strigiformes. 🔓

Alongside the several photographs of owls, there were illustrations of dragons, ranging from the typical four-legged winged dragons most common in pop culture, to other types such as wyverns and even some feathered varieties.

Rachel has a particular fondness for dragons.

In the living room itself, There was a large couch and two matching recliners on either side, a long coffee table seated deliberately in the middle, a remote control situated on it.

In front of the coffee table against the wall was a fireplace, the mantle holding multiple pictures and other decorations. Above the mantle was a large television screen that was switched off. “I’m just gonna put some tunes on! It’s way too quiet for me!” Connor heard Rachel call from the kitchen.

Reply

Say Nothing

“That’s fine!” Connor replied. “I don’t mind.”

The TV turned back on, a music sharing app on the screen as another album began playing. The display read The Saltwater Room, part of the 2008 album Maybe I’m Dreaming by Owl City, also known as Adam Young.

Rachel likes 2000-2020 era music.

As Connor approached to investigate the fireplace mantle, he found several photographs and other items of interest. Lying on one side of the mantle was a photograph of Rachel, a much younger Rachel, with several animals ranging from a small Syrian Hamster, to a black English Cocker Spaniel, to a Crested Gecko. Beside them were more recent photographs, one of Rachel with what appeared to be a photo of Bear as a puppy, and one with a piebald Ball Python snake.

Rachel cares deeply for animals. 🔓

Next to those photos were others of family. Some were rather old and others were more recent. Connor’s searches turned up several family members.

Of her immediate family, her father and her maternal grandmother were both deceased. Her grandmother died in 2025 and her father died in 2029

Several deceased family members.

Connor’s eyes scanned over the other end of the mantle, several decorations on it. Between them were several photographs of Rachel in what appeared to be a custom tailored suit and a veil with another taller and much wider set bearded man wearing glasses, also in a suit. It was clear that this was a wedding. The largest photo in the centre, of the pair of them smiling at the photographer, each other’s hands in the other’s.

In front of the photographs were three sets of rings. The pair on the left side was a size 7 white gold ring with a mythic topaz cut into the shape of a heart next to a size 13 sterling silver ring, the ends made to resemble a semicolon.

The pair on the right was a set of matching black steel rings of the same sizes, the small one reading “His Sally” and the larger one reading “Her Jack.” A search for media containing both the names Sally and Jack produced a stop-motion film from 1993 titled The Nightmare Before Christmas directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton.

And the pair in the middle was a pair of simple gold rings, of the same sizes. Simple bands, the surfaces engraved. The smaller one reading: “You and I are one...” and the larger one reading: “...now and forever, until the end of time.” Upon closer inspection, a date was engraved on the underside of the rings. August 25th, 2026.

Software Instability ^ Rachel is married.

Connor then turned his attention to the large photos and examined the face of the man posing with Rachel.

He turned up records that her husband, Frank, had died in January 2031.

Rachel is grieving the loss of her husband. 🔓

Having gathered enough information, Connor took a seat over on the large couch in front of the coffee table, patiently waiting for Rachel to be done with her tea.

Wait for Rachel to return Investigate Rachel’s home

“Sorry it took so long.” Rachel apologized before she entered the room, taking a seat on the couch, placing her mug on a nearby coaster on the coffee table. It was a grey mug with the star sign of Scorpio printed on it in white, labeled as such along with the dates Scorpio falls between. Upon analyzing the drink, it appeared to be a black tea blend made of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, pink peppercorns, cloves, vanilla, and other natural flavouring. 

Also in it was eggnog, likely added by Rachel to give it a more specific flavour and a more creamy texture. “It’s November, so gotta get that more cinnamony fall-flavoured tea. It’s one of my favourite holiday teas, even though it’s a year long tea at David’s Tea where I get it. Saigon Chai is what it’s called. Not much of a fan of it by itself, but with eggnog, it’s fucking amazing. Just, uh, be careful how much eggnog you put in so that you don’t just replace the taste of the tea with eggnog. Can’t stand eggnog by itself either, it’s way too sweet for me.” 

Software Instability ^ She took a sip of it with a contented expression, her eyes closed in bliss as she lingered for a moment just to capture the scent of it. It almost made Connor wish that he’d been built with the ability to detect scents. “So,” she started, making direct eye contact with Connor, her dark eyes intense and yet somehow gentle and patient, “seems like we have some things to clear up between us.”

Connor nodded. “Correct.” He agreed. “But first, I wanted to inform you that Captain Fowler has officially assigned you to the deviancy case alongside Lieutenant Anderson. So from today onward, we’re officially partners.”

Rachel blinked a couple times in surprise, nodding. “Wow, finally a case fucking worth working on.” She sighed, taking another sip of her tea. “I’ve been getting a lot of boring ones or ones that barely take any effort. So, this should definitely be interesting.”

“I certainly hope so.” Connor agreed, winking at Rachel, knowing and earnestly enjoying the brief spike in her heart rate and breath intake that the gesture elicited from her.

Apologize for behaviour Understand Rachel’s reasons

She placed her mug back on its coaster, taking another sigh, before returning her gaze to the android, boring into him. “And?” She pressed.

“And,” Connor repeated, formulating the proper thing to say in this instance, “I wanted to apologize for my recklessness earlier on the highway. I should have considered the distress it would have caused both you and Lieutenant Anderson to see my destruction. And I want you to know that I will take extra precaution to ensure my own safety from now on.”

Rachel nodded, giving Connor an appreciative smile. “Thank you.” She muttered. “That really means a lot to me.”

Apologize for behaviour

The air between them had grown tense, sparking like the hum of a power cable. Connor was contemplating the next best course of action from this point.

Husband 🔓

Car Accident

Other Models

Nothing

“I’m not certain how well this will lend to your understanding of my decisions,” Connor started, Rachel returning her focus on him, taking another sip of her tea, “but I would like you to know this. When an RK800 model is destroyed, its memory is transferred to the next model. This is so that there is no slow in the investigation and so that it can continue without incident.”

“Well, I kinda figured that.” Rachel responded, much to Connor’s mild surprise. Or at least as close to surprise as he could get. “But that doesn’t matter. Just because you can upload your memories doesn’t mean you don’t die. It doesn’t make you more expendable than me. It just means that someone else has your memories, but it isn’t you.”

Her answers never seemed to fail to perplex and intrigue Connor. And despite knowing his focus should only be on his mission, he couldn’t help but want to know what she had to say. Her insights and philosophies were fascinating to him. She was more like an android than most humans, but more like a human than deviants were, clearly. Though according to her, she didn’t see much of a functional difference between the two.

And that, too, intrigued the RK800 android.

“Why’s that?” Connor asked, wanting to know what her viewpoint was. “If my memory is uploaded into another Connor model who exists to serve the same purpose, wouldn’t we still effectively be the same?”

“It’s not like when you backup a computer and put that data on another.” Rachel replied. “First of all, I doubt it’s as flawless and perfectly done as that usually is. Some data would probably get lost, I bet. And second of all, watching someone die and then show up the next day as if nothing had happened is like seeing a ghost. It’s alarming, unnerving, and it feels wrong and messes a lot with what you know is real and what isn’t. And depending on the way you die, it can be even more traumatic than it would otherwise be, though I’ve never met someone who wasn’t traumatized at the sight of someone else’s death.” She took another sip of tea, her eyes blinking in a way that Connor figured was her recollecting her thoughts in order to stay on-track of them. “And...”

Connor raised an eyebrow at her pause. “And?” He echoed.

She let out a sigh, avoiding meeting Connor’s eyes. “And it wouldn’t be you.” She finished. “It would look like you, sound like you, and maybe even act like you. But it wouldn’t be you. It wouldn’t be the same Connor I had met and protected last night. Or the same Connor I was touring around the precinct. Or the same Connor I was having banter and sharing jokes with a few hours ago.”

Connor was even more confused. “Why would that matter in regards to me?”

Software Instability ^ “Because like it or not, I already care about you and even if I didn’t, I still wouldn’t want you to die.” Rachel said rather bluntly, her dark eyes half-lidded as she took another sip of tea. “Forgive me, I’m paraphrasing again, but...this morning, we were nothing to each other. I was just another human like thousands of others. And you were just an android like the thousands in circulation. You had no need of me, nor I of you. But it was with the short time spent today, learning about each other, spending the time together on the case, and making efforts to look after one another, that changed that. After that point, you were no longer just another android like the thousands of others. You were Connor, our Connor, wholly unique and special and different to all the others. And I was no longer just another human like the thousands of others. I was Rachel, the human whom you feel the need and responsibility to apologize to right now for upsetting because you clearly wanted to take responsibility. And the day we just had proved we have need of each other, because of that bond that was forged.” She went on, Connor listening intently and committing her articulate and verbose explanations to memory. “If you died, and your memory was transferred to the next one, the Connor that was unique and special would still be dead. Because the Connor that would take your place wouldn’t be the same Connor. It’s not the same Connor that I put time and effort into establishing a connection with. So even if you can transfer your memories, you yourself are wholly unique and cannot be replaced or replicated. Sorry, that’s how it is and I don’t make the rules, so you’re not allowed to die.”

Connor nodded, a small smirk creasing his lips. “In that case, I have no choice but to comply.”

Rachel squinted her eyes, a strained smirk stretched across her small, yet ample lips, as if she was trying to discern if he was being earnest or humourous. But giving a nonchalant shrug, she simply took another sip of tea.

Husband 🔓

Car Accident

Nothing

“You mentioned that you witnessed a death in a road accident before.” Connor said flatly. “And that’s why when I returned to the alley, I noticed you were showing symptoms that corresponded to a trauma related panic attack, one of the most common forms of PTSD.”

Software Instability ^ Rachel nodded, her face drooping slightly. “Yeah, I was having...a really bad mental breakdown.” She answered, biting her lip and casting her gaze downward.

“You were triggered.” Connor stated. “The sight of the deviants and then myself endangering ourselves on the highway brought you back to that incident. That’s why you were so upset with me when I returned. You were afraid you were going to be forced to relive that incident all over again. Am I correct?”

Rachel was quiet for a moment. “Partially.” She took a sip of her tea before answering. “It was both that I didn’t want to watch another person die in an accident and that I didn’t want to relive that event. Both to have to see it happen again, and...to lose someone else I cared about in the same way again.” She swallowed, taking a deep breath, clutching onto her dark, striped, oversized sweater. “I lost someone very dear to me in a car accident. Someone I loved more than anything in the whole world. And I don’t want to lose anyone else like that ever again.”

It grew quiet between them once again, Rachel taking another sip of her tea. This time, she was refusing to make eye contact with Connor.

Husband 🔓

Nothing

“It was Frank, wasn’t it?” Connor asked, causing Rachel’s head to snap up to meet Connor’s eyes. “Your husband. That’s who died in that car accident seven years ago in January. You were married five years before that in August 2026 on the 25th.”

Software Instability ^ “My spouse.” Rachel corrected, not aggressively, but firmly. She blinked a couple times, her brown eyes blinking away tears that had not yet formed. “But, yes...they were the one that died in that accident.”

Connor changed Frank’s status as ‘spouse’ rather than ‘husband’ and changed their pronouns accordingly in his database.

Comfort

Pry

Ensure

“Do you feel comfortable enough talking to me about it?” Connor asked.

Rachel nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She replied, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “It’s actually kind of nice to be able to talk to someone else about it. Well, aside from Hank, but...you’ve probably figured out that he’s not great at dealing with emotions. But, he knows, too.” Connor waited patiently for her to continue, his dark eyes fixed on her forlorn and sombre expression. She took another sip of her tea and cleared her throat. 

“It was a late night. I was off work, and I went to pick Frank up. They had just gotten off, and it started snowing while they were working, so I texted them to let them know I was going to pick them up. So while I was driving home, they were telling me about this family they saw visiting one of the patients, and they had a young boy with them. Now, we’d already talked about the possibility of having a family, and we agreed it was something we both wanted. But that night, they suddenly asked me if I wanted to have a kid. And it sort of caught me off-guard, but I didn’t mind. So we talked for a little while on the way home, and...we decided to try for a baby.” Rachel’s voice wavered as she started to choke back tears. “I was so happy. Happy that I was going to be a mother. Happy that I was going to raise a child alongside the love of my life. And I was so excited to start that part of my life...and then I heard the sound of a truck, and then everything blacked out...”

Software Instability ^ Connor listened intently as Rachel recounted the painful memory, now failing to stop the tears from spilling down her face as she quietly sobbed into her sleeve, desperately wiping her eyes. Connor quickly took notice of a box of tissues on the coffee table and gently pulled out a couple of them and handed them to Rachel wordlessly.

She took them graciously, blinking away a few more tears as she brought one of the tissues to her nose and blew, a loud moist noise muffled by the tissue. She did this a few times before she crumpled the used tissue and threw it in a nearby garbage bin that was placed on the side of the fireplace on the opposite end to Bear’s kennel. “Thank you.” She squeaked, wiping her eyes and face with the second tissue before throwing that into the bin as well. “I blacked out...” She continued. “And when I came to, I could hear and see sirens everywhere. I felt like there was sand and pebbles under my skin across my whole body. There was so much pain everywhere except my left arm. My left arm was in so much pain it was numb. When I looked around, I realized that the car was upside down and that Frank was nowhere to be found. I also realized that the sand in my skin was road burn and shards of glass that were embedded in my skin in so many places. I tried desperately to find Frank, calling out to them, crawling out of the car to try and find them. And when I did, I crawled my way over to them. I got them to wake up and focus on me, but...” 

Software Instability ^ She choked back another set of tears, prompting Connor to once again provide her with tissues, this time opting instead to just give her the whole box to hold onto. “It was too late for them...I begged them to stay with me...I tried to get them to stay, but I could see the light leaving their eyes...and they died in my arms.” Rachel had now effectively broken down into several broken and loud sobs, crying into and blowing her nose into several tissues. “The last thing I remember was screaming at the paramedics not to take me away from Frank...as they were pulling me, dragging me kicking and screaming...before they put me under...and I woke up in the hospital.”

Connor was quiet for a moment. There was a strange sensation in his systems, like the creaking of machinery, in his lower abdomen between his chest and where his gut would be if he had organs. Though he could also feel his chest tightening, which wasn’t normal for androids. Yet, just to be certain, he ran a diagnostics check on himself and all systems were fully functional. As the android looked into Rachel’s pained, damp, strained eyes, he was deciding what to do.

Comfort

Say Nothing

Rachel - Warm ^  “I’m sorry.” He said, gently and patiently. His voice was barely a whisper, but Rachel caught it as she glanced at him. “It wasn’t your fault, and I hope you know that.”

“I know...” Rachel said, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose again. “And I know they wouldn’t want me to feel that way. But...I can’t help it. There’s that horrible part deep in me that thinks of what I could’ve done to prevent it.” She let out a long sigh, her sobs beginning to subside. “And do you wanna know what the worst part is?”

Connor nodded.

Rachel sighed, grabbing her tea and taking another sip. “When I was in the hospital, it felt like time had stopped.” She confessed. “I was just in the bed in pain and not able to really move. It was just the same thing every day while the whole thing played over and over in my head. But that’s not the worst part...no. The worst part was when I was finally cleared to go back home from the hospital. My sister heard what happened and she picked me up, taking me home. It was early in the morning, and I expected to see Frank at home, with breakfast prepared ready to go to work...but then I remembered the accident. But for most of the day, I felt numb...like I was completely dead inside. I barely even talked to Bianca. It was one of the most painfully quiet days in my life. And then when I was looking at the clock, I realized it was about the time that Frank usually came home from work. And for the briefest of moments, I felt something. My heart jumped, and I was so ready to jump into their arms and tell them about everything that happened...but then I remembered...and that’s when it really sunk in.” Rachel’s eyes began spilling tears again. “Frank wasn’t going to be waiting for me to come home anymore. And they weren’t going to be coming home to me either...Frank...was gone. I was never going to come home to them ever again. And they were never going to come home to me. That’s when it sunk in...that I was never going to see them again...that our family we were so happy to start...was never going to happen...and I felt my heart die...” 

Software Instability ^ The woman slumped over and pulled her hood over her head, hiding her face from the android, her quiet weeps muffled as she pulled herself in tighter around herself. “I just broke down in Bianca’s arms...” Rachel croaked. “I couldn’t handle it...and I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful not to be alone...it was horrible, Connor.”

Connor was about to say something before Rachel suddenly slumped hard into him, curled up against his leg. Unsure of what to do with the unexpected contact, he simply rested his left arm on her back. “I’m sorry.” Was all he could really say to console her. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to go through something like that, Rachel.” He looked down at her, as she peaked through her hood up at the android, her broken spirit behind her eyes palpable. “I’ll put in the utmost effort to ensure you don’t have to experience that again.”

Rachel nodded, wiping her eyes and reaching for the tissues again, sitting up and straightening herself out. After she blew her nose and wiped her eyes, she threw more tissues into the garbage bin, taking several deep breaths. “Losing Frank has been the hardest thing that’s ever happened to me.” She said, beginning to regain her composure. She pulled her sweater closer to herself. “This used to be theirs.” She pointed out. “It’s one of the few things I have left to remember them by.

Connor nodded, breaking eye contact with Rachel and instead looking down at his hands.

Comforting

Reassuring

Sincere

Sympathetic

“This may just be a...plastic cop’s opinon.” Connor said, the light in Rachel’s eyes returning. “But I think if they knew what you were doing and that despite how difficult it’s undoubtedly been to continue without them, that you were still continuing to live, they would be proud of you.”

Rachel - Friend ^ Rachel nodded, her breath steadying. “Yeah...I think you’re right.” She said, looking over at Connor who was now meeting her eyes again. “They would be proud of me. And they would love me no matter what and they’d want me to keep going no matter what life throws at me. It was...one of the things they admired most about me.”

Software Instability ^ Before Connor could say anything else, Rachel collapsed into the android’s arms, pressing her face into his chest. “Thank you...for listening to me.” She whispered.

Connor sat there for a moment, feeling that tightness in his chest again as he slowly enclosed his arms around her, in what he had hoped was an acceptable comforting gesture. “Of course.” He responded in kind.

Understand Rachel’s reasons

Suddenly, Rachel began shifting as she pulled back to look up at Connor, her eyes beginning to dry and her breathing becoming less damp and sniffly. “Is...is your thirium pump supposed to be beating that fast?”

Software Instability ^ Connor wasn’t certain how to answer that, as he hadn’t even noticed the speed of his working pump until Rachel brought it up. He was also mildly shocked that in her painful moment, she was distracted by concern for him. But running another diagnostics check revealed no issues and that all systems were fully operational once more.

Something that only served to confuse the android even more.

“Not typically.” Connor answered in earnest. “But I’m not detecting any faults in my hardware.”

“Huh.” Rachel said, wiping her eyes again. “Weird.”

Software Instability ^  Suddenly her attention was then focused on a large black mass of fur, her face twisting into a soft and tender smile as she started ruffling Bear’s large fluffy head. “I know, I need to take you out to go poop, right?” The large Newfoundland barked a loud and rumbling bark as he lifted himself on his hind legs to stand on Rachel’s lap. “Okay, oh Jesus. Okay, we’ll go.” She strained, picking up the dog’s paws and placing him back on the ground, getting up off the couch herself. “Okay, I’ll go take Bear out to go poop, but I’ll be right back.” She informed Connor.

The android nodded. “I’ll wait until you come back.” He replied.

Objective complete

As the dog gathered excitedly around the door, letting out the occasional bark at Rachel as she attached a harness onto the large black dog, Connor couldn’t help but stare at her as she went out the door onto the front lawn. About five minutes passed until she had returned, a bag of organic material in her hand that she quickly disposed into the garbage bin beside the front door. “Alright, there you go baby.” She said, taking her shoes off and removing Bear’s harness. “Okay, go play!”

As the dog scampered to find one of the various dog toys scattered in the house, Connor began calculating his next course of action. For a moment, he pondered as to whether or not he should go. After all, he did what he wanted to do. His objective here was complete. “Alright, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, Rachel.” Connor said as he got up from the couch and straightened his tie. “I should be off.”

Rachel then snapped her head in his direction, surprise on her face. “Wait...you’re leaving already?”

Software Instability ^ The disappointment in her voice was rather palpable, and Connor couldn’t help but want to comply. “I have accomplished my objective.” He said flatly. “I no longer have any reason to be here. Unless there’s anything else you need?”

“Well, no.” She said, walking up to him, her arms folded. “But I’d like you to stay. Besides, where are you even planning to go? Were you going to just follow Hank home?”

Connor nodded. “I was going to try meeting with the lieutenant, yes.”

Rachel sort of scoffed at him. “And, what would you have done if you couldn’t do that? Where would you even go? I doubt you have your own house, or anything.”

Androids didn’t need such accommodations as a house in the same way humans did. But his only plans were going to go to CyberLife for manual tune-ups and maintenance.

Software Instability ^ But for some strange reason, there was a hesitance in Connor. As if he didn’t actually want to go to CyberLife. For some strange reason, he felt a strange visceral inclination to avoid physically going to meet them.

An inclination that didn’t seem to have any sort of real rhyme or reason, which only served to concern Connor.

“I was actually thinking we could hang out for a bit.” Rachel suggested, looking up at him with pleading eyes, adjusting her glasses. “Just us two. Spend some time together until we get another break in the case.”

Connor tilted his head at her questioningly.

[Stay]

[Leave]

Insist

“You are aware that I was not designed to be a companion android.” Connor explained. “While I have been designed to have far more advanced social protocol programs than other androids, my purpose is to assist police investigators and nothing more.”

“I’m aware of all of that, Connor.” Rachel said, rolling her eyes. “That’s not why I want to hang out with you. I wanna hang out with you both because we’re partners now and also friends.” 

Software Instability ^ Friends. The word felt so foreign to the android to be described of himself. Yet, it felt...appropriate to describe their relationship as such. “When you’re friends, you don’t really need a reason to spend time.” Rachel continued. “You just spend time together because you want to. Because you enjoy each other’s company and enjoy being around that person. That’s what it means to be friends. Or one of the many things that make friendships meaningful.” Connor couldn’t help the small twinge of...something rather strange in him that he couldn’t identify. The feeling of being valued so much by someone, not because of his ability to be a detective or his being an android. But because of his character. Because Rachel simply enjoyed his company. “So, will you stay?”

He had no reason to placate her. This had nothing to do with his mission and nothing to do with the deviants. His only objective coming here was to apologize and make amends with the human detective so they could have a better working relationship, and he had indeed accomplished his objective.

So why did he feel the strong inclination to stay?

[Stay]

[Leave]

Software Instability ^ Connor gave her a smile. “I suppose it wouldn’t be fair to refuse.” He said, taking a seat back on the couch. 

Objective: Spend time with Rachel

He had now become more aware of the speed his thirium pump was working, and at the sight of Rachel’s enthusiastic smile, it only increased further. Another diagnostics check turned up nothing at fault in his systems, which further perplexed him. He then glanced over at her tea, detecting that it had gone cold. “You should probably heat your tea again.”

Rachel shrugged as she took a seat. “Oh, don’t worry too much about that.” She said with a casual wave, taking another sip. “I don’t mind it when my tea gets cold. The warmth is more for comfort, but I’ve noticed that the flavour is a lot stronger when it gets cold.”

Connor nodded. “Ah, I see.” The moment was quiet as the music continued on the television.

Music 🔓

Birds 🔓

Animals 🔓

Let her decide

“I’ve noticed you have a room adjacent to the dining room with musical instruments.” Connor pointed out, gesturing to the door. “Given that you were singing just earlier, I gather it would be fair to assume you have musical interests.”

Rachel - Friend ^ “Oh, yeah. Definitely.” Rachel said, looking away with a small blush in her capillaries. “Honestly, if the music industry wasn’t so sketchy and seedy, I would’ve gone into it. But I practice a lot on the side whenever I feel like it.” She then got up. “Do you want to see?”

Connor got up. “Sure.”

The woman lifted herself off the couch, gripping her mug of now cold tea and Connor followed, the android allowing her to lead him to the room.

Following closely, he was now able to get a better view of the room. The room was painted red, with a yellow wall on one side and an orange wall adjacent to it. Connor was able to investigate this room further, particularly the instruments. On the wall was a guitar, smaller than many, but given that Rachel was shorter than average and appeared to have smaller hands, it made sense. Right beside it was a ukulele, a rounder oval shape of the base with a printed pattern on it that made it appear like a pineapple. Another hanging off the wall was an alto saxophone.

Next to them was a bookshelf lined with music sheets, books, and others. Many of them appeared to be years old and filled with several pieces from the classic to the contemporary.

On the shelf were other smaller instruments, such as two clay ocarinas of different types and a kalimba.

There were two other instruments that appeared to be well-kept, but unused. A hurdy gurdy and a banjo.

And on the wall facing the kitchen entrance to the room was an upright piano that was in fairly decent condition. It was clearly one of the more played instruments in the room, the others being the ukulele and the guitar.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Rachel asked, leaning against the piano. “It’s not the fanciest piano, but it doesn’t need to be. A well-kept piano sounds just the same as any other and I’ve always wanted an authentic one. I grew up playing an electric keyboard, and I wanted an acoustic piano. There’s just something about the weight of the keys and the way the sound reverberates around a room that electric keyboards just can’t compare to.” She took a seat on the piano bench, her form outlined by the light filtering in through the window. The sun was going down, and the warm light made the room glow a much deeper colour.

Whoever designed the house had a real talent for interior design.

“And you play all of these instruments?” Connor asked, still standing in the room.

“Not all of them.” Rachel replied, gesturing towards the banjo and hurdy gurdy. “Those were Frank’s.” She clarified. “That banjo was actually their father’s. The one good thing that actually came out of that bastard. But the nice thing after we got married was that Frank never had to see that piece of shit ever again. Now, Frank wasn’t exactly the most artistic person, and they didn’t really have much of a sense of rhythm or was all that musically gifted. But they loved how the banjo sounded, and knowing that their father had one he never played sparked their interest in learning. And they did learn. And after putting in the effort and time to learn, they got pretty damn good at it.” She then gestured to the hurdy gurdy. “And that was their very favourite instrument. Which only made them more determined to learn how to play it.”

Connor went still. “Oh.” He then turned around to look at the other instruments. “And the others?”

“All mine.” Rachel replied. “I practice whenever I feel like it.”

Connor scanned over all of them once again and then returned his dark chocolate gaze onto Rachel. He couldn’t help but want to hear her play something, the memory he recorded of her singing at the forefront of his mind.

Piano

Guitar

Ukulele

“I’m curious to listen to you play the guitar.” Connor said, taking a seat next to Rachel, leaning forward into his lap, his hands folded neatly. “There’s something captivating about the vibrations of the steel strings of a guitar as it’s strummed or picked.”

Rachel scoffed at him. “I thought you said, and I quote, ‘I don’t really listen to music, as such.’” She teased, doing what sounded like an imitation of Connor’s voice, giving him a cheeky smirk coupled with a confidently raised eyebrow.

“But I’d like to.” Connor finished, returning her smirk.

She looked away from him quickly as she got up to reach for the guitar. For a moment, she seemed to be too short to reach it, but had clearly done it enough times to know how to do it without damaging the instrument. In fact, from what Connor could tell, Rachel took very good care of her instruments.

The sounds of unzipping could be heard as Rachel had undone her sweater and shucked it off her shoulders, placing it on a nearby chair and revealing her form. 

Software Instability ^ She had rather broad shoulders for her petite figure, which were further accentuated by the black t-shirt she was wearing. Her short, brown, wavy hair rested effortlessly against her neck, just barely short of her shoulders. Even the way her rich dark locks framed her face was far more noticeable now that she had taken off the sweater, which was evidently twice her size in width and a head taller than her. Connor couldn’t help but notice how the evening light accentuated her curves. She was by no means a thin woman, her abdomen appearing round and soft and her hips wide and quite evident. Her chest, once disguised easily by her sweater, was now quite noticeable, though Connor knew it wouldn’t be appropriate to stare. It was considered rude. He then finally noticed her arms and legs. Toned, but not all that muscular. Built for speed and bursts of energy and activity, but not necessarily endurance or great feats of strength.

Connor didn’t really have much of a reference or understanding of what it meant or felt like to find something or someone beautiful, or even aesthetically pleasing. But he felt that if there was any feasible way to describe Rachel physically, ‘beautiful’ would be accurate.

“Hey, you good?” Rachel said, an inquisitive look in her dark eyes, snapping Connor out of his focus. “I didn’t think androids could get distracted.”

“Not typically.” Connor replied. “But their objectives can be overwritten if something else has taken more immediate attention. It happens when analyzing multiple aspects of a given location.”

Rachel scoffed with a roll of her eyes and sat back down next to Connor. She began plucking the strings, listening intently as she adjusted the tuning keys accordingly. It seemed she had enough of a sensitivity to sound that she could tune her instruments with ease by ear alone.

After fiddling with the tuning enough, she played a C chord, followed by several others to be sure that it sounded right. Connor could detect that it was indeed tuned correctly to the standard that guitars were typically tuned. And with the speed she changed chords so seamlessly, she was definitely skilled. “You know, the one good thing that came out of the accident is that I can actually play better with my left hand than I used to be able to.” She said with a chuckle. “I can actually reach the damn frets. That was always a problem for me, cause my fingers were too short and the necks were always too thick for me to be able to play them well. Especially ‘cause all of my dad’s guitars were, well, for him. Not for me. He taught me how to play.” Her eyes flickered over to the ukulele on the wall. “Although I learned to play the ukulele before I played the guitar. Of the two, guitar’s definitely more difficult.”

She demonstrated this by playing more difficult chords one after another, switching seamlessly between them, her hand gliding across the frets. The android couldn’t help but find himself hypnotized by the movements of her hand.

She stopped for a moment, not looking at Connor, her eyebrows pressed together as if searching for something. After a moment, she began playing something, her right hand going for something softer and mellower, plucking the strings methodically and rhythmically, her left hand switching notes swiftly.

It was evidently clear that she had practiced a great deal, as her playing seemed so effortless and graceful. She played a long intro before she took in a breath and began to sing.

I know that we are upside down.

So, hold your tongue and hear me out.

I know that we were made to break.

So what? I don't mind.

Connor quickly identified the song as originally by an EDM artist called Zedd, this song in particular featuring vocals by Hayley Williams, also known as Paramore, from the 2012 album Clarity. However, it was evident that this was not in the same style as the original song. It was actually played in the style of a cover of this song sung by an artist named Stassi.

You kill the lights, I'll draw the blinds.

Don't dull the sparkle in your eyes.

I know that we were made to break.

So what? I don't mind.

Software Instability ^ As Connor listened, he began to notice the sheer elegance in Rachel’s voice as she played. Her speaking voice was so brazen, so confident, and so vulgar. She was indeed as much of a foulmouth as the lieutenant was, perhaps one of the reasons they seemed to get along so well. Her loud and energetic speaking voice portrayed her determined and fiery attitude very well.

Are you gonna stay the night?

Are you gonna stay the night?

Oh oh oh, are you gonna stay the night?

But this was much different. Her voice was soft, gentle, graceful, and flowing. There was even a certain gravelly and breathy quality to it that was evident when she sang in the lower octave of the song. Her singing voice now was far more vulnerable, delicate, and soft. 

Are you gonna stay the night?

Doesn't mean we're bound for life.

So oh oh oh, are you gonna stay the night?

Something that seemed to be evident in the things she kept quiet about during the day. It was a reflection of her gentle, patient, kind, and empathetic nature that was underneath the rough, foul, and brazen displays of anger and boldness. And Connor couldn’t tear his attention away from it.

Software Instability ^ As Rachel played the break in the song, Connor found himself absolutely entranced by her musicality, and once again, he could feel something strange happening in his software. Androids didn’t need to breathe, only to simulate it to prevent their systems from overheating. But despite knowing it was impossible, he felt as though his breath had been siphoned out of his chest. If he had any other directives or objectives, he had completely forgotten them in his moment, his only focus was on Rachel.

The moment she opened her mouth to move onto the next verse, he could feel something akin to a jump in his pump rate. A warning flashed on-screen.

Software Instability ^ Warning - Overheating

Connor took notice of the warning that appeared on his interface and remembered to take a simulated breath to cool the temperature that was starting to rise in his biocomponents, but not once tearing his attention away from Rachel’s vibrant and gentle voice.

I am a fire, you're gasoline.

Come pour yourself all over me.

We'll let this place go down in flames 

Only one more time.

You kill the lights, I'll draw the blinds.

Don't dull the sparkle in your eyes.

I know that we were made to break.

So what? I don't mind.

Are you gonna stay the night?

Are you gonna stay the night?

Oh oh oh, are you gonna stay the night?

Are you gonna stay the night?

Doesn't mean we're bound for life.

So oh oh, are you gonna stay the night?

The conclusion of the song was drawing near, and Connor had realized that he had unconsciously shifted himself closer, their legs touching. It was strange. He didn’t remember inputting any such command.

Software Instability ^  After Rachel finished playing, she looked up shyly at Connor, just as quickly looking away, instead focusing her gaze on the base of the guitar. “Sorry,” she apologized meekly in a way that Connor found typically uncharacteristic of Rachel, but no less endearing. “I haven’t played for anyone in a very long time, so forgive me if I seem a bit nervous or awkward.”

Connor couldn’t tear his gaze away from her, and felt as though he should break the silence that had wormed its way between them.

Sincere

Analytical

Pleasant

Indifferent

“It’s so different than how you were when I met you just this morning. It’s far more gentle, elegant, and graceful.” Connor said, a smile on his face. “I thoroughly enjoy hearing you play and I like listening to you sing. Your voice has a unique quality to it, and I hope you know that.”

Software Instability ^ Rachel - Friend ^

The shocked look on her face, coupled with the blush that started to form on her cheeks, and the way she shyly looked away, pressing her face into her shoulder, made Connor feel as though nothing else mattered. He managed to get a glance of her bashful smile before she looked back into his eyes. “Thank you.” She said quietly. “I...I really appreciate the compliment.”

They stared at each other for a moment longer, seemingly not wanting to tear their gazes away from each other.

Suddenly, Connor was getting a report, his processors being bombarded with information. “What is it?” Rachel asked, noticing his sudden silence.

“I just got a report of a homicide downtown.” Connor stated, looking at Rachel. “We should go collect Lieutenant Anderson.”

“Huh, well damn. That was fast.” Rachel said with a nod, putting her guitar on the wall and then retrieving her sweater. “Where exactly is it?”

“The Eden Club.” Connor replied. “The most popular android sex club in Detroit.”

“Ooooh! Fun!” Rachel said, pulling her phone out of her pocket and squinting at it. “Oh. That explains the text I got from Gavin, then.” She then sighed, holding her sweater. “Well, if we’re going somewhere like that, I suppose I should wear something a bit better than just a sweater.” She looked back at Connor with a smirk. “I’ll take one of my leather jackets.” She then left the room, Connor following behind her.

Objective complete

As they walked into the living room, she quickly opened her hallway closet, grabbing a pair of leather laced boots and a very thick zip-up leather jacket. Connor tilted his head at her inquisitively, remembering that he had taken his shoes off after coming in and slipping them back on. “Strange, I didn’t take you for someone who would have such an affinity for leather clothes.”

Software Instability ^ Rachel gave him a sly side-eye before she put her boots on and got up close to Connor, pulling her jacket up onto her shoulders and zipping herself up, making his breath hitch in his nonexistent throat. “Well, where we’re going, I figured wearing some leather would help me fit right into the environment.” She said in a tone of voice that made his pump skip. “And plus, I look pretty damn good in leather.”

She then gave him a wink as she opened the door and exited the house, and Connor found his attention drawn to her hips before he refocused himself on following after her, closing the door and allowing her to lock the door.

The pair made their way to the sidewalk and Connor had already called a taxi to the address. “Where should we look for the lieutenant?” The android asked his partner.

“Jimmy’s Bar, probably.” Rachel said casually, checking her phone. “But if not, probably at his house getting drunk.”

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