I made this as a second part of Come on, son. I only made them a standalone for if you like one chapter, but not the other. It's just to be on the safe side :)
Connor took Hank's hand gladly, the older man then helping his partner back on his feet again.
"You alright to go on or do you wanna leave?" the Lieutenant asked, hoping he didn't sound too concerned.
Connor brushed himself off the best he could, though it was quite hard, what with a torn and bloodied up shirt.
"I should get myself back to CyberLife," Connor informed him, but not directly.
Hank gave him a worried look, but his partner was already making his way out the door and down the corridor.
"Jesus fuckin' Christ," Hank sighed, now stopping dead at the carnage in front of him.
The few officers that hadn't been shot were now tending to the rest that had, calling in for help to get them to a hospital.
"This is all my fault," Connor thought, not making eye contact with his partner. "I should have..."
"Shut the fuck up, Connor. This isn't your damn fault! Stop feeling sorry for yourself," Hank snapped, finally blowing a fuse.
"But, I..." Connor just couldn't understand why he was against him on this.
"Connor," Hank growled.
The android stopped in his tracks as the Lieutenant grabbed his arm and pulled him from the scene.
"We're leaving," he told him forcefully.
Connor had no other choice, but to be led out. Hank called for the lift, pacing back and forth as he waited. His android partner was now stood silently waiting.
"What's taking this fuckin' thing so long?" Hank glared, pressing the call button once again.
Connor would have said something back to him under different circumstances, but this wasn't the right time.
"Come on," Hank huffed, wishing the damned contraption would come quicker.
The lift arrived just as he complained once more. As soon as the doors opened, Hank was pushing Connor inside. He didn't much care for those trying to get off.
"Outta my way," he grumbled.
He'd gotten himself a few complaints back, but nothing too much. He set the lift for the required floor and stood back.
"What a disaster. What a fuckin' disaster."
"Lieutenant, I..." Connor now thought to try to explain.
"Connor, just keep your mouth shut for once. You understand me?" Hank glared.
"Yes, Lieutenant," he nodded.
"Good," the older man huffed.
When the lift reached their floor, Hank led Connor back out again.
"I will need to head back to..."
"I said will you shut the fuck up," Hank snapped at him.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but I insist I go back to..."
"Say one more thing and I'll have you scrapped, you hear me?"
Connor wondered what had gotten into the man all of a sudden.
"Get in the car," he ordered.
Connor complied, sitting himself down in the seat opposite Hank. The drive was a quiet one, Hank hadn't even bothered with his music, simply sitting there gazing out the window.
"Lieutenant," Connor spoke up timidly.
"What?" Hank asked, seemingly distracted.
"You can go," he informed him.
"Huh?" Hank thought, looking to the crossings that were now red. "Oh. Right, yeah."
He drove on, eventually coming to a stop in front of the big CyberLife gate. A guard stepped over just as Hank rolled down the window.
"Brought him back for repair," Hank muttered to the man, who then looked to the android in question.
Connor leaned over slightly to give the guard his details, allowing Hank to then drive on through.
"You didn't have to bring me here, Lieutenant. I could have..."
Hank pulled up and nodded for him to get out. Connor did just that and headed on inside.
xXx
"What the hell am I doing?" Hank muttered to himself as he found himself pulling into a parking space. "Waiting on a god damned android to get repaired, and then what?"
He found he'd no sooner fallen asleep a little later. Connor was just now heading back to his station, when he glanced outside, noticing Hank's car parked up. He knew he had to go investigate.
"Lieutenant," he called softly through the glass window. "Lieutenant."
Finding he was getting no response, he gave the window a sharp tap.
Hank sat bolt upright, glancing around the place.
"Are you not going home, Lieutenant?" Connor asked.
"Huh, what?" Hank was clearly in a daze as he turned to face the android. "Oh. Yeah, I forgot."
Connor nodded in understanding and turned to head off back inside, he stopped immediately at hearing his partner call.
"Hey, Connor, remember you said you'd be my drinking buddy?" the older man asked.
Connor turned and cocked his head a little. "Yes," he now remembered.
"Well, I'd like to have a buddy to drink with tonight."
Connor headed back over and got in the car, Hank then drove him back to his place.
"Sit your plastic ass down on the couch," he pointed.
Connor did just that and waited. Hank walked in a little later, having taken off his coat and shoes. He placed two beer bottles down on the table in front of the android before joining him on the settee.
"I know you don't drink what we do, so I got you some of that stuff instead." He nodded to the liquid in the bottle.
Connor looked to the bottle, analysing that it once held the drink Hank was quite fond of. However, now it held the substance that his body needed.
"Here's to no more fuck ups," Hank told him as he held up his bottle.
Connor took his own bottle in hand and took a swig.
"Good?" Hank asked through furrowed brows.
Connor just nodded, it wasn't that he had a taste for the stuff it was just he needed it to keep functioning.
Hank sighed after another bottle, lying back against the sofa. "What happened today was really fucked up."
Connor placed down his third bottle, his LED now turning yellow as he remembered all those people he could have prevented from getting shot.
"You'd better not pull a stunt like that on me again, you hear?" the older man warned, pulling the android from his thoughts.
"I was actually really scared today," Connor thought aloud at realising Hank was talking about him instead.
He'd spoken that low, he wondered if Hank had heard him, hell he even wondered if he'd heard himself.
"What was that?" Hank asked, turning to look at him.
"I was scared today, Hank." Connor confessed a little more loudly.
Hank swallowed a hard lump in his throat as he placed his half empty bottle back down.
"Fuck..." he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I should..." Connor now thought with a shake of his head.
"Don't," Hank stopped him again, though this time he wasn't too harsh.
"So, you really thought you'd..." Hank trailed off, not wanting to bring up the d word.
Connor looked to him.
"Shit," the Lieutenant breathed through grit teeth.
"Lieutenant, I know this is hard for you and I shouldn't have said anything."
"No. Tell me, Connor. I wanna hear this."
The android looked down at his hands. "I thought...well I thought that was the end of me."
Hank buried his face in his hands before looking back at his partner.
"I was so scared. I didn't want to die, Hank. I saw my time running out and knew that would be it for me."
Hank nodded. There really wasn't much else he could do.
"I don't want to ever feel that way again."
Hank looked to him again, this time he could see tears building up in the androids eyes. At one time he would have punched the thing in the face for trying so hard to be fucking human. Now all he could feel for it was pity.
"If you're gonna, you know." He nodded. "Just do it. I'm not gonna..."
Connor hadn't realised he was almost crying until Hank called him out on it.
"You never know, you might actually feel better for it." The older man shrugged while reaching for his bottle again.
He couldn't help but think about how bad his fatherly instincts had dropped since, well, from before.
"I'm sorry, Hank." Connor now started to let go.
Hank shook his head as he placed his bottle down to then pull the younger man towards him.
"I never thought I'd ever be nursing a fuckin' android like some lost child," Hank thought to himself as he let out a heavy breath.
Connor was quite surprised by it all. The wave of human emotion had hit him like a rock. He couldn't understand why he was crying like a baby in his partners arms. All he knew was that he was alive, and that Hank had saved him.
"Better?" the Lieutenant asked after some time of holding the android close to him.
Connor nodded and pulled away. "You're right," he thought, now turning to look at his partner.
Hank gave a puzzled look.
"I do feel better for it," the android smiled.
"Yeah, told you so." Hank nodded back at him, taking another swig.
"Do you think me a deviant?" Connor then asked out of the blue.
Hank shook his head, grabbing his bottle as he stood. "Deviant, not deviant. What's it matter as long as you know what's right. But I do think you're more human than Fowler will ever be."
Connor gave a laugh, something he'd never done before, it took himself and Hank by surprise. Sumo, who'd been dozing through it all, got up and headed over to join the android on the settee.
"Looks like you've got a sleeping buddy," Hank smirked.
"Looks like," Connor smiled, petting the dogs back softly.
"I'll see you in the morning," Hank yawned with a stretch, setting the empty bottle down on the table.
"And what may I ask will be your required time?" Connor asked cheekily.
"I don't give a fuck o'clock," Hank replied while heading to his room.
"Lieutenant," Connor stopped him. "I just have one more thing."
Hank stopped and turned to him. "What?" he asked softly.
"You called me son back at the tower," Connor informed him.
Hank felt a wave of emotion rush through him now. "Yeah. I did, didn't I?"
Connor nodded in response.
"Look, Connor, truth is you've...you've... You know what, fuck it. Connor, you're like the son I lost, okay. You're the son I never got to see grow up." And with that Hank headed to his room. "Now that's enough on the subject."
Connor couldn't help but smile until the Lieutenant popped his head around the doorframe.
"Oh, and here. You can have this back. Just don't go fuckin' annoying me with it anymore."
Connor caught his coin with ease.
"If I hear that thing being passed to that other hand of yours, I won't just be taking the coin next time. You hear me?"
Connor smiled at him. "Yes Lieutenant. Goodnight, Lieutenant."
"Good fuckin' night," Hank replied before slamming the door and collapsing on the bed.
Connor gave his coin a few flips before slipping it back in his pocket.
Glad to see I'm not the only one to see Connor all cute and precious. Poor baby had quite a scare when linking with Simon :( best Connor moment ever, though just not for Connor.