"Connor?"

The detective android turned towards the sound of his name, his face neutral and blank, as it often was. "Detective Evelyn. Good afternoon."

"Connor, call me Detective Evelyn instead of Eve one more time and I'm going to strangle you with your own tie."

That made the side of Connor's mouth twitch in a small smile, breaking his look of stoicism. His chocolate-brown eyes warmed.

Eve approached him, rubbing her arms with mittened hands, her breath clouding in the frigid air. She'd just clocked out and was leaving for home when she spotted the android standing in the snow, gazing off into space. His hands were tucked neatly behind his back, his posture straight and perfect, as always.

"I did cease in calling you Detective Long, like you asked," Connor replied, with that faint smile still on his lips, a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's informal enough calling you by your first name."

"Yeah, yeah. You're uptight even for an android, you know that?" Eve stopped a few feet in front of him, looking him up and down. "The hell are you doing standing out in the cold?"

There were snow crystals clinging to his hair, his jacket, even his eyelashes. It made her cringe, even though she knew he couldn't feel the cold. Even with his LED, the glowing armband and his model number displayed in bold white letters across his jacket, he just looked so incredibly human, it made her shiver seeing him covered in snow.

"I'm waiting for Lieutenant Anderson. He took sick leave today, and although I informed him it'd likely be faster for me to simply call a cab, he insisted on picking me up from work."

Eve blinked. "That doesn't explain why you're standing out here."

"...Androids don't get cold, Detective. There's no reason why I should wait inside. It's much less of a hassle if I simply wait out here and watch for his car, rather than forcing him to park and come inside to collect me." Connor reached up with his right hand, straightening his tie. "Besides... I enjoy the snow."

Evelyn didn't fail to notice the hesitance in Connor's voice in that last comment. Connor had been deviant for several months now, but he was still a tad awkward when it came to admitting that he did in fact have his own opinions and emotions. And really, she couldn't blame him—it had been etched into every line of his programming that he was nothing but a machine, a tool at humanity's disposal with no wants or desires.

He'd told her his story once, in the break room over a mug of coffee, the path of trials and tribulations that had finally led to his deviancy, his discovering who he truly was. Eve had heard many androids tell the story of how they'd become deviant, but Connor's was by far the most intricate. Most androids told her of a single event that had caused them to 'snap', something that had suddenly pushed them over the edge and caused them to break their programming.

But for Connor—there was no single event, no breaking point, no sudden change. Connor had learned to become human over a period of time, each day questioning more and more if he really was just a machine. Perhaps it was his advanced programming that led to his long road of identity crisis, or perhaps it was just because he was Connor. Either way... he was extraordinary.

"Well, as long as you won't malfunction from your machinery freezing up or something." Eve closed the distance between them, moving so she was standing at his side, gazing forward at the falling snow with him. "Winter is a beautiful season. I like watching the snow, too. Usually from behind my bedroom window, but to each their own."

Connor's small smile of amusement returned. But only for a moment, before his eyes shifted from the snowfall to Evelyn and took in the way that she was shivering.

"Detective, were you heading home?"

"Yeah, my shift just ended."

"Don't let me keep you. I'm perfectly content to wait on my own for the Lieutenant to arrive. You really don't need to keep me company, especially not in this weather."

Eve chuckled softly at him. "Maybe I just like talking to you, Connor. Ever thought of that?" She lifted a shoulder. "I'm fine, really. It's not that cold out."

Connor watched her for a moment longer, brow slightly furrowed in concern, before looking forward again. She did the same, and there was a long moment of silence between the human and the android, as they watched the snow collect on the grass, on the barren branches of trees, on the tops of cars in the parking lot. And then suddenly Eve was encased in warmth.

She looked up in surprise, then looked down, seeing Connor's jacket draped around her shoulders. It left him in nothing but his white button-up and tie, and she almost protested before remembering again that he couldn't get cold.

"If you're going to insist on remaining out here, you should put that on. Your jacket is made of 100% cotton. Cotton is not an insulating material, so there is a lot of heat leaving your body."

Speechless for a moment, Eve reached up to tug the jacket tighter around her. She was incredibly surprised by the heat radiating from it, and even more surprised by the faint scent it enveloped her in. She couldn't quite explain it. It was something manufactured, something sweet like honey, and something distinctly musky and masculine.

"Connor, this jacket is warm."

"Sorry?"

"Your jacket, it's warm. Androids don't have temperatures."

"Oh." Connor looked forward again, eyes thoughtful and distant. "Androids have a thermal regulator that keeps them from overheating. It's the same biocomponent that regulates the body temperature of YK models."

"YK?"

"Child models," Connor clarified. "Currently, my thermal regulator is compensating for the frigid conditions of my environment and raising my core temperature to ensure that the Thirium in my lines don't freeze."

"So you ARE affected by the cold!" Eve shouted, whirling around and pointing a dramatically accusing finger at Connor's chest.

"...Technically, yes. But I don't feel anything."

"Still! You're affected! It's making your thermal thing act weird!"

"This is a perfectly normal response to the changing environment. Androids are programmed to be able to adapt to a variety of cirumstan—?!"

Connor stopped mid-sentence as suddenly Eve pressed close against his side, arms wrapped around his torso. His LED blinked yellow.

"Detective?"

"Hey, you gave me your jacket to keep me warm, so let me keep you warm. Sharing body heat helps."

"...That's entirely unnecessary, Detective. I'm not in any sort of danger."

"Too bad. I'm going to help you stay warm anyway."

Okay, so maybe Eve wasn't actually doing this to keep him warm. She believed him when he said he was fine. But that wasn't going to stop her from using the situation as an excuse to get close to him.

In complete and total honesty, Connor was attractive. All androids were; they were created to look young, healthy and beautiful, with perfectly symmetrical faces and flawless skin. But Eve had never found another android attractive in the way that she found Connor attractive, with his soft face, warm chocolate eyes and adorable little freckles.

But it was more than that. Much more than that.

Connor was quiet, introspective and soft-spoken. Connor was gentle, caring and empathetic. Connor was brave, determined and capable. Connor was badass, and yet somehow innocent and naïve at the same time. Connor was everything right in a human being, and he wasn't even human.

So, sue her for wanting to cuddle up to him.

His LED finally cycled back to a calm blue. "...If you insist. At least my elevated temperature will help you as well. Cooler temperatures cause a more sluggish immune system response and a higher susceptibility to infection. I don't want you to get sick."

"Connor, you can be a real mother hen sometimes."

"A... what?"

Eve snorted. "Never mind." Connor may have been programmed to work harmoniously with humans, but that didn't mean his social relations program was perfect. For a machine that could probably kill her in an instant (she'd worked with Connor on an investigation once before, and she'd seen him take down an aggressive Red Ice addict in less time than it took her to blink), he really was amazingly naïve.

There was another peaceful moment of silence between them, as Evelyn rested against his side, and a pair of hesitant arms slowly wrapped around her to keep her warmer. Being this close to him, the scent that she'd caught on his jacket was stronger now, and as she breathed him in, a feeling of tranquility washed over her.

"Lieutenant Anderson should have been here by now..." Connor murmured. "The snow and ice on the roads are probably slowing him down."

Eve tilted her head a little, glancing up at him. "You live with him, don't you?"

"With the Lieutenant? Yes, I do. He offered to take me in as property rights for androids are still being worked out."

"Can I ask you something, Connor?"

"Of course."

"Why do you still call Hank Lieutenant Anderson? I understand more why you call me Detective, but isn't he, like, your dad? I hear him callin' you son."

Connor's LED cycled yellow for a split second, and for a moment she regretted asking. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad.

But his voice was calm and reflective when he replied. "I suppose... it's about respect. I respect him greatly. If it wasn't for him, I may not have ever deviated. He helped me see that androids are living beings." His eyelids lowered. "He helped me see that I am a living being."

"I haven't been at this precinct for long," Eve said, "but I've heard about his vehement hatred of androids. You've gotta be really special, Connor, to change someone in such a drastic way."

Connor blinked. If Eve didn't know better, she would've said he looked embarrassed.

"Lieutenant Anderson was... hurting," he said quietly. "Hurting for so many years. He never truly hated androids, not in the way that other people do. He simply didn't understand. He didn't know. And when the revolution began, it showed him that androids weren't worth the hatred he was harboring for them." Connor slowly looked up at the sky. "Lieutenant Anderson is a great man. Regardless of whether or not I was his partner, he would've come around."

"Would've come around enough to let an android into his home? To treat an android like his son?"

Connor hesitated.

"Maybe the revolution did help change his perspective. But you being his partner made it so much more personal. You showed him firsthand how human you really are. Hank doesn't just tolerate androids now. He sees them as equals. And that's because of you." Eve rested her head on his shoulder. "You did that, Connor."

"...Detective..."

Connor was giving her such a soft, gentle look, eyes like melted chocolate, looking equal parts uncertain and touched. It made her heart skip. Why did he have to be so goddamn good-looking?

"...I really like you, Connor."

Eve found herself saying the words before she even realized she was speaking. She felt a blush rise to her face, blinking rapidly in sudden embarrassment. The fact that his expression didn't change at all, besides a slight lift of his eyebrow, didn't help her nerves.

Well, she couldn't back down now.

"You're more empathetic than a lot of humans I know," she continued. "I hope you don't ever doubt again that you're more than a machine. You have a soul, and it's one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met."

"I... like you too, Detective Evelyn," Connor said slowly, sounding perturbed, brows furrowed deeply. His LED was flashing yellow again. "A lot. But... you didn't have to tell me that. I could always tell that you're genuinely accepting of androids—accepting of me. And I appreciate that. I... really do."

For a moment, Eve was just as confused as Connor. And then she realized.

That's why his expression didn't change. He didn't realize what she meant. Connor was still struggling to comprehend human emotions, of course he wouldn't recognize that she didn't mean like as in like, but like as in I'm romantically interested in you.

Trying to explain it to him might take awhile, and Hank would be here to pick him up soon. But there was another way that would almost certainly get her point across immediately.

I'm insane, Evelyn thought to herself.

And then she stood on her toes and kissed him.

She was startled by how real his lips felt. His synthetic skin didn't feel synthetic at all. It was soft and lifelike, and especially with his heightened temperature, the feeling of kissing Connor was indistinguishable from the feeling of kissing any human man. Physically, at least. Emotionally, she didn't think she'd ever had this many butterflies before.

Unbeknownst to Eve, Connor's LED had cycled from yellow to red, and he stood frozen, staring at her with wide eyes.

The lack of response from him made her pull back sooner than she would have otherwise, suddenly worried that she was making him horribly uncomfortable. Seeing his LED flashing bright red didn't help, either. She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, giving him a sheepish grin.

"Did you just kiss me?" Connor said finally.

Instantly, any worry or nerves Eve had been feeling disintegrated, leaving only warmth and fondness as she burst into laughter. Only Connor would respond to getting kissed like that.

"Yeah, Connor. I kissed you."

The android was silent, blinking once, twice, three times. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his brows knitting together. His red LED blinked faster.

"Connor," Eve said, a serious look falling over her expression. Her voice was soft, reassuring. "If you don't feel the same way, you can just say—"

"No!" he cut her off abruptly, surprising her. "No, that's—that's not it. I... I just..." He faltered, grimacing at himself, and then she noticed that his face appeared to be discolored. For a moment she was worried, gazing at the odd bluish color spread across his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose. Then it hit her.

"Are you blushing?" she asked, grinning in spite of herself.

"N—no," he said almost defensively, and the blue hue grew more vivid, confirming her suspicions. Even the tips of his ears were turning blue. It was the single most precious thing she'd ever seen.

"Androids blush blue! I didn't know that. It makes sense though, since your blood is blue."

"I'm not blushing!"

"You are too."

"A-androids can't blush."

"You're a dirty liar."

Connor's mouth opened and closed rapidly, and she couldn't help but laugh again, grabbing her sides as a fit of giggles overtook her. Connor . exe has stopped working, her stupid brain supplied, and then she was laughing so hard she nearly fell over.

"Detective," Connor said in a scolding tone, and she could only label the look on his face as a pout.

"Sorry," Eve snorted, giggling behind her hand. "Not really sorry. You're adorable, Connor."

He sighed at that, clearly flustered, and reached up to straighten his tie once more, then adjusted the ends of his sleeves. Finally, he made eye contact again, still flushed a vibrant blue. His LED had reverted back to yellow, at least.

"Can I..." He hesitated. "...Can I kiss you back?"

Well. She wasn't expecting that. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't that.

"Obviously, you idiot." Eve grabbed his tie, leaning up towards his face. "Go ahead."

Connor's LED cycled red again for a moment as he slowly leaned in, before returning to yellow. She had a feeling that this was the most amount of emotion he'd ever had to process since becoming a deviant.

Moving so slowly, so very hesitant, his eyes finally closed as their lips met again. She let out a sigh against his mouth, reaching up to cup the side of his face, her thumb stroking over his cheek. She felt his hands rest cautiously on her shoulders, and it made her heart race, how incredibly gentle he was. Androids were so much stronger than humans, she was sure he could shatter her arm just by squeezing it, and here he was, touching her as if she were a porcelain doll.

Eve wasn't sure how long they stood there, kissing in the snow. It could have been hours for all she knew. But of course, all good things must come to an end, and at some point she found Connor drawing away from her. She opened her eyes. He opened his. She noticed suddenly that his LED was blue again.

He still seemed to be at a loss for words, mouth opening and closing yet again as he failed to speak. She really would've thought he was malfunctioning if she didn't know better.

"So," Eve spoke finally, "should I write my number down for you, or will you store it in your memory if I just say it out loud?"

That made Connor grin. Really grin, not a small little smile at the corner of his lip. It was gorgeous.

"Eve, you're... the most extraordinary human I've ever met. Human or android, for that matter."

Eve chuckled and pressed her forehead to his. She didn't miss how he'd used her nickname and dropped the Detective. "I feel the same way about you, you adorable dork."

"I'll admit I don't understand what you're finding 'adorable' about me, but I guess that doesn't matter."

"You can be such a smartass sometimes."

"Not the first time I've been told that."

"Hey!" A familiar voice carried suddenly through the parking lot, causing both the android and the human to turn and look. "You lovebirds done yet?"

"L-Lieutenant," Connor spluttered, and Eve was pretty sure his processors completely stalled for a moment. The yellow LED was back. "How... how long have you been here?"

"Like ten minutes." Hank approached the duo, a knowing smirk on his lips. "Didn't want to interrupt you, you two looked so damn cozy huddled up together. Buuuut, if you're done makin' out, we really oughta get home before the roads get any worse."

Eve thought the blue on Connor's face was vibrant before; that was nothing compared to how hard he was blushing now.

"I—uh—yes, Lieutenant. H-have a good evening, Detective Evelyn." Absolutely flabbergasted, the android awkwardly turned to start towards Hank's car, clearing his throat and straightening his tie one last time.

"Connor, wait!" Eve called.

He turned around with a questioning look.

"335-6582," she said, grinning.

The corner of Connor's mouth curved. "Got it." Slowly, he lifted a hand in farewell, that soft little smile still on his face. Then, he turned back around and began crossing the parking lot, Hank following after him with a wave of his own.

Eve watched them leave, smiling after them both. When the car doors slammed shut, the vehicle beginning to back out of its parking space, Eve covered her face and screamed quietly into her hands.

I JUST FUCKING KISSED CONNOR.