A/N: And now, it's time for some Halloween-themed content. This was an anonymous request for the prompt, "DON'T GIVE KIDS ALCOHOLIC CANDY!" It's part of a list of Halloween starters I found on Tumblr. Enjoy!
A cool breeze whistled through the city of Detroit, Michigan, setting stray leaves adrift in the air. Some could say that these currents were quite refreshing in comparison to the blistering, continuously soaring climes the region had experienced throughout the grueling three-month summer period. Twas the afternoon of Halloween Eve 2039, and it was quite clear by bounteous signs all around. Houses were spruced up with cotton spider webs, plastic skeletons, witch cauldrons, rubber tarantulas, splatters of homemade fake blood, just to name a few. Children were bustling through the stores with their parents, gabbing nonstop over costumes, candy, pumpkins, and their general excitement over the following night or the festivities in general. Bulk-sized bags of assorted treats lay along the shelves of nearly every grocery store that existed. Jack-o'-lanterns were lined up as far as the eye could see.
An autonomous taxi arched the left and into Michigan Drive, coasting down the street with grace and coming to a complete stop in front of a particular bungalow. Other than the respective number, 115, embellishing along the left-hand side of the front door in a vertical array, the assortment of four jack-o'-lanterns, and the faux tombstones, the house stood with scarce decoration for the upcoming holiday. Despite the insufficient amount of 'spooky' decor, it was good enough for the deviant-hunter-turned-deviant, Connor, who exited the self-driving vehicle in a prompt manner, a filled plastic bag in hand.
With an automated thanks for the use of its services, the Detroit Taxi absconded quietly just as the RK800 model strode over to the front door, scanning the area around him as he did so. While it was difficult for him to decide on a favorite season, he had to admit that autumn was a season he had come to enjoy. Ever since he had become deviant in the middle of his first investigation with Lieutenant Hank Anderson, he was able to truly pay attention to favorable aspects of the four seasons, particularly fall, in this case, since the previous fall was nothing but bitter coldness packed with rain and snow. He was told of a magical tale of hoodies, football games, classic Halloween films, hayrides, cider, outlandish endeavors of throwing rolls of toilet paper and eggs at one's home, candy and other various treats, bonfires, and the fun of jumping into piles of leaves after constructing one built with perfection. The lovely assemblage of leaves of all kinds garnished with ruby, amber, and puce scattered about the russet floors of grass in a makeshift blanket had enthralled his exemplary vision.
Finally, after much deliberation, he approached the front door and twisted the knob before stepping into the house, only to come across Sumo, who bounded towards him at a nearly alarming speed. Before he could even react, he was suddenly tackled by a bulky mass of fur, his purchased items being knocked to the side in bewilderment.
"S-Sumohoho!" Connor giggled out just as his face was lathered by the lovable dog's tongue, coating his artificial skin in a thin coat of saliva. "Yes, I know, I've mihissed you toohoohoo!"
A warm, deep chuckled had resonated through the living room, light footsteps approaching the android and the dog. "Alright, alright. Sumo, down!" With a gentle tug at Sumo's collar, Hank coaxed his loyal pet off of the tittering young man, shooing him away. "Jesus, you're gonna fuckin' drown him someday."
Managing to make a quick recovery, Connor leaned over to grab the plastic bag once more and rose to his feet with the help of the lieutenant, who had offered a hand. Once he stood, he turned to the coat rack, beginning to unzip his light autumnal jacket and shedding it from his body and onto a hook neatly. It was a fairly cool day, so he decided to dress in a pair of dark blue jeans, a mint green gingham unbuttoned shirt, a charcoal tee underneath, and a pair of black high-tops.
Hank cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest before casting his gaze onto the bag containing an anonymous purchase. "So, whatcha got in the bag there, Connor?" He inquired as he indicated to the said bag with a thumb.
Averting the man's glance, the prototype looked downward and to the bag he held by the flimsy handles, raising it to the height of his chest. "Oh, this? Well, you see, I've wanted to take part in the Halloween festivities tomorrow night by passing out pieces of candy to any trick-or-treaters should they come around the neighborhood. I would've asked if you wanted to join me, but I assumed that you'd rather not, considering this is a particularly difficult time for you since this month was… Cole's passing…" He treaded the waters carefully upon mentioning the name of the man's late son.
With a forlorn sigh, Hank draped an arm around the android's shoulder and guided him into the kitchen, waving a dismissive hand. "Hey, don't worry about it, son." He offered with a kind smile along the way. "I'll never forget about Cole leaving, but I'm not gonna let that stop me from living my life. And I sure as hell am not gonna let it downpour on one of my favorite times of the year. If anything, you and your brothers are teaching me how to love it again. Like that time we teepeed and tossed all those eggs at Fowler's house about a week ago? I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so hard! You and Caleb are pretty fuckin' wicked when you wanna be!"
"Well, Hank, we did learn from the best," Connor replied with a wry smirk gracing his facial features.
"Heh. Ya did, didn't you?" The older man's lips curled into a smug, yet immensely proud, grin as he jabbed at his android of a son's side in a playful manner.
"Eek!" The deviant had nearly jumped roughly at a foot in the air as he squeaked quietly, almost dropping the bag he gripped in the process. "H-Hank!" He whined lightly, airily swatting at his hand.
"What?" Hank returned innocently, feigning an unknowing expression as he led his adopted son to the table. pulling a chair and propping himself into it. "Now, what kind of candy are we talkin'?" He quizzed, rubbing his hands together with intent.
Connor let out a faux sigh and smiled knowingly. "I know that look, Hank. No, you can't have any, they are for the children."
"Killjoy," Hank griped satirically with a joking roll of the eyes as he watched the other reach into the bag, beginning to dig through.
After a few seconds, a moderately large bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans tinted with a bright yellow that nearly resembled the color of a lemon had been plopped onto the table's surface, prompting the man to quirk a silver brow.
"That's it? Jelly beans?" He asked incredulously.
"From what I've detected, Jelly Belly is quite a popular brand of jelly beans."
"Well, you're not wrong about that," Hank gave off a meek shoulder shrug and lightly nodded in agreement. "I'm not a die-hard fan, but some of them are actually pretty good."
"That being a reason as to why I purchased them. And from what I've acquired from a brief database research, there are quite a few children who happen to take a liking for-" Connor paused his speech at the sound of plastic tearing, shifting his gaze to find Hank opening the bag of candy. "Hank! What did I just tell you?"
Ignoring the android's reprimands, Hank bluntly shoved a hand into the sea of brightly-colored, sugar-coated goodness, shoveling a handful into his mouth. With such content intention, he began to chew, only to come to a full stop just as the taste hit his tongue. From what his taste buds could register, he was being mercilessly attacked by a rather pungent taste behind the fruity exterior. He grimaced, instantly recognizing the faint traces of alcohol lingering within the chewiness. Snatching an empty glass that lay about the tabletop, he quickly spewed the clamped, bitemark-ridden clump of jelly beans into it. "The fuck!"
His LED transposing to a brilliant gold to illustrate his concern, Connor looked on and furrowed his brows as he squinted with worry. "…I take it that the taste is inadequate?"
"No! Well, yeah, but that's not the point!" Hank gagged, running the back of his hand over his mouth as his expression contorted into one filled with immense aghast, turning to face the former deviant hunter. "Connor, while you were out at the store, you didn't happen to analyze these Jelly Bellies, did you?"
"No… Why?" He replied, apprehension beginning to lace within his tone.
"Are you fuckin' kidding me!? This has alcohol in it! For Christ's sake, don't give kids alcoholic candy!" The lieutenant barked, shaking the bag of supposedly alcoholic treats for emphasis.
Connor instinctively pried the bag out of the man's hands and instigated a quick analyzation, the amber-hued LED flickering and gyrating through the process.
[SYNC IN PROGRESS…]
[SYNC DONE.]
[COLLECTING DATA…]
[PROCESSING DATA…]
[TAINTED WITH ALCOHOL BY A CARELESS EMPLOYEE.]
Plagued by sheer horror and utter embarrassment, Connor stared at the bag of tainted treats with gaping eyes. "Oh, my God. I-I had no idea… Had you not attempted to eat them, I would've been handing them out to children… How could I've been so careless?"
With a heavy sigh, Hank ran a hand down his unkempt silver locks. "It's not your fault, Connor," He reassured him kindly as he placed a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder, taking the bag of jelly beans from him and placing it onto the table. "It's the negligent prick who decided to taint these jelly beans."
"But I didn't scan them when I could have," The other lamented, resting his chin in his hands, holding himself up with his elbows propping against the surface.
"Well, at least one of us found out before it could've been too late," Hank stated as he pushed himself onto his feet and bunted the contaminated candy into the trash can when he got close enough. Swiveling on his heel, he made his way back to the occupied table to crouch at Connor's left, gently gripping the android's shoulders with a comforting grasp, prompting him to meet his gaze. "Look, how 'bout this? We can go back to the store and find something else, and you can be on the lookout for anything shady in the candy. You can even send Fowler reports of what you find in it that may be harmful to the kids. What do you say?"
With the guilt-ridden canary within his LED punctually fluctuating back to an uplifted turquoise at the suggestion, Connor's worried gaze morphed from regret to one filled with hopeful elation. With reinstated confidence, Connor flashed a trusting smile to his fatherly figure. "I say that I would gladly take up on your offer. Furthermore, not only will I feel better for having actually determined whether or not the candy is safe, the unofficial investigation would be quite enjoyable with you accompanying me."
"Connor, don't call it an investigation, we're just going out to shop for Halloween candy," The man groused lightheartedly, mirroring the other's smile with a humored one of his own.
"That sounds even better," Came the joshing, yet honest, return, a kind smile playing at his lips.
Hank, in response, snorted through his nostrils and retreated from his crouching position and onto his feet, but not before giving the android's shoulders a quick squeeze. "Alright, I'll go get dressed, grab my jacket, and we're outta here."
The deviant nodded and strode into the living room with the lieutenant walking alongside him, only to separate just as they crossed the threshold at the kitchen's entryway, the younger plopping down onto the couch, whereas he elder bending into the hallway at his right, heading for his bedroom.
Sumo, having immediately picked up on the approaching footsteps, trotted and landed onto the sofa with a leap so graceful, one would question as to how it was possible for a hound his size to make such a feat. He huffed through his damp nose and nudged it against his android master's hand, requesting his affection with a low whine.
Unable to deny the lovable dog's wishes, Connor shifted himself from his usual upright sitting position and onto his knees so that he could provide himself more access to reach for him. Over the next few minutes, the former deviant hunter spent his time in showering the large Saint Bernard with affection, rubbing his fluffy body, petting him on the head, scratching behind his floppy ears, and constantly cooing to him, calling him a 'good boy' until his advanced aural sensors indicated the faint sound of slowly approaching footsteps.
Naturally, he glanced over his shoulder to find the grizzled cop clad in a plain vermillion tee, a pair of worn denim pants tinted in a dark charcoal grey, khaki-colored hiking boots, and his distinctive carob-hued autumnal jacket. As he approached the awaiting android, he wore a relaxed smile and twirled his car keys on his pointer finger all the while.
"What's with you? We gonna head out, or are you just gonna sit and stare?" Hank asked ironically, arching up an eyebrow and gesturing to the front door with a quirk of his head.
"We're leaving," Connor replied as he dispersed from the couch cushions and swerved around the side, walking past the old man to retrieve his denim jacket from the idle coat rack, the jacket itself proportionately lighter in comparison to the dark blue of his jeans.
"Smartass," Hank commented without any real heat lingering in his tone, simply teasing the young android as he slipped his jacket onto his body, both of them exiting through the door shortly. "Hey, who knows? Maybe we'll meet up with Gavin and Caleb at the costume store if they're still there."
"But each of them already has a costume. Why insist on returning?"
"Well, Gavin said he wanted to go make fun of whatever slutty male costume he could find, and, of course, he dragged your brother with him. Get a good laugh out of it. You know, brotherly bonding shit."
"Poor Caleb. I can only hope that he doesn't fall victim to Gavin's corrupt sense of humor."
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about that. He probably wouldn't catch onto it, even with that computerized brain he's got."