Special thanks for reviews: Subtle Shenanigans, Kemonomimi-san, sarahlucylu and one Guest.

There were a lot of Connor's quirks which Hank had come to adore since the android had began living with him. It turned out that since being freed and his personality had started shining through, there were certain things that he did which make Hank both smile and laugh.

Connor loved taking Sumo out in the rain. No matter how much Hank complained about the smell of wet dog or the way he got soaked when said dog smothered him, he couldn't bring himself to stop asking Connor to do it. The smile on his face was too much.

It also turned out he had a thing for flowers. The irony was not lost on Hank that the killing machine developed by CyberLife couldn't help to stop and stare at the colourful blooms. Having plants in the house was something Hank was slowly getting used to, but he had to admit it brightened up the place.

The one that Hank found the most fascinating (and by far the most amusing), was Connor's love of books. Not the digital ones that people seemed to leave lying everywhere, but the traditional ones. Worn paper and glue, with torn covers and the ability to give you paper cuts which stung for days. What was even better was how despite having the skill to scan every page instantly, Connor took his time and actually read each word. Granted, he was still an incredibly fast reader, but Hank smiled whenever he found him curled up somewhere with a book in hand.

While watching TV one night, Hank couldn't help but chuckle as he looked over and saw Connor on the other side of the couch, nose buried in his latest book while leaning over on his other hand. It was such an innocent and human action that Hank couldn't help the swell in his chest. The softly whirring LED on Connor's forehead was the only thing which distinguished him as an android, and from this angle Hank couldn't see it. He nudged the younger man with his foot and laughed lightly when Connor stayed studiously focused on the pages. "Hey, kiddo," he spoke a bit louder, sniggering when Connor looked up in slight disorientation. "You seem pretty gripped there."

Connor smiled as the words registered and turned his gaze back down. "I'm almost finished this one, and it's the last in the series. I'm eager to see how it concludes."

Hank laughed. "Never took you for one to get so gripped by a story."

The android looked back up to raise an eyebrow at Hank. "Yes, well, this is your fault. You're the one who first threw a book at me and told me to do something at night rather than just sit."

"What can I say? I'm good at being a bad influence," he smirked back with a shrug, not missing the roll of Connor's eyes. Oh yeah, the kid was definitely picking up a lot of his mannerisms. "You going to finish it tonight?"

Connor sighed. "No, much as I am inclined to. I've put off running a systems check for the past two nights because of reading. I don't have choice with it tonight, I'll automatically drop into stasis in about an hour."

"That's what you get for procrastinating." Connor raised an eyebrow at him. Hank was the king of procrastination. "Don't give me that look."

"Whatever you say, Hank."

The pair sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Hank got an idea. A devilish idea that he knew was going to annoy Connor. He'd been looking to get the kid back for the whole beeper incident a few days ago, and now was that chance. "How close you gonna get to finishing it?"

Connor huffed, which Hank found amusing. "Probably about six chapters away, maybe another thirty minutes or so of reading. It's incredibly frustrating as I want to know how it all ends."

Hank had to suppress a smirk. "Guess you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, then."

Yeah, if you can find it.

Connor was not amused. He'd woken from stasis the next day at around 10am, and was not happy at the time. Never mind that he was late for work (but he knew Hank would have told Fowler that he was running a systems check; they could sometimes run a bit longer if there was something that needed fixing), that wasn't his focus right now.

His book was missing. He knew he'd left it on the table next to the couch the night before so that he could finish it during a quiet moment at work, but it was gone.

Or rather, a certain police lieutenant had left a snarky note saying that Connor was going to have to go hunting for it.

Connor sighed in agitation, figuring he should have expected Hank to retaliate for his prank from before, as he prepared for work. The shit eating grin on Hank's face when Connor walked in to the precinct half an hour later did not improve things. "Hey sleepyhead, nice of you to show up," the older man teased with a broad smirk.

The android glowered at him and looked up towards Fowler's office to see if he was in trouble. When the captain just waved a hand saying that he was all clear, Connor came to a stop at the edge of his desk and folded his arms. "Where is it, Hank?" he asked in what he hoped was a neutral voice. Judging by how Hank's eyes sparkled in mirth, he'd failed.

"You're the detective, why don't you go figure it out?" Hank fired back at him, his grin getting wider by the second. Connor gave him another mild glare before sitting down at his desk, bringing up his tasks for the day. He was already late, he couldn't really afford to fall further behind.

He was disappointed; he'd been looking forward to finishing the book.

By the time evening rolled around, Hank was almost feeling sorry for Connor. The kid had been working non-stop all day, and Hank could sense his irritability from across the desk. In the few moments where there was a lull, Connor had been pestering him as to where the book was, but Hank just kept brushing him off. It wasn't that he wouldn't tell Connor where it was…

It was more that he hadn't asked the right question yet.

As it came time for them to pack up for the night, Hank spied the dark look Connor shot him. He smirked and ruffled Connor's hair, earning an annoyed squawk as the android stood up. When Hank left the building without so much as looking back, Connor was suspicious. He wouldn't really leave and potentially endure a night of an irritated android if he could avoid it, would he?

Connor felt like smacking his face. Of course the book wasn't here. Knowing Hank, it was probably sitting in the fridge or something like that.

Hank's grin was still firmly in place when Connor got in the car. "Gotta admit, Connor, didn't take you for the moping type," he teased.

The android glared at him mildly before taking out his coin, running it between his fingers. It was a good stress reliever at times. "Hank, you're just being vindictive now," he whined, eyebrow twitching in annoyance when Hank barked out a laugh. "Why did you even take it?"

"Simple. Revenge."

Connor sighed and sat back, turning his gaze to the older man. "Hank, please."

"Please what?"

"Please can you tell me where it is?"

Hank sucked in a breath dramatically. "Oooh, so close, Connor. Thought you had it there."

Connor looked at him strangely. "Hank, what do you-"

Then it hit him. You've got to be joking me.

"Hank, can I please have my book back?" Connor wanted to smack the other man when Hank's smirk grew and he pulled it out from within his jacket, handing it back to the android. He glared down at the book for a few seconds before turning icy eyes to the lieutenant. "You had this all day, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"And when we're you going to give it back to me?"

"When you asked the right question, which you just did."

Connor didn't feel up to dignifying that response with one of his own. Instead, a smile wove its way on to his face as he flicked through the pages to where he had finished reading, eager to get back into it.

When he reached the point, however, he stared down at the book in shock. It seemed Hank had been paying a lot more attention to him last night than he'd given the older man credit for. At the perfect place in his book was another note, written much neater this time: and all the aggravation that Connor felt towards the older man melted away. He looked up with slightly misty eyes and found Hank was smiling softly back at him.

Connor looked back down and laughed as he felt his heart beating faster, re-reading the words with delight.

It's a parent's job to tease their kid. You're not the only one with a few tricks.