Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Voice

The following morning at the precinct Connor was relatively quiet and seemed distracted by something other than his busy caseload. Even before he arrived at the precinct Connor had been quieter than normal that same morning and only engaged in conversation with Hank when it was the senior detective who initiated it. The odd pattern of behavior continued well after his arrival and Hank, knowing Connor better than anyone else in the entire bullpen, gave the deviant some space to think and to process whatever emotions he was currently trying to comprehend at his own pace. The unusual reactions would have to be addressed later on.

Switching back and forth between his most recent case presented before him and then over to android laws, the deviant was multitasking with an impressive efficiency that only a handful of people across the entire world could achieve. As he busied himself Connor easily ignored the ball of paper that bounced off of his shoulder and kept his soulful brown eyes transfixed on his terminal screen.

The second ball of paper tossed to his shoulder was rewarded with the same lack of response. As did the third and then the fourth...

"Hey!" Gavin rose from his own desk and planted his hand firmly down on Connor's shoulder. The deviant' didn't jump or even seem to react to Gavin's sudden presence. "Don't ignore me."

"I apologize, Gavin. I was preoccupied." Turning around in his seat Connor looked up at the Sergeant standing beside him. "What can I help you with?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for watching Aria yesterday. Abby really needed a day for herself and I had to go back to work, so yeah, thanks. They were both in a great mood when I got home last night."

"You're welcome."

"We're a small family, but we need all the help we can get, ya' know? Newborns are always a challenge, but it's a fun kind of challenge. A real tradition in the Reed household; making a small family." It was rare for Gavin to get sentimental about anyone or anything. "But I won't be making the same mistakes my own parents did. Abby and I swore we'd do better than our own parents did for us."

At those words Connor's soulful brown eyes dulled with internal disappointment, but he didn't dare to say anything to Gavin about it. "I know you will."

Gavin gave the deviant a somewhat perplexed look at he stared at Connor's face. "Hey? You good?"

"Yes. I'm fine." Connor's brow furrowed with confusion at the question. Never before had Gavin shown any form of concern toward his well being, let alone empathy. "May I ask to what you're inferring?"

"I'm not an expert on deviants or anything, but you look kinda' upset about something."

"I assure you I'm fine. Thank you."

"All right, whatever. Take it easy, 'Tinman'. If we need another babysitter I'll give ya' a call!"

Returning to his desk with a yawn Gavin was met by Tina who handed him a cup of coffee as she took her own seat in the desk across from his own. The two partners were evidently close friends and it was clear as to why Hank didn't want to split the duo up as a team. It took Connor some time but he finally understood that Gavin's hostile attitude toward androids had been from a painful moment from his past, much like Hank, and that he was just being protective of the few people he let get close to him in his life. It was never a personal grievance against Connor.

Squaring his jaw a little Connor returned to his own terminal screen and was greeted by a message from Joel in the dispensary. A mandatory physical and check-up for all precinct personnel had been issued as a result of the change of command. All of the deviants on staff were required to report to the precinct technician to be cleared for active duty before the end of the day.