Virus (Yandere Connor x Reader)

Sixteen

[At least this isn't outright rejection, I think. That would have made our return to her home difficult to explain...]

Despite saying he was an open book, Connor didn't let his facial expressions betray his thoughts often. He would have made for a very convincing liar. With your coffee long gone, the two of you just sat by the window, ignorant to the outside world for a few quiet minutes.

"It's come to my attention that I need to start asking questions," he said, softly breaking the silence, "so I would... like to know more. About you."

"Me? Well, fuck." With a laugh, you turned the idea over internally. "All right, I think I can spare a few minutes for you. What do you wanna know?"

He went quiet. "... your interest in androids."

"That's a long story, hon."

"Then you'll need another coffee," Connor gave his soft, crooked smile as he got to his feet, taking your empty cup with him. Minutes later he returned with another, filled with what looked like the exact same order. "I ran an analysis on your drink, and ordered the same. Not the sort of evidence I'm used to analyzing, but... better than putting blood in my mouth in public."

You were wrapping your hands around the steaming cup again, but abruptly snorted and had to cover your mouth. "That's how you analyze evidence?!" was your harsh whisper.

"Yes. And Hank feels ill every time." The android waited for you to stop giggling before opening his mouth. "You've got a story to tell, and I have nothing but time. So start from the beginning."

From the beginning. Your eyes cast lower, towards your hands, before meeting his gaze again. "When I was... around five years old, I got really, really sick. There was some infection that spread and affected a lot of things. And my parents had to make a tough decision, but in the end it was for the best." You cleared your throat, seeing that you'd captured his attention completely. "The infection would spread further and kill me if they didn't amputate a couple of my limbs."

Connor sat back in the chair, eyebrows close together. "May I see?" You nodded and held out your left hand for him to take. But it looked fine, and he examined it at different angles before frowning. "Either I'm missing a crucial detail, or--"

Slowly, the skin faded to show the bright white shell an android would have; in turn, Connor's hand did the same. But where his could have spread and gotten rid of the skin entirely, yours stopped just before your elbow, in a clean divide around your forearm. The shock on his face was difficult to ignore, and you were stared at in hopes of an explanation. "Child prosthetics are usually clunky and awkward. Some don't even move. We couldn't afford anything advanced, so I was given replacements that had basic motions." You gave a wry smile. "I hated them."

Your hand was taken again to be examined. It was most definitely an android limb, with some differences, but those were internal and unseen to an untrained eye. Connor seemed genuinely fascinated, but as much as he would have enjoyed learning exactly how the limb was created, it would have to be done in your lab. "You said limbs. Plural. What else was lost?"

Sticking your left leg out from beneath the table, you gently lifted your pant leg; the skin faded there, as well. "Two prosthetics. One that stops right before my elbow, and one that stops above my knee." Your leg went back under the table, clothing adjusted. You considered letting the skin reform on your arm, but a curious thought passed. On several occasions you'd seen androids do something similar, but you were certain that they were connecting with their minds, not just their hands. "I might have been five years old but I hated those first prosthetics. My mom used to get irritated with me because more often than not I'd remove my arm and leave it lying somewhere."

Chuckling, the android shook his head. "Most children leave toys around. Not their limbs."

"I spent a lot of my childhood watching movies with robots, or people building mechanical limbs and stuff. I think my parents thought I was trying to be Iron Man, and... I guess in some ways they weren't wrong." You just shrugged. "Except instead of wanting to save the world, I just wanted my mobility back. Even if it meant I'd end up looking ridiculous."

"You don't," he replied softly. "Seeing a human with customized android limbs is a feat. That doesn't detract from your presence."

"Says an android made to look human."

"You're lo--" He cut himself off, falling silent. Gaze darting back and forth as his head lowered, like he was concentrating on something.

The only tell was how tightly he gripped your hand. Your stomach sank, head swimming in panic for a few awful seconds. "Connor...?" you managed, voice barely above a whisper.

Catching your gaze, the android shook his head just enough to be seen. "We need to leave," was his soft reply. "Stay calm. Behave as though everything is okay. I will escort you home." Then he paused before getting to his feet.

What else could you do except follow his lead? You stood up as well, heart beating a frantic rhythm in your chest. But you had to stay calm, and didn't try to speak at least until you were casually guided out of the café again. Afraid to even turn your head, you managed another whisper. "... is... it...?"

Connor didn't give a reply verbally, but you were positive you heard a faint hum for one brief second. The two of you walked side by side, still appearing totally normal, save for the anxiety drumming just below the surface. After you'd gotten a good distance from the busy café, and the shops were more spaced out, he murmured, "Do you trust me?"

Your throat tightened, and crying would have been a poor decision, so the lump was swallowed back down. "Yes," you whispered.

Expecting some other instruction, you were roughly shoved to the side, into an alleyway you'd been approaching. The moment you felt hands on you, gunfire echoed the narrow space. Sheer panic disoriented your movements, and you hit the pavement, not willing to watch yet not wanting to hide from it.

Connor had shoved you aside just before the bullet was fired. His other hand reached for his own weapon, but ended up caught in a stalemate, with the RK900 pointing his gun directly at him.

The pair of gunshots echoed the alley again, and though you could hear strangers panic, you were completely silent, praying to whatever unnamed deity that the right android would come for you.