Comfort Zone (Connor x Reader)

Three

As you released Gavin he scoffed, trying to play it off. Being manhandled by you had gotten under his skin; it wasn't just the rejection or the insults. It was how you played him. Muttering under his breath, he stomped off, looking remarkably similar to a toddler throwing a tantrum.

You exhaled slowly, letting your eyes close before turning back to the lieutenant and your soon-to-be trainee. There was an awkward pause as you struggled to phrase your thoughts.

Luckily, Hank spoke first, his hand up to stop you. "Listen. We get it; you don't like or trust androids cause they tried burning down your city. And we're sorry about that, honestly. But that's in Buffalo; now you're in Detroit. And you're here to train the best fuckin' prototype CyberLife built. I'm just asking you to be civil. Connor's my partner, and he's quick at picking up new shit. All right?"

Shifting your weight from one hip to the other, you eyed the lieutenant for a bit. With a slight nod, you turned to the android, noting that he seemed much less dejected than earlier. "...... Connor. Stand up for me." He shot up quickly like before, completely still as you got close. "...... if this is the best CyberLife ever built, that's a tall order." The android's expression almost started to fall, but you went on. "However. Maybe you're more like me than I want to think about. Looks can be deceiving, after all."

[Comeback. Appropriate. How do I counter this attitude? The chip on her shoulder is massive...]

While you seemed to inspect him, Connor slid his hands behind his back, his crooked smile appearing. "If given the chance, Detective, I can certainly fulfill that order. Perhaps a little... one on one competition?"

Oh, so now he was challenging you. Your eyebrows went up, surprise and aggravation in your gaze. "So you think you're better than me, is that it?"

"Not at all. Everyone in the precinct has their strengths. We just don't know yours yet." Taking a careful step closer, the RK800 leaned in. He was close enough to be effective, but far enough to not be a creep. "I, for one, look forward to watching you... perform, Detective," Connor murmured slowly, throwing a wink in for extra drama.

THIS LITTLE SHIT.

With surprising ease, your cheeks burned, and you took a step back before you backhanded him. You had to be civil, but this fucker had thrown you for a loop. "F-fine," you spat, ignoring how flustered you'd ended up, "you want to prove me wrong? Good fucking luck." You had to turn away, annoyed at his gall, but also needing to cool your damn face off. "Where's the range? Test me. The Captain suggested it anyways."

Still at his desk, Hank had to pick his jaw up from the floor. "Uhh... what? Oh, range. Right, sure, uh..." He stood up and waved a hand in the general direction of where they could practice with their firearms. "That first, then... I'll think of some other tests."

He led the three of you there, with Connor at the end of the little line. The android had taken a chance with his response, but it ended up being perfect; you backed off, flustered and confused.

[That felt rather easy. Reed had a difficult time with her, so the Captain must have warned her ahead of time. She wasn't expecting me to respond so... assertively.

That was.... fun...]

■□■□■

Your heels echoed the range, only occupied by you, Hank, and the little shit detective you had to train. You still felt put off, but your face had stopped burning at least.

Pulling on the massive noise-canceling earphones, you pulled your piece out and waited. As soon as the lieutenant gave you the go-ahead, you fired rapidly at the target mounted far ahead of you. As soon as the clip emptied, you ejected it, pulled the extra from your shirt, and reloaded. It took barely any time to finish, really.

You set the empty gun on the shelf in front of you and removed the earphones. The target was mechanically pulled forward, but when you turned to the males for their judgements... they were just staring at you. "... what?"

"...... keeping the extra clip in your, uh... chest area... might not be the best plan," the human male commented.

Sighing, you planted your hands on your hips. "I'm sorry, Hank, but I don't have pockets. I have to keep it somewhere."

"I just... hell, I dunno. Doesn't seem safe, I guess. We have stuff to wear to keep them on you, though."

"I know, but they're a dead giveaway if I'm out getting information." Rubbing the space between your eyes, you turned away to focus on the results of your test.

The paper target was full of holes, but they all had gone roughly between the silhouette's eyes. Reaching gently, the android took it to examine. "High accuracy and high consistency. This is... mildly impressive."

"Ex-fucking-scuse me?!" Moving so you could glare around the paper in his hands, you expected to see him smirking. He was not, but it didn't lessen your irritation. "I'm sorry, does nothing about a high performance with firearms from a woman not impress the RK800? Or are you just not impressed because you want to piss me off?"

The android's eyebrows went up. "Neither, Detective. Your skills were spoken about in high regard, so these results are not surprising." Crumpling up the target, it was tossed casually, bouncing off of Hank's head. "But the skills you've just shown are standard and expected." Connor's tone lowered. "Surprise us. We've heard so much, and we want to make sure our undercover detective wasn't exaggerating."

It was like taking a stick and poking a bear in the face repeatedly. Your trainee was provoking you, and you didn't know if it was intentional or he was honestly not impressed. "... if you want me to be--"

The android whipped out his own piece, firing rapidly at the new target across the room. But his dark eyes stayed locked onto you. You had to clamp your hands over your ears, but as soon as he was done your upper lip curled back. "You're a fucking machine! You're capable of doing shit humans aren't physically able to, including that little stunt! Don't tell me you aren't impressed and then show something I can't fucking do!"

Again, Connor stepped close, putting his gun back into the holster. "Then show me the things I cannot do. Isn't that what you're here for, besides being someone lovely to watch perform?"