Comfort Zone (Connor x Reader)

Four

To be honest, Hank was a little bit annoyed. He led you and his partner out of the range, trying to ignore the oncoming headache. After Connor's latest jab at you- with a compliment thrown in for more confusion- he got socked in the nose. Normally the lieutenant would have stepped in, but it felt inevitable. If the android was going to keep egging you on, you snapping at him was bound to happen.

Leading his two bickering children towards the back of the precinct, he'd had another officer set up a new test. Hank stopped outside the door, turning to face you. "All right, second test. And this time keep your hands to yourself; that's an order. Got it?"

Behind you, the android had to hold a tissue to his bleeding nose. The bleed had already stopped and healed, but Connor didn't make a fuss about being hit. The tissue was disposed of as you sighed and nodded to the lieutenant. "Hands to myself. You have my word."

"Good. Second test is different, but it's simple: pick out the offenders from the lineup." With that the three of you stepped into a decent-sized room, occupied by a handful of others.

It was a basic test: lineup of five men, accompanied by another cop just in case. Not that anyone was in danger; their offenses were clearly not severe if they weren't behind glass for protection.

Hank shoved his hands into his pockets and stood against the opposite wall from the lineup. Connor stood beside him, confident that he was handling the situation properly... even if he'd gotten himself punched.

You eyed the lineup for a moment before glancing back. "What's the offense?"

"Minor sexual ones. Public indecency, harassment, you get the idea." The lieutenant watched you nod. "Not as easy when--"

His sentence died out when you threw your top back, the android barely managing to catch it. You had on another shirt, since it was still January, but having layers was beneficial in several ways. You slowly paced in front of the line, aware of the clicking from your heels.

It took about fifteen seconds to watch the lineup before you turned to face Hank and his lapdog. "Two and five."

A moment passed before either of them could speak. "Um-- hold on, hold on a sec. Shouldn't you be asking at least one more question? Don't jump to conclusions," Hank warned.

"Didn't have to. You gave me people guilty of minor offenses, but they're sexual in nature. Any normal reaction would be to glance in my direction, whether it's the outfit or the noise I was making. The only two that didn't look were the offenders because they made it a point not to look at me." Turning back to the lineup, your hands went to your hips. "Purposely trying not to look might seem like you appear innocent, but the reverse is true. The human eye follows movement; you were too aware of me and kept your eyes away. You thought you looked fine, but it gave you away."

You didn't need to ask if you were correct: the cop standing nearby chuckled under his breath. "Damn, she's good."

The lieutenant rubbed the space between his eyes. "Okay. So I guess I made it too easy on you."

While the lineup was escorted out, you watched them start to leave. "Thank you for your time, gentlemen," you spoke out loud, namely to the three who were there to try and throw you off. There were some quiet, mumbled responses that went ignored. Approaching the two still at the back, you smiled a little. "Yeah, too easy, Hank. Sorry. If I were a male, I might have had a harder time, maybe."

"Nah, it's... it's fine. We're not used to having a different gender around. Shame, but I guess it can't be helped." The human shrugged, but did smile back. "Still impressive."

"Detroit precinct is just a sausage party, huh?" Both humans chuckled; Connor understood but just smiled to himself. "Well, thank you. Now you see why I dress like this; I'm not intentionally drawing attention to my body in a sexual way. Heels make noise, which draws the eye and distracts from what I might be doing otherwise. Plus I'm just used to them."

Now the android seemed interested. "How used to them are you? You walk without struggle; your stride is confident and you walk at an even pace. Are you able to be on duty in them, however?"

You held a hand out. "First things first. Give me--" Connor took your hand into his own, cutting you off mid-sentence.

"Something wrong? Were you not wanting me to take something you offered, Detective?"

The response to having your hand out wasn't what you expected at all. Tongue glued to the roof of your mouth, you couldn't form a coherent thought. Beside the android, Hank was watching the situation unfold with a hefty dose of surprise. His partner's attitude was confident but still mindful. Judging by your responses, the kid knew precisely how to catch you off-balance. It had earned him a punch, sure... but he still had you caught.

After ten seconds or so of total silence, Connor smiled a tiny bit. "Forgive me, I misunderstood. I have your clothing, and you must be chilled without sleeves." He held your shirt up and slid it into your hand, the one he'd been holding. "Don't need you getting ill, after all." He winked again, this time at the lieutenant, while you pulled your top on again. "This may be... bold of me, Detective, but..." The android started to head for the door. "... never mind. I've quickly found out that sometimes compliments are unwanted. And I would prefer my name to stay off the sexual harassment forms."

Your eyes found Hank, who seemed genuinely at a loss. You had to force yourself to move, the android's words and behaviors bouncing around in your mind. You couldn't get a read on him; sometimes he seemed fine, perfectly friendly. Then he showed that he was confident and even a little ballsy. Was it on purpose? You sighed and stood near where the android was waiting outside the room. "Okay, well, if it's all right, I do need a break. My bladder is screaming at me, and the smell of coffee is drawing me in. Mind if I escape my tests for a bit?"

With a wave of his hand, the older male shooed you away. "Take your time, we're not going anywhere." As you walked away, Hank immediately shot a look at Connor. "All right, what the fuck is going through your head, kid?"

"Hank, I'm just doing what you suggested." The android's expression was benign. "I've done some research and have created ways to counter her attitude. There is a large chip on her shoulder, most likely for several reasons. While I don't want to discourage her, I'm carefully guiding her to show off her skills."

"Connor, you're flirting with her."

"I am. It's to counter her aggression, Hank. She visibly hates androids, yet her dislike for males who can't grasp the concept of boundaries outweighs that. It's been proven that an android that flirts with her is confusing her, but it's working. I am respectful, and my risk-taking is minimal at best. My only intention is to settle her hostility."

Obviously not convinced, the human raised an eyebrow. "You might think it's working to calm her attitude down, but that punch you earned in the range says otherwise. She thinks you're putting yourself above her, kid. She's excelling at these tests but you are shitting all over it." When the android's face fell a tiny bit, Hank held up a hand. "I get what you're doing in theory. But if you tell her her skills aren't worth your notice... she's gonna get upset."

Dark eyes closing, the detective let his head rest against the wall. "... so what I did just now after her lineup test was more correct?"

"Yes. You didn't insult her test results, but you still threw her for a loop." Hank paused. "... but I really don't think flirting will get you anywhere."

Connor opened his eyes again, and the lieutenant was positive there was a little mischief in them. "Hank, if it distracts her from being cruel to me, so be it. Besides... I'm having fun."