Comfort Zone (Connor x Reader)

Thirty-Nine

"CONNOR!!!"

For one brief moment, time seemed to stop; he was still upright, hoping that the bullet had not gone through him. But the android collapsed, still functional, yet the gunshot had jarred him badly. There was no way to know just how bad the damage was until he could function properly.

There were footsteps far away and getting further, with more chasing. With his head lying on the pavement on its side, Connor watched Gavin chasing the bastard that tried to shoot him.

A pair of hands were trying to rouse him, so he could give a sign to show that he hadn't been destroyed beyond repair. After a solid minute of panic, you finally moved into his view, letting his head lay in your lap. Another gunshot came from around the block. Still more footsteps approached, but those he knew: Hank had been a little too late to prevent the kid from being a shield, but he was already demanding emergency services to get their asses over here.

[I'm not shutting down. I'm sorry, but the bullet is lodged in something that is blocking most of my motor functions. I am, as you would say, locked up.]

The message was sent to both you and the lieutenant. He tried to send it to Reed, as well, but hesitated at the sound yet another gunshot.

Only when he knew Gavin was the one coming back did he send the message a third time.

■□■□■

The moment the gun was fired, Gavin KNEW he fucked up. He should have known that asshole had a weapon in the first place!

But having Connor of all people shield him...?

Reed was frozen in place, vision blocked by the android, who collapsed and lay still. Vaguely, he registered your horrible outcry, but his own shock was replaced with rage that nearly blinded him.

Ace was trying to escape, but Reed would make sure he wouldn't get far. He lept over the RK800, knowing you would tend to him until he returned, and didn't bother with trying to detain Ace uninjured. A shot to the back of his knee sent him crashing to the pavement.

Only then did the detective meander patiently towards the man responsible for a lot of shit in his life. Weapon still in hand, Gavin had to fight his anger back down enough to think clearly. One foot lay on the side of Ace's head, pinning him there while he groaned and cursed about the injury. "You know, Acehole... trying to shoot me wasn't your brightest idea. But, see, here's the issue: You fuck with me, I have no problem returning the favor." Leaning over, putting weight on the head beneath his boot, Reed's eyes narrowed. "But when you fuck with people I care about? You better hope to whatever God will listen that you live with your sanity intact. I'll let karma fuck you over harder than I can."

Even though he was bleeding and sort of trapped, Ace Merrill chuckled. "Still the same little shit.... All talk. Need to learn to grow up, you useless cunt. Those little friends of yours are fucking idiots. You're not worth the shit in the sewers under you."

Knowing he'd get into trouble for it, Gavin removed his foot anyway, snatching the bastard's collar and landing a punch hard enough to shatter his nose. "That's for the game." Another punch. "That's for the fucking audacity." Finally, Ace was dropped onto his face, and another bullet was shot into the back of his other knee. "And that's for Connor," he hissed, setting his gun back into the holster before walking away.

■□■□■

With androids being integrated into society, many services had to adjust to cater to them, as well. Hospitals were one of the first, and needless to say, Detroit had the best android medical service in the country. Backed by CyberLife itself, androids now had their own ways of being repaired or cured.

This was why Connor had an ambulance to transport him faster than Hank's car could manage. The android EMT in the back was running diagnostics quietly, glancing up at you and the lieutenant every so often.

How they allowed you to ride in with your Roomba was surprising, but it did nothing to lessen how you felt. You sat on the side with your face buried in your hands, crying behind them to the point that the lieutenant started to worry. He sat beside you, looking back and forth between your hysterics and his kid. Gently, he laid a hand on your back, so you knew you had a support system. "Deep breaths, sweetheart. He's gonna be fine, we all know that."

"Considering the location of the bullet, the depth of the wound, and the caliber of the weapon... my diagnostics show that his repairs will be relatively minimal, save for the voice module." The EMT put his scanning device away in a cabinet before smiling at the two of you. Not that you saw; you were barely able to quiet down enough to hear. "He will be fine. We can unlock him within minutes once we arrive, but the voice module will take a bit of time. All that means is that he will be mute for a bit."

Both the EMT and Hank seemed fine with this news, but it just wasn't helping. Your shoulders shook with every sob, wanting desperately to explain why the tears wouldn't stop. It wasn't that you were terrified of losing him, though that was certainly a huge chunk of it.

It was the fact that Connor had willingly taken the bullet in the first place, not knowing what would happen, yet built for this purpose: to protect.

And with that ingrained into his code, he would jump to sacrifice himself if and when he needed to.

.... and you were tasked with training the valiant, self-sacrificing prototype, seeing how well he was able to take your lessons to heart, but still at the ready to protect. Tasked with training a man more than willing to do whatever was necessary.

Tasked with training him not to get attached and why it was so dangerous... while ignoring your growing fear of losing that same man because you'd gotten attached, yourself.

So now you were tasked with training yourself to follow his lead: bury your feelings so the both of you could survive.