Deviant Heart

Chapter 28: The Morning After

Feb. 7th, 2040 9:03 am

The next morning, Connor booted up feeling warm. He glanced down and saw Clara, her back against him as she slept soundly. His arm was draped across her, protecting her even in bed. He slowly removed his arm so as not to wake her and slid out from under the blanket, making sure that Clara's nude body was covered. He looked around the room for his boxers and pants then pulled them on. Quietly, he left the room and went to the living room in search of his shirt. He found it behind the couch, put it on, then went into the kitchen to prepare his love something for breakfast.

Clara slowly blinked open her eyes as she woke up. She turned over and found the other side of the bed empty. She sat up and looked around for Connor, then noticed her bedroom door was open, the smell of something burnt floating in her room.

'What is he doing?'

She got out of bed, crossed over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of underwear and an oversized t-shirt. She left her room and followed the smell to her kitchen, where she found Connor wearing her frilly apron and holding a spatula in front of the stove. He was panicking, quickly looking back and forth between the burnt food in the pan in front of him and the waffle maker with batter spilling out of the sides.

She smiled and walked over to him. "Whatcha doin'?"

He spun around, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. Batter was all over his face, and what she assumed were egg whites dripped down the apron.

"Clara! Good morning!" He looked at the mess behind him. "I was attempting to make you breakfast, but as I am not a housekeeper android, I wasn't programmed to know how to cook. I thought I could easily figure it out, but it's not as easy as I thought it was."

She giggled as she ran a towel under warm water and walked over to Connor. "Yeah, cooking is definitely not easy. It takes a lot of practice and trial and error." She wiped off the batter from his face, careful to not get any in his eyes. Once he was cleaned off, she gave him a peck on the cheek then moved over to the sink to rinse the towel. As she did that, she looked over her shoulder at him. "I'll help you! We can cook it together!"

Connor sighed then walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his forehead on her shoulder as she rang out the towel. "I was trying to surprise you, but it didn't work."

She laid the towel out to dry then turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That's okay, hun. It's more fun when we do it together anyway." She gave him a kiss. "But first, let's go change. You're covered in egg and you just got it on my back."

Hank heard the front door open, accompanied by a, "Hank! I'm home!"

Sumo got up from his spot on the floor and trotted over to greet Connor. Hank set down the dish he was washing and walked into the living room, drying his hands on his sweatpants.

"Hey, welcome home. How was your night?" Hank asked with a grin as Connor hung up his coat and bent down to pet Sumo.

Connor's face turned a deep blue color as he blushed. "It was nice. Really nice."

The older detective had an idea of what that look and answer together meant, but he stayed quiet. Instead he focused on how happy his boy was, a smile as bright as the sun on his face.

He ruffled Connor's hair. "I got somethin' for ya, son. I was instructed to give this to you once you got home today." He went into the bedroom and returned a moment later with a full suit. It included a black coat, white buttoned-up shirt, a black tie, and black slacks. He laid the outfit in Connor's arms. "Courtesy of Clara." He jerked his thumb toward the bathroom. "Go try it on."

Connor looked down at the suit and kept his eyes on it as he walked into the bathroom. Moments later, he came back out, running his hands down the front of the coat. The suit fit him perfectly.

Hank nodded in approval. "Lookin' sharp kid."

Connor smiled. He put his hands in his pants pockets, and his fingers brushed against something. He pulled out a piece of folded paper with his name written in familiar handwriting. The two men glanced at each other, then Connor opened the paper and they read it together.

'Connor. I wanted to give you this suit as a mark of new beginnings. You're not a machine, so you shouldn't wear something that sets you apart as one. I hope this suit serves as a reminder that you have grown as a person. That you think for yourself and no one controls you. You are a great man, Connor. You are going to make the city, if not the world, a better place. I love you, Connor. Love, Clara.'

Hank glanced up at his son's face to see a warm smile on it. Hank chuckled and ruffled Connor's hair again. "Come on, lover boy. Let's get going."

Connor fiddled with his coin as he and Hank walked into the police department. As they made their way to their desks, Connor could feel the stares of his co-workers at his new outfit. He had never worn anything but his gray android uniform to work. It somehow made him feel more exposed than when he was with Clara last night.

"Connor."

He turned at the sound of his name to face Nines. His taller brother gave him a once over. A small smile spread over his usually stoic face. "This look suits you."

His brother's words immediately made him relax. "Thank you."

Gavin flung an arm around Connor's shoulders. "Well look at you, you almost look human! 'Bout time you wore something else. Maybe you can convince Nines to do the same."

The taller android rolled his eyes. "By the way, Clara's in the break room. If you want to see her, that is."

Connor perked up and looked toward the breakroom, where he saw Clara leaning against one of the tables, drinking coffee and scrolling on her smartphone. He nodded in thanks to his brother and made his way over to her just as she glanced up, spotting him.

She set her coffee and phone down once he got closer. "Hey! You got my present! Looks-"

Connor grabbed her waist with one hand and caught her chin with the other, then pressed his lips to hers. She reflexively grabbed onto his upper arms, her eyes widening in surprise at the sudden display of affection. After a long moment, they separated.

"-good," Clara finished, her face bright red. "W-what was that for?"

He smiled. "That was my thank you for the suit. It's also my response to the note you left me."

Clara chuckled. "You liked it, huh?"

"Yes. I really did."

They grinned at each other like a stupid young couple until Hank shouted at them, "Save it for later and get your asses over here!"

Clara pecked him on the cheek before she headed over to her mentor, greeting Gavin and Nines on her way.

Connor smiled after her. With everything they had been through recently, it was nice to be able to work together again like this, to fall back into a routine. It was good. He couldn't ask for anything more.

Well, maybe just ONE thing.