QUOTE COMPENDIUM ⊳ connor x reader

Ch. II

Connor slumped down at the table the young woman had indicated, watching her fetch a menu for him.

From the other side of the room, pushing open a heavy door, appeared another older, rather chubby woman, with warm, gentle facial features.

Olivia Fern
Age: 62
Criminal Record: None

For a second, he could almost hear Hank's gruff voice echo in his mind. The old man would've probably already told him off for scanning everyone and everything around him. If he were still alive, of course.

With a mechanical sigh, Connor looked away, staring at the wooden surface of the table in front of him.

He picked up on the two women chattering silently, barely enough for him to be able to make out something. Not like he wanted to, anyways. He was far too focused on the ache that was starting to settle in his chest again.

He failed to notice the menu being placed on his table, nor the young woman waiting for a few solid seconds for him to move, say, or at least do something.

"May I take your orde-" Connor was almost startled by the sudden sound of the girl's voice, so close to him. Well, close meaning at the edge of his table, but still, in closer proximity than he remembered her being. She stopped in the middle of her sentence, her drowsy, bored expression changing into one of genuine worry. "Are you...alright?"

"Me?" Was the most intelligent reply Connor could muster, only then noticing how his voice trembled at every consonant. "Yes, I...of course."

Connor frowned when she began digging through the pockets of her apron, fishing out a white tissue. "Here." She spoke gently, holding it out to him.

Connor was about to ask what for, when a small droplet plopped onto the table in front of him, soon followed by another. He wasn't crying, was he?

In utter disbelief, he brought his hand up to his cheek, brushing his fingertips over the synthetic skin. He was. He actually was crying.

"Thank you." He mumbled, taking the tissue from the girl standing beside his table.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked carefully, not moving from where she was standing. "The name uh, is (y/n), by the way. In case you didn't notice." She pointed to a name tag on her apron, following her statement with a well-meaning, awkward half-smile.

"My name is Connor." The Android answered, wiping away his tears as quickly as possible, then folding the tissue neatly and placing it on the table. What had he gotten himself into? Why did he even stop at this diner? And why was he crying? Embarrassing himself in front of a stranger? "I apologize for my behavior."

"No, no it's fine. Everyone needs to break every once in a while." She shrugged her shoulders and rested her hand on the back of a chair that was across the table from Connor. "There's no shame in crying. Would you like to talk about it? I don't mean to brag or anything, but I'm a good listener."

He shook his head yes, watching (y/n) sit down across from him and gaze at his face with both worry and curiosity.

"Take your time, I've got plenty." She assured him with a sincere smile. "I could fetch you something in the meantime. Coffee, tea, grilled fish?"

"No, thank you. I don't..." He sighed, and decided to not bother explaining his nature to her, opting to lower his hood instead. A yellow light illuminated the room as soon as he did so.

"Huh, an Android." (Y/n) stated, tilting her head. "So no food or drinks then. Could've said that sooner." She moved away the menu from the table, then shifted her gaze back to him.

"I apolog-"

"No worries, I was joking." She said. "You know what really helps me when I feel like absolute garbage?"

Connor shook his head sideways. He knew his voice-box had a tendency to malfunction when he was overweighed by emotions, and decided not to use it.

"A road trip." (Y/n) smiled. "And lucky you, I've got nowhere to go. What do you say?"

Was that...an invitation? A suggestion to go with him? Connor couldn't deny the fact that her presence was rather refreshing, and that it was nice to talk to a stranger. Someone that had little or nothing to do with his past—kind of like a different chapter.

So he gave in.

"I'd very much like your company."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Only minutes later, he and (y/n) were outside the shabby diner, the young woman carrying a backpack that Connor guessed contained her necessities. Wordlessly, she followed him inside the empty parking lot, to Hank's old car. Connor flinched when she hurried towards it, passing him.

"Whoah, haven't seen any of these in a long time. Old cars are so pretty, aren't they?" She asked, inspecting the black, old vehicle. "I'll take it you're more of an old school kind of guy?"

He didn't know how to answer. His so-called 'style' had obviously been heavily influenced by Hank, maybe he could even go as far as saying that it was a copy of his father figure's.

"Not...necessarily." Connor tried to explain, unlocking the vehicle and seating himself behind the steering wheel. Only seconds later, (y/n) plopped down beside him.

While Connor drove out of the small parking lot, the young woman was curiously looking around, inspecting her surroundings.

"Pine trees?" She asked after taking a small whiff. A smile settled on her features. The Android could only guess that she liked it—and in a strange way, it made him...happy. A fuzzy feeling, deep inside his chest. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Pine trees." Connor confirmed, unable to resist the temptation of smiling too. It was almost unbelievable that a stranger, someone he had met exactly 18 minutes ago, could already cause such bliss.

Connor couldn't have asked for better company.