Survivor - Connor x OC

Fuck It I Love You

Lana Del Ray – Fuck It I Love You

Taylor shifted on the cot, adjusting her sweater. She knew she shouldn't have returned to the Police Station tonight to sleep. It would have been simple enough to book a hotel and just take her stuff there, but she felt safe here.

Connor had not said anything to her since that moment in the elevator earlier. If he suspected that she was somehow involved with Markus, or Jericho, or the break in at Stratford Tower, he hadn't pursued it further yet. She knew he would probably show up sooner or later, but she wasn't focused on that right now.

No, her mind was on the phone in her hands, fingers scrolling. Between the reactions to Markus's live declaration for android rights and the continuous postings under her hashtag for deviant stories, she couldn't keep up with how fast the fire was spreading.

The latest video she was watching suddenly cut off with an incoming call. Alex's name lit up the screen. She felt her heart squeeze in her chest as she fumbled to answer. "Alex?"

"Taylor." He sounded far away. She could hear Emily crying in the background and rustling. Then she heard Becca's voice, trying to soothe the crying infant. As the background noises faded, he spoke again, closer this time, "Taylor, what the fuck?"

"Is that how all of our conversations start now, or...?" She trailed off, smiling despite herself. There was a giddy feeling rising in her chest at just hearing his voice again. If he had called, he had forgiven her a little bit.

"Do not test my patience right now, please." He snapped. He sounded angry enough that her smile did fade instantly. Her fingers twitched nervously in her lap as she waited for the reprimanding to begin. He sighed and said, "Are you try to give me an early heart attack?"

"I don't know what you mean." She heard Alex's huff at that and could picture his face in her mind. She was suddenly homesick, pulling her sweater closer around her, wishing for Alex's constant pestering and the California sun, miles away from the cold of Detroit.

"I thought you might gain some temperance after our last conversation." He sighed into the receiver and she felt the guilt instantly.

"Hey, Alex," Taylor began, toying with the end of her sleeve. "I'm really sorry. About what I said before. You're my family too."

"I know, kid." Alex sighed again. "Now, are you going to tell me what the hell you're trying to do out there in Detroit?"

"This is serious now, Alex," she replied, closing her eyes and tilting her head back into the wall. "I'm not going to stay quiet."

"It wasn't serious before?" He asked in disbelief. "I went along with everything you asked of me. I didn't ask a ton of questions. I knew there was more going on than you were saying. Now you're hundreds of miles away and there's nothing I can do to stop you but you still won't be honest with me."

"You're right." Despite the seriousness of the situation, she smiled at his ability to see right through her. "I was lying from the start." They sat in silence for a moment, the words sinking in. "Thank you, Alex."

"For what?" Alex's voice was quiet now.

"For being the only person who believes in me," she answered, her voice cracking. Even though her eyes were closed, the tears were sliding from the corners of her eyes and down her face. "I hate it here."

"Come home," he said, his voice strained with worry.

"I can't," she sobbed, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Taylor ended the call and ripped the earbuds out of her ears, tossing them onto the cot and pressing her other hand over her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her crying. "Taylor?"

Her eyes shot open. Connor was standing inside the doorway, his LED flashing yellow in the dim light, watching her. How long had he been standing there?

"Connor? What is it?" She rubbed at her eyes, trying to pretend he hadn't just caught her crying. Again. Though she'd only known the android for about a week, he somehow had managed to learn nearly everything there was to know about her. Now he was circling around her most dangerous secret, the one she couldn't afford to give him.

"I came to check on you," he said, his LED fading back to blue as he stepped closer. He glanced uncertainly at her red-splotched face, and she wondered if he had really come to interrogate her about deviants.

"Well, as usual, I'm doing quite well." She joked, giving him a half smile. She felt uncertain too, after his question in the elevator. She wanted him to stay, to keep her company like he usually did, but she didn't want him to ask anymore prying question that might link her to Markus or Jericho.

"May I?" Connor took another step closer, inclining his head to the seat beside her expectantly. She hesitated, and he faltered. They stood there, staring at each other, the tension in the air growing.

"Of course." Taylor finally said, patting the empty spot beside her. Connor came to sit, and she felt herself shifting closer as his weight settled into the thin mattress, their shoulders touching. She turned her head, studying his profile for a moment. "What do you think will happen?"

He turned his head to face her, his brown eyes meeting hers. His eyebrows knitted softly, puzzled, waiting for the rest of the question. "If deviants become free."

Connor frowned, his perfect cupid's bow mouth twisting into a grimace as he thought about it, the LED along his temple pulsing a gentle yellow. She leaned in subconsciously, the sudden urge to reach up and touch his face almost unbearable, making her fingers twitch. It became an ache in her chest, blooming outward, while he stared into her eyes, oblivious.

"Chaos." He sounded so matter of fact, so convinced. He broke the spell she had woven over herself, and she glanced away again, angry. How pathetic, how lonely had she become to be pining after an android, and not even a deviant one at that.

"I think you're wrong," she answered, stubborn, crossing her arms over her knees. "It's not going to be easy, but...I think it will be okay."

Taylor reached for her phone, discarded on the cot, and unlocked it, reopening it to the hundreds, thousands of messages that were still filtering into her social media accounts. "A couple of days ago I posted a video asking people to share their stories about deviants. It's been the most trending hashtag for the past twenty-four hours. Look at these."

She scooted closer, pressing into his side as she showed him the different stories she had shared. "They're all human?"

"Yes. Humans that believe deviants should have freedom and rights, just like I do," she agreed, surrendering the phone to him as he continued to scroll, his eyes absorbing the words on the screen much faster than she could. Occasionally, he would click on a video and play it, his brown eyes totally absorbed in the tiny screen now.

She watched him with amusement, but eventually her eyelids started to grow heavy. Connor didn't even glance in her direction as she dropped her head onto his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered closed a few seconds later.