A Reason to Change | Connor x Human Reader (female)

13 : S O _ C L O S E [5/5]

Picture edited by me (Photoshop)

△▽▲▽△▽▲▽△▼△▽

"The... hell...?" was the only confused reaction that escaped your mouth once you and Connor joined Hank in the living room. He just shrugged. "That was... unexpected..." Connor added. "Yeah..." Anderson grumbled and rubbed his neck.

"For a second I feared he was onto something." You mentioned. "Finally cleaning your place, pff..." you scoffed cheekily and Hank jokingly slapped your arm in response. "Oh, shut it." He spat, although smiling. "So... Now what?" you asked. "I've no idea." Hank replied.

"Same as before, I suppose." Connor suggested.
"Alright then." You replied and moved on to open Hank's bedroom door to let out your dog and Sumo, before going back to the kitchen with Connor. In the meantime, Hank planted himself back in his armchair to resume watching TV.

Connor and you finished the dishes while having a chat, with Hank chiming in from the background every now and then.
You then gave Hank's place a quick vacuum and afterwards decided to just relax on the couch with Connor right by your side. Of course, Hank hasn't moved an inch during all this, only lazily lifting his feet when you approached with the vacuum cleaner.

The three of you figured you could watch movies or shows, since there wasn't much else to do, unfortunately. And even though it wasn't much, you still were quite content just with Connor right there and Hank and the dogs close by. You settled on a Trilogy, and throughout the first movie, you leaned your head on Connor's shoulder, who put his arm around you. You wished this moment would never end.

But overall, time passed too fast, of course... Way too fast for your liking. Connor's inevitable departure came closer and closer and your heart sank with every time you looked at the clock. You wished there was more you could do, but your options were limited and you knew you shouldn't stall him, as much as you may have wanted to.

Knowing it was almost time, you absolutely dreaded the ending of the third movie. It was dark out by now, and surely enough, as soon as the credits started, Connor got up.
"Awww..." You frowned and got up as well.
"I'm sorry, (Y/N)... I wish I didn't have to leave, but I must..."
Hank got up from his chair as well. He was clearly thinking of something to say and opened his mouth, but paused. "... Ah, crap..." he mumbled eventually, rubbing his neck, looking away. "I hate goodbyes... So, uhm... See ya." He patted Connor on the shoulder, forcing a smile. The deviant smiled back and nodded understandingly, before Anderson sat back down, letting out a sigh. Even though he tried his best to appear tough, it was quite easy to tell that he was having a hard time.
"How long will you be gone?" you asked the android. "It's hard to tell. Most likely at least a full day." He responded. "Alright... Hope all goes well..." you smiled weakly.

Connor excused himself to put on his suit and disguise. Once he returned, you accompanied him to the front door and walked outside with him, feeling gutted the entire time. The two of you stopped on the path about halfway in between the house and the sidewalk and turned to face each other. It was a frosty night, a thin layer of fresh snow on the ground. You tried not to let the cold air get to you and just looked up at him silently, frowning, your heart aching in a way you've never experienced before.

"(Y/N)..." Connor began, speaking softly. "It... It pains me to see you this sad." You tried to avoid his gaze, trying your hardest not to break out in tears right then and there. "Believe me, I really would rather stay here... with you..." he gently grabbed your hand to hold it.
"I- I understand..." you spoke quietly, trying to keep your voice from breaking, feeling a knot forming in your throat as you intertwined your fingers with his.
"Hey... Look at me." Connor said huskily and your heart skipped a beat from the tone of his voice and again once your eyes met his. You didn't expect him to look equally as sad as you. "Trust me, I will return." He squeezed your hand, his expression changing to one of honest determination. "I promise you. Please, try not to worry about me too much."
"Well, I'm not sure I can promise that..." You smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, Connor, I..."
"Don't apologize. Just know that... that I will be thinking of you the entire time I'm gone."
"R-really?" you asked, flustered.
"(Y/N), I... I have tried to get you out of my mind before, you know... Unsuccessfully, of course." Connor smiled. "You are far too... extraordinary." He added, looking at you with such warmth and intensity. "Now that I think about it, it's really no wonder I deviated..." He gazed into your (E/C) eyes.
"Oh, Connor... I... I..." you simply stammered, blushing, a little floored by this unexpected compliment.
He lightly tilted his head, awaiting a more detailed response.
And that damn head tilt was all it took for you to finally lose it. Without thinking, you moved forward and placed a soft kiss on the deviant's synthetic, yet incredibly soft lips...
You were about to let go, when Connor, although a little stunned at first, ended up returning the kiss surprisingly eagerly. He wrapped his arms around you and you did the same, embracing each other most fondly, an indescribable joy forming in your chest as you melted into this wonderful, passionate kiss. It took you a few seconds until you let go of each other. You have long forgotten all about the cold around you, feeling only warmth inside. Connor caressed your face with his hand as he looked deeply into your eyes. "I gotta go now..." he spoke in a hushed tone. "Please, wait for me here."
Overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions that have built up, you couldn't hold back your tears any longer. "I- I will." You quietly responded, your voice quivering as the tears began rolling down your cheeks. Connor wiped them away with his thumbs, before softly kissing you once more and taking a step back.
"Don't cry... This isn't goodbye, (Y/N)." he smiled gently. "I'll see you later."
"Okay... I hope so..." you sniffled. "See you later, Connor... And be careful..."
He nodded, and finally began walking away, looking back once more and smiling, before taking a turn and walking out of sight.

You sighed deeply and just let the tears flow as you dragged yourself back inside Hank's house, sniffing and sobbing uncontrollably. Once you were inside and closed the door, Anderson turned around, seeing your face red from all the crying, and both dogs looking up at you seemingly concerned. You walked towards the couch, and the Lieutenant just silently got up from his chair and pulled you into a warm hug, gently rubbing your back. While greatly appreciated, his kind gesture only made you cry even harder. "Hey now..." he grumbled. "It'll be okay, kid..." Hank let go of you and led you to the couch to sit down. "Thank you..." you sniffled weakly. "Ah, don't mention it." He hurriedly walked into the kitchen and returned with a paper towel shortly after, for you to dry your tears. "Thanks..." you sniffled and proceeded to blow your stuffy nose. "What am I gonna do..." you mumbled quietly, wiping the tears with your hands. "You're gonna calm down first of all, and stop worrying. Everything will be fine. You'll see." Anderson patted you on the shoulder. "Let's figure out something to do to keep ourselves busy, hm?" he suggested. "We could put on another movie. Something light-hearted." he concluded, and you just silently nodded in response, wiping away any remaining tears, trying to get yourself together and keeping calm, while the Lieutenant went on to pick something to watch.

The movie barely started when Hank quickly got up from the couch again. "Ah, I've got another idea." he declared while excitedly rubbing his hands and shuffling off. You turned around to observe, furrowing your brows in confusion as he began rummaging through the bookshelf by the wall behind the couch, quietly mumbling to himself, not even caring about several books falling to the ground.
"Hah! Got it." He turned around after a while, grinning, holding up what looked like a bottle of alcohol. "What's that? Booze?" you wondered. "Pff, this is not just any booze." He shook his head and went to the kitchen to fetch two glasses, filling them with ice cubes, before returning and plopping himself down next to you on the couch. "This shit's even older than me. I've been keeping it hidden, for special occasions." He presented the bottle to you; a premium aged whiskey from Scotland. "Hank... You shouldn't..." you tried to politely refuse. "Why the fuck not?" he shot back and opened the bottle.
"I don't even really like this kinda stuff." You argued quietly. "Oh, you and your cheap hootch..." Anderson spat jokingly and took a whiff of the whiskey, before filling both glasses. "(Y/N), we don't even know if we'll make it through this damn revolution." He continued. "Let's just make the best of the time we may or may not have left and throw every last fuck outta the window, 'aight?" he gave you a strong pat on the back, grinning, and finally, you managed to genuinely smile. "Alright, alright..." You let out a sigh and picked up the glass. Hank raised his as well, clinking it against yours. "Cheers." He said.
"Ugh... Here goes nothing..." You muttered and proceeded to take a sip with Hank doing the same. What followed was the two of you falling into a hefty fit of wheezing and coughing, mixed with some random curse words in between.
"Holy fuck." you rasped, wiping your watery eyes, feeling your throat burning and heat entering your stomach as the liquid descended. "Ugh... More like fuck yeah." Hank cleared his throat, banging his chest.
„You're such a wacko..." you chuckled.
"Oh, well... Birds of a feather flock together." Anderson grinned, raising his glass again. You smiled and shook your head, but raised yours as well.

Soon, it began to feel as though the heat from the drink was simply melting away your worries. Hank and you started reminiscing about old times and cracked jokes, warmth and laughter filling the room. Anderson even pulled out an old deck of cards at some point, to further keep yourselves occupied. Of course, you couldn't help but think of Connor every now and then, but you were incredibly thankful for Hank's efforts and were more and more sure that the deviant would return safely.

"I've got an idea." You spoke up after a while. "Let's make a deal."
"Go on?" Hank raised a brow.
"If we make it through this... Promise me you'll never binge drink again."
"Binge drink? Hell, you know what? If we make it through this unharmed, I'll never drink again." He proclaimed in his slightly drunken stupor.
"Seriously? Damn. Noted." You smirked. "Hank, I'll make sure to remember this and remind you once this is all over."
"Fuckin' A." he mumbled, got up from the couch and stepped towards his record player. He dug through his collection and picked out some upbeat Jazz.
"Nice tunes." You commented as he sat back down next to you. "Now, where were we..." you picked up your set of cards and the two of you continued playing, talking, laughing, and at some point, even dancing to his music.