Comfort Zone (Connor x Reader)

Thirty-Five

"FUCK YEAH CLOUDY WEATHER, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!" Seán's loud, powerful voice carried far from the precinct's parking lot. Cloud grinned wide, approaching him with long strides and swallowing Seán up in a hug. "Ohh, you're a fuckin' sight fer sore eyes, man. I can't believe you're still functional; she told me what happened."

"Well, I was in repairs for weeks, unfortunately. Long enough to...." Cloud fell quiet, releasing his hold on his friend. "Seán, they told me she'd lost her home. It had gotten bad enough that she was living in the precinct; the Chief set her up with an interview for several nearby cities, and Detroit was her best option."

"Lost her fuckin'--" The human male sighed, hand running through his hair. "Course she didn't say shit. More stubborn than I am."

"There's time for this later; they're in dire need of assistance." The pair strode to Gavin's car, where Connor was helping you remove the contents of the trunk. Seán had to turn around to fetch what he'd brought but soon returned, after murmuring something to his girlfriend, who sat behind the wheel.

"Seán, thank you so much," you spoke, a gentle note of desperation in your words. "It's easier when it's just me, you know? I don't have much that Connor can fit into."

"I mean, I can think of three things he can fit into right now," Seán replied, smirking. But the sheer embarrassment from most everyone else wiped the humor off his face. "Oooookay, then, note to self: none of that."

Looking straight at the pavement, Connor wanted to disappear so no one could notice how his face burned.

[WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!]

"Who the fuck are you, again?" Reed eyed the other male with the vague accent. Why'd you know so many goddamn men?!

"Seán McLoughlin; I've known these two for too long. Was an undercover man, but I left the force and moved here. Less stress."

"... right, okay, well, uh..." Reed sighed. "Gavin Reed, normal, boring, not undercover detective. Can we get inside now? I feel like an ass standing in the lot with all this random stuff."

The RK900 frowned a touch. "Detective Reed, this is a frequent occurrence when going undercover. Though seeing people you haven't spoken to in quite some time will come with delays. I ask that you be patient, please."

Gavin did NOT trust the new android, but his eyes narrowed, turning away and heading for the entrance, with everyone else following.

■□■□■

He didn't know which was more startling: the weird conga line of mostly law enforcement walking in carrying random items, or the fact that one of them was an RK900 android. Hank had to shake his head hard, wondering if maybe he was hallucinating, but no; the android in the long white coat was still there.

Even the Captain ventured out of his office to join the growing crowd of people, all gawking at Cloud while the five of you set the belongings around your desk. Before you could turn to Hank and ask for details about the case, your partner laid a hand on your shoulder and discreetly pointed towards the onlookers. "Oh, boy..." you muttered, looking at your trainee. "You wanna help explain this to Fowler, or you wanna get the details from Hank?"

Before he could answer, Gavin spoke up. "I'll get the rundown, cara mia. You go tell Fowler his steel detective doubled." And, to make sure that the RK900 knew he had no chance, the human pressed a kiss to your cheek before going to the lieutenant, who could only stare for the most part.

A faint pink blush rose to your cheeks, and you fought to regain your focus. "Uhhhh- right, right. Captain Fowler." You glanced at Seán, who shrugged. "... you better come with, too."

For the most part, it was easier to explain Seán to Jeff. The Captain nodded, trusting you enough to trust people you brought in to help. But Cloud was another story. "You told me that you and your partner were on duty the night Buffalo went up in flames," Fowler said. "You said nothing about an android. But girl, you gave me a lot of hell your first day."

You grimaced. "I know, sir. And I'm sorry. It... it wasn't the fact that Connor is an android, it was the fact that he was the predecessor to my partner. I felt that it would have been in my data, who my partner was. I... genuinely thought it was intentional."

That wasn't exactly what Jeff wanted to hear, so Cloud spoke up. "Captain Fowler, please forgive me for barging in this way. What my partner means is that during the time she was organizing things to transfer here, I was being repaired for major damage. No one at the precinct knew if I could be repaired at all, and needless to say, she was extremely distraught. Arriving here and being introduced to an RK800 felt like a blow, and given her feisty nature... she may have lashed out. On behalf of my partner, I apologize for whatever trouble may have happened."

He was such a calming man, able to diffuse tense situations with little effort. His training and expertise showed through the thorough explanation, and the Captain knew that the RK900 was an undercover specialist. Still, he smiled and nodded a little. "All right, well, uh... apology accepted. Certainly explains a lot. But... why are you here?"

"She's my partner. I didn't know she'd been transferred until after she'd left, and I wanted very badly to see her."

Fowler frowned, barely seen as he looked away. There were plans, and the arrival of your partner threw a wrench in them. "Okay, well, uh... right now we've got a case to figure out. Now I don't mind you being here for now, but if this is your way of asking to be transferred, we're gonna have to sit down and talk."

Since you and Connor had basically been booted out of the conversation for the time being, you both returned to Hank's desk to learn whatever info was available about the crime.

As you approached, you felt a hand brush lightly at your hip, hazel eyes catching your gaze. Gavin was trying to carefully pull you a little closer; when you inched towards him, his hand was firmly planted at the same hip. He went no further, and in your peripheral vision you saw his face going red.

Clearing his throat, Hank sat back, arms crossing. "Here's what we know so far: two people dead, both human, both male. Also, both of them bikers; their rides were the ones destroyed, and both had leather vests with the patch on the back." Reed shifted in slight annoyance, but the lieutenant nodded. "Yeah. Iron Coffins." He caught your gaze. "They're a pretty difficult biker gang, so it's no surprise that none of 'em are talking. Thing is, whoever did this shit is an outsider. There's a trail of similar crimes in the Northeast; he's slowly making his way to the West. We don't know how he's gotten so far without being caught, but we think he's using the advantage of bikers not ratting each other out."

You nodded knowingly; this wasn't your first time amidst the type, but you were nervous about your Roomba. For his first real undercover job, this was quite a difficult one. "Are there any details vague enough that I could use, to slip us into the storyline, so to speak?"

Humming a little, Hank eyed his monitor. "The trail has similar crimes, and it seems like this guy stays in areas he feels safe in before moving on. Letting the heat die down. So there's a good chance he's still in Detroit. As for the bar, it's not exactly hard to get into if you look like you belong." He looked pointedly at the RK800. "No offense, son, but you have your work cut out for you."

With a nod, Connor tried not to frown. "No offense taken; surely if I tried to approach now, things would blow up in our faces."

Biting at your lower lip, you eyed your trainee closely. "As much as I don't wanna say it, if you don't feel prepared enough, I can have Cloud or Seán go with me."

The original prototype held up a hand to discourage you from giving him a choice. "Detective. If I do not do this, I won't be able to put your lessons to good use. I can, and will, succeed in this." There was his lovely crooked smile again. "I promise you, give me time to alter things, and you won't see a trace of the Connor you are accustomed to."