SEQUENTIAL ━ Connor // RK800 ✔️

twenty-nine ━ daring to dream

That single glance had informed him his words might have been a little too efficient, as instead of only appealing to reason, he stroke the chords of her emotions too. Thus, he found it necessary to add, "Actually, I could grow old with you. Not physically, beneath the surface, but I can manually adjust my synthetic skin to replicate the processes I would observe with you. Wrinkles. White hairs. I have an inactive sub-program for all that stored in my undercover protocol."

Grow old together, her mind remained stuck on those words and the concept they dared present onto her.

Her hesitation to answer had almost made Connor steal another glimpse her way, however, before he could take the chance to look away from the road for the second time in the span of only two minutes, Mia sighed out, voice tender and vulnerable, "That sounds perfect."

"Are you sure you want to live with me though?" He bounced the question back at her. Discussing her worries related to the differences between them and the barrier they formed reminded him of the one distinction of biology that troubled him too. "You're the one who came up with the idea, but did you actually think it through? Despite my devotion to you, you must know I won't exactly be able to be a proper lover to you. Procreation, for example, would not be an option, and I am aware that is usually a desire to humans who wish to make a family."

"Children?" Mia almost spoke her inquiry over his words, her surprise great enough to have her raise her head again and look at him properly. "You're thinking about children?"

His lack of an immediate response while his lips remained parted was unfortunately telling enough of his nervousness over the matter to have Mia laugh. "You know children usually come after marriage, right?"

After his words failed him a second time in a row, she took mercy and waved her hand dismissively of the matter that still brought color to her pale cheeks rounded up from her smile, "I'm just messing with you." After only the shortest sigh, she dropped her hand and nodded, "You're right." Her tone returned to a certain degree of seriousness now, eyes slowly looking back ahead. "We won't ever be your usual nuclear family. We won't have a wedding or children, and to most, we won't even qualify to be called a family. But if that's the price I have to pay to be with you, body, mind and soul, then rest assured, it is a price I pay with no regrets."

Body, mind and soul, Connor repeated her words like a vow, like a prayer, like a wreath to wrap around his wrist and feel the warmth of forever.

"So it's settled then?" Mia was the one to deny the silence permission to settle back between them. "Are we really doing this?" The prospect of having disappearing without trace and starting over a life together as an option for how things could eventually end for them excited her as much as it calmed her. To have Connor agree to live with her, to have him, albeit by mistake, admitting to wanting to be more to her than just a kissing practice, it marked this as perhaps the best news Mia has received in a long time.

She was happy, and she needed that confirmation before she allowed herself to return to the positivity which once defined her every day spent in his company. It seemed almost yesterday that they were on their way to their first field test, a silly game distracting her from the restlessness that came with joy, and it felt good to finally have that part of her show some sign that it survived through all they've been through so far.

A joke about having to get her a ring before boarding the plane waited on Connor's tongue, but never got to be spoken into their conversation.

From the corner of his eyes, he witnessed of a single flashing light up on the elevated terrain of hills to their left, reassembling dunes had sand been replaced with snow.