Predecessor (Connor x Reader)

23 - Signal Interference

Someone's laughing across the room. A printer jams. Reed's voice rises and then disappears again. The precinct doesn't stop for anyone. You tap away at your terminal.

And then you feel a presence beside you.

Tina leans in, coffee cup in hand, eyebrows arched.

"So..." she says. "You and Connor came in together this morning."

You glance up at her, face flat. "And?"

She takes a sip, watching you over the rim. "And I'm just saying. Same car. Same time. That's new."

You shrug, leaning back slightly. "I drove us to the Eden Club last night after work. When we finished up, it was late, so I brought us back to mine. Didn't make sense for him to go all the way back to CyberLife."

She clicks her tongue. "Efficient and generous. You're a saint."

"Put it in writing."

She raises her cup. "Consider it done."

But then she squints at you, clearly not ready to let it go.

"Okay, but wait..." she continues. "He stayed the night? Did you guys like... hang out? Watch a movie? Fold laundry together?"

You laugh. "No. We didn't hang out. He read one of my old books and I fell asleep on the couch."

Tina grins. "Wow. Riveting."

"Edge-of-your-seat stuff."

She swirls her coffee, eyeing you. "Okay, so what's your relationship with him, really? I mean, he's an android—but you're... you."

You raise an eyebrow. "Thanks?"

She shrugs. "I mean, you invited him out for drinks. And clearly you trust him enough to crash at your place. That's not just work. Right?"

"I guess I just... don't see him the way other people do," you say slowly. "Yeah, he's an android. But he's more than that now."

"Yeah, I see that," she says, voice softening. "So... what, you two are friends?"

"Yeah," you say. And you mean it. "We are."

She studies you for a second. "Do you think he gets it? Like... the idea of friendship?"

You nod, the answer coming easier this time. "Yeah. I think he does."

She sips again, voice lowering.

"I don't know," she says. "There's just something about him when he's around you. Like he's... not just following code. Like there's more to him that I don't get to see."

You look down, twisting a pen between your fingers.

"There is more to him," you say. "But it's not something I can explain. You kind of have to be there, I guess."

Tina smiles faintly.

"So you like him."

You don't answer.

Not right away.

You look down at your pen, holding it in both hands like it might give you a script, but it doesn't. Just the reflection of a face you're still trying to understand.

Tina doesn't push. She just waits—like she knows whatever's coming next matters.

Because this isn't a joke.

This isn't Cherry making half-teasing, half-serious comments you could laugh off.

This is someone in your world. Someone who knows him.