Processing Emotion (Connor x Reader) 18+

Keep Me Company, Will You?

You were at your favorite diner on the wet Tuesday, watching cars swim through the river like streets. It was about 5:00pm, which gave you high hopes that today there would be no call in's. It was rare, no doubt, but the possibility of having the day off still gave you butterflies. You listened to the quiet sounds of people mumbling, and the low humming of static coming from the TV behind the front counter.

The diner was really everything a diner could be. It had a very old, nostalgic feeling to it. The worn, red cushions on the seats that surrounded the counter and windows, then the booths with their ripped leather caused by kids poking at it with pens. The faded yellow tiles, and the grime between each stone. The diner had been there since the 1950s which was really almost a century ago; give or take a decade. The fact that the small business stayed as a 50s styled diner was too impressive for it not to be your favorite restaurant.

Even the sweet sound of the bells clanging against each other when the front door was open filled you with bliss, until you realized who was coming in. "God damnit," you groaned into your plate of food, trying to disappear from the Android's sight. "Lieutenant!" Connor yelled cheerfully, and trotted over to you. "I was told I could find you here, I'm glad I did." You shook your head, trying to ignore him as he sat across from you in the booth.

"Shouldn't you be dead?"

"Depending on how injured I am, CyberLife will replace me with another RK800."

"I cannot believe you. What were you thinking?!" You asked Connor, yelling aggressively. "I'm a machine, I will be rebooted or replaced so my actions that could result in fatality do not necessarily affect me" he said calmly, as if the fact of death didn't bother him. You laughed sarcastically, trying to hide that you were actually hurt by his distance. You didn't really know him that well, but you knew if you lost another member of the department you'd be hurt.

"You just," you sighed, running a hand through your hair, "you don't get it do you? I don't want you to die, regardless of you being an Android or not." You slumped in your seat, trying to make yourself disappear. You hated confrontation, especially when you were the one confronting. He thought carefully of a response, not really sure what to say.

"I didn't know you cared about Androids."

You looked up, and shook your head. "It's not that I care for them, I just don't want to lose another partner. I... I really just don't want to talk about it." You crossed your arms insecurely, trying to comfort yourself. "Oh," Connor whispered, looking away from you and to the ground. "I didn't know." He went quiet suddenly, almost as if he felt something... something he wasn't programmed for. He took a deep breath, looking down at his feet, feeling a sense of tension, until he muttered, "I'm sorry for your loss." You sighed and shrugged your shoulders, looking away from him. "I don't want to talk about it."

You fiddled with your fork, swirling the food around and around in each prong. "May I ask something, Lieutenant?" You slowly allowed your eyes to meet his, not sure if you really wanted to be asked anything anymore with the resurfaced grief you were experiencing. Connor took your slight eye contact as a reply, and continued, "does the death of your previous investigation partner involve your hatred for technology?"

"That's very personal, I would like to stop talking about this now."

The brunette's eyes darted from you, to the table, to your busy fingers, then redoing the full process over again. You watched how his eyes slowly closed then opened, and how long his eyelashes were. He was oddly beautiful in an average kind of way. His soft features would clash with his angular nose and sharp jaw, balancing each other out like fire and ice. His perfectly placed freckles made his face gleam with a warm radiance, sending an overall welcoming feeling to everyone he met. If it weren't for being an Android, you were pretty sure you'd have fallen for him by now.

"Do you have any questions about me?" He asked, hoping to fill the awkward tension. You nodded, now leaning your fork toward him. "Why do you look like that? Aren't you supposed to be a normal looking person, not so-- you know..."

"It makes me more approachable, I was designed specifically for that purpose."

"I mean, they did a good job, no complaints there." You muttered, realizing that you made it sound as if you were attracted to him, which you very clearly were not. Not even in the slightest. At all. Thats just ridiculous to even say. Your face, however, began to storm into violent shades of red as you stumbled around different ways to change what you had said. "If I were an Android I mean-- wait no... If I..." You quietly mumbled into an abyss of 'uh's, grasping at actual phrases but failing at saying any.

Connor nodded confidently, and smiled. "I suppose CyberLife did it's job then." You looked at him, realizing this was the first time he had ever smiled in front of you. You couldn't help but smile back, and feel your cheeks rise in color once again.

As you cleared your throat, you asked abruptly, "why are you here, anyway?", desperately trying to change the subject. "Well, we have another investigation to do, and I'm here to take you there." You nodded, sternly looking at the Android, implying for him to continue. "I received a report about an Android nearby, I think we should take a look." You sighed, and looked down at your barely-touched food. "But, I'll let you finish your meal. I'll be in the car if you need me."

You watched him begin to slide out if the seat until you grabbed his hand, "wait. You can sit here if you like." You felt your cheeks rise in heat, darting your eyes away from his own. "I... I know it's cold out there. No point in being chilly when you can be inside and stay warm." He processed what you had said, and looked out the window. "I can turn the heat on in the--"

"Keep me company, will you?"

His soft, pale skin turned pink on the peaks of his face. He carefully slide back inside the seat, and avoided looking at you showing you his now yellow LED light. "Yeah," the corners of his mouth began to curve upward, "I can do that."