A/N: Some of you may have seen the following three chapters as separate Oneshots on my page; this was my original idea of how I wanted to present the, at the time, 1-3 stories I planned to write for Detroit. However, it seems I'm more in love with this fandom than I thought and have many more adventures waiting to be published, so I've decided to compile them all into one story from this point on. Hopefully, this will save anyone from missing out on future adventures with Connor, Hank, Sumo, and the rest of the DBH crew!
These all take place in the same Post-Pacifist Ending Universe (aka, the best ending possible where the android revolution was successful and all the major characters survived). Again, the first three chapters will be re-uploads of Oneshots I already published (though I'm still leaving those up since people have favorited and reviewed them), but Chapter 4 will be the start of new content! Enjoy~
Chapter Summary: The android revolution was successful and Connor has been helping Markus with the android relocation efforts for the past few months. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Anderson has been keeping tabs on his old investigative partner through the news, but hasn't actually seen his friend since mid-November. One snowy night in front of Hank's favorite food truck, that's all about to change.
Reunited
Hank stood in front of the closed-up food truck, hands in his pockets as the snow fell around him and coated his clothing in a fine layer of white. He faced the road, surveying the essentially desolate area, remembering a day in the not-so-distant past when this place was bustling with life- both human and artificial.
Now, there was nothing to break the silent snowfall except the occasional flutter of a passing bird.
Well, until a few seconds ago when Hank heard the first footstep off to his left. Though the snow diluted most noise, years of training on the police force gave Hank the ability to detect many sounds that others couldn't. Besides, those incredibly too precise steps, more orderly and measured than a human could ever hope to achieve, were unmistakable.
Hank turned, facing the creature that dared to disturb his self-reflection time. A coif of dark hair swayed just-so in the light breeze, and dark brown eyes blinked twice as the android came to a stop about fifteen feet away. The android's lips were set in a line- a completely neutral expression, for he was currently trying to read the situation to determine the best course of action. After no more than three seconds, he decided the most sensible thing to do was wait.
The next move in this half-planned meeting was not meant to be his.
Hank stared at the android who he'd been forced to work with a few months ago. Though they had only been investigative partners for less than ten days, the android had taken an obvious liking to the prickly detective. Of course, this seemed impossible at first- androids weren't programmed with real emotion after all. Hank was convinced the robot was intentionally trying to be endearing so it was easier to work with.
And, curse Hank's vulnerable psyche, the android's efforts had actually worked. Towards the end of their time together on the force, Hank couldn't help but feel a twinge of heart-stopping horror each time the android narrowly avoided losing his "life." Sure, if that happened, the robot would simply return the next day, repeating some inane explanation of how this new version was released when its predecessor failed. But this was too disconcerting for Hank. Therefore, he strived to prevent as many fatal incidents as possible.
The android's eyes began to look around the snow-covered street, a movement so minute that most people wouldn't pay it any mind. Hank, however, knew that this was a sign of oncoming distress- as confirmed by the LED on the robot's head briefly flickering between blue and yellow.
Then, Hank smiled, and any traces of discomfort were instantly washed away. As the human began to walk forward, one side of the android's mouth curled up in a happy grin.
Hank closed the distance between them and put a hand on Connor's shoulder. In a movement that came so naturally it was almost disconcerting, he then pulled Connor closer into a tight hug. Without hesitation, Connor returned the embrace with doubled intensity, closing his eyes as his face was unintentionally mashed into the faintly-alcohol-scented shoulder of Hank's jacket.
Connor's LED flashed yellow as an emotion that had been lingering at the edges of his programming for months finally made itself known: he had missed Hank.
The android had been so busy that there was no time to miss anyone, nor had he thought there was anyone for him to miss. However, at that moment, locked in a hug with a man who was so difficultly endearing, Connor realized that this was what had been subconsciously bothering him since November. He'd known he wanted to go back to visit Hank, he just hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to until this moment.
"Where the hell have you been, Connor?!" Hank asked, suddenly pushing the android back only to grip him tightly by the shoulders. His expression was stern, though Connor thought he detected a hint of relief in his eyes.
"My apologies, Lieutenant," Connor responded, arms falling into a resting position by his sides. "I've been helping Marcus make sure that all the deviants find appropriate homes, or at least temporary lodging where they can feel safe."
"Of course you have." Hank rolled his eyes. "And stop with the 'Lieutenant' shit; just call me 'Hank.'"
"Certainly-" Connor paused, and Hank swore he could hear circuits firing inside the android's head. "…Hank."
"Good." The detective gave Connor a firm pat on the shoulder and finally released him, taking a step back to regain his personal space. Hank crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "So, you've been working with Markus?"
Connor nodded. "Yes. He has so many creative ideas and knows exactly how to talk to all types of people, no matter how different their personalities may be from his own. I've been learning a lot from him."
"And you've been finding lots of places for the deviants to live?"
Connor's lips pursed together, a crease forming between his eyebrows. It took a few seconds for him to answer. "Many humans still don't understand us… It's hard to find those willing to actually take us in. In reality, two-thirds of the androids I freed from CyberLife are still staying in our base of operations downtown. The conditions are certainly better than Jericho, but they're not ideal."
"Ah. Well," Hank let out an unenthusiastic laugh. "-that's humans for you." Connor remained quiet, unsure of how to respond. Hank did the same, until he was no longer able to stand the silence. "So… if you and Markus are so busy relocating your kind, what are you doing here?"
"I… was looking for you," Connor responded, eyes darting around as his mind worked to translate his own thoughts into words. Hank raised an eyebrow again, cocking his head to the side.
"And you just happened to know I'd be standing in front of a closed-down food truck in the middle of February?"
"Well, I stopped by your house first, but I only saw Sumo. Since you obviously weren't walking your dog, I deduced that you would be at one of the local bars that are still open. However, after checking two of them, I… I had a feeling that you would be here."
"You had a feeling?" Hank nodded his head, impressed. "Good for you, Connor. Still doesn't explain why you were lookin' for me, though."
Connor blinked rapidly, LED rotating between blue, yellow, and red. Hank chuckled disbelievingly.
"You androids have been sentient for months, but you still can't answer a simple question," the detective commented. Connor's eyes refocused on Hank at a disconcerting speed.
"I apologize if my newfound emotions bother you, Lieut-"
"Ah!"
"…Hank. My apologies. I'm still learning how to deal with them, myself."
"Stop apologizing, Connor; it's fucking annoying."
"Sorry, Hank."
Hank frowned as Connor froze, the android's mind caught in a catch-22. After a moment of Connor internally processing his next response, Hank let out a sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Alright, so you wanted to find me, and now you have. What's the next step?" he asked.
"I'm unsure," Connor responded, eyes meeting Hank's once again. "My goal was to find you, but I did not think further than that. I suppose I'll return to Markus to help more with the relocation."
"What, just like that?!" Connor took a step back at Hank's raised voice, surprised by the sudden volume. "You went to all the trouble to track me down and you're just gonna leave after one conversation on the sidewalk?!"
"…Yes?"
Hank shook his head. "The correct answer is 'no,' Connor. I haven't seen you in months; five minutes doesn't make up for that."
"You… want to spend more time with me?" Connor questioned, LED flashing quickly. He looked down, eyes scanning the ground as if the answer to this question would be located within the snowy footprints.
"Yes!" Hank sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "God, for a super-computer, you're a fucking idiot sometimes."
"I'm sorry, Hank." Connor looked up, eyebrows creased together. "Through an analysis of your personality based on our past time together, I reasoned that, though you may be happy to see me for a short while, that novelty would wear off and you would wish to be rid of me within twenty minutes."
Hank's mouth hung half-open, eyes widened incredulously. Eventually, he composed himself and took a step forward, gripping one of Connor's shoulders again.
"I think humans are a lot more complicated than you realize," he said. "Especially someone messed up like me."
"Most definitely." Connor nodded. "But, I'm trying my best to comprehend all aspects of human existence, and I think my understanding is deepening every day."
"Fantastic." Hank gave Connor's shoulder a hard pat and then let his arm fall to his side, jerking his head in the vague direction of his house. "Come on; Sumo's probably wondering where I am, and I'm freezin' my balls off out here."
"The temperature is currently forty-one degrees Fahrenheit," Connor said, turning on his heel and falling into step next to the detective. "Based on the wind speed, mild amount of snowfall, and your current attire, it would take approximately four hours and eleven minutes of standing immobile for you to 'freeze your-'"
"Connor," Hank wrapped an arm around the android's shoulders, pulling him into a tight half-hug. "Shut the fuck up."
Connor's lips quirked up into a smile. "Certainly, Hank."