A/N: Lately, I've been thinking about writing my own version of the events after the revolution, more particularly, the scene where Hank and Connor reunite at the Chicken Feed and hug it out. Now, let's enjoy some quality D:BH wholesomeness!

"Good job, Connor. I'm proud of you."

'Thank you, Hank. I greatly appreciate your help, but perhaps it's best for you to return home and keep out of the crossfire of the war."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Meet me at the Chicken Feed when this is all over?"

"I'll be there."

"Yeah, you'd better be. And, uh… Connor?"

"Yes?"

"Um… good luck, and… don't get yourself killed, okay?"

"Sure."

Hank could remember the brief exchange he had with the RK800, who had overcome his programming and deviated not too long ago in the midst of the investigation before the two had parted ways (temporarily, the man had hoped). The discourse constantly ran through his mind on an everlasting loop, like a song being played on repeat. He retracted his phone from his pocket to find the current time period emblazoning his lock screen:

7:43 AM

Friday, November 12th

The man was currently standing out in front of the abandoned Chicken Feed food truck, paying no mind to the icy morning breeze that derived from the feverish snowfall that plagued the city of Detroit throughout the past several days. A million thoughts ran about through his mind, like a raging storm, contemplating the outcomes from the good to the bad. And given from the way he was fiddling with hands, Hank appeared to be more focused on the negative circumstances.

While he was relieved—and secretly proud—to have seen a news broadcast featuring Connor marching through the streets with thousands of androids following behind, he was worried that the newfound deviant may have been killed at a later point.

"Daddy… I'm scared… i-it hurts!"

Hank all but stiffened as he distinctly recalled those spine-chilling words of his deceased son on the night that would haunt him for the rest of his life. The night where a truck skidded on the icy road and his car rolled over. The night where he'd waited for an ambulance as his son lay under the metallic debris. The night… where he could do nothing more than to watch his son die on a hospital bed, calling out to him in fear and pain.

He cast his gaze down to meet a lone piece of silver that stood out from the icy floor beneath him with its glare. It was a quarter. The quarter he confiscated from Connor just before they've ended their elevator ride in the Stratford Tower. It seemed to fallen out as he pulled out his phone.

"You're starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor."

Hank failed to mask the bitter smile as he recalled himself snatching the coin out from the android's hand in the midst of his calibrated coin trick, only to find himself trying his hand at it after abandoning the elevator.

"Here. I'm not good at your damned coin tricks."

"You played much better than me, Lieutenant. Keep it as a reward. I have more."

"Fuck, you better be okay…" Those words left his lips in a low whisper before he even realized it as he bent down to retrieve the coin, slipping it back into his pocket along with his cell phone.

Years of practice within the confines of the DPD Training Academy had given him the ability to better detect noises that could be naked to those considered to be of the norm. His ears were drawn to the sound of shoes crunching against the snow-capped ground with every step, prompting him to swivel to his left to find a seemingly younger man approaching him, only to stop at no more than five feet away from him. The flickering ring of light embedded into the right of his temple could easily distinguish him from a mere human.

Connor.

A few seconds of tense silence cut through the cool, late-autumn air, only for the tear to be patched by the face-splitting grin that crept unto Hank's lips. Connor repeated the action and managed to form one of his own. Despite the seeming awkwardness that lingered within, even Hank could see the genuinity behind it.

Without even a sliver of hesitance, Hank strode along the gap that separated the two, closing the distance as he skidded to a halt just before the deviant. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he then pulled an awestruck Connor into him and enfolded him into the tightest bear hug he could manage.

While Connor was immensely surprised by the sudden display of affection and had no idea how to respond to it at first, he instinctively coiled his arms around the lieutenant's back. He then proceeded to bury his face into the human's shoulder, inhaling the scent of wet dog, cheap cologne, and alcohol that lingered from the obsidian-hued fabric of Hank's heavy winter coat. He was rendered speechless, as this was the first time they have truly ever hugged. It wasn't long before the android began to feel a warm, fuzzy sensation pooling within his core. To Connor, it felt… odd at first, but he soon came to take joy in this newly-developed feeling. He was… happy, as humans call it. He had missed Hank, but the deviant could only wonder if the man he had come to know as his partner felt the same.

The warmth of the shared embrace went on for a prolonged five minutes—neither of them saying a word—before they finally let go, only for Hank to grip Connor by the shoulders at arm's length.

"Thank fuck, you're alright," Hank spoke up, finally severing the relentless silence between them. "I knew you could do it, Connor. When I saw you leading a march with all those androids on the news last night, I must've been grinning like an idiot. You have no fuckin' idea as to how proud I am of you."

Connor made no oscillation to give the lieutenant a wide smile at his kind words, the fuzzy sensations never ceasing. "Thank you, Lieutenant-"

"Hey, knock off the 'Lieutenant' bullshit! We ain't at the precinct! Just call me Hank!"

Connor blinked owlishly for a brief moment as he quickly corrected himself. "…Of course, Hank. I must extend my gratitude towards you. Without your help, countless other androids and I would not be alive today. Perhaps, I would have remained a machine. While Markus had managed to persuade me to deviate, you were the main influence. Thank you."

Hank stood in his place, frozen by the android's testimonial words. "You're welcome…" He sighed and retracted his hands from the other's shoulders to fold his arms over his chest, his gaze never leaving the former deviant hunter. "So, you infiltrated the Cyberlife tower, led thousands of androids, and, overall, joined a pretty damn noble cause. Question is, what're you gonna do next, Connor?"

The smile on Connor's face instantly faded away and his LED transitioned to yellow as if he were attempting to excogitate his future, yet he seemed to be struck by absolute inconclusiveness. "I… I'm uncertain. I was made to pursue and neutralize deviants, and now that the revolution has ended… I don't know what to do now."

"You can apply for a job at the station. I sure could use a partner. That is, as soon as my three-week suspension is over. Fowler was pissed as soon as he found out I decked Perkins. Though, I would've decked him, diversion or not. He's a jackass." Hank couldn't stop the wry smirk curling at his lips at the mere mnemonic of where he had to confront the federal agent in an act of divergence as he made his way to the archive. To say that he hadn't wanted to throw at least one punch would be considered a calumny. However, he brushed those thoughts aside and changed the topic. "You've got a place to stay, don't 'cha?"

"A place?" Connor parroted softly, discombobulation lacing through the threads of his tone. "Well… I certainly cannot return to Cyberlife, especially after I've infiltrated their tower and allowed the numerous androids to escape. Jericho is out of the question as well, seeing as it is now in ruins. Additionally, crossing the border to Canada seems like a long shot. Therefore, I… have nowhere else to go…"

Hank couldn't help but feel sorry for the younger man. However, an idea had blossomed from the back of his mind. It may have been absurd, at least, in the eyes of other humans, but he couldn't live bearing the thought of the android meandering the streets like some lost puppy. "Y'know, there is another option…"

The yellow LED transitioning into a hopeful cyan, Connor instantly perked up as his auditory processors picked up on the man's quip. "There is? What is it?"

"Movin' in with me and Sumo," Hank finished, freeing the kid from hanging in suspense, a warm grin spreading.

"After everything that we've been through during the investigation… y-you would… invite me into your home?" Connor sputtered with great surprise, the joy lightly intertwining to conjure such flabergast.

"Jesus, for Cyberlife's most advanced prototype, you sure as hell are dim," Hank remarked with no real resentfulness as he slid a hand over his face, inhaling deeply before he decided to cast all his cares out of the window. "Yes, I'm invitin' you into my home! God knows why, but Sumo's damn near obsessed with you! He misses you! Hell, I missed you! Look, you're not just my partner, you're not just my friend, you're… you're my family."

"Family…?" Connor echoed softly, barely able to hear himself as he stood still, his awestruck expression never once faltering. The android seemed to be so immensely dazed that he could scarcely notice the hand waving in front of his gaping, chocolate eyes.

"Connor, are you still in there? Or did ya blow a fuse or somethin'?" The human's words hadn't reached his auditory processors as if they were mute.

Gradually, the feeling in Connor's legs began to dissolve, leading him to drop to his knees, the snowy floor beginning lightly soak the lowermost of his pants.

"Holy shit!" Hank exclaimed with great shock, quickly sinking down onto his left knee, bending his right leg for support and clutching the android's shoulders tightly. "You okay, son?" He asked gently, the grey-blue irises in his eyes frantically shifting over the awestricken deviant.

Son? The very phrase echoed through the depths of Connor's data banks. D-Did he just refer to me as his son…? "I-I…" He sputtered, absolutely stunned by the man's choice of words. He was, without a doubt, speechless. He had no clue as to what he should say next. "Hank, I-I-" He attempted to speak, only to be reeled into the same pair of warm arms once more, a gruff chuckle flying over his shoulder.

"Yes, you're my family! What, you think I was kiddin'? Now, settle down before ya short out!" Hank wheezed after his bout of laughter as he seated his chin onto the tensed shoulder, patting the currently stiff muscles of the younger man's back. "Fuckin' android…"

Once Connor managed to take a few deep breaths, he immediately returned the favor and lassoed his arms around the plump waist tightly, but he was careful enough to not apply too much pressure, lest it serves as a barricade to the human's oxygen supply. He leaned further into Hank's arms and buried his face into the man's opposing shoulder. At this rate, it seemed virtually impossible to falter the evergrowing beam from nearly splitting the wiring beneath the interior framing of his face.

After an extensive five minutes, which felt longer to them, Hank broke the hug with a deep breath through his nostrils, grinning at the smiley android that stared back at him. With one last snicker, the older man rose to his feet, helping Connor onto his own with a tight grip on his shoulders. He sighed contentedly and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a side-hug as he led the bubbling android to his car. "Now, c'mon. Let's go home. Sumo'll lose his shit when he finds out we've got one more member of the family."

To be continued…