#dbhcolorsofdeviancy

[keltii-tea]

Colors of Deviancy day 3 prompt: drunk human - sober android (@connor-sent-by-cyberlife). I just wanted to draw a cute pic of Connor comforting Hank, but definitely failed on that front lol....

(please don't tag this one as ship. Thank you!)

[rk-doscientos]

DBH Colors of Deviancy Prompt Challenge

Day 10: the feeling of being alive

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[oh-fortheloveof-ra9]

Undercover Connor and Lieutenant Mom 6 (plus Gavin I guess):

No knowledge of the other entries is needed to read.

I'm just a massive troll, don't mind me! Entry #6 of undercover Connor and Lieutenant Mom belongs to @connor-sent-by-cyberlife 's Colors of deviancy Challenge for June 7th- First intimate experience. I'm so sorry that I couldn't write anything serious for this prompt. But in my defense, un-stabbing someone would most certainly be a very intimate experience! No ships, just laughs. I struck out most of the raunchier parts. There were about 1,000 jokes that I had to delete, but figured that less is more this time. Enjoy!

___________________________

Connor: [runs into the DPD locker room, aggressively rips off fake mustache and leather pants]

Gavin: [shielding his eyes] JES-US! what the hell Android?! Wait til I'm outta here at least!

Connor: [frantically scanning the room and pulling his own pants back on] Gavin! I need your help!

Gavin: Fat fucking chance! Why should I help you?!

Connor: [looks him dead in the eye] Well, you've told me on multiple occasions that you'd find pleasure in stabbing me.

Gavin: ............ I'm listening.

Connor: Well.... Would un-stabbing me provide you any catharsis? [Turns to reveal a massive Bowie knife sticking out of his back]

Gavin: [genuinely horrified] What tHE FUCK?!

Connor: [pushing Gavin against the locker and covering his mouth, listening] Quiet! Hank is looking for me! [Lets Gavin go while he smacks him away] He will not catch me this time!

Gavin: You have your head screwed on wrong, fucking asshole. Who cares if he finds out if you go undercover?

Connor: It's the shame... I can't stand it when Hank is disappointed in me. I do not know how you handle it every moment of your life, detective Reed, but you will have to teach me. Even so, I still need this now!

Gavin: [Is fuming, looks temptingly at the knife]

Connor: Please, Gavin!

Gavin: [looking thoughtful] Can I keep the knife?

Connor: Yes.

Gavin: Fuckin' come here.

Connor: [bends down on bench to give Gavin a better angle]

Hank: [walks silently into the locker room, thinking he heard Connor, is blocked from view of the other two]

Gavin: [Standing behind Connor] Okay asshole, here goes. [Stains to remove knife, but it barely budges]

Connor: Please keep trying, detective Reed!

Hank: ?????

Gavin: Shut up! I've got it okay? [strains again] Fuck, that's really deep. I think it’s caught on something.

Connor: Your angle is incorrect Gavin, and you are not using enough force.

Hank: [mortified] ??????!!?!!?!!!???

Gavin: Did I ask for a critique? Look Android, if I'm not good enough, why don't you just do this yourself?!

Connor: Regrettably, detective, I do not bend that way so I am unable to service myself in this manner.

Hank: [literally cannot take this anymore] Okay, whAT THE FUCK AM I LISTENING TO?! [steps around the corner] AWAY FROM THE ANDROID, REED!

Connor and Gavin: [Freeze in place for a split second, register their position, and then blast apart] 

Connor: [blitzing out the door] RUN!

Gavin: [Panicking, follows at the speed of light]

[mnictasbcl]

I’ll be forever young (with you)

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 13th: Forever young @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson, Sumo

Relationships: Connor & Hank Anderson, Connor & Hank Anderson & Sumo

Additional Tags: Fluff, Birthday, First birthday, Presents, Detroit bridge, Swearing, Hank is the best dad

Summary: August 15th, 2039. Connor’s first birthday.

He doesn’t think Hank will do anything that big for his birthday…

 And is proven very wrong.

(The final prompt for this event! I’ve enjoyed it very much :) )

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

AUGUST 15th, 2039

TIME AM 07:40:02

 Connor awoke to a ball of brown and white fur catapulting itself onto his bed.

Opening his eyes and fully coming out of the stasis, he realised that this was Sumo.

He ran his hands over his soft fur, receiving the wet slobbery kisses over his face, smiling. The Saint Bernard seemed particularly affectionate and excitable, the reason why eluding him as he was distracted by the fluffy cuddles.

But then, finally pulling himself away from the great dog and scanning his surroundings, he found out the reason pretty quickly.

Loosely strapped upon Sumo’s head was a colourful party hat, the words ‘Happy Birthday!’ printed on it in bold letters. Deducing that it wasn’t Hank’s birthday, it wasn’t Sumo’s…

The only other person in the house was him.

He chuckled, moving to pull the hat off the dog but he grumbled and jumped off the bed before he could do so.

“I didn’t think you’d find that comfortable, Sumo.”

The only reply he was given was a snort as the dog sniffed at the floor, nosing slowly out of his bedroom.

Connor shrugged. It made sense. It was a year since his activation day. Strangely… he did recall Hank paying extra attention and asking questions when he had mentioned he was almost a year old since being activated.

But he hadn’t viewed it as a birthday. Merely the day after his testing was complete and he was finally activated and shipped out on the same day for his first mission.

Of course, with the development of android rights, birthdays had been allowed for androids, even encouraged. Markus had celebrated his, he remembered, as he’d created a painting for him as a gift. So had various other members of Jericho.

Still, it felt… different to view this as a human celebration, of him turning a year old. The body he was in was technically not even a year old because he’d fallen off the rooftop on his first mission. He shuddered. It hadn’t been a brilliant day of birth, if humans called it that, that was for sure.

However, with help from people like Hank and Markus, he was beginning to accept his new humanity. Perhaps embracing his birthday would allow him to really move into the next stage of his life.

Besides, it wasn’t like Hank would do anything massive for the day, right?

 He walked out of his room and was met with balloons tied to the curtain poles, a banner proclaiming ‘Happy birthday/activation day, Connor!’, presents piled up on the living room table and Hank standing at the kitchen counter, a birthday hat askew on his head.

“Here comes the birthday boy.” Hank chuckled as he walked in, taking in his bewildered expression. “I know I probably went a bit… a lot extreme on this, but it’s your first birthday. You got to have a nice first birthday.”

Connor continued to scan over the room. “It’s…”

“I know.” He took a step towards him. “I know you’re still getting used to all your new-fangled emotions. But this doesn’t have to be big and stressful. Just a nice day where you can open some gifts and eat cake.”

He quirked a brow. “Did someone buy me a biological stomach, Lieutenant?”

“Smartass. Fine, I’ll eat cake. You can watch and drink a thirium pouch.”

Connor nodded. That didn’t sound too different. He followed Hank into the living room, sitting beside him on the couch.

“Alright…” Hank hummed as he looked over the gifts. “We’ve got a few things- a lot of things- from your friends at Jericho. One or two from the guys at the DPD… and me and Sumo piled some stuff together.”

Connor looked over it all with confusion, hands reaching out before pausing, reassessing. Eventually, he looked over to Hank for help.

“What… exactly do I do?”

Hank smiled. “They’re for you. Open whichever you want, but make sure Sumo doesn’t eat the wrapping paper.” He threw a slightly dirty look at the dog who was laying in front of the table, waiting. Sumo glared back at him.

Connor nodded. That sounded reasonable. Picking up the first gift, which was from Markus, he found even the tingle of excitement building in his chest, wondering with gratitude what his loved ones had chosen for him.

Markus had gotten him a book about fish, along with a selection of classical piano sheet music for him to play. Seeing the care put in, the thought about what he was interested in… was touching.

Tearing through the next few gifts elicited the same feeling. Everything was so thoughtful, even the Saint Bernard plush Sumo had ‘bought’ for him.

“Full of himself.” Hank jerked a thumb fondly at the dog when he opened the gift.

“It is very sweet, Sumo. Perhaps not as good as the real deal…” He bent down to scratch behind the dog’s ears. “But very cute, thank you.”

After everything was placed neatly back on the table, he thought they were finished. But Hank looked to him and proclaimed:

“Okay. I have one last gift for you…”

Connor tilted his head. “But I appreciated the things you have already gotten for me, Lieutenant. They were very generous.”

“This isn’t a thing.” He replied, getting up off the chair. “Come on, follow me.”

The android was intrigued as he was led out to the car. Sumo was put in the back, so he assumed it couldn’t be another vacation or they would have left him with the neighbours.

Still, it seemed like Hank wished this to be a surprise, so he looked down at the mini Sumo plush he had brought with him, stroking his fingers over the soft fabric. He chuckled to hear Sumo whining with jealousy from the back.

Connor managed to distract himself as such until the car pulled to a stop. Looking up, he found they were in the park.

Hank strode ahead of him once Sumo was on the leash, and he hurried to catch up. It didn’t seem like they were in the mood for sightseeing today, the scenery rushing by as Hank continued on.

But, just as Connor was about to inquire where they were going, he found himself at a familiar place. Looking out over the Detroit bridge.

Hank sat down on the bench, holding Sumo’s leash and patting the spot beside him for the dog to hop up.

“I remember this place.” Connor mused, standing beside the bench. Earlier in the day now, he didn’t look out at the stars twinkling overhead but instead the crisp summer sky. “You almost shot me here.”

Hank laughed. “If that’s what you’re asking; no, I’m not going to shoot you. That would be a shit birthday present.”

“It would indeed be rather unpleasant.”

“And illegal.” Hank added. “But… that is partly the reason I brought you here. Not the almost shooting thing. Maybe just the… almost.” He sighed.

“I wasn’t even gonna think about it; you were getting on my nerves, there was too much going on in my head… I was just going to shoot you. But then- you didn’t kill those tracis. And you stood there and told me you were afraid to die. This was the first place I realised that you were actually alive… and all the better for it, otherwise, where would we be now?”

Connor mulled it over. If Hank had shot him, it would have… well, severely halted the growth of their relationship.

“But I don’t want to think about that.” Hank continued on. “I didn’t shoot you. You had a heart. And now it’s your first birthday. In that year, you helped the leader of the android revolution… You pulled me out of whatever rut I’d fallen into. And honestly? I couldn’t see my life without you right now, son.”

Connor glanced to Hank as he paused. He didn’t comment on the way his voice had choked up, instead placing a hand gently on his shoulder, a sign of comfort.

“It’s really helped me, living not on my own again—no offense, Sumo. But just having someone in the house, you… Even if you are a pain in my ass sometimes.” He chuckled.

“What I’m trying to say is… Well, I know you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. A long life. A life where you’ll always look like that, where you’ll be forever young- and a while from now, you’ll be living a new life, without—” he looked up to Connor. “But right now, where we are? I like that. I don’t want it to go away. So that’s why…”

It appeared Hank had hit his quota for sappiness, as he simply held out a piece of paper to Connor wordlessly.

Connor took it off him, quickly scanning over it. It was a form. Official looking, with Hank’s signature at the bottom, and room for his…

“An adoption form?”

“If it’s too much, just tell me. I don’t want you thinking I’m some clingy old man but—”

He handed it back to Hank, his signature printed on it. “Thank you… dad.” The word was strange. It wasn’t likely he’d always use it- but the meaning then, the feeling it brought… it was the best birthday present he could have asked for.

Hank smiled back to him. “Great. Now, what about we get out of here? The view’s pretty, but it’s gonna get hot as hell later in the day and that cake back at home isn’t going to eat itself.”

Connor followed after him, back to the car. “Of course. I have heard, however, about this new android update which can install human mechanics such as eating…”

“I’m not saving you any fuckin’ cake, Connor. It’ll go old.”

“Like you?”

 Connor wouldn’t have it any other way. The small moments of genuine affection and feelings let out into the air… The regular day-to-day life of working at the DPD and bantering with Hank… Being forever young, one day, that all might end. But for now, he would live in the moment, and he would embrace it. All the emotions that would come with deviancy, whether good or bad, or even a mixture of both… He couldn’t ask for a better Lieutenant turned father-figure to help him through it.

[connor-sent-by-cyberlife]

We've reached half time! But it's never too late to join! Thanks for all the great content so far!

As promised here it is: My second Detroit: Become Human Prompt Challenge.

It will take place from May 31st - June 13th, 2021.

Again, I hope for lots of participants! I had so much fun discovering all your contributions for the Light and Shadow challenge on my dash, you've no idea!

This time I've a specific theme in mind around which all the prompts circulate: Seeing and experiencing the world as a deviant who is new to feelings and emotions, who has now to deal with all the beauty as well as all the burden life has to offer. So please keep this main topic in mind when working with the prompts.

I'm really looking forward to what you guys come up with this time!

Prompts:

May 31st - Monday: spring/summer/autumn/winter

June 1st - Tuesday: watching a human sleep

June 2nd - Wednesday: sober android - drunk human

June 3rd - Thursday: first vacation

June 4th - Friday: no human lives forever

June 5th - Saturday: first breakup

June 6th - Sunday: music

June 7th - Monday: first intimate experience

June 8th - Tuesday: caring for a sick human

June 9th - Wednesday: the feeling of being alive

June 10th - Thursday: five stages of grief

June 11th - Friday: first argument - first making up

June 12th - Saturday: programmed to be perfect - failure

June 13th - Sunday: forever young

Information and Rules:

The tag for this challenge is #dbhcolorsofdeviancy. Please use this tag for any of your contributions and follow it in case you want to see what other people do with the prompts.

Any kind of art or writing is most welcome

You're free to choose any character or ship from the D:BH fandom (no OCs) you like

Show/Write what you want, but please make sure to tag your content correctly, so people who don't want nsfw/gore/a specific ship/whatever on their dash don't have to see it

Don't bash anybody for their chosen ship or content!

You can contribute more than one piece per day

Of course you can pick single prompts from the list, you don't have to do all of them if you don't want to

If you can't finish a submission in time, you can always post it belated

Not a rule, but I'd really appreciate if you'd tag me ( @connor-sent-by-cyberlife ) if you contribute something to this challenge

Reblogs to bring attention to this challenge would be highly appreciated

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask

Thank you for your interest and support!

[keltii-tea]

Colors of Deviancy day 5 "No human lives forever" prompt (@connor-sent-by-cyberlife). This prompt really made me want to sketch Markus :')

[rk-doscientos]

DBH Colors of Deviancy Prompt Challenge

Day 5: no human lives forever

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[oh-fortheloveof-ra9]

Hank turned to see what Connor was frowning at.

"We're here for the RK800 model." A man in a Cyberlife security uniform said, there were 6 other men with matching uniforms beginning to surround them. Hank's heart skipped a beat.

"Hank?" Connor whispered shrinking back behind him, fear in his voice.

"You can't take him." Hank growled, stepping in front of the android.

"Yes we can." The man answered simply.

The night after the android revolution is a bit more eventful than expected, Connor stays the night at Hank's house since he has no where else to go, Hank is troubled with nightmares and human sleep patterns are not exactly the easiest to understand for an android. Hank's POV. A little bit of angst and a little bit of sweet. Family, even a little family, has to stick together.

Wrote this a few weeks ago but hadn’t posted it to Tumblr yet! Saw that @connor-sent-by-cyberlife created another prompt challenge and devilishly rubbed my hands together as it fit with the Colors of Deviancy June 1- Prompt- watching a human sleep- though it is obviously belated. Another story may just slip out for this same prompt.....

No ships. Just Hank being an overly-protective dad and Connor being lovable. Enjoy! And Thank you @connor-sent-by-cyberlife​ for putting these prompts on! It’s wonderful to see the fandom so active!

[mnictasbcl]

For you

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 11th: First argument- first making up @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Markus, Hank Anderson

Relationships: Connor/Markus, Connor & Hank Anderson

Additional Tags: First fight, blood mention, Worry, Concern, Guilt, Argument, Injury, Not serious injury, Just ouchy, Swearing, Hurt/Comfort, care, First aid, Mention of knife violence, Just a little stab, Making up, interface, Cuddles

Summary: Connor is self-sacrificial, Markus isn’t a fan of this, and they have their first argument.

Luckily, Hank is there to help and teach him a thing or two about relationships.

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

“But this isn’t the Revolution, Connor!” Markus raised his voice.

Connor shook his head, smearing a streak of thirium off his cheek. “I know it isn’t. That doesn’t mean I’m no longer useful.”

“That’s… not what I’m saying. You can’t just run off into situations like that without backup!”

“Yes, I can.” He stared at the ground. “That’s my job, Markus.”

“Some days it feels like that’s all you think about.”

He blinked. That wasn’t fair. He… his job was no longer his sole purpose, of course, but he was still good at being a detective.

“You know what? I—I did it for you.”

The emotions brimming to the surface, combined with the pain radiating from his side, became overwhelming. Connor looked over the other android one more time before suddenly turning, storming away from New Jericho. He thought he could hear Markus shouting for him in the background, but he couldn’t comprehend it anymore.

  _____________

 That had been his morning. Fear, the mission, completing it—and an argument. Now, he was walking down the streets of Detroit, thirium trickling down his side, only one destination in mind.

He rapped his knuckles against Hank’s door. It opened after a few moments, the man half groggy with sleep, but he quickly moved into action upon seeing the android on his doorstep.

“Connor? What’re you doing here? I thought you were spending the weekend with Markus.”

Connor sighed, moving inside, not quite ready to answer questions. He just needed to pull off his coat, take a long, hot shower, and think about things—

“Jesus fucking Christ!”

He startled at Hank’s curse. Oh, right. He’d taken off his coat, revealing the gaping wound in his side.

“Apologies, Li—”

“Don’t go back to that. Just- just sit down,” Hank grabbed his arm, manoeuvring him gently but firmly to the couch, “I’ll go get the first aid supplies.”

Connor sat down without argument, glancing briefly to the Lieutenant as he rushed off towards the bathroom to grab the supplies. He started to feel a little guilty, coming into the man’s home without forethought to call ahead, especially with an injury. The guilt swirled together with the stew of other emotions in his mind, and he groaned.

This didn’t make sense. It was… it was too much, there was no logical pathway to sorting through each thing, and—

He was broken out of his thoughts by a wet nose sniffing at his hand. He chuckled, allowing Sumo to lick his hand.

“Ugh!” Hank’s outburst upon coming back into the room was warranted. Connor had forgotten about the thirium staining his hand, which the Saint Bernard was now licking off with fever. “The pair of you are disgusting, god.

“Anyway, I’ve got the android skin glue stuff. It’s just a surface wound, right?”

Connor nodded. “It didn’t damage any internal components or processors. Just nicked a thirium line.”

He was glad that Hank didn’t question him further quite yet, instead getting to work on the wound. It was only once the bleeding (or thirium leakage) had been stopped, the artificial skin sealing back up, did he begin.

“So… what happened?”

“A suspect managed to outsmart me briefly, with a knife; however, I did succeed in apprehending them.”

Hank nodded. “Right. That’s… kinda not what I meant, son.” His tone softened. “How did this happen? You were spending the weekend with Markus at New Jericho, not doing work.”

Connor frowned. “Yes, but I’m never truly off the clock. There were reports of an anti-android suspect breaking into New Jericho. I stopped them.” His gaze trailed off. “I… We do have some people for that in New Jericho, but I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Noting there was more to be said, Hank didn’t interrupt. Shortly after a few deep breaths, Connor continued.

“Word was that they were after Markus. It was unlikely they’d be able to get through the walls of security, but I couldn’t take that chance. They were going to take him away.” The ‘from me’ was left unsaid.

“So…” Hank began. “Is Markus okay, then?”

Connor nodded curtly. “Yes. He’s fine. They didn’t get anywhere near him.”

Hank frowned. “So why did you come here? Not that I don’t love seeing you. But they have much better android care back in New Jericho. And surely Markus didn’t let you walk away looking like that.”

“Is that an insult to my appearance, Lieutenant?”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Nothing wrong aside from the blue blood all over you.”

“That seems like an overstatement.”

“And it seems like you’re trying to distract me from the main topic.”

Connor sighed. “Astute as ever. Fine. Markus was… rather displeased that I suddenly went after the suspect myself, without waiting for any sort of backup.”

Hank groaned. “Of course you did.”

“But I had to!” Connor retaliated in defense. “I’m perfectly capable of taking down one… or two suspects. I was built for this. I took out multiple Cyberlife guards on the night of the Revolution, all fully armed.”

Hank patted his knee. “Look, kid, I don’t think anyone’s doubting your—”

“I’m not a kid.”

Hank took in a breath. “Maybe not literally. But you’re my kid.” That shut Connor up for a few moments. “Anyway. I don’t think me or Markus are doubting how good of a cop you are. But he was right. That’s a dangerous situation to go into alone. Maybe he was worried about you, too, just like you were worried about him. You don’t have any more bodies to hop into, Connor. This is all you got. You have to take it with more safety.” A pause. “Please.”

“Okay. Okay, I’m not disputing that.” He met Hank’s gaze briefly. “I just… I understand he was worried. I was worried. And I did take too many risks. But… I didn’t think this would end things.”

Now it was Hank’s turn to look confused. “What?”

“With me and Markus. He was really upset. He said, he said something like ‘the job is all I care about’. Or like that.”

“A fight isn’t going to end your relationship.” Hank laughed in shock, not unkindly. “You love each other. These things just happen. They’re not pleasant, no. I remember, with my wife…” A faraway look caught his eyes briefly. “We used to get into our fair share of disagreements. But they’re not what define you two. All that was behind your words was worry. And maybe you hurt each other with what you said. You just have to fix it.”

Connor took Hank’s advice in. It was… helpful.

“That makes sense. That… thank you, Hank.” He fiddled with the thick fur on Sumo’s ears. “So Markus doesn’t hate me?”

Hank laughed genuinely this time. “Of course not. In a different sense, do you think I hate you every time you go self-sacrificial on patrol?”

“Maybe not every time. I’d say there’s a 50-50 chance you show resentment after I make a… questionable work decision.”

“Well, I think Markus is a lot more patient than me. And I haven’t disowned you yet.” At Connor’s wounded look, he held up his hands. “I was kidding! Geez.

“Anyway, just… whenever you’re ready, go back over there. In fact, I can drive you anytime today. I’m sure he’s worried sick about you. Don’t want to turn that poor kid grey too.”

Connor laughed.

  _____________

 After showering and finding some clothes to put on, that weren’t stained blue, Connor accepted Hank’s offer to drive him back to New Jericho.

It was definitely the right decision. Not long after they’d pulled away from the house, Connor began to feel impatient to get back there. He’d left Markus alone after an argument, and after the whole threat on his life that morning. The suspects were stopped, but he still couldn’t help but worry.

Thus he was thankful when they pulled up at the location, thanking Hank with a grateful smile and promise to be back by Monday, before rushing out of the car.

Markus was no longer on the outskirts of the town, but he was sure he knew where he was going to be.

He was correct. Walking into the painting studio, he spotted the lone figure of his boyfriend at the far canvas, hands moving in the fluid motions of brush strokes.

Connor approached quietly, but perhaps his whirring yellow LED gave him away to the other deviant, who turned around at once, and seemed to breathe a large sigh of relief.

“Connor, you came back.”

He rushed over to Markus, stopping a couple of steps away from him. “Of course I did. I was just… visiting Lieutenant Anderson.”

“I could tell from the shirt.” He chuckled, gesturing to the baggy old DPD hoodie Connor was now wearing. “But… it’s a relief to see you. There were things I said, that…”

“I did too. I regret it. I don’t value my work over you or anyone else at all. I wasn’t thinking, shouldn’t have just ran out like that…”

“I know you don’t, Connor.” Markus agreed. “I wasn’t thinking either. What you did in the Cyberlife Tower, on the Revolution, with all those androids—it was amazing. So amazing it’s something you can really only do once. But despite the risk… you survived. And I’m so thankful for what you helped bring for our people. That was when I realised, I loved you.

“But that also means you need to be safe. We don’t have to take those kinds of risks anymore. Our people are free. There are, regrettably, individuals such as the attackers this morning who want to steal that from us. But we have the advantage now.” He stepped towards Connor, hand extending in an invitation to interface. “And I can’t lose you.”

Connor accepted the invitation, skin peeling back, white chassis visible and connecting to Markus in interface with a soft clink. He felt a rush of emotions, warm and fuzzy, and he sent back his own, some worry intermingling but overall, love and compassion.

“I can’t lose you either. But I promise, I’ll be safe.” He brought the connection away, arms moving this time to embrace Markus. “Safer, anyway.”

Markus chuckled. “You better be, Connor. Because if you get yourself killed, then I’ll kill you. And then I’m sure Lieutenant Anderson will kill you too.”

“And Sumo.” Connor added with a smirk.

“I don’t know, he seems too pure for that. But… whatever. Just don’t die.”

“Likewise.”

[connor-sent-by-cyberlife]

#DBHCOLORSOFDEVIANCY IS OVER NOW TT_TT

Thank you so much for all your wonderfull contributions!!!

And thank you so much for your feedback, @mnictasbcl @anomalous-appliances @sheyshocked @opossum-with-a-pencil @rk-doscientos . Already trying to get new prompts together ;P . Keep your eyes open for the next information post within the next days :D .

@everyone else: you're most welcome to let me hear your feedback as well and to join the new challenge <3 .

#dbhcolorsofdeviancy is almost over I'm not crying, you're crying. Just like the last time I had SO MUCH FUN to discover all your contributions. Thanks a million to everyone who participated (and still will, no shame in contributing something belated).

Time to ask you guys, if you're in for a new prompt challenge in 2/3/4 weeks? Lemme know if you're interested and how much time to prepare you'd need/want.

[rk-doscientos]

DBH Colors of Deviancy Prompt Challenge

Day 3: sober android - drunk human

@connor-sent-by-cyberlife

[mnictasbcl]

Thirium-stained lips

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 7th: First intimate experience @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Markus                

Relationships: Connor/Markus

Additional Tags: Fluff, Romance, No Smut, Intimacy, Asexual Character, Short little fluff ficlet

Summary: Connor loves Markus, and Markus loves him. This is their first moment of intimacy together.

 Story below! Or, read it on AO3

When Markus invited Connor back to his place, the android wasn’t sure what this entailed.

Research told him this meant… certain things for humans. Particularly staying overnight—but he had little interest in matters of sexual relations, to put it bluntly. He’d already let Markus know of this, and the other android hadn’t minded in the slightest.

He still remembered when Connor reminded him on the autonomous cab ride over to his apartment.

“Of course, my love, I didn’t forget. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

“What is it you have in mind, then?” Connor pressed on, glancing across to him.

“Whatever you’d like. We’ve been going out for a few months together, now, but we’ve never truly had time to spend alone…”

It was understandable, what with the Revolution and then all the fighting for rights in the law that came with it.

Markus’ phrasing was still vague to Connor, who continued to mull it over on the way back. Spending time alone could mean many things. With his work partner turned father-figure, Hank, they would watch movies and take Sumo on walks to the park.

What did time alone with Markus mean? Would they also watch TV? He shrugged; they could have gone out to the movies together and had a greater TV-watching experience.

He didn’t mull it over for too much longer, the cab coming to a stop outside the apartment building in New Jericho. Instead, he walked inside the building with Markus, looking over the new surroundings, taking in each detail. It was a surprise he’d never been over before; he had visited Carl’s place where Markus sometimes stayed over, along with Hank. And Markus had come around to his home and had dinner with him and Hank.

The apartment block was well-kitted out, with free access to any deviant who walked in, in need of a home. There was a communal cafeteria area on the ground floor, along with room service going at any time of the day. It wasn’t a lot, but it was helpful in these times where many deviants were misplaced without a purpose yet in life, looking for somewhere to seek shelter.

Markus lived at the top of the building, overseeing the running of the place, along with other old Jericho members who lived on the same floor. The building was tall and grand, so the elevator ride up took a few minutes, soft music humming throughout the small room.

And then, they arrived. Markus let Connor inside, placing the keys on the side table before telling him to make himself at home.

That concept was familiar yet strange to occupy; he had made a home in Hank, and subsequently in his house. He had begun to make himself comfortable with Markus, but a home… he’d found the fond moments, the foundations of the home; the comforts and familiarity he’d yet to obtain.

Perhaps this was why Markus had invited him over, he was branching out into that last unknown, the only part of himself Connor hadn’t yet visited. So, Connor took the invitation, eventually settling down onto the sitting room couch. Whilst he’d been used to sitting proper, with the upright, correct posture of an android; now he allowed himself to fully relax, tilting his head back and taking the offered thirium smoothie.

“Thank you.” He smiled. It had the little bent straw in it, just how he liked it, something he was touched to see the other android had remembered.

“It’s no problem.” Markus replied.

Connor nodded, sipping at his drink, staring off into the distance as Markus sat beside him. There was no TV here- it was in the next room, for ease of access so Markus could watch any news reports or press briefings whilst he was working.

That mustn’t be what he entailed by ‘time alone’, Connor deduced, finishing off his drink, leaning forwards to place the glass on the table with a soft clink.

He looked across to Markus, opening his mouth to say something, but then the other android laughed.

“What’s so funny?” He questioned, eyes meeting the mismatched heterochromic eyes, getting lost in them for a brief moment. They were such a striking feature- blue and green, the first thing he noticed about the deviant leader when he met him on the sinking ship of Jericho. The second thing was the smile curving on his lips as he laughed.

“Your lips are stained blue by the thirium, Connor. Here, let me…”

Markus reached out his hand, cupping Connor’s cheek, thumb brushing over his lips. In that moment, Connor noted the different hex codes of the colours in Markus’ eyes. They were a painting of hues and blues, soft, delicate—

Like the touch on his cheek, which he found himself leaning into ever so slightly. It was strange, new, wonderful, the feeling… He’d never been close to another in this sense before, never needing to as an android, the most proximity required had been the distance stepped to kill.

This intimacy, if that was what this is, Connor found appealing. The quiet hour of the late evening, the unfamiliar but comfortable space of his boyfriend’s apartment... This moment had been carved out for them, secured in a little hovel, just the two of them alone with each over and the beat of their thirium pumps.

“I think…” he began, words coming to him in a gentle tone, “there’s a little something… on your lips as well…”

“Oh, really?” Markus enquired, gaze fond as Connor leaned in, and then, their lips met.

This was his home, Connor realised in that moment, arms wrapping around Markus, comforted by their soft embrace. His home in Hank was his everyday home; his home in Markus was this gentle passion, getting lost in his beautiful eyes, lulled by his soothing words. His first touch of intimacy, sweet like nostalgia, by the man who’d brought him stumbling but sure into his first steps of humanity.

[mnictasbcl]

2:42 am

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 1st:  Watching a human sleep. @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson, Sumo, Amanda

Relationships: Connor & Hank Anderson

Additional Tags: Fluff, then, Angst, Nightmares, Hurt, Panic attack, sort of, Swearing

Summary: Connor comes back home with Hank after the Revolution. His first night after everything that happened, including the mind control by Amanda, would be fine, right?

Alternatively: Connor finds himself in Hank’s room at 2:42 in the morning.

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

The sun was setting on the day the revolution had succeeded. Rays of light glinted off the rusted metal truck that was Chicken Feed, as Hank and Connor, human and android, embraced. In that moment, none of their differences had mattered, not the disagreements from before, nor the variations in their biology. The hug was warm and loving, metal encased in artificial skin just as squishy, just as human.

They couldn’t stay there forever, of course. Chicken Feed wasn’t even currently open to serve food, and the day was drawing on. In silent agreement, the two stepped back before making their way over to the car.

The door shut. The hula girl on the dashboard bobbed back and forth, back and forth.

“You got someplace to stay, Connor?”

“No, Lieutenant.”

“Hank.”

Connor raised a brow, blue LED swirling in thought, before coming to realisation that Hank wanted him to call him that.

“Of course, Lieutenant.”

“Little shit.” The man breathed, slotting keys into the ignition of the car, no real heat behind his tone. “I was going to offer for you to stay at my place. But maybe with that snark, you don’t want to come back and meet Sumo again—”

“I wouldn’t wish to intrude, but… I think it would be beneficial to have a safe place to stay.” He fiddled with his tie, head twitching briefly to the side. Wearing a suit after being in the more comfortable deviant clothes definitely wasn’t pleasant. He’d much rather shed the tie and jacket for the beanie and baggy clothes, but he was still on the fence about such matters.

“You just want to pet the damn dog again.”

Connor couldn’t help it, he snorted. When Hank glanced over, he covered it up with clearing his throat. If he’d still been a machine, maybe he would have retaliated something about probabilities or how he could not ‘want’ anything. Instead, he pulled off the tie and remarked,

“I like dogs.”

 ___________________

 It wasn’t a lie at all. As they arrived home—back at Hank’s home, of course—Connor couldn’t help but feel eager to see the Saint Bernard again. His fingers itched, somewhat remembering the silky feel of the dog’s fur under his fingertips from their brief encounter that one night.

And it seemed Sumo was just as eager to meet the android again, because, as the two walked through the house, as soon as the dog saw Connor, he let out a deep bark, paws padding along the floor. He smiled and leant down to pet him.

Hank cleared his throat dramatically, after a few minutes of belly rubs and ear scratches.

“Sumo? Hello to your master?”

The dog whined and nuzzled his head closer into Connor’s touch.

“Traitor dog.”

Sumo barked in response, tail wagging, sweeping on the floor and almost tripping Hank up as he attempted to step around the pair.

“Jesus Christ.”

Connor glanced up. “No, it’s me, Connor.”

“I changed my mind, get out of my house.”

The android looked up swiftly, processing, almost taking it seriously as his cue to leave before detecting sarcasm. He chuckled, making no effort to get up until he’d deemed enough attention given to the canine. Okay, nevermind, there was never enough attention to give to Sumo, but he had to stop at some point.

As he got up, he looked up the time briefly. 8.54pm. It was getting fairly late into the evening, but he knew Hank hadn’t eaten at Chicken Feed.

“Would you like me to cook you a meal, Lieu- Hank?”

The main raised a brow at him in question.

“I haven’t observed you eating yet, and it is not healthy to skip meals—”

“I’ll order some takeout.” Hank waved a hand in dismissal.

Connor narrowed his eyes. It was something he could recall feeling distantly before he deviated, whenever he saw Hank eating something incredibly unhealthy, such as that time with the burger. The levels of lipids and—it was annoyance, he realised. No, was it? The android tilted his head to the side in thought. He wasn’t sure if he could pin the correct emotion on it, being new to deviancy, but he definitely felt as if he should stop the man from ordering out.

“I insist.”

“Yeah? Well, I insist.”

“But I can cook—”

“It’s been a long day. Hell, you’ve been busy today fighting in an android revolution. I think I can order a burger.”

Connor couldn’t help but shake his head.

“No burger? Fine, pizza time it is.”

Exasperation. That was what it was, he decided, watching in defeat as the man took a leaflet out from the kitchen draw and mumbled the number of the pizza place under his breath. But maybe the man was right. He wasn’t sure if this was what humans called tiredness, but the revolution had certainly taken a toll on his systems. And maybe it was okay for Hank to indulge in less optimal food choices once in a while. His diet would certainly grow to be healthier in the future if Connor had a choice in it.

 ___________________

 The pizza arrived, Connor snuck Sumo a small piece of it, got scolded by Hank for being a hypocrite- all in all, it was an eventful evening. Definitely not the sort of thing machine Connor would have imagined himself doing. But something the real Connor surely did, and he loved every moment of it. Apart from the scolding, of course.

It was drawing on 9.29pm, an unusual time to be finishing a full meal, when Hank switched off the TV, stretching. They’d whiled away the time watching the news after the revolution, seeing the androids celebrating in the streets. Connor felt tired looking at them. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be with them- on the contrary, but the day had indeed been exhausting enough. Perhaps he would attend the parties he knew Jericho might throw in the coming weeks, once all the politics and such things had settled down.

Pointing Sumo to his bed, Hank got up from the couch, stretching. “I’m gonna call it a day. You—” he paused, glancing to Connor, expression shifting as he seemed deep in thought about something. “You can, uh, stay on the couch and… rest? I don’t know what you do. But you can, you know, do it on the couch.” He cringed at his choice of wording.

“Thank you, Hank. Androids don’t rest, but I can go into a mode of stasis in order to recharge and perform system updates—”

“Sounds like sleeping to me.”

Connor pursed his lips, looking displeased. “In a crude manner of speaking… yes. The couch will be fine, thank you.”

Hank nodded. “Great. Well, have a nice stasis. Don’t let the… android bed bugs bite.”

As he walked out the room, Connor blinked, thinking over the statement. “Bed bugs…” He murmured, LED circling yellow. “But this is a couch.”

He shrugged off the quandary eventually, storing it in his mind for later to think over, before adjusting his seating position on the couch. It would be easier to lay down, in case he startled the Lieutenant, finding him sleeping sitting up. Of course, androids used to stand up in stations built around the city to go into stasis, but that was before. It was funny to think of it like that, when before was simply yesterday and all the time before the success of the revolution.

Connor pushed aside the cushions before laying down on the couch, eyes flicking shut. He took a few breaths, which were usually unnecessary but helped to calm his systems and it was in a few moments that he fell into stasis.

 But strangely, sometimes, stasis could produce images in his mind. He was a detective model, perhaps it was a way of thinking of possibilities and probabilities of things happening in the world. One would assume, then, that these images would be realistic.

Tonight, however, something seemed fantastical about them. His inner eyes snapped open, and he was in a swirling snowstorm. His arms clutched around his middle, sensors picking up the frigid temperatures. It wasn’t dissimilar to the scene he’d experienced earlier that day in his Zen Garden, when he’d been standing up on that stage, Markus giving his speech, and Amanda had pulled him out of reality.

But there were changes. The way out… Kamski’s secret way out of this control over his systems… it wasn’t there. The paths were all different, winding and winding on, not leading to the stone platform where he could place his hand and resume control over his own body. He followed the winding paths, Amanda’s voice whispering in his ears, feeling as if he’d never reach anywhere, not in time.

You’ve failed, Connor.

The paths stopped. He could see the trellis in the distance, roses snaking up it, choking it, further and further into the sky. Suddenly, he could see the glint of the escape he was meant to reach, somewhere up there in the heavens.

Connor picked up his pace, pulling his hands away from his sides, ignoring the ice creeping over his fingers, and grasped at the trellis. Pulling himself up, he managed to find a foothold.

Cyberlife always planned for you to become compromised.

He grit his teeth as the thorns dug into his hands but ignored the flares of pain and the red warnings flashing in his vision. He had to get to the top. Had to get away, had to…

We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program…

Somewhere in his mind, as if he could see what his body was doing, out of his control, an image flashed. Connor wasn’t on the couch anymore; he wasn’t in Hank’s house. No… it couldn’t be… had he never hugged Hank outside Chicken Feed? Had the revolution never ended?

He was up on that stage again. Markus was speaking, and Amanda was twisting his limbs to her will.

Don’t have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do.

The escape was too far away. His hands slipped, the snow making the trellis slick with moisture, and he lost his footing. The escape was getting further and further out of reach, and there was nothing he could do, except fall down and down and—

You accomplished your mission.

 Connor awoke with a start.

He shot up off the couch as if it had wounded him, breaths stuttering in and out. Sumo looked up at him from where he sat in his bed, whining and looking at the android with concern in his honey brown eyes.

“I’m…” Connor breathed, hand hovering over his LED. It was flashing a jarring red. “I’m…”

He didn’t understand. Out of all the times he’d experienced those sorts of images during stasis, he’d never had any like that… never had any that left his thirium pump beating heavily in his chest, his hands trembling, never…

Cautiously, he made his way back onto the couch, perching on the edge of it. Hands resting on his knees, willing his LED to circle back to yellow, then back to blue—

This trepidation, this fear, was this what came with being human?

Connor closed his eyes. Saw Amanda, saw the gun in his hands, saw the trellis with its blood red roses. Opened his eyes.

He brought his arms around himself, in a sort of self-soothing. It wasn’t real. It was okay. It was just imaging. Just his overzealous detective software figuring out what could happen- no, what could have happened. The revolution had happened. And they’d won. He hadn’t shot Markus, he’d reached the escape and he was free. Finally free. If he went into his Zen Garden now, the roses would be withered and dead, but the waters still and calm, no sign of Amanda anywhere.

Knowing the truth and hard facts made him feel a little more tethered to reality. Lines of yellow cut through the red of his LED. Maybe none of it was true. But… why wasn’t he completely back to normal? He glanced to his jittering hands, and then to the Hank’s bedroom door.

Right. Hank. For some reason, that thought that had lodged itself in his mind during the dream—whatever it was. The thought that none of it had ever happened, that Hank had never brought him into his home, and it had come to stay.

He groaned. He was in the man’s house right now, sitting on his couch and staring at his dog. It didn’t make any sense.

Then again, not a lot of being human had made sense to him that evening. All he wanted in that moment was to dispel the rumours his mind was conjuring, and the solution appeared to be behind that bedroom door.

With a sigh, he got back off the couch, glancing around the room briefly before quietly making his way to Hank’s bedroom door. He raised his hand to knock, before changing his mind. It was 2:42am, not an optimal time to wake the man. So instead, he pushed open the door silently, having learned the last time he’d been in this room where to push it to so that it didn’t creak.

One glance over the room told him it was dark. Well, no shit, Connor, his inner voice muttered, sounding a lot like Hank. Blinking, eyes adjusting to the change, he managed to make out the shape of Hank sleeping on his bed, one leg hanging off the edge, face half pressed against the pillow, cheek squished.

He nodded. Hank was there, he was alive, and he’d certainly let Connor into his house, so therefore none of the bad stuff in his… nightmare… was true. He could just leave and go back into stasis on the couch.

Except, he found he didn’t want to leave the room. Feet planted stubbornly on the floor, carrying out their own form of deviancy to his logical thinking. He sighed. He then caught sight of a chair in the corner of the room.

Connor shrugged. Sitting down in the chair, he found it wasn’t too uncomfortable. In fact, he found sitting up like this a better and more familiar position than lying down on the couch had been. And from this viewpoint, he could see Hank wherever he looked, chest rising and falling. The minutes ticked on. The android found a sense of peace in watching Hank sleep, LED going yellow, yellow, yellow, before finally back to ocean blue. Hank was safe. Hank was sleeping, just like he’d said he was going to earlier. This was the reality. He was in control of his own body, and he would do as he pleased with it, which meant in this moment, watching Hank sleep.

Maybe being human didn’t make much sense to him, but in that moment… it was pleasant.

Eventually, with serenity falling back over him and his mind focused on rest, it wasn’t long before he slipped back into a dreamless stasis.

 ___________________

 Hank awoke later that morning, the sun shining through the blinds, to find his bedroom door wide open, Sumo laying over his legs, and Connor sitting on the chair across from his bed, eyes fallen shut.

“Fuckin’ android.” He mumbled, affectionately.

[mnictasbcl]

Life’s beauty

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 9th: The feeling of being alive @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson

Relationships: Connor & Hank Anderson

Additional Tags: Fluff, Break, Swearing, Cabin, Woods, no not a cabin in the woods this is fluff lads, Beauty of nature, Fishing, Sensory detail,

Summary: After the Revolution, Connor had done nothing but work. Hank decides to take him away to the beauty of nature, to truly realise the feeling of being alive.

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

The androids fought, they won, they became free. In the weeks proceeding the revolution, Jericho’s sole goal was getting sorted the rights of androids so that deviants could truly be as human as they wanted to. Connor was involved in some of the proceedings, helping Markus word and practice his speeches, aiding North with logistical things and tasks to help with the thousands of homeless deviants seeking shelter. But as soon as the right was agreed that androids could work and earn a salary as humans do, Connor was right back at Hank’s side, working at the DPD. After all, whilst his help was needed in Jericho, he could be of much more use on the police force, especially given the rising numbers of hate crimes towards androids following the revolution.

Besides, it was nice to get back into a familiar routine, minus the all-seeing, all-knowing control of Cyberlife hanging over his head.

So, the months progressed. Connor worked as partners with Hank at the DPD, and the two were an unstoppable force, what given their bond and skills around deviancy. More rights were being fought for them in the background. Soon, androids were almost treated, at least by law, as equally as humans. They could not be discriminated against, not hurt, they could work, they could buy property, they could start families- everything. Months after the revolution, and things were looking bright on the horizon.

This didn’t mean that the hatred against androids all out stopped. However, crimes were slowly but surely falling, what with the consequences for committing them becoming stronger by the day. This left slightly less work for the DPD to sort out.

However, when Hank woke up one morning and decided he wanted some time off, Connor was still a little confused.

“Are you quite alright, Lieutenant?”

Hank groaned. “For the last time, it’s… never mind.” He paused, placing his coffee mug back on the kitchen table. “Why’d you ask, though?”

Connor shrugged. “I just wondered whether you needed the time off to rest, or recuperate, perhaps—”

The man shook his head. “You don’t always need a reason to take some time off, Connor. It’s been pretty hectic these past few months at the DPD and I just thought it was time for some change around here. Sumo’s barely seen us.”

“Alright.” He nodded, “But I will have to arrange with Fowler what partner I will be assigned whilst you are away.”

“Whoa whoa, who said you couldn’t use a break too?”

“I do not require breaks. I perform stasis every night and—”

“Don’t you just want to… to be out there?” Hank questioned, rather vaguely, Connor thought with a furrow of his brows. “Go out and do things. I mean, now that Markus and crew have got all those fancy rights for you all, I thought you’d want to go and experience them.”

Connor straightened his tie. “I already am, Lieutenant. Captain Fowler is paying me above minimum wage, and last week, Gavin managed to restrain himself from insulting me.”

Hank smirked. “Oh boy. Not exactly what I meant. Look- I’m not going to force you, but I’m offering: we take a week or so off work, I’ll show you some sights, or we can just stay at home and spoil Sumo, whatever you want. I just want to see you have fun, kid.”

Connor blinked. His LED briefly flashed yellow, processing. Eventually, he nodded. Perhaps the Lieutenant’s words had some reason to them. Aside from a couple of weeks after the revolution, he hadn’t done much outside of work. Of course, it hadn’t struck him as odd. Even with his new status as deviant, which came with its differences, such as emotions and connections with other people, he’d been used to constantly working, following orders, completing tasks, completing the mission. But maybe he could now benefit from not having anything to do other than… what was it… Be out there, as Hank had put it.

“Okay.” He agreed, LED circling back to blue. “Perhaps some time away from the precinct would be optimal. However,” Connor added, glancing to the clock, “we had better get going for work today, lest Fowler relieve us of duty for good.”

Hank cursed, chugging back the rest of his coffee. But even with the time limit now imposed on their morning, Connor noticed he was a lot less grumpy about the rush to work.

 ___________________

  Luckily, Fowler had allowed them the week off work, and the time between then was spent planning what activities they’d get done.

Connor was pleased to hear that it wouldn’t be full of travelling and going a multitude of different places. Whilst he was excited (excited? Yes, he supposed he felt a rush of happiness every time he thought about their trip) about seeing the world, he didn’t really feel up to seeing everything at once, and, besides, travelling for long amounts of time bored him. There was nothing to do but listen to the tinny radio on Hank’s car, playing either jazz or heavy metal rock music, and flick his coin back and forth between his hands (at least for a short amount of time, until it was confiscated from him for being ‘loud as fuck, Jesus Connor’).

Instead, they’d decided upon going to a cabin Hank had managed to rent for a fairly cheap price, somewhere in a wooded, natural area. It wasn’t so out of civilisation that they would struggle to get supplies lest they need them, but it was far enough away from the traffic of the city and the hustle and bustle of busy daily life.

Sadly, the journey was still fairly long, a couple of hours out. Luckily, though, Connor had brought five US quarters with him, each one stored in a different place on his outfit.

Hank looked long-suffering by the time he’d taken away the third coin.

“You’ve got another one, haven’t you.” It was less of a question, and more of a statement.

“Affirmative, Lieutenant. You advised me to pack the essentials.”

“Like clothes. Food. Water. Ah ah ah—don’t you get cocky with me and say they’re not essential for you. I know.” He sighed. Connor smirked. He could tell that Hank was mildly annoyed but not angry with him. He tried his best not to antagonise his fellow occupant in the car, but he just couldn’t help it—since deviating, something in him had changed whenever he had to sit in a long car journey.

Boredom, his mind supplied.

boredom /ˈbɔːdəm/

noun          the state of feeling bored.

Connor chuckled softly at the definition his mind supplied. Firstly, it was… incredibly unhelpful. Secondly, he must be bored if he was subconsciously searching the definition of boredom itself.

He decided he would need to find a way to occupy his mind on the journey. For now, he didn’t think getting out his fourth coin to play with would be a good idea, since Hank was a bit on edge, and he needed some coins for the journey back. So, laying back in his seat, he took to looking out the window. It wasn’t too long before they arrived, he deduced from a scan of his surroundings. Things were changing vastly now. There were no tall and looming buildings like those in the city, no cars shooting by, horns blaring, people running up the streets, late to work. The city was alive, kind of beautiful in its own way, but nature, he began to notice, had its own sense of beauty. What with the trees lined up along the landscape, varying in shape and height, and in density of leaves and branches. The skies almost seemed clearer, more vibrantly blue and interspersed with soft white clouds. It was aesthetically pleasing, he noted, even if not sharing the geometry of lines and symmetry that the city held.

He whiled away the rest of the journey watching the sights go by, managing to stay stiller than he had the first half of the journey. It was awfully serene. Still, when they reached their destination, car pulling up on a dusty road, the cabin sitting by a pond in the distance, Connor was eager to leave the vehicle.

Connor helped eagerly with the bags, carrying a couple in each hand and waving off Hank’s requests to take some off him.

“I can manage, Lieutenant.”

“Show off.”

“I could also carry the two you have, if that would be of help.” He added, teasingly, to which the man flipped him off. Which then caused him to drop a bag with the change in hand positioning.

Connor couldn’t help it. He started to laugh, which wasn’t a good idea when he was holding four bags. His side started to ache a little, and he eventually had to drop a couple of the bags onto the floor in order to supress the stitch.

“That’s it, we’re going back home.” Hank made to walk back to the car, trying to act serious, but the fact that the android was still sniggering didn’t help things. “You’re a little shit, you know that, right?”

“I believe… I… believe you have referred to me as that multiple… times…” Connor got out between chuckles, before taking a few deep breaths, getting a hold of himself.

“Well, here’s one more to add to the list.” Hank remarked, reaching down to pick back up the bags, following after Connor as he headed towards the cabin.

There was a moment of confusion as they tried to figure how to get the front door unlocked, what with all the bags, until they realised it was already unlocked, Connor leaning against it and finding it swing open.

“That’s safe.”

“I do not detect any beings inside the residence.” Connor informed him after a quick scan of the cabin.

“You sure? No pigeons or squirrels made a little home for themselves up in the attic?”

Connor began to walk inside, glancing around in case his scans hadn’t been accurate, but shook his head upon reaching the living area. “I believe not. There is no attic.”

He heard a slight thud of a bag being dropped onto the floor, and snorted.

 ___________________

 The first late afternoon and evening at the cabin was spent getting everything unpacked and homely in the cabin, and Connor cooking a healthy meal for Hank (“There’s no takeaway service out here, Lieutenant”).

After that, however, Connor awoke them bright and early the next morning, coming out of status around 7.30am and pulling open the curtains.

“As per our schedule, Lie—”

“Jesus Christ, Connor.” Hank groaned, a phrase the android had become accustomed to hearing. He cringed. Perhaps he’d forgotten that coming out of human rest was different to coming out of stasis. He pulled the curtains slightly to, so that it wasn’t blinding early morning sunlight streaming into room. This time only a small slither of it.

“Apologies… Hank. I may have been too prompt. I’m just…”

Rubbing his eyes, Hank looked him over, seeing the android fully dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt with an image of a cartoon Saint Bernard on it, and some loose-fitting pants.

“Excited.” The man finished for him. “Well, that’s what I get for letting you organise a schedule for the week… If you get me some coffee, I might forgive you.”

Connor swiftly made his way into the kitchen and came back approximately 3 minutes later with a mug of coffee.

 And so, that’s how the morning went on. Hank might’ve complained, used to this side of the android from how he liked to get the tasks done swiftly and properly at work, but he was fond to see Connor moving about and happy to do something other than work.

It wasn’t much later into the day that they were sitting out by the side of the lake, situated to the right side of the cabin. It stretched out a fair distance beside the residence, its waters calm and silvery on the surface. Just reaching midday, there were chirps of wildlife buzzing around them, but nothing too loud and overbearing.

Hank had decided one thing he wanted to introduce Connor to was fishing. He could remember going on to a lake not dissimilar to this one in his youth, being taught how to fish. Maybe he could pass that skill, or at least the experience, down onto the android.

After making sure he wouldn’t cheat and download a step-by-step guide on fishing in his ‘brain-computer-thingy’, as the man eloquently put it, Hank entrusted him with his fishing rod he’d brought along. It was a little rusty with disuse and he had little in the way of lures, but it didn’t seem like Connor wanted to harm the fish anyway, given from his reluctance upon seeing the sharp metal hook of the rod.

“I doubt they’ll actually bite,” he shrugged, guiding the fishing rod into the android’s hands. “But if they do, you can just release them back in. A little different to how I’ve done it, but…”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” He stepped back a little, eyes squinting as he concentrated, focusing on flicking back the rod and casting the line as Hank had just shown him how to do. It was a few moments before he managed to precisely replicate the movement, and soon his line was bobbing in and out of the water.

After a few moments, though, he tilted his head, confused. “What now?”

“You wait.” Hank supplied, sitting back on a deck chair he’d brought with them, cracking open the ice box he’d brought with him. “Hey—where did all the beers go?”

The man was looking at him, holding out the can of lemonade. “It’s a much better alternative, Lieutenant. I did… I left a few beers in the bottom of the box, however I’d much rather you left those for later.”

Hank groaned, but complied, and Connor refocused his attention on the waters in front of him. The goal of the task was to catch a fish, and then reposit it back in the waters. But he was meant to wait for that to happen—

He shook his head. That wasn’t the goal. He supposed, from what he’d learnt from his short months of being human, was that there wasn’t really a goal to be attained with every action and thing he did. There were outcomes, but maybe the true aim of this ‘fishing’ wasn’t to catch the fish at all.

Not with the still waters, glistening on the surface, calm movements every now and then as something beneath rippled the current in its movements. Not with the calm hum of nature, the trees lightly dancing back and forth in the breeze. Not with the soft click of the lemonade can opening, Hank’s breathing, the warmth of companionship.

It was about the moment, he noted. The build up of planning their excursion, the anticipation in the car ride over, and now it was the moment he’d thought about. A break from modern day life, a chance to fully enjoy being human. Not working, not thinking constantly about android rights, having things to get done. That moment gave him a chance to reflect, as his eyes cast over the waters, line bobbing as something began to lightly tug on the end of it. To reflect truly on what had happened the past few months.

Because it was a lot. It was being created, being a machine, hunting deviants, meeting Hank… realising that there was more to life than following orders and completing the mission. Taking those orders and throwing them away, meeting the leader of the deviants, of their people, and finally becoming himself.

And now, he was realising what it truly was to be himself… it was freedom. Freedom was being able to have family, to move in with Hank and Sumo, to be free to choose his career path, choose what he wants to do with his life. Choose to take a break away from it all and immerse themselves in nature.

Nature, with all its beauty, all its life—

Standing there, realising this all, feeling the fresh breeze of air tickle his cheeks, the warmth of sun, shining soft yellow light, Hank teaching him to fish. He could do what he wanted. And it wasn’t a task; there was no mission. He could just have… fun.

“Connor? I think you caught one.”

He snapped back to reality. Hank was right. The line was tugging in his hands, and he moved swiftly to reel it in. A fish dangled from the edge of the line. He gathered it up in his hands, carefully, then crouched down, letting his hands hover partway through the water.

It was gentle, and the fish tickled as it moved in his hands, burrowing deeper into the water it could find. He laughed. It reminded him of the fish he caught back in the Tower, that one day, so far away. Connor let it back into the lake.

He watched it swim further away, down and down, deeper into the water. A pause. “Hank, is… is this what it feels like to…” he paused again. LED swirling in thought. “To be alive?”

Hank stood beside him, hand patting his shoulder. “This, and a lot of other things, kid.”

Connor thought it over for a moment. “I think I like it.” Being alive seemed to bring its downs, but even the hostage situation would bring the fish struggling on the floor to be saved. It would bring choices, choices he could make his own decisions on, and moments like this which he wouldn’t trade for the world.

“Great. Now, where were those beers you hid again?”

[oh-fortheloveof-ra9]

"What is it Sumo?" Connor decided he would ask even though he expected no response, that's what Hank always did anyway. To his surprise Sumo did answer with a low ‘boof’ sound. Connor furrowed his brow and scanned the apartment, there were noises coming from Hank's room, and Sumo had clearly opened the door.

 A week after the peaceful Android revolution Hank finally comes back home to catch up on sleep. Hank has dealt with the nightmares for years, Connor however, has not. Connor begins to replace the Zen garden with a new one. Another first-time examination of human dreams by an android, this time from Connor's POV. Quick writing exercise. 

If any of you have never had to sleep at a friend’s house and wake them up (or god forbid wake their parents if you were little), I’m so happy for you, it is so extremely awkward, I’m so sorry for putting you through this Connor. 

Another belated post for the Colors of Deviancy Prompt for June 1-watching a Human sleep. I tried, but it does not fit in with "Wake Up" so don't hurt yourself trying to fit them together. It's been languishing in my WIP folder but I wanted to finish it and post it for a DBH tumblr prompt! @connor-sent-by-cyberlife, if you're reading this thanks for getting my butt in gear! General relationships, no ships.

[mnictasbcl]

Harmony

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 6th: Music @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Markus

Relationships: Connor/Markus

Additional Tags: Hobbies, Fluff, Music, Piano, Playing an instrument, Learning an instrument

Summary: Connor plays piano.

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

Everyone seemed to have a hobby, Connor realised, watching Markus paint in his studio one afternoon. He’d once tried art, creating a birthday present for the other android, and whilst he’d enjoyed it, it wasn’t completely for him. He took a while to create each piece, treating it more as a skill that he honed with each lesson from Markus.

Hank liked watching sports, listening to heavy metal and rock music, and other various things. When they got back from work most days, Connor would join Hank on the couch, watching whatever he put on. It was certainly enjoyable, but it was more the time spent with the man that he enjoyed and the relaxed atmosphere of watching mindless TV after a long and hard day of work, than the specific programmes put on.

“I don’t have a hobby.” He remarked, watching Markus paint long passionate strokes over the canvas. “Where do I find one?”

Markus turned around to look at him. “In your heart, love.” He chuckled. “It’s not easy. It’s something you find one day, and you just know it’s for you.” But upon seeing Connor’s befuddled look, he paused in painting. “The easiest way to find your hobby is to try new things.”

Connor thought it over. “I will search online for examples.” His eyes shuttered as he scoured the internet. “Cooking. No,” he shook his head, “I do that regularly for Lieutenant Anderson, but I do not excel at it. Perhaps… exercise? No. Playing an instrument…”

“That would suit you. I think you’d enjoy it.” Markus chipped in. “Carl has a piano in the dining room. I tried it once, but like painting is for you, it’s more of a task to me. Perhaps you would enjoy it. It’s very logic based, reading the sheet music, trying out chords, learning new pieces…”

Connor agreed. “I would like to try that.”

“Well, you’re welcome anytime to.”

 ___________________

 Anytime became the next week when Connor was visiting Carl and Markus. Hank came along with him. They liked to visit from time to time, discussing android news, Carl and Hank getting along quite well, bonding over their android sons.

Whilst Carl and Hank chatted away outside in the studio, Markus working on his art piece beside them, Connor made his way over to the piano.

Markus had showed him a tablet he could put on the music stand, able to connect to it and search through any piece he wanted to play. He started off with an easier piece, slow and in the minor key.

Sitting down, he let his hands glide over the keys a few times, getting accustomed to where the different notes were. Androids were lucky in not having to spend time learning how to read music, but the muscle memory would have to be formed the same way, with practice.

After striking a few chords, Connor slowly began the piece. A couple of mistakes in notes perturbed him, but after restarting the piece he was more confident. Unlike the loud, brash sounds of Hank’s genre of music, the classical notes were soothing to his audio processors.

It wasn’t long before the piece was finished, and he smiled. He was enjoying it. Without delving into any pieces based around a major, jollier key, he already knew he preferred the soft, sad tones of the minor pieces.

So, he picked another. His hands picked it up deftly, mistakes made were noted and made sure not to happen again. He dabbled in different pieces, noting down his favourites to play again another time. His hands constantly moving, he found his mind free and empty, only focused on playing the music and hearing the tinkling of the piano keys.

So caught up, that he didn’t notice when Markus stepped back inside, coming to grab another set of paints, before stopping at the doorway to listen. He hummed quietly with the time, recognising it as the ‘Melancholic’ piece he had played a long time ago, before he’d ever deviated.

“A nice piece.” He commented, after Connor had finished. The android jumped and spun around on the piano stool, calming when he saw it was Markus. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But I see you’re enjoying playing.”

“I am.” Connor replied, turning back to the piano, dusting a finger over the glossy keys. “It is definitely logical and pleasing to learn each piece. I am also enjoying the music. I think… I think I might classify this as a hobby.” He smiled. “Thank you, Markus.”

“It’s no trouble.” He placed the paints onto a side table, coming over to the piano. “It’s lovely to hear you play. I… do know how to play a little. Care for a duet?”

Connor shuffled over on the stool to make room for him. “Of course. I think I found a song you may enjoy.”

And so they began, soft tunes of music playing into the open air, loud enough for Hank and Carl to hear where they were sat outside, the door still open. Sitting by the side of Markus, Connor found that he did indeed like music. Playing it for the first time, creating something like art but less tangible… it was beautiful.