“I don’t actually know who I am... without Ren... Pretty sad, huh?”
“Well, maybe take this opportunity to find out? Do something only Nora can do.” - Weiss
“Like what? Be strong and hit stuff?”
Nora a few moments later... *became hella Thor strong and did hit stuff*
“That was pretty awesome...”
Me: crying because they separated my ship but also glad that Nora’s finding herself and realizing that she’s more than what she makes herself out to be and how the others are supporting her -ugly crying- and also fangirling because Nora now has sick lightning marks and is overflowing with massive electricity
[Change (A Connor x Reader story based on Detroit: Become Human)]
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue: It’s A Start
xX0Xx
The beeping of the room was all that could be heard. There were the occasional distant murmurs from outside the door, a ringing phone, and even some laughter, but other than that, the room itself was eerily silent.
Opening her eyes, Y/n awoke with a rather groggy feeling. When she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes she found that the room she was in was now dimly lit and that her body had been uncharacteristically sore and heavy. She tried to move again but it was easier thought of than done.
She tried to move her fingers and was successful in that much but as she did she felt something an ache and as she slowly lifted her hand did she see the dextrose needle connected to it.
It took her a moment to get her bearings, but she finally remembered what had happened to her and how she got there. The last thing she remembered was talking with Connor before taking a short nap so she had expected to see him somewhere near.
Her throat had been too dry for her liking, there was a certain acidic taste in her mouth and she really wanted to get rid of it. Her eyes traveled throughout the room and saw that Connor was nowhere to be found.
Y/n tried to sit up and reach for the button to call one of the nurses but her body felt extremely heavy. This was the first time she had felt this kind of heavy feeling and it was different from when she had overworked herself and got muscle pain.
Thinking about how this has been different made her wonder why, she then feels an ache from the back of her head which she had already expected from what had happened in the previous hours and as she was about to try pressing a hand to her head, the door of her dimly lit room opened and a nurse carrying another bag of dextrose came in.
"You... you're finally awake." the nurse looked at Y/n in mild bewilderment and she didn't like that shocked tone she had.
"You... you're finally awake." the nurse looked at her in slight surprise. Y/n looked at the nurse in mild bewilderment, not liking the shocked undertone of their statement.
"Uh, yeah, would you mind getting me some water? My throat's really dry." Y/n tried to smile and that shook the nurse out of her stupor.
"Yes, yes, of course. Before that, how are you feeling?" the nurse entered, turned on the lights, and helped Y/n's bed adjust so that she could be in a sitting position.
"A little sore but I'll manage, thank you."
When she was finally in a sitting position, she let her eyes adjust to the light and the first thing she noticed was the jacket on the chair on the corner of the room. She quickly saw that it was her father's but he was also nowhere in sight.
"You stay put, I'll get a doctor." the nurse smiled at her.
"I'm not going anywhere." she joked as the nurse left.
Trying to relax, Y/n closed her eyes and tried to deduce as to why the nurse acted in the way she did. She seemed a tad bit too surprised to see Y/n be awake and with how heavy her body felt, it was almost like she'd been asleep for ages.
The sound of the door opening again caught her attention and she opened her eyes to look, thinking that it was the nurse. Instead, there stood her father looking ragged with dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a mess and she quickly noticed his widened eyes and how he stared at her in surprise.
"Y/n?.." he spoke in a broken voice and Y/n felt scared.
"Dad?.. Are you okay? What's wrong?"
What could have happened to make her father look like he was close to breaking down? His eyes glossed with tears and the last time she saw him like this was when Cole was having emergency surgency. Granted, she was also in a hospital bed but she wasn't nearly close to losing her life like her brother.
"Oh God, you're awake..."
Or maybe not.
"Awake? Yes, I'm awake... What's going on?"
Hank walked up to her bed and held her free hand, she could see him trying his best to keep the tears at bay but he was very close to cracking. He clutched her hand tightly and spoke with relief and also fear in his voice.
"Y/n, Pumpkin, you were asleep for at least four days."
"I'm sorry... What?..."
"It's true... You've been passed out on that bed for the last four days..."
The sadness in her father's eyes was evident and she didn't have reason to think that he was lying. That would explain her sore body and her lack of body function, it also explained why the nurse had been surprised to see her.
"I thought you'd never wake up..." her father was on the verge of crying and it broke her heart to see that it was because of her.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm okay! I'm okay! See? I'm fully awake! You're not going to lose me, it's not easy to get rid of me!" she tried to joke but her father's frown remained.
She sighed and held her father's hand tighter. She knew that her father had a sort of trauma for this kind of thing so she wouldn't be surprised if this really affected him because she knew she would be just as distraught.
"I'm sorry... I don't want you to worry..."
"How can I not? You're my baby girl, you're the most important thing in my life."
Y/n's heart was filled with happiness and love for her father that she couldn't help but lean onto him to feel his warmth. Hank reciprocated by carefully placing his hand over her shoulder and moved it up and down comfortingly.
They spent a minute in each other's embrace before the nurse who had been the first to see her finally awake came back, entered with a doctor in tow.
"Ms. Anderson, we're glad to see you up again."
-------
The doctor had explained her current situation and what had happened to her. She was apparently in a coma for a total of 86 hours and that she had been extremely lucky to wake up after four days with nothing major happening to her. Her senses were all working just fine, save for the aching muscles.
She was advised to stay in the hospital for a few more days to monitor her movement and observe her and after two days she had already been moving around. She started walking around the hospital area she was in and she even made friends with some of the nurses and patients there.
It was her way of getting back on her feet and distracting herself from the fact that she hadn't seen Connor in the days she stayed at the hospital.
Y/n had expected him to be the first one to greet her since he was the last person she saw and she couldn't really track him down since her watch ran out of battery and her father just so happens to "keep forgetting to bring it" when he would come from home.
She already had an inkling that her father didn't want her to find Connor and he had changed the subject when she last asked him about Connor's whereabouts. Ultimately, she decided to leave it until she was finally out of the hospital.
On the third day, she had been cleared to leave the hospital with the condition that she gets proper rest, she doesn't do heavy tasks or strain herself, and to continuously drink the medication she was prescribed for the duration she was given.
Although she wasn't at her peak, she was happy to finally be given the O.K. to leave since it was better than staying in a hospital and having limited movement. She liked the people there but she knew it wasn't her place to stay.
It was around 11 AM when they went to the front desk to complete the clearance process, as her father settled the bill she asked about her father's car a parking ticket and for it to be discounted since she was a patient being released.
"Your name?" the young woman with messy blonde hair tied to a bun who seemed a bit frazzled asked.
"Y/n Anderson." she smiled even though the woman seemed indifferent.
"Anderson?" the woman quirked her eyebrows and Y/n tilted her head in confusion.
"Uh, yeah?"
The woman looked her up and down and then looked to both her sides as if checking if there would be anyone in hearing vicinity. Seeing this, Y/n placed her forearms on the desk and leaned forward with a smile.
"Something wrong?" she smiled knowingly and when the woman saw this, she also leaned forward as she worked on the parking ticket.
"You're, uh, husband was here last time. Pretty easy to remember him." she spoke and Y/n's eyebrow knotted.
It took her a moment to think who would do such a thing but her eyes widened at the realization of who the woman was pertaining to.
"My husband, when did you last see him?"
"Couple of days ago, a week or so?"
"Did he come back? Has he been here?" Y/n quickly asked and her heartbeat quickened.
Connor would know that only immediate family members would be allowed to see patients in the dead of night so it was understandable that he would say she was his wife. Still, he could have just waited for her father to give him updates but he decided to go with that excuse instead.
She didn't know whether to laugh or what.
"Last he was here was when you were first admitted." the woman pressed her lips in a thin line and handed Y/n the parking ticket. "Here you go."
Y/n silently took the ticket but she didn't miss the look of pity the woman gave her, this caused her to smile at the woman before folding the ticket and placing it in her pocket.
"Thanks for telling me, Miss?.."
"It's Frizz." she smiled back and Y/n nodded at her.
"Have a great day, Miss Frizz." Y/n walked away from the front desk and to the entrance where her father was already waiting.
"You ready to go?" he asked and she nodded.
"Oh yeah."
They got out of the building and Y/n couldn't feel happier to be outside. She welcomed the cold Detroit air and took a moment to breathe it all in. They walked over to the parking area and once they got settled in the car, Y/n turned to her father.
"Dad, would you mind lending me your phone?" she asked and he looked at her in suspicion.
"Why?.."
She sighed, of course, he's probably thinking that it was to contact Conor.
"Relax, I'm going to call Lizzie, make her know that I'm okay cause you know... since my watch isn't charged...." she gave him a look and he shifted his gaze away from her.
He reluctantly gave her his phone and she smiled in triumph. She went to the browser and opened Bookface to log in to her account. When she was in, she immediately went to the messages and saw that Elizabeth had already sent her about 99+ messages.
When she opened the messages, it was about what is happening with the android revolution and what the police planned to do. The other 51 were about how she worried about Y/n's wellbeing and why she hadn't been replying.
Feeling bad, she messaged Elizabeth and seeing as her icon shows that she's online Y/n's bound to get a reply soon.
Y/n: Hey Liz! So what did I miss?
She waited for a reply but it didn't take long.
Lizzie: OHMYGOD Y/N WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!!! WHY AREN'T YOU REPLYING TO MY CHAT AND ANSWERING YOUR PHONE?
Y/n choked out a laugh and Hank turned to her with a smile.
"I'm guessing it's good?"
"She's freaking out." she chuckled as she replied.
Y/n: Relax, are you free to call?
Lizzie: Yeah.
Y/n: Great, I'm using my dad's phone so here the number xxx-xxx-xx.
Not soon after that, she saw her father's phone ring and she immediately picked up. When she did, the first thing that registered was Elizabeth's worried and high pitched voice over the phone.
"Y/n! Oh my God, are you okay?!" Elizabeth yelled and Y/n had to take the phone away from her ear while she chuckled.
"I am, but some things kind of happened..."
Y/n had told Elizabeth as much as she could without spilling any unwanted details, she had to tone down the fact she had been hospitalized and she deliberately left out the reason. Elizabeth wouldn't let her go without her though.
"You've been hospitalized, laying in bed, and you're telling me you DIDN'T have the time to reply to all my messages?"
"My smartwatch died..."
"Bullshit! You can charge it and you have a phone!" Elizabeth answered in frustration and Y/n smiled that she had a friend that worried so much. "What happened?!"
"I may... have gotten into a quick coma."
Elizabeth didn't answer after she spoke and Y/n had thought that she hadn't heard but after a few seconds, she finally spoke.
"You... what?.."
"Uh, Liz?"
"Y/N! How could you not say that first?!"
"Things kind of got a bit... hectic these past few days so I'm really sorry."
"Oh my God, are you okay? What do you mean coma?"
Y/n had explained the details as best and as softly as she could but Elizabeth still ended up crying. She tried to comfort her by telling her that the doctors had cleared her and she was free to go home.
"Are you not going to leave Detroit?" Elizabeth sniffled.
"Dad and I are staying here. The androids are peaceful, Liz. I should know." she glanced at her father who just kept his eyes on the road. "They're good people and Detroit isn't dangerous. Some people might riot because of them but they won't harm others, I'm sure of it."
"You sound confident." Elizabeth chuckled and Y/n did the same.
"Trust and believe."
Y/n and Elizabeth chatted throughout Y/n and Hank's drive home and when they finally got home, Y/n felt a relief wash through her as she saw her home. All she wanted was a nice, warm bath and a fresh set of clothes.
"Got to go, Liz. If you decided to come back to Detroit, let me know."
"I'll consider it. You take care of yourself and do major work, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am." Y/n smiled before ending the call. It had been such a relief to get to talk to her best friend and know that they were doing well after the evacuation.
"Alright, home sweet home." Hank got out of the car and started collecting their bags from the trunk.
Y/n, on the other hand, went straight to the door and opened it. When she went in, she was immediately greeted by the fluffy giant, Sumo, and she knelt down to pet him and cuddle with him.
"My sweet boy!" Sumo happily ate up all the attention he got from Y/n and, having missed her so much, he kept nuzzling her. "I love you too, Sumo!"
"Don't strain yourself too much, you just got out of the hospital." her father entered the house and dropped the bags on the floor.
"Relax, it's just a few kisses, isn't that right, boy?" she rubbed his back and Sumo barked in agreement.
"That's enough, come on, go take a bath, and get change." her father smiled and she stood up with mock hurt on her face.
"Are you calling me smelly?" she playfully accused and he shrugged with a smirk.
"I mean it's true."
"Boo."
She stuck her tongue out but obliged, she walked over to her bedroom and felt herself relax. Seeing the familiar room helped her collect herself. Y/n walked over to her closet to get a change of home clothes but as she did she remembered the dead smartwatch on her wrist and her mind instantly went to Connor.
Y/n looked around her room and found the charger for her smartwatch and immediately plugged it on, she waited for it to light up and signal that it was now charging. It immediately turns back on and she can now use it.
Her hand moved to open the GPS and thought that it would be easy to track Connor now that her smartwatch was working again but something stopped her from doing so. She hesitated for the reason that she was nervous and scared. She hadn't seen him these past few days and her father might not easily budge in giving her information.
Standing up, she decided to take a bath first and then think it through. As she prepared her bath, she thought of just what she would do when she meets Connor but she also wanted to see how things have progressed with the deviants through the time she was asleep.
So, after her bath and changing into her usual attire of black shirt, dark blue pants, and a black bomber jacket. She took her watch and pocketed the charger.
Y/n walked out of the room and walked over to the living room to see her father sitting on the couch and watching reruns of the last Detroit Gears game.
"Dad, I want to go to the station." she stared at him blankly and he looked back in surprise.
"What? You just got home and you're thinking about work?" he stood up and looked at her with crossed arms.
"I'm not going there to work, I just wanted to see how things changed."
"Doctor said-"
"Yeah, I know what the doctor said but this won't be any kind of strenuous activity, I'm literally just going there to catch up." she said, looking at her father in determination and he sighed.
"Are you sure you want to go to the station? You can just stay here and rest." Hank worriedly looked at his daughter who had just finished changing into a fresh set of clothes.
"That's the last thing I need right now. I've been "resting" for a week now, I want to at least see what's changed."
She had heard while in the hospital that the revolution ended peacefully and that those who had evacuated but wanted to come back were now allowed to. The androids were being given temporary housing until they found a better place but for those humans who had been friendly with the androids they previously had were allowed to house them.
For those who held negative feelings towards androids; they had turned to riots and openly criticized the President and her decision of letting the androids live. So far, there has been no official statement from the Senate about what they have decided in regards to the androids' rights but from the short radio announcement she heard, they had established contact with Markus and his very own select council.
Y/n saw her father's expression remain worried and she smiled at him. She wasn't going to be doing any actual work, she just wanted to see what she had missed and talk with whoever was in the station.
"Dad, I'll be fine, I promise. I won't do anything that would hurt me." she smiled but he still looked hesitant.
Hank knew his daughter could be very persistent and stubborn just like him so he decided to give in. He knew that even if he did say no, she would still go there on her own so it'll be safer if he just did it so he could at least watch her.
They walked out of the house and got in Hank's car, it felt surreal to Y/n and she couldn't believe the fact that she had been unconscious for at least a week. She would have forgotten had it not been the radio showing its date and time.
As the car drove out of their driveway, her mind wandered to Connor's whereabouts. She wanted to check if she could still track him and see where he was since he wasn't there when she woke up.
You'd think that he would be the next person waiting for her to wake up after her father but seeing as he was nowhere to be found and how her father hadn't even mentioned anything about him to her made her think that something was definitely wrong.
"You okay?" her father spoke up and her eyes, that were directed out the window, shifted towards him.
"I was thinking about Connor." she honestly spoke up and her gaze sharpened.
She saw her father visibly tensed at the mention of Connor's name and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His expression turned to one of slight anger as he frowned but he seemed to be forcing himself to control his emotions.
Y/n already had an inkling that her father would be blaming Connor about what happened to her, one of the things she clearly remembered before passing out was that her father had seen Connor point a gun at her and how he had clearly been mad about it. It wasn't impossible for his hatred of androids to come back because of it and she couldn't blame him.
His only daughter, the only child he had left, could have died and the reason would be because of an android. The same as his youngest, the same as Cole.
"Dad... You know this wasn't Connor's fault right?" she softly spoke.
"Like hell, it isn't!" Hank's controlled anger exploded and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. "That f**king piece of shit almost cost you your life and you're defending him?!"
"That's because it wasn't his fault." she said calmly, suppressing the feeling of getting riled up knowing that it'll only get things more heated.
The car abruptly stopped at the side of the road they were driving on and he looked at her as if she was mad. "How can you say that?! You were in a coma for Christ's sake!"
"Dad, you already know that in our line of work, getting hurt is possible."
"Yeah but not by the ones close to you!" he yelled out and she cringed.
"Dad, calm down." she placed a hand on her father's hand that was gripping the steering wheel. "I know you're aware that Connor would never purposefully hurt me right?"
Hank stayed silent but she knew that he realized she was right. He had seen how they interacted and knew how he had saved her before so he would also know that she was right.
"You could have died." he whispered in dread and Y/n squeezed his hand.
"But I didn't and I live to fight another day. You have to forgive him." she spoke softly and she saw him slump.
"I... It might take some time." he replied in slight reluctance and she nodded with a smile.
"That's all I ask."
Hank took a breath and exhaled, the car started moving again and they continued the drive to the station. Y/n gave her father a few minutes to breathe before finally asking the question she had been wanting to ask.
"Dad, where's Connor?" she asked but he didn't reply.
She decided to try again.
"Dad, where is Connor?" she asked slowly and she heard him sigh.
"I don't know." he finally answered and Y/n found herself worrying.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Y/n felt her heart drop and she started to become anxious. She knew that androids self-destructed under intense amounts of stress and since she and Connor were close, seeing her in a coma and thinking that he was the cause could have been enough to make him- she shook her head.
"Hey, calm down. I'm sure he's okay." Hank tried to soothe her. "It's just... Nobody's seen him in a while."
"Define a while?.." she answered curtly and she saw him hesitate. "Dad, how long?"
"Ever since you fell into a coma... I was too angry at him to realize that he was a mess because of what happened."
Her mind raced with all kinds of situations that might have happened to Connor and the more she thought, the more severe they became. She felt her heartbeat quicken its pace and a headache was suddenly forming itself.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't stress yourself too much! You're going to hurt yourself thinking too much!" her father's voice raised and she forced herself to take a deep breath.
"I need to find him."
"You can and you will, but you have to calm down first. We'll try looking for him after we get to the station."
"Alright, okay. Okay."
Y/n tried to calm herself down. The last time she had tracked him down was thanks to him not turning off his GPS so even if his tracker didn't work, she would still be able to find him. That would be if he was still- she shook the thought away.
The rest of the drive stayed silent as Y/n tried to calm herself but, when they turned to the road where the station was, they saw multiple reporters outside being stopped by police officers. There were even a few news station vehicles that confused the two.
"What's this about?" Y/n raised an eyebrow at the multiple people and Hank responded with the same confusion.
"I have no idea."
Hank parked the car at his designated spot and when they got out, they realized that the entrance would be too crowded to navigate but it had to be done. They approached the crowd and Hank pushed through first to make sure that Y/n would get less of the force.
When they got to the officers, they had immediately recognized the duo and let them through. As they got inside, the station was unbelievably busy. Hank noticed Chris standing by the reception desk talking with another officer and motions for Y/n to follow him.
"Chris!" he called out. "What the hell is going on outside?"
Chris turned his attention to the two and a look of relief was seen on him as he saw them. Y/n raised her eyebrow at that.
"Reporters and well, they're here for you, Y/n."
"Excuse me?" she tilted her head in question.
"You're going to want to see for yourself." Chris motioned to the inner area of the station but she couldn't clearly see what or who he was pointing at.
"Guess I'll just go find out." before she could walk inside Chris called out.
"Oh, and Y/n?" he smiled at her. "Glad to have you back."
"Glad to be back." she smiled back and finally walked inside the station.
When she did, she saw a group of five people standing in front of the Captain and she was quick to notice that it was Markus, Simon, Josh, and North. The only person she didn't know in the group was a woman with brown hair and matching eyes wearing a rather colorful outfit in comparison to the group's darker colors.
The woman was smiling as she talked with the Captain and Y/n noticed that she stood rather close to Markus. She then saw that the Captain noticed her come in and he smiled at her, this made the five others' attention shift to her as well and Markus was the first to smile at her arrival.
"Detective Anderson." the Captain spoke. "Welcome back."
"Good to be back, Captain. I see that these are the people behind the massive crowd outside?" she smirked at the group and they smiled at her, well most of them except for North who looked really displeased.
"Sorry to cause a commotion, Y/n." Markus smiled apologetically. "We wanted to talk with you but we heard you had been hospitalized. Are you feeling alright?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm okay, it was nothing big." she smiled and both the Captain and her father gave her a look but seeing as the people didn't know what happened to her, she would keep it that way.
"If you're not busy, would you mind having a chat?" Markus asked and she nodded.
"Of course. Captain, do you mind if we used the meeting room?"
"Go ahead, just make sure you don't push yourself."
"Yes, sir." she smiled at the Captain worry and looked at her father to signal that she was going with them.
She led the group to the unoccupied meeting room and held the door for them, she saw that the unidentified woman with the group smiled at her in thanks and she returned the gesture. When the group was inside, she closed the door to give them some privacy.
Markus pulled out a chair from one of the tables for the woman and she smiled at him thankfully, he then sits on the table next to her while Simon took a seat at another chair, Josh sitting on the table next to Simon, and North leaning against the wall with her arm crossed.
"Glad to see you all are doing well." Y/n smiled and the three men returned the gesture.
"We wanted to thank you for all of your help." Josh smiled and Simon spoke up after.
"We didn't expect the press to follow us here, though. It must have been hard getting in."
"It's fine, I would have gotten in by other means anyway."
"Well, I believe an introduction is in order." Markus spoke and looked at the woman beside him with a smile.
To say that Y/n was a little curious about the woman was an understatement. She was quick to notice the glances the two would share and the smile Markus had was something much more than being polite or that of a friend's. The woman stood up and offered her a hand which she took with a smile.
"I'm Rosa Manfred, it's very nice to meet you." she shook Y/n's hand with a smile and her interest piqued even more.
"Rosa Manfred? Daughter of the famous Carl Manfred?"
"Proudly so." she smiled brightly at the mention of her father.
"I'm Detective Y/n Anderson, nice to meet you."
"I heard what you did to save Markus and the others so when I heard they were coming to talk to you, I wanted to come and thank you."
Y/n saw Markus stand up and take Rosa's hand in his, Y/n's eyes slightly widened when it all clicked. The reason for the glances, the pulling of the chair, the standing close to each other, Y/n fully realized what it meant.
"Markus means so much to me, so hearing that another human, a cop no less, had helped him... Well, I just wanted to say I'm glad that there are officers like you. Officers who see androids as people too. I always thought that not all officers were as bad as the media made them out to be but having to meet you like this makes it much more real."
Y/n smiled brightly at Rosa, she could feel the appreciation of her words. She also saw the loving smile Markus directed towards the smaller woman and she felt happy that after all Markus has gone through, she had a woman like Rosa to come home to.
"I was happy to help but I didn't expect the man of the revolution to be dating a human." she smirked at the both of them and Rosa smiled shyly while Markus beamed.
"It's a long story but I'd be happy to tell you some other time."
"I'm guessing that's also another reason why the reporters are dying to get in here? Because of you two?" she smirked and teased.
"Ah yeah, we're sorry about that." Rosa smiled sheepishly.
"The media blew up after finding out that Markus was with a human but Rosa here was proud of it. Needless to say, they attracted a lot of attention going here." Simon smiled at them and Y/n's attention was shifted back to the reason why they were here.
"Why are you guys here anyway?" she raised an eyebrow while Rosa and Markus took their seat.
"Aside from thanking you, we wanted to ask if you can be an open supporter of our cause. With Rosa backing us up, more and more humans are being supportive of our cause but we were wondering if you'd help us out too.
"With an officer like you openly supporting us, I'm sure more people will see that we're not hostile at all. We were also wondering if you'd be willing to come with us whenever there are meetings related to android law. We trust you more than anyone else when it comes to that."
Markus explained their request and she understood what he meant. If an officer of the law showed support, fewer people might be frightened by androids but she knew there are those who will always be against them just like how there are those who were against the police in the first place.
Y/n could also rope her father into showing public support and the Captain didn't look all too peeved by the fact that the people who made their jobs like hell for the past few weeks just waltzed into the station.
She thought of the pros and cons of accepting their offer and she knew the pros outweighed the cons on this one, but there was one thing she wanted in exchange for her assistance.
"I'll do it but I need you to do something for me too."
"Of course, what would it be?"
"Connor became a deviant the night of your final march." she pressed her lips and tried not to think of what had happened. "He... feels extremely guilty for trying to stop you and I'm sure it's been eating him alive. I know he'll be hesitant to show himself in front of you but I want to ask you to forgive him and to welcome him."
It could be hard for Connor to show himself in front of his people so she wanted to ensure that in the long run, Connor wouldn't be thought of as the one in the wrong because of the orders he was given.
Markus looked around the room and when Josh, Simon, and even North nodded in approval he nodded as well.
"The minute he decided to choose for himself he became one of us. We won't fault him for what he was made to do."
"Thank you."
She smiled and when she made eye contact with Rosa, she saw a knowing smile on the woman's face. It was strange but Y/n somehow knew that Rosa was aware of why she had asked Markus of that one condition and she could already feel that she'll enjoy working with her.
"As much as I'd like to talk details with you, I've still got some things to do. And... I'm sure the Captain would appreciate it if the press outside went away."
"We'll get out of your hair then." Rosa smiled and the people in the room who were sitting started standing up.
Y/n opened the door for them and led them to the doors that lead to reception and gave each of them a handshake.
"We'll keep in touch." Markus shook her hand and she smiled at them before they left.
She watched them walk out of the station and when they had opened the door, multiple flashes of light met the group. Y/n let out a sigh of relief, she wouldn't be dealing with that until later but it would definitely be stressful to deal with the media once she got involved. Still, seeing Markus and Rosa confidently walk out with their hand together made her think of what the feeling could be like.
To openly be with an android lover as a human and not care about the public's possible backlash.
She walked towards her father's desk who was patiently waiting for her to finish, he had his arms crossed and he raised a brow at her as she approached.
"So? What was that about?"
"Well, they just basically thanked me for helping them and wanted me to show my support for them."
"And?.."
"I accepted." she smiled and he returned the gesture.
"Good for you."
She sat down on the desk in front of him and opened the unused desk's terminal. Her father looked at her with knotted eyebrows and worry, thinking that she was going to work but she raised her hands in defense.
"Relax, I'm just going to catch up on the news."
The next few hours were spent with Y/n catching up on news but that wasn't the only thing she did, the minute her father did something else, she immediately takes the charger from her pocket and charges her smartwatch. She then opens her smartwatch's GPS and tried to track Connor's whereabouts.
It had been fairly easy since and she was overwhelmed with relief since she had thought that if she wouldn't be able to track him, he had either turned it off or something much worse.
She could have gone to where he was as soon as she could but she hesitated. What would she even say to him when they saw each other? Anxiety crept up to her that time flew by with her overthinking.
It was already after work hours and yet she couldn't seem to think straight, she would continuously track Connor's movement but when she saw that he had been idle in one location, one that she knew, she decided it was time to go to him.
She stood up from the desk and saw that in her time of being distracted, her father had left to talk to the Captain in his office. When they made eye contact, he seemed to say something to Fowler which made the other man look at her direction before giving a nod. Her father then walks out of the office and went straight to her.
"Something up?"
"I'm... Well... I'm going to go out."
There was a frown on her father's face as she spoke. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he nodded in understanding.
"You going to look for him?"
"I kind of already found him." she sheepishly smiled and he sighed.
"Are you going to be okay? It's getting late. How are you even going to go there?" he asked in worry but she reassured him.
"I'll be taking a taxi and don't worry, I will be. Nothing bad is going to happen to me, I promise."
She leaned forward to give her dad a hug and he held her tight. The last thing he wanted was for his only daughter to get hurt but he knew better than to disrespect her decisions and choices. If she was adamant in seeing Connor then he'd let her.
When they let each other go, she smiled at her father and he placed both of her hands on her shoulders. He looked like he wanted to say something but was struggling to find the words so she just let him take his time.
After a few seconds, he finally found what he wanted to say, letting out a sigh before smiling at her.
"Make sure to take care of him."
Her eyes widened at his words and she could feel her stomach turn into knots. Her father's sincere words didn't go unnoticed and she couldn't help herself from throwing her arms over his shoulder in happiness.
"I will."
Y/n had thought it would take him longer to start forgiving Connor but seeing him also worry about Connor's wellbeing was something she found joy in. She was truly grateful that although things were rocky, her father was trying his best.
After releasing her father, Y/n felt more comfortable and confident to talk to Connor and get him to come back since she knew that she wasn't the only one who truly cared for him.
-------
Y/n's smartwatch led her to the same park that had the view on the Ambassador Bridge, the same park she had gone to after Eden Club, and the same park where she had her first real moment with Connor.
It was around 7 PM in the evening and the sun had already gone down, the snow started falling lightly and from where she stood she already saw the familiar dark gray jacket along with its bright blue armband on the right sleeve.
On her way here, she had messaged him to say that she was finally awake and is now doing okay but before she did, she debated on whether or not to actually send the message since Connor might leave his current location.
Still, she decided on sending the message to let him know that she was okay but didn't mention that she was going to where he was.
He was sitting in the same way she had sat when she was on the same bench, the light from the lamppost made him more visible to her and she already knew from the minute she saw his posture that he was troubled.
That and her father did tell her how distraught Connor was from the last time he saw him because of what happened to her. Even though her father had been upset with Connor because he was the reason for her short coma, she knew her father still worried about him and his current state.
Y/n couldn't hold it against him for feeling that way though. That night at the rooftop was hazy but she knew that Connor had been blaming himself and was feeling guilty based on how he had looked.
Honestly speaking, she would also be blaming herself if she was in Connor's shoes. She still feels horrible because of what she had done back in Jericho, and if she was being eaten alive by the guilt because of that, she could only imagine what Connor must be feeling.
She took a deep breath and exhaled, she then started walking to where he sat and she was sure that he had already picked up on her footsteps as it crunched the snow underneath her combat boots.
No words were exchanged as she got close and he didn't acknowledge her presence, nevertheless, she was patient and stepped on the bench to sit on the backrest. The silence continued and Y/n looked at the view of the Ambassador Bridge, it was definitely a sight for sore eyes since she had been unconscious for at least four days.
"How did you find me?" he spoke up first in a questioning tone, which she didn't expect.
"Your GPS... You didn't really turn it off." she replied without looking at him. "Makes me think that you did that on purpose."
He was silent as he continued to stare into the bridge. She glanced at him and saw that although there weren't many physical changes in him, his demeanor certainly has. Y/n couldn't put a finger on it but she could tell that he was very different.
"You know I'm the only one who can track you now since your tracker doesn't work anymore... Thanks, I guess?" she spoke but got no reaction.
Y/n wanted to sigh. She wanted him to open up but he wouldn't, he has this wall around him that made it hard for her to reach him. Still, she'll try. She's dealt with her father for three years so she knew a thing or two about being patient.
A few minutes passed and there was no progress so Y/n decided to just relax and be there for him. If he didn't want to talk then that's fine, she'll sit there and let her presence speak for itself.
"I'm sorry." he finally spoke out and she hummed in response for him to continue. "This is all my fault."
Connor could only say that as he sat since his mind was a mess and his emotions were in turmoil. Finally being near Y/n and seeing her awake made relief wash over him but soon after it was replaced with pain and overwhelming guilt.
The entire time he's spent away, he could only think of what he had done and what the results have been. The woman he had learned to care for had gone into a coma because of his mistakes and he couldn't find it in himself to face her or her father, a man he had also respected and looked up to.
His world shattered when she fell into her deep slumber and all he wanted was for her to wake up.
The only thing he could think of during those painful days where she laid unmoving was the worse-case scenarios. What if she wouldn't wake up? What if he never saw her again? What if he was the reason Hank lost another child?
Nothing registered to him as he was in his own state of depression, not being able to be with the person he cared for the most because of his own doing was something that could drive an android mad. It was a terrifying feeling and it was his own form of a living nightmare.
He couldn't find the right words to say, the regret he felt was immeasurable and he had no way to express how much shame, fear, and anguish he felt for doing what he had done. He didn't even know if she would forgive him. If she did- what about Hank? He would certainly stay furious with him for almost taking his daughter's life.
"Hey... You're doing that thing you do when you think too much."
Connor was afraid to look at her, he was afraid that she could just be a figment of his imagination. Could androids even imagine things to such an extent? He didn't want to know, he didn't know if he would be able to take it. He had been so close to self-destructing a few times that if this wasn't real he might actually pull through with it.
Feeling something soft land on his now clenched fists, something he didn't even realize he had done, he finally sets his eyes on the person beside him. His eyes traveled from her hands, slowly up to her arms and finally her face.
She looked different from when he last saw her and an image of her laying in a hospital bed hooked up to many kinds of devices to ensure her survival flashed into his mind. He felt himself shiver out of fear and his hands clenched at the image but when he felt the small pressure of her touch on his, everything toned down.
When their eyes met, Y/n saw the wall Connor had put up dissipates and his eyes almost teared up. She could feel her own emotions overwhelm her but this wasn't about her, it was about Connor and she needed him to know that everything was alright and it's going to be better from here on out.
Yet again, Connor was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell her everything that he felt but he didn't overwhelm her with it all, he knew she would understand him and even be patient with him but he couldn't bring himself to knowing that it'll only make her feel burdened.
Still, he had spent enough time with her to know that being open and honest with her was the best and if anyone could help him understand and help him know how to get rid of the pain he felt it was none other than Y/n.
"Are you ready to tell me how you feel?" she asked and he nodded.
He was feeling nervous to finally say what had been troubling him and he didn't know where to start but just like the many times he had conversed with her, he would just say whatever he felt like saying.
"All this time... I had been terrified because of what happened. I couldn't stop thinking about how it was all my fault and that if only I had listened to you then things wouldn't turn out the way they did.
"You wouldn't have gotten hurt, you wouldn't have gotten into a coma, Hank wouldn't have been so devastated.... If I only made the right choice then things would be much better than they are now.
"I regret everything... I feel so much pain that I don't know what to do. I feel so much sadness that you had experienced pain because of me and anger because I was stupid. I should have known and yet I didn't. It almost cost me the life of the person I care about the most.
"I feel scared because Amanda might still have control over me because she did even when I deviated. I'm terrified because she might use me to hurt and this time I'll permanently lose you and again it'll be because of me!"
"Connor, I know you're upset-"
"Upset doesn't even begin to cover it!"
His tone suddenly intensified as he spoke. Strong emotions along with the distress they caused him radiated from his form as he abruptly stood up and stepped off the bench. Y/n flinched at the tone of his voice, her eyes widening slightly, but she stayed silent as he walked forward and started pacing.
Y/n could see how distraught Connor was and seeing his emotions physically show themselves made Y/n wonder how much pain and suffering he had been through because of the guilt he felt. She felt the need to grab him and shake him so that he'd get his bearings back but she waited for him to stop pacing so that she could calm him down.
When he did stop pacing, she stood up from the bench and stepped down from it. She walked towards his now still form and slowly placed a hand on his back. He stiffened at her touch and she let him take a moment to adjust to the physical contact. Seeing that he was finally calm she walked in front of him.
"Connor, look at me." she spoke softly and although he was hesitant he did. "I know it was hard to be in that situation but first, you have to know that I would never blame you for what happened."
"Why wouldn't you? All I've done has harmed you. I thought I was making the right choice but it wasn't. I thought that if I accomplished my mission I could stay with you... instead, you got hurt and it was all my fault."
"You made a choice, you thought you were making the right choice. I could never blame you for doing something that you thought was right."
"But I hurt you..."
"Connor, you were thinking of the best thing you could do to stay with me. You were thinking of me, yes you made a choice that didn't turn out the way you thought it would but that's what being your own person is about. You make choices and you learn from them."
"I don't want to learn from mistakes that could potentially take you away." he answered bitterly and looked away.
Y/n could see just how much Connor loathed himself for his past actions and she felt her heart ache for him. She wanted to take his pain away but she knew that Connor needed time to heal and process his self-loathing.
All she can do now is to show him that she was okay and that it was alright to feel those emotions so long as it doesn't become destructive.
Heaven knows how much pain her father went through because of his personal contempt, and she saw just how bad it could get. She doesn't want that for Connor, not when she was right in front of him.
Taking a leap of faith, Y/n slowly places her hand on one of Connor's and she squeezed it. When she got his attention she slowly lifts his hand and seeing that he didn't resist, she continued to raise his hand and places it on her cheek.
She closes her eyes and relishes in the feeling of his hand on her cheek and she felt a twitch from his fingers. His hand felt very real but she knew that under that synthetic skin was his real one, still, she liked the feeling, and when she felt his hand relax she finally opened her eyes.
His eyes were wide and they only stared at her in wonder, his lips were pressed into a thin line and she saw the worry flicker in his expression. She softly smiled at him to show that it was alright and he could see him relax.
"Connor, I'm right here. Nobody is going to take me away. I told you once and I'll tell you again. I won't just leave you, not after everything we've been through."
"I'm scared... I'm scared of hurting you again. I can't let that happen... Y/n... I care about you, I feel for you. I'm worried, scared, anxious, about you getting hurt, and if it were because of me I... I don't want that."
Connor's eyes softened as he looked at Y/n and his thumb brushed softly across her cheek. She could see the affection he had for her and couldn't help how her heart quickened in its pace. Nevertheless, she smiled at him and pressed her lips on his palm.
His eyes widened at the action and at how much her heartbeat quickened, he felt warmth spread throughout his body and the way Y/n looked at him made countless emotions course through him; the loving gaze she had that was directed to only him made his own heart quicken as well.
Y/N
LOVER
"I feel the same way, Connor. I feel things for you too and it hurts me to see you in this kind of pain. I care about you very much and the last thing I want is for you to go down the same path my dad did."
"I don't deserve your affection... I'm not worthy of it. I'm not worthy of your forgiveness either..."
She took his hand and intertwined their fingers, she looked him straight in the eyes and Connor felt a surge of comfort wash through him as she did. Y/n smiled warmly at him as she held his hand, and he felt more at peace.
"Connor, I've already forgiven you. I would never hold this against you and I know it might take some time, but you have to learn how to forgive yourself too. It doesn't matter how long it takes, know that I'll be here for you no matter what and I'll always stay by your side."
After a moment, Connor saw Y/n's eyes widen ever so slightly as he felt something fall from his eyes. Only then did he realize that what fell from his eyes were tears and, for the first time since he was made, did he truly feel vulnerable.
In all of his existence, Connor had never felt such a surge of emotions, especially all those he experienced those past few days. And never had he thought that there would come a time in his like where he would be so overwhelmed with said emotions, that tears would start flowing from his eyes.
As he stared at Y/n with furrowed eyebrows, he watched her expression turn into one of worry then shift into a soft, and understanding smile. He felt her place her other hand gently on his face and begins to wipe his tears away.
Y/n was right.
It would definitely take time for him to forgive himself for what he had done.
The guilt of not only hurting the woman he cared for but also for trying to stop his people from getting their freedom would surely torment him for a long time. But knowing that Y/n had forgiven him, cares for him, and was with him- willing to help and guide him was something he took comfort in.
He knew it would take time for him to heal and although accepting this wasn't much, it's a start.
xX0Xx
Thank you to everyone who read this story and for sticking around! To all the people who commented, you guys made my day so much and knowing that you all liked it so much! I'm so happy that you all read this even though the game has been 2 years old and I love the support!!
I'd like to thank miss_nemo or helping me with the Machine parts and for adding that special kick of action to the book! I wouldn't have ever written something as cool as all of that if it weren't for her.
Here ends the Detroit: Change experience. Thank you all for reading and hopefully see you in the next ones!
[Change (A Connor x Reader story based on Detroit: Become Human)]
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen (Machine)
xX0Xx
"That's exactly why you need to be in the emergency room, right now." Connor said, taking a step back. He fiddled with his tie until the knot came undone, before handing it to her.
She looked down at her hand, her nose still dripping, before looking back up at him.
"What's this for?"
"It's to stop your bleeding nose."
"Oh. Right." she said simply before complying, placing the cloth under her nose.
In front of her, Connor's eyes twitched and his LED glowed yellow for a moment before returning to its signature blue.
"I informed Hank, he'll be meeting up with us at the hospital and I've found your car through your phone's GPS system. Let's go." he said, beginning to walk over to the roof deck's entrance before noticing Y/n's fallen gun and picking it up then pocketing it.
Taking a few more steps, he went to open the door before realizing that Y/n didn't move. She stood still, swaying slightly with her hand still holding the beanie up to her nose.
"Y/n, did you hear what I said?"
"Hm?"
"Are you able to walk on your own?"
"I... Can you repeat what you said?" she asked, her eyebrows forming into a scrunched position as her head tilted to the side.
Taking initiative, Connor walked back towards her then kneeled down in front of her, his back towards her. "Come on, I'll carry you."
"Why?"
"Because your concussion is causing you to become disoriented, meaning the quicker we get you to an ER, the less you have to worry about permanent brain damage."
Connor didn't hear any indication of movement from the woman behind him, but when he was about to glance back to check her, she stepped into his looped arms, and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, adjusting for a moment to place the tie back to her nose.
Walking while carrying Y/n on his back didn't pose a challenge at all. Although it was expected, it still surprised Connor how trusting she was of him despite all the events that occurred that, and the previous evening.
Reaching the ground floor, he carefully opened the same emergency exit door both he and Y/n had entered a few minutes earlier.
Scanning the perimeter for any military personnel, Connor took note of the small group of soldiers nearby before walking out of the building and heading the opposite direction.
The snow crunched under him as he walked through the desolate streets, the sensations of electricity crawling up his limbs mimicked the feeling of frostbite. But that didn't matter.
It had been strange, to say the least. He originally just wanted to talk to Y/n in hopes of resolving whatever conflict or misunderstanding they had when they last saw each other in Jericho, and he had been expecting her to be upset with him, but ending up having to fight her was something unprecedented.
Having to hold her like this made him feel foolish to think that he had felt betrayed when she had been right the entire time. In his desire to keep being with her, he had chosen the path that would have permanently separated them.
Had it not been for Y/n's conviction to stop him and help his people, he would have already committed a terrible and irreversible mistake.
He was sure that, because of what had happened, she would be more hesitant around him and would be on her guard even though she was injured, but seeing her lean on him like this and entrust her safety to him, who had been the cause of her current state, was something mind-boggling.
The amount of trust she had for him, the faith she had in him, was something he knew would take time to understand.
He couldn't comprehend why someone like Y/n would still be willing to reach out to him after all that he's done, but he was grateful that she was patient with him. He was thankful that she still chose to help him understand that he was wrong instead of just giving up on him.
"...Y/n?.." he said quietly, noticing that her head was leaning on his shoulder completely, and it was beginning to slide off as he moved.
Stopping himself, he leaned a little more forward to lessen the chances of moving her neck any more than it already has, before glancing around to the buildings around them, scanning their locks.
Fortunately, he was able to access the entrance lock to the building closest to them.
Making sure to not leave too visible tracks, Connor cautiously made his way to the entrance, being careful as he opened then closed the glass door before analyzing the interior layout of the building's lobby. He saw that the front desk was the closest and most accessible place to place Y/n, so he slowly walked over to it.
Kneeling down behind it, he set Y/n down making sure to not move her too suddenly.
Turning around, Connor took a moment to assess her state again.
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION
He pursed his lips before looking down at her eyes.
She was staring right at him with wide eyes. He thought that she was about to say something with her parting lips, but then she just blew air in his face before grinning dazedly. He raised his eyebrows at her in amusement, shaking his head and moving to hold her hand.
Slowly, his eyebrows began knitting themselves together as the corners of his lips fell low enough to form a worried frown.
"Y/n, stay here, alright?"
"Hm?"
Connor let go of her hand then patted her leg before getting off his knees to stand. His optical units detected a lack of movement on the outside of the building, so he didn't see a reason to worry too much about his idea.
Walking over to the glass door entrance, he double-checked for the patrol soldiers. And with the promising sight of the empty street, he slowly opened the door and cautiously stepped out.
He had anticipated the pairs of hands that shot towards his shoulders, ducking then rolling forward and then turning to see the patrol. But he didn't anticipate seeing a familiar face.
Before he could move any more, Captain Allen had shot a warning bullet near Connor's auditory sensors, preventing him from moving any faster. Slowly, he raised his hands and stood up straight. The Captain's expression displayed his recognition immediately. Stepping forward, the Captain lowered his aim before speaking.
"I know you... you're Connor, the android from that hostage situation. I knew we'd meet again." he said calmly, his eyes not so subtly looking at the suspicious attire Connor was dressed in.
"My orders are to detain any androids I find. You're coming with me."
The Captain gestured for his comrades to escort it, beginning to turn around, but Connor spoke up.
"You don't understand!" he said, prompting Captain Allen to turn to face him again. "I have to bring someone- Y/n Anderson to the ER."
The name brought a look of recognition to the Captain's face. But, at the same time, this prompted the man to bring up his handgun again.
"How do you know Y/n Anderson?"
"She's my partner in the DPD... she has severe injuries, and if I don't get her to the hospital soon, she might-"
"Move along, Connor!" the Captain said, his tone adamant, and his team beginning to circle the android.
It stopped spouting whatever it was talking about, and instead surveyed the soldiers around itself, before beginning to walk where they escorted him.
Not lowering his guard, the Captain made sure that Connor and the patrol team were far enough before turning around to look at the building the android had come out of.
There was no indication of any suspicious activity, the only thing that gave Connor's location away being the tracks it made not being very well hidden.
Glancing back to his team, he caught the subtle hint that the android had been glancing back as well.
Scrunching his eyebrows slightly, he let his suspicions get to him and pondered the possibility of Y/n actually being inside, severely injured. Could it be possible that it actually wasn't lying, despite the tracks only indicating that only an individual had entered?
Adjusting his aim, he walked towards the door then entered the building.
Inside was dark. Obviously, since all of the buildings in the area had received instructions to evacuate all of their employees. Looking down to the floor, he took out then turned on his flashlight. A trail of shop prints- Connor's shoe prints, leading to the building's front desk.
With full caution, he walked over to it. But, the sound of nearby gunshots caught his attention, preventing him from investigating any further.
Dashing out of the building, he stepped out to see his patrol team laying in the middle of the street, scattered and unmoving. Connor was nowhere in sight.
Keeping his gun raised, he made his way over to his team with his eyes sweeping over all of his surroundings.
Once he reached his soldiers, he only bent down briefly to check if each of them were unconscious or dead, being sure to look around vigilantly every time beforehand.
None of them were dead. Two had sustained non-lethal gunshot wounds, while the other was unconscious. Standing upright again, he kept his gun up as he began to search around while calling for backup.
A soft beeping sound came from one of the abandoned parked cars behind him, prompting him to turn around abruptly. Keeping his footsteps silent, he stalked over to the car before walking over to check its other side.
A smartwatch.
But before he could fully realize what was happening, he turned to the sound of pounding footsteps towards him before being tackled to the ground, landing on his back and the grip on his firearm coming loose, causing it to clatter across the snowy asphalt.
Pushing himself up, Captain Allen stood up and stepped away just as Connor did the same. From behind him, he unsheathed his combat knife as the android went to throw a punch.
Blocking its first punch that came from the side, Captain Allen deflected the next before attempting to slice at Connor's shoulder. It held up its hand to block him from doing so, before shoving the man back.
Stumbling slightly, Captain Allen steadied himself before throwing hits closer to the android's eyes, his knife coming close to hitting one but Connor stepped to the side suddenly, moving to the other side of the Captain's wrist while turning and hitting the man, then punching the back of his head.
Feeling the impact from behind his head, the Captain felt unsteady but didn't stop. Twisting his body slightly, he attempted to stab Connor in the side, but the android just stepped back.
Bringing up his knife, he attempted to skewer the android's eye then stomach, but it blocked him both times with one hand. Then when he went to plunge it into Connor's shoulder, it grabbed his arm before forcing it away.
With nothing blocking him, Captain Allen used his other hand and punched the android's shoulder in front of him, causing it to let go of his hand and stand back.
Taking a step forward, the Captain threw a wide punch, prompting Connor to duck. Then when he repeated the action, Connor took another step back to dodge before throwing his fist to hit the man square on the jaw.
Forcing himself to become stable after abruptly having to twist his entire body, the Captain didn't have the ability to lessen the blow Connor sent him on the back with a kick. He fell forward, groaning, and extremely disoriented.
From above him, Connor analyzed the statistics of the Captain not passing out from getting hit with the large amount of force he used in his kick. But fortunately, the man allowed himself to fall unconscious, allowing Connor to have a sense of relief.
Looking up from the Captain's body, he analyzed the intersection ahead of him.
Connor's auditory sensors processed the sounds of rapid gunfire before silence filled the streets once again. He had noted the noise of a battle while he fought, but with his focus on making sure the Captain didn't deactivate him, he hadn't had it in mind to check what it was about.
Moving to head back and retrieve Y/n, Connor suddenly felt his consciousness being pulled back-- losing control over his body and no longer feeling the static coldness around him, only to suddenly find himself in a snowstorm.
The scenery was familiar to him, but the weather was far from how it last was, making around him everything feel alien.
Feeling frost beginning to crawl up into the sleeves of his jacket and bite his skin, he wrapped his arms around himself as he looked around in panic for the only program that could summon him to the Zen Garden.
He saw her, but she was turned away from him. Taking a few steps forward, he felt how stiff and cold his body had become, but still forced himself to speak up.
"Amanda? Amanda!..." he called out, prompting her to face him. "What... What's happening?"
"What was planned from the very beginning..."
After listening to Amanda, Connor felt fear and anxiety beginning to prickle through his wiring alongside the bitter cold. As he searched for a solution, a familiar voice echoed through his mind.
"By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... -make sure you keep her."
On the outside, Y/n couldn't say that she was feeling better, but being able to stand despite the fact that her head felt like the inside of an active dryer probably counted as better.
As she moved, everything around her seemed fuzzy. The air around her bit at her exposed face and she felt like bile was stuck in her throat, waiting to be dispelled every moment she moved too suddenly.
The sounds of sad singing echoed through the streets, coming from who knows where. It all felt like she was lucid dreaming, as opposed to leaning on a car in real life, on a night that would likely be written in history books, too nauseous to move.
But, despite that, she had to check on Connor.
She was aware that he had asked her to stay put before getting her watch, but she would have been caught by whoever ordered for him to be taken away. So, she was right for following her instincts.
A piercing beeping sound cut through the somber voices, causing Y/n to let go of the car she was leaning on, and place her hands over her ears. But after a moment, she slowly uncovered her ears and forced herself to look to the ground and focus.
It was her smartwatch.
Cautiously, she forced her feet forward, then bent down to retrieve the device with her eyes squeezed shut to prevent herself from feeling any more nauseous than she already was.
Making herself stand properly again, she held the device closer to view the text written on its small screen. She winced when she noticed how unnaturally bright it was, but her eyes adjusted to it.
Hank wants access to your GPS
YES or NO
She pressed the "yes" button before pocketing the gadget and moving forward.
Still stumbling along, she, fortunately, found Connor not too far from where she was.
He was in the middle of two intersecting roads, holding up a gun with both of his hands, unmoving.
"...Connor?.." she said, slurred, calling out while moving towards him.
He didn't respond.
When she reached his side, she brought up a hand and waved it over his face. He didn't so much as blink, let alone say anything. Knitting her eyebrows together, Y/n moved to his other side while poking him. He still didn't move.
She looked at the side of his face and saw that his LED was rapidly blinking red.
Her eyes traveled from his temple to his eyes, then to the gun. Well, more like where he aimed the gun. And even though she couldn't see clearly, she realized that it was where the singing was coming from.
Where the deviants probably were.
"Connor, snap out of it." she said, slurred. She attempted to slap the gun out of his hands, but in her dazed weakened state, and the fact that he definitely wasn't going to budge any time soon, it was useless.
Looking around, she tried to think of a solution.
Only one idea came to her mind, and she couldn't help but be a little more than hesitant as she dragged her feet to stand in front of Connor. Using her head as a barrier to hopefully deter him from doing another thing he'd regret.
"Connor? Can you hear me?" she asked, the slur from her concussion almost unnoticeable. Maybe it was the fear of her possible death overcoming her senses, but she wasn't really sure.
To make it worse, a pair of headlights came into view from above his shoulder. The car's shape was familiar enough, but she could only hope that it wasn't who she thought it was, despite the slight glimmer of hope and growing weight of dread.
And her hopes and dreads were confirmed when the car stopped just behind Connor, making Y/n squint her eyes due to her sudden sensitivity of bright lights.
A wide silhouette stepped out of the driver's side seat, slamming the door shut.
"Connor, what the f**k are you doing?" Hank asked as he stomped up to the two of them. He looked to her face, and his eyes visibly widened before he stepped back and drew out his gun. "Y/n, what did this prick do to you!?"
"Dad, stop! I think there's something wrong-"
"Hell yeah, there's something wrong! Your face looks like it's auditioning for the next horror movie, Connor's pointing a gun to your fucking face, and you're just standing there telling me not to shoot this bastard?"
"Yes!"
"Why the f**k not!?"
"Because he's clearly not in the right mind!"
"Not in his right mind, huh?" he said sarcastically, looking at his daughter whose face was half covered in blood and half looking at him with wide eyes. Her whole body leaned forward, and as she held up her hands to tell him to stop, her arms wavered.
Y/n didn't see her father make any significant movements, other than jerkily looking back and forth from her and Connor.
Then a clicking of a gun's safety sounded.
"Dad!.."
The man didn't respond, but just as she thought he was about to shoot, Connor suddenly lowered his aim, looking to the gun for a moment before tossing it to another part of the street. He didn't raise his gaze, however.
"... Connor? Is that you?.."
He nodded, still looking down, with her dad's gun still pointed to his temple. She could feel her lungs getting smaller, her breaths becoming smaller as her father's aim trembled before being brought down. The air around her felt thicker, yet stabbed needles on her skin and in her throat as she inhaled.
Then her father slowly pocketed his gun and turned to her, his hands automatically going to one of her arms and to place itself behind her back.
"Come on, let's go." he said as he began guiding her forward.
She grunted when she tried to move her feet, feeling like her joints had turned into jelly, and another step forward would cause her to fall.
Her dad sighed, then looked to Connor. He seemed to contemplate whatever he planned to say, opening his mouth and closing it, before groaning and dropping his head.
"Connor, a little help here?"
She didn't stay awake for much longer after that. She could recall sitting in her dad's car, beside Connor who was making sure that she didn't injure herself any further while her dad drove.
Then, she remembered falling in and out of consciousness when they finally reached the hospital with Connor nowhere in sight. Her dad was talking to a nurse, and she knew that she was lying in a cot.
The white walls, blinding fluorescent lights, and unwelcoming smell of antiseptic.
It was all so familiar to her, and it tugged at her stomach knowing that she was now the one in the hospital bed.
The room was warmer compared to the November temperatures she felt outside, but she was still cold. Her hands felt stiff, but she could move them. A lump formed in her throat as she realized how big an individual hospital room was, especially with no one accompanying her in it.
-------
Connor stared at the glowing Hospital entrance, longing to enter. Y/n was in there, and he couldn't enter because he was obviously an android.
Taking his gaze away from the building, he glanced around from inside Hank's car for other possible entrances all while accessing the medical center's blueprints and layout.
It was almost unbelievably convenient, but he had learned that the Hospital had a back entrance that functioned as a truck doc for supply deliveries and waste disposal. As well as an android storage and maintenance area.
Glancing down at his attire, he sighed. Shrugging off his jacket, he recalled what he had in his front pocket, neatly folded up as to not be so noticeable. Taking it out, he unfolded it and stared at it for a moment.
It was Y/n's beanie...
A sense of warmth flowed from his chest, outwards.
Placing it on, he checked the rearview mirror and adjusted it enough to cover his LED, taking notice of the damaged areas on his face. Then, anchoring himself forward, he opened the glove compartment and grabbed Hank's extra keys he figured would be there.
Not wasting another moment, he stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the car's trunk to check if Hank had any spare clothes in it. While he did so, he allowed his mind to predetermine all the different possible outcomes that could happen.
He felt a spark of energy as he walked towards the entrance.
With his damaged appearance sorted out, all he had to do was act calm and civil enough to persuade the lobby personnel that he was who he claimed to be. Taking in a deep breath of the frosty air, he walked over to the entrance, disabling the automatic alarm that was supposed to contact the DPD as he walked through the sliding door.
Inside, he walked straight to the front desk, shuffling his hands slightly while subtly looking left and right. The nurse was a frazzled young woman with messy blonde hair tied to a bun, she shuffled around piles of digital files while a news podcast played on low audio, not bothering to fully turn around even when he cleared his throat.
"Mm, what is it?"
"I'm here to see a patient who was just admitted here a few hours ago, uh, Y/n Anderson?"
"Alright, wait for a second..." she responded, dropping whatever she had in her hands to jump on the wheeled computer chair and begin typing on the terminal closer to him.
"What's your relation to the patient?"
"She's my wife." he said with a small smile. She looked at his eyes, her drooped and slightly frowned expression not changing before slowly scanning his appearance and typing something into the terminal. He shifted awkwardly before she spoke again.
"Your name?"
"Connor Anderson."
The woman typed a little more in the terminal before finally looking up to him and pointing to the corner of her lip. That prompted him to scrunch his eyebrows, and her to roll her eyes as she stood.
"She's on floor 17, room 76. Get rid of that on your mouth if you don't want to be escorted out by security." she said, not asking any more questions as she turned away from him to continue working.
He opened his mouth to ask whether or not she was doing her job properly but then decided against it before making his way to the given floor and room as he brushed his thumb on the corner of his lip.
Thirium.
The nurse helped him without even a blink of hesitance.
That gave him something to think about as he moved, but the thought about what'd happen when he'd see Y/n again, this time without the chance of her getting hurt present in the situation came back on his mind.
It had been so unexpected- being called back into the Zen Garden, despite choosing to be a deviant. He was honestly afraid that it could happen again, seeing as he has no control over Cyberlife's programs embedded within his coding. And, there was Y/n's reaction.
He knew that she was patient, but he was aware that patience only lasted for so long, and was getting ready to accept if she no longer wanted to see his face after how many times he'd hurt her.
A tense feeling settled in his hands. He massaged them as he stepped off the elevator.
What if she really were to reject him? Tell him that he was too much of a burden for her to handle, especially since she was just beginning to reconnect with her father. And Hank.
Hank was a whole different situation, entirely. He and the man were on considerably friendly terms, but that was before he had pummeled his daughter twice, and before he pointed a gun at her head. Logically, he determined that the best-case scenario would be one where the two Andersons didn't vow to try to kill him every day onward.
Finally standing in front of room 76, he dropped his hands and double-checked the name by the door.
Anderson, Y/n
He peeked through the door's narrow window and saw the curtains around the bed partially drawn, only allowing him to see the form of her feet underneath a hospital blanket.
Taking a step back, he allowed himself a few moments to process the possible harsh words he'd have to endure, then reprocess, before stepping inside the room.
"...Connor?.."
The voice had him accidentally shutting the door louder than he'd intended. Although, he managed to keep control of his expression.
He took slow steps towards the drawn curtains, feeling a strong urge to just turn and walk away as he pushed them aside to see her. And despite having seen her only a couple of hours earlier, she looked far different from the woman he'd fought on the rooftop.
Her eyes were droopy like she was fighting the desire to sleep. Her body was stiff, resembling one of a ragdoll's with lazily sprawled arms and legs, one of her wrists not under the blanket because it was hooked to an IV pack. She was also connected to a ventilator, as well as a monitor that beeps despite the thick silence.
"Y/n," he said, managing to have an even tone. "I... What's your condition?"
She was looking somewhere to her side, before shifting her gaze to him standing by her feet and speaking softly. "Not critical, luckily... How about you?"
Opening his mouth, he was about to respond with one of his prepared phrases. But the tired and slightly expectant look in her eyes prompted him to shut his mouth, breaking their eye contact, and take the moment to actually respond properly.
"Worried. I've been- I am. I'm worried. About you." he said, his eyebrows knitting together before meeting her eyes again. This time, a small smile was graced upon her features.
"Thank you."
She smiled at him and a burst of warmth filled his chest from how she looked at him. But, he could also feel his insides twisting. How could she still look at him like that, after everything he's done-
"You made it inside. Figures." a familiar voice said, accompanied by a scoff.
Hank walked into the room, towards the corner with a side table and sofa, placing down his steaming cup of instant noodles before he turned to Connor with an unreadable expression. Then smacked him upside the head.
"Dad!"
"So I'm giving you five seconds to talk or I'll just hit you in the head again."
"You can do-" he began to say, but then caught Y/n's gaze. "...I'd like the chance to explain myself."
And, he did. Hank opted to sit on the sofa mid-way through his explanation as sun rays began to seep through the room's blinds. When he began describing who Amanda was and what her role was in his programming, he also sat when the older man patted on the seat beside him.
Connor spoke of his original orders, and the possible consequences that could've happened had he deviated earlier while shooting a glance to Y/n and leaving out what he said in Jericho. He also spoke of how he deviated up on the rooftop, how he thought it wasn't even an option anymore.
Then he attempted to explain why he had his gun pointed to Y/n's forehead...
"You're telling me that this Amanda program... who's basically CyberLife... tried to make you kill Markus... but then Y/n stood in your way."
"Yes."
Hank looked at Connor, then to Y/n, then back to Connor, all the while nodding with a mock frowning expression. When he stopped nodding, his face was unreadable again, but, it was one Connor was more attuned to.
The older man gestured for Connor to lean in closer as his eyebrow twitched. Connor, wanting to get their conversation over already, leaned his head closer to the Lieutenant.
Then, Hank did the strangest thing.
He knocked on the top of Connor's head while saying, "I hope you uninstall yourself! Connor's got us now, so it's best you get out now than later."
Both Y/n and Connor looked to the older man with raised eyebrows and bewildered expressions. He just shrugged it off before grabbing his now cooled down cup noodles and standing.
"I'll go home for a bit. Grab some of your stuff, and maybe a blanket and pillow." he said, looking to Y/n before taking a forkful of noodles and placing it in his mouth.
Connor and Y/n shared another confused look, with Y/n shrugging her shoulders while an eased and mildly amused expression settled on her face. Connor, on the other hand, continued to stay boggled with how both Andersons seemed to push aside what he'd done so easily.
"Ah, and Connor..." Hank said, right has his hand reached to open the door, before jerking his head towards his daughter. "Keep that kid company."
"Thanks, Dad! Stay home for a nap before coming back." she responded in a false sarcastic tone with a wide smile on her face.
With Hank out of the room, Connor's hesitance lessened. But, that didn't mean that he would outwardly take Y/n and Hank's acceptance of him again for granted.
A waving hand caught his attention.
Y/n patted to the spot beside her, prompting him to get up from the sofa and move to the little space on her bed. But, he kept his face turned to the ground.
As he settled on the mattress, he started twiddling with his hands, knitting his fingers over each other while moving his thumbs. The air around him felt unnaturally sharp, like how it'd been when they talked on the rooftop hours earlier.
The beeping of the monitor provided some noise in the silence, but it only accentuated the uncomfortable feeling Connor had while under Y/n's gaze.
Then he felt a light tug on his forearm.
Forcing his eyes to look back to hers, he noted the sparkle in them despite her still worn-out appearance. Her smile hadn't completely faded, but instead of a wide one, it became closed and more subtle.
That same warmth he felt in his chest from earlier sent electrical currents up and down his spine, making him straighten his posture.
She grinned then moved her gaze to the shirt he was wearing. "It looks good on you."
He followed her gaze, looking down at the, slightly oversized, grey hoodie with "DETROIT POLICE ACADEMY" printed on it. Clearly, it was quite an old article of clothing that had been placed in Hank's car trunk as an extra outfit change. So he couldn't help but look back to her in confusion.
When she met his eyes again, hers became filled with mirth as her smile tightened like she was suppressing laughter.
"What do you mean?.."
She let out a breathy chuckle before stretching out her hand. His confused expression only deepened, but then she gestured for him to lower his head. He did so, still bewildered, until her hand patted the top of his head.
"You're cute."
After a moment of her patting his head, when she went to lower her hand, he carefully held her wrist then placed her palm on the side of his face. With closed eyes, he relished her warmth and felt himself melt to her touch especially when she brushed her thumb across his cheek.
Then a bitter feeling swirled in his stomach, bringing him back to his senses.
He moved her hand away from his face before laying it down to her side but not letting it go, a slight frown forming on his face as he remembered why he felt so nervous about seeing her again in the first place.
"Something on your mind?" she asked and he was grateful that she was always mindful of him.
He stared at her and tried to collect his thoughts, how was he supposed to start telling her everything when all that he wanted to say was something he wasn't sure how to express? He had zero bases on what way he could start but he wanted to apologize first.
"Y/n, I take responsibility for my actions these past few days... I want you to know I'm sorry." he said, avoiding her gaze again. "I was worried about you...and I wanted to make sure you were alright..."
"I'm doing fine... How about you? How are you feeling?"
"I'm... feeling many things...." he answered honestly and squeezed her hand. "The most I feel is worry and fear. I'm worried about you and I'm scared that something bad will happen to you..."
Connor looked away in regret but when he felt Y/n's clasp on his hand tightened, he looked back at her and he saw her smile at him in understanding. He couldn't comprehend how Y/n would still be smiling at him like then when she's in a hospital bed and he was the reason why.
"I'll be fine, didn't I say that I wasn't in critical condition?" she spoke in a consoling manner and he felt somewhat at ease, but it wasn't enough.
"You wouldn't have been here if it weren't for me... If I had just deviated earlier none of this would have happened... I could have helped with the revolution and possibly done something better but now... I don't think they'd even accept me."
"Hey... You were only doing what they told you to..."
"Yes but you said it yourself, I could have just ignored it and didn't do what they ordered me to..."
Y/n could clearly see that Connor was being hard on himself, she fully understood why he would feel such regret but she wasn't going to let him wallow in such negative emotions. He regretted his action and she would make him realize that he could take this as a step to betterment.
"Connor, you can't keep-" she tried to speak but a sudden pain made its way to her head.
Connor saw Y/n flinch and he heard her hiss in pain, he immediately stood up and looked at her in worry. She noticed his panicked stance and calmly raised a hand up while the other pressed on her temple.
Just as she felt the pain beginning to subside, a nurse walks in carrying a chart and notices her discomfort.
"What's wrong? What are you feeling?" the nurse asked and Y/n smiled politely.
"Nothing, just some mild pain..."
"Let's still get you checked okay?" the nurse gently smiled and Connor took a step back to let the nurse do their job.
Y/n kept her eyes on Connor who just stood by the wall with his arms crossed, his face showed worry and although he was facing her direction, he wouldn't look her in the eye and just observed the nurse and listened to what they said.
"It looks like everything is okay, small pains are common but nothing to be worried about." the nurse smiled. "I suggest getting some rest, sleeping is allowed but you've got to be woken up every two hours."
"Alright, I'll try resting. Thanks."
The nurse left after checking a few more things and after that, Connor walked over to the bed and adjusted the bed so that Y/n would be in a better sleeping position. She smiled at him in thanks but she still wanted to talk.
"Connor-"
"You have to rest." he cut her off and seeing his worried frown stopped her from arguing otherwise.
"Okay but..." she reached over to his hand and squeezed it. "You shouldn't keep blaming yourself, everything's going to be okay now."
He felt his heart swell with emotions as he saw her smile at him and he was starting to feel the relief her words brought. Connor was starting to feel slightly better and when Y/n says that it's all going to be okay then he would believe it.
Closing her eyes, Y/n felt herself falling into unconsciousness and took comfort knowing that Connor sat beside her, holding her hand.
Internally, Connor set an alarm for two hours.
He analyzed her expression, how her face grew more and more peaceful until she had reached a deep sleep. He watched as her breathing evened out, and how her grip on his hand grew slack.
With silence falling over the room like a blanket, the beeping monitor as an exception, his thoughts whirred around his mind rapidly.
Y/n was right. Not that she was ever wrong, even if he tried to convince himself otherwise, but he understood what she was trying to tell him. Not to blame himself.
Whether or not he had chosen to become a deviant earlier, he still would've been taken over by Amanda. And, maybe he would have been closer to Markus, making the probability of Amanda sabotaging their cause higher. So, maybe there was a positive aspect to him not joining the revolution.
Still, had he joined earlier, Y/n wouldn't have been hospitalized... Then again, what is to say that she would not have been hospitalized or worse, had she joined in rallying with the deviants earlier that night.
But that didn't mean he could justify his actions. No matter how many "ifs" he had in mind, what he did was a mistake. A mistake that could have permanent damage...
Pursing his lips, he felt a sense of bitterness and guilt claw at his chest.
She was still there for him. Every single fall he had, she was there to catch and comfort him. Really, it didn't make any sense. Her being kind, compassionate, patient... Her whole life had crumbled in front of her all those years ago, but it seemed like she never stopped stretching out her hand to help others.
But why him? The more he thought about it, the more he seemed like a stranger to her. She barely knew him, unlike her father. He wasn't very significant, compared to Markus. And, it wasn't her job to protect him, unlike all those other people she had handled before.
So why?..
Then something he had said to her, all those days ago, suddenly felt so relevant.
"Love... makes you feel sad when they're not there, and it makes you rethink your decisions. It makes you feel very worried when something happens to them and you find yourself wanting to protect them... to save them even at the cost of something important."
The whirring in his mind stopped.
Everything around him seemed to come back into focus, as the one word she'd asked him about seemed to explain why she would stretch herself so thin, even for someone like him.
Love.
With the silence keeping him company, Connor sat beside her. Someone he cared about, and someone who he felt cared about him too.
Time passed and it was soon time for her to be woken up. With his set alarm going off, he moved to wake Y/n from her slumber.
Patting her shoulder lightly, he whispered her name in the hopes of not waking her too suddenly. But, she didn't respond.
His eyebrows began to scrunch slightly, he shook her carefully, making sure not to move her neck too much. Same thing- no response. He noted not seeing a sign of movement throughout her entire body.
Picking up her wrist, he scanned for her vital signs and felt something in him drop to his stomach.
Signs of Severe TBI ; COMA SUSPECTED
Letting go of her wrist, he felt like all the air in the room was suddenly sucked out. The sensations of frost danced in swirls all over his body's sensors, making his brain process all sorts of instructions, but ultimately leaving him standing still. Frozen to where he stood.
The sound of beeping was the only noise that filled the room's silence... Until the sound of a door opening processed in his auditory sensors.
He didn't turn, nor did he bother trying to figure out who had walked in. The person's footsteps might as well have been static because even when they walked towards him, he ignored them. All that mattered, was Y/n.
"...-ey Connor? What's wrong with you?"
How did this happen? How had he let this happen to her? Especially under his watch...
"-id a screw in your head loosen or somthi- ?"
"...Nurse..."
"What?"
"We need the nurse!.." he said, forcing himself to turn away from her body to fetch the nurse.
Hank called after him, but he ignored his calls. The nurse came to her room right away, then went to call a doctor promptly right after entering while Connor stood outside contemplating all of the things he could've done to prevent her from falling into that state.
Hank didn't check out on him outside. But when the doctor entered the room and assumably told the Lieutenant what had happened to his daughter, he stormed out of the room like a mad man.
"What the f**k did you do to my daughter!?" the man yelled, shoving Connor to the wall.
Grabbing Connor's collar, the man lifted him up before shoving him back.
"What did you do to my daughter?.."
The older man's eyes glossed over with a glaze mixed with tears and fury as he looked to the android. He repeated the phrase over and over, his voice crackling a little more each time, until he dropped his grip on Connor's collar before turning away.
Connor felt extreme amounts of stress but knew that he had to force himself to stay calm lest he self-destructs. He turned towards Hank who was now leaning on the wall, he could see Hank's shoulders start to shake.
He had stared at the older man but didn't know what to say, this was all his doing. If he hadn't been stubborn and just listened to Y/n from the very beginning then she wouldn't have fallen into a coma and Hank wouldn't be hyperventilating like this.
The older man suddenly snapped his attention back to Connor and the anger painted on Hank's face made him scared. He had never seen Hank this angry before, even when they started working together and he disliked Connor from the very beginning.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR F**KING FAULT!!" Hank pushed Connor with as much force as he could. "If you hadn't been here then my daughter wouldn't be in a f**king coma!"
Connor didn't fall to the ground as he allowed the older man to push him and as Hank's words registered to him, he froze. He was right, if he hadn't been with Y/n, if he hadn't been so stupid as to keep following his orders thinking that it was for the best, then none of this would ever happen.
"Get the f**k out of here!" Hank yelled and it echoed throughout the hospital's walls.
"Sir, please calm down." one of the nurses tried to calm Hank down while Connor took a step back.
He takes one last look at the grieving older man and couldn't help but feel devastated for him. Hank had already lost Cole and now, the only child he had left was in a hospital bed with very little chance of waking up.
Connor walked away, feeling like an absolute wreck, and found himself aimlessly wandering. The only thing he could think about was the image of Y/n's sleeping form and the possibility that she wouldn't wake up.
The thought of her not waking up caused a sense of dread to overwhelm him and he felt himself beginning to convulse. His arm shot up to steady himself against the wall next to him.
Suddenly, the sensation of freezing air encased his entire form, his programs shutting down and his body falling into Autopilot Mode, as he felt himself getting colder and colder by the second.
Then, the feeling of soft cloth under his fingertips brought him to open his eyes. There was Y/n. And, she looked... Cold.
Her skin was paled, her hair longer and unruly on the white hospital pillow. Her parted lips looked dried, and her eyes looked like they hadn't moved in ages.
And that's how it felt.
He felt like he hadn't seen her eyes open in so long. His arms longed to stretch out to her, brush his fingers over her cheek, and hopefully feel her warm skin on his hands again. But... he couldn't.
His fists were clenched onto her blanket. The faded blue color of the fabric further accentuated the sickly tone of her skin. Almost all warmth seemed to have drained from her appearance as time had passed.
How much time had passed?
Then, he processed the sounds of Hank talking to a doctor. The man suggested placing her into a long-term hospital for patients who need constant maintenance and caretakers. Connor envisioned Hank placing his hands over his face before brushing up his hair.
Despite it being shorter in length, it was far more disheveled than it used to be when it was much longer. Without hair obstructing the view of his face, Hank revealed a pair of extreme dark circles under his eyes, as well as a red nose and splotchy cheeks.
The older man sniffled, before nodding to the doctor.
"Yes, yes. Do anything... I can't lose her, I can't lose her too."
"I know Hank... Stay strong."
The doctor nodded before turning to walk away from sight, disappearing into the seemingly never-ending Hospital hallway.
"Hank!" he called out. His friend's head slowly lifted before turning to look at him. The man's eyes looked glassy, and his face seemed vividly jarring despite being a considerable distance away. "...Hank?.."
Almost robotically, Hank stood up from his seat. His eyes never leaving Connor's form.
But, his body looked odd. One of his feet was facing the wrong direction, and his hands bent at an awkward angle.
The man took one step towards Connor, then somehow appeared so close that the android could feel the man's anger radiating.
"This is your fault." Hank said, bringing up a clenched fist and pounding the back of it once on Connor's chest. "All of it."
Then, he seemingly phased into the thin air right in front of the Android, leaving Connor with information he didn't know how to compute.
Y/n wasn't waking up, and it was... all his fault?
One moment he was looking down at the Hospital hallway's green linoleum flooring, the next he found himself looking up to the rustling leaves of a tree. The breeze was warm, and he processed the scents of grass and dirt.
Lowering his gaze, he scanned his surroundings. And, his eyes widened at the realization of what location he found himself in.
Tall buildings were far off in the distance and the entire lot was covered in mowed grass allowing for the headstones that littered the area to seem more prominent. In a twisted sense of intuition, Connor felt like he already knew why he was there.
The sound of a thud caught his attention, making him turn around to see a familiar person kneeling in front of a gravestone that was laid on a rectangular patch of dirt.
Recently upturned dirt.
That made Connor's fingers twitch and lose all sensations around him.
The feeling of the warm summer sky and the fresh smell of grass seemed to grow duller the longer he looked at what was in front of him.
"My... my little girl." the man whimpered in front of him, his hand coming up to brush his hand over the headstone with carved out cursive letters.
Connor, who didn't even have a heart, felt what was the equivalent of it dropping at the words on the headstone, and he could feel every function in his body stop. He couldn't even think straight as the words finally registered.
In loving memory of
Y/n Anderson
Respected officer
Cherished daughter and sister
"You did your best... This world was just too f**ked up to keep someone as good as you around." Hank forced himself to say to the grave before another wave of silent tears dripped down his cheeks and beard.
Then Connor watched as his friend took a gun out from his jacket pocket, he opened the cylinder and Connor could clearly see the one bullet that was ready to be fired and the older man looked at it with a sad smile on his face before placing its barrel up to his forehead, bringing his eyes to a close.
"It's okay... It's okay... Daddy's gonna be with you soon. I'm coming Y/n, Cole... I'll be there soon, we're finally going to be happy now."
Connor couldn't move. His feet were cemented to the ground he stood on, and his mouth didn't move. He had no control. He couldn't stop the death of the only woman he loved, and now he can't prevent his only other friend he has left from-
"No... wait... Hank!"
The single sound of a gun being fired echoed throughout the green field and blood splattered over the grass, saturating the dirt.
His friend no longer sat in front of him as his body slowly slumped down and rested itself on the headstone and coating it in a sickening bright red. Only the lifeless husk of a man who lost his only two children laid there and it showed that he had given up because of all the pain that followed him.
I did this.
Connor couldn't feel anything around him. Everything seemed blurred, and he felt like his programming was corrupted to the point of irreversibility. The red walls of his programming seemed to confine him and he felt a sense of claustrophobia as it got closer and closer to him.
He wanted to scream because of the pain and wished for it to disappear, to not feel it again. Or, to feel anything at all, but the aching emptiness that pulsed within his being, a void that wanted to swallow him and decent him into madness, caused him to stop functioning.
Y/n died because of me. Hank died because of me.
All of this is my fault.
Nothing in the world made sense, everything was complete chaos and it had all been because of him. Just when he had thought everything would be better, just when he had thought he was finally understanding what love was and what it meant to truly care for someone.
It had just turned much worse.
The anguish and pain made him want to end it all, and seeing as everything that he loved and cared for disappeared because of his own mistakes made him realize that it would be better if he, like Hank, just followed.
[Change (A Connor x Reader story based on Detroit: Become Human)]
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen (Machine)
xX0Xx
The following day, her orders were to help with the curfew of the city. The people of Detroit were in a state of panic and although she understood why she wanted to tell them that their fears weren't warranted since the deviants were peaceful.
Still, she did as she was told but not before the Captain reprimanded her about her and her father's actions the previous day. Although he commended her for finding Jericho, she was going to be receiving punishment for punching a federal agent.
She had no regrets though.
Y/n's entire day was spent ensuring people's safety that it had almost been relaxing, save for the people complaining about the given curfew. Still, it was nothing compared to what she had been through the previous day at Jericho.
The cycle went on and, due to needing extra manpower, she was tasked to stay late and help with making sure there weren't any people breaking the curfew. She continued to stay and work but at around 10:45 PM, Y/n got a notification from her smartwatch saying that Connor was on the move.
Since she was busy, Y/n had turned on motion alerts for Connor's tracker and she was glad that she did since she now knew that he was finally on the move.
She was nervous, to say the least. She didn't know if she'd be able to convince him that his people were of no harm and that he didn't need to push through with his mission. He would definitely be stubborn about it but if he had any sort of care of feelings towards her then she had a good shot at changing his mind.
Now that almost all of the other DPD officers have left to either go home or relocate, she was free to go to her car and follow wherever Connor was heading to. Y/n debated on whether or not she would tell her father what she was planning but she decided not to.
Y/n would rather deal with Connor herself not get other people involved.
She gets in her car and waits for him to make it halfway to Hart Plaza before starting her car and driving there.
She had been aware that the military had been setting up camps to destroy androids and, based on her extensive knowledge of Detroit's city map, the nearest one from Woodward Church was the one in Hart Plaza. It would only be logical for Markus to go there while Connor waits for his time to strike.
As Y/n drives there, her thoughts are only of Connor, and what she would do if he refused to change his mind.
-------
NOV 11, 2038
PM 10:57:04
His surroundings seemed static all around him as he let himself into the abandoned building. The sounds of his footsteps echoed through the emergency stairway he walked up, and he didn't think to double-check whether or not somebody had seen him walking into the area.
Opening the door to the roof deck, he scanned his chosen vantage point and designated the spot that'd give him the best view towards the Deviant leader.
Walking over, kneeling down then setting up the sniper he had taken gave his software instability another moment to demonstrate itself.
You don't want to do this, Connor.
He placed the firearm on the roof deck's handrail then looked through the scope. The view of the Deviant leader's head was clear and unhindered.
Think of what Y/n would say.
"Shut up..." Connor muttered to himself, his finger right at the trigger ready to shoot. But then, a familiar voice spoke out from behind him.
"You shouldn't do this, Connor."
Just on time.
Glancing back at the Detective behind him, he saw her pleading expression.
"I don't want to hurt you Y/n. This is none of your business!" he said before aligning his optical unit back to the scope.
"You're about to hurt someone who's just fighting for freedom, that is my business!"
"That's not a person, it's a machine."
"Please understand what I see- not only do I know that you're conflicted, but you are also only hurting the cause that wants to help you. You're clearly becoming deviant, and you keep rejecting it!"
"What?" he said irritably, looking back at her for a moment. "Detective, I need you to leave. I have a mission to accomplish, and I want you to stay out of this."
She only continued to look at him, silent. The determined expression never slips off her face. He just shook his head, and looked through the scope again, making sure that the deviant leader was still perfectly in sight.
"Deviants are a threat to humans, and that's a fact. They're the reason this country's on the brink of civil war! Nothing you say can change that."
"-This mess exists because we never listened to Deviants! They are alive, and so are you. So stop lying to yourself." she responded before he could complete his sentence. Then, the sound of a gun's safety turning off clicked.
"Step away from the ledge!"
He glanced over his shoulder to confirm his suspicions and had them confirmed when he saw that her pistol was perfectly angled to shoot his head.
She's not only right, but she is also ready to fight for it. Unlike you, poor Connor. Stuck between two sides...
Scoffing slightly, Connor picked up the gun as he stood and faced her. Internally, he felt the need to defend himself. Threaten her- plead for his life or something!
Speak.
"What're you gonna do, Y/n? You gonna shoot me? I thought you thought I'm alive?"
"Step away from the ledge, Connor! You know I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stop you."
After a moment of staring at each other, Connor opened his mouth again.
"I know why you keep trying to help that dead-beat dad of yours. He blames androids for the death of his son- your little brother, Cole. After the car accident, you've felt that you're unreliable and can't live with the thought that you couldn't protect him that day-"
"Cut it out! Don't you dare deflect the topic."
"Your six-year-old brother never made it. Your parents got divorced, and your dad became totally incapable of caring for himself. Just like little Cole on that operation table... But this time you could do something about it. Your little brother is dead, your father is on the brink of killing himself, and you still think that you can convince me to be on your side-"
"No! Cole died because a human surgeon was stuffing his face in powder, and my dad has been getting better ever since he almost died! All this time I blamed myself for letting everything around me fall apart, but I've learned a lot since I met you, Connor. There's something to this and I can see it. So, please... Stop."
Although her gun was still trained on him, Connor didn't make a move to defend himself. He looked at her, silently. Bending down to pick up the sniper rifle, he began trudging passed her, glaring as he made his way to find another vantage point.
"I don't need to kill you to finish my mission."
Realizing that he didn't listen and wasn't going to stop, Y/n stepped forward and shoved him hard enough that he fell to the floor.
Blinking for a moment, Connor stood up and turned to her with harsh eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?"
She took a few more steps closer, then matched his gaze.
"Stopping you."
Then a fist came near Connor's face, but he held up his hand to stop her.
"You tried that earlier and failed. Don't bother trying again."
"Not a chance."
Before he could react, her unseen gun fired at his torso.
Grabbing her free wrist, he squeezed his grip as she began pulling back her hands. She drops her gun, allowing her hand to slip free from his grip as she pulls both hands upwards, before attempting to throw a punch to his jaw.
Easily, he dodged then grabbed her flung arm and used her momentum to toss her to the floor. She groaned in pain, before reaching up to grab a wire panel she fell beside, then threw it to Connor's face.
He leaned back, allowing the panel to fly past his face, but wasn't quick enough to stop her from shoving him to the wall behind him.
That second, he hit his head, the next had Y/n throwing a successful punch at his face. And another towards his jaw, then her hands went to his coat before she pulled and rammed his back to the wall again. Then, a heavy punch to his face, causing her to stumble to the side.
Taking the opportunity, Connor stepped forward then placed his forearm on the front of her neck before locking his other hand behind it then squeezing, causing her to gasp for air.
To escape from his grip, she hastily stepped to the side, placing a foot behind Connor before wrapping her arms around his legs and allowing them to fall back.
Twisting her body to sit up and turn, Y/n threw a leg over Connor's fallen body before holding him down by the neck and punching his face with her free hand.
When she let go and tried to throw another punch but towards his neck, he moved aside and took the opening by grabbing her jacket's collar then throwing her body to the other side, and hitting her vulnerable abdomen.
She scrunched up in pain, and he brought himself to his feet. He looked past Y/n towards his fallen firearm, then made the move to leave.
But, Y/n then shifts to the side and kicks her feet towards his torso, then his legs, causing him to fall over. She pushed herself back for a moment before bringing herself to stand and groan in pain and exhaustion.
Stepping forward, she saw Connor lift himself up with his elbows. She brought up her leg to kick him, but then pushed it to the side, causing her to stumble and land on her knees, giving Connor another opportunity to attack.
He grabbed her collar again, standing up and pulling her body to a column before shoving her back towards it twice. Her head thudding each time.
"Shit, that hurts..." she muttered, her eyelids fluttering as she stopped struggling.
Still holding her by the collar, he drags her body to the edge of the building and puts his hand forward. Her body was still limp, but she attempted to open her eyes wider as she placed her hands on his one hand that literally held a grip on her life. She looked at the multiple stories below her, then looked back into Connor's eyes.
Panic flickered in her gaze as she fully realized what was happening. Her eyes went wider, and her hands went to grip his arm tighter.
"So this is it, Connor? You're just going to kill me?"
He looked straight at her, his expression was blank. But, then his eyebrows began to scrunch together as he realized that she was already completely at his mercy.
"Moment of truth... What do you want to do?" she said calmly, although there was a slight shake in her voice. Her grip on his arm loosened, then she dropped her arms to her sides.
"I..."
Don't do it, Connor.
You don't want to kill her.
Nothing matters more than your investigation... Don't let Anderson or anyone else get in your way.
Amanda's voice rang through his head as his arm began to shake while holding up the Detective. Did he really have a choice in the matter? Y/n would never stop trying to get in his way, even if he'd let her go. So, either way...
You will not kill her, Connor.
"I don't want to kill you, Y/n." he said, his eyes brightening with realization.
But, if he didn't kill her, he'd have to scrap the whole mission.
As he realized this, he noticed his surroundings beginning to darken rapidly, as red lines defining the dimensions of the space all around him became visible. A wave of clarity hit him, as he realized the barrier between himself and Y/N's static body.
[Save Y/n]
His software seemed to scream at him, despite the lack of auditory input, as he willed himself towards the floating codes that prevented him from doing what he wanted, and not what Amanda or his programs were telling him to do.
And when the barriers fell, he suddenly felt the cold around himself. The freezing wind blowing passed him, the frosty air biting the sensors on his face, and as well as the heavy treasure that he held on his right arm.
I AM DEVIANT
He pulled her back to solid ground and sighed in relief as he held her in his arms.
"Y/n... I- I'm sorry. I should've listened, and you were right, and-"
"Oh, Connor..." she muttered in his jacket, adrenaline completely wearing off as her body leaned on his. "I knew that already."
Before Connor felt comfortable letting go of his partner, he stood farther away from the edge and held her tight as if he was afraid she'd still end up falling off somehow. And by the time he lessened the tightness of his arms around her, she had fallen fast asleep.
He held her sleeping figure cautiously, his mouth feeling unusually dry, despite no need for mucus unlike humans, and his hands were feeling strangely clammy. Laying her on the ground, he placed her head down with most care, turning her to her side.
Watching her breathing seemed to alleviate whatever errors were happening to his hands and mouth, but he stopped when he realized how uncomfortable his behavior must have been if he had stared at her when she was not-passed-out from exhaustion.
Clearing his throat unnecessarily, he stood up and looked around at the property damage they did, and the fallen firearms.
"Time to clean up." he thought aloud, walking to put back the strewn wired panel Y/n had thrown at him earlier as well to pick up the empty sniper case.
When he stepped to grab the sniper, he noted how heavy it actually felt in his grasp and how, if Y/n hadn't been following him and prevented him from shooting... He pursed his lips and pushed away the thought before beginning to disassemble the firearm.
After putting all the pieces back in their foam sockets and locking the case shut, he tucked it off to one of the roof deck's least conspicuous corners. While standing, he caught a perfect view of the Revolution taking place.
Markus and his followers were setting up barricades. On the front of his clothes, Connor noticed traces of fresh Thirium.
A groan from behind him got his attention, preventing him from analyzing any further.
Y/n was still on the floor but was curled up and exhaling on her bruised knuckles. She didn't seem to mind him watching her, keeping her eyes down as she attempted to get on her hands to help herself stand. He walked over to her, extending hands and letting her grip them to anchor herself up to stand.
She audibly suppressed a pained whimper when she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She brought a hand up to touch the back of her head but sighed in relief when she found no traces of blood.
In front of her, Connor was still silent. Scanning her injuries, assessing her condition, and researching the proper treatments.
"You need to go to the hospital."
"Yeah, I probably should." she said, groaning with a slight slur.
She leaned too quickly to one side but was lucky to catch her balance and have Connor grab her shoulders. Squinting her eyes, she focused on the small areas of damage exposing his plastic skeleton and brought up a hand to brush over them.
"I think I may have punched you too much..."
"Where did you park your car? I'm taking you to the hospital."
"Not possible."
"Why not?"
"They're taking in all the androids they spot outside of the Plaza, remember?"
"Right... Shit."
"Did- did you just curse?"
Connor's gaze became unfocused as thoughts whirred through his mind. How was he supposed to get Y/n to the hospital? It was a clear sign that she was gravely injured- first, her passing out, then second, the blood beginning to drip out of her nose.
"What?" Y/n said, noticing where Connor's gaze was, before lightly swiping a finger on her top lip and feeling the warm blood beginning to stream down to her chin. "I didn't even hit my nose earlier.."
"That's exactly why you need to be in the emergency room, right now."
[Change (A Connor x Reader story based on Detroit: Become Human)]
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen (Machine)
xX0XX
Connor had struggled when he reached for his biocomponent. It was much easier to retrieve, as opposed to when it had been taken out back in Stratford Tower.
It was all because Y/n made sure that he was able to reach it.
He remembered the look on Y/n's face as she pulled it out, horror and pain vividly painted on her features. He already knew that she regretted her action, and he would never put it against her.
Still, he couldn't understand why she was on the deviants' side now when he had more of a connection with her than any android. He couldn't understand why she failed to realize that he was accomplishing this mission for her.
So that he could stay with her.
He couldn't think of any logical reason as to why she suddenly chose them over him and he felt unpleasant.
He felt betrayed.
Deep down he knew that he cared about Y/n but seeing her fight for the deviant leader filled Connor with an intense feeling of bitterness. He didn't feel that it was fair that, after all they've been through, she would choose to protect the deviants.
He stood up feeling a weight on his shoulders and he had two things in mind.
[STOP MARKUS]
[TALK TO Y/N]
He ran out of the hold as he saw that the explosive had been activated and he made his way to the nearest exit. He saw the soldiers sweeping around the area but he couldn't care less about them and the androids being slaughtered around him.
After successfully making it out of Jericho undetected, he made his way to a secured area to get a taxi back to CyberLife. He had to make sure that he was prepared for whatever the deviant leader would do next and, even though he wanted to search for Y/n, he knew that she would go against him.
-------
NOV 10, 2038
AM 00:47:09
It was cold and dark. The atmosphere around the safe haven, dreary.
When they had jumped into the river, Y/n had no choice but to follow Markus and his group as they escaped to the old and abandoned Woodward Church. She saw that the majority of the androids had already made their way to the abandoned church with a few more still coming from here and there.
Y/n looked around as the androids who were able to successfully escape Jericho set up little areas for them to settle in and she saw that some were able to take biocomponents as they fled but it clearly wasn't enough for everyone's survival and the guilt she felt increased.
If only she had realized that what she had been doing was hurting innocent people sooner this would have been avoided.
Another thing that greatly bothered her was Connor and what had happened to him, Y/n then realizes that she hadn't checked if his tracker or GPS was still working and since her smartwatch was water-proof it should be fine.
Pulling her long-sleeve down, she saw that her watch was still miraculously intact. She turned it on and saw that it was working fine. She quickly opens the GPS application and tries to track Connor and where he was.
Low and behold, he was en route to Belle Isle where she knew the CyberLife Tower was located.
She wondered what his next plan of action was but, seeing as he was adamant in completing his mission, she knew it wasn't going to be pretty and would involve more people losing their lives.
Y/n knew that she had to stop Connor from making a terrible mistake so she'll have to keep tracking his movement. At first, she only wanted to track him while they were inside Jericho and remove it after but now it seemed to work in her favor.
Looking around, Y/n saw that the majority of the androids have now settled down. She approaches the blond android she had saved and saw that he was helping people get boxes and benches for the others to sit on, she takes a hold of the other end of the bench he was supposed to lift and he looked at her in appreciation.
They finished setting up the benches and the blond smiled at her.
"Thank you for your help. Both now and before. I'm Simon."
"Y/n and it's the least I can do..."
Y/n looked away in guilt but she felt a hand on her shoulder, when she looked up she saw that Simon was smiling at her and it was a smile of acceptance and forgiveness.
"I would have been dead had you not helped me, you helped all of us. Even if you're human, it just proves that there are good humans out there."
"Thanks..."
Simon removed his hand from her shoulder and she looked around, she saw the other male android they were helping set up the biocomponents while the female android was doing the same thing she and Simon had done with the other benches that could still be used.
When she looked to the stage-like area she saw that Markus had taken refuge there. He had his elbows on his knees and his head hung low, he had the look of a man defeated and she could understand why. She didn't want to bother him so she went to the other male android instead.
"Anything I can help with?" She asked the man and he gave her a small smile.
"We're good for now, thanks. I'm Josh."
"Y/n."
There was an awkward silence between the two of them and she knew exactly what he wanted to ask, he was just being too polite about it.
"You're probably wondering why I'm still here."
"... I had thought of that, yeah... I just don't understand, why are you helping us?"
Y/n smiled at him and she walked over to the wall to lean on it, he did the same and she replied.
"You could say this is me repaying an android who helped me improve some family relationships." she smiled sadly.
"I heard from Simon that you saved him from a soldier... You saved Markus and you even helped North. We owe you a lot."
"It was the right thing to do."
"Still, thank you. You make me believe that there's a future where humans and androids can live in peace and harmony."
Y/n smiled at Josh as he smiled back and she removed herself from the wall, she saw that North, the female android, had now taken a seat at one of the benches and now far from her was Kara and Alice, Luther had been missing.
North was sitting still on one of the benches and she figured she'd check in with her. Although North was one of the more hostile androids, Y/n figured the least she could do was to ask her if she was okay.
"How're you holding up?" she asks North and sits beside her.
"What do you think? Your people came and slaughtered ours." North answered in hostility and Y/n frowned and looked away.
North had every right to be angry and she knew that North was aware that she had been the reason why the FBI found Jericho in the first place. North's anger was understandable and Y/n couldn't even fathom how it must feel like.
"I'm... sorry... That was uncalled for." she heard North speak which caught her attention. "You saved me when people thought I couldn't be helped... Thanks."
North didn't speak after that and Y/n wasn't going to force her to, she stood up from the bench to give her some space and made her way to where Kara and Alice sat. When she was close to them, she saw that Alice was leaning on Kara as the motherly figure kept her warm by hugging her.
"Hey there." Y/n smiled sadly as she knelt to them. "Are you guys hurt anywhere?"
"No... we're- we're fine." Kara tried to smile but Y/n the sadness in it.
"Where's Luther?" she asked and saw Alice tighten her hold on Kara.
"We... got separated, but we're planning to meet as soon as we can."
Y/n nodded and placed a hand on both Kara and Alice's knees as a sign of sympathy, she couldn't do anything else but she wanted to let them know that she felt sorry for them and hoped to convey it in this way.
"I hope you all get out and reunite safely." she smiled sadly before standing up.
She looked back to Markus who still kept his head down and figured that she couldn't stay here for long. She also needed to make sure that, whatever Connor had planned to stop the revolution, she would be there to stop him.
Making her way up and now standing in front of Markus; the said man looked up and saw her giving her a soft but sad smile. He stands up to properly talk to her and, now that she got a closer look at him, Markus definitely looked weary.
"I know you have no reason to trust me... I'm a human and, ultimately, I was the reason they found you but... I'm going to have to leave, and make sure that Connor doesn't stop whatever you plan to do next."
Markus looked at her calculatingly and she could practically see gears turning in his head. She had no way of knowing what was on his mind but when he placed a hand on her shoulder she knew that she had been accepted.
"I trust you." he smiled. "We may not bleed the same color but you've helped us in more ways than one."
Y/n's eyes widened at his words but nevertheless she smiled. She gave him a nod to show that she appreciated what he had said and knowing that these people trusted her gave her more reasons to try her best to help and protect them.
"Have you decided on what you'll be doing next?" she asked and Markus' smile fell and his hand dropped.
"No... We've so lost so many... I think it'll be best to rest for even just a day."
"Of course. I know this won't be easy but..." Y/n placed her hand on his arm in support. "I'm sure that with you in the lead, everything will be just fine."
She removed her hand from his arm and turned to walk out of the church but before she could Markus had called her name. She turned back and saw Markus give her a sad and sincere smile.
"I'm sorry for what happened.. with Connor."
Her eyes widened and she hadn't expected to feel tears from her eyes, a few drops escaped and rolled down her cheeks which she quickly wiped away. She smiled at him with a tight-lip smile and although she wanted to respond, she couldn't.
"Good luck, Markus." she opted to wish him luck instead.
Y/n walked out of the abandoned church into the cold December air of Detroit, she looked at her surroundings and it didn't look like any of the FBI had been able to follow or track their location.
Taking another look at her smartwatch, she saw that Connor was now idle in Belle Isle. He's probably waiting for the right time to move and she was going to do the same but for now, she needed to get home and out of her still wet clothes.
It had taken her a bit more time to get home since she had taken multiple busses and made sure to take different routes in case she was being followed. She wanted to be as careful as possible since the safety of innocent people was at stake.
The relief she felt when she caught sight of her house was immeasurable and she didn't waste any time in getting inside and hastily shutting the door. The sound of it closing echoed through the house and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Y/n?"
She looked up and saw that her father had just walked out of his room in his home clothes and she could see the worry in his face. She gave him a tired smile and he rushed towards her and gave her a tight hug. Her eyes widened a bit at the action but she soon relaxed and leaned on him.
"I was worried sick. Fowler gave me a call that you suddenly found Jericho and that the FBI raided the place. I thought you got caught in the middle of it..."
"I... I kind of did and well... It didn't turn out as planned."
"So... What happened?"
She sighed and closed her eyes for a bit, she tried to recollect the things that had happened since everything had been a rush for her. When she thought back though, her memories of Connor flashed through her mind and she figured she would begin there.
"Well, for starters, Connor and I got into a disagreement."
Hank released his hold on her and she went straight to the couch. Her father sat down next to her as she leaned back and she knew that it would be difficult to explain to him exactly what kind of mess she got herself into.
"You two? Getting into a fight? Didn't think that would happen... Why?"
Y/n let out a heavy sigh and she could feel the tears sting her eyes, she bites her lip in an attempt to stop them but, now that she was in the safety of her home with her worrying father, she felt her walls come down and she couldn't help the overwhelming sadness and regret that hit her like a harsh wave.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! What's wrong?! What happened?!" she heard her father exclaim in alarm and she felt him place his hand on her shoulders and turn her towards him.
Tears started falling from her eyes and she could see that look of alarm and worry on her father's face. She felt absolutely horrible at what she had done to Connor but she hadn't expected that she would cry like this, in front of her own father, no less.
"Just what the f**k exactly happened there? Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not hurt..."
"Then what the hell is wrong?"
She pursed her lips and words couldn't seem to form from her lips no matter how hard she tried. She felt herself be pulled back into her father's embrace and the little wall she tried to put up completely broke.
Hank held his daughter tightly and he felt her return the hug, she started shaking, and as he hugged her tighter did he fully realize that she was freezing and her clothes were mildly damp.
He heard her sobbing on his chest and he squeezed to show comfort and to convey that he was here for her. She continued to weep and Hank felt his heart break at the sound of his daughter's sobs.
Y/n. on the other hand, tried her best to not cry as much but having her father comfort her like this, in a way she hadn't felt in years, made her not want to let go. She cried and released all the negative emotions she felt through her tears and she was thankful that her father was just staying here and moving his hand up and down in a soothing way.
After crying for a few minutes, Y/n's sobbing turned into sniffles. When Hank heard that her crying had dwindled down, he slowly pulled back and looked at his daughter's now puffy and red eyes.
"Let's talk after you change your clothes, sound good?" he pulled away and she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Yeah, okay."
Y/n got up from the couch and went to her to change as Hank waited for her in the living room.
The last time he had seen Y/n cry was when she had first found out about his Russian roulette problem. It was one of the worst memories Hank had of her daughter being sad and now that he was seeing her cry again it made him mad.
When she got out in a fresh set of clothes, she went back to sit beside him and Hank patiently waited for her to be ready to tell him what had happened and the reason why she had cried.
"I... helped the deviants run away from Jericho. But... Connor tried to stop me."
"Did he hurt you?" he asked and Y/n heard the anger in his voice.
"No! No, of course not! Connor would never hurt me..." she looked down and the guilt she felt raised tenfold. "I hurt him..."
Hank looked at her in question and she sighed.
"I... stopped Connor from achieving his mission... I saved Markus from him but to do that... I had to remove what was basically his heart."
She looked up at her father and she couldn't read his expression properly, it was one of concern but also something akin to pity.
"Is he?.."
"No, he's not... I made sure to make whatever component it was to roll to a place he could easily reach... I just needed to buy us some time."
Y/n wiped another tear that fell from her eyes and Hank placed an arm over her shoulder. He pulled her closer to him and he felt her hug him back by placing her arm on top of his stomach.
As a father, Hank wanted to ease her pain and now that they were becoming closer again he can try but for now, he knew that the most he can do is try to offer his shoulder for her to cry on. If he ever saw Connor again he'd make sure to knock some sense into his plastic head.
"I betrayed him, he was writhing on the floor and I just left him..."
"You did what you had to do... You saw people in need of help and you saved them, that was a damn good thing to do."
Y/n sat up straight and when she had looked at her father, he gave her a proud smile.
"You did the right thing."
She felt herself smile for the first time since she got home and she gave her father another hug.
Y/n never thought that she'd be comforted by her father in her time of sorrow after all that happened to them in the past, but being able to hug him like this and for her to hear his approval and be proud of her actions was something she had dearly missed.
"Alright, time for you to get rested. You had a long day and with the president issuing a curfew, things are just about to keep getting busier." he pulled back and Y/n smiled gratefully at him.
"Okay, I'll try to wake up early after everything that's happened."
"You want some time for yourself first?"
"Yeah... That'd be nice."
Hank stood up first to give her some time to herself and headed to his bedroom while she stayed in the living room for a bit more. She let her body relax and although her mind raced with different thoughts and anxiety crept up to her she knew what she had to do next.
Talk to Connor and hope that her words can stop him.
