This was prompted by the amazing @smolandangry001! Enjoy!
Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Hannor/Hancon
‘Am I allowed to know where we are driving?’, Connor asked with a smirk on his lips. They were driving through Detroit towards the riverside in Hank’s car, Knights of the Black death blaring in the background.
‘Somewhere special’, Hank answered ominous. ‘It’s a special day after all.’
‘Really?’ Connor could list a lot of events that would make this day an anniversary of something, both personal and in general. But what in particular Hank could mean, he couldn’t pinpoint.
‘Yeah.’ Hank huffed a laugh. ‘Today, exactly a year ago, we met for the very first time. Me, wasted in a bar when we had a case. You came in there the stuck-up machine sent by Cyberlife. God, back then I thought all of it was some sort of prank. That someone rented me a plastic prick to babysit me. I planned on trashing you the second you weren’t needed anymore back then. And now…’
Connor smiled and cocked his head. ‘And now?’
Hank looked at him, lips slightly parted, before he could press them together oddly serious. ‘Now I have a hard time concentrating on traffic with you sitting next to me.’
Connor knew the man had a habit of flattering him, but still he felt a blush creep up and he had to look out of the window, realising they were on the bridge to Belle Isle already. ‘Maybe I should drive, so you could admire the view’, he answered cheekily and side-eyed his human just in the right moment to see him swallow at that.
‘Con, I love you, but there is no way you will drive this car outside of absolute emergencies.’
The android laughed and nodded. ‘Thought so.’
They drove down the road towards Cyberlife Tower, now headquarters of New Jericho, android repair centre and a place for androids and humans to get together.
How much everything had changed in just one year. Not everything was perfect and would likely never really be, but everything was progressing in the right direction. In every aspect but the minds of a few people, androids and humans were equals now. And Connor was proud to have been able to contribute to that, even though he had sent quite a few deviants to their demise in his early days.
‘What are you planning?’, he asked curiously, as Hank parked the car and walked towards the entrance.
‘They opened a restaurant in the very tip of the tower’, Hank unveiled. ‘If it is to be believed what the brochures say, you have the best view of Detroit’s skyline from up there. And they serve android food that’s made by your kind, so I hope it’s not the slushy disaster they gave you last time I took you on a date.’
Connor remembered that day very fondly, but that didn’t help the sudden terror setting in when he heard the words “very tip of the tower”.
‘Everything alright?’
‘Hm? Yes! Just remembered how I tried to scrub my filters clean afterwards.’
Hank winced, holding the door open for him. ‘Yeah, sorry for that!’
‘It’s okay. It’s funny looking back now. Let’s go.’
The relief of having avoided telling Hank didn’t help with his anxiety building up at the prospect of being up on the 40th floor and having the perfect view of Detroit. He knew he wasn’t good with heights ever since he hurled himself and Daniel from the apartment balcony. Even as a machine led by clear orders and logic, he had felt that fear keeping him from analysing possible landing sites of Marcus and his team. He doubted deviancy would make it any less intense.
But as he entered the elevator, he saw Hanks content smile and tensed his shoulders. Hank planned this for them. It would have a nice view without a doubt and be very romantic. It wouldn’t be that bad, right?
But with every number ticking up and every second passing in the tight space of the elevator and the steady pressure of being pulled upwards, it was hard not to analyse velocity and distance from the ground. By the time it passed the height he would have still survived a fall at, he had to take out his coin and calm himself by calculating the exact motions.
‘You sure you are okay?’, Hank asked and his worry was obvious.
‘Yes!’, Connor answered maybe a tad too fast. ‘I’m just excited’, he lied. ‘It’s been a while since we had time to do something together.’
‘Yeah, trust me, I’d take you out more often, but I’m out of the age I could go out after work still.’
Connor dropped the coin into his pocket, reaching for the man’s hand instead. He was about to reassure him how he was absolutely perfect in his eyes, but in that exact moment, the doors opened to a restaurant, adequately dark so the city lights in the night were accentuated. The words he had prepared were forgotten.
It looked far higher than it should be according to the simple facts. Simple numbers and complex experiences were two entirely different things.
Hank hadn’t realised his frozen state until he stepped forwards, Connor’s hand slipping from his. ‘Connor? Connor, what’s wrong?’
‘Nothing’, he tried, but Hank was not having it. Opening his mouth to say so, a waiter approached them. ‘Good evening! Your reservation please.’
‘Err… Anderson. A table for two.’
‘Of course, if you would follow me, please!’
Connor had stomached the first shock, but his legs were barely cooperating with him. The ground seemed to dip and his programming automatically tried to compensate by leaning away from the large glass front despite there being no objective need for it.
The waiter led them to a table directly next to the window. A perfect spot normally, but Connor shook his head.
‘Hank, I can’t sit here’, he whispered. ‘Could we have one further away from the window?’
The man looked at him in confusion, but nodded as he saw his expression and how his eyes were fixed on the edge of the ground.
‘Uh, excuse me, do you have a table closer to the wall?’
‘Of course. Right here.’
Connor felt overly self-conscious sitting down across from Hank. He didn’t want to look up and see his eyes on him. Clearly, he had just ruined the date as the view was likely the reason Hank had decided on this restaurant.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Why? Connor, what’s wrong?’
‘Before we met… I had a case. There was a deviant caretaker android that considered himself family. As he was about to be replaced, he kidnapped the daughter. I was sent in to save the girl. I could have talked him down, but back then I missed that opportunity. The only way to safe the girl for me was to jump at the deviant, taking him down with me. I… Well, that Connor died there. I have his memories. And ever since I… I guess I developed a fear of heights. I’m sorry. I guess I ruined it.’
‘Hey, Con. Connor. Look at me.’
He did and met his gentle gaze. Hank held out his hand on the table and Connor took it.
‘You didn’t ruin anything. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have taken you here then. But it’s fine. Do you want us to leave?’
‘No. No, from here it’s… it’s okay. But I couldn’t have sat directly at the window. Just… Aren’t you disappointed? I thought you decided on this to see Detroit.’
Hank sighed. ‘Connor, I see Detroit every day. And I can see the Skyline from here alright. But I came here to spent time with you and relax. To have a nice evening knowing you had one too. If you are comfortable, I’m too.’
Connor relaxed a little. ‘Still, you pictured it differently, I’m sure.’
Hank shrugged. ‘Con, I pictured a lot of things differently in life. I definitely didn’t picture my family to be an android and a dog. But god, I’m happy it turned out that way.’ He brushed his thumb over Connor’s knuckles and marvelled at the way his artificial skin retracted under his touch.
‘Connor, I love you and I want you to be happy. If that means we leave and go somewhere else, I’ll be in the elevator this very second.’
The android relaxed into his chair. ‘No, I’m… I’m fine with this, really. It is triggered as soon as I am close to an edge or once I can look down to the ground. This is… Really, it’s okay from here.’
‘Thank God’, Hank laughed. ‘Because my backup plan would have been takeout. Took some time to find a restaurant that guaranteed no filter-scrubbing afterwards.’
That had Connor smiling again, tentatively looking over to the windows as the waiter came with the menu. When he had left, Connor was still staring at the twinkling lights. ‘The view really is amazing.’
Hank let his eyes wander over Connor’s hazel ones and further down getting stuck on his soft smile.
‘Yeah, it really is.’
