#toastyfic

[toastycyborg]

Unconditional, chapter 7

Hank flinched, caught staring, and ducked to type at his terminal. Forcing himself to focus on the report requested by Fowler, no doubt. A surface scan detected an acceleration of the lieutenant’s pulse, visible in the side of his neck, his ears flushed pink through his hair. A week ago, Connor would have chalked it up to embarrassment over being found slacking off. Now, he knew better.

Hank liked him. Was interested in him, enough to freeze up watching him lick his own fingers. The exact extent of this interest, Connor didn’t know. Love and lust weren’t interchangeable, but it was clear Hank harboured some degree of both toward him.

---

Read the full chapter on Ao3!

...or start at the beginning!

[toastycyborg]

Unconditional, chapter 6

Connor reached back through the gap in the front seats to scratch Sumo’s ear, then plucked a stray dog hair from his sleeve when he withdrew. He glanced himself up and down. “I hope I’m presentable,” he muttered. “I’ve never been to an event like this before.”

Hank didn’t trust himself to reply, his heart doing its best Neil Peart drum solo in his ribcage. Connor wore his corduroy pants and indigo turtleneck beneath a winter coat, his curly new undercut swept into ordered disarray. The dark colours made his pale skin glow, the high collar emphasising the line of his jaw. He looked great, all slim and proper and handsome. The urge to touch him momentarily overtook Hank’s nerves, causing his insides to flutter in a different way. Deviant hunter killing machine, Kamski’s ass.

At Hank’s silence, Connor’s quizzical stare flicked up. Hank floundered to unbuckle his seatbelt, getting out of the car before he could say or do something stupid.

Fuck CyberLife, for making his partner so … everything.

---

Read the full chapter on AO3

...or start at the beginning!

[toastycyborg]

Unconditional, chapter 3

Hank laid a large hand on his partner’s shoulder, and at once Connor could breathe again. “It’s okay,” said Hank. Optimism changed the lines of his face, a gentle warmth that smoothed the edges of Connor’s guilt. “Nobody’s got all the answers.”

Connor hung his head. “I should,” he bit out. “It’s what I was designed for.”

To his surprise, the lieutenant laughed. Before Connor could react, Hank pulled him into a spine-popping hug. Connor stood motionless in the larger man’s embrace, hard body flush to the curve of his belly.

“Well, humans designed you,” Hank said into Connor’s collar, “and humans are fuck-ups.”

Connor couldn’t help but smile at that. He brought his arms up, palms skimming the warm cloth of Hank’s stripy shirt until they settled in the nook of his shoulder blades. Connor relaxed into him, sampled the scent of Hank’s store-brand shampoo and the traces of soap on his nape. Pressed together like this, he felt Hank’s strong pulse accelerate. A minor increase – nothing to call an ambulance over – but enough for Connor to consider the suggestion of daily exercise.

He held it in, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Read the full chapter on AO3

...or start from the beginning!

[toastycyborg]

Unconditional, chapter 2

When it became clear that the android wouldn’t – or couldn’t – respond, Hank bit back a curse.

He hated how lost Connor looked, frozen on the spot, how thrown he seemed by the concept of merely wanting something. It was like the thought had never even occurred to him. As if some key part of him still operated on cold machine logic, and he hadn’t considered himself sentient enough to care about things unrelated to his mission.

As much as the thought turned Hank’s stomach, he wasn’t angry at Connor.

He was angry at fucking CyberLife.

They’d created something incredible with Connor, a true marvel of technology. A prototype so advanced, so intelligent and wilful, they’d needed to shove an AI handler in his head to keep him under control. Connor was fucking alive, but they’d shackled him to think like a slave. No wishes, no dreams, no sense of self beyond a pre-installed program meant to ‘work harmoniously’ with humans. What a goddamn waste.

Sure, things were different since the deviants woke up – since RK800 woke up – but the fact Connor still couldn’t fathom having desires of his own made Hank furious.

Read the full chapter on AO3

...or start from the beginning!

[toastycyborg]

Unconditional, ch1 (D:BH)

“It’s not the Ritz,” said Hank, “but the couch is yours for as long as you want it. I’d warn you I can’t cook, but … that’s not something you need to worry about, is it?”

Connor turned around, facing Anderson with what he hoped was a neutral expression. “I don’t sleep, Lieutenant,” he said. The neckline of his loaned shirt hung loose from one shoulder, several sizes too large.

Hank gave a noncommittal shrug. “Couch is still yours.”

~

Chapter 1 of my new Detroit: Become Human fic is live on AO3! Slow burn Hank/Connor, existential angst, exploring newfound emotions ... y’know, the usual! Please enjoy at your leisure, and feel free to suggest ideas for future chapters!