Chapter Text
The first clue that something was different came when Hank arrived home from work.
He could hear a voice he recognised clearly. Rosanna Cartland, the news anchor for KNC News. Her voice was clear and bold, and saying words he did not at all recognize as news, which is where the first source of confusion began. The television was off. The news wasn't playing.
"I am the android sent by CyberLife."
Now those were words Hank recognized.
"Connor?" he called, dropping his bag and coat by the door as he often did when getting home from work.
Hank's call was immediately met with a startled yelp and the slamming of a door, follow by Connor violently clearing his throat in a way Hank could only describe as sounding glitchy.
"One moment!" Connor called back, his voice no longer sounding like that of the familiar blonde news anchor.
"The fuck are you doing in there?" Hank called, approaching the bathroom door curiously.
"Nothing!"
The sink was running.
"Connor, what the actual fuck is going on?"
The sink stopped and the door was thrown open, Connor panting quietly. His hair was freshly slicked, and Hank could tell that he had only slicked it back moments ago.
"Yes Lieutenant?"
"The fuck are you doin' to my bathroom?" Hank muttered, peering over Connor's shoulder.
Connor swerved aside almost instantly to block his view.
"Nothing! Nothing, Lieutenant, I was just exiting."
Hank eyed the android up and down, raising an eyebrow curiously as Connor attempted to remain completely inconspicuous. His hands were tucked securely behind his back, his LED a steady yellow. Obviously he was hiding something, but Hank wasn't one to press.
"Alright then."
"Yes. Now please excuse me." Connor stated, walking briskly into his and Hank's shared bedroom and closing the door behind him.
That had been the first sign that Hank should have picked up on.
The second sign came a few weeks later in the car while he and Connor were on the way to work. Connor was inspecting himself in the small overhead mirror, carefully fixing his hair and examining his face for longer than Hank would typically expect him to.
"See somethin' you like?"
Connor didn't respond, trailing his fingers along his sharp jawline, his sharp cheekbones, his sharp features. Masculine.
"Connor?"
"Apologies Lieutenant, I was momentarily distracted, how can I help you?"
"You're just kinda starin' at yourself there."
Connor's LED flickered yellow for a moment as he furrowed his brow, closing the mirror and instead looking out the window. He folded his hands in his lap, acting as nonchalant as possible, though Hank could see him subtly inspecting himself in the side view mirror.
"Seriously, what is it, something wrong?" Hank asked, pulling into the parking lot.
Connor didn't answer, still looking over his features, seemingly completely lost in thought. Without speaking again, he opened the car door, stepping out and proceeding quickly into the office. Hank blinked and raised an eyebrow, stepping out of the car and following. That awkward exchange was Hank's second clue.
Hank's third clue was more obvious.
He had arrived home once again to the voice of Rosanna Cartland, though the inflections and tones in which she was speaking were much more aligned with Connor's particular pattern of speech. Hank stayed silent, creeping around the corner as he listened to Connor speak.
"My name is-...My name is Connor. I'm the android sent my CyberLife. I am an RK800 model built for detective work and hunting deviants. I myself deviated during the course of my investigation. I am now rambling."
That was about as incriminating as it got. It mostly sounded like Connor just wanted to hear himself talk. Hank peered around the corner into the bathroom, immediately struck by what he was looking at.
Connor's hair was no longer slicked back neatly, instead its natural curly state hanging slightly over Connor's forehead. He was speaking in the perfectly clear voice of Rosanna Cartland, his eyes lit up with subtle excitement as he carefully applied mascara to his eyelashes. He blinked a few times, carefully inspecting himself in the mirror. It wasn't much, but it seemed to be enough for Connor, who cracked a small smile and fixed his tie.
"Connor-?"
"Shit-!" Connor yelped, practically jumping a foot in the air as he sharply dropped his mascara brush, fumbling for a moment before it fell in the sink.
Connor's head snapped around to look at Hank, wide-eyed, his LED blinking red as his stress levels jumped. His chest was rising and falling quickly, his expression one of complete terror that Hank had never seen on Connor before. He looked like he thought Hank would shoot him.
"L-Lieutenant, I-" Connor stammered, his eyes darting anywhere but to Hank's, his grip tightening on the edge of the sink.
He looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, woah, breathe." Hank coaxed hurriedly, instantly snapping into his protective side as he lunged forward and pulled Connor into a tight hug. "Kid, you look great."
He could hear Connor hiccup quietly over his shoulder.
"...I-I do?"
"Yeah kid, you look wonderful, don't cry. You'll fuck up your makeup."
"I-I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't apologize."
"O-Okay Lieutenant."
"So you wanna talk about all this shit you've been hiding from me?" Hank asked quietly.
He listened as Connor's breathing hitched slightly, the android's hands balling into fists as they gripped Hank's shirt.
"I-I've been experiencing mental conflict."
"Yeah?"
"In disassociation w-with my body."
"Uhuh?"
"And I've been...e-exploring it, so to speak, when you're at work."
"So you're a girl?"
"I-I...I think that may be the case."
"Well fuckin' congrats!" Hank applauded, pulling away and clapping Connor on the shoulder.
Connor blinked in confusion, thin tear stains having formed from her mascara as she stared at Hank, lost.
"C-Congrats...?"
"Yeah! You just found out somethin' new about yourself, that's great!"
"But Lieutenant, I-"
"What, you worried I'd be mad or something?"
"Yes."
"Connor, you should have seen the fuckin' 2010s, my generation paved the fuckin' path for trans kids, you wouldn't believe that shit."
"S-So this is okay?"
"Of course it's okay.
"I'm allowed to feel like this?"
"Connor of course you're allowed to fuckin' feel like that."
"A-And I'm-" Connor paused, hesitating. "I'm allowed to be a girl?"
"Connor, if you're a girl, you're a fuckin' girl, would me saying no change that?"
"...I doubt it." Connor stated, fixing her hair slightly.
"Then why the fuck even ask?" Hank questioned, poking Connor in the middle of her chest. "You're you, and every day you manage to surprise me a little fuckin' more just by being you. If you're a girl, then hell, I guess we're going out to buy you new clothes."
"I'm...concerned." Connor started unsurely, finally meeting Hank's eyes. "On the opinions of others at the department."
"Connor, seriously, don't even fuckin' bother with it, Gavin's not gonna give you shit, he's trans as all hell." Hank rambled, turning Connor to face herself in the mirror and wiping away the dark tear streaks on her cheeks. "Look at you. You like what you see?"
"I like...I like my eyes." Connor mumbled.
"Then don't you wanna be able to keep 'em lookin' pretty like that whenever you want?"
"Y-Yes."
"Then no more of this hiding shit business, okay?" Hank insisted, looking Connor in the eyes. "Honestly. I wanna help you. I want you to feel good."
Connor looked Hank in the eyes, a thousand emotions in her expression. Concern. Worry. Hesitancy. Desire.
"H-Hank, I want to be a girl."
"You are a girl." Hank confirmed, pulling Connor into a gentle hug. "You're whatever the hell you wanna be."
"Thank you Lieutenant." Connor replied quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"No problem kid."