Work Text:
You had never really kept close track of your period – when it occurred, when it ended, first symptoms, etc. It just happened when it happened (waking up with you cursing as you noticed the red marks in your pants, and often on your sheets too), and ended when it ended. But when you had started to take your job at the DPD more seriously, you tried to keep a closer eye on your period. You had informed yourself about the symptoms, about PMS, and how it could influence your mood and behavior. You even downloaded an app in order to keep track of it, often forgetting about it with all the work you had to do (reports here, reports there, reports everywhere).
The whole android revolution had thankfully started directly after your period, making it easier for you to focus on the deviant cases and working together with Hank and Connor. Connor, the android sent by CyberLife to hunt down deviants. Now a deviant himself.
Also your colleague and friend.
Who was currently doing a good job at getting on your nerves, which he very rarely did. Very, very rarely. He didn’t do it on purpose, and even if you did get annoyed, you couldn’t stay mad at him for very long. Connor had always trouble understanding what he had done to upset you, looking absolutely lost and helpless, with his head tilted and brown eyes wide and worried. It always tore your heart apart and made you pull him into a quick but tight hug, forgiving him with a sigh and explaining to him as best as you could what exactly had triggered you so much.
You noticed how he got more careful with certain topics after those talks, careful not to upset you again. You figured he had probably made, quite literally, a mental note of things that crossed the line.
But today was worse than ever, and you couldn’t even pinpoint why. Connor and Hank were just doing what they were always doing, and so was everyone else, nothing was different, except you. It was as if you didn’t fit into your daily life any more. Something just felt off, and everything rubbed you in exactly the wrong way.
You hadn’t slept entirely well. The whole night, you just felt restless. You couldn't tell for sure if you were sleeping at all; you seemed to slip in and out of consciousness, and you actually felt yourself tossing and turning from side to side way too often. So with your precious sleep being taken away, the day had started on the wrong note already.
When you had arrived at the DPD, everyone who greeted you came off as all too cheerful. Gosh, it was way too early in the morning for any type of happy energy. You forced yourself to greet them in response, though way less energetic and without a real smile. Miller could already tell that you were in a bad mood from that point on, so he left you alone. He was a good guy, really.
You didn’t even want to think about Gavin. As soon as you had entered the break room to get a coffee, he was all up in your face, making snarky comments about this and that, like always. You usually just shrugged it off with a long, long sigh, silently telling him to fuck off as you ignored it all, and he always gave up after that. There was no point in annoying someone if they didn’t respond to it, after all.
But today just wasn’t like always. You had practically snarled at him to go fuck himself hard enough to break his neck. You hadn’t even given your words much thought, it had just slipped out as an immediate response to his shitty comments. He seemed to be too caught off guard to come up with a retort, giving you thankfully enough time to quickly leave for your desk, a hot cup of coffee in your hand, knowing fully well that your brain was way too tired to come up with any intelligent or creative insults.
You had expected that with Connor’s arrival, everything would be fine again. He was usually very good at lifting your mood with just his mere presence. You did feel a bit more happy upon seeing him, but you were still on edge. That swivel of hair across his forehead usually made him even more adorable in your eyes, that little bit of imperfection that he either couldn’t, or didn’t want to fix. But today, it made your fingers itch. You wanted to just pull him down by his tie and fix that gosh darn strand of hair that constantly fell out of place.
“Detective?” Connor’s voice brought you back to the here and now, and to the report you still had to fill out. You gritted your teeth and sighed- almost hissed.
“Sorry, can’t seem to concentrate today,” you muttered.
“You have been spacing out every two minutes,” he noted with a frown, “At this rate, it will take a whole day for you to finish these reports.”
“Fascinating,” you grumbled in response. Was he doubting your abilities now? Did he think you weren’t trying hard enough?
“You also haven’t been talking very much today,” he continued his observation. You knew it was just part of his programming, and now part of his personality. It was a habit of his, observing his surroundings and people’s behavior, picking up on anything that was out of the ordinary. But it still pissed you off.
“Could you please stop analyzing me like that? I’m aware of what I’m doing and what I’m not, no need to point it out!” you snapped, immediately regretting it the second it left your mouth. The hurt look on his face punched you right in the heart, and you quickly reached out to take his hand.
“I’m sorry,” you sighed, “I’m just in a very bad mood today. It’s better to just avoid me as much as possible. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
It gnawed on your pride to admit that you were in the wrong, but nothing else mattered when Connor looked like a kicked puppy. He gave your hand a tentative squeeze, a sign that you were already forgiven. “Okay,” he said, “thank you for telling me, Detective.”
And with that, he left you alone to your moody self.
Connor’s coin tricks always made you stop in your tracks and watch in awe, wondering just how he did it, but not today.
The little ping of his coin whenever he flipped it into the air or into the other hand made you internally flinch every time, putting an abrupt stop to your train of thoughts as you tried and tried to find the right wording for your report. You had already enough trouble concentrating on your work as it is, but with all the coin flipping and clinking and pinging, it was all your entire being seemed to be able to focus on.
You gave a long, infuriated groan, burying your head in your hands and glaring intently at Connor’s coin, as if the weight of your stare and your thoughts could make it go away. Instead, the android took notice of your glare and immediately put the coin back in his pocket. You gave him a brief, thankful and apologetic smile, before turning back to your still unfinished report.
“The fuck is up with you today?”
Hank, however, had other plans. Your fingers curled inward in a claw-like shape, and you slowly counted to ten in your head, taking deep breaths. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Connor making frantic gestures with his hand, waving it in front of his throat in a ‘don’t talk’ motion. You greatly appreciated his efforts, so much that it almost made you cry. Almost. It was a very close call. You would thank him later as soon as you were in a better mood.
“You on your period or something?” Gavin’s comment made you squeeze your (thankfully empty) cup of coffee, and you slowly turned your head to give him a very hard, very deathly glare. You wished it could actually affect him.
“Excuse me?” you said, dangerously calm. You practically dared him to say something stupid, to give you a reason to decapitate him and throw his head into the nearest trash can.
“You heard me.” He leaned his behind on your desk, and you were this close to throw him off right then and there. How dare he sit on your property. How dare he invade your personal comfort zone like that. Did he actually want you to kill him?
“Are you saying that women aren’t allowed to be in a bad mood if they’re not on their period? Do you think they have no specific reason to be pissed? You think it’s just because of their hormones?” Before he could answer, you continued, “I’ve recently read that a woman’s brain is similar to that of a man during her period. What do you think that means, Reed?”
He didn’t have an answer for that.
It turned out to be the effects of PMS. Your app helpfully reminded you of your oncoming period that night, and you groaned loudly. Of course, you thought, Why didn’t I think of that before?
Now that you knew what was wrong, you paid closer attention to your behavior and let your colleagues know to give you some space for their own good. You really didn’t want to snap at anyone while you weren’t in control of your sudden bursts of anger. Especially not Connor.
You even enjoyed having time to yourself, not having to socialize much with anyone. You didn’t feel the need to, and people let you be. While you still had some trouble focusing, it was a lot easier when you didn’t have to pay attention to your surroundings.
Your desk, bag and pockets always had ‘emergency supplies’ for when the bleeding started. No one ever knew exactly when it would start, not the app, and especially not you. Sometimes your period would be a few days late, other times it would be too early, or it would be exactly on time. And on some occasions, it happened when you least expected it.
You had woken up with an uncomfortable sort of pulling in your womb, but when checking for blood, you couldn’t find any. You supposed your period must be close – maybe even arrive tomorrow.
So when you, Connor and Hank stood together this afternoon, investigating a new crime scene with one dead human and one dead android, the last thing you were thinking about was your period. The victims, as their neighbors had told you, had been lovers. You suspected someone who didn’t like androids and humans involved with each other had done this – most certainly a human, since there still were a lot of people strongly disagreeing with androids getting equal rights and being treated like human. You wondered if race ever stopped mattering in human history.
While you and Connor took a look around the house alongside other police officers, Hank was taking a look at the bodies. They lay close to each other, a small revolver in the human guy’s hand, both of them had been shot through the head. It looked as if he had killed his android boyfriend, and then himself. But you knew better. The living room windows had been shattered from the outside, so someone must have broken in.
“Found anything interesting yet?” you asked quietly, rubbing your nose.
“I think so,” Connor nodded, “There are fingerprints on the murder weapon that aren’t from the victim, so it’s entirely possible that a third party was involved.”
He pointed out several other proofs of the involvement of a third party, including the shattered windows, several different and very recent fingerprints, human blood that hadn’t been the victim’s, and clear signs of a struggle. Besides, no one had found any reason as to why the human guy would want to kill his boyfriend or himself, so it didn’t make sense.
“I think,” Connor started, looking around the room, “No, I’m certain there was a whole group of people involved. They broke in through the windows and attacked the victims. The cuts and bruises on both bodies are recent, indicating a fight and probably even torture, before both of them were shot with the revolver. It was stupid to leave the weapon behind, they clearly didn’t think this through.”
You loved watching Connor on crime scenes. He was in his element, where he was best at. It made only sense, of course, but it still never ceased to amaze you. He was like a Sherlock Holmes, pointing out the ‘obvious’ that no one else could see (aside from Hank, maybe).
“Well, but that makes it all the more easier for us, right?” you said, sniffling a little. Your nose just wouldn’t stop tickling. “I’d suggest that we ask all people in this area if they have seen a group of people around here... I guess you’ve already identified some of them?” when Connor nodded, you continued, “We’ll have to see their pictures and names and all, and then we could send some units to search this area. They might be looking for more victims.”
And then you sneezed.
It was a normal sneeze like any other, but the force of it shot straight through your body and practically stabbed your womb. The sudden sharp pain made you double over and sink to your knees, groaning as you pressed your hands to your lower abdomen and leaning your forehead onto the floor.
“Detective?!” Connor was quickly at your side, kneeling on the floor next to you, one hand on your back. He was probably scanning you for injuries right now. “Are you alright?”
“’M fine,” you assured him, “The sneeze just really upset my ovaries.”
“...What?” The pure confusion in his voice made you giggle helplessly against the cold floor. Then realization dawned on you, and you groaned once again. It couldn’t have waited until tomorrow, now, could it? Of fucking course not.
Connor spoke your name, voice stressed. You glanced up and, yep, his LED was glowing red. “I don’t understand,” he muttered, looking helpless, “The scan states that you are losing blood, but I cannot detect any open wounds. Detective, what-”
“I’m on my period.”
Connor, as it turned out, had still no idea what you were talking about. Apparently, CyberLife didn’t deem it very necessary to teach their android detective about female anatomy. But no need to worry, for you took it upon yourself to teach him all about it on the ride around the district!
Starring Hank, as the groaning driver who would rather be anywhere else.
And Connor, sitting in the passenger seat beside Hank and listening closely, his body turned so he could look at you, acting as if he was learning for an upcoming exam.
It didn’t take long for the pain to start.
The three of you had quickly spotted the suspicious group of five young male adults, trudging around the neighborhood with some beer cans in their hands, laughing about some stupid (and probably racist) jokes. Connor was quick to identify them as the ones responsible for that couple’s death, so you all exited Hank’s car and went over to them.
As soon as they realized that you were cops though, they broke into a sprint. Hank and Connor were quick to catch most of them, throwing them onto the ground and keeping them there with handcuffs, while the last fucker ran away.
“I got him!” you exclaimed and went after him. The longer you ran though, the more unbearable the pain in your womb got. You gritted your teeth, the determination of catching that bastard and bring justice to this world being the only thing keeping you on your feet.
He took as many corners as he could, probably planning to get out of your sight and hide somewhere, but you made sure that wouldn’t work; you weren’t far behind, he had longer legs but you had trained for this day. He drifted to get the corners, stumbling and slowing down for a brief amount of time whenever he did that, while you used obstacles to practically hurl yourself around the corner.
The next corner was his last – he slowed down once again and you flung yourself at him, making you both fall to the ground. He was struggling against your tight hold and you were just about to get the handcuffs out, when another stabbing pain in your womb made you wince and curl around the guy even more.
“Get the fuck off of me!” he yelled.
“I caaaan’t,” you drawled out, your voice tight with pain, “Just stay still, you asshole.”
“Fuck no!” Of course he wasn’t going to play along as you had hoped, but he wasn’t going to get up either. Not with your arms and legs wrapped around him as if he was a human-sized pillow.
“Detective!” Connor had finally caught up with you and came rushing around the corner, when he spotted the two of you on the ground.
“Wh-...” he paused, watching as the guy kept struggling against your hold, “Do you require assistance?”
“Yes!” the guy wailed. You only managed a whimper, and Connor got the handcuffs from your pockets.
The android had to carry you back to Hank’s car. Backup had already been there to collect the group and bring them in for interrogation. You lied down onto the backseat and stayed there while Hank and Connor went in to report to Fowler. You were used to pain every now and then during your period, but it had never been this bad before. Whenever you dared to move too much, your womb would immediately punish you.
The car door opened, but it wasn’t Hank, nor Connor – you could immediately tell by the strong smell of coffee and musky cologne.
“You dying or somethin’?” It was Gavin.
You groaned, “Did you come here to laugh at my demise, Reed?”
“Nah, tin can asked me to make sure you’re not dying.” You frowned at that.
“And you complied? Just like that? Who are you and what did you do with Gavin Reed??” You looked up to stare at him in disbelief. Instead of scowling like he always did when people talked back or made fun of him, he actually grinned.
“Aw come on, I’m not that bad!” He pushed your legs away a bit so he could sit beside you on the backseat, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. “Besides, I was promised coffee. For a whole week.”
“Connor promised to make you coffee every day, for a whole week, just so you would look after me for a few minutes,” you inquired.
“Yep,” he nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Probably to play solitaire.
You were touched. Connor knew by now that menstruation and the pain that came with it was normal and nothing to be worried about, it wasn’t like you would actually bleed to death. He knew that. You told him all about it, and he probably already did his own research for more details, but he was still worried about your well being. Even after all that shit you had given him while you were in such a bad mood a few days ago. He had asked freaking Gavin Reed of all people to go check on you while he and Hank were finishing up their work.
Gavin, who had never been the friendliest guy towards Connor, and just overall not the nicest guy at the precinct. Though their interactions did become a bit less aggressive after the revolution, you had to admit. Now Gavin just bitched at him like he did with everyone else, which you guessed counted as equal treatment.
“The fuck are you crying about?!” Gavin’s panicked voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and only then did you notice the warm tears rolling down your cheeks.
Fucking period. Always messing with your emotions, making them ten times as strong as they were supposed to be.
“I’m okay,” you sniffled, “It’s just hormones.”
“What, now you’re suddenly okay with blaming your hormones?” Gavin huffed. He put his phone away and gently pulled you up by your arm (“Ow ow ow-”), so he could press you against his side, making your head rest on his collarbone. He awkwardly patted your hair, his body tense. That coffee that Connor had promised must have been really important to him to make him actually try and be this nice.
Well, okay, you knew Gavin wasn’t all bad. You two had some bonding moments every now and then, where he proved to be more than just a complete jerk; A jerk with a tragic backstory that made him be an asshole as some sort of defense mechanism.
Also, he owned two cats, and you knew he took better care of them than himself. Someone like that couldn’t be a complete asshole.
“C’mon, stop crying,” he pleaded, still patting your hair, “Everything’s fine, for fucks sake. What are you even crying about?”
His clumsy attempts to comfort you made you sob even louder. “Connor is so nice,” you managed, “He worries and cares and remembers all that stuff about me... I just-... My heart can’t take it.”
“That’s what you’re so emotional about? Christ...” You felt him let out a breathy laugh above you. “Just go and marry that android dipshit if you love it so much.”
“Him,” you corrected Gavin.
“Him,” he sighed.
You knew he was trying his best to adapt to this new situation, seeing and treating androids as equals. It was difficult for him, you could tell. But if you squinted really, really hard, you could tell he was at least trying.
You sniffled some more, calming down a bit as Gavin held you close. He had taken out his phone again to continue playing solitaire (called it), and you couldn’t help but laugh. He looked always so tough and scary, so everyone would expect him to play mobile shooting games or something like that, but whenever you caught him on his phone, it would either be solitaire, Tetris, or some kind of quiz game.
“I’m just emotional because of my period, so, uh... forget what just happened.”
“You’re allowed to blame your period, but when I do it I’m being an ass?” he complained.
“Yes,” you said, “There’s a clear difference between me blaming my period and someone else blaming it.”
“Uh-huh.”
Connor had insisted that you would stay at home and rest. One reason being that you were in no working condition, seeing as you could hardly do anything without feeling like you were being stabbed in the guts, and the other reason being that Connor kept worrying over you like a mother hen, and he told you he would feel better if you stayed at home to rest up (with your phone in hand and his number saved as an emergency contact, in case something happened).
His big brown puppy eyes had been the main reason you complied to his plea. There was no way anyone could say no to those eyes. They were too strong.
So you lied there on your couch, bawling your eyes out because of some really stupid, really cliché movie that was currently on TV and eating ice cream to fulfill the stereotype, when the phone on your lap buzzed. Putting the bowl of ice cream aside reluctantly, you swiped over the phone screen to see that Connor had sent you a message.
[Connor]: How are you?
[Me]: i’m fine, just watching TV
You decided to leave the crying part out, knowing that it would only worry the android even more.
[Connor]: Have you eaten anything yet?
[Me]: i was just eating some ice cream
[Me]: and cookies
[Connor]: That’s not a proper meal, Detective.
[Connor]: I have made some research, and I strongly suggest you should eat
1. Yogurt (vitamin D and calcium)
2. Whole grain (magnesium)
3. Bananas (potassium and vitamin B6)
4. Broccoli (vitamin B6, fibre, vitamin E and magnesium)
5. Red meat (iron)
6. Dark chocolate (high in antioxidants and magnesium)
[Connor]: All of these will help with menstrual cramps, mood swings, tense muscles, fatigue, sluggishness, and the lack of iron in your blood.
You couldn’t help but smile at Connor’s concern for you. It made you happy knowing someone actually really cared that much. You wondered how he would act if you ever got sick.
[Me]: how dare you say cookies and ice cream are not a proper meal
[Me]: besides, i’m way too lazy to get up and make some “proper food”
[Connor]: Detective, I’m warning you..
[Connor]: I’ll head over to your place if you refuse to take better care of your health.
Your heart might have skipped a beat at that. Connor took his job very seriously, so if something actually managed to get him away from it meant that it must be of higher priority than his work at the DPD – something that he was literally made for.
Were you actually that important to him?
[Me]: well I certainly wouldn’t mind your company, but it’s not like i’m gonna die, so don’t worry
[Me]: besides, Fowler will definitely not let you leave work to visit me just because i’m on my period
[Connor]: Captain Fowler doesn’t know about your situation. You only told him that you were ill, correct?
[Me]: well.. yea, true
[Connor]: Just leave it to me. I will be there in approximately 22 minutes and 38 seconds.
Connor was going to leave work to look after you. You couldn’t believe it.
You sat up, grimacing at the protesting stabs in your lower abdomen, and looked around your apartment. It wasn’t exactly messy, but definitely not very tidy either. Still, you didn’t feel like stressing yourself out for 22 minutes and 38 seconds to clean everything up. Besides, Connor had probably seen worse, considering he had been at Hank’s place before. He probably won’t mind. Hopefully.
Connor had arrived just as predicted, and with a bag of groceries hanging by his side. “I wasn’t sure if you had everything you needed at home, so I went to the nearest supermarket to get a few of the things I had listed in the chat.”
You stood up from your comfortable pillow fort that you had built on your couch, wrapping the blanket around your shoulders and following him into the kitchen. While he emptied the bag and started to prepare for cooking, you noticed that he had left one or two things from the list out – things that he apparently knew you didn’t like to eat. It made you feel warm and soft, your lips pulling into a gentle smile.
“Thanks,” you breathed, your throat suddenly starting to feel a little tight and your vision getting just a tad blurry. Connor never ceased to make you feel vulnerable, with his warm brown eyes, that little smile he wore more and more often these days, and all those caring gestures and words towards you.
Connor had looked up from the groceries, a concerned look on his face as he watched you fight against the urge to fall into his arms and cry, and promise him everything in the world that would make him happy.
Damn you, menstrual hormones.
When the detective android continued to look at you with those big brown eyes, you sniffled and used your blanket to get rid of those treacherous tears. “I’m okay, I’m okay! Just-... really emotional, is all. Just ignore it.”
“If you say so, Detective,” he said, obviously not very convinced by your words. He turned back to continue preparing your ‘proper meal’, “This won’t take too long. I’d advise you to lie back down and rest some more.”
You knew better than to argue with him, so you just nodded and went back to the TV, throwing yourself onto the couch and sighed contently.
Not long after, you and Connor sat and watched TV together, while you ate Connor’s well prepared, and very delicious, ‘proper meal’. You let out noises of pure pleasure whenever the warm food touched your tongue – it just tasted so good – and Connor would shift a little beside you every time.
“That was really good, Con,” you sighed happily, settling the now empty plate down onto the table, “I didn’t know you were such a good cook.”
Connor beamed at the praise, looking down at his hands and smiling, a bit of a blue hue forming on his cheeks. You loved when androids blushed (especially Connor), the blue color was such a nice contrast to their skin.
“Thank you,” he murmured, voice softer than ever. Then he added, with a hint of pride in his tone; “I wasn’t made for cooking or other domestic uses, but as you already know, I’m very good at adapting to new situations.”
You chuckled and shifted closer until you were leaning against his side. Despite the blanket, you still felt cold from the continuous loss of blood, and Connor was radiating such an inviting warmth beside you that you just couldn’t resist.
“Is this okay?” you asked quietly, afraid that you had made him uncomfortable. He felt tense, and you supposed he wasn’t used to physical affection.
Connor lifted his arm until it was wrapped around your form, your cheek now pressed against his collarbone and your upper body fully touching his side. You didn’t think androids could be so warm and so comfortable.
“It’s... very okay,” he said after a long moment. You felt him relax slightly.
You two continued to watch the movie that was playing for a while, happily exchanging body heat and making fun about some of the characters and plot holes. You had been alone for so long that only now did you realize how good it felt to spend time with someone like this, how much you actually loved cuddling and being cared for. You felt so safe around Connor; content to let him in, to be vulnerable and open, to let him see and read you as you were. He felt like the warm sunbeams on your face on a cold winter day.
“Connor,” you whispered, afraid that if you spoke too loudly, it would disturb the content air around you. He gave a low hum, indicating that he was listening. “You know you didn’t have to come here, right? I’m not sick or injured or anything, you know this happens every month and I can take care of myself. Not that I mind your company, of course! I’m very happy that you’re here, I just... Work is more important, and I know how important it is to you.”
His fingers started drawing circles over your upper arm as he thought of a reply. Finally, he said, “There’s not a shred of doubt that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, Detective, but I... have to disagree about work being more important.”
You frowned slightly. “How so?”
He sighed. “Enjoying the company of the people around me while I still can became very important to me after everything that happened during the revolution. Seeing people die in a matter of seconds, and also realizing that I could have lost Hank at many- too many points during those days,” his arm around you tightened, and you could sense that he was thinking about Hank’s suicidal tendencies back then, “...it made me realize just how much more important it is to spend time with the people I care about, instead of focusing solely on my mission – my job.”
You buried your face in his neck, feeling a wave of new tears forming in your eyes. You realized what he was saying; death was inevitable for humans, but not for androids. They were immortal, their parts easily replaced by newer ones. Connor would have to watch everyone around him grow old and die at some point, while he would stay young forever.
“Fuck,” you choked out, “I wasn’t ready for that.”
Connor was quick to pull you into a tight embrace, body now fully turned so he could wrap both of his arms around your form. He spoke your name in a distressed tone, “I-I’m sorry, I forgot humans don’t enjoy talking about death. I really didn’t mean to upset you.”
You let out a mix between a sob and a laugh, “It’s okay, just- just warn me next time before you start talking about deep stuff like that, alright?”
“Of course,” he breathed. His mouth was right beside your ear, voice so gentle and quiet, it made you want to weep even more.
“Connor, if you ever need or want anything- anything at all, please let me know.” You figured you might as well just join the emotional train to share your thoughts and feelings while it was still there. “Hell, you can call me at three in the fucking morning if you need someone to talk to or if you’re worried about something. I won’t mind. You care so friggin’ much for me, I just want to give something back. I want to see you happy. Alright?”
He pressed against you more tightly, burying his nose in your hair and drawing in a soft breath you knew he didn’t need. “Alright,” he whispered, “I’ll remember that.”
“I know you will,” you smiled against his synthetic skin, “You always do.”
You didn’t know how long you stayed like this, embracing each other and whispering about small, more happy things to lighten the mood a little (“Your hair is so soft. Do you ever even wash it?” - “There is no need to, Detective.” - “Do you ever even take a bath??” - “No?” - “Remind me to prepare you a bubble bath tomorrow. You’re missing out on some good shit, Con.”).
Your phone buzzed unexpectedly, and you jumped by how loud it sounded after all those quiet exchanges of words. The movie was long over, and you blinked as a cheese commercial played instead. Just how much time had passed? You begrudgingly let go of the android to see who had messaged you.
[Coffee Junkie]: I saw RoboCop leaving the precinct just now. R u dying?
You winced a little when you noticed the time Gavin had sent this; it was just shortly after your chat with Connor. You must have overheard your phone buzzing. The lack of a reply must have concerned him even more, considering the amount of new messages you were getting now.
[Coffee Junkie]: u okay???
[Coffee Junkie]: did you die??
[Coffee Junkie]: hellloooo??
[Me]: i didn’t hear my phone, sorry
[Me]: and what’s with you assuming i’m dying all the time? geez
[Me]: i might be bleeding but i’m not ganna die from it dude
[Me]: Connor is just being a mother hen and making sure i’m eating well
[Coffee Junkie]: thank fuck
You chuckled, happy to see that Gavin genuinely cared.
“What do you mean by me being a ‘mother hen’?” Connor asked. He must have read the messages upside down, seeing as you were still facing each other.
“It just means that you’re very protective and care a whole lot about certain people, like a mother hen cares for her little chicks.” He hummed, apparently satisfied by your answer.
Another message popped up, this time from Hank.
[Grumpy Lieutenant]: Did you order Connor to buy you tampons or something? He seemed hell bent on getting to your place as fast as possible.
[Me]: nooo, he’s just making sure i’m not dying from eating too much ice cream. i’m fine. we’re just chilling right now
You knew Hank was worried as well, he just didn’t show it as much. You couldn’t help but smile.
“You and detective Reed seem close,” Connor suddenly noted, and when you looked up from your phone you saw that his eyes were trained on the screen, LED swirling a dim yellow.
“He’s becoming less of an ass nowadays. I think I’m a good influence,” you joked, watching as his LED blinked back to blue instantly. Were you just reading too much into things, or did he actually just show a bit of jealousy? “You two seem to get along a bit better as well these days. Could this be the start of a bromance, I wonder?”
Connor laughed – laughed! - and leaned his forehead against your shoulder. “I’m still waiting for him to come to terms with his true feelings towards me.”
“Oh my god,” you snorted. Connor actually joking or being sarcastic was the most hysterical thing to you. He hadn’t done it very much before, but he was indeed quick at adapting. You would never forget that one day he had discovered the wonderful world of puns. “I bet he wanted to be your bro since he first saw you, he was just too awkward to express it.”
“That would explain why he pointed a gun at me three times.”
“Yeah, well, he’s bad at coping with his feelings. Being a jerk just comes more naturally to him, I suppose,” you shrugged, and felt him let out an amused huff against your neck.
He pulled back enough to look around, apparently only now noticing how much time had passed since he first arrived at your place. “It’s getting late,” he stated.
Indeed it was. You cleared your throat, “You can stay.”
You really didn’t want him to leave. Being alone in your apartment had never really been a problem, you even enjoyed being by yourself at times, but Connor’s presence made everything so much... brighter. More happy. You loved his company, and the touch-starved part of you loved having him so close.
You especially didn’t want him to leave after his talk about death earlier. You just knew that as soon as you would close your eyes to go to sleep, his words would keep you awake.
“You don’t mind?” he asked, voice almost timid.
“Of course not. I prefer you being here than being left alone in this fortress of solitude right now.”
“Alright.” He smiled and leaned back to lie on the couch, pulling you down with him and wrapping the blanket around the both of you.
This is nice, you decided, snuggling closer, I could get used to this.
You never thought being on your period could be this lovely.