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“Don’t forget, Silas is coming tonight.”
Hank rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I’m becoming a foster home for androids,” he sighed.
Connor smiled at him across the couch. “Nines did say he thought it was unfair the two of us get to stay here and he doesn’t.”
“Are you serious? Do you three ever stop bitching? I’m gonna run out of room.”
Connor laughed. “We just like it here,” he said.
Hank believed him. Connor had wanted somewhere familiar to go through some of the hardest points of his deviancy. He told Hank he trusted him and made him feel safe. Which was understandable, flattering, and a blessing in disguise. Hank grumbled about it, but deep down he liked having him around.
After androids found his body in Cyberlife, Hank and Connor ended up discovering that Silas, RK800-60, had been fixed up and assessed following the revolution. They put him through what sounded like a kind of deviancy therapy to help him figure himself out. Since they were the only people he knew, he’d reached out to Connor and Hank for somewhere to go afterwards. The two of them had actually gone to some of Silas’ therapy meetings, as it allowed all of them to deal with the Cyberlife Tower incident.
Initially, Hank had worried about the craziness of essentially welcoming two Connors into his house, but he’d quickly realized Silas was very different to Connor. As was Nines.
There was a knock at the door.
Connor instantly jumped up from the couch to answer it and Hank watched him go. It really was nice having more than just him living in the house. After years of it feeling empty, he was looking forward to it feeling more like a home. Switching off the television, Hank got up and joined him at the door. Silas' eyes landed on him and he smiled.
“Welcome to the Anderson house. Don’t expect too much,” Hank told him, huffing a laugh.
“I’m expecting everything,” Silas replied. Hank snorted.
Connor pressed his lips into a tight line. “Silas, please.”
He gave Connor a pointed look. “Hank knows I’m joking. Are we telling him tonight?”
Connor seemed shocked, and Hank looked between them, confused. “What?”
Letting out a slow breath and forcibly unclenching his jaw, Connor turned to face Hank. “I’m sorry. It will all be explained… I’ve invited Nines over if that’s okay, we have some things to discuss.”
“You’re really starting to weird me out,” Hank said slowly. “Course Nines can come over. I just wanna know what the hell is going on.”
Silas walked further in the house and looked around. “Hopefully it’s something you’ll think is good. Although, I can never predict your reaction. It’s only of my favourite things about you,” he said, giving Hank a quick wink.
Hank was speechless. Was… was he flirting?
“O-kay,” he muttered to himself.
Faster than he’d expected, there was yet another knock on the front door.
He’d only just been told Nines was coming and he was already outside? It really made him wonder how long they’d been planning… whatever it was they were planning.
“I’ll get it,” Connor said.
Hank had been in a room with all three of them at once a few times before, and he was grateful they all had such different personalities. Sometimes Hank even forgot they were based on the same model.
Connor opened the door for him and Nines stepped in, dressed smartly and head to toe in all black. “Hello,” Nines greeted politely, looking directly at Hank. “Connor, Silas,” he added after a beat.
“Come on in. You lot gonna actually tell me what’s going on now?” Hank said, impatient.
Silas sat on the couch beside him, and Hank watched Connor’s eye twitch.
“You can sit on the other side,” Silas told him, obviously just as aware as Hank was that he was in Connor’s usual seat.
“Fine,” he said, placing himself down the other side of Hank.
Hank sat in the middle of the two and swallowed, trying and failing not to feel slightly intimidated.
Nines sat on the armchair next to them and folded his hands in his lap, fixing Hank with an intense look. “Connor’s worried about ruining your relationship as it stands, and Silas doesn’t know how to have a civilized conversation without being rude. Therefore, I’ve taken it upon myself to start this dialogue,” he said calmly. Hank shifted in his seat.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Over the span of each of us knowing you, we’ve ended up talking about you a considerable amount. We all have a very open relationship with each other. Therefore we are all very open about our emotions. The truth is, all three of us have gotten to know you, and it didn’t take us long to realize-”
“We want to be with you,” Silas butted in. He saw Nines and Connor glare at him, and shrugged. “I’ve been waiting long enough for Connor to stop stressing and agree to this.”
“I’m just very aware of making Hank uncomfortable,” Connor replied.
“Whoa, whoa, hold on,” Hank interjected, not quite sure what the hell was going on. “What?”
Nines leaned forward. “What Silas is saying, is that we all have feelings for you.”
Hank’s mouth fell open, completely unprepared for that kind of bombshell. He frowned, trying to make sense of it. “I’m…” he struggled to find the words, looking to Connor for help, or an explanation.
“It’s true,” Connor confessed. “I’ve had these feelings for you for a long time now. Myself, Nines, and Silas found out we all cared for you very deeply, and wanted to be with you. In our own ways. We have also found some comfort and happiness in each other, and being together. I understand it’s a strange situation, but we wanted to… to ask you…” his gaze fell down to his lap as he trailed off, suddenly less confident.
“To ask if you would want to be with us too,” Nines finished for him. Connor gave Nines a small smile, before looking back at Hank.
“The way you care for us, the way you make us feel safe like no one else, the happiness it gives us to care for you in return. If you’ll have us, we’d like to be together with you. We love you, Hank,” Connor said quietly.
“You’re also gorgeous, it’s honestly quite impossible to stop thinking about you,” Silas stated.
Hank looked between the three of them, dumbfounded.
“We understand you’ll need space, and are more than happy to give it to you. We can take things as slow as you like,” Nines explained.
“You want to… be with me? Like, a relationship?” he asked, shocked by the sound of the very idea coming out his mouth. Surely that was wrong, surely he was missing something.
“Yes,” Silas confirmed.
“I- All three of you? And me?”
“That’s right,” said Nines. Connor placed a very gentle hand on Hank’s arm and waited to see if it was okay. Hank let him.
“Take the time you need, we want an honest answer,” Connor told him.
Hank nodded, his brain slowly catching up. It didn’t make any sense to him, but they all seemed very genuine.
“Okay. I’m still processing, but okay. If… if it’s what you all want… I do care about you- each of you- more than I ever expected to,” he said slowly. “I just want you to be happy.”
“It would make us very happy,” Nines said.
“I would feel very happy right now if you kissed me,” Silas commented. Hank’s eyes flew to him in shock.
“Silas!” Connor gasped.
Connor’s grip on his arm tightened every so slightly, and Hank turned to look at him. There was no question Connor had become his best friend, the one he felt most comfortable around. If anything made him unhappy, Hank would never dream of doing it.
Noticing what he was doing, Connor looked guilty. “I’m sorry,” he sighed, releasing Hank’s arm. “Silas is far bolder than I am, and I can’t blame him for it.”
Silas shared an understanding look with Connor.
Hank was sad to see him retract himself, and he reached out to take Connor's hand. Holding it in his own, Hank entwined their fingers and waited for Connor to look back up at him. “I wish you felt like you could've told me,” he said softly.
“I needed the push, and I’m grateful for these two doing so. I’ve wanted to for a long time,” he admitted. Hank squeezed his hand.
Allowing himself not to overthink but to just exist in the moment, Hank took a deep breath and leaned forward hesitantly. He saw as Connor’s eyes lit up. There was a level of being unsure from both of them, but Connor leaned in the rest of the way and their lips met gently. The kiss was far more tentative than Hank expected, his heart beating in his chest like he was a teenager again.
Pulling away, he felt Silas leaning against his side and rest his head on Hank’s shoulder.
“You’re even comfier than I imagined,” Silas hummed happily.
Hank looked over at Nines, catching the soft look on his face as he watched them.
“You okay?” Hank asked him.
Nines nodded and leaned back in his chair. “I like seeing you all happy.”
Hank chuckled. Connor smiled and leaned against his other side, and they stayed cuddled up on the couch for a while.
Hank wasn’t sure what he was doing, or had any clue how to navigate a relationship of that nature. But he was happy to give what was left of his life, and love, to the people that loved him too. He was ready to share his home.