Work Text:
“Ugh.”
Hank looked up at Connor as he groaned for the fifth time that day. Which wouldn’t be odd, except they’d only just woken up ten minutes ago.
“Everything goin’ alright over there?”
“Yes. Your food is cooking.”
“Huh. Not what I meant.”
Connor didn’t reply, continuing to mindlessly stir a spoon around in the charred bacon and eggs.
“Did I… do something to annoy you?”
“What?”
This time, the android turned around. Hank almost jumped back at his appearance; hair that was usually tidy, now with an overabundance of messy curls; dark circles beneath his eyes; his skin somehow even paler than usual.
“Never mind that—are you alright?”
“Yes.” Connor replied, just as briskly as before, turning away to look back at the food he was cooking. “Oh. I believe I’ve burnt your breakfast.”
“No shit. I don’t care about that. Come over here.”
He walked over to the table, and Hank stood up at once, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead.
“You’re burning up! Didn’t know androids could get fevers…”
“We can’t.”
“Sure as hell can. You’ve got one. Do a system scan or something.”
“I don’t need to. Come on, Lieutenant, we’ll be late for work.”
Connor tried to move away but Hank stopped him immediately, raising his hand.
“Nah, we’re not going.”
“Why?”
“Cause you’re sick… or something.”
“Androids can’t get sick.”
“…did you do the scan?”
“Yes.”
“What did it say?”
“My… my core temperature is elevated, there are errors with my gyroscope and my mind palace… Nothing a system update won’t fix.”
“Alright. You know which one will solve it?”
Connor groaned. “Can’t we just go to work and I’ll do it on the way there? I’m fine!”
To demonstrate this fact, he stepped away from Hank, back towards the stove, then tripped over his own feet and crashed into the counter. It was a miracle the frying pan full of burnt food didn’t go flying, but he narrowly missed it.
“Jesus christ—”
Connor attempted to quickly right himself, before groaning again. “Fine.” He held up his hands, making slow steps over to the living room where he flopped down onto a chair. “They may be an error that I’m unsure how to fix.”
“Shit. How bad?”
“I don’t know. There’s no warning of a shutdown. In fact, most of these… these symptoms are my system trying to solve the problem.”
“Huh. Kind’ve sounds like a virus, or something. Like people get viruses and they feel shitty when their immune system is trying to kill it off.”
“Hmm. Perhaps that’s an apt comparison. But I can’t catch human viruses.”
“Nah. But are there android ones?”
“…perhaps.”
“Then what I prescribe for you is some rest.”
“Thank you, doctor Hank.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good with technology. New Jericho should hire me.”
“They’re missing out.” Connor replied, before wincing and bringing a hand up to his head.
“Right. Okay… would getting you back into bed help? Might be less bright in your room. If you rest, maybe your systems can get the virus out.”
Connor just nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. Hank took this as his cue to reach out a hand, smiling when the android took it. Slowly, he helped him off the chair and down the corridor, Sumo trotting at their heels.
Once Connor was back into bed he stepped back, brows furrowing.
“Right… Give me a minute on what to do next. It’s been a while.”
Connor tilted his head to the side. “Haven’t you been sick recently?”
“Yeah. I mean… someone else… nevermind.” He waved his hand. “I know what you need. Some hot soup.”
“I can’t eat, Hank.”
“I know that. Yeah, I was just testing you. Seeing if your brain was still working. Uh… what about a cup of hot thirium?”
“That might be nice. As long as it’s no bother.”
Hank held up his hands. “Nothing’s a bother when you’re ill, alright? Just sit tight there and I’ll be back.”
And as he poured the thirium into the mug, searched through cupboards for that old packet of bendy straws, he smiled. He might’ve been rusty but he was doing alright. Taking care of his…
His… son?
Hank sighed. He was too busy to think about that. The implications of fatherhood again. Being the father of an android with the face of a grown man. Yeah, he would think about that later.
Instead he brought the mug between his hands, made sure it was warm enough, before placing in the little straw and bringing it into Connor’s room.
“What’s this—a straw?”
Hank chuckled. “Yeah. Thought you might know what one is, but if you want the pamphlet on it…”
“I know what a straw is. I’ve just… never had one before. This one is also bendy.”
“Yeah, they’re fun like that. Hope it actually works with how dense that blood shit is…”
“It’s nice. Thanks.”
Hank nodded, standing still and watching as Connor sipped at the thirium. Some parental urge within him suddenly had the words springing from his lips—
“Hey, is that goin’ down okay? Not any problems with your throat?”
Connor, to his merit, didn’t question it. “It’s okay. My throat’s only a little scratchy. Uh… are you okay over there?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been standing there for approximately one minute fourty two seconds.”
“Oh. Shit, now I’m the one watching you eat, or whatever. Sorry, I’ll get out of your hair—”
“No.” Connor looked away. “I wasn’t complaining. But… maybe you could stay here and find something to do? You’re free to take the desk over there, or… Unless you’re busy. You can still go to work, if you want.”
“Nah. I already phoned it in. Jeffrey probably won’t understand that android viruses aren’t transmissible.” Hank lied. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah. So, about doing something… I think I’m going to read.”
With that, he left the room, going across the hall into his own room and pulling open his cupboard. He reached for the current book he’d been reading, before pausing.
It wouldn’t be right to just sit there whilst Connor felt shitty and had nothing to do, would it? No. An idea popped into his mind and he pulled back his hand, grabbing a different book instead.
“What about you hear the book as well?” Hank asked as soon as he came back into the room. “I mean, I could read it to you.”
“You don’t have to. I would appreciate it, but… why?”
“Why what?”
“I thought you wanted to read.”
“Yeah. Maybe you want to hear the book as well, though. I used to do it for Cole all the time when he was sick. He always got headaches so he could never play any games or anything when he got ill, the only thing he could do was listen. Now I know you probably don’t have that problem but… It’s a Christmas book. Kind of.” He waved the cover in front of Connor’s face, perching on the end of the bed.
“A Christmas Carol. I’ve heard of it. A popular novel.”
“Yeah, it is. A classic. So… you want me to read it?”
“That would be nice.”
“Cool. Alright, just give me a minute to find the pages… And don’t expect me to do any voices. Too old for that.”
“You already sound like Scrooge.”
“Excuse me? I don’t think I get paid enough for that.”
“Fair point. Sorry.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re forgiven. Now…”
And with that he began to read the story. In the end, he did try and do voices, although ended up in a coughing fit after the tenth page of trying to get the impression of Ebeneezer Scrooge. But Connor smiled and laughed along with him, sounding a lot merrier than he had that morning, and that was all that mattered.