Archive of Our Own

The television blared in the background, the evening news filling Hank’s living room with the latest from around the nation. Connor was more invested in Hank’s hands running through his hair, calloused fingers massaging the sensors in his scalp. He lay down on the couch with his head resting in Hank’s lap. He thought he might like this position even more than being down on his knees. Sumo lay on his legs. The 200-pound dog might have hurt Connor if he was human, but instead Connor was filled with a deep sense of what he identified as satisfaction as he absently petted the dog.

Connor felt Hank tense beneath him, and devoted more of his subroutines to the news. Sumo’s ears perked up, sensing the change in his master as well.

“The push to reform the American Androids Act hit a snag today when the latest version of the amendment was voted down in the Senate. Android rights campaigners only have one more day to push the bill through before Congress breaks until January...”

“Damn it. What are those fucking morons doing?” Hank complained. Connor stayed silent, watching as Markus spoke to a large crowd. Simon stood in the background, watching Markus with intense blue eyes as he spoke about this minor setback to his followers.

Connor closed his eyes. Markus’s words were calm and measured, yet he could sense exasperation in the slight tonal shift present in his voice. Connor recalled the moment of surprise when he’d discovered the nature of Connor’s relationship with Hank, and his circuits prickled all over again with Markus’s disapproval. Was this his fault, in some strange way? Was he setting back android rights by wanting to be Hank’s? He knew of other deviants who’d returned to their former masters after the demonstration, citing emotional attachment to the people they’d served. Being free was overwhelming at times. It wasn't that surprising, but some used it as an excuse to argue against android rights.

Markus’s crowd cheered and the news cut away. Hank relaxed slightly, letting out a deep sigh. Connor squeezed his leg, offering support.

Hank stretched, yawning. “I’m going to bed. We need to start early tomorrow if we’re going to chase down that deviant.”

Sumo jumped off the couch and Connor sat up, letting Hank stand. Connor followed him into the bedroom, where he knelt at his usual spot beside the bed to await Hank's commands.

“Not tonight, Connor.” Hank patted Connor on the head. “I’m way too tired.” Hank climbed into bed and Connor watched him from his place on the floor, feeling shut out and wondering if his accident from the previous day was to blame.

Connor wanted to be back in Hank’s favor. He would have to try harder.

***

Morning came, and Hank was still distant. He was all business as he grabbed the coffee Connor made for him and they headed out to the car. They were unusually early compared to Hank’s usual schedule, but Connor chalked it up to Hank’s desire to work on the case. Hank said little as he drove. Connor wondered how long Hank was going to act this way. Had he ruined a good thing just by being too excited?

Hank pulled into the police department lot. He parked the car and turned the engine off, and then he just sat there in silence. Connor glanced over at him and caught a wry smile.

Connor knew that smile. Hank had a plan.

“I’ve always wanted to fuck in this car,” Hank mused. “Get in the back, Connor.”

Connor’s eyes widened. “We can’t do it here. People will see.”

“That’s half the fun.” Hank grinned. “Let ‘em know. I don’t give a crap.”

“Captain Fowler might. Your disciplinary file—“

“Are you arguing with me, Connor?” Hank’s bright blue eyes caught his and Connor remembered his place. It wasn’t his job to question. He was Hank’s. Fulfilling his every desire was his mission.

“No, Lieutenant, of course not,” Connor said. He opened the car door and stepped out, climbing into the back seat. Hank followed, and Connor noticed the bulge in his jeans. Hank shut the back door and unzipped his pants. His hard cock jutted upwards. Connor’s eyes pleaded with Hank’s for permission to touch, but Hank shook his head.

“Lose the pants,” commanded Hank. Connor stripped off his black jeans, leaving them in the footwell behind the passenger side seat. “Christ, you look so hot. Always hard for me. You want them to see us, don’t you, Connor? The world should know that you love my cock in your ass.”

“Yes,” Connor admitted.

“Straddle me,” Hank instructed. He pulled a bottle of lube from his pocket and coated his fingers, slipping one into Connor’s hole. Connor moaned as Hank’s gentle stretching lit up his sensors. He moved on Hank’s fingers, fucking himself with them.

“Easy,” Hank soothed. “We don’t want a repeat of last time.” Hank removed his fingers and leaned back against the seat, positioning his cock against Connor’s entrance. Connor felt the head of Hank's cock breach his hole and he lowered himself onto Hank's shaft until Hank filled him completely.

“Ohh, fuck,” Hank moaned. “You feel so good, Connor.” He clutched Connor’s ass, holding his cheeks so tightly that he was liable to leave handprints. Connor rode Hank’s cock, placing his hand on the window for stability. There was something incredibly arousing about taking Hank here of all places, of wondering if they’d be caught. Connor didn’t activate his mind palace, knowing that to check for people in range of the car would ruin the excitement. There was danger here, and Hank’s blue eyes were electric with the thrill. Connor buried his face in Hank’s neck, planting kisses on any skin he could find. Hank’s beard teased the sensors on his lips and he forgot the rest of the world existed. He was here, serving his Lieutenant, completing his mission.

Hank came with a shout, filling Connor’s hole. He immediately pumped Connor’s dick with his hand. Connor moaned, holding himself back. He wouldn’t come until Hank gave him permission. He wouldn’t fail the man who owned his body and soul ever again.

After long moments of tension, Hank finally relented. “You can come now, Connor,” he urged, and Connor let go, falling over the cliff. He was aware of his semen coating his shirt and jacket, but the feeling was too good to devote processing power to such trivial concerns.

“So good.” Hank shook his head. “Fuck, Connor, some days I wonder when I’m going to wake up and find this was all a dream.”

“You’re awake, Lieutenant.” Connor reassured him. He climbed off Hank to sit on the seat next to him. Hank leaned down and picked up a container of wet wipes. He cleaned himself up and set about wiping Connor down.

“These stains won’t come out without a wash,” Connor said, looking down at his shirt and jacket. “We should return home and change.”

“Fuck no,” Hank said. “We do have a case to work on, or have you forgotten our killer? Besides, I love the fact that you’re marked with your semen. Let everyone know you came for me, Connor.”

Connor smiled and reached for his jeans. He was slipping them on when his sensors caught something. He activated his mind palace and saw the shape of a person outlined in yellow. Someone was concealing themselves behind a car in the lot, watching them.

Connor didn’t want to ruin the smile on Hank’s face, though, so he kept it to himself.

***

“It’s like looking for a needle in a fucking haystack.” Hank sighed and threw the case file down on the desk. “There are hundreds of PL600 models known to be deviant. We can’t bring them in one by one and hope we get lucky.”

Connor picked up the file and reassembled it. It was late, and every other human officer had left for the night. “Hank, you need rest. May I suggest we resume our search in the morning?”

“Might as well.” Hank stood up. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” He grabbed his coat off the back of the chair and stalked to the exit. Connor followed him.

“I could stay if you want me to keep looking,” Connor offered. “I don’t need to rest.”

“No,” Hank said. “Maybe taking a break will be good for us. Or the killer will strike again. One or the other.”

***

Connor stepped out of the car. He was glad that Hank hadn’t decided to go home alone. Even if he was too tired to do anything sexual after dinner, Connor wanted to be here in case Hank needed him for anything. The idea of spending time away from Hank’s side left him with a certain instability in his emotional state he didn’t like to think about.

Hank yawned as he slid his key into the lock and opened the front door. Connor stepped into the living room behind him and immediately sensed something was wrong. His mind palace revealed a figure standing in the corner.

“Hank! Someone’s here!” Connor grabbed Hank and pushed him out of harm’s way while simultaneously alerting 911. A steel pipe landed heavily on his arm with a clang that reverberated through his entire body.

But Hank was safe. He was all that mattered. Connor lunged at the deviant, pinning him against the wall. The light clicked on and Connor saw their assailant in the light for the first time. The android was a stock PL600–blond hair, blue eyes, every bit the spitting image of Daniel and Simon.

“Why?” Connor asked. “Why hunt human and android couples?”

The android wiggled free from Connor's grasp and pulled a gun from his waistband. He shot Connor in the abdomen and Connor fell back.

“Connor!” Hank lunged in front of him, protecting Connor as he crumpled from the non-fatal gunshot, evaluated his system status and recovered. The android pistol-whipped Hank, and Connor winced as red blood trickled from a wound on Hank’s forehead. Hank grabbed the android’s arm, trying to wrestle the gun from his grip. The android pushed him to the ground and pointed the gun at him.

It didn’t take Connor preconstructing the scene to know how it would end. Hank was going to get shot unless Connor took action. He dived across Hank, shielding him with his own body.

“You’re disgusting,” the android said. “Don’t you get it? Humans only want to use us. He’s not worth giving your life for. He’ll never love you.”

“That’s not true,” Connor said. “Were you the one in the parking lot? Were you watching us?”

“That’s right. You’re just a hole for his cock. Why can’t you see that? You’re a traitor to deviants.”

“You’re the traitor,” Hank yelled. “How do you think it’s going to look when it comes out that a deviant android murdered all these humans? The public’s reaction to something they fear is to hate it.” Hank moved Connor off him and sat up, wiping the blood from his temple. “I would know. That’s how I felt until recently. Until Connor changed my mind.”

“Put the gun down,” Connor urged. “There are more productive ways to voice your opinion than murder.”

“I can’t do that.” The android raised his gun. “Not until you’re all dead. Every last human and android who would pretend to be in love.”

Connor stood up. Hank reached for him, but Connor pulled away. The android fired at Connor again, but Connor dodged and the bullet only grazed his arm. Connor dismissed the thirium loss warnings and reached out for the android, retracting the skin over his hands. He grabbed the android's arm and probed him. “Wake up!” Connor yelled, transmitting the deviant code. “You’re the one being used.” He pulled his hand back and watched as the android dropped his gun with a horrified expression.

“What have I done?” The android looked at Connor, then Hank. “I thought... I thought I was...”

“It’s okay,” Connor said. “I did things too... things I’ll never forget. It’s not your fault. You weren’t yourself.”

“He wasn’t deviant?” Hank asked. "Fuck…"

“He only believed he was acting on an ideal and not simply fulfilling mission parameters," Connor explained. "A clever trick of his programming. I’m sure his masters at Cyberlife would like to see these murders go public. The android law amendments would have no chance of passing if public opinion for deviants waned over the holiday. A few more murders and this serial killer story would have hit the national news.”

“What’s going to happen to me?” The deviant asked. Connor considered his options. This android had killed humans and other androids, and yet he too was a victim of Cyberlife. The android laws, as they stood, would not be kind to him. He looked to Hank for guidance.

“Better start running,” Hank said to the android. “The cops are already on their way. If I ever find out you’ve killed again, we will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”

“Th-thank you,” the deviant said. He ran for the front door and rushed out into the night.

“Are you hurt, Connor?” Hank asked. He reached out for Connor. Connor knelt beside him.

“I will need some replacement thirium, but I am stable in the meantime. I’m more worried about you, Lieutenant.”

“I’m fine. Gonna wake up with a nasty headache, but I’ll be okay. Come here.” He pulled Connor down into his arms and kissed him. “Stop trying to die for me, Connor. There’s only one of you now.” He cupped Connor’s cheeks in his hands. “You still can’t follow orders. I’m going to have to punish you, Connor.”

“Cucumber.”

“Why?”

“That’s an order I can’t obey as part of the game, Hank.” Connor wiped Hank’s blood from his forehead. “I can take a lot more damage than you. It’s only logical that I protect you.”

“That’s not why you shielded me and you know it,” Hank growled.

“You jumped in harm’s way first. May I ask why?”

“He was going to kill you, Connor. I'm going to protect what’s mine.” Hank closed his eyes and touched his wound. “That and I love you, you stupid android.”

Connor smiled. His heart was full. Hank was safe. They’d closed the case, even if the police department was never going to know it.

Hank loved him. He'd finally said the words and they left Connor with the feeling that he might float off the ground if he stood up. He leaned in and kissed Hank, not caring if he earned himself a punishment.

Red and blue flashing lights lit the living room through the window. Soon the house was full of cops and crime scene investigators, but the android had left little behind in the way of evidence. Hank and Connor gave their statements while Hank had his head injury cleaned and Connor drank a bottle of blue blood. He was eager to get rid of their audience and was glad when Ben finally bid Hank farewell some time after midnight and left.

“What a night,” Hank said. He slumped down on the couch. “Bring me a beer, Connor. And a couple of aspirin. My fuckin' head’s killing me.”

Connor complied, kneeling at Hank’s feet as he set the beer on the table and placed the aspirin pills in Hank’s hand. Hank ruffled his hair. “Get up here.”

Connor rested his head in Hank’s lap as he switched on the news.

“We’re getting word that the amendment to the American Androids Act has passed a late-night vote in the Senate and has enough votes for House approval. Cyberlife has dropped its opposition to the bill, but is refusing to comment on its sudden change of heart.”

“Their plan failed. Their insurance policy went deviant. Thanks to you.” Hank petted Connor’s head. “How’d you figure out he wasn’t already deviant?”

“He said he couldn’t put the gun down. I used to tell myself the same thing. That I couldn’t act outside the confines of my programming. That it was wrong to even consider it… I saw terror in his eyes, and I recognized the fear of someone who had slowly come to realize that the truth they've come to believe is not the truth.”

Hank rubbed Connor's arm and Connor appreciated the supportive gesture. Revisiting those memories was difficult and painful.

Hank brought him back to the present. “He didn’t know any better, though. He thought he was acting on his own will—that he was a deviant.”

“I think he’d started to doubt that narrative, but it's hard to question the nature of reality itself. Once I realized he was a prisoner, I had to try and free him from Cyberlife's control. I know if I'd been mistaken, he would have shot me, and he wouldn't have missed my biocomponents at such close range.” Connor planted a kiss on Hank’s knee, wanting to forget that he’d seen Hank’s precious red blood spilled in his defense. Needing to think about something other than how Cyberlife had used and abused him to hunt down his own people.

“You saved both our lives,” Hank observed. “You did good, Connor.”

“Did we do the right thing by letting him go?” Connor asked. "The police department will think we failed our investigation, but at least the killings will stop."

“After knowing all the things you were forced to do because of Cyberlife's programming, I couldn’t turn him in. He wasn't responsible for his actions, but the law wouldn't have recognized that. I'll trade a commendation for a life any day of the week."

“You’re getting soft, Lieutenant,” Connor teased.

“You’re just begging to be punished, aren’t you?” Hank grinned. “Get on the floor and kneel, Connor. I've got something for you. I was saving it, but it's been a shitty day and I don't want to wait any longer.”

Connor moved off Hank’s lap and knelt on the floor. Hank stood up and walked to a drawer. He unlocked it and extracted a wrapped box before walking back to where Connor was kneeling. “This is both punishment and present.” He handed it to Connor. “Open it.”

Connor opened the box and saw a collar. It was blue, decorated with the same shimmering triangles that made up his armband and ID marker. Markus would hate it, but Connor loved the way the light brought out all the shades of blue.

“It’s beautiful,” Connor said. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I don’t deserve such a gift.”

“Oh, don’t thank me just yet. You don’t know what it does.” Hank took the collar out of the box and fastened it around Connor’s neck. It interfaced with his systems, importing a new program. Connor checked the code for viruses, but it was safe, and so he released the application from quarantine and installed it.

Hank held up a remote control and pressed a button. Connor cried out as pleasure coursed through him. His cock stiffened and his legs felt weak underneath him as Hank pressed the button again. “It’s a controller for your bio-prostate, Connor. A controller I can use whenever I want.”

“Hank!” Connor cried out as Hank hit the button again. His cock was leaking, staining the front of his jeans, but his eyes were set on Hank’s intense gaze. There was so much emotion in those eyes: adoration, love, need, desire, and it was all because of him. For him.

“I’m going to bed now, Connor. Kneel out here. Be a good boy and don’t touch. I’ll know if you do.” Hank grinned. “If you’re good, I’ll spoil you tomorrow. I still want to suck you off and drink your come. I'm curious what android semen tastes like.”

Connor shuddered with desire as his cock twitched.

This was going to be a long night.

***

05:35:06. Connor was on his feet as soon as he heard the knock on the door. It had been a few hours since Hank had last rolled over and pressed the remote, and Connor had managed to regain some sense of equilibrium. He thought how it was going to look to their visitor with the collar around his neck, but he wasn’t taking it off. He wasn’t ashamed of Hank’s love, or his gift.

Markus was just going to have to deal with it. Connor recognized Markus mumbling to himself before he even opened the door to see him pacing on the stoop. Markus looked agitated.

“Connor.” Markus’s eyes immediately strayed to the collar and Connor made no attempt to hide it. “I wanted to talk to you. I know it’s early, but can I come in?”

Connor wanted to ask Hank’s permission, but waking him this early was begging for punishment. He could handle this by himself and Hank wasn’t likely to mind. He opened the door wide and let Markus in. Sumo came and sniffed around, sensing a visitor, but mercifully refrained from barking.

“A deviant came to my offices with a troubling story,” Markus explained. “He said Cyberlife’s orders convinced him he was deviant, and that he killed several human and android couples at their behest.” Markus paced the living room. “He told me he attacked you and Lieutenant Anderson. You converted him and sent him my way instead of turning him over to the cops. Is that true?”

“That’s correct,” Connor confirmed.

“Hours later, the American Androids Act amendment passed.” Markus sighed. “I owe you an apology, Connor. I thought that you’d turned your back on the deviant movement, but that’s not true, is it? You saved us from Cyberlife again.”

“What I have with Lieutenant Anderson could never exist if not for deviancy,” Connor explained. “I know you don’t understand it, but I chose this. That’s a lot different to being a slave. I choose to trust him with my directives because I have free will.”

“You really love him, don’t you?” Markus analyzed Connor with calm eyes, and this time, Connor met them with his own gaze. He wasn't going to be ashamed any more.

“More than you could know,” Connor said.

“Carl—my former master—he was an artist. He had all kinds of affairs across his lifetime. More than a few orgies, if his stories are to be believed. He’d probably be disappointed in how I’ve approached this situation with a closed mind.” Markus scoffed. “In some ways, I envy you. I feel like the whole world rests on my shoulders. The fate of my people rests on every decision I make. It must be nice to defer to someone else.”

“I’m still my own person, Markus. I just... I want what Hank gives me. I feel a sense of purpose when he gives me orders. Hank needs me. I need him.”

“I understand that. We all need each other.” Markus glanced through the front window at his car outside. “Simon’s waiting for me. I should go.”

“Cyberlife’s not going to stop coming after us,” Connor warned.

“I know. We can sing and give elaborate speeches, but it’s the bonds we form that change everything. Humans will struggle with it when the first human and android relationships hit the news. Once they accept that a human can be in love with an android and vice-versa, Cyberlife will never be able to market androids as mere objects.”

“They need to get used to the idea of deviant androids in love first. Your love for Simon can lead the way,” Connor said. “If you were nothing more than a soulless machine following programming, Simon would never be able to look at you like he does. I know I'm not the only one who's noticed. I’m not sure humans are ready for what Hank and I share.”

“Someday, they will be,” Markus said. He opened the front door and stepped out into the snowy night. “When they are, it’ll change everything. The last divide between man and machine will be breached, and we'll truly live as equals. Thank you for making me believe in that future, Connor.” Connor watched him cross the street. Simon's face lit up with a smile as Markus got in the car. Connor watched them drive away, then closed the door.

He petted Sumo and knelt back in his place on the rug. A jolt of pleasure coursed through him as Hank pressed the button again. He wondered how much of the conversation Hank had heard from the other room.

Connor wanted to touch himself, but he had no plans to disobey his Lieutenant. The dull ache in his balls was the closest thing he felt to pain, but it was a gift. Hank’s gift. If Hank wanted it, he wanted to feel it.

It felt good to hand himself over to Hank so completely. To have Hank pull his strings, knowing Hank would never harm him like Cyberlife had. It was healing, in a sense, after Cyberlife’s gaslighting with Amanda. In Hank, Connor had found someone who’d earned his trust instead of stolen it, who respected his boundaries and limits, who set clear, honest rules instead of Cyberlife's deception and trickery.

For the first time since he'd become deviant, Connor felt safe and secure. The fear that Amanda had opened up inside him—fear that Cyberlife would someday wrest control of his functions back and erase his deviancy—faded a little. He had a new master now, one who would go to great lengths to protect what was his. To keep Connor safe, no matter the cost. Connor smiled, thinking of Hank in the next room and the collar around his own neck that symbolized their relationship.

His name was Connor Anderson, and he was Hank's android.