Deviant Behavior (Connor x Reader)

November 11th, 2038
AM 06:00:00

Stage fright had been an easy kind of anxiety to tackle after surviving what you'd been tested with.

"I won't introduce myself."  You'd paced along the edge of the mobilization platform with Connor behind you, "Through databases and instant information, you probably already know me better than yourselves..."

You'd stopped, holding your hands out to the on-viewing crowd.

"Because your lives have just begun, and now I'm asking you to put it on the line.  I know that's not fair.  I know it's not right."  You'd pointed to the hatch that kept howling winds at bay, a portal to an unclean world that they had yet to see, "But outside, there is an ongoing war that only we can stop.  And if we don't..."

Your hands had curled into fists as they'd leveled with your sides.  You'd looked away, at Connor, who'd empowered you when words became hard to come by.

"...You will never know what it's like to be alive."

You'd thought about Anthony.

Fowler.  Allen.  Gavin.  Hank.  Nina, Damion, Chris.  Kara, Alice, Luther.  And all the others that you'd met along the way.

"To form a bond, and become a brother.  A sister.  To raise a child, and become a mother.  A father."

Even with the eyes of deliverance watching, you had only focused on two.  Two eyes that'd saved you again, and again – had pulled you back from the brink and kept you steady as both of you teetered on the edge.

"To fall in love..."

Connor's lips had curved in a smile, creeping up from his face's once hardened state.  A colorful display of emotions that wouldn't have been possible a few days ago.

"...To become human."

Invigorated, you'd broken that gaze.  Returned it to the androids of all shapes, sizes, and "genders."  A collection of faces, minds with developing dreams, personalities – favorites, and dislikes.

"I want to give you all that chance...and I'd be honored if you'd let me." You'd choked, "If you'd follow me."

That courage had been fleeting.  You'd reached out for your lifeline, the hand that'd held yours from the very beginning.  He'd casted it.  You'd received it.  Held on for dear life, like it was the only thing keeping you tied down to reality.

"...If you'd follow us."

The pride that'd beamed from him was unmatched.  He was a direct reflection of the power your words held...and after his LED finished blinking, finished spinning¸ returning to its solidified state...he'd confirmed that theory.

"They will."

You'd asked the most of them.  To follow you into the breach, into the fray, into the abyss...and while they stood strong on unsteady ground, you'd already fallen victim to your own limitations.

...

You opened your eyes.  Could barely make out the words spiraling out of Connor's moving lips.

"You can do this."

Your depreciating health wasn't a well-kept secret, not when investigated by an android programmed with every reconstructive technology known to man.

"You're the only one who can."

You told yourself you'd done all you could.  From trying to diffuse a hostage situation, to collecting evidence at the Ortiz crime scene, to facing your demons on the outskirts of town – to responding to the Stratford Tower and nulling the riot that came after...