Thread by @INHEAVENSDOOR

AU where everything is the same except Hank is a mob boss and a few of his goons manage to steal Connor from Cyberlife. Hank's personal technician fucks around with his wiring, and they believe they've changed his coding, but in reality he'd been deviant from the start.

CW for abuse ment throughout this thread //

Connor was put through rigorous, psychologically damaging tests before he could be released to the DPD, causing him to deviate. He was taken months before his first mission.

Hank's never really liked androids, his distaste only growing when a hacked android from a rival gang was sent to kill his family. But he'd caught wind of a powerful prototype being developed at CL from his informant, and he knew he had to get his hands on it. The perfect revenge

So with that, they "hack" Connor to be Hank's personal killing machine. It's a moral struggle for him at first; He was built to serve and protect, only to spill blood when necessary. But he can't blow his cover, and he successfully carries out a hit on their rivals' informant.

Connor is surprised by the rush he feels, even more at the warmth crackling beneath his chassis when Hank praises him. Hank wasn't the friendliest man, he had a tendency to be cold and aloof; But he was never cruel. He never got physical.

It was a nice change, Connor thinks.

Overtime Connor continues to prove his worth. Hank starts calling him his "Nightshade"; A beautiful, silent killer. He and Connor's relationship continues to be quick and to the point, no bullshit.

Until one evening where Connor fucks up.

It was supposed to be easy. Take out some rat that'd been giving information to the wrong people. Connor should've known it was a trap. All he knows his the chassis covering his chest cracks with an explosive heat, and then everything is black.

The remains of his-

zen garden is just a place of nightmares now. Every time he's pulled back in, he sees the faces of the engineers that "experimented" on him, their tests and their venomous words. Hank's voice pulling him back to earth didn't come soon enough.

He awakens in his bed to Hank's-

palm resting on his chest, his bright eyes wide with concern. The way he coaxes Connor is gentle in a way he didn't think he was capable of expressing.

Connor fights back tears and places his hand over Hank's. His chest tightens at the ways his eyes crinkle.

"How are you feeling?" He murmurs. He speaks to him like he's more than a tool, almost like he's human. Connor worries he may know more than he lets on.

"Strange... Weak." Connor breathes.

Hank nods. "Yeah, those bastards really had it out for ya. Luckily they got shitty aim."

"Chen managed to fix up your chest, but your uh, pump thing still managed to get cracked pretty bad. We already secured a new one, should be here in a few days." He gives him a sad smile.

Connor attempts to sit up, but Hank's hand keeps him in place.

"Slow down there, boy. Don't want ya to risk fucking it up anymore."

Connor purses his lips. "With all due respect sir, I'm not a human. Simply walking around won't damage my thirium pump any further."

Hank sighs. "Okay, but just take it easy, alright?"

Connor frowns and drops his hand. "Sir, may I ask why you're concerned? I don't need to 'take it easy'."

Hank removes his hand and Connor immediately misses the warmth. His shoulders are tense as he stands from the bed

"Right just... Instinct I guess. Seeing one of my men hurt"

"You can call Miller if you need anything." Hank grouses as he quickly exits the room, leaving Connor with an aching feeling of regret.

For a moment Hank had viewed him as a person, and he ruined it.

Hank avoids him pointedly over the next few days.

He finally sees him again when Tina brings in the new thirium pump. Apparently, he'd insisted on watching the process.

Connor is only in stasis for a few minutes when he's awakened again, new thirium pump functioning perfectly.

Hank dismisses Tina, only leaving the two of them

"Mr. Anderson." Connor starts. Hank gives him a curt nod.

"I apologize if I offended you a few days ago. That wasn't my intent."

Hank scoffs. "Christ Connor, you didn't-" He runs a hand through his hair. "It's fine. Just drop it."

"But-"

"I told you to drop it." Hank snaps. "I went easy on you because you were injured, but don't expect me to tolerate disrespect."

Connor shrinks. "Yes sir."

The tension between them over the next week is palpable, and even though he knows it's risky, Connor can't let it lie.

He enters Hank's office at desk. Normally he would only be here if he was called, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Hank's bent over his large, oak desk, brows scrunched in deep thought.

"Mr. Anderson." Connor speaks softly.

Hank exhales loudly and looks up with a scowl. He removes his reading glasses and stuffs them in his shirt pocket. "Who the fuck said you could come in here?"

Connor moves forward to stand directly in front of his desk. "I mean no disrespect-"

Hank cuts him off with a snort. "And yet you're here, doing exactly that. What the fuck do you want, Connor?"

"I wa-" Connor frowns. "I believe it would be best if we discussed the conflict we had last week. It seems to be disrupting our work relationship."

Hank stands from his chair and stares him down. "It seems you've forgotten how things work around here." He moves to circle Connor menacingly, not unlike a hawk watching its prey. "I give you an order, and you obey. You've been doing so well up until now, Connor." He growls.

He stops right in front of him, close enough to the point Connor can feel his warm breath against nose. "Get out of my office."

Connor's stress levels spike, but he keeps himself collected. "I would like to know in order for me to improve, Mr. Anderson."

Hank scoffs. "You can improve by leaving me the fuck alone." He attempts to push him, but Connor grabs his wrists. He knows by the fire in Hank's eyes that he's made a grave mistake.

"Just tell me why." Connor hisses

Something in Hank snaps as he tears his wrists from his grip

By instinct, Connor moves to shield his face. He knows he could protect himself; He could easily break every bone in Hank's body, but he freezes. He freezes like every other damn time.

"Connor..." Hank's voice is gentle.

Connor cautiously peeks back at Hank.

His face is written with concern, the previous animosity had completely evaporated.

He feels the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, and Hank raises his eyebrows in shock.

It's over.

"Fuck." Hank mutters. Connor involuntarily flinches away when he reaches out.

"Connor, I'm not gonna-" He sighs. "What's going on?"

There was nothing to lose. Hank now sees how broken he is, and now what would happen? Being cast out would be a small mercy,

but what if Hank found more value in his parts? Would he get his men to tear him to pieces? He likes to think Hank isn't that callous, but nothing was certain now.

"You first." His voice shakes.

Hank nods. "Right that... That's fair."

He bites his lip before speaking.

"What happens when you go to sleep?"

Connor cocks his head. "Are you referring to stasis?"

"Yeah, yeah. Do you um..." Hank gestures vaguely. "Dream? Is that something androids can do?"

Connor feels panic begin to well up in his chest. "I-I'm not sure." He stammers.

"You don't have to elaborate right now. It's just..." Hank sighs. "When you were shot, just after we go you home. You were crying while in stasis."

Connor's lips part, but no words come out. Hank's known for a while now.

He leans back against his desk, arms crossed.

"I didn't think androids could feel emotions, it was nothing like anything I'd ever seen before. But then when you woke up and said all that shit... I don't know, it freaked me out. I felt like this was some weird manipulation tactic, it really fucked with my head." He murmurs.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't even realize what was happening."

Hank's quirks his lip. "Yeah, I think believe you. Just can't be too careful. What was going on in there?"

Connor tenses. "I..." He tries to speak, but the words die on his tongue.

Hank looks at him with uncharacteristic sympathy. "Help me understand, Connor"

Connor hugs himself protectively and stares at the wall past Hank. "When RK800 units enter stasis, we go to a place where we can talk to our handlers and re-calibrate ourselves. Mine was a zen garden"

CW for vague abuse desc //

"Sometimes I would see..." Connor takes a deep breath to ground himself. "I'd see the engineers that worked on me and how they um. Treated me."

When he looks back at Hank, he can tell he wants to ask. But he's a smart man;

He only chooses to press when he knows the outcome will benefit him.

"Christ... Did they know you could actually... Feel?"

Connor scoffs. "Absolutely not. I kept it well hidden. If they knew I would've been destroyed. I was originally built to hunt androids like me."

Hank frowns. "What do you mean?"

"In February of 2036, Cyberlife received its first report of a runaway android. From then on, more and more androids have gone missing, and sometimes attacking their owners. Cyberlife decided to call these deviants." Connor explains.

"There's still no known cause of this glitch. I was told effected androids would be able to mimic human emotions perfectly. I have trouble parsing if what they say is true but... It feels real to me."

Hank grunts. "Shiiiit. Sounds shady if you ask me."

Connor nods. "Oh, it is."

"The RK line had an oddly short development cycle. It was said that they began the concept phase back in January of 2037. Brand new lines take an average of 4 years to get from the drawing board to the prototype phase."

Hank smirks. "And I'm assuming you know something?"

Connor allows himself a small smile. "You could say that. All the known RK800 units were put into stasis for an indeterminate amount of time... Except for me. I was scheduled to be deployed on August 15th. They've known something big is coming for a long time now."

Hank gives him a devilish grin and pushes himself off from his desk. "You know, a lot of people would pay a pretty penny for that kind of information." He crowds Connor, their chests nearly touching. "Titan company knowingly putting their customers in danger for dark reasons,"

"It's a classic." Hank practically snarls.

Connor feels heat flood his cheeks. "I imagine they would. It could cause detrimental amounts of panic."

Hank laughs. "Say, why don't we make this a little side project? I've been getting bored of dealing with Reed anyway."

"Would have the bonus of getting some sweet fucking revenge"

Connor swears his pump skips a beat "You mean you won't destroy me?"

Hank looks taken aback. "What? Why would I do that? You're the best asset I have"

"I thought if you knew I was broken, it would damage your trust"

Hank smirks. "I've always distrusted androids, but I knew there was something weird with you. If anything, I think I can trust you more, since I know you can't be hacked or some shit. Seems more like an upgrade to me."

Connor wants to cry with joy, knowing Hank still wants him.

But he keeps himself composed.

"Where do we go from here, then?" Connor breathes.

Hank uses two fingers to gently tilt Connor's chin. "That depends. Can you tell me who you are, Connor?"

"Your Nightshade, Mr. Anderson." He whispers.

Afterwards, things seem to go back to normal. Hank is just as disconnected as he always was, although Connor has a strange feeling that a wall between them had been knocked down. When he goes to briefings, he finds them locking eyes more often.

They brush shoulders whenever they pass each other in the hall. It's settle on the outside, Connor's colleagues seemingly unaware of the shift in him and their boss' relationship. But to him, every little touch felt monumental; Significant. He even felt a little exposed.

There was a strong sense of vulnerability shared just between the two of them. They'd had a glimpse at one another's humanity, an experience that was sacrilege in this business. It should feel wrong, but Connor felt like something deep inside him had unlocked.

Maybe Hank truly viewed him as an asset, but he knows in those moments he was being treated like a human. The pinch of his brow, the way his eyes clouded in fear, how his voice went soft. Genuine concern.

The unique human experience of truly being seen and heard.

Hank is objectively a bad man. But in those moments, Connor believed in angels.

He wants to get closer, but he knows none of this means as much to Hank. Connor is okay with that. He has to be.

Two weeks have passed since the conversation in the office. Hank occupies an outrageous amount of Connor's thought processes.

Tonight there would be a war. Reed had been encroaching on their territory for a while now, and it was all too close for Hank's comfort.

Connor had been given the honor of sniper duty, his unmatched precision being an invaluable asset. He dresses himself in a sharp black suit and deep purple tie, Hank's favorite colors on him.

Just as the group is about to head out, Hank beckons him to his office.

Connor shuts the door behind them quietly and turns towards Hank, hands clasped behind his back. "What do you need from me, sir?"

Hank looks him up and down, smoothing out his own navy vest. "Stunning. Purple really suits you."

"S-sir?!" Connor stammers, cheeks flushing.

Hank laughs. "Don't act so surprised, I know I have good taste. That's not why I have you here, though." He ambles over to Connor, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You know what you have to do tonight, correct?"

"Yes, of course." Connor nods.

Hank's eyes bore into him. "It could get messy. I don't know how many will return, but I'm giving you the strict order to stay on the roof no matter what happens."

Connor opens his mouth to argue, but Hank swiftly cuts him off. "It's imperative you listen to me."

"You stay until I explicitly tell you to leave, understood?"

"But-"

"I'm not arguing with you, boy." Hank growls. "You're dismissed." He nods towards the door.

Connor nods solemnly and promptly exits the office, not wanting to anger him further.

He wishes he could ask Hank why, but orders are orders. He was a smart man, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to believe he has a larger plan.

Not wanting to disappoint, he takes the sniper case from Chris, and joins the others in the SUV, intent on following Hank's orders.