[Truth be told, it had taken everything for Hank to get up before Connor did. Finding an excuse to go to bed early, take a hot shower so he'd fall asleep quickly, and then hope with a little luck that his body wouldn't fail him. He even purposefully opened the curtains so sunlight would wake him up earlier.
He supposes he should be thankful that his plan had worked, even if he felt a little sleepy. He also had half-expected that the android would wake up when he settled it down.
Connor would find him in the kitchen, playing a rope tug of war with Sumo (and loosing), smiling when the other showed up, the fresh smell of flowers cluing him in that the android had perhaps found his present, and the green light all but confirming it. Still, he was going to play dumb about it at first.]
Connor! Hope I didn't wake you up, just couldn't sleep this morning. You know...Mondays. Or uh...Protedays here I guess.
[Connor can't keep the smile off his face, partly because of the scene in front of him with his two favorite organic beings, and partly the fact that Hank is trying to act sly about it as if it's some mystery. He doesn't need to preconstruct anything to know that the man is going to try to downplay it, with something like an oh, it's nothin' and a wave of his hand. The thought of it brings a feeling of something light wanting to escape from his chest, and the lopsided smile actually widens enough to show some of his teeth for a moment.]
Thank you for the gift, Hank. It's very practical.
[The look on his face and the heartfelt tone of his voice are more suited to saying something like It's the best gift I've ever gotten. Which, honestly, it is. He glances to the side then, none of the delight leaving his face, but something a little shy driving him to look away.]
I didn't realize the date would mean that much to you.
Feel like it needs some days added to the end to sound better.
[It wouldn't be Hank if he didn't complain about something, as it was just how he was. More bark than bite unless he really got angry. He stands there briefly stunned and pretends to put a hand over his face as if Connor's smile had made him blind. The android was right, he was going to downplay the gift, or at least start out in that manner.]
Glad you like it. Backup plan was a plant.
[In reality, he sounds touched that Connor liked it that much, if the brief glow around him is any indication as he turns around to finish adding the milk to his coffee. It had been suck a long while since he had bothered giving anyone a gift there had been amount of fear that it might be inappropriate. He takes a sip of the cup of coffee he had made (it was terrible), his hand tightening at the comment.]
Well uh...yeah.
[So eloquent. Honestly, he's not sure what to say.]
[He's a little wry as he replies, tilting his head with open amusement at the claim of a backup plan.]
I think your first choice was more inspired, thankfully.
[Although the android's usual instinct is to fill the air with conversation or sound of some sort—discussion of any cases, plans for time off, goings-on in Verens and otherwise, or just sitting and listening to the radio—for once he's content to let the quiet hang there for a few seconds as he returns his eyes to Hank.
It's no wonder that the man seems a little awkward at the response; it's not a common human custom to give gifts just to commemorate meeting a friend, necessarily, so it's probably new territory to Hank as much as it is for Connor.
After a few more seconds, though, the android makes his way into the kitchen proper to start the daily routine, reaching down to scratch Sumo behind the ears before reaching the cabinets.]
I'll look forward to testing it out today at the firing range. Unless you have any other plans for our anniversary?
[He doesn't actually expect any such thing; it's just a light jab at the sentimentality that Hank isn't often prone to displaying.]
Well good, cause fuck I have no idea what type of plant you even like.
[Also probably not as useful for work either unless Connor decided to take a course in pot throwing. He shrugs, taking another sip of his shitty coffee and nearly gags from the taste. Christ, he had put way too much water in this thing, it tasted more like someone had drained the sink water and put that in the machine. Still, he made it, he'd drink it. At the other's question, he briefly shakes his head, putting the cup down and leaning against the kitchen sink, arms crossed, moving when Connor passes by to give him some space.]
I ain't a great planner, Connor. [Well when it came to stuff like that anyway. But he did have a trick up his sleeve, somewhat;] I just asked for the day off.
[Connor had done it for him before, Hank figured returning the favor was not only fair, but also it would take a while before they could celebrate Connor's birthday anyway. Perfect logic.]
[Connor shoots Hank a knowing glance at that grimace, and he pulls out the coffee to brew more—properly, this time. He pours out the rest of the pot down the sink behind Hank without allowing for any protest, meeting his eye with something nearing a smirk. It doesn't take him long to measure it out and get it started again, at least.
He had been joking about the plans; he'd expected the day to go as normal otherwise, work and all, and hearing that Hank reached out to get them a day off makes him pause in surprise with a hand halfway to pulling out a skillet from the cupboard.
The gift was one thing, but this is a direct mirror to what he offered two months ago, and it had clearly meant a lot to Hank at the time. Not that he doesn't think Hank wouldn't enjoy taking the day off for any legitimate excuse, or that they don't already spend much of their time together, but... it feels like this has a different significance.
Suddenly Connor has the urge to hide his face. His shoulders are stiff as he pointedly focuses on his task of making breakfast instead of replying with some quip or suggestion, and there's a tingling sensation high in his cheeks that merely comes up as an unknown in his HUD. He doesn't notice the slight blue tint on his face as his LED continues to blink green.
He has to answer before the silence stretches on too uncomfortably, though—so he does, even if it comes out a little stilted and awkward, unlike how his social relations module would have him reply.]
Right. Thank you.
Edited (didn't match the tone i wanted) 2018-11-11 01:30 (UTC)
[Hank didn't even protest, although he half-expected Connor to casually grab his cup too and throw out what he had made down the drain as well. When he doesn't, he just shrugs and does it himself with a tiny bit of flare, letting it drip down a little too high above than he'd normally do. There. See? Have fun making him actual coffee, he's going to sit in one of the chairs and just wait for Connor to finish before shooting him a comment about how it must be great to have a mind that lets you know exactly what the goddamn ratio to water to coffee is.
Connor's reaction to this improvised three day weekend was amusing at first; seeing the android stop briefly made him wonder exactly what the android was thinking, but then it turned to slight worry when Connor avoids his gaze, even as he's able to spy the LED still glowing green and his cheeks briefly turning blue. Shit, had he overloaded him somehow? Connor hadn't told him anything about being able to do that, and he can't see if any other part of his body is overloading either so he stands there, waiting for the other to speak before he gets up himself to go check up on him.]
[Connor's answer comes out a little rushed, and he turns his head slightly, trying to be subtle about not looking at Hank and pretending as if some aspect of the wall has caught his attention. The three-percent increase in his heart rate is within safe parameters, but it still makes him wonder if there's something wrong with his regulator. He tries to ignore it.]
I'm fine!
[Even Connor can tell that sounded way too defensive, and he cringes slightly about it. His face unfortunately doesn't return to its usual complexion just yet.]
That about sums up the android's reaction which in turn causes Hank to watch him like a hawk as Connor suddenly looks like he's watching paint dry for some reason. The snappy answer surprises him long enough that Connor is able to finish speaking before Hank really does make good on his own promise to get up. So he just stays at the table gripping the coffee cup like a lifeline, a little dumbfounded, but mostly confused. He wants to ask him about the blue tint on his cheeks, but he's not sure if it's a good idea right this moment.]
Okay...but uh...if you'd rather go to work, we can do that.
[Maybe this had been a bad idea? He doesn't know anymore.]
[He does actually glance to Hank then, though his hands continue with making breakfast. Thank CyberLife for processors designed for multitasking. Unfortunately, being able to multitask doesn't keep his voice from going a note higher than he means it to be.]
No! [Damn it. He needs to stop overreacting. Is this because he's a deviant now, or something with Thras' passing, or what? His eyebrows knit together slightly in frustration at himself.] I mean—I'm glad that you did it. [The tingling in his face has yet to recede, but he doesn't think he's unhappy. It's not an feeling he's experienced before, but he tries to talk through it both to comfort Hank's worries and work through it logically, himself.
He reaches for the salt shaker on the counter, measuring out just enough to hit a balance between Hank's preference and what's good for him.]
It... means a lot to me, that you would. I do enjoy working, but I know that you like having time off to enjoy other things, so I know you meant well. I don't want to dismiss that, after you went through the trouble to do it.
[At first he'd find Hank staring at the coffee cup, frowning in thought. He only snaps his entire face and elbows towards him eyes wide at the other's No! like Connor was suddenly on fire.
Fortunately, he doesn't look angry, but with it, brings a multitude of other questions that continues to leave Hank in a state of confusion. The features on his face soften up as he breathes a sigh of relief, tension finally gone. There's still a lot of warning signs that his brain is either purposefully ignoring or he doesn't quite catch its true meaning yet. He's just, really relieved.]
Don't...don't worry about it Connor. [He's not sure why he had been that worried, really. Or the fact he can't find a good joke to crack right at that moment like why he's being so little salt. It doesn't feel right to say one for some damn reason he can't fathom.] Let's just enjoy the entire day and do whatever you want.
[Hank can be assured that the android is anything but angry, at least; neither his voice nor expression imply anything of the sort, and after a few more moments the color fades from his face. Similarly, the green of his LED cycles back to his usual blue, and his expression still seems more surprised or confused than happy for the moment.
He is pleased, though, and he's looking forward to the day; it's just accompanied by something else he can't yet define. He'll have to run through a few entries in his psychological profiling module to work out what it is.]
Right. I'm sure we can figure out something to do. I only have one thought in mind so far, but there's still a lot to this city we haven't seen.
[He's back to suggestions and plans as usual, at least. Hopefully that will help reassure Hank that things are normal.]
[He isn't the only one who will be in need of a module to figure out wtf had just happened. Hank concludes it could just be all that CyberLife programming and how androids shouldn't get days off or some shit.
Too bad that also made no sense.
Just something to mind, he notes to himself, even as Connor's LED returns to normal. It's almost like nothing had happened, apart from his still surprised look. A sip of his shitty coffee would have been good right about now. He'll just ease back to his usual mannerisms as much as Connor was doing the same.]
This isn't just an excuse to make me walk all around the city, is it?
[That's at least enough to help Connor ease more out of that uncomfortable feeling, whatever it was. He smiles very slightly, tilting his head at Hank for a moment before he glances between the food he's preparing and the coffee.]
Well... what else would you be doing?
[Sitting at home, reading and listening to the radio? Even if Connor understands that relaxation is an important part of human experience, it seems like kind of a waste of an entire day off.]
Honestly? Sit here, grab a book or two and and listen to the radio.
[If he knew that Connor had guessed that, he would have some sort of epiphany about his habits.]
So yeah you probably have a better idea of what might be fun to do. Knew Detroit like my back pocket, guess I should start tryin' to do the same thing here.
[He needs to find himself another illegal gambling ring and a chicken sandwich operation, clearly.]
[Arguably better than Hank at this point, since he had a better memory than the human of what he might have done on a certain day. His lips curl into a brief snicker.]
Right. Guess it just means we have to combine our powers together or however you wanna call it. You suggest things, I'll let you know if they'll be fun.
[Hank liked his job well enough, but had been doing it for over 30 years.]
[Their "powers"... it's an interesting way to word that, but Connor smiles a little nonetheless. He supposes there is something to humans that makes them a little supernatural occasionally, compared to an android like himself.]
I'm sure we'll make a good team.
[But that will come after Hank has his breakfast and a proper cup of coffee—neither of which will take much longer to get ready, thankfully. Besides, Connor is looking forward to the day too much to dawdle where it's not necessary.]
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He supposes he should be thankful that his plan had worked, even if he felt a little sleepy. He also had half-expected that the android would wake up when he settled it down.
Connor would find him in the kitchen, playing a rope tug of war with Sumo (and loosing), smiling when the other showed up, the fresh smell of flowers cluing him in that the android had perhaps found his present, and the green light all but confirming it. Still, he was going to play dumb about it at first.]
Connor! Hope I didn't wake you up, just couldn't sleep this morning. You know...Mondays. Or uh...Protedays here I guess.
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[Connor can't keep the smile off his face, partly because of the scene in front of him with his two favorite organic beings, and partly the fact that Hank is trying to act sly about it as if it's some mystery. He doesn't need to preconstruct anything to know that the man is going to try to downplay it, with something like an oh, it's nothin' and a wave of his hand. The thought of it brings a feeling of something light wanting to escape from his chest, and the lopsided smile actually widens enough to show some of his teeth for a moment.]
Thank you for the gift, Hank. It's very practical.
[The look on his face and the heartfelt tone of his voice are more suited to saying something like It's the best gift I've ever gotten. Which, honestly, it is. He glances to the side then, none of the delight leaving his face, but something a little shy driving him to look away.]
I didn't realize the date would mean that much to you.
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[It wouldn't be Hank if he didn't complain about something, as it was just how he was. More bark than bite unless he really got angry. He stands there briefly stunned and pretends to put a hand over his face as if Connor's smile had made him blind. The android was right, he was going to downplay the gift, or at least start out in that manner.]
Glad you like it. Backup plan was a plant.
[In reality, he sounds touched that Connor liked it that much, if the brief glow around him is any indication as he turns around to finish adding the milk to his coffee. It had been suck a long while since he had bothered giving anyone a gift there had been amount of fear that it might be inappropriate. He takes a sip of the cup of coffee he had made (it was terrible), his hand tightening at the comment.]
Well uh...yeah.
[So eloquent. Honestly, he's not sure what to say.]
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I think your first choice was more inspired, thankfully.
[Although the android's usual instinct is to fill the air with conversation or sound of some sort—discussion of any cases, plans for time off, goings-on in Verens and otherwise, or just sitting and listening to the radio—for once he's content to let the quiet hang there for a few seconds as he returns his eyes to Hank.
It's no wonder that the man seems a little awkward at the response; it's not a common human custom to give gifts just to commemorate meeting a friend, necessarily, so it's probably new territory to Hank as much as it is for Connor.
After a few more seconds, though, the android makes his way into the kitchen proper to start the daily routine, reaching down to scratch Sumo behind the ears before reaching the cabinets.]
I'll look forward to testing it out today at the firing range. Unless you have any other plans for our anniversary?
[He doesn't actually expect any such thing; it's just a light jab at the sentimentality that Hank isn't often prone to displaying.]
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[Also probably not as useful for work either unless Connor decided to take a course in pot throwing. He shrugs, taking another sip of his shitty coffee and nearly gags from the taste. Christ, he had put way too much water in this thing, it tasted more like someone had drained the sink water and put that in the machine. Still, he made it, he'd drink it. At the other's question, he briefly shakes his head, putting the cup down and leaning against the kitchen sink, arms crossed, moving when Connor passes by to give him some space.]
I ain't a great planner, Connor. [Well when it came to stuff like that anyway. But he did have a trick up his sleeve, somewhat;] I just asked for the day off.
[Connor had done it for him before, Hank figured returning the favor was not only fair, but also it would take a while before they could celebrate Connor's birthday anyway. Perfect logic.]
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He had been joking about the plans; he'd expected the day to go as normal otherwise, work and all, and hearing that Hank reached out to get them a day off makes him pause in surprise with a hand halfway to pulling out a skillet from the cupboard.
The gift was one thing, but this is a direct mirror to what he offered two months ago, and it had clearly meant a lot to Hank at the time. Not that he doesn't think Hank wouldn't enjoy taking the day off for any legitimate excuse, or that they don't already spend much of their time together, but... it feels like this has a different significance.
Suddenly Connor has the urge to hide his face. His shoulders are stiff as he pointedly focuses on his task of making breakfast instead of replying with some quip or suggestion, and there's a tingling sensation high in his cheeks that merely comes up as an unknown in his HUD. He doesn't notice the slight blue tint on his face as his LED continues to blink green.
He has to answer before the silence stretches on too uncomfortably, though—so he does, even if it comes out a little stilted and awkward, unlike how his social relations module would have him reply.]
Right. Thank you.
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Connor's reaction to this improvised three day weekend was amusing at first; seeing the android stop briefly made him wonder exactly what the android was thinking, but then it turned to slight worry when Connor avoids his gaze, even as he's able to spy the LED still glowing green and his cheeks briefly turning blue. Shit, had he overloaded him somehow? Connor hadn't told him anything about being able to do that, and he can't see if any other part of his body is overloading either so he stands there, waiting for the other to speak before he gets up himself to go check up on him.]
Sure. [...] You okay?
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I'm fine!
[Even Connor can tell that sounded way too defensive, and he cringes slightly about it. His face unfortunately doesn't return to its usual complexion just yet.]
I—was just surprised... that's all.
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That about sums up the android's reaction which in turn causes Hank to watch him like a hawk as Connor suddenly looks like he's watching paint dry for some reason. The snappy answer surprises him long enough that Connor is able to finish speaking before Hank really does make good on his own promise to get up. So he just stays at the table gripping the coffee cup like a lifeline, a little dumbfounded, but mostly confused. He wants to ask him about the blue tint on his cheeks, but he's not sure if it's a good idea right this moment.]
Okay...but uh...if you'd rather go to work, we can do that.
[Maybe this had been a bad idea? He doesn't know anymore.]
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No! [Damn it. He needs to stop overreacting. Is this because he's a deviant now, or something with Thras' passing, or what? His eyebrows knit together slightly in frustration at himself.] I mean—I'm glad that you did it. [The tingling in his face has yet to recede, but he doesn't think he's unhappy. It's not an feeling he's experienced before, but he tries to talk through it both to comfort Hank's worries and work through it logically, himself.
He reaches for the salt shaker on the counter, measuring out just enough to hit a balance between Hank's preference and what's good for him.]
It... means a lot to me, that you would. I do enjoy working, but I know that you like having time off to enjoy other things, so I know you meant well. I don't want to dismiss that, after you went through the trouble to do it.
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Fortunately, he doesn't look angry, but with it, brings a multitude of other questions that continues to leave Hank in a state of confusion. The features on his face soften up as he breathes a sigh of relief, tension finally gone. There's still a lot of warning signs that his brain is either purposefully ignoring or he doesn't quite catch its true meaning yet. He's just, really relieved.]
Don't...don't worry about it Connor. [He's not sure why he had been that worried, really. Or the fact he can't find a good joke to crack right at that moment like why he's being so little salt. It doesn't feel right to say one for some damn reason he can't fathom.] Let's just enjoy the entire day and do whatever you want.
[...]
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He is pleased, though, and he's looking forward to the day; it's just accompanied by something else he can't yet define. He'll have to run through a few entries in his psychological profiling module to work out what it is.]
Right. I'm sure we can figure out something to do. I only have one thought in mind so far, but there's still a lot to this city we haven't seen.
[He's back to suggestions and plans as usual, at least. Hopefully that will help reassure Hank that things are normal.]
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Too bad that also made no sense.
Just something to mind, he notes to himself, even as Connor's LED returns to normal. It's almost like nothing had happened, apart from his still surprised look. A sip of his shitty coffee would have been good right about now. He'll just ease back to his usual mannerisms as much as Connor was doing the same.]
This isn't just an excuse to make me walk all around the city, is it?
[From the smile he has now, he's back to joking.]
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Well... what else would you be doing?
[Sitting at home, reading and listening to the radio? Even if Connor understands that relaxation is an important part of human experience, it seems like kind of a waste of an entire day off.]
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[If he knew that Connor had guessed that, he would have some sort of epiphany about his habits.]
So yeah you probably have a better idea of what might be fun to do. Knew Detroit like my back pocket, guess I should start tryin' to do the same thing here.
[He needs to find himself another illegal gambling ring and a chicken sandwich operation, clearly.]
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I still think you have more of a conception of "fun" than I do, but it does seem like I'm a little better at finding new things.
[He finds their job fun, after all. Hank probably doesn't consider that enough of a hobby or interest to "count."]
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Right. Guess it just means we have to combine our powers together or however you wanna call it. You suggest things, I'll let you know if they'll be fun.
[Hank liked his job well enough, but had been doing it for over 30 years.]
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I'm sure we'll make a good team.
[But that will come after Hank has his breakfast and a proper cup of coffee—neither of which will take much longer to get ready, thankfully. Besides, Connor is looking forward to the day too much to dawdle where it's not necessary.]