Who Are You Really? - RK1K

Chapter Ten - Warm

More fluff. Because I want fluff.

Hank had been right, both of them were oblivious and Connor was weak for Markus. The two were literally cuddling on the couch, and yet neither seemed to realise how infatuated they were with each other.

'If I have to play wingman for my android son, I swear to god I am going to cry,' Hank thought, watching as the two mumbled things to each other, voices low and soft and so damn in love that Hank wanted to cry at the sweetness of the scene. For fucks sake, Connor was literally laying on Markus' chest, head on his hands which were also on Markus' chest. They were both stupid and in love and Hank was getting annoyed.

The tired police lieutenant let out a sigh and went back to his room - maybe they'd figure it out by themselves. He doubted it, but no one ever said the old man couldn't hope.

Connor let Markus run his hands through his hair, relaxation unfamiliar but not unwelcome. "That feels nice..."

Markus smiled, letting his fingers mess up and loop through the soft, silky hair of the hunter. "I'm glad, if it gets annoying you can tell me to stop, though."

"I don't think anything you do could be annoying," Connor chuckled, response unguarded and honest. He rubbed his cheek against his hand, closing his eyes. "You're too comfy."

Markus chuckled softly, a warm sound that only made Connor melt further into the deviant leader's chest. He hummed in response, shuffling up a little more until he could rest his head on Markus' shoulder, nuzzling into it.

The two laid there for a bit, calm and contentedly as they bathed in each other's presence. Connor decided he wouldn't want this with anyone else - only Markus, Markus was the one he liked to lay with like this, warm and comfortable.

He hoped Markus didn't do this with the other members of Jericho. Connor didn't know what the feeling that made his gut churn uncomfortably when he thought of that was - North, Simon, Josh, any of the other deviants - but he didn't like it. He knew he wanted Markus to himself, the warm affection and calm voice that he wanted to experience everyday, he wanted it all to himself.

Just them, Connor and Markus. He didn't want anyone else.

...He wondered if this... possessiveness he felt over Markus was wrong. He couldn't own the other android - maybe once, if he had posed as a human he could've, but he didn't really want to own Markus. He just... wanted Markus.

"Hey, you alright, Con?" Markus asked, pulling Connor from his thoughts. "Your LED's spinning."

"Oh?" Connor looked up at Markus, "Sorry if I disturbed you, I was just thinking."

"Anything you want me to know about?" Markus chuckled, ruffling Connor's hair playfully. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah, thanks," Connor smiled, snuggling back into Markus' chest, craving the comforting warmth he radiated. He liked Markus a lot, at this point the deviant leader could crush Connor with a tractor and he'd be fine with it.

Wait. That wasn't a normal thought... then again, since deviancy, what was?

He dismissed the strangeness of the situation in favour of going into rest mode on Markus' chest.

Markus adored how comfortable Connor was with him, the fact that even someone programmed to hunt, to be aware of everything at all times could still fall into stasis on his chest. Soft and calm, expression one of relaxation and serine emptiness - no thoughts, ideas, worries to plague the other android's mind - just pure bliss. Pure, empty, trusting bliss.

It made Markus feel warm, warm and happy and so unusually satisfied. Humans didn't matter here, just Connor and Markus, only them. So warm.

His chest ached, but not painfully - it twisted and pulled and tore itself apart, and yet it still didn't hurt. Not with Connor's warmth covering him like a thick blanket, wrapped around his entire body, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, yet didn't restrict him or his breathing.

The grasp on him was strong and heavy, pulling him down, trapping him with promises of contentment and love, and yet it was still so freeing. Connor slept so peacefully - though he would stubbornly call it 'stasis', which, while accurate, Markus found the word harsh - on his chest, artificial breathing slow and deep.

It seemed, at least for now, the hunter let himself stop scanning for prey, to stop looking out for something that would prey on him, and just let himself feel safe. Markus' hand trailed through Connor's hair, and yet the latter didn't flinch, like Markus may've expected, only relaxed further in his state of rest.

The thought that Markus coaxed this relaxed state out of Connor made him swell with pride - not just because Connor trusted him enough to do so, but that Connor himself felt he could finally bring down some defences. Not all, but progress was progress.

Connor suddenly felt cold. Something moved, and he was plunged into cold. Too cold. So, so cold. Cold. He was cold. It was like a blanket of snow covered him. Snow? He wasn't in the snow. Why was he in the snow? It's cold. He's cold.

Slowly, he reached out for something, anything to make him warmer. He wanted that warmth back, that warmth was his, who was taking it from him? He wanted it back. It was cold.

He let out a low moan of discomfort. Too cold. The snow reminded him of her. She twisted and turned and wrapped around him, fingertips icy and sharp as they cut against his skin, leaving him to bleed blue against the stark white. Knife-like slices running through his cold, artificial body as he tried to bring up his temperature, but to was still too cold, too cold too cold too cold-

There was a hand on his wrist. It didn't claw at him like the cold did - the touch was warm, the warm he craved so dearly, it was there, the warmth was back and he could breathe again. A soft, sweet voice, not manipulative and undermining like hers, found it's way to his ears, thick and comforting, like warm honey melting away the cold ice he was buried under. 

Warm... warm was safe.

He was warm.