METAL GUARD DOG ⊳ connor x reader

Ch. XXXII

"Yo, this is so neat." Mikolaj remarked, looking over Vader's notes with some sort of admiration Connor failed to classify. "Seriously."

"It's basic 6th grade physics, my dude." Vader chuckled. "You know the time, and how long the entire path is." He moved to stand beside Mikolaj, back rested against the hood of the car, looking over the Polish boy's shoulders to accompany his explanations by pointing at his notes. "All there's left to do is calculate the speed, then at what time exactly the truck is gonna be passing by a specific location. Easy."

"Wait, so you divide distance by time, right?"

"Yup." Vader confirmed with a nod.

Connor stopped paying attention to their conversation. He could've done the calculations in mere seconds, and was fully aware of the theory behind it as well. Still, Vader had insisted on doing it the oldschool way, on a piece of paper and a pencil he had found in Pavel's car.

"How much longer?" (Y/n) interrupted his thoughts, having finished her second granola bar, crumbling up the packaging before stuffing it in her pocket.

After going to the gas station, they had found some free space by the roadside of the Cyberlife truck's supposed route, and calculated how much time they had left until one would show up.

"Roughly two minutes." Connor responded with confident precision. "I'd tell you the exact second as well, but considering the fact that this truck is supposedly controlled by a human driver, the time intervals may vary."

"Stop being so smart-assy, you're making me want to kiss you again." (Y/n) snickered, then scooted closer to him, resting the side of her head against his shoulder.

Connor furrowed his brows in confusion. Did that mean she didn't like...

"So I take it you dislike the fact that you sympathize me?"

"Sympath- What? No." (Y/n) shook her head. "I literally kissed you in a gas station, and you think I 'dislike the fact that I sympathize you'? And for your information, it's a little more than sympathizing."

"I just concluded it might be...confusing to feel attracted towards something that hasn't been human. Or is...only trying to be." He concluded with a synthetic sigh.

"Where'd that come from?" (Y/n)'s brows furrowed in confusion as she moved her wrist to link with his, holding their hands together.

"The only relationships I know of you engaging in were with fellow humans. Mikolaj, for instance. I figured you must find it strange to..."

"What, Connor, no. No, I don't." Her tone was gentle, which was a rarity, however a welcome one. (Y/n) stroked her thumb over his palm. For some reason, the small gesture was inexplicably...soothing. "Honestly, I don't think there's anything weird about it. Not for me." (Y/n) shook her head. "You know what is weird though?"

"What exactly?" Connor asked with a tilt of his head.

"The fact that you know me and Mikolaj were a thing without me telling you." She chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"

"No, actually." Connor swallowed thickly to hide his embarrassment. "I- I heard Pavel mention that you were his ex-girlfriend."

"Oh. Well." It was (y/n)'s turn to cough awkwardly. "I mean- it didn't really last long to begin with. We work as friends but...not as more than that. And it was also partially because I had just started living on the streets back then and had no-one. Mikolaj, as Freya's son, could give me the necessary protection to ensure things would go as smoothly as possible. So I guess it was a combination of both aspects that made the whole thing...not work. The breakup wasn't particularly hurtful." (Y/n) shrugged nonchalantly. "Now you know."

"I appreciate that." Connor responded with a nod and a smile, watching (y/n) as she closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I just...I...you're special to me, Con." She added with a smile against his jacket. "That's why I'm telling you all of this. Because I want- I don't know. I missed...something like this. And I want this to work. I care about you."

She squeezed his hand and sighed in contentment.

Connor wished, admittedly quite irrationally, that this moment would last forever. This closeness, this intimacy, this feeling.

Wonderful.

He responded with a squeeze of (y/n)'s hand too, before Vader spoke up.

"Get in the car!"

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"I'm too tall for this. And I'm also the one that calculated the whole thing." The dark haired boy argued. "You should do your parts."

"I'm not about to risk my life for a fucking terminator." Mikolaj said, tossing up his knife into the air, causing it to almost hit the roof of the car before catching it by the blade. "I'm only here right now because I don't have another option."

"I could do it." Connor spoke up.

"No." It was (y/n)'s turn to speak. "He's never truckraided before, and he wasn't built for it either."

"I mean, if he does fall, it makes things easier for us." Pavel shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Before Connor could even step in, (y/n) had already ripped the knife out of Mikolaj's hand, accidentally slitting open the flesh of his palm while she was at it. The Polish boy hissed in pain, clutching the injured body part closer to his chest. (Y/n) didn't seem to care, instead moving to hold the bloodied blade at Pavel's throat. "One more fucking word like that and I'll make sure you'll be the one to fall, you pathetic, slimy jerk-off."

Pavel's grip around the steering wheel tightened, and Connor noticed his Adam's apple bob. "Okay, (y/n), calm down. 'Twas a joke."

She glued the blade to the juncture of Pavel's shoulder, and wiped Mikolaj's blood onto his skin, off of both sides of the knife.

The chubby boy endured it wordlessly, knuckles turning white, pupils blown wide with fear.

"I'll do it." She decided after making sure the blade was clean, taking it between her teeth.

"Wait, (y/n)-" Mikolaj chimed in, looking at her angrily while raising the injured hand up. Blood was oozing out of it copiously, seeping into the sleeve of his jacket. "I can't help you like this."

"I can." Connor said. "You go first, I'll be on the hood."