I feel like I still love the characters enough to want to write them, but idk. Even now, there’s so many Connors that I get overwhelmed. 

So I guess, if you’re still willing to follow my Hank after a re-hash to my multimuse, you’re more than welcome to stick around, but I know a lot of people don’t like multimuses. So, that’s fine.

It’d also just be nice to talk to the friends I’ve made here again. Interactions were becoming tiresome when I initially took my hiatus and I needed to get away from the people that made them tiresome. 

He… hated this. Pain was a new experience, one he was trying to hide from those around him but god, this hurt – but he couldn’t deny him this one night. So Connor turned his face away to hide the saline-solution that was burning in his eyes, though the red LED gave him away all the same. “Fine, Hank. Just for tonight, I won’t say anything. But I refuse to go anywhere. I can’t– I won’t– I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fine. Don’t care if yer here,” He didn’t, in all honesty. As much as  today was a shit hole that he just wanted to be over and forget, the old police lieutenant knew it was probably for the best that Connor was at least there to keep an eye on him.

Keep him from doing anything too stupid. Staring into his glass for another beat, Hank downed the rest of the brown liquor. 

▌ ▲▐ ─────                    Ask whatever; someone Connor doubted it. There were certain things with Hank that one didn’t mention, things that would rightly piss the older man off. His past certainly, his son more specifically. Connor hadn’t mentioned Cole much since that night at the CyberLife tower, and he wasn’t about to. It served no purpose other than to torment Hank. The android wished to focus on more positive things, if only for the sake of his partner.

                   No, perhaps a bit for himself as well. He nodded once in reply and continued. “Lately I’ve been feeling anxious - at least, that’s part of it.” The best he could describe with any certainty. But there was more to it. “It’s different somehow. I don’t have any reason to feel that way. I just…” There was a pause, a shrug. Connor fixed a perturbed gaze at the man. “…do.”

Hank glanced over to the younger appearing android, not at all appearing surprised by what Connor was basically confessing to him. A small shrug did emit from him, at first, and took another sip from his glass bottle.

“Called livin’, kid. Most of us are anxious 24/7. Not much we can do about it, besides maybe take medication for it for the rest of our lives. Don’t think there’s medicine an android could take, though,” Hank sure as hell wasn’t someone who take anything for the anxiety he experienced.

“You’re the only person who’s ever cared about me in this world, Lieutenant. I’m not going to sit by and watch you kill yourself when there’s something I can do about it. So no. I will not “fuck off” because I believe this is exactly my business.”

“   NO  big  hairy  dogs  ,  no  hairy  cats  .  Got  it  ,   “  he  responds  ,  and  ,  being  the  android  that  he  is  ,  database  is  quickly  sifted  through  ,  certain  properties  isolated ,  others  discarded  from  his  query  .  He  needn’t  peruse  dogs  at  a  pet  store  or  shelter  to  at  least  offer  a  few  suggestions  ;  a  dog’s  or  cat’s  temperament  and  disposition  may  be  a  beast  that  would  have  to  be  tackled  through  experience  ,  however  .   “   What  about  a  poodle  ?  You  did  compare  me  to  one  once  ;  maybe  we’ll  get  along  ,   “   he  suggests  ,  only  half  -  joking  if  the  little  smirk  that  teases  the  corners  of  his  lips  is  anything  to  go  by  .  Nevertheless  ,  it  is  a  genuine  suggestion  ,  all  things  considering  .  Poodles  are  nowhere  near  as  large  as  Sumo  ,  and  they’re  known  to  be  intelligent  and  shed  very  little  .  

“...That’s a definite no from me,” Poodles just weren’t his kinda dog, no matter how many people tried to argue with the old police lieutenant that poodles didn’t need to be weirdly groomed priss-dogs. He just shook his head at the suggestion. Instead, he tried to think of some other breed he at least tolerated to a point. Come to think of it, he was realizing he didn’t know many breeds of cats. He really only knew them by their colors.

　　　“Haven’t you heard not to tell a woman to calm down?” But she does make an effort to stop glaring daggers at the man in question.

“   WELL  ,  I’m  really  not  picky  .  All  dogs  are  good  dogs  ,  and  I’m  sure  cats  are  too  .  What  did  you  have  in  mind  ?   “

▌ ▲▐ ─────                    “I understand that emotions can be rather…complicated things.” Complicated being an understatement, and a large one at that. The android looked to the man at his side, a soft frown over his features. Not for Hank’s lack of a clear answer but for his own ignorance. “It would seem that I still don’t grasp certain aspects of ‘feeling’. I hope you don’t mind that I asked.”

“Maybe if y’just... explain it more, then maybe I’d be able t’understand,”

He could sure as hell try, but the far older man’s demeanor already made it clear that it’d be difficult to get a concrete answer out of him. With his drinking clouding his mind, he might be able to come to a solid answer, but it was also possible that if he got too drunk, it wouldn’t be nearly as accurate.

Looking over toward the android, he waved him off briefly.

“Why, Lieutenant? So you can destroy yourself? I can’t let you do that.”

　　　“Oh come on, it’s not like that jackass doesn’t deserve it.”