#detr

(a/n: im hungry for soft!sub!connor and uh, reader is lowkey uncomfortable, just like she was with nines at the beginning lol) 

you remember going to bed with a headache and thinking nines has promised that he will stay by your side should you need help. he always stays, you know that. but he never once held your hand as he slept. 

the light from the sun shines hard and fiery upon your skin. grogginess dusts your mind as you turn to face the figure beside you. when you open your eyes, you don’t see nines. 

instead of the usual turtleneck sweater, you see a wrinkled dress shirt with the top buttons undone. 

despite not knowing who he is, you already feel like you know him. the image of the pure white samoyed floods your mind. through the haze of sleep, a dog’s face spills into your thoughts. 

and dimly, you remember that same dog staying in your room. 

“c-connor?” you call out his name hesitantly, half-unsure if this should be the right reaction. normally people would panic, but instead, you feel oddly calm. 

at the same time, your mind is brewing for an answer to another question: where is nines? 

connor opens his eyes, before allowing a smile to slip across his pallid features when he sees you. 

“good morning, owner,” he says softly, reaching over to rest his forehead against yours. you gasp, wanting to withdraw only to stiffen as he laces your fingers together. 

he’s faintly sniffing at you, you realize. from this distance, you can see how long and beautiful connor’s eyebrows are. as a dog, he also had faint rosy colors dusting the corner of his eyes. he has them too, albeit even fainter. 

he smells like grass when the rain comes down, refreshing and soft. your heart is beating too hard and some of the blood is rushing into your cheeks. 

owner–he called you that word. 

owner, just like how nines calls you master. 

owner, as if he is yours. 

“where’s nines?” you whisper, sliding a loose fist up against your lips. quite suddenly, you feel shy and small as you look at connor, whose bright eyes remain fixated on yours. 

immediately, connor’s face falls and he detaches himself from you. both of you rise up at the same time, with you still lost in a flurry of shock, distress, and confusion. 

“he’s in the living room,” connor says nonchalantly, rubbing his left eye with the palm of his free hand. “he didn’t like me staying here, but he didn’t want to see you upset.” 

in your head, you could imagine the thoughts running in nines’ head. he never liked dogs, even as a human. in particular, he had a distaste for a certain dog that you know well. but, you are relieved to know nines was thoughtful enough to distance himself. 

you must talk to him about this and–

but for now, you see yourself gazing at connor. he’s noticeably smaller than nines–his shoulders are slightly wider than your own. his dress shirt is a bit big on him, showing the collarbones underneath which draws in your gaze. nines has prominent collarbones too, you recall.

you kind of want to run your fingers down connor’s chest, but you also want to just take care of him. 

you shouldn’t want to do any of these things.

there is a lingering silence that seems to stretch long, awkwardly so. connor’s hand is still clutching yours, albeit the grip isn’t as tight. he looks too young compared to nines, perhaps younger than you. 

“i-i’ll go fetch you some water.” connor’s voice is soft as he slowly climbs from the bed, hesitantly letting go of your hand. he then takes out a blue cloth that was draped upon the headboard, fixing it around his neck. 

the item confirms his identity. this is the bandana you gifted the stray samoyed when you first met him. 

silently, he sends you a small smile, a sad one that makes your heart lurch, before he walks out of the bedroom on bare feet. you feel dazed and almost lost, as the contents of this morning all rush into you. 

you might be housing another shifter in your apartment, one that nines will not enjoy having around. 

bot fighting stuff and some james since I have neglected and whatnot. But more info for ya’ll about fighting android club, they got a logo that hints on their location. These two old cranes basically next door to some abandoned pipe line underground work which they house the fights.  (listen these people aren’t smart. And horrible people so it makes sense.)