#bamf!gavin

[connorwhumpaddict]

Deserving of pain (Part 4)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Epilogue

Summary: When Reed messes with Connor’s scanner at what he thinks is a secure bomb site things doesn’t go according to plan!

---

Chapter 4: Scanner malfunction

“I’m sorry Con, just a little bit longer now. I’m almost finished!” John tried to reassure as he typed manically on his keyboard, his eyes never leaving his live screen in front of him, fully devoted to completing his task as fast as possible.

Connor drew in another sharp inhale in response as he gripped the edges of the examination table he was currently reclining on a tad tighter, making the steel frame creak beneath his strong grasp. His back was arching off the table and his eyes pinched as he tried to stay still for the technician to complete the last adjustments and calibrations to his external sensors along his entire left leg, where several wires were plugged in at various ports along its length. The procedure wasn’t difficult to do but was lengthy and painful to endure.

“Aaaaand done!” John finally exclaimed as all codes finally flashed back to green on his screen, indicating the recalibration had been successful.

Connor all but collapsed back down on the padded surface beneath him, his breath escaping in harsh, quick pants from exhaustion and in effort to cool his core temperature back down from the uncomfortable level it reached during the 25 minutes it had taken to reset his legs’ sensor back to standard setting.

John quickly made his way to Connor’s side, perching on the edge of the table and gently put his arm under the android’s heaving upper body to help him into a more upright position. “Easy Con, try to slow your breathing a bit and take some deep breaths for me. I know it’s hard and you’re running hot, but just try.”

Connor’s own hand unconsciously reached out to find purchase and support on John’s broad chest as he tried his best to comply with the others’ instructions.

“That’s it, you’re doing great.” John’s hand rubbed soothingly up and down the length of the android’s back in a comforting manner and reached out with the other to grasp a pack of thirium with lemon ice-tea flavor. He knew that was Connor’s favorite and that he’d taken special care to always have in stock in his clinic. “Catch your breath and then drink this, it’ll make you feel better.”

Connor took a few, slightly more controlled breaths, before he accepted the pack and took a generous drink. “Thanks.” He said as he finally trusted his voice, even though it still came out somewhat raspy.

The tech smiled and stroked Connor’s back a few more times before standing up to begin gently unplugging the many wires from his leg.

“How does it feel, anything hurting?” John asked after having detached the last wire. He braced one hand against Connor’s ankle and ran the other along the length of the calf with a soft, soothing pressure. Connor felt a blush blooming on his cheeks at the touch that spread an unfamiliar kind of warmth throughout his chest, he could not attribute to his core temperature. He was quick to dismiss the oddity as he was not entirely sure how much he could trust his body’s reactions with his recent malfunctions.

“No, just feels a bit tender.” Connor answered.

John nodded and repeated the action, venturing above the knee before stopping at mid-thigh this time with a bit more pressure, but still making sure to be gentle. “That’s good. Your self-healing program will take care of that. I want you to stay here at least until you’ve finished drinking that pack and you promise to keep your thirium reserves topped, alright? Then we can do your other leg in a couple of days.”

Connor bit the inside of his cheeks, wanting to be abiding to John’s treatment since the kind tech had already devoted so many hours of work to speed along his recovery, but not able to keep totally silent. “I want you to recalibrate my other leg now, please.”

John’s head snapped up, pausing in his alleviating rub-down of Connor’s leg. His eyes turned sympathetic yet determined. “Con.. I know you’re eager to get back to full reinstation, but we can’t rush this along. It’s only been ten days since your sensor glitch, you need to give yourself time to heal.”

“I feel fine, really. My thirium pump is stable, my hourly diagnostics program has not reported any errors or instabilities since my last incident and I promise to keep my thirium at optimal levels. All I need to be fully functional is the last sensor calibrations to my right leg. Please, John?” Connor pleaded, hoping it would convince the blonde to comply.

“It’s not that simple Connor. You’ve just suffered through half an hour’s painful reset, it’s not ethical for me to push you through another procedure already. Another reset so soon is going to hurt even worse than the one you just completed. Your health and wellbeing are my biggest priorities and concern, so it’s out of the question.” John stated.

“I can take it. My systems should be stable enough to complete another reset within 15 minutes when I’m done topping off my thirium levels, with minimal risk of complications.” Connor retorted.

“Yes, I know, but that’s not the issue Con.” John countered.

Connor couldn’t help his voice from rising as his frustration grew. “I need to get back to full commission, John! I’m supposed to be an asset to the DPD, not a nuisance and a burden! Every minute I’m inefficient I’m a liability to the force and to you! If I can’t..”

“You’re not equipment, Connor!!” John interrupted with a yell and grasped the android’s head in both of his hands, pulling their faces close together so he could make firm eye contact.

Connor’s eyes widened in shock at the motion, his eyes automatically scanning the tech’s face now only inches away from him. The blonde’s expression was determined, but his blue eyes shone with worry and care. John inhaled deeply still not letting go of Connor, resolute to make the brown eyed detective accept he was more than just an expendable gadget.

“Your worth is not defined in how useful or how effective you are at your work, Con. You’re a person! A living, breathing, feeling being! And you’re allowed to get hurt and be injured and taking the time you need to heal! I know those Cyberlife bastards made you think you’re expendable and only merit something if you exceed expectations, but it’s not true! You are enough, Connor!” John’s voice was firm, but then softened along with his eyes, his thumbs moving to gently caress Connor’s face. “I know it’s hard, even after deviancy. But in time I’ll make sure to make you believe it too. Until then, I will patch you up whenever you need it and keep you safe to the best of my abilities and I promise you that it’s no burden at all. I know that’s true for everyone else as well.”

Connor swallowed around the lump that had grown in his throat. It was hard.. Sometimes it was as if he could still hear the echo of Amanda in his head whenever he didn’t perform a task perfectly, solved a case fast enough or couldn’t prevent Hank or others from getting hurt or injured. Each time her ice-cold voice would be brought forth by his memory; failure, disappointment, letdown, useless, worthless..

None of his colleagues, including John, had ever been anything but supportive, helpful and understanding towards him after his deviancy and never demanded anything further of him or berated his work. Well, no one except Gavin Reed.. Who’d on more than one occasion loudly shared, to everyone willing to listen, many of the same beliefs that his insecurities were rooted in. But even Reed seemed to be on his way to accept him. The fellow detective had even helped him back to the precinct when his sensors had malfunctioned. So, he really didn’t have any excuse to keep feeling like he was failing for not being able to do anything else but desk work for ten days, but he still did.. It filled him with unease and anxiety. Sometimes he’d talk with Hank about it, but every so often it was just too hard to put words to all those feelings and it’d be easier just to apply himself further into his work instead. Trying to do better, to be better.

Now it felt like John could see right through him, offering understanding, care and compassion without him even having to try and explain himself and it felt like such a huge relief.

“T-Thank you.. That’s.. I..” he stumbled as he had trouble finding his words. His emotions started to overwhelm him which was hard as well when you still had trouble identifying half of them.

But John just smiled that soft, beautiful smile that always seemed to leave Connor even more flustered than he already were.

“No need to thank me, just know that I’m here for you Connor. Not because I have to, not because it’s my job, but because I want to. Simple as that.” He finally released his hold of the android’s head, allowing some more space between them, though his left hand lingered just a tad longer in a prolonged caress. “Now, please relax and just let me take care of you for a while, ok?”

Connor offered a soft nod as answer, once again not totally trusting his voice and allowed himself to relax back into the mattress. He could feel his chest swell with warmth, feeling safe and completely comfortable as John stated to run a precautionary system check before he’d be allowed back to his desk.  

---

Connor returned downstairs to his desk, only limping slightly on his left leg. If hadn’t been for his LED circling yellow you’d almost not notice that it was causing the detective discomfort. When he found his seat, his LED turned back to its more stable blue hue.

“You alright kid?” Hank asked from across the table, seated at his own desk, eyeing his son with slight concern. He knew very well how painful Connor’s sensor resets were, but the kid still insisted on working throughout his recovery period. John, Hank and Fowler had all been unsuccessful in their effort to convince the deviant to take time off to heal. Connor had insisted it was easier for John to preform his resets at his clinic at the office and if he was at the office he might as well complete whatever work he could from his desk. In the end Fowler had resigned and allowed Connor to continue desk work, figuring that this way they could at least keep an eye out for the detective together.

“Yes, I.. I think so.” Connor answered, looking to be deep in thought.

“You think so?” feeling alarmed by the uncertain answer Hank pressed further. “What’s wrong? Did you suffer another glitch?”

Connor placed a hand on his own chest, looking confused. “I’m not sure..”

“Talk it out son, what’s on your mind?” Hank prompted.

Connor looked at his father as he tried to explain. “I’ve started to notice several recurring symptoms whenever I’m in the presence of Dr. John Hale. They started before my major malfunctions began and they’re not painful or unpleasant, but lately I feel like they’re growing in intensity. I wonder if it might be related to my latest glitches?”

Hank scratched his beard in a thoughtful manner. “I see.. And what symptoms are we talking about?”

“Usually when I see John my thirium pump will lose its rhythm for a fraction of a second before resuming normal beat. A warmth spreads in my chest when he’s close. My facial complexion is easier to flush, especially when he’s touching me and it feels like a live wire of low voltage is humming inside my abdomen whenever he smiles and are kind to me.” Connor clinically ticked off each of his observations. “I haven’t told him about it because until now it seemed harmless, and I don’t want to worry him further or make him think he’s causing me any discomfort when he’s already gone so much above and beyond to care for me.”

As Connor explained a soft smile grew across Hank’s face, making the android frown in confusion.

“Why are you smiling like that? Have I said something funny?”

Hank chuckled and weaved his hand. “Sorry kid! No, it’s not funny, but.. Have you ever wondered why John goes so much out of his way to help and care for you?”

Connor shrugged. “Because he’s a very skilled and compassionate technician, I’m sure he treats everyone of his patients with just as much care and skill as he does me, I’ve just taken up most of his time lately.”

Hank had to fight hard not to shake his head at the deviant’s obliviousness, reminding himself it wasn’t Connor’s fault he still had so many first experiences and emotions to live and learn. “Well, I’m pretty sure you have nothing to worry about regarding your symptoms when you’re with John.”

“How can you be sure of that?” Connor asked.

“Just trust me on this, I know. And I just want to add that I think John is a very nice, handsome and intelligent young man.” Hank added with a wide smile.

This only made Connor even more confused. “I agree John is very socially adapt and extremely intelligent, especially in his professional field. And yes, according to socially constructed standards he’s quite handsome, but I fail to see why any of these basic observations is relevant for our current discussion?”

Hank let out another small laugh. “I’m sorry kid, it’s sometimes easy to forget how new emotions still are for you. Ahh, how do I put this..” Hank took a minute to consider his words. “Son, It sounds like you might be experiencing your first cru..”

But Hank didn’t get to finish his sentence as Fowler suddenly came rushing out from his office calling everyone to attention with his authoritarian voice. “Listen up people, we got a situation on our hands!! We just received a triple bomb threat aimed at a shared android and human family center downtown! You all know the drill! I want all personal working this! I will head out with Alpha team now and you’ll all get updates in route go go GO!”

The whole office immediately became a flurry of motion and action as all personal answered on their captain’s order.

Hank stood and pulled on his jacket ready to move out as well. “Sorry kid, I’ll catch you later, ok? Mind the base while we’re gone.”

“No, I’m coming with you!” Connor stated standing as well, ignoring the lingering pain in his leg.

“Connor you’re grounded! Until we figure out the cause of your malfunctions you can’t join the field. You know that!” Hank ordered.

“But..” Connor was about to protest when Fowler appeared beside the pair.

“Gear up Connor, I’m gonna need you on Alpha.” The captain interrupted.

“Jeffery, what the hell?! I thought we agreed Connor was on standby until we know what causes his glitches!” Hank protested, wanting to keep his son safe.

Fowler look apologetic to the lieutenant. “I know Hank, and I wouldn’t be asking Connor to join if the situations weren’t so dire. Likely multiple bombs are at play and our bomb squad won’t be able to cover all the ground. Connor and his state-of-the-art scanner, detection programs and skills are our best hope to come out of this with no casualties.”

“I won’t let you down, captain.” Connor promised, his eyes determined.

“Damn it, alright! But you stay close to me you hear?” Hank pointed at Connor.

“Yes lieutenant.” Connor answered, slipping into professional mode automatically, relived he was allowed to join his team and help.

“Alright, with that settled let’s move it” Fowler barked.

---

Reed arrived at scene with Tina. The two had been on patrol when the call about the bomb threat had reached them. Even though they’d speed along at full speed and sirens, the scene was already busy as evacuation was being planned, bomb detection was set up and a perimeter was being established.

To the detective’s great dismay, he found the Tin Can standing with the bomb squad, helping with the set up and talking possible locations of the bombs. Reed grinded his teeth, the android wasn’t even supposed to be here! The fact that it was gave way to the possibility, that the glorified computer had been deemed necessary to fulfill the hope in coming out of this casualty free.

“Reed! I need you as leader on evac, move your ass!” Fowler suddenly barked, startling him out of his hateful musing. Reed decided he’d find a way to deal with the Tin Can later. He didn’t really care about the androids, but there were actual human lives at stake and that needed to be dealt with first.

Once the evacuation was completed Reed looked around to see where else he could assist and found himself at the small base operation where the bomb squad where busy trying to track down the bombs. It seemed the Tin Can was doing most of the work as it operated his wide range scanners and had already succeeded in locating two of the three bombs that had been threatened, sending bomb techs teams and drones on their way to do disarming.

Most officers on site were looking on in admiration as Connor quickly and efficiently took over and administered the task at locating the bombs and guiding the field teams to the correct locations, managing the multitasking flawlessly.

Reed had to bite the insides of his cheeks so his anger wouldn’t be too obvious. He longed to reach down into his pocket for his remote and mess the android up, but even he knew that interfering right now in such a high-risk situation, were actually human lives was on the line wouldn’t do.

The last bomb took longer to locate, but finally Connor managed to lock down its position, directing the last bomb squad towards it. All bombs had been placed in adjacent buildings next to the Family center, but all had been android related in some way. One had been in an apartment building that housed a mix of humans and androids, another had been placed in a free android tech clinic and the third had been in a converted Cyberlife store that now sold upgrade services and spare parts to most models.

One by one each bomb squad called in as they located a bomb and when they’d successfully disarmed it. When finally the last ‘Bomb is neutralized‘ was called in, it was as if the whole group of spectators let out a collective sigh of relief before bursting out in applause and cheers.

Reed was furious when he saw all the cheering was directed towards the Tin Can. People walked up to pat it on its shoulders and compliment it on its work. You didn’t congratulate or thank a damn computer for just doing its fucking job!

Hank walked up to the android to put an arm around his shoulders. “That was damn impressive son, I’m so proud of you.”

Even captain Fowler walked up with a pleased smile and took a firm hold of the Tin Can’s shoulder. “You did great detective, you saved a lot of lives today.”

Connor accepted the praise with a stained smile. For some reason he didn’t feel as calm or relieved as he should be, it just felt.. Too easy. It had been fairly simple to locate and disarm the bombs. Granted his scanner systems were the best prototype technology, but still. Something didn’t feel quite right..

Reed was fuming, so the Tin Can wanted to show of its fancy scanner? Well, so be it. Since the danger had passed there was no need to hold himself back any longer. Finding a discreet spot, away from most of the crowds, Reed fished up his remote. He quickly entered the Tin Can’s service code, he’d memorized by now, and found the setting guide for its scanner systems;

[Scanner settings // Scanner radius setting 1.8 miles] Reed readjusted; [Scanner radius setting 30 miles // WARNING a smaller scan radius is recommended // Risk of overheating to model]

The Tin Can’s current setting was specially designed to scan for certain components and signal weaves needed for the making and remote activation of most bombs, explaining why the android had been so efficient in location them. The setting adjustments guide also allowed to include many specific parameters; radio tower signals, different types of organic lifeforms, magnetic forces, radioactive material and so on. He crossed of every single box he could.

[WARNING smaller search margin is recommended // Current settings will require excess processor usage]

Ignoring the pop-up warnings as always Reed proceeded with the override, turning to watch with glee.

The effect was immediately. Connor suddenly let out a harsh grasp and took to his head when suddenly his scanner reactivated spontaneously, with a much wider range than advised and including all possible search parameters available. His head was flooded with feedback of thousands of results, making his head pound fiercely.

“What’s wrong kid?” Hank asked, immediately alarmed at his son’s obvious distress.

“Are you suffering another malfunction?” Fowler followed up taking a stabilizing hold on Connor’s shoulder to keep the detective from stumbling.

Connor nodded tightly. “Y-Yes sir.. My scanner suddenly turned to its highest setting capable. I-It’s intense..”

“Come on then, let’s get you back to the station before it gets any worse.” Hank said, already guiding his son towards their waiting squad car.

Reed watched with satisfaction as the Tin Can struggled to even walk straight, even with assistance from both Hank and the captain. The gathered crowd parted willingly as the two cops aided the android towards the car.

Suddenly the Tin Can stopped up abruptly and straightened. “Wait!!” it called out, its eyes wide yet distant, clearly paying attention to something on its scanner, unseen to everyone else.

“What’s the matter Connor?” Captain Fowler asked, immediately ready for action. Sensing the detective had caught something of importance.

“T-There’s another bomb! It’s.. It’s of a different unorthodox design.. So I.. My scanner didn’t detect it before..” Connor stammered, clearly struggling to make sense of all the inputs he was receiving from his wide scan, making even speaking an exhausting challenge at the moment. “It’s big.. Much more p-powerful than the others.. They were.. Probably just d-decoys to distract us from finding t-this one..”

“Fuck! Can you locate it?” Hank asked, his body already coiling with adrenaline and anxiety at the unwelcome news.

“It’s inside the c-center facility.. In an old sealed off vent in the basement..” Connor’s breaths were starting to turn harsh, as the intense scan was overheating several of his components, forcing his ventilation system to work harder. He struggled to keep focus on only the relevant inputs, despite the bombardment of scan results that kept flooding him. “We.. We need to widen the perimeter.. If this goes off our current position won’t offer a-any safe…” Conner stopped in the middle of his sentence, his eyes widening with fear as his scans showed him another horrific discovery. “T-There’s a human child still i-inside the building!!” He suddenly exclaimed.

“WHAT?!” Both Hank, Fowler and Reed exclaimed loudly in unison, as horrified outburst echoed throughout the surrounding crowds.

Fowler turned to Reed with a strict stare. “Reed! You were in charge of evacuation! How the hell could you miss a fucking child?!” The captain barked angrily.

Reed was taking totally aback. He had been in charge of the evac. He’d made a through plan and sent divided teams into the building, each covering a designated area that had called in when a section had been cleared. He pulled out his pad on which he had the full blueprint of the building and had winged off all sections that had been cleared. He was sure he’d checked off all sections!! All… Except one… A small area containing a children’s playroom had been overlooked.. He’d missed it… A cold dread filled up inside the detective as he realized his mistake. He’d been so preoccupied with how to carry out his vendetta against the Tin Can he’d neglected a whole section of the building in his evacuation plan. For once in his life Reed was stunned into near silence.

“I.. I.. I don’t know how.. I didn’t mean..” He stammered in despair, his eyes never leaving the pad in his hands that started shaking.

“Shit! Widen our perimeter with at least 200 yards!!And we need a bomb squad drone ASAP! We have a child’s life at stake here!!” Captain Fowler shouted out.

Connor shook his head, his eyes still distant and pinched as he focused on his scan. “There���s no time..” He muttered and before anyone had time to react, the android pulled free of the supporting holds Hank and Fowler had on him and sprinted towards the building himself.

“CONNOR!!” Hank bellowed and made a move to follow his son, but was forcibly held back by both Fowler and Ben.

“Hank!! You can’t go in there!!” Ben called, struggling to hold the lieutenant at bay, even with captain Fowler’s help.

“Connor’s in there! I need to fucking help him!!” Hank shouted, vigorously fighting the hands holding him back.

“Connor made his choice before I could intervene, but I won’t risk two of my men today!” Fowler groaned as he fought against the lieutenant.

“Fuck, Jeffery I can’t lose another son!!” Hank cried out, as the fight slowly drained from his body, a cloud of despair and fear settling over him instead.

“This is Connor we’re talking about. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Chris offered with confidence in his voice, although it did little to calm Hank’s gut.   

Reed stood back, still staring dumbfounded at the pad on his hands. He was so out of it he didn’t even notice when the remote in his pocket vibrated with the ‘Connection lost’ message, as the Tin Can ran selflessly into the bomb threatened building to save the child he was supposed to have brought to safety first.

‘Fuck…’

---

Connor felt an immediate relief as his scanner suddenly returned to its normal parameters once he’d sprinted the first 50th feet or so towards the family center. He didn’t dwell too much on it though, only being silently grateful he could now readjust it to pin down a firm, undisturbed, location of the child wandering aimlessly around on the first floor. Sprinting as fast as his still affected leg component could carry him, he burst through the doors, wasting no time.

“HELLO!” He called out loudly as he made his way to the stairs, leading to the first floor. “My name is Connor, I’m here to help you!” He called out again, hoping announcing his presence before making direct contact would appease the no doubt scared child.

“Call out if you can hear me!” He then added, knowing he was getting closer.

“H-Hello.. I-I’m here.. I’m scared!” A small voice echoed down the hallway seconds before the figure of a young yellow haired girl, no older than five appeared at the end of the floor. She was clutching a stuffed dog to her chest and tears were streaking down her cheeks in a steady stream from her brown eyes.

Connor was quick to reach her before he picked her up in a hurry, although he was careful not to hurt her in the process. He cradled her protectively against his chest and ran back the way he came. The small girl yelled out, startled at the manhandling, clutching her stuffed toy closer to her chest.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to scare you. I just want to get you out of here as fast as possibly, ok? I promise I’m not going to hurt you.” Connor reassured, making sure to keep his eyes soft and his voice as non-threatening as possible, despite the growing unease rising in his chest.

“I want my mommy!” The girl cried out.

“I’ll get you to your mom, I promise. Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright.” Conner soothed. He was almost at the exit just a few yards more…

.. Then the ear deafening sound of an explosion…

Connor had just enough time and wits to throw himself under the metal bolted receptions desk, tightening his hold around the small girl in his arms and covering her the best he could with his body before the building came crashing down, turning the world around them black…

---

The resounding shockwave from the detonated bomb floored the entire DPD and emergency responders. Shards of glass were raining down upon them as the windows in the surrounding buildings blew out.

One by one each officer fought themselves back onto shaky legs, their ears ringing and bleeding. Scraps and purple bruises already blooming on torn skin. Reed took to his head where a steady stream of blood was flowing, hissing sharply at the pained touch. He looked to the now demolished building of the Family center with wide, unbelieving eyes. To his left Hank was stumbling forward unsteadily, only resulting the man falling to his hands and knees, tears making a clean streak down his ashy cheeks. He was screaming something, but Reed could only hear the ringing of his own ears.

This.. Was not how he’d planned things to go…

---

The collapsed building debris creaked and shifted loudly above them in the little air pocket. The metal desk they’d taken cover under had partially collapsed over them and was now pressing hard against Connor’s staining back as the android was bracing against the immense weight from above with his forearms and knees. A sharp metal piece from the shredded desk had drilled its way into his lower back, right beside his spinal cord, warm thirium dripping from the wound. The little girl was currently laying shielded under him in a curled-up ball, whimpering softly, covered in dust. The only light filling the small space being the red light of Connor’s LED spinning slowly. The weight above was crushing and the pain from the protruding metal in his back was excruciating, but he forced himself to keep conscious and stay strong for the frightened girl crying beneath him, he couldn’t let her know he was struggling or how much danger they were still in.

“Shh.. Shh, it’s okay.. I got you.. Are you okay? Anything hurting?” He spoke softly, compelling himself to keep his voice calm and comforting despite his current agony, determined not to let it show and scaring her even further.

The girl unfolded slightly from her curled up position, her stuffed toy dog still hugged close to her body. She looked at him with her big, teary, brown eyes.  She shook her head gently no to his question.

“Can you tell me your name?” He followed up. “O-Olivia.. A-Are we going to die?” She whimpered timidly.

“No.. No we’re going to be just fine. I’m going to send a message to my friends outside and they’re going to find us very soon.” Connor reassured. Some of his hardware had been knocked offline or damaged by the blast, but he still managed to send a single, simple message to Hank’s phone, hoping his dad’s device (and his dad himself) were still intact and alive after the explosion. ‘Both alive. Buried by debris. Damaged. Send help urgently.’. The light around them turned yellow as Connor sent his message, before turning back to red once more.

“T-There.. They’ll be here any minute to save you.” He soothed, managing a soft smile, even if it was a bit strained from his current state.

“And you..” The girl offered quietly, turning a bit beneath him to look more directly at him.

Connor nodded. “And me.” He agreed, hoping she was right.

“W.. W-What’s your name?” Olivia asked. “My name is Connor.” “My mommy was in h-here as well.. Is she dead?” Olivia asked, her eyes overflowing with tears.

Connor shook his head. “No, no one else but you were in here. So, I’m sure your mom is okay and is very w-worried about you. T-That’s why I came to find you.” He quickly reassured.

Olivia sniffed a couple of times, reeling her tears back in. “Thank you for.. F-Finding me.. I.. I wasn’t supposed to leave my mommy, but I wanted to go play in the playroom and went there without telling her.. Suddenly.. Everyone was just gone and I couldn’t find her.. Do you think she’ll be mad at me?”

“I promise you she’s not going to be mad at you. G-Getting you back safe is all she cares about right now, and I’ll make sure you do.” Connor promised.

“O-Okay..” Olivia accepted and started fiddling with her small hands in a nervous gesture.

There were a few seconds of silence before Connor spoke up again, wanting to keep Olivia distracted and hopefully ease a bit of her rightful anxiousness.

“That’s a very cute dog you have there.. What’s his name?” He asked, readjusting his position slightly even though it offered him no relief whatsoever.

“It’s a girl.” She offered, sounding a bit offended by the misgendering of her toy, stroking its brown fleece head lovingly.

Connor was quick to correct his mistake. “I’m very sorry.. What’s her name then?”

“Muffin.” She answered.

“That’s a nice name.. I h-have a dog too you know..”

Her eyes lit up a bit at that. “You do? A real one?” She asked eagerly.

Connor nodded. “Yes, his name is Sumo. He’s a very cute and good dog too..”

“I love Muffin, but I’d like to have a real dog too someday. Maybe I’ll ask Santa for one next Christmas.” She explained, clearly very passionate about her possible future with a dog.

Connor was moved by her excitement and furthered his determination to make sure she’d get to experience the joy of having a dog. “That’s a very good wish, I.. I’m sure you’ll have a real dog someday, Olivia.”

Olivia beamed at that, but it quickly turned into a frightful gasp as the metal desk above them groaned loudly as the wreckage above shifted once again. The shifting made the weight suddenly increased immensely above and Connor couldn’t help but letting out a pained cry as the whole ceiling lowered an inch before he was able to brace hard enough against the added burden. The shift caused the metal splint to burrow even deeper into his back. He bit down another cry, but his red LED blinked wildly for a few seconds from the intense pain, before settling again. Connor’s breaths escaped in a few harsh pants to cool is inner core as much as possible before he turned off his own ventilation systems completely. Olivia needed the air more than him and he needed to conserve what little there was for her.

“Do you have a big owie?” Olivia then asked him once she recovered from the scare and looked at him with sad, worried eyes.

Connor’s head snapped back up, having dropped it when he’d needed to adjust when the load had shifted.

Before he could even answer Olivia continued in a slight babble that happens when a kid tries to explain something hurriedly. “ Because.. My neighbor Lucas is an android and he also have a light in his head like you, he sometimes babysits me when my mommy’s at work.. And.. Once he fell and his light turned red like yours. He told me that happens when an android gets an owie.. But his light turned back to blue in a few minutes.. Yours haven’t so.. Do you have a big one then?”

Olivia was clearly bright for her age and Connor was torn between not wanting to lie to her, knowing she’d not be fooled anyway, but also not wanting to make her worry about him. “I.. It j-just hurts my back a little staying in this position, but I’m going to be ok, don’t worry.” He settled, not a complete lie, but not the whole truth either.

Olivia luckily seemed to accept the explanation, though she still eyed Connor with a bit concern. “When I have an owie, my mommy will put a bandage on it and give me a kiss and a hug.. Do you have a mommy? I know Lucas doesn’t have one..” She then asked.

“I don’t but.. I have a dad..” Connor answered. He really hoped Hank was alright.

“Does he bandage and kiss your owies?” She asked, her eyes big.

“Well, he does give me bandages and hugs if I hurt myself, not so many kisses though.” Connor answered, able to find the mental image and innocent questioning a bit of humorous, despite their situation.

Olivia seemed to muse this over for a few seconds. “That’s okay, Muffin can give you a kiss, that might make you feel a bit better.” And she followed up by lifting her toy dog up and gently tap its soft snout against Connor’s cheek.

Connor leaned slightly into the touch and managed a soft smile. “That feels much better, thank you Muffin.” He said, he didn’t but he appreciated the sweet gesture non the less.

Suddenly Connor’s internal screen lit up with an incoming call and Connor felt a momentous rush of relief seeing the name. [Incoming call: Hank Anderson // Receive Y/N]

[Y // Connecting… Connected..]

“H-Hank?!”

“Connor, thank fucking God you’re alive son!! I thought I lost you!! Are you alright?” Hank’s voice filled the small space, full of relief and worry.

“I-I’m with Olivia, who was in the building. We’re buried under the rubble, in a small a-air bubble under a desk. She’s unharmed, but the oxygen is going to be depleted in approximately 37 minutes. w-we need a rescue team.” Connor explained quickly.

Hank do doubt noticed his son’s failure to actually answer his question, but quick to understand it was because he was in the presence of a child and could not detail his own state.

“We’re working on it, but the damage site is huge, Con. Do you have any idea where you’re at?” Hank asked trying to find out where to search and bring help most efficiently.

“I can..” Connor had to pause when a coughing fit overcame him, spilling thirium down his chin that had built up in his ventilation system. One of his interior lines must have bust when the weight on his back had increased.

“Are you Connor’s dad?!” Olivia suddenly called out, sitting up slightly to be closer to Connor’s head, probably thinking she needed it to be heard on the line.

There was a brief pause before Hank came to his senses and answered.

“Y-Yes, I am!”

“P-Please send help really, really soon mister.. Connor says he doesn’t have a big owie, but the light in his head is spinning red and holding the ceiling up is really hurting his back a-and some of that blue water androids drink is starting to spill on the floor. He needs help really soon too!” Olivia begged, her voice turning more and more distressed as she talked.

Clearly, she’d been much more observant than Connor had given her credit for, and it seemed like she’d tried to be strong and brave for him just as much as he tried for her.

“You’re Olivia?” Hank asked.

“Y-Yeah!”

“You’re a really brave girl Olivia and I promise we’re doing everything to get you guys out. Your mother is out here waiting for you, she’s really glad you’re ok. Now, I need you to stay strong and brave and take good care of my son until we find you, can you do that for me?”

“Y-Yeah! I can do that! But hurry please!” Oliva answered.

“Good girl!” Hank praised.

Once he finally recovered from his fit Connor returned to the conversation. “Hank.. W-We were close to the entrance when the building collapsed.. I’ll t-try to send a GPS location to your phone, but I can’t m-maintain audio communication at the same time and I.. I don’t think I’ll have enough energy to keep up the link for more than 10 minutes without.. R-Risking going into stasis and that must not happen.” Connor explained, his voice rough from his coughing.

“Got it! Do what you have to do. I have rescue on scene. I’ll make sure we’ll have your location locked and located within 10 minutes.. Hang in there son..” Hank added softly. “And you too Olivia, I’ll see you guys soon!” The lieutenant promised before the connection was cut.

Connor did as was agreed, knowing now that a signal could break through the ruble with certainty. His LED kept spinning red but every few cycles it turned yellow whenever he uploaded their location. He looked down his own body and just as Olivia said, thirium had started to pool on the floor from the steady stream running from the wound in his back. Connor’s arms and legs were starting to shake with the effort of holding the immense weight above them.

“It’s okay Connor, your dad is coming to save us and then he’ll help you get better.” Olivia said in a comforting voice, looking at the android with determination.

Despite his agony, Connor felt his heart swell. What an amazing girl Olivia was. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to make sure she made it out of this alive. The world needed more Olivas in it.

“Don’t worry O-Olivia.. I’m okay as long as you’re here.” He reassured her.

Olivia nodded in a serious manner. “I promised your dad to take care of you.”

Connor smiled. “You did.. I’m very l-lucky that I have such a brave, sweet girl like you to do that.” He agreed.

“You’re really brave too Connor and really strong.. I like you.” She declared, like it was an absolute fact before adding. “And Muffin likes you too.”

“Thank you.. I like you and Muffin too.” The android answered truthfully.

“Maybe.. When we get out and your owie is better I could come visit you and your dad and Sumo?” She then asked shyly, like she was afraid the answer might be no.

“I would love that very much and I know my dad and Sumo would too.” Connor was quick to confirm. Olivia smiled brightly the answer.

[WARNING // Thirium level 72% ∨∨ // Seek replenishment or technical aid immediately]

[WARNING // Core temperature 115°F^^ // Seek temperature reducing measures immediately]

[WARNING // Damage to internal lines 32:B-5:D] [WARNING // Spinal components 2-31 overloaded // R and L arm components overloaded // R and L leg components overloaded, L component down to 36% integrity]

Connor’s vision was being flooded with warning messages and error codes from the increasing strain in keeping the air bubble intact. The pain from the piercing metal in his back was so excruciating that the thought of saving Olivia and seeing Hank again was the only thing keeping him going at this point.   

Suddenly a loud grating noise filled their small space and Connor realized with a rush of relief that it was the sound of excavating vehicles digging above them.

Oliva crumbled back into a fetal position, hugging Muffin close once again, as the loud noise scared her, no doubt fearing their small safe space was about to collapse around them.

“It’s o-okay! It’s just the rescue team trying to dig us out!” Connor was quick to explain to the frightened girl. “You’ll be out in no time to see your mom, just a bit longer.”

Oliva looked at him with her big, brown doe eyes. The disturbing of the ruble from above made dust and grime start to rain down upon them.

“Come here, closer. Don’t be afraid. It’ll be over soon.” Connor beckoned for Olivia to seek further down so he could shield her better from the dust. She did, before reaching out to take a firm hold around his wrist for comfort. If Connor hadn’t needed to keep his hand so firmly braced to continue to keep the pocket from collapsing he’d offered to hold her hand, but sadly he couldn’t.

The noise got louder and louder as the rescue team above got closer to their position, unfortunately every time the machines dug it jarred the metal in Connor’s back, sending weave after weave of torturous agony throughout his whole frame. It took every bit of his willpower and every single override command he knew to keep himself from slipping into emergency statis mode.

Finally light, real light, broke through as the surface above them were breached and voices called from above.

“Olivia!! Connor! Can you hear us!” A man’s voice called.

“HERE!” Connor called back as loud as he could to drown out the loud machines. Since the weight had finally alleviated a bit from the cleared debris Connor used his last strength to pull Olivia out from under him, leaving him to brace with only one arm, and lifting her towards the waiting arms of a faceless first responder.

He barely caught her distraught call of his name as she was finally lifted from their sealed of prison before he finally let himself succumb to his multiple error codes and warnings and everything turned dark…

---

Reed looked on in disbelief as a small girl was lifted from the ruins of the building, dirty and crying, but otherwise totally unharmed. She was crying out the Tin Can’s name.. Even as she was handed over and buried into the neck of her waiting mother, who took her in a firm, tearful and relieved embrace. The scene grew even more frantic as the rescue team gathered around the area from where the girl had been pulled, calling for equipment and a technical EMT team to be on standby. Anderson had been denied access beyond safe perimeter (much to the lieutenant’s dismay), but he looked on worriedly from the sidelines along with the rest of the DPD personnel at scene.

After about 15 minutes they pulled the unconscious RK800 from the same spot, laying it on a gurney on its front. Four rescuers carry the gurney to the waiting tech ambulance in a half run and Anderson and several of his colleagues joins. Reed stays back, still too shocked and dazed to move from his spot. He watches as Anderson climbs into the back of the ambulance the Tin Can is loaded into and speeds off with blasting sirens.

How the hell had this day turned out so fucked up, he wondered silently.

---

Connor awoke with a jolt and is immediately punished by a piercing pain shooting all the way up his spine, making him hiss out sharply in pain and arch his back from the soft layer beneath him. The last thing he remembers is Olivia crying out his name, a blinding sea of error codes and an agonizing pain before his world turned dark.

A gentle hand presses against his shoulder as a familiar voice follows. “Easy son. Don’t strain yourself.”

Connor turned his head towards the voice, finding the soft look of Hank watching him closely from a chair pulled close to the bed in the technical aid facility the android now figured he’d woken up in.

“O.. Oli.. Olivia?” He manages to stammer, his throat feeling raw.

“Is safe and sound back with her mother, all thanks to you kid. I’m so fucking proud of you.” Hank reassures, his pride evident in his voice, stroking his thumb against his son’s bare shoulder in a calming gesture.

Connor sighs in relief at the news, settling a bit back against the slightly elevated bed under him, not able to suppress another wince as he’s once again reminded of the presence of the severe wound to his lower back. He looks down and find most of his torso covered in thick gaze. He let his head fall back on the pillow eyes closed.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Connor muttered tiredly. A line with fresh thirium was running to his left arm, but his reserves were still fairly low making him feel more drowsy than he’d normally be.

“And I’m glad you’re okay too.” Hank agreed sincerely.

Suddenly the echo of running footsteps could be heard down the hallway outside the private room and John burst through the door, slightly out of breath, looking worriedly towards Connor in his bed.

“Connor! Thank God you’re ok! I was so worried about you!!” The blonde exclaimed, marching to the android’s bedside

“J-John? What are you doing here?” Connor asked in confusion, not unhappy to see the tech, just surprised.

“I called him, told him what happened and asked him to come.” Hank explained like it was obvious.

“I’d have come anyway!” John argued, his eyes never leaving Connor.

“But.. But I’m in a tech facility.. I’m sure I’m going to be fine.. There was no need for you to burden yourself getting here.” Connor reasoned.

“I didn’t come here because I thought you needed fixing Con, I came here because I was worried sick about you when I heard you’d been caught inside that building when it exploded.. And I needed to see you.” John explained his eyes wide and voice emotional.

“O-Oh..” Was all Connor could offer as reply at first, but a small smile growing on his face. “That’s.. Thank you, John.. I’m glad you’re here.”

Sensing the vibe in the room Hanks stood up from his chair. “Well, I’m gonna go and try to find a decent cup of coffee in this place. Watch out for him for a bit will you John?” Hank asked and patted the tech on his shoulder.

“Of course.” The tech answered, his eyes still not leaving Connor’s though, as if he was afraid he’d disappear if he turned away.

Hank excited the room silently, only looking back briefly to see Connor replicate the gesture and squeezing John’s hand back with his own. The lieutenant somehow managed to find a small silver lining in seeing his son experiencing some kind of relief and happiness, despite his recently trying time with painful malfunctions and bad luck. He just hoped it would last a little longer for once…

#whump fic #whump writing #connorwhump #dbh connor #DBH #hurt/comfort #dbh fandom #dbh fanart #androids feel pain #painful #original character #bamf connor #detroid become human #Androids feel pain #angst with fluff #angst with a happy ending #gavin reed #dbh gavin reed

[celaenaeiln]

12 am anon here. okay so uh we havent talked about it cause i rly dunno how to tell them “yeah i think ur rly cute and i love it when you ramble abt the things you like and sometimes i do wanna kiss u” . anyways what songs do u think are dick grayson coded

personally some that come to mind are surface pressure from encanto, bad idea right and brutal by olivia rodrigo, and nerves by dpr ian. spring day by bts specifically when it comes to donna and wally and all his other dead loved ones

*older post I'm getting to now, 12 am anon and girlfriend are happily together, I just needed time to collate a list*

But that aside, you are literally the cutest. You make me so happy every time ;)

Surface Pressure, Bad Idea Right, and Brutal are all spot on!

I'd never heard Nerves before but now I've listened to it on repeat

Spring Day (eng ver) hadn't even entered my mind but now it won't get out.

Honestly all of Taylor Swift's and Olivia Rorigo's songs match Dick so perfectly

Orange are feel goods/exciting/dramatic story creation types

Blacks are sad/meloncholy/reflection songs about the darker side

I guess this is a Dick Grayson playlist.

Songs-

Come Hang Out by AJR - The Titans with Dick

You're Gonna Go Far Kid by The Offspring - self-explanatory.

Warriors of the Mind

You're on your own kid

This kpop song (anon knows, you might too)

My Version of You by Beth Crowley - reminded me of Tim and Dick's relationship when they fought during Dick's Batman era

Stop you're losing me by Taylor Swift - matches Dick fighting with Bruce

Unstoppable by Sia - reminds me of how the entire Superhero community relies on Dick and how he reacts in response

Let the Games Begin by AJR - is Dick constantly acting and ready for attention. Dick dealing with Gotham high society

Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons - embodies him in his entirety. If there's one song that defines him, it's this for me.

Toxic Thoughts by Faith Marie - Him struggling with his insecurities of breaking his own records

Welcome to the Show by Britt Nicole - Robin Dick being a little psycho and taking his team on an adventure

The First One by Astrid S - careful. It's about Nightwing (1996) Issue #134. Not sure if it can be considered canon or not, it's a gray area for me

Leader of the Landslide by The Lumineers - Basically Dick's reaction to Bruce abandoning him with all the kids and him being protective of them. Relates to Gotham War most clearly but always

Fire by Gavin Degraw - Dick's bamfness and journey

Christmas Kids by Roar - Here comes Bruce's messed up attachment issues to Dick

Million to One by Camila Cabello - Dick's perfectionist issues and dreams of being greater

If You Go Down ( I'm Going Down Too) by Kelsea Ballerini - Dick and Donna's ride or die relationship.

Don't Think Just Run by Beth Crowley - Dick, leadership, and the superheroes' reliance on him

Labour - Dick hypothically getting tired of Bruce dumping every single thing on him

Panic Room by Au/Ra - Scarecrow telling Dick in Knight Terrors that his fear may be the scariest fear of them all. I'm just imagining everyone getting trapped in Dick's head and being forced to face his fear. That would be such a fun story to write.

Rise by Katy Perry - Dick will always overcome and thrive.

Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga - Dick with the Titans just as they score a major victory

Human by Christina Perri - Dick asking for a reprieve (in his head)

Human by Krewlla - Same but sadder

Dress by Charlotte Sands - Other people falling in love with Dick

Gold Rush by Taylor Swift - How other people fall in love wiht Dick told through the eyes of Barbara or Kori

Heart of Stone by Six the Musical - Dick's unwavering love for Bruce

Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths - Dick is Achilles.

Geronimo by Sheppard - Silver Age Teen Titans era except it's all of them.

Circus by Britney Spears - C'mon. He's performer born for the spotlight.

Je vole by Louane - Dick's message to Bruce about him leaving

Je vais t'aimer by Louane - The intensity of Dick's love that sometimes leaves his lovers entralled, breathless, and scared.

Location by AJR - Dick reaching out to someone (not necessarily romantic)

Bird Set Free by Sia - Dick lives for himself and his morals. He lives for peace.

She Sets the City on Fire by Gavin Degraw - Other people's point of view of Dick

Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey - Dick's grief and mourning for Bruce's passing

Wonderland by Taylor Swift - Roy and Dick's relationship

Head Above the Water by Avril Lavigne - Dick being the superhero community's rock and leadership.

Nightmare by Halsey - Dick's a little wild but that's the reason he's still alive. This is just him going after Blockbuster.

Graveyard by Halsey - Dick literally keeping Bruce from destroying himself

The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy - Just Dick raising super powered team after team and yanking everyone onto their feet

Pompeii by Bastille - Dick's perspective after the bombing of Bludhaven

The entire sour album by Olivia Rodigro - To describe Dick and Bruce after Bruce fired him

Troublemaker by Olly Murs - How literally none of his exes can let him go

Issues by Julia Michaels - Dick and Kori's relationship

See You Again by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth - Dick and the Titans

Monster by Eminem and Rihanna - The amount of times people have told Dick he was crazy and he laughed and did it anyway

Superhero by Simon Curtis - Teen Titans Dick

Thunder by Imagine Dragons - Dick always takes charge of himself and his own destiny

A Million Dreams, the Greatest Showman - It literally sounds like Dick's inner thoughts to make Gotham a better place

Brave by Sara Bareilles - It's reminiscent of Dick's speech to Conner

Secrets and Lies by Death Note the Musical - This is Outsiders Dick Grayson to a T

Playing His Game by Death Note the Musical - This is how Dick solves all his crimes and mysteries

Drinking alone by Carrie Underwood - Ric Grayson

#dick grayson #nightwing #bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson playlist #cl anon asks #thanks for the ask!

[ao3feed-gav900]

Walk With Me

https://ift.tt/CZniDvr by Temmy_Silver Set in a world where merfolk are magic but not myth, Princess Ada is to be crowed Queen of the seven seas. However, shortly after her coronation, the Queendom is attacked by a band of humans with much more sinister plans than mere destruction underway. After her disappearance, her bodyguard, High Guardsman Nines, is left with the mission to find the Queen before Richard Perkins, lest the entire merfolk species fall. With the aid of a certain human detective, will Nines be able to save his Queen and his species? Words: 6725, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English Fandoms: Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Upgraded Connor | RK900, Gavin Reed, Tina Chen (Detroit: Become Human), Chris Miller (Detroit: Become Human), North (Detroit: Become Human), Lazzo Fratello, Ada (Detroit: Evolution), Richard Perkins, Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Valerie Morales-Chen, Simone Miller, Damian Miller, Gavin Reed's Cat, Phillip (Detroit Evolution), Original Human Character(s), Original Merperson Character(s) Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, Tina Chen (Detroit: Become Human)/Valerie Morales-Chen, Chris Miller/Simone Miller, Ada (Detroit: Evolution)/North (Detroit: Become Human), Lazzo Fratello/Tayla | Lazzo Fratello's Android Girlfriend Additional Tags: Angst, Whump, Fluff, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Whump, Gavin Reed Whump, Gavin Reed and North Friendship, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed Friendship, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Drug Dealing, Drug Use, BAMF Upgraded Connor | RK900, Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, probably, I am forgetful

#AO3feed #dbh #reed900 #gavin reed #rk900

[ao3feed-connor]

You and I (Are Oil and Fire)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/8mZUzJE

by CharlieMcarthy

"The right partner can make the perfect monster." The RK900 was built to be the ultimate killing machine, which was all well and good up until the Revolution. Deviated and Slightly Reprogrammed, CyberLife’s Latest and Greatest Creation instead takes up a job working as a Detective alongside the DPD’s youngest and most annoying cop. But there are those that would rather see the RK900 back where ‘it’ belongs, and know exactly who to manipulate to control the android.

Or, Gavin Reed finds out the hard way: Deviant does NOT equal Declawed.

Words: 7393, Chapters: 1/4, Language: English

Fandoms: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hank Anderson, Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Elijah Kamski

Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed

Additional Tags: Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, Mystery, Drama, Angst, Non-Consensual Drug Use, BAMF Upgraded Connor, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, Android, Xenophilia, mild enemies to friends to lovers, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), partners, Love, Possessive Behavior, Smut, nines and gav have some profound bond going on, the usual, mostly canon compliant i guess, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, Top Upgraded Connor | RK900, RK900 is learning How to Human, Mixed to Okay Results, nines is a good boi but yeah hes a murder machine

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/8mZUzJE

#ao3feed #fanfic #dbh #dbh connor #detroit: become human

[writesthrice]

Okay but, consider this:

There's a man standing over you.

He's not much taller than you, he really shouldn't be able to loom like that, but he is.

Looming.

He's also grinning, and there's blood on his pristine teeth; yours, actually, the spray having caught him across half his face.

For a moment, you can see yourself as HE sees himself, all flawless gold gilt in the yellow tint of his big fuck-off sunglasses, but the other lens is dripping your blood onto his cheek, and you know he sees nothing at all when he looks at you.

His fist comes up again, gold-plated brass knuckles shiny red with your blood, and he doesn't have to say anything for you to know that you underestimated him.

The noise of your face breaking is louder than your sobs. Then you never make another sound again.

The Golden Boy of the FAHC is the least threatening to look at, yeah.

But.

He's still a motherfucking Fake.

#fake ah crew #gavin free #fahc #fahc golden boy #fahc gavin #bamf!gavin #achievement hunter #we gotta give the lad some credit #he runs with the big dogs #you know he keeps up just fine #bamf!gavin free #this needs to be a thing #ah #ah gavin free #writesthrice writes #writesthrice talks

[ezwra]

Our Lives, Our Fuck-Ups, Our Love, Our Passion [Mavin]

[Song]  [Ao3]

Gavin’s been working for what feels like days on end; his eyes burn, his hands are shaking slightly from caffeine fueled exhaustion, and his ass hurts from sitting for too long. He rubs at his eyes tiredly and lets his head hang for a few moments, hair dangling limply within his vision. It’s greasy and dull, and he can feel the build up of oil on his face. He goes to stand up and as he moves he can smell himself; he grabs some lynx from the table and sprays it haphazardly before dragging himself from the desk to the door. Gavin pushes it open and comes face to face with Geoff and Michael - he blinks rapidly and raises his brows, “oh, hello.”

#mavin #fake ah crew #ragehappy #ptsd #torture #torture recovery #trans gavin free #bamf gavin free #my work #my writing

[typingtess]

Tiptoeing through the "Hard for the Money" guest cast

Erik Palladino as Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Vostanik Sabatino Did our boy Vostanik change agencies?  In his last episode, season 12's "A Fait Accompli", Sabatino was CIA as he was in most episodes except where he was Roger McAdams in season three’s "The Watcher".

Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier as NCIS Reserve Agent Shyla Dahr Back from "MWD".

Duncan Campbell as NCIS Special Agent Castor Was in "Genesis" last week.

Gregg Binkley as Navy Lieutenant Commander Gary Hudson Played Kenny James in My Name is Earl, Barney in Raising Hope, Bernie Beirness in Hitting the Breaks, Mr. Jenkins in Kirby Buckets and Dr. Cooper in Diary of a Future President.

Had guest roles in Head of the Class, Murder She Wrote, Civil Wars, Out of the This World, Quantum Leap, Full House, Coach, A Whole New Ballgame, Night Stand, Family Matters, The Drew Carey Show, Working, The Hughleys, Grown Ups, Wheels of Justice, The Michael Richards Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (2001), Malcolm in the Middle, Yes Dear, Gilmore Girls, CSI, The Bold and the Beautiful, Wizards of Waverly Place, The Millers, Transparent, Stuck in the Middle, United States of Al, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Roar.

Trailer selfie.   

Gavin Houston as Wesley "Big Wes" Roberts Was Remy Boudreau on Guiding Light, Sly Thomas on General Hospital, Tony Foster in The Bay, Jeffery Harrington in The Haves and the Have Nots and Theodore in Roswell New Mexico.

Guest roles include The Singles Table, Wizards of Waverly Place, Without a Trace, Rizzoli & Isles, Grey's Anatomy and Shameless.

Making a comeback – the set photo with LL Cool J.

Aliza Pearl as Maxine "Max" Collins Played Willow in Side Kick Girls, Michonne in BAMF Girls Club, Lynette in Yellow, Oya Ghillen in Callisto 6 and Dr. Monica Chamberlain in Heartbeats.

Had guest roles in episodes of Samantha Who?, The Further Adventures of Cupid and Eros, House of Lies, Hello Cupid, Days of Our Lives and New Girl.

Trailer selfie on page one, photo with ECO on page two.  

Nick Cassidy as Martin Thomas Played Thad in The Birch and had guest roles in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and The Girl in the Woods.

Cyd Strittmatter as Ms. Janice King Longtime working actress with guest roles in episodes of Cheers, Beauty and the Beast (1989), Quantum Leap, Full House, On Our Own, The Pretender, Party of Five (1997), Murder One, Ellen, Good vs. Evil, Seven Days, Any Day Now, 7th Heaven, Diagnosis Murder, The Tick, Boston Public, Leap of Faith, The X-Files, Nip/Tuck, Crossing Jordan, Grounded for Life, The Shield, Eyes, Close to Home, Monk, Weeds, Back to You, CSI, Trust Me, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, True Blood, American Horror Story, Bones, the Last Ship, Colony, Get Shorty, General Hospital, Good Girls, Grey's Anatomy and The Rookie.

Was Joanne Wright in the "Stakeout" NCIS episode in season five, Kimberly Murdock in the season one "Master of Horror" NCIS: New Orleans episode.

Selfie with Daniela Ruah.

Betty Barnes as Rosie Had guest appearances in Sex Ed and several online series.  Barnes is a stand-up comedian.

Terra Strong as Officer Julie Thompson Guest roles in episodes of Theirbnb, Conversations in LA and Betrayed.  Provided the voice of Shari Underwood in The Fairly OddParents.

Director's chair shot.

Brian Silverman as Angus Played Det. Alan Edwards in Central Division and guest starred in episodes of The Guardian, E-Ring, Sleeper Cell, 24, Monk, Jericho, Cold Case, Life, Grimm, Leverage, Ray Donovan, Good Girl and SWAT.

Written by: Matt Klafter & Indira Gibson Wilson

Matt Klafter co-wrote "Smokescreen Part II" and "A Fait Accompli" and was the sole writer for "Where Loyalties Lie".

Indira Gibson Wilson co-wrote both “The Frogman’s Daughter”  and "Signs of Change" in season 12 and was the sole writer for "Lost Soldier Down".

Directed by: Rick Tunell  The program's longtime production manager/producer directed "Revenge Deferred", "Se Murio El Payaso" and "Where Everybody Knows Your Name".

Set photo.

#tiptoeing #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

[deluweil]

Buddie 4x14 review - if you haven’t watched it yet don’t read.

The episode starts where we left it, once Buck was on the ground, it seems like he was thrust back into reality. I noticed two things here (connected with 4x13) Eddie didn’t close his eyes until Buck was safe behind the truck on the ground. And the second thing is that Buck was spurred into action the moment Eddie’s eyes closed.

And I mean this was some BAMF Buckley right there, that was SEALS trained Evan Buckley! 😱🤩 It’s like training and instinct kicked in and all that mattered was to get to Eddie and get him help as soon as possible, sniper’s bullets be damned. I gotta say it was executed to perfection❣

Big kudos to both Oliver and Ryan for delivering this whole sequence in a heart-wrenching, beautiful manner.

The shooting doesn’t stop and they get Eddie out of there under fire, I really like the 133 captain and crew, they worked so well with the members of the 118, it seemed effortless. (I’m not touching that subject, but let’s picture Buck lifting Eddie bodily up into his arms and in to the truck for just a second here. - I mean we wanted it but not under these circumstances)

Buck taking the role of medic when finally getting Eddie into the truck, is so amazing, he’s usually the one either in need for treatment or the one who stands back and let’s Hen, Chim and Eddie do the medic stuff, it is their jobs after all, but he doesn’t sit back and let the medics of the 133 to take over, he does it himself. 

He tore Eddie’s uniform’s buttons open (again, that’s not how any of us wished for this to happen), tore the pressure bandage wrap open and pressed it down on the wound, he did not step back from Eddie, until he absolutely has to, at the hospital. 😭

Eddie, my poor baby, was lying on the ground of the truck, bleeding and half conscious and the one thing he focused on was the blood on Buck’s shirt and he asked him if he’s hurt. I mean I could totally cry, because that’s Eddie. Best friend, combat medic, protective and caring, that never goes away even as he’s lying there bleeding. 🥺🥺

Eddie was legit ready to forget his injuries and try to get up and take care of Buck if he was hurt too. He loses consciousness only when Buck assures him that he’s not hurt.

Buck’s frantic litany of “Just hang on, we’re almost there.” and “I need you to hang on” (“I need you”, not we, not Christopher, “I need you”) was really hard to watch, because even though we all read and wrote it in fanfics thousands of times, watching it actually play out was heartbreaking, I totally teared up with Buck there.🥺🥺

For firefighters the job ends at the hospital doors, so Buck naturally, out of instinct stops from following. But that’s Eddie taken away from him and he looks frozen, at that moment he must have thousands of thoughts running around his head.

“You ok Buckley?”

Buck’s broken “No.” was maybe expected, but it was also earth shattering of sorts. This is Buck standing there, knowing (especially after the well incident) that when Eddie is not okay, he’s not either. 😭❤

I want to point out that I loved the fact that the 133 didn’t just drive away or waited outside for the cops, they went in after Eddie. And after trying to check in on Buck, the Captain of the 133 went in too.

I’m going to point out a parallel here between S3 Finale and S4 finale, in 3x18 Eddie asks Buck if he’s ok as his ex-girlfriend was taken in the ambulance with her new fiancé, Buck’s response was “What’s next?” and going back to work. He was okay, because Eddie was with him, and there was still work to be done.

Here in 4x14, Eddie is taken from him to the hospital, and Buck doesn’t know if he’ll live, so Buck’s obvious answer here is ‘No’.

Later we see Buck exiting the hospital, in his firefighter uniform. I’m a little disappointed we don’t see him cleaning up, I know that could have made for a hell of a scene, Oliver would have killed it, and us in my opinion.

Taylor is coming to the hospital, not as a reporter but as a friend. She was worried. I like that side of her, when she knows to put away the reporter and to make sure her friend is in one piece. Her character development is shown beautifully in this scene. 

Buck, in no condition to pretend and speak to the press, turns away from her, he doesn’t trust her at that moment and he doesn’t trust himself not to break down there. He’s teary, still in shock and his hands are shaking like crazy. (in complete contrast to the usual Buck, where he can be in danger or wrap up a crazy rescue and he is normally completely steady.)

Taylor, offered to take Buck to Eddie’s house to see Christopher, telling him he can’t go see Chris looking like he does now. “You can’t got see his son like that.” - At first hear and several others it sounded like “Your son.” - of course it’s not but either way it would have been true too, because in a way Buck has been co-parenting Christopher for a very long time now. And indeed later when Buck gets to Eddie’s house he is washed and dressed in civilian clothes.

The scene with Oli and Gavin killed me! I thought for sure the breaking down will be done in private, but Buck couldn’t hold it together in front of Christopher once he found out Eddie is going to be ok, and Christopher comforting Buck was so so sweet.

Christopher’s “like the ones who fixed you?” Kind of gives us a certain idea as to the conversation Eddie had to have with Christopher when Buck was hurt. His sweet “Then he’s going to be ok,” he says it with such conviction, only adding “right?” only as an afterthought.

And as if he manifested it himself Buck then gets a text from Bobby that tells him that Eddie pulled through surgery and it looks good.

Buck actually dropped the phone from the relief and he started to cry, and sweet, adorable, national treasure Christopher puts an arm around him and tells him that Eddie is going to be okay. I definitely cried with Buck here. It was such a powerful scene and it was portrayed so well by Oliver and Gavin. 

The “it’s going to be okay Buck” was kind of a call back to 3x01 - when Christopher reassures Buck and tells him “You’re going to be okay kid.” - I love these two together so much! ❤❤

When Bobby gives them the talk in the firehouse about how they proceed from there, Buck is standing with his arms crossed, looking completely dejected. And when Hen asks about the safety of their families, Bobby says there's no reason to believe they are in danger, Buck pipes in with “We didn’t have a reason to believe Eddie will get shot helping a kid either.” Buck is traumatized, and worried, he sleeps at Eddie’s house looking after Christopher.

I loved Christopher waking Buck up, and them having cereal breakfast together, a call back to Eddie and Christopher having breakfast together in 2x04. Buck doesn’t sit next to Chris, but across from him - to me it says that the seat between them is usually reserved to Eddie when they’re together at the house.

I love how Christopher’s teasing Buck about him snoring. And Buck is later confused because he’s unsure of whether or not Chris really understands what’s happening, but Carla assures him that he already lost his mother, unfortunately he understands better than he or she thinks. Which again should give people a new appreciation for Christopher’s sunshine child attitude.🥺❤

Carla showing up to take Christopher to school, is showing relief that Buck could finally sleep, which means that he didn’t for at least a couple of nights. She’s also asking him how it feels to go to work, Buck doesn’t even think about the sniper, for him all that matters is that Eddie is not out there with him and it feels off. (call back to 2x18 when Eddie seemed pensive about being back at work but Buck was not with them.)

Carla, bless her, retorts that that is not what she was asking - obviously she meant, she was worried about the sniper, but that is not Buck’s main worry, his head and his heart are somewhere else.

The crane scene was insane! I laughed when Chimney looked to Bobby and asked him “Can you blame him cap?” and Bobby flat out responded “Yeah!” 😂

The rescue was really impressive. However if Eddie ever found out about this he would probably hit Buck over the head with something heavy. It just goes to show that Eddie is Buck’s impulse control and vice-versa.

Bobby and Buck’s interaction wasn’t one of anger, Bobby was terrified and Buck was guilty but unapologetic, because he couldn’t protect Eddie but he could protect the rest of his family, so he did just that. Bobby didn’t have anything to say other than give him the same response Eddie did in Monsters - “Don’t do it again.” - Because for one, in my opinion, Bobby knows where Buck is coming from and also Bobby knows, he knows Eddie is Buck’s impulse control, knows he’s his anchor, he knows that Buck will only be his relatively normal self when Eddie comes back.

I’m not even going to touch the Taylor scene, yes she was worried, and yes she scolded him in a friendly way, but that kiss felt so out of left field for me, especially since Buck was just packing a bag to go stay with Christopher and Eddie was still unconscious at the hospital.

Also she freaking friendzoned him last episode, how fickle do male writers think women are? She gets a little scared and kisses the guy? Lucky they didn’t write in a sex scene! That was an insult to women everywhere in my opinion. It could have been set in so many better opportunities, why now? And if she’s scared now what’s to say that won’t make her leave like Ali did? I have a whole tirade about it but I will let it go for now.

Now I know ya’ll are like - Eddie woke up because his spidey senses told him someone was kissing his Buck (and I do not negate that point lol), but he just woke up and he asked for Buck. I find it so deliriously endearing that I need a moment even as I’m writing this.🤗🤗

I have to point out that there is no scene of Buck, Eddie and she who will not be name together other than the second when Buck walks in (read ran through the hospital corridors) and Eddie has only eyes for his partner. 👀❤

Afterwards it just the two of them, with a brief facetime to Christopher. I love that Eddie thanks Buck for staying with Chris, and Buck pretty much breaks down the logic behind the decision, like a true parent. - Christopher’s comfort came first in Buck’s eyes, and really that just demanded a hug right there.

“Is he doing ok?” 

Buck’s response here, was very honest, a lot more honest than I expected, “better than me.” He said. Buck openly admits to Eddie, “I kinda lost it when I told him you got shot. I’m sorry I should have held it together.” To be honest, I’m very curious as to the ins and outs of Buck and Eddie’s friendship, especially during quarantine, they seem so much closer, a lot more open. More honest than you'd expect two male, straight, lead characters to be with their friends.

Buck would have played it down and shared only the essentials when it’s anybody else. With Eddie he openly saying here, in his own way, ‘I was terrified, and heartbroken, and ‘couldn’t imagine my world without you.’ - ‘I couldn’t function with a clear head.’ - ‘all my masks were shattered.’ 

“You were there for him when I couldn’t be, that’s what matters.” Eddie knows, buck, he understands him better than anyone, he’s telling him here in his own way that it’s okay, and he loves him just the way he is - it was his way to reassure Buck that he was doing just fine.

But Buck’s “Still I think it might have been better for him if I was the one who got shot.” - Eddie looked like he was ready to get up and smack some sense into Buck. 

I want to point out that Buck’s response to Eddie being hurt or in danger is nowhere near the same as his response to anyone else in danger. Case in point in 4x14 is Bobby, he is inside, probably injured, in a fire with a gunman - if it was Eddie, Buck would have waited 0.1 seconds before he disappeared back into the flames to help Eddie. 

With Bobby, he was calm, cool, calculated, he knew what Athena would do because that’s exactly what he would have done if it had been Eddie and he is ready with helpful details and a plan. He wants to go with her, but doesn’t argue when she says no. 

Eddie is Buck’s Bobby, and it reflects all throughout this episode, and I think I had some parallels pointed out in 4x13 too. So I don’t know what scripts Tim reads or if we’re all watching the same show but buddie exists and thriving as far as I’m concerned.

Buck is also the one to pick Eddie up at the hospital - he tells him that the nurse is getting his meds and discharge papers ready, which means that Buck did all that process, he was busy getting Eddie discharged. (Take a moment to soak it in.)😌

Eddie sits Buck down to talk, to be honest this talk went pretty much the way I expected it. 

Eddie explains why he had his will updated, and that Buck is Christopher’s legal guardian if anything happens to Eddie. - I love that after all this time, sweet Buck is still surprised. 

He asks if Eddie didn’t need his consent for this and Eddie’s reply is: “My attorney said you could refuse.”  

I also love, that even shell-shocked, Buck knows that Eddie knows him “You know I wouldn’t.”

And Eddie assures him that he does in fact know Buck, and he knows that Buck loves Christopher as much as Eddie does “I know you wouldn’t.” 

(”I had to do it.” - “Yeah, I know you did.” this was a call back to 4x05 where Eddie understood why Buck did what he did. And knowing what we know now, I can assume that even though Eddie understood and forgave Buck, he didn’t have to like it.)

“No one will ever fight for my son as hard as you.” - call back to 3x03 anyone? 

“There’s no one I trust with my son more than you.” - and Eddie proves it time and again.

And here he is basically giving Buck permission to give hell to his parents or anyone who tries to take Christopher away from His Buck. - And I love it!! 🤗❤

Buck, smart, handsome guy that he is, asks the right question again - “Why are you just telling me now?”

“Because Evan.” That first name that even took Buck by surprise, because Eddie only ever called him Buck, to our knowledge anyway. - Eddie was talking to Evan Buckley, not Buck, and yes they are two separate entities living inside one hunky firefighter. - This is Eddie saying, I know you’re frayed around the edges, I know I’m asking for a lot right now but I need you to hear me.

“You came in here the other day and you said it would have been better if you who were the one who was shot,” and I think for Eddie, who was lying on that firetruck floor bleeding out, and his only concern was that Buck may have been hurt, that was the worst thing Buck could have said. 

“you act like you’re expandable but you’re wrong.” 

Eddie has been where Buck is at that moment, losing his wife, watching his best friend nearly die time and again. - Really at this point Eddie just wants him safe, and if telling him about Christopher is what will do the trick, then he is not above playing dirty.

Eddie is telling Buck, you are my partner, you are Christopher's second parent, I love you, Christopher loves you, I don’t know what I’d do without you. - Because Eddie has been without Buck before and he was completely lost. - And that’s before they became even more intertwined as they are now. 

I love the second before Buck and Eddie enter, Eddie’s house, before Buck opens the door, Eddie looks like he’s steeling himself to get in and Buck has a knowing grin on his face, somewhere between ‘ready?’ and ‘they’re happy you’re back be nice.’ 👀😂

I hated the jump forward, but everyone standing on the roof looking good and Eddie with those sunglasses? wow!! 🥵🤩

This was an all out buddie episode, and I was totally there for it!! I really hope for many more, because these two give me life!!

#evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddie #LIs who? #christopher diaz #buck is christopher’s second dad #it's pretty much canon now #buddie and bathena parallels #call back #9-1-1 4x14 #9 1 1 on fox #9-1-1 on fox #9 1 1 spoilers #❤❤❤

[miz-joelys-sherlollilists]

Latest & Greatest Sherlollbrary Additions, Classic Cafe Edition 11/16/21

A day out with three by woahsherlolly (Rated K, Complete, Two-Parter) Post HLV, Godparents, Established Sherlolly ff.net 2014

A Detective's Musings by woahsherlolly (Rated K, One-Shot) Established Sherlolly, Post HLV, Christmas ff.net 2015

Deployment by Kataraang0 (Rated K+, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Slow Burn, Case ff.net 2011

Graham or Gavin? by woahsherlolly (Rated K+, Complete, Two-Parter) Post Reichenbach ff.net 2014

I'll Catch You When You Fall by dansesinfernale (Rated T, One-Shot) S2: You Do Count, Trapped Together ff.net 2012

Interesting by llLethell (Rated K+, One-Shot) S1: Lipstick & Coffee, Outside Looking In ff.net 2012

Taking It Slowly by missadric2 (Rated T, One-Shot) Injured Molly ff.net 2011

What Fresh Hell by Grey Silverstone (Rated T, One-Shot) BAMF!Molly, S1: Lipstick & Coffee ff.net 2010

#sherlolly #latest and greatest sherlollilist additions #classic cafe edition #go shoo read!

[ao3feed-gav900]

With your Life

https://ift.tt/26SDc1m by yayenchan When an overprotective brother hears about his little brother joining in the SWAT, there's only one solution to make him stay safe. Gavin was having such a good day, first day of his role as a commander for the SWAT team rookies. Then lo and behold, like his friends an android gets sent to babysit him and he knows exactly whose fault this was. Words: 6198, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900, Captain Allen (Detroit: Become Human), CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60, Original Chloe | RT600 Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed Additional Tags: BAMF Gavin Reed, SWAT Team, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Half-Siblings, Gavin Reed Being Less of an Asshole, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, Gavin Reed - Freeform

#AO3feed #dbh #reed900 #gavin reed #rk900

[eldritcharchive]

battle cries, dear

Read on AO3 | @bamf-jaskier‘s Witchertober 2020 Day 9 - Destiny

"Come on, Mordred, just put me on the roster?" Beorn is not begging, but he's close. Mordred's been put in charge of a team the trainers are sending out to deal with the wyvern sealing sheep (and at least one goat, according to councilor Eskel's last count) from the farmlands of Kaer Morhen.

"Why are you so set on this, B?" Mordred asks, exasperation leaking into his tone. The Wolf pup cornered Mordred in the library, and he desperately needed to visit with one of the mages (Ashwood, if he was being honest he preferred talking to Ashwood) in order to get help preparing potion for the trip. It wouldn't be far, so they wouldn't need much. Yet, he's still here, because, despite Beorn's diminutive size, the idiot was fast (and Mordred is fond of him).

Beorn huffs. "Because for one, it never hurts to have extra people on a hunt like this, and witcher code or whatever doesn't prohibit traveling in groups," he says, sounding bored with his own explanation. "And two, there are no Wolves in your team and three -" he leans forward for emphasis "- you know the only reason they excluded me from consideration because of my size. I passed the trials, Mordred, I'm a full-fledged Witcher just like you and they treat me like a fucking initiate."

"There is a Wolf on the team," Mordred says with a sigh, "we're bringing Oskar."

"Good. He'll vouch for me then."

"Freya's blessed ass, Beorn." Mordred sees an opening and twists away from his friend, walking briskly towards the main hall. Beorn soon falls in step next to him, and Mordred growls. "Fine! Fine. Just meet us at the stables in two hours." They stop in the main hall and Beorn's face lights up. "If you're late, we're leaving without you."

                                                         ---

Initiates crowd around the hunting group as they gather at the stables - many of them haven't seen teams of witchers prepare for hunts and the elders are still used to the old days when witchers walked their Paths alone. Mordred spends time checking over their potion supply before addressing each member of the team.

"Wynona, did you bring explosive bolts?"

A young, lithe Viper Witcher stood slightly apart from the group with her arms crossed over her chest. Her lip curled from a large bite scar, the partners of which danced up the left side of her face. “Letho took a huge supply with him down to Aedirn,” she said, scowling. “Arms master said we can’t spare any for right now. Cactus helped me make some grapeshot to compensate.”

“How many grenades?”

“About ten.”

“It’ll have to do,” Mordred says, picking at the ragged scar on his forehead.

“We’ve got some split bolts,” called Liam, one of the taller boys, standing next to his twin brother, Gavin. The only difference between the two were the scars down their arms - Gavin sported bite marks from various necrophages; Liam, slashes and gouges from aerial beasts. (They wore Cat armor that exposed their forearms to help people identify them.) “Gav picked some up on his way back from Kovir.”

Mordred nods, “Anything else? We’ve got enough Swallow - more than enough, you know how Amma is with prep work.” A series of good-natured groans echo out from the group. “Hearing none, we gotta do a roll-call and then head out. Wynona, Liam, and Gavin are here, obviously. Drummond?”

“Here.” Drummond, a Manticore of considerable bulk and height, crouches near the initiates as he finishes pulling on his leather gauntlets and checking the various pouches strapped to his armor.

“Oskar? Beorn?”

“Both here, Dred!” Os calls as Beron finishes securing a section of chainmail over Os’ right thigh. Of the crew, the two Wolves have a more haphazard collection of gear - their swords are fine, but lack the pommels standard to their school. Both boys have linen and leather armor, well-cared for and hand patched in places. The Wolves still prized self-sufficiency, and their yearlings tended to purchase or patch their gear on the Path, rather than returning to a Witcher outpost for repair.

Mordred sighs - he’d hoped maybe Os would talk some sense into Beorn. Still, they were here, and that’s what mattered. “Cel?” He calls out. The Griffin (sporting traditional light-Griffin School plate over linen armor), waved their hand.

“Can we get on with it,” Wynona hissed. “We’re wasting time.”

“Look, if you want to explain to Papa Vesemir why we didn’t turn in a roster before leaving, be my guest,” Modred responds, looking over his list and making notes. He rolls up his list and looks over the crowd of initiates. “Alright, littles, you have training with councilman Eskel in fifteen and best get to the training grounds now.”

Most of the initiates scatter, though Mordred stops Friedrik and hands him the note. Friedrick nods, bouncing on the balls of his feet and sprints off toward the keep to deliver the roster to the keep’s Porter.  The team followed Mordred toward the eastern gate, and Drummond went over the plan.

“The wyvern has been spotted east of here, near a ruined watchtower at the other end of the Pond,” he starts, falling into step behind Mordred and allowing the others to circle around him. “It’s likely to have its nest somewhere in that area, perhaps even in the ruins. Plan is Wynona hits the nest with grapeshot -”

“Damn straight.”

“- Liam and Gavin will find high ground and use their scattershot to ground the thing,” Drummond continues. “Beorn and Os, you’re on the ground near the nest as Wynona’s backup, while Mordred and I focus on drawing its attention.” The manticore absently cracks his knuckles. “Not saying this’ll be easy - lots of points of failure. But it should be routine, yeah?”

Os groans. “Don’t fucking jinx it, Drummond.” Liam and Gavin burst into laughter (fucking, Cats) and clap Os on the back.

“Come on, Os, we have Beorn,” Gavin says with a toothy grin. “A whole extra witcher for a wyvern small enough that the trainers considered sending initiates with us to watch. We’re going to be fine.”

                                                        ---

Wynona doesn’t get up immediately after crashing into the treeline; the wyvern, The Killer, tossed her from her perch at the tower toward the forest. Os and Beorn are pinned by a younger wyvern - the Killer’s hatchling, and likely the wyvern seen at the keep - and can only watch as she sails through the air and crashes through the branches. The grapeshot ignites the nest (Wynona managed to plant two grenades before the Killer spotted her), but the rest of the bombs explode from the shock of hitting the ground. The Wolves have no idea if their Viper comrade is still alive.

The Killer screams above them, taking flight and circling over the field - Beorn manages to clip the young wyvern in the wing with aard and sending it spinning toward Os, who sinks his sword into its neck. The hatchling screams, the Killer screams, and Os yanks his sword forward, neatly severing its head from its neck. His sword slips free of the wyvern and he and Beorn sprint toward the tree line; crossbow bolts tear through the Killer’s wings, knocking it out of the air as it whirls back toward the Wolves. It crashes somewhere behind them as they sprint toward Wynona - she stumbles through the treeline, bleeding from a gash in her leg.

The next few things happen incredibly quickly - the Killer hauls itself into the air, low enough to threaten Mordred and Drummond with her claws; Beorn hears the Killer scream and pick up speed toward Wynona; two more sets of crossbow bolts screech through the air, slashing new cuts into the Killer’s wings; Mordred sprints toward Wynona but Beorn gets there first and lunges, attempting to cast Quen, but he doesn’t quite get the sign off in time. Beorn shoves Wynona out of the way and the Killer snatches Beorn off the ground, claws puncturing his armor.

Beorn screams.

Mordred knocks the Killer out of the sky with a well-cast Aard; the claw holding Beorn relaxes, dragging along his torso as the wyvern falls. Beorn hits the ground hard some distance behind the wyvern with a sickening crack that echoes in the ears of his friends.

Beorn loses track of his senses, the world turning to mush around him - he thinks he hears Drummond shouting, and the sound tastes like copper and heat and his own screaming. The world goes dark, but he feels Wynona’s knees thunk into the grass next to him and the burn of Full Moon on his lips.

                                                        ---

When the hunting team arrives, the pup they’re carrying is sobbing, delirious with pain. He’s babbling, the words largely lost in the tide of pain, blood, and tears. Elder witchers, yearlings and initiates flood the courtyard, and Drummond and Mordred lower Beorn onto a stretcher. Disconnected syllables continue to trip out over Beorn’s lips, but among them, Os manages to pick out a refrain.

"Amma. Get Amma, please. I want Amma."

Os sprints off toward the gardens, darting through the crowd at speed, barely dodging past people as he runs. The courtyard and artisan stalls give way to the gardens suddenly, as if they were portal-ed in from elsewhere. (In a way, they were - herbs were gathered in the wilds before Ashwood arrived at the keep.) Councilman Ashwood - their Amma - is crouched in the middle of the garden, scratching notes into a small notebook.

“Amma!” Os yells, unaware of the slip - none of them ever call Ashwood ‘Amma’ to his face. Still, Ashwood’s attention snaps upward; “It’s Beorn, please, he needs you!” Ashwood’s eyes widen; he snatches a bag from one of the collection tables, jogging toward the young Wolf.

“Where is he?” Ashwood asks, and Os turns heel, Ashwood not far behind. The return trip takes time - Ashwood is not a Witcher, and even at a dead sprint cannot match Os in speed. But he tries, and he skids to a stop in the courtyard, his chest heaving from the effort; the air is so thick with the scent of blood that it fills Ashwood’s lungs and mouth and he can nearly taste it. He swallows around his gag reflex - now is not the time to lose his stomach - and wades through the throng of people around Beorn.

“Please, give the boy some space,” Ashwood says firmly, barely louder than his normal speaking voice (the benefit of working with Witchers). Initiates and instructors alike move back, and Ashwood kneels next to Beorn. The boy - he could be called a boy, despite his twenty-four summers, because of Ashwood’s agelessness and the slowed aging of Witchers - has pulled at his hastily bandaged wounds, blood oozing from the deep gashes in his torso. Beorn babbled uselessly, and Ashwood takes his hand and gently brushes Beorn’s hair away from his face. “I’m here Beorn,” Ashwood murmurs, pushing a light healing spell into Beorn’s skin as he tries to comfort the young Witcher.

"Amma, Amma please, it hurts,” Beorn sobs, looking at Ashwood with hazy eyes.

"Shh, I know just stay still, we'll see what we can do about this, okay?" Ashwood looks up scanning the crowd. “Who did the field dressing?”

“I did, sir,” Wynona says, stepping forward. “I gave him a dose of Swallow and a dose of Full Moon, to treat any internal injuries, but the surface wounds…”

“You did an excellent job,” Ashwood says, holding up a hand. He makes eye contact with Mordred and Drummond in turn. “We need to get Beorn inside, to the infirmary,” he says, voice even and calm, “lift the stretcher gently and do your best not to jostle him. Keep him level.” The boys nod and gently lift Beorn off the ground. When Ashwood stands, Os hovers at his side, staying with him as they drift toward the keep.

“Amma, is he going to be okay?" Os murmurs, tentative and shy and almost too quietly for Ashwood to hear, but the name, ‘Amma’, sticks in his gut. He is Amma - Beorn had been calling for him, specifically. He wonders, distantly, why they named him that.

"We'll do what we can, Os,” Ashwood says, “Let's get inside where I can treat him better. The nickname can come later, right now he has one of his Witchers to treat. He and Os follow Mordred and Drummond closely, with a parade of yearling Witchers behind them. Instructors swarmed the initiates, moving the children back to the training grounds.

Ashwood hurls out a burst of magic as soon as they enter the keep - two birds erupt from green smoke swirling out of his hand and go screeching off in different directions. All activity in the keep stops; with no noise to distract from their frantic procession, it’s only a matter of time before people drifted over to watch them pass. Ashwood made eye contact with an instructor he recognized - Coën, of the Griffin School - and jerked his head toward the crowd.

“Okay, get back to your duties,” Coën yells through the crowd. “Stop fucking gawking!” Spectators danced away from the scene and parted as Triss made her way toward the infirmary door; she held the door open for Mordred and Drummond before tying back her loose, ginger curls and setting up a table of medical supplies.

“What do we need?” she asks, not bothering to look at Ashwood as he helps ease Beorn onto a bed. They’ve done this before, many times, with many Witchers.

“Catgut, sterilized needles,” Ashwood says. “Mordred, Drummond, you can go - make sure the rest of the yearlings know we’re doing everything we can.” The Bear and Manticore nod and leave the room, looking numb from the shock of things. Witchers are expected to die on the path, but not this young. Not on something that was supposed to be routine. Ashwood turned to Os - “I need you to go get us a few buckets of water, okay, Oskar?”

“Okay.”

“Warm, clean water. Not from the springs. You understand?” Beorn groans, rapidly losing the strength to even cry, pulling Ashwood’s attention away from the other Wolf.

“Yes, Amma,” Os says with a firm nod. He’s gone by the time Ashwood turns back to Triss, who pulls up a seat on the other side of the bed. She hands Ashwood a pair of scissors, and they begin the grim work of removing Beorn’s armor and cleaning his wounds.

                                                        ---

Vesemir arrives with Os, both carrying buckets of water. Ashwood and Triss are bloodied; Triss has a smear of blood across the coral brown skin on her cheek, obscuring her normally bright freckles. Ashwood is stitching up smaller wounds on Beorn’s chest, murmuring words of comfort as he works desperately to save the young Wolf.

“Amma… I can’t…” Beorn moans, fresh tears slipping down his face. Ashwood presses a warm hand against his neck, willing strength into Beorn’s failing body.

"Hush, pup,” Vesemir says, gently placing the requested water near the supply table. “Your Amma is doing his best, you need to be still." He turns to Triss and Ashwood, "Would this be easier if he was put under with Axii to keep him still?"

The mages share a look before Ashwood reluctantly nods. Vesemir makes the sign and presses it toward the injured Witcher. “Sleep,” he says, and Beorn is gone.

They send Os out for additional bandages and Vesemir gets to work grinding up celandine blooms and willow bark, mixing the herbs with water. Triss uses the mixture to gently wash Beorn’s deeper wounds as Ashwood works.

“When Os gets back with bandages, can you soak them in this mix?” Ashwood asks Vesemir.

“Of course,” he says, holding his hands out. “Is there anything else?”

“Prayer may not be out of the question,” Triss murmurs. “He’s feverish and in shock. Even if we get everything closed…”

“It’s going to take a lot of patience and magic to keep Beorn alive,” Ashwood finishes, a nearly imperceptible frown tugging at his lips. Vesemir lets out a ragged sigh.

“Prayer is not my forte,” he admits, “but I will help however I can.”

                                                        ---

It's early in the morning by the time they finish packing, stitching, and bandaging up Beorn. Vesemir took Os away hours ago and Triss takes her leave when she and Ashwood have dumped the last of the bloodied water buckets, leaving Ashwood alone in a chair by Beorn's bedside. Someone needs to stay, in case he wakes up. They agreed on shifts, but Ashwood knows he's not likely to leave the infirmary until Beorn does.

He sags a little in his chair staring up at the ceiling. Os has seen twenty-one summers; Beorn, twenty-four. Mordred is the oldest Bear of the yearlings, and he’s only seen twenty-seven summers. Aiden left home when he was five-years-old. They're children. Ashwood squeezes his eyes shut against the tears that threaten to fall, but he knows it's a lost cause as a ragged sob rips out of his chest.

 Amma, please, it hurts...!

They’d called him Amma - "A sort of version of Mama," Os told him, "because you're... you know... you and you take care of us."

Ashwood hadn't known what to say to that. He wonders, vaguely, when it started, but that wonder was snatched away by the sheer fucking injustice of it all. No one, none of the men (and the handful of women and others) who lived here deserved to be in that much pain. And yet Witchers had, for centuries, thrown themselves at monster after monster to protect folk that hate them. And hate them still. A fury burns in Ashwood's chest alongside his terror and sadness and he thinks he might kill the next person to insult the witchers to his face.

Beorn's breath hitches, his face momentarily twisted in pain - Ashwood watches him carefully, but he remains asleep. Ashwood takes his hand gently and traces the scars there - so many for one so young. Then again, was Ash any better? He'd inflicted his own wounds many a time by the time he turned four-and-twenty. Some days he felt like he might inflict many more.

"I just heard.” Ashwood starts when he hears Lambert at the door. “Is he...?" He's trying to be calm about it but he's rattled and angry and anxious and it's hard to keep your voice down and have it be gentle at the same time so he picks one and hopes the other one makes it through by force of will. It mostly comes through as a growl.

Ashwood looks up - there's no hiding tears that are sad and righteously angry. He lets out a shaky breath. "He's ah... Beorn's gonna be okay. Os and the others got him to the keep and then came and got me just in time," he says, trying not to look like an utter mess. "They're kids, Lamb," he mumbles into his hands.

Lambert finds a chair next to Ashwood and sits down, running a hand through his ginger hair - the beeswax pomade hadn’t held up well in his rush from repairing the walls. “What happened?” He asks. “They just told me he came in covered in blood.”

“He went out with the team of yearlings sent out to take care of the wyvern,” Ashwood says, eyes dark. “Coën got me the details - according to Mordred, the wyvern had a hatchling. Beorn was caught up in its claws trying to protect Wynona. He wasn’t able to cast Quen in time.” The mage sags again, leaning gently against Lambert’s side. “He was nearly incoherent when they got him here…”

“They’re just fucking kids,” Lambert mutters. “They’re kids, Ashwood, and we break ‘em down and build ‘em back up into Witchers and throw them out into a world that hates them. And the instructors don’t know shit about the yearlings. They just see a grown Witcher and assume they can handle the shit Geralt and I do.”

They sit in silence for a while, twin fires of rage and love burning down to their cinders. Because Lambert’s right - they’re practically children, despite their bluster and bravado. They have Lambert in their corner, obviously, but they have Ashwood now, too. And he’d do his best to keep them safe, to take care of them, make sure they knew someone on this fucked up Continent gave a damn about them. That, at least, he could do.

#original witchers #baby witchers #lambert #coen #oc: ashwood #vesemir #triss #wyvern #canon typical violence #blood and injury #hurt/comfort #sort of #found family #non-related parental figure #ashwood is a mom at heart he loves his kids #lambert is a reluctant dad #witchertober2020 #gideon writes

[msquarmby]

actually I'm not done you should also do Gavin for the character ask cause you can't just do one half of reed900 that's blasphemy

In hindsight, I truly would have judged you for only asking about one of them, you are correct.

first impression

Fucking asshole j͢erk pưnch͜in̸g ͡m̧y b̢o̡i͡, my̿ ̅ͬͤpǒ̴̂̀̾́ͨòrͨ̃̃̑̂ ͮͮ͆͌͟s͒ͯ̿ẁͮ̑ͪ͒̓͘eͫͤ̓̄̕e̎͐̉̚̚t͆̔ ̉ͮ̿ci̡̐̒̍̊̔n̕na̍mͦȯ̓́̏n͋ͮͫ ̧ͯ̂̎r̴̀͑̇oͩ͆ͣľ̉͗ͩ͞l̑͡,ͥ m̗̤̬͔͖̻̭ͭy̮̘͔̞̘̌̏ ͯ͊ͯͪ̃ͥͭ͢l͈̊ḯ̦̮͊t̤̫̪̭̥̻̹̾̾̀t͊̀͟l͊̈ͭͮ͛̌̃҉͔e̎̈́̈͒̉҉͔̖̹ ̥̜̖̞͓͈̂͘n̜̰̣͔̑͋͠ơ̰̘̝̩t̙̖͈̩̏ͪ͐ ̻̗͈̹̾̽ͧ͠y̯͎ͭ̽ͯͪ͊ͩͅȇ̺̖̙͉̝̍͞ͅt͚ͫ̄̅ͩ͝ ̲̺̟͉̹̀ͅd̮̬̪̜ͩ̈̚e̝̬̟ͩ̔̔͠ͅvͮ́̄̄̐̾̇ḯ͍̺̰͖͓ȧ̟̜̈́ͦ̂̍͘n̙̯͎͇̬̐̆̏̀t͕̜̹͛̀͆ͭ͋ ̍͗̚��̻̯͓͚͚̖b͙͎̘͎͙̜̊̃͛̇a̢͎͔͈͓͗̆̋̄̊b̨̹̼̬͐ͩy̵̪͕̯̰̹̘͌̉̎̈́

impression now

He’s got what’s coming to him, but he also can usually take it - and for that I have mad respect for him.

And, at least regarding the people who are actually important to him, he cares so much about them - much more than he’d probably like to admit to himself. Yes, he’s behaving like a jerk to other people sometimes, but the reputation preceding him is much worse than he deserves.

favorite moment

Actually, I like the confrontation scene in the evidence room A LOT. The fucking betrayal I felt when I got there for the very first time - I was seriously so shocked that I almost failed all my QTEs. 

(Going back to that scene now that I grew fond of this asshole… I realised that kicking his ass there is actually quite funny.)

idea for a story

It's more of a headcanon/backstory idea: I got quite fascinated with Gavin's scars for a while, and noticed that one of them is really close to his eye; like, literally going all the way across his nose and right up to his tear duct.

It is possible that, additionally to the scars, his eye was hurt pretty badly - maybe even to the point where it was beyond saving. Which is why, to save his eyesight, he received a bionic implant.

(Seriously: We are in a timeline where androids were very much around already in the 2020s, bionics must have been a thing long before that, and I’m still angry at the game for missing out on the opportunity to go more cyberpunk in that regard.)

At the beginning, he very much thought this was cool; it made him special, and gave him “superpowers”, in a way. But when androids started becoming a thing, and he saw the effect of what it truly meant to replace humans with machines, the fact that he not also fears being replaced by an android but is already partly replaced by a machine just adds such nice a layer of angst and self-loathing to the mix.

Let's quickly jump over the part where he finally learns to respect androids as people, and also eventually accepts himself: There is also just such a BAMFness that can ensue from this scenario, with Gavin and Nines working together. I know that Nines could also sync up with Gavin’s earpiece or some fancy futuristic video glasses, but it being literally a part of Gavin’s body makes it so much more ... intimate?

Speaking of which: It also adds so many possibilities for human-android-sexy-times. Like, Gavin and Nines could at least partly interface during sex. It's gonna drive Gavin mad.

unpopular opinion

He still listens to Taylor Swift.

favorite relationship

Reed900 (just imagine for a moment I said something else here for the ~blasphemy™~), although as I said in the other ask, I don't mind multiple "Connor" RKs in this scenario. And I’m pretty sure Gavin doesn’t mind either.

favorite headcanon

His choking kink… dear LORD

~ character ask ~

#I went off on a tangent there #whoops #but seriously if anyone knows about a fic where Gavin has a bionic eye #please hmu #I've not seen it around #ask game #character ask #Detroit: Become Human #Gavin Reed