Lost Loving Souls (Connor x Reader)

Chapter 84

You went to work with Connor the next morning. You'd had something to eat since you still needed food to survive and then you'd gone to get ready. Connor seemed a little distant, but you paid no mind to it. It didn't really matter after all. You were ready before Connor was. He came over to you soon enough and you both headed out to the car together. You sat in the passenger side and Connor got into the driver seat. The two of you said nothing as he started driving.

"It's a nice morning today, isn't it?" He glanced over at you.

"Yes, it is, I suppose." He replied.

"Did you sleep well?" He nodded.

"Yes. I got proper rest." You nodded and the two of you said nothing else the rest of the way to the station. You walked in with Connor ahead of you. You headed over to your desks and you said good morning to Hank. He greeted you as well. You glanced toward Gavin and Collin. The two of them seemed even more strained today. Collin looked distant and unfocused. Gavin just looked like he'd hardly gotten any sleep and was in an absolutely 100% 'don't fuck with me today' mood. Judging by that, you knew not to get on his bad side. You still understood the fact that you didn't want to anger Gavin. That was something basically nobody liked doing or was even brave enough to do. You could definitely remember his temper.

You got to work. You didn't have much to do though. There wasn't much else for you since you'd gotten all caught up yesterday. Hank got up to get some coffee and invited Connor to join him. Connor stood up, accepting his offer.

"You wanna come relax, (Y/n)?" Hank asked. You nodded and stood up. You followed the two of them into the cafe and you sat down with Connor as Hank went to get a cup of coffee. Connor was avoiding making eye contact with you. You didn't know why, but, once again, it didn't matter.

Hank sat down with you both a few moments later and heaved a sigh. He turned to Connor. "So, how have the animals been?"

"They're all fine. The babies are growing fast. I help them practice their gliding inside. I can't really take them on walks where they can practice by myself. They'd fall on the ground if they jumped." Connor explained. 

"And the cats?"

"Resinilly has been eating a bit more than usual, but I'm not concerned about it. She hasn't gained more than 2 pounds, so it isn't anything that needs to be controlled. I still feed them the same amount every day. She's just been taking a bit more of the share. Jackson doesn't seem to have any problems with it, though."

"They were both happy to see me yesterday." You tuned in. 

"That's good. I'm glad they took your return well." Hank said. You nodded. 

"They seemed the same to me, anyway." He nodded.

"I think Sumo smelled your scent or something on me last night because he was acting off too. He kept pawing at the door and sniffing me. I assumed he wanted to go see you. He knows how to get your house after all." 

"That is very possible." You agreed. Connor spoke up again.

"Speaking of people finding out about all this, I feel like we should go see Markus. He would want to know about this."

"I'm up for it, but I don't know how we're getting those two in the same car. I have no idea what the hell happened, but somethin' isn't right with that picture over there." Hank said, gesturing toward Gavin and Collin.

"We could invite them along and if they refuse and something happens at New Jericho, we'll just report the news back to them." You said, your mind working swiftly to come up with a plausible solution. The two of them looked at each other for a moment. For some reason, it seemed the two were sharing more in that gaze, but you didn't know what. They turned back to you.

"Well, let's get going then." You nodded and you all got up. Connor and Hank headed back over to the desks as you went to invite Gavin and Collin to come along. Collin spotted you first.

"Hello, Lieutenant (L/n)."

"Hello, Collin." You replied with a small smile, trying to be friendly. "I came to invite both of you to come with the rest of us to New Jericho. We have to inform Markus of my return." Collin opened his mouth to accept, but then he stopped. He glanced over at Gavin and you saw a hint of something flash through his eyes. He sat straight and acted like he had nothing to say. Gavin hadn't noticed any of this, too buried in his phone to even care to look up. You knew he heard you, though. "Detective?" You asked. He huffed and set down his phone.

"Come on. Let's get moving." He said. You nodded. "But this time, I'm the one fuckin' driving." You nodded.

"As you wish, Detective."

"It will be a bit crowded in the back, however. Maybe we should drive separate?" Collin suggested.

"(Y/n) can sit in the middle of you and Connor. She's the smallest." You nodded, having no issue with his decision. Collin, however, nodded while looking at the floor. The two of them really are acting peculiar. Perhaps I should ask Collin about it in the car. Hopefully, this will help us bond as well. Our current status is not as high as it could be. I would like to at the very least gain his trust. 

You sat in between the two boys and there was no issue with it. Connor just looked out the window the entire way. Collin had just been staring at the floor until you spoke up. 

"Are you alright, Collin?" His LED flashed between yellow and blue as you both began to talk.

"I'm perfectly functional."

"What is your emotional status? You and the Detective seemed strained. Did something occur?" Collin kept his eyes straight ahead so he wouldn't give anything away to anyone. You did the same, only glancing over every so often to see how he was reacting.

"It's...not important. Detective Reed is just a very...emotional partner. I can handle it. Thank you for checking in, (Y/n). That was kind of you." You still wondered what had happened, but you decided it would be best not to push it. At least, not here and not now.

"Very well. And you're welcome, Collin. I was concerned because you should be in a proper mental and emotional health state when helping us with the investigation. I always want you to provide the best work you can." You told him. You saw him give you a tiny thankful smile.

"Of course. Now, we're almost to New Jericho. To the others, this never happened."

"Understood." You replied and you both went back to your neutral stances. You sat in silence the rest of the way there. As soon as you arrived, Connor and Collin got out after Hank and Gavin. You got out Connor's side. He offered you his hand as you did and you were surprised for a moment before taking it. He helped you out and you felt a small tingle run through your body. You gave him a thankful nod, which he returned with a smile, before he went ahead, catching up with the others. You were confused by the feeling that had come and gone in your systems in a flash like that. That was peculiar, to say the least. Well, it was only minor. No point in dwelling on such a small thing. I'd best catch up with the others. With that, you hurried off after all the boys to go talk to Markus.