Chapter Text
“Connor it would be so super cool if you would just sit the fuck down. Like yesterday.” North said with an exasperated sigh, trying to wave him away from her side as he attempted to clean up behind her in the kitchen. “I’m just trying to help. You should really be cleaning as you go.”
“I will clean up later. It is my apartment. Why don’t you just like…go into the living room and help set up the tables or something?”
“Hank, Luther, and Leo already set up the tables though. And I am no longer needed by Cole because he’s watching TV with Alice. Kara said I should help you because she could handle cleaning up on her own.” North lowered her head and took a deep breath. “Fuck me. Fine! Wash the dishes then if you wanna be helpful.”
“For sure.”
Kara had actually finished cleaning, she just didn’t want Connor to nitpick. As much as she loved that man, which ended up being a lot more than she ever thought she would, he was so nitpicky. She could deal with it sometimes, but not right now. “Taking a break from homework to do something that is also pretty chaotic. Feels good doesn’t it?” Luther sat at the folding table beside her with a smile. “Oh yeah. Feels absolutely wonderful. I think I may have made a mistake in going for computer science.”
“You did not. You’re about to finish your first year of school with a stellar GPA. If you have questions, you could always ask the woman of the hour.” Luther suggested in a teasing tone, nodding over at Chloe Kamski, standing off to the side, talking to Markus. “I am a little intimidated by her if I’m being completely honest. I have one year of being a computer science major under my belt while she has years of being one of the greatest software engineers our country has produced. Besides, she’s busy talking to Markus.”
Markus found Chloe just as personable as he remembered from when he and Connor were kids. Probably a bit more so considering he was never able to actually speak to the woman when he was a child. “And all your neurons are firing properly?”
“Yes Ma’am. No sensation issues. Except for lack of pain. Was that intentional?”
“It was! We may go back on that in newer designs because pain sensation even in an artificial limb will stop users from damaging it. Good note. Thank you Markus. The blue blood refills have been easy to manage I hope?” Markus nodded again, he found that Connor was a lot like his mother. It was cute. This was an interesting way for her to check on him, but he didn’t mind it. He was already used to it after over a year of dealing with Connor anyway. “So Connor keeps getting promoted. Impressive stuff right?” He attempted, desperate to change the subject from himself. “Very impressive. He’s the best. Though I would be wrong if I didn’t give credit to this one right here!” Chloe gestured to Hank, leaning against the wall by the door, watching the children watching cartoons. Leo was on his phone, probably standing beside Hank specifically for the peace and quiet. He raised his brows and hummed questioningly, scratching his beard and walking over to the two of them. “Credit to me for what?”
“Markus was just talking about all the amazing things Connor has done in such a short time at the DPD and working with you. I said it’s got to have a lot to do with you.”
“Nah. The kid’s great all on his own Chloe. I just prop him up. And try to keep him from getting ahead of himself. The red ice takedown had more to do with Connor than me. He sees things old guys like me just don’t notice anymore. Great kid you got there. Glad I get the honor of being his partner.” Hank meant that. He probably wouldn’t say anything that heartfelt to Connor’s face because that was hard for him to even imagine, but he didn’t mind gushing about the kid to the kid’s mother. Hank was always going to make Connor look good to his parents. Especially Kamski. When…he managed to see the man. Which wasn’t all too often in all honesty.
“I wonder if the Android Movement will ever make a comeback.” Connor muttered as he put the last dish on the drying rack. He knew North cared the most about it of anyone so he was trying to strike up a conversation. Then he remembered that he kind of in a sense single handedly took out the movement in Detroit by busting the red ice chain with all his detective work. Other cities had more luck, and good results. Some cities had it worse than Detroit ever did. Detroit was somewhere in the middle when it came to the results of androids. Not great, not for every industry, but not awful either. Some wins, more losses. The supporters lost a lot of credibility when it was publicised that a portion of supporters of the movement were actually selling illicit drugs to fund their activities. “I don’t know. Probably. Not for a while though I think. The whole drugs to bail people out of jail and stuff really put a damper on things.”
“Yeah…it did. …Pretty smart idea though. Especially with the market shot after the last bust Hank did way back when.”
“Yeah. It was pretty smart. If times get tough down at the station I think you’d make a good drug lord Connor.” North said as she began to organise the dishes of food to take out to the tables. Connor had gotten much better at jokes. He felt like that skill’s growth genuinely had a lot to do with North. Genuinely. Connor looked down at his clothes, black slacks with a dark blue button down not tucked in so he looked more relaxed. “You think so?”
“Oh yeah. For sure. I could do your publicity stuff and Hank would keep the cops off your trail. Some real Breaking Bad shit.”
“I could see that. What would I sell though? Cocaine or something?”
North shrugged as she thought about it. They joked about Connor’s fictitious drug enterprises until they were done getting all the food together, bringing it out to the folding tables in her living room because she didn’t have enough space at her normal dining table. North had never hosted so many people in her home until she met all these people.
Kara wrangled everyone in with just a few soft spoken words. It was like magic every time. She was more than pleased to be sitting here, now, at this table full of fantastic people. The dinner wasn’t even for anything special. It was just because they all happened to not be busy on the same random Thursday evening. So why not do dinner?
It was a little odd to be sure, but this was a group of people who’d become this close in a little over a year. There were a lot of kinks to work out. That was fine.
Change could be good.