R1 DEADLAND

[lockdownmods]

[it’s strange, for the people who were already dead, the shift in scenery is sudden and complete. For those who have just arrived? It’s like you’re back where you left?

How strange.

But if you ever need her, you can always reach out to the guardian of this place.]

LOCATIONS
Note: locations lag a week behind the living counterparts

Comments

[preconstruction]

[ connor can definitely feel that -- it's not surprising necessarily but it's hard to know what to do with it. he doesn't want to embarrass hank by pointing out the love he feels. maybe it didn't have to be complicated. maybe things could stay as they were, different kinds of love for different people. because the truth was, connor loved hank too. not in the way he loves han, maybe, but he shares the way he'd told rebecca that hank was his home. the way he's told her just how much he cared about hank after he'd found him dead.

he may be learning human emotions, but surely that was a kind of love too, wasn't it? ]

Thank you, for sharing with me.

[donotlick]

[ Hank can't help it, the way he feels about Connor is more than just the crush he'd already admitted to. It's warm and accepting, boundless if only because it's everything he has, and every reason he had for getting better. It makes Hank's heart swell, to feel just how Connor feels about him too. It's definitely strange, feeling Connor's feeling, catching glimpses of memories and words. The emotions in those thoughts and memories make Hank tear up a bit -- certainly he's never been anyone's home before. For all that Hank knows he and Connor are partners and what that means, feeling the depth of his love for him is enough for his eyes to get glassy, tears of gratitude threatening to come through. Look, Hank's bad at feelings on a good day, it's gonna take him a while to get used to this emotion-sharing thing. He just doesn't really know what to do with someone caring about him this much.

It doesn't have to be anything more than this. If this is what love feels like, then just knowing Connor cares about him so much is enough. ]

I, uh... yeah. Thanks for... thanks for showing me how.

[ Please don't call him out, he's crying!! ]

[preconstruction]

It's okay.

[ he doesn't let go of where they're holding hands, but he does reach over to wipe away some of hank's tears. ]

I can stop if it's too much.

[donotlick]

[ Hank shakes his head and squeezes Connor's hand. Yeah, it's overwhelming. But in a good way. The best way. ]

I think I... I can handle this for a little bit longer.

[ He manages a smile, looking right at Connor. ]

I want to. It's just you.

[ "Just" Connor. Like Connor isn't the best thing in his life. Mmmhmm. ]

[preconstruction]

Alright.

[ he smiles too. this is really nice, actually. he doesn't remember ever interfacing with someone for a nice reason. ]

[donotlick]

[ First time for everything, right? Hank is sure he loses track of time just holding Connor's hand like this, but whether it's been a minute or an hour, it's good. He manages to stop crying and just kind of let himself be happy. God, it's been so long since he just let himself be happy. ]

Okay, I... We should probably do something besides hold hands.

[ He's blushing though, he doesn't really want to stop. And they're dead, right? They've got all the time in the world. ]

[preconstruction]

[ it's definitely longer than it should be. connor does let go when hank says it, though. he doesn't want to let go either, but ]

You're right. I wouldn't want you to lose yourself in my data.

[donotlick]

[ Hank brings his hands down, letting them rest awkwardly at his sides. They'll have time. There will be lots of time, now. ]

Can that, uh... can that happen?

[ Connor only felt like warmth and care, but Hank isn't good at this just yet. He wouldn't want to mess anything up. ]

[preconstruction]

Theoretically.

[ then a grin makes its way onto his face slowly because for once he literally has more experience than hank in something. ]

Especially when you're such a young AI.

[donotlick]

Oh, fuck off.

[ Hank laughs, shoving Connor's shoulder playfully. ]

I have 53 years of however many terabytes that translates into! You're still three months old.

[preconstruction]

You think you're worth terabytes, huh?

[donotlick]

Oh, you know I am.

[ This is quite the change from... well, being human, but you know what? Dwelling on it won't change a thing. ]

What's the thing that's after terabytes? I'm probably that.

[preconstruction]

Petabyte. It's true that you do have an awful lot of experience to quantify.

[donotlick]

Yeah, see? Petabytes.

[ Weird. He definitely... well, that's definitely a thing. But it's Connor. Who could mind being an AI if it means staying with Connor and getting to stay alive? ]

Betcha I'm a whole damn petabyte.

[preconstruction]

I wouldn't tell you even if I knew.

[ he w...inks.... ]

1/2

[donotlick]

[ Fuck........................................

Hank loves Connor so much, how dare you.......... Hank's heart skips a goddamn beat, he needs a moment. ]

[donotlick]

[ Yeah, the moment doesn't give him much time to think things through, honestly. You'd think if he was an AI he could come up with better responses here!! ]

Well, uh. Guess I'll just..... have to find out some other way.

[preconstruction]

I wouldn't worry too much. As long as she has enough storage space, that's all that's important.

[donotlick]

Well, yeah. Guess I didn't consider that -- but I mean, if she can store you and me, she's probably not hurting for storage space. We're probably the biggest, uh, files? Here?

[ it's very weird to think of himself as data, just fyi. [

[preconstruction]

Not necessarily, if everyone is backed up. And I'm not sure how much she compresses it when she makes it.

[donotlick]

I guess? I mean, they probably cut a bunch of your functions, so that might save up some room...

[ Kind of weird? Very weird. ]

Guess we're lucky computers got huge for the year.... 2199 or whatever it actually is.

[preconstruction]

Do you really think she'd cut my functions?

[donotlick]

I mean, yeah. Why wouldn't she? You could probably recode this place otherwise.

[ Right...? ]

[preconstruction]

Maybe. If I had infinite amounts of time on my hands.

[ like you know if he was dead ]

[donotlick]

[ Hank gives Connor a look. ]

You don't sleep. You can code shit in the blink of an eye in your own head.

[ Hank smiles. ]

I expect you to have this whole place hacked in less than a week.