plasticasshole | Aefenglom IC Inbox

[Everything about this was fucked, to put it lightly.

Hank had felt some of the pain due to his connection, but he hadn't been able to do as much as he had hoped, or wanted. In the end, his age kept catching up to him. He wasn't a big damn action hero able to bust down doors, magic or not, and as much as he had helped, he hadn't been able to help as much as he wanted to the person he cared about.

So they were back here then, and Hank was trying to swallow his own guilt about it by distracting himself to keep Connor's mind from everything but the experience.]

Almost done.

[He was making himself something to eat. Insisted that Connor absolutely not do anything. It was a much slower process but he didn't care. At one point Sumo was looking at him expectantly.]

Sumo...go sit.

[A low borf, and the Saint Benard turned from Hank and went to plop himself on the furniture right next to Connor. Fuck , how does he even begin this conversation?]

You want anything Connor?

[Ask a question. That always works.]

[He’s in better spirits than he was when he was trapped in a cell, but not by much. He’s nervous and suspicious of innocent noises. It’s not enough to be able to fight anymore. He’s surrounded by magic, and magic in most cases beats fists. If he had to sleep, he’d probably have nightmares. And he used to love going for a swim, but now it hurts so much he dreads it.

Connor is admittedly a little let down that Hank couldn’t find him, but he can see that he’s beating himself up about it so he’s careful to hide it. He supposes it’s his own fault for expecting too much... or hoping for too much when he was desperate. He doesn’t like Hank any less for it, so maybe it’s unimportant.

He looks up as Sumo slumps next to him, petting the dog as he replies.]

No... not really. Not from the kitchen, anyway.

[Even if he could eat, he would probably have next to no appetite.]

[They both know what PTSD is like and how to attempt to treat it, but Hank's at a loss of how do make it work better. He also knows that Connor's lost two bonds already and he's the last remaining one...]

Alright.

[He arrives with the world's worst sandwich - it's whatever this world's equivalent of peanut butter and jelly is, not exactly good for any type of nourishment, but as a man who was worried for the past weeks, he's got nothing in his cupboard and doesn't dare leave Connor alone even if he's only going to go get food.]

Lemme know if you need anything.

[He sits on the other side of him so he can still get Sumo's body heat, eating his sandwich mostly in silence.]

[Connor gives the sandwich an unimpressed look, but he doesn’t offer to make a better one. As much as distracting himself would probably help, he also just... doesn’t really care right now.

When Hank sits beside him he’s quiet for a moment, before leaning against him. He closes his eyes and lets himself focus on the Bond, his last one, and wills himself to not think about how much he misses Justine and the SQUIP.]

I’m sorry.

[He stares ahead, breaking the silence.]

I should have been more careful... looking back now, it was obvious those fires were a diversion. I didn’t manage to figure that out in time.

[Christ, he's about to tear up. Good thing he can concentrate on both Sumo and Connor instead of his own emotions.]

Shit Connor...you can't know everything . Especially not in a world that doesn't obey the same goddamn rules that we have home. If anything, I should be apologizing not being able to arrive on time.

You couldn’t have known where they were keeping us.

[He moves a hand to clutch at Hank’s arm, resisting the urge to add “you’re only human” to the end of that. Being human isn’t a bad thing, but there are some things they simply can’t do that an advanced android detective can.]

I’m not angry at you for not finding me, Hank. I’m just glad I got to see you again.

[When he thought he was going to die in those cells, he’d lamented the idea of never seeing him again.]

I looked...I helped others along the way...

[He blames himself for not rushing in instead, and even Connor's words are hard to stop that self-blame he's so fond of. Silently he just puts the sandwich on the edge of the couch, even as Sumo eyes it, beginning to salivate. Yeah, fuck hunger.]

I felt the same. 'What if I get there too late?' I was worried the bond would suddenly disappeared. I don't know what I would have done...

I knew you were looking. And that if that was the case, there was always a chance you’d find me. It kept me going.

[He looks up at Hank, cheek still resting against his shoulder.]

So thank you for that.

[At the very least Hank gave him hope.]

[There's a tiny smile on Hank's face. The type that if you blink or if you watch closely, you think it's just an illusion. Briefly, he brings Connor closer with a movement of his hand.]

Yeah uh...least I could do.

[Hank Anderson has problems with 'you're welcome'.]

Guess we made sure the other kept themselves alive, in a way.

Guess we did.

[Connor sees that tiny smile and gives his own in return. It’s not quite as effortless as he’s used to, though. Smiling is somehow harder.

He links their fingers together, rubbing his thumb affectionately across Hank’s skin. This is what he needed. Some time to repair the Bond that had been tampered with. Physical contact is the fastest way to do that.]

Thank you for this, too. It’s making me feel better.

[He lets Connor lead tonight, not wanting to deny him anything. Maybe there was some guilt involved in there as well, but after such a hardship, it was nice to at least attempt to relax. Besides, even he had to admit that it felt nice.]

Yeah...I'm just glad it can help in some way.

[He'd need to study more. Find better ways to fight back. So shit like this didn't happen again.]

Me too.

[He'd been convinced that nothing would make him feel better, but as it turns out just some time with Hank is doing a pretty good job. The heat from both Hank and Sumo on either side of him is comforting, though maybe the drool pooling on his knee where Sumo is eyeing up that sandwich is less pleasant.]

Please eat your sandwich before Sumo causes my tail to grow again.

Aww fuck... Sumo! Stop that!

[Taken out of the moment, he gives the dog a daggerous look as he quickly plops the remaining pieces of the food in his mouth, trying his best not to choke himself. Sumo whines at the loss of his food but Hank tosses him a tiny bit of the bread at him, so that the slobbering can at least be confined to the couch.]

Urgh...sorry.

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