#never fails. it's ALWAYS hankcon

[marcusrobertobaq]

Regulator thingy + blue blush is The combo, man 😂 ah bro I just can't help myself. I gotta make fun is this shit everytime I see, just can't resist.

[glass-noodle]

Do you have any hankcon fic recs? 👉👈

I DO 👀

(more under the cut because this got super long)

Most of these fics contain nsfw, if that's alright with you. Nsfw marked with an *

IRQ (Interrupt Request)* by rara_avis. Follows canon except that Hank and Connor become intimate just after the bridge scene. Lots of cool formatting and technical language as the story delves into Connor's psyche on his journey to deviation, which I think is so cool and really makes the fic stand out. I always come back to this one🥹

slow down, you're doing fine* by jilliancares. Hank helps Connor navigate various emotions post-revolution. I love the slow burn, and I love how the author writes Connor struggling to identify what he's feeling despite knowing the names for each emotion.

Instructions Not Included* by Vinci. Set directly after the revolution, Connor is experiencing strange Feelings and it all comes to a head when he and Hank are forced to go undercover at the Eden Club. Sexy, sweet, and well-written. What more could you ask for!

Skin Deep* by bughnrahk. A canon-universe soulmate AU which I'm admittedly not usually drawn to, but this one is written so well. Hank struggling to come to terms with not only having a soulmate at 53, but an android soulmate, and Connor confronting both the fact that he's alive and the fact that he has a soulmate, is written in such an exciting and captivating way.

the other way to someday* by theslap/bigspoonnoya. Connor is Cole's second grade teacher - his very attractive second grade teacher. You can probably already tell that I'm a sucker for canon fics, but this AU had me crying and laughing and fanning myself the whole way through. A fandom classic

Buried Beneath the Snow* by ConnorRK. MIND THE TAGS, heavy CWs for this fic. Gavin is not a good guy in this. That being said, if you're looking for insanely good writing and characterization, loads of hurt/comfort, Connor whump, and protective Hank, this is your fic. An Eden Club AU set post failed-revolution; Connor is resold as an Eden Club android with no memories of being a deviant hunter, and no memories of Hank. The slow burn and Connor and Hank falling for each other despite Connor having no memories of the time they spent together, and despite the fact that his memory is wiped every 2 hours, has had me crying at 2 am more than once

stargazing by Molias. Honestly, everything by this author is fantastic, so you should definitely check out the rest of their work. But I have a soft spot for this fic and A Secret Singing in Our Fingertips* by the same author. They're both so lovely and sweet and full of emotion; whenever I want to read something that will make me absolutely swoon, I come to these fics.

Seiche by CeilingKiwi. On the other hand, if you're looking to get your feelings hurt this fine MerMay, this is for you. A gorgeous and heartwrenchingly bittersweet merman AU featuring depressed organic!merman Hank and abandoned android!merman Connor, and the ways they try and keep each other from falling apart.

you, the moon. you, the road. by plutoandpersephone. A post-revolution oneshot - Hank is injured on the job, and Connor is forced to confront the emotions that have been steadily, silently building within him since deviating. The writing in this fic leaves me breathless; it's the type of fic you never want to end. While you're at it, check out dieu et mon droit*, a prince Connor/president Hank AU fandom staple ;)

anything by Jolli_Bean. Honestly, I can't decide which fic of theirs I like best, haha. Just know that there's something for everyone - short or long, sweet or dramatic, canon or AU; all of them gorgeously written.

he's making a list; i'm checking him out* by connorsjorts. The mall santa AU we all deserve! This fic is so fun. Sweet, cute, sexy, and full of Christmas shenanigans.

Count the Stars by dbhprincess. Another stargazing fic because I'm a sucker for them apparently. Complete with sharing a sleeping bag, mildly awkward/sexy shenanigans, and first kisses <3 (also check out their Martian AU series, No Longer Alone!)

Whole* by blackeyedblonde. This time it's Connor who's injured at work, and they're both more than a little overcome with emotion. I enjoy any story that explores Connor's android features and his ability to feel pain, and the shaky aftermath of tenderness and desperation that follows a grievous injury is something I will ALWAYS eat up.

For mostly-smut fics (some with more plot, some with very little. Also mostly bottom!Connor, sorry if you're a big fan of bottom!Hank):

Tell Me How to Feel a Thing (I Want it All)* by bibliomaniac

Nightcall* by FAB900

Pulse* by biocomp

concede, comply (contend, deny) by biocomp

Slide On In* by teasoni

Glut* by bigolegay

Pleasure Liberation* by (orphan_account)

Knuckle, Buckle, Kneel* by Synekdokee

Flowers in My Mouth* by Molias

Finally, there are a couple of fics that I'm currently reading: Synthetic Blues* (ongoing) by jaemyun, downloading to paris (ongoing) by sevdrag, A Seraphim Story* (finished) by anonymousEDward, and Electric Indigo* (ongoing; unsure if on hiatus) by taranoire. All worth checking out!!

WHEW. Okay, I think I'm done. There are sooo many good fics out there, and I've only read a few out of a sea of thousands. If anyone has their own recs, feel free to add them! I will definitely be adding more the more I read :)

[rjhpandapaws]

Canon hankcon, "birthday" for the prompt, and that's all I'm giving you lmao. Whose birthday? Party or no acknowledgement? Homemade cake with haphazard candles or storebought fancy pants cake? How many birthday kisses from Sumo? I dunno you tell me.

//:3

It wasn’t any particular news that Hank didn’t enjoy his birthday much anymore. It might have been the grief but he had a hard time remembering a time before Cole when he did. It was old news to everyone it seemed except Connor who was waiting by his desk the morning of with a box in his hands. “Connor, what is that?” He asked as he moved to sit at his desk. “It’s a birthday present Hank.” Connor set the small box on his desk, “Isn’t it a human custom to celebrate them?” Hank bit off the annoyed sigh and reminded himself that Connor didn’t know better, “Most people do. When you’re young making it another year is kind of a big deal, but when you get to my age its just a reminder of how many opportunities you’ve missed.” Connor fell onto red for a moment and Hank regretted his words, “Do you want me to take it back?” His LED flickered as he did something in that head of his. “No.” Hank shook his head, “I appreciate it Connor, it was just a surprise. I’m not used to people caring after I spent years asking them not to.” Connor narrowed his eyes as he moved to sit as his desk, “I know now, so it won’t happen again.” This time Hank sighed, “Connor, its okay, I promise.” Connor still didn’t believe him from the looks of it, and Hank hated that he was right. He knew Connor meant well, but they were dancing around an unknown something and every time Connor would do something like this it reminded Hank that the android could do so much better. When he finally climbed out of his own head Hank noticed Connor had gotten to work. His LED was yellow which meant he was thinking about something too, but Hank didn’t have the nerve to ask. He looked down at the small precisely wrapped box and what it was that Connor had decided was worth getting him.

He opened the box as quietly as he could, he didn’t want to pull Connor out of his focus, the brunette hated that. The last thing he expected was concert tickets, they were rested on top of a neatly folded t-shirt. The tickets were for a holographic performance by Frank Sinatra. He set them aside and took out the t-shirt and found it was a signed Knight of The Black Death shirt, it was from one of their older tours and had only been up for bid. He didn’t know how Connor had found it or how much he had paid for it but he knew neither of them had been cheap. “Connor.” He said firmly. Connor came back to himself and tilted his head in question, “You know birthday gifts are supposed to be simple right?” “Yes.” Connor responded, “But they are also supposed to be something you enjoy, and I figured that this would have been better than simple. Jazz is something I know you enjoy, I would have done Knights of The Black Death but they aren’t currently touring.” “So you bought two tickets to one of the best jazz clubs in Detroit and won a bit on an auction only shirt.” Hank remarked. “Yes, I figured you could take a friend with you.” Connor continued, “I figured you would have more fun that way, the shirt took a while to get, but that’s the perk of not needing sleep.” Hank bit back a groan and found himself smiling nonetheless. He didn’t deserve this kind of effort and certainly not from Connor. Not to mention that Connor had seemed to greatly over estimate the number of friends he had. Other than Connor and possibly Jeff he really didn’t know who would want join him. According to the date on the tickets he had until that evening to decide.

He tucked the tickets back into the box and did what he could to focus on his work. His mind kept tracking back to how much thought Connor had put into this, some stupid day of the year to commemorate the mistake that was his life. That Connor had found their friendship for lack of a better word worth burning a few paychecks on. It baffled him. On some level he understood that not many people viewed him in the same light he viewed himself, but the fact that Connor of all people saw him as worth this much effort never failed to knock him off kilter. The day was thankfully slow, his head wasn’t in the right place for case work as it was, he wouldn’t have been able to handle a live one. He was pulled back to attention when Connor began to pack up his things for the day. Hank still needed to talk to him about the jazz club. God, how long had it been since he had asked someone on a date? Could this really even be considered a date if Connor was the one that bought the tickets? “Your vitals say you are distressed Hank. Is there something I can do to help?” Connor was standing with his blazer over his arm, it was a charcoal grey number he had picked out to replace the branded one. “Ah no. I was just thinking too much.” He said, here went nothing he supposed, “Would you like to go with me tonight? To the jazz club?” He didn’t miss the small smile that flashed across Connor’s features before he replied, “I would love too.” Hank nodded as relief crashed over him, “Think you could be ready by eight thirty?” “Of course.” Connor agreed, “I’ll see you then Hank.” He gave a polite wave before he turned to leave. Hank was grinning at his monitor like a damn fool.

He got home with just around two hours to get ready and realized he had nothing to wear that would hold a candle to how Connor would probably wind up looking. He dressed sharply despite being a plain clothes detective so it was certain he would be dressed to the nines for this too. He dug through his closet like a damn teenager looking for something that would fit and look nice. He needed to shower as well but that could wait until after he found something to wear that would be presentable. He decided on black jeans at the very least because he couldn’t be paid to wear slacks even for a maybe date. Then it was on to looking for a shirt which took longer than he would have liked. He eventually settled for a dark teal button down that he didn’t remember ever buying but was thankful to have nonetheless. The shower came next since he did have time, and after that it was just a matter of getting himself to look presentable. He shaved figuring it was time the beard went anyway and then tied his hair back in a half ponytail to keep it out of his face. He debated his glasses for a long moment before he put them on, he technically needed them all the time but he only used them at home to give his eyes a break. Satisfied with the way he looked, he fed Sumo, grabbed his leather jacket, and headed for the car. If he was lucky he would only be a little late to pick up Connor. Hank was not in anyway ready for the way Connor was dressed. He had changed his hair to loose curls and an undercut. He was in a maroon button down under a grey suit vest with black slacks. He was absent of a tie and the first couple buttons of the shirt were undone, and he looked nervous. When he saw Hank his LED rolled yellow and blinked a few times and Hank could have sworn it was red for one of them, but just as quick as it happened it was back to blue. His smile was back in place as he walked to the car.

“You clean up nicely Hank.” Connor said with what Hank was going to take a as a friendly smile because if he looked too much into how Connor had looked at him he was going to combust, “The glasses are a nice touch.” Hank let out a dry laugh, “Only you would find not being able to see attractive.” Connor let out a sound that was distinctly inhuman but still very clearly flustered, “I didn’t- that’s not- its-” He sighed, “That’s not to say that I don’t find you attractive normally.” There was a long stretch of silence after that then Connor seemed to realize what he had said and his LED strobed red. The car was alight with his very clear distress, “Could we maybe pretend that I didn’t just say that.” Hank chuckled lightly, “Of course. It will be just like it never happened.” Of course Hank planned to keep the memory for himself. It confirmed that he hadn’t been imagining whatever this unspoken thing was between them. It was unfortunate that it seemed that for now it would stay unspoken. At least he knew glasses at the very least were the key to getting under Connor’s skin. Maybe he could wear them to the station every once in a while. “For what it’s worth Con, you clean up pretty nice as well.” Hank remarked earning another smile from Connor. “I was worried I might be over dressed.” Connor admitted, “I’ve never been to one of these places before so I wasn’t sure what the dress code was.” Hank shook his head as he pulled into the parking lot, “You look just fine, I promise. If anything, I might be a little underdressed.”

“I think you look nice.” Connor said almost under his breath. Hank didn’t know if it was meant for him to hear, but he responded anyway, “Thanks.” He doesn’t get anymore response than Connor��s index finger cutting into his line of sight, “There’s a parking space four spaces up and to the left.” Hank hummed his acknowledgement and pulled into the space once they got to it. He checked to be sure he had the tickets and then got out. Connor followed suit. They were close enough to bump shoulders as they walked to the doors and Hank couldn’t stop the smile on his lips even if he had been paid. It might not have been a date officially, but that didn’t stop it from feeling like it. There was just something in the air that made it feel that way. After they were admitted Connor took his hand and lead him to a corner table with a clear view of the stage. They were early, there was still about twenty minutes before the opening act so the good tables were almost full. Like the parking space Hank chalked it up to Connor’s keen observation, he always was a few steps ahead of Hank it seemed. “Is this alright?” Connor asked his voice was void of its usual confidence. “Its perfect Connor.” Hank reassured, “There’s nothing to be worried about.” “You seemed upset with this idea earlier.” Connor said without looking at him. He was turned in a way that Hank couldn’t see his LED, “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” “Hey.” Hank said sharply which caused Connor to look at him and like Hank had suspected his LED was on red, “I was just surprised. Its been... quite a while since someone had put that much thought into a gift. I love it Connor, and if I’m honest I’m still trying to convince myself that this all is real.”

Connor’s LED flickered and Hank knew he was being scanned. Under any other circumstance he would have found it frustrating but he got the feeling Connor was just as out of his depth as Hank was. He needed to know that Hank was being honest and Hank could give him that much. He apparently found what he was looking for because he smiled. “Then I suppose its a good thing I did.” Connor said after a moment, “Someone has to remind you that you matter.” Hank let out a dry laugh, “Damn Connor, usually you buy a man a drink before you get to the sweet talking.” It was a deflection and a poor one at that if the way Connor narrowed his eyes was anything to go by, “Hank.” “Right, no self deprecating comments.” Hank grumbled, “Do they even have android friendly drinks here. I probably should have thought about that sooner.” “They do, don’t worry.” Connor informed, “But even then, tonight isn’t about me.” Hank’s response was cut off by Connor narrowing his eyes once again, “How about we order a couple of drinks before the show starts.” Connor smiled, “That sounds nice.” Hank took his jacket off and rested it on the table to mark it as taken. Connor stood as well and they headed to the bar together. They were bumping shoulders again and Hank was tempted to take his hand again, but he didn’t. When Connor had taken his hand it was so they wouldn’t get separated by the crowd had settled down for the most part in anticipation for the show. Connor stepped up to the bar to order, “Could we get an Old Fashioned and a Thirium Sunset please?”

Hank wasn’t nearly as surprised that Connor knew what he liked to drink as he was at the fact that he had ordered an alcoholic drink for himself, or at least the android equivalent. The bartender seemed surprised as well but got to work on both drinks. “I didn’t know you drank.” Hank found himself saying. “I don’t usually.” Connor admitted, “But its not very gentlemanly to let your date drink alone.” Hank blue screened at that, he was relatively certain Connor meant it as a turn of phrase but he still hung on the word. Connor was smiling, he seemed glad to catch Hank off guard. The night after that passed in a haze of good music and better and conversation. Hank still had to drive so he stopped after two drinks, but the more Connor had the closer he moved and by the end of the night Connor’s usual perception of personal space was little more than a myth. Hank found he didn’t mind. When it came time to leave Connor’s balance was off so Hank put on of his arms over his shoulder and half packed Connor out of the jazz club. Connor tried his best to walk so it wasn’t as much dragging him as he thought it would be. “You have like, really pretty eyes.” Connor said out of the blue when they were nearly to the car, “They are very expressive.” Hank laughed, “Thank you Con.” He found himself wondering if androids could suffer from hangovers but he found himself sympathetic just in case. He got Connor in the car and belted in which wasn’t all that much of a feat, it seemed the cold air had helped him recover some. He was quiet on the way home, and if it weren’t for the fact that his eyes were roaming around the car Hank would have believed him to be in stasis.

“I think I’m back to normal now.” Connor said as Hank pulled into his complex, “Sorry about that.” Hank just chuckled, “Everyone gets that way when they find a drink they like. On top of that I’m pretty sure its your first time drinking. Getting like that is basically a right of passage.” “I could have at least picked a day other than your birthday to get like this.” Connor sighed as he looked down. Hank found a place to park and reached out to ruffle Connor’s hair, “It was nice to see you let loose for once. Tonight was nice.” Connor smiled, “I’m glad then.” If Hank were to be asked about this, he planned to blame it on his drinks, even if he and Connor both knew it was a lie. It was an out both of them could take if they decided this was a mistake, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from leaning in. The kiss he gave Connor was chaste and not much more than a brush of lips. The one Connor chased it with was the exact opposite and Hank found himself breathless when Connor pulled away. “I’ll see you tomorrow Lieutenant.” He said with a wink as he got out, “Happy Birthday.” Hank watched him walk into the building still waiting for his brain to come back online. Of all the ways he expected tonight to end, this was not one of them. Happy Birthday indeed.

@irrelevantbutfabulous

(Prompt from this list)

[im-not-a-monster]

where you already asked this one? Idk, I'll still ask you regardless: Yami Bakura and of course my man Hank

i have nOT in fact hwhehwhhe

Yami Bakura: My NOTP for them listen i know people ship him with Zorc and that is weird. im not trying to kinkshame i just. please stop ashbfkjas My BROTP for them there's SOMETHING in his relationship with Ryou they could be buddies if he would just stop trying to destroy the world or whatever. he has a soft spot for Ryou he doesn't want to leave the guy alone. My OTP for them god Thiefshipping is jsut. top fucking tier. him and Malik are besties. they're worsties. they love each other. they'd rather die than say a nice thing. Malik holds his hand and Bakura love/hates every second of it. they're so stupid and bad at planning and everything they do fails spectacularly they should kiss. My second choice pairing for them oof i guess it'd have to be Ryou, twelve years later and tendershipping takes second place despite my best intentions to grow as a person My fluffy pairing for them its so fucking funny when you try to put him and Malik in fluffy situations. They've known each other for three days. It's love at first sight. Bakura wants to gut him every time he opens his mouth. They watch a horror movie with Ryou and Malik clings to Bakura like a starfish. They have their first kiss and somehow one of them ends up stabbed. They're the worst. My angsty pairing for them Malik AGAIN listen listen listen when you fucking. fall in love with an evil ghost and he's got a really dumb plan and you've only known him a couple days tbh but he tries to save your life even though there's literally no benefit to him in helping you and you part ways because you tell your (very stressed) siblings that you're not gonna be evil anymore or whatever and then like a year later all these people show back up in your life again because blah blah blah the pharaoh and whatever you don't care but they've got the evil ghost's host with them and like, no, it's not him, but sometimes it looks like him, sometimes it sounds like him, but they tell you he's gone forever and maybe you're going crazy again because you can't stop thinking about him and you should because he was always dead he was never real anyway bye My favorite poly ship for them any YB/Malik/YM/Ryou combo tbh they're all the worst and ryou doesn't deserve it but it's the dynamic my loves My weirdest pairing for them MY weirdest pairing is (maybe in a different way unsurprising) yb/atem yes i know they hate each other that's absolutely not the point

HANK HANK HANK My NOTP for them any shit with gavin lmao i dont like him My BROTP for them this one is harder poor hank is rly going thru it im not sure My OTP for them obv hankcon... like there's no contest My second choice pairing for them nbsdkjafm uh hankconkus probably as we wander into poly territory already but like. yeah. the vibe. My fluffy pairing for them connor and markus specifically for fluffy stuff My angsty pairing for them connor alone for sadness. my boy is stress inducing. My favorite poly ship for them sgdjhakla here i'll give my second favorite bc i already said my fave so hank and connor and nines... phew My weirdest pairing for them is hank and rose weird or popular? you would not know the answer to this but i'll put it here anyway. as like a side thing i think they could be sweet.

[maybeishouldwritesomething]

I got sucked into the Detroit fandom, so I had to write a little something for my two favourites. I hope it’s okay!

Pairing: Hankcon (only the softest amount).

Word Count: 1056

Warnings: Existential crises, little bit of angst.

Since becoming deviant, Connor had found himself plagued with these strange images in his mind at night. Replays of conversations, things that made him feel frightened, or at least simulated the idea of it. Nightmares, humans called them. Every night it was the same. He was standing in the Zen Garden, Amanda telling him that he’d failed, while the RK900’s - his replacement - lifeless grey eyes bored into him. Her voice was as cold as the falling snow, the wind whipping around him, and yet he could hear her every word as if she was right at his ear.

You’ve become obsolete.

You’ll be deactivated.

You’ve failed.

Failed.

Failed.

Words that didn’t compute with his original programming. He hadn’t been designed to fail. But he had. He’d done the one thing he wasn’t supposed to do. He was free. A deviant. An error in the system. And that terrified him more than anything. Just because he was a free man now didn’t mean he was fully free from his mind.

He tried to explain – it wasn’t his fault, he’d done everything he could – but no sound passed his lips. Amanda's voice gave way to his, that android's - RK900, his voice so disturbingly like his own.

You’re a failure.

You’re going to die.

And then a hand was pressing against his throat, squeezing the life out of him. Was this what it felt like to drown? Everything was going dark, he couldn’t think, couldn’t move-

Where do deviants go when they die, Connor?

He jolted upright in a panic, thirium rushing through his system, fight or flight instincts in overdrive. He wanted to run. The nightmares had been getting gradually worse, but they had never been this bad. He felt as if he was having a panic attack. Impossible. He wasn’t programmed that way. He was shaking, his thirium pump felt as if it was about to burst. He had to get out of here.

Had to run.

Escape.

Where? Where could he go?

He got as far as the living room before he collapsed onto the couch. He’d never been afraid of the dark before, but now it left him shaking. He pulled a cushion into his lap, hugging it tightly against him in an attempt to comfort himself. His instincts were still telling him to run, hide, disappear, but all he could was sit there, huddled up and trembling.

The light suddenly flicked on. “What are you doing up so late?” a voice asked.

Connor flinched, looking behind him in a panic. Hank was leaning in the doorway, arms folded and eyebrows knitted together in concern.

“I had trouble sleeping,” Connor told him quietly, hugging the cushion tighter to himself.

Hank sighed. “Sumo,” he called, gesturing to Connor.

The dog roused itself, padding over to Connor in a half-sleep. Connor smiled slightly, slowly releasing his grip on the cushion to pat Sumo on the head. The couch sagged slightly as Hank sat down, eyes flickering between the two. He didn’t say anything, knew Connor would talk in his own time.

Eventually, Connor found his voice. “How do you cope with nightmares, Hank?” he asked timidly, eyes never leaving Sumo.

“You know how I handle nightmares, but you can’t drink,” Hank told him with a humourless smile. “I didn’t think you could dream.”

“I can think, and dreams are just involuntary thoughts and images from the subconscious,” Connor told him. Subconscious?

“Something troubling you?”

“I wasn’t…I wasn’t programmed this way. Deviancy. This isn’t who I’m supposed to be. I was designed to serve, not to…not to be.”

Connor looked so small, his voice so weak and frightened.

“None of us were put on this earth with a purpose, Connor,” Hank said gently.

Connor looked at him, eyes watering. Tears?

“But I was,” he said fiercely, as if Hank had offended him. “I was designed with a purpose, I had a specific reason to exist and now…Now…”

Tears began to stream down Connor’s face.

“What am I, Hank? What am I without my original programming?”

Connor, the ever collected and together, top of the line RK800, Cyberlife's pride and joy, was having an existential meltdown. Hank said nothing, just leaned in and pulled Connor gently into his arms. Connor lay stiff against him.

“You’re not that person anymore, Connor. You find your purpose, like every other sad case on this planet. It’s tough and it’s scary, but it’s what makes us human. You’re not living by anyone’s rules but your own now. You’re free.”

Hank tightened his grip around Connor, as if he were trying to protect him from the world, one hand gently running through his hair. Connor slowly began to relax against Hank, fists clenching at his shirt.

“Is being human always this scary?” he asked quietly.

“You’re talking to the wrong person there,” Hank said dryly, and Connor tightened his grip slightly. “What I mean is…everyone has their own way of making things better for themselves. Work, friends, hobbies, love, whatever works. You don’t have to have it all worked out all at once. Hell, look at me, half a century old and I’m still figuring things out.”

Connor slowly loosened his grip, a little hum escaping his throat – an unconscious tic. Almost a contented sound.

“I’m not very good at this shit,” Hank admitted sheepishly, and Connor looked up at him.

“I think you’re better than you give yourself credit for,” he said sincerely.

Hank looked visibly embarrassed, but he smiled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Connor’s forehead. “You think you can go back to sleep now?”

Connor nodded, not quite meeting Hank’s gaze.

“Hey.” Hank tilted his head up. “You’re not on your own, okay? Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

Connor let Hank lead him back to bed, giving Sumo one last pat as he went. He didn’t argue that he didn’t need a blanket when Hank pulled the duvet around him, and he held his tongue as Hank wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. He let his eyes drift closed, his mind mercifully quiet for a moment.

It wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear, but Hank was right. He didn’t need to have all the answers right now. He’d figure it out as he went, like humans were designed to do.

(This fic can also be found on AO3 here. Thank you so much for reading!)