Chapter Text
"Connor?"
Connor knows where Hank lives, but he never thought the kid would randomly show up late at night.
"Hi," Connor mumbles quietly, fiddeling with the sleeves of his hoodie.
His eyes are red rimmed and glossy. He looks so small as he stares at his sneakers. His hair is curly and unruly, very different from his usual straight and slicked back.
Everything about him is much different than the Connor Hank knows from work who's always chipper and condident. The Connor who never backs down from a challenge and brings out the best in people.
Connor licks his lips and opens and closes his mouth multiple times, but no words come out.
Sumo comes trotting towards the door to see what's going on. Connor watches him carefully. Not because he's afraid, but because he needs anything to look at inststead of the Leutentant.
"I... I need help," He mumbles, doe, brown eyes glancing guiltily at him.
"What? Why?" He asks, brows furrowed. He tries to make Sumo go away with his leg, without having to look away from his partner.
"Can you... Can you drive me home?"
Connor's hands disappear into the sleeves of his hoodie and he wraps his arms around himself. He shakes his head when Hank doesn't answer immediatly.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come," He says and turns to leave.
"Wait!"
Hank is quick to grab his arm, halting Connor to an abrupt stop.
"Sure, I'll drive you home."
Connor smiles at him and mumbles a quiet thanks. It doesn't seem like much but Hank can tell he really apreciates it.
---
The car ride is quiet. Connor seems exhausted. Hank can't blame him. It's late.
"So you, like, live alone?" Hank asks, the radio a soft hum in the background.
"I, uh, live with my twin brother," Connor answers. "Richard."
Hank nods. He remembers Connor saying he had a brother. He had no idea he had a twin brother though.
Hank realizes now just how little he aparantly knows about his partner. Not that Hank shares much about himself either.
"Twin brother, huh?"
Connor hums and nods his head. He sniffs quietly.
Hank takes a turn.
"Say... Why were you out so late?" He asks, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Anxiety," Connor mumbles and Hank wonders how out of it Connor is to just be saying these things.
The Connor he knows wouldn't outright admit something like that. Maybe Connor is more like Hank than he had previously thought.
---
Connor lives in a fairly small apartment, Hank notices as he drags the kid up the stairs. He knows this building has small apartments because he used to live in a building like this one when he was younger.
Connor fumbles with the keys, but the door opens before he can put it in. A man nearly identical to Connor stands before them. The only difference is the hight and his piercing grey eyes.
"Connor, what the fuck--"
"I'm sorry."
Richard, Hank thinks it was, looks him up and down and quickly pulls him into a hug.
"Shit, Con, you really scared me," Richard mumbles. Connor sniffles.
Hank feels extremly awkward. Like he's intruding on something personal. He debates on leaving when Richard looks at him.
"Come in, Leutentant," He says, moving so Hank has space to come.
Hank walks in reluctantly and Richard smiles at him before starting to walk off with Connor.
"Sit down. I'll just put him to bed," He explains before disappearing into a room.
Hank walks carefully into the apartment. It's small and crampt, but it doesn't take away the nice feel about it.
On the walls pictures of them hang. Photos of them smiling. He notices there aren't any pictures of any other family members anywere in the entire apartment. But then again, Connor has never as much as menioned anything about family except the 3 times he mentioned he had a brother.
His eyes fall to a photo of the two of them, standing next to eachother, Richard's arm around Connor's shoulers, both grinning widely. Proudly.
Hank guesses it's Connor's police academy graduation because of the uniform he's wearing.
"He was so happy that day."
Hank jumps, startled and quietly curses as he gets his bearings again. Richard only smiles, looking over his shoulder.
"We were utterly broke, having spent almost all we had to get him in, but it was absolutely worth it," He says fondly recalling the day.
Hank can't help but smile either.
"Would you like some coffee, Leutentant?"
"Uh, yeah, sure," Hank replies, nodding his head swiftly.
Richard walks to the kitchen, grabs a mug from the cuboard and turns on the coffee maker.
"It's just the two of you?" Hank eyes, still looking at the picture.
"Yeah," He replies. "What about you?" He asks.
"Just me," Hank says, shrugging. "And my dog, I guess."
Richard hands him a mug of steaming, hot coffee. Hank thanks him and takes a sip.
"No parents or anything?" Hank asks, unable to let the subject go. Curiosity will probably get him killed one day he realizes.
Richard's expression changes from happy to solemn at the mention of his parents. Eyes hard.
"We don't talk anymore."
Hank mutters a quiet 'oh'. He decides to not talk about it anymore, if it bothers him this much. He can't judge him. Hank is pretty much the same way.
There's an awkward silence.
"Thanks... For taking him home, by the way," Richard says. He sounds sincere. "I apreciate it."
"Anything for Connor," Hank answers, smiling. "He's a good kid."
Richard chuckles. "He is."