Chapter Text
“Connor, it’s 4 in the god damned morning, what are you doing out- ...Connor?”
Hank hadn’t expected his android partner to be hunched over the sink, shoulders shaking as he stepped around the dog food that had been knocked over and littered the floor near his feet. Sumo was already there, munching away happily. That area of the kitchen was dimly lit by the streetlights peeking in through the snow storm outside and Connor’s LED blinking red.
During the moment it took for Hank to process all of this information, Connor heaved into the sink, weird, because he doesn’t have a stomach and therefore nothing to be throwing up. Either way, Hank rushed over.
“Con- Hey, it’s okay-“ He stepped on the dog food as he went over to rub Connor’s back, looking down and hissing a few ‘fuck, fuck, fuck’s as he quickly scooped up the rest of the food into its container, shoving it to the side. Sumo was disappointed once he finished what was left, turning to go back to sleeping on the couch.
Connor was unresponsive, his entire chassis shivering as he gripped the edge of the sink, staring down into it. Lips parted slightly, breath heavy as he seemed to be waiting for another dry heave.
Hank pressed his hand against Connor’s back again, standing next to him so he could see his face. “What happened? Can you talk to me?” Connor shook his head ever so slightly. “But you can hear me. That’s good, I guess...”
With that, Connor coughed, leaning into the sink and managing to spit up a bit of blue, definitely concerning for Hank, but the Android let out a soft, almost relieved sigh. He was still shaking, never loosening his grip or moving from that spot.
Hank rubbed his back, watching him closely. “It’s alright... You’re gonna be okay...” Connor nodded once, trying to keep his breathing even. It wasn’t really working. His LED was still red.
Connor couldn’t tell Hank how to help him at the moment, so all he could do was stand there with him, rubbing hopefully soothing circles into his back as the Android coughed, blue dripping from his lips.
It took quite some time for Connor to finally pull his head away from where it rested against the sink’s spout, slowly standing up straight and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Lieutenant.” He spoke softly, barely even a whisper, his voice sounding strangled and a little staticy.
Hank nearly corrected the ‘Lieutenant,’ before he sighed, patting his back gently. Definitely not too hard, he didn’t want his android leaking more. “Don’t worry about it, kid... More concerned than anything...” He looked the other man over, noting that he was still shaking, and still red. “You cold, or just scared?”
Connor’s LED spun yellow once, before settling back to red. “I don’t know. I may be cold. Definitely scared.” He muttered, his grip on the sink tightening again.
Hank thought for a moment, before removing his hand from Connor’s back and stepping away from him so he could take off his robe, gently placing it over Connor’s shoulders. He visibly relaxed as soon as the fabric touched him, all of his artificial muscles seeming to loosen as he swayed toward Hank. He was caught by the shoulder and forearm, and squeezed lightly.
“How about I take you to the couch so you can sit?” Connor nodded, and Hank looked down at his hands. “You... Have to let go of the sink if you really wanna do that, Con.” He let go immediately, crossing his arms and gently placing his hand over Hank’s.
The two of them made their way, slowly but surely, to the couch where Connor was plopped down next to Sumo. The dog barely payed him any mind, only bringing his tail closer to himself to stay out of his way. Hank knelt in front of Connor, having a somewhat difficult time getting down there and knowing he’d have a harder time getting back up, but he’d deal with that later. He looked up at his android, whose face was sad as he’d ever seen it, and set a gentle hand on his knee.
“You think you can tell me what happened?” Hank asked him, and when he didn’t get a response other than his LED switching from red to yellow, he tilted his head, leaning a little closer. “You said you were scared? Have a nightmare or somethin’?”
Connor shook his head. “I don’t dream.” He thought for another moment, yellow ring spinning. “I thought I saw someone. Outside. In the storm.” Another pause. “But it couldn’t have been her.”
They were both quiet for a bit, Hank taking the minuscule amount of information he got from the kid and tilting his head slightly more. “Was it that bitch you told me about? The one in your head?”
Connor finally smiled, just a tiny bit, brow dipped slightly. “I never called her a bitch.”
“Well you should, because that’s what she was.”
“She was just-“
Hank waved a hand, positive that talking about her specifically would freak Connor out even more. “Yeah, I know what she did. But, anyway... You saw her. You sure you weren’t dreaming? Androids might not dream, but maybe deviants do.”
“I was already awake.” Connor sighed. “I came out to feed Sumo, and the storm caught my eye, and she was right outside, I-in the snow, just like the last time-“
“So, what, you think it’s the snow’s fault?”
Connor was quiet, thinking reeeaaally hard about that one. “It... May be...”
“Think you’ve got some weird android form of PTSD? You said that’s a thing that happens to deviants, right?”
“I did say that, didn’t I...”
“I’d call that a ‘yes.’” Hank nodded, placing a hand on the arm of the couch to push himself up to stand, Connor reaching out to touch his arms and help him up gently. “So... You’re sleepin’ in my room for the rest of the morning.” He paused when Connor opened his mouth to interject. “And no ‘I don’t sleep,’ or ‘I don’t need a bed,’ because I don’t care, and my room is the only one with blackout curtains.”
Hank held a hand out to him, and there was a moment of hesitation before Connor took it, standing in front of him and letting Hank lead him to his bedroom. Sumo hopped off the couch after them, apparently deciding he didn’t want to be completely alone in the living room after his morning snack.
The rest of the morning was quiet, the dark room calming Connor down almost immediately as he lit the room with a dull blue. The giant dog that laid between the two of them helped, too.