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Hank hadn't celebrated his birthday in years. Not since Cole was still alive. Even then he didn't actually celebrate. It was lowkey. Homemade things from his young son, quality time with the family, cake. That was about it. When he was still married his wife, Molly, would give him small gifts here and there but that was it.
Every birthday he would still go into work, still did all the running around and errands that often came with adulthood. He hadn't had actually celebrated his birthday since he was a young twenty-something, long before he had a family and could still go out with friends.
He wasn't expecting anyone to celebrate him today, everyone in his life had long since learned not to bring up his birthday. They knew he didn't celebrate.
That was everyone but Connor.
The android had since moved in with Hank and had become his close friend, family even. Things were still hard for Hank but he had gotten better, significantly reduced his alcohol intake, ate healthier, went for walks, and even started seeing a therapist. Things were still rough but much better now that the RK800 had sparked that hope in the older man.
Connor didn't know what gift he could possibly get but he did know he had to get him something. The man deserved it and had been kind enough to provide for him so Connor wanted to return the kindness with a gesture of his own.
He knew the man wouldn't appreciate any decorations or a 'large production' but a small yet meaningful gift would be perfect. The question was what would that gift be?
He started his gift search a few weeks before, giving himself time to think and run through all of his possibilities and all of Hank's likes. He seemed to have an affinity for shirts and ties with eye-catching prints but Connor wasn't sure one of those would be the best move. It would be hard to pick the right one and the man seemed to have so many already.
So if not a shirt or tie, then what?
He for sure would get him something sweet to eat. It was a tradition for humans to have cake on their birthday and Connor would let the man have a pass for his diet for the day. But he wanted to give him something to open and wanted it to be something meaningful.
Finally, a week before Hank's birthday, Connor thought of the perfect gift. He had to hurry to get it ready in time but it would be worth it.
The day had come, September 6th. Hank Anderson's birthday.
Connor woke up early as usual but let Hank sleep in. Connor worked to make a special breakfast for him. The typical coffee, some pancakes, and some blueberry syrup. He usually made something healthier than sugary fried food like pancakes and syrup but Hank had told him once that one of his favorite breakfast foods was pancakes, and Connor also knew blueberry anything was one of the man's favorites as well. The android also worked to fry up some bacon.
He finished up cooking and plated everything up as nicely as possible to make for a good presentation. He then slipped a perfectly wrapped gift onto the table beside the meal. The android had perfectly timed his set up it seemed as he could hear the sound of water running in the bathroom. Hank was awake and would be out here soon.
Connor was nervous about the gift. What would Hank's reaction be? He didn't want to make the man upset in any way.
Hank made his way out to the kitchen, stomach growling. He had grown accustomed to Connor making coffee and some simple breakfast but the smell of bacon had piqued his interest. Connor wasn't typically one that made unhealthy breakfasts so the smell of bacon was unexpected.
Connor offered him a small smile. "Good morning, and happy birthday Hank." he wished as he turned back to the counter to start cleaning up after his mini cooking adventure.
Hank wasn't expecting this but it was appreciated. He couldn't hold back a smile of his own. "Thanks, kid." he settled down at the table. Damn. That android figured him out well in the almost year that they known each other. Connor really knew him didn't he? Pancakes and bacon. What a wonderful breakfast.
But then his eye caught the envelope and two shiny wrapped gifts that all sat beside the plate and glass. What was….? What the hell did Connor get him? He reached over and went for the envelope first, he assumed it was a card and he was correct. It was a simple store-bought card with Connor's name signed at the bottom but it made the man happy nonetheless. He felt appreciated and all warm as he read the card.
Then he moved to the wrapped packages. "You didn't need to get me anything kid…"
Connor gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "I know but I...I wanted to." the android finished wiping down the counters and rinsing the pans and returned to Hank's side. He nervously held his breath as he waited for Hank's reaction. He hopped he picked right and wasn't overstepping anything by doing what he did.
Hank ripped the wrapping opened and froze as he looked at the image that greeted him. How did….?
Connor also froze as he carefully examined the lieutenant's reaction and features. He didn't seem to hate it but this was the one Connor was least nervous about. It was a framed photo of Connor, Hank, and Sumo at the park. It was taken just this past summer but Hank hadn't even known about the photo. They were happy, looked like a family during a summer outing. It was a special photo to Connor and he hopped Hank enjoyed it just as much.
"Connor...this is...when was this taken?"
"That picnic we went to back in July...I thought it would look good on the wall and needed to be framed...if you don't like it-"
"No..it's fine...I just wasn't expecting it..I never even seen this photo before…"
"You still have another gift…"
This was the one Connor was nervous about that might make Hank upset. A refurbished photo of Cole. Connor had found several photos of Cole and Hank and Cole together. Most of them were gathering dust and the edges had become bent or ruined and the photos themselves were fading and old. They needed some TLC and extra loving but instead were left under the bed as an 'out of sight out of mind' sort of situation. Even though Hank might not have been ready to see the old photos just yet, Connor knew the man would regret it if they were lost altogether, forgotten to the hands of time. That wasn't what Cole deserved. His memory should live on and not fade away with the dust. Connor believed that even without ever meeting the boy.
Connor had taken the photos and had then preserved and refurbished and framed but only had one wrapped up for Hank to open today. The rest he would tell the lieutenant about later. The only thing was he wasn't sure if Hank was ready to see those old photos of his late son and the android also had no clue if Hank would become upset at him from being 'forced' to view the images again.
Connor kept his artificial breath held nervous and anxious as he watched with keen eyes as Hank tore the paper open.
He froze once again, this time his eyes stuck to the photo of the smiling six-year-old. Once again he found himself wondering how…? Not only that but his heart ached as he stared down at the photo of Cole. His boy, his baby boy smiling and happy on his sixth birthday.
"Connor….Connor what the hell...where...why…" He couldn't form a single coherent thought or finished his sentences. His mind was swarming with thoughts and emotions.
The android stiffened. "I..I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"
"No..no..Con..it's…" fuck he couldn't find words. "It's fine...I just…..where did you find this..?"
"One day while cleaning I found some photos that were dusty and deteriorating and..I couldn't just leave them to fade away..I got some refurbishments done and framed them…"
"them?"
"Y-yes..not only did I get that one done but others as well..I didn't want Co-" he paused for a moment unsure if he could say the boy's name but went with it. "I didn't want Cole's memory and photos to fade away.."
It hurt to see his deceased son's photo, Hank had to admit he felt his heartache but at the same time, as he fought back tears, he felt warm inside. He didn't want those photos to get ruined either and it meant so much to him that Connor would think to preserve them for him when he had chosen to push them away.
The man stood and pulled Connor into a tight embrace. "Thank you…" it was bittersweet but Hank appreciated the photo, and this momment all the same. It was one of the better birthdays he's had in years.
Connor hugged him back. "You're welcome...happy birthday Hank."