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“Happy Halloween, Hank!” Connor said, muffled behind plastic vampire teeth.
“Happy Halloween, Connor.” Hank tucked Connor in bed. He didn’t need to sleep in a bed (he didn’t need to sleep for that matter), but he liked laying down in bed and being tucked in at night.
“Do you know any scary stories, Hank?”
“Are you sure you want me to tell you a scary story tonight? Why don’t I read you Harry Potter or something?”
“It’s Halloween! I have to have a scary story!”
Hank sighed. “Alright, but I don’t wanna hear in an hour that you’re too scared to sleep alone.”
“I won’t be too scared. And I won’t be alone anyway! I have Sumo and Sami!”
The dogs slept in Connor’s room most nights now. Sami used to sleep on the bed with him every night, but she’d grown quite a bit and she didn’t exactly fit anymore, but both dogs cuddled up together on the floor by his bed anyway.
“Fine. Hm. Let me tell you about Bloody Mary….”
Hank knew as soon as he finished telling the story that he chose the wrong scary story to tell Connor. He knew he was little and he should have told him a different one….
“Con? You okay?”
“Yes, Hank,” Connor lied. His LED was red.
“You wanna come sleep with me tonight?”
“No! I’m not too scared to sleep alone! I’m not even scared at all!”
Hank narrowed his eyes at the android. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
Hank sighed. “Alright. You can come get me if you need me. Goodnight, Con.”
“Okay, but I won’t need to! …Goodnight, Hank.”
An hour later Hank was finally ready to go to bed himself. He stopped by Connor’s room to check on him first and make sure he wasn’t too scared.
Hank would have been panicked when he didn’t see Connor in his bed if not for the dog’s butts sticking out from under the bed. Neither of them really went under the bed. The only thing they could be doing under there is comforting Connor.
Hank got down on the floor and looked under the bed. Sure enough, Connor was there, cuddling the two dogs.
“Hi, Hank,” Connor whispered. His LED was still flicking between red and yellow.
“Come here out of there, kid. I’m too old to be laying on the floor like this.” Connor joined Hank on the bed. Hank tugged him in for a hug. “I’m sorry I scared you so bad with that story.” Hank winced when he remembered the mirror above Connor’s dresser that directly faced his bed. That probably didn’t help him being so scared.
“It’s okay. I did ask for a scary story.”
“Well, I should have known better than to tell you about Bl–” Connor tensed in his arms. “About that one when I knew you were little. Why don’t you come sleep with me tonight? There aren’t any mirrors in my room.”
Connor’s LED turned to a solid yellow.
“Come on, kid. I’ll protect you. Sumo and Sami will too. Right, guys?”
Both dogs barked in agreement.
“See?”
“Okay,” Connor agreed. “Will you read The Little Prince to me?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go.”