Hank is 35 and Connor is 24

Hank watched his new roommate walk up the driveway with a single suitcase and a wagon, containing two or three small boxes, behind him. it looked almost pitiful. Hank frowns slightly, looking around.

"that it? you got more somewhere? storage locker we need to empty or something?" Hank asks. Connor looks away a moment, before shaking his head. he looks somewhere between ashamed and embarrassed.

"this is all I own. when my.... adopted brother threw me out, he only gave me five minutes... I grabbed important things only..." Connor murmurs. Hank nods slightly. "I... I can't pay you rent yet, I haven't received my first check yet... I'm sorry." Connor says softly.

"I'm not worried about rent Connor." Hank says firmly, waving it off. "its not like I don't already own this house." Hank shrugs.

"but I-" Connor tries.

"not worried about it." Hank says firmly. Connor nods slightly, looking around.

"thank you again." Connor murmurs. "where do you want me?" Connor asks. Hank moves and lets him into the house.

"c'mon, cleaned out the garage for you." Hank says, nodding towards the garage. Connor follows him.

"thank you... again... you didn't have to help me..." Connor says softly.

"a DPD rookie, homeless in the streets in the middle of winter? no. its wrong." Hank says firmly, leading him further into the house. he frowns. "Sumo, move." Hank says. Connor looks around Hank curiously. the giant St. Bernard yawnks up at Hank.

"ah, infamous Sumo." Connor says, smiling at he St. Bernard. Sumo stretches yawning.

"not afraid of dogs, are ya?" Hank asks. Connor shakes his head no quickly.

"I love dogs, I was just not expecting.... him." Connor says. Hank pats Sumo's head gently as the pup passes him to sniff Connor. the entire office had heard of the dog, but most assumed he was a small dog, no one knew his actual breed.

"he's a good boy. won't hurt you, old dog but a good dog. in his golden years." Hank smirks. he watches Connor pat Sumo's head as the dog sniffs up his legs.

"Sumo, you probably don't want to sniff me right now, I... I smell. " Connor says, looking away. he looks utterly embarrassed at the notion. Hank remembers Gavin telling Connor he smells so bad he wouldn't share a patrol car with him.

"you're so fucking disgusting! you smell like a garbage can! what the fuck Fowler, I'm NOT working with this disgusting rat smelling bastard! learn some fucking personal hygine! god you're stinking up the whole fucking station! anyone got any Febreeze? smelly over here is burning my nostrils!"

Hank had found Connor in the bathroom an hour later trying to rinse off in the sink.

"what are you doing?" Hank asks. Connor shakes his head, looking tearful as he scrubs his arms down.

"he's right. I smell. I haven't showered in probably a week." Connor mutters, wiping at his face.

"Connor? what do you mean you haven't showered in a week?" Hank frowns, nose wrinkling.

Hank now realizes the look of panic across Connors face had been because he was afraid of his secret getting out.

fear and panic flashes over Connors face before he shakes his head, looking away.

"waters out... burst pipe. they've been working on it, but... I-I can't afford a hotel room. I-I've just been spraying down with deodorant and hoping no one would say anything but Gavin is right." Connor chokes, desperately trying to wipe at his face. "I smell and I haven't washed my uniform in a week so that adds to the smell. I'm so sorry, I know I smell. Captain Fowler has already talked to me about it-" Connor rambles.

"hey relax kid. its alright. you can't control a pipe bursting." Hank assures gently. he's never been good in the face of tears, especially when the one crying has the face of an innocent young rookie, desperately trying to clean up in the sink. "don't panic over this alright? shit come over to my house on your next day off, alright? its Friday, which means you gotta wait two more days, but you can shower and wash your uniforms." Hank assures. Connor lets out a shaky breath and looks at Hank.

"I can't pay you." Connor says.

"you don't have to. I understand going through a hard time, trust me. won't hurt for me to loan you my shower and washing machine for a day." Hank assures. Connor nods shakily

"thank you Lieutenant. I really appreciate it." Connor says. Hank waves him off.

"don't mention it rookie. gotta make sure my team is taken care of. stop my 'round noon." Hank assures. Connor nods.

"thank you so much."

"we'll get you set up, then get you a shower. do you need to wash more than your uniforms? any other clothes you need washed?" Hank asks.

"these clothes... they're the only ones I own... besides my uniforms." Connor admits. Hank looks him over. one ratty t-shirt and some hole filled jeans? thats it?

"Connor, its negative 3 outside." Hank frowns. Connor nods.

"its okay. you saw I'd found a pretty warm place to keep shelter in when it got cold." Connor assures.

"thats it? whats in the boxes if thats all the clothes you own?" Hank asks. Connor glances back at his wagon.

"things I never unpacked when I was adopted. important things." Connor says.

"how'd you end up out there anyway?" Hank asks. leading Connor towards the garage again. Connor sighs softly.

"my adoptive father died, his bio son kicked me out the day he died. we have another adopted brother, but I don't know what happened to him. he'd been with them a lot longer." Connor says. Hank nods frowning.

"and your bio parents?" Hank asks, curious. Connor looks past him.

"is this the garage?" Connor asks. he's deflecting the question. Hank decides not to answer again, nodding slightly.

"yeah. this is it." Hank says. "how old where you when you got adopted?" Hank asks.

"17." Connor says. Hank looks shocked, Connors old 21. just fresh out of the Police Academy. "bu-but I-I was a foster kid for three years." Connor adds quickly, seeing the look on Hanks face. "I-I bounced around a lot, but Mr.Manfred kept me. I was with them for a year before he adopted me." Connor explains. Hank nods slightly. Connor looks around. "wow. thanks." Connor says, pulling his wagon into the garage.

"alright, get your stuff settled, I'll see if I can find something for you to wear." Hank assures.

"thanks.. for everything. I'm... I'm sorry I can't pay rent and don't have clothes..." Connor mutters. Hank shakes his head.

"don't worry about it kid, the bathroom is straight down the hallway, the only door on the right." Hank says. "just meet me there." Hank adds.

"thanks again, its supposed to start snowing again in a few days, would have died, probably. temperatures were supposed to drop to negative 5 and below." Connor says. he smiles looking around the garage. Hank has piles of crap, boxes, and garbage everywhere, but Connor is looking at it like its the whole world. Hank likes the joy on his face. its so much different than the look Hank saw on his face the other day when Hank found Connor freezing outside.

Hank grumbles as he heads home. the shift was long and flat out awful. everyone looked miserable leaving the station. he pauses, squinting.

"Connor?" Hank mutters, looking at a shadow shuffling down the road. "kids gonna freeze to death, what he doesn't have a car?" Hank mutters. he pulls up beside Connor. "hey! kid!" Hank shouts. Connor looks behind himself quickly, nervously.

"y-yeah?" Connor asks hesitantly.

"Officer Manfred?" Hank asks.

"L-Lieutenant And-Anderson?" Connor asks, rubbing his hands up his arms. he's shivering, freezing. his lips are turning blue.

"kid don't you have a car?" Hank asks. Connor shakes his head. Hank frowns. "alright come on, get in, I'll take you home." Hank says. the same fearful look from the bathroom appears on his face.

"n-n-no!" Connor exclaims. Hank frowns. "I-I mean n-no tha-thanks." Connor manages.

"I'm not leaving you an option, get in or I'm throwing you in here." Hank orders. Connor looks as though he's going to bolt, but he sighs in defeat, shakily reaching for the door handle. he pulls the door open and sinks into the heat, letting Hank roll up the window. "damn kid you're gonna get yourself killed out there." Hank grumbles. Connor goes quiet, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. "where am I taking you?" Hank asks.

"h-huh?" Connor asks.

"where do you live?" Hank glares. Connor flinches back.

"I don't know the address, but I can give you directions." Connor mumbles.

"fine." Hank says firmly.

"go left up here." Connor murmurs.

Hank frowns a little, before heading to his room.

Hank digs through the clothes in his closet for a bit, until he comes across his old DBD academy hoodie, worn from years of use, it'll be huge on Connor but will be fine for now. he finds an old pair of sweat pants with draw strings, he hopes will fit Connor. he grabs the clothes and heads for the bathroom.

"alright Connor I found a couple things-" Hank starts, opening the door. he pauses as Connor whips around to face him, covering his bare chest with his shirt. it leaves Hank with just a glimpse of his back and quick flash of his chest, both appear covered in scars. his arms are the same.

"o-oh! uh, s-sorry Hank. you startled me." Connor says quickly, the shirt doesn't move. Hank frowns and shakes his head, backing up some.

"no thats fine I should have knocked, sorry about that." Hank assures. he turns around. "strip down and climb in the shower. I'll put these on the bathroom sink and get you a towel. just leave your clothes on the floor, I'll grab them. did you leave your uniforms where I could get to them?" Hank asks.

"uh... yeah. they're on the floor outside the garage door. I-I didn't want to put them on your furniture when they smell so bad." Connor mumbles, dropping his shirt. he strips quickly and climbs into the shower, closing the curtain.

"thats fine. use whatever soap you want in there." Hank says, turning around. he puts the clean clothes on the counter and gets Connor a towel. he grabs the dirty clothes from the floor and tries not to flinch at the smell. he knows Connor can't see it, but he doesn't want to risk the chance.

"I'm sorry." Connor says, softly. almost like he had seen Hank trying not to flinch. "they smell really bad, its been over a week, almost two now. I'm really sorry Hank. I'm so sorry." Connor says.

"hey, don't panic kid. just relax. I'll get these clothes cleaned up while you get a shower, alright? just relax. we'll get you something to eat when you're done. I can't imagine the last time you actually had something to eat." Hank assures, heading for the door. "I know its been a while since you've probably had a nice hot shower, but take your time alright? I've taken a shower for over an hour once, didn't run out of hot water. so just, take your time. enjoy." Hank says, shutting the bathroom door. he hears the water kick on almost immediately.

Hank immediately sets to work getting Connors clothes in the washer, then heading to get his laptop. he has to look up the man he's living with now. he's tried to look up Connor in his files, but the majority of his file was empty as he was only 21 and anything under the age of 18 was not in his main file. he sets to work searching for Connor.

what he comes up with is not what he'd expected. he finds Connors original name and the article about how he was removed from his home.

Connor J. Stern.

the boy was removed from an abusive house hold when he was almost 14, after he came to school with suspicious, and untreated wounds. he was removed after collapsing in the school hallway from internal bleeding. he was found to have broken ribs, broken fingers, a broken arm, a broken nose, and a broken ankle. he was then place in foster care. he was placed in 16 different houses before getting placed in Carl Manfreds home, where he was adopted a year and half later.

Connor hadn't lied when he said he'd been bounced around a lot before he was adopted.

"shit kid what have you been through?" Hank asks himself softly. he hears washer cut off and gets up to start it again. he wants to wash his clothes really well so Gavin will absolutely never be nasty to him about his smell again, will never run to the bathroom sobbing and trying to scrub himself clean in sink.

he glances at the bathroom door and frowns, before knocking on it.

"Connor? hey kid, I'm not going to rush you out of there alright? just wanting to check on you, you alright?" Hank calls.

"y-yeah, I'm alright. if you want me out, I'll get out." Connor calls back.

"nah kid, you're alright, just wanna make sure I've got enough time to make dinner! take as long as you want!" Hank calls, heading for the kitchen.

Connor curls up in the bottom of the tub, sitting under the water. he just wants to soak and relax for a bit. he just wants the hot water to keep running over his back. he feel frozen, but clean. he scrubbed his skin red and raw with soap. he'd scratched open his skin in several places trying to get clean. Gavin was right. he was smelly. he was stinky. he smelled like garbage. even Sumo had taken one sniff and pulled away.

Connor isn't sure how long he's been in the shower, thinking, but he's jerked out of his thoughts when Hank knocks on the door again.

"hey kid, do you want me to bring you dinner in the shower?" Hank asks.

"n-no! no I-I'm getting out!" Connor calls, shutting the water off. it was beginning to get cold anyway.

"are you sure?" Hank asks.

"yeah, I-I'll be out in a sec!" Connor calls. Hank nods slightly to himself.

"alright, come on to the kitchen when you're done getting dressed, alright?" Hank calls.

"okay, thank you." Connor says.

Hank heads for the kitchen and puts Connors plate back down, before heading to throw Connors clothes in the dryer. Connor had been in the shower for almost two hours. Hank was content to just let him stay in there as long as he wanted, but when he'd caught sight of the young man earlier, he looked awful thin. Hank hadn't had much in his kitchen, but he'd gathered enough to fry up some Ramen noodles with some fried egg added to them. an old college meal, but filling. he'll have to go grocery shopping later to get some food for Connor. the young man is obviously underweight.

Hank looks up when Connor appears in the kitchen door way, all but swimming in the hoodie Hank loaned him and holding up the sweat pants so they don't fall from his thin hips.

"u-um Hank?" Connor asks. his face is flush. he's embarrassed the pants don't fit. Hank walks over.

"hang on kid. come here." Hank snorts, crouching in front of him. his knees groan in protest. he grabs the strings on the pants and pulls as hard as he can. Connor braces a hand on the wall to prevent himself from falling over Hank.

"s-sorry." Connor mumbles.

"nah don't worry about it kid." Hank assures. he ties the pants as tight as he can and gets up, stepping back. "come on, grab a plate, we'll go watch tv in the living room. don't give your food to Sumo, he'll beg, but I just fed him." Hank snorts, grabbing his plate. he heads for the living room. "come on, don't got all day." Hank grumbles. Connor grabs his plate and follows behind Hank awkwardly.

Hank plops on the couch and flips the tv on, before glancing at Connor. he's awkwardly standing in the doorway, looking utterly lost. he has no idea what he's doing here.

"hey, come sit down and eat kid." Hank says. he motions to the other side of the couch. Connor looks over awkwardly. "c'mon, won't bite." Hank assures. Connor nods, walking over. he sits on the couch, stiff as a board. "Connor, kid, just relax a little." Hank snorts.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I'm trying. I've never relaxed before..." Connor mumbles. Hank sighs softly.

"its alright Connor. just sit down and try to relax." Hank murmurs. its quiet for a few minutes.

"why are you helping me?" Connor asks. Hank frowns, thinking back to the first time he took Connor home.

"you can just, pull over and stop here." Connor says.

Hank stops the car, looking utterly confused, but before he can question it, Connor is already out of the car.

"thanks again, Lieutenant. I really appreciate you picking me up back there!" Connor calls, shutting the door quickly and runs off. Hank parks as quickly as he can, jumping out of the car and looking around.

"Connor!" Hank shouts. Connor is long gone before Hank can see which way he runs off. "Connor!"

Hank shakes his head.

"you needed help. I'm an ass, I know, but not that bad." Hank assures. "I wasn't gonna just let ya freeze to death out there kid. its not right and its not gonna happen." Hank adds, frowning. Connor goes quiet again, before looking over.

"why..?" Connor asks softly.

"hmm? why what?" Hank asks, looking confused.

"why does it matter to you? it didn't matter to anyone else. why help?" Connor asks. he sighs. "no one else cared to." he mutters.

"I'd be a pretty shitty Lieutenant, if I let my rookie partner freeze to death." Hank says, giving Connor a half smile. Connor doesn't return it, staring at his food.

"well... I really do appreciate it." Connor murmurs. he goes quiet once more as he starts to eat. its been two months since he'd had both a good hot shower and warm food in one night.

"no problem kid. I dug out my old space heater for you." Hank says, changing the subject.

"why?" Connor asks.

"to make sure you stay warm in the garage." Hank says. Connor nods, taking his bowl to the kitchen sink. he immediately starts washing the dishes.

"what are you doing?" Hank asks, coming up behind him. Connor pauses, looking back at Hank.

"I... washing dishes?" Connor says, hesitantly.

"well stop." Hank says firmly. Connor looks confused.

"but I-" Connor starts.

"don't." Hank says firmly. Connor tenses and stares at him silently a moment.

"alright... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." Connor says softly.

"I'm not-" Hank growls. he stops himself, taking a deep breath. he's annoyed as hell, but he needs to stay calm. Hank sighs softly. " I'm not mad, Connor." Hank assures gently. "look, lets head to bed. I'll get them in the morning, alright?" Hank asks.

"okay." Connor says softly. he heads for the garage. Connor finds the space heater right outside the garage door, like Hank promised. he also finds Sumo, laying in front of the door. "oh, hello Sumo." Connor smiles slightly. he picks up the heater and moves to open the door. "no Sumo, stay out here. I don't want you getting cold." Connor says.

"there's a dog door in your door. just unlock it and he can come and go as he pleases." Hank assures. Connor turns to face Hank.

"but, what if he gets cold?" Connor asks. Hank snorts knowing, that with fur like his, Sumo won't get cold.

"he'll get up and leave, kid. he's a big dog, smart dog." Hank assures. Connor nods slightly.

"alright." Connor murmurs. Connor carries the heater into his new room, while Hank unlocks the doggy door.

"alright, kid, its open." Hank smiles.

"thank you Hank." Connor smiles. Hank nods at him.

"sure thing. get you some rest, good night kid." Hank murmurs.

"night Hank." Connor murmurs. Hank closes the door leaving Sumo and Connor alone in the garage.

his first night in a new house, it wasn't too bad. maybe this would be alright.