Hank groans as his alarm goes off. he doesn't feel like going to work. he can't hear Connor shuffling around in the kitchen like normal, so he assumes Connor doesn't want to either.

"fuck." Hank mumbles, getting up. he drags himself out to bed, getting a quickly shower. when he gets out, he heads to the kitchen. "Con?" Hank calls, looking around. the kitchen is empty. a ball of dread sinks into Hanks stomach. "Connor?" Hank asks, slightly louder. he turns quickly and heads for the garage. something doesn't feel right. "Connor!" Hank shouts, throwing the garage door open. Connor yelps, scrambling up quickly. he grabs his shirt as he gets up, slamming his back against the wall, holding his shirt in front of him. he looks utterly terrified and confused standing in his boxers. he attempts to hold his shirt in a protective manner.

"y-ye-y-yes...?" Connor manages, voice shaking almost as hard as he is. Hank lets out a sigh.

"shit, sorry." Hank sighs softly. he takes in Connors terrified form. "sorry. sorry. you just... you weren't up and I panicked that maybe you had run to the bridge while I was sleeping, and-" Hank explains. his eyes land on the floor and he pauses. "wait, Connor... have you been sleeping on the floor?" Hank asks. Connor swallows and looks down at the floor, then back up at Hank. the fear and tension don't appear to be in a hurry to leave the younger man.

"i-in-in a sleeping bag..." Connor manages after a moment. Hank frowns. he was an idiot. had he seriously not thought about the fact Connor had been homeless? of course he didn't have a bed. Hank shakes his head, looking back up at Connor. his eyes trail what skin he can see, looking over the scars, before he clears his throat slightly.

"okay, we'll deal with the floor situation later... I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry. I know that must've been... terrifying for me to just burst in here like that.... are you alright?" Hank asks softly.

"d-deal with it later..?" Connor asks, nervously.

"we'll get you a bed or you can sleep on the couch, I'm not going to make you keep sleeping on the floor. y'know... I'm just going to call us out today." Hank says.

"n-no! wait! I-I can't miss any more days." Connor says nervously. Hank shakes his head.

"don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. don't worry about it, I just need you to calm down. okay? breathe kid." Hank murmurs softly, carefully putting his hands in front of him in a placating motion. Connors eyes immediately go down to Hanks hands, before letting out a shaky sigh. "don't panic, shhhh." Hank murmurs. he steps into the room, Connors eyes are laser focused on him. "I'm not going hurt you Connor. I shouldn't have burst in here like that and I'm sorry, okay? its going to be alright. can you take a deep breath?" Hank asks. Connors rapid shaky breathing only gets faster the closer Hank gets, so he stops moving. Hank nods slightly and steps back. "I'm gonna go call the Captain alright? I'll be right back." Hank assures, leaving the room.

Hank heads quickly for his phone, calling Jeffery.

"Captain Jeffery Fowler."

"its Hank." Hank says.

"Hank? you okay? speak up."

"I can't. the kid and I aren't coming in. Connors having some kind of serious panic attack. I scared the hell out of him." Hank says.

"is he alright?"

"I think he will be as long as I don't raise my voice. I startled him out of sleep." Hank says.

"alright. consider it a PTO day for you both, call me if he needs anything."

"thanks." Hank mutters hanging up. he heads carefully back towards Connors room.

Connor's got his shirt on by the time Hank gets back, carefully trying to get his hoodie on so Hank won't see his arms. his eyes are full of shame as he looks at Hank, he hasn't managed to cover his legs yet.

"okay, I took care of it. alright? do you want some breakfast?" Hank asks. Connor shrugs slightly, looking away. "hey, I'm sorry. alright? I panicked a little. I didn't mean to upset you and don't try to tell me I didn't because I clearly did." Hank murmurs. Connor ducks his head down slightly.

"I'm sorry Hank. I didn't mean to react like that." Connor says. Hank waves it off slightly.

"why didn't you tell my dumb ass you were sleeping on the floor?" Hank asks. Connor shrugs slightly.

"I-I've slept on a lot of floors... its not unusual for me." Connor says softly. Hank sighs softly.

"okay no, you're not sleeping on the floor here anymore. thats just... its not right. I'll let you sleep on the couch or something. we'll get you a bed." Hank says.

"o-oh! right. I... I-I got paid this week." Connor says. "pay day was this morning." Connor says. "how much do you want for rent?" Connor asks.

"I told you Connor, you're not paying rent. now come on. we can use my laptop to pick out a bed for you, then we can go and get you some clothes." Hank says. "get the important things taken care of." Hank adds. Connor blinks at him. the shameful look is still in his eyes, but now there's also a curious look.

"Hank thats not neces-" Connor tries.

"yes it is." Hank says firmly.

"Ha-Hank... I..." Connor tries. Hank watches him a moment, before frowning and tilting his head.

"hey kid, if you don't think you can handle going to the store today thats fine, but we should pick a bed out for you. I don't want you sleeping on the floor anymore." Hank says. Connor nods at him slightly.

"okay." Connor mumbles. Hank smiles slightly, nodding towards the kitchen.

"but first breakfast." Hank smiles. Sumo whines from the kitchen. "and I need to let Sumo out into the backyard." Hank snorts. he heads into the kitchen and lets Sumo out, before heading to make himself some coffee. he makes some hot chocolate for Connor, while setting up to make scrambled eggs for both of them.

he looks up from the stove when Connor walks in. he's got his hoodie and some sweat pants on again. hiding all the scars from view. he looks nervous.

"hey kid, sorry about scaring you." Hank murmurs. Connor shrugs slightly.

"no, its alright." Connor mumbles. "I'm sorry I'm so jumpy..." Connor sighs softly.

"Connor, its alright. I shouldn't have burst in there. I was just... I thought you'd run back to the bridge while I was sleeping." Hank frowns. Connor tilts his head to the side.

"you..." Connor trails. "I'm sorry." Connor murmurs. "I... I'm really sorry Hank." Connor sighs.

"don't worry about it kid. its alright. it wasn't your fault." Hank assures. "now, eat your breakfast." Hank says, pushing the plate towards Connor.

"uh... thanks." Connor murmurs softly. he sits down and picks up his fork to eat. Hank moves to sit with him, but pauses when Sumo whines, scratching on the door.

"shit, hang on Sumo, I'll let you in." Hank chuckles.

"this is good, thank you." Connor murmurs. Hank turns and nods, smiling at him.

"no problem kid, glad you like it." Hank murmurs. Connor stares at his food, pointedly. he's afraid if he looks up at Hank, his true feelings will be known, but his cheeks are a soft pink. he quickly shoves a bite of food into his mouth. "I'm going to take Sumo out after breakfast, a walk in the park. would you like to go with us?" Hank asks. Connor looks up at him.

"can I...? I-I don't want to intrude." Connor says softly.

"nah kid. you're welcome to join us." Hank assures. Connor nods.

"then I would like to. thanks Hank." Connor murmus. Hank smiles and nods, eating his own breakfast. Sumo sits at Connors feet with a whine.

"no Sumo." Hank warns. "you have your own breakfast." Hank frowns. Sumo whines at Hank before putting a paw on Connors knee. Connor smiles at him.

"Hank wouldn't like it if I fed you." Connor chuckles softly, patting Sumos head gently. Sumo licks his hand, whining. Connor smiles at him slightly. he glances at Hank. "Hank..." Connor starts.

"yeah?" Hank asks. Connor stares down at his plate.

"I'm.. I'm sorry." Connor says.

"sorry?" Hank asks, confused. Connor nods.

"for what you had to see." Connor says, motioning to his covered arms. Hank straightens, shaking his head.

"no, no. Connor. hey don't apologize for that, kid. those aren't your fault." Hank assures. Connor looks away.

"some of them are. I used to-" Connor tries.

"none of them are your fault." Hank says firmly. Connor looks up at him, confused and ashamed.

"but I-" Connor tries again.

"no kid." Hank assures. "none of them are your fault. its okay." Hank soothes. Connor watches him.

"that doesn't mean I'm not sorry, okay? I know... I'm not pleasant to see... Gavin made it perfectly clear when he caught me without a shirt on in the locker room..." Connor mumbles.

"without a shirt on?" Hank asks, confused. Connor nods.

"well I had my undershirt on... but it was the day the Captain accidentally spilt his coffee down my shirt and gave me a shirt to replace it with." Connor mumbles. "I-I was changing in the locker room. Gavin made it perfectly clear how.... ugly my skin and how... disturbing it is to have to see it. I'm sorry you had to see that. I will take precautions to make sure you never have to see that again. I promise." Connor assures, watching Hank.

"Connor, knock it off kid. I promise you, you're not disgusting. your skin isn't ugly. scars aren't ugly Connor. its okay. now onto Gavin," Hank says. he growls lowly. "look do you know who I am?" Hank asks.

"uh.. Hank Anderson?" Connor says, confused.

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson." Hank says firmly. "you're a rookie so you're under me, but Gavin is under me as well. for the next 6 weeks that bastard will be at sensitivity training. if he comes back and does anything to you, you tell me. understand?" Hank asks.

"but, Hank, I-I'm an adult. I promise I can-" Connor starts.

"you will tell me." Hank orders. he's firm on this.

"yes Hank." Connor murmurs, eating his last bite of eggs. he gets up with his plate and walks over to the sink, ready to wash it.

"no." Hank frowns. Connor pauses and puts his plate down.

"right." Connor mumbles. "I-I'm sorry." Connor adds.

"don't be sorry kid." Hank murmurs. "I dont' want you to think you have to do them." Hank says.

"you cooked. etiquette says I should clean, not trauma." Connor says.

"you can wash them later then. lets get Sumo out before he breaks down the door." Hank says, getting up. Sumo gets up quickly, barking at his name. his tail swishes slightly, watching Hank firmly.

"right. okay." Connor nods. "I need to get my shoes on first." Connor says, heading for the garage.

"hang on." Hank says. Connor pauses, looking over. "while I was at the store, I got you something." Hank adds. he heads for the front door, coming back with a pair of boots. "those ratty old shoes won't keep your feet warm in the snow." Hank shrugs. Connor takes them, looking shocked. Hank swears he sees Connors eyes water up.

"I.. uh... thanks." Connor manages.

"they might be a little big." Hank says. Connor shakes his head quickly, sitting to pull them on.

"no, no! th-thats fine." Connor assures. he pulls them on and looks down at them, almost in awe. Hank watches him, before snorting.

"you're looking at those boots like you've never had a new pair of shoes." Hank snorts, smiling at Connor. he's amused. the smile fades when Connor looks away hesitantly. " ah, shit. Con, are you serious?" Hank asks.

"hand me downs.... or donations from shelters." Connor mumbles.

"Christ. is that where you got those clothes too?" Hank asks.

"hand me downs from Markus." Connor says.

"what about your adoptive dad, Carl?" Hank asks.

"Markus took great care of the clothes he was given, I never needed anything brand new. I used everything Markus had grown out of. I've been using those shoes, since I was adopted." Connor says, rubbing the back of his neck. Hank sighs.

"I'm sorry Connor. I should be more careful with how I pick on you. I'm sorry." Hank mutters.

"no! i-its fine. I shouldn't be so sensitive Hank." Connor assures.

"go get dressed, alright? I'll get Sumos leash." Hank says. Connor nods slightly, heading for the garage. he comes back after a few minutes, dressed for the weather outside. the nice jacket Hank had loaned him was still on the coat rack, so he grabs it and puts it on as he gets to the door. Hank watches him. "ready?" Hank asks. Connor nods.

"yeah. I'm ready." Connor murmurs, pulling a hood up to cover his head.

"do you not have a hat?" Hank asks. Connor looks over, confused.

"huh?" Connor asks.

"your hood isn't gonna keep your ears safe. do you have a hat?" Hank asks. Connor shakes his head.

"I used to. I traded it. a guy needed a hat, he had a lighter. I needed a fire. so I traded it." Connor says. Hank raises an eye brow.

"you traded your hat for a lighter?" Hank asks.

"no, I traded my hat for him lighting a fire for me. I never took stuff like that. I got to go to work everyday and stay warm. the Captain often bought me lunch so I didn't have to worry about it. I had more than they did already." Connor shrugs. Hank shakes his head. "besides, you don't have a hat on." Connor adds.

"I'm fat. I have natural insulation. you're a fucking bean pole." Hank mutters. Connor huffs slightly, stuffing his hands into his pockets, cheeks a soft pink. a bean pole? a kid? thats how Hank thought of him, well to be fair, it didn't seem Hank thought very highly of himself either.

"you're not fat." Connor mumbles, under his breath.

"what was that?" Hank demands.

"nothing." Connor says, opening the door. he heads outside quickly. Hank rolls his eyes and follows after with Sumo. they easily catch back up with Connor, keeping pace with him.

"so what else of your clothing did you trade out there?" Hank asks. Connor shrugs slightly.

"socks were like gold. I had 12 pairs when I got kicked out. so I'd trade them for whatever I needed, like gloves." Connor shrugs, holding one of his hands out so Hank can see his fingerless gloves. Connor stares at them a moment, his fingers reddening. "I lied. I'd like to go to the store today." Connor says. Hank looks over confused.

"why?" Hank asks.

"because I now have good clothing, warm food, clean water, and a place to stay. I'd like to give some clothes out. I'm taken care of now, but these guys out here are like another family. its getting colder." Connor says, hesitantly. Hank nods.

"alright. we can hit up a store. buy some gloves, jackets, socks. stuff to keep people warm." Hank says.

"sleeping bags." Connor adds. Hank nods slightly.

"alright. we'll walk Sumo when we get done we can take him back to the house and go shopping. we'll hit your old grounds and pass stuff out to people." Hank says. Connor nods.

"thanks. I just, I'm taken care of and now I want to make sure some of these guys out here get taken care of. we can't take care of everyone, but we can do what we can." Connor says. Hank nods slightly.

"I get it Connor. lets get Sumo walked then we'll get your friends taken care of." Hank murmurs. Connor nods.

"thank you." Connor murmurs. Hank nods, shooting him a small smile.

"of course." Hank smiles.

they walk Sumo for an hour, before returning him home and taking off with Hanks car.

Connor is hesitant when they get to the store.

"whats wrong? come on Connor, its freezing out here." Hank frowns. Connor looks up at the store, then to Hank.

"its... been a while since I've been in a store and I wasn't going for work." Connor mumbles. Hank waves it off slightly.

"don't panic and don't run off. stay with me and everything will be alright." Hank assures. Connor nods slightly. "and if you need a few minutes, just let me know, okay?" Hank asks softly. Connor nods slightly.

"okay. thanks Hank. I'm sorry." Connor says, quietly. Hank shakes his head.

"its alright Connor." Hank assures. Connor nods slightly, nervously clenching and unclenching his hands as he stares up at the store. "don't panic Connor its alright." Hank says.

"right. its just a store. I can do this." Connor murmurs to himself. Hank shoots him a small smile and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"just take a minute." Hank murmurs. "take a deep breath Connor." Hank adds. Connor nods and takes in the biggest breath he can, before slowly letting it out. Hank shoots him a half smile. "you alright?" Hank asks.

"I-I think so..." Connor trails hesitantly.

"if you not we can take another few minutes." Hank assures gently. Connor glances hesitantly over at Hank. the older man frowns slightly before holding his arm out. "come on, you can hold onto my arm." Hank says. Connor looks down at Hanks arm, before letting out another breath and grabbing onto his arm. "ready?" Hank asks. Connor stares at the doors nervously, before giving a shaky nod.

"I think so." Connor murmurs.

"come on kid, show a little confidence." Hank chuckles. "are you ready to help the people you see as family?" Hank ask. Connor nods again, a little more firm this time.

"yeah, okay. I'm, I'm ready. lets get this done before I change my mind." Connor says. Hank nods, smirking at him.

"attaboy, lets go." Hank says, gently pulling him inside.

shopping wouldn't be too bad, hopefully.