Artwork by mari_gdraws
"You... had a younger brother?" You asked slowly, watching Connor's face. He could not meet your eyes, and instead rolled the coin over and over in his hands. You were both sitting on the floor, and Connor leaned back against the side of his bed. From the way his shoulders slumped, you could see the way those memories weighed on him.
"His name was Cole," Connor continued, "He was 6 years old when he... he..." Connor trailed off, and the coin rolled from his hands onto the floor. Without thinking, you moved towards him, and wrapped your arms around him.
"I'm so sorry Connor..." You did not look at his face, but you could tell he was close to tears.
"My brother was the only one I felt I could truly get along with. The one person who kept our family together," Connor whispered, "He never knew it... but... after he passed away, our family was torn apart."
"What happened to him?"
Connor hesitated, before replying.
"I was 12, and my dad was driving Cole back from school. It was a snowy day... he never should have been driving." You listened, trying to remind yourself to breath. "The truck skidded on a sheet of ice, and his car... it rolled over..." Connor squeezed his arms around you, all the while not meeting your gaze. "My brother did not survive... and my father blamed himself after all these years."
"But it wasn't his fault."
"I know," Connor replied, finally pulling back from you, and looking at you with downcast eyes. "I know it wasn't his fault. But he still can't forget it. None of us can." He gritted his teeth, but tears welled up in his eyes, and ran down his cheeks. You leaned forward, wiping them away.
"You don't need to hide your tears..."
"I'm sorry... god I'm such a mess," Connor mumbled, wiping them away with the sleeve of his sweater. "I invited you over so we could hang out and have fun. Not so you could watch me have a breakdown." The side of his lips twitched up in a half-smile, but you could tell it was forced. Connor tried to wipe his face again, but you grabbed his hand, and held it in your own.
"I want to know more about you Connor," You told him honestly, "The moments that make you happy... and the moments that make you sad... I want to know about them all." Connor gazed at you for a long moment, before giving you a genuine smile.
He turned his head, looking around for something. Moments later, he leaned towards the coin that had previously rolled out of his hands. He tossed it from hand to hand for a moment, before studying it closer. Upon closer inspection, you noticed that it was a U.S. quarter dollar coin.
"My brother gave me this..." Connor said softly, "He found it in the parking lot of a diner we used to go to often, when we were all together, as a family." He gazed at the coin for a long moment, before chuckling slightly. "He carried the coin with him everywhere. He told me it was his 'lucky coin'. When I was scared of going to the dentist, he... he gave it to me. He told me that it would make me brave." Connor paused, exhaling slightly.
"After my appointment, I wanted to give the coin back to him. But he told me he wanted me to have it. To give me good luck..." Connor hesitated, before continuing, "Not long after that... he... he passed away. But I still had his coin. Tucked away in my pocket."
You leaned against his shoulder, brushing your hand over his. He took your hand, and squeezed it in his own.
"I wanted to leave the coin. After all, he should have had it. Perhaps then he would not have died... but every time I tried to leave it, something stopped me. As if my brother was right there, telling me that he wanted me to keep it. So I did... after all these years." To your surprise, Connor turned to you, and placed the coin in your hand. You gazed at it, unsure of what to say.
"I made a promise to myself... that someday, when I found someone I cared about enough... I would pass on the coin." He gave you a soft smile, "[F/N]... I know it might sound stupid... but I want you to have it."
"I-I can't take this..." You replied, "It's too important."
"It's for good luck," Connor murmured, giving you a slight smile. He gently took your hand, and curled your fingers around the coin. "Think of it as a charm. To help you forget the bad moments... and remember the good ones."
"Thank you..." You replied, unable to stop the warmth of the moment spreading through yourself. You could tell that that coin meant a great deal to Connor. The fact that he would pass it onto you made you overwhelmingly happy.
As you gazed at Connor, his smile faded slightly. He continued to look into your eyes, as if he was staring through you. When he looked at you, it was as if he understood you entirely. He reached towards you, touching the side of your face, then trailing his hand down the side of your jaw. You leaned into his touch instinctively. You could not look away from him, but you did not want to. You were both lost in this moment, your hands touching, and your faces inches apart.
You leaned closer to Connor, entranced by his gentle hands. Your heart fluttered slightly, and you wondered if Connor could hear the steady beat.
Suddenly, the door swung open. You and Connor flew apart, your face immediately turning red.
"Hey Connor, the pizza's here," Hank said, standing in the doorway. As he stood there, he looked from you to Connor.
"Jesus, haven't you heard of knocking?!" Connor objected, crossing his arms and scowling, his face turning red.
"Well I had to make sure you kids weren't doing anything... uhh..." At Connor's glare, Hank trailed off, scratching the back of his head. You finally took in his appearance, and noticed how disheveled he seemed. His beard was getting overgrown, and he was wearing a hoodie with 'Detroit Police Academy' imprinted on it, with an old pair of faded jeans.
"Anyway, there's food downstairs. Enough for your girlfriend too if she's staying for dinner."
"S-She's not my, ummm..." Connor trailed off, the blush on his face increasing. "W-We'll be there soon."
After that interruption, Connor remained quiet. You helped him tidy up the games you left strewn on the floor, before you followed him into the dining room. Hank was already there, setting out the boxes of pizza on the table. Connor sat on one of the faded chairs, and you followed his lead, moving to sit beside him. Seeing your teacher like this brought a pain to your heart.
"Are you working anywhere else at the moment?" You asked, and Connor glanced at you, his eyes telling you not to go there. But you wanted to know. Hank sighed, leaning back into his chair as he ate the pizza.
"Not right now, but Jeffrey said there may be an opening for me to teach the younger years..."
You waited for him to continue, but he did not. You did not want to consider Hank teaching the younger classes. You could imagine that it reminded him of Cole.
"I'll find a way for you to get your old job back," You insisted, "Mr Perkin's is a terrible teacher. We need you."
"I wish it were that easy..." Hank mumbled, "But if you can somehow make magic happen... then that would impress even me."
After that, all conversation fell silent. You ate pizza, trying to ignore the lump in your throat. You could see now that Connor's family life had been difficult. Ever since the beginning, Connor had tried to keep everyone together. He tried to get along with Cain, and his mother. He tried to comfort his father after Cole's death. It was clear to you now that Connor was always doing what everyone else wanted. He seemed to believe that the one who kept his family together was Cole. But really, the final puzzle piece had truly been Connor all along.
The next day, you and Connor visited Kara after school. Breaking her usual good record, Kara had not attended, and that had worried you.
You and Connor stood in her driveway now, hearing the sounds of shouting, and clattering plates from the inside. You and Connor cautiously approached the door, before you knocked. After three knocks, Kara answered, and you noticed how tired and stressed she looked. After much convincing, you were able to get Kara to come down the driveway, so you and Connor could speak to her.
"There is nothing I can do," She insisted, after your attempts at trying to help the situation. "I am old enough to live on my own... but Alice isn't allowed to without a proper guardian. I would be willing to take custody of Alice, but Todd refuses to let go of custody over her. Without the proper records, I can't do anything. And the police keep brushing our case under the carpet."
"We'll find a way Kara," Connor replied, "We have to."
"I know..." Kara murmured, "I can't let Alice go through this. Not again."
As the next few days passed, Kara still did not return to school. Until one day, she did. She was still stressed and tired, but it was clear that her father didn't want to draw unwanted attention to her disappearance.
Kara, seeming more happy than usual, told you that Alice had been practicing for a dance recital. Though with Todd's return, she wasn't feeling as excited as she normally would.
She insisted that having you and Connor there to support Alice would make her happier. So you and Connor walked over to the elementary school, to see Alice's dance practice. Connor had asked if Markus would come too, but you still felt uncomfortable about your previous interactions with him.
It was clear from Alice's dance steps, that her mind was elsewhere. As a dancer yourself, you could tell that her moves lacked the same amount of excitement as they would normally have.
After her dance practice, Alice saw you and Connor watching, and darted over. To your surprise, she jumped into your arms.
"[F/N]! You're here!!"
"Hi Alice," You replied, crouching and smiling at her. "I loved your dance."
"Really?!" She beamed, "You saw it?" You nodded, and you continued to chat with her.
"I can't do the full dance though..." She finally said, pouting slightly. "I can't do... umm..." She twirled slightly, trying to demonstrate.
"[F/N] could help you. She used to dance too," Kara interrupted. You gave a side glare at Kara, but Alice suddenly got even more excited.
"You dance too? Can you show me how?"
"I-I used to dance... not so much now..." Seeing Alice's face fall made your heart sink. You patted her hair, and gave her a small smile. "But... I guess I could still show you a few things." Alice giggled, and you took her over to a quiet section outside of the hall, where you could demonstrate a few of the dance moves. Kara and Connor moved to the side of the field, to watch you and Alice dance.
"It's been such a long time since I have seen Alice truly happy..." Kara murmured. Connor nodded in response, watching as you and Alice burst into a fit of laughter. Connor was so taken in by your presence, that he barely noticed Kara watching him.
"I've never seen you so entranced by someone either... it seems [F/N] is infectious."
"W-What?!" Connor snapped his head towards her, his face flushing. Kara giggled, as Connor frowned with embarrassment. "I was watching her dance... that's all. It just surprised me, since she is normally so nervous to show that."
"[F/N] does what it takes to make everyone else happy, while forgetting about herself. She is selfless like that," Kara said quietly.
"Yeah... she is."
"You like her, don't you Connor?"
"What?" The question took Connor by surprise, and he stumbled back slightly. "I-It's not like that... she's just a friend. Besides, I've only known her for a few months..."
"What do you really want Connor?" Kara continued, in a soft voice that only he could hear. "You used to be so focused on becoming a detective. But now... it's like your motives have changed."
"You used to want to study fashion... until you realized that you had someone you needed to protect," Connor replied.
"I still want to study fashion," Kara interjected, but Connor continued.
"For me, I did not know what I wanted... first, I wanted to study A.I. Then, I wanted to become a detective... but now..." He trailed off.
"You've found something you want to protect too," Kara finished.
"My mission is not just about me anymore," Connor continued, "I've found someone who I want to protect. Even if she does not choose me... all I want more than anything, is to keep her safe."
"You've changed Connor," Kara mused, "You're finally growing up."
"Well... perhaps we all are."