Conner has never been touchy feely. He's not heartless, he's just not great with emotions. M'gann helps him, bit by bit making him feel less robotic and more like a living person. She makes him feel like more than the test tube monster they wanted him to be. Still, he's far from being an emotionally stable guy, so he's definitely NOT prepared for being alone in the cave with a teenage witch grieving her father.
He's pretty deep into staring at the static playing across the tv when he starts hearing the noises. At first it's tiny whimpers, and small tears, a bad dream. But it soon turns into thrashing and loud wailing sobs. He gets up from the couch and looks around for a moment, unsure if he wants to walk the other way or confront the girl who's crying for her father. Her screams for dad rip through the empty cave and he makes up his mind.
He understands what it's like to want a dad you can't have, he swiftly walks down the hall and stops at her door. He's not scared, but this is definitely unknown territory, and caution is probably smart right now. He gently opens the door, and upon walking in he ducks under a lamp that smashes against the wall opposite of her door. There are objects flying around her room, all glowing in a blue aura. He silently curses making his way towards the distraught sorceress.
He DOES want to help, but he DOESN'T want to get impaled with a hairbrush in the process. He eventually reaches her bed and shakes her shoulders. She awakens with a gasp. All the objects clatter to the floor as she yanks her knees to her chest and sobs. He awkwardly sits on the bed next to her and tentatively pats her shoulder. Once her crying calms down, he starts to talk.
"I heard you crying from the living room. I decided to check on you." She lifts her head a little and nods
"Thanks." Her voice cracks a bit, her eyes are bloodshot, and the tear tracks on her face haven't dried. She looks so sad and helpless. He hates it. He can feel the anger pulsing through him. What right does nabu have to take away this girl's father? To enslave an innocent man? It's not fair that the strong witty girl that immediately stole Robin's heart should be broken and hurt in such a way. It's not right for such a loving father to be ripped away from his daughter.
"He did it for me. He wouldn't be stuck in that stupid helmet if it wasn't for me." Connor blinks in surprise before looking at Zatanna. Her hands are fisted in the comforter and her sad eyes are now burning with rage. He feels his own anger deflate, looking at Zatanna, he realizes how pointless it is to be mad. In a very rare gesture of comfort, that he has never used except for when M'gann was sad, he puts his arm around Zatanna. She stiffens, the shock evident in her posture as he begins to talk.
"Anger doesn't help, believe me, I know. But you can't exactly shut the world out either, you just gotta learn to live with it, even if it hurts." Zatanna turns to him, anger rolling off of her in waves, but the tears leaking from eyes betray her real feelings.
"How would you know Conner! How!" His face is emotionless, but his tone is a little softer as he replies.
"I know what it's like to have your father in reach, but to lose him anyway." And that's when she loses it. Her anger falls away and she hugs him fiercely murmuring apologies through her tears. He doesn't know how long they stay like that, him awkwardly hugging her while she clings to him like a lifeline.
All he knows is M'gann eventually comes home, finds them, and sits on Zatanna's other side. She soothingly rubs the younger girl's back and hair until she falls asleep. They all stay there through the night, and in the morning M'gann makes chocolate chip pancakes and Zatanna smiles for the first time in weeks.