Chapter Ten: Sleepless Nights

TW: Mentions of Self Harm; I'll put ***** before and after the section so you won't have to read it!

There was only one person that Sumo seemed to love as much as he did Connor.

That person was Natalie.

She was nearly tackled by the weight of the massive St. Bernard as he barreled at her in the entryway. Though Connor attempted to get him off of her, Sumo won the battle, ultimately taking Natalie with him to the ground.

"Hey, Sumo!" She laughed as she was buried beneath the massive dog.

Eventually, Hank and Connor were able to pry Sumo off of Natalie long enough for her to stand up. She managed to make it as far as the couch before Sumo pressed his weight against her legs again.

Connor sat down next to where Natalie had fallen on the couch. Though he attempted to get Sumo off of her, he eventually resolved to burying his hands in Sumo's thick fur.

Hank shook his head, sighing as he walked down the hall toward the bedroom.

"You know where the food is, make yourself at home, Nat. I'm going to bed," Hank called back before he closed the door.

Once the excitement of their arrival had subsided, Sumo resolved himself to lying down on the floor in front of the couch, effectively preventing either Connor or Natalie from leaving.

Natalie attempted to brush some of the dog hair off of her clothes, but once she saw the singed marks, she gave up.

"Ah, well, the shirt's ruined anyways, what's the point in trying to get a little dog hair off?" She laughed, leaning back into the couch.

Connor found himself searching her face for something, though he wasn't quite sure what it was. Though she was covered in soot, her eyes were just as bright, and her smile was just as genuine.

"Are you okay, Natalie?" he asked softly.

She bit her lip slightly, tilted her head to the side.

"Of course, Connor, why wouldn't I be?" She asked.

He shrugged, looking down.

His eyes drifted to the gauze on her wrists. "Does it hurt?"

She let her eyes drop slightly.

"Nah, not really. I've had much worse," she said, albeit a bit quieter.

Connor's eyes drifted up the skin of her arms. Periodically, there were scars along her arms. Some of them were thin and faint. Others were wide, seemingly deep.

Connor looked back up to Natalie's face, his face flushing blue.

"I - Natalie, I didn't -"

"It's okay, Connor," she cut him off, though not with anger. "I was a teenager, I was going through some stuff...I'm okay now. Well, at least, I'm a little more okay than I used to be."

Connor's eyes drifted back to the scars, and was surprised when Natalie made no move to pull her arms away. He lifted his hand, gently running a fingertip along one of the scars that seemed particularly deep. The touch was so light that Natalie hardly felt it.

He quickly pulled his hand away. "I'm sorry -"

"Connor, seriously, it's okay," she grabbed his hand as he pulled it away. "I trust you."

She released his hand, and it fell back to the couch between the two of them.

Connor made an attempt to change the topic. "How long did you live above the bar?"

Natalie shrugged. "Four, maybe five years? I'm not sure."

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

She looked at him, smiling. "I'll just have to start over. That place was never going to be a home, anyways."

The two of them sat in silence, listening to the sound of cars as they passed lazily along the street outside, along with the occasional huff from Sumo.

Connor noticed Natalie shiver slightly. "Are you cold?"

Natalie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe? Depends on why you're asking, Connor," she grinned.

Connor shook his head slightly.

"Come here," he said quietly.

She shifted her position slightly to where she was sitting next to Connor. To her surprise, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer until her head rested on his chest. He leaned backward slightly to allow her to be more comfortable.

"Better?" He asked.

Natalie smiled slightly. "That was pretty smooth, Connor."

He couldn't help but smile.

As Natalie gradually warmed up, she relaxed onto Connor. The warmth from his body coupled with the strong thumping of his Thirium pump lulled her into a sound sleep within minutes.

Connor entered into his rest cycle just a few moments later.