What Family Means

by wolftez

Connor is ten years old when he goes to live with Hank. The life he finds there reroutes the entire trajectory of his future. [Foster family AU]

4. For Kara

Prom.

It was a word in every high schooler's vocabulary. A word that brought joy and happy nerves throughout one's hormonal body. A word that teenagers associated with first and lasts. A word that signified the beginning of the end.

It was spring time in Detroit, and Connor's high school graduation was only two months away. The past couple of months had been such a hassle with Connor, Kara, and Markus preparing to leave high school, and Hank had been kept pretty busy with helping them move along in that process. They had already applied and been accepted to various colleges, they'd picked the best one for them, and so now their time was spent shopping for college stuff they'd need, like bed sheets and laptops and much to Markus' insistence, a mini fridge.

Graduation was pretty scary, but that's not all everyone was talking about. All the hype everyone was making about prom night was infectious, and the three siblings found themselves getting more and more excited for the big dance as it loomed ever closer.

But, no one was truly having a more spectacular time preparing than Kara was. The elegant 18-year-old had spent many days dress shopping for the perfect dress, going from one dress shop to the next when she couldn't find quite what she was looking for. Markus and Connor had initially assisted her on these day trips because she'd wanted their opinions about whatever dress she was trying on, but when they realized that dress shopping for her was going to take days, then the two boys had fumbled excuses about how they had to get their own suits together and were suspiciously absent when she had next planned to go to the boutique.

Which was a lie. Connor, Markus, and Hank had gone out looking for a tux for the two of them weeks ago and had found one within the first day.

Kara was so busy planning for an event that was a month away, that she'd nearly forgotten about the heartbreak she'd suffered less than a week ago.

Her boyfriend of about four months thought it was okay to break up with her via text last week—a month before prom.

Connor had met up with his siblings after school that day, and Kara came to them sullen with her eyes red-rimmed from trying not to cry in school. Markus was instantly on her, demanding to know what happened. She hadn't wanted to say anything there because she knew Markus would flip out, so she'd dragged them a few blocks away from school before she'd told them.

That slimy, bastard Evan had spent the entire day with her as if nothing was wrong, as if everything was okay between them. And, then, in her last class of the day, she'd received a text from him—while he was sitting three rows in front of her—telling her that he thought they worked better just as friends.

It was the kind of move Connor had expected from someone as non-confrontational as Evan, and while Connor had never liked the polo-wearing chess club president, he'd never thought he'd do someone as sweet as Kara wrong.

Markus was absolutely livid and had taken it as a personal affront to himself when someone messed with his little sister, but Connor was able to reason with him. Surely they'd get him back, but it was going to be smart, be covert, and no one would get suspended in the last couple months of high school.

Of course, now that left the problem of Kara having no date to the prom. All she'd been talking about before her nightmare of a breakup was how Evan was going to ask her to the prom. Was he going to be flashy and have the question written out in huge, vibrant colored letters somewhere very public in the school? Would he be intimate and take her out to a romantic dinner to ask her?

She tried not to show it, and she insisted that she didn't need a date to the prom, and she'd have a good time with her friends, but Connor could tell that all her prom spirit had diminished significantly when she realized that she would get no invite at all. All she'd ever wanted was to be like other girls, and traditional girls got asked to the prom in a big way.

The thought that this would be just another let down in Kara's life… Well, Connor just wouldn't have that.

A couple days after her breakup, Connor was on fire with nerves as he paced nervously around his house. It was stupid because of course everything was going to go well, but still, there was always that nagging doubt.

Was he being too over the top? Was he not flashy enough?

It didn't matter now. Everything was in place.

Markus and Hank zoomed around the house to put the finishing touches on the makeshift art gallery Connor had orchestrated. There was entirely no space to walk in the cluttered house as he skimmed past the many tri-fold boards that were set up and jumped over Sumo, who was helpfully cuddled up right in the middle of the only path they'd cleared.

Kara would be home from eco-club any minute now, and Connor was tinged with nerves.

Two slaps on his shoulders had him jumping in the spot, and he hastily turned to see Hank standing behind him, light in his eyes.

"Relax, son, what's the worst she can say?"

Connor's eyebrows flew up at the obvious answer. "Um, no?"

Hank merely laughed before he ruffled Connor's still floppy hair. He'd never actually managed to change up his hairstyle, and so it remained messy like his ten year old self.

Connor groaned and tried to smooth his hair back into its natural mess and smoothed down his button down shirt. He'd actually dressed for the occasion, and was wearing one of his pale blue button down shirts and some dark, blue skinny jeans. It wasn't much of a dress up, but for Connor's usual laidback style, it was fancy.

"She's walking up!" Markus said as he jumped away from the curtain before she could spot him. Connor gulped and tried and failed to take a breath. He was just too damn nervous, and he'd never done anything like this before; never thought he ever would, actually.

Markus hurriedly jumped off the couch to stand before Connor and guided him through a breath. "In," Markus said, and Connor breathed in, held it. "And, out." Then, he exhaled deeply. They repeated that one more time before Connor could finally take a breath like a normal person. Markus smiled, all teeth, and knocked Connor's chin with the side of his finger. "Go get'em, tiger."

Markus had just enough time to leave the living room when the front door opened, and in walked Kara.

All the lights in the house were on, so she saw everything as soon as she walked in. Immediately, her bright eyes widened and her jaw dropped and whatever she'd been carrying in her arms fell to the floor as she gazed in wonder at the art gallery the boys had spent two hours setting up.

"What…?" she said, at a loss for words, and Connor took this as his cue. He hurriedly stepped up to her and held his sweaty hand out to her, just like Hank had said to.

"I have something to show you," Connor said, and Kara finally tore her awed gaze away from all the photographs and drawings that were strung up on the boards to glance at Connor.

He was really starting to feel the pressure now, but as soon as she placed her soft hand in his, everything cloudy in his mind drifted away, and he was able to see things clearly now.

He had nothing to worry about.

He guided her to the first art board in the lineup, and she had to have felt how sweaty his palms were. He was extremely grateful she never mentioned it, though.

The board in front of them showcased a few photographs from the beginning of their time together, and one drawing Markus had made specifically for this moment.

"When I was 10 years old," Connor started, feeling more confident now, "I met a family. I didn't know it then, but that family was going to become my own, and one of the very first memories I have of that family is of you." Kara turned to glance at him, and already he could see how bright her eyes were with unshed tears. "How you immediately let me in and made me feel like a part of you guys when I was so terrified of being in a new place. How you took my hand and could make all the scary feelings go away. How you came to my rescue and pushed Gavin around when he used to bully me."

Kara giggled wetly at that, and wiped at her eyes. "He doesn't do that anymore," she said softly, and turned to gaze at all the photos.

"Yeah, and I'm almost 100% positive it's because he's scared of you."

Kara laughed once, and faced him with curious eyes. "I don't think that's it."

Connor flushed on the inside.

Kara began walking ahead of Connor as she glanced at the few boards in the living room. All these photographs were pictures of Kara, Markus, and Connor when they were kids. There was one where they were planting flowers in Hank's front yard, dirt all over their hands and face. There was another where they were hanging out of the windows of one of the police cars as the sirens blasted red and blue in the picture.

And, more than the photographs, were drawings Markus had made, all of them tailored to this occasion. Connor knew she loved Markus' drawings, so he'd asked him if he could draw some of their greatest moments for her.

She stopped in front of one of his drawings and laughed, clutching a hand to the necklace at her throat. "Is that Gavin on the floor?"

"Yeah," Connor said, leaning over her shoulder to inspect the drawing. It was pretty inevitable that Markus punching Gavin to the ground that one day would be included in their highlights reel. Markus didn't only include himself, but Kara was also in the drawing, with a hand on her hip and her fingertips pointed angrily in Gavin's direction, a mirror image of reality.

The living room showcased their early years together when they were carefree kids with no worries but what game they were going to imagine up that day.

As they progressed toward the kitchen, Kara stopped to point at a picture right before they left the living room. "And, our first picture with Sumo!"

"Of course," Connor said. "He was one of the highest parts of our childhood."

"Yeah," she said softly, and took his hand once more as he guided them into the kitchen.

These were their teenage years. There were more drawings than pictures because their adolescence had been harsh on them, and he didn't think any one of them liked to relive the red-faced, gangly armed, awkwardness they had all went through. So, Markus drew pictures to make those years look more aesthetically pleasing for the moment.

Markus had drew many memories of their teen years, starting with the epic thirteenth year they had where Kara broke her wrist trying to swing across the monkey bars at the park. She'd thought she'd be funny and had tried to skip the first couple bars and jump straight to the third bar, but she'd miscalculated her strength and the bar slid from her grasp, and she'd fallen right on her wrist, snapping it out of place. She had to wear a cast for six weeks, and almost everyone in their 8th grade class had signed the pink cast that covered her arm and stopped right below the elbow.

In this drawing before them, Markus drew her sitting below a monkey bar set with the cast on her arm, her middle finger aimed right for the bars.

Kara gazed in wonder and laughed at the various scenarios displayed through the pictures pasted up on the boards in the kitchen. They were slowly working their way to the bedroom, but Connor still had something else to say before they left this room.

He blocked the way to the hallway off and waited for her to notice before he started off again.

"The gallery in this room, while I know is probably not your favorite, holds some of the best memories for me. These are the years that I really came into myself and found out what kind of person I was. What kind of person I could be. And, I don't think I would have been half as sure if I hadn't had you there with me."

Kara was smiling as she shook her head and looked away to the boards, and he could see that she was trying not to cry again. Connor, himself, was finding it difficult not to get emotional. He was really bringing up everything here, and being vulnerable was something that was a bit hard for him. But, for Kara, he could do just about anything.

"You always had my back when I needed it. When I was falling behind in English, and you set out a whole week for us to just study together, and then I passed the big test at the end of the week? You knew I would have failed 10th grade if I didn't get at least a C on that test, but with your help, I was not only able to achieve that C, but I got an A. And, you did that."

Kara grabbed up his hands in her soft ones and squeezed them before giving him a pointed look. "No, Connor. We did that. You're not dumb, and you're way better at math than I could ever hope to be."

Connor huffed a laugh and shook his head. "Shut up," he said gently, "Let me do this."

Kara giggled and zipped her lips shut with her finger.

"My point is, you've always been the force behind me when things got too hard. I know I had Markus and Hank, and of course I'm grateful to them, but I'm not sure I ever really expressed my gratitude to you especially. And, so that's why there's something I still have to ask you."

Kara took in a shuddering breath, her wet eyelashes so dark on her pale face. She was still smiling, but she was looking at him in confusion.

Connor tightened his grip on her hands and led her to their room, where the tour was about to end.

When they walked in, Connor was a little astonished at how well Markus and Hank had done glamming the place up. They'd strung up some fairy lights along all four corners of the ceiling, dangling prettily in slight drops across the wall, encasing the room in a soft glow. All four of their walls were blocked by more tri-fold boards, but there were no pictures on these: only words cut from vibrantly colored poster boards.

Seven words. One question.

Kara couldn't hold her next wave of tears in. As soon as she read the question, and saw Markus and Hank standing off to the side with smiles on their faces and flowers in their hands, she burst into tears.

Usually when Connor saw his older sister cry, he felt anger and sadness and was always overcome with protectiveness. Now, though, he only smiled through his own tears that had silently fallen down his cheeks and wiped a thumb under her eye.

"Kara," he said gently, and he waited for her to calm her heaving breaths. She wiped at her eyes to clear them of stray tears, and took a deep, steadying breath before he went on.

"You're the best sister I ever could have hoped for. And, to think that I might have had a life without you in it just makes me realize how much I love you, and how I was lucky to meet you and to be brought into this family when I did."

Connor's throat was getting tight, and he had to take a moment to collect himself. Damn it, who said a prom proposal had to be so emotional?

"What happened to you last week with Evan was so shitty—" he said, and abruptly turned toward Hank for a second. "Language, I know. Sorry."

Hank only waved him away with his free hand as if he should just get on with it. So, he turned back to Kara.

"He's a real jerk for what he did to you, and I think he must be dumb, too, because he gave up the opportunity to go to prom with a beautiful and kind and sweet girl, and that is a hundred percent going to be his biggest regret."

Kara huffed a watery laugh, and she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him as he spoke.

"I know you already coordinated your outfit to match his, but I'm hoping you can change that."

Connor gulped as the moment finally arrived, and when he turned around to face Markus, he found his brother already standing beside him with his arms out, a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He took the bouquet with shaky hands and focused back on Kara.

"Will you go to prom with me?"

He barely had a second to blink before Kara was wrapping her arms around his neck so tight, stealing the breath from his airway. The flowers in his hands were no doubt getting crushed by her closeness, but he didn't think she cared.

Kara's soft tufts of giggles were pretty loud in his ear, and it was the richest sound he could have heard.

This was the prom proposal Kara wanted and deserved, and he was so glad that he was able to pull it off for her.

When she finally let go, she bounced down to her feet, all smiles and bright, wet eyes, and she was just glowing. She took the broken flowers in her hands and tried to fix them back up, but it was a lost cause.

She gave up on that and gazed up at him, and he suddenly remembered that she never actually answered him.

"Oh, Connor," she said, her voice cracking. "I don't even know what to say."

From his peripheral, he could see Hank step forward with a hand raised. "I think the poor boy deserves a solid yes just for the effort this all took to put together. Just my opinion, is all. Feel free to break the boy's heart if that's what tickles your fancy."

Kara glanced at Hank and laughed twice. "Stop that," she said, then she turned back to Connor. She cradled the broken flowers to her chest with one arm and reached out to take one of his hands in her free hand. "Of course, I'll go with you. You're the best date I could have asked for."

"Oh, okay," Markus said, and his voice sounded salty, but everyone knew he was just joking around. "I'll just pretend like that didn't just cut the biggest hole in my heart."

Kara giggled at him. "Oh, please, everyone knows that you're already taken."

Markus bit his lip and shrugged, and Connor could see a rare shyness creep into his eyes. Even after a year of dating Simon, Markus still got shy whenever anyone brought it up. He was just a closed off person and didn't like to flaunt his relationships, and whenever anyone brought it up, the boy only smiled and ducked his head.

Connor cleared his throat and waited until he had Kara's attention. "I know you were pretty upset about what happened with Evan, and you may not have shown it," he said, after she looked like she was about to protest. "But, we know you. And, we know how much you were waiting for the perfect prom invite—"

"Promposal," Kara interjected.

"Whatever," Connor said equally. "I just— We just couldn't stand by and let your only chance for a prom invite fly away. You only have prom night once in your life, and now, hopefully, you'll have this memory to take with you for the rest of your life."

"Connor, stop, seriously," she said and she wiped a finger roughly under her eye. "I'm never gonna stop crying if you keep talking, and you know how much I hate crying."

"Okay, okay, I'm done now," he said. "So, what do we do now?"

Immediately, Kara's eyes brightened at the suggestion, and Connor knew he was in for a ride.

"Now … we coordinate!"

The next two weeks were filled with more prom planning than Connor had originally anticipated. Before he'd asked Kara, he'd only planned on going by himself. He wasn't worried about it, though, because the three of them had already planned to ride there together and with their dates. Markus had invited Simon to ride along and Kara had invited Evan, before he'd showed everyone just how simple minded he was. And, Connor was, like always, by himself.

The truth was, dating was just something he was never concerned about, but it always seemed to be the number one thing on his peers' minds: who was dating who, who had a crush on who, and who had just broken up with who. That whole dating scene never consumed Connor the least bit, and no one had ever even shown any interest in Connor, so why would he concern himself with that scene?

He didn't try to think about why that was that he wasn't interested in anyone or why he was almost 18 years old and had never even had his first kiss, but Markus and Kara sure spent a lot of time trying to get Connor interested.

It was a bit annoying to him when they insisted on finding him a boyfriend or girlfriend, to be honest, because he just didn't want that. He had no desire to walk down the halls while holding someone's hand, he had no desire to sneak a girl into his room for a hot make-out session, and he definitely didn't feel like spending all his free time planning date nights with a boyfriend.

In theory, the idea of having someone close like that to share cute little moments with sounded enticing, and sometimes, when he felt lonely and all he had to cheer him up was cuddling with Sumo, he wished he had that special someone that Kara and Markus talked about. Someone to be comfortable around, someone to talk to, someone who always chose Connor first.

But, the how was stuck on him. He wished he could just skip past all the awkward beginnings of a relationship and just be thrust into a comfortable, stable long-term relationship with someone who knew everything about him and understood all of his little quirks.

That was unrealistic, and Connor felt that he didn't need it, anyway.

So, it's not like he had a date to the prom, either. And, while he hadn't fussed or even cared about receiving an invite or finding someone to invite, he was glad at the way things had turned out.

Where before Connor had been able to squeeze underneath Kara's prom radar, he was now painfully right in the center of it. He was dragged along to all her fittings now because she insisted that it was his obligation as her date now to accompany her and provide valuable input on her appearance. After all, he was the one who would be dancing with her all night.

These were all her words, not his. He was perfectly fine with whatever she wore because she would be beautiful either way, and while he was pretty much unhelpful in helping her decide on one dress, she had plenty to say about his tux. First off, he had to scrap his old one. It had been a sea green color, like something out of a 50s vintage shop, and she said the color and style clashed with her version of a pale purple that she'd envisioned from any dress she was going to decide on.

So, they went looking for a new tux. She actually decided rather quickly what kind of tux would be appropriate to go with her dress, and after only a little bit of hunting, they'd both found a tux they could agree on. It was a pretty standard tux, like one he'd seen on every other fancy guy in the world, but this one had a violet colored undershirt that matched her dress, and so they were both content.

It took another couple of days, but she finally picked the winning dress from between her final three dress choices, and as prom loomed ever closer, Kara finally decided that everything was in place for the big night.

The night before prom, Kara, Markus, and Connor were just getting into the house after midnight. Simon had wanted to take the gang out for pre celebratories, and so Connor, Markus, Kara, and her best friend, Rose, were all invited to go cosmic bowling with him. Cosmic bowling was better than regular bowling because that's when they turned off the harsh fluorescent lights and flipped on the black lights, and the entire room, from the bowling pins to the alleys to the bowling balls themselves, glowed neon colors from the black light.

The siblings were all tired out from all the curly fries they'd shared, and the plan was to just head inside, say good night to Hank, and flop straight onto their beds, but Connor's plans changed the second he walked inside.

Markus opened the door and let them in, and Connor immediately noticed Hank sitting at the kitchen table. All the lights in the house were off except for the kitchen light, so it was easy to see how Hank suddenly made quick work of bustling some papers together and hiding them underneath one of his case files that was open. He didn't think his siblings noticed, but Connor did; Connor always noticed everything.

"Hey, kids," Hank said, and Connor noted the forced nonchalance there. "You're home early. It's not even midnight."

Kara scoffed, too tired to joke around at this hour. "It's way past twelve. It's, like … I don't know, but I know it's almost two."

"It is?" He said, and glanced at the microwave clock. "Well, I'll be damned. It is almost two."

"Yeah, and we're so bowled out," Markus said. "I've got to get up early—we've all got to get up early—and I don't know why I let Simon talk me into staying for three more games, but if I have sleepy eyes all day tomorrow for prom, then Simon can only blame himself if our pictures turn out hideous."

"Oh my god," Kara whined, and she patted her cheeks right under eyes testingly. "Pictures. No. Nope. I'm going to sleep right this second. Good night, guys," she said, and pressed a kiss to Hank's cheek before she left them all for her precious bed.

Markus wasn't far behind her, and after he said his good nights to Connor and Hank, he followed Kara into the room.

Connor wasn't tired all of a sudden. He'd seen those papers that Hank had tried to hide, and now it was the only thing he could think about. What exactly could Hank be reading over where he had to hide it away from them?

His detective instincts were strong, but he didn't know if he had it in him to go full on sleuthing tonight, so he sat down at the table with Hank and tried a little less subtle approach.

"What were those papers about that you hid under that folder when we walked in?"

Direct was another word for it, he guessed.

Hank narrowed his eyes at Connor, not liking the fact that he wasn't as sneaky as he tried to be. Or, at least, never with Connor could he get away with it.

"I don't know what you're talk—"

"I'm talking about these," Connor said, reaching for a corner of one of the papers that was poking out from under the case file.

"Woah, woah, hey!" Hank said, snatching the file and the secretive papers out of Connor's reach. Connor only faced him with a knowing look, eyebrows raised and a half smirk on his lips.

Hank sighed, defeated once again by Junior Detective Connor. One of these days, Connor thought he might just go on to beat some of his old man's policing records.

"Okay, Connor, Mister Sly Detective," Hank said, teasing him. "I'll be honest. These are some pretty important papers. Something I've been thinking about a lot more lately with you guys leaving the nest and all that, and this is something that's been a long time coming. Now, I won't say another word about it, but if you can guess what these could be, then I'll give them to you."

Whatever Connor had been expecting him to say, it definitely wasn't that, and he cocked his head to the side as he thought. "You'll give them to me? Wait, so they're mine?"

"I didn't say that. You heard what I said, so just think on that for a couple days. Not all puzzles can be solved with a few cunning interrogation tactics. My lips are sealed, boy."

Hank closed his folder and straightened all his papers together before he stood up. As he walked by a still puzzled Connor, he placed a hand on his shoulder and shook it lightly. "Get some sleep. You'll find out when you need to." And, then he left him alone to his thoughts.

Connor didn't sleep well that night, and the only thing he could think about was how Kara was going to be so pissed at him for having dark circles under his eyes for prom pictures.

---

Today was the day.

Kara was the first to wake up, to no one's surprise, and she woke everyone else up in the house by jumping excitedly on their bed and shaking them awake. She needed their help getting ready, and if she hadn't woken them up, anyway, they probably would have just slept in until noon.

But, it was 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday, and these teenagers were about to get ready for their prom.

Most of the morning was spent with a ton of Hank's cop buddies coming in and out of the house, each one tasked with a different aspect in helping the teens prepare.

Hank's detective friend, Lilly, was in charge of helping Kara with her hair and makeup. It was probably the thing that took up the most time of the day, and the two girls had stayed in their room for most of the evening.

Another cop, Aiden, was tasked with helping to tame Connor's usually wild and messy hair. Markus didn't need any help with anything because he kept his hair closely shaved to his head, so he pretty much just walked around the house and ate snacks and talked on the phone with Simon until it was time to put his tux on.

Aiden smoothed Connor's hair down with gel, and it was still pretty puffy, but that's how Aiden wanted it to look. He said it added volume to his hair, and honestly, Connor could dig it.

It was starting to dawn on Connor just how many friends Hank actually had when a few more people showed up with cameras and flowers and, for Hank, classy bottles of wine.

For the most part, it was pretty chaotic with so many people in their small home, and there was a bunch of stepping on toes and having to suffer through bad, old timey humor and Connor having a bunch of tiny anxiety attacks from how close people had to work on him.

He'd gotten his own tux on, but some of Hank's friends had decided to step in and fix his collar or give some sort of dancing tip, and his personal favorite was when anyone who noticed that stray piece of hair that hung down in front of his forehead, they repeatedly tried to slick it back into place. That was a stubborn piece of hair of his that always gave him trouble whenever he slicked his hair into place, and he had come to terms with that stray piece. Apparently, no one else could.

It was almost dawn when everything had finally calmed down, and the adults in the house had slowly began to filter out one by one, saying their goodbyes and wishing everyone luck on the big night. Connor smiled and played the good son, and escorted everyone out person by person, letting them know just how appreciative he and his family were for their help today.

When everyone had gone except for one of Hank's friends who also doubled as their photographer for the night, Connor leaned with his back against the door and let a heaving sigh drag through him. The night hadn't even started yet and already he felt exhausted.

Kara was still in the bedroom with Hank putting the finishing touches on her look, and Connor felt a buzz go through him. He bet his big sister was going to be the most stunning girl on the dance floor.

When the doorbell rang at his back, Connor jumped and whirled around. Then, Markus came running out of the kitchen with white powder on the side of his mouth as he faced Connor anxiously.

"Do I look all right? I don't look horrible, do I?"

Connor thumbed his own lips amusedly, nodding his head at Markus. "You somehow never manage to look horrible. Even with a donut stain on your mouth, you still look decently attractive."

Markus' eyes widened, and he hastily rubbed at his mouth until the stain was gone, and Markus was once again pristine. "Now?"

"Very good."

Markus flashed him a quick smile that quickly dissolved back into a thin, nervous line before he turned to open the door.

Simon was standing there all suited up in his own tux, a small clear box clad in his hand. His head shot up, and as soon as his eyes landed on Markus, he smiled a nervous smile, not unlike what Markus was just wearing less than ten seconds ago. He gazed at Markus from head to toe and shook his head in amazement.

"Wow," he breathed, and Markus ushered him inside. "You look even better than I imagined."

Markus smiled a secret smile, and his eyes twinkled mischievously, and Connor suddenly felt awkward watching the exchange. "You imagined this?" Markus said, and he bit his bottom lip as he gazed at Simon, and Connor immediately found that he was hungry. Yeah, he was hungry, and he needed to go into the kitchen. He just needed to get out of that space right that second before he could be seared with an image that would no doubt ever leave his mind.

So, before he could witness anymore of whatever the hell sexual glances they were giving each other, he pivoted on his heel and hurried his way to the kitchen.

The memory of last night took hold of him again as he leaned against the table thoughtfully. Connor tried to pick out single lines of dialogue from last night, trying to wheedle out what was important to the mystery of what was on those papers.

"Something I've been thinking about a lot more lately … Something that's been a long time coming … I'll give them to you."

It almost felt like Connor already knew what it was. He knew the answer was in him, but he just couldn't quite see the bigger picture here.

What more could Hank give to him? His foster dad had already given him everything. He gave him a roof over his head when no one wanted him, because everyone always wanted to adopt small children they could mold into the person they wanted to raise, not a ten year old who'd already grown into his own personality.

Hank gave him unconditional love that Connor had no trouble feeling because the man showed it in every action he did for him, whether it was saving him from a crazy guy in a shed, or always being there with words of advice when Connor was in need.

Hank had given him an older brother and an older sister, and honestly, nothing filled Connor with so much emotion, so much validity than that fact. His family defined him now. He was no one without them. He would have been no one without them had Hank never brought him home.

Hank damn near gave Connor his entire world, and except for the man's last name, there was nothing he wouldn't voluntarily give him, and the only reason that hadn't happened was because—

Oh my god, Connor thought suddenly, his entire being flushing with something too heavy, too grand to understand.

He knew exactly what was on those papers.

No. No, but he couldn't think about it. Not right then. Not when he was about to have the best night of his life. Not when Kara was going to step out of their bedroom any second with a radiant smile on her face.

He couldn't think about it right then, or else the ten-year-old within him would curl up into the fetal position and cry right there on the floor.

But, one thing Connor knew for sure was that this was going to be a night that he would never forget in a million years.

Connor had about two seconds to collect himself before his bedroom door creaked open, and he hurriedly straightened up to make himself presentable for his date.

All bets were off the minute Kara came gracefully walking out through the hallway: she was the most beautiful girl Connor had ever seen, and she was definitely going to be the girl that everyone else wanted to dance with when they reached the dance.

Markus and Simon had finally found their way into the kitchen, and when they both laid eyes on Kara, their jaws dropped in awe.

Her brunette hair was done up in two braids along the side of her head and they swirled together in an elegant bun at the back of her head. Two slight, wavy tendrils of hair framed her face, and Connor had to admit that she definitely rocked stray hairs better than he every could. Her light purple colored dress had no straps, it only came to above her chest before it stopped. It was pretty form fitting and clung close to her chest and waist, but once it hit her hips, it began to flare ever so slightly, giving her the room she'd need to move her legs comfortably as she danced the night away.

She was never a girl really into make up, and the most she ever wore was some eyeliner around her eyes when she wanted them to really pop, but tonight was supposed to be a night for firsts, and she seemed to keep that motto in mind when she did her make up.

It was still nothing drastically different than what she was usually comfortable with, but it was more than she was used to. Her eyelashes were darker and seemed to be longer than usual, and the eyeliner under her eye was more subtle, barely noticeable, but enough to make her eyes pop. Her cheeks had a red tint to it, but Connor thought that was the makeup. The closer he got to her, the more he could see that the way her eyes shined from so far was because she had a light coating of glitter on her eyelids.

It was a little strange to see her face so dolled up when he wasn't used to it, but she looked extremely happy, and Connor warmed up to the look immediately.

He walked up to her and couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Do you have any idea how envious all the girls are going to be? And, I think more than a few guys are going to want to push me aside for a dance with you," Connor said, and if it was even possible, Kara shined even brighter at the praise.

"Thank you," she said softly. Then, she grabbed Connor's arms and spread them out and away from his body as she inspected him. "And, you! You look even more handsome than when we did the fittings. I think you might actually catch someone's eye tonight."

Connor dropped his arms to his side and rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, let's not start that. Let's just— Wait, where's the—"

"It's right here, Rico Suave," Hank said, and in his outstretched hand was the corsage Connor had picked out for Kara.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and scooped the little box out of Hank's hands. He slid the corsage from the box and placed the box on the table before reaching for Kara's already waiting hand. He carefully slid the dark purple carnation onto her wrist, and his heart spiked at the sight. She looked so pleased with his choice, and he was glad he got the Kara seal-of-approval.

"And, I have this," she said, and that's when he noticed that her other hand held his boutonnière. He held still while she pinned the pale purple flower to his chest pocket, and when she finished, she sighed in awe at the sight.

"You kids look a wonderful sight. Hell, this is starting off a lot better than the way my prom had gone," Hank said, and all four of the teens in the room slowly turned to face him. "You wouldn't believe it. My date, Jenny Cross, she—"

"That's a wonderful story, Hank, but we've heard it a thousand times," Markus said, and he clapped his hands together with glee. "I think it's time for some pictures."

The three other teens breathed their collective sighs of relief at the suggestion, and they all headed outside to where Hank's photographer friend was waiting.

The photographer choreographed them to stand in front of the steps on the front porch: Connor and Kara on one side, and Markus and Simon on the other. Kara stood in front of Connor while he had his arms wrapped around her waist, and she rested her hands over top of his. Markus and Simon held each other around the waist with their sides pressed together.

They took a few photos in their standard positions before they got silly. The next few poses were totally impromptu, and Connor was pretty sure at least one of them was NSFW, but they didn't care. This was their night, and they were going to live.

It was beginning to get dark, and so the four of them hopped into their "limo" which actually was not a limo, but an elongated Range Rover with three row seats. It was the best Hank could do since he had to pay for everything else by himself, but everyone could care less about what kind of car they rode up to the prom in.

When they got to the school, Markus and Simon hopped out first and basically left Kara and Connor behind. Hank barely had time to tell them to have a good time before all that was left of the pair was their dust flying in the wind.

Kara hopped out next, but before Connor left the car, he paused in the second row seat, and turned to Hank for a moment.

His nerves were still shaky from his revelation earlier, and he couldn't stay for more than a second before he'd lose it, but he allowed himself a few moments of shaky breaths.

Hank was beginning to worry a bit. "It's just a dance, son, it's not like—"

"I love you, Hank," Connor said, interrupting him. Hank immediately locked eyes with him, and any joke he'd been about to make stopped right in Hank's throat as he realized what Connor was talking about.

Hank sighed, knowing Connor had figured the mystery out earlier than he'd anticipated, but he didn't sound upset. "Goddamn, boy. I don't know why I underestimate you every time."

Connor smiled softly at him. "How many times do I have to tell you that I learned from the best?"

Hank huffed a laugh and nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. Then, he gulped and faced Connor. "Do me a favor, and don't tell them. I wanna do that. I think I deserve that, and … tell them the plan for the night's changed. When I pick you guys up when this is all done, I'm gonna take Simon back to his house and bring all three of you back home. I know I told them they could spend the night with their friends, but I'm gonna need everyone home tonight."

Connor nodded understandingly, and the sound of Kara's excited voice cut through the emotion in the car. "Hurry up, Connor, I wanna go dance!"

Hank smiled at him and turned back around to face the front. "You heard the girl. She's waiting for her dance." Connor's heart clenched, and for the first time, he felt truly at peace.

He stepped out of the car, and right before he slammed the door shut, Hank's humored voice wafted through the car. "And, don't step on her toes! I didn't spend hundred of dollars in dance lessons for you to scar up her poor feet."

Connor let a giggle escape as he let the car door fall shut, and he turned to face his date. She raised a playful eyebrow at him and held out her prettily manicured hand for him. "You ready?"

He was born ready.

The dance was being held in the gymnasium, and Kara wasted no time in speed-walking Connor through the desolate halls and into the overpacked gym. It was super crowded by the time they got there, but they already had a table waiting for them thanks to Rose. She was one of the first to arrive, and she'd saved the table specifically with Kara and her family in mind.

They didn't even have time to settle into their seats before Kara was whisking Connor onto the dance floor and living her best life right there to the EDM that was currently playing. She was a tiny thing, but she was so full of energy as she whipped herself from side to side, and Connor sometimes had trouble keeping up with her.

Markus and Simon were somewhere around here, and he'd caught sight of them on the far end of the dance floor where Markus was suspiciously close to the punch bowl. Simon looked a bit worried as he glanced from Markus to the punch bowl and then around at the crowd. Connor didn't want to say that he thought Markus was going to be that idiot to spike the punch bowl with alcohol, but he would be lying if he didn't say he thought that.

When the song switched to something calmer, Connor was elated. He was still running off of two hours of sleep, and all this exhaustive dancing was starting to get to him. So, when the beat changed to something soft, he immediately grabbed Kara up into his hands and used her strength to build his back.

He was suddenly grateful for those dance lessons Hank had mentioned earlier. Hank had made all of them take those classes when they were 15 to prepare them for moments like these. And, also because he said that old fashioned dancing was going out of style, and he didn't want them falling prey to society's new brand of dance, which Hank thoroughly did not approve of.

With that knowledge, he was able to lead Kara around their little area elegantly, twirling her under his arm at one point and following up with a low dip of her back, which she giggled at as he brought her back up.

The night wore on, and some of Connor's enthusiasm came back to him as he let himself enjoy the night. There were always so many things racing through his mind, but if he could just compartmentalize those things in a separate box of his mind just for the night, then he could relax.

He was now so relaxed, in fact, that when he was sitting at the table sipping his punch—which Markus definitely spiked, Connor could taste—the sudden tap on his shoulder didn't even register for a minute. He was just watching Kara dance with someone who had come up to her randomly and asked if she wanted to dance when someone in a flashy tuxedo was blocking his way.

Connor tore his gaze away from the bright red bow tie on the kid's neck to see Gavin facing him with raised eyebrows.

"Hello? Are you deaf? I've been calling your name for, like, five minutes here."

He had? Connor hadn't heard a thing past a slight buzzing sound in his ear, but he was fairly sure that was from the alcohol.

Gavin didn't wait for a response before he shook his head exasperatedly and slipped his hands into his pants pockets. He looked a bit nervous, and he kept tapping his foot against the linoleum floor, but Connor stayed still, unsure what the boy even wanted.

"Well, come on," he said, as if Connor should have known what he was talking about. Then, he turned on his heel and headed for the weaning crowd on the dance floor.

Connor felt the usual annoyance at Gavin's lack of proper social skills as he stared after the boy, but he couldn't deny the tingle that ran through his spine at the suggestion, lighting his nerves up.

After wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his pants, he followed Gavin to where he stood alone in the sparsely populated dance floor, nervously straightening his bow tie. Gavin stopped his fidgeting when Connor found him, and for once in Connor's life, he couldn't figure out this mystery.

His childhood bully was standing before him, stray pieces of dark hair falling into his eyes, not unlike Connor's own hair; there was no malice in his eyes, no joke on his lips, no hostility in his demeanor. He was just a boy who was nervous, and Connor couldn't figure out when that changed.

Or, maybe he already knew. Maybe he was scared to be right this time.

That would be a first.

Gavin took a deep breath and let it all out in a harsh sounding sigh. Connor adjusted his bow tie, and tried to smooth down that stubborn piece of hair hanging past his forehead.

It fell again, but before he could just sigh and call it a loss, Gavin shot his hand out and tried his turn at slicking the piece back. It was a gentle motion, but Connor couldn't hide the way he flinched as Gavin smoothed it down.

The other boy noticed, though, and he slowly brought his hand back to himself and cradled it to his chest as that damned piece of hair fell back over his forehead.

He could already see the apprehension forming in Gavin's eyes as he noticed the flinch, and he knew some crude joke was sure to follow because that's just what Gavin did when he felt even the least bit of guilt, but Connor didn't think his sensitive heart could take it. Not tonight.

So, he spoke first in hopes of keeping the conversation light. "I've been told that my hair is a lost cause. I can't keep that hair into place even if I superglued it, I think." Connor laughed twice before he couldn't fake it anymore.

Gavin narrowed his eyes at him confusedly, as if he didn't know why Connor was talking about his hair right now. Then, that familiar gleam came into his eyes, and Connor's heart sunk just a little bit.

"That's because that wavy piece of hair is about as straight as you are," he said sardonically. "You can't conform what doesn't want to be, kid."

He didn't know why he expected anything else than classic Gavin Reed.

Connor wasn't going to make a scene. He wasn't one to make a big deal out of life's injustices that were thrust upon him, and Connor had repeatedly tried his hardest to give Gavin the benefit of the doubt every time, but he thought he was done now. He didn't deserve this.

So, he gave Gavin a small, sad smile, and said, "Okay, Gavin," and nodded, at peace with his decision.

He turned on his heel and walked away back into the crowd, his heart a little sadder, his mind a little lighter. He skimmed over top of the heads in his way for Kara or Markus, hoping to steal them away from whoever they were dancing with, but someone yanked on his elbow, and he whirled around to face Gavin once more.

Connor sighed, and easily pulled his arm back out of Gavin's grip. "I'm not in the mood for your classless jokes tonight, Gavin, so can you please just—"

"No, Connor, listen," Gavin said, and Connor had never seen a look of true remorse on the other boy's face since that day Gavin had disrespected Hank during their job shadowing. Even then, the remorse wasn't as strong as Connor saw it now, and the look silenced him into at least hearing Gavin out. "I'm … I'm sorry, okay? Are you happy now? I'm sorry for being a jerk to you all these years. But, the straight thing was just a joke, and … but, I realize my jokes aren't for everyone. And, I just … I don't know. I guess I just don't want you to leave high school hating me still."

Gavin looked absolutely wrecked as he confessed all of this to Connor, and it was such a startling look on his old nemesis. Connor frowned as he watched Gavin struggle with a simple apology, because he didn't think it was all that simple to the other boy.

It must have really been weighing on Gavin's mind, all of his mistreatment toward Connor all these years, if it was enough for Gavin to gather strength to admit his wrong, but Connor still couldn't figure out why that was. Why did the other boy care so much about what Connor thought about him?

Still, he wasn't one to relish in other people's misery, no matter how much he used to wish this upon Gavin, and he couldn't let Gavin suffer.

"I've never hated you," Connor said, and when Gavin raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, Connor changed his answer. "Okay, fine, so I did hate you at one point. But, we were ten, and I hated a lot of things back then. I hated the way Mr. Simpson wore his moustache, I hated that the elementary school we went to didn't serve Friday pizza for lunch, and … I hated the way you treated me."

Connor's voice was strong, but he was hesitant to bring it up. He wanted to finally put this Gavin mess behind him once and for all, and what better time to do it than now, when Gavin was already being as real as ever with Connor?

Gavin's eyes narrowed and his cheeks heated up, but that was all. Connor continued, finally bringing up everything he'd ever wanted to ask him. "Why were you so mean to me? What did I do to you?" Connor said, and Gavin immediately looked away from him in guilt. But, Connor wasn't done. "If we're going to move on from this, then I need something from you, Gavin. You say you don't want us to leave school with me hating you, but I never hated you, not really. It was always you who didn't like me, and I'll never understand why unless you tell me."

This was the most Connor had ever said to Gavin, and it surprised him that he was able to stand up for himself now and not be discouraged by Gavin's silence. Gavin may not want to talk about whatever issues he was going through, but Connor needed this. He needed an answer from the boy, and he wasn't going to be happy until he got one.

Gavin continued to stare at the ever lessening crowd as Connor waited. He didn't think the boy noticed, but his foot had begun tapping anxiously, just as he had been earlier when he asked in absolutely zero words for Connor to follow him out onto the dance floor.

When Gavin finally gazed back at Connor, the resolve in the boy's eyes did something weird to Connor's belly. It made his heart go into his throat, and he couldn't figure out how to breathe all of a sudden.

"You really wanna know why I targeted you?"

No. No, Connor suddenly didn't want to know why.

He honestly could say he had never been more shocked in his entire life than in the next few seconds.

Gavin's tongue shot out to lick his lips, and unbiddingly, Connor's eyes followed the motion, and his own mouth opened in response. Gavin must have taken this as some sort of unspoken consent because before he could realize what was happening, Gavin's hands were cupped beneath Connor's jaw and their lips were roughly pressed together.

It felt like all the wiring in his brain had short-circuited and was about to explode as Connor let himself be kissed by Gavin. Gavin, the same kid who used to trip him up in the hallways and ripped up his jeans. Gavin, the same boy who wrote "Connor is dumb xD" on the bathroom walls in middle school. Gavin, the guy who just five minutes ago had likened Connor's sexual orientation to that of a stray piece of hair.

But, that wasn't who Gavin was, not really. He'd seen glimpses of what the real Gavin was like in quiet moments. Like the time he'd apologized to Hank after he'd disrespected him. Maybe it had to do with what Connor had said to him earlier in the day, but that apology had been totally unassisted, and he'd done that on his own.

While Gavin had physically laid hands on Connor when they were kids, he'd stopped that once Markus had taken him down, and while some verbal harassment had followed in the coming years, that, too, had stopped about halfway through middle school. For the most part through high school, Gavin only shot Connor meaningful looks that he'd never been able to understand, and really, not more than few words were ever said between them in that time.

Not until tonight, that was.

Gavin's lips were soft, and he tasted a bit like cigarettes mixed with punch. Connor still had his eyes open as Gavin finally pulled away, and the other boy's hands slid down to fist into the lapel of Connor's suit. "You wanted to know why?" he said, and his face was flushed as he gazed humorously up at Connor. "It's just because you're so damn … cute," Gavin said, reinforcing the word with a soft thump to Connor's chest before he burst into low chuckles.

Gavin leaned his forehead against Connor's chest as his chuckles overtook him, and Connor was completely done with the night. Out of all the possible things he could have imagined were the reason behind Gavin's random bullying on him, Connor being cute was definitely not one of them.

"I'm sorry," Connor started, and Gavin finally released him and took a step back. He appreciated the motion because now he felt like he could breath a little. "But, I am totally confused right now."

Gavin laughed again, and Connor could see the genuine happiness in the teenager. There wasn't anything ironic or cruel to the laugh, just pure joy, and Connor couldn't help but respond in kind. He'd started chuckling right along with Gavin as he let the relief of a feeling wash over him, the two boys probably looking completely odd to anyone else.

Gavin reigned in his laughs, but the smile stayed. It was so weird to see him happy, and Connor realized that he preferred to see that look on his face more so than the look of disdain it usually held. "Oh, Connor," he started, and Connor cocked his head at the words. "You're so innocent. Don't ever lose that."

Connor squinted curiously at Gavin as he thought. "Oh, Connor" was such a simple phrase. It was something he heard all the time from Hank, from Markus, from Kara, and it was always said with that same tone of fondness that he associated with his family. He'd never heard the words come out of anyone else's mouth, and he didn't think he ever would.

But, Gavin just said it, and it was so amazing, so exquisite, because he managed to capture that same tone of fondness into his voice, and it just about blew Connor's heart away.

"Sorry if I blew your little virgin mind," Gavin said, and he straightened his bow tie once more. "But, I've just been fucking dying to do that ever since I first caught sight of those big, doe eyes of yours."

Connor flushed, and he couldn't believe this was actually happening still. "If you felt this way, then why didn't you ever tell me? Why did you have to push me around?"

Gavin huffed, and bit his lip to try and stifle just how funny he found his question. "Because, I'm an asshole who never learned how to express his feelings."

At least Gavin was self-aware.

"I don't even think I knew it back then," Gavin continued, "and, I wanted you to pay attention to me, but I didn't know how to do that nicely, so like the bitch I am I just … pushed you around." Gavin huffed a laugh, but he looked truly apologetic as he turned his eyes on Connor. "Just so you know, I kicked myself every day for the way I treated you. It's one of my biggest regrets, and if I had the chance to do it all over… Well, I'd probably do it all the same again," he said and laughed once. "As much as I wish I could say differently, I just don't know how to be nice. It makes me feel icky."

Now, it was Connor's turn to laugh. "I think that's something you can still learn," Connor said, and he meant it. If this conversation said anything, it was that Gavin Reed was a secret lover and not actually a fighter like how he always projected to everyone.

Gavin narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Maybe. But, don't you go around telling people about this. I have a reputation to uphold, and no one's gonna fear me if they know I have the hots for the class outcast."

Connor furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm the class outcast?"

"You are, but it's cool. You don't want to be like everyone around here anyway. They're all a bunch of fuckheads who don't how to bully correctly."

Connor chuckled and folded his arms across his chest. "Now there's a correct way to bully? You've gotta tell me all about this because this is all news to me."

For the next twenty minutes, Gavin and Connor sat at Connor's table while Gavin explained the etiquette of bullying. Apparently, bullying other bullies, kids that you liked, or people who understood your kind of humor was acceptable, and bullying kids just to be mean or to make fun of things about themselves that they couldn't change was unacceptable. Connor didn't see a difference, and he still thought any kind of bullying was wrong, but he listened avidly to Gavin as he explained his opinion on the matter.

He'd been so wrapped up in his conversation with Gavin, his first real one with the boy, that it took a few calls of his name before he noticed Kara standing beside him, a huge smile on her face.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she said, glancing between Connor and Gavin with knowing eyes, "but, can I steal my date back for a while? They're about to announce prom king and queen!"

Gavin cleared his throat and abruptly stood to his feet as he adjusted his bow tie yet again. "The kid's all yours," he said, feigning nonchalance, but right before he turned away, he clicked his teeth together and shot Connor a wink before disappearing into the crowd.

Connor found himself smiling stupidly at the spot where Gavin just stood, and Kara had to snap her fingers in his face to get his attention again.

"Con! What the hell, oh my god, what was that?" she said excitedly, settling herself into the seat Gavin previously occupied.

Connor was still mind blown, and he half thought that the past half an hour was just a crazy dream, but the feelings in his chest were very real, and he didn't know where to start.

"I have no idea what just happened," Connor said. "But, I think I finally know what you and Markus have been talking about for the past three years."

Kara's eyes were wide, and she squealed with delight at his confession, but before she could interrogate him further on the Gavin situation, the music cut off and one of the teachers took over the mic. Kara grabbed Connor's hand and ran them all the way to the front of the crowd so they had front row privilege in witnessing the senior class prom king and queen.

In their senior class, there were a few viable guesses as to who these titled honors could go to. For the king, there was the president of the student council club. His name was Stephen, and he was an all around great guy who was smart, was friends with people from all different types of cliques, and wasn't a bad looking guy, either.

There was Jermaine, who was a linebacker on the football team. He was well-liked by the core cliques in the school, and while he wasn't the smartest kid in class, he made up for that by being the coolest, most charming guy in their grade.

There was even Gavin, and the only reason he was a viable option was because the boy was insanely popular. Everyone knew he could be a jerk to people, but they didn't seem to care; people still rallied behind him and thought he was the funniest guy who walked the halls.

For queen, there were so many girls who could win that spot. Girls who were smart and kind, well-liked and deeply involved in clubs, but only one candidate really mattered.

Kara was now the president of the eco-club, and she didn't get there by being a loner. She was a social butterfly who was kind to even the meanest of kids in school, and people noticed this. She was smart, and had a few friends in all the different cliques in school, and Connor thought she was a shoe in for queen.

And, he was right.

The teacher announced Kara's name for prom queen, and if he thought Kara couldn't get anymore excited about this night, then he was kidding himself. The girl jumped and squealed and wrapped her arms so tightly around Connor's neck he for sure thought he felt some tendons pop. Then, she was gone and grabbing her dress up in her hands as she walked up the stage and let herself be crowned with a tiara and a bouquet of flowers.

The twists of the night weren't done with Connor yet because prom king turned out to be Gavin, and really, why did he think it was going to turn out any other way?

Gavin and Kara stood side by side on the stage as the audience cheered and whistled and clapped, and Connor couldn't stop staring at Kara. She had a hand over her mouth, but he could see her beaming smile under it, hidden away from total view. Connor suddenly wished Hank could have been there to see her looking so beautiful because he knew the man would have been a proud dad.

But, there were going to be pictures, and Connor couldn't wait to show them to him.

Gavin, on the other hand, looked as if he knew he was going to win, as if no one else could compare, and Connor laughed to himself at the smirk on his face as he waved to the crowd.

Then, it was time for the ritualistic dance. Everyone cleared way for Kara and Gavin to make their way to the center of the floor, and when they reached it, Kara easily wrapped her arms around his neck as Gavin settled his hands on her waist, and the two of them began to sway to the slow song that had started to play.

Connor couldn't seem to help the way his heart soared at seeing the two of them dancing together, and it was funny because never in a million years did he think he'd ever witness this. But there they stood, talking and whispering and—

Oh. Oh, no. And, yep, that is definitely a little fear on Gavin's face. Kara was speaking to him with a stern look on her face, and Connor's own face started to heat up in embarrassment. He could only imagine what she was saying to him, but it was probably along the lines of If you ever hurt my little brother again, I'm gonna string you up by the ba—

"Dude, can you believe it?" Markus said as he slung his arm around Connor's shoulder. The boy came out of nowhere, and it was the first time he'd seen him tonight. Connor quickly took note of the glassy look in his mismatched colored eyes, and the way his breath absolutely stunk of alcoholic punch. "Our girl! Fucking homecoming princess. I mean, queen. Prom queen, not homecoming." Markus burped, and Connor groaned in disgust before pushing his brother away from him. "God, I love her. And, she deserves this, you know? Especially after what that asshole Evan did, goddamn it. But, I got him back. I did, didn't I, Simon?"

Simon came up behind Markus with an annoyed glance on his features, and Connor could only imagine what the poor boy had to endure before coming up to Connor. "Markus personally spiked Evan's cup with some laxatives, and I have not seen that kid in like an hour."

Markus laughed so hard at that he had to squeeze his eyes shut. Connor sighed, and he didn't show it because Simon was already pretty anxious about the whole thing, but he one hundred percent approved of Markus in that moment.

"I think it's best if we call it a night," Simon said, and Markus fell into him at that moment, needing to keep a grip on Simon so he didn't fall flat on his face. "Markus had too much fun, and I just want to get out of here now before he causes enough trouble to get us kicked out."

"I think you're right," Connor said. There was still that business Hank had at home with the secret papers, and Connor was suddenly dying to get home. "I'll go get Kara, and can you call Hank? I'll meet you outside."

"Okay," Simon said eagerly, and Connor knew he was just itching to get out of here and away from watchful eyes. He waited until he saw Simon safely escort Markus out of the gym before he went to look for Kara.

Everyone else in the room had joined the prom king and queen on the dance floor, and so Connor had to squeeze through sweaty bodies and couples kissing pretty heavily to get to his sister, and when he finally found them, he caught the end of their conversation.

"—not to say you're a bad guy, but he's my brother. I'm sure you can under—"

"Hey," Connor said with forced enthusiasm, jumping onto the scene and throwing his hands onto her shoulders. He just wanted to get her to stop talking before she could embarrass him any more than he's sure she's already done.

Kara stopped her dance and faced Connor, and he saw how quickly she tried to throw up some false enthusiasm. "Oh, hey, I was just playing nice with—"

"Connor, save me from this chick right now before I lose my fucking shit," Gavin said, and he let go of Kara and fumbled backwards away from her.

Kara huffed highly, indignantly. "Excuse me, but I didn't say anything wrong."

"I know you didn't," Connor said and tried to steer her away before they could come to heads right in front of him. "Markus is smashed, and Simon wants to take him home. So, are you cool if we leave now? Did you do everything you wanted to do tonight?"

She turned under his hands and clasped her hands together under her neck. "Oh, Connor, tonight was unbelievable. I can't wait to head home and tell Hank all about it!"

Connor's heart warmed, and he was glad prom night was finally at an end. He'd done everything he could over the past few months to make this day as special as he could for her, and this was why: for that look right there on her face. It was the happiest he'd ever seen her, and it was the best possible way he could think to end their senior year.

"Markus and Simon are waiting outside. I'll be there in a sec," he said.

Kara eyed Gavin for a second, and he thought she might protest, but when she gazed back at Connor, whatever was showing on his face was enough to have her agree. "Okay," she said softly. "I'm sure Simon needs help with Markus. He's such a baby when he's drunk, I swear." Then, she turned on her heel and squeezed her way through the crowd until she was out of sight.

Connor took a deep breath before turning back around to glance at Gavin. The other boy looked flustered, though he tried to conceal it with his usual look of disdain. "Fuck, Kara is—"

"Still my sister," Connor said, interrupting him before he had the chance to ruin the atmosphere of the night. "And, I'm sure whatever she said was well-deserved."

Gavin scoffed. "Yeah, maybe." Gavin dropped his hands from his neck and folded his arms across his chest as he stared intently at Connor. "So, you gotta go, now? You're not heading out to any after parties, or sneaking into some guy's house to bone tonight?"

Connor's eyes widened slightly. "No," he said and couldn't stop the way his voice went up a few octaves. "I mean, Hank has a surprise for us waiting at the house, so…"

"Ah, I see. How fucking lovely. Finishing the perfect night off with daddy," Gavin said, and while his words were on the mean spectrum, his voice didn't hold any of its usual bout of sarcasm. If anything, the words were more a reflex to Gavin, and it finally dawned on Connor what Gavin meant when he said he didn't know how to be nice.

Connor didn't know what to say in the way of parting. He didn't know the proper etiquette for saying goodbye to someone he didn't like for the longest time, but who actually had the biggest crush on him. If it were up to Connor, he probably would have just kissed him again, right there in the middle of the crowd. But, Gavin was a tricky guy to figure out, and somehow, Connor thought that the events of this night were reserved for this night only.

So, he took the initiative here and took the best course of action for himself, and probably for Gavin in the long run. It was gonna hurt right now, but if they were both open to it, then this separation wouldn't last forever.

"You know, tonight was the best night of my life," Connor said, and Gavin listened intently. "This whole day has been filled with one surprise after the next, and what happened between us back on the dance floor is something I'll keep with me for a long time."

Gavin narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Connor's somber tone, and while he hated that Gavin was going to get extremely defensive, he sincerely felt like it was the right move. "But, I'm gonna go now, and when we go back to school on Monday, I'm sure things will go back to their usual state of affairs. And, that's okay. Because, we still have a long way to go, and this isn't the end, despite what everyone says about graduating high school."

It hurt him right in the chest at the sour look on Gavin's face, but not as much as it might have if he let himself be captured by the Gavin he saw tonight.

"Are you fucking serious? I… But, you—"

"I don't hate you," Connor said, because he thought maybe Gavin thought that about him, but he couldn't be more wrong. "I just hope you can understand why it has to be this way right now."

Connor didn't want to explain himself further because then he'd have to be honest and tell him that he thought Gavin still had some growing up to do. As much as he wished they could maybe start something tonight, in reality, the two of them weren't even friends. Gavin had spent a good chunk of his childhood bullying him, and Connor still had a bit of a negative connotation that went with the name Gavin, and he needed time to separate the two now.

He knew Gavin probably wouldn't get it since Connor couldn't explain himself without being crass, so when Gavin snorted and glanced Connor's way with hurt and angry eyes, he understood completely.

"Whatever," Gavin said, and as he slid by Connor to walk away, he bumped into his shoulder purposefully. Connor only stared after his retreating back with a bittersweet smile, but as Gavin disappeared into the crowd, Connor knew this wouldn't be the end of their story. There was still so much there, and they had their whole lives to figure out what that was.

When Connor finally made it outside, Hank was already there and beeping the horn once he saw him. Connor rushed to the car and hopped in the backseat where he found everyone else. Markus and Simon were all the way in the back, his brother's head in Simon's lap as Simon played around with Markus' bow tie.

"Is he asleep?" Connor asked as Hank drove them out of the parking lot.

Kara giggled as she turned around in her seat to witness the two boys in the back. "I told him not to drink too much punch."

"Yeah, what idiot decided it was okay to tap alcohol into the punch? I didn't even know kids still did that," Hank said.

Kara and Connor exchanged a knowing glance, and they both turned away to hide their grins.

The whole way to Simon's house was filled with Kara explaining in very vivid detail just about everything that happened at the dance. There was so much to discuss, and she only scratched the surface during the car ride. Connor was silent for most of the way, a happy buzz flowing through him and making his mind feel clear and peaceful. This night probably couldn't have turned out any better. He still felt a little bad about Gavin, but he tried not to think about it too much. There was so much time for Gavin, but tonight was about his family.

And, there was still Hank's news. The thought of the papers once again had Connor suddenly alert, and they couldn't get home fast enough.

After they dropped off Simon, they were back at their own house in no time, and Connor was the first to hop out.

"Woah, where do you think you're going, slick?" Hank said, and Connor stopped his trek to the house. "Someone's gotta help me carry the 150 pound drunk in the back, and I'm not as young as I used to be."

Together, Connor and Hank each wrapped one of Markus's arms around their shoulder, and, wow, Markus was really just full of muscle these days. Connor was huffing and puffing as Kara opened the door for them, and they just dropped Markus onto the couch, both too tired to even think about walking him into their bedroom.

Connor was all jittered nerves as he followed Hank into the kitchen, he couldn't even think to sit down. He knew what Hank was going to show them, and even though he'd had the entire night to prepare for this, he still felt like he had earlier when he'd wanted to curl up and cry on the floor. There was still a fifty percent chance of that happening.

"Kara, hun, get in here," Hank said as he reached for the folders on top of the fridge.

When Kara walked in, Connor couldn't contain himself, and he grabbed her hand up in his and held it to his chest for strength. She was always able to calm him, and he needed her right now.

Understandably, Kara was taken aback at the display, but she only squeezed his hand tighter. "Woah, what's gotten into you?"

Connor could only gulp as he watched Hank stand before them, folders folded to his chest between his arms. Kara followed his gaze and stared between the two men questioningly.

"I'm missing something, aren't I?"

Hank smiled at her, and took a deep breath before he spoke. "I have something for you. For the both of you. For all three of you, actually, but Markus decided to act like a fool, and now he's piss drunk on the couch. And, I really wanted to do this with all three of you, but Connor, the little weasel, managed to figure out what it was early like a true detective."

Hank was trying to hide it with humor, but Connor, and even Kara, could hear how his voice was getting rougher and how his eyes were getting a bit shinier.

Kara began worrying her nails with her teeth as she grew more and more anxious. "Hank, you're making me nervous."

Their foster dad chuckled once before he cleared his throat and handed the two of them two separate folders. "Here, just read it."

Connor let go of Kara to clasp the folder between both of his hands, and he'd never been more nervous in his life. It was just a piece of paper, and it wasn't actually going to change much, but the meaning behind it was going to stay with them forever.

As Connor flipped his folder opened and read the byline, he took a shuddering breath. There was a bunch of legal garb on the official documents, but Connor's eyes sought out the part he'd been looking for.

In the matter of the petition of Hank Anderson to adopt Connor Sims, it is hereby decreed that said child shall be deemed the child of the petitioner in all respects as if the child were born to them biologically.

Hank had actually done it. After so many years of only being Hank's foster kid, he was suddenly, legally, so much more to him and would be for the rest of his life.

"You adopted us? Like, really adopted us?" Kara said from beside him, and he could hear the tears in her voice.

Hank chuckled roughly, and Connor glanced up at him to see him wipe some tears away from his eyes. "That's not all I did. Look at the bottom."

Connor glanced down at his paper and chuckled wetly into the air as he read the piece he'd previously overlooked.

It is further adjudged that the name of said child be hereby legally changed to Connor Anderson.

And, now Hank had truly done it all. He'd given them the one thing he never could have before. His fucking last name.

Connor's given last name wasn't something he was attached to at all. If anything, it was a reminder of a family he never knew, a reminder that even from birth he wasn't wanted, but he had made peace with that fact a long time ago.

Who knew the circumstances of his birth? Maybe his mother wanted to give him his best chance. Maybe his father wasn't ready for the responsibility of taking care of a child and wasn't going to make Connor suffer because of that. He just didn't know, and once he had Hank in his life, he realized it didn't matter. Family wasn't something he was born into, it was something he'd found, and his last name just got in the way of him ever really feeling included in his new family.

He knew Kara felt the same way. She didn't know her parents either, and she had repeatedly expressed an interest over the years of one day changing her last name to Hank's as soon as she could.

Markus was different. He'd had his birth family for the first eight years of his life, and while he had slowly gotten used to life without them and had embraced his new family just as much as Kara and Connor had, Markus still cherished his full name because besides his memories and photos, it was the only part of his first family that he had left.

Connor sniffed and brought this matter to attention. "What about Markus? I don't think—"

"I already got it covered," Hank said, nodding. "I didn't replace his last name because I know how important the Manfred name is to him, but I hyphenated it. I added mine to the end of his, and I really hope the kid doesn't mind because it's going to be a pain in the ass to go back and change it."

"No," Kara said, as she wiped roughly at her eyes with her fist. "No, he's gonna love it."

Connor agreed.

Hank heaved a sigh and tried to give some semblance of a speech. "I don't know why it took me so long to finally do this. All these years, you know, I never actually had any legal rights over you guys. I was just supposed to be the caretaker for you three so that you could feel what a home felt like, know what a family was, instead of being cooped up in that orphanage. But, you guys are gonna be leaving me soon, heading out for bigger and brighter horizons, and it just got me thinking about how my job will be done then. Well, I didn't wanna be done with you three. So, in this way, I know you'll always be my kids, and you'll know that there's always a place for you to come back to when the real world feels like it's too much."

It was such a sob fest when Hank got done speaking, and it seemed like all three of them were blubbering messes of tears and chuckles and happiness as they let everything they were feeling out. Hank grabbed the two of them up in his arms, and Connor let himself be pulled into this semi-family hug.

Then, Kara pulled away with a smirk on her face. "I guess it's a good thing Markus missed this part because we all know how much he hates crying, and anyway, he would have forgotten all of this by tomorrow with the way he drank."

"I'll be surprised if he even remembered what he did to Evan," Connor said, and Kara's eyes lit up in interest.

"What did he do to him? Oh, boy, I hope it wasn't too bad," she said, placing her hands on her cheeks.

Hank patted Connor's shoulder and pulled away. "Coming from Markus, I'm sure it'll be enough to have the kid running for the hills the next time he sees you."

Kara groaned dramatically, and Hank guided her into the living room with an arm around her shoulder. "I want to hear about everything that happened tonight," he said to her, then he turned to look over his shoulder at Connor. "You, too, boy. Get in here with us."

"Coming," Connor said.

As the sound of Kara's ringing laugh faded from his ears, Connor stared down at the folder in his hand as that heavy feeling that he couldn't quite name washed over him once more.

Tonight was going to be a night he'd remember for the rest of his life, and so many people were a reason for that. Kara because everything he'd done in the name of the prom was for her. Markus because he'd helped prepare the perfect invite for Connor to give to Kara, and without him, he would have just been a heaping mess on the floor before he could've even asked Kara. Even Gavin left his impression on Connor for the night by giving him his first kiss, and an answer to a question he'd long wondered about.

But, most of all, this night was going to be seared into his mind forever because of Hank. Tonight was the night he'd finally given his entire self over to Connor, to all of them, and there was absolutely no barrier between them now that Hank hadn't smashed his way through to get to them.

Connor had always thought the future held a lot of potential for him once Hank rescued him from oblivion when he was ten years old, but now it felt like everything was on course. Like there was nothing that could stop him from achieving everything he wanted to.

He was going to enter the world as Connor Anderson now, and that was who he was always meant to become.

---

yooooo so did anyone actually need 15k words about prom? Probably not, but this was pretty much the cutest thing omg. Full disclosure, I cried a bunch while writing this, and I hope you guys liked it because I was super excited about this chapter!

And to answer Kamije Celeek: I do love that you mention Todd and Alice because I also thought it would be kind of cool to incorporate Alice especially into this, and while it didn't work out in this chapter, I do have some ideas for them for the next and final chapter :)