the twink in black tights - hank x connor

Merry Christmas, and By The Way, I Love You

"So what is it, then, Lieutenant ?" Connor knew by Hank's reaction that, despite what he had said months ago when they had just met, Hank really liked the way he said 'lieutenant.' He was very observant, after all, and noticed the way his breath hitched every time without fail.

"Fuck you," Hank muttered, although it was barely audible. Please do , said a perverted voice in Connor's head. He silenced it, though it took willpower, and he found himself confused by his desires. He never cared about anything romantic, let alone sexual. He hadn't even had his first kiss yet. He gave his full attention to Hank when the man opened his mouth to speak.

"I, uh, got you something. For Christmas." Connor waited, and Hank pulled out a bouquet of blue flowers. All different shades and shapes of flowers and Connor's mouth fell open in awe.

"They're beautiful..." Connor trailed off, a dopey smile making its way on his face. Hank looked away sheepishly as Connor took the arrangement into his hands.

"Thank you, Hank!" He chirped, looking from the beautiful flowers to Hank. "Need to put these in a vase..." He murmured as he quickly shuffled away to put the flowers in a vase, as he said he would. He carefully placed them in the vase he had filled with water and put them on his coffee table. He smiled down at them and turned to Hank.

"I got you something too," He said, suddenly feeling shy as he faced the older man. He felt stupid. Hank got him flowers and he got him... a shirt.

"Wh... You did?" Hank seemed stunned, and this helped with Connor's confidence enough to get the brunette on his feet and going to grab the bag he had under his cheap Christmas tree.

"Yes, Hank, I did," Connor said, and he was grinning. He held out the bag to Hank, who grabbed it, a look of surprise still on his face as he carefully took out the tissue paper from the bag and set it on the coffee table. Connor watched his face, attempting to gauge his reaction, and felt a surge of relief as Hank's face broke into a smile. He pulled out the shirt and laughed, and Connor thought for a moment he had misinterpreted, his face falling slightly.

"I fucking love it, Connor," Hank blurted out, and Connor beamed.

"Really?" He asked and all the worries he had about his gift seemed to disappear.

"This is my favorite shirt now," Hank said, blue eyes sparkling. Connor let out a relieved laugh.

"Should I wear this instead?" Hank looked it up and down, and it wasn't particularly wintery, but it would work. Connor nodded eagerly, and Hank rolled his eyes.

"I'll just... Uh, where's the bathroom?" Hank looked around Connor's apartment, and Connor felt embarrassed that he'd forgotten that his apartment is foreign to Hank.

"Uh, it's down the hall there," Connor said, pointing to one of the doors in the hallway. Hank nodded and took the shirt to the bathroom down the hall. Connor watched him disappear and felt his heart racing even without Hank in the room. He was heavily considering it now, and before he could make up his mind, Hank walked out of his bathroom holding his other shirt. He looked away bashfully. Hank had pulled his hair back and when he smiled at Connor, Connor thought his soul left his body at this point.

"You look very handsome," Connor said quietly, looking Hank up and down. If not for the cold, he'd probably be sweating.

"You're not so bad yourself," Hank shot back at him, but Connor could tell that Hank took the compliment, visibly becoming more confident. Connor shifted where he sat on the sofa and his hand messed with the hem of Hank's hoodie, watching Hank make his way over to the sofa. Hank laid his shirt over the top of the couch and sat next to Connor, and their closeness made Connor dizzy.

"You seem distracted," Hank looked at him strangely, and Connor stayed evading his eyes. He said nothing, fearing he wouldn't be able to control his impulses to say something he might regret.

"Talk to me, Con," Hank pressed on, and Connor relented.

"I don't want to mess this up," Connor whispered, and it was hardly a whisper. He could hear Hank's breath catch in his throat.

"You won't," Hank insisted, and Connor exhaled.

"Do you promise?" Connor asked softly, and Hank nodded, ruffling Connor's already messy brown hair.

"Of course, Connor," Hank promised. Connor met his eyes, and his eyes flitted down to the older man's lips before he forced his gaze back into Hank's pale blue eyes, which searched his for some sort of idea of what Connor wanted to say. Knowing Hank, police lieutenant and all, Connor was probably already figured out, but Hank's face remained painfully neutral.

"I... fuck," Connor scrunched his eyes shut and held his head in his hands, visibly stressed. Hank was taken aback; it was the first time he'd ever heard Connor swear.

"You don't have to say it, ya know," Hank told him, and as much as Connor appreciated Hank caring about his comfort, he knew he needed to. Before the moment was gone.

"No, I do- It's just- I, um, like you a lot," Connor spoke quickly, and Hank could hardly make out what he was saying, his lithe hands trembling as he rubbed them together. Hank put his hands over Connor's.

"Like me like how?" Hank asked, and Connor looked up to see his face was unreadable. He huffed in frustration, but his hands trembled less under Hank's.

"Like..." Connor trailed off. He knew the words, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared of them regardless. He went for something safer, his eyes grazing over Hank's lips again as he attempted to read the lieutenant.

"Like romantically," Connor said it quietly, feeling a lump in his throat as he prepared for the worst. Hank just stared at him, eyes wide, shock visible on his face. The silence seemed to stretch for miles, and Connor's eyes watered without his permission.

"Please say something, Hank," He croaked weakly. Hank blinked at him, a smile forcing its way onto his face.

"Shit- uh- yeah," Hank, ever helpful, sputtered. "I mean- I like you too- fuck," Hank's face was red and he stared at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Connor. He seemed to be searching, searching for any sign of doubt or hesitance, but Connor was all in. Connor laced their fingers together, something Hank found reassuring.

"What would that make us, then?" Connor asked although he caught himself quickly. "That is, if you want to put a label on this, I don't want to force you to do anything."

"Nah, I've- I've thought about it, I think... lovers would fit. Boyfriend feels too childish, ya know?" Hank cut off his rambling, and it didn't go unnoticed that Hank had said he'd thought about it.

"Lovers it is, then," Connor agreed, and he kissed Hank's cheek, feeling his heart swell.

"Yeah," Hank said, and he seemed out of it. When Connor was about to ask, he spoke again. "This is going to sound really fucking stupid, but am I dreaming?"

"No, Hank, I'm real," Connor said with a quiet laugh, squeezing Hank's hand. Hank let out a relieved sigh.

"Okay, good," Hank said, and Connor peered at him.

"You've dreamt about this before?" Connor asked, smirking. Hank blushed, although it was subtle enough that if Connor wasn't looking for it, he might not have noticed it.

"Among other things, yeah," Hank said, and Connor hummed in acknowledgment. Connor could see a brief moment of fear in Hank's face, as though he had said too much, and then Connor replayed what he said in his mind. Other things?

"Should we go, then?" Connor asked, not letting himself think about it too much, and Hank nodded. Connor was so unbelievably happy. He'd often wondered if he was fucking himself over getting his hopes up the way he did with Hank, and it was something he'd never truly been able to brush off until just then. Hank liked him too. And that... That was an amazing feeling. Connor brushed a piece of hair that had fallen into Hank's face behind his ear gently, enjoying the way Hank leaned into his touch lightly. He let his hand fall, and kept the other one connected with Hank's, despite the slight clamminess that had developed.

"Yeah. Let's go." Hank said, and the two left Connor's apartment hand-in-hand with stupid smiles on their faces.