Chapter Text
The hot tea in her hand wasn’t really helpful to calm Grace down. Even though Leon just told her that they might be able to save Emily, Grace is still terrified of everything else tonight. Being in FBI, she has encountered a lot. But tonight, it was a whole different conversation.
The only person that went through it with her just walked away, maybe to inform someone about something or maybe to take care of his injuries. Grace has been alone for a huge part of her life but somehow tonight made it strange, and maybe scary, for Grace to be alone.
“Miss Ashcroft,” a sound from beside caught her attention. It was someone within the Hound Wolf Squad, from the patch on their shirt. However, with all the tactical gear on that person’s head, Grace has no idea who it would be.
It was almost like he could hear her thoughts. He took off his headset, revealing the face of someone who might be closer to Grace’s age than the rest of the Hound Wolf Squad.
“I’m Canine,” he said, offering his hand out for a handshake. Grace brushed her hand on her jeans, trying to clean it for a bit before taking the offer.
“Grace Ashcroft, nice to meet you.”
Canine sends her a light smile before sitting down next to her. Grace found it quite strange to see the smile of a Hound Wolf Squad. She imagined them to be... maybe grumpy? At the same time, if this is a random guy Grace found in the middle of the park, she would say he has a cute smile.
Grace scooted over to give a little more space between them. After all, they are strangers.
“Do you have any questions for me, sir,” Grace addressed another person in a formal way since this seems to be a conversation between two government personnel.
“Oh, don’t call me that,” he immediately dissuaded before explaining. “I’m not here to ask questions or anything like that. Though you might get called in for testify or interview, tonight is not the night, and it would definitely not me who will do it.”
Grace let out a small Ah as to signal to him that she understood his explanation. Now she’s staring at him, trying to get an answer to why he is here.
“Um, well, I...uh...I want to ask if you’re okay,” he said with hesitancy, unlike how he worked with his squad.
“I guess I am. I mean I’d have to be, right?” She smiled at him.
“It’s okay to be scared.”
“Yeah but Leon was so brave about everything and I... I feel like I should be stronger,” Grace said as she ran her finger across the cup of tea in her hand to reduce the stress she has.
Canine chuckled and that made Grace frown at him.
“Leon has been doing this shit his whole life. You saw him not even flinched with the zombies, right?” Canine asked yet not even waiting for the answer to continue. “Do you think he was that still when he faced those zombies the first time, decades ago?”
Grace shakes her head slowly.
Though what Canine said might be true, Grace still strongly believed that Leon was much better than her when he encountered those things for the first time.
“Obviously I wasn’t there when Leon fight off those zombies the first time and I wasn’t there when you fight them off. I can’t compare you two but you being alive right now was more than enough to tell me how good of an agent you are,” he spoke a long sentence but did not let his gaze off from her. Canine wanted to make sure that Grace knew he was sincere.
“You helped us out though,” Grace chuckled as she met Canine’s eyes.
“You did not need us. We were just there because our Captain could not let even a small scratch happen to his precious Leon.”
Grace let out the first actual laugh of the night. It was subtle, but it was enough to bring another smile out of Canine.
“It’s great to have someone looking after you like that,” Grace said.
Silence filled the air for a few seconds before Grace broke the silence one more time.
“You know, my whole life I thought being alone was fine. For some reason now I’m scare.”
“I’ll be here,” Canine softened his voice.
“Did they assign you to make sure I don’t die?” Grace asked back.
“No, definitely not.”
“Then why are you here, Canine.”
“Call me K,” Canine diverted the conversation.
“You did not answer my questions.”
“I mean we gotta wait until they clear something and then we’re gonna give you a ride back home, I mean a flight, but I might as well keep you company.”
Grace looked into his eyes with nervousness. She wasn’t sure why would he need to keep her company, wasn’t sure what was his intention. However, after the nightmare she’s been through, a company doesn’t sound so bad.
The silence filled the space between them once again, yet it did not feel awkward at all. Grace is now warm. It was strange that the presence of one stranger could change one’s emotion completely.
Canine can sense that all Grace needed right now is just someone beside her, one who genuinely wanted to be here. He secretly glances at the woman beside him. She might thought that he’s helping her feeling better, but she would never knew that he did not feel the comfort of silence in so long.
Earlier in life, he was surrounded by barking sounds. Then, he joined the Hound Wolf Squad and turned his life to be surrounded with shooting and explosion sound, always have his squad voice in his ears, always hear the hunger of bioweapon in every direction. Every time he was surrounded with silence, it was for stealth which one breath sound and his life could be taken away.
But now, it became the first time in years Canine got to enjoy silence.
And he can wholeheartedly say how much he loves it.