𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄

Chapter 9

The first thing you noticed when you woke up was that you weren't in your room. You weren't wearing your favorite pair of pyjamas and you definitely weren't smelling the chef's breakfast from down the grand staircase. Events from last night and the day before rushed back to you and you sighed, swinging your legs over the side of the bed. "Guess it wasn't a nightmare, then."

You left the guest room and wandered down the hall, eventually coming across the living room where Hank and Connor sat side by side, watching the news. Connor raised his head as you walked in, smiling subtly. "Good morning, (Y/N)."

You nodded, offering a half smile in return. "Morning Connor. Morning Lieutenant."

Hank raised his arm, flashing you a wave in bare-minimum greeting. You stood awkwardly in the doorway, clicking your heels together while you waited for someone to say something. Suddenly, you became aware of the fourth presence in the room.

A loud 'boof' sounded from behind you, causing you to turn and face a large Saint Bernard dog that you were sure you had never seen before. Its gentle brown eyes glanced over you boredly before sitting on top of your feet, whining up at you. Hank raised an eyebrow at the sound and glanced behind the couch, sighing at the sight of his dog warming up to the deviant house-guest. He was about to turn back around and continue watching TV when he noticed your fearful expression.

"That's just Sumo. He's a big softie. Never seen him cuddle up to anyone that quick, though." He admitted, a smile pulling at the edge of his bearded lips.

You laughed nervously, leaning over to pat the couch-sized dog on the head. "Hello, Sumo." Seeing as how you couldn't move with him lounging on your toes, you opted to just sit down there on the floor, petting his broad, fuzzy back occasionally. You quickly came to the conclusion that you liked dogs.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Connor stand from the couch and remain stoic as ever as he stared motionlessly at the wall next to the TV. Hank didn't even bat an eye, just continuing to watch the news. "Is that normal?" You asked, pointing toward Connor.

The Lieutenant looked to where you were pointing, waving a calloused hand. "He just does that when he gets reports from CyberLife or the station. Usually, means we're going to be on our way soon." He watched Connor for a few more moments before turning back to you, eyes widening a little bit.

You froze mid-pet, raising an eyebrow. "Are you ok, Lieutenant?" You asked, resuming to scratch Sumo behind the ear, much to the dog's delight. Hank hesitated before shaking his head, dismissively. "Yeah. I hadn't realized it before, but you look almost exactly like my sister's kid." Looking at you again, he scoffed. "A little too much if you ask me."

Leaning back on your hands, you decided to take this as an opportunity to gain some brownie points in the grumpy officer's favour. "What was she like?"

"My sister? Decent as far as family goes. Married some shitty writer right out of high school. Said that he was rich; that he was gonna take care of her and move away from the city." He bit his cheek, bouncing his leg. "Well then she went and got pregnant and they decided to have the baby here in Detroit. Ended up naming her Julia after some poet or whatever. It was Richard's idea, obviously." Your ears perked up. Richard? Had you heard that correctly?

"What about your niece? How was she?"

Hank grinned. "The sweetest little thing, honestly. She'd love coming to work with me since both her parents worked from home. Always said she wanted to be a police officer when she grew up." The smile disappeared just as soon as it appeared. "When Julia was sixteen, there was an accident. One of those autonomous taxis went off the rails and took her and my sister down with it. They were both killed."