Trekking through large cities was always a rather silent and cautious affair, even among Connie's more talkative friends, and Hancock was no different. The ghoul had started traveling with the former vault-dweller some time ago, and despite growing to know each other well, Connie found that there were things about him that never ceased to amuse her- not that she'd let him know.
Green eyes slid from the cracked and worn asphalt in front of her to the ghoul silently pacing a little ways away on the other side of the street. He rarely stayed close, Connie had long since noticed, and liked to keep distance between them. In buildings he'd wander off the minute they crossed the threshold, sauntering over to a chair or nearby wall to lean on casually, watching the whole room from his chosen vantage point. Cities were much the same, he never walked directly beside her- like Piper did- and instead chose to keep at least five feet between them. He'd explained to her early in their travels together, that it made it harder for both of them to be targeted at once, and that spreading out a little meant two different viewpoints, or a wider search radius.
Connie watched him prowl forward, looking very much like the capable killer he was, lengthening his strides to pull ahead and peer around the next corner before her, keen black eyes able to see better in the dark than her own. She slowed her steps to humor him, glancing at her Pip-Boy and finding it's sweeps for other wasteland inhabitants coming up clear- there was nothing around but them.
Hancock continued forward, which Connie took to mean he'd found nothing, stalking across the intersection and continuing the walk toward the edge of the city with his red frock swaying in the chilled breeze. She followed with a fond smile quirking her lips, he was so protective and careful with her, it amused her to no end just how breakable he seemed to think she was.
They continued in quiet for some time, the soft crunch of their boots on rubble and the ambient noises of the Commonwealth the only sounds to be heard. The pair stopped at the edge of the crumbling city, pausing to take in the barren landscape before them, spotted with dead trees and long since abandoned vehicles, slowly weathering and becoming one with the ground.
"There's an old house of some sort to the North," Connie muttered, looking through the scope of her favorite laser musket, "We could try that?" She proposed, lowering the weapon and looking to her friend for his opinion.
Hancock grunted in response, pulling a cigarette out of one of his deep pockets and lighting it with what would have been an expensive flip-lighter if anyone gave a shit anymore. Connie rolled her eyes as she holstered the musket, she knew enough Hancock-speak to know that meant he was fine with the suggestion and set a brisk pace for him to follow.
The house turned out to be empty luckily, and the two made good time in setting up camp, tucked under the remaining roofing in a corner on the second floor- carving out a warm space for themselves in the biting cold of the night. Hancock checked around the perimeter one last time as Connie started heating up food on the freshly made fire, the ghoul kicking at random pieces of rubble and digging around in the downstairs kitchen noisily before finally joining his companion by the fire.
"Find anything useful?" Connie asked without looking up, her red hair catching the fire light and making the color seem even deeper than it already was.
"Nah, not really," Hancock shrugged, long coat swishing around his legs with the motion, and plopped down beside her, taking the plate she offered him as he did so, "Nothin' but trash- as is usual," He mumbled around his food, having wasted no time digging in.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, that's disgusting!" Connie cried in mock offense, only half joking, "Where are your manners young man?"
Hancock snorted, "Manners? What're those?" He replied easily, taking another bite of food and turning to scowl at the woman beside him playfully, "And don't you fucking 'young man' me, you don't even know how old I am."
"Well I know I'm older, so respect your elders and shut up while you eat your food." Connie clipped back while trying to force down a smirk, taking a huge bite of her own meal in a vain attempt to hide it. Hancock raised a non-existant brow, letting out a low whistle and giving his head a small shake at her attitude, humor in his wry smile and dark eyes.
"Suuure, sure. Whatever you say, ya old hag." His insult fell flat of course, in part because they both knew he didn't mean it, and partly because he couldn't hold back the giggles that clung to the tailcoat of his sentence, all while flinching away from Connie preemptively in preparation for the smack on the arm he was sure to receive- which he did, Connie reaching across the small distance between them to swat at his shoulder.
"I don't know why I keep you around," The woman huffed, determined to keep the fragile scowl she'd managed to scrape together in place.
"Probably for my dashing good looks and charming personality," Hancock replied without missing a beat, setting his plate down to snap the collar of his coat for emphasis, giving Connie the cockiest smile he could manage and sending her into a laughing fit so severe she started choking on her food.
"You okay there, sister?" Hancock chuckled, watching as Connie coughed again, smiling despite the tears in her eyes, before giving him a nod.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good," She managed weakly, giving him a thumbs up as her coughing fit slowly subsided. The ghoul studied her a moment longer, as if determining for himself if that was true, eyes narrowing in thought until he seemed satisfied with her answer and went back to eating. Their conversation was minimal throughout the rest of the meal before they settled in for the night, fire doused and sound traps set up downstairs.
The night grew deeper still without the heat from the flames, the cold leaking into Connie's bones, making her shiver in her sleeping bag. She lay, curled under as many blankets as possible, parallel to Hancock who was sprawled over the top of his own sleeping bag, seemingly unbothered by the cold. Connie rolled over to glare at him, watching the smoke drift lazily from his last cigarette of the night, one arm bent to rest behind his head and hat askew, covering his eyes.
"Hey Hancock," She said, voice muffled by the layers that failed to keep her warm. The ghoul hummed in curious acknowledgment, taking another leisurely drag from his cigarette. "We're pretty good friends right?" Connie continued, watching as Hancock's brow furrowed under his hat, a spindly finger reaching up to tip it back a little, allowing his inky eyes to meet her green ones.
"What?" He started, obviously confused by her sudden question, "'Course we are Red, wouldn'ta suck around so long if we weren't," He rasped, voice gravely as always despite the uncertainty and bewilderment that was clear in his tone.
"Okay so then it won't be weird if I do this," Connie said, quickly sliding out of her sleeping bag with a violent shudder at the late-fall air and pulling it, along with the rest of her bedding, right up against Hancock's side. She climbed back under her small pile of blankets, now tucked against his body and her head on his shoulder, "Because it's cold as fuck and I'm sure as hell not going to let the weather be the thing that kills me."
The ghoul stiffened, muscles going tense as Connie settled in with a satisfied sigh, eagerly cuddling close to his inhuman body heat. Slowly though Hancock relaxed, his breathing resuming after being caught in his throat by surprise, his initial spike of panic over being touched soothed by how easy the woman pressed against him made the contact seem. It'd been years since someone had touched him like this, contact that meant more than fleeting formality. After turning into a ghoul, John hadn't let anyone so close, he kept himself guarded with one hand on the hilt of his knife at all times, wary of everyone around him.
But, he thought to himself, he couldn't let her freeze to death on his watch. Someone, probably Piper or maybe Danse- that asshole always looked for a reason to start something with him- would have his head for it. And as reluctant as he was to admit it, he'd become close friends with this odd woman who'd waltzed into his town all those months ago. Her soft voice pulled him from his train of thought and he let himself relax fully, feeling his muscles slowly bleed of all their previous tension.
"Why are you so hot? S'not fair," Connie mumbled sleepily as Hancock brought the arm that was behind his head around her shoulders, snuffing out the dying stub of his cig and pulling his hat back over his eyes with his free hand. He took a moment to answer, debating on whether or not to make a joke but finally deciding he'd spare her the trouble this one time on the account of her already being half asleep.
"Not sure exactly," He mumbled softly, the hand on Connie's shoulder tracing small patterns on her arm, "Prob'ly got somethin' to do with the radiation or some shit like that. M'not human anymore after all." He finished somewhat sadly, tone wistful.
She hummed tiredly, eyes closed, "So? You dun hav'ta be human," She slurred, snuggling closer, "Yer just you." Hancock let the silence stretch after that, turning her words over in his mind as she finally fell asleep, leaving him to his thoughts and the distant sounds of the wasteland.