It was a dark and snowy night. The street lamps cast their lights over large snowdrifts. Snowflakes were coming down like rain. The streets were abandoned, the people of the town having settled in their beds already.
But one woman was still active.
Said woman was raven-haired, of Asian descent. She wore a red jacket, and blue jeans. Her name was Ada Wong, and she had just completed a mission. She was currently on her way to the rendezvous point, so she could get her ride back to base and return home. She shivered. The sooner she got back, the better... She hated winter, all the damn snow and-
The young woman felt herself slip, and fall flat on her face.
...Ice...
Pulling herself to her feet, Ada spat out some snow that had found its way into her mouth. Shaking her head in aggravation, she continued her journey. After about ten minutes of walking, she found herself near a group of overly-perfect houses, and shook her head in amusement. It was like something out of a painting. Her gaze came to rest on a house labeled "Number 4". She scoffed.
"What a bunch of neat freaks. That house is too perfect..." She muttered. She was too busy focusing on the house to notice the small ice patch, and she ended up slipping and getting her head stuck in a small snowdrift. Pressing her hands against the ground, she managed to pull her head free and sighed in annoyance. "F*ck winter."
That was when the sound got her attention. It was quiet, but she could make out what sounded like a soft, miserable whimper. Raising a brow, she rose to her feet and peeked over the fence of the house labelled "Number 4".
It was a child. A child outside alone in the snow at night, wearing nothing but an incredibly oversized t-shirt. He was curled up in a tiny ball, desperately trying to conserve his body heat.
It was a sight that could pierce the heart of the coldest, most cynical person in the world. Ada couldn't just leave him there in good conscience. Quickly, she leapt over the fence, then ended up falling facefirst in the snow, creating a small hole in the shape of her body. Muttering under her breath, she pulled herself to her feet and slowly approached the little boy. He heard her boots crunching in the snow, snapped his head over to look at her, then, with a whimper, scooted away and tried to make himself as small as possible. Ada was not to be detered. She closed the distance between them quickly, then stood over him with a frown. If this kept up, he would surely freeze to death... The young woman sighed.
"I just know I'm gonna regret this..." With much reluctance, she slipped off her jacket. Then, she kneeled down and wrapped it around the little boy. She felt slightly relieved when he stopped shivering and snuggled closer into the warm fabric. She placed a hand on his chin, and made him look up at her. She was shivering slightly now, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "I'm gonna take you out of the cold, okay?" The child blinked, and his eyes widened when he felt her hands underneath his armpits, gently lifting him off the ground. He was slightly nervous... But that faded away when he felt himself being clutched tightly against the woman's chest. She was so warm...
Ada smirked in satisfaction as the boy's shivering stopped entirely and he rested his head on her chest. His problem was solved...but now she had to get herself out of the cold as well. With a shudder, she left the yard, and made her way to the rendezvous point.
"So...You have a name?" She asked.
"Um...M-My name is H-Harry..." The child replied.
"Harry, huh? That's a nice name. Mine's Ada. Ada Wong."
"Oh...Um...Nice to meet you, Miss Wong..."
"...What were you doing alone out there in the cold, kid?"
"U-Uncle Vernon said freaks belong in the cold..."
Those words made Ada freeze in her tracks. She looked back to the house, and her face flashed in anger. His UNCLE locked him out in the cold? What sick bastard does that to a three-year old?! First chance she got, she was gonna see if she could get her organization on their asses...
The raven-haired woman shook her head, and looked back down at Harry. "Well...Let's just get you warmed up..." before continuing her trip to the rendezvous point.
Harry had no idea what was going on. One minute, he was taking the punishment he deserved. The next, he was nice and warm, snuggled up in a pretty woman's arms, like she...actually cared about what happened to him. Why? Why would anyone want to help a freak like him? His thoughts were interrupted as a shiver ran down his spine. The little boy snuggled closer into Ada's chest for warmth, and was immensely relieved when the cold seeped away.
Ada looked down at the child, and couldn't help but let a small smile grace her features. He was a cute kid. And that increased the anger she felt towards his uncle. "Bastard's gonna pay..." She thought.
Soon enough, they arrived at the rendezvous point, where a helicopter awaited. A young man, the pilot, approached.
"Way to go, Miss Wong, you've completed yet another mission-...Is...that a kid you're holding?"
"Don't ask. Just fly." Ada said simply as she stepped past him and got inside the helicopter. The pilot looked back at her, shrugged, then stepped into the cockpit and took off.
Ada sighed with relief, glad to have some reprieve from the bitter cold. She looked out the window for a few moments, then back down to Harry. She realized something...She had saved him...Now what was she going to do with him? She watched as he shifted around in her arms. Sighing, she thought 'I'll figure it out later...' She watched the little child, then noticed that his eyes were closed. He was fast asleep. The woman smiled and rubbed his head with the palm of her hand. 'Kid's kind of adorable when he doesn't look like he's gonna have a panic attack any second...' She spent the rest of the ride silently running her fingers through Harry's hair. The trip was silent, aside from the occasional coo of delight the sleeping child made.
As the ride went on, Ada came to a surprising realization...She was getting EXTREMELY attached to the sweet, adorable little boy in her arms. She felt dirty at the very thought of letting him go.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the helicopter touched down near the base. Ada stepped out of the helicopter delicately, so as not to disturb Harry's slumber, then quickly made her way to the medical wing. For all she knew, Harry might have gotten pneumonia.
As soon as she was in the medical wing, she gently placed Harry down on one of the beds. Carefully, she unwrapped her jacket from around his tiny, frail body...and immediately dropped it when she saw it.
It had been too dark to see it before, but now that there was light, she could very clearly see the bleeding wounds, puncture marks and burns all up and down Harry's arms. Her mouth slowly opened in horror as she drunk in the sight.
Then, Harry's eyes opened. He looked groggy for a few moments, then his eyes widened, and he shot up and whipped his head around, then looked fearful.
"Wh-Where am I?" He asked. "How did I get here? I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be getting punished! I should be cold and lying in the snow! Why am I inside? Who brought me here?"
Ada watched the child's panic attack with wide eyes, unsure of how to approach the situation.
"Uh, k-kid..." Harry was still panicking. "Kid..." More freaking out. "Calm down, it's okay!" He was barely acknowledging her, so Ada knew she's have to rely on physical contact. She threw her arms around his tiny body, then pulled him back into her chest.
Harry looked up at the woman, fear still notable in his eyes.
"Shh...Take it easy, little guy. It's just me, remember?" Harry's fear melted away at her calm, soothing tone. He stared up at the woman in amazement. She was so nice... He didn't think people this nice existed!
Ada smirked. "What's with the staring, kid?" Harry's eyes widened in fear once more. He had offended her! Oh no, what would she do to him?! Slap him? Punch him? Throw him across the room? Burn him on the stove? He was terrified! He didn't want her to hurt him!
"I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN, I SWEAR! PLEASE-" He felt a hand placed over his mouth, and he looked at Ada. She was...smiling?
Ada let out a small chuckle, and Harry calmed down the instant she began stroking his hair. "It was just a question, little guy." Harry's breathing returned to a normal pace, and with a small smile, he leaned closer into Ada's touches, causing the young woman to feel a warmth in her chest. This felt right...
After a few minutes, they broke the hug, though Ada's hands did remain on his shoulders. She looked him in the eyes, a dead serious expression on her face.
"Harry...You need to tell me what happened to your arms." Harry's eyes widened, and he looked down sadly.
"I-I did the freaky stuff, and Uncle Vernon punished me, like I deserved..." Ada gritted her teeth and looked down at the floor with rage, thinking about how she wants to see that bastard get ripped to pieces by a hunter.
Ada shook her head, then turned her attention back to Harry, who was staring at the ground as well. They were currently treating another soldier's wounds, so it would be a while before they got to Harry. She might as well help him get comfortable... She frowned when she noticed he was shivering again.
Without saying another word, she grabbed the blanket off the bed, wrapped it around the tiny child, then held him close.
If she were back at her own place, she'd have sat him down by the fireplace and given him hot chocolate, but...beggars can't be choosers.
Harry didn't care about the lack of warm fire and beverages. He had never been hugged before this day, so he was enjoying it immensely. He loved getting hugged...It was nice, and warm, and soothing...Smiling, he closed his eyes and rested his little head against her chest. He heard a soft beating coming from the young woman's chest. Was that her heart? It was the most comforting sound Harry had ever heard...It was almost hypnotic.
Ada looked down, and smiled when she saw he was comfortable. 'Good...' She thought. 'He'll need all the comfort he can get...'
With a broad smile, Ada continued holding Harry, until the door opened, Turning, she saw a medic step in.
"Hello, Miss Wong." The young female medic said. "I heard you brought a little guest in for treatment." Ada nodded.
"Yeah, he's been through a lot from the looks of it." The medic looked at his arms and grimaced.
"Oh dear...I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to put him down and stand back." Ada frowned. She didn't want to put him down...but, he needed to be healed, so, reluctantly, she placed the child down on the bed, and stepped back.
Harry gave her a sad face, and Ada gave him a reassuring smile as she sat down on the nearby chair. Harry smiled. Ada wasn't going anywhere.