Fallout (Bendytimed Pre-Rebellion)

[shes_intense]

Brenda moved with slow steps down the halls of the crew quarters. Her whole body ached, screaming at her for the marathon she'd forced it through only a few hours ago, but her mind was still too loud to let her just lay down and sleep.

There were dozens of images she couldn't hope to wipe from her mind, a hundred tiny questions about what would happen now and what she should do from here ringing in her ears, and on top of all of it Querl was shutting out visitors. It left her terrified and numb all at once. Not being able to see him, to know he was alright after everything, just made her chest ache but she was too tired to muster the fit of rage she wanted to throw, too overwhelmed and emotionally raw to try to talk to him even if she could see him, probably...

She rubbed at her eyes as she turned the last corner on her route. Once medical had released her she had begun walking without a second thought, remembering the way with remarkable clarity for how long it had been since she'd made the trip.

Brenda lifted her left hand for three quick knocks on Paco's door, her right shoulder still sore from being overworked. She was sure she looked a wreck, hair barely brushed, thin and bruised and bag-eyed. Belatedly, she wondered if she should have sent him a warning message first instead of just showing up to see him looking at least half as bad as she felt. She'd never liked coming to him injured and upset back when they were in school, doing it again now was more than a touch painful.

The door slid open and Brenda forced an awkward smile to her face to keep the tears welling up at bay. Actually seeing him in front of her, close enough to touch, hit her like a brick in the chest.

"Hey you." she managed after a second. "Miss me?"

Comments

[flunkingspanish]

"Brenda!" Paco threw his arms around her and spun her around, swapping back and forth between Spanish and English so fast that the translation system didn't have time to keep up with it all.

"¡Dios Mio, you're alive! You're okay! ¡Qué alivio! I've been freaking out and trying not to strangle the whole Programming department for not finding you! Jesus, it's so good to see you, you look like--"

He set her down quickly when he realized that there were probably bruises that he couldn't see to go with the ones he could, and that he was probably crushing them. "Come on, come in, sit down -- it's so good to see you, you don't know how good, did you break out of the Medbay? I could have come to you. Christ, siddown, let me break out the snack stash."

[shes_intense]

Oh the hug DID hurt but Brenda wasn't of a mind to let go, squeezing him back as he swung her around and leaning into him, unwilling to pull back too far, when he finally put her back on her feet.

"Medical let me leave, it's okay." she managed, finally prying herself from his chest after a long moment of much needed clinging. "I... I wanted to get out. I couldn't sit in there twiddling my thumbs anymore." She didn't want to get into how all the equipment gave her the shivers now.

She let him usher her in and sat heavily on the bed, stomach growling at his mention of snacks. She'd lived on IV feeds and slop for months. Just the thought of real food, no matter how little of it she could manage to eat, almost made the tears start all over again.

"Please tell me you've still got chips and salsa? I could kill for some."

[flunkingspanish]

"Of course I've got chips and salsa," Paco said with a grin, reaching over and seizing them from his snack supply. "I've been saving them for the Brenda-is-free-of-captivity party." He popped the lid of the salsa jar with a flick of his wrist and tore the bag open, offering her first crack at both of them.

[shes_intense]

Brenda smiled. It hurt her face a little. She felt like she hadn't really smiled genuinely in an eon.

The first bite of chips and salsa was every bit as satisfying as she could have dreamed and she closed her eyes for a second, her posture slumping as a sigh rolled off her lips.

"You're the best, thank you. Sit down and tell me how you've been cause you so don't want to hear how I was."

[flunkingspanish]

"Sorry, not much to tell," Paco said, making a face as he sat down next to her, still holding the chips and salsa out to her. "Mostly I was just cranky and miserable and feeling useless. Especially after Jaime got repodded again."

Yes, this whole event had pretty much sucked on this end too. Not near as badly, but there had still been sucking. Paco grinned widely at her.

"Now that you're back and going to be okay, everything's a hell of a lot better."

[shes_intense]

Brenda's face fell at the mention of Jaime, chest clenching up tight. Repodded didn't mean gone but... goddamn she could really have used a Jaime hug after everything.

"I'll be okay I think, yeah." she took another bite of chip, shoulders sagging as she sighed. "I really don't know about everybody else though, especially Querl."