trans_9 | I dream of rain [Closed]

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I dream of rain [Closed]

Adam couldn't help but keep away from people. He didn't know why but everything seemed to trigger something in his dreams and now he had been having them while walking around. He was glad for some of those who helped him but for the most part, he kept to himself. Which, sometimes, made it worse.

He hadn't seen Billy in months, GlaDOS sometimes took him and denied him cake (that meanie), and other times, he holed himself up in the Sensorium to read.

Which is exactly what he was doing now.

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It was one of those times. Billy wandered the halls after pulling himself from another nightmare, fighting to bring his thoughts back under control. He had to breathe. Remember that fear wasn't something to be feared, but accepted, compartmentalized, and dismissed.

That was much harder than it sounded.

With a sigh, he searched for an empty Sensorium. It wouldn't be fair to bother anyone right now---but for some reason, a particular occupied room demanded his attention. He obediently peeked inside, slipped through rows and rows of books, and finally saw the reason he'd been drawn inside.

A familiar face sat between the rows of books, and with him came a rush of unlocked memories. Adam was here, had been here, and Billy had forgotten all about him. Feeling a tidal wave of guilt crash over him, he eased himself in front of Adam and poked at the book.

"Excuse me, may I interrupt?"

Adam jumped, his back hitting the bookshelf and his book dropping to the floor. His eyes were wide as he stared at Billy before realization dawned. He blushed and chuckled lightly. "Sorry, I... didn't hear you come in."

When had that happened? He was usually so aware of his surroundings, after all.

"Whoa, hey---Adam, it's all right. I didn't mean to startle you," he apolgized, touching a shoulder. Well, mostly he didn't mean to. He may have enjoyed it a little, as revenge for an earlier incident. For the most part, though, Billy felt overwhelming relief at finding his friend.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't seek you out sooner. Were you trapped in a maze recently, by any chance?

Adam picked up his book and dog-eared the page. He blinked at Billy. "Uh, yeah, I was actually. Why?"

"GLaDOS abducted you. When she selects unfortunate crew members for her longer experiments," he wrinkled his nose in disgust as he remembered a 'short' experiment, "she alters the crew's memories to erase the fact that her abductees were ever here. In short, my memory of you was forcibly erased."

Billy crossed his arms and frowned. Nothing was worse to him than tampering with his mind. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," He wanted cake. "Well, the best I can be, I suppose. Considering where we are and all."

At least her version of experimenting on people was denying cake and talking endlessly. There were worse ways, after all, to be abducted.

"Definitely understandable," he agreed, resting a hand against the bookcase. "At least you were spared from some of the nightmares."

Yes, those evil things. How he longed for one night of peaceful sleep.

Adam didn't really answer to that, and that alone should have been Billy's answer.

He lapsed into silence too, hunching his shoulders and turning away. Blast his big mouth and complete failure at reading situations. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Adam shook his head. "No, it's okay, you didn't know."

"Okay," he sighed, rubbing at his temples. "How have you been coping? I've attempted to learn meditation techniques, and there's a psychically-protected bus in the city you can visit if the nightmares get overwhelming, but neither option has helped me completely."

"The nightmares haven't been to horrible," Adam said quietly. "Bothersome and a little... disheartening, but nothing outright terrible."

He was coping fine, was what he was trying to say, but it was hard. He didn't know why, but Adam just felt more withdrawn than before.

"I'm...well, not glad, but somewhat relieved. The warriors are preparing. I suspect it will be over soon." Billy forcibly molded his wan face into a semblance of a smile, pushing back any thoughts of his own nightmares. Fear would be their undoing. He reached to his shoulder, hit the strap of a pack he'd carried here, and gasped.

"Oh! I brought you a present, actually," he said with mild surprise, glancing back at the pack he'd carried here. "When we left to revive the Christmas spirit on another world, we were given a chance to buy presents for our friends. I got this for you, but I never had the chance to deliver it before you were abducted. I've carried it around periodically, wondering why I have it---and now I know."

With a grin, he passed the simple green pack.

He had a new found hate for GlaDOS right now. Christmas spirit? He missed a lot!

Adam took the pack with a curious look and opened it. He gasped when he found familiar clothes within. A few shirts, jeans, even his black adidas! He then pulled out a karate belt, it was black however it also had more than one color. Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, White, and Black.

The Ranger team. "H-How did you find all this?"

"After our charity feast in the desert, we had an opportunity to shop in one of the cities. Kimberly likely would have completed the trip faster with her famous shoppers' radar, but I did my best to get the correct sizes of everything. I customized the belt."

Billy looked up at his friend curiously. "I hope everything's suitable."

"I think I would still be frightened if Kimberly began picking out clothes for me,"Adam chuckled lightly as he looked through them all. "You did a good job, I think they'll all fit fine. Besides, even if they don't clothes are clothes. If I find any too small, I'm sure someone else who can fit into it will appreciate it."

The customized belt was really his favorite article, it fit so well and reminded him of his friends. ""

"Good. Lex Luthor also brought back some clothing, so if it doesn't fit you you may be able to obtain some from the communal pile." Billy grinned, glancing over the mess.

"You're definitely not alone with that sentiment," he added unnecessarily, tapping his friend's arm. "But somewhere in those caverns, they're alive. That's all I need to know. Besides, can you imagine what would happen if we set Rocky loose on everyone?"

Oh yes, that would be a riot. He looked thoughtful, imagining the chaos.

Adam laughed, resting his arms on his knees. "He'd eat everything!"

"Even our amorphous and bland sustenance, unflatteringly known as slop?" He had to laugh too, imagining his absent friend's face when he slid that into his mouth.

Billy sobered up once his thoughts moved elsewhere. "I do have a friend who has the power to create real food, though. I suspect that they'd be friends."

Speaking of friends... "Adam, do you have any pet allergies?"

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I dream of rain [Closed]

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Nice glasses :3

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