trans_9 | Just a Little Bit Closer, Just a Little Warmer [Closed to Steve]

Entry tags:

Just a Little Bit Closer, Just a Little Warmer [Closed to Steve]

Miku didn't like the observation deck anymore. Ever since the Punishment had occurred, she couldn't stay very long without hearing things that had been past days ago. She figured it was probably worse because it was "newer" than the events that had already happened on the ship.

Regardless, the moment she heard Stacy's voice quietly admonishing Big Zero for her actions in that cold voice of hers, Miku started to hurry across the deck like someone had lit her on fire.

Anywhere would be better than hearing or seeing this. Anywhere at all. She pointedly kept her eyes on her the ground to avoid seeing any of the Punishment again. Once was enough. Once was more than enough.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She nodded in agreement and picked a spot under a tree with bluish, smooth bark. Like someone had decided that trees needed to be made out of plastic on some distant planet. At least it smelled kind of sweet, which she didn't mind so much.

"Let's sit here, okay?" Miku plopped herself down, and opened her hands to discreetly examine them. She'd pressed little red crescents into her palms, but they weren't bleeding, and would probably go away soon. At least it wouldn't be anything that Steve needed to worry about. "You can sit against the tree, and I'll lean on you a little."

"Are you okay?" he asked again, as he set his crutches down on the ground nearby and began the process of sitting down himself. It started out all right until he got to the point where gravity took over-- then he didn't do so well at lowering himself to the ground delicately.

Flop or not, he made it up against the tree. "Jeez... those things are tiring."

"I'm alright now. Short of blinding myself, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to not see it," Miku smiled a little bit and shrugged, carefully moving Steve's hair from his face. "I didn't mean to drag you so far off. Where were you going?"

Because Miku knew Steve really ought to be resting somewhere, not hobbling around the ship for fun and pleasure.

"I wasn't going anywhere important. I was just bored." So, yeah... hobbling around the ship for fun and pleasure.

"The more I move around the better I'll feel, right? I've been stuck in medical for two whole weeks, and now I shouldn't have to do it ever again." That idea was still ringing a little oddly in Steve's head, as though it wasn't really true or it hadn't really sunk in for him yet. One of these days he was going to freak out properly.

"But they did tell you to get plenty of rest," Miku admonished lightly. She went and asked specifically, after all. Steve didn't need to go off over exerting himself and end up in medical again because of a pulled muscle.

Though, considering the other reason he'd had to go there so often, at least it would be a normal excuse. "Just don't wear yourself out before we can really celebrate, okay? Promise for me?"

"Two weeks of lying in bed is rest, right?"

He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her a bit closer to him. "I won't get worn out," he assured her. "How are we gonna celebrate, though?" And did it involve cake?

"Not enough!" she chided and put her head on his shoulder. "Listen to your doctors at least a little bit, since I can't exactly sit on you and force you to stay in bed." He'd probably just roll her off and escape.

"Anyway, I was thinking something nice? Like a really good dinner! Though, I guess we can put it off until Stacy drops us off for a shore leave again." Maybe if it was an Earth, she could collect all the supplies she really needed and start whipping all kinds of good things up that weren't Sensorium based. "But anything you want to do, we'll do. It's your recovery we're celebrating, after all." Miku pressed her face into his chest and sighed.

It felt kind of stupid thinking about how nice he smelled when she really decided to put thought to it.

Steve was grinning even at the thought. "I'd love that," he sighed dreamily, thinking of steak and baked potatoes and all the other good food he missed like crazy. Medical did not provide its patients with anything more exciting than the gray slop. "But I'm sure whatever we do will be perfect." As long as Miku was there, how could it go wrong? Doubly so if she was cooking!

"I still can't really believe it's... well, it's not gone. But every week they're gonna give me another dose of that medicine that keeps it weak," he elaborated. "It's... kind of weird after worrying about it for so long."

Well, everything could get upset by dead people, but that was neither here nor there.

Miku lifted her head and grinned, "It makes me pretty happy, too. I didn't like that you were so... muddled after your treatments. It made me worry." Granted, he might still be muddled after the newer treatments. They'd just have to see, and she'd just bring something with him to entertain him if he was.

She looked down at her hand, and rubbed her fingers over the crescents again. "It's just another reason to celebrate now, though, isn't it?"

"This stuff makes me kind of sick... just for a few hours after, though," he assured her. "And my blood's still... you know. Freaky. But I'll take it if it means I don't have to mutate. And now I can't get other people sick, either." Fireblood was a small price to pay for that-- something finally looking up for Steve, and for real and for certain, too.

That was going to take some getting used to.

He leaned his cheek against her head, hugging his arms tight around her again. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes," Miku assured him, half of her words muffled by his chest. "I just... can't go to the observation deck for a while. I keep seeing that woman strung up there." She shuddered then, thinking of that horrible scream. "There are a few other places I don't go because of that, too. I guess I just need to concentrate harder on not seeing those things."

"I know how that is." He paused. "N-not the same as you do, but when you just keep seeing things in your head, you know..."

He patted her shoulder sympathetically, and offered a weak smile. "It'll be okay. We'll stay out of there until it goes away."

"I know what you're trying to say," Miku smiled. "I just... feel bad that all I see are scary, creepy things. Why can't it ever be buried treasure?" It would certainly have made Miku much richer than frightened, now that she thought about it. "Ooh, or something pleasant. That would be a nice change."

It was about as much of a grumble as Miku had ever voiced, but at least she was following Steve's example, and keeping her tone light.

"Well, maybe it's only a matter of time until you do find buried treasure," Steve offered. "I mean, I don't know if there's any on the ship, but maybe we'll have a mission where you get to find it."

He paused. "And I can be the lantern?"

"Eh? The lantern?" Miku lifted her head to raise her eyebrows at him. "What do you mean?" Had her translation slipped? Hm.

"You know. The lantern. Fwoosh." He pantomimed his hand lighting on fire.

"Ah, sorry... I guess that was a bad joke."

"Oh. Oh!" Miku laughed softly. "I just thought that maybe Stacy had mistranslated a word." Wouldn't that be horrible if it broke, she wouldn't be able to understand a thing.

Pursing her lips at the thought, she dropped her head down against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "I would definitely give you the lion's share of the treasure if you were my lantern."

"I wouldn't know what to do with a bunch of treasure," he argued. "Though... I don't know what kind of treasure we'd be talking about. If it was jewelry, you could have it."

He sighed, and his breath ruffled her hair, so he reached up and tried to fix it. "Maybe we could practice using your powers for something like that. I mean, I'm no Cargn, but... we should see if we can turn them good instead of scary."

"I would look pretty with a crown," Miku reasoned with amusement. She reached up and unhooked her hairpin, so that "fixing" her hair would go a little smoother for Steve.

"I think I'd like that. I'd have to concentrate on my object reading a little more though. The nasty emotions are a lot easier to pick up than the good ones." She nodded to herself slightly and pushed her hair out of her face.

He hadn't said anything about it, but Miku might have been able to guess how much Steve greatly enjoyed playing with her long hair.

He ran his fingers through her hair and bit his lip thoughtfully. "Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked. "Maybe I could find some things for you to read. Or I have..."

He paused. "Well. On second thought, you might not want to read some of my things."

"Don't worry about it too much. It can be a bit invasive, and I don't want to see something I accidentally shouldn't." Like... someone not them getting all...

...well...

Anyway.

Miku smiled, "Still, thank you for thinking of me, and wanting to help."

"Of course. You helped me as much as you could. I wanna help someone else for a while."

He pushed a bit of her hair back behind her ear, leaning his cheek against her head again. "It's not fair you have to see bad things all the time."

"It's not always, though. Just when something happens really bad. How do I explain it..." Miku looked thoughtful for a bit and tapped her finger against his stomach.

"Think of it like... a water ripple. When something bad happens, it reaches out. People who can see into the future see a brief flash, but people who are unlucky like I am can see it always, because it's already happened. Eventually, though, the feelings caused by the event fade over time, so things that are older are harder for me to see than things that are brand new." Miku walked her fingers up and down his stomach. "Does that make sense?"

He seemed to squirm a little bit when she poked at his stomach. Ticklish, was he? "Yeah, that makes sense. And I guess there isn't much in the way of good things around in a place like this."

Steve sighed and twirled a finger in a lock of her hair. "Still... be careful. I don't want you to overdo it like last time."

An impish smile curled up over Miku's lips, and for once she was thankful that Steve couldn't see her face.

Just wait until he recovered. Just wait! "I will be, that really scared me," she assured him. "Cargn-sensei is making me take smaller steps. I guess I learn quickly, but when it comes time to apply it..." she shrugged. "It will just take practice. Anyway, I know that if something really bad happens, you'll make that face I hate. That keeps me from running too far ahead of myself, too."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject