Chapter Text
There was only the soft hum of the engine as they drove off away from the sanctuary. The ground was blanketed in white, a soft sleet falling from the sky. Odessa doesn’t have a destination in mind at first, but she just keeps on driving. She wants to get far away from the Widow.
She is going to do whatever she can to keep Tilda safe from the Widow.
“Are you okay?” she asks softly, looking briefly at Tilda before looking back at the road. She notices the shorter brunette’s frown that has been there the whole drive.
Tilda just gives a small nod.
“I know you wanted to stay and fight. But I’m glad you’re safe.”
Tilda gives a soft smile at this, but doesn’t speak returning to a comfortable silence between them.
They continue driving for a few hours in silence until it starts to get dark. Odessa pulls up at a location unknown to Tilda.
“Where are we?” Tilda asks.
“Somewhere I used to hide as a child,” Odessa responds, a look in her eyes Tilda can’t quite place. “We’ll be safe here,” she assures Tilda.
Tilda notes the tone in Odessa’s voice, as if there’s more to the story. But she knows they will have time for those stories later. For now she wants to rest, her whole body still aching from her fight with her mot-
With the Widow.
“Okay.”
Tilda follows Odessa into the small hut and sits down on mat on the floor while Odessa works on making a fire in the fireplace.
The hut is small. One room, well two including a small bathroom. The main room is still small, nothing like the luxuries that she had at the sanctuary. It has a small fireplace, some mats on the floor, and a few empty shelves. It wasn’t much but she was very happy to be here. She feels safer in this small, dingy little hut than she could ever feel at home. Except it wasn’t home anymore.
After Odessa finishes lighting the fire, she grabs a blanket and moves to sit beside Tilda on the soft mat. She drapes the blanket over the both of them.
“This is weird,” TIlda remarks.
“Mmmm,” Odessa murmurs in agreement, although she doesn’t quite know what she’s agreeing to. “What exactly is weird though?”
“This is the first time in a very long time I haven’t slept at the sanctuary.”
Odessa moves to hold Tilda’s hand under the blanket, and absentmindedly rubs her thumb against the back of Tilda’s hand.
“I know it must be hard,” Odessa says comfortingly. “But we’re safe now.”
“What are we going to do?” Tilda asks in a small voice.
“Well I think we should sleep now, don’t you? It’s late and I don’t really feel like travelling any further.”
Tilda resists the urge to roll her eyes. “I didn’t mean right now.” She pauses to think. ”I mean tomorrow. And the day after that? Are we just going to stay here? And do what?”
Odessa realises Tilda has probably been busy every day of her life. Living with the Widow she would’ve always been training and learning politics and more training. She probably has no idea how to exist without having a purpose. Without having a master to serve.
Odessa wraps her arm around the smaller girl and pulls her closer, wrapping the blanket around them.
She says, decidedly, “Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we find food. Well, I will find us food, you will rest and start to heal. We can’t plan anything more than that until you are healed. So until then, we are just going to stay here, and you are going to rest.”
Tilda looked as if she wanted to say something. Odessa imagines the idea of doing nothing doesn’t sit well with her. But for now it was the only plan they have.
“I think we should sleep,” Tilda comments after seeing Odessa yawn.
“Mmm, ‘kay,” Odessa replies sleepily while moving to lie down on the mat.
Tilda moves to stand up and move to the other mat, however a hand grips her leg before she can even stand.
“Here,” Odessa mumbles, eyes shut, patting to the space on the mat right next to her.
When Tilda doesn’t move, Odessa opens her eyes. “Do you feel weird sleeping with me?” she asks quietly.
Tilda shakes her head.
Odessa quirks her eyebrow, “Well then come here. And besides, there’s only blanket, you would be too cold without me.”
Tilda gives a soft sigh before moving her body to lie down next to Odessa, a small grunt of pain escaping her lips as she moves her sore body. Odessa drapes the blanket over the both of them.
They lie facing each other, bodies almost touching.
A small smile appears on Odessa’s face. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Tilda replies without smiling,
Odessa’s smile only grows.
“What?”
“It’s just.... Nevermind”
Tilda raises her eyebrows, “It’s just what?”
Odessa looks shy suddenly. “It just, this isn’t how I pictured our first time in bed together.”
Odessa’s cheeks went red, and so did Tilda’s at the implication.
She stutters for a moment, before working out how to respond. “Well...” Tilda smiles, ”We’re technically not in a bed.”
They look at each other for a second before both laughing, very much aware from the uncomfortable thin mat that, no, they are not in fact in a bed.
“I guess you’re right,” Odessa concedes.
She reaches her hand to tuck a stray hair from Tilda’s face behind her ear. An innocent gesture, yet it has Tilda’s heart rate quickening.
“I’m glad you’re here though,” Odessa says, softly.
“Me too,” Tilda replies, genuinely.
If she wasn’t so injured she would not be here. She would be out finding Sunny with Bajie. Out fighting. But considering what happened with her mother-
She has to stop calling her that. With what happened with the Widow and the state her body is in, she is glad she is here with Odessa. Someone who cares about her with no hidden agenda. Someone who wants to take care of her, and she knows will always try and protect her.
And if she admits it to herself, someone she cares a lot about too.
She moves to press a soft kiss against Odessa’s forehead before relaxing and trying to fall asleep.
Odessa lets out a small whine, and before Tilda can ask why, Odessa pulls her in for a gentle but tender kiss on the lips. It doesn’t last long, but it makes both girls feel warmer.
“Mmmm,” Odessa murmurs happily, as if she finally got what she wanted, and she too relaxes and tries to sleep.
They fall asleep facing each other, hands entwined between them.
xxx
Tilda wakes first. Her body aching and cold. The fire must have died overnight, and Odessa appears to have stolen most of the blanket. The only warmth she feels is from Odessa’s arm draped over her stomach. A strange feeling appears in her chest but she quickly dismisses it. Instead of taking her half of the blanket back, she gets up, wincing as she does so. She spends a few minutes trying to get the fire going again.
Her noises awake Odessa and the first thing she hears is an annoyed, “No,” coming from underneath the blanket.
Odessa sits up and speaks again, “No, Tilda, you need to sit your butt down and rest. Let me do this.”
She takes over from Tilda and directs Tilda back to sitting on the mat.
“I want to help out,” Tilda says, almost whining.
Odessa sighs, “I know not being able to do much must be driving you insane, but I swear you will take twice as long to heal if you push yourself, and I know you want to heal as quickly as possible.”
She knows Odessa is right, but she doesn’t like it. She doesn’t like being so weak. So vulnerable.
After Odessa has got the fire burning again she announces, “I’m going to hunt us some food. There’s a well nearby, I’ll get us some water too.”
Odessa grabs her supplies and looks over to Tilda, “Will you be alright ‘til I get back?”
Tilda wants to say something about going with her, but knows Odessa would never even consider it. “Yeah,” she sighs.
“I won’t be too long,” Odessa says gently, before leaning down and giving Tilda a peck on the lips, and leaving the hut.
“Be safe,” Tilda whispers to no one after Odessa has left.
xxx
It’s over an hour before Odessa comes back, and Tilda doesn’t realise she was worried until she feels her body fill with relief in seeing Odessa return.
She brings in a few small animals to be cooked later, a handful of berries and nuts, and a bucket of water.
“Before we eat, I think it would be nice if we cleaned up a bit.”
Since Odessa mentions it, Tilda becomes aware of the blood still painting her beaten body.
“Good idea,” Tilda agrees and moves to stand up.
“No, stay there.”
Tilda goes to question her, but Odessa silences her with a look.
Odessa grabs the bucket and moves to kneel in front of Tilda. “Let me take care of you,” she says so softly that Tilda’s breath hitches and feels her heart almost melt.
Odessa dips a rag into the bucket before taking it out and gently wringing out the water. She then gently moves the rag along Tilda’s cheeks, slowing washing away the blood and dirt caked there. She rinses and wrings out the rag again before continuing with Tilda’s face.
While cleaning her face, Odessa notices that while the blood goes away, there are more cuts and bruises than she was aware of.
A shot of fury goes through her. How could the widow do this! To someone she regarded as her daughter no less.
Tilda notices Odessa’s change in mood.
“What are you thinking about?”
Odessa pauses to think about what to say. She doesn’t want to tell Tilda how much she loathes the widow. “It just pains me to see you so hurt.”
Tilda softens, “I’m fine.”
Odessa scoffs, “Yeah? Have you seen yourself?”
Tilda hasn’t actually looked in a mirror since the fight. “That bad huh?”
Odessa nods, but makes sure to add, “You’re still beautiful though.”
Tilda doesn’t know how to respond that, she kind of just looks at Odessa mouth half-open.
“Let’s eat,” Odessa declares, breaking the silence.
Their breakfast consists of the fruits and nuts Odessa had gathered that morning. There was some food supplies in the truck, but she was hoping to keep that for emergencies.
“Not quite the feasts we had back at the sanctuary,” Tilda comments, but she tries to make it clear she doesn’t mind by adding, “But thank you. Thank you for looking after me.”
Odessa gives a soft smile, “Of course.”
They continue eating in silence until Tilda speaks up.
“There’s something we need to talk about.”
Odessa notes the serious tone of her voice. “What’s up?”
Tilda doesn’t exactly want to have this conversation, but she knows it’s important. “I know you don’t trust M.K. I know what you think he is. And I understand why you did what you did. I’m not angry at you...”
Odessa notes her hesitation. “But?”
“But you don’t know M.K. like I do. What you saw? That’s not him. Not really.”
Odessa purses her lips and gives a nod. She takes a small breath before replying. “I’m sorry. I know he’s your... friend. You have to know I wouldn’t have done it if I had any idea. All I could think about is what I saw. You can’t know what it was like. He looked... He looked like pure evil. Like a demon, who was enjoying the pain and chaos he was creating. It’s kind of hard to see anything beyond that.”
Tilda sighs, “Believe me I know.”
Odessa raises her eyebrows as if to question her further.
“I’ve... I’ve seen him lose control before.”
Odessa pauses before responding carefully, “Then how can you trust him?”
“It’s hard to explain. But what he becomes? That’s not really him. When he is cut and bleeding, the thing inside him emerges, takes over. Nothing can bring M.K. back. Well... except...” she trails off.
“Except what?”
“Me.”
She lets the words sink in before continuing. She adds carefully, “We had a... connection.”
“A connection?” Odessa questions, unable to keep the jealousy out of her voice.
Tilda rolls her eyes, “It wasn’t like that.”
Odessa looks at her skeptically, eyes almost boring into her.
“Okay it was kinda like that,” she notices Odessa’s frown and quickly finishes, ”But it’s not like that anymore. I swear.”
“Hmm,” is all she gets in response from Odessa.
They don’t talk much after that, Odessa going out to get more water, while Tilda roasts the meat Odessa had hunted that morning.
Odessa figures from when she saw M.K. kiss Tilda’s cheek a little while ago, that there was a history there. It’s not that she was jealous of the past, she was worried that Tilda still had some feelings for him.
She fills the bucket from the well, and decides she should just let the whole thing go. She doesn’t want to spend any time being mad at Tilda, when she hasn’t done anything wrong. She knows she is overreacting. She sighs deeply as she pulls the bucket and heads back towards the hut, planning on apologising.
She’s almost back to the hut, when she notices a glint of metal in the trees.
She turns to the treeline to get a better look and the sight causes her heart beat to increase, and she starts running, no, sprinting towards the hut.
The image of the metal butterfly embedded in the tree runs through her mind.
She barges inside the hut. “Tilda!” she calls out breathlessly.
She is greeted with a startled and scared-looking Tilda.
“They found us.”