Work Text:
He awoke at 2am. What woke him, he was unsure of, but he was awake now. The room was dark, and he could hear the rain lightly hitting the window. He found it difficult to focus on the sounds or the environment he was in. Everything felt like an odd blur.
Robert sat up slowly as he tried to collect his thoughts and make sense of where he was. He was in his bedroom- but he wasn't. It looked the same, had the same furniture that was placed in the exact same spots, but it was not his. It was his sisters-- no, no, not his sisters. He calls her that but they are not related. She is him and he is her. They may be the same, yet somehow they are not. His mind was conflicted as it attempted to create new memories conflicting with his old one. This wasn't the first time it had happened, but that didn't mean it was easier than before.
It would occur every time he would wake up. He would have to remind himself of the events, stop himself from believing the fake memories his mind were creating. The two Lutece's were not related, he did not grow up in this world alongside her, this was not his world.
As he continued to try to make sense of his thoughts, he could feel a sharp pain in his head growing and as well as nausea. Robert had hoped that as time progressed, he would grow used to it and the cognitive dissonance would stop, but this was proving to be unlikely- or a slower process than he thought, at least. His nose was probably bleeding by now. He put one of his hands up to it to check, and he could feel the blood slowly falling from it.
There was an odd feeling of... misplacement that he couldn't quite put his finger on or explain. It was him who was misplaced, he could make out that much, and he could tell that the feeling wouldn't go away until he was where he was supposed to be – which wasn't here, he supposed. The best way to explain how he felt was with the word “uncomfortable”, everything about where he was and what was happening simply felt... uncomfortable and incorrect.
Rosalind-- where was his not-quite sister? She was always good at helping him make sense of the world around him during these situations. Though one might think that she would be bad at this sort of thing from one look at her, she was actually quite good at grounding him and caring for him during these moments. It was simply that no one else ever got close enough to her to find out. He disliked how he had the need to be helped, but if it was her doing the helping, it was okay. She was allowed to see him during moments no one else was allowed to.
He rolled onto his side to see if she was still sleeping soundly next to him, and indeed she was. She looked just as she did when she was awake- serious, yet calm. He always liked that expression on her. Then again, she always liked it on him too.
“Sister.” Robert practically whispered the word, and therefor was not surprised when he got no reaction from her. He put his hand on her shoulder and lightly shook her, repeating the word at a louder rate. As much as he didn't want to be a bother to her, the pain in his head was bordering on unbearable and he was far too dizzy to be able to get up and sort out the bleeding problem he seemed to be having.
“What is it, brother? You know how much I treasure my rest.” Was her quiet reply. She waved his hand off her, while attempting to hold in her yawn.
“I am aware, but I appear to be having a bit of a... situation.”
“A situation?” She opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness for a moment so she could just about see Robert. As she analysed his figure, her expression turned to one of worry once she noticed his hand covering his nose, and she sat up instantly. “Brother-”
“I was hoping you wouldn't worry too much.”
Rosalind reached for a handkerchief from her bedside table, while using her other hand to move Roberts away from his face, and took to taking care of his nosebleed first. “Of course I would worry. Only you I spend my time worrying about. How long have you been awake?”
“Just a few minutes.”
“Your symptoms?”
“The usual ones. A headache as well as nausea. Though I do feel.... out of place, uncomfortable, it's hard to describe the feeling.”
“They should.... hopefully pass with time as you begin to process the situation easier. You'll be alright. This happens sometimes and you always make it through it, remember?”
“Right. Of course. But, just humor me for a moment, will you?”
“Of course.
“We're not related, that is correct?”
“That is correct.”
“And I'm from a different world to this one.”
"Indeed.”
“Yet we are.... the same person.”
“We are the same, but we are also different. You are Robert, while I am Rosalind, but you are not Rosalind as I am not Robert.”
There were a few moments of silence.
“I think I'm beginning to understand.”
Rosalind moved the handkerchief away from his nose to see that the bleeding had began to stop, and put it back down on the table, while using her other hand to gentle stroke Roberts hair. “How are you feeling?”
“I think I feel neutral.”
“That's good.”
"Is it? I always thought neutral was merely neutral.”
“I see you're back to your old self again, which means I can return to sleeping.”
“Of course. I apologize for disturbing your rest.”
“Only you have permission to disturb my rest.” She began to lay back down on the bed, her eyes closing as she let go of Roberts hair.
“Ah, one more thing, if you don't mind.”
“What is it, brother?”
“Would it be of any inconvenience for you to continue stroking my hair as I fall asleep?”
“Not at all.”
As he joined her in laying down, one of Rosalind's hands returned to Roberts hair where it slowly stroked and massaged it. Her other arm wrapped around his body pulling him closer towards her.
“I really am sorry about this.”
“Don't be.”
“Goodnight, sister.”
“Goodnight, brother.”
And thus Robert fell asleep in the arms of his not-quite sister, the one place where he truly felt comfortable and like he belonged.