Chapter Text
4 months.
It had been 4 months since he'd escaped Black Mesa.
Everything was slow at first, agonizingly slow. Everyday, Gordon would wake up sweaty and disoriented from night terrors and force himself to do the bare minimum 'self care'. The simplest of tasks such as feeding himself were difficult, he wasnt sure he'd make it; but here he was 4 months later. Safe and living a fairly domestic life with his son and roommate.
His roommate.
The bastard showed up 2 weeks after they'd all parted ways from Chuck E. Cheese, promising to keep in touch. Gordon was finally able to call his sister who had been watching Joshua for the entirety of his absence. She luckily didn't pry him about his disappearance and just insisted that he come get his son, who missed him dearly. Gordon proceeded to spend his first week back organizing his living space, throwing out rancid groceries, cleaning, etc.
The chores were gruelling but they kept him distracted.
He still had his right hand (thank god), it had been magically reattached when he'd arrived at Tommy's birthday party; presumably by Tommy's father, The G-Man. All that remains of the incident was a thick, keloid scar that circled his forearm. It was ugly but it was better than having a stump.
On the 2nd week of his freedom, Gordon was rudely awoken by his son informing him that his 'buddy' was in the living room eating the display fruit.
The next month was spent adjusting to this predicament.
See, he'd tried to kick Benrey out. Several times. But he'd always come back, calling Gordon petty names for trying to rid of him. So he just decided to say fuck it and let the former security guard crash on his couch. What could go wrong?
Well actually nothing really. Joshua loved Benrey, to the point that it made Gordon a little jealous. Though he'd rather lose his hand again then admit that. Benrey would listen to the 4 year old ramble incoherently about monster trucks and how much he loved bugs, soaking it all in like it was of utmost importance, and in turn Joshua would watch the security guard play various games and listen to him infodump about Heavenly Sword or whatever.
They had a routine now. Gordon would wake up around 8am, shower, and cook breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs would rouse Benrey and Joshua from their slumber and by the time Gordon was making their plates, they'd both be seated at the table; bleary eyed and hungry.
Both adults were currently unemployed thanks to the hefty check of hush money they'd received from Black Mesa, so they had all the free time to spend the each day together with Joshua. It was honestly freaky seeing Benrey so... domesticated. He surprisingly gentle with Joshua and would never curse or be inappropriate around the toddler. They'd grown closer than Gordon would like to admit and Benrey now only poked fun at the scientist in a playful manner that made him smile, never overstepping his boundaries like he used to. He couldnt imagine life without his roommate.
Speaking of closeness, the alien was quite the cuddler. Benrey didn't exactly need sleep, but he'd often wind up tangled in Gordon's sheets. The standoffish behavior reminded Gordon of how a cat might act. Benrey actively denied ever cuddling with Gordon deep in the night, and the scientist didn't really have any proof as he was always gone by daylight; back on the couch. But the warmth of a second body every other night was unmistakable and Gordon dare not press the matter any further as not to scare Benrey off. Last time he'd brought it up, the guard had flushed red and stubbornly denied ever sneaking into Gordon's bed and then stormed off to go 'hang with Tommy'.
Though he never arrived at Tommy's house.
Yeah, Benrey was like a cat. He'd act like he didn't enjoy Gordon's company, but the moment he'd leave Benrey always trailed behind. It was cute. His eyes were even cat-like, they were bright yellow with black slit pupils that would expand when he was excited or something (Gordon wasnt really sure how it worked), but the guard's pupils always seemed to be blown wide when he stared at the scientist.
Probably didnt mean anything.
Today marked the 4th month he'd been free from Black Mesa and he planned on maybe taking Benrey and Joshua out to celebrate. Gordon yawned and stretched his arms, groaning loudly as his joints popped painfully. He suddenly felt something sharp poking his side, Gordon lifted the blankets finding a shard of green glass. He held it in his fingers, inspecting the offending piece, finally deducing that it most likely belonged to a broken beer bottle. But why was it in his bed? He didn't own any alcohol whatsoever and always made sure The Science Team didn't bring any whenever they'd come to visit, so how did the glass get here? Whatever. He placed it on his nightstand and grabbed his glasses.
Now that he could see properly, he was suddenly acutely aware of the growing pile of trash on his nightstand. This wasnt the first time he'd woken up to a piece of trash in his bed; usually consisting of bottle caps or buttons from shirts he definitely didn't own. What the hell was going on? The only other person that ever occupied his bed was Benrey, but why would the entity leave such strange... gifts?
Gordon decided to ask later, as it wasn't exactly the most pressing of issues. He got up and went about his usually routine before exiting the bedroom. Upon entering the living room, he was greeted with the familiar sight of Benrey asleep on the couch. The guard was most definitely spooning him last night. But alas, here he was asleep on the couch as if Gordon had simply dreamt it.
I hope not
The sudden thought caused Gordon's stomach to flip in a familiar way. He shook his head and made a beeline for the kitchen, desperate to distract himself. The physicist whipped up a hefty breakfast of pancakes and eggs, humming a tune as he worked. Just as he finished topping Benrey's pancake with blueberries, he felt familiar cold hands snake their way under his shirt. The sudden onslaught of frigid hands pressed up against his lower back caused Gordon to yelp in suprise and whip around to face his attacker.
But there was no one there.
A moment passed as Gordon processed what just happened. He definitely felt someone or something frisk him. He looked around, opening cabinets and checking under the kitchen table; nothing.
Just as Gordon was about to go back to preparing breakfast, the sound of someone scuttling above him grabbed his attention. Looking up, the scientist was met with the sight of Benrey crawling on the ceiling; definitely not the weirdest thing he'd seen the alien do. He flashed Gordon a wicked grin and crawled closer.
"Benrey it is way too early for this– how did you even get up there so fast?? I– You know what, it doesnt matter. Go wake Joshie and tell him I made pancakes." With that, Gordon turned around and went back to his duties. He had gotten used to Benrey's shenanigans and gradually realized that the alien simply loved conflict. So Gordon just didn't engage.
Even when he was being an absolute ass, Gordon would just shrug it off. The antics were more playful if anything. Benrey never tried to actively piss him off or antagonize him, he just craved attention. It was almost endearing. Almost.
Benrey dropped from the ceiling and went to fetch the toddler as requested, while Gordon set the table.