Chapter Text
Juli knows that the itch behind her ear is just placebo, that it’s a stress reaction to the Very Bad Thing she’s in the process of doing, but she has to really fight the urge to scratch at the scar. It feels like the first week after the chip was implanted, the presence of the stitches never causing pain, but just enough discomfort to be present and noticeable. It’s as if The Administrator himself is cranking up a dial labeled ‘use in case of insubordination’ to induce a growing discomfort inside her. She grits her teeth and does her best to focus on the footsteps beside her.
Leslie’s shoulders are straighter than they had been in STEM, he still walks with little purpose, but it’s nice to know he isn’t afraid of Kidman, even if he’s well in his right to be (Juli will be wracked with guilt for a long time for what she put that kid through, what she almost did to him). He putters next to her, strafing from an arms reach away to pressed right up against her. He seems alright, if not a little fatigued, but they aren’t too far away from her setup. They’ll both get some well-needed rest there, with the added benefit of being off the street and away from any prying eyes.
It won’t be permanent, it can’t be, but she can only hope that Myra will buy her enough time to get the kid somewhere actually safe and return to Mobius and be the unquestioning subordinate He believes her to be.
Leslie stops right before they turn down the thin, poorly-lit street housing Kidman’s apartment block. He looks to her with uncertainty, and takes a few small steps backwards.
“Hey, it’s alright,” she asserts, but keeps a soft tone of voice, “nothing bad is going to happen, we’re going to a safe place.”
His eyes flitter around, “a safe place.” He repeats. Not quite a question, he sounds disbelieving more than anything else.
God, the poor kid . “Yes. A safe place,” a distant rumble of thunder sounds off, “safe and dry,” she restates and holds out her hand. He takes it, but still looks unsure as Kidman slowly leads him down the street, through the main door and up the few flights of stairs. He waits as Kidman opens the door to her apartment, shifting his weight from foot to foot as she fumbles with the old lock. She pushed the door open, allowing him to enter first before following close behind him, locking the door behind her. The curtains are drawn, and the lights are dim, and Leslie seems quite content with looking around. She doesn’t have much in the way of decoration, but she’d guess it had been a while since Leslie was in anything that could resemble a home. Watching him brought a slight feeling of relief after the onslaught of horrors.
Kidman’s place is small, but relatively nice. One of the perks of working for an omnipotent organisation is not having to worry about a roof over her head. It even used to feel cozy, but Kidman soon became disillusioned to that. The living room had an electric fireplace, two armchairs and a loveseat, big enough for Leslie to sleep on, and connected to the kitchen, where a small table and two bistro-sized chairs were placed in the middle of the tile. Kidman’s bedroom was next to the kitchen, and her bathroom was opposite that. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as Leslie pushed open the door to her room, but she did her best to soothe herself. The worst he’d do was rummage through her sock drawer.
He probably needs to eat, god knows she does, but Juli decided to let him get comfortable before asking if he’d like anything. She sits down in the armchair closest to the door, sinking back into it and cracking her neck. She bends down to pull off her stilettos and idly thinks about throwing the bastards away. Now that she’s completely stopped to think about it, her entire lower body aches from the strain of them, they’re also covered in dried gore, which Kidman only now reacts to. Her face screws up, and she chucks them to the kitchen tile once Leslie moves to the other room, so their thuds don’t startle him. She’ll move them once her body stops pulsing in fatigue. She breathes out slowly to the sound of Leslie’s footsteps and reminds herself once again that she’s out, they both are, and the hardest parts are over (for the time being at least). She curls her socked toes into the carpet, wincing as they crack, and pushes herself further back into the chair, feeling it press back against her shoulders. The grounding works, and she idly thinks about Nurse Gutierrez, a smile coming to her lips as she remembers her feigned disinterest when coaching Juli through those techniques.
After a while, Leslie emerges once again, shuffling his bare feet through the carpet (she really should get that kid some shoes) and sitting down on the old sofa across from her. He regards her for a moment, and says quietly, “It’s safe,” as though for the last few minutes he had been conducting an evaluation of Kidman’s apartment. The thought makes her chuckle, but she responds with “safe.” s well.
Leslie looks content, he mutters safe under his breath a few times over.
“You want food?” She asks, “I don’t have a lot, but I think you should eat.”
Leslie doesn’t respond, just follows her into the kitchen and sits down again.
Hunched over the fridge, Kidman surveys its contents. Orange juice, bread, butter, half empty box of strawberries and a carton of eggs. Nothing looks expired, she’s fairly certain she couldn’t have been stuck in STEM for that long, The Administrator confirmed that (though she takes everything he says with a grain of salt.
“Do scrambled eggs sound good?” She asks over her shoulder but can’t tell if Leslie registers the question. She decides there’s no harm in trying, and empties the fridge. She fills one glass with the orange juice and another with water, letting Leslie decide what he’d like as she starts the eggs for Leslie and herself.
She’s ravenously hungry by the time the eggs are done, and her hands shake as she plates the eggs (she leaves a little left in the pan incase Leslie wants a full portion). She has to stop herself from wolfing it down the second she sits down, instead, spreads it around the plate to let some of the heat out. It still scalds her mouth as she ate. Leslie is more careful. He prods at the food and sipped several times and sips both his drinks before taking a small bite. There’s no visual discomfort on his face as he chews, and when he lifts his fork for another bite, Kidman’s put at ease.
“I’m not much of a cook, I hope it’s alright.”
Leslie gives her a smile, it’s big enough that she can see the missing piece of his front tooth. “It’s good.”
They eat in silence after that. Leslie doesn’t go back for seconds, but he seems so much more vital than before, so it’s good enough for Kidman. She cleans up as Leslie examines the bookcase against the wall. A pale finger runs along the spines of the books before stopping at one, Juli recognises it as an encyclopedia of the world. It’s quite hefty, though Leslie doesn’t seem to struggle with it. He draws his legs up onto the sofa and rests the book utop them, it seems like he becomes immediately transfixed by it. He remains still as Kidman cleans up (she tosses the heels, too). She brings him a pillow from her room and digs a spare duvet out from her cupboard and leaves it by the sofa. She tells him he’s welcome to anything from the kitchen, and then goes to get ready for bed.
He’s still hunched over the book as she leaves the bathroom in a fresh set of clothes (finally) with more folded over her hands. They’re old, still her size she’s certain they’d hang off Leslie, but they should keep him warm.
“Leslie,” she says, placing the clothes, a jumper, sweatpants and long socks, on the coffee table. “These are for you if you want them. You can go and change in the bathroom.”
He picks up each article of clothing, rubbing his fingers into the fabric. It takes a second for him to feel each one, but he puts them next to him and looks back up at Juli. “I can wear them now?”
“Yes you can.”
“I can.” He affirms, and returns to the encyclopedia, repeating the words again and again.
She smiles at him, and heads for her room before something crosses her mind. She knows that Leslie feels safe here, but there’s always the risk of him leaving in the night. She walks back around to the sofa and kneels down.
“Leslie, you know you’re safe here, right?” She asks.
“I’m safe with Juli.” He states clearly.
She nods, “right. But out there you aren’t… so you have to stay here. It’ll just be for a few days… but you can’t leave the apartment.”
He seems to understand, though there’s a sudden change in his expression, his eyes go… blank, like he’s completely lost in thought.
“They’re expecting me home… when can I go home?” His tone is anxious.
She bites the inside of her cheek, not immediately sure what to say.
“I don’t know, Leslie, but it won’t be long. Maybe a few days from now if we’re lucky.”
He thinks about her answer, and his shoulder’s relax. “We will stay here for a few days,” He says, and his gaze lowers back down to the book, he’s a decent way through it already. Kidman wishes him a goodnight and smiles to herself as he parrots it back. She tells him to knock at her door if he needs anything, and disappears into her room.
On her bedside table stands a bottle of zolpidem, given to her by Mobius before her temporary discharge. If she was lucky, she’d get a few hours sleep under her belt, and a break from having to think about Beacon. She struggles to sleep ordinarily, and she’d adapted to the weird hours that Mobius agents took on, but to take on the next few days and subsequent reintroduction to Mobius she would need all the energy she could get. Swallowing the pills down dry, Kidman lies down flat on her back and counts the seconds as her senses went dull. Blurry memories flash in her mind, like they’re cycling through a carousel projector. Her debriefing, interrogation, the drive to beacon… the crash… Joseph…
And the one final, horrifying thought that graces her before drifting away was the moment Ruvik’s words flowing from Leslie’s mouth.