Chapter Text
Death was nothing new for Benrey, just another obstacle in their life. Die, float around in the void for a bit, then respawn. Dying was never pleasant, they tried to avoid it the best they could.
He especially didn’t like the time he got crushed by that door, Gordon reaching out a hesitant arm, concern slightly visible on his face, Bubby’s evil cackle after the line “Rest in pieces!”
Bubby was one of the many things Benrey had a hard time understanding.
One moment ze was blasting multiple aliens in the face, laughing like some sort of Disney supervillain, the next moment he was cuddled up next to Dr. Coomer, passing cheesy pick-up lines and sappy compliments between one another. Ze was a riot, Benrey concluded crudely, and they didn’t think much more of it. Dr. Coomer was barely human anymore; a cyborg with strange, overpowered enhancements.
Tommy definitely wasn’t human either, being the son of G-Man has its... perks. One time when Sunkist went missing he melted into an angel-like abomination that even Benrey had trouble perceiving, colors he had never seen mashing together in some sort of eldritch soup.
Benrey shook their head, trying not to think of that incident. Even thinking of Tommy’s fucked up form aroused a headache.
He shook his hands, brain suddenly demanding some sort of movement, Gordon called it “Stimming”.
He was floating in the void again, weightless and bored out of his mind. As far as he knew, he was the only entity there.
Just him and his thoughts.
Benrey didn’t like to be alone with their thoughts, their mind often wandering to what they tried so hard to forget, the icey tables, sharp blades digging into his skin like paper- they shook their hands, forcing the memories out of their head. He tugged his helmet, pulling his legs closer to his chest. Sweet Voice tumbled out of his mouth in shades of anxiety he didn’t want to look at.
“Stupid-ass memories..” They mumbled to themself.
Benrey huffed out a sigh, crossing his arms and looking around at the nothingness that he had grown all-too familiar with. The void was lonely, the only company was the Sweet Voice bubbling around, providing a soft glow. This emptiness was one of the main reasons they avoided dying, along with the fact that they were never sure if they’d actually come back.
Tears burned at his eyes. He was falling. Falling in itself was normal for the void, but this felt off.
He felt like he had been falling forever; interrupted suddenly by a bright light.
And
Then
It
All
Stopped.
Like a clock taking it’s dying breath, one last click of the gears before it stands still forever. Like an asteroid hurtling through space, meeting its violent demise, crumbling in the atmosphere of some celestial body, victim to Newton’s first law.
Benrey had stopped falling, something that usually happened when he respawned, but he was sure this time he wouldn’t come back?
His back hit something hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. It was hot, his skin nearly burning on contact. He was glad he still had his helmet, he was sure he would’ve smacked his head quite hard off the concrete otherwise.
“Whadda fuck..” He gasped, opening his eyes, which then were greeted by a blinding light; a star.
This is Earth’s sun, isn’t it?
Why was he back on Earth?
He tried to hurl himself to his feet, scrambling as his trembling legs refused. The guard tumbled to the ground, cursing. He felt like a pot of noodles, or what Gordon described as “crumbling” after an adrenaline rush.
“Bro I got nerfed! Fucking fall damage!” They cried out, squinting at the harsh New Mexico sun, his ears ringing behind the quiet bustle of a city.
He tried to teleport, focusing on a spot not too far away. It didn’t work. He tried to shapeshift, desperately staring at his hand, waiting for a change. Why aren’t his powers working?
Where the fuck was he?
Benrey cautiously tried standing on their legs again, this time using a brick wall to make sure they didn’t fall on their ass. Though wobbly, they were upright now, taking their surroundings in with a puzzled expression.
He was in an alley in some shitty city, old beer bottles and burger wrappers littering the sidewalks, the heat rolling in waves over the nearly empty roads. The smell of rotten food cooking in the sun made him want to vomit.
“Wuh.” Benrey said, looking down both sides of the street, glaring at a car making its way down the pothole filled highway, swerving to avoid the hazards.
“Yo where the FUCK am I.” He shouted to the vehicle, not really expecting them to stop.
He sighed and started walking. To where, he didn’t know, he just wanted out of this asscrack of a town, out of the beating sun.
It had been two months since what the world had labeled “The Black Mesa Incident”. Things were starting to return to normal; well as normal as they could. The government had tried to cover all of it up at first, but it was quite hard to hide an entire alien invasion.
Gordon was trying his best to return to his normal life, the hush money from Black Mesa helping a bit. He didn’t have a job yet, most days were spent sleeping. He was still exhausted from wandering around in the HEV suit, thin scars and permanent marks embedded into his skin where the metal jabbed into him.
He had a prosthetic arm now, (the strange gun attachment had disappeared, as well as the HEV suit) as soon as he woke up a few yards outside of his apartment complex after Tommy’s birthday party. Gordon assumed Mr. Coolatta dropped him off there.
This day was not unlike the near sixty others since he arrived home; laying in bed scrolling through Twitter. He was about to fall asleep again when his stomach crudely reminded him that he needed food. The physicist sighed and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his vision fading in and out of black at the sudden movement. He should probably eat more iron.
Gordon slowly walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge only to find nothing but a few rotted vegetables. Apparently he had already eaten anything salvageable.
He groaned loudly. “Fuuuuuck meeee.”
The absolute last thing he wanted to do was go grocery shopping, but unfortunately for him, the human body needs food to survive. He ran a hand over his face, trudging back to his room to put on some shorts and a t-shirt. It was far too hot in New Mexico to wear anything else.
He brushed his hair quickly, snatching his keys and stomping downstairs to the parking lot. He only lived on the second floor, luckily. He did not feel like climbing any more stairs for at least another 14 years. He hoped they fixed the elevator soon.
His flip-flops clicked against his heels as he walked to his car, swinging his keys around his finger.
“Okayy, store time. Gordon needs food.” He mumbled to himself, unlocking the car door.
Gordon climbed into the small Toyota, shoving the key into the ignition. The vehicle roared to life with a tremble, gears clicking into place as he pulled out of the car park. He turned on his blinker and started on the highway of his small New Mexico town.
Benrey had been living next to a dumpster for the past month or so, having been literally dropped out of the sky into a shitty town. They were doing fine, they thought, occasionally getting leftovers from the nearby gas station.
His “house” was a cardboard box, “Benrey’s epic gamer house” written sloppily on the side. They spent most of their time playing with the alley rats, or playing on his Nintendo Switch (which was definitely not stolen).
He was coated in a fine layer of dirt and sweat, having never taken off his clothes, minus the security vest and his shoes. Multiple cuts and bruises littered his body, the result of digging through dumpsters of broken glass behind the local bar.
A particularly bad black eye altered his vision, the result of getting in a fight with someone who, quite rudely, stole his $5.34.
Recently, though, Benrey hadn’t been feeling too hot.
Coming down with some sort of sickness (He blamed the lack of Godmode), he was often found asleep, curled up in his box like a cat. His hair was matted into what looked like a gordian knot, caked with a thick layer of grease, but he didn’t care as he kept his helmet on 99% of the time. Safety first. Honestly, he just liked the pressure it added.
They often woke in cold sweats, face flushed a tomato red, though shivers still racked their body. Everything ached, walking to the gas station felt like a 10k run, whoever crossed his path adamantly, and wisely, stayed at least 5 meters away from him.
“Cringe gamer body got fail sickness, negative, uh, 69/420. Nice.” Benrey mumbled feverishly, dragging the back of his hand across his forehead.
His fingers were cold as ice. They trembled slightly, eyes drooping as they counted the passing cars. No matter how hot it was during the day, it was always weirdly chilly at night time, just one of Earth’s quirks he dismissed. Or maybe that was just New Mexico.
A cough tore through their body, which resulted in them wincing at the pain in their chest.
“This sucks.” They concluded and pulled out their switch, shoving the Animal Crossing: New Horizons card into the slot.
A soft blue illuminated Benrey’s face, the tip of his tongue sticking out as he played. An hour later, they sighed and checked the time. The display read 13:28.
“Oh dip, it’s nap time.” They stated, tucking the switch under their “pillow” (It was his vest).
His eyes followed a particularly large and gross-looking cockroach scurrying up the wall as he tried to sleep, but his stomach was adamant that he needed food. Oh yeah, they almost forgot they had to eat now.
Benrey tumbled out of his box, stumbling to his feet, almost colliding with the brick wall in front of him.
Choosing to pull his hood over his hair instead of the helmet, waiting for the blackness to fade from his vision first, he started his journey to the corner store a couple blocks up the road. Walking with a noticeable limp, they pointed finger guns at every passerby, making a half-assed attempt to wink.
They were almost there when their head started swimming, his vision slightly fading into white. Sweat rolled down his back and dripped off his chin. He huffed out a breath, trying to stay standing. Why was this happening? Why him? Why now?
“Uh- fuck.” They whispered, heart pounding in their ears.
He had to sit down, his knees basically turning themselves off. Power off. XBox red ring of death. He locked his knees, gripping onto his shirt as he tried, and failed, to breathe.
His heart was pounding way too fast, he was sure it would simply stop any minute. His hands were shaking quite violently as he wheezed and gasped, his head pounding. His vision was almost completely engulfed in white, hearing nothing but the roaring of blood flow in his ears.
Benrey coughed, his body lurching forward painfully. They felt something run down their chin, wiping his hand, he pulled it back with a furrowed brow. A smear of blood stained his skin.
“Thas’no good.” They slurred.
His eyes drooped, blinking slowly as he tried to stay awake. Blood dripped off his chin, falling onto his shirt. Black Mesa Sweet Voice tumbled out of their mouth, falling to the sidewalk like a dense fog.
Having had enough, his eyes rolled as his body fell limp on the sidewalk. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard the faint rumbling of a car, screeching to a halt. Footsteps, rushed ones, someone talking.
“--d---Yo-----ok?”
Benrey only heard bits and pieces. They sounded worried, his weary mind wondered why. A long pause, he could basically hear the seconds ticking away.
“Benrey?”
Huh.
“Wuh..” the guard mumbled.
They felt hands on their shoulders, mind reeling as to who this person could be. Slowly, their eyes fluttered open. They saw nothing much at first, the world blurry and bright.
Benrey stared with squinted eyes, someone kneeling above them, curly brown locks falling from their messy ponytail, a worried expression plastered on their face. Freckles littered their dark skin, glasses sitting crooked on their face in front of sparkling green eyes. He knew that face all-too well.
Gordon?
Benrey opened his mouth, only a small whine and some black and red Sweet Voice escaping him. His throat bobbed as he swallowed and tried again, his head feeling fuzzy.
“Gordon?”
They managed to whisper before their body relaxed and everything cut to black.
Gordon tapped his steering wheel to the beat of the song playing quietly on the radio, slightly bobbing his head as he waited at a traffic light. An old song, he listened to it daily a few years ago. He hummed, the light turning green.
He took his foot off the break and back onto the gas, gently cruising down the highway, minding the littered potholes along the asphalt. Gordon sighed and scratched at his beard, pushing his glasses back onto his face.
The city he lived in was relatively small, most buildings covered with patches of unmatching paint and graffiti, trash littered the sidewalks. He didn’t mind it though, it was cheap and he lived near his friends. Harold and Bubby lived in a modest house on the outskirts of town, while Tommy, Sunkist, and his Dad lived in a two story house in the richer part of town.
Gordon really needed to visit them.
He bobbed his head harder as the song picked up.
“I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies.” He mumbled, hardly any effort put into his singing.
Only a few other cars passed him, most people refusing to leave their homes in fear of being abducted by aliens. His eyes drifted to the small blinking light on the dash, warning him of low fuel. It was fine though, there was a gas station up ahead.
Gordon smacked his lips, trying to remember what the store was called, eyes scanning the sidewalk.
He spotted something unexpected though.
A person? He thought.
He squinted in confusion and slight worry, his heartbeat slightly picking up. They looked like absolute shit, probably homeless, Gordon thought. They were limping quite severely, swaying as if it were windy as hell.
He shrugged, a part of his mind saying to just leave them.
“No, fuck you.” He said aloud, shaking his head.
He slowed down, trying to get a better look at the person. Said person, stopped, swayed a bit more violently, borderline tumbling, then promptly toppled to the sidewalk.
“Oh, shit!”
Gordon exclaimed, slamming his foot on the brake, tires screeching against the road in protest. He fumbled with his seatbelt, then jumped out of his car, hitting his head on the frame, memories of his first-aid classes rushing to the front of his mind.
The figure on the ground was grabbing at their chest, shoulders heaving as they coughed.
“Holy shit, dude! Oh my god, are you okay?” Gordon shouted, dropping to his knees at their side, despite his body’s protest, hands hovering over their shoulders.
They mumbled something at the contact, but he didn’t hear. Something was oddly familiar about them, does he know this guy? He put his hands on their shoulders, carefully rolling them onto their back.
What.
“Benrey?” Gordon sputtered, dumbfounded by the face he saw.
There was no doubt, the same pale skin (Though somehow paler now), unusually sharp teeth and bright yellow eyes. Those vibrant eyes stared unfocused at the sky. They slowly trailed over to look at him, eyelids fluttering. Conflicting emotions flooded his mind, the most prominent were anger and confusion, with a healthy dollop of worry.
Benrey tried to speak, though he only let out a low whine. Red and black Sweet Voice dripped out of his mouth alongside the blood that trailed the corners of his mouth and stained his dirt-covered shirt. He tried again in a low, weak voice.
“Gordon?”
The scientist sat still, his head racing with way too many thoughts.
How the hell was Benrey alive? Are they homeless? Why did they collapse? Why were they bleeding? He squeezed his eyes and shook his head. Focus, Gordon.
The smaller figure below him gasped, chest heaving as his eyes fell shut, then he relaxed, face falling slack. They looked almost peaceful right now, minus the cuts and bruises covering their face and arms.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Gordon put a hand on Benrey’s cheek, taken back on how hot his skin was, sticky from sweat and dirt.
“B-Benrey?” He stammered, heart pounding.
He trailed his hand to the guard’s neck. Does Benrey even have a pulse? He held his breath and focused, almost deflating with relief once he felt a faint drum under his fingers.
“Okay. Okay. Got a pulse.”
Gordon breathed, running his fingers through his messy hair. He huffed, trying to remember basic first aid, he’s got a pulse, that’s good.
What now? Wait, you gotta check their lungs to make sure there wasn’t fluid, okay. He rested his ear on Benrey’s chest, hardly breathing as he strained to listen. They were breathing, shallow breaths, but still breathing. They weren’t in the clear, though, Gordon also hearing the rattling of something in his lungs. Did they catch pneumonia or something?
“Fuck. God- shit.”
He cursed, pushing his glasses back on his face. Cool, Benrey is alive. That was… good? They were also dying for some reason.
He weighed his options: He could drop them off at Tommy’s, but he was pretty sure Mr. Coolatta wasn’t.. very fond of the alien. Harold and Bubby’s place was a definite no.
Gordon could take him in, but Benrey did try to kill them and that wasn’t very nice. God, he just needed a break. He didn’t want to just leave Benrey dying on the sidewalk, but he didn’t exactly want them at his apartment.
Gordon scratched his chin. “Why me?”
He sighed, making his decision without much thought, Benrey could stay, but only until they healed. That was reasonable.
He scooped the alien in his arms bridal-style, careful not to jostle any possible major wounds. He walked with moderate difficulty to his car and struggled with the back door, finally latching his pinky under the handle.
He opened it the rest of the way with his foot, leaning in uncomfortably to lay Benrey across the back seat. Now that he was sure Benrey wouldn’t roll onto the floor, he shuffled his way around to the driver’s seat.
The ride back to his apartment was more stressful than it needed to be, Gordon constantly glancing at the rearview mirror to check on the unmoving alien in the back seat of his car. How the hell did he get into this? He wanted off this ride, thank you very much.
He pulled into the closest spot to the stairs of the complex and dragged Benrey out of the back seat. He didn’t even think about what he looked like, it’s not everyday you see your quiet neighbor dragging a body around.
He looked back and forth, between the body in his arms and the stairs ahead, looming like it was a portal directly to hell.
“Great. Fucking- Mhm.” He huffed, readjusting and moving forward.
Once he was at the top, he was breathing heavily, Benrey was small, but they were heavy. He stood there for a minute, catching his breath, then walking to his apartment. He stood in front of the door, thinking for a second before setting Benrey down against the wall.
Gordon pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, swinging open and gently bumping against the doorstop.
He picked them back up and deposited them gently on the couch, making his way to the bathroom to find the first-aid kit.
Gordon returned to the living room, opening the kit and laying out a few select items: some gauze, band-aids, and hydrogen peroxide. He moved in front of Benrey, trying to pull off their hoodie.
Their arms felt boneless and yeah, it was awkward, but he wasn’t going to let anyone bleed out in his apartment. Even if they were the guy that tried to kill him.
He scrunched his nose at the smell of the clothing, opting to burn it and just buy new clothes- no he wasn’t going to do that. He pulled off their hoodie, pleased that the shirt came off with it as well.
He tossed it to the side, looking at the many scars that littered Benrey’s skin. A particularly nasty “y” shaped scar stretched over his chest and down to his navel.
Gordon furrowed his brow, staring at the many claw-like and horizontal scars that spanned over their arms.
He hummed in sudden realization, instead focusing on the shallow rise and fall of their chest. More superficial bruises and cuts dotted his chest and abdomen, and the physicist worked on cleaning them with a H2O2 soaked cotton pad.
Throwing the now bloody wad on the floor next to him, Gordon started applying band-aids and gauze pads to the wounds that started bleeding again. There was a nasty bruise on their midsection, angry shades of yellow and purple discoloring their skin.
Satisfied with his work, Gordon moved to his pants, face flushing a deep red as his hands hovered over Benrey’s belt. He hoped to whatever God out there that they wore underwear. Shaking his head, repeating “This is not weird, shut up.” to himself as he worked their pants off.
He was, however, absolutely delighted to find that the alien had a tail. They kept it tucked into a leg of their jeans for whatever reason, he idly wondered why.
More scars streaked his thighs, bruises spotting his shins. Their feet, paws? Claws? Whatever they are, were mutilated as a result of walking everywhere without shoes, dry blood and dirt coating them. Deeper lacerations were showing the beginning stages of infection.
Gordon stood up, his knees popping, to fetch a wet washcloth. He slumped back to the floor, working on cleaning Benrey’s paws.
Finished with the cloth, he dabbed at the individual woulds with H2O2 and a layer of neosporin, then wrapped them with a roll of gauze.
“Okay.” He clapped his hands.
Contempt with his first aid, Gordon put an old oversized shirt of his own on Benrey. Placing a cup of water on the coffee table, he called it a night and headed to his bedroom.
It wasn’t often Benrey slept during their escape from Black Mesa, the threat of something sneaking up always kept them awake. Not sleeping was probably one of the leading causes of his grotesque appearance, skin constantly pale and eyes dark with bags.
Those sleepless nights were often spent a few meters away from the rest of the group, staring at the stars, watching them slowly pan across the sky, counting the clusters that caught his mind and trying to find the constellations.
The last couple of months, however, were spent mostly unconscious, they hardly remembered the times they were awake. It was all a big blur, but they remember the gas station, his shitty box, the rats that would have loud conversations in the night, the white noise of the small city. Occasionally, a person would walk by them, whispering. It probably wasn’t anything good.
Benrey would’ve been fine without waking up, last night was nothing but a faint blur in his head. They remember walking to, at least tying to, to the convenience store and fainting, someone’s arms carrying him-
Gordon?
Their eyes fluttered open, sucking in a breath as the pain in his chest hit them full-force. His mouth was dry, head throbbing as they tried to figure out what was going on. Benrey groaned, eyelids heavy as they scanned their surroundings.
They had no fucking clue where they were, only that they were in an apartment of sorts.
Maybe it was Gordon’s place-?
He dug his elbows beneath him, struggling to sit up. Benrey looked over themself, finding that they were covered in bandages. He rubbed a hand over one, feeling the sting of a wound underneath. Others had blood seeping through, especially the ones wrapping his paws. His abdomen and ribs were sore, arms wrapping around himself.
Heat radiated off his skin, sweat rolling off his forehead, the shirt he was wearing sticking to him. He felt sticky and achy, worse than he did back in the alley.
Wait, this wasn’t his shirt?
Suddenly, they realized they were wearing only boxers and a t-shirt that definitely wasn’t theirs. They dragged the blanket pooled on the couch onto their shoulders.
Where was their helmet? Their joints ached and they honestly wanted to go back to sleep, but the idea of sleeping in an unfamiliar place unsettled him. How did he even get here?
Benrey looked through the blinds to get a sense of what time it was, the first rays of sunrise breaking through clouds. He looked over at the oven.
6:07 AM
They squinted their eyes, hunching over as a particularly bad wave of pain blossomed in their chest.
“Fuuuck.” They groaned, tears stinging his eyes. A cough racked his body, causing a stabbing in his lungs. He coughed again, tears rolling down his face as he broke out into a fit.
“Gor-” He tried, choking on his own words. His throat burned.
Blood stained the crease in his arm, rolling down his chin. Their lungs burned as their shoulders heaved, desperately trying to breathe.
He gasped, chest rattling as he sucked in desperate breaths. Tears and blood dripped onto his legs and the floor, his body threatening to topple off the couch.
Benrey wheezed and gagged, the fit finally calming down. Instead, nausea creeped up his throat. One thing after another.
He tried to stand up, forgetting about the condition of his feet, and immediately crumpled to the floor with a small yelp.
He curled into the fetal position, his body shaking, hands grabbing at his head, strands of hair intertwined with his fingers. Shades of white and yellow escaped his maw, floating lazily to the ceiling. Why was he breaking down? Why here of all places?
From somewhere behind him, he heard the click of a door unlocking and the turn of the knob, but he barely registered it.
Footsteps hurriedly approached him, a thud as someone dropped on the floor next to him. They shrunk further into themself, claws racking at their scalp. Warm hands grabbed their wrists, pulling them away.
Benrey whimpered, trying to fight for their hands back, but whoever holding them back was stronger.
“Benrey- Benrey, stop.” A familiar voice pleaded. Those sparkling green eyes looked at them with genuine worry, an expression they had never seen directed at them.
The alien went slack, letting Gordon pull them into a hug. A strangled cry escaped them, tears flowing freely as they let themself break down.
They practically melted into his touch, the past two months finally catching up with them. Their lungs burned as their chest jumped with sobs, pausing only to breathe. They hiccuped as they hyperventilated, desperately trying not to pass out.
“It’s okay.” The scientist mumbled, rubbing comforting circles on their back.
They sputtered and choked, reluctantly letting their mind cloud over with this moment. Benrey gripped at Gordon’s shirt with trembling fingers, trying to ground himself the best he could.
Their mind was racing, colors spilling out of him, lighting up the ceiling. They buried their head in the warmth holding them, muffled wailing and quiet comforts filling the room.
They hadn’t cried this hard since they first came to Earth, locked in those endless cold rooms- another sob racked his shoulders. They could faintly hear sniffing from the other, though it didn’t cross their mind at the time.
The only time they had seen anyone else break down was in Black Mesa, when Gordon collapsed in the corner after a particularly large fight with the zombies. Benrey didn’t know what to do, just looked around awkwardly as Coomer and Tommy comforted him.
They felt themselves slipping back into their thoughts, a stifled sob escaping them as they tried to hold on tighter to Gordon.
“No- it’s okay I got you.” Benrey could almost pass out at those words, his touch-starved side screaming in sheer glee.
They inhaled sharply, relaxing slightly in the other man’s arms. Tears stained both their shirts as the sun poked through the blinds, lighting up Gordon’s hair in a way that reminded them of a halo.
He’s so pretty.
He felt his face warm up, shivering as he buried himself back into the physicist. He let his mind be taken over by this moment, focusing on the fact he was being held by Gordon Freeman.
Even once Benrey eventually stopped sobbing, Gordon did not let go for quite some time. (Not that they minded.) He kept them in his arms even as they went slack, slow breathing and sniffs the only sound filling the apartment.
“Uh, you good now?” Gordon asked, relaxing his grip slightly.
“Mh” They replied, breaking the embrace and looking up at the physicist with bloodshot eyes.
Their face was red and puffy, tear streaks staining their cheeks. They curled the blanket around themself, still trembling.
Gordon eyed the smear of blood on their chin, standing up and offering a hand to Benrey.
“Uh, m can’t walk.” They mumbled, curling their tail around their legs.
“Ah shit, okay. Here-” Gordon picked them up with seemingly no effort, carrying them into the bathroom.
He set them down on the toilet, running a rag under warm water.
He handed Benrey the cloth, letting them wipe their face off. They looked at him with tired eyes and Gordon could almost hear his heart shatter.
He is responsible for your arm. He tried to kill you. He reminded himself, shaking his head.
“You, uh, wanna sleep?”
He asked, tossing the washcloth carelessly in the sink.
They nodded, hugging their knees. Their tail was curled around their feet in a way that reminded him of a cat. He picked up the alien, carrying them to his bedroom.
“Uh, gonna sleep in Gordos bed. Gonna- gonna sleep with your best bro?” Benrey mumbled tiredly, at least their annyong shenanigans were still around.
Gordon huffed, “No, s’just comfier here. Thought you’d like that.”
He shouldn't be this nice, why was he even helping them at all?
They nodded into his chest. “Thank.”
He laid them on the bed, offering them more blankets. They piled every pillow they could find around themself, curling into a ball.
“You need anything else?” He asked, turning around in the doorframe.
“M good.” They mumbled.
“Cool. Uh, just holler if you need something.” Gordon said, cracking the door behind him.
“Nice.” Benrey whispered to himself, sinking deeper into his nest.
They slowly drifted off, only thinking about the fact that Gordon had hugged them.