Work Text:
Touch
She found herself on the edge of retreating, for once. It was hitting too close to home, to be working where they were, to be seeing all of the faces that never saved her as a child...and attempting to save their lives anyway. She was biting her lip, trying to keep herself from the guilt of leaving. She couldn't do it. She shouldn't.
She gave a heavy glance to Shadow, and was surprised to find that he was looking at her already. He had his mouth twisted into a concerned, empty frown, and he was watching her.
Without a word, he raised his eyes and waited for her reply.
She raised her eyes back to him, shrugging her shoulders to gesture that there would be no answer, and he nodded as they continued on.
His posture changed after that, leaning more towards her as if to create the empathy that he did not express verbally. He was well aware of her distress, and she knew that she had no need to explain herself. His hands curled more into themselves, tighter fists hiding from the town that had hurt her, readying themselves to protect should the very walls of the little houses spring forth at her. His eyes were still focused readily ahead, but there was some suspicion in the corners that he kept reserved for everything around them.
She gave a soft glance of appreciation towards him, but he of course could not catch this. Due to his defenses, she was able to look all around at the many buildings that barely towered over them. Most of the town was still focused on the neighborhood side, keeping itself rural and scarce. The industrial age had barely convinced this town to change. After so many years, still only one school, one community center, and one graveyard. That one graveyard…
She turned to look across the road to that little fenced-in elementary. A nostalgic chill made its way down her spine, but she paid no mind to it for now. She knew a few more blocks and she would reach where her best friend used to live, and that took her attention. She watched as the little gray panel house passed her by, it was almost as if her legs hadn't moved her. No feelings resurfaced, but she found herself wondering again where that friend had gone, and was she ok now? Was she better off than herself?
She looked back to Shadow, mostly to save her mind any further emotion. His stoic face seemed to stabilize her wavering. He nodded again, they were almost to the town center. The reason they had come, the mission they had been sent on.
Still, no silence was broken, like a trust between them. Rouge sighed slowly, the breath coming out as smoke in the cold air. Falls felt the same here. She was so glad she had left.
Shadow looked towards her, and gradually pulled himself closer to her side of the sidewalk. It was treacherously close to breaking his personal space rule, and she could have jeered at him for it, but now was not the time. Now was the perfect time. She gave him a small smile, the best that she could, and watched the sidewalk below as his footsteps slowly stopped. When she turned to him in confusion, he never met her gaze, but moved his hand to touch her shoulder briefly, and that was all it took.
He kept walking after that, and she slowly followed.
When she reached his pace, she reached out without hesitance and laced her fingers with his. He gave her a bewildered look, breaking his solid expression at last. It was her time to ignore his shock now, as she kept looking and walking ahead. Waiting for his brain to process the movement, hoping that he would understand the appreciation that she felt for his reassurance.
When he finally did, his pace matched hers and they walked in silent synchronization, true partners to the scene.
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Shadow was still thinking back to the time, shortly after he had made the decision to join G.U.N, in which he was still caught in the emotional impact of the choice. It wasn't uncommon to find him staring out into space in his early days, imagining himself back on the ARK. Sometimes certain things would happen, and he couldn't explain it, but he would suddenly feel pulled into his head- in a sickening, empty sort of way. The real world around him ceased to be, and the nightmares of the past would unfold before his eyes.
There was one time in particular, after a long meeting, in which he felt the world make its wrong turn the moment he exited the room and saw the long expanse of the building's hallway. His breathing quickened, but he pressed a hand to his chest and stilled it enough to be less detectable. He quickly took one of the seats on the benches lining the area, a lone vending machine staring back at him from across the hall. He tried to push his racing heartbeat to the back of his mind, at least before it became blatant to any passing person.
Others were exiting the meeting room as he steadied, but none paid any mind and so neither did he. That was until he heard the click of heels upon the floor, and they stopped right before him. He looked up quickly to see Rouge standing there, and she had a concerned look on her face, to his surprise. He had shown her no emotion, and yet here she was already keen that something was off.
She spoke no words, perhaps because it was not only the two of them- and she knew better than to imply his weakness in front of others. She reached out a hand to his shoulder, and he immediately held her hand at bay, refusing the condolence. He nodded to her, that it was okay to move on, to leave without him.
Yet she sat down beside him, and without a word she stayed. She never once put her hand towards him again, until, before standing, she took his hand into hers, and dropped it with a firm squeeze, as they became the only ones there. It had been a shock to him even then, as sympathy had been the last thing he was expecting, especially from her.
This was the beginning, of the trust that grew between them.
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It had to be a special thing- this bond- to be understood, even when silent.