Work Text:
I’m leaning against my office door, absently pinching the skin on the back of my wrist to ensure I’m not dreaming. But no, it isn’t ghosts or a waking fantasy—It really is her voice, albeit mingling with someone else who I don’t recognize. The muffled noise of dulcet chatter quickly fades and gives way to the rhythmic clunking of boots drawing near. I step away in anticipation. She knocks twice.
“Doctor?” She calls, giving me a moment in case I’m preoccupied (even when the only thing I’m doing is waiting to see her in person). After a beat, the door creaks open and in walks none other than Captain Rebecca Thorn, who has been absent from my life for what feels like an eternity.
“Hey there. It’s good to see you again, Doctor.” She greets me warmly, like she usually does, like this is just another usual moment between us. Then my hand’s flying in front of me and jabbing a trembling finger at her. I’m completely dumbfounded at how she thinks she can just stroll in like she always does, like she hasn’t been MIA for two days too long.
“…What? Where was I?” She parrots my question, which came out as more of a demand, if I’m being honest. “I could have sworn I’d told you… Two days ago, I said I needed to attend some in-person negotiations with HOTFIX staff from other facilities.”
I run her words back over in my brain and my brow pinches a little. She’s never mentioned such a thing to me before.
“Ah, so you forgot,” She says, like it’s obvious. “It’s alright, it happens. You have a lot to think about every day, so I don’t blame you. I should have written you a note.”
It’s not the lack of a note that bothers me, though. The silence in the afternoons where we’d usually have our talks was so torturous, I swear, it could’ve even given me a BUG. I make no comment on what the captain says and instead relay the severity of my sudden solitude.
“…What’s that? You had no idea what to make of yourself while I was gone?” She laughs. “Haha, good one. You and I both know you’re perfectly capable of handling all this hard work by yourself. You and FORMAT basically run this facility yourselves, after all.”
I don’t know why she’s not taking me seriously. I just stare at her, not returning her laughter, and hope she gets it.
“You… Weren’t joking? …Oh, I see.”
I feel like, if I listen hard enough, I can almost hear the churning of gears in her head as it finally clicks. What gives? It’s not like the captain to be so slow at assuming this sort of thing about me. I’m already preparing to accept her apology when it follows what she’s said, only for her to say—
“Hmm… My, my, Doctor. Did you really miss me that much?” She says, wryly. Her voice drops to a tone I’ve never heard her use before. I don’t see it, but I can hear the sly smile in her voice. I’m suddenly inclined to suppress a shudder, my shoulders stiffening. “I had no idea I was on your mind so often~”
Her words make warmth bloom in my cheeks and I feel like I’ve been caught with my gloves off, or something as equally humiliating. I tap my fingers together and sharply avert her eyes. I want to refute, to defend my honor, but her silky voice makes my knees feel weak like bent stems and my own words die in my throat. I cant say she’s wrong, and she knows it. Curse that Rebecca—she thinks she’s just so funny, doesn’t she? Like with many other things, I’m an expert at completely steeling my outward emotions, so I’m sure she’s none the wiser about the mess she’s turning me into. But despite how well I’m hiding it, soon the infernal feeling in my face is just too much to handle. And so, I do what any genius of a brilliant logical mind would do to remedy it—
“Ah? Wait, Doctor—! I’m just teasing! Please don’t…”
Rebecca’s voice quiets behind the click of my office’s door swinging shut. I’m as light as a breeze on my feet as I hurry away from that conversational prison. Which is to say I am certainly not making a fool of myself racing down the hallway past the turning heads of HOTFIX guards on duty. I have something important I need to get anyway, as they should know, so whatever they’re thinking is none of my business.
(Meanwhile, Rebecca can only watch as a black suit scurries out of sight and the door closes behind them.
“…They left.” She sighs. “Oh, well. I’ll have to apologize later for mocking them… It really was only a joke. Was it that hard to tell…? We’ve teased each other before, but…” She thinks aloud, holding her chin in one hand. “But…I wonder…If they missed me that much, wouldn’t they want to see me a bit more than that? How come they seemed so nervous…?”)
~▼~
We find each other again in the break room. Now, my head is clear and I’m clutching something precious in my hands, completely obscuring it from Rebecca’s line of sight.
“Oh, Doctor!” She says when she sees me, barely hiding a relieved sigh. “There you are… I’m sorry for earlier. I really didn’t mean to offend you, if I did…”
Ah, Rebecca—ever so quick to apologize. Of course, I appreciate it, but she’s always been so soft, so careful with me, like I’d shatter into a thousand pieces if she ever said the wrong thing. She really ought to know, especially by now, it would take much more than that to truly upset me. I just shake my head and take her guarded wrist carefully in my fingertips, as I would with a delicate flower. She tilts her head as I bring my other hand up to her and unfurl it to reveal—
“What is…? A bracelet? You made this while…” She trails off while I wrap the braided thread around her wrist and tie it together. She marvels at it for a moment, then reaches over to trace the embroidery. The thread is woven in intricate, colourful knots that make the diamond shapes of, admittedly simplified, pink and orange flowers with yellow nectars in the middle. She runs her finger back and forth over the bracelet, studying every little groove and bump as she speaks again—
“Ah… So you were thinking of me, too…” She pauses for a beat, her finger coming to a halt. Then, she looks up at me.
“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll treasure this.”
She says with enough warmth to be confused for a sunbeam. It’s to be expected, because she does that with everything I give to her, no matter how small or simple. Still, I’m never not proud of myself when I hear those words.
“….I missed you, too. To be honest, I thought of you the whole time I was away… I’m really glad to be back.” She covers the bracelet with one hand as she brings the other to her chest.
Two days apart, and we’ve missed each other just the same. We fit together like a pair of gloves, don’t we? A feeling spreads through me—it’s soft and sweet and blossoms from my chest. I’m unable to express it as anything more than a gleaming double-thumbs-up, which is always perfect for the both of us. It’s then I realize how much the captain has a hold on me, like my gift to her wrapped taught around her wrist. I think to myself; I want her to treat me carefully, like she always does with my gifts. I want her to keep me here, right with her. I want her to keep me in her mind, wherever she is. I want her to hold onto me. I want her to never let go.