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Despite how exhausted BB was, sleep eluded him for a while. His emotions were still all over the place. It didn’t help that all the grief he felt, embarrassment had reared its ugly head. Having such an emotional breakdown in front of SLT was the last thing he had wanted.
It left him tossing around in his bed for what felt like hours, until he finally drifted off into sleep.
- - - - - - - -
The giant full moon hung in the sky over the desolate city. It was a surprisingly quiet night, the cultists seemed to have their sights on other districts for the night. BB carefully walked along the rubbled street, he stuck closer to the buildings lining it so he could seek refuge within one of the abandoned stores on the ground floor if needed. He was probably late already, the staff at the gate to the facility had held him up with questions for longer than he had liked.
Moving into an alleyway he could spot the fire escape stairs deeper within, closer to the dead end. Walking towards it he wondered if Eden was already waiting up there. He most likely is. It surely would not surprise BB.
Unlatching the little gate blocking the stairs, he peered up the building for a moment, trying to catch a glimpse of the other man sitting on a ledge, which he sometimes did. Nothing in sight so far. It took a while for him to reach the top of the six story building where they would meet up when they weren't trading anything.
The metallic creaking of those stairs had long gotten familiar. As he reached the top, he already looked around, trying to spot Eden in the dim light of the moon. He could only see a figure sitting on one of the benches in the overgrown rooftop garden. Hesitating for a moment as the figure lacked the quite iconic motorcycle helmet that Eden always wore, he carefully approached. Hands resting on the knife at his side if he had to use it.
The figure seemed to notice BB’s approach and turned around towards him. “Crow! You made it!” BB breathed a sigh of relief upon recognizing Eden’s voice. Removing his hand from the hilt of the knife he continued towards Eden.
As he got closer it was more obvious that he did indeed not wear his helmet, it having been placed next to him on the bench. BB stopped a few steps away from the other man, whose face he now saw the face of for the first time. Sure, he had imagined how Eden looked underneath, but actually seeing his face was a surprise. Eden’s shaggy hair slowly swayed in the breeze as BB stared at him.
Eden's face had a wide grin on it, seemingly quite amused at BB’s confusion. “Like what you see?” He giggled. BB only scoffed and moved to sit down next to him. “Is it a special occasion that you're suddenly showing me what you look like?” Eden only hummed in thought for a moment. “Not really. I just thought it was time. We have known each other for years.” He looked around for a bit. “Also a bit stuffy with that thing on.”
Eden scratched his chin before looking back at BB, moonlight reflected in his eyes, as he looked at him expectantly. Sighing in exasperation BB removed the goggles and the balaclava he wore. “There you go, happy?” Squinting at him, Eden nodded slowly. “Hmm, yeah I am happy.” A smile spread across his face.
“Don't be too happy, you owe me a favor for me having to go through all this hassle again to see you.” BB rubbed the bridge of his nose, slightly annoyed at the other. “Have something in mind already? Should I try finding something for you again?” BB only shrugged. “Will tell you when I think of something.”
It was surprisingly nice to feel the breeze on his face again. It was a bit chilly but pleasant. With how stale the air in the facility was, it was a welcome relief. He could have sat there in silence for a while, if Eden was not observing him with an intense gaze curiously. “What?” BB said as he turned his head to return the gaze. “Can’t I look at you?” The scavenger responded with a smile “Not if you're staring at me like that.” He lightly hit Eden's head with the side of his hand. “Ow …” He jokingly rubbed at his head as if BB had seriously hit him. “Lenny can hit harder than you.” He said with a fake frown. Scoffing, BB raised an eyebrow. “Really? Don't make me disprove that statement.” A small smile appeared on BB’s face.
“Oh mister grumpy pants can smile?” Grinning, Eden leaned forward to get a closer look , only to be met by BB grabbing his face with his hand, obscuring most of his vision, and pushing him away again. “Nope, you must be hallucinating. Did a cultist hit you on the head recently?" Eden began laughing as he grabbed BB's hand, trying to pull it off his face, but his grip was held steady. The smile on Eden’s face steadily grew wider.
He had barely heard Eden laugh throughout the years they had known each other. The rare times he had heard his laugh, was when he brought Lenny along. That little girl surely was the light of his life. So to hear Eden laugh solely in BB’s company, made something in him tingle.
After a slight scuffle Eden actually managed to pry BB’s hand off his face. Like he was showing off a prize, he lifted the now empty hand proudly into the air with both of his own “HA! I'm stronger than you.” Not letting him have that moment, BB pulled his hand out of the light grip and moved it beside him onto the bench. “Sure you are, Eden.”
Still giggling, Eden leaned back on the bench, looking at the vastness of the starry sky above, placing his own hand right next to BB’s. He followed the scavenger's gaze upward. Without his goggles on, the stars shone much more brilliantly. How rarely he got to see them. “Can you see the stars wherever Contact is?” Eden inquired. BB could see out of the corner of his eye how Eden had turned his head towards him again. He let out a long sigh before answering. “Not really, we are mostly underground after all.” The other scrunched up his face before looking back up to the sky. “Sounds terrible. At least you get out once in a while.”
He could hear how Eden slightly shifted how he was sitting, feeling their fingers brushed together for a moment. There was that tingling deep down again. BB did not quite know what it meant. “It would be terribly boring at the moment if I couldn't. I get to spend time with you after all. That makes going through the trouble of getting permission even more worth it.”
BB slowly turned his head to look at Eden, and slowly inched his hand closer so their fingers could touch again. Whatever that feeling was, he wanted to revel in it. So when Eden looked back at him again, with a content smile on his face and slowly intertwining his fingers with BB’S own, the feeling seemed to flare.
Eden’s movements seemed overly careful, the way the scavenger moved over to lean against BB, resting his head of scruffy hair on the other man’s shoulder. As if he wasn’t quite sure if BB would allow it. Eden stopped breathing for a moment, not truly believing what was happening. Yet it felt so right. As if this was what he had desired all along. So after a moment of hesitation, BB leaned his head against Eden's. He could feel the dirt and dust in his hair, pressed against his cheek. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to enjoy the moment, and gently he rubbed his thumb over the scavengers knuckles as they still held hands, receiving a pleased hum in response.
“Crow?” Eden’s voice cut through the silence of the night after they had sat there for what felt like hours. It held a strange echo to it. A tension BB could not place. As he opened his eyes again, the rooftop was cast in an odd blueish purple light. “Why did you convince me to join you?” A cold shiver ran down BB’s back at those words. “What?” he stammered, slowly pulling away so he could look at Eden better. “It’s your fault that Lenny died.” Staring horrified at the scavenger's face, BB saw a dark liquid that ran down the side of his head, Eden’s eyes filled with tears. The scavenger did not look at BB, locked on the ground in front of him. The air filled with the metallic smell of blood.
With a shaking hand BB cupped Eden’s face, lifted it so he could see his face. More and more blood streamed down, mixed with his tears, dripped down his chin. “Eden?” His voice was panicked at the sight. “You killed her!” Eden roared with all the power he could muster. With that scream a rumble sounded off in the distance, and as the moon behind Eden’s head suddenly blinked. Its brilliant white glow morphed into the eye of a mole, looking directly at the two of them. The stare accusatory, the eye judging them.
The floor beneath their feet let out a cracking sound of warning. BB’s eyes darted to the ground, just in time to see the floor beneath them shatter, revealing a writing mass of inky black void below. As they fell, BB noticed for a moment that the debris descending alongside them looked almost like little stars, if only the night sky had not been littered with more of those horrid blueish purple eyes staring.
The wind tore at them as they were thrown into the darkness below, with all his might he clung onto Eden. BB grabbed him and pulled him to his chest. The other man was limp in his arms and colt to the touch “Eden? Eden!” He cried out for him as everything around them got swallowed by the void.
Then he suddenly stood in the ruins of the nest, the grey light of the now overcast sky shone down upon him. At his feet lie Eden, half buried by the rubble, blood pooled around him BB fell to to his knees beside the scavenger, he could feel how tears flowed down his face. Desperately he shook Eden’s cold body. “Please.” BB could not feel him breathing. “Please wake up.” His unheard pleas only echoed on the damaged walls. It was his fault. He caused both their deaths. He buried his face in Eden's chest, wishing it would reignite that feeling from the rooftop again. But there was nothing. All that remained was pain and BB’ could feel it permeate his body.
He deserved this.
Thus he let himself get consumed by the darkness.
- - - - - - - -
Pain shot throughout his body, jolting him awake. BB felt wetness on his cheeks, as his entire body shook. Not even in sleep he could elude guilt, it has taken root too deep within him. Slowly he sat up, his vision blurred as he stared down at his hands in the dim light. His own played tricks on him, the grief made it look like they were still covered in Eden’s blood. With each blink, the image of blood slowly faded away and clarity returned to his eyes.
BB felt terrible and exhausted, he was trembling and covered in sweat and tears. A glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand revealed in glowing red numbers that it was 1:47 AM. BB didn't know what to do, the chance that he would be able to sleep again was miniscule at best. At least he could get out of the hazmat suit that he still wore, perhaps shower to get rid of the sweat? He buried his head in his hands. Never before had he felt so lost. The next few weeks were probably going to be the hardest in his entire life.