Work Text:
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Eva Stratt was about to scream. She had just been berated by the fourth world leader today. It was not an uncommon occurrence but it still stung regardless. Everyone who met Eva Stratt could say that she did not care, but goddamnit she did. All she did was care. About the project, about her job, about the people, about the world. And what did she get in return? Boos, politicians yelling so fervently that the veins in their foreheads bulged, whispers when she walked by and conversations stopping as she stepped in a room, death threats, and the list goes on. Some called it power, she called it hell.
It was only 5 pm, and all the luck and good grace in the world had parted ways with her many long hours ago.
Everywhere hurt. Her feet hurt from running around the ship. Her back hurt from sitting through too many meetings. Her head hurt simply for the hell of it. Her stomach hurt from too much coffee and not enough food. Her eyes hurt from staring too long at a laptop. Her throat hurt from yelling over too many people and too much press. Her heart hurt because she was flat-out, plain old exhausted.
Eva was begging herself to stop.
Instead, she sat in her pitch-black office; blinds, door, laptop shut, with an ice pack in hand, and a blanket around her shoulders, and cried into her sleeve.
The world is really goddamn heavy, in case you didn't know.
Eva felt a irreconcilable amount of self-pity, but she just couldn't help it.
Everyone needs a good cry every once in a while, even world dictators.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe i-
Rap rap rap.
She looked up warily at the door. Her normal sharpness had gone dull.
The door opened as someone stepped inside and harsh white light from the hall poured in along with them. Eva winced as she made out the figure in the door while her eyes screamed in pain.
"Director Stratt, what is going on?!"
It was Olesya Ilyukhina.
She squinted at Stratt from across the room and promptly shut the door when she saw the look on her face. She cautiously felt her way to the adjacent wall in the dark, feeling triumphant as she flicked on the overhead light without tripping.
Stratt let out a yelp of pain and quickly ducked her head back into the crook of her arm.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Olesya yelled as she flicked it off again.
She once again felt her way acros the room until she reached the large bay window. She slowly raised one set of blinds up a few inches, until enough light filled the room to see by.
Olesya turned around and made her way back to Eva.
The chair across the desk from Eva scraped against the floor as Olesya sat down. Eva looked up at her hesitantly.
"Tell me. What is the matter?" Eva continued to stare up at her with her head laid on her arm, so Olesya did the same, leaning forwards too until they were face-to-face.
"It's alright. I cannot hurt you any worse than any politician can."
Eva sat back up. Olesya did the same.
"I- I- I can't take it anymore. Everything hurts and all I get is hatred. They clearly want someone else... I- I just want to go home." Eva sniffed, sincerely reminiscent of a young child dragged on an unwanted trip.
She pulled the blanket closer and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Olesya got up and retrieved the tissue box on a table near the door. She sat back down and held it in front of her. Stratt stared at it for a minute before hesitantly reaching out and grabbing one to wipe her eyes, then another one to blow her nose.
Olesya watched patiently. She waited until Eva had gathered herself.
"Eva," she started. Eva was startled by Ilyukhina's informality. "When was the last time you've eaten or drank pure water?"
"I- It was-"
"What about slept last?"
"That was- uhh-" She began counting back on her fingers. The number she came out with was 15.
"Eva." Olesya leaned back in her chair with a doubtful look on her face. "What day of the week is it?"
Eva scoffed. "It's-..." She paused as she realized she had no idea. "It's Wednesday... October 14th."
Olesya shook her head slowly.
"Today is Saturday." She pulled out her smartphone and displayed its calendar, using the little red dot that signified the current day as proof.
They were both silent for a moment as that sank in. Saturday. She was a whole 3 days off. Who knew what else she had fucked up that day in that case.
"Eva." Ilyukhina began again. She leaned forwards on the desk. Eva had stopped paying attention to what Olesya was saying and was just staring at her. She was... pretty? The soft evening light warmed her face and made her look tanner. Eva stared at her lips as she spoke. Olesya had dimples when she smiled and a unique lilt to her voice. She loved the way Olesya said her name. That had shocked her the first time. The discomfort in her stomach seemed to have been replaced by the feeling that was caused by her internal organs egging her on to make a move or something.
"Eva? Eva?" She zoned back in as Olesya began snapping her fingers in front of her face.
"Hm?"
"See this just proves my point. You have pushed yourself beyond the point of surviving. If you keep this up, soon we WILL need to find someone else to take over the project, and you won't get a say in it because you'll be dead!"
Well that was bleak.
Olesya got up in a huff.
"Wait here."
She stormed out the door and shut it with a slam.
Eva once again felt deeply sad all of a sudden, like Olesya's contagious positivity had gone out the door with her, instead of lingering in the room as it usally did.
I suppose they're MY problems for a reason.
Eva returned to her sulking, sure that that had been the last of their interaction.
Again, she was wrong.
The door quietly opened and shut again some 15 minutes later, signifying Olesya's return. Eva looked up again, having taken to burying her head in her arms.
Olesya had returned carrying something. A plate of food. And under her arm, a bottle of water.
She walked away from the desk and set both items down on the coffee table in front of the "sofa". Eva stared at it from across the room. Olesya motioned for her to come over.
Eva cautiously stood up and made her way over, opting to keep the blanket wrapped around her, and uncremoniously plopped onto the couch. She abandoned the blanket to her side as Olesya sat down close to her (it was not a big couch after all), and handed her a fork.
Eva hadn't realized how hungry she had been until she started eating. Olesya opened the plastic bottle of water and handed it to her as well.
This food, whatever it may have been, tasted like the best thing Eva had ever eaten.
The plate was empty in mere minutes, as well as the bottle.
Once the food was gone, Olesya handed her a napkin, and Eva self-consciously wiped her mouth.
"Th- Thank you" she said simply.
Olesya smiled in return. "Of course,"
Olesya started to get up, picking up the now empty plate. "You try to get some sleep, deal?"
She walked towards the door.
"Wait!..." Olesya turned back around.
"Please stay... please?" Eva asked quietly.
"Alright. I'll stay. But only because I don't trust you'll actually sleep if I leave."
Eva laughed a little and Olesya set the plate back down.
She half-sat, half-laid down on the couch and wrapped her arms around Eva.
Olesya was warm, and she smelled nice. Her sweater was soft and Eva felt more comfortable laying in Olesya's arms than she ever had on a mattress.
She buried her head in the crook of Olesya's neck and smiled.
Olesya leaned down and whispered in Eva's ear.
"Get some sleep now ok?"
Eva drifted off before she could respond.
This was home.