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door's open, so to speak.
[ And he'll just be up on the rooftop, where the likelihood that Wade Wilson'll burst through a door is significantly lower. With so few people left in the building, maybe no one else will, either. He's got too much energy, pacing, fidgeting, waiting in the most energetic possible way. ]
[ And he'll just be up on the rooftop, where the likelihood that Wade Wilson'll burst through a door is significantly lower. With so few people left in the building, maybe no one else will, either. He's got too much energy, pacing, fidgeting, waiting in the most energetic possible way. ]
You'll see pretty fast.
[As soon as they get out into things the overgrowth will be obvious, and so will how deserted the city is. As they step out onto a main street, instead of the out of the way garage, Lance adds--]
I ran into a deer, on the way here. It looked really offended to see me.
[Which is a way of saying oh, by the way, there's wildlife now too.]
[As soon as they get out into things the overgrowth will be obvious, and so will how deserted the city is. As they step out onto a main street, instead of the out of the way garage, Lance adds--]
I ran into a deer, on the way here. It looked really offended to see me.
[Which is a way of saying oh, by the way, there's wildlife now too.]
[It takes Kyna a while longer to get there, considering the mess the city is in. She's actually almost surprised the door isn't tangled shut with vines.
She steps out onto the rooftop, and her chest tightens when she sees Sam pacing, all anxiety. Kyna hesitates, shifting her weight from foot to foot.]
Hey.
She steps out onto the rooftop, and her chest tightens when she sees Sam pacing, all anxiety. Kyna hesitates, shifting her weight from foot to foot.]
Hey.
[ The rest of the rooftop's grown wild in their absence, but everything around the door's clear. The hacked-up plants on the concrete around the doorway give a hint as to how they ended up with that good fortune.
He's currently walking away from the door when she comes through, but the sound of her voice makes him freeze. There she is, small and straightbacked and living, unbloodied, and he's walking toward her before he realizes it. The same's true when he stops a few steps away from her, like he can't quite bring himself to close the space between them entirely. His throat aches--just looking at her, he's pretty sure he must've tried swallowing gravel before she showed up--but he manages to say ]
Hey.
He's currently walking away from the door when she comes through, but the sound of her voice makes him freeze. There she is, small and straightbacked and living, unbloodied, and he's walking toward her before he realizes it. The same's true when he stops a few steps away from her, like he can't quite bring himself to close the space between them entirely. His throat aches--just looking at her, he's pretty sure he must've tried swallowing gravel before she showed up--but he manages to say ]
Hey.
[She's not sure what she's expecting, but when he stops short, disappointment curls in her gut. Every reunion she's had feels surreal, dream-like, and so when he doesn't close the distance between them, she does, throwing her arms around him. He's solid and real, and she tightens her grip, not trusting herself to speak as her vision blurs.]
[ And that's it--that's the thing he couldn't bring himself to do, hug her close and maybe get a little wet around the eyes.
All he can think of, wrapping his arms around her, is how tiny she is. Barely hits his shoulder. Weighs little enough that he could pick her up one-armed if he wanted to. Slender, built for fights that aren't fought with fists. And someone looked at her and said perfect, let's make her fight to the death. He's got her in one hell of a bear hug, hunched a little so he doesn't feel like he's off in the stratosphere, listening to her breathe and telling himself she's alive.
His voice is rougher than usual when he mumbles-- ]
Kyna thought we lost you there, y'know.
All he can think of, wrapping his arms around her, is how tiny she is. Barely hits his shoulder. Weighs little enough that he could pick her up one-armed if he wanted to. Slender, built for fights that aren't fought with fists. And someone looked at her and said perfect, let's make her fight to the death. He's got her in one hell of a bear hug, hunched a little so he doesn't feel like he's off in the stratosphere, listening to her breathe and telling himself she's alive.
His voice is rougher than usual when he mumbles-- ]
Kyna thought we lost you there, y'know.
[She lets out a choked sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Everyone who comes back has died, but she doesn't want to ask about that right now. Instead, she just tightens her grip, fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt, and presses a kiss to his cheek. The empathy bond gives him some mix of relief and aching affection, all tangled up with an odd sort of grief.]
I'm so glad you're back.
I'm so glad you're back.
[ He tries not to feel it. Not the kiss, not everything that comes along with it. But that's not how this works--and what she gets back is grief and relief of his own, the special permutation of oh, thank Christ that's all for Kyna, all surrounded by a loneliness like a sucking chest wound.
It's so much easier, normally, not to be trapped in the middle of this shit. ]
Yeah. Yeah-- [ His eyes are shut tight for a moment, not a single coherent thought coming to mind. ] Me, too.
It's so much easier, normally, not to be trapped in the middle of this shit. ]
Yeah. Yeah-- [ His eyes are shut tight for a moment, not a single coherent thought coming to mind. ] Me, too.
[She doesn't expect the loneliness, but it's so familiar that he doesn't get pity back—it's empathy, a sadness borne from intimate understanding. The relationships she had in the Aerie were unlike anything she had at home, that natural understanding that so many people would stick with her through her worst and had for years. There are maybe two or three people back home she can say that for. Losing it has left her reeling.
But Sam's a little different. They cared about each other in that other life, but she didn't realize how much she intrinsically trusts him here until she got back. Until she had something to compare it to.
She doesn't know how to tell him that, though. She doesn't know how to talk about any of it, and so she just presses her temple to his.]
No more snakeskin suits?
But Sam's a little different. They cared about each other in that other life, but she didn't realize how much she intrinsically trusts him here until she got back. Until she had something to compare it to.
She doesn't know how to tell him that, though. She doesn't know how to talk about any of it, and so she just presses her temple to his.]
No more snakeskin suits?
[ This is more than he bargained for, this constant contact and everything that comes with it here. After a break from it, a whole imagined lifetime where touching somebody didn't mean pulling back the curtain on everything inside his head, feeling Kyna reacting to him is overwhelming.
So he draws back a little, enough to break the connection, and breathes out like he's halfway forgotten how to laugh. Doesn't let go of her, though he's pretty sure he should--this has gone on a hell of a lot longer than he'd expect from a friendly hug. ]
You liked those, huh?
So he draws back a little, enough to break the connection, and breathes out like he's halfway forgotten how to laugh. Doesn't let go of her, though he's pretty sure he should--this has gone on a hell of a lot longer than he'd expect from a friendly hug. ]
You liked those, huh?
Don't worry about me. I've seen worse.
[ Easy to say--easier, in fact, when he lets go of her and he's a little bit out of reach. See? Fine. Maybe not completely-normal-tone fine, but at least he's the kind of fine where he's not falling to pieces.
You know. Fine. ]
C'mere.
[ There's a little park bench, except it's plastic instead of wood, and while it didn't used to be shaded, the garden's gotten a little out of control up here. Sam goes over to it and sits down, putting an arm along the top slat. Same general deal, being clingy--that arm's going around her the second she sits down--but without the Casablanca feeling to it. They might as well be comfortable. ]
[ Easy to say--easier, in fact, when he lets go of her and he's a little bit out of reach. See? Fine. Maybe not completely-normal-tone fine, but at least he's the kind of fine where he's not falling to pieces.
You know. Fine. ]
C'mere.
[ There's a little park bench, except it's plastic instead of wood, and while it didn't used to be shaded, the garden's gotten a little out of control up here. Sam goes over to it and sits down, putting an arm along the top slat. Same general deal, being clingy--that arm's going around her the second she sits down--but without the Casablanca feeling to it. They might as well be comfortable. ]
[ It's a familiar sensation, having her leaning against him like this, his arm having settled around her shoulders. He's careful not to touch her skin--always difficult with Kyna--but there's a tension in his frame that eases when she's next to him, evident even without having a front-row ticket to his emotions. ]
Yeah. [ All of it? He thinks through it. Yeah, all of it seems about right. It feels distant, somehow, even though it just happened, but there aren't any gaps he can think of. ] Do you?
Yeah. [ All of it? He thinks through it. Yeah, all of it seems about right. It feels distant, somehow, even though it just happened, but there aren't any gaps he can think of. ] Do you?
[It's nice, feeling him relax. She's not sure she did the entire first day she was back. But here comes the awkward part, the part she's going to stumble over.]
Yeah. And... I'm sorry.
[She wrinkles her nose, not sure how to elaborate.]
You know. For freaking out at you.
Yeah. And... I'm sorry.
[She wrinkles her nose, not sure how to elaborate.]
You know. For freaking out at you.
[ He doesn't play it off as easily as he will later with Ian. (That's over text, a hell of a lot easier to play dumb about, and frankly, everything with Kyna's a little more complicated than it is with anyone else.) Instead, after a few moments of quiet... ]
You don't gotta apologize for that.
You don't gotta apologize for that.
Nah.
[ This, too, after a pause--he does Kyna the honor of considering it, at least. ]
It wasn't real. We mighta been stuck there, but you weren't you. I wasn't really me.
[ This, too, after a pause--he does Kyna the honor of considering it, at least. ]
It wasn't real. We mighta been stuck there, but you weren't you. I wasn't really me.
It happened.
[ That part, he can't deny, even if it might be tempting. ]
But it wasn't...y'know, I don't know contract law from my elbow. Pretty sure the last suit I owned, I wore for my first communion. You getting pissed off at me, it isn't real like this is.
[ That part, he can't deny, even if it might be tempting. ]
But it wasn't...y'know, I don't know contract law from my elbow. Pretty sure the last suit I owned, I wore for my first communion. You getting pissed off at me, it isn't real like this is.
Apparently. I saw a squirrel too.
[It's crazy in how normal it is.]
[It's crazy in how normal it is.]
It might. Didn't the growth start after one of the other weird things that happened?
[He can't remember and doesn't want to try to look it up right now.]
[He can't remember and doesn't want to try to look it up right now.]
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