[reverse darkest timeline au] all you want is refuge

[stilljustandrew]

He goes back to his own cell, after the exorcism. And lies down, after a while.

Nita's okay. She'll be okay. There's no reason for him to feel this shaky.

Except there is. Oh, there is.

He's trying not to think about it.

Comments

[nita_callahan]

Nita spends the night in the cells -- in Baby, where she feels secure. She wakes up early in the morning and spends some time outside.

In the afternoon, she finds herself drifting back to the Security office, not entirely sure what she's looking for, or even if she's looking for anything. Although once she's there, looking down the hallway, it seems obvious.

(Deep breath, Nita.)

She wanders down and pauses at a polite distance from Andrew's -- cell? Room? What do they call it now?

"Knock knock."

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew's sitting cross-legged on his mattress, bent over an open notebook and tapping the page idly with a pen.

He glances up at the sound of a voice, and sees the figure just barely in sight in the hallway, and hurriedly sets aside the pen and pad. "Nita? Hi."

[nita_callahan]

"It's me," she says, wry, and steps forward into his line of sight.

"Hey."

[stilljustandrew]

He scrambles to his feet, and starts toward the barrier at the front of the cell.

"How are you doing?"

(It's very much not a casual question.)

[nita_callahan]

"I'm okay," she assures him. "Better." She inclines her head towards him. "Thanks to you guys."

[stilljustandrew]

"Good," he says fervently. "I ... I'm really glad I could help."

A beat.

"... d'you want to come in? Or, or I could come out?"

[nita_callahan]

"Yeah, um, I wanted to see if you wanted to get tea or coffee or something, out in the bar."

[stilljustandrew]

He starts to smile, a bit unsteadily.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd ... really like that."

[nita_callahan]

Her own smile broadens a little, briefly.

"Cool. Good." She nods towards the door of the office. "Coming, then?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Sure, just -- let me put shoes on?"

It only takes him a moment to find and tug on his sneakers, before stepping through the barrier as though it isn't there.

[nita_callahan]

It's good to see him seeming a little more relaxed in the space.

She doesn't say much as she leads the way out to a quiet table in the bar, other than flagging down a waitrat.

"Tea for me. Uh, chamomile, I guess, not black. And whatever he's getting."

[stilljustandrew]

"Uh -- ginger tea? With honey? Thanks."

As the waitrat scurries off, he folds his hands on the table, lacing and unlacing his fingers. Seems to be trying to work out what to say.

(Clearly visible, under the sleeves of his flannel shirt, are the bands of pale and withered-looking skin where the cuffs used to be.)

[nita_callahan]

Yeah, it's -- there's kind of an awkward pause.

Nita breaks it.

"So, I'm not sure where to start, so I'm just going to jump in, I guess? And I remember you apologizing to me, and I want you to know -- none of what happened was your fault."

[stilljustandrew]

He looks down at his hands.

"I know," he says, very soft. "I mean, I wasn't sure then, but ... I do know."

A beat.

"But that wasn't what I wanted to say sorry for."

[nita_callahan]

She blinks.

"Oh?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Back when I ... when I first got arrested, and you came to see me? You were trying to help me, and I, I yelled at you. And lied to you."

Still soft; a little muffled. "And I'm sorry."

[nita_callahan]

Nita . . . looks more than a little startled.

"Oh. I -- thank you for that."

[stilljustandrew]

He glances up, with a faint uneven smile. "I know that probably wasn't, like ... still important? Especially right then? But I promised myself I was going to say sorry the next time I saw you, and not put it off, and ... that was then. If you could hear me, I mean."

A beat.

"... I don't know if that makes any sense."

[nita_callahan]

"It does," she says slowly, still off-balance.

"What did you lie about?"

[stilljustandrew]

"When I told you I was ... having trouble sleeping in the cell." He glances away again, his smile fading. "I was telling everybody that."

[nita_callahan]

"--Right." That does ring a bell.

"Do you want to talk about why, or just--" She waves a hand. "Let that be a thing that happened?"

[stilljustandrew]

"I mean, it's not really a secret or anything? I was trying to get where I could ... talk to him, in my sleep. Where he could talk to me, I guess. He can't get through Baby's walls, though." Another uneven smile, with a touch of residual fear. "That's the main reason I'm still sleeping there."

[nita_callahan]

Nita inhales -- exhales, nods.

"Yeah. Same."

The rat returns with their tea at this point, and Nita busies herself for a moment with pouring herself a cup. Trying to pour, at any rate: the pot is still very hot.

"Are you sleeping okay?"

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew has tugged one sleeve down over his palm as a makeshift potholder, to pour his own tea.

"Most of the time," he says slowly, watching the liquid level rise in his cup.

And looks up at her, as he sets the pot down. "Are you?"

[nita_callahan]

Nita shrugs.

"Staying in the Security office helped some. I know it got destroyed, but I kept feeling like it was going to come back."