thisavrou_log | [Closed] My sister did WHAT?

[Closed] My sister did WHAT?

Who: Trish Walker and Bruce Banner
When: At some point around or just before Jess comes out of cryo (??)
Where: Their room
What: Bruce totally does not keep it to himself that Jess asked him to put her down
Warnings: possibly mentions of murder, mind-control, rape

Trish is very, very happy about the fact that the room she shares with Bruce is no longer made of glass, and she is also extremely glad that she doesn't have to sleep alone since the ship has gotten really fucking cold and having someone to wrap herself around like an octopus is a pretty decent way of staying warm.

It's a good thing that Bruce is a patient man.

Especially since he has also had to listen to her grumble about Jess refusing to let him get her out pretty much higher ever since it happened because no she is not over it yet. She will probably never be over it, in all honesty.

"Okay I get preserving power but does it really have to be this cold?"

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"You could, but then you'd have to move."

And she likes him very much right where he is.

Perhaps a time will come when she won't feel vaguely clingy because there is always kind of a background fear that she will wake up and he will just be dead, but tonight is not that night.

Especially not since him holding her is pretty much the best feeling imaginable at more or less all times.

"What's going to happen to your department now? Considering all the changes, I mean."

Trish is still trying to figure out what her job is supposed to be now.

"I'd be back real quick, I promise."

Still, he makes no particular effort to move, though he hopes Trish will let him go get some more covers eventually. Right now it's all nice and good, but sleeping through the whole night when it's this cold isn't pleasant at all. Even if they keep latched onto each other.

"It should stay as it is. We do some pretty important work there, in my view necessary to keep the ship running in optimal condition. So hopefully, they'll just fit it into one of the departments."

Besides, if they think about shutting it down, Bruce is ready to make his case. Not that he wouldn't be able to work elsewhere, but he actually likes the work he does at the department.

"I hope so. No idea what's going to happen with my job."

She sighs, and pulls away from him a little to press a sweet kiss to his lips.

"Okay, go get some extra covers. But hurry back."

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

Well, not sure, but he's kind of hoping for it anyway. He knows of at least one new arrival who's been assigned to a similar job so it would make no sense to end the radio program right after getting someone else to work there too.

"Alright."

Smiling, he pulls away, climbing out of the bed and going over to the closet to fetch a couple of covers. He comes back soon enough, first stretching out the covers on top of the bed and then crawling back in, huddling close to her.

"I don't know if we count as 'ship essential'."

She gets comfortable against him again, fitting her body against his as much as she can.

"I don't know, Bruce. I don't like what's been going on lately."

Bruce wraps his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her cheek.

"Me neither. But we can't do much for now, so I guess we'll have to wait and see where this is all headed."

But of course he's worried, which is why he's been going around the ship nonstop to make sure that everything's working, even if on a minimum power supply. Which reminds him of something.

"The cryo units are fine, by the way. She's safe— and I've got backup generators ready to connect to her unit if it gets to that."

Trish feels a tension release that she hadn't even realised that she'd been carrying around. Sometimes Bruce (much like Jess) really knows her better than she knows herself.

"Thank you."

She sighs, that deep well of sadness within her that will forever be linked to the eternal love she has for her sister flooding her with renewed melancholy.

"I hope... I hope she'll be okay when she gets out. Well. As okay as she can be."

"I'm sure she will."

The cryo units might not be anyone's favorite place to be, but they do help a lot when it comes to both physical and mental damage. They won't fix everything, granted, but considering Jessica's state, it's the best help she could hope for.

"I'm sorry that I had to put her in there. It was better than..." He trails off, shaking his head a little. "It was the best option I had. I didn't know what else to do."

The way he cuts his sentence off there makes her trouble sense tingle in a big way, and she lifts her head a little to look at Bruce with a frown.

"It was better than what?"

Bruce inhales deeply and holds his breath in, pressing his lips thinly. He never really meant to keep it a secret from Trish, honestly— it was too serious for him not to tell her. He just didn't know how to broach the subject, but he does have to tell her what her sister had asked of him.

"Trish," he breathes out quietly, resting a hand over hers. "Promise you won't get mad at her."

"You saying that makes me pretty sure I'm going to get mad at her."

So no, she's not going to make that promise because it's not one she is in any way able to keep. Promising to not get mad at Jessica is like promising to pluck the moon out of the sky.

Yeah, that... was a long shot. Bruce had to try, though, because he knows what it's like to feel desperate to the point that there only seems to be one way out, and being mad at Jess won't help her work through it.

But anyway. No point in insisting now, and no point in taking it back. If he did then Trish would be mad at him too.

"Before... she didn't just choose to go into cryo. When she made it back to the Moira, she asked me to..." He pauses, licking his lips and swallowing dryly. "To put her down."

Trish sits upright with a start, staring out him in shock and outrage.

"She did what?"

Actually what is the truly awful part of this is that it's not even that big of a surprise. Not after that first instant of what the fuck.

It makes perfect sense for Jess to have made that request, and it cuts Trish like a knife to know that.

"Trish—"

He can't even say he's surprised at the reaction. In fact he sighs a little quietly like he expected just that kind of outburst. Not that Trish is overreacting, because she isn't, but this is one of those things that isn't quite so cleanly cut.

"This isn't... it's not her fault. Things got complicated for her, I think... she's been piling on too much over the past few months. She was just tired."

"Yeah, I know. Why do you think I was so desperate to go down and get her out of that fucking hell pit?"

Apart from the fact that no one ever should have to endure being in a place like that.

She still can't believe that Jess opted to stay there.

Actually no, she can absolutely belive it, and in some ways it even kind of made sense. Jess is in some ways better equipped to handle that kind of situation than others. But Trish also knows that in other ways her sister is the last person on earth who should try to push herself like that. Nobody wants a superhuman to have a psychotic break brought on by severe ptsd.

And of course there is just the fact that she will always want to protect her sister no matter what, regardless of what does or doesn't make sense.

Edited 2016-09-06 08:13 (UTC)

She's saying that but all Bruce is hearing is: this is your fault, this is your fault. She could've kicked and screamed but Bruce could've forced Jess to come back with him— but he didn't. He just let her stay there like she asked, let her try and help even when it was abundantly obvious just how much the whole thing was affecting her.

And now? Now, he's just trying to fix cracks that he only helped widen, trying to patch up a lifeboat with bandaids. Maybe cryo will help Jess, maybe it won't. For all he knows she'll be feeling even worse by the time she crawls out of there.

Bruce genuinely hopes not, though. He really doesn't know how to deal with it if that happens, and he seriously doubts anyone on board really can— even Trish.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Trish." He sighs silently, slowly settling a hand on her forearm. "I just— I had to tell you."

"She asked my boyfriend to kill her."

How the fuck was she supposed to be able to cope with that?

She shakes her head, pulling a hand through her hair.

"I don't know how to keep her from fucking herself up beyond all repair."

Bruce opens his mouth, closes it again when he realizes there's nothing he can say that'll help right now. I'm sorry? I don't know what to do either? Right, very helpful.

He takes a deep breath, watching Trish's face in the dim silence of the room.

"I think... we'll have to wait until she wakes up. Only then can we know her state of mind. We'll figure something out then."

"I really hate waiting."

She knows that it's a childish thing to say, but she doesn't try to hold the words back anyway. If she can't be herself with Bruce then who with?

Well, Jess. But that's not the point.

Like that's much of a secret to Bruce, anyway. He's not even the least bit surprised when she says it, and he only offers a small, understanding smile.

"I know you do. But patience is a virtue, as you well know. You should give it a try."

Better that Jess is in cryo and hopefully recovering, rather than out here having a complete breakdown.

"Are you giving me sass, doctor Banner?"

Said with a small smile of her own. She really can't do anything about the situation right now, so dry humour it is. Not always the best coping mechanism, but it'll have to do right now.

"When you say it like that, Miss Walker, it's almost as if I don't give you sass all the time."

He pokes at her side playfully, then gives her side a gentle tug.

"Now get back here. You still need some sleep." And so does he, honestly.

"One of these days I'll put you over my knee, you mark my words."

She lays back down and gets comfortable next to him, getting back to the business of stealing all his body heat.

"Thank you for telling me about Jess."

"And I may just enjoy it."

Is he joking, is he serious? One may never know. For now he's perfectly content to let her wrap herself all around him again, a hand tucked around her waist and keeping her close.

"Don't thank me. I wouldn't keep that from you."

"One of these days we're going to have to have a proper conversation about what you may or may not enjoy."

She kisses the nearest bit of skin she can get at on his chest, so glad that he's there with her.

"I love you."

"Alright. I'll add that to the agenda."

Sighing with a soft chuckle, he kisses the top of her head, closing his eyes and more than content to fall asleep next to her like this.

"I love you too, Trish."

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[Closed] My sister did WHAT?

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