Day 09 - Tumblr Posts
CODE
It had begun sometime after his most recent return from death's door.
Physical recuperation had taken place on the couch, naturally. That was his go-to hospital bed. Much easier to have life-saving machines arrayed around the moveable piece of furniture and besides the proximity to the bathroom was clutch once he became somewhat mobile once more.
Mental recuperation needed privacy though.
For the first time in... well, the entirety of his time on the ship... Spike began to use his small space as more than just a closet and place to stash ammo. Besides he had ammo stashed all over the ship so why not clear off the thin mattress at last and put on fresh sheets and actually utilize the damn thing.
Time slipped by, as it always does... grief once so raw became a beast with slightly duller fangs as he started to forgive himself for things that had never been possible... forgive him for things that weren't really his fault...
And one night, months after they'd retrieved Ed and Ein from Earth, after dinner prepared by Jet and consumed by everyone... after most of the souls on the ship went to bed or hopped onto the internet highway for who-knows-what purpose... there came a gentle tap-tap-tapping at the wall his pillow rested against.
Spike blinked. Frowned. Listened intently. And then cracked a small smile.
Morse code. Something they'd both learned in their formative years, though for different reasons.
U
UP
He shared a wall with Faye. Faye, who had been much more subdued since her memory returned. Who had been so gung ho about pitching in while Spike healed. Who had quietly stolen his pain medication when he started dipping into more than he truly needed. Who had given him space at first... and then gotten ballsy and started needling him about doing some damn work again... and who eventually got herself kidnapped which required him to actually get off his ass and save the day for the first time in a long, long time.
Only to discover she'd already picked the lock - or maybe had never truly been caught at all?
Still, it had forced him back into the swing of things.
Her eyes had slid to meet his gaze when he burst into the room, ready to rampage.
And then she'd climbed to her feet off the floor of the warehouse and strolled past him with a sultry sway to her hips and given him a little pat on the back before exiting the empty building.
That had begun something between them. A meeting of the eyes became a commonplace thing. Ed being too wild and wiggly? A shared look of fond exasperation. Jet grouching about something or other? An eye roll from one and a snicker from the other. Ein whining about needing a trip outside? An eyebrow cocked up onto a forehead as an invitation to join the expedition and enjoy a smoke on the deck.
Their banter had resumed as well, of course. The standard teasing and riling up and whatnot. Discussion of bounties, exchange of information, all that jazz.
But the eye contact... that said so much more.
And now the invitation to... to what?
Well, he was too intrigued and antsy to bother tapping out a reply. Besides, he was a man of action.
So he rolled out of bed and made his way to Faye's room and rapped his knuckles against the door.
Promise
Remember, I'll always be cheering you on...
What a fucking crock.
She had watched the tape a dozen times at least by now. Pausing it frame by frame to dissect the images as they coalesced onto the screen.
It was useless.
Every single one of those shy, giggling school children were strangers to her. But most especially the one that was apparently herself.
Tears welled in her eyes, just like they had upon her first viewing from the hallway, and she angrily dashed them away with a swipe of the hand.
Maybe she was like that innocent little child. Emotional and weak.
There's no way that kid could have gone through the horrors Faye had. No way that kid would have lasted even a day in this lawless future.
No way who she was today was someone that bright child would be proud of.
There was no one cheering her on.
No wonderful person beside her.
Though... the kid was right about one thing.
Faye had to reluctantly admit, if only to herself, that she was surely causing trouble to those around her.
Even in the act of receiving the stupid fucking tape... she'd learned that some mystery package had arrived in her name and she disappeared in a flash. If the thing had been a bomb or connected to anyone trying to get her to pay up... well, she'd left her comrades to settle the score or take the hit. Faye's Famous Disappearing Act. Now that was something that little kid couldn't find defensible.
Who was this kid? Clearly born into wealth just judging from the school uniforms and the enormity of the bedroom. Someone with a loving family. A lot of friends. A bright future.
All the promise in the world.
Who was Faye Valentine?
A loser. A con artist. A nobody with no one. No future and no past either. Stuck in the eternal present with no answers and no clue how to fucking proceed.
Sorry, kid.
She'd done her fucking best every day since waking up and she had nothing to show for it.
No one here to cheer on for anything at all.