MOMO returned to the room she had left him in. It had been a few hours since she had last seen him. She couldn't hold back the emotions of worry and fear after what she had seen happen last night. Taking a deep breath, she stepped in front of the door to the maintenance lab they had set up on the Elsa. As the door slid open, she could see that he was still in the same position she had left him. He hadn't moved, aside from his head tilted slightly to the side. His right arm hung limply on the arm rest, fingers curled and dangling from the side.
She stepped into the room and approached the maintenance bed. Quietly, she looked over the console and then back to him again. She found herself studying his face in the pale blue glow. She could still see faint bruises that hadn't yet faded after the repairs. She wondered for a moment if he would be able to find a replacement arm. Even if one couldn't be found, surely they could find some way to build another one for him. She wasn't sure if she could get used to seeing him without both of his arms.
She thought back to what he had done, how he had suddenly grown so angry, an emotion she had never seen come from him. How he reacted without regard or thought. It was so unlike him, and for that reason, it frightened her.
Her mind wandered back to everything that happened over the course of the last several weeks. She buckled to her knees and collapsed on the floor next to the cold metal frame. She wondered if anything would ever be alright, if she would ever be strong enough to recover from everything she had witnessed and been through. She was glad that she had her newfound friends and now her mother, but- it couldn't stop the feelings of helplessness wash over her in times like this.
Broken, she leaned her head against his knee and wrung her eyes shut. She fought back the emotions that were building up inside her. She was going to be strong, she wasn't going to cry, not here where Ziggy would see her.
She realized that Ziggy must have sensed her distress as he suddenly moved, leaning over her. "MOMO?" His gruff voice filled the void that encompassed the room. "Is everything alright?"
"Z-Ziggy!" She stammered. "You're awake!" She looked up at him from where she sat and feigned a smile. "I just came to check on you, but I was getting a little tired so-"
"I see." He glanced at her frowning a bit more than usual. The tone of his voice somehow proved that he wasn't entirely convinced.
"I'll leave you alone now." MOMO stood up then and brushed off her pants. "You probably need some rest and-" She paused as Ziggy's right hand gently gripped her wrist. "...some time to yourself." She glanced down at his hand and back to him, perplexed.
From where he sat, the dim light reflected dampness from her eyes. "You can tell me if something is upsetting you. I don't mind listening."
"I don't want to burden you with my problems, you have plenty of your own to deal with after what happened yesterday and-"
"I understand." He resigned and let go of her wrist. "Just know that you're not a burden, MOMO. I- enjoy your company."
"Ziggy." MOMO smiled.
"To be honest-" He leaned back into the seat and stared straight ahead. "I could use your company now. There's too much on my mind. Too many things I would rather not think about."
MOMO folded her hands in front of her as her smile dropped. "Was it that Testament we met, Voyager?"
"Yes." His glance fell downwards and his brow turned upward so slightly that it was barely visible. Had it been anyone else, it would have gone unnoticed. MOMO, on the other hand, was learning how to read his emotions. He was good at concealing them. To the average person, or anyone not paying attention, he'd easily be written off as emotionless and unreadable. She knew otherwise. She remembered how she had reached out to him in the lab some days ago, and how he had reached out to her. It was the last thing she saw before she fell unconscious. If her heart was an optional function, why did it hurt so much? Why did she feel so much pain? She bit her own lip and stepped closer, placing her small hand on top of his.
His eyes met hers, not being used to touch. Much less the touch of someone who was actually concerned about his well being. It was something he was not used to, and something he never thought he'd experience again.
"I-" MOMO spoke up again. "I was really scared back there. I thought I was going to lose you!" Her voice trembled and she wrenched her eyes closed. One streaked down her cheek and she quickly reached up to wipe it away with her free hand. "I'm afraid-" She stopped short, she couldn't continue out of fear of her voice cracking. Her lip trembled and she bit at it in an attempt to stop it.
Before she could react, he had shifted out of the chair and kneeled in front of her. He was at her eye level. She looked up from the floor and into his eyes. His expression had softened slightly from the usual, yet the sad look in his eyes had multiplied itself. Perhaps it was seeing her in this state that upset him. "MOMO…" He hesitated, and reached up with his own hand and wiped away another stray tear with his thumb.
He felt a strange and unusual sensation overwhelm him from the depths of his chest. It was as if he could feel a part of himself that he couldn't quite place a finger on either crumbling or tearing away. Slowly he reached toward her and pulled her close to him, wrapping his human arm around her shoulders. It was an awkward gesture in far too many ways than he could count. He wasn't used to this. Not to mention the added awkwardness of of missing one arm.
MOMO didn't seem to mind, and in fact welcomed it. She rested her chin on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She broke down then, and shook. "I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I'm sorry to do this to you, I-"
"No, It's alright." He told her. "I don't mind."
He didn't know what to tell her, but he knew at that moment that he wanted to do anything he could to take her pain away, so that she wouldn't suffer like he had for far too long. He knew somewhere in the depths of his fragmented memories that he had been broken for most of his life as a human. He didn't want to see this happen to her. He didn't want her to become an empty shell of a soul like he had been. "It's okay to cry sometimes." He reassured her.
"But you never cry Ziggy!" She sniffed, and wiped at her eyes again. "I wish I could be as strong as you!"
He was silent for a long time as he considered his response to her. "I've held my emotions in for so long that I've forgotten what it's like to feel anything at all. On the other hand, I never thought I'd react the way I did back there. For the longest time, I've forgotten what it's like to have others to rely on, or feel important to someone. I forgot what it's like to be afraid." He unconsciously squeezed her a little tighter, reliving the moment he tried to convince Dr. Mizrahi not to end her life but she collapsed anyway. They tried desperately to save her. All the while he looked on, incapable of any action. He wanted to tell her how much he meant to her, but the couldn't find the words. "I'm not this way out of strength, but out of weakness. In fact, I envy you."
"Ziggy-" MOMO had stopped crying as she listened to him speak. "You can tell me anything that's on your mind. I know I probably can't do much, but I'll always listen."
"Thank you." Ziggy nodded. He didn't pull away. Instead, he held on until MOMO finally dropped her arms. When she finally did, he looked at her intently. "Promise me that if something is upsetting you, you'll tell someone. For as long as I can, I promise I'll be here to listen."
MOMO reached over and hugged him again, tightly, and he returned the gesture, feeling a little less awkward this time. "Thank you Ziggy."
"You're welcome." It was strange, he realized, the dull ache in his chest had faded away.
"So do you want to talk about what happened?" MOMO asked. "Who is that Testament?"
Ziggy frowned, but he knew he felt comfortable telling her. He stood up and returned to his former position in the maintenance chair. "It was a very long time ago. I was still human-"