AN: Exams sure know how to kick ass, don't they? I've been a little lackluster in terms of writing recently and so this was drilled out this evening. I've got something else I just need to touch up and upload.
Writing CT in fics is still a challenge, but it's growing on me.
It almost became a routine, for him to find her slumped on the desk, cursor on the computer blinking away and text moving too fast for his untrained eyes to track. She had started to grow exhausted and it had never occurred to him to try to read her screen. The words meant nothing to him, they were just a silly little project that was keeping her away from training, away from all of them.
When she didn't show up, it was always him that they asked to fetch her, and he eventually began to wonder why. CT would wake up cranky and she would snap at him for not knocking and he would awkwardly attempt to explain himself. She would look at him with angry, tired eyes with the sparkle broken. Her lips would set themselves into a thin frown.
It wasn't long after she started being less of herself and more of an exhausted shell running only on determination that they fell into this routine, and no one ever thought to ask why it was now different.
Onwards time marched, and away from her team she slithered.
"You need to take a day off and sleep." Wash blocked her path, for once firm and certain of what was right.
"I need you to get out of my way." She was equally as certain, though her body cried out otherwise and begged for him to save her from her stubborness.
"You're tired Connie." The words were so simple open and truthful; still she rejected them.
"Thanks for the update." She was upset, angry, frustrated and breaking. "Now move Wash." Her tone was forceful and entirely false.
His arms folded, his head tipped and his eyes spoke for him, asking, over and over and over Are you certain? Is this what you want?
Her body responded, she stumbled when she made to step forward, her head drooped and she collapsed against him. Their limbs became a tangled mess as he fumbled to catch her fragile, human form, terrified that her cracks would not hold and she would shatter in his arms.
She recovered even quicker, but not unnaturally so. The movement turned into a shove and Wash was taken aback enough for him to step out of the way. In that moment she was more childlike and precious than he could ever remember her being. CT had become the kid who was determined to be last one standing; the quiet one who did things unexpectedly and with such a brilliance that demanded astoundment.
It wasn't until she was dead that he realized the brilliance of her plan.
CT got out of the way and watched everything from the sidelines, and Wash soon felt the irony of his thoughts hit him.
He could never have been so wrong about a person before.