Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, sadism - she lets him. A series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.


convergence n. - the degree or point at which lines or objects converge

It's on a Tuesday when he notices the change.

She hasn't been saying much in group, discussing only the required bare minimum, but never indulging in any important details. She is pulling back, he realizes, taking her shroud of darkness and wrapping herself in it. He watches as she fiddles with her necklace, his eyes following the trail of her fingers from the nape of her neck to the pendant resting at the base of her throat.

She catches him, wide eyed and observing her, and frowns. He looks away.

They continue like this for the next couple of days and Craig isn't sure that if he were to say something to her at school then she would respond well. So, he follows her out after the next group session.

He finds her, waiting outside, looking at the ground and it isn't until he's a couple of feet away that he notices the smell of cigarettes. "I didn't know you smoked."

Ellie looks up, though if she's surprised to see him, Craig isn't able to tell. Her face is completely blank. "I don't."

"Oh. Okay."

She sighs, looks down at her feet and he doesn't miss the quick movement of her fingers, sliding under the rubber band around her wrist. When Ellie looks up again, her heavily lined eyes are red-rimmed. "My father did. I just...missed the smell I guess."

"Ellie-" He stops, not entirely sure what he should say. He knows, from the little she's spoken in Group, that her father was due back home a few months ago, but that it just kept getting pushed back and now she's not entirely sure when the next time he'll be able to come home will be.

"I'm fine, okay, Craig? You don't have to worry about me. You can go back to writing Ashley disgusting, moony love letters to send to London." She pulls back on the rubber band, and he watches her face - she doesn't flinch- at the sound of it snap, snap, snapping against her skin. She continues the action until Craig can't stand it anymore and he pulls on her shoulders to get her to sit on the set of steps next to him.

"I'm fine...I-I'm fine." He nods, waiting, knowing that all she needs is time.

"...I just, I really, really need him here."

"I get it."

She seems dubious at first, then she lets out a dry laugh, roughly brushing the tears from her eyes and smearing her makeup, before resting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his arm. "Of course you do."