He held an old, tattered teddy bear in his hands – one he had found amongst the clutter of the Olaf's Sea Shack billboard the pink-haired Conduit now formerly resided.
He'd been helping her pack what little she owned with intent to bring it all to her first real home – an apartment he had helped her acquire after pulling some strings and pulling the she-not-only-helped-save-Seattle-from-drug-dealers-and-Augustine, but-also-happens-to-be-dating-Delsin-Rowe-sorta-kinda card. While stuffing small items such as books and hair dye into the box he carried beneath his arm, he had come across the stuffed animal, sitting forgotten behind several boxes the neon Conduit had used as makeshift tables. What was surely once a toy with a light brown color was now ridden with dirt, dust, and tears across its body. It was truly a pathetic sight, one that made Delsin wince in horror as he remembered his own stuffed toy that sat back at his home, atop a shelf in pristine condition.
"Hey, Fetch?" He called as he stood from his kneeling position and walked toward the edge of the billboard, gazing out into the open and scanning the area for the pink-haired young woman who had left him in order to place the boxes she had packed into the back of Reggie's pick-up truck; the truck Delsin had taken into his possession soon after taking down Augustine. He waved the stuffed toy in the air gingerly, just as she had materialized in the corner of his eye. "You still want this torn up thing?"
His eyebrow raised in curiosity as the young woman's face contorted in to several different expressions at once. In an instant, her brow furrowed in question and her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the object in the other Conduit's grasp; quickly, however, her eyes widened and her mouth fell agape in what Delsin could only assume was realization, and in a typical Abigail Walker manner, she disappeared in a stream of bright, pink light, dashing up into the inside of the billboard, and materializing beside Delsin. She snatched the bear from his grasp.
"Where did you find this?" she asked, holding the stuffed toy out before her. She ran her thumbs across the bear's worn stomach.
Delsin jabbed his thumb behind him, raising his brow and glancing out of the corners of his eyes quickly. "Back behind those boxes – why? 'You been looking for it?"
"I have," she answered him, thumbs continuing to run across the stuffed toy's stomach. She carefully examined the areas in which stuffing protruded out, as well as where one of the toy's button eyes once sat. "I thought I lost it after…" her eyes flickered toward her late brother's name burned into the wall of the billboard, continuing to shine bright since she first inscribed it. "Brent gave it to me."
Oh.
So that's why she hadn't thrown it out long before.
"He'd picked it up not too long after we left home; he wanted his kid sis to have some sense of innocence while we were out on the streets – ya know, back when he couldn't imagine either of us being…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish her statement most likely in attempt to avoid the painful memories associated with it. Delsin was knowledgeable enough to finish it himself, leading to his arm wrapped protectively around the young woman's shoulders and pulling her close against his side. "I'd left it in the alleyway when the D.U.P. picked me up – thankfully when I came back it was still there. I guess I just kinda let it get lost in here after that."
He didn't need to press any further. After losing his parents in his earlier years, and now dealing with the recent loss of his older brother, Delsin knew just how difficult it was to hold on to something given to you by that person, let alone be in possession of something that they once owned. It was hard enough for him to be in possession of Reggie's old, beat up truck, but having to deal with something as small as a stuffed toy sitting in plain view day in and day out would drive anyone to even intentionally lose it. However, something told the young Akomish man that his recent finding of the toy brought back many happy memories, and a sense of joy to the neon Conduit at his side.
His lips pressed against her temple, lingering for just a tad bit longer than usual upon her skin, and he swore to himself that he felt the young woman press her body as close to his as possible without removing her attention from the stuffed animal.
The two of them completed their task of loading the boxes of Fetch's belongings into the back of the truck – not that there was much to begin with. She had kept the worn toy in her grasp through the entire process, only setting it down beside herself and Delsin as she hopped into the truck cab and secured herself with the seatbelt. Not one word was spoken between the two; the roar of the engine and the music from the radio being the only things to break the silence in the air. He had helped carry the boxes into her new apartment, offering to assist her in unpacking but ultimately having his offer turned down by the young woman with the dark pink hair. He left her, at that point, with a chaste kiss and a low goodbye, hoping that she knew she could open up to him about anything, but giving her the space she needed to gather her thoughts and hopefully overcome her grief.
It wasn't until a few days later that she invited him over to see how furnishing her apartment was coming along, where he spotted the worn out stuffed toy rid of the dirt upon its fur, and sitting atop the small nightstand beside her bed, where Brent could watch over his young sister through the gift he had given her so long ago.
A/N: Apologies for the prolonged wait! I hope this makes up for it. I have the next few oneshots planned out - some action, some Eugene, and of course, some more day-in-the-life shots - I just need to get them written out when I have the time. I'll try my best, though. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter, and if I gave you feels, then my job has been completed. Thank you all for the reviews, and to those continuing to read, as well as those who are just stumbling upon this collection! Enjoy your stay, and I will see you all next time!
