The way Renee's face turned a rather alluring shade of pink nearly caused Curie to have the same reaction. She knew she was taking a bit of a risk, but really, what kind of person would she be to force Renee out into the rain, especially when she was injured? Well, not quite injured. Injured enough.
"I can't stay here." Renee shook her head with a wry chuckle. Her lips quirked up in a smirk and Curie knew she was trying to look indifferent. She had that way, trying to look like she didn't care. But Curie knew better.
"You may. I 'ave room, and I don't mind." Curie smiled.
"But…" Renee glanced away before flicking her gaze back to her. "I…"
Curie could see the hurt in her eyes. There was something keeping her from doing what she wanted, something Curie couldn't fix with Stimpaks or medicine. She knew it wasn't any of her business. "I insist." She stood, resting Renee's leg on the cushion. "Let me get you some clothing. Somezhing more comfortable, hm?"
For some reason, that made Renee's cheeks turn scarlet. "That's okay! I've slept in jeans before!"
"I 'ave clothes to spare as well. Really." She turned to go upstairs to her bedroom.
Renee said something behind her but she didn't catch it. She wouldn't have listened anyway; it was probably another weak protest. Curie scaled the wooden steps and rifled through the old dresser for something comfortable. She felt…excited, to have Renee spending the night, though she didn't rightly know why. Perhaps it was the prospect of having company. She did tend to get lonely, after all.
She picked out a loose shirt and pants and brought them back downstairs. "'Ere." She held them out.
"Actually… Do you have a shower? Would it be okay if I used it?" Renee didn't look at her.
"Most certainly." Curie folded the clothes over her arm and held out her other hand.
Renee didn't take it. She stood on her own and finally looked down at Curie, her crystalline eyes still full of something Curie couldn't quite decipher. "Thanks," she said, her voice soft.
Curie led her to the bathroom and handed off the clothes. Renee simply gave a nod and closed the door. It didn't take long for the Synth to hear water running.
She sighed and went back into the living room, finding Renee's things in a pile next to the couch. "Hm." She clicked her tongue and picked them up one by one to put them by the door, hanging her bag and jacket on the coat rack. The rifle she leaned against the wall, carefully, so as not to accidentally discharge it.
Curie decided what Renee really needed was a warm shower, a good meal, and some rest. Perhaps whatever was bothering her would melt away then. She wished she'd taken time to look more into downloading the psychology texts in the Vault so long ago, but she—foolishly—had only been interested in the ones about viruses, anatomy, injury, those sorts of things. She never thought she'd need to know about the human psyche. She wasn't human.
Except that now she was. As Curie laid out some food from the fridge, she once more found herself wishing for that third arm again. It was always so much easier to hold things. Not that her two hands now weren't capable, no, but how many times had she dropped something because she was expecting to be able to swivel around and catch it? Too many.
She would never truly get used to being human, she thought. There were so many things she still didn't, couldn't, understand. Feelings, thoughts, sensations. Why her body would heat and cool, just at things Renee did or said. Why Renee seemed to have those same reactions to innocuous things she proposed. Why she…worried so much over the redhead. She would never understand that.
As she set to cutting up some chilled brahmin meat, she let her thoughts drift. Oh, they drifted to Renee more often than she'd like. It distracted her from her work. When they first met, it was a passing concern of Will she actually come back? And now, what, a week later, it was Will she be able to come back? Or will she be dead this time?
Curie's heart leapt as she narrowly missed cutting her thumb. She blinked. She had to focus. Her work proved more important than Renee, she knew. She continued cutting, slower. There was something about the woman, something electric, that sent her spinning.
It didn't make any sense at all. Renee was no fount of scientific knowledge. She really wasn't anyone special at all; just another traveler, a Wastelander, come to the Commonwealth for a new life (however awful the quality of that life may be). And yet… Curie's thoughts wouldn't stay away from her.
Perhaps it was the desperate, vulnerable look when they first met. Curie had felt a need to care for her, keep her alive. The shock that crossed Renee's face at that first Stimpak surprised her. Anyone else would've been happy to be helped, especially when they were hurt; but not Renee. Renee almost looked insulted. Almost like she didn't want any help at all.
What drives a person to want to die?
Curie placed the meat in a warm skillet and turned up the heat. What happened to Renee, indeed. When they talked, Renee seemed easy, smooth, forthcoming with her answers and open. But there was something beneath the surface that she hinted at. That was what bothered Curie the most. The unsaid things.
She heard the shower shut off.
Curie took a deep breath. She had a vague feeling it would be difficult to get Renee to sit and rest, even if it was for her own good. Especially because it was for her own good. Already Curie could tell Renee did things for others and not herself.
A few minutes later the door opened and she heard halting footsteps toward her. "Um, where should I put my clothes?"
"Just leave them in zhe bathroom, I'll care of it." Curie didn't turn around. She took out the now cooked meat from the skillet and placed it on two plates.
"Thanks for this again. I appreciate it."
She turned to see Renee standing there, still drying her long hair. The shirt proved too wide in the collar and a touch too short in the trunk, so it hung off one of Renee's shoulders and exposed a sliver of midriff. She had tied the strings to the pants in a sloppy bow.
"Feel better?" Curie smiled again and turned off the stove. She went back to the fridge for a side dish, picking some of the fresh vegetables she had Renee buy just a few days ago.
"I do, actually." Renee sniffed. "Mm, that smells good."
"I'm not much of a cook, but I 'ope you enjoy." Curie set the plates on a small table and gestured for Renee to sit.
Renee slid into one of the chairs. "I haven't eaten all day."
Curie passed off some mismatched silverware as she sat in the other chair. "Zhen eat as much as you want."
The redhead didn't need to be told twice, as she immediately began ripping into the meat. Curie chuckled awkwardly. At least Renee chewed with her mouth closed, but she still very much ate like a savage. "I'm…glad you like it?"
"I do!" Renee swallowed hard.
Curie cut into her meal delicately, slicing off smaller bites and placing them in her mouth one at a time.
Renee hung the damp towel over her exposed shoulder, though it slipped off to the ground as she ate. "Oops." She grabbed it and tossed it on the back of her chair.
Above them, rain still pattered off the roof. They settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional peal of low, rumbling thunder. Curie cleared her throat. "I wanted to thank you again for all you've done for me so far."
"No problem." Renee waved her hand. "I mean, I gotta work off my debt somehow, right?"
"I do hope you don't still think you owe me somezhing." Curie shook her head, taking a deep breath. "I told you not to worry about zhat. You owe me nozhing."
"But I still can't pay you for patching me up. I mean, I guess I can, but I'd just be handing you back your caps." Renee reached to where her belt would usually be. "Oh. Uh, lemme just get my bag…"
Curie reached out to put her hand on the woman's. "Non."
There it was again. Renee was blushing, just from a little contact. "Are… Are you sure?"
"I would not 'ave said it if I wasn't sure." Curie took her hand away again.
Renee's gaze flickered over her hand before coming up to meet Curie's. "If you ever change your mind…"
"I will not." Curie made a point to keep eating. She arched an eyebrow, watching Renee's reaction.
The woman simply sighed and finished off her food.
"Now, go rest. You may take the couch tonight, if you want. Or if it's uncomfortable, I 'ave no problem giving up my bed." Curie tapped her chin before nodding. "Yes, it will probably be best if you sleep in my bed. You'll be more comfortable."
Now Renee's face and throat had turned completely red. She shook her head. "No! No, it's okay, I'll take the couch!"
"Oh, my bed is big enough for us both." Curie tilted her head. "Unless you don't want to share? I 'ave no issue sleeping on the couch. I 'ave done it before."
"It's not that, it's just, you know, that's not really, uh, you know!" Renee spluttered and looked everywhere but at Curie.
Her eyebrows rose and she blinked. "I don't know, zhat is zhe problem. I don't know if you will not tell me."
"I mean, it's…" Renee brought up her hand to nibble her thumb nail, clearly stalling. "It's not right."
"I am confused. We are friends, correct? Is zhere somezhing wrong about friends sharing a bed? Some social rule I don't know?" Curie stood and grabbed Renee's plate along with her own.
Renee growled out a curse just under her breath. "Well, no, but it's…"
"I will sleep on the couch, zhen. But you should sleep in zhe bed since it will be more comfortable for you." Curie put the plates in the sink and began rinsing them off.
"But it's your bed, it's bad enough I've taken up all your time and your Stimpaks, I don't want to take your bed too."
That stopped her. She turned, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I give my time to you because I want to, Renee. And I use supplies on you because you need zhem. You aren't taking anyzhing from me zhat I do not want to give."
Renee groaned and covered her face with her hands. Curie couldn't fathom why it upset her so. She continued, "If it bothers you, we'll share zhe bed. Zhat way you get the rest you need and you're not taking it from me, as you feel you are."
"Okay." Renee's voice was soft, submissive. She dropped her hands to her lap and looked away.
Curie finished cleaning up after dinner and held out her hand again. "Let's go upstairs. I 'ave some work to finish, and you can lie down."
"You wouldn't happen to have any books, would you? I don't want to sleep yet." Renee slid her palm into Curie's.
"I 'ave mostly medical texts. Though… Hm. I seem to remember a few books from Mademoiselle Wright zhat are more light reading." Curie wrapped her arm around Renee's waist, pulling her close.
Renee gasped softly.
"Did I hurt you?" Curie blinked.
"No, it's fine."
Renee felt warm against her. Comfortable. Curie helped her upstairs and sat her on the bed. She noticed with slight surprise that Renee had rewrapped her own ankle after her shower, and didn't do half-bad job of it. "You must 'ave had practice."
"Practice?" Renee furrowed her brow.
Curie pointed down.
"Oh. Heh, yeah. It's not the first time it's happened. Won't be the last, either." Renee swung her legs up on the bed, shifting until she was comfortable.
Curie left her to get her notes and one of the books from Piper. When she returned, she was surprised to see Renee already had her eyes closed and laid on her side. She curled around one of the pillows, her long hair waving over the blankets.
"Good night," Curie whispered, placing the book on the bedside table. She turned on her desk lamp before turning off the overhead light. Just as she suspected, Renee was much more tired than she let on.
She sat at her desk and opened her notes, though her thoughts were far from science. After struggling to finish a sketch of the inside of a silt bean pod, she finally turned in her chair to gaze at Renee. There was something charming about the whole ordeal. Having the redhead so close felt right. Though how just being near a person could feel right or wrong she wasn't entirely sure.
She remembered once, when Nate asked her what she thought a friend was. "Someone zhat brings you joy—ah, good feelings—when zhey are about. Someone you desire to 'elp and make happy," had been her answer. Renee seemed to fit that. She definitely desired to help the redhead, and wanted to make her happy. And… Renee brought her joy. Even if she couldn't quite explain why.