Apologies for the delay, I was recovering from a hand and wrist injury.
Renee didn't know how long she'd been lightly dozing before she jerked awake at hearing a lamp click off. The room fell in darkness and Curie's desk chair scraped against the wood floor. She heard the woman go downstairs and walk around for a few minutes before coming back up. The dresser opened.
She could see a shadow of Curie undressing and rolled over. As much as she wanted to watch, she knew it would be rude; not to mention, creepy as all get out. She heard the dresser close again and Curie shuffled over to the other side of the bed.
"Hey."
Curie gave a small yelp of surprise. She giggled as she slid under the blankets. "Oh, you surprised me! Did I wake you?"
"No, I just woke up. Guess I was more tired than I thought." Renee shifted between the sheets herself and scooted over to put as much space between them as she could.
"Well, you needed it. And still do." Though she couldn't see it, Renee could hear the disapproving pout in Curie's voice. "You should go back to sleep."
Renee nodded and rolled over to her other side, facing away from the brunette. "Yeah. Um, good night."
"Good night."
Silence echoed throughout the dark apartment. Renee swallowed hard. It was harder to fall asleep in bed with Curie than it was just on the bed alone. She tried to focus on the soft rain overhead but it didn't help. Her mind was still screaming that Curie is right next to me, fucking hell I'm in the same bed as her, it wouldn't be hard to…
"Renee?" Curie's soft voice broke into her thoughts.
"Y-yeah?" Renee felt her throat go dry.
She heard Curie roll over again. "Try to relax, hm? I can feel 'ow tense you are."
She rolled over as well to face the woman. "Sorry. I think I'm just…" She let herself trail off. How was she supposed to explain that she was having impure thoughts and desires to the very object of those thoughts and desires?
Curie found her hand under the blanket and gripped her fingers. "Do you want to talk about it? I 'ave found zhat talking about one's feelings 'elps, sometimes."
Oh sure. Renee wanted to talk about it all. She swallowed again. Curie's hand was cold, but not uncomfortably so. Her skin was soft, unscarred, and Renee suddenly felt self-conscious about her own rough hands and chipped nails. "I don't think there's much to talk about."
"If it will 'elp you fall asleep, zhen surely…"
"I'll be okay." Renee flicked her gaze up to Curie's eyes. She still swore they emitted a soft, almost indiscernible glow.
"If you insist." Curie let go of her hand. "I'm 'ere if you wish to talk."
"Well, ideally we'll both be asleep soon." She chuckled at the disgruntled huff Curie gave. "But thank you. I appreciate it."
Curie rolled over away from her again. "But of course. Ah, good night."
"Night."
Silence settled between them again. Renee sighed and shifted to her other side. She could barely feel Curie breathing at her back and it soon evened out as the brunette drifted off. Renee closed her eyes to settle in herself, trying to calm her heart.
She was nearly asleep again when she felt Curie's arm about her waist. She stiffened, turning her head slightly.
"Mm…" Curie nuzzled her head between Renee's shoulder blades, clearly still asleep.
Their bodies were pressed flush against each other. Renee took a deep breath. She forced her muscles to go slack and enjoy the moment. Curie felt warm against her, her breathing a steady rhythm. Renee could almost feel her heartbeat.
Renee found herself comfortable in Curie's embrace. It wasn't awkward like she'd expected, though that was probably due to the fact that Curie didn't seem to know she was cuddling. She relaxed enough to finally drift off again.
In the morning, she woke alone. She blinked in the light and stretched, sitting up. "Curie?" She called, reaching to scratch at her back.
"Coming!"
Sure enough, Curie came trudging up the stairs with two mugs. She looked like she hadn't woken up long ago herself. Her hair stuck out in odd directions and she had a sleepy smile. "Good morning." She held out one mug.
"Thanks." Renee took it to see it was filled with amber-colored tea. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Oh yes, I slept quite well." Curie yawned as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You?"
Renee decided against saying anything about the cuddling last night. Instead she took a sip of the tea with a nod. "Mm-hm."
Curie moved to put her mug on the bedside table next to the book Renee never read. "How's your ankle?"
Renee shuffled her legs out from under the blankets and rested her ankle in Curie's lap. "Doesn't hurt any."
Curie undid the bandage and felt over it. She nodded once. "Bon. Well, it certainly looks better." She yawned again. "Oof, why must mornings start so early…"
"Have a hard time waking up?" Renee smiled.
"Always." Curie stood to reach past her for her tea when she stopped. "What did you do?"
Renee looked down where Curie traced a finger over a scar on her exposed shoulder. "Oh. Um…"
"Zhis looks like it hurt."
"It did." Renee flinched at the memory.
It was an argument. Nothing out of the ordinary for her and Davey, the bastard she called her ex, but that time he took it one step too far. In his rage he threw a half-empty bottle of bourbon at her head and she barely managed to dodge it in time. When it shattered on the wall she cowered against, one large shard sliced into her shoulder. Deep. And bloody.
"So what 'appened? Raiders?" Curie's brow furrowed and her eyes were gentle.
"Y-yeah. You could say that." Renee clenched her jaw. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it.
Fortunately Curie didn't press the issue. "Do you want somezhing to eat?"
"Not really." Renee closed her eyes against the onslaught of memories. They came too quickly, flashing behind her eyelids faster than she could shut them out. She felt anger bubbling up in her chest and put one hand to her head, gritting her teeth.
"Renee?" Curie placed a hand on her back.
She flinched away. "It's nothing."
"I can't 'elp you if I don't know the problem."
"It's nothing you can help me with. Just…forget about it." She took a deep breath, opening her eyes to gaze up at the woman.
Worry flashed across Curie's face but she recovered and settled on a small smile. "If you want some breakfast, I'll save some for you, just in case."
"Thanks." Renee swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. Her ankle felt stiff but it would take her weight no problem. "I'll…come with you. I don't…" She didn't want to be alone. Not now.
Curie nodded.
Downstairs Renee went to sit on the couch while Curie milled about in the kitchen. She focused on her breathing and sipping her tea. It wasn't the first time she had flashbacks like that and she knew it would not, unfortunately, be the last. At least this time she didn't end up a shaking mess. The last time she got stuck in a spiral she snapped out of it to find herself huddled against a wall, curled in a ball, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
She went to take another drink just to find she reached the bottom of the mug. "Hmph." She pouted. "Do you have any more tea?"
"Most certainly!" Curie walked over to take her mug. She smiled again.
Renee watched her walk back into the kitchen. There were few things in this world she was certain of, but she did know she liked watching Curie walk around. Specifically from the back.
Curie returned with more tea and she took it gratefully.
Renee, for once, decided to take Curie's advice and spent the rest of the day with her at the Home Plate. She couldn't argue that it was cheaper than staying at the Dugout, and it gave her an excuse to gaze at the brunette as much as she wished. Which was, selfishly, a lot.
Curie focused on her work in the basement while Renee stayed in the living room with the book borrowed from Piper. It felt almost surreal, how comfortable they both were with the situation. How comfortable Renee felt with the situation. A small part of her reminded her she was taking advantage of the scientist's kindness, but really… She ignored that part of her and just enjoyed the chance to relax.
Though like all things, the calm had to end, and it did so in the late afternoon as Curie worked at preparing a small dinner. Renee still laid on the couch with her book, nearly at the end now. The door to the living room opened quite suddenly without so much as a knock and in walked two tall women.
"Dr. Collins? I—Oh, you're here." The tall ginger grinned.
"Anita?" Renee blinked up at her. "What are you doing here?"
Curie came out from the kitchen. "Oh, Mademoiselle Mayweather! Quelle surprise."
"Bonjour to you too, Dr. Collins." Anita glanced over Renee, frowning. "What'd you do to your leg?"
Renee shifted. She had her ankle propped up on the arm of the couch, per Curie's insistence. "It's nothing. Just twisted my ankle yesterday. But I'm fine."
The taller woman behind Anita crossed her arms and looked around. "Hm." She looked around the room.
"You sure? Because I came here for you." Anita placed her hands on her hips.
Curie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, the General wanted me to contract Renee's help on a mission once she was finished doing whatever for you. I wasn't expecting her to be here already." Anita dropped one hand to her side.
"It's important," the tall woman murmured, voice soft.
"It is. Time-sensitive." Anita nodded once. "Well, if you can walk, you can come with us. Otherwise we'll just have to carry you."
Curie pressed her lips into a thin line and cleared her throat. "Would you kindly explain what is going on?"
"Yeah, no kidding." Renee moved to sit up, putting her finger in the book to mark her page. "And just for the record, yes, I can walk, no carrying necessary."
Anita nodded. "The General wants your help to find something."
Renee waved her hand in a circular motion. "And that thing is…?"
"We're not entirely sure."
She rolled her eyes. "Helpful."
"Maybe we should start from the beginning." The tall woman cracked a small smile.
Anita glanced back at her. "Yeah. Sorry. Getting ahead of myself." She took a breath and gazed at Renee. "What do you know about the Brotherhood of Steel?"
Renee's eyes narrowed and she groaned. "Oh for fuck's sake."
Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated. If you'd like to support me in my work, you can find a link in my profile to my tumblr.