Summary: A few hours of venting helps ease one's mind.
"Hmm." A deep growl came from Bradford's throat. For a moment, he smacked his lips and growled again before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Still questioned how I got out of there alive and then the next few weeks." He was nearly done recalling what he could from the base attack. "I was a paranoid mess. It simmered a little once I found that band of 'misfits' I became close friends with over the years after the fall. But I was still a mess." He raised his hands to his face as he let out another heavy sigh. "The bottle became my best friend most nights. Tch. Most days at all hours. Helped numb the pain."
Bradford had been venting for hours, and Jynn was listening intently. She managed to goad him into laying down, his head in her lap, as he rambled. Just something to help him stay calm as he recalled painful memories.
"Even with me picking up a drinking habit," he lowered his hands and looked at her, "I could still see their faces."
"Who? The misfits?" She gently stroked his head. She looked back at him and his bloodshot eyes. She knew a few of them were dead.
He sighed heavily. "Everyone at HQ." He closed his eyes. "That place is just a mass grave. Same with the sister bases."
"Ah." She nodded and continued to stroke his head.
"I still haven't gone back, Jynn." He shook his head. "I don't want to go back."
"I can understand that. I feel that way too." Thinking about the old HQ made her miss it. She wanted to go back to it and pay a visit to it one day. They would be heading to America soon. But the thought of going back filled her with dread. So many people died that day. What would they find? Was Base even accessible? Was it even in the same state? There was a high possibility that the aliens had taken over the site. Turned it into a stronghold of sorts or a facility of some type. Just another final dismissive gesture, something to mock humanity's last hope, They had squashed.
She shook her head. No time for dark thoughts. "But one day," she paused, "we'll go back. Give everyone a proper burial. If—" She cut herself off. A negative thought that didn't need to exist. "When we win this war, we'll make it a memorial. They did that."
"Maybe." He nodded. He pondered for a moment. A smile appeared. "Yeah, let's do that." He liked the idea.
Bradford let his mind wander. What else could he tell her? He had retold his perspective of the base attack to the best of his ability as alcohol made some details fuzzy. And then he told of how he wandered about for a while before he met with the others and how they wandered about. What else could he tell her?
Maybe when he and his squad found that map that led to false hope? When they stumbled across a small encampment being raided? Or when he finally ran across the true XCOM again. How skeptical he was of them, only tagging along(with his band) to help them get one of their wounded back to their base camp for the night due to them helping them escape an ADVENT and alien ambush. Then he heard Shen Sr.'s voice on their radio. He almost thought he was hallucinating. He had been drinking that day, but it was the old man the more he listened. He nearly got punched with how he scrambled over and took over that call to talk. At first, the doctor didn't recognize him until Bradford said a few things only he would know. That solidified Bradford and most of his crew joining XCOM. Learning that Shen Sr. and so many more were alive and fighting raised his spirits. And they had a base into the works. A mobile one if everything worked out. The Avenger.
There were so many memories to choose from. So many painful ones. But talking was helping lift a weight from his shoulders. A weight he had been carrying for far too long.
"Huh? Would you look at that?" A hint of surprise came from Jynn. "It's 05:15."
"What?" That caught his attention.
"It's 05:15." She repeated. "Forget how quickly time can fly."
Bradford quickly raised himself up. "We've been talking for that long?" The last thing he remembered was it being midnight.
"You've been talking." She chuckled. "I've been listening." She wondered what had him so jittery.
"Crap." He grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He swung his legs over the couch, quickly put on his boots, and laced them up. "Need to get everything wrapped up here and us heading to East Asia."
With his boots on, he turned to her. "Hate to talk and run, Commander." Already he was getting back to business. "And thanks… talking helped." As he turned to leave, a firm grip pulled him back. He looked over his shoulder.
"No, you don't." Jynn firmly said. She had a firm grip on his arm.
"Jynn." He let out a slight grow as he furrowed his brows. The next second he yelped and his butt back on the couch. "Why did you do that!?"
"For starters, you need some rest, John." She told him.
"Sleep can wait."
"Oh, do not give me that excuse after how hard you fought for me to stop saying that." She rolled her eyes. "Second," she flicked the center of his forehead, "you look terrible. Eyes bloodshot. Tear-stained face."
He grumbled, flinching when she flicked him. He looked away from her. Letting her words digest. He sighed. She had a point.
"I know the last thing you want is the crew seeing you like this and the last thing I want is the ship crashing into a mountain."
His brow twitched at what she said. "The AI flies the ship. I only pilot when we are getting chased."
"You sure about that?" She grinned. "Heard something about you practicing your flying skills a bit more once I was back in action. Had a few rough landings as of late, and one close call with a mountain two weeks ago."
"Jynn…" His brow twitched again.
"I kid. I kid." She laughed. "But seriously," she gently squeezed his arm, "you need to get some rest, especially after you unloaded a lot of memories."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine."
"Good!" She got up and pulled him up. "Since I rather not have the 'Central Officer' stumbling to his room half wake, you can crash in my bed."
"Your bed!?" He sputtered.
"What?" She cocked her head to the side. "Something wrong with that?"
"It's your bed."
"And?" She didn't see the issue. "I won't be needing it for a few hours, anyway. Kinda wide awake and have a checkup I need to go to in 45 minutes and then talk to Tygan, and then Marin and Quinn about something."
"Well…" He tugged on his collar as he looked away from her. His cheeks slowly heated up.
She raised a brow, trying to figure out the sudden hesitation. Then she noticed his cheeks. It clicked. "We're not sleeping together, John. Goodness!" She shook her head, somewhat offended by the mere thought. She laughed. Bradford cringed, his cheeks red as a tomato. "And you said the crew had their heads in the gutter."
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" He raised his hands, backing away a bit. Well, as far as her oddly strong death grip on his arm would let him. "I'm just being precautionary! Don't need any more rumors going around. You know how people get when a boss is dating a subordinate."
"More like paranoid." She rolled her eyes. "Rumors will always be around. Had them back in the day too. Corvo was of no help, hell he is of no help now." She rolled her eyes hard. "Still making those jokes. I'm amazed he and Shay are even married." She tightened her grip on his arm and began to drag him to her bed. "Come on, you dumb lug."
"Hey! Hey! Jynn!" He sputtered as he was dragged along like a rag doll.
"Shut it you."
With little to no struggle from the stammer officer, she dragged him down the steps and slung him onto the bed.
"Oof!" He landed with a bit of a hard thud. It took him a moment to flip himself over. "Jynn!"
"Just get some rest, will you?" She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "A few hours of sleep won't kill you. The ship's not gonna blow up."
"Jy–"
"Hey!" She raised a finger. "No arguing. Sleep." That authoritative side started to come through. "I order you to get some damn rest."
He grumbled again, narrowing his eyes at her. "Fine."
"Good." She smirked. She started up the stairs. "I hope to find you sound asleep once I'm out of the shower."
"Yes ma'am."
Sarcasm. She giggled at that.
As she headed to the shower, Bradford finally let himself lie down on the bed after undoing his boots. Her bed. It felt strange to him. A few sighs slipped from his lips.
"Fairly… comfy." His fingers dug into the sheets. "Wonder if I can get my mattress replaced sometime soon." He had to admit, besides the couch in her quarters and hammock down by the bar, this had to be the best bed on the entire ship. He was a bit jealous. "Have to check to see if Nithrall can get their hands on something nice." He chuckled as he slowly got comfortable. "Hyperactive teenager."
It didn't take too long for him to get under the sheets and finally drift off to some very much needed sleep. He would have to thank her later for being so stubborn. She always looked out for the health of those under her. Always.
Water ran. Steam steadily filled the bathroom. Jynn hummed contently as she took a step into the shower. She shuddered, and goosebumps rose. "Nice and hot~" The heat felt great against her skin. Great to her aching muscles.
She basked in the heat for a few minutes before she finally started scrubbing. She had a checkup to be at. Couldn't lolly gag. As she cleaned herself, she thought about the stories Bradford had shared with her.
"That was a well-coordinated attack. Psionics." She shook her head. "Completely caught us off guard. We barely had time to react." She could faintly remember that day. She touched the scars on her nose. Those three slash marks. "Damn Muton."
It wasn't long before she was done.
"Hmm." She mumbled as she wrapped a towel around her and looked in the mirror. Her eyes focused on her head. She frowned. "Fuzz coming in uneven again." She looked at the clock. "I've got a bit of time."
She dried herself and got her clothes on before she took a shaver to her head. "Wonder what my brother would say if he saw me now." She chuckled. "I know. High school. Grand Canyon campout. Pink hair prank." She shook her head. "John loves telling that story to the crew I've heard from the other Senior Staff. You'd probably exaggerate it." She laughed for a moment before a sigh slipped through. She stopped shaving for a moment, dropping her hand. She missed him.
"Why does your file say MIA… Charles?"
She had looked at her father and mother's files. Father KIA. Mother died free in some haven in the States. But her brother's file. MIA. She was too afraid to look at it. It was rough just reading her parents' files. Why was he marked MIA? Did the aliens get a hold of him? He wasn't a part of the XCOM initiative, but was in the military. He could have been. I remember that day his file crossed my desk. Had to pass it off to someone else. Conflict of interests.
"I'll… I'll have to ask John about his file one of these days." She sighed. Maybe going through it with him would lessen the blow? It was worth a try.
Saying her close friend's name made her think of how he reacted earlier. The blushing and stammering. So strange. The razor returned to her scalp.
"Hmm," She muttered. "Those rosy cheeks… He can't be?" A thought crossed her mind. "Him? Interested in me? No, no, no." She shook her head. "No way." She couldn't wrap her mind around that. "No way." She couldn't help but laugh.
Once done and fully dressed, she left the bathroom. A loud snore echoed through the room.
"Good, he's asleep." That pleased her.
"Now to the doctors and later, Tygan, and then Quinn. And Marin." Should finally let him know about the voices. "Maybe he, Marin, and Lily can come up with something." She started to leave. "And need to see if he's got anything new about those crystals. They're floating now. Resonating with something. Something in me. Strange things."