Staying on Target (Bay)

[Gar]

Ni’s playful demeanor gradually faded as she followed Bay to the shower, a subtle limp in her step. She appeared to emanate an unprecedented shyness as she entered the bathroom clinging to the large towel, utilizing every inch of its fabric to hide as much of her discolored, blemished skin as possible. When her somber eyes glimpsed her reflection in the tiny, dusky mirror she quickly turned her back to it.

Surprisingly, the Zeltron made no attempts to tease Bay further. A bittersweet smile tipped the corners of her lips as she watched his hasty retreat. After a while she found herself still standing in the middle of the bathroom, staring down at the shower drain, uncertain of how much time had passed.

Ni slowly loosened her grip on the towel and let it slip off her shoulders, falling around her feet. Then she carefully removed her ruined dancing outfit. As she slipped out of her underwear she noticed the patch of blood. She studied the red pattern expressionlessly, feeling a pounding in her chest and a lump growing in her throat. Voices entered her mind uninvited, the voices of the party guests that had laughed and jeered at her that night as Merrick elected her for entertainment. Ni had to focus on slowing her breathing before she finally approached the shower and set the stream to a comfortable temperature, grateful for the rushing sound of water that helped drown out the voices. Ni stepped under the stream and started washing her body carefully with the unscented soap. She winced and inhaled sharply as the soapy water flowed between her legs.

The next thing she knew she was standing in the middle of the bathroom again, wrapped in a clean towel, a puddle of water around her feet. Ni felt as if she were in a dream as she dried herself off and left the bathroom. The Zeltron smiled sadly when she noticed the stool with the folded clothes. "Thanks, Bugsie..." she whispered to herself, slipping into the shorts and t shirt. She had to use almost all of the draw string to secure the shorts around her waist and the shirt loosely hung from her shoulders like a dress.

With the water turned off the voices invaded Ni's mind again, this time coupled with images of upside down faces contorted in laughter. She could feel the hands that squeezed too tight. Ni closed her eyes and whimpered softly, hugging her arms around her chest and taking deep breaths. Longing for a distraction, she hurried to find Bay, eventually spotting him in his bunk. He seemed to be sleeping.

The Zeltron immediately felt a mix of urges. She could always count on one way to forget about things that were upsetting. It was within her power to leave the ship and search for that distraction, but she was hardly in the right physical condition for it, and an unidentifiable feeling conflicted with the desire. She struggled to understand this new sensation.

Ni stood in the doorway, staring down at the floor, fidgeting with the hem of the white t shirt. Her heart pounded faster and harder as the memories continued their assault on her conscience. She could feel herself losing control of her breathing, but she was helpless to stop it this time. The tremors returned. Ni was suddenly compelled to leave, but her legs wouldn't move, instead they buckled under her. She leaned her back against the door frame and hugged her knees to her chest, trembling violently, holding her breath in a vain attempt to gag herself from making any noise.

[Bay]

Bay opened his eyes. The small thud near the doorway bringing him back to consiousness. Ni was there, holding her legs, all pretense melted from her face.

He approached her silently. Slowly. Her expression seemed lightyears away as he gently placed his arms around her trying to comfort her. She stiffened.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just me," he said softly.

Ni relaxed and leaned in to the embrace. Bay held her for a few seconds and surprised himself when he scooped her up. She didn’t resist as he placed her in the bed. He tried his best to comfort her and found himself gently telling her that she was safe, that no one would hurt her here. Her expression remained blank.

Bay smelled salt on his beard again, but this time he quickly wiped away the tears with the back of his hand. He wasn't the one hurting right now and he needed to help her. Even though he didnt know what to do next.

Then, he remembered the one experience he had always longed for when he needed comfort growing up. One he had never experienced himself, but thought that maybe he could do for Ni.  

He reached down into his bag and pulled out his datapad. He clicked on the screen for a second and began,

"Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who lived in a forest..."

[Gar]

Bay's comforting embrace, although startling her at first, helped return Ni to the present and regain control of her breathing. His soft voice and warm touch became the pleasant distraction that she so desperately needed. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the steady drum of his heartbeat.

The Zeltron was focusing so intently on the rhythm inside Bay’s chest that she barely noticed when his arms moved under her to pick her up. Then she realized he was tucking her into bed and telling her she was safe. A wave of embarrassment washed over Ni, but she could sense the voices and faces waiting to reclaim her attention, and so she quickly switched her focus to Bay’s gentle words, contemplating every syllable and inflection. She stared down at the floor, finding a black smudge in the middle of the room and studying it quietly, unable to meet Bay’s eyes. Her tremors slowly ceased and her heart no longer felt as if it was trying to break from her chest.

Ni almost panicked when Bay's voice paused momentarily.

Then he began to narrate softly, "Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who lived in a forest..."

The Zeltron breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. His story proved to be a very effective distraction, carrying her mind away to a different world with different people and different problems. She wondered how Bay had known that this was what she really, truly needed. As she listened she became aware of a generalized heaviness in her limbs and her thoughts strayed into a void. Ni welcomed the nothingness as she drifted off to sleep.