Bennett/Melanie, Rated T
Melanie was frantically pacing around her room, doing her best to stave off the rising panic. They’d come so close-too close-to annihilation yet again, and of course, first was more concerned about the change in meal plan that was necessary to compensate for the loss of a crop. When she’d finally returned to the engine, Bennett and Javi had informed her of another issue that had resulted from the original issue that had caused the crop failure-they’d taken a massive blow to their battery banks. Something inside of her had finally snapped, and now she was pacing around her room like a caged animal. It would be embarrassing if she could care anymore.
“Mel?” she whipped her head around at the knock on the door, debating. She knew that if she said nothing or told Bennett to go away, he would-no questions asked, never to be brought up again.
However, she found she didn’t want him to go away. In fact, she wanted him to come in, because he was the only thing that kept her tethered when shit went sideways-as it too often did aboard Snowpiercer.
“Come in,” she winced at how shaky her voice sounded, but when he entered her room he didn’t mention it.
“Hey,” he breathed gently, approaching her cautiously. She only realized she’d stopped burning a hole in the floor when she found him face to face with her, both of them standing still.
“Hey,” she choked out in response, and then a noise like a sob escaped before she could stop it.
“Come here,” he was still so gentle when he wrapped his arm around her. She went willingly, letting him pull her to his chest and sinking into the comfort of it. She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears pricking at the corners of them.
“Do I have to do everything here?” she asked, and she could no longer stop the tears from falling, “It’s too much sometimes, Ben.”
“I know,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head as he ran a hand up and down her back, “I’ve got you, though.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to keep going if I didn’t have you,” Melanie admitted once the tears had finally subsided, “The only time I feel alive is when I’m with you.”
Bennett was silent for a while, considering how to respond. His grip on her didn’t loosen, and she was reassured that it was not hesitation that caused him to take his time.
“If I can give you even a single moment of peace…” he finally started, stopping and swallowing as he mustered up the courage to continue, “It’s enough for me. Things will never be easy, Mel. But no one is as equipped to handle this as you are.”
“I wish I had your faith in me,” she snorted.
He gently pushed her back-keeping hands on her shoulders so that she couldn’t pull back completely-in order to make sure that she could see the seriousness on his face as he said, “It’s a no win situation, but you are doing the best that you can. And I see that.”
She nodded, after a moment. She struggled to accept it for what it was; he understood inherently that she would have to wrestle with the statement, and did not put anything else on her. After a long moment Melanie sighed, a hand on his neck tugging him down to kiss her. He happily obliged, hands sliding down to her waist.
“Thank you,” she murmured, inches from his mouth.
“Any time, Mel,” Bennett replied, leaning back in to kiss her again.
It was nice, she mused, to have one person in the mess of the world they lived in who she didn’t have to pretend in front of. Someone who she could kiss with her face a mess from crying, who would never judge her-but rather just be there and listen when she needed him to be. It had taken Bennett a while after they’d come to this point in their… relationship-whatever that was-to be so bold with her, but she liked it. She liked it a lot, actually-one of his hands had taken her hair down and the other had pulled her flush against him.
Sometimes, his weight on top of her was the only thing that grounded her.
But it was enough.