(Untitled)

[visibleclaude]

Claude hadn't shaved in a week.

He should have known better. Should have realized that one night of good sex wasn't enough to change his whole world view. That there was no such thing as closure. That everyone screws you over in the end, no matter how many times they've done it before, how many amends you've made

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[saves_the_world]

Peter balanced the container of food in one hand and twisted the knob on the door leading out of the compound with the other. Though Gwen hadn't asked him for anything, Peter thought she might like some of the fresh fruit that had been sitting out on the kitchen counter.

One corner of his mouth hitched up as he imagined the fondness he'd see in her eyes as she'd insist he shouldn't have done that when he returned to their hut. Yanking the door open, Peter moved to cross through the frame and then abruptly stopped before he ran into Claude.

"Hey, Claude," Peter greeted, jerking fully upright after having stopped short. "How are--" Concern immediately etched his features. "What happened?"

[visibleclaude]

What happened. Good question.

"Bennet's gone," Claude said flatly.

[saves_the_world]

The door slammed heavily behind them.

Feeling as though he'd had the wind knocked out of him, Peter pulled Claude by the sleeve over to the side so as to not block the door from anyone.

"When?" Peter asked urgently, all the earlier mirth gone from his face.

[visibleclaude]

"A week ago," Claude told him, really not wanting to have this conversation. "I went looking for him. He's... definitely gone."

[wishesandsmoke]

Eden stopped on the path when she saw him, standing still, expression all but blank. It had been too many days without word, but that was easy to put down to it being Bennet, who did these things, who did what he felt was necessary without warning, who told her what she needed to know and no more. He had a plan. She just didn't know what it was. That was all.

She stood there and looked at Claude, stumbling and unshaven and worse for wear, and didn't say a thing.

[visibleclaude]

"Bennet's gone," Claude said flatly, afraid that now he was going to be forced to Deal.

[wishesandsmoke]

It was terrifyingly like being thirteen years old again, as if her voice were somewhere beyond her.

"Gone where?" she asked finally, hearing the thin tension in her words from a distance. He couldn't just be gone, disappeared like anyone else. She crossed her arms, bit her lip and kept her gaze firmly on Claude.

[visibleclaude]

"Gone!" Claude snapped. "Gone, as in not here. As in disappeared like everyone else on this - "

Seeing her expression, he cut himself off and took a deep breath. "Okay, look." He pulled Bennet's gun out of his pocket, unwrapped it from the handkerchief he'd had it in. "He'd probably want you to have this. God knows I don't need another gun, and I'm sure he'd want you to be able to take care of yourself since he's not here."