Us vs. the Apocalypse
Title: Merry Easter Birthday
Word Count: 890
"Hey, Dixon?"
He didn't even look up from his book when he heard Avery's timid voice at the door, though he did manage a loud and irritated sigh that he was certain she could hear.
"I'm really busy right now," he snapped. "If you need help, go ask one of the nurses."
"I was kind of hoping I could talk to you," she said hesitantly. When he sighed again, covering his face with his hands, she quickly added, "It'll only take a couple seconds, and then I'll get out of your hair, I promise."
"Fine," he said, knowing there was no getting rid of the girl once she set her mind on something, and twisted his chair around to face her. "What do you..."
For a moment he was left completely speechless, convinced that the Avery he'd known for months had been kidnapped and replaced with the young woman who stood at the door of his office. She'd traded her uniform for a short-sleeved pink and white polka dot dress, and her rowdy blonde curls were pinned back from her face. She held a large plate with what looked like a mountain of chocolate icing and sprinkles in the middle of it, and she smiled hesitantly when she saw Dixon staring at her, extending the plate like a peace offering.
"Merry Easter Birthday," she said quietly.
"Merry... what?" He rolled his chair back slightly when she walked over to the desk and set the chocolate monstrosity down in front of him, and couldn't help but shoot her a look that was part quizzical, part incredulous. "How did you know it was my birthday?" he asked.
"I... asked around?" she said, her cheeks flushing slightly as she reached into the pocket of her dress and withdrew a fork, handing it to him.
"I can't name a single person who knows my birthday," he countered, taking the fork and poking at the icing, grateful to find there was actually cake underneath.
"I... checked your file?" She bit her lip, which he couldn't help but notice was covered in a soft pink lipstick that matched her dress. "I mean, if you don't like it we can say it's just for Easter? You were a priest, right, you celebrated Easter and stuff?"
"Not usually with chocolate cake," he said, winking. "Birthday is fine, I'm just... kind of surprised you would go through the trouble."
"Oh, the cake was nothing," she said as he took a bite, his teeth almost immediately aching at the overload of sugar. "That was just a matter of getting the mix and stuff from the shop, what was really trouble was getting Keenan to take me into the city to -" Her blue eyes went wide and she clapped her hands over her mouth as the fork dropped from Dixon's fingers, and they stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before she gulped loudly. "Um, I mean -"
"You went scavenging?" he asked. "In Varaine?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it scavenging so much as..." She trailed off at his firm glare. "Maybe?" she squeaked.
"Avery..." He rubbed his forehead, feeling the familiar headache he'd had while he was captain creeping back. "You can't just -"
"I couldn't celebrate your birthday without a present!" she blurted, her huge eyes filling with tears. "That's not right! You've had a really shitty run of luck and everyone always expects you to be the guy that cleans up everyone else's messes and you've been so sad, Dix, don't think I haven't noticed how sad you are all the time!" She knotted her small hands into fists in her lip, clenching the fabric of her dress between her fingers. "I just wanted to do something nice, that's all, and it's not like I went alone, and I really like you, and..." She cast her eyes downward and reached into the same pocket she'd produced the fork from, this time drawing out a small, leatherbound book that she handed over without looking at him. "Keenan told me that you lost your last one in Balewood," she murmured. "And if something... I dunno, if something ever happens to any of us... when it happens... I thought it would be important for you to have one? I don't want... I don't want to go without the right words."
He stared down at the book, stunned, rubbing his thumb across the gold script embossed on the cover. It wasn't identical to the pocket-sized bible that now lay somewhere in Balewood's city proper, but it was close - close enough that he felt a physical sting of memory, the sight of Miyu's wide eyes and the feel of her feverish skin when he placed his palm on her forehead, reciting the words that always felt so familiar and so alien.
Placing the book on the desk, he reached over and took Avery's wrist, pulling her out of her chair and toward him. She hesitated just briefly, leaning away and toward her chair, but then relented and allowed herself to be pulled into his arms. Without the heavy layers of her uniform she felt so fragile, so incredibly human, that it terrified him.
"Don't say that," he told her, pressing his cheek to the crown of her head. "I will never, ever let anything happen to you."
Word Count: 890
"Hey, Dixon?"
He didn't even look up from his book when he heard Avery's timid voice at the door, though he did manage a loud and irritated sigh that he was certain she could hear.
"I'm really busy right now," he snapped. "If you need help, go ask one of the nurses."
"I was kind of hoping I could talk to you," she said hesitantly. When he sighed again, covering his face with his hands, she quickly added, "It'll only take a couple seconds, and then I'll get out of your hair, I promise."
"Fine," he said, knowing there was no getting rid of the girl once she set her mind on something, and twisted his chair around to face her. "What do you..."
For a moment he was left completely speechless, convinced that the Avery he'd known for months had been kidnapped and replaced with the young woman who stood at the door of his office. She'd traded her uniform for a short-sleeved pink and white polka dot dress, and her rowdy blonde curls were pinned back from her face. She held a large plate with what looked like a mountain of chocolate icing and sprinkles in the middle of it, and she smiled hesitantly when she saw Dixon staring at her, extending the plate like a peace offering.
"Merry Easter Birthday," she said quietly.
"Merry... what?" He rolled his chair back slightly when she walked over to the desk and set the chocolate monstrosity down in front of him, and couldn't help but shoot her a look that was part quizzical, part incredulous. "How did you know it was my birthday?" he asked.
"I... asked around?" she said, her cheeks flushing slightly as she reached into the pocket of her dress and withdrew a fork, handing it to him.
"I can't name a single person who knows my birthday," he countered, taking the fork and poking at the icing, grateful to find there was actually cake underneath.
"I... checked your file?" She bit her lip, which he couldn't help but notice was covered in a soft pink lipstick that matched her dress. "I mean, if you don't like it we can say it's just for Easter? You were a priest, right, you celebrated Easter and stuff?"
"Not usually with chocolate cake," he said, winking. "Birthday is fine, I'm just... kind of surprised you would go through the trouble."
"Oh, the cake was nothing," she said as he took a bite, his teeth almost immediately aching at the overload of sugar. "That was just a matter of getting the mix and stuff from the shop, what was really trouble was getting Keenan to take me into the city to -" Her blue eyes went wide and she clapped her hands over her mouth as the fork dropped from Dixon's fingers, and they stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before she gulped loudly. "Um, I mean -"
"You went scavenging?" he asked. "In Varaine?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it scavenging so much as..." She trailed off at his firm glare. "Maybe?" she squeaked.
"Avery..." He rubbed his forehead, feeling the familiar headache he'd had while he was captain creeping back. "You can't just -"
"I couldn't celebrate your birthday without a present!" she blurted, her huge eyes filling with tears. "That's not right! You've had a really shitty run of luck and everyone always expects you to be the guy that cleans up everyone else's messes and you've been so sad, Dix, don't think I haven't noticed how sad you are all the time!" She knotted her small hands into fists in her lip, clenching the fabric of her dress between her fingers. "I just wanted to do something nice, that's all, and it's not like I went alone, and I really like you, and..." She cast her eyes downward and reached into the same pocket she'd produced the fork from, this time drawing out a small, leatherbound book that she handed over without looking at him. "Keenan told me that you lost your last one in Balewood," she murmured. "And if something... I dunno, if something ever happens to any of us... when it happens... I thought it would be important for you to have one? I don't want... I don't want to go without the right words."
He stared down at the book, stunned, rubbing his thumb across the gold script embossed on the cover. It wasn't identical to the pocket-sized bible that now lay somewhere in Balewood's city proper, but it was close - close enough that he felt a physical sting of memory, the sight of Miyu's wide eyes and the feel of her feverish skin when he placed his palm on her forehead, reciting the words that always felt so familiar and so alien.
Placing the book on the desk, he reached over and took Avery's wrist, pulling her out of her chair and toward him. She hesitated just briefly, leaning away and toward her chair, but then relented and allowed herself to be pulled into his arms. Without the heavy layers of her uniform she felt so fragile, so incredibly human, that it terrified him.
"Don't say that," he told her, pressing his cheek to the crown of her head. "I will never, ever let anything happen to you."