It Takes Two to Survive

Chapter 12

(Please note: this chapter contains the one instance of minor self-harm warned about in the summary)

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Robin smiled as Thomas placed a plate of eggs in front of her, waiting for him to sit down before she began eating. She would've liked to wait for Steve, but he was still sleeping, and she had a feeling that he needed the rest. His body may be able to adapt to tough situations, yet he still needed rest like everyone else. At least, she thought.

As Tom stayed silent in front of her, she could hear his thoughts as clear as day, so much different than Papa's. She could hear him think about his own experiences with the government, see so many memories of a smiling girl with red hair, and feel real worry for Robin and Steve. It was nice to have someone worry about them for a change. And, this worry wasn't small, it was big. It was a sort of worry that felt almost like he would do anything for them.

It made her feel safe.

She knew that Steve was wary of Tom, though, it was obvious. He always watched him like Tom was about to attack them, that he was about to turn on them in an instant, and she believed that that feeling wouldn't go away for some time. He didn't have the advantage of reading minds, all he had were past experiences and his intuition to fall back on, and, from what they both had been through, Robin wasn't surprised that he fell into distrust. But, she trusted Tom. She knew that he only wanted to help, and she would instantly know if that changed.

She tried not to find happiness in her powers that were given to her through experimentation, though she couldn't say that it was a bad thing, especially in these sorts of situations.

"How are the eggs?" Tom asked gruffly, taking a sip of his coffee. She smiled, looking down on her plate, where half of the food was already eaten. She hadn't even realized that she was eating so fast.

"Very good, thank you. I usually don't like scrambled eggs, but this tastes like heaven. Well, I've never been to heaven, obviously, it just tastes so much better than poached eggs. I've never been a fan of it, even though my parents made it every single day in the ninth grade." Her voice slammed to a stop as she realized that she was rambling. "I'm so sorry, that happens a lot. Bad habit."

Tom smiled, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it, it's nice to have some conversation in this house."

"Do you have a family? A wife?"

"I did have a daughter at one point, but she moved out. I'm happy to be alone, though."

She nodded, knowing that it wasn't true. He was too happy to have company to want to be alone.

They both looked towards the living room as they heard shuffling around, Steve slowly getting up from the couch and stretching out his arms, going rigid as he realized that he was being watched.

"Morning, Dingus." Robin said, trying to be comforting as she saw a fearful look in his eyes develop faster than she thought possible. He dropped his arms, slowly making his way toward them.

"Hey."

"Did you sleep well, kid?" Tom asked, and Steve nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, thanks. I...I need to use the bathroom."

With that said he rushed away, running his hands through his short hair, and Robin watched him go, concerned. He wouldn't tell her if something was wrong, especially with Tom around, but she hoped that he would, eventually.

She waited a couple of minutes nervously, her leg bouncing up and down. She tried to reach out with her mind, tried to read him, yet, like every time she tried, she couldn't.