Transformers ( Bayverse ) - I Bleed When I Fall Down

25 - Little Things

~~~

    The night passed quietly, and when Fay woke to find no recollection of her night filling her mind, it was actually a bit of a let-down considering her ‘victory’ of the night prior. She slid out of bed without much thought of anything. The days were ticking down now. To have a dreamless night was unusual at this point. She wasn’t quite sure if she missed the nightmares or if it was a blessing. It was the only image she had left of them at this point, really. It was different to think about whether it was a good thing or bad.

    Once she was dressed in a sheer black top with a neon pink floral print underneath, a dark pair of shorts and sneakers, she stepped downstairs. A layer of foundation evened the tone of her skin, which had been typically battered during the midst of adolescence. It was a pain, but had calmed significantly at this point.

    She paused when the smell of cooking food hit her. Breads and breakfast meats; her mouth immediately began to water in an automatic reflex. “Charlie?” She called, peering around into the kitchen, where her blonde friend looked at her, smiling wide.

    “Good morning, Beautiful! I made breakfast!”

    “Don’t you have to work?”

    “It’s Saturday, Silly! Now go sit so I can bring you French toast, bacon, sausage and eggs.”

    Fay blinked, staring at Charlotte for a moment, eyes watering slightly before she walked over and embraced the girl tightly. “I love you so much, Char,” she told her, meaning every word of it. She wasn’t afraid to say it. She didn’t reserve the ‘L’ word for a significant other. It was meant for anyone she was close enough to to consider family.

    Charlie smiled, squeezing Fay back, spatula still in her hand. “I love you, too, Fay. Now go sit before I burn your food.”

    Fay laughed softly, wiping her eyes as she pulled away. Charlie smiled at her. She could be such a mother sometimes. It didn’t surprise Fay at all, but she still appreciated it, every second that was given to her. “You are . . . the best friend . . . Anyone could ever ask for.”

    “Oh, shush, I know it!” Fay smiled sadly. Charlie was fierce, passionate. She rarely ever experienced anything in moderation. Thinking about it, it made sense why they got along so well. After the cross country season had ended, at their award ceremony, Fay’s coach had described her as ‘fiery’, mentioning the time she’d cried after taking much too long by her standards during a race. It had been a vicious terrain, hills steep enough that they’d be used for great sledding in winter.

    It had also been a bad few days, and the race had set her off, but she supposed that she felt things a bit to the extreme. She bit her lip, remembering when she’d nearly gotten killed by a train just the night before last. If it hadn’t been for Optimus, she would’ve been a fleshy pancake welded to the metal train.

    Fay obliged her friend, sitting at the table that sat at the far end of the kitchen, out of the way of the counters and appliances. “So what’s the occasion?” Fay asked, the smell of the food tantalizingly sweet and savory.

    Charlie shrugged, a grin blatantly plastered on her face. “How about the part where I’m off work and you’re going through a bunch, including disappearing and then being chased by some creepy, probably foreign technology as well as some wonky police officer? You’re going through a lot, Fay, and if you need me, then I’m here. That’s like, Best Friend 101.”

    Fay laughed gently, feeling incredibly grateful that Charlie was in her life all of a sudden. More so than usual. “You’re the best person I know. Period. You would kill for me, that’s something I definitely don’t doubt.”