Bob was having a good day that day, honestly, he was close to having a month of nothing but good days. The team had no mission, no debriefings. Everything felt calm in the tower for the first time. Everyone was off doing their own thing and enjoying the calm before the next storm. You were up in your room when he came in asking if you knew where he could watch Scooby Doo, so instead you invited him to stay and watch it with you. The two of you spent the day sitting closer than two “friends” usually would. After a few hours went by Bob left to go back to his room feeling lucky that he got to spend his day with you once again. 

So why did his brain have to fuck things up? Why did he have to make a whole dream sequence of you leaving him, of you distancing yourself from him, of you saying he was too much to handle, of you confirming his biggest fear. Why did he have to witness you telling him you’d never love him? 

When Bob left his room the next morning the entire tower seemed to stand on edge. No one was aware of the presence yet, but they could tell something changed overnight. He sat motionless at the kitchen table just staring at his mug while replaying the most vivid moment from his dream. “I don’t love you like I loved you yesterday.” Those words echoed, your voice filling every crack in his soul. Was it a dream or was it a haunting memory he had suppressed… “Bob? You okay over there buddy?” Yelena asked uncharacteristically timidly. All she got back in response was a stabbing glare. “Good talk, I’ll go talk to the wall now for more of a response.” 

You walked into the kitchen completely unaware of the situation at hand. You greeted him with your usual sleepy smile and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes before making a cup of coffee. “G’morning” you sighed, “Do you have plans today? I thought we could go to the bookstore to find some new books for book club this month.” His heart almost went out for you, how sweet…how innocent…how pathetic you were. 

“That doesn’t seem like a good use of my time.” He said in an abrasive tone. He could see you physically flinch, your eyebrows furrowed together, and your nose crinkled slightly. He noticed you blinked once…twice…a look of pure confusion washed over you. Was it from his comment or was it his tone. Whatever it was made him perk up Oh…This will be fun. This can be a good use of my time. A sick and twisted smile appeared across his face when you looked over and witnessed it form +++++++++++++++++++++you could feel your stomach drop. “Oh fuck” You mumble realizing Bob was gone for the time being. This won’t be fun. 

You weren’t having the greatest day. The rest of the team needed to meet with Valentina to go over their last mission but since you and Bob weren’t a part of that mission you two stayed at the tower. Alone. For hours. You tried your best to keep the day going as any other day, you made the two of you food, something that you knew was one of Bob’s favorites. When you went to give him his plate, he took the plate, gave you a short-harsh smile and dropped it to the floor. “Oops.” He muttered as he walked around you and the mess “I gave you an opportunity to finally become useful you should be thanking me and taking that opportunity. Now clean up your disgusting mess weakling.” His voice continued to echo through your head all day. It didn’t matter if you were in the room with him or on completely different floors he somehow got into your head.

You would never regret your relationship with Bob, you could never regret letting yourself get close to him. You never feared him, that's why you allowed him in, allowed him to learn everything about you-- including your biggest insecurities. Usually, he would hold you on those dark days, the days where your mind fed into your darker thoughts, and he would whisper reassuring words with such care that it seemed that he was afraid if he spoke loudly everything would crumble. You could never regret loving Bob… You did however hate Void. You hated how he was taking something pure, something safe and making you fear it. He was taking the cheapest shots at you, and you couldn’t handle it anymore. 

You still tried to stick to Bob as much as you could throughout the day. You knew he needed the reminder that people were here for him, that you were here for him. You refused to abandon him just because Void wanted to fuck with your head. You wouldn’t give Void that satisfaction. But that didn’t make it easier to listen to everything the Void was telling you and he was getting more and more irritated by your presence. The more annoyed he got the sharper his words hit. 

“This is pathetic. You’re truly so miniscule, I don’t understand how anyone can put up with your constant presence. Do you not read the room? Do you not know how to take the hints that everyone is leaving because of you? I mean the entire team left you alone today, not only that they left you alone with me with complete and utter darkness. If that doesn’t scream ‘get lost’ I don’t know what would.” 

“How could you just sit there and act like you're fine? Doesn’t it get lonely? Knowing no one has ever truly loved you, never wanted you? Your parents put up with you but that was only for so long, your first team couldn’t work with such a freak and who could ever love someone…something like you? I mean Bob told me everything, well more so you told Bob everything. Again, fucking pathetic, what’s next you tell your diary all you little problems? Dear diary, no one even took a glimpse towards me today. Dear diary, everyone avoided me again today.”  

“How could you survive this long alone?” He asked while slithering closer to you, “Don’t you ever just want to sit in the dark? I know what is in you little weakling I can sense it; you’re just another Bob. It won’t be long til you surrender to me. Won’t be long at all until everyone shows how utterly terrified, they are of you.” 

He glared at you as the only response you gave him was a clench jaw and a slow nod. “No, you’re completely right.” you muttered unfazed by him. You saw his glare fluctuate. Before you could do anything, he was in front of you. “You think you're so strong, so smart, don't you? Nothing is stronger than me, especially not a worthless being like you” his voice deepened as he got angrier. Time seemed to still as you watched his hand jut out and wrap around your throat. He leans in and whispers in your ear “Why aren’t you listening to me? I’m telling you the truth that you are struggling to accept…Bob knows that he deserves better than you. He will never love you. Someone as ridiculous as Bob doesn’t even want you.” A whimper falls from your lips as you stop the fighting. Pride fills his chest knowing he finally found your biggest insecurity. 

The last thing you hear before it everything went black was the elevator chiming and the team yelling your name. Void drops you to the floor without a care and saunters off to his room before the team could get to him. 

Bob wakes up the next day in a haze and with a headache. He slowly got out of bed, aware that he doesn’t have a steady footing just yet. Memories of yesterday kept flashing in the back of his mind. He doesn’t remember much, just that it was only you and him in the tower. He sighed disappointed that he obviously lost control of that side of himself again and missed having a day with you. Hopefully you could fill in the missing pieces for him. 

He pulls at the end of his sleeves as he wanders to the kitchen. The air in the tower felt tense, it was thick, uncomfortable. Something clearly happened. His mind spirals: what happened yesterday? What did I do yesterday? When he gets to the kitchen his shoulders relax seeing you at the counter stirring your cup of coffee still in your pajamas. The peace that you bring him started to settle in his bones once more, but it quickly vanishes when he sees bruises on your neck and shoulder. His eyes rack your build trying to find any more injuries. You wore your hair in a clip and had on a pair of his shorts and one of your tank tops, you knew it might be risky wear clothes that showed the marks that void left the day before but you thought you had time before Bob woke up, last time void took over Bob slept nearly the entire day afterwards.

“What happened!? Those can't be from the last mission you were on that was weeks ago! These - These are fresh.” Bob’s voice echoed, the panic in his voice was clear to anyone who heard. His heart shattered seeing you flinch at his words. “Bob!” Your voice hitched before you forced yourself to relax your shoulder, reminding yourself that Bob did nothing wrong, that he has never and would never hurt you. “How um - how’d you sleep honey?” 

He shook his head in disbelief. “Don’t. Don’t do that, what happened? Why aren’t you answering that question?” He clenched his jaw slightly. “Bob it really isn’t as bad as it looks…the med bay already cleared me.” His eyes widen slightly hearing the words med bay. “Let me see.” The tone in his voice made it clear that there was no room for arguing. He walks up to you; his fingers trail the bruises he can see with a feather-like touch. 

As soon as his fingers touched one of the bruises all the memories from yesterday came rushing back to him. All the hate filled words, all the way Void used your insecurities against you. The way his hand wrapped around your throat before dropping you like you were nothing. All the lies you were told and convinced were true. Bob flinched as if you had struck him with lightning, his hand pulled away from you and he staggered back. 

“I-Oh God I’m going to be sick. I hurt you. He hurt you!” He swallowed harshly and looked around the kitchen frantically. “How long were you left with him? Why didn’t you leave? You should’ve left!” His breathing picked up as he started to panic. "You know none of that stuff is true right? That everything he said was a lie? Fuck I can't believe this. I-You are amazing and and I..." He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head as he tried to find the words, "I don't know what I'd do without you"  

“Bob” you said in a soft but force tone, walking over to him you remembered how he explained that feeling you there helped calm him. You grabbed his hand and put it on your chest for him to feel your heartbeat. “I will never leave you. He didn’t do much damage; he didn’t put me in any room or force me to witness anything. All he did was take cheap shots towards me before leaving a few bruises. It wasn’t you, I know that and so do you. It was just a bad day.” 

His mind continued spiraling as you reassured him. One of his bad days shouldn't warrant you getting hurt.

“I never want you getting hurt. I don’t care if it’s a papercut or Void doing the damage.” Bob relaxes feeling your heartbeat, but the look of distress was still on his face. “Let me make this up to you…where did you want to go yesterday? The um the bookstore, right? We can go and stop at that cafe you like so much. Whatever you want I'll get you whatever you want whenever you want.” He rambles before nodding, “No yeah that’s what we’re doing.” He says with a newfound confidence. “Go get dressed and we’ll head out. Don’t bring any wallet or anything I want to handle it all today.” Before he realized it, he leaned down and kissed the top of your head, the feeling of your head against his lips made him freeze before slowly pulling back. “I’m going to go get ready.” He said quickly before rushing off to his room before you could respond. If only he stuck around to see the blush that bloomed across your cheeks. 

The bookstore smelled like lavender and dust, the sunlight streamed through the windows and the bell above the door gave a high-pitched chime as you stepped inside, trailing behind Bob. He held the door for you but didn't let go of your hand once.

It had been a quiet walk over, but it was the kind of silence you both understood. Not heavy. Not strained. A silence filled with small squeezes of reassurance, glances that asked are you okay? and received silent nods that said I am with you here.

You wandered through the aisles together, the space between you practically nonexistent as Bob leaned in to show you a mystery novel he thought you'd like, or when you held up a book with a dragon on the cover and smile just to see him roll his eyes. He still added it to the stack, of course.

After walking through every aisle, the two of you sat on a bench in the corner, your knees brushing against each other. You were flipping through a book of poetry when Bob spoke quietly, his voice soft like he was still afraid of breaking something.

“I, um… I remembered everything. From yesterday. You know? I just can’t stop thinking about it.” He swallowed hard, but didn’t let go of your hand. “What Void said. What I said.” His knuckles went white, holding the book too tightly now. “I know it wasn’t me, but… it came from me, and I just…I hate that he got to you. That he said those things. I hate that I was a part of the thing that hurt you.”

You turned, placing your hand gently on the side of his face. “You came back. That’s what matters to me. I know the difference, Bob. I always know when it’s you.”

He closed his eyes for a second, leaning into your touch like it was the only thing anchoring him to the moment. “I love you.”

You froze. His eyes blinked open, wide and scared now that the words had escaped him. “I didn’t mean to say that out of nowhere, I just" He shook his head in disbelief shocked by the way the day was turning out. "No. I did mean to say it.” He laughed nervously, looking down at your entwined hands. “I’ve loved you for a while. It was easier to try and pretend it was friendship. But yesterday scared the hell out of me. It still scares me. And today watching you stand there, just being you after everything…” He exhaled shakily. “You’re my person.”

There was no dramatic music. No grand declarations. Just warmth. Just you leaning in, your forehead resting against his.

“I love you too, Bob,” you whispered.

His eyes shimmered, and he smiled a soft, boyish smile that made him look like he wasn’t holding the world on his shoulders anymore. “You do?”

“I do,” you nodded. “I always have. Even when you steal my favorite mug.”

He chuckled and leaned in even closer, his lips brushing yours gently. It wasn’t rushed or desperate, it was safe, it was warm, and full of all the things neither of you had ever needed to say out loud until now.

And for the first time in a long time, Bob didn’t feel like he had to brace himself for impact.

You stayed curled up in that corner for a while longer, books forgotten beside you. The world outside your bubble could wait.

This moment, this peace, it was yours and nothing could ruin it.

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