“We’ll m-make it a good morning,” Techie smiles. Now, more than ever, she needs a bright presence in her life. The sobbing is a clear indication of that. So despite his own aches and emotional baggage, Techie sits up with an indulgent stretch and asks, cheery, “Wh-what do you want for breakfast? I can s-send for something nice.” It was one of the perks of being a top technician with friends amongst the higher-ups, although he rarely, if ever, took advantage of this.
Techie slides off the bed and runs his fingers through his bed-head, not doing much to disentangle it. It actually sticks up funny in the back.
Her head snaps to stare at him. Food? She could have food? And did he just offer nice food? She wasn’t going to let this go and for the moment Techie’s hair wasn’t noticed. “How much breakfast can you get away with without being suspicious?” She asks, deciding to sacrifice quality for quantity. Good food only lasted so long.
“Also-” She gets onto her hands and knees, reaching for his shirt to drag him back onto the bed to sit. Her grimy hands attack his hair, roughly patting it down. It took only a moment for her to be aware of their closeness, and of the human touch she had been craving. She pushes him away. “There. Now get up.”
He’s about to answer when Mei grabs hold of his shirt and Techie sits down hard with a sharp exhale. If his heart is beating faster than is normal, he doesn’t show it. The rough handling woke up old, unpleasant memories. But they’re soon banished when Nao’s hands reach his head. Techie’s fists relax, eyes slipping shut. They fall into a comfortable silence as she flattens his hair, and when the touch leaves his head, Techie stirs back to full alertness.
With shakey legs and newly-tamed hair, Techie stands up, and glances into a mirror that’s placed awkwardly at the edge of a desk, turned as though it’s seldom used. A small smile blooms on his face when he catches sight of himself. Somehow, Nao’s fervid patting had made him look better!
“Th-thanks,” he mumbles, a little shy, and then adds, “I can get an extra p-portion or two, and n-nobody will care… Matt tries to g-get me to eat more anyway.”