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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Sept 27, 2020 0:58:49 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2020 0:58:49 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Well, at least he admitted it. Technically speak, Dusti was letting Elliot waste her time. She'd done the job she'd come here to do. What kept her now? Some hope that things could go back to normal? Yeah, right. She wasn't that stupid. Dusti wasn't the forgiving sort. You burned a bridge and it typically stayed burned. That was how Dusti had been raised. It was the scars her parents had left. A distrust for anyone and everyone, and an unforgiving outlook on life. Though Elliot... Elliot was different. He'd been her closest friend first. For years. He knew things about her that her own siblings didn't. He was privy to the darkest secrets and fears she carried, the ones she never showed the world. It was a mighty difficult bridge to burn.
None the less. He was an asshole, and she was stubborn. She wouldn't be the first one to apologize for what happened so many months before. "Yes, I do," she answers. It was a lie. She'd come up form the lab specifically to help with the Interpol agents. Elliot had been the last one. She'd just go back down into her hole, and ignore the world. Back to somewhere safe. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere far from Elliot. "Wouldn't want to disturb you any longer. Plenty of healing to do. Interpol is probably itching for you to get back in the field." Ah. Dusti finally understood. Why she felt so... angry right now. Elliot was "back" but not back. He was only here because he had to be. Not because of her. Not because of what they'd had. And once he was healed he'd be gone again. Any attempt to salvage what they had before would just be a waste of time. Because he'd choose his dangerous line of work again. Dusti picked up her tray and gave him a cold glance.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Sept 27, 2020 2:39:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2020 2:39:37 GMT -7
@dusti it was almost like they'd been in the same room for too long. grievences cound't stay hidden for too long around them. it was entwined into their dna to fight with each other, it had been a favourite past time of theirs. but the problem was in this situation when there was no making up at the end of it, that the words would stay out in the open, the wounds from anything said would linger and add fuel to the ever smouldering fire that was their break up. he nodded a little when she said she had other patients to deal with. he had no reason to doubt her, after all he wasn't the only one in the hospital who would need blood drawn.
but the sinking feeling that he was about to watch her walk away was growing and it was making him slightly bitter inside. he didn't want her to walk away but he didn't want her to blame him either. it was amazing how their strongest traits were the ones that were contribuiting to their downfall. his gaze snapped back to hers when she let the real reason she wanted to leave loose from her lips. he tensed a little and tried to hide the grimmace that it caused and his face hardened slightly. it was the crux of the pain between them, his job. he loved his job. he loved dusti. he'd had to make a choice and while he didn't want to admit it, he'd let her make the choice for him when she'd fought him so much when it had first started.
"i reckon so." he said, his mouth drawing into a hard line as it usually did. he tugged the blankets up a little higher, tighter and he held onto them within his fingers. "better go. if i recall the hospital can't survive without you." he said as he looked away from her, pressing his head back into the pillow as he did his best to shift his body so it was facing away from her. it hurt, it hurt almost more than he could stand to move in such a way but it was less painful than watching her leave.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Sept 29, 2020 23:13:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 23:13:38 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Dusti didn't even understand why she was so riled up. She should be over him. Long forgotten, a distant memory. She wished she could just not react, and forget her feelings and act like it was nothing. But Dusti wasn't that sort of person. She was angry. Angry, cold, and vengeful. She couldn't forgive him for the past. Not easily. Not yet. Elliot's jab at the hospital not surviving without her made her twitch. She was no healer, or nurse. She didn't "fix" people. She just figured out how sick they were so that other people do fix them. Her job was literally to find out how broken you were. Fitting, right? "I'm sure plenty of things can survive without me." Including Elliot, apparently.
"Good bye, Elliot." It was the first time she'd uttered his name. And, as she turned, she planned on it being the last. She left, silently screaming at herself for getting in this mess, and desperately needing something to hit.
_______________________ A few days later _______________________
Elliot was being discharged today.
Dusti hated to admit it, but she'd... kept up on his charts. Sneaking glances. Though never approaching his room. She felt like a love sick puppy. Desperate for his attention and love, but too stubborn to admit it. When the day had finally come that he was being discharged, she was conflicted. She sat at her desk in the lab, head in her hands. She hated this. Hated him leaving again. She let out a slow breath, raising her head and looking at the time. He would be discharged right about now... Should she...?
Dusti's legs carried her without a thought. She didn't think, didn't stop herself. It was more like instinct. Not running but walking very quickly through the hospital to his hospital room. Just once. Before he left again. Before he was gone. Just one last time. God, this was stupid. She reached the door, but it was already open. The room empty. Dusti's heart sank.
She was too late. He'd already been discharged.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Sept 30, 2020 23:19:07 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2020 23:19:07 GMT -7
@dusti today was the day he'd finally be able to see the back of this place. the days he'd spent staring at four walls had felt like they'd start to drive him insane if he stayed there any longer. his hope of keeping his parents from finding out where he was hadn't lasted, they'd found out, thrust their love and care upon him and in a moment of weakness he'd agreed to go home and spend the rest of the time he needed to recuperate and gather back his bearings after having been gone. he was almost free, the exit doors were right in front of him when he had suddenly been struck with the realisation that he'd left his jacket slung over the foot his bed. could he live without it? sure. was it his favourite jacket? also yes. so he'd turned from the doors that led to freedom and made his way back towards the room.
he'd been trying to keep the fact he was so close to where dusti worked out of his mind. he'd passed the hallway that led to her office for the second time and each time he'd paused and thought about going to see her. but again, that pull that had stopped him from telling her how he'd felt the first day he'd woken up, that had stopped him from admitting that he'd been a jerk and he was sorry it was the same pull that had him walking back towards his old room, his head hung a little lower than it had before. as much as he'd healed in his time in the hospital, he was leaving with a bigger hurt than he'd come in with.
then there she was. standing just inside the room he'd been in. she'd come to see him? she'd come looking for him? that surprised him more than the fact she was standing there. the fact she'd come looking for him, made more than a few feelings rush through him. she'd made a move. now it was his turn. this wasn't the time to think about what he was doing, this was the moment when what he felt for her needed to come above how much he was willing to show the world. he closed the gap between them without saying a word, his steps quick as he reached her and he kissed her, his hand resting on the back of her neck as their lips met and the world slowly started to fall away.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 9:12:03 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 9:12:03 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Dusti pursed her lips, angry at herself for being so godddamn stubborn. Why hadn't she just swallowed her pride a few days ago? But nooooo. No, she had to stand her ground, no matter how wrong she was (though she wasn't sure how she was wrong). She forced herself to take a breath, turning to leave the room and, hopefully, forget about Elliot. Some day. But... there he was. Why? Why was he back? He'd been discharged, hadn't he? Dusti didn't move or even breath. She had to play this off somehow... right? Tell him that she hadn't come to see him. That she'd had some other reason to come here.
But, Elliot seemed to already know why she was there. He didn't say anything, just closed the distance between them and kissed her, his hand at the back of her neck as if to stop her from running away. She wouldn't have. Because when their lips touched all the stubborn defenses she'd built to keep her away from him just came crashing down. She immediately kissed him back, her own hands moving to his shoulders, as if afraid he might disappear on her.
There was a snicker from behind them. Ugh. The nurses, of course. Dusti immediately pulled away from Elliot, glared at the nurses, and slammed the door shut so they were alone. Once alone, Dusti turned back to Elliot, wanting to kiss him again, but stopping herself. "Why?" Why did he kiss her when he knew he was just going to leave again? Dusti couldn't handle that again. Couldn't handle all those feelings , only to have them ripped away again.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 9:34:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 9:34:40 GMT -7
@dusti he'd thought what he felt for dusti had come back when he'd first laid eyes on her while he'd been laying in the hospital bed, but he'd been wrong. he'd been so wrong. it all came flooding back as their lips met, every feeling that had ever passed between them, he could remember every look, every touch and every time she'd been the grounding force in his life. she'd been a drug that he'd never been able to get enough of and until this moment he hadn't realised how much he'd missed it. oh he'd missed her, every inch of him had ached for her while they'd been apart but now he didn't want to let her go.
he heard the snickering behind them and then she was gone, the kiss broken and he let his hand drop from her neck as she moved around him to slam the door shut so the nurses were forced to mind their own business. he pushed one hand through his hair as he watched her wheel around to face him. why? he didn't really have an answer for that. because he wanted to didn't seem like enough and yet it was all he could think of. he'd wanted to kiss her, wanted to beg her to forgive him and to try and explain in some way how stupid he'd been for leaving in the first place, but he couldn't.
"because i think we needed it." he said, something of his usual smirk making the corner of his mouth twitch. he reached out to rest his hands against the back of her neck again, wanting to be closer to her while he tried, as out of character as that was for him, to explain why he'd kissed her. "because i missed you." he said, dropping his gaze for a second before he looked back at her. "why did you kiss me back?"
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 9:46:18 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 9:46:18 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Dusti was practically glaring at him, waiting for an answer despite knowing that he might not have one. The kiss had seemed very impulsive. Spur of the moment. Then, when he did speak, she didn't like the answer. Because they needed it. She didn't need it! Okay, lies. But she liked to think that. Liked to think that she was over him, but it was so blasted hard to forget someone like Elliot. To move on. She hadn't. And he was smirking. It made her want to hit him, to wipe that smirk off his face.
When he moved closer, and put his hands around the back of her neck she jerked, as if to move away, but couldn't. Half of her wanted to just rip away from him, while the other half, the much stronger half, stopped her. Though, his admitting he missed her made her stop breathing for a moment. God, she'd needed to hear those words. That he'd missed her. Just like she'd missed him. It had almost broken whatever reservations she still had, but his question just pissed her off. "I didn't-" She immediately tried to defend herself, but shut up fast. She really couldn't deny this, could she? Especially since she hadn't pulled away from him a few moments ago. "Why does it matter? You're leaving again." She forced herself to say instead, redirecting the attention back to him.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 9:58:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 9:58:29 GMT -7
@dusti he could feel the heat from her gaze but that just felt familiar. having her glare at him was as comfortable as his own bed, as odd as that might have sounded but it was true. they had never been the overly affectionate, pet name calling, love struck doe eyed couple. they'd been the teasing each other, rough and tumble, pillar of strengths for each other even at their young age, so having her glare at him was as comforting as anything could have been. it meant she cared.
he felt her jerk when he cupped his hands around the back of her neck but she didn't pull away and neither did he. he left his hands there, soft against her skin though he resisted the urge to run his thumb down the back of her neck like he would have done in the past. he almost heard her stop breathing when he said he'd missed her, saw the shift in her eyes that she would probably have tried to hard to hide, but he could see it. he almost argued with her, the second she started to say she hadn't but then she stopped. now it was his turn to wait for her answer and without realising he started to hold his breath.
he let out the breath he'd been holding when she spoke again, feeling what his shoulders relax a little and his hands softened on the back of her neck. he shook his head slightly and ducked his head a little so it was easier to catch her eyes with his gaze. "i'm not." he said softly, the words simple. he'd been given the choice the day before, to stay in the uk and work with their team there or to go back out into the field like he had been. he'd chosen to stay. "i'm staying."
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 10:14:36 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 10:14:36 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
They were a mess. A fucking disastrous mess. Two souls that were completely in sync, no matter how much Dusti tried to deny it. Dusti had been in love with Elliot for years. Long before she ever initiated anything between them. Long before he'd reciprocated her feelings. THey'd connect on a level Dusti had never felt before almost immediately upon meeting in first year. It was hard to deny that sort of connection, no matter how hard she tried.
While her question had felt quite serious, it only seemed to put him at ease, which royally pissed her off. She was being serious, bastard! Dammit, now he really needed to be slapped upside the head! She moved as if she might pull away, but then he lowered his gaze, and spoke. Two works. I'm not. Dusti's whole body froze. "... What?' Dusti's own voice was barely a breath, pure disbelief. She hadn't heard him right.... Had she? But then he spoke again, as if knowing she'd doubt his first comment.
Staying.
Elliot was staying.
Dusti forgot how to breath entirely. It took a lot to truly stun the girl. She was a thick skinned, angry, and normally very difficult to shock person. She took everything in stride without much hesitation. This, however, seemed to have managed that. She didn't look away from him, her eyes locked on his own in that stunned silence. "Why..?" Damn, she was saying why a lot today. But Elliot just kept taking her by surprise.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 10:26:57 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 10:26:57 GMT -7
@dusti he could tell himself over and over again that dusti hadn't factored into his choice to stay. he could argue all day that he'd missed home, that he'd missed his family and the familiar of home had been the driving force behind why he'd decided to stay in this country. but the truth was it had been dusti. even though he'd been starting to think that was it, that she'd want nothing more to do with him, she'd still been the driving force behind his choice. she'd been his driving force since they'd first become friends. she'd become his reason for doing most things, and they were usually the right things. it was when he tried to do something for himself against her advice, judgment and better rational that things went wrong. as the last few days had proven to him.
he has to admit, he did enjoy her surprise a little more than he should have. that even after six months of her hating him, he could have rendered her almost speechless. that hadn't happened very often while they'd been together. they'd usually match each other word for word, temper for temper and of course, passion for passion. but now, he didn't think he'd ever seen her so surprised. he knew he had to own up, to tell her at least one small truth of how he was feeling in that moment. it needed to happen, it wasn't the old them. they were broken.
they'd been broken for the last few months and it would take more than wishful thinking to make better. it would take effort, facing feelings neither wanted to face. but he needed to, at least for now, for her. he let his hands fall from her neck, dropping them to his sides as he broke their gaze, looking away from her towards one of the walls behind her. "because..." he took a breath as he worked up the courage to bring his gaze back to hers. "i didn't want to walk away again."
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 11:21:12 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 11:21:12 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Elliot pulled away, and Dusti didn't move. Was there something she hadn't considered? Was he ashamed of why he was saying? She didn't dare breathe as he looked away, not quite answering... But then he looked back.
"I didn't want to walk away again."
Dusti's eyes widened. That answer could only mean one thing. He'd walked away from her the first time. That was what finally broke Dusti. He was choosing her. Dare she believe him? Dare she open herself back up to him, and all the feeling she'd been trying to bottle up? Dare she risk being hurt again? Well, apparently she'd already made up her mind without even thinking about it.
Dusti kissed him, her hands at the back of his neck like his had been on hers only a few moments ago.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 11:57:52 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 11:57:52 GMT -7
@dusti he wondered briefly whether or not that would make her turn around and run. the admission that he hadn't wanted to walk away again. it could have easily been too much, the thought of him staying for her might have been too much after everything they'd been through over the last few months and he wouldn't have blamed her. would it have hurt? yes. but he could have understood it.
though any doubt in his mind was aliviated when she kissed him. that chased away any thoughts he might have had about her leaving and he let himself forget the fact that she still could. he brought his arms up to wrap them around her waist as the kiss continued, letting himself get lost in the essence of her once again. it had been so long and there was an ever gnawing need for her snapping at his heels. he hugged her tightly against him as he broke the kiss when he needed to take a breath, bringing one hand up to rest against her cheek as he brought his forehead down to rest against hers.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2020 13:13:52 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 13:13:52 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Being with Elliot like this reminded Dusti just how right they'd always felt. Like he understood her in a way that wasn't possible. Despite their differences, they were similar in the right places. Like two puzzle pieces. Though, obviously, at times that had come to bite them. But now, they'd get past it. Hopefully. Dusti leaned into his arms as they kissed. As if forgetting about the past few months. Like nothing had changed (though so many things had).
Eventually, Elliot broke the kiss, his forehead against her own and his hand on her cheek. Dusti just gazed up into his eyes. "I'm still mad at you," she sternly announced. Why she felt like saying that... Well, she wasn't really the "I love you sort" most the time. So, her words, while seeming harsh, were almost the equivalent. Not wanting to admit she'd missed him, or that she was relieved he'd stay. Nope. Just that she was still mad.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Oct 11, 2020 13:48:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2020 13:48:40 GMT -7
@dusti with their kiss broken he wrapped one of his arms around her waist, needing her to be closer to him than she was. they'd been apart only a few months but it had felt like a lifetime, like something was missing in his life and he hadn't felt whole since he'd left to go overseas. now, standing here with dusti, his arms around her, her face in his hand and suddenly the world felt better. it wasn't broken it was still bruised, still damaged but there was a light at the end of the tunnel, hope that it was going to feel better than it had felt and he could finally breathe.
he chuckled as she said she was still made at him and the hand that was on her cheek, slid from her cheek to the back of her neck, pulling her head in against his chest as he hugged her tightly. "i'm still mad at you too." he said softly as he leaned his head down and rested it against her hair, just glad to be in that moment with her. "i've missed you so much." he said softly into her hair, the words easier that had been so elusive for six months now easy to say to her, now she was back in his arms.
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last online May 7, 2024 17:50:43 GMT -7
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Nov 11, 2020 15:53:53 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2020 15:53:53 GMT -7
@elliot October 2025
Dusti felt like an idiot. For letting this happen. Ashamed at herself for falling for his actions to easy. She was a fighter, and stubborn as hell. She shouldn't just let herself be figuratively swept off her feet because he'd said some pretty words. And yet? Here she was, idiot and all. And she was happy. Hopeful of what might come of this.
Elliot just chuckled and pulled her against his chest, she closed her eyes, arms now moving to wrap around his waist. She still smelled the same, and the aching in her heart that she'd become so familiar with finally felt whole. THe longer they stayed like this, the more she realized horribly she'd missed him. How she'd ached for him with every fiber of her being. As he spoke, saying he'd missed her, she tightened her arms around his waist and turned her head a little, as if to hide her face. She could only muster a nod, a silent agreement. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but that was no surprise. Even like this, Dusti was stubborn. She'd admit she missed him, but don't expect her to say the words.
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