The World We Live In | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 ♤

Troy & Cristine

I feel so ashamed that it's taken me so long to update. I didn't abandon the story, but life was hectic and honestly my inspiration was in a dump. As the title says, this chapter is focused on Troy and Cristine and the aftermath of everything that happened so far, particularly Troy did. So with this (long) chapter I want to wrap up this arc before moving on to part 2 of the story. I have an outline of which direction I want everything to go.

Thank you if you've stayed with me so far!!!

After the detailed debrief back at the Big House, Cristine heard the three consecutive knocks on her door. Hailey and Alicia just left after dropping off some medicine for her pain. Their visit was urging that she take her time to rest from her injuries while they handled everything else in the infirmary. After much reluctance and the girl's united front, Cristine had no choice but to give in. Damn, she trained those two too well.

"Cristine, it's me." She heard Troy say after a moment of silence. "Got you some ice packs and pain killers."

"And we need to talk," Cristine thought with a heavy sigh that made her ribs ache from expanding and squeezing together in pain. She told Troy they would talk once they returned home, but she expected that conversation to happen tomorrow and not this late. Then again, maybe it was better to do it right now and get everything on the table and out of the way. Clenching and unclenching her fingers, Cristine mentally prepared herself. She didn't realize how exhausted she was. Still, everything that happened, the way she killed Aaron, the several arguments with Troy, Hailey's sharp observations, and just today in general, refreshed her memories.

A few seconds later, Cristine walked to the door with a slight pep in her step. The door handle turned as stiffly as usual and when she opened the door, promptly caught Troy's eyes. Cristine could tell by his body language he was on-guard, a bit tense, and the way his jaw set and the pointed look in his gaze confirmed her guess. He was nervous.

"Can I come in?" Troy watched the lines of exhaustion dissolve the slightest bit when she opened the door and stepped to the side, silently inviting him in. The wood under boots creaked when entering, and he relaxed when he heard the door. Contrary to his expectations, Cristine wasn't avoiding him, and the tension in his body undulated significantly. After settling the painkillers and ice packs on top of the small table in the center of her cabin, Troy turned to look at her and asked, "so, what's the damage?"

"Nothing, a few days of rest won't fix." Cristine's movements were stiff. Her mouth turned down into a scowl when she tried to palm her shoulder or even raise her hand to cradle her jaw. She rolled her eyes with a slight shake of the head, "Hailey and Alicia made me promise and banned me from the infirmary unless it's for a checkup."

"You taught them well. The infirmary is their domain now, too," Troy joked, attempting to lower the tension. Cristine didn't smile. She leaned against the door while massaging her shoulder with a hand. She was waiting for him to state why this small peace offering brought her objects to ease her pain. It was like being in an odd debate, with Cristine strait-laced and frosty and Troy reticent and waiting for her to address the elephant in the room. Then, one of them finally did, and the gloomy sigh that escaped from Troy's sigh set the tone for the start of their conversation, "I thought you said you wanted to talk when we got home."