Inception

Chapter 24: Tripped

 After a drug-induced night of sleep, Lena was more or less recovered, to her chagrin. She hated those things. They were habit-inducing, which made her nervous, even if they did their job. She just feared the day she wouldn't be able to sleep without them.

They were finally able to take down quarantine measures today since they'd spent most of yesterday prepping the ton of kaiju ick for testing. Today was a continuation of the tests that had eaten up any spare time she could have used for her own research. In her mind, Hibino's signed consent forms weighed in her filing cabinet like fresh fish on the counter. The itch to finish the sensor so she could drag him in and blast him with it was driving her mad. She was so close. So damn close.

And it just had to be kaiju balls that were in her way. Disgusting. They were heavy with fat that fell apart to wet powder when she applied it to the test slides. Got everywhere. Thank god it was neutralized.

When lunch time came around she was ready to truly give up on science and ask for a combat suit. Running laps until she barfed had to be better than this.

She was peeling off her powdery, kaiju-ballsack ruined gloves when the door slid open and Vice Captain Hoshina came in. He held a plastic bag that most likely had his own lunch and...

"What happened to your face?"

He gave her a pained smile that scrunched up the purpling bruises all across his eyebrows, nose, cheekbones, and what would soon be two half-moon shiners. He even had tissue stuffed up one of his nostrils.

"Tripped," he chirped.

"...You trip?"

"God-like powers I may have, but alas, I am still human." He pulled out a swivel stool and sat down. "Where's your lunch, sweetheart?"

"I think I liked the nerd endearment more." She threw away her gloves and mask in the red biohazard bin and let the lid fall shut. "Don't you dare eat in here! There's a sign and everything!"

"You eat in here."

"Not after we got a shipload of kaiju reproductive organs to test! Shoo, shoo!"

"So cruel. How can you treat the wounded like this?"

"Fine, if you want to get kaiju ball spore in your sandwich, eat away."

She hosed off, let Cromwell know she was now leaving so he could turn on the sanitization system for the prep room, then moved to the door for the cafeteria.

Hoshina followed her, as though they had plans and everything.

She narrowed her eyes on him. "What are you doing?"

"Having lunch with my favorite person after I faced the horrible humiliation of messing up my face after tripping on a rock. Comforting myself, see? Like alcohol."

"I am not your alcohol."

"And thank heavens, because I don't drink."

"Then why—nevermind. Do what you want."

He easily caught up to her stride to walk alongside her. She didn't have to look to know he had default cat-grin curling his lips, despite how it must've hurt. She didn't believe the trip excuse for a second.