"Are the communists behind this?"
"No."
"So our government lied?"
"Our government is behind this!"
Did Scarlett think she would be involved in a huge...
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"When I choose to see the good side of things, I'm not being naive. It's strategic and necessary. It's how I've learned to survive through everything." ― Everything Everywhere All At Once ｡❅*⋆⍋*∞*｡* ∞*⍋⋆*❅｡
The small bathroom door barely slid closed with the two Henderson siblings inside. They had to squeeze to fit, with Scarlett standing over the closed toilet seat and Dustin pressed awkwardly against the sink. Scarlett looked at her brother and ignored the burning in her thighs from standing squatted over the toilet.
Neither spoke for a moment; the two just looked at each other. But after a few cramped moments, and more burning in her thighs, Scarlett bit the bullet.
"What is it Dusty?" Scarlett asked, adjusting the headphones around her neck as she caught her blurry, dirty reflection in the mirror. She looked like a ghost of herself. In each fight with the Russians or the Upside Down, Scarlett would walk out looking like the victim of a disaster, but the curse appeared to literally drain her like a vampire. She looked more tired than usual. She looked worse than she had that first year after Bill's death.
Dustin shook his head before surging forward, bridging the inch between them to hug Scarlett. He folded his arms over Scarlett's own, for once making her feel younger and smaller. Within a breath, Scarlett's arms nestled around Dustin's waist with her fingers digging into his flesh. "You're going to be okay," Dustin said, with a tone that left no room for questioning. "Got it?" He asked, clutching Scarlett tighter than he had.
The honest answer was that Scarlett wasn't so sure; she couldn't be. Their plan still felt like a shot in the dark. They didn't even know if Vecna could or would take both her and Max at the same time. But how could she break Dustin's heart?
For every ounce of disbelief and depression Scarlett had, Dustin got the hope and joy. She'd never envied it; she could only admire him. No matter what happened, she could count on Dustin to greet her with a smile and a plan, and maybe a comment about how everyone was stupid.
"Yeah... yeah... got it." Scarlett
Dustin inhaled shakily. "I can't lose you." Both thought of their father. Dustin had been so young when Bill died...
"I know." Scarlett bit her lip to keep any more tears at bay. Though she felt Dustin's tears bleed through her dirty and tattered blouse. "You won't."
The duo pulled apart as much as they could in the cramped space. They looked at each other for a moment before Scarlett brushed her hand over Dustin's cap and pulled it off. It sent Dustin's messy curls into his face. Dustin grumbled and plucked the cap out of his sister's hand whilst sticking out his tongue at her.
