-Higgs' POV- The people at Bridges took a while to get used to Cliff suddenly being back after 24 years. Die-Hardman is suddenly all nice to me, now that he knows who I really am. He even apologized.
But my whole mood is still low. I don't eat, so another Porter keeps delivering more of those chocolate protein shakes to my room to make sure I get something in my system.
Despite two days passing, Nava is still acting like a blank-slate, only looking at me if something shiny catches her eye. I lay on my side, facing the wall. I haven't showered, either. My hair is a greasy mess and tangled up from not caring for myself for almost three days straight.
I hear someone enter my room and walk over to my bed. "Hey," It's dad. He shakes my shoulder gently.
"You okay? You haven't been out of your room for a while now."
"Do I look okay?" I say, flopping into my back and looking at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Sit up, Troy. Please." His voice is low. I obey, my eyes burning from either crying too much or from my skin oils getting in my eyes. "Go shower. Freshen up a bit. Then we'll speak."
I huff out a sigh, nodding. With a sad smile, he nods back and exits my room.
****
I close my eyes briefly as the water hits my skin, feeling my anxiety dwindle. Once I'm clean, I step out of the shower and dry off. I get dressed slowly, then look at myself in the mirror.
As I look at my reflection, I see another hallucination of Sam appear. I stare at it, expecting him to disappear at any moment.
He doesn't, instead he walks over.
I whirl around, heart racing. "Jesus Christ, you're actually here!" I gasp.
Sam laughs. "That's payback for laughing at me tripping over a rock."
"Why are you invading my private room?"
Sam smirks, arching an 'eyebrow'. "Oh, y'know, the usual," He paces, counting the reasons on his fingers.
"Wanting to check up on ya, Boy Scout. Hoping to see you in the shower, wanting to check on Nava..."
I blink. "Hold on, what was the middle reason?"
He laughs again. "I'm messing around, darlin'. But really," He frowns, walking over to Nava's pod.
"What's up with her?"
"I think she lost her memory." I explain, leaning back against the sink.
He taps on the pod glass, causing Nava to wake up and look at him. "Well," he mutters. "She definitely looks more...bored than anything else. Maybe even a bit pissed I woke her."
"There's something else I need to tell you."
He walks back over, standing in front of me.
"What is it?"
"That man we encountered in the trenches? Yeah, turns out that's my dad."
Sam's face is blank. "You serious?"
I nod, walking over to the hologram of the UCA.
I renter the information regarding Cliff and me.
Sam lets out a low whistle as he reads it.
"Well, I'll be...." He mutters. "I knew you'd be shocked." I sigh.
"You're twenty-four?"
"Is that really what shocks you?" I demand, looking flustered.
Sam smiles, then frowns as he looks up at the screen again. "Are you that interested in me that you do your own personal research?"
I look up at the screen again, frantically closing the open screens. He grabs my bare hand with his gloved one. "Stop." He says. I freeze.
He looks up at his information with a grim face.
"I still miss them both, you know." His voice is void of any of the humor it had before. "Especially Louise."
I resist the urge to yank my hand out of his. I gotta remember, I'm still trying to get close to him to get to Amelie.
Instead, I grip his. He looks at me in surprise.
"At least I have you, Porter." He laughs lightly, pain flashing in his eyes.
He kisses me again before I realize what's going on. Again, I fight the urge to shove him off. I need to play along. I reluctantly kiss him back, feeling him let go of my hand and grip my waist.
He breaks it and I don't need to pretend that I'm blushing. More out of humiliation than actual love.
(is that what you want to believe, troy?)
"Thank you," He whispers, looking like he means it.
"I need to leave. Watch over Nava. I'm sure she'll get better soon." With that said, he pecks my lips before letting go and teleporting away.
Shaking, I exit out of all the open pages on the hologram. I jump when I hear someone knock on my door. "Come in."
Cliff comes in along with Fragile.
"Troy, we need you in the President's Office." Fragile's voice is sad.
"The President is possibly on her last leg, Troy. I want to see her, and I need you by my side." Cliff looks troubled. "Let's go."
YOU ARE READING
Death Stranding: Higgs
Fanfiction(Note: I began publishing this prior to Death Stranding's release in November. I apologize if any character's behaviors or actions do not line up with how they are in game.) "We can always... tweak the rules a bit." Higgs has always been an outcast...
