Christie's Homeless Partner Pt. 01

Over their laughter, the girls don't hear Brian return from the bathroom. He stands at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall, contagiously smiling from the stir up. Cindy eventually looks up to see him watching them.

"Feel better, hun?" she asks.

Christie uncovers her eyes for his response.

"My bladder does," he replies. He then takes a step forward, "But my head...."

At that moment, he blacks out and falls face first onto the floor.

"BRIAN!!" the girls yell simultaneously as they both jump off the couch to his aid.

Cindy gets to him first and rolls him onto his back as Christie softly taps his cheek, trying to avoid the part of his face he actually landed on.

About a minute later, he finally snaps to. His eyes blinking to straighten his vision as his head rests against Cindy's lap, he looks up at the girls and then around at his surroundings, confused once again.

"Are you alright babe?" Cindy asks as he makes eye contact with her.

"I guess.... What happened?"

"I don't know, you tell us," she says as Christie checks his forehead for symptoms.

"I don't know either. I remember hearing you two as I came from the bathroom, and the next thing I know I'm down here." As Christie checks around his head, the feeling in it starts coming back to him. Jerking it slightly from her touch, "Ahhh.... why does my face hurt?"

"Um, that would be because you landed on it," Cindy tells him in a cheeky manner, "and hard."

"You're also dehydrated sweetie," Christie concludes. "I'll be right back."

As she gets up to leave, Brian tries to sit up, but doesn't get very far. Only moving a few inches, his head starts to spin, making him slowly sink back onto Cindy's lap.

"You should probably stay put for a bit. I don't think you and the room are in sync just yet," she says.

He relaxes, "You just like having me on the floor." His words are spoken without an expectation of a response, and his eyes close as he rests his left hand on Cindy's left forearm.

Considering the comment she just made about their thing, she simply grins in return.

Moments later, Christie returns and kneels at his side. Cindy supports his back as he tries to sit up again.

"Water," Christie says as she hands him a glass with one hand, "and Ibuprofen, for headache prevention," handing him three small pills with the other.

"What makes you think I'll have a headache," he asks, not quite being on the same page.

Chuckling softly at his remark, "Sweetie, no one takes a fall like that and doesn't get a headache."

Nodding in agreement, he medicates himself followed with some water, and then slowly scoots his way over to the couch he was sleeping on and leans up against it whilst remaining on the floor. With his head leaning back against the seat cushion, he starts to feel sleepy again. Before he can doze off though, Cindy restates her question from earlier.

"Hun, we would really like to know how you got in your situation." Glancing over to Christie briefly, she looks back to him, "We know that things are bad for you right now, but if you tell us what happened, we can figure something out to get you back on your feet."

Brian's look of shame slowly returns to his face as he starts avoiding eye contact again.

"Please?" she eggs on. "Why has it been almost a week since you last ate, and why were you never at your house?"

Brian continues to remain in silence as the girls wait for a response.

Reaching her hand out to his face, Cindy is taken aback by his reaction as he jerks away from her touch, especially since she was touching the side that wasn't supposed to be in pain from his fall. From his reaction alone, the girls brace themselves for an unpleasant answer.

"We want to help you," she pleads. "Please? Tell us?"

Almost a minute goes by before he says anything, which to the girls is the longest minute they've ever had to wait for a response, especially from him.

"The house is no longer mine. That's why you never found me there."

The girls look to each other for a moment, nearly compelled to speak up, but remain silent.

With his eyes glued to the floor in shame, Brian continues.

"I um...I lost my job at the shoe store due to a customer complaint, and I wasn't able to find a new one in time to make any payments on bills. I was evicted from the house because I couldn't make the contract payments....eventually I lost my car for the same reason....couldn't pay for it. Cell phone, same thing. I did manage to get another job, but I didn't make enough to get anything back, just enough to eat."

He pauses for a moment with the girls looking on through welled up tears.

"For a little bit, I had some semblance of a savings going and was going to get one of those pay-as-you-go phones so that I could contact you two again and let you know what was up, but I befriended an alley cat that was injured....and I had to help him. I took him to a vet, and his surgery cost me that entire savings I had. He recovered from that fine, but about a month and a half later, I was walking back from work, and..." choking up and breaking into tears, "...I found him in the middle of the road."

"Oh nooo," Cindy whispers.

She pulls him into a hug with Christie following suite on the other side, trying to console him but failing at it as they cry with him.

With his head leaning against her neck, Cindy soon makes eye contact with her lady. With a lump in her throat, she asks, "Did you know?"

"I felt pain, yes, but again...I couldn't tell why," Christie tells her. She leans her head against the side of his, "I'm sorry about your kitty," trying to comfort him as best she can while starting to tremble from the emotional load.

A few minutes pass before Brian is able to compose himself enough to continue.

"When I found him, he was pointed in the direction of my work. I could only guess that he tried to follow me, but I couldn't tell if that's just how he landed or not. I remember running out into the street for him....not caring if anyone hit me....I just had to be with him."

He wipes his eyes, recalling a memory about how close he was to being hit by a car as well.

"I took him back to where I was staying, and kept him around for a bit to come to grips that he was gone. He was such a great companion....it was hard to accept that I had to put him to rest. I managed to get a shovel and gave him a proper burial...and returned the shovel, of course. I've been staying somewhat close to where I buried him ever since."

Christie takes his hand in hers.

"That was my last straw," he says staring blankly ahead. "I felt like I lost too much, and after a couple of weeks I stopped going to that job 'cause I couldn't stand the thought of walking back and forth every day by where he got hit."

He gently squeezes her hand in his.

"I had a little bit saved up again after I quit, and I was getting food with that....but that little fund ran out some time ago. I don't remember exactly how long as the days have all blurred together. Up until the point that I was given those banana's, people helped out a little, but you know how society is with the homeless...they can hardly give a rats ass about anything they....rather I, go through."

"I'm so sorry hun," Christie replies through tears as she hugs him tighter with another kiss. Without hesitation, she straightens up her pose, "Well now that we're home, you're staying with us....and we aren't taking No for an answer this time."

Cindy starts to smile again and says through tears, "That's right."

"I'll make sure to fix this rut you've got yourself into," Christie adds.

Brian pulls both girls into a big hug as he is momentarily unable to express how grateful he is to hear their words. However, he can't help but continue to feel ashamed about his situation. With each of his arms around the girls, he stares blankly ahead again for a bit before he attempts to speak.

"I appreciate it, but it's hard for me to accept help these days," he admits.

Cindy sits up, looking at him, "What do you mean?"

"I...I just don't feel like I deserve it this time."

"Why wouldn't you deserve help? That's absurd," Christie says, unsure of the implications of his refusal.

"I know, but I could be doing a little better right now at the very least... and I'm not," he replies.

The girls share another look, acknowledging that he's not being completely irrational, and therefore decide to hear him out.

"I should've been able to hold onto my last job instead of just not going because of my cat. I know that others in this world have it way worse than I do, and they wouldn't have let that get to them as much. Any other person would have kept going to work and accept the death of their pet... they would have kept trying."

He slowly pulls his arm from around Christie as his head hangs.

"What did I do though? Nothing....I just gave up." Clearing his nose with a quick sniff, "Like I said, I don't deserve the help this time."

Christie takes his hand back into hers. "Now who's being hard on themselves? You know I can't accept that."

He looks up at her again.

"Yeah, you could have handled your last job differently and been better off today, but is that going to change what we have been through and how much you mean to us? Not a chance." She rests her head back against his, "Again, we aren't taking No for an answer," giving him another peck on the cheek.

Cindy's feeling of guilt about the situation has pent up as they converse back and forth, resulting in subconsciously keeping her distance.

Brian sighs, "Thank you, love," nudging her cheek with his forehead much like a cat does when it's being affectionate. "I um... I should probably try to rest up some more, that soup made me sleepy again," he says as he starts to make his way back onto the couch.

"Well, now that we don't have to carry you around, you can sleep in the bed tonight," Christie says.

"Carry me? What?"

"How do you think you got on the couch to begin with?"

He looks at Cindy, then back at Christie, "Honestly, I barely remember making my way here."

Christie smirks, "Well still, the bed is far more comfortable. Come on," she says as she stands up, pulling him along by the hand.

Cindy stands up too and helps pull him up the rest of the way.

Christie escorts him to their room with their arms locked as Cindy quietly follows. As they enter, he pauses when he sees the blanket on the bed. He remembers buying it at the airport and using it as additional padding for trampling before the girls took it with them on their trip.

"You kept it," he says quietly as he takes a seat on the bed next to where it's folded over.

The ladies eye's meet in confusion.

"Well yes, of course we kept it," Christie says. "It kept you with us while we were gone."

Brian grabs a section of it and snuggles his face against it, picking up on the lovely scent that the girls have left behind.

"I haven't had anything like this to remind me of you two for a while now," he reflects with tears welling up again.

"Aww, don't say that, you're gonna make me ugly-cry," Christie says, giving him another hug and taking a seat to his left.

Cindy suppresses her feelings with a sigh to herself and joins them in the hug, sitting to his right.

"You can't ugly-cry. You have to be ugly to ugly-cry, and you're not. You can lovely-cry though," he says with a kiss on her cheek.

"Ohhh my gosh," kissing him back. "You certainly didn't lose your ability to be overwhelmingly sweet, that's for sure!"

Her words encourage a tighter hold on their group hug, and before long, the warmth between them starts to pacify him and she can feel his weight shifting as he fades. She gently wiggles him by his shoulders, mainly to signal for Cindy to let go, and helps guide him back towards the pillows.

"It's so good to finally have you back," letting her finger gently stroke his jawline. "We'll see you in the morning my love," she tells him with one more soft kiss before getting up to follow Cindy out, "sweet dreams."

His eyes barely stay open long enough to see them through the door and then he is out with the light.

As they part ways at the kitchen, Christie senses the pent up frustration within her lady. She knows it has to do with the result of Brian's situation as she shares the guilt, but her plans for tomorrow keep her at ease while she fixes up a snack for the two of them now.

Cindy ponders their decisions on the couch for a few minutes before she is broken from her trance with an apple slice pressed against her lips.

"Go on, let it out," Christie says, taking a seat next to her and swinging her legs up onto her lap.

Cindy paces herself with the small piece she bit off. "We really screwed up."

"No, I did. Your part of the plan was very sweet, and it worked. It was mine that backfired."

"It wouldn't have if your telepathy hadn't acted up."

Christie nods in agreement. "At least we know he's safe now. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, for sure," Cindy sighs in vague relief, leaning her head back, "I just can't help but feel like we made the wrong decision with the way he showed up. Really makes our reunion....bittersweet, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

Cindy shakes her head at the outcome, wishing it could have been better, but closes her eyes with the thought that it could have been worse too. She finishes off a couple more apple slices as she replays the scenario, but she gets hung up on something recent.

"I heard you tell him earlier that the longer we were gone, the less your visions seemed to explain themselves. Do...you...think being near him has any effect on how well they work?"

Christie thinks about it briefly and replies, "I'm not sure. It's never mattered with anyone else, and his face was blurry even though we now know he was just outside the door."

"Hm." Cindy thinks on it some more, then asks, "Have you ever had a recovery phase with it?"

"A recovery phase? How do you mean?"

Cindy's eyes open wide, "That would be a No." The fact that she has to explain anything to Christie messes with her, and she has to recoup her thought. "Um...I mean has it ever, like...faded, and then come back?"

Christie's lips pucker as though she's about to reply, but this is something she actually has to stop and think about. "You know? I think I'm going to have to concur -- that WOULD be a No. BUT, it has adapted. Remember when you and I met, how I could only read people who were in the same room?"

"Yeah, and after a while that range got wider and wider," Cindy says, "I remember. Now it seems...splotchy. Like you seemed fine with Kacie while we were away, but you had a few issues with the crew we had with us....randomly."

"Yeah, it was strange, but don't forget, strange things have happened before."

"Not like this though. What happened before didn't give you nightmares or make you wake up in cold sweats and keep secrets from me."

Christie's faint smile fades.

"You're right, they didn't," she says, "and I wasn't keeping secrets from you per say. You needed affirmation, and I didn't have that, just uncertainty, and I noticed it was affecting your work performance too."

Cindy breaks eye contact.

"I was doing what I could to look out for you because I needed you to be at your best, and talking about him wasn't helping you."

Cindy hangs her head, somewhat ashamed of her assumption. "I'm sorry."

Christie sits up and sets the plate on the cushion beside her. She then guides Cindy's face towards hers, giving her a kiss of reassurance.

"Don't be sorry my love; this one's on me. I know you were worried about him just like I was."

She kisses her again and gently wraps her arm around behind her lady's neck.

"Your heart has always been in the right place. It hasn't forgotten the bond we've all made, and that's never something you should feel sorry over."

"Of course it hasn't. I wouldn't have it any other way," Cindy says, leaning into her and resting their heads against each other, "you two mean everything to me."

A warm smile returns to Christie's face.

"You know, I find myself thinking about that night we made this official quite often," Cindy adds, nuzzling nose to cheek, "it was definitely something....unique."

"The only way it could be for us," Christie purrs before their lips meet.

The next couple minutes are spent reliving the tender moment in each other's arms. It's the first time in months that the girls have been able to express their feelings in such a manner.

Considering the reason that a playful vibe is taking over, Cindy reluctantly pulls back. "Mmm, hey, now that he's here, how can we not include him in this?"

Christie giggles, "Sweetie, he's asleep. Like, a deep sleep. We could do this with him between us and he'd never know the difference."

Intrigued by the idea, Cindy replies with a smirk, "Really?"

Aware of the can of worms she's opened, Christie's eyes widen, "Nooo."

"Oh come on," Cindy says attempting to get up.

"Cindy, no," pulling her back down by her shoulder, "That would be so mean!"

"You just said he was in a deep sleep and that he wouldn't know the difference, so what's the hold up here?"

"I said we could, not that we should!"

"Then you wouldn't have mentioned anything other than him being asleep. We didn't meet yesterday baby, I know how you think."

Christie sighs through her laughter, knowing that she's lost the argument. "At least help me finish this apple first."

Cindy looks down at the plate and sees a lame attempt to stall in the form of one portion of apple remaining. She takes and holds half of it between her lips, smiling as she waits for her lady to take the rest.

A few giggles are shared as Christie tries to straddle her lap to keep her seated while she bites off her half, but she is easily persuaded to move by Cindy's fingers tickling her sides.

She gives her one more peck on the forehead before she gets up and takes the plate, as well as the glass Brian used, to the kitchen.

Cindy joins her at the sink and works the plate from her hand.

"Don't you dare start washing that and make me wait longer," she says with a kiss on the neck. "Come dearest," leading the way to the bedroom.

After joining Brian in bed, the girls give him a few kisses on the side of his head, mildly amused that he doesn't respond to their touch. At one point, Christie climbs over him and isn't light about it; she knows it would've stirred Cindy or herself under the same circumstances. They eventually simmer down and caress each other within their embrace while Christie's legs lay over him. It wasn't something they could do while he was on the couch, but now that they have the room to stretch out comfortably, that's how they fall asleep.

The next morning, they are awakened by him struggling with a nightmare. They feel him jittering about as he is now between them, and Christie can tell through her gift that he's not alright.

Detecting bits and pieces of his lucid dream that coincide and explain her own previous nightmares, she gets caught up with letting his answers fill in her blanks. Doing so makes her unaware that her weight on his arm is causing him to struggle more.

Suddenly, he shoots up from the bed, not fully awake but conscious enough to know that his hand is stuck. It feels like someone is preventing him from running in the dream, and he pulls hard, resulting with him toppling backwards over Cindy's legs and landing head first onto the floor.

"Whoa! Damn, boy! What the hell was that?" Cindy says as she climbs out of bed to help him.

"A nightmare," Christie replies, scooting across the bed in a hurry. "Sweetie, are you ok?" she asks him.

He looks around dazed and confused as he pulls himself back onto the side while still kneeling on the floor.