Empty World Ch. 03

"We gotta talk, Max."

"No, Lu, we really don't," he frowned.

She clenched her teeth and suddenly punched his arm.

"Ow!" He grabbed the punched spot -- Lu wasn't playing around. "The fuck was that for?"

"Shut the fuck up for a minute and listen, okay?" Her face softened, surprisingly. "I just wanted to tell you -- I get it. I'll back off."

He tilted his head to the side.

"You and 'back off' don't belong in the same sentence, Lu. Spill it."

"I-- This entire situation is putting a lot of pressure on you... I just... don't want to be another stress factor. Besides, it's getting crowded in here, and if you're willing to explore your options, go for it, I ain't calling dibs... not like before."

"So you're okay with me being the sole sperm donor in the 'repopulate the world' mission?" He growled. "Because I'm not."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Weller, why you being so dense?" She groaned. "There are no fucking rules anymore, you don't have to marry anyone -- you can make all of us happy at the same by just being your true self, and you just refuse to see it? Ugh!"

"'Be your true self', my ass. Wasn't it why you dumped me, Lu? It wasn't even my PTSD episode during which I tried to kill you -- it was this, my true self," glaring, he pointed the finger at his chest. "You made me question myself for years, made me think something was wrong with me, that I'm a psychopath, that I don't actually have feelings for anyone and incapable of love! And now you give me your permission? Fuck you, Lu."

That hurt -- bad. Her face contorted, her lower lip trembled and she stormed off, nearly running into Gee who was walking into the elevator. They rode up, then Max heard her slamming the door. His shoulders dropped. He sighed and headed to security.

Molly was watching the scene from the balcony. She didn't hear a word but it didn't look pretty, and it terrified her. The perfect world she found just a couple days ago now seemed so fragile. She sniffed, about to cry, when a soft dark hand gently landed on her shoulder.

"You seem upset, girl," Gee said.

"They-- they had a fight... again," Molly responded, trembling.

"Moms and dads fight sometimes, it happens. Usually it means they still care about each other," Gee smiled.

"...they're not my mom and dad."

"Well, do you have other options, child? I know they care for you like a parent would," Gee sauntered into her apartment. "Don't worry, they'll figure it out."

Do I? Do they? Are we family now? Molly was confused.

--//--

Lu didn't come out for lunch. Storm, howling outside, turned the day into permanent twilight, but with blast shutters down the room was completely dark, save for the working screen. She was laying on her bed -- uniform jacket unzipped, boots thrown off the bed, uncombed hair dried into a mess -- watching Breaking Bad episode after episode. She tried crying, but the tears wouldn't come -- she was way too mad for that. Mad at herself -- but too exhausted to find a release. She slumped on the bed hours ago and let the old show distract her.

"Now say my name," Walter said from the screen.

"Lu," she heard and paused the playback.

"Hey, Georgia," she looked over her shoulder and rolled over. "Have a seat."

"Call me Gee, please," the woman sat on the edge of the bed.

"Okay, sure. What brings you over?" Lu asked flatly, trying not to sound annoyed.

"I heard you and the big guy had a fight today and... I came to make sure it doesn't have something to do with our arrival," Gee was picking words very carefully.

"Oh no, Gee, it's absolutely not your fault," Lu winced. Way to go, girl, you absolutely had to make this public, did you? She sighed. "Me and Max... still stuck in the past, I guess."

"You wanna talk about it?" Gee asked softly. "I'm not intruding, but I can lend an ear."

You've been brooding all day alone, girl, and nothing good came out of it, she pondered. Might give therapeutic talk a try?

"I-- I dumped him, years ago, and his is the first face I saw in the world after," she was picking her nails, not looking at Gee. "Fate has a wicked sense of humor."

Gee was watching her intently and silently. Like a good shrink would, Lu thought.

"We dated for a long time, had our ups and downs. You know how this goes -- a Mexican girl from a conservative family and a traumatized war vet. I was waiting on him to make an honest woman out of me when I found out..." Lu trailed off.

"Did he fuck around?" Gee nudged her cautiously.

"No, that's the thing, he didn't. Maybe it would've been better, y'know, if he did. He's-- he's polyamorous," Lu looked up in her eyes. "Biggest fucking heart in the world."

"He told you that?"

"Yeah, told me himself," Lu dropped her head. "It was so fucking ugly, all the things I've said to him that day..."

She paused, feeling a nastly lump in her throat.

"All these years, I've never got over him, stalked him, spied on him... and, it turns out, he never got over what I said..." Lu sniffed. "I think I've damaged him so much... he can't connect with anyone anymore..."

"Hmm... I think that's not entirely true, Lu -- he flirted with me today," Gee offered.

"Yeah, that's all he does -- flirt. It comes so naturally to him, he doesn't even realize, but it doesn't go anywhere beyond that. He's had a couple one-night stands in several years and that's all -- don't ask how I know..."

Lu paused, then continued, her voice almost a whisper.

"He's incredibly easy to love, and he could love you back like no one ever did... until my greedy jealous possessive ass ruined him," she sniffed again.

"Do you still love him?"

"I-- I do. I love him so fucking much I'd be okay if he never looks at me again -- if it helps him heal..." Her voice trembled as tears streaked her face.

"Now now, girl, don't," Gee laid down on the bed beside Lu and pulled her into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay, ya hear?"

Lu hid her face in Gee's shoulder and sighed deeply.

"I'm such a fucking mess..."

"Yes, you are, Lu, but tell you what -- I don't think anything is lost. Before long, we all will end up in his glorious harem, my gay as a rainbow granddaughter included. I'd bet you twenty but I'm all out of cash," Gee smiled. Lu pulled back.

"Wh-- why do you say that?" Her tears dried instantly. "Please, don't give me false hope to make me feel better..."

"Call it a hunch."

"How can I do anything to help him? He won't even talk to me!" Lu sounded almost desperate.

"So don't talk," Gee smiled. "You can't fix love by fighting over it. You need to mend love with love," her nearly blind eyes had the most piercing gaze Lu had ever seen.

--//--

"You have to go easy on her, Max," Mother looked at him from the screen. "I understand it's hard for you to even think about getting intimate with Lu -- or anyone for that matter -- in a situation like this, too much stress et cetera."

He looked at the screen, waiting for her to continue.

"But your community will inevitably get larger, and you need a solid foundation of trust and respect. You're not in the army anymore, this is way more complicated. Be a leader, not a commander."

"What if I don't want to lead?" He asked grimly.

"You may not want to, but you make everything that's happening around you your responsibility. You care way too much to just quit on them."

This incredibly accurate assessment immediately made him regret his momentary lapse of composure earlier.

"How do you know so much about me?"

"It's in your file, Max," she gave him a smile and flickered off.

What have I become, he thought. I'm such a mess, a machine is giving me a pep-talk and it's working.

--//--

"That's all," Tee finished applying medigel on the scars on Molly's back, stealing occasional glances at her skinny butt. "Let it get absorbed for a minute, and we can go eat."

"Thanks," Molly looked over her shoulder. "I can't do these on my own..."

"Sure thing, Mols, anytime," Tee smiled and sat in a chair beside the hospital bed. "These are not the scars you should wear with pride."

Damn, she pretty, Tee thought and immediately chastised herself. Girl's been through enough, she doesn't need your gay ass to traumatize her further. Draw the line at cuddles.

"So... it's kinda quiet in here, where's everybody?"

"Um... Max and Lu had a fight, a bad one... I don't think we'll see them today..."

"Oh, bet Mama G is doing her thing again -- making it her business and fixin' things," Tee giggled. "She's good like that."

Molly slid off the bed, reached for her dress and pulled it on.

"Shall we?" She smiled. "What are you having?"

"I'm dying for a teriyaki salmon steak," Tee nearly salivated. "You?"

"Caesar salad with chicken," Molly smiled.

They ordered their food and sat across the table from each other. Molly tried her salad.

"Oh, nearly as good as I remember! I think everything tastes better in childhood... except broccoli," she giggled.

Tee dug in into her steak.

"Mhm, almost as good as pussy," she said with her mouth full. "Almost!"

"I-- I wouldn't know anything about that," Molly looked into her plate.

"Oh... right. Sorry." Good job, Tee. Real nice. "So... um, wanna hang out after? Watch a movie? Netflix and chill?"

"Who even says that anymore?" Molly snorted. "What are you, like, sixty?"

"Yeah, I'm old school," Tee grinned and dabbed.

"Oh my God, is there a Gen-X neckbeard memelord locked inside your body?" Molly burst into giggles.

"And you haven't seen my Linux skills yet," Tee wiggled her eyebrows and joined her laughter.

They finished their dinner and went upstairs to Tee's apartment, crashing on her bed.

"So, what are we watching?" Tee rolled over on her side, propped her head on her arm and looked into Molly's eyes.

"I dunno... Last thing I've ever watched was Euphoria, but I don't think I can do that again now..."

"Yeah, everybody's a rapey asshole, right, we don't want that. We waaant... something stupid funny. Oh, I know!" Tee grinned and grabbed the remote. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," she said into the mic. Screen flickered and the Python Pictures logo appeared.

"Cuddle?" Tee offered, and Molly eagerly nodded, rolling over. Tee wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "Yay, cuddle buddies!" She loudly whispered.

"Cuddle bunnies," Molly giggled, settling in her embrace and throwing her arm back to pull Tee's hips closer. Tee eagerly pressed her front into her backside, and both of them, finally comfortable, turned their attention to the screen.

--//--

"Max," he heard as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Hey Gee, how's it going?" He turned to her and smiled.

She stood up from the bench and sauntered towards him, swaying her hips just a tiny bit.

"I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for everything you've done for us," she closed the distance, looking into his eyes.

"My pleasure, really. Happy to have both of you on board," he gave her a completely sincere grin.

"Thank you," she softly put her hand on his chest. "Oh my, are you always this tense? Your muscles... hard as a fucking rock!" Her eyes went wide. "You need to rest more!"

"Well, I don't get much of that -- with days like these," he shrugged. "Comes with the territory."

"You always must find time for selfcare, Max, this is unhealthy," she shook her head, then grinned. "Trust me, I'm a medical professional. You know what? Imma give you a nice massage -- one thing I'm good at that doesn't require eyes, how about it?"

He scratched the back of his head.

"Massage sounds good, but I don't want to burden you," he tried to evade.

"Oh please, I got way too much energy and nowhere to spend it," she smiled. "Go lie down, I'll be with you in a sec."

Max nodded and stumbled his way to his bed, pulling his t-shirt off along the way. He crashed on the bed face down and suddenly felt the weight of the day pin him in place like a concrete block. Would it be okay if I just fall asleep before she comes over? He didn't -- Gee walked in not a minute later, dressed in her workout clothes, kicked off her slippers, got on the bed and, without further ado, straddled his legs.

"I hope I'm not too much of a load," she leaned forward and placed her hands on his back.

"No, Gee, it's okay... oh fuuuuuuck," he groaned, feeling her fingers dig into his shoulders, rubbing, kneading and loosening the knots in his muscles.

"Yes, and that's putting it mildly," she moved onto his neck, hard as wood. "You can't treat yourself like that, Max..."

"Can't rebuild the society on an empty stomach and with a stiff neck, right," he hid his face in his hands, feeling the tension slowly leaving, letting him relax. He felt her body emanate heat, washing over him in waves.

"Another workout for you? You feel hot..."

"Uh huh," Gee breathed out. You have no idea, Max. I broke sweat -- everywhere.

She slowly worked her hands down his back, and by the time she jammed her thumbs under his shoulder blades he felt no discomfort at all. She finished his spine and sides, and, reaching the small of his back, tugged the waistband of his sweatpants down.

"Um... Gee?" He mumbled.

"Don't you worry, big guy, I'm not here to pet the snake," she chuckled. "I'm going to do your legs next."

He shifted a bit, letting her pull. She slid back, swiftly freeing him of the last piece of clothing, then softly palmed his feet.

"You ticklish, Max?"

"I'm a piece of dough you rolled on the bed, I don't feel anything, do to me whatever," he exhaled.

"As you wish," grinning, she started working on his feet, pressing her thumbs into his soles hard, then his calves, so hard they seemed to be cut from marble. Eventually she reached his thighs, and parted his legs slightly for better access -- he didn't object, even when she slid her hands on the inner side, particularly close to his crotch.

One muscle group left. She bit her lip, slowly sliding her hands onto his butt, and stopped -- his breathing was shallow and even. Max was asleep. Gee smiled, gently squeezed his cheeks, then gracefully rose and stepped off the bed.

"Nice ass, Max. Good night..." She covered him with a sheet, clicked the light off and left the apartment, silently closing the door behind her.

"Now, I believe, I have a date with my showerhead," she headed into her bathroom, pulling her top off.

--//--

They spent an hour and a half in each other's arms, giggling, laughing and reciting favorite moments, all the while Molly being blissfully unaware and Tee -- painfully aware -- of her hard nipples pressing into the blonde's back. When the credits have started rolling, Molly turned to face her.

"Love every bit of it, could watch it over and over," she threw her arms up and stretched. "You tired yet?"

Tee regretfully unlocked their embrace and stretched too.

"Not yet, but I will be -- by the time I get out of the shower," she smiled and slid off the bed, standing up. "Speaking of showers -- do you still want a haircut?"

Molly sat up and patted her head. Haircut? Then she remembered, blushed furiously and gave Tee a tense and unsure nod.

"You sure? Okay, wait a sec," Tee walked into the bathroom and soon returned with a towel, hair comb and a pair of scissors. "Now sit your pretty ass on this, girl," she spread the towel on the bed.

Molly stood up and pulled her dress off with shaking hands, got stuck and fumbled with it a bit. She finally won the fight, dropped the dress on the floor, and sat on the towel, knees together and hands in her lap.

"There's nothing to be scared of, babe," Tee softly said as she kneeled before her and covered Molly's hands with hers, looking into her eyes. "I ain't doing anything you don't want me to, okay? Just say the word and I'll stop."

Molly, eyes wide, just nodded. Tee took Molly's hands off her lap and gently pushed her back.

"Now lie down and spread for me, a'ight?"

Molly dropped on her back, covered her face with her hands in embarrassment and slowly parted her knees. Tee softly guided her to spread a bit more, then ran a comb through her wild bush. Molly tensed up, clenching her fists so hard her knuckles turned white, but didn't move.

"I'm going to trim this to make it short and tidy, then we decide on your style." Tee began snipping away, combing the curls and softly brushing away cut ones.

Molly was equal parts scared and embarrassed, her flushed face felt hot against her hands, but there was something else, something new or maybe just long forgotten... curiosity? She took her hands off her face and looked down at Tee working on her mound, propping herself on her elbows to get a better look.

Tee was trying hard to concentrate, making short work of the blonde jungle, but the more she revealed, the more she felt the familiar tingling in her core, usually preceding her getting extremely wet. Damn, Tee, so thirsty you can't help a girl out without thinking of diving into her pussy? She gave herself a mental slap and immediately snipped a tuft of Molly's pubes too close to her skin. Molly, who was watching her hands intently, gasped.

"Sorry," Tee gave her an apologetic look and gently rubbed the spot.

"'Tis but a scratch," Molly mimicked the British accent, and both of them broke into giggles.

"Okay, don't move now, I'm nearly done," Tee snipped a couple more times. "There, got your lawn mowed. Now, do you want me to style what's left or you want it bare?"

Molly looked warily into her eyes and shrugged, not saying a word.

"A'ight, look," Molly stood up and pulled her cargoes down, pushing her hips forward to reveal her bare mound in all its glory. "Like this?"

Molly's eyes went even wider.

"I-- I like yours," she croaked, unable to look away from puffy black lips with a hint of glistening pink between them, framed by the tight smooth V of her junction.

"Cool! Into the shower we go," Tee grinned and kicked her pants off, then pulled off her t-shirt, making her breasts do a small drop. She reached to grab Molly's hand and pulled her off the towel to stand, then headed to the bathroom, swaying her magnificent hips. Molly stumbled after her. Tee grabbed a tube of hair removal cream and stepped into the shower.

"Come here, babe," she motioned Molly to join her. "Now look, squirt this stuff into your hand and spread it around," she squeezed the dollop of cream into her fingers and spread it on herself, making sure Molly saw the entire process. "See? Now you try."

Molly took the tube, squirted the cream into her palm and reached down, when suddenly a tremor ran through her entire body, and she yanked her hand away, like from electric shock.

"Wh-- Molly, what's wrong?" Tee looked at the girl with a worried expression on her face.

"I-- I can't-- this is wrong-- I'll be punished for this..." Her breathing became ragged, she was nearly hyperventilating.

"Hey Mols-- Mols, look at me. Look at me!" Molly lifted her eyes from her hand to meet Tee's face. "Chill, breathe. No one is going to punish you for this, okay?" Tee put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's only you and me here, no one else."

"Th-- they punished me... when I touched myself... every time..." Her lower lip trembled.

"Now breathe, girl, they're all dead and gone, they can't hurt you anymore. There's only you, and your body, and you choose what to do with it, and nobody else has a say, ya hear me?"

Molly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, looking into Tee's eyes, nodded and made an attempt at a smile. She looked at her hand with cream still in it, slowly reached her mound and began rubbing all over.