Work Text:
“Let's just give her some time to sort out her thoughts.” Pain de Champagne told String Gummy, both watching as Croissant left the Clock Square to what they hoped was to see the medic. Her eye, after what she did to it, was in terrible shape despite what she claimed.
Bloodshot, hardly focused, and not to mention probably infected by the circumstances they performed the surgery under. Hell, they were lucky no complications had arisen before they were rescued.
String Gummy didn't know what to feel, watching as Croissant —energetic and determined before— quietly paced off. He wanted to run after them, he really did, but what would he even do? Reassure them that everything will be okay? Just accompany them?
Croissant always knew what to say or do to help him, both this version of her and the version he got to know first. But now, with the roles reversed, String Gummy was at a loss. But what else could he do other than to listen to Pain de Champagne, and leave Croissant be?
String Gummy sighed, and felt a gentle yet sturdy hand pat his shoulder. He looked to Pain de Champagne, who gave him a look of reassurance.
“Trust me,” the old man said, now crossing his arms, “I know it doesn't feel good to not be able to comfort them, but we've said our piece, and this what they need right now. We don't want to overwhelm them, after all.”
That was true too…
“Yeah… I guess you're right.” String Gummy said. He lowered his shotgun —at first rested on his shoulder— to his side, idly aiming it at the ground. “We should probably get going too, there's not much time to waste.”
Pain de Champagne nodded, “Agreed.” he said. But just before the two could leave for their preparations, they heard rapid footsteps approaching them and a voice calling out.
“Pain de Champagne! String Gummy!”
Turning around, they saw a familiar green-clad figure running towards them at a speed she would never normally run at. She looked uncharacteristically emotional.
Surprised, the old man blurted, “Baguette!”
String Gummy inhaled through his teeth as Baguette came to a huffing halt to them. He meant to go find her and tell her that her sister had been found, but he was hoping to do so after letting Croissant cool off a little. Not to mention, he had yet to find words to gently update Baguette on Croissant’s… “condition”.
“I thought you were swamped with work.” Pain de Champagne said, “Are you alright? You're usually not a quick runner.”
“My apologies…” Baguette panted. She straightened herself as she looked between them, her usual stoic expression had cracked to show worry, and fear. “But I- I was informed that you had rescued Croissant… Please, I must know where they are. I need to see them.”
Pain de Champagne seemed taken aback by the clear anxiety Baguette had in her tone. But it only made sense, Croissant and Baguette were close, and String Gummy knew that the older woman had practically raised Croissant and her sister. If anything, Croissant's disappearance and the days that she spent missing affected Baguette the hardest, who had too many responsibilities and sudden workload —primarily from the timeline bifurcation— to help look for her missing sister.
“She- Croissant should be heading to the medic, if she isn't already there.” Pain de Champagne said.
Baguette bowed her head, "Thank you.” she said, and was already getting ready to run off, “Please, excuse me, I must go find them now.”
String Gummy quickly shot an arm out to grab Baguette’s attention, “Ah- Wait!” he called out, just in time too by the way Baguette turned to him with such surprise.
He swallowed an imaginary lump on his throat, “Before you go find her,” he said, “I need to tell you something important… about Croissant.”
Baguette seemed confused, but turned to give String Gummy her attention anyways.
And he began to recount Croissant's escape attempt, the way she had described it herself…
Croissant sighed to herself as she left the medical ward. She reached up to the bandage wrapped around her face, gingerly brushing her fingers over them. There was a slight sting under them, where the salve the medics had applied pressed against her scars. She didn't know how to feel about it, strangely enough.
But at least she didn't need to cover her eye. The eyedrop damn well stung a lot though.
Croissant brushed a hand through their hair and sighed, they had to get going now. So much to do and so little time.
Though as they started to walk away, they heard the faint sound of footsteps running to them. They didn't have to look to know who it was.
“Croissant!”
Turning around, Croissant saw their sister running towards them. Was she always this fast?
Croissant felt a wave of relief wash over them when they saw her, the sight of their sister safe, the knowledge that she was here in the protected walls of the TBD instead of the frontlines facing the threats…
Shit. Their eye.
Croissant immediately turned away, her hand quickly covering her mutilated eye. How was she going to explain this to Baguette?
She heard Baguette come to a stop by her. And for a while, it was quiet. She then felt a hand rest on her shoulder, but she didn't want to turn around.
“Croissant… let me see your eye.”
She knew?
Carefully, Croissant turned to face their older sister, their hand dropping to their side.
Baguette had braced herself, but still, when Croissant turned to her and she saw the condition of their eye, she had to take a breath through gritted teeth.
It shouldn't be a surprise that it was bloodshot and irritated, but the sight pained her nonetheless.
Though a little cloudy, there was a foreign shine now in Croissant's eye, the Time Lens that she had implanted, no doubt. To think that Croissant had resorted to such drastic measures… and in a dangerous, foreign land no less.
Baguette must've let her worry show a little more than she thought.
Croissant cracked a smile at her, attempting to reassure her as they waved their hand —as if to brush the worries away— and laughed a little. “I know.” they said, “But it's fine! It doesn't hurt anymore.”
Now that was a plain lie. Yet, Baguette knew better than to keep pushing. So instead she sighed, “It must've hurt…”
Croissant simply shrugged, “...Only a little.” they said, “But it's really fine! It's improved a lot, and I can… kind of see out of it?”
Baguette allowed a little too much to slip through her tone. “You can't see through it?”
Croissant quickly held up her hands, “No no, I can!” she quickly said, “I just… It's just kinda cloudy, is all. But it'll clear up eventually, I just need to get used to it.”
“...Was that what the medic said?”
Croissant looked away, “Yeah… but I'm telling you, it's okay! I'm standing here, aren't I? There's no need to worry so much anymore.”
Baguette sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. It was getting hard to remain composed when the worry and fear that's been festering for days were starting to rise anew. She'd been distracting herself with the current crisis on their hands, but now that things were slowing down…
“How can I not worry, Croissant?” she said, “You were missing for days! Pain de Champagne told us what happened; how you forced him to flee, how you were struck by the criminal responsible! And now I've learnt about your attempt to escape and how to do so, you've replaced one of your eyes with a piece of tech?! What if something went wrong?”
“But it didn't!” Croissant said, her posture suddenly straightening as she looked at her sister, “It worked! Had it been anyone else, I would've been able to shake them off in the rift and escaped. And look, everything's fine now, right?”
They rubbed their neck as they looked away again. “I know it was… drastic. I know. But I had no other choice then… There was nothing else. I racked my head for anything and everything I could do, and this was the only thing that could give me a chance. It was either I tried to escape or didn't try at all, and I wasn't going to let him get what he wanted just like that.” They closed their eyes and took a breath, when they looked at Baguette again, they had the determined glint in their eyes that many knew them for. “I would have done it again, for the sake of the core timeline, for everyone here. I'll replace my other eye is I have to.”
Of course… They were always so stubborn like this. It was strangely comforting, to know that despite everything, this part of them remained unchanged.
Yet, even with all that bravado, Croissant had no less been through a harrowing experience, she had still been kept hostage in a foreign timeline, trapped with the one responsible. As much as she tried to keep a brave face, Baguette knew better than to just watch the surface. But Croissant would never admit fear.
Baguette sighed and nodded, “Of course.” she said, and gently placed a hand on Croissant's head, “Your heart has always been too big for your own good.”
All too rarely, she'd show how worried she truly was, how much she really cared. After all, she believed that showing too much would dampen the ability to learn, or that it was unbecoming of her. But she had been in the dark about Croissant for days, with only how it came to be filling the gaps. She respected the Director, she trusted the Director, but even she didn't understand just why they sent Croissant to what could've been her death.
And that was the scariest part, that she didn't know if the next news she heard would be her sister's rescue or death.
“I'm just glad you’re alive.” Baguette said.
She carefully drew Croissant into a hug, if only to be able to feel that they were truly home, truly safe. Not to mention, Croissant likely needed all the comfort she could get after all that she had gone through.
“I don't know what happened while you were gone, but I'm relieved you're safe, I would've hated to have lost a piece of my family like this…” Baguette said, “I'm happy you've returned to us.”
She felt Croissant —tensed from the hug— slowly relax their body, and slowly hugged back. It was tentative at first, but Croissant gripped into their hug, and hid their face in her shoulder. It was soft, but they were crying.