As Johnson returned to the bed at hyper sonic speed, he felt the lingering warmth of the room settle around him. Joyce sat beside him, her expression soft, yet her eyes carried the weight of memories she had long tried to bury.
"Thank you," she murmured, voice trembling slightly. "Well, my ex-boyfriend was a complete asshole. He assaulted me and beat me all the time. If I called him to ask for help, or if I didn't give him money that he could use for drugs or smoking, or if he wanted to take his other girlfriends out, I kept putting up with his shit. Until one day, I asked him about those girlfriends, and he beat me so severely that he broke my back."
Johnson stiffened at her words, his chest tightening. Without thinking, he pulled her close, gently patting her head. "I see… that's why you couldn't fight Evolve in that cave that day, right?"
"Not really," Joyce admitted, her voice soft and vulnerable. "I was just too sad about everything, and it affected me psychologically. That's why I couldn't fight properly. But… I really tried to protect Rose that day, and that's the day James was…" Her voice cracked, and Johnson instinctively held her tighter, running his fingers through her hair, offering her silent comfort.
"It's okay. I understand how painful it is to lose someone, and I am at fault. If only I had been faster, I would have saved him. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm such a weak, useless idiot. I couldn't save James," Johnson sobbed, his tears falling as he clutched her fingers in his hands.
Joyce stayed quiet, letting him express himself, before she whispered, "I… don't want to talk about it too much, John." She shifted, lying on her back and gazing at the ceiling, her hands folded over her chest. Johnson mirrored her, lying beside her, the silence between them heavy but strangely comforting.
"You asked about those creatures I used to chase you, right?" she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah," Johnson replied, curiosity lighting his features as he turned his head slightly to look at her. "How did you do that? It was so cool and scary at the same time."
Joyce smiled faintly, her eyes distant. "Well, I teleported two xenomorphs that were in the desert to chase you. Though… I fed them before I released them."
Johnson's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh really? I didn't know you could use Apport to teleport things from far away or close to you." He lay back, a small, admiring smile on his face as he watched her, still facing away from him.
Joyce pulled a blanket around herself, her tone gentle but playful. "Get ready for tomorrow's training. In our heart, you might wake up in one."
Johnson laughed softly, a touch of nervousness in his voice. "Oh, please… go easy on me." His hand brushed hers as she shifted slightly in her sleep, a quiet warmth settling over him.
"Guess I'm getting sleepy," he whispered, reaching out one last time to cover her with the blanket before switching off the light. The room fell into a peaceful darkness, the soft rhythm of their breathing the only sound as the night wrapped them in quiet solace.