Forgotten childhood memories

It was surprising how easy they just got along. They moved so in sync even though it had been years since they had seen each other. It was just so easy with her. Her soft argue made him scoff, turning his head to look at her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You're saying that like you don't like things exploding every once in a while," he teased her softly. He felt his heart beat a little faster when he looked at her, so instead of looking at her, he turned his attention back to the drawing on the desk.
"There we go," he said, finishing up the drawing, handing it to her, hoping to see her smile. That was all he wanted; Help her and make her happy. Society hadn't been kind to him, but she had, and in his eyes she was absolutely perfect, even if her growth had been stunted. "The ... The filter I drew up for you should be exchanged every other day or so to keep you as safe as possible," he said pointing at where it would be inserted and how he thought would be easiest to exchange.

Maybe she didn't have the money, but he wanted to make sure she at least could get it changed every once in a while. Watching her grab the papers he turned a little in his chair, smiling as he saw her working. Gods, he had missed seeing her like this, so fired up and ready to tinker and create. Her question made his eyes glide back on the power source, humming softly as he pushed himself up to stand. Walking over to one of the moving boxes, he opened it. He had a lot of his inventions in there, and soon enough he took out a chest that might fit the power source. "My dad got me this to keep some of my electronic devices in, but we can just empty it out and put it in here?" he suggested. He placed the box on the ground, using his cane to push it over to her.
Then from the box a small beep was heard, almost sounding like a mouse but it was way more electronic. He sighed, digging in to the box to take out what looked like an robot spider. It had a small body and long legs, crawling up Eugene's arm to rest on his shoulder. He chuckled. "You might like this guy," he said, moving over closer, reaching up to grab the little guy carefully, holding it out in a flat hand to let Jane inspect it. "I've named him Beep, because well ... He beeps when he wants attention," he chuckled. The little robot moving it's head around, beeping a few times as it scanned Jane.

"He's no more than a month old ... or well the idea for him is older than that, but he's the first one I got working," he said watching the robot interact with Jane was something else. Grabbing the chair he pulled it over to where she was working, Beep crawling down to the floor, moving around some of the bolts on the floor, moving them closer to Jane. "Oh, he's like a scrap bot, he picks up random things from the floor and brings it closer to you," he had wanted something like that for when his fingers got clumpsy and he couldn't reach down to grab it.
Watching what Jane did instead was much more fascinating to him. She mentioned that he had made more than her, which he refused to believe. But then again, he had felt like time wasn't on his side, so he wanted to make as many things as he could right now. "But I bet your inventions are much better ... I always rush a bit," he pointed out. He always wanted to be the first to finish something, even as a kid. And although most times it worked out, there had been less good attempts. "No," he said, pointing at what she was doing, "attach it there ... that way you can still move your jaw when you wear it," he said.

Looking at their creation he smiled nodding, "there really isn't anything we can't do when we work together," he said in a small whisper. It was mostly to himself, looking at her as she looked at it. "Why don't you try it on?" He urged her, the little robot skittish as it ran over to Eugene once more, crawling up his pant leg until it reached all the way to his shoulder. It was as if it was acting in it's own, and partly it was, but he didn't dare talk about that right now.
If she tried it on he would get up, standing without his crane was a bit of a hassle, but he needed both hands for this, adjusting the mask and checked for any place where there might be weaknesses. "You did amazing, Zippy," he said, smiling at her with warm eyes. She was every bit as amazing as he remembered her to be. If not more.

As she pulled him in he was a little confused, especially as their noses weren't really touching, his just hitting the outside of her mask. He felt his cheeks get some color, but he seemed to shake it off. The thought that she could ever be interested in someone like him was unimaginable. He wasn't really worth much, but as she admitted he couldn't help but chuckle shaking his head no. "I refuse to believe that," he scoffed softly, feeling his body weak as he stood there without his cane. Was it stupid that he wished he could just pull her in and actually hold her? Yeah, he thought so. Moving back he half fell down in his seat, groaning softly as it didn't feel good on his back. "Sorry," he felt like he had to apologise. He pretended a lot. Pretended that he was a normal kid, someone who was worth falling in love with and being with. But he couldn't really offer anything, besides his brain.
The little spider robot on his shoulder had latched on to his shirt, poking a few holes it it and leaking a bit of oil on it. He sighed, "can you bring me a new shirt?" Removing Beep from his shoulder, placing him on his desk where it began organising the drawings. Eugene reached down, pulling off his shirt, looking at it a bit sad. It was a shirt he really liked, but the oil stains would be impossible to get out of the fabric. His upper body was lean, but there were clear muscles under his skin. It was clear he used his upper body a lot, perhaps because he used the cane so much for balance.

"What do you mean, you've seen me naked before," he said, and while it was true, that had been a long time ago. Besides there wasn't really anything to look at if you asked him, well besides the many scars where he had had surgery along his ribs and chest. They were pretty neat and had healed surprisingly well. She moved on and he didn't blame her, putting on his shirt a little faster. Did he make her uncomfortable with his body? He sat and pondered that for a bit, feeling his body still tremble a bit from the fall. And yet he didn't want to show it. He wanted to be stronger now that she was here, and yet he knew he couldn't keep pretending.
"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he suddenly asked. He felt like that comment, while perhaps said in fun had been a way for her to work around how she actually felt. "I mean, I didn't mean to just strip and disregard your feelings ... I'll be sure to act more carefully from now on," when it came to her he was always so fast to apologize. Beep had gotten busy, stacking the many drawings that Jane had made, the little robot living up to its name as it beeped, signaling it was done with its task. Eugene turned his head, placing his hand down to let it crawl in to his hand. He had so many questions for the young woman that Jane had become, but one thing had always bothered him. "Have you picked a name for yourself yet?" he asked, referring to a conversation they had had when they were kids. She had told him that she hadn't had a name and a young Eugene had urged her to think long and hard about a name because he felt it was wrong calling her something that she hadn't picked herself at least.

Not big of a deal? Then why was she making it q big deal? He watched her make her little bomb, frowning a little as he wondered if she wanted to use it on him. But then again, he decided not to think about that. The reply about her name didn't make her seem in a better mood. He was really doing a bad job at being her friend, wasn't he? Jay? That was new, or he hadn't ever heard anyone call her that. But then again, he hadn't been back in the Blocks for a while. "I wish I could meet your other friends," he said, though he wouldn't last long in a place like the Blocks, the fumes too bad for his single lung.
He was quiet for a while, looking down at his fingers. He wished he could make something right now, but he felt quite fatigued. But he didn't want to seem weak. "Are you hungry?" He asked. He sounded careful, but it was mostly because he didn't want to make her angry or upset. Reaching out he grabbed his cane, Beep clicking across the table and jumping on to his shoulder before he got to his feet. "C'mon, let's go eat," he said, gritting his teeth slightly, but he just needed his pain medication. He went on ahead, through the door and in to the small kitchen.
Beep jumped off his shoulder once they got to the counter, running as fast as its little legs could. Eugene chuckled, looking back at Jane if she had followed, "he's in love with the toaster," he scoffed. But right enough, Beep had ran directly to the toaster, bouncing a little up and down in front of it. Eugene went to the fridge, opening it and took out some different deli meats. "I would cook for you, but I'm afraid the best I can do is grilled cheese," he sighed. He didn't hate cooking, but it was like every thing else in his life, it had to be fast so he could return to his work. But today it was also an excuse because he hadn't ever really gotten the time to cook for real. "What would you like? My dad picked up some random stuff, so just take what you want," she hadn't been eating enough, he could see that.

She wrapped her arms around him, and he felt that feeling in his stomach again. Butterflies or at least something that made him feel all light. He turned a little carefully, wrapping his free arm around her, pulling her closer. "You don't have to thank me," he whispered, taking the time to rest his chin on the top of her head. It felt so weird to be bigger than her, but then again it also felt nice. Nice in the way that he felt strong when he held her. It didn't even have to be about physical strength, no she gave him willpower, a sense of having someone to fight for and to be around. "I need to take my pills," he muttered, his body trembling a bit from the pain. He should've taken the pain medication when he had woken up from his nap, but he hadn't even thought of doing it.
Letting go of her a little reluctantly, he grabbed a glass for himself, filling it with water before grabbing a small pill container. He shook out a couple, placing them in his mouth before swallowing them with a mouthful of water. The taste wasn't great, but he also knew he needed something to take off the edge of the pain he felt. He would like if she had kept hugging him, not minding her cold hands one bit as he would gladly keep her warm.
Continuing his cooking adventure he made a simple sandwich and one for her too, having melted the cheese nicely and made sure to add plenty of protein for her. "Order up," he muttered softly, letting her take the plates. Sitting down at the table he felt like such a kid again, sitting across from her and eating a meal. Chuckling, he looked down, taking a bite of his sandwich. "You're really going to stay here for the night?" he asked, because he could understand if she wanted to go back to her hideout. "I mean ... I can just skip my sleeping meds; We can talk all night or tinker or-" he just wanted her to stay and he felt almost pathetic to think of what lengths he would go to to keep her here.

The mention of what had happened last time made him swallow his bite, frowning as he felt bad. Reaching over the table he touched her hand carefully, "sorry," he spoke quite genuine. He felt like he was forever going to apologize for that, and he didn't mind. He had hated himself for leaving her behind, even if he had just been a kid with no control over his life. But it was settled then, she would stay even if he fell asleep. It was nice to be reassured of the promise they had made. Retreating his hand he took another mouthful of his sandwich. The pain medication would work soon enough, he thought to himself, he just didn't want her to see how much pain he was actually in right now. So he put on a brave face, smiling at her softly. It felt good to watch her eat, even if she was eating fast and he was taking his time chewing. Taking a sip of his water he pushed the rest of his sandwich to her, "I'm full, and I know you can eat more," he said. He could still remember how she could eat like an adult male even as a child.
Once they finished off their plates, he sat for a while, rubbing his hands around his glass, just to do something with them. "Is Winston still ...?" he asked, not really sure if he wanted the answer, but he had met the man once or twice, just passing by him when him and Jane had explored the Blocks as kids.

Yeah he had seen what she was making. He didn't like it, but he couldn't really tell her off either. She had been doing what she had to to survive, just like he had. As she explained what had happened he felt himself at a loss for words. Was Winston really gone? The friends blaming her didn't seem fair either. It was an honest mistake and Jane couldn't be judged for that, surely. As she hid her head he lifted his hand, wanting to reach out and comfort her, but let it fall down. If it was truly that bad, he hated thinking of her having to go back. He pushed himself off the chair, grabbing his cane that he leaned on, "follow me," he said. If she did he would walk ahead, limping a little as the pain wasn't too good, but he hoped the medication would soon kick in.
He guided her out in to a small hallway and it opened up in to a garage. "We don't have a car, so my dad suggested I could have this space for my inventions and stuff," a lot of boxes all around them as he hadn't gotten around to unpacking everything yet. But he did know where everything was. He got over to a small workbench, opening a drawer that was locked, unlocking it with a few strange taps. The compartment opened up and out slit a little machine. Moving around he showed it to her. It was no bigger than a battery. "I don't want you to tell my dad or anyone about this," he said rather seriously, showing her the small machine, each little wire neatly folded and wrapped. "It's ... Well I had the idea for it when I was in the hospital with no real chance of recovering," he said, scoffing at himself because he felt weak for showing it. It had been a dark time in his past. "I never finished it, because I realized that if I did, I had an excuse to take the easy way out," did she understand where he was getting at? He had essentially wanted to die, wanted something that could kill him when he had been in so much pain.
"In theory, it would've shut down the life support I was hooked up to; I didn't want my father to be left with a choice if I became incapacitated, a vegetable essentially," tapping it a bit with his thumb he sighed, shaking his head at himself. "Life is hard, and it's really shitty sometimes, but I knew I had to keep fighting," he said, looking at her with soft eyes, "because I wanted to see you again."

She was rather unhappy with the sad memory, and none the less the guilt as well. She just sat there with her head in her arms, feeling sad and sorry for herself somehow. She heard him get up and his words made her look up at him for a while before she got up as well and followed. He was limping, she noticed as much. Was he hurting? They ended up in a garage and she had to admit that somehow it reminded her of her own hideout. Because that essentially was it. But she didnt want to say that out loud.
"It's a good place to store everything." she said in agreement to his father's suggestion. She stood a little, her arms wrapped around herself. Why had he brought her here? He went to a workbench and she stepped a bit closer. She looked at the little machine as he presented it, humming as he told her to keep it confidential.
He explained the idea behind it and she frowned a little, not understanding at first but she slowly seemed to realize. Though he also spelled it out pretty clearly. She felt a little speechless as he just kept speaking, "Eugene..." she whispered, looking at him with sad eyes. She stepped forward, putting her hand over the thing in his hand, holding his hand as well. "You just do that, you cant ever do that!" she just suddenly said, looking rather upset and angry as she snatched the thing from his hand, inspecting it and holding it. "You made a promise!" she said, feeling her eyes well up as she looked at him. Just seeing the device, knowing what intention it had been made for, it felt like she was taken back to when she realized he wasnt ever coming back. It made her blood boil, she barely had realized what point he even made with everything he had said, it had just gone right past her in all the emotions. "Get rid of it." she said in a sudden demand, sobbing as she handed it back to him, shaking her head. "Get rid of it, get rid of it, get rid of it! I dont want to see it! I dont want to think.... that you could ever be gone."

To say that Eugene was surprised at her outburst was an understatement. She handed it back, demanding he would get rid of it, and he did, throwing it against the wall, letting it break in to scrap metal on the floor. Letting go of his cane he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her in as she sobbed. "I'm sorry," he muttered, over and over, and yet nothing seemed to work. She was hysterical. He could feel his legs giving in, but he grit his teeth, remaining where he stood before he cupped her face. "Zippy," he pleaded, leaning down to connect their lips. Time felt like it stood still, feeling her lips, albeit chappy, was the best feeling he had ever gotten to feel.
Their lips separated as his legs finally gave in, having him land on the concrete, breath heaving from his chest from the kiss they had just shared. He felt guilty. How could he be so selfish?

He broke it but it was like the damage was done. She was stuck in her head, feeling like that little girl that had been left all alone by herself. It hurt and it hurt so much she felt like she was suffocating on the immense feelings pooling in her chest. He pulled her in and she was just choking and sobbing hyesterically, feeling his hands cup her face, shaking her head until he connected their lips. She froze then, like he just smacked the feelings right out of her. He fell and she was hyperventilating as she was trying to calm down. Her legs seemed to give in and she sat down with a thump, tears having streamed down her face, she just looked down. Again, her mind failed to realize what had happened. He had kissed her but it hadnt hit her yet. Reaching over she grabbed his hand. “I cant lose you. Ever.” She said, sniffling, lifting her other hand to rub some snot and tears away with her sleeve.

He thought that he had done something wrong, and yeah he sorta had, but she had snapped out of her fit. He looked at her rather surprised as she took his hand. She still cared for him, it was so clear, and he realised that now. He pulled at her hand, pulling her in to his arms as they were on the floor. He was in quite the pain, but it was like that didn't matter as he held her close. "I was stupid," he muttered, burying his face in her hair. She smelled like gunpowder, dirt and perhaps not as nice as she could've,
but he didn't care. He didn't like her for her smell, he liked her for her. "That's why I didn't do it," he promised her in a soft mutter. "I couldn't break the promise ... even if my body feels like its burning and hurting like hell, I can't just leave you here," he wanted to soothe her, wanted to be there for her like she had been there for him. "We need to move before I get a cold from sitting on concrete," he muttered.

Yeah he had made it. And it wasn't like he didn't realize that is was a mistake, but he had felt so down back then. All he had felt at the time was pain, and that pain wasn't something that could just be erased by some pills. His soul had been aching, his entire being felt like it was crumbling, and he had just wanted a way out. Put himself out of misery so to speak. She moved out of his embrace, and he couldn't say he didn't miss her close already. She still hadn't reacted much to the kiss, and he was a bit scared that she would be mad once she realized.
He was helped back to his feet, grabbing around his cane if she handed it to him as well. Gods, he was glad he had taken the pain medication before they went out here, his body starting to calm down, but he needed to sit down soon or he would feel it tomorrow. Her question was valid. Why had he made it? "I couldn't bear thinking about not being able to move," he said, "like I would be trapped in my own mind, unable to create or eat or hug anyone I cared about." But who he really cared about was her. It was so obvious to him now, but he felt bad still not wanting to upset her further. "I thought if I made it, then at least I could control when I wanted to go out, you know," it wasn't a brilliant plan. It was stupid, at it would've hurt his father and Jane as well. He was shaking a little where he stood, his breath a little hasty as well. "Let's head inside," he said, nodding towards the door they had come from. He limped away, letting her close the door as they went in. Going in to the living room there was a small fireplace, the embers still having a hold of a piece of wood. He threw a couple more pieces on, closing the hatch so that the room would soon be nice and warm. He then moved over to the couch, sitting down with a small groan.
Gesturing for her to come closer and have a seat, it was clear he wasn't done explaining. If she sat down next to him, he would take her hand, looking at it as if it meant more to him than anything in this world. "I don't want to lie to you or pretend with you," he said, blinking a few times as he wanted to let that sink in. "The reason we are back here is because I'm not getting better, and I haven't been for a while," he confessed, now that he was sitting down she could hear how much he was struggling to breathe. He felt a little out of breath still from falling over not to mention the kiss. Why wasn't she saying anything about the kiss!? Was he really such a bad kisser? "My dad still wants to find a cure, or at least stabilize me to some degree ... But I'm starting to fear that I'll get sick before he discovers either," he said. It was a serious thing to talk about, and he just wanted her to listen. "I don't want you to look at me and see someone who's dying; I showed you that to let you know what I chose back then, and what I'm choosing now: I want to live," - "I want to be able to do things that other people can, I want to take a walk with you and not be out of breath or in pain after a few steps." Was he even making sense at this point? He had just wanted her to show how deep he had gotten and how much he regretted being in that thought. How he wanted to live every day, wanted to invent new things, make people's life easier with what he could create.