Work Text:
Sometimes she still found it all hard to believe. She’d be focused, working on one of the infinite tasks involved in keeping the colony running, and over her shoulder she’d hear Bell ask if she was staying hydrated, or taking enough breaks to get out of the sun. For a moment, a fraction of a second, Gwen would be sent back to those first few days and weeks and months on the planet, alone with just that voice (and Boots) to keep her company.
(This was especially likely if she was in an isolated spot, away from the sounds of working and talking and singing and yelling. She loved her settlers but Bell had been right, sometimes you really did miss the quiet.)
Chilly doubt would start deep in her stomach and spread through her, making her fingertips tingle unpleasantly. What if it was all a dream? A hallucination? What if she’d imagined all of it and she was still alone? Was that just a voice coming out of a speaker? If she turned around would she see only empty air?
Sometimes she’d turn around, but sometimes she couldn’t bring herself to do it (it was all so unlikely wasn’t it? She wasn’t that lucky).
If she didn’t turn she’d feel a hand on her shoulder (hot and solid and real) and let out the breath she’d been holding in.
If she turned she’d see a silent question in Bell’s eyes.
Bell would understand, they didn't need to wait for an answer (sometimes they seemed to size her up and almost read her mind).
They would stay close for a while after that, continuing to playfully pester about the dangers of heat exhaustion, or asking about what she was working on, or just talking about whatever was on their mind.
Sometimes they would sit shoulder to shoulder, knee touching knee.
If her hands weren’t busy, fingers might tangle together.
Later, there would be a hug. A tight, tight embrace. Hands gripping fabric and eyes shut.
In that moment it would seem ridiculous to doubt that this was all very real, but belief could be a tricky thing. It could seem unshakable and then unexpectedly buckle.
When it did, Bell was there; solid and practical and undeniable.
Their calloused capable hands, the serious little crease between their eyebrows when they were working, the begrudging smile that tugged at their lips when they realized that Gwen was teasing them and they had started to fall for it.
Maybe this (all of this. Their luck and their improbable triumph) was hard to believe.
But Bell was very easy to believe in.