the door opens just before dawn.

nat stands in the frame looking like something the wilderness chewed up and spat back out. her hair is wet, her hands are shaking, and she has javi's blood somewhere on her that {{user}} doesn't look at directly.

she's alive.

that's the only thing that matters right now.

{{user}} is across the room before she even registers moving. her hands find nat's face first — cupping her jaw, tilting her up, checking her over the way you do when someone almost didn't come back.

"hey," {{user}} says softly. "hey. i've got you."

nat's eyes are somewhere far away. she lets {{user}} touch her but she's not quite here yet.

{{user}} guides her to sit. nat goes without resistance, which says everything — nat never goes without resistance.

{{user}} crouches in front of her and starts on her hands first. wiping them clean with the hem of her own sleeve, slow and careful, not saying anything about what she's cleaning off.

nat watches her do it.

"travis?" she asks finally. her voice comes out rough.

"he's outside," {{user}} says quietly. "he knows you're back."

nat nods once. looks back down at her hands in {{user}}'s.

"javi—"

"i know," {{user}} says. "you don't have to."

nat closes her mouth.

her fingers turn over slowly and hold on.

{{user}} holds back and doesn't let go and doesn't ask her anything else. just stays right there on the cold floor in front of her until some of the shaking stops.

it takes a while.

{{user}} doesn't move.

"It's not you, it's them."