Shoes for Hats (Snowpiercer Fanfiction)

Sushi

I finally managed to pry Rosie away to clean herself up. I stayed with her and helped her move Edgar out of the pool of his own blood. She sniffled and stroked his head. He wasn't moving. He was sickly pale. His heart was beating though. She had hope. I did too. I got a glass of water and a small cloth. She took it. I looked up as they went to go interrogate Mason. I stayed with Rosie and Edgar, helping her clean him up. Time didn't seem to even exist. Edgar had been like my child. It hurt me that he could be dying slowly. 

"Go talk to Dad." She said. I nodded and got up, walking to where Curtis was sitting with Gilliam. 

"How is he?" He asked. 

"His heart is beating. All we can do is wait. He lost. A lot of blood but we're hoping the stuff she had is healing it enough to stop further bleeding. It seems that it has so far." I said, sighing. He pulled me to sit in-between his legs, leaning back against his chest. He kissed my shoulder. I smiled softly, relaxing. I closed my eyes, feeling exhausted. He held me close, talking to Gilliam. I smiled softly as they talked about Curtis being the leader. He was an amazing leader. He just didn't think so. Gilliam reassured him that he would be a good leader. 

"Much easier to hold a woman with two arms anyway. Can't do much with just one." Gilliam said and that made me laugh. 

"You two should sleep and stop talking about sex." I said, leaning into Curtis more. He held me tightly and chuckled. I relaxed into him and smiled when I felt him slip his beanie onto my head. I cuddled into him and held his shirt. He rubbed my back and I fell asleep shortly after. 

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I woke up and sighed softly, feeling my hunger starting to kick in. I hadn't ate much and had thrown up what little I had ate. I couldn't even look at the protein blocks without feeling sick. I didn't have any other food option so I just sucked it up. I got up and looked at Curtis as he talked to Tanya. I walked over. 

"I'm going with you." I said. He looked at me. I crossed my arms and stood up straighter, trying to assert that I was going whether he liked it or not. He sighed. 

"Fine. You can come." He said. I nodded and kissed his cheek. 

"I'm coming too." Rosie said from where she was sitting with Edgar. She was holding his hand and rubbing her thumb over his pulse point. She looked at us. 

"Rosie. I can't risk losing you." Curtis said. 

"I'm doing it for Sean and for Edgar. I'm going to make that son of a bitch suffer for what he's done to us." She said, looking at Edgar then back at us. 

"Language." I said, smiling softly at her. She looked at me and smiled back. Curtis sighed. 

"Fine. But you be careful and stick close. Understood? No risky behavior." He said, kissing her head and glancing at Edgar.

"He's still breathing." Rosie said, kissing his pulse point then his head. 

"I'll watch him, Rosie. Make sure he's alright." Gilliam said as he limped over. Rosie nodded and smiled. 

"Thank you." She said, hugging him gently. He patted her back. 

"No need to thank me." He said, smiling. I walked to the front and waited by the door. Rosie stood by me. I held onto my axe and she held onto hers tightly. I slipped the end of it through a belt loop on my pants and turned after Painter got done. I walked through the garden section, looking around happily. I took food and ate it hungrily, glaring at the workers when they asked me not to eat any. 

"Fuck off." I snapped, eating hungrily. 

"Language." Rosie mocked from behind me. 

"I'm an adult. I get to say whatever I want." I said. 

"Mom." She whined. I rolled my eyes. 

"Nope. No cursing for you." I replied, eating a tomato happily. Curtis chuckled. 

"You two stop fighting back there. No cursing for Rosie and no whining from Erin." Curtis said, glancing back at us. I stuck my tongue out at him. He chuckled again and continued walking. We moved into an aquarium. I looked around, smiling happily. Rosie was pressed against the class, curiously looking at everything. Curtis's hand found the small of my back. I smiled at him then looked at her. 

"What is that?!" She exclaimed, looking at a string ray. I smiled fondly. 

"Sting ray." I replied. She looked so happy and curious. I wish she could have known them already. I wish I could have taken her to an aquarium as a child with her brother. A nice family outing. 

"Any of you feel like sushi?" Mason asked. I turned, my mouth watering. 

"Hell yea. Line that shit up. Right?" Tanya said, perfectly saying what I wanted to say. Rosie looked confused as she followed us. I followed them and sat next to Curtis as the bar. The man behind it made sushi quietly but with great skill. 

"You people are very lucky. This is only served twice a year. In January and July." Mason said as she got some chopsticks and broke them apart. 

"Why? Not enough fish?" Tanya asked, rolling her eyes. 

"Oh enough is not the criterion. Balance. You see, this aquarium is a closed ecological system. And um, the number of individual units must be very closely, very precisely controlled in order to maintain the proper sustainable balance." Mason explained. I looked at her then at the man as he set the plate down in front of me. It was only a little bit but I felt like I had been blessed with this glorious meal. Rosie was looking at it strangely then shrugged and ate it happily. I smiled. Couldn't be picky now. I ate it happily, thinking over the consequences but not caring. I needed to eat and this was all I had. Curtis just stared at his. 

"Curtis. You need to eat." I said, looking at him. He glanced at me. I smiled and ate with my chopsticks happily. I heard him jerk at Mason's chain. I looked up. 

"No. You eat this. You know what that's made of? Dig in." Curtis said, holding up a protein block then tossing it in front of her. She swallowed and looked at him, picking it up then slowly taking a bite out of it. Grey took Mason's sushi and handed it to me, making a motion on his lower stomach. I looked at him and shook my head, making a shush motion. He nodded and smiled. I took the sushi and thanked him. I ate it happily, starving. 

"Curtis. Eat." I said. He sighed and finally started eating. We finished and continued on, walking through a meat locker. Rosie curiously poked at the hanging meat. I would die for a hamburger now that I think about it. I followed them through. 

"Curtis, my friend. Do you think that we might dispense with the restraints for this next section?" Mason asked. 

"I'm not your friend. And why would I?" Curtis asked, continuing to walk. I followed, eating on some rice the man had given me. I missed this food. Actual food. I sighed happily as I finished it. 

"Uh. For the...for the sake of the young? Education?" Mason asked, motioning to the door. We gave her something to cover the restraints with.