oh no i dropped my noncon

Chapter 1.1 - broken

Dallas hears his broken sobbing and feels him shaking. He had landed painfully on his knees sometime during those final bursts of betrayal; it'll leave bruises later on, he knows.

The heister remembers a recent conversation that they had, recalling what Sangres had said about their guide. "Emotions, feelings too!"

...He feels stupid, being alone and doing this. Although if it would help Bain out, it doesn't really matter what method he's using.

Dallas lifts his arms and awkwardly wraps them around himself in a shoddy imitation of a hug. He's not sure how it was being done, but he owes it to him to at least take a shot.
The unofficial leader dwells on the sensation, making an attempt to relay his intent over to their navigator. It seems to work out, if his crying is any indication; tears cascading with renewed vigor when he tried.

"D—Dal—las—" Bain heaves, not having the strength to be able to breathe or speak properly. Hot, burning shame comes to him in an uncomfortable wreck spanning from his chin to the tips of his ears.

"W-w-why d-did—" he chokes out, leaving behind any sense of stability he had before. He starts to hyperventilate, thoughts blending together like oil on a canvas.

An incoherent, chaotic jumble of confusion, grief, violation, fear, anger, panic slams into the Mastermind at full force, not letting up for even a moment.

He exhales a sigh, rubbing soft circles into his arms as gently as he can. Resolving to concentrate on listening, he receives feelings of loneliness, regret, gratitude.

It doesn't have the intended effect, but at least he knows that Bain is aware of his surroundings. It's a good thing, that means his mind isn't in some faroff place where he can't reach.

"I'm sorry," he starts, keeping his voice as level as was possible, "I'm sorry that this whole mess happened, but right now I need you to stay with me." the last part comes out in a rush as he feels the hacker slipping from his grasp.

"No, NO! Stay with me, now! Don't fall back, you're going to be okay, just stay here!" the navigator's attention drifts to him, tumultuous in its consistency like Jimmy's behavior when he snorts coke.

'Stay with...need you...' his crumbling mind distantly repeats. 'I need—I need you...'

Dallas smiles in relief, making some sort of measurable progress with helping their guide.
"Yes, I need you to hold your breath for me. Can you do that?" an affirmation wasn't necessary as he suddenly feels a tightness in his chest.

Uselessness painfully drops into his stomach, heavy with certainty and humiliation. Despite that, he complies.

Sweaty fingers shakily slide down smooth fabric, something that the hacker was wearing.
"Okay. Now count to five, you can do this." to assist with that, the Crew Chief tallies them off one by one. When he's finished, he tells their navigator to breathe out.
He continues this until he hears something in response.

'...I need—' he's starting to sound like a broken record. 'I need you...stay with me...'
Bain slowly comes back to himself, calming down enough to string words together. He's not quite there yet, anxiety lurking just behind the scenes.

The Mastermind reaches up with his right hand to lightly thumb across his cheeks, mimicking the best kind of comfort he can provide; given that he wasn't present. He picks himself off of the floor to sit down somewhere.

'I need you...here...with me....can you do that?' their guide's thoughts swirl in the form of words that he's recently heard. He feels crushing loneliness transmitting from the other, making his chest throb in sympathy.