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wildshub · 3 years

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WHO: The Twilight of Adams WHAT: The boys return from their trip to the jungle in terrible spirits. WHEN: Day 11, Sunset NOTE: Read Blue’s self-para here!

callum After announcing the reason for their late return, Callum headed for the water to clean the dried blood off of his hand. The salt water stung the torn skin on his knuckles but he read somewhere once that that was actually a good thing. Something about sodium chloride forcing out all the bad stuff and promoting healing. Once he was finished, he joined the rest of the boys by the fire but didn’t make a move to grab any of the fish that they had apparently caught and prepared. For someone who was almost chronically hungry, he had absolutely no appetite right now. “I’m going back. First thing tomorrow. I’m gonna find Blue,” he announced. He didn’t care if anyone thought that was a bad idea or if no one wanted to go with him, the decision was made: he would find Blue or he would die trying.

sawyer This was all wrong. The night wasn’t supposed to turn out like this—they were supposed to come back from the jungle with the axe and smile and laugh around the fire as they filled their empty bellies with freshly grilled fish, enjoy their first glimmer of hope for survival in nearly two weeks. And they came back with the axe, alright—but at the cost of one of their own. At the cost of Blue’s safety. Sawyer’s leg jumped as he sat before the fire, chin rested on his folded hands, gaze flickering toward the jungle every few seconds as if waiting for Blue to jump out from behind a tree and yell, Gotcha! Had you fooled all along. His stomach turned so violently with unease, he couldn’t even eat the goddamned fish. When Callum returned, talking about how he was going to go back into the trenches tomorrow so that he could look for Blue like the idea of the others coming with him hadn’t even occurred to him, that fraying little wire in Sawyer’s brain snapped. He picked up one of the bigger sticks they’d saved for tinder and chucked it at the fire with full force, the flames roaring briefly with invigorated gratitude. “What the fuck did I tell you?” He asked evenly. “First thing I saids to you this morning was t’look out for each other, that we can replace a fuckin’ axe but we can’t replace one of us.” It wasn’t fair, he thought, and then: when had anything ever been?

callum Just like that, Callum felt like he was 12 again. Except this time he didn't flinch when someone snapped and threw something. The roar of the flame did little to earn a reaction from him, only blinking slowly before squaring his jaw when Sawyer reminded him of the conversation they had before he left for the jungle earlier that day. It sent him back to another memory. We trusted you to look after her. How could you let this happen?! "You weren't there..." Callum managed to get out, voice steady and controlled despite the emotion that was bubbling within him. He knew that feeling. He knew what would happen if he didn't work to push it down and forget it, to keep his cool. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Sawyer. “I tried. I went back for him. We looked for him. It just... we couldn't find him." He turned away, looking downward at the wounded hand he was cradling.

joe joe had been staring at his small slice of fish hoping that a miracle would happen and he would find an answer to where blue was in the scales. this whole thing was fucked up. their trek was supposed to be a simple fetch quest. maybe if he wasn't focused on stopping sebastian from hurting lukas (which he also failed to stop) he might have seen where blue went after the boar charged at them. it was all a blur. "oh fuck off." he snapped at sawyer."you think we didn't fucking try? sometimes fucked up shit happens and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. either fate's a twat or i'm a failure." he gripped his knee tightly."just don't fucking bitch at us now because there's nowt we can do to change the past."

jj ”Eat. Get your energy up. We will find him.”

dash Talk about a major L. It was one thing to just get side swept by a rip roaring hog thirsting for blood, but damn—who knew what happened to Blue? He remembered the story he told Sawyer, about the guy back down in Florida. The words ‘penetrating anorectal injury’ were going to haunt him until the day he died. His stomach twisted, a low buzzing feeling settling deep in his gut. He realized suddenly that he was anxious; that that was dread turning his innards into a blender. Pressing from the sand, he got up on unsteady feet but his right leg wasn’t quite ready to hold his weight. The quick flash of pain surprised him, which was pretty stupid considering everything. He swayed a bit, then steadied himself with a wince. Dash watched Sawyer as he hurled a stick into the fire and bared his teeth in a grimace. “Yeah, uh. Wow. This majorly sucks,” he started with feeling. Now that he was standing he didn’t actually know what to do with himself, and he wasn’t ready to risk eating shit just yet when everyone was tense as all fuck. His grimace deepened at Callum and Joe's words. “Hey, it’s not like you fuckin’... disappeared him on purpose here." He addressed Callum: "But the search doesn’t really sound like a solo job, dude." Dash gestured vaguely toward the jungle, then pulled his hand back to rub at the crown of his head. "What’s... Yunno, like do we have any inklings of an alternate game plan here? Split into groups? Like, put up markers on the trees as we go so no one else goes totally MIA?” Seriously, what was the vibe here? His eyes dropped to Callum’s hand. The guy had washed it but it still looked busted as hell. Dash had extra strips of fabric that were for his own janky wounds, but he guessed he felt generous enough to share one of them. The guy looked pathetic. “And you should probably wrap that up too, man. Looks nasty.”

kian Kian sat close enough to the fire that when the flames shot up tenfold, he could feel it on his skin. They just - could never have one day, could they? One day where no one got hurt, no one went missing or tumbling off a cliff. If he had to starve for it, he’d starve. If he had to be dehydrated, he’d take that, too. Kian just wanted to feel normal again. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before, where he was an eighteen-year-old doing eighteen-year-old things and not fighting for his life in the trenches of Battle Royale. He pulled his knees up to his chest and glanced over at Callum, his split knuckles giving him pause. “Did you...?” Kian pointed to Tozer, whose face looked swollen with some kind of blunt force trauma.

callum Callum couldn’t muster the energy to be properly annoyed at Dash at the moment. Instead, he managed a pointed stare when the dude called the ripped skin of his knuckles 'nasty' before shaking his head, directly ignoring that very reasonable piece of advice and focusing on the movement of the flames in front him. But of course, because it was this group, the silence could never really last. He felt Kian's gaze on him and looked up in time to catch him gesture to Tozer and his busted face. Jesus Christ. He sighed. "God, no," he answered, frustrated. "Don't know happened to his face but it wasn't me." For once, he kept his hands to himself in the face of emotions running high. "I hit a tree," he explained so he wouldn't be on the receiving end of nosy stares for the rest of the night.

lukas If Lukas had been in a bad mood that morning, he was absolutely rotten by the time he and the others returned to camp. He'd sustained worse than black eyes before but he'd never had to walk around a jungle for hours after getting injured, knowing damn well there was no treatment other than the eventual sweet embrace of death waiting for him. While the others of the jungle crew stopped to talk, and explain what had happened to the fish crew, Lukas walked past. He needed away from these mother fuckers. Not even the smell of cooking fish was enough to keep him. He made for the water, dropping bag he'd spent the day carrying and pulling shoes and socks off before he entered. He kept going until salt water was lapping at his knees, bending over to splash his face, half tempted to just dunk himself under completely clothed. Half tempted to strip off his clothes before he did. What was the point in making in sure he didn't look pathetic anymore? Had there ever been a point? After spending the day in the jungle he felt as though everyone had had their mind made up about him since day one, and he for the first time he was actually thinking they were right.

dash When Kian asked his question, Dash's blood pressure spiked for a moment, but then flattened quickly enough to leave him a little dizzy when Callum clarified what happened. "You hit a tree," he repeated flatly. He let that sit with him for a moment before he said it again, a little slower this time, like he was testing the mouth feel of the words: "You hit a tree." He rolled his eyes upward, but the sky had nothing to offer him in response to his annoyance. Which might have borne a little from the way his totally normal and sound suggestions were straight up ignored. "Cool, okay. Yeah, I'm not our resident Jimmy fuckin' Neutron over here with a big beefy brain, but even I know that's a shit idea." Dash looked to Lukas, but his friend was already moving. He took a hobbled step in his direction, but stopped short when he felt himself sway threateningly again. "Hey, Lukas!" he called out, but didn't expect much in reply. He didn't think he'd be able to make it down to the water just yet, his whole body weak from a whole day's worth of non-use on top of everything else. The fact that he couldn't follow Lukas into the water fucked him up right then way more than any other inconvenience brought on by the nature of his injuries. "Can someone—” he cut himself off, frustrated and embarrassed by his own limitations. He turned to the guy closest to him. Joe. “Dude, can you go make sure he doesn’t pull something fucked up on us?”

kian "I'll go." Unarmed, for once, with a snarky quip or sexual innuendo, Kian pushed himself up from the ground. If whatever happened in that jungle was enough to shake Tozer into silence, it had to have been bad - he knew what kinds of places people like him went to in their heads when things became bad. "And you," he pushed a finger into Dash's chest as he passed him, though not unkindly, "should sit. I mean it." With that, he padded off toward the shore, bare feet sinking into the damp sand with each step. He didn't speak when he reached Lukas. At least, he didn't speak yet. Instead, Kian gathered his hair into a bun on the top of his head and secured it with the loose tie on his wrist, wading into the water til it was ankle-high. "You alright, then?"

lukas " Peachy, " Lukas responded dryly and without feeling from his position huddled over in the water. He thought about standing up straight, that stretching out his back might feel good, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed, hoping the way he was leaning his weight with his hands on his legs would fuck him up some more. He splashed his face again, the cool water feeling good against the swelling of his face. " I'm a shit witness, got no clue what fuckin' happened to Blue out there. " He said, hand moving over his face to wash away some of the dirt. Forcing himself to stand still through the pain of anything touching his face as he answered a question that hadn't been asked of him but just one he was anticipating. The sooner he got through the questions, the sooner he could be left alone.

joe joe had no idea what to do or who to help, there was so much happening at once and so many people wallowing. he pushed himself up to go make sure lukas didn't end up like that meme of goofy floating in a pool but kian seemed to be in stern dad mode and have that covered."lay off callum." he told dash."some people have shitty coping mechanisms and get blinded by rage they can't help it." he shrugged, it wasn't the best defence ever but he was trying. he looked at callum's bloody knuckles."lets get them bandaged up."

kian "I didn't ask about Blue," Kian replied. Yeah, they were all worried about him and wanted to find him alive, but he'd consider the parade pretty rained on if Lukas went and drowned himself in his stead. He crossed his arms over his chest at the cool draft of wind blowing in from the tide, inching closer to where Tozer stood. His joggers were getting wet at the hems. He didn't mind it much. "What happened to your eye?"

jj Frankly he couldn’t be bothered with all the questioning and discussions over things that could not be controlled. Why did it even matter? They were all gonna die on this island anyways. Those who bite it sooner rather than later are probably lucky. Looking over at Lukas, then Dash, then worry on half the faces, eagerness to march into the jungle again on the other half and…Sebastian whose face without an expression was enough to irritate anyone with a heartbeat. Finishing his fish, he will figure the best thing to do is to sit back and rest. So he leans back, throws his hoodie over his eyes and attempts to doze off. Fuck these people.

sawyer Sawyer found himself standing at a crossroads between being the calm, optimistic voice of reason he knew he had to be and letting go of that happy little lifeline he'd been holding onto since day three, scream until his skin turned blue, kick sand into the fire and burn himself with it, too. Hell, this wasn't even about Callum. It wasn't about the split knuckles or the black eye or the rust-wrought axe. All his pent-up frustration, all his boyish anger and rage, it boiled down to one thing and one thing only: in all his efforts to be a better man, he'd only ended up exchanging one prison for another. He wasn't free. None of them were. This island, these circumstances, the only thing separating them from a couple yardbirds were some iron bars and miles of nothing in between. He stood. Paced back and forth a bit, made some tire tracks in the sand with his anxious steps. Finally, he cut through the silence with a pointed finger at Callum and Joe, hand shaking. "Where'd you leave him? The clearing? O-or was it somewhere in the trees, where's the last place you saw him?"

lukas Involuntarily a half hearted snort of a laugh escaped when Kian said he hadn't asked about Blue. Yeah, he'd been to therapy enough years to know this fucking trick, give him a break. I didn't ask about this, I asked about you. A false sense of someone caring about you so maybe you'd be more honest about the question you'd already answered later on. Because there was no way in hell he could accept that Kian actually gave a fuck about him. That anyone did. " Take a guess. " He responded sarcastically, finally looking to Kian so he could get a look at the swelling around his eye. He's not even angry, though it could easily come off that way. An irritated front was just a whole lot fucking easier than everything else whirling inside his head.

kian Ouch. Kian had seen his fair share of shiners, but Lukas’s eye was nearly swollen shut. Made him wonder what he’d said or done to make one of them sock him this hard. What he’d ever said or done, really. Kian had always found him far tamer than the likes of Dash or himself. “Callum’s said it wasn’t him, so either Joe’s balls have finally dropped or Sebastian’s manstrating again.” He couldn’t imagine Blue being angry enough to strike someone. He didn’t want to imagine it right now, either, given the circumstances. “You should come back and eat something, it’s been a day.”

lukas The worst part about getting elbowed by Sebastian was that he hadn't fucking meant to. Where was the satisfaction in that? For Lukas it was like finally scratching an annoying itch only to irritate it further, make it itchier and hard to resist digging your fingernails into. " Bingo, number three, " He replied dryly. He thought about defending Sebastian, clarifying he was pretty sure it was an accident. But what the fuck had that big oaf ever done for him? Eyes landed on Sebastian, fire light illuminating his stupid fucking face and the fact he had his axe. Nah, fuck him. He looked down again, in the dark he could barely see his shadow in the water. He imagined what his reflection would look like, rippling with the waves. " Nah, " He declined the offer, irritation faded from his voice. " I'm gonna fuckin' lose it if I have to talk about my fucking day or what we're gonna do tomorrow or whatever the fuck. " He admitted, offering a little exhausted vulnerability before he offered a lie. He liked Kian. He was better than a lot of the rest of these fuckers. " I'll eat later. "

kian “It’ll go bad soon, so...” For all of Kian’s bark and bite, he’d never actually been good at forcing people to do things they didn’t want to. Especially when said things were in their best interests. It would’ve been much easier for him to get huffy and make a cheeky remark before stomping off towards the bonfire, but he didn’t have it in him. And his day had been pretty bloody tame compared to Tozer’s. He sighed, letting his arms drop so that he could crouch down and roll his pant legs up. “You don’t have to talk to anyone,” Kian continued, “but I think it’d be good, if you went back. Dash doesn’t seem to listen to anyone but you and he’s already up and about on his bum leg.”

callum Stubborn to a fault, no one is surprised when Callum shakes his head at Joe’s proposal to bandage his wounds. He grumbled a quiet “no need”, using his other hand to cover the injury further in hopes the boys would soon forget it if no one talked about it for a while. When Sawyer stood and started to pace, Callum watched his anxious form. It reminded him of six years ago, of his father waiting impatiently for the phone to ring with updates. News, anything to stretch their hope. He blinked, reminding himself he was here, at eighteen, and not there, at twelve. “Trees,” Callum answered simply. “We were deep in. Trying to lose the boar...” He owed it to the boys to give them as much information as he could about Blue's last whereabouts but honestly, it was a mess. He'd put money on neither of them were thinking about where they were going, just that they were trying to get away.

sawyer The trees. Deep in the trees. Sawyer nodded like a madman, turning away to continue his pacing by the fire. If anyone knew trees, it was him. He used to play hide-and-seek in the forest with his brothers ‘til the sun went down, snuck out of the house to climb them and sleep beneath their canopying leaves. Sometimes, when it was just him and his own devices, trees were all he had. Snapping his fingers at his side in quick succession, he said, “We’ll go look for him at first light, then. Lord knows we got no time to waste. Some of us’ll have to stay here in case he makes his way back on his own, but I don’t wanna split us up any more than we have to.”

joe He huffed at Callum's resistance. His tolerance for people being difficult was usually high but he was emotionally exhausted and his patience was wearing thin."Are you sure?" he asked, gently."If you grazed your knuckles we're going to have to make sure they don't get infected." He was stating the obvious but he didn't know how else to thought to them. dash and liam were still healing from the injuries they got the day before. the adams couldn't afford anybody else getting seriously hurt when their supplies were running low. He was relieved when Sawyer came up with a plan instead of biting Callum's head off for not being more specific. Joe was scared there was going to be a repeat of the fight they had after warren's death."That's a good plan." He nooded."Obviously Liam and Dash are staying behind. Maybe somebody to look after them and whoever else thinks they'll be more useful staying at camp?" He spitballed.

lukas In response to the news that the food would go bad soon, Lukas simply shrugged his shoulders. Like it made a difference. Good or bad he'd probably throw it up. Good or bad he didn't have any intention of eating it in the first place. When Kian mentioned Dash, Lukas turned his head to look away from the increasingly inviting water and back to shore. Eyes landing on the injured idiot (affectionate), half tempted to walk back in just for him. His friends back home had seen him in worse states and stuck around, but there was years of friendship there. The inner saboteur told him it was time to start letting Dash down. It would happen eventually. Why not start now? He looked back to the water, reaching for it again and splashing his face with cool water. " Nah, man, that'd probably go down like a lead fucking ballon. " He said, " Not talking to anyone. Hey Jorts, the fuck happened to your face? Curly, what happened to Blue? And they just get silence back. " He shook his head at the mere image of it. They'd think there was something really fucking wrong with him then. " I just need a minute. I'll go back soon. " He pledged, though a minute and soon were probably lies. But he couldn't stay there forever, he knew that. Cold water could only numb for so long before it started to hurt and it would force a decision out of him. " You can tell Dash I said to sit the fuck down if you want. "

kian Why was talking to people so much harder when you were trying to be nice? Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? Kian ran his tongue along his teeth, cheeks hollowing with the action as his lips pulled into a neutral pout. Right. Lukas wasn't budging any time soon. Kian would probably resent him for it if he wasn't such a stubborn bastard, himself. "Knowing Dash, he's likely to just come looking for you himself. Even if that means face-planting into the ocean." He wavered awkwardly in the water. "Are you sure you're good here?"

lukas " Trip him then, " Lukas joked, but given his current mood it came out far more deadpan than he intended. " I'm kidding, don't fucking trip him. " He clarified, putting more effort into seeming fine. A chuckle, a smile for a second as he looked over at Kian. In response to his question he pressed his lips together and nodded. This old song and dance was familiar to him, even in the most unfamiliar setting he could imagine. " Yeah, I'm good. " He assured.

kian "Alright, then." Kian still felt a bit shit about just leaving him there, but he wasn't going to push him to join the rest of the group if he didn't feel like it. That'd probably just result in even more tension, and not the fun, unresolved sexual kind. "But if you drown yourself," he said, pointing at Lukas as he started to wade backwards, "I'll kill you." And with that final warning, he walked back to the shore, sand sticking to the bottoms of his wet feet and ankles as he went. Kian sidled up to Dash when he made it back to the group. "Tozer's fine. He just needs a moment, is all."

dash Dash made a face when Kian told him to sit, though the prospect was pretty tempting, and stayed on his two feet. His jaw clenched as he purposefully put more weight on his right leg, testing the waters. The results weren’t great just yet. His knees felt like jello. ”Some people have shitty coping mechanisms and get blinded by rage they can't help it. If Joe’s accent didn’t have Dash snorting, his words would’ve done the trick, though he did have to very carefully skirt around any mental acknowledgement of his own sketchy history of shitty coping mechanisms. He watched Kian walk over to Lukas with a close eye, cracking his knuckles as they exchanged words muffled by the waves and the other boys’ voices. Sawyer making a plan, Callum being a stubborn asshole. Classic. His attention was only briefly caught by the sound of his own name. “Whooaa, alright, slow your roll there,” he started. Hell if he was gonna stay on the beach again. The prospect of spending another day out there doing jack set off a pressure at the forefront of his skull, leaving him uneasy and jittery. “There’s no ‘obvious’ anything here, bud.” Sure, he was a little shaky on his feet right now, but he’d start building his strength back up right the fuck now and keep at it all night if it meant not being left behind. Or like, some kinda tolerance, at least. Stitches be damned. It was totally doable, he thought, half just trying to convince himself on the matter. His eyes snapped back to Kian and Lukas by the water. It didn’t look like a ton of progress was made, a fact which was confirmed to him when Kian came back. “A moment?” He didn’t quite believe it. “Well, how’d he sound?” They never talked about it in so many words, but shifting moods and a Xanax prescription was enough of a tip-off for Dash to slowly clue in. He tried to crack a knuckle on his right hand again, but its refusal to pop left him agitated. Dash remained focused on the back of Lukas' head. “Regular bummed or like... scary bummed?” kian "He sounded like he needed a moment," said Kian, the urge to roll his eyes present in his words even if he didn't do it with his actions. These two reminded him of his mum and dad when they got into petty fights over the electricity bill and had Kian relay messages between them. But that was more on Lukas's shoulders than it was on Dash's, considering only one of them had full capacity to walk across the shore. "I'm sure he's just tired and peeved about being socked in the eye. I would be." With the last few words, he sends a less-than-friendly once-over in Sebastian's way. "He also told me to tell you to sit the fuck down. His words, not mine. But also mine."

sebastian Sebastian could understand somebody getting upset about a missing buddy, that made sense to him but Tozer's bitchy reaction to getting a bump on the face was pathetic, plain and simple. He had no sympathy for the other boy, who, in Sebastian's opinion, had deserved to be knocked around the head for days and it was a damn shame, if you asked him, that it had happened accidentally instead of as a pointed lesson to the other male, "Which was an accident," Sebastian clarified when his eyes met Kian's briefly.

kian "Still a twat," Kian retorted. If he were in a better state of mind, he would've given him the ol' Winston Churchill, too. Instead, he wiped his still-damp hand off on his shirt and looked between the other boys. "So...who's going and who's staying, then? Some of us are in really bad shape, here."

dash “I don’t want to sit down,” Dash insisted, feeling a little like a petulant kid. “Listen, hey. If he’s supposedly fine out there, then I’m fuckin’ dandy right here.” He half-wanted to cup his hands around his mouth and loudly announce that to Lukas himself, but the vibes were a little too off for that kind of thing. Dash followed Kian’s eyes, landing on Sebastian. Really, should he have been shocked? Axe in hand, and choke-y history always on the back of Dash’s mind, he made the perfect picture of potential acts of aggravated assault. An accident—yeah, sure. He rolled his eyes. “I wanna go,” he started, then looked over at Sawyer. He seemed like the most likely ally right then, his anxious pacing spelling both desperation and all hands on deck. “Dude, I can help. I just need like, some time to walk around on my leg tonight to get used to it. I’ll be fine. Just like, a little slow... maybe. And that can’t be a problem, for sure. We can’t rush a search.”

callum Brows pushed together, Callum looked up and gave Dash a glare that carried both confusion and judgement. There was a lot that the kid said that was fucking stupid but this took the cake. "You're joking, right? This isn't a fucking game." Like Sawyer mentioned earlier time was of the essence. They couldn't be fucking around trying to carry Dash or slowed down because the dude needed a fucking breather. "No, you're not coming. Your ass is sitting right here where you won't be slowing us down."

dash Dash scoffed. "Oh, it's not a game? Well, shit. Everyone's happy little smiling fuckin' faces really confused me for a second there," he said sarcastically. "I'm not asking anyone to hold my hand here, douchebag. I can be at the rear. You're free to charge full steam ahead like the little white knight you are."

joe As the only witness to Sebastian giving Lukas a black eye he felt obligated to back Sebastian up."do yous really think Sebastian would lie about twatting Lukas?" The entire camp knew about how they felt towards each other."He elbowed him when we trying to get away from the boar." He explained, hoping that would be the last on that particular issue. He folded his arms when Dash and Callum started arguing. Could they not put their egos aside for a second? They should have been focusing on finding Blue or becoming one united front."Why don't we wait and see how Dash feels tomorrow?." He suggested in the hopes that would keep everybody satisfied.

sawyer Being the group decision maker really did not suit Sawyer. He was more of an ideas man, or at his very worst, the emotional support, there to pick up whatever baggage the other boys left in their stead and carry them over the finish line. So when Dash turned to him to make his case, Sawyer stopped pacing, a wild look in his eyes and a crease in his brow - like they'd caught him in the middle of a trance. Maybe they had. He had so much energy and nowhere to put it all but inward, inward, inward. "Hey...hey," Sawyer snapped, more to grab hold of his own focus than to reprimand the others. "Don't...Jesus, Marcher, don't talk to 'im like that." And there he was again, standing at that crossroads: to do or not to do, the sensible, responsible thing or the thing he wants to, the thing he'll naively convince himself into doing anyway if he ruminates on it for long enough. Too much. Too little. He was the ideas man, he always had been. "Joe's right, just - " His hand flopped uselessly in Dash and Callum's direction. "Let's see where you're at tomorrow mornin'. If you think you can come, then come. If you don't, then don't."

callum Were they seriously entertaining the idea that the guy who was bleeding out yesterday could be up and ready for a huge trek through the jungle by tomorrow? This is why being nice was fucking stupid. You caved to other people's desires and looked like a goddamn fool. Callum scoffed and shook his head slightly. "You know what, whatever. Do you. All I know is I'm not stopping when you inevitably pass out from taking more than two steps." He'll be everyone else's problem. Callum personally had no issue leaving behind whoever slowed down for Dash.

kian Kian looked at Joe when the others spoke, sending telepathic little British waves of what even is going on here through his gaze. He was all aboard team "throw Dash's ass in the sand and make him rest until he got better," but that didn't mean he thought they needed to be a dickhead about it. "What's he done to you?" He asked Callum, motioning to Dash. "Seriously, like. He just wants to help out, we're all fucking worried about Blue."

dash Dash nodded along with Kian's words, easily ignoring Joe's whole 'everybody calm down' vibe he was putting out. "Yeah, dude, the fuck? You've had it out for me since day one. How about you focus less on how much I piss you off for literally no goddamn reason and more on not losing one of us next time, huh?" Five minutes ago he was defending the guys who went off into the jungle, Callum included, about losing track of Blue. But he was sick of getting shit for being hurt, or for being himself. The more Callum vehemently shut down the idea, the more he wanted to go with them tomorrow. Sardonically, he continued: "Wow, thanks soooo much. I'm not gonna pass out, man, but even if I did, you're not exactly my number one choice to play nurse, so yunno. Don't fuckin' sweat it."

callum Callum was thisclose to snapping and chucking the log he was sitting on right onto the fire. "Because it's not about him is it?!" He asked Kian in a raised voice instead. Then he turned to Dash. "It's not about you." Plain and simple. Then he shifted his attention back to Kian. "It's not about what he wants to do. It's about Blue!" Memories from years ago were resurfacing, swirling to the forefront of his mind. "Blue needs the help! Blue needs us to find him as quick as we can. He's out there-" Callum pointed to the jungle. "-all alone, who knows where, who knows how injured, maybe he's bleeding out, we don't know!" Wetness started to prick at his eyes. "So excuse me for wanting to make sure the guy isn't alone for that long. That I want to do things fast and make sure we give him every chance of seeing tomorrow and the day after that..." He slowed, wet his lips, knowing if he didn't that he was in danger of letting those tears fall. "Because," he scoffed, gesturing to Dash, "someone useless wants to help, right?" He shook his head, eyes falling to then to fish grilling away on the fire."Fuck this, I'm not even hungry." Callum rose from his place and started down the shoreline. He couldn't be around the boys tonight.

joe Joe shot Kian a I don't fucking know what's going on either look in response. If anything Kian should have been more aware of Dash and Callum's dick measuring contest because he was closer to Dash than Joe was. Joe sighed in response to Dash's Dude what the fuck? he tried protecting Lukas and he tried to throw Dash a bone with the noncommittal we'll have to wait and see and this was how the pink haired bastard thanked him, picking fights and being a wanker for no reason?"What did I say about not blaming Callum for Blue going missing? Blue isn't some lost fucking puppy we had to keep an eye on. He's his own person and this isn't Callum's fault. Look at what you did!" He rested one hand on his hip in a disgruntled dad fashion and made small chopping motions in the air with the other.

dash Dash was ready to go, poised to redirect all the gunky, shitty anxiety he felt for Blue, for Lukas, for literally all of their sorry asses into continuing to berate Callum. To give him all the shit he was always so ready to give Dash for breathing in his vicinity. But the mood turned quickly. Callum's anger took on a jagged, unfamiliar edge. Dash blinked. Jesus, was he going to cry? Although 'useless' bonked him over the head like a goddamn anvil, Dash was pretty fucking pissed that he almost felt bad. Losing Blue sucked. Losing any of these clowns would suck, really, and he had this magical human emotion called empathy that Callum did, in fact, seem to alarmingly be without most days of the week. He stood silent, for maybe the first time since they'd gotten there. Joe's words twinged something in his gut uncomfortably and he shrugged. The dude's tone was eerily similar to his dad's. Clearing his throat, he lifted his hand and directed a wordless middle finger at Callum's retreating back. But even that was pretty half-assed. He dropped it after a second. "Well," he said after a second. "Whatever. Fuck that guy."

kian Kian didn't think he'd ever gone from angry to confused to concerned faster than he did in that thirty seconds of ranting, give or take. Mostly, he was just lost. He didn't think Callum cared about anyone that much, but especially not Blue. Was it, like, their Canadian connection? It couldn't have been, because JJ was also Canadian and the both of them avoided each other like the plague. It must have been the hockey thing. Fucking ferda, he thought, shaking his head retroactively at his own life choices. "Piss off, you Virgin Mary," Kian sighed, watching Callum stalk away like the heroine of a coming-of-age film. "I know you want to suck his dick so bad it makes the angels cry, but Callum well started that fight and you know it."

joe He stopped listening after Kian said that he knew he wanted to suck Callum's dick. The sound of Kian's voice became distorted the same way sound gets distorted when you're under water. Was it that fucking obvious? Maybe that's why he hadn't really been able to bond with Callum or most of the other Adams. Maybe everybody knew."I don't...I'm not." He didn't know what to say or how to recover from that."You're just being a cunt." He retorted before sprinting off in the opposite direction from where Callum and Lukas were wallowing. He didn't know where he was running to he just didn't want to hear what Dash said next

kian "Your mum's a cunt, you bumder!" Kian yelled after him, but his anger was more spur of the moment than that of the rest. He was mainly just peeved that everyone was just starting to fuck off one-by-one, like it wasn't dark out and they didn't get attacked by a wild boar again. Wasn't that how Blue got lost in the first place?

dash Dash paused again as he watched Wallace of Wallace and Gromit fame book it down the beach in the opposite direction of Callum. He thought suddenly of a dumpster full of rats scattering. "Ooookay, that happened." This night kept getting worse. He took a couple unsteady steps then finally gave in to the desire to sit down again, this time closer to the fire. Sawyer still stood across the flames looking haggard and worn thin. He appreciated the way the guy stood up for him there. Between the stitches and that, Dash owed him. "Are you gonna be okay? You're not gonna like, fuckin' book it into the night too, are you?"

sawyer Something about Callum's speech struck the wrong chord in him, and instead of jumping headfirst into the cacophony of shouting and insult-trading to duel out soothing promises of compromise like he usually would, he found himself shakily reaching back for a log to lower himself back down onto. This is all wrong, the Sawyer in his head reminded him. It's wrong. It's all wrong. Tonight was supposed to be a good night. Tonight, you were supposed to be free. It wasn't unlike a bad comedown, the high he'd gotten from catching those fish and getting to play the good man coming crashing down on top of his head like a pile of splintered wood. His hands passed up over his face and back through his straw-dry hair, resting there for a second as he pressed his forehead into his wrists. "...Yeah." Sawyer gave a hard sniff and lowered his hands, blinking the soot out of his eyes. "M'sorry I didn't do more, or that...I don't fuckin' know. All of this is just - " He laughed humorlessly and made an aborted motion near his head. "It really fuckin' sucks."

dash Dash shrugged as he picked up a small twig near his hip and immediately snapped it between his two hands. He didn't have Sawyer's penchant for mediation nor the accompanying guilt that's gotta come with like, not doing it successfully or something. But a major bummer was a major bummer, and he understood that well enough. "Not much you could do, man," he said, looking up from where he picked at the fraying bits at the end of the stick. His dad made him join the Boy Scouts for a whopping two weeks when he was a kid. The most vivid memories he had were throwing marshmallows into the fire and peeling bark off of little twigs while the leader pointed out different kinds of birds and shit. Didn't seem like any kind of knowledge he'd be able to use here, but maybe shit like tracking down a wayward comrade cropped up in week three. "Everyone seems pretty dedicated to wigging out right now." He looked over his shoulder at Lukas, relieved at least that Lukas' head hadn't gone under at some point during his argument. "Sometimes you just gotta ride that rollercoaster, I guess. Meet them at the end of the ride." He turned back toward Sawyer and offered a weak smile. "Don't sweat it. Let's just, like. Focus on the Blue Plan. I was serious about marking the trees with something. Guaran-friggin'-teed another on of us gets lost if we don't."

sawyer Focus on Blue. Right. A jolt of guilt went all through him, then, for centering his feelings around how he wanted the night to pan out and how he wished he were feeling when Blue was out there lost in the jungle, alone. Maybe unconscious. Maybe even...Sawyer took a deep, unsteady breath, balancing his hand on his thigh. "Fuck...yeah. We could, uh, gather soot from the fire, make a paste with the Vaseline." It was the only idea he could spare right now - if they were lucky, there were other pigments in the makeup bag that'd washed ashore they could use for markers. He closed his eyes and mustered up something resembling a smile in return, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "Was thinkin' that maybe someone'd have a mirror with their things, we could...make some kinda light signal in case we get split up again. I dunno."

dash Dash nodded along, feeling some relief at the sight of Sawyer's tired half-smile. It wasn't much, but it was definitely better than before. Admittedly he had literally no idea what they could use as a marker so he was glad the guy was quick on his feet on that count. And most counts, really. "Chill, yeah. Can totally do that," he confirmed and tossed one of the twig halves into the flames in front of him. "I don't have a mirror in my stuff, but I know that bag of makeup came with like, a small one. It was attached to some blush or eye shadow or something. Could be more than one, actually." Little mirrors came attached to literally everything made for girls. "So we staying as a unit then? No like, sweeping ground searches?"

sawyer Thank god for makeup bags, Sawyer thought, already making a mental map in his mind of the different ways they could divide the compact mirrors between them. Whether or not Dash had actually planned to distract him with strategy, it worked. He was a lot better at coming up with solutions than he was at doling out instructions, telling who to stay behind and who to come along on the search party. And as though Dash had read his frazzled mind, he voiced Sawyer's thoughts aloud: would they stick together? Could they stick together? Hell...they couldn't even move as a unit to eat some fish, and they were starving in the literal sense of the word. The optics weren't looking too hot. "I really want us to. I - " He huffed. "There's strength in numbers, I think. And I think it's real good of you to wanna come along, even when you're hurtin'. Marcher'll...I dunno. He'll come around when he's done burnin' off steam." Sawyer nodded to himself, convinced. "He's just beatin' himself up right now and takin' it out on you, is all. Not that it makes what he said okay, but..." Ah, damn. There he went again. "It'll be alright, is what I'm sayin'. We'll be solid come mornin'."

dash Just taking it out on you. Dash kind of wanted to laugh at that. Guess that confirmed that he was chosen as designated punching bag ever since that first foray into the jungle to find stuff for a fire. It felt like he was always going to be the guy that Callum took it out on, and there were literally no benefits to that. "Whatever, don't worry about explaining his shit to me. I don't even care, man," he said, the words both clunky and untrue. Dash glanced sideways in the direction that Callum stomped off to. "If it's not this, it's always something else. He can do his little pouty routine all he wants, but I still do wanna go." His leg ached as he adjusted it as if to say you sure about that, bro? but he very dutifully ignored it. "Solid come morning," he repeated with a wry twist to his mouth. "God fuckin' willing, huh? Guess we're leaving at first light." Dash began to peel the bark from the twig in hand. "'Least we've got this feast in the meantime." A piece of bark came off in one long spindly peel and Dash absently wrapped it around his finger. He was keen to momentarily focus on something good about that day, anything to distract himself from the knot burning a hole in his stomach. Blue's smiling, hapless face was imprinted to the back of his eyelids. With three people storming off, the energy around the campfire was now totally spent. He glanced up from his hands. "Thanks again for that."

sawyer Sawyer could only blink in response. Thanks for...? Oh, right. The fish. He let out a chuckle - the kind of noise you made when you had nothing else in you to give. It'd only been a few hours, and yet it felt like eons ago when he and JJ were hauling fish in from the shore, snotty tears of joy and relief and hope running down Sawyer's face and into his mouth. And he didn't care. In that moment, he was on top of the world, and nothing could knock him down. He wanted to share that victory with everyone else when they returned, feast on smoked fish around the fire as they traded stories and laughter. They couldn't do that none now. Not without Blue. "Nah, it's nothin'. These are guppies compared to some of the freshwater fish I've seen back home. Still - it's not so bad." Sawyer reached for one of the slices right off their little handmade grill, hissing at the sting in his fingertips as he passed it from one hand to the next. He held it out to Dash by the skin. "You wanna try it?"

dash "Well, if it weren't for you guys, we'd be depressed as shit and starving, so. Better the one than two." His stomach growled when Sawyer extended the piece of fish, like it had forgotten until now the way it gnawed on itself as soon as Blue's disappearance was announced. He only hesitated a moment before he took the offer. Breaking off a small piece, he popped it into his mouth. He opened his lips a little when it hit his tongue, blowing out and puffing up his cheeks in response to the heat, but then hurriedly chewed and swallowed. His eyes closed a moment. Finally. "Thank Jesus." He held up a hand, pinching his thumb and forefinger close together. "Little better than the bananas," he said, then pulled off another piece to eat. Even unseasoned as all white hell, it managed to become his new favorite meal. "God, way fuckin' better than the bananas."

sawyer Dash’s unadulterated enthusiasm for the unseasoned fish was starting to rub off on Sawyer, if only momentarily. He smiled - a real, genuine smile, however faintly it appeared on his worn and weary features - and picked up a stick to poke at the grill with, moving some of the slices that’d been thoroughly smoked off to the sides. It was weird, he thought, to see so many pieces gone untouched on an island that was slowly starving then all. “Well, it ain’t no cedar plank salmon, but country boys make do.” Whether they wanted to or not. He spared another glance at Dash. “There’s more, if you want it. I made plenty enough for everyone, but...y’know. Dinner plans changed.”

#wilds.thread #wilds.toa

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wildshub · 3 years

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As there is a time skip for the boys from Day 3 to Day 10, here is a general outline of the events that occurred during those missing days to help guide your headcanons.

DAY 4:

A plane axe washes up on the island. Lukas finds it. The boys have a shelter building competition now that they can cut things. Liam is chosen to act as the impartial judge for both teams as he cannot do much with his injured ankle.

DAY 5:

Like the girls, the boys are rocked by an unexpected rainstorm. Luckily for the boys, they can ride out the rain in their newly built shelter. As they wait for the storm to pass, they play a game of:

DAY 6:

The boys go in the jungle to find food because inventory is very low. They get really close to coming across Oona but thankfully, the fallen tree keeps them separated. Deterred by the fallen tree, the boys wander off in another direction and come across a small crowd of bananas trees. They carry back a few bundles in good spirits as this discovery will keep them sustained for a good while.

DAY 7:

Searching the shoreline for potential finds, the boys come across a bright pink suitcase. Upon opening it, they discover a myriad of pushup bras and rhinestone crop tops amongst other things. A strange find but they’ll take it. A children’s explorer kit containing shitty kid binoculars, a tiny compass, and a small magnifying glass also washes up on the shore. The boys cheer as they can now use the magnifying glass to start fires, eliminating the stress of them having to take shifts to stay up and keep the fire going while the rest sleep.

DAY 8:

The tide becomes incredibly high while they boys are asleep and takes them by surprise, washing away their food supply. Come morning light, the boys discover it has also washed away Warren’s grave and body. Stressed by continued mishaps, a fight breaks out amongst the boys as tensions boil over. Pushed into the sand, one of the boys spot a bag of Cheetos that have washed up on the island. This distracts the boys enough to quell their argument. After sharing the bag of junk food, the boys come to the realization that they have to work together if they want to survive. In need of more food, they go into the jungle and manage to find some berries but it’s not enough to sustain them.

DAY 9:

The boys are incredibly hungry and go on a hunt for more food. In the jungle, they come across an anaconda. It is slithering on a tree behind Callum. Sawyer spots it and pushes him out of the way. One of the boys mentions it would be enough food to keep them alive for a while. By a stroke of luck and teamwork, the boys work as a unit and manage decapitate the animal using Lukas’ axe. They celebrate with a bonfire and barbecued meat.

NOTE: You’re more than welcome to do closed flashback threads of any of these days on the dash if you’d like. I, for one, would love the content. 🤲😌

Other than this, feel free to drop your headcanons or discuss them with the other members in the #toa-headcanons channel under the IN-CHARACTER category on Discord.

If you’re in the writing mood, you could also do self-paras. It’s all up to you.😘

#wilds.toa #posting this as early as now so y'all can headcanon with each other before i do the day 10 plot drop xoxo #snake tw

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wildshub · 3 years

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It’s getting dark. Why aren’t they back yet?

Giving the ocean a chance seemed to pay off. JJ and Sawyer returned to shore victorious, with plenty of fish for the boys to gorge on. They busied themselves with preparing for the jungle group’s return, knowing surely they’d be hungry after searching for the lost axe all day. With fish grilling away over their crackling fire, the boys gathered around it, eating and chatting as the sun began to set behind them. Though as the sky grew darker and the other boys had yet to return, it grew worrying. Had they gotten lost? Had something... happened to them?

In the jungle...

Like their last trip to the jungle, it was a whole lot of quiet and then a whole lot of chaos in the blink of an eye. One moment they’re scouring the ground for the lost axe, and the next they’re chasing the very same boar that attacked two of their own through the thick of it with reckless abandon. Spears were thrown, one of which actually lands judging from the sound of a strangled squeal that follows. The boys think they’ve succeeded at taking down their enemy, approaching the bush the boar disappeared into, but soon enough they find they’re dead wrong.

The boar emerges from the bush invigorated, filled with rage and eager to charge at those that attacked it. The boys bolt into the opposite direction, splitting up in their desperation to survive. Sebastian and Joe manage to get away, as does Lukas but not without suffering the pain of Sebastian’s elbow ramming into his face in the process. Blue and Callum are left at the mercy of the boar. They push and push but outrunning the enraged animal seems unlikely. In an effort to escape its wrath, they agree to split ways, taking the risk 50-50.

To Callum’s relief, the boar does not turn in his direction. But once he slows to a stop and manages to catch his breath, he realizes what that means. Filled with dread, he races down the direction he came from, calling after Blue and hoping the other boy is okay. It isn’t long before a splatter of red catches his eye. Shit. He nears the leaf the blood is smeared across. He just hoped it wasn’t Blue’s.

After successfully making a break for it, Sebastian, Joe and Lukas fall to the ground for rest, panting and spent. Being separated was never part of the plan but they were hopeful that once they had a moment to gather their bearings, they could reunite with Callum and Blue by retracing their steps. In an absolute stroke of luck while bending down to redo his laces, Joe spots something rusty and familiar tucked between the thick roots of a tree. The axe! The moment he shares the discovery with the group, Sebastian grabs it out of his hand before Lukas could even think to do so. He claims indefinite ownership over the tool as Lukas has shown he couldn’t be responsible for something so valuable.

“Blue! Blue!!!!” It’s his calls for the other Canadian that lead Joe, Sebastian and Lukas to Callum. After Callum explains the situation, they join efforts and look for Blue for as long as possible but the dimming sky above them told them that they had to start on their return to camp unless they wanted to be trapped in the jungle with no light to guide their way. Ridden with guilt, Callum strikes a tree in a rage before ultimately deserting the search for Blue for the day so that they could return to camp.

The boys make it back to the rest of the group sweat-drenched, dirty and defeated just before the sun disappeared entirely. The inviting fire and sight of proper food waiting for them did little to lift their spirits. “We lost Blue,” they revealed. “He’s still out there...”

HOW WILL THIS WORK?

For a more fast-paced and real-time experience, we will be using Discord again! Under the IN-CHARACTER category, you’ll find a new channel entitled #toa-day11 where you can post in character.

To post in character, you’ll first have to register your character through Tupper. You can find a tutorial for that HERE and you can register your character and test out Tupper in the #bots channel under the IGNORE-THIS category.

#wilds.toa #this got so long #if u made it to the end thank u luv u

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wildshub · 3 years

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WHO: (Some of) The Adams and Clarke WHAT: JJ finds the boys with his robot powers. After the Eves arrive and leave to show Sebastian and Sawyer the waterfall, Clarke hangs back at the boys’ cave and bonds with the injured Adams and her brother. She tells them about the black box they discovered but can’t procure. Callum lets her borrow their axe to procure it. JJ has had enough with being treated with such distrust and leaves after offending Clarke. WHEN: Day 14, morning NOTE: For future reference.

callum Callum hated being on ‘bed rest’ but it wasn’t like he could do much besides lay on the floor of the cave and try to sleep. Something that felt impossible now that his stomach decided to throw a fit and growl every 5 minutes, stirring him awake right when his body would surrender to the exhaustion it felt. He needed food. Something, anything to keep that beast in his belly at bay. “Is anyone awake right now?” He spoke out, hoping to God that whoever was awake was someone he could stand. His patience was thinner than usual given his injury and the lack of food over the past 24 hours.

blue "hey," blue's voice was low and sleepy but he had taken clarke's advice to stay awake even with his head pounding, though she never said when he could sleep. "yeah man, what do you need?" he made his was closer to callum, making sure not to look at his leg. blue looked to the group, checking their status in between glances to callum.

callum Oh good. It was Blue. Callum felt as though his recovery would take a steep decline if he had heard Dash's voice so early in the morning. "Yo, man, do we have any more bananas? My stomach's killing me. I gotta eat something." That and he also needed a piss but getting up would be unbearable without someone's help and maneuvering around the sleeping boys would surely make the trip outside even more difficult.

jj He figured something must have happened to them. They weren't a very useful bunch, but they never failed to return by the end of the day. With growing concern, he left the camp at ease, setting up traps around the parameter to ensure no wild animal ran through their shit. He also left the fire burning, the nets in the sea, and pushed whatever he had collected of the fruit and veg the day prior in hopes boys would return. He also loaded his backpack with water. If they were truly lost, dehydration was their worst enemy. It took him a while to track them down. Had it not been for Joe taking one of his secretive pees, he'd probably go right past them. Still, he was willing to write it off to luck. Even if he did know in which direction he was going. As they head to the cave, he'll enter the place examining every face with utmost concern. Callum, in particular. "I brought food an' water..." there was no need for hellos. "How's your leg?"

blue "j, for the win!" the quiet sleepy tone gone with the rush of seeing a new familiar face after so many hours of uncertainty. "sorry, that was loud. here, cal, lets get you up and eating." he uncharacteristically hoped the we didnt include him, his volume bringing a ringing in his ears. "is anyone still at camp?"

callum Was Callum dreaming right now or was that JJ? "Einstein..?" He rubbed at his eyes, attempting to sit up best he could so he could get a better look at the figure in the cave. Holy fuck, that was JJ. "Dude, what the hell are you doing here? How'd you even find us?"

dash When Dash first heard the whispered voices of the first two awake, threw his arm over his eyes to fight for a couple minutes more sleep. Callum looking for food—classic—and Blue offering help in his boyish, golden retriever way. Also classic. Dash preferred to sleep away his hunger; it usually did the trick. But then a new voice entered the cave and his brow furrowed. JJ. Okay, so he wasn’t going to get those extra few minutes then. He dropped his arm down onto his stomach but kept his eyes closed as he spoke up: “Doc, you missed a real shit show.”

jj He looks over at Blue, shaking his head at the question. "No, the camp is empty but I'd left traps around and the fire going so it should be fine until we get back." he gets deeper into the cave and sits down next to Callum, reaching for the smaller water bottle with a blue lid, ensuring the other doesn't drink too much too sudden. "Joe explained what happened, roughly...anyone feel like elaborating? Dash?" he'll direct a question, but look around for anyone to jump in if they feel like it. --- He passes the bottle to Callum and focuses on his leg, answering the question in the process. "Got worried when you didn't show up so...I walked in the direction you set off and got lucky." it was more of a calculated decision than a guess, but he didn't have time to go into details. "Can I see the leg?"

blue blue didn't have any reason to think jj was wrong, so he didnt, assuming liam mightjust be behind someone staying quiet. "you mean the leg cal hurt?"

dash Dash blinked his eyes open when JJ prompted him, his vision a little blurry. He was surprised to be handed the figurative torch in explaining the last couple days. Dash squinted at the sudden light coming through the mouth of the cave, and titled his head just enough to look over at JJ. "Callum ate shit," he started, then cleared his throat. "Yunno. Respectfully speaking, he ate major shit. That storm was one helluva bitch." He shook his head. "But, ah—dunno if ol' Joe gave you the rundown on what happened the next day, but..." he huffed a sudden laugh, his temples throbbing. He was probably dehydrated. Again. "There are twenty-ish other people on this fuckin' island. They've been here the entire time, dude. Just on the other side." He sat up enough to lean back on one elbow, watching as JJ passed the bottle to Callum. "They were headed to like, a resort thing too." He paused. "What's your robot brain say about the chances of some freaky shit like that happening? The probability or whatever. It can't be a coincidence, right?"

blue "yeah, girls and get this! one looks like exactly like kian." he did recall that they were twins, even if he didnt phrase it well. "here, you and liam sit, you must be tired from getting here." he shifted to offer more room.

joe Joe bounced on the balls of his feet. In the chaos of telling JJ about Callum's injured leg, his worry that Blue had a concussion, the other plane crash under suspiciously similar circumstances and how most of The eves were scared or hostile but some were cool and friendly ,especially Lex, he forgot to ask about Liam. He felt a rush of guilt. "Wait, where the fuck is Liam? Did you leave him with the Saw traps?"

jj "Yes, the leg Cal hurt." he'll look over at Blue, eyes narrowed with concern. "Blue man, you good?" there was too much to deal with, and as Dash went on about the hurricane shitstorm, he figured there would be more left to deal with still. "Right, other people..." how the fuck was he supposed to calculate those odds. "The only possible explanation is both planes having the exact same series of technical issues. Wouldn't explain the identical shift off course unless the pilots were in direct communication which...it's sometimes allowed with small cluster planes. Overall I'd say the exact odds of all this bullshit are fucking zero." obviously zero was an easy scapegoat, but he'd have to sit down and consider all the possible factors to actually measure the exact probability and they had more pressing things at hand. One of those things being Liam. "The fuck do you mean where's Liam? Is he not with you?" fuck. The amount of imbecility and lack of organization was starting to give him a headache. Then his eyes fell on the wound on Callums leg and he forgot about everything almost instantly. "Ah..." fuck, fucking shitshow. "I need to see your feet."

blue blue just nodded along when jj had checked on him, immediately regretting it through the ache of his head. it hadnt been that long since he had seen rhe other but with everything that happened since it felt like ages ago. "no.."he shook his head, forgetting from a second ago and sending the pain back. "I didnt see liam with the guys when cal got hurt...did I?"he looked to the guys, feeling so guilty for fighting sleep when he should've been looking for his friend, as his friends had looked for him. he blinked away a tear, hoping someone else could fix this, jj can fix cal, we can fix liam, we're good. "can I get some of that food or water please?"

callum It wasn't food but it was something to drink and for that, Callum was thankful. He untwisted the cap and started to knock its contents back. Though he nearly spat it out once he learned that JJ basically left Liam back at camp all alone. He pushed down a gulp of water before speaking. "What the fuck?" He said, a bit outraged. "You left Liam alone?" When he snapped, the way he shifted sent a shot of pain up his leg and Callum groaned. "Ah fuck, here, here, have a look–" He gestured impatiently to his leg. He figured that JJ giving his leg a look was his best chance of keeping it. And you know, not having to go through with that cauterization. "Liam didn't come with us, Blue," he told the other Canadian. "He was back at camp. With this one." Callum shot JJ a dirty look before sighing. "Yo, we can't leave Liam there all alone, man. We have to head back. Besides, it's not like these girls seem to want us around anyway."

dash Well, that woke Dash the hell up. He sat up all the way and, as evenly as he could manage, he echoed Callum as he answered Blue: "Yeah, dude, Liam was definitely not with us. You see him around right now?" He winced as he shifted. "That reminds me. Sidebar: has anyone given Blue some kinda concussion test yet?" Seemed like something Dash might've missed in the midst of all the insanity that was yesterday. "Like Blue, you remember how you cracked your dome at all?" Dash was even more exhausted and sore than he was yesterday, which probably wasn't the ideal trajectory for his own healing process. Half of him said another day sitting around in this cave was in order, while the other fought back a quickening heartbeat as where the fuck is Liam? played on a loop. "Kinda fucked, guys, but I agree with Callum. Some of them were definitely chill," he started, and Dash was definitely on Team Touch Base at some point very very soon, but—"but Liam's for sure priority numero uno. We've gotta break this habit of losing people."

blue blue's brows furrowed, how do you test a concussion. "no. I mean, cal and i were running and then I was on the ground?" he hated how much of it sounded like he was guessing, especially with his eyes still watering. "im fine, kian's sister just told me not to sleep so I haven't." part of him was so frustrated that the buddy system had failed them, and it was all his fault they were split anyway. "we need those girls, we need their help. but they're scared of us, " he scratched at his itchy beard. "we need liam. he wouldnt leave the camp on his own...would he?" but part of blue knew he only knew this boy for 2 weeks, and none of them seemed predictable to him.

dash Dash actually didn't know much about concussion tests. Was it normal for Blue to only remember the before and after of the incident? Dash grimaced to himself, a tiny, upward tilting voice going maaaybe? in his head. "Uhhh. Yo, you didn't sleep at all?" That didn't sound like a great idea in terms of whether or not Blue would be able to be legit comprehensible for much of the day. Yesterday was a bit of hit or a miss for the guy. Dash shook his head. "No, wait. Back up. Like, when's your birthday?" He considered his own question then made a clicking noise out the corner of his mouth. "Fuck. Scratch that, 'cause I've got no way of knowing if you got it right. Um. When's like... Canada Day?" They had at least one other Canadian who would be able to verify the information, so. Dash tilted his head back, choosing the sight of the cave's ceiling over JJ about to poke at Callum's wound. Yeah, they needed those girls—or, well, they weren't all girls, he reminded himself. But with the injury at hand, the way Blue's brains were leaking out his ears, and Liam on the lam, Dash was overwhelmed. "Shit, I don't know," he said. "He's not dumb. He wouldn't like, wander off just because." Dash directed his next question to JJ: "When'd you last see him, dude?" blue "october 8. i mean thats my birthday, canada day is july 1. " he looked around, a little more carefully to see if his friends thought he was dumb, or broken. "it was probably just the chaos of it all." he leaned his back against the cave wall, making sure to hide the small dried up wound that served as a reminder for him. "im good, really. just tired, does liam know about your traps?" he threw his question to jj, an increasing anxiety building in blue.

sawyer For the first few quiet, blissful moments that Sawyer spent awake on the cave floor, he imagined that everything they'd been through over the past twenty-four hours was all some crazy trauma dream, and he was back at camp with the rest of the crew, woken up by his body for a midnight piss. But that's all it were: his imagination. Reality was even colder, hungrier, and had one bitch of a withdrawal headache. "Mornin'," he rasped, pushing himself up onto his elbow with some effort. He rubbed his eye and gave JJ a sleep-confused smile. "That you, J? What's goin' on?" jj For one, he could not for the life of him figure out why everyone thought Liam would be with him. JJ was pretty certain the boy had followed along with the rest of them. He’d not seen him since. And his memory was impeccable. Two, he was increasingly more concerned about Blues apparent concussion. And three, that leg did not look good, not at all. “Last I saw Liam was the same time I saw the rest of you. How sure are you he didn’t get lost on the way?” open question, again. He then pushes his backpack toward Dash. “I brought some food and water, pass it around…” he smiles over at Sawyer. “Morning dude, how you doing?” And then proceeds to answer Blues question. “Like I said, he wasn’t around. But the traps aren’t deadly so if he does get caught in one he’ll be alright.” his eyes fall back on Callum. “Whichever one of you did this…” pointing at the leg. “Well done, probably saved his leg…”

callum "Pretty fucking sure," Callum said, irritated that the boys were separated from a single member of the group yet again. For someone so smart, JJ sure missed the mark sometimes. "We left him at camp because of his boar injuries," he revealed with a sigh. "Goddammmit, now we really have to go back. Dude's a wimp, he's gonna think we abandoned him or some shit." Callum shook his head, pissed as hell that he's barely been awake 20 minutes and he was already annoyed. For all the good JJ brought with his presence, he gave them a whole other set of problems too. "It wasn't one of us," he revealed when JJ complimented the job on the leg. "It was the girls. Or two of them anyway. The one with dark hair and Docs and the other one with the hoodie. They have a First Aid Kit. They even gave us some stuff too in case it got worse throughout the night." Callum gestured loosely to the gauze and whatever else was handed to them beside him.

blue "hey soy dog," he greeted with a little less of a chipper tone but still glad to see him. he took some of the food offered, hoping that it would give him some strength to find liam, or help callum, whichever if any he was capable of. "liam is a lot tougher than we give him cred for, but he is in danger alone." he hated how things were playing out, and with a little less clarity and a lot less sleep blue was feeling pretty cranky. his eyes went to the cave opening. "the other group said they'd come back for us, right?”

jj “Anyone want to go and look for Liam?” He sure as fuck wasn’t about to. Once he cleaned the wounds for the boys he was gonna take a breath, not go on another search because Liam couldn’t stick to a simple system. “Right, well, they did alright…” he affirms, glad the girls didn’t seem half so useless. Through it did trouble him that there were other people around. Could they have had something to do with Liams disappearance? “Coming back for you? What for?” He grabbed the equipment they left and got to work cleaning out the wound. “Does it hurt?” Hurt would be good, would indicate no nerve death. “Your toes look alright…”

callum Callum was quick to shut down that idea. "Fuck no. No way we're separating again. How many times do we have to go through this before we fucking learn?" Recollection of their failures irritated him beyond belief. So early in the morning too. He hated it. "Either we all go back to look for Liam or no one goes." He would not be able to deal with another separation where someone goes missing or an insane injury takes place again. "I don't know," Callum answered Blue. "I don't think they did." Then again he wasn't the best person to answer this question since he was pretty out of it and in pain for almost the entire duration of them meeting the girls. Callum hissed, jerking away some when JJ started poking around his injury. "A bit," he said, even if the way he winced clearly indicated it hurt more than just a bit. You couldn't pay Callum to drop his tough guy act if you tried. "Is looking at the toes necessary?" He asked, wishing he could move his foot away from the boy. He wondered if it was actually medically appropriate and not just a weird fetish JJ had. "It's below the knee that's fucked. I don't think my toes need any attention."

blue "you should have stayed with liam. what were you doing all by yourself these days, man?" it was a mix of tired crankiness, frustration and fear. blue wasnt normally one to blame, especially since she was always dishing out to him. but he trusted jj, he loved liam, and he was watching most of his friends break down while he was so powerless. "I agree with cal. we need to stay together." he sighed, rubbing his head to try to reduce the ringing. "I think they'll come back, they were nice, kian needs his sister, they have things we need." had he said that already? "we need help. they're scared, im scared, we just need to watch the whole tough guy shit.." he didnt even realize he slipped that he was scared, but he was afraid of the other group too, would they all just treat him like she did, was he sending his boys to doom? he looked over at cal. "maybe its like a blood flow thing, my nana used to get like...blue feet and hands when she was cold..."

lukas Okay, no offence to JJ but Lukas really didn’t wanna hear him answer Blue’s question. The dude probably spent the time on his own contacting the mothership about all he’d learned about the human race. He was more concerned this whole discussion about Liam. They couldn’t all go get him, it would literally take them a week with the state Callum’s leg was in. “ Respectfully, that’s just not fuckin’ realistic, dude, ” He said, speaking up as he stretched his arms above his head. Genuinely trying to be sensitive about it but he was never much good at that shit. “ Like, for real, I get what you’re saying. I hear you loud and clear, but you can’t fucking move. And you shouldn’t fucking move. “ He speaks directly to Callum seeing as he was the one most passionate about staying together no matter what. “ How about this, me and whoever wants to come can go back and look for Liam, and we’ll hold hands the whole time so we don’t get separated? “ The last part is a joke, offered with stupid grin and the intention of dispelling some of the tension though it might have the exact opposite reaction. “We can grab whatever’s left at camp and come right back here, shouldn’t even take a day. “ ‘Cause this cave already seemed better shelter than where they’d been sleeping the last two weeks. jj “what he said” he’ll point at Lukas and then focus back on Callum who seemed to be confused about the need for a toe check. “If your toes turn blue your legs got to go man, that’s just…science.” Circulatory science. “They nice and pink though, but your leg is pretty warm which is a good sign of infection. Did you drink the water? Make sure to keep hydrated…” not that water alone would fix much. “Imma stay here, watch the leg…pass me the notepad I’ll draw you a trap map so you don’t break your neck…”

blue he leaned back, eyes still so heavy that he figured it was best to leave the topic alone, at least until he was himself again. "so we need people to stay, people to find liam, and people to find the other group in case they dont come back to help, yeah?"

— TIMESKIP TO WHEN THE EVES ARRIVE TO THE BOYS’ CAVE —

clarke giving the eves one last supportive look and nodding at zoya, she settled into the cave with the five boys. she didn't mind being the only eve, she had her brother and that was as much as she cared about. "yous found shrooms here?" she asked, dumbfounded that not only were there shrooms some where on the island, but the boys were able to find them and actually took them. "please, do share," she said with an eager smile to her brother.

dash "Yo. I found shrooms here," Dash was quick to explain, conveniently leaving out the fact that he only spotted them because he blew chunks nearby. He gestured toward the boys around him, and then to JJ in particular—who he was sure saw the most action in his entire life thanks to that particular discovery. "And you're fuckin' welcome for it."

jj He didn't understand why this was the topic they decided to go with, but he shrugged it away his cheeks flushed at the memory. He would not be going through that experience again, that was certain. "Come on..."

kian "Ah, right," Kian waved his hand dismissively at Dash. He wasn't even in his right mind when he found the shrooms, let alone after he took them. "Yeah, JJ and I had a proper snog and he got a stiff one from it," he told Clarke like he was talking about the weather.

clarke looking from pink boy as he explained that he found the shrooms, to then the new boy who seemed to be blushing at whatever memory they shared, her attention when back to her brother. the fact that that was what happened was absolutely no surprise to her. "of course you did." she was used to her brother and his sluty ways. "i'm guessing the one blushing is jj?" she asked in a teasing tone, point to the boy.

jj He bit the insides of his cheeks, very much embarrassed. It was the lack of control that got him. More than anything else. "Don't flatter yourself, my dick's that size flaccid..." he looks over at Clarke but the eye contact feels like stepping onto hot coal. "Don't..." what? Listen to him? It was the truth. "Right, I'mma go take a piss...."

dash Dash exhaled heavily and shook his head slowly for show. "Look at what you've done, Kiki," he said, remembering the name Clarke had used when she greeted her brother. "Keeks, you've embarrassed the boy."

kian His brow furrowed as JJ left the cave to piss. What? Did he lie? "Fuck off!" He squeaked at Dash, decidedly distracted. If he wasn't already injured, Kian totally would've punched him in the arm. "That's not my name."

clarke making a face when this jj guy started talking about his dick, she could tell he was probably more embarrassed than she was. when he left to go piss, she turned her attention back to the others. while she liked that someone was also teasing kian, that was her job and she had two weeks of making up to do. "only i can call him that, he's my baby brother after all," she said in a teasing tone, reaching over to tousle his messy bun. jj He walks outside and takes a deep breath. He hated being the centre of attention. Especially with personal matters, so he walks about for a moment to wait their conversation out before heading back inside. As he did, he sits down next to the fire, poking it lightly as he steered clear of eye contact. What an irritating bunch to be stuck with.

dash "Aw, c'mon. I only just got 'Keeks' and now I've got to give it up?" he bemoaned, then grinned. "Lemme have just like, this one day with it." And then when Clarke wasn't around, he'd keep using it. "It's golden — I love your work."August 6, 2021

clarke “yeah, sorry, twin rules,” she said back smugly. while it would be funny to see kian’s reaction every time this boy tried to call him kiki, she would rather not see her brother blow up over if. “thanks, i got 18 years of practice.” leaning back on her arms, clarke looked around at the two boys passed out and then around the cave and couldn’t help but have questions about how their group ended up in worse shape than the eves. it’s not like they didn’t have their own issues, but they were more interpersonal than physical. “so, erm, crazy all this happened and we never crossed paths. i didn’t think the island was that big.”

jj He stays out of the conversation for the most part, only looking up now and again when Clarke spoke. He wasn’t sure what her tone was implying, but it seemed playful with the lot of them so he smiled somewhat. When she mentioned the craziness of the situation, he felt it was a good enough moment to jump in again. If the Waterfall people were off to ask questions there was no reason they couldn’t do the same around here. “Not big enough if we ran into each other eventually. How did that happen by the way? Who found whom?” He raised a brow and scooted closer to the fire and the rest of the group. “Did you guys have any luck making contact with the land…any working phones and so on?”

clarke glancing over to jj when he spoke up, she wondered what he meant by not big enough. maybe the boys didn't venture out very far but the girls had been to most areas of the jungle thanks to a few members who seemed to always be running away. maybe they were just never out at the same time until now. but she just answered his questions instead. "we sorta have a chore set up around camp. food and water and what-not so things run smoothly. me and a couple others were on our way to the waterfall, another group must have been out foraging, and we just all kinda came upon each other." she was mostly in shock the second she saw kian standing there she she doesn't really know exactly how it all went down until she knew he was really there. "no, nothing like yous with the radio. we did have two of the girls find the wreckage but i think they needed something to help unwedge the black box." her mind going back to the axe the boys had and wondered if that could help shane get it out.

callum Hearing the word 'wreckage' and 'black box' perked Callum right up, lifting his head off the ground from where he was laying. "Holy fuck, you guys found your plane? And the black box?" That was huge. He remembered when they first got here that JJ said something about a plane's black box sending out signals of their location, that it was how wreckages were found and all sorts of shit were recorded on it. "What do you need to unwedge it? Would the axe work?" He gestured to the tool Sebastian left behind.

dash Dash remembered the term 'black box' but only had a vague idea of what it was. JJ explained it at some point, early on in their vacation from hell. But two weeks ago Dash had thought they'd get picked up at any moment. Thinking about the things that would help them beyond a fire didn't seem so important. But he was pretty sure it was... sort of like the radio? Or like, a flight log? He knew it was a vital piece of equipment and even if he didn't, he'd be able to figure that out based on both the girls' plan to retrieve it and Callum's reaction. "Whoaaa, damn. The black box? That's crazy," he started. "Would it like, still function after being under the water for so long?" Dash assumed it was underwater, much like their own plane was posted somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. He looked toward JJ. "How's that shit work?"

clarke when callum finally perked up, clarke was more glad that he was responsive and not on the verge of death. but then he mentioned the axe and she was surprised that they would offer to let them use it. “yeah, couple of our girls went down to check it out. i guess it’s pretty far out though and they couldn’t get it out with their hands. the axe would probably be perfect to get it out. reckon your friend will be willing to let us borrow it?” after all, if they got the black box out, it would benefit everyone. she looked to dash who seemed to be asking jj the questions. he must be the clarke and erin of their group. “they’re built to withstand crashes and can work underwater. most keep working for up to a month, so if it’s still functioning, our signal should be getting sent out.” key word is should, considering no one has come yet, clarke wasn’t so confident. but maybe if they get it out and take a look at it, the two groups can put their heads together and figure something out.

callum "Probably. And if not, I don't give a fuck. Take the thing," Callum said, nodding toward the object. If he and Sebastian got into a fight over it, then tough. Callum would take the beating. Retrieving the black box would mean... fuck, it would mean everything wouldn't it? Judging from the way Clarke explained it, it was basically their best shot at getting the rescue team to find them, of getting out of here. If the girls could get the black box, get JJ to take a look at it, his robot brain would figure out why no one's found them yet. "This is the best shit I've heard all week," Callum said, laying his head back down on the ground and staring at the ceiling above with glee. For the first time since they woke up here, he had a grin on his face.

dash Dash still didn't really get it and he was too tired to pretend he did. "Okay, sorry, slow on the uptake here. 'Cause like, shocker but I'm not exactly well-versed in the world of aircraft tech, so... the thing oughtta be sending signals right now?" He asked. "Or it won't until you grab it and activate it somehow?" If it was the former, then that meant it'd been two weeks of that thing shooting blanks or some shit—right? Did that eat into the month they had for it to work? And if he sounded dumb, then such was life. He was content to have a pretty girl explain things to him. Leaning back on his palms, he glanced over his shoulder where Callum lay. He huffed a laugh at the guy's expression. "Wooow," Dash continued, drawing the word out in amusement. "I can tell you with confidence Callum means that, because I've legit never seen him make that face before."

clarke “we’d really appreciate that, and it’ll help all of us in the long run,” she said with a smile. turning her attention to dash’s questions, she nodded slowly, figuring not many people read a hundred books for fun. “that’s okay. no it should be sending out our signal no matter what. but if something is wrong with it, and that’s why no one has come for us, then we might be able to figure it out once we have it on land. they’re made to withstand the worst of crashes and for a long period of time.” fingers crossed that’s what gets the rescued. she looked to callum and the look on his face and smiled to herself again. she was glad that despite the other eves, clarke seemed to be getting along with the adams and making a good impression. “guess i should feel special then,” she said playfully.

jj He was in awe of Clarke taking on all the questions and providing accurate and yet simplified answers for those asking. He listens, smile on as the prospect of the black box grows more and more promising. — The matter of the axe being handed to the girls without supervision was unlikely at best. But he didn’t want to get into that conversation as he felt it wasn’t his battle to fight. He was cool with them taking it, especially for a possibility of getting the fuck out of here. It was all getting long at this point. “How deep in is the box, approximately?” He asks, hoping he could somehow get the location by the end of the conversation and go fetch it now. What was the point of wasting time? “And how far out is the wreckage? I could go get the thing now…we take a look, fix it up by the time everyone’s back…”

kian When Kian comes back from the rage-piss he took after Dash discovered his secret cover, he throws a pebble into the center of the group to make his presence known. “Oh, yeah. JJ’s a huge nerd” (affectionate). He bumps Clarke’s shoulder and waggles his brows. “Kind of like you.”

clarke clarke looked up with a smile when kian came back to the group, but it quickly turned into her scrunching up her face as he implied that she was a nerd. while she may be, her weeb brother had no room to talk. but rather than give him the satisfaction of an answer, she focused on the black box conversation. "sorry, i don't know any of that. you'd have to ask shane the logistics, she was the one who found it with divya."

callum "Which one's Shane?" Callum asked from where he was laying. "Divya's the chick with the UNO, right? Was she part of the group that came with you today?"

clarke “shane’s the short angry one with the bruised face, she stayed back at camp today,” she explained, not really thinking about how some of the girls may not want the boys to know their names. “yeah, that’s divya, she’s with the waterfall group.”

dash "Oh yeah, Divya was cool as hell," Dash nodded. "Never met a girl who could absolutely crush you at a card game in such a brutal but honestly kinda chill, gentle way." He grinned. "By the time she was down to two cards, I had like, twelve or some embarrassing shit, and I still felt like I ought to've been thanking her for the lovely time. She'd be like, the world's first benevolent tyrant in another life." Dash glanced out the mouth of the cave. The jungle looked the same as it had before the girls arrived, even if everything was so fucked up different now. He paused. Well, not fucked up-fucked up. He definitely liked this new addition. "Wonder how long they'll be out there for, keeping us waiting. The waterfall far?"

jj When Clarke admitted not knowing the whereabouts of the black box, he felt a sting of mistrust rise within. The two girls which knew where it was, did not care to share with the rest? Interesting and idiotic. Likely not true. — He fought hard not to roll his eyes at Dash who proceeded to fully dismiss the black box and focus on the UNO talk, like it mattered. “Divya is at the waterfall, yes? Can you explain which way this place is? If I go get her we can have the black box out by nightfall.”

clarke clarke was about to answer dash when jj spoke up again, and when he did, her anxiety quickly rose. she looked to kian as if to silently ask is this guy serious? “no.” she said sternly, turning back to jj. “you don’t get this information. first of all, we don’t know you. i’m not going to tell you where our camp is and let you go on out there. there’s a bloody reason why we chose to meet out here and take yours to the waterfall as a neutral ground. you can wait for you lads to get back to show you where it is, but you won’t learn where our camp is.” she tried to keep her voice from shaking as she stood up for the eves. she trusted her brother. none of these other boys. she wasn’t going to break the eves trust by breaking the one rule that made when it came to these boys. “we would appreciate the use of your axe and we will bring it back along with the black box for you to help with, but i can’t allow you into our camp. divya will say the same thing.” callum The stern 'no' from Kian's sister was enough to get Callum to turn away from the ceiling and look over to the rest of the group. He could tell JJ majorly stepped in it by going full Terminator about wanting to retrieve that blackbox. He sighed and did his best to reach over to JJ, tugging on what part of his shirt he could reach to get the guy's attention. "Yo, J, chill, alright?" He looked to Clarke now. "I'm sorry." Sincerely, he meant that. He wanted that blackbox as much as JJ did but he definitely didn't want to make any of the girls uncomfortable to do so. "J was probably raised in a room with no windows and minimal human contact. He didn't mean to overstep." The guy probably didn't even know he was overstepping. Or he did, and just did it anyway because his programming told him to achieve rescue at all costs or some shit. "You guys take the axe. We're good to sit back until you girls come back with the box. Promise." A promise he wasn't really supposed to make because he had no idea Sebastian would even be good with parting with the axe at all, but they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

jj “excuse me for believing you wanted to get off this island.” Apparently not. Apparently that was an idiot assumption. Though he couldn’t for the life of him understand where this mistrust was coming from. “Suit yourself. Don’t be coming to me for help later on when you need to fix the damn thing. You guys are acting like we’re some big ass threat. Seems to me the only ones standing in the way, ones we should really fear is you…” he shoots Callum a dirty look. “Chill over what? Why are you all bending over backwards for a bunch of bitches who don’t trust you for shit? I’m done with this…”

clarke she was grateful for callum and how kind and understanding he was of the girls stances around wanting to protect themselves. but then jj started talking. it wasn’t until he called them bitches that she was really thrown. “oi! what did you just call us, mate?” again she looked to her brother before looking back to jj, brows furrowing as she did. “us bitches are the only reason your friends are safe and didn’t lose a leg. you weren’t even here last night to know that. trust me, there are girls who’d love to leave you for dead but we were willing to help. there’s one rule, don’t tell anyone where camp is. we’re not just going to let you walk in.”

dash Sure, Dash was bummed, and honestly a bit peeved, when some of the girls seemed more reticent to help them out—but he wasn't dumb enough to think that calling them shitty names was going to help. "Hey, dude, that's not cool," he said slowly, a little warily. Clarke did have a point. Without their help, who knows what would've happened to Callum? "Let's just all take one of those deep, calming breaths, huh? We were having a good time here, yunno. Chilling, shooting the shit... Explaining tech to me. Wow, that had been pretty sick, right? When you guys teamed up to teach me about this gadget." It was Clarke who did the explaining, but JJ had been the one to teach Dash the name of the thing days ago. Dash snapped a finger, then pointed toward Clarke. "Hey," he turned the finger over to JJ too. "Who wants to tell me how airplanes even get off the ground? Never figured that one out."

jj The way these peoples focus worked began sending him actually fucking nuts. Out of everything he said, they focused on a cuss word? Fucking really? And he had no right to be offended over being mistrusted to an extent they would have them locked at this Island another second longer? Fair. That was fair. He wasn’t gonna bother later on. In fact, if there ever is a black box presented to him. He was damn near certain he would take his time with it out of spite. Maybe go for a walk. Maybe claim he didn’t trust the girls enough to fix it. — He looks over at Clarke. “So you’re telling me there are girls over there who would leave us for dead?” He then looks over at Callum and Dash like this was some kind of perverted joke. “And you lot have no issues with that? What the fuck?” He laughs . “Okay Miss Clarke. Thanks so much for being so human that you helped people in need. Maybe if these lot were less idiotic they would have asked if that helped comes with terms and conditions…” he then takes in that deep breath Dash proposed and decides to cam down. There was no point in this, none of this, everyone involved was too focused on the details to see the bigger picture. A calm smile spreads over his face and he massages his temples. “Fine. Except I don’t trust girls in our camp either now so…imma head after Lukas. Maybe they have a plan to fuck him up in the woods. You lot have a great time yeah?”

kian Kian watched JJ leave with a frown - he'd never seen him snap like that. JJ always had an eerie coolness to him, even when he was upset. He wasn't like him or Callum or even Sebastian that way. "I can't believe I wanted to shag him..." He sighed, more to himself than to anyone else. "But he has a point, cunt words aside." Kian glanced at his sister. "Why don't they trust us? Is it Sebastian? 'Cause he's harmless, really, just a bit of a twat." clarke ready to go off on this kid who clearly didn’t understand anything that was going on, she watched as he got up, claiming to be worried about the group who went looking for their missing guy. instead clarke just shook her head. god, he’s worse than some of the eves, she thought to herself. pinching the bridge of her nose for a second to calm down before answer kian. “i think a lot of them don’t trust men in general and being stuck here has everyone on edge. we barely trust each other half the time.” she didn’t want to talk about all the fights that have happened between the eves. “i tried vouching for you but most didn’t want to hear it. that’s why they settled on meeting on neutral ground.”

kian Kian guessed he could muster some empathy for that - straight men put him on edge more often than not, and had it not been for the fact that he could easily beat up 70% of the Adams, he might not trust them, either. But these were desperate times! You'd think if you were starving and dying on a desert island, the first thing you'd want to do is consolidate resources and manpower. "That's tits," he said gravely. "You know we'd do the same for them...and we've got fuck all left to begin with."

dash Of course Dash had issues with the presented fact that some of the girls might look at him like he belonged at the bottom of their shoes. It was the exact sort of thing he would have massive issues with. But he didn’t have much of a chance to vocalize that to JJ before he went off to catch up with Lukas and company. Uneasily, he cracked the knuckles on his right hand. He hated thinking that anyone hated him, though he totally understood where the girls Clarke referenced were coming from. Or like, he objectively knew he ought to understand. People sucked and women had plenty of reasons to think men sucked especially—blah blah blah. He knew that. But the added challenge of a particular type of trust building was a little overwhelming. "Okay, so. Like, what's the deal then? What've we gotta do to earn trust? Just keep doing the neutral ground shtick for a bit?" clarke she tried to not stay annoyed that kian didn’t even sick up for her, let alone the fact that he was agreeing with the guy who called her and her friends bitches. she wondered if he forgot how hard it was to be a girl in society, he had male privilege now after all. “look, i don’t agree with all of them, but i tried my best. if it was up to me, we’d just combine everything and help each other.” but she also knew that if she voiced that to the eves, she had shane and jude and a handful of the other eves against her and she didn’t like those odds. “i reckon we see how they do at the waterfall and have a chat about things. i mean, they did bring food and water for you lot. wish they would have left some here though,” she numbed the last part mostly to herself.

dash When they had come across the girls in the jungle and they helped out, Dash didn't know it would trigger an avalanche of negotiations like some Cold War shit. The cave suddenly had the ambience of those buildings on the Korean borders, where a table sat in the middle and gunmen stood at opposing walls. What, they were going to have to start being strategic here? That was exhausting. He had just wanted them to help ensure Marcher would be okay. "Okay, uh. Guess we'll like, take it as it comes. Sawyer's a good guy—chill as fuck, got the whole humble cowboy deal. They'll totally vibe with him, so that'll definitely be a good thing. I'm sure it's going... smooth." No guarantee there. As if on cue at the mention of food, Dash's stomach growled. He knocked his knuckles against his abdomen and grimaced. "So what kind of food are we talking about here?" blue his sleep wasn’t what he expected, for how tired he was he just couldn’t get comfortable. he used to be the guy that slept on the way to the away game like, instantly but the ringing in his ears was sounding more and more like his phone, like her trying to get to him and it just made him want to sleep even more. there were vague snippets on conversations around him, some louder but once dash mentioned food, he perked up. at first, starting to rise a little too quickly, he slowed it down. “food? dude, where did you find food?” he looked around, still adjusting to the light and the few people in the cave too. “oh hey,” he gave a casual wave to clarke, and then looked back at dash, hoping the man would fill him in on where this grub was. “did they get liam yet? where’s jj?” did we lose him too? was i too harsh on him...uh oh.

kian "Well, I don't think it matters if he's a good guy or not. They've already made up their minds and we're public enemy number one." Was he bitter about it? Maybe. Just a little. He never read Lord of the Flies (too boring and not gay enough), but he knew enough to know that negotiating jungle scraps and muddy water for their bloody lives was like, step one on the slippery slope to full-out island savage war. Crossing his arms, he gave Blue a grunt in greeting. "JJ's left. Lukas and Joe haven't come back yet." He didn't deign to mention the other two that went with them, because he didn't care.

clarke “they haven’t made up their minds,” she said, rolling her eyes at kian. “if they did then i would have been the only one to come today.” not that she knew for sure, but she could assume. maybe divya would have come too, she seems pretty warm to the adams after the uno game. just as she was about to answer dash, blue woke up asking the same thing so she answered both of them. “we brought you mangoes. we had other stuff too but we’re low on everything since our foraging got a little sidetracked.” not that she was complaining, she’d rather starve and have her brother than not at all. even if he did seem to have a stick up his ass half the time. “how are you feeling?” she asked, giving her attention to blue for a moment.

blue "mangoes?! i love mangoes!" he exclaimed before realized that was way too loud for his still aching head, "i used to love bananas but less now...though i love them more than, nothing to eat i guess". he listened but still found himself confused. "not gonna lie...don't know that word. foraging...for-a-ging." he said it back to himself but also assumed it was like, a british thing? "im good, really good." he didn't want to elaborate too much nor did he want this girl, as absolutely cute as she was, worrying about him. "i'm happy you're together." he addressed to the twins. "and i'm glad to see cal and dash made it through okay, thanks again for helping.

dash Dash snorted a laugh as Blue sounded out the word. "Yeah, buddy, foraging. You got it," he said with a grin, just glad Blue didn't like, go under when he fell asleep. His smile lost its teasing edge at the other boy's genuine words. They could always count on Blue for a dose of sincerity. "Aw, shucks. Well, I'm glad you had a good nap, my man. You sure as hell needed it. We need you in primo form to soothe the ladies with your boy next door, Canadian can-do attitude." Once Dash internally acknowledged his hunger, it was almost impossible to ignore his stomach. He fought back a grimace as he spoke. "Like, practice your wide-eyed ingenue look while we wait on these mangoes. It's gonna be key." He scratched absently at the hinge of his jaw, then pinched the skin on the inside of his elbow to distract himself from the feeling. Dash looked back toward Clarke, glad to keep the conversation moving past the bitches incident—even if some of JJ’s other words stuck with him. It was hard not to be a little offended when you're banished from a place you'd never been. He nodded to Kian but kept his eyes on his sister. “So did K-man tell you he punched me? In the tit. Is he doing that sorta shit back home?”

blue i was really sleepy, but my brain didn't explode or anything...or is implode?" he shrugged, feeling a lot better but also like he really wanted those mangoes....was it rude to ask again? "soothe them? what, like a backrub or something? are they hurt?" as much as a lot of those girls made him nervous, some cause they were pretty but most because they seemed so mad at him, and he knew what came next when girls were mad at you, he really didn't want anything bad to happen to them. "i can make my eyes wide but i don't know what an in-gen-ue is, but look." he widened his eyes as much as he could, which looked more like a bad impression of frankenstein's monster than like a deer or some wide-eyed creature, before realizing that too hurt. "like that, buddy?" whatever dash needed, blue had really missed him when he was lost. blue didn't remember the tit punching thing, was he there for that, either way it was pretty funny, and he hoped that maybe if he could learn more about kian, they could be closer friends. besides, if he could focus on the boys he could see, he wouldn't worry so much about the ones he couldnt.

kian "I punched you in the tit coz you were being a tit," Kian said, rolling his eyes (albeit fondly - he'd punch Dash somewhere else if he even thought about pointing that out, though). "Arke's used to it. It's why I'm even here with you lot at all." He didn't mention the part about it being for her, obviously. Partially because that was a vulnerable sort of position to put Clarke in, and partially because it'd bring down her street cred. Kian couldn't help but burst out into laughter when he saw Blue's attempt at puppy eyes. "No way, you look absolutely bonkers! I'd run for my life if you looked at me like that."

blue he didn't mind laughing along, he even gave clarke a look like, there i got to hear your brother's laugh, and I did it! and then he turned back to the other walling. "okay so if you do try to punch me in the tit...that's the....uh.....shit, what's the word uh...defense." and then he turned to dash, turning his whole body each time so his head pain didnt spike back up. "okay, so what is a wide eyed on-jen-new look, look like? one or all of you are gonna have to show me, cause i can't get my eyes any wider than that."

dash “You telling me your tit-punching became such a habitual problem that your parents decided to ship you off to Hawaii for it?” Dash grinned. And then because he couldn’t help it, he tacked on in a faux-disappointed manner: “Keeks. I feel way less special now.” He affected an exaggerated pained face in response to the expression Blue took on, breaking the act as soon as Kian laughed. "Yoikes. Bro, you looked like Rodney fuckin' Dangerfield," he said, a little apologetically. "Lessen up on bulging, try for more like, uh. Round... unassuming... pathetic, like a kitten found on the side of the road. Maybe a little sad, like the kitten was caught up in a thunderstorm. You have to appeal to any one of 'em who might have some kinda maternal nature buried down deep."

blue "okay and is that a real person, man? cause that name sounds like a cartoon character or something." he didn't feel offended by dash's comment, he was glad they were all laughing together, and it didn't like it was at him..like it always was with her. "oh I try not to assume things already." he reassured dash, his mom always said something...about it making an ass? "a maternal nature....you think those are moms?" they could be, blue thought, though no one had mentioned kids. "i already have a mom though, and she's cool. or am i the kitten and they want to be a mom to kitten me?"

kian Kian was seriously starting to think Blue got struck by a bolt of lightning or something during the storm - he was being even dimmer than usual. "They're our age, Blue. They're not mums." At least, he didn't think they were. Sixteen and Pregnant was a real thing that happened. "Mendoza just thinks they have motherly instincts and we should appeal to them like a bunch of melts."

blue "some people our age are moms or dads." it was more just a casual follow-up than meant to be a correction. ok just gonna ignore the last part because melts are sandwiches so...dont get that. "I mean, if a face will get them to trust us, I'll do it." it felt a little manipulative to blue but if it meant these people wouldn't harm his boys, he would try it.

dash "Yo, you don't know Rodney Dangerfield?" Dash started. "You ever seen Caddyshack? That's entry-level, man. And like, one of my mom's favorite movies.” He sucked a breath in through his teeth. “You a fan of Bill Murray? He's in it. And yunno, I'm really starting to connect with his character after that pig run-in. He goes like, my foe, my enemy, is an animal. Gotta think like the animal to vanquish the animal—something something." Realizing he got caught up on an inconsequential detail again, he quickly nodded when Kian cleared up what Dash had meant. "Yeah. I'm not talking literal moms. Hypothetical goal here's to not look like a buncha big, bad dudes," he explained, even though the whole thing started off as a joke. Dash didn't think a single facial expression was going to change anything for them anytime soon. His eyes darted toward Clarke, who had stayed pretty quiet. "Anyway, uh. You think we've got a shot?" He asked her. "At landing on their good side, I mean. Eventually."

clarke she had been in and out of whatever the three boys were talking about, mostly still stuck on the way jj flipped so quickly and harshly without even hearing her out. she liked the rest of the guys, but jj really left a bad taste in her mouth. can't believe kian likes that guy enough to snog him, she thought to herself. hearing dash talk to her directly, her eyes came back up from the cave floor to meet the boys. "hmm? i suppose, yeah, with time. like i said, everyone's on edge. seeing a bunch of strange men was really jarring for most, no offence. but i like you lot. maybe not so much your one friend, but," she didn't finish her thought, just shrugging lightly at the end.

blue "no, but it sounds like a fun movie, i'd be down to watch." he twisted at the ring on his finger, feeling a little more tension. sure, he didn't really get what clarke meant by the word jarring, but he had felt something when he saw a bunch of people, trying hard not to notice the similarities between them and her. the fact that some of them looked like they were fresh from a bar brawl didn't help. "we like you too. what about your friends?" he paused a bit more between words, wanting to choose them carefully. "they're not going to hurt us, are they?" he asked clarke, hoping that his faith in her being honest and good was well invested.

clarke it took her by surprise that blue was worried the girls might hurt them when it was some of the girls who were worried about the boys hurting them. god, if they just sat and had an actual conversation, they’d all see how similar they are. but clarke already tried to convince them of that and to no avail. “no, i don’t think so. you just gotta look out for shane and jude. they’re dogs and quick tempers.”

blue before he got too excited he figured he should clarify this time around. "so..not actual dogs...like how they aren't actual mom's?" he ran through the few names he did remember, and neither of those were among them. "did they...cause those bruises? were either of them the one who called us uhh.....what was that word.." that girl was very pretty but blue had been worried for what the other group would do..and if clarke believed two were a threat, he believed it, he made a vow to himself that he wouldnt let his friends go through what he did...

clarke “no, not actual dogs,” she said with a small chuckle. “it’s just slang, like they cause problems.” they reminded her a bit of kian but she wasn’t going to say that in front of him. but she nodded her head at his other question. “yeah, they got into a fight the other day. but no, that wasn’t them, they didn’t say much.” ironically, the two of the worst eves were the two who were avoiding the adams as much as possible.August 12, 2021

kian "Called us what?" Kian asked, picking at one of his hangnails.

blue he paused for a moment. why cant I think of this word? "uh...its not coming to me...girl with braids called us it...or some of us maybe....the blondish girl explained it.." he paid attention then...he really did. "i dont think they had accents like us," he indicated himself, cal and dash.

clarke “invalid,” clarke answered for him. “means like, weak or injured.” she explained in a nicer way than lex had. “that was halima and lex, lex is from close to me and keeks, halima is dutch.” but the more blue talked, the more she grew worried about him. he shouldn’t be talking like this. even with a concussion, it didn’t cause this many memory problems. this was indicating something much much worse and there was absolutely nothing they could do for it. so rather than worry anymore, she kept that thought inside and let the worry and guilt bubble up inside.

blue "right! thank you." he didn't really want more looks of pity on him so he didn't want to risk making another mistake. "so, probably not directed at all of us." but him, he remembered how much it stung to her, like he knew they meant him.

dash "Yeah, just most of us," Dash said with some humor. He honestly didn’t care about that, and he was curious why Blue seemed sort of hung up on it for a sec—maybe it was just a weird concussion thing. Having just finished quoting a poorly-aged movie from the 80′s for almost no reason at all, he didn’t have much of a leg to stand on when it came to fixating on shit. He let out a long, low whistle. “Anyway. Stoked to hear you're like, pro-us,” he continued, smiling at Clarke. “If we’ve just got you on our side for now, that’s totally chill by me. I mean, you've seen what I've had to deal with for the past two weeks. Dire straits, for real." A joke, obviously—he never said it, but a lot of the guys here had been better friends to him than anyone he hung out with over the past couple years. “Their mugs alone, Clarke...” He clicked his tongue. “Talk about dogs." Another joke, because he wasn't blind. Dash pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he thought, then continued: "Think you'll stay here with K-man tonight or head back with your crew again?"

blue he nodded along at dash's enthusiasm for clarke. the fact that a girl that cute was that nice to him send a sudden chill down his spine oh...if i dont get home i cant dump...her so while he could acknowledge that he was developing a crush on clarke, he also understood that things back home weren't settled,and if sheever found out,his days would be numbered. "whatever you choose, we got your back." clarke as much as she wanted to stay with kian and make sure everyone was okay, she knew that the eves probably wouldn’t like it and she didn’t want to be on anyone’s bad side. not to mention she had a few things to tell them and to make sure the axe was being watched. “i’ll probably have to head back with everyone. ya know, make sure there’s someone on your sides over there,” she tried to play it off as a joke. “and i’ll make sure the axe doesn’t go running off so i can get it back to you when we have the black box.”

blue while he hated the idea of clarke leaving, she was kind, cute, smart and made kian happier so why wouldnt blue want that? blue did hope that clarke on their side at the orher spot would make sure that these girls wouldnt attack his boys, like she did to him. "thank you, uh, ok i know they wont like, trust us and I cant talk for everyone, we dont want to hurt anyone and i hope we can show it...."

kian Kian side-eyed Blue heavily before speaking. "You'll come visit me, right? If I can't come there?"

blue he returned kians gaze and offered an innocent smile and wave. yeah he likes me now I can tell clarke smiling at blue as he tried to defend the adams, clarke nodded. “i know that, you’re harmless and i’ll convince the others that you are.” she turned to her brother, “of course , i’ll sneak over some food too. we can meet here at, like, noon. so when the sun is at its highest. okay?”

blue while he indulged in the warm, fuzzy feelings of clarke smiling at him, despite his situation back home, it faltered when she said he was harmless. on one hand, he wanted the other group to know that he wouldnt hurt them, the idea that they might know he cant defend himself or the others was scary. "thanks" he said before laying back down, wondering if sleeping now in order to protect the other adams later would be best.

#wilds.thread #wilds.toa

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wildshub · 3 years

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WHO: The Twilight of Adam Boys WHAT: The boys come across Warren’s dead body and bury him. WHEN: Day 3 NOTE: For future reference.

Blue blue had been replaying the entire night over in his head. he had been against leaving sawyer and warren alone on the cliff, they were all a team in this but theyd always be combative until they got that. maybe the guys saw how much carrying another guy around + a lack of good sleep had done to blue, he himself felt like his energy was cut in half. maybe that's why he relented and followed the rest back, in what felt like a half sleep daze. But there they all stood, having seen far too much of what remained of warren on earth. it was the first dead body blue had ever seen, and the image seemed to puncture through any other thought. "what um, what did you guys last say to him?" his eyes housed some extra moisture, but he would be unashamed of this. a brother died, even if he wasnt blue's favorite. and sawyer, soy dog, being given this huge task, and having this be the outcome, it was heartbreaking. "i last told him he needed to translate the message..." he wished he had said anything more comforting, personable, leas tinged with annoyance. but that was the truth

Kian Kian had never been good at dealing with death. When the great aunt he barely ever spoke to on his mother's side passed away, he hid in the coat closet at her wake and refused to come out until the body was gone. That was eight years ago. It wasn't any easier now, standing here in front of a lifeless, mangled corpse...especially not that of who, just hours earlier, was joking and laughing and lazing around like they weren't in dire need of rescue. He had to tear his eyes away from Warren, focusing his gaze on a rip in the hem of his t-shirt. "Dunno. Probably something about how much of a twat he was being," Kian mumbled, none of his usual bite to his words. "But we were all kind of being twats yesterday."

Sawyer Warren was a fuck up. And, selfishly, Sawyer felt drawn to him for that very reason—because he took comfort in knowing he wasn’t the only person on the isle whose smart mouth and poor rationale got him into trouble more often than it got him any good. When Warren chose to stay with the fire, Sawyer hung back with him. He could read people like he read books, knew there wasn’t something right with the guy after he’d been choked out, beaten up, and hung off the ledge of a cliff within an inch of his life. If he indulged in a little alcohol he’d been keeping from the rest of the boys—and if Sawyer shared some with him—nobody needed to know. He’d needed that liquid courage to face camp in the morning...fuck. It felt like a given, only seven hours ago, that he’d even wake up to see the next morning. “S’my fault,” he said suddenly, drawing fourteen sets of eyes away from Warren’s body and to where he stood, feet away from the group. His voice shook as he spoke. “We were drinkin’, a-and I knew he was upset about the radio and shit, and I should’ve…looked after ‘im.”

Joe Instead of properly processing the events of yesterday Joe had pushed them to the back of his mind. He shoved the memories into a filing cabinet where they became an unorganised jumble of shouting, pulling and dashed hope. He trudged back to the camp with the hope that a good night's sleep would fix everything. He prayed that a new dawn would make for a bright new start or maybe he would wake up to find out that the last forty-eight hours had been a nightmare based on some disaster movie he watched years ago. But turns out the exact opposite happened and the new dawn brought more fucking anguish. Eyes still transfixed on Warren's lifeless body he was about to tell the Adams that the last thing he probably said to Warren was be careful, Joe wished he meant be careful in general instead of specifically with the radio. Maybe things would have ended differently if his past life prioritised Warren's life instead of a stupid old radio. That train of thought was interrupted by Sawyer. "Don't you fucking dare." It was supposed to be a command but it was more of a whimper. The words blame yourself remained stuck at the back of Joe's thought. "It wasn't your fault,ok. You couldn't have seen it coming." Yeah, Sawyer stayed behind to babysit Warren but making sure somebody didn't get yelled at wasn't the same as making sure they didn't die.

Dash Dash had seen a dead body once before but Warren’s looked mad different, mangled and limp and scraped up from the rocks. He loitered away from the group huddled together in lieu of getting any closer to the body after the panicky, failed revival. Touching his cold, lifeless skin to drag him ashore had been enough macabre bullshit for one day. Dash flexed his hand as he looked at Warren’s lax face. Well, third time’s the charm, he thought wryly, then felt a little sick. Any of them could die here apparently, and it started to feel a whole lot less like Total Drama Island as the Lost vibes violently rocketed up. The neckbeards who worked at Google were gonna have to hurry up and tap into their space stations to find them before someone else met their untimely demise. His eyes cut toward Sawyer when the other guy spoke and then to Joe when he replied. Dash shrugged uncomfortably. “Yeah, I mean, I guess there’s not much you could’ve done about it if you were asleep, man. Alcohol plus dangerous heights equals...” he trailed off. He rubbed the back of his head, eyes narrowed when he noticed something missing. Warren’s belt bag was gone; it had been one of the first things Dash noticed about his fit on the place, not entirely without envy. “Looks like Mother Ocean wanted his fanny pack.” He paused. “Uh... should we let her take him too? Yunno, ol’ Viking funeral style. Those were basically his people, and we gotta figure out what to do with the body.” Dash was all for suggesting some kind of action if that meant he didn’t have to stare at a bloated corpse anymore. Besides, he was going to start stanking the beach up in the hot sun sooner or later.

Lukas Put him in front of the grossest, goriest movie or game and Lukas had a stomach of steel. The second he laid eyes on Warren, he lost the airplane nuts and seltzer that had filled his stomach the night before. Though he did have the decency to at least step away from the group to do it. Wiping his mouth as he returned taking up the spot beside Dash towards the back of the group to avoid his stomach being unsettled again. He shook his head when Sawyer spoke up, wasn’t his fault he wanted to say but he was worried he’d say it with a side of puke. Thankfully Joe had them covered on that front, even if he did say it with a wobble of his lower lip. “ Isn’t that usually with a boat and fire and shit? “ Like that even mattered right now but it was a lot easier than thinking about having to bury Warren.

Liam for the first time in his life, liam was glad he was shorter than most. surrounded by so many taller than him, liam couldn't get a good look at the body in the water, not that he wanted to. while he may have found warren annoying and after the whole ordeal with the radio, everyone was pretty pissed; but that didn't mean he wanted the boy to die. it didn't take long before liam's eyes stung with tears a the thought of one of them dying. he looked to sawyer as he explained what happened, liam reached out and placed a hand on his bicep. "yeah, it's not your fault," he repeated joe's words, but as he did, the tears started to spill. liam quickly rubbed his hands over his cheeks to try and hide the evidence before some of the meaner members of the group (cough sebastian cough) noticed. dash and lukas started talking about what to do with the body and liam had nothing to add, worried if he did have anything, his voice was shake and crack if he spoke.

Kian "He's got family, though," said Kian, shifting his weight from foot to foot. As much as he desperately wanted to go all out of sight, out of mind with Warren's corpse, the thought of lighting him up and sending him off to sea settled in his stomach like a handful of rocks. He couldn't imagine being Warren's parents in that situation, forever haunted by the fact that they'd never get to see their son laid to rest. Fuck, this was all so fucking fucked. "Maybe we should keep him buried somewhere cool. So he doesn't...get too bad before rescue comes."

Joe "Kian's right." Joe said bluntly, breaking the silence that hung over them. He buried his hands deeply into his shorts pocket. Fuck he wished he had his jacket. It didn't matter that he was already being smothered by the humidity of the island."Just throwing him into the sea would be dead disrespectful." Warren was a disrespectful twat when he was alive but that didn't mean he deserved to be dumped into the ocean. He was a person with a family that loved him. Plus, a decomposing body would probably fuck up the ocean floor's ecosystem or whatever it was called and the poor crabs didn't deserve that. Joe took Liam quickly rubbing his cheek as a sign he needed to go into full distraction mode (something he learned to do from awkward family dinners)."And there's so much shit wrong with the viking funeral idea, no offence Dash. We don't have a boat and the Vikings were from that bit of Europe that looks like a tongs grabbing a bit of lettuce. That's not where Switzerland is." He was hardly a viking expert but being forced to go on a two hour coach trip to go to some museum on the other side of the Pennines when he was in year 3 counted for something. It didn't stop him from being complicit in the death of some rich bastard but it counted for something." Not that any of that matters."

Sebastian Sebastian looked at Warren's lifeless corpse and saw the shape of his own hands reflected in the discolored bruising around the other boy's neck. Would it ever go away or would he be buried with the reminder that his last hours had involved Sebastian trying to kill him? He swallowed hard, disturbed by the thought but the lump in his throat refused to shift in even the slightest way. He decided not to answer Blue's question, everybody knew what Sebastian's last words to the other boy had been and he didn't want to repeat them, not now. "It's not your fault," he insisted, his voice low and gravely as he responded to Sawyer, "You're not his keeper," none of them were. They were looking out for each other to an extent but they weren't obliged to one another beyond that, not really. He looked over at Kian and nodded his head, "Yeah," he concurred when Joe spoke up, assuring the group that Kian was indeed right. He cleared his throat softly and contemplated their options, "We gotta bury him," he announced, though the prospect was unbearably grim. "The animals will get him if we don't," that was worse, much worse.

Sawyer Sawyer appreciated the words of comfort—really, he did—but nice as they were, they did little to lighten the guilt sitting heavy atop his chest. He was the last person Warren ever spoke to. The last person Warren ever saw. If any of them had the ability to prevent his death, it was Sawyer, and he just…drifted off to sleep after a measly half-canteen of cognac. Did he ever ask if Warren was okay? Did he notice if he was drunk enough to make any dumb, rash choices? And if he did, did he even care? With a hard sniff, Sawyer tightened his jaw and focused his attention on an upturned shell poking out of the sand. Having a pity party for himself, he decided, wasn’t gonna bring Warren back from the dead. “Yeah. We can use that emergency blanket to wrap him up, keep the bugs an’ shit out.”

Dash Yeesh, it was just a suggestion, Dash thought, and it was easier to focus on that small smidge of annoyance than the word 'family'. Things were less complicated when Dash could look into Warren's empty eyes and imagine that he spontaneously generated on the plane like one of those meat flies. Okay, so now other cultures’ funerary rites are disrespectful? Awright, cheers, Sir Moseley, he wanted to say, half-jokey in tone and a painful mimicry of Joe's accent, but the quivery feeling that rattled his insides made him swallow the words almost immediately. Maybe it was his Catholic upbringing, and sure he just suggested they log roll Warren into the sea, but cracking jokes in front of a dead body actually seemed kinda uncouth. Kept him from pretending to snore in response to Joe’s list of Viking-related facts, too. Before he could say anything though, his mouth snapped shut when Sebastian spoke. If there was anyone he’d believe actually went on a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde midnight ride and yeeted Warren from the cliff, it was that guy. The bruises on Warren’s neck seemed evidence enough for a case of premeditated murder in his books. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and his gut twisted again at Sawyer’s next words, the prospective task nauseating. “Sure, yeah. Makes sense.” He cleared his throat and nodded, then promptly expelled the thought of bugs burrowing into Warren’s carcass from his mind or else he’d follow in Lukas’ footsteps in the retching department. He gave his buddy a commiserating pat on the back as he looked over his shoulder at the stretch of beach, totally lost as to where they’d have to put him. “When my mom’s dog died, we had to bury that thing pretty deep so the bobcats wouldn’t dig him up. So, uh... guess we should get started on that, too. Might take awhile.”

Kian If he wasn't in the presence of a decomposing corpse, Kian would've rolled his eyes. The flippant way Dash was acting about the whole "Warren is dead" situation unnerved him more than he would've liked to admit; as if this was just another fucking Saturday for him. "There's no bobcats in Hawaii," he said.

Lukas " Polar bears then, " Lukas retorted dryly. Even if he had made it to day 3 of the island before making a LOST reference, he wasn't gonna start outright joking about things this soon after Warren's death. He'd give it, like, five more minutes. " Point is, I don't wanna meet whatever the fuck lives on this island because it decided to make Warren a midnight snack. " And he also didn't want to deal with the body, clearly he did not have the stomach for it so he was definitely aiming to be part of the dig crew. " It shouldn't be near camp either. Just in case. "

Dash Dash exhaled sharply. The words ‘what did I do wrong!!!!’ broadcasted themselves in bright, obnoxious colors in his head. Did it start when he wouldn’t say some bullshit things over Warren’s dead body about him and what Dash might or might not have said to him in their final moments together? Because that felt insincere and shitty. He wasn’t going to pretend that he meant anything to Warren, or make the guy’s death about himself. The best thing they could do was save him from the indignity of lying around like a washed up CPR doll while they all stood around crying. He snapped then pointed at Lukas. “Exactly." Kian and Joe wanted Warren to get back to his family? Well, hey, Dash was sure there was a fair chance they wouldn’t wanna see him with chunks missing. But fuck him for trying to be helpful, apparently. “Hence: deep hole.” He lifted his hands in faux surrender. “Can we move on from bitching at me? Yeah? I’ll help dig.” Anything to put some distance between himself and Warren’s body. He hadn’t looked at him once since he said the Viking thing, and he was happy to put that off for awhile longer. He nudged Lukas with his elbow. "Let's find a spot. Who's gonna help?"

Sawyer So that was that. Warren was dead and he wasn’t coming back and they were going to bury his body deep in the ground so wild animals couldn’t eat away at his rot before help arrived. Sawyer felt like shouting, or hitting something, or running off into the ocean until the saltwater swallowed him whole. He felt everything at once and nothing at all. “I’m gonna...go grab the blanket.” If he had to spend any longer staring at Warren’s emotionless face and twisted limbs, he wasn’t sure he’d make it to the burial.

Callum “I’ll help.” They were the first words to leave Callum’s mouth since they found Warren’s body. Unlike most of the group, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the boy’s mangled corpse. He fucking hated Warren when the bastard was alive and breathing, but looking at him now, unmoving and silent for the longest period of time since he’s met him, Callum actually felt something other than irritation and rage for the boy. Was it regret? Guilt perhaps? And possibly some weird variation of yearning where he just wanted the idiot to get up and start doing something stupid like he always did. Yes, he was an annoying son of bitch who fucked up drastically, but he was also the first person Callum saw on this island. The first person to make him feel less alone. Whatever was going on in Callum the longer he stared at Warren’s body wasn’t great. It was a strange mix of things he didn’t quite understand and he wanted so badly for the feelings to go away and be replaced with something familiar. Something he knew how to react appropriately for. Something like... anger. That’s what he preferred to feel when he couldn’t understand what was going on within him. He turned his head when Sawyer spoke, grinding his teeth together and squaring his jaw. “Sure you can do that? You're not gonna let your fingers get all slippery and have it be blown away by the wind? Maybe we should have someone go with you, you know, since you clearly can’t be held responsible for a simple. fucking. task.”

Blue blue froze, bewildered by callum's reaction. while he knew in their time together that callum couldnt be....intense, how could someone so clever not hear the pain in sawyers voice. dash, a guy he admired for his unabashed self and how he expressed it with ease, was ready to point fingers. "it wasn't an easy task. was it an easy task for us to keep warren away from the radio? we don't know what the hell happened up there last night, for fucks sake, if you think something shady happened, share with your brothers." his voice broke a little on the last word. and his eyes darted from callum to sebastian. he expected it from seb, but he thought cal ran cooler than that. "Ill go with sawyer...." his eyes darted more quickly than usual to each boy, wondering on their thoughts. though he always gave a helping hand, he knew it usually came with a smack from a more callous present, but he already put his faith out there, and he did it for sawyer, and the truth.

Sawyer When Callum spoke, Sawyer found himself wishing he’d just punched him across the face—would’ve hurt a whole lot less than taking some salt and throwing it to the fucking sea to pour acid on the wound, instead. He recoiled as though Callum had shot him in the chest, mouth working and gaze darting from boy to boy as he fumbled for something to say. Where were you when Warren decided to hang back? When he needed someone to help carry him down the hill? When he was hovering over the ledge of a cliff and having his windpipe crushed by someone twice his size, where were you? Where the fuck were you? His arm swung uselessly at his side. The ugly truth of it all was that Callum was at the camp, and Sawyer was sleeping right beside Warren, and neither of them were able to stop him from taking a tumble into the ocean. And nothing he could say was going to change that. So, Sawyer did what he knew to do best, and choked out something that might’ve sounded like an “I’m sorry” before he turned and started walking briskly in the other direction.

Kian "Fantastic," Kian said, all-too-ready to participate in the blame game when it suited him but not to stand up for the other members of the group when they were under fire, "you pissed off the guy with the criminal record. Great going." Maybe that meant Callum's body would be next to mysteriously wind up wedged between two rocks tomorrow morning. Maybe Kian would've preferred that to hearing him flex his macho bullshit over a group of grieving 18-year-olds. His arms found themselves wound tight around his middle as he moved away from the body—the last thing he wanted to do was go searching in the jungle with two of the most annoying people on the isle, but like fuck he was going to sit here and stare at a rotting corpse for the next hour. "Guess I'll go, too, then.”

Lukas Lukas was team dig even before Dash nudged him with his arm, starting to move when he did. But he'd barely taken a step when some other bullshit started. Callum spoke up, and was mad at Sawyer. As if he wasn't suspect number two in Lukas' mind. He'd spent all of Warren's two days on the island threatening the dude, was no homo best buds with Sebastian, and had already taken a swipe at Dash. Speaking of, as Callum was having a go at Sawyer, he cast a glance to Dash, making a quick face as if to say What the fuck, are you seeing this shit? And then just as he's trying to start moving again Blue said, share with your brothers and Lukas had to try really fucking hard not to laugh, especially because his voice cracked. These mother fuckers weren't his brothers, especially not Warren. He rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, trying to conceal the small exhale that had escaped, as he started moving again, the task of digging a fucking grave on his mind. " For auto theft– not assault and battery. " Lukas pointed out as he walked, meaning it in Sawyer's defence. The perfect proof that having a criminal charge didn't make you inherently dangerous was Liam, but since the guy was crying he wasn't gonna throw his name down the gauntlet. And he also wasn't gonna offer up his own name and felony seeing as Kian had been so quick to judge Sawyer's record. For what he was going to say next he leaned into the small group going to dig a grave, lowering his voice to avoid getting some bruises to match Warren's, " 'sides, think we all fuckin' know who's got the quick temper 'round here. " He said, raising his brows. Lukas was ready to accept that Warren was just a moron that slipped off the cliff in the middle of the night, but if they were gonna point fingers he didn't get how anyone was pointing them anywhere but Gigantor.

Blue blue rose his hands up, palms to his brothers as he listened to his peers, his fellow castaways though it was easier to think of them as as more in his nature. "seb lost his shit more than anyone." The image of his hands on Warrens neck burned hard but that's wasn't the whole story. "but his strength helped pull warren up when he hung by the ledge.." blue looked each castaway in the eye,unfazed by the personal distance. "If any of you know more than dumb guy blue....say it!"

JJ He understood the tensions raising and the unpredictability of reactions to ensue. However, he knew couple of things for certain, Warren was dead. The radio was gone. The help is not here. There was no need, in his opinion, to pass around blame or mope for too long or make a bad situation even worse. Then again, if his opinion mattered they wouldn’t have left Sawyer and Warren alone over night in the first place. He will look over at Callum then Sawyer than back on Warren and laugh. “Sorry, it’s really not funny...” he will say and nod at Luke and Blue who seemed to have been the most clear minded at the moment. Aside from palpable tension in the air that is. “Sawyer man, don’t beat yourself up. It’s was reckless as fuck leaving yall alone up there in the first place.” He said in his best attempt to provide some comfort to the other before focusing on what to do with the issue at hand. “Burying him in the woods is the best option. We wrap him, dig deep so animals can’t dig him out and mark the place so we can find him when the rescue gets here. But first...” he will kneel down and start digging through Warrens pockets. If there was anything there, they could use it more than the dead guy.

Dash Without a backwards glance, he started toward the jungle, lowering his voice like Lukas did just in case: “Did I or did I not call this shit Day One, dude? Roasted. Fuckin’. Pigs.” He shook his head. “The whole Macho Man rescue thing? Red herring moves. Zigging when we expect him to zag. Classic misdirection.” He looked at Callum out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t know if him and Sebastian had any kind of bro bonding moments so far, but Dash at least knew he was on Team Sawyer’s Fault which put them at odds once again. Perfect. His shoulders hunched and he fought back a shiver; the moment they flipped Warren over onto his back replaying in his mind like the most twisted boomerang. The word family haunted him almost as much as those few seconds. “This blows,” he said with feeling. Once they past the treeline, he picked up the first fallen stick he saw. It looked like it broke off at an angle, leaving a slanted end. “I once watched one of those 3 AM History Channel specials about how aliens helped ancient people build pyramids and shit. Alien Theory Guy goes, ‘You want me to believe these Incans could dig thousands of holes totally randomly? Nah, that’s a Martian move.’” He looked over the stick in hand. It seemed pretty sturdy, about an inch and a half in diameter. “Then some corduroy jacket-wearing Ivy Leaguer crops up and says, 'Ever heard of sticks, bitch?’” He cleared his throat again and rubbed at his jaw. Weirdly the further they got from Warren’s body, the more it preoccupied him. Like now that they weren’t looking, he’d pull a grisly Toy Story move and get to his feet. Except he’d be making daddy jokes in his Dr. Doofenshmirtz accent. Dash held up the stick for inspection. “What do you think? Could try and make it work a little bit. Just so we don’t all end up with bloody hands by the end of this.”

Kian “What in the actual fuck are you talking about,” was the only response Kian could muster when Dash started going off on a tangent about Aliens and pyramids. Warren didn’t need a tomb, he needed to be lowered into the earth and kept cool long enough to be recognizable when someone—anyone—could come and exhume him. Chopping him up and stuffing his body parts into little holes in the ground seemed like JJ’s gig, and like, they didn’t need even more of a reason to be suspected of group murder. “We’re burying him, not cutting him open and harvesting his organs. Only reason there’d be any blood is if Godzilla here and his buddy King Kong decide to swing on one of us again.”

Sebastian Sebastian was admittedly surprised by Callum's response. He'd seen flickers of the other male's disdain toward the group but at the time, it had seem warranted. Now, however, he seemed more irritable about Sawyer's failure than perturbed by the fact that the course of the evening, regardless of whether it had to do with Sawyer at all, had resulted in the death of somebody they knew. As he digested it, he considered that maybe Callum was in shock, maybe he'd never experienced death and couldn't process it. When Sebastian's grandfather had died, his Dad had been angry for no reason at all but it was a part of the grieving process, his mother had assured him. "We're not arguing about who is in the right and who is in the wrong right now, we're not arguing at all- we're getting this done," he instructed, leaving little room for protest. Then Jorts piped up, "Who the fuck are you pointing fingers at, Jorts?" Sebastian shot at the other male and he would have had more, far less civil words for the other boy if Blue hadn't chimed in.

Lukas God, Sebastian was so back and forth wasn’t he? Yesterday he was barely tolerable and now he was back to giving off future military recruitment vibes, like pick a lane already. Perhaps stupidly, Lukas rolled his eyes as Sebastian pulled his attention from what Dash was saying. “ It was just a fucking joke, “ well, sort of. It was a joke he had meant. “ Obviously, he took a drunken swan dive off the cliff, right? “ he looked around the group, confirming that was the consensus. “ But you’re not gonna go far trying to convince anyone that those are my hand prints on his neck, that’s all I’m saying. “ He held up his hands as he said it, continuing to take a couple steps backwards before he turned back around, hands returning to his sides. Back to the project of digging a grave for the less than dearly departed. He grinned along with what Dash was saying about Martians building the pyramids. An easy chuckle leaving his lips too. Then head turns to Kian and Lukas finds himself unable to stop another stupid snort escaping him. “ Who the fuck is talking about cutting him up? “ He asked, amused Kian had even gotten to that point. “ Like maybe old grave robber over there, but not me that’s for sure, “ he said, feeling a little too bold about the distance between them and most of the group as he nodded back at JJ literally looting a corpse. Though the comment of King Kong and Godzilla was a good one and again he laughed. Reaching for a stick like Dash had he held it up, inspecting it as if he knew what would make a good grave digging stick. “ What is it about big dudes that think they gotta fucking rough everyone up to prove something? Like we get it, you’re fucking boring, quit making it our problem.”

JJ He looks over at Lukas "He's dead, he won't need any of his shit. We might."

Callum Seeing JJ drop down to his knees and not hesitate in the slightest to search Warren’s pockets for something valuable was fucked up beyond belief but Callum couldn’t argue that he did have a fair point. And if they couldn’t find anything useful, maybe they could find something to give back to his family. It was then that Callum took notice of the watch on Warren’s left wrist. Fuck, was he really about to do this? With an irritated sigh (because even in death, Warren was making him do things he didn’t want to do), he walked over to the other side of Warren and knelt down to undo his watch. He figured they could give it back to his family along with Warren’s body when they were rescued. Rising to his feet once he was done, he brushed some dirt off of Warren’s watch with the pad on his thumb. The watch face was cracked and after giving it a closer look, he noticed that the hands weren’t moving, stopped at 1:49AM. “Did everyone manage to sleep through the night last night?” He then asked, his gaze still fixated on the watch.

Kian “Something something toxic masculinity, something something animals.” Kian knew he could be a dickhead sometimes, but at least he was a dickhead to everyone. Boys like Sebastian and Callum were wolves in a pack, sniffing out other people’s weaknesses and arranging them accordingly on the ever-arbitrary pecking order. In their eyes, all you needed to be was tall and muscular to be deemed worthy of respect, and that was pretty fucking gay if you asked him. But god forbid anyone point that out to them. “They’ve never had to develop personalities beyond being human jockstraps and it shows.”

Sebastian Sebastian kept his arms folded tight to his chest, perhaps to stop himself from choking anybody else out that afternoon. Everybody knew that the bruising around Warren's throat matched Sebastian's prints perfectly but they also knew that it was as a result of the argument yesterday and not anything that had happened over night- right? His gaze shifted between a few of the other boys, trying to read their thoughts to no avail. He shrugged his shoulders, "I woke up a few times but it was too dark to tell the time," he explained, looking at his own watch briefly, "I don't think I even bothered to check," he confessed a moment later, he'd been exhausted, maybe even a little delirious the few times he'd woken up, irritated by the sand, the cold wind chill, the sound of other boys snoring and talking in their sleep.

Dash Dash distracted himself from Kian’s bonkers, nauseating interpretation of his suggestion with what Lukas had to say. “He's pretty batshit for doing that but can’t imagine they’ll find anything useful on him, unless they plan on hocking the fancy watch when we get out of here. Other than that, he’s probably just got a busted Juul, a nipple piercing, and a few kroner he planned on slipping to the flight attendant for a splash of Stoli in his OJ. None of which are super beneficial to our survival.” As the conversation continued on the topic of Chud and Chuddier, he scoffed lightly when Kian said ‘human jockstrap’. Dash used a similar phrase the other day too and he wasn’t stoked about their thoughts running parallel right about then. He wasn’t stoked about some dude hating him on sight either, but whatever. He poked at the ground with the flat edge of the stick. “My bet’s Mayor of Poutineville’s concussed to hell. Goddamned walking, talking potatohead. Dude operates on nothing but pure, scrambled egg-brain aggression. Rabid dog ass — no fuckin’ hope for the guy.” He stopped when they soon hit a relatively clear area, not too dense with trees and not so far from the beach that they couldn’t hear the sound of the ocean waves or catch the odd glimpse of sand. There was enough shade that the air felt cooler too, and he was sure that it’d be easy to find again. In a pure asinine move, Dash thought hopefully 'hey, maybe Warren'll like it here.' He leaned on his stick and surveyed the dirt like he had any real idea of what he was doing. When he dug a hole for the little rat dog back home, the soil had been pretty sandy. He hoped they had a similar experience here, because he didn’t wanna lug rocks around on top of burying a body. It had to be immoral for a day to be physically and emotionally exhausting. “How’s here?”

Lukas Lukas couldn't help but feel a little elated when Kian joined in on the trash talking, his choice of words especially tickling him. " That's fuckin' true, ay, " he agreed, more than happy to accept that Sebastian and Callum were so easily annoyed by him because they were jealous of his sparkling personality. Even if that was not what Kian had meant in the slightest. " For sure, dude, " he concord with Dash on the topic of Callum without missing a beat. " Yo, you know who they remind me of? " Enthusiasm quickly filling his tone, looking to Kian and Dash, " You ever play Outlast? " He did not stop and wait for an answer to that question, though he probably should have, " The fucking twin meatheads from that. The ones that just like walk around the map, like, " He severely hunched his shoulders, arms dangling comically at his sides as he pulled his face into an over exaggerated expression for the next few goofy steps before he straightened up again. " Dicks out and just saying weird as fuck shit to creep you out. " Lukas was misremembering a lot of details but he could not forget the fact that those characters had been naked the entire fucking game, seemingly for no reason. That image had been seared into his brain in 2013 like a curse and he had not been able to forget it. By the time he's finished his comparison, Dash had stopped in a clearing. When he asked how's here, Lukas actually looked around the place. It seemed as good a place as they could get without putting in, like, actual effort so it seemed perfect. " Yeah, here's probably good. " He dug at the ground with the heel of his shoe, noting how it moved easily out of his way. " Ground's not too hard. " he assessed before moving again. Drawing out an approximately Warren-sized rectangle with the stick he'd picked up, before kneeling to the ground, ready to dig. " How deep d'you think? Like two, three feet? "

Kian Kian could only blink at Lukas's comparison, nose wrinkling in disgust as he tried not to imagine Callum and Sebastian running around camp with their dicks out. Unlike Dash, he couldn't seem to decide who was the worst offender of the two; in his book, a cunt was a cunt was a cunt. He followed the other boys to the clearing and stomped around a bit in the dirt, testing the soil's softness with the soles of his trainers. "Yeah, I'd say a meter at the least. We want it to be deep enough for the animals to keep away, but not so deep we can't get him back out." If they'd have to dig him back out. Personally, Kian was hoping that the rescue team came armed with shovels. "Anyone have objections to using their hands?" He asked with a pointed glance at Dash.

Callum "Hm," was all Callum could think of to say in response to Sebastian. Out of all them, the other boy was clearly one of the most upset with Warren yesterday. But seeing as Sebastian was also one of the first to dive in to save Warren, Callum didn't feel the need to prod for further information. "We need to ask Sawyer what the hell the two of them were doing last night after we left when he gets back here. And what time they fell asleep. All that." He tucked Warren's watch into the pocket of his pants, looking around for sign of Sawyer. "Why the hell is he taking so long? It's a blanket, not a pile of rocks." He shook his head, irritated. Then he shifted his gaze to JJ. "Did you find anything?"

Dash Dash shook his head but still watched Lukas act out the so-called Dick Out Twins with sincere fascination. “Sheee-it. Uncanny resemblance, dude. You even got that bowlegged caveman shtick down pat.” The internet told his mom that they had to bury the dog at least three feet to keep any predators from digging him up, so Dash nodded when Lukas suggested that depth. His eyes still went skyward when Kian agreed, because wasn’t that motherfucker just giving him shit about the very same topic because ‘there are no bobcats in Hawaii’ like five minutes ago? If Dash said it, it was bullshit. But if Kian said it, it was apparently obvious fact. Good to know! he thought sarcastically. At Kian’s question, Dash hummed contemplatively. “Huh. Okay. Here’s the plan,” he started, walking closer to where Lukas drew a rectangle in the dirt. “When the Russians spot us on their satellites and decide to hit up their Navy—yunno, headed up by Nikita Khrushchev's chemically preserved ballsack—and then a rusty little battlecruiser rolls up to haul us to the Gulag, I’m gonna ask Count Admiral Baba Yaga to take out his busted Samsung and google the Ancient fuckin’ Mesoamericans for you.” Dash lifted the stick for emphasis. “Digging stick. It’s a thing, and I’m gonna use it.” He suddenly felt very sure of his expertise as a man who had dug literally one (1) hole in the woods in his lifetime, and ignored the fact that he only doubled down once Kian gave him such a hard time. He stuck the flat end of the stick into the ground and pressed downward. There was some resistance, possibly a shallow root snapping under the pressure, then he bent it to upend a large chunk of dirt. “Hooty-fuckin’-hoo, it works," he announced, voice dripping with performative surprise. "Now let's just get this shit over with. This morning sucks enough already."

Sawyer Sawyer took a few minutes to gather himself before he returned with the space blanket, eyes rimmed red and torso covered with the sweatshirt he'd been wearing on the plane. Didn't make much sense for him to hold onto a dirty wife-beater covered in another person's blood...a dead person's blood, at that. This way, he figured, he could at least be comfortable and respectful. "S'got a couple holes in it," he sniffed, unfolding the blanket as he approached, "y'know, from the fire and all, but I figure we can stuff 'em with grass if we really wanna..." His voice trailed off when he spotted JJ, knelt at Warren's side with his hands down his pockets. Even beneath the warm inner lining of his sweatshirt, Sawyer's blood ran cold. "...Seriously? We're fuckin' lootin' him, now?"

Kian Dash, Kian was convinced by now, was just inventing names and facts for the sole purpose of making himself sound smarter, although it was obvious to anyone with ears that the guy was a complete and total prat. And Kian would've pointed this out to him had he not proceeded to shove his stick in the ground and flick dirt everywhere, onto Kian's shoes, his shins, his clothes. Dickhead. "Are you taking the piss right now? You're getting shit everywhere, we'll go a lot faster if we just use our fucking hands."

Liam in all honesty, liam wasn’t paying attention, he was off to the side and trying to keep what very little control he had over his emotions. his eyes kept wandering to group of boys standing over warren but every time he glanced at the boy laying there, he could feel his chest tighten and anxiety bubble up inside him. that’s going to be all of us. we’re all going to die here, he thought to himself as he sat on the ground, hands gripping his hair against his scalp. he tried to think back to the last thing he said to his siblings, probably something dumb like don’t touch my things or don’t go in my room. now he wished he had told them he loved them one last time. just as he was getting sucked into these thoughts, he heard sawyer come back to the group. his head shot up and he wiped his eyes quickly as if it wasn’t already obvious that he had been crying. “they think he might have something useful on him,” he chimed in, as if sawyer couldn’t figure that out on his own, but liam didn’t know what else to say without breaking down completely.

Lukas " Thank you, " Lukas gave a facetious bow when at least Dash seemed impressed with his impression. Arms extended out to the side then straightening up with a grin. If it wasn't for the fact that they then very soon afterwards stopped to dig a literal grave, Lukas could have almost forgotten the body that had been found less than an hour ago. When Kian brought it up, he crinkled his nose a little at the idea of using his hands, or honestly digging the hole at all. But it seemed the suggestion was not for him, but for Dash, who was still holding onto that stick and quickly started making a case for it. A case with a lot of words that kinda just went right over Lukas' head to be honest. However, when the stick launched a collection of dirt into the air (mostly onto Kian), he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. And it was only made funnier when Kian responded in anger with that fucking accent. Hand on his stomach as he tried to subdue it. " Okay, okay– as fuckin' funny as that was, ol' Alfred Pennyworth's got a point, hands will probably be quicker. " That's what she said. But before he gave in to covering himself in dirt completely, he took off his sweater, about to toss it behind him before he paused to offer it out to Dash. " You want it? So you don't fuck with your nice Neil Bar-whatever? " He asked, brows raised. He could not remember that fashion name for the life of him, but he assumed Dash still cared far more about his clothes than Lukas did his own. Then glance to Kian, holding up the front of the remaining two layers he'd slept in. " Got one more layer up for grabs if you want it. " Because even with two of the least threatening of the group, Lukas was still not gonna show his chest. And he'd feel like sort of a dick offering Dash something and not Kian, even if the dude was already covered in dirt.

Sawyer “Useful,” Sawyer echoed after Liam, huffing a dry laugh as he traded his sorrow for anger. As if the dead kid was hiding a secret cellphone or something from them - he barely knew how to use a radio when he was alive. “Why don’t we just strip his clothes while we’re at it? Can even use his fuckin’ sneakers as tinder for the fire. Fuck ‘im. Fuck his folks who might want somethin’ to remember him by.”

Callum Fucking finally. Callum thought it'd take ages for Sawyer to get back. "We got a keepsake to give his parents." Well, he did but Callum didn't care to get into the specifics. What he did care about was what the hell Sawyer and Warren were doing up there last night. "What the hell were you and Warren doing up there last night?" He asked, brows slanted downwards in a frown.

Sawyer His gaze flickered to Callum's shoes before they found his face, jaw working like not going off on the guy who just rubbed Sawyer's nose in shit over someone else's death caused him physical pain. "I told you, we were..." Didn't he tell them? They were drinking. Talking, about what fuck-ups they were and how they ended up at the retreat. At least, that's how he remembered it - brandy always made his memory a little hazy at the edges. "Drinkin'. Some of that fancy cognac he smuggled with him on the plane."

Callum "Drinking?" Callum repeated. "That's it? You were drinking one moment and Warren was taking a swan dive off the cliff the next?" Was that insensitive? Probably. But Callum needed Sawyer to hear how fucking vague that sounded. "I'm trying to get some context for why this fucker would off himself, and all you're gonna tell me is that you two were drinking." He scoffed and shook his head. "What else? Were you talking about anything?"

Sawyer "Nah, we drank in fuckin' silence." Callum's edge, no doubt, was starting to rub off on Sawyer, sharpening his tongue like the blade of a knife. Fuck was he supposed to say? That Warren told him he was gonna jump off a cliff and Sawyer said 'sounds good, man, I'll just leave you to it'? It wasn't that simple. Nothing in life was that fucking simple. "Y'know, I don't know if...it were an accident, or if he did it on purpose, but if I was askin' myself what might'a pushed someone to make a decision like that, I think I'd start with the ones threatenin' to off 'im the night before," he said, tapping his temple.

Liam liam's eyes went between the two boys as things started to heat up, blame being thrown around. as someone who preferred to avoid conflict all together, liam chimed in. "maybe we shouldn't be pointing fingers, yesterday was super fucking stressful but whether this was an accident or if he did it... on purpose," liam had to pause to swallow down the lump in his throat, "we can't be putting that on sawyer."

Callum Callum squared his jaw. He thought back to the last thing he'd said to Warren. You fucking idiot! That was our only chance! The last thing he could remember anyway. He walked off to cool his temper before he did something stupid, like break Warren's jaw in three places. Callum just wanted someone to blame, to direct whatever was going on inside of him at someone, and he couldn't very well do that with a dead boy. "Oh, fuck you," Callum shot back. "We may have been pissed with Warren yesterday, but we went back to camp, tired as hell. You think one of us had it in us to hike all the way back up there and throw him off in our state? And you fucking heard Sebastian, it was too dark to fucking seeing anything even if any of us did wake up so there's no way it could have been one of us, and all the more reason it could have been you." That was a little out of left field but Callum was angry and it was all he had. "You're telling me you weren't pissed off with Warren? Who's to say you didn't get drunk, start spouting horrible shit to fuck with him, and that sent him over? Or maybe you just pushed him off yourself, fuckin' criminal," he spat venomously.

Sawyer So, admittedly, the laugh that escaped Sawyer the second ol' fuckin' Dudley Do-Right accused him of second-degree murder didn't exactly help his defense, but sue him. He couldn't help it. Back in Conrad, he'd been called all sorts of nasty things to his face - from felon to fairy - so he wasn't too miffed by having his criminal record thrown back in his face like a handful of sand. What did unnerve Sawyer was the implication that he was a violent drunk, the kind of person who yelled and raged and hurt people after a few drinks. After a fucking nightcap, at that. "Pushed 'im?" He said, each word dripping with disbelief-tinged mania. "Pushed 'im? You think this is a fuckin' Tarantino movie? Is that it? Are y'all so goddamned sheltered in Moose Nut, Canada that everyone with a parkin' ticket looks like cold-blooded killer?"

Callum "Yeah, pushed him," Callum echoed derisively, stepping forward. He wanted to rile Sawyer up to see what he was capable of. A hand of his balled into a fist at his side. He couldn't tell what part of the Hick's comeback irritated him more but the dig at his home country definitely didn't sit right with him. All Callum knew was that he had to get his hands on Sawyer so that's what he did. Crossing over, he held his hands out and shoved the boy. "Yeah, pushed him. Like that."

Liam tension between callum and sawyer escalated, and liam felt like his protests were futile as they got into each other's faces. fuck, where the hell is lukas and the others? he thought to himself. he watched as callum pushed sawyer and liam shot up, trying to push his way in between the two of them but considering they both towered over him, they could easily push him aside. "guys, seriously, this isn't helping anything, just stop," he said, raising his voice at them.

Sawyer They hardly needed Liam’s intervention to put any distance between them; Callum was strong enough to send Sawyer stumbling backward with a shove. Like that, Sawyer was in the mess hall at juvie again, getting pulled into fights with the rougher guys because they were bored and he was an easy target, big bark and little bite. And when Callum pushed him, he wanted to push him back. Worse, even—he wanted to punch him in the fucking throat. “Yeah, Pretty Boy,” said Sawyer, grinning ear-to-ear over Liam’s head, “would be a shame for you break a nail fightin’ the criminal.”

Sebastian Sebastian was getting tired of people pointing fingers in his direction when he had just as much reason to suspect any of them of foul play. He'd been asleep on the beach for most of the night, he'd already said as much so why did it still keep coming back to the argument he'd had with Warren a whole day ago? "Unless you're saying you were so blacked, you wouldn't have noticed one of us coming up on the cliff, you wouldn't have heard a struggle and you wouldn't have heard him screaming as he fell- and if you're happy to go ahead with that summation, you'll also have to accept that you were too blacked to remember what the fuck you said to him or what he said to you or what happened after that. You could have been messing around, accidentally tripped him over- or you coulda been mad about the radio, pushed him," he insisted, "Alcohol changes people- I don't know what kind of drunk you are, do you? I'd make sure your name is clear before you start throwing anybody else's on the table, huh?"

Sawyer Sawyer did not have “get gaslit into thinking you might’ve committed a murder while drunk” on his vacation bingo card, but neither did he have “become stranded on a desert island,” so he supposed he still had a thing or two to learn from the local senior living home. The spark in his stomach fizzled out with the last of Sebastian’s cold analysis, a flame touched, expression falling from a manic grin to a hollow, tight-jawed stare. People could say what they wanted about him: that he was a hick, a petty criminal, a burnout with no fucking future. But Sawyer had never laid his hands on another person—not on anyone who hadn’t laid theirs on him, first—and he’d never used his buzz to put out someone else’s. “Fuck you,” he said, voice wavering. “You don’t know jack shit about me.”

Joe Joe couldn't believe they were having the most stressful game of Cludeo ever over Warren's fresh corpse. Where the fuck were Pinky and The Brain and Kian ? Maybe the others would see sense and realise that accusing an innocent guy of murder wasn't going to fix anything once their focus was on burying Warren's body. "Everybody simmer down.",Joe moved to Callum's side. Somebody had to be there in case the situation escalated beyond shoving and Thumbelina wasn't going to be much use. Bless Liam for trying but with his mild manner and short stature compared to the other boys he could easily be ignored."Baseless murder accusations aren't going to fix anything. We don't have any reason to believe Sawyer murdered Warren, there's only circumstantial evidence. Couldn't Warren have just fallen because he was hammered?"

Blue he wasnt proud of it, but blue could not see the boys without picturing their fates the same as Warren's, and he slipped out to go yell at the water, and write dirty words in the sand just to watch the water take them back, it might have been an odd grieving process but it was his, and as he returned to the group, the air was so tense he, he instinctly reaching his pocket for his phone to see 204 unread messages and feel the dread. but there wasn't anything there, the dread wasn't contained to the tiny electric box, it pumped through the mob's veins and they breathed it back into the air. he looked to each one, lingering a but before speaking it. "hey boys, the fucks all this?" his tone sounded fatherly, concerned but orderly, and he got the chilly feeling that warrens blood wasn't the only time theyd see the red stuff tonight.

Kian Alfred Whomst? Kian opened his mouth to make a quick retort, but was beat to the chase when Lukas offered him his...shirt? It read you're too close in bold, angry red letters, which just about summed up how Kian felt about the two boys he'd made the terrible decision to come grave-digging with. "Fuck's sake," he muttered, looking off into the jungle for a few silent moments as he contemplated his life choices. "Just...give it here, then."

Lukas Stupid grin spread on Lukas' features when Kian, albeit begrudgingly, accepted offer of a protective t-shirt. Pulling it off, he made sure to grab the white long sleeve underneath so it didn't lift up as he removed the top layer. Removal successful he held it out across the drawn rectangle for him. Pushing his own sleeves up to his elbows once hands were empty and announcing " Let's get to it then, " kneeling down on the ground and starting to dig. " Before the Dick Twins get over here and try and find something else to be assholes about. "

Dash The only thing that truly kept Dash from laughing aloud at the way Kian’s voice went high and warbly in his Peppa Pig accent was the fact that the hole they were all bitching about would soon occupy an actual human body. But even that just kept it at bay. When Lukas agreed with Kian, he snorted—the proffered sweater going a long way in quickly smoothing down any ruffled feathers. Dash pressed his lips together, but felt the fight slowly leave him when he suddenly just felt tired. He couldn’t sworn he slept the whole night, but he definitely didn’t feel it. He sighed heavily, stretching his arms out and letting the stick fall by his side. Dash had every intention of bringing it back to camp, regardless of whether or not it had any other use than as a makeshift shovel. “This is not a concession,” he started, and gently pulled his own sweater over his head and folded it neatly to place on the ground. He only had a white t-shirt on underneath but even that was Tom Ford, so he didn’t hesitate to take Lukas’ offer a moment longer. “This? It’s an act of benevolence.” His voice went slightly muffled for a moment as Lukas’ Thrasher sweatshirt went over his head. “We’ve spent more time arguing than getting this shit done, so I’ll throw you a bone here.” With a grimace, and a silent miserable thought about his pants, he got down next to Lukas and dug.

Kian Lukas's shirt was smaller and tighter than the baggy one Kian had on underneath, causing the sleeves to pillow out at his elbows like some kind of weird pirate tunic. He exhaled sharply through his nose. Fuck. This. Properly incensed, Kian knelt across from the Americans and began to claw his way through the dirt. Unlike Dash, however, he at least made sure not to kick it up everywhere. "Would you stop calling them that?" He huffed. "The last thing I want to think about is Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dipshit stomping around camp with their pricks out."

Lukas Lukas wondered if Kian saw the irony in him grumbling out some complaint about his hilarious joke the second after Dash had said they'd spent too much time arguing already. " You knew exactly who I was talkin' about though, and it only took two seconds to say, " he defended as he dug. Defending the phrase for no reason other than he didn't want to talk about the fact that a dead body would be heading towards them any minute now. And god forbid they fall into silence and he just had to think about the dead body again. He's stomach churned just a fraction, so he quickly continued. " Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dipshit is good, but could be anyone, " for example, it could have very easily been used to identify Lukas and Dash.

Kian "Bert and Ernie, then. Literally anyone else." Kian had hardly even made a dent in the ground before his nails were caked with dirt, and if he hadn't spent the better half of his childhood digging through the mud for bugs to show Clarke, he would have been disgusted at the state of them. God, let there be a freshwater lake in the wilderness for him to wash off in. "Besides," he said, wiping hair out of his face with the back of his sleeve, "I think they're the sort to be flattered that you think about them naked so often."

Dash Dash let a low whistle as he tossed a pebble over his shoulder. He didn’t think flattered would actually be the appropriate word for how those two would feel if they knew Lukas had mentioned their names in relation to dicks. “I think the word you’re looking for is disgusted, actually. Or, uh. Vein-throbbingly violent? Like, on the edge of going full-on berserk.” He scooped out another handful of dirt and already felt exhausted by the whole endeavor. Dash reminded himself that they were doing this for what was a good cause and it’d be fucked up if he sat back now. “Gay bash-y, definitely, but whatever.” He gritted his teeth as he came across another root. Fuckin’ weak ass trees and their weak ass roots. Some of the ones back home were similar, always getting blown to shit by every passing hurricane. He stood enough just to bring his heel down hard enough to snap it. “Wait, just to confirm, we’re in agreement that Lord Humungus took the kill shot, right?” he asked Lukas.

Lukas Lukas didn't know where the fuck Kian had got the idea that Gigantor and his Mini Me would be flattered that Lukas was talking about them in such a fashion, but he definitely disagreed. Thankfully, Dash quickly put his thoughts into words. " Yeah, that's more the vibe I'm getting, for sure. " Lukas agreed, eyes staying down on his hands as he dug for a moment. Just get this fucking over with, get Warren in the ground and then they could move on. Eyes lifted when Dash spoke again, meeting his and for the second time today having to disagree with him. " I think he totally could have. You know, definitely had motive and means down, " Start with agreement, wasn't that a debate thing? He didn't fucking know, he wasn't a debate weeb. " But opportunity? " He sucked his teeth, eyes back to the ground as he continued making work on the grave. " Unless he turns into a fucking werewolf at night, there's no way he would've been able to make his way up there in the middle of the night. It was dark as fuck. " Okay maybe there were a couple of ways, but Lukas wasn't sold. " So, like, maybe he did it, I dunno. But what are we supposed to do about it? "

Kian Lord Humungus? Did he mean Sebastian? "Think he's just upset he didn't push him off himself when he had the chance," said Kian. Because Lukas had a point (as much as it pained him to admit), it was way too fucking dark for Sebastian to be able to get up, hike all the way up that cliff to murder Warren, and slink back before sunrise without anyone noticing. All signs pointed to Warren's death being an accident - a shit, unfortunate fucking accident. Kian picked a worm out of the shallow hole he'd created and flung it into the grass. "I'm not taking my chances with him, though. You saw the way he choked Switzerland out - he's definitely out for blood."

Dash "Involuntary manslaughter, then." If that's what it even was called. "Lack of oxygen gave him a big brain booboo which lead to the guy seizing like a motherfucker. Bumble balled it right over the ledge.” Dash raised his eyebrows like, huh? How about that? But what could they even do about that? He didn’t know fuck-all about like, obtaining quote-unquote justice. The whole system was wanky back home, so pulling from real life examples didn't really vibe with him. Plus, there was the whole... they were stuck on an island thing. The best he could come up with was: "Uh. Banish him to the other side of this tropical limbo to go think about what he's done?" He kept digging, and digging, and digging. It couldn't have been a more boring activity, and he wished the other guys would hurry with the body if only so they'd have more hands on deck. Dash tilted his head to the side in lackluster agreement with Kian. Lackluster because he kinda hated to agree with him right then. "For suuuure. I can really respect Warren's kinky side, but that shit's not in my wheelhouse."

Liam clearly, no one was paying attention to anything liam was saying since the giants of the group wanted to keep going back and forth at each other, blue and joe chiming in with a more level headed approach, but liam was already over it. he understood that everything was stressful and the past few days have been a roller coaster, but he couldn't deal with the fact that the others would rather fight with each other than take care of warren's body. he pushed his way out from in between the other boys, "fuck this," he muttered to himself as he walked away from the group. if they weren't going to be helpful, the least he could do was go find the others and see where they are at with digging. he took one last glance at warren, which was probably a mistake because the second he did, he felt the familiar tightening in his chest again. looking away quickly, liam started the walk to the others and hoped he wouldn't get lost in the process. though, being lost in the jungle was starting to seem like a better option than being stuck with all the toxic masculinity of the other group. alone and walking, he finally let himself feel everything and didn't stop his tears until he started to hear the three boys talking. he ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath to compos himself before stepping out to make himself known. "uh, how's it going here? do you guys need help?"

Lukas Lukas made a small chyeah sound with an accompanying chuckle when Dash suggested involuntary manslaughter. Even though it appeared he had more experience with the justice system than these two, specifically in a case of involuntary manslaughter, he didn't think they could prove such a thing. Even with the, what? 14 witnesses? 13 now he supposed. They couldn't even convince one another, how could they convince a court of people who hadn't even been there. He kept digging. " What, like Survivor? " He asked when Dash suggested banishing Sebastian. " Even if he didn't kill Warren I wouldn't be against sending him the fuck away just so I didn't have to see him stand around and brood all fucking day. " Though part of him wanted Sebastian to stay close, so they could see when the eventual murderous rampage was coming on. He's about to tack on some crude joke about Warren getting choked out to what Kian and Dash were saying but that's when he hears a voice behind him. Head turning to look and stupid smile widening on his features. " Yo! " Same shirt! Lukas thought again, even though Dash was currently wearing his Thrasher sweater. " Yeah, for sure, get in here. " He tilted his head back to the grave, resuming his digging while Liam pulled up a spot. " So, the fuck were the others up to that you decided digging a grave was the better option? " He asked, chuckle falling from his lips at the very circumstances. Even if this was definitely the better group of people, by Lukas' definition, Liam had stayed with the others a while before joining them, Lukas figured something must have been happening.

Liam liam tried to muster up as much of genuine smile as he could despite the fact that his had just spent a better part of his walk over crying. he looked between the three boys, noting the progress they achieved in the amount of time it took the other group to do literally nothing but fight and point fingers. with a nod, he walked over to them, getting on his knees at the edge of where they were digging and started to help. he let out a broken laugh when lukas asked what was going on, he couldn't even hold it in because the whole situation seemed ridiculous. "they're fucking not doing shit. jj's, like, looting his shit because he's not going to need it. which fair, but he just went straight to it. everyone's pointing fingers. and sawyer got the emergency blanket but as soon he came back, him and the one tall roid head started going at each other because apparently sawyer and warren were drinking last night and they think it's his fault. then fucking gigantor came in and amped everything up." liam realized he was probably talking pretty fast and agitated and he rambled, so he paused and took a second to catch his breath. "i just- i needed to get out of there. none of them would listen to me."

Kian "Fuck's sake," Kian said for the second time in the span of ten minutes, pushing his momentary annoyance at yet another member joining their group aside to express his utter exasperation at the sheer dickheadness of the dickheads on this island. JJ being a weirdo didn't shock him; nor did Thing 1 and Thing 2 using someone's death to be complete pricks to everyone around them. "What did I tell you? Out for blood."

Dash Dash looked over his shoulder when he heard a new voice, and his brow furrowed. Liam looked a helluva lot like a guy who had just been crying, and Dash could vaguely recall him getting a little choked up when he had still been loitering around Warren’s body. Clearly he was taking this hard. The threat of a big-d Death was annoying and years-long over the course of his life, so he could forget that someone's shit could get really rocked by the whole thing if they had never lived like that. “You good, dude?” he asked, only a little awkward in execution. Being on the receiving end of a barrage of friendly check-ins didn't really make him any better at extending them. As Liam recounted what was up on the beach, Dash rolled his eyes. Day Three of hanging around these reprobates and he already wasn't shocked by some of their behaviors. JJ looting a body? Bit fucked, but not totally out of left field. He was sure the guy still had multitudes of weirdness to expose though. "Okay, cringe. But, uh, did they find anything?" he had to ask, still a little curious if he was right about the nipple piercing thing. Kian’s out for blood comment spurred him to continue: “And is anyone bleeding yet? Someone should probably them it’s kinda tacky to duke it out in front of a dead body.” Warren’s body. Dash grimaced, and went back to digging.

Callum Callum huffed grumpily when Joe came by his side and diffused the situation. "All the stories Warren tells about taking champagne up his ass and having to swim in whiskey before he feels anything, you think a fucking flask got him hammered? That's a joke." He stayed glaring at Sawyer. Then Blue came into the picture. "Something is up and this criminal's just too good at hiding it." Callum couldn't help but take another dig at Sawyer.

Sawyer Sawyer should’ve taken comfort in the fact that the other boys, some of whom he’d barely even spoken to, were willing to stick their necks out for him. He should’ve heeded Liam’s advice, walked away when he had the opportunity to do so with his hands clean. There were a lot of things in life he should’ve, could’ve, would’ve done if he were a better man. But there was something in Callum’s tone—an undercurrent, heat simmering beneath the surface of his icy demeanor—that made him see red. Who gave him the right to speak about somebody like that? He didn’t know Sawyer. None of these assholes knew any more about him than he did of them. His limbs moved of their own accord before his head even had time to process what was happening, tackling Callum to the floor of the impacted sand, arm reeling back and fist connecting with his smug fucking face—once, twice, until his knuckles began to split. “Fuck you,” he spat. “Fuck you—”

Sebastian Sebastian couldn't deny that Callum had made a good point about Warren's alcohol tolerance. The kid seemed to actually be more efficient with a little booze in his system than he was without- so how were they supposed to believed he'd managed to get so plastered the night before that he'd toppled off of a cliff all by himself? Something wasn't adding up and Sawyer's increasing irritation was only adding to fuel to the conspiracy fire. "Whoa- hey!" Sebastian called out impulsively as Sawyer leapt at Callum, tackling him into the ground and taking one manic swipe at him after the other. On instinct, he crashed into Sawyer's back, throwing his arms under Sawyer's and pinning them back as he dragged the other boy, rather clumsily, to a standing (ish) position, away from Callum. "Come on, come on, come on," he insisted, for a lack of anything more profound or meaningful to say to either boy. "Bro, somebody fuckin' check on him," he instructed anybody that was listening to aid Callum after the spontaneous beating. "You gonna cool off man?" he asked sawyer, using all his strength to keep his arms in a submissive position with his arms locked between Sebastian's. "-Or we can go for a walk, you gotta choice here," he insisted, giving Sawyer at least some sense of control in an otherwise out of control situation.

Callum "Umpf—!" One second, Callum was throwing Sawyer a dirty look that could piss off a pacifist monk and the next, he was on the ground getting his face rearranged. He should have probably seen this coming with the way he was running his mouth. For a moment, the embarrassment of being put down was worse than the pain of actually getting his face pummeled. Callum was just barely catching up, getting his hands on Sawyer's arms when he felt the boy's weight be pulled off of him entirely. Then he heard Sebastian's voice. Thank fuck, he thought. Relief washing over him for only a moment before the pain set in. "Fucking prison rat..." He muttered, turning his head and spitting out some of the blood in his mouth. "I'm fine," he insisted, swatting a hand before any of the other boys could do something like rush to his aid. He wasn't some pussy, he could get up just fine. Or so he thought when he attempted to sit up and a sharp pain shooting up his back reminded him he was still very much recovering from an unfair bar fight. "Fuck," he grunted, sucking in a sharp breath in an attempt to contain his reaction to the pain.

Sawyer Sawyer could do little more than let out a pained yelp as his arms were wrenched behind his back—Sebastian had all the strength of a corrections officer and less than half of the patience, pulling Sawyer to his feet before he could get a final blow in. “Don’t—fuckin’—touch me!” He tried, in vain, to weasel his way out of the other boy’s firm grip. Fuck him. Fuck Callum. Fuck Warren for dying, fuck the pilot for crashing, fuck his parole officer for sending him on this retreat and fuck him, fuck Sawyer for thinking he could better himself, that you could add bells and whistles to a broken-down car and expect it to get anywhere good. “You wanna talk about me?!” He yelled, eyes stinging hot with tears again. But this time, he wasn’t crying out of guilt or sorrow—rather, the frustration at his inability to control his situation, or anything, had nowhere left to go but out of him. “Huh?! You wanna talk about what kinda drunk I am?! You’re not even good fuckin’ people sober!”

Callum "And what makes you think you are?!" Callum shot back from where he was twisted uncomfortably on his side. "Fuckin', Mr. Criminal Record!" With his back fucked, Callum was all bark and no bite right now. "Take a fucking hike, convict," he spat from where he was on the ground. "We'll carry Warren ourselves. Don't you need you hijacking his ring and that stupid fucking chain around his neck for some spare change and a place to live."

Sawyer The next thing Sawyer did, he wasn’t too proud of (he wasn’t very proud of pummeling Callum to the ground, either, but in the heat of the moment it felt more than deserved). If these guys wanted to assume the worst of him, though, he’d give ‘em a better fucking reason to. He mustered up the last of his resolution to spit at Callum’s immobile form, hoping, childishly, that he felt the touch of cold saliva on his skin, that he felt every bit as tainted by Sawyer’s indecency as Sawyer did. What little dredges of fuck he had left to give died on his fists the moment they made impact with Callum’s face. With a full-bodily jerk, he managed to free himself from Sebastian’s grasp at last, holding his middle fingers up at Callum as he took a few steps backward before he turned his back to the group. He wasn’t hiking back to the camp or the jungle, but to the furthest corners of the beach, where he could melt into the shoreline and imagine himself turning into sea-foam—swept away, all at once, by the tide.

Callum Spitting on him? Really? Callum scoffed and shook his head. Then he watched Sawyer's retreating figure. "Yeah, walk away, convict. We don't need you," he called out. A final nail in the coffin if Sawyer didn't hate him enough already. He brushed his hand against his pants where Sawyer's spit landed, making a face at the wetness that now covered his palm. Gross, he thought. When he figured the boy was far enough, Callum decided it was high time for him to get up and move too. "Can someone give me a hand?" He asked grumpily, after having attempted to get up himself; though he couldn't quite do it without assistance. "And let's get Warren out of here already."

Lukas Lukas couldn't help but grimace as Liam told the three of them what had happened in their absence. Yeah, no, definitely the superior group right here, he thought. Looting, yelling, and pointing fingers at each other. He was only a tiny bit upset to be missing it all. He nodded in agreement at Kian's point. " Dude, they're so fucked, " he commented, pulling more dirt out of the hole. However, he did also kinda want the answers to Dash's questions so he looked to Liam expectantly, waiting an answer. Then Lukas thinks he hears something. Not sure what he looked over his shoulder again with furrowed brow. " Y'all hear that? " he asked the group, his gaze remaining behind him for a second longer. Sounded like yelling, but it was just too far away for Lukas to put any more effort into finding out what it was. As he looked back to the hole, soon to be grave, he was pretty fucking impressed with their efforts. Someone had to be. " That's probably deep enough, right? Looks about two foot, bit over. "

Joe This had to be some kind of divine punishment. There was no way he would be stuck on a desert island with wankers that couldn't go a full day without getting into a punch up if he wasn't tainted in some way. As tempting as it was to leave Callum on the floor Joe knew had to be a bigger person and make some kind of contribution ,he didn't get Sawyer off of Callum and he did a shit job at including Liam. He would have to apologise to Liam later but in that moment his main focus was grabbing Callum's hand and dragging him off the ground. "Oh yeah, yous are going to have to stop being pricks for a second because we need to move Warren. Is there a technique to moving bodies?"

Callum Callum let himself be pulled up by Joe, offering a short grunt of 'thanks' in appreciation once he was back on his feet. He dusted himself off, scoffed a little at being referred to as a prick, and answered Joe's query. "Not that I know of. But we got the blanket–" Thanks to Sawyer, who he did not care to credit or mention even if there was a gun to his head. "–we'll lay Warren on there, and there's..." He counted whoever remained. Him, Sebastian, Joe, and Blue. Perfect. "Four of us. So each take a corner and just carry him like that I guess." He shrugged. Heavy lifting wasn't a great idea with his back all knotted up and achy like it was right now but Callum figured with three other guys helping carry the load, it shouldn't be too bad. He walked over to the lower half of Warren's body and grabbed his ankles. "Someone get the top half of this kid please. And the rest just like, hold the blanket down flat, hands on the corners."

Blue blue told himself that it was like carrying an injured teammate, you'll pull your brother up, move him off the ice, the nurses patch him up, or that one time when he had to visit beau at the hospital...but he needed that visualization to make it through this strange night. as he placed the blanket down with the others, and then took a step back, all of that went away and the darkness all around enveloped him. "does anyone know the song from sound of music? the sad one?"

Kian It was easy to block out the events of that morning when you had nothing to do but dig and dig until your arms ached. Moving meant you had less time to think, and the less time you had to think, the less time you had to feel. Mostly, Kian just felt numb...and like, he couldn't figure out whether that made him a shit person or not. That he could look at a dead body and feel nothing but a sense of disgust and dread, like if he stared for too long, the clutches of death would reach out and grab him by the wrist. Scary shit. He scoffed at Lukas's remarks, blowing a piece of hair out of his eyes. "Two feet's not deep enough. It has to be a meter, so, like...three." God. Fuck the Yanks and their stupid measurement system. "You can go tell the others to hurry the fuck up if you want, though."

Lukas Personally, if Lukas was wearing someone else's shirt to prevent dirt getting on him, he probably wouldn't be such a dick to them. Well– he probably would but that didn't stop him from being offended when Kian had a go at him. " I said two and a bit, didn't I? " he rebutted, begrudgingly returning to digging. " And you've gotta give the metres thing up, you're clearly fuckin' outnumbered here. " He cast a glance to Dash and Liam as if to say, right guys? As for going back to the others, however, he shook his head adamantly " No fucking way, I'll fuckin' puke, " again. You would fucking puke again, Lukas. " You can go tell them if you want though, " he offered back to Kian, being completely facetious. He didn't think there was any way any of them were volunteering to go back and tell the others what to do. " Tell them all about how we've got a metre " he poorly mimicked the other's accent for that word and that word alone, " deep hole here and they need to hurry up, you and Warren would look good with matching hickeys. "

Liam liam looked to dash when he asked if he was okay, and again he tried to put on a brave face and pretend like everything was okay. "yeah, i'm good," he said despite being the opposite. liam has never experienced death before, not even a pet. even if they hadn't known warren long and he was pretty annoying, it still made reality hit him hard. "i don't know if they found anything good, i wasn't really paying attention," i was trying to not cry in front of everyone he finished in his head. but then kian seemed annoyed by how deep they should go and lukas teasing him about meters. liam just looked up at the others and shrugged. he didn't see what the big deal was. "they probably wont even listen to you," he mumbled. "they didn't listen to me. they're too busy seeing who's dick is bigger by ganging up on sawyer." he just hoped they were done being dicks long enough to actually get to moving warren over here.

Kian If Lukas's hastiness didn't tick him off, that piss-poor imitation of his accent certainly did. He did not sound like that - Kian could pronounce his r's just fine, thank you very much. With a saccharine-sweet smile, he took the next fistful of damp soil from the ground and flicked it in Lukas's direction. "There. Now it's two and some more." Prick. Liam was much more tolerable than the other two prats, if only for the fact that he seldom talked and always looked like he was on the verge of tears. No wonder he couldn't stick it out with the meatheads, Kian thought. "The one from jail? Why're they ganging up on him?"

Liam he grimaced at the comment. the one from jail. everyone was so focused on the fact that sawyer had been to jail, he wondered what all of the others would think if they knew he had a record too. sure, his was probably much less than sawyers, but they really didn't know anything about each other. "yeah, him. because he was the last to see warren alive and i guess they were drinking last night. they think he got drunk and killed him or something." saying it out loud sounded so ridiculous. even if they didn't know each other well, he couldn't see sawyer doing it. after all, sebastian was the one who choked the dude out.

Lukas He's late to see the handful of dirt flying at him but still he tries to bat it away, leaning back as he did. As if that would help. Looking down at the mess, he couldn't help but snort another chuckle again. How fucking stupid was this whole situation. He thought as he returned to digging. He glanced to Liam as he spoke, but then he laughed again when he revealed the others had been pointing at Sawyer as the cause of Warren's death. " You're joking, Sawyer? Seriously? " He chuckled, giving it a moment to gage that Liam was in fact serious. While Kian was pretty keen to keep bringing up Sawyer's record, Lukas wondered if he was the only one who remembered the cowboy had admitted it was for auto theft. Plus, if a criminal record was all you needed to be a murderer then well shit, guess him and Liam were on their way to the janky island electric chair too. " That's fucked. " He shook his head, still amused but at least a fraction more somber about it now. " There's no way they actually think that, they're just tryna shift the blame 'cause they know they're the most fucking suspect. "

Kian For the first time, Kian and Lukas were on the same wavelength; he couldn't help but let out an ugly guffaw when Liam revealed that some of them were now accusing others of murder. Yeah, no. Sawyer was way too friendly to kill someone - and not in a, like, American Psycho way, but in a weird uncle who drinks too much and mistakes you for your sister way. Believe him, Kian sat across from the guy on the plane. He knew a person who spiked their drinks in secret when he saw one. "And besides, Warren was dumb enough to nearly fall off a cliff without alcohol. What makes them think he didn't just take a long walk off a short ledge when he was trying to piss or something?"

Liam "that's what i thought too," liam chimed in. warren didn't seem like the brightest person sober, nearly walking off the cliff just hours before. "i think they're all so focused on making sure they don't look guilty that they're trying to put the blame on someone else. but i think we all know that if anyone did anything, there are far more convincing people than sawyer."

Kian "Like that JJ fucker," said Kian, eyes going wide. "Swear, I haven't seen him so much as smile since we got here. I think he's a proper psychopath."

Dash Dash didn’t really believe Liam’s ‘I’m good’ and made a mental note to check in on the little dude later. He might not be a total help to him, of course, but it made Dash at least feel like he had something to fill his day after this hellish morning instead of staring vacantly at the ocean. Drops of sweat gathered on his brow from exertion as he listened the other guys contemplate who to point fingers at. "You know where I stand on this whole thing, man,” he said. “Chokey time, brain damage, mouth frothing and a one-way ticket cliffside — ipso facto: Gigantor’s fault.” Dash wiped the moisture away with the back of his hand, and tiredly thought that maybe he should’ve taken his aunt up on the repeated offer to join her at her godforsaken, soul-sucking cycling class. He stood to inspect their work—the boundary of the hole came up to his thigh-ish, edging toward his hip—and stamped down a boot to flatten the earth beneath his foot. “Jesus...” he spoke under his breath, then continued aloud, “Is this finally a fuckin' meter or what?"

Kian Kian sat back on his haunches, heaving a sigh. Grave-digging was no easy task on its own, but having a sweaty mop on your head and a boa constrictor wrapped around your chest put it on equal footing with, like, running laps. Or building pyramids with tree branches. "Proper fuckin' meter," he said, ricocheting right off of Pink Floyd, "where the fuck are the pallbearers?"

Callum Callum made a face at Blue. "The fuck. No?" He shook his head. "Can we just focus on getting Warren out of here?" He asked, his patience thinning quickly with his back pain. Once everyone was in position and Warren was safely wrapped in the emergency blanket, the boys hauled him off, proceeding across the beach until they came across the boys responsible for digging Warren's grave. "Yo, you guys done?" Callum asked when he was close enough to be heard by the other boys. They looked like they've been busy digging so Callum hoped they were, and didn't just spend all this time fucking around.

Dash It was like Kian’s pure pissiness summoned the ‘pallbearers’. Dash looked up from where he watched a shiny beetle scuttle around his boot and was met with a real one-two of shitty and honestly fairly gratifying images. One being Warren’s body, wrapped up like a shoddy mummy—that was horseshit—and the second the pretty black eye developing on Callum’s face. Dash was a pacifist by nature but it was still a refreshing look, if you asked him. He let out a low whistle and leaned back against the edge of the hole, letting his hands rest palms down against the grass. “Wow. Sweet shiner.” He shook his head as he turned to hoist himself out of the grave. “Gotta say, babe. You’ve never looked better,” he wisecracked, a grin started to itch at the corner of his mouth until he looked back from where he came. An empty hole. For Warren. What a way to spend a vacation. He cleared his throat and shrugged both shoulders. “So, uh. Guess you guys just lower him in then,” he continued, gesturing toward their work.

Kian Yo yOu gUys DoNe? As if Moose Knuckle and the park rangers hadn't just taken ages to wrap a body in a blanket and carry it not half a kilometre into the jungle. Kian had a quip ready to go, a right hearty fuck off, but the second he turned around to open his mouth, he lost his shit. Seeing one of the Winklevoss Twins with a bruised eye nearly made up for the corpse within arm's length of his face. "Has he risen from the dead to punch you in the face?" He asked, scuttling out of the way so they could lower Warren's body into the hole. "I miss the fucker, already."

Liam liam’s whole body tensed up when he heard the unmistakable sound of callum’s voice. but at least that meant they were finally done and they could put this whole awful day behind them. getting up from his spot by the hole, liam turned around just as the other boys started commenting on his black eye. clearly the arguing turned physical after liam left, which really didn’t surprise him. but rather than bring attention to himself, he just moved out of the way so the others could move warren’s body into the hole.

Callum Callum swore if he wasn't helping carry a dead body right now, these fuckers — Dash and Kian — would be in the grave along with Warren too. Ignoring the heat he felt in his cheeks when he was cheekily referred to as 'babe', Callum merely scoffed and shot a measly "fuck off" at the two boys with comments. "Let's go," he urged the boys helping him with Warren's body, shuffling forward to position the corpse directly above the hole so it could be a smooth descent. "Ready? Bring him down slowly." It was easier to pretend this was his summer job doing construction work, and not burying some guy they survived a plane crash with. Nice and steady, Warren was lowered and just like that, the boy was laid down in his temporary resting place. Callum blew out a breath once he was standing at full height again. "Fuck..." He didn't expect it to be difficult to look at the grave with the blanket-wrapped body in there. "Guess we just... cover him up?" It felt strange to discuss. He wondered then how Dash, Kian and Lukas felt digging up this hole knowing what it was for.

Dash Dash watched the way Callum’s face heated with fascination, as his tongue poked at the inside of his cheek—one part confused to two parts jazzed about the power he must’ve had to elicit a reaction like that. He badly wanted to say something, to make a joke about how there must’ve been a heart beating there in his chest all long ‘cause his pink cheeks proved it. But he swallowed it down, the words like bile at the back of his throat. It seemed his body would only allow one joke in the presence of an actual burial, which kind of sucked really because without that there was nothing much to do but look at the lump that was once Warren get lowered into the ground. Dash thought about the last time he was at a funeral—and the shower of roses that were placed on the casket before it too was buried beneath pounds of dirt—and glanced around until he saw a flower. “Wait a sec.” It had five large pink petals, and looked like it’d work well enough. He plucked it, then looked over at the other guys. “I dunno, like a fuckin’ — show of respect or something,” he defended himself. “To make up for that Viking burial thing.” He tossed the flower down the hatch. It fluttered, then fell near Warren’s feet. Close enough. “Alright, dirt time,” he said, but still waited for someone else to make the first move.

Kian Kian watched the flower fall to Warren’s feet with little fanfare. That was shit, he wanted to say, but for once, he held his tongue. This was an actual, real thing they were doing; no going back now. Dash’s words hung in silence for eons before Kian began to shove dirt into the hole with his foot, covering up what he assumed—and hoped—was Warren’s face, first. “Where’s Sawyer gone? Thought he’d wanna...pay his respects or whatever.”

Callum "He's off being a pissy little bitch," Callum muttered as he pushed some sand into Warren's grave with the side of his foot. He knew it would be far more useful to go on his knees and shovel dirt in with his hands but he couldn't be fucked to hurt his back even more.

Dash Dash bent to pick up his abandoned stick. He used the flat end to knock dirt onto Warren’s body — it gave him something to do and saved his boots from more damage: two birds, one stone. “Lemme guess,” he started, angling the stick only enough to point in Callum’s general direction. He placed a fingertip under his right eye and tugged down for emphasis. “He responsible for that?”

Callum "Oh fuck off, Troll Doll." Though with his tiredness (and slight guilt), the insult didn't quite have the bite Callum wanted it to have. "It's not my fault the Prison Rat can't take the heat. If he wasn't guilty of anything in the first place, he wouldn't have had trouble sticking around." Callum moved some more sand over the grave with his foot and brought his hands up in a 'it wasn't me' gesture. "S'all I'm saying."

#wilds.thread #wilds.toa

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wildshub · 3 years

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WHO: The Adams WHAT: The boys make it back to camp and a surprising turn of events take place. WHEN: Day 14, before sundown NOTE: For future reference.

blue he leaned against a rock as he caught his breath, taking in the camp for the first time since he and cal went to go find the axe and miss piggy fucked them up. he rubbed at his scratchy beard, feeling like it had been years and lifetimes since he had been back. it was an exhausting hike but he followed through with letting others helped cal and take it easier given his brain issues. "we did it, boys." he smiled, feeling more and more like these guys were his team. "liam!" he called out towards camp, feeling the pain in his head as he exclaimed and wincing a bit at it but feeling like it was worth it to all be together again. "liam!"

dash Dash’s leg and side ached like a motherfucker but it wasn’t any worse than what he expected. And the excitement of giving Liam the current 411 alleviated most of the mental exhaustion; he couldn’t wait to see the look on the guy’s face. He grunted as he tossed his crutch aside and dropped down onto the sand. Their camp was spartan but it was theirs, and he was weirdly glad to get back. It didn’t feel like coming home really, but a return to something more familiar after a couple days defined by—and he’d forgive himself for the sports metaphor later—a massive curveball. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called out, “Leeee-ummm.” He leaned back into the sand, letting out a quiet ooph as he dropped. The encroaching sunset lit the sky with orange and gold. It felt nice just to look at it. “We got some big news, buddy!”

callum Callum couldn't be more glad to not be on his good leg right now after that godawful hike, unhooking his arm from around Joe's shoulder and easing himself onto the sand where he let out a relieved exhale. "Goddamn." He rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't believe he made it. "Liam!" He called out after giving the camp a long scan. Where the fuck could a guy with a fucked leg be?

kian The moment the bonfire was in sight, Kian found a sizable rock to collapse onto. If the last few days hadn't robbed him of all his breath, the hike back to camp certainly did. He pressed a hand to his aching rib cage, wiping sweat from his face with the hem of his t-shirt with the other. "Hold on," he wheezed. "Shouldn't we...come up with a plan...for breaking this to him?" Because like, what were they meant to say? Hey sorry Mr. Roboto left you behind hope you've been bathed and fed by the way there are twenty other people on this island and they're all women, what a craic.

callum In the midst of massaging his good leg, Callum replied. "Nothing nice and easy has ever happened on this island. No point breaking it to him nice and easy. I say we give it to him straight. It's not like we got an adjustment period. We ran straight into those girls." Well, not literally but pretty much anyway.

sawyer Despite being one of those who were better off in terms of stamina and general well-being, Sawyer was the last of the boys to make it to camp. He shrugged the bag of filled water bottles off of his back as soon as he could, taking a moment to recollect his breath - and his thoughts. Between the hunger, the dehydration, and the withdrawal, he'd seen better days on this isle. "Shit, maybe we could stand to soften the blow a bit," he said. He couldn't decide if he was envious or not that they didn't have someone to break the news to them. "Give 'im some water first or...somethin'."

liam to say the last three days were hard would be an understatement. after his trip up to the cliff, the considered doing it. he really did. but then he thought of the other adams. he thought of what it would do to them if they came back to camp and found him like that. and really, the adams were the only thing keeping him tethered to reality since being on the island. when he came back to camp to find jj gone, he just assumed that he was off doing some jj thing. and honestly, he was almost relieved that he didn't have to make awkward conversation with him. so he spent the past three days waiting for the others to return. he kept the fire going, conserving his energy and trying to heal from his piggy injuries. on the third day, after finishing off the last banana, he figured he should probably try to be productive and get some food for when the boys come back. he had taken the fishing net and went out into the water to try his hand at catching something. while he was having no luck, he heard his name being called when the adams finally returned. gathering up the net, liam quickly made his way back to camp. "boys!" he called out when he was close enough to see them. "had me worried there!"

dash Dash grinned as Liam ambled up, using just enough energy to push himself up onto his elbows. He glanced toward the other boys with raised brows like told you so! "Broooo," he started then let out a long breath, his lips creating a raspberry sound as the air left him. "Totally stoked you're holding up after J bailed, but you're gonna want to pop a squat. What we've got to tell you is one helluva doozy."

callum Well, what do you know. The kid wasn't dead. Despite the tiredness that pulled on his body and the persistent ache in his legs, Callum couldn't help but smile just a little at the sight of Liam rushing up to them like a puppy dog that just heard the front door open. It was good to see the guy. He really expected some combination of loneliness and lack of survival skills to take him out, but the kid persevered and Callum found that impressive. But now the news... "There's other people on the island," Callum broke it to the other boy before he could even sit like Dash suggested, if only to go against the Floridian and get dramatics out of the way. "Girls. Like, 20 of them. Kian's related to one of them too."

blue he felt such a rush of adrenaline seeing that liam was ok that despite how exhausted he was, blue bolted towards him to give liam a soft, but excited hug. "you're okay, man!" all of that guilt that he was the one that got lost, he was the reason they were separated, he would be the reason something happened to liam, just floated away from his mindset. he nodded a long as the others dropped the big news. "some of them are very nice, and they even found a waterfall."

liam happily returning blue’s hug, liam gave the boy a couple pats on the back, happy that the others were able to find him after the other day. “i’m all good,” maybe an overstatement but they didn’t need to know that. once he was back to the boys and he could get a good look at them, he had to wonder what the fuck happened to them. his eyes falling to callum’s leg and had to assume that was why it took them so long to get back to camp. “okay…” he said when dash told him that they had news. taking a seat in the sand with the boys, he subconsciously counted the boys in the group to make sure they hadn’t lost someone again. but when callum ripped the bandaid off and told him what was going on, he was dumbfounded. “you’re joking right? that’s impossible.” but then he thought back to that day he was out in the jungle and swore he could hear people yelling for someone. he just chalked it up to anxiety and never told the boys about it. “is one named, um, fuck what was it, shawn? or something like that?” it was so faint and happened a week ago but he swore the name started with an sh.

dash "Believe what you hear, man. We played UNO with them," Dash said, his voice laced with his own disbelief like the card game was one of the more absurd things that happened. But the night they spent in the cave, after those girls had left, had been a long one. It took Dash forever to fall asleep, his mind racing with whatever the hell could be going on. But he at least had a couple days to grow used to the fact that this whole other group of people were even there. Liam was going to need a second to let it sink in. "Uh..." Dash struggled to recall any Shawn's or names similar to that. There was Divya, Grace, Clarke, Lex... He mentally went through the rest of the list of the ones he met then clicked his tongue. "I really only remember the names of the ones we hung out with. I know a couple of 'em kinda... kept their distance." He looked toward the other Adams. "You boys remember a Shawn?"

callum "Shawn?" Callum made a face. That wasn't really a chick's name. "Uhhh, no. No Shawn." Then again, he was pretty out of it for a lot of the time they were away anyway. Between the pain of his injury, the hunger and resting up, the details were a little fuzzy. "Why were you thinking that?" He asked Liam, turning his head to face the boy. And just as he did, he noticed something. In the distance. Far off. In the water. "Yo... tell me if I'm imagining that but... doesn't that... doesn't that look like a boat?" He lifted his hand and pointed in the distance.

ocean In the distance, there's something on the water.

liam when no one seemed to know who he was talking about, he guessed he really must have been hearing things that day and really is crazy. “no reason,” he doubled down quickly. this was the reason he didn’t tell them in the first place. but when callum called out about a boat, he turned to look out at the water. “yooo, is that-“

dash Dash squinted, redirecting his gaze to where Callum and Liam looked. His heart leapt to his throat. “Guys—“ he cut himself off. Dash struggled to push himself up. “I think that’s a fuckin’ boat!” He quickly got back to his feet, stumbling a little in the process. His side pinched at the movement but he couldn’t care less. Dash started waving his arms. “Hey!” he called out, his throat protesting the volume, even though the boat was undoubtedly too far to hear him. But maybe the crew saw their fire. He glanced over his shoulder. “You think they see us?”

callum The sight of the boat stripped Callum of all of his exhaustion. He was filled with a newfound energy, heart thumping hard in his chest, eager to rise to his feet and frustrated to know he couldn't. Fuck. "I don't– I don't know–! But we need to get them to! Start waving, make the fire bigger! Something!" He looked around and saw the large crutch-stick he abandoned once they'd arrived and reached for it, lifting it up and waving it around with his two hands. "Hey!!! Hey over here!!!" He looked to the other boys. "Guys, do something!"

blue he turned his head from the group, to the water, rubbing his head, wondering if he really did have some brain damage and was just imagining things. even though he knew it wouldn't be as though they were on it, that boat just symbolized blue's family and getting back to them. he nodded at cal and dash instruction, telling himself to ignore whatever headache would come from yelling, and to picture himself hyping up his boys in the locker room, or the curlers that his dad watched yelling at each other. "HEY!" he called out, walking from the group towards the water as he waved his hands. "help! s.u.s.! help!" for a moment he looked back to the group, trying to take a mental note that this would be the last time they'd all be together like this.

jj Seeing a boat leaves him confused and looking around for answers that couldn’t possibly be given. It was odd, seeing the possibility of getting off the island after what felt like eternity. He ran for his bag, the one he’d kept close for two weeks. He digs around a while tossing the bag over his shoulder and tosses a bunch of dry branches and alcohol wipes on the fire hoping to make more smoke quickly. He then begins waving with the others. Hoping the boat was filled with someone…not deadly. “Looks like a standard fishing boat…” he’ll note as he waves.

sawyer Time moves in slow motion when the boat comes into view, and for once, it leaves him filled with hope instead of despair. This could be it - their ticket off the island. Sawyer lets out an incredulous laugh, joining the other boys at the shore in jumping and waving his hands. "You're damn right, it's a fishing boat!" He says, and places his fingers against his teeth to let out a loud, high-pitched whistle. "We're gettin' the fuck outta here!"

kian "Are you fucking joking me?!" Kian screeched, jumping up from the rock like he wasn't two steps away from an asthmatic attack - and he didn't even have asthma. Thinking on his feet, he grabbed one of the large branches from JJ's pile and rushed over to the boys: "One of you, give me your shirt! Quick!"

liam as everyone jumped to action to try and wave down the boat, liam was right there waving his arms over his head. when kian called for a shirt, he didn’t really know what for, but this was no time to ask questions or argue. they were going home! so pulling off his shirt, he held it out to the other boy. “here!” he called out before turning back to try and wave down to boat.

kian "Thanks!" Kian shouted back. Thank fuck it was a white shirt - he made quick work of tying the cloth around the end of the branch and held it up over his head like the topless lady in that one French Revolution painting, waving it back and forth. "OVER HERE, YOU FISHERMEN FUCKS!! WE NEED RESCUE!!" dash It was a kick to the chest, the sudden burst of emotion. They did need rescue, and it started to look a helluva lot like they might actually get it. He laughed, a little hysterical and disbelieving and choked with bubbling feeling, then shouted along with the boys again. He picked up his crutch and held it high above his head. "Heyooo!" Dash yelled out. His heart beat in double time, so quick he felt lightheaded. Turn toward the shore, send us a signal, do literally anything. Suddenly, desperately, he thought I just want to go home. "C'mon—fuck, look over here! We're right here!" callum Callum was desperately waving his crutch-stick side to side above his head, hoping that even from this distance that the attempt to be spotted would be seen. All the boys were making an effort to be noticed and he only hoped that whoever was on the boat could make them out on the shore. It would gut him like nobody's business if vessel just sailed past them. "C'mon, c'mon..." The boat seemed to be moving alright but didn't look at all like it was turning in their direction. "Fucking come on!! Hey!!!" He looked to the boys. "Is this thing gonna sail past us?" He asked, despair written across his features.

ocean The boat continues to sail away, showing no sign of slowing down or turning toward the island. Though just as things start to feel hopeless and anger begins to flare, something small and bright orange comes into view, moving away from the ship and toward the boys.

jj He was staring to lose hope, watching the ship sail away so he tan to his raft trying to put it back together in at least semi functional way. As he was dragging the rope around the large branch he spotted the emergency boat approach. Confused, he runs back towards the boys. “They saw us.” He states the obvious yet again before actually realising his own words which prompts the most wide smile he’d cracked on the island thus far. “They fucking saw us!! Hey!!!” He jumps pulling the person to his right into a hug. “We are out! Out!”

blue blue watched in confusion as the boat moved away from them, sure its big but can they really not see us? he feels jj's hug and its a surprising moment of affection for the other but any resentment about leaving liam was gone by now. "they did?" he looked back to see the orange vessel, still confused as to why they didnt stop...his vision honed in on the craft. "...home." he said in a low tone, running towards the water determined to get out to their shred of hope. the water was heavier than he expected, pumping his legs against it as he ran until he was deep enough to dive in.

ocean The rescue boat finally collides with the shore. There’s barely time for an exchange as the man on it speaks to the boys in a foreign language and gestures with urgency that they have to hurry on into the orange vessel. “Eile. Komm herein! Wir müssen die Frist einhalten. Das Boot kann nicht anhalten.”

sawyer Sawyer ran both of his hands back through his hair and kept them on the top of his head, like he couldn't believe this man was standing here, on a rescue boat, speaking to them like an actual human instead of just a shared...starvation-slash-delirium hallucination. "It's a sign from Warren," he said, perhaps a little loonier than he thought. A lump grew in his throat. "Motherfucker sent the Germans for us, after all."

liam liam ran over with the others when the rescue boat hit the shore. hearing the foreign language and sawyers comment, liam could help but let out a laugh. he wasn't really sure what he was laughing at, the comment it's self or the fact that they were finally getting saved. all he cared about was that soon he could be back home with his mom and put this whole fucked up situation behind him. "let's go boys! you heard the man, das boot!" he called out as he climbed into the boat.

callum Callum could fucking cry he was so happy. The reality that he could see his mom in not too long thrilled him beyond belief. He did his best to stand up on his own, using his crutch-stick to help himself onto his feet but he couldn't quite manage, ass hitting the sand again. "Yo yo, can someone give me a hand?" He flailed his hand around, trying to get one of the boys' attention.

dash Dash for sure wasn’t the steadiest but he could at least assist someone to their feet. And hey, Callum did the same for him. He tucked his crutch under his arm and reached out both hands to help Callum get up. “Ayyy, told you we’d get out of here, huh? Day one, remember? And you gave me shit, ” he grinned, only a little smug because the fact of the matter was that he predicted a three-day timeline. But he was cool with ignoring facts. He glanced over at one of the other guys who had more strength. “One of you is gonna have to help him into the boat." joe Joe couldn't believe this was actually happening and not some fever dream before he walked into the light. They were actually going to get off the island. He didn't have much to get back to but at least he was going to see his sisters again and have indoor plumbing. He was about to run into the lifeboat after Liam but then he heard Callum ask for help. "Coming." He called, rushing to Callum's side. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "Let's go home and get off this shithole."

kian "Wait!" Kian dropped his flag stick, trudging through the water after the others with some difficulty. "My sister - can anyone speak German? I have to let them know about the others, I can't leave Clarke here!" ocean The man dressed in rubber overalls helped what boys he could into the rescue boat, gesturing for them to hurry along all the while. "Eile! Eile! Wir haben nicht viel Zeit." He took the arm of the long-haired boy, urging for him to get onto the vessel.

joe "JJ speaks German." Joe responded, once again trying and failing to be helpful because of factors he was oblivious to. He spoke a little German but Wo ist die Toilette? like Joe probably wasn't going to be helpful in their current situation. "There's not enough room in the boat, mate. But JJ can tell whoever the fuck is in charge to come back and get the others, promise."

kian The mixture of emotions welling inside him - relief, panic, fear, joy - bubbled over into some horrid sniveling, because he hadn't embarrassed himself enough with tears as it was. "Are you sure?" He called back, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "We have to tell them!"

callum With Dash and Joe's help, Callum made it into the rescue boat, seated on the floor of the vessel. "Kian! Come on!" He waved him over impatiently. "We'll tell them, we'll them when we get to the big boat. That thing is moving!" He pointed to the larger vessel that the rescue boat had parted from, still in motion and showing no signs of coming to a halt. "Hurry up!"

dash Dash climbed into the boat after the others, only sparing a brief forlorn thought about his opened suitcase on the shore—his clothes, his sketchbook, a ring his ex gave him. His salt-stained boots were once a source of distress, and now he couldn't give less of a fuck. He'd rather be back in Tampa with his dad than have all that stuff. The corners of his mouth pulled down as Kian started to cry, and he reached a hand out to beckon him over. "Yeah," Dash nodded in agreement with Callum, his words coming quick. "C'mon, K-man. It's be nuts if we didn't tell 'em, but you gotta get your ass in here. I don't wanna leave you behind." jj "He's saying the other boat can't stop..." he thinks so anyway, or at least that's what the context would imply. "That's why we gotta hurry..." he proceeds to help Joe with getting Callum into the boat and hopes Kian would follow. He then goes over to Kian whose emotional cocktail right now could only ever be imagined by someone like JJ. "When we get to that ship I'll memorise these coordinates myself. The second we reach the boat, we can use their radio and send over a rescue team for Clarke, alright? " he ponders that thought for a moment and decides he trusts the boys so much, he might as well offer to stay. But offering to stay right now would cause havoc and he did not want Kian to get the same idea so he instead turns to the boat crew. "Mehr Leute auf Insel. Andere Seite." that should have been enough. For now.

blue coming up to the surface, blue took a second to take in this new face, and the incomprehensible sounds coming out of it. the whole situation eas shifting so fast, blue struggled to make sense of it as anything other than flashes who is this guy, help the injured ones in, kians upset..clarke! he didnt really know who he was saying it to, but as he spoke his eyes were on the jungle. "we'll tell them about the others a million times if we have to." as he looked to his hand, less dirty now than wet and evident of being in the sun so much, but the gold caught his attention. blue yanked off his team ring, feeling the engraving on it peterborough panthers blue b. mvp and he extended his hand to toss it back, hoping maybe the others would find it or something, some signal that they were ok, help was coming. he didnt see it splash in the water, so blue could only hope it made it onto the sand. "we're gonna be ok..." he said to whoever was beside him, the thought still sinking in for himself.

ocean "Du sprichst Deutsch?" The man in rubber overalls blinks in surprise. He clearly didn't expect that. "Mehr? Was zur Hölle geht hier vor–" A beat passes as he processes before he nods and begins to gesture hurriedly into the boat once again. "Oh mein. Okay, okay, okay. Wir besprechen es später. Lass uns gehen. Bitte. Wir sind in Eile. Wir müssen zum Boot." He points to the boat still moving in the distance before getting into the rescue craft himself, positioning himself by the engine at the rear of the vessel.

jj The noise and the accent and the speed of speech provided by the other left him standing still when he should have been in a hurry. He was trying to focus hard, but all he really got from it is that they absolutely had to go. This was their chance. "Ich spreche ein bisschen. Flugzeug, abgestürzt -boom-." fuck he sounded like an idiot in German. It was truly a humbling experience. Either way, he looked around at the boys. "We have to go now. The guy says we'll deal with the rest on the boat. Hear that Kian? We'll come get them..." he put the other strap of his backpack over and climbed into the boat.

ocean Once all of the boys were in the rescue boat, the mystery man in rubber overalls yanked at the pull cord of the outboard motor and brought it to life. With some maneuvering, they were on the water and sailing toward the larger boat, leaving the shore and all of the dangers of the island behind them.

#wilds.thread #wilds.toa

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wildshub · 3 years

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Oh my god, mangoes!

To everyone’s relief, Divya, Grace and Erin returned from the jungle alive and well and with plenty of food in hand. The girls rejoiced in having something different to eat and gorged themselves on the mangoes. And Jude, no longer under the effects of Oxy, shared to the group her latest discovery. The cave seemed oddly perfect for them to reside in as long as they could figure out a way to close off the entrance and keep the water away if the tide grew. It seemed that things were finally turning around for the Eves. Though with night looming on them, further progress on things would have to wait until tomorrow.

With food no longer such a pressing concern on their minds, a bright new day felt like the perfect opportunity to bring up the responsibilities Divya, Grace and Erin came up with in the jungle the day before. In fact, Divya and Erin, ever the fan of being organized, spent all of their time upon return coming up with a roster of sorts in one of the Dawn of Eve notebooks. A roster they were hoping to share with the others with little to no protest in return now that the girls’ bellies were full and they’ve had a good night’s rest.

Are you against the idea of some structure? Or do you think it’s necessary so that survival would be easier until rescue arrives?

The boys are divided. After yesterday’s fiasco, a good deal of them don’t want to return to the jungle and risk its dangers. Instead, they felt more willing to give the ocean a try as per JJ’s earlier suggestion and see if they could catch anything for food. While fair enough, a handful of the boys were motivated to give the jungle another go. Though, not to hunt the wolf this time, but to try and recover their most useful tool – the axe Lukas left behind in his shroom-addled haze. Realizing they wouldn’t come to an agreement, especially after yesterday’s chaos, it seemed the boys would be splitting up today.

Where will you go? To the jungle or to the sea?

#wilds.plotdrop #wilds.toa #happy day 11 homies #edit: updated the chart so that clarke isn't overworked on day 2 jsakhg

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wildshub · 3 years

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WHO: The Twilight of Adam Boys WHAT: An unexpected visitor ruins the boys’ fun. WHEN: Day 10 NOTE: Part 4 of 4

Jungle Another wolf howl is heard in the distance.

Dash Dash jerked to a sitting position and looked around. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”

Sawyer He threw his head back and howled, too, though he wasn't really sure what for. Right on, furry friend. Right on.

Kian Kian craned his neck a bit. "Whaaaat? Was that the wolf...?"

Joe "so yous heard it too? that's nice. I thought i was hallucinating. wait can a group of people have the same hallucination?" he asked calmly. if he had to be trapped in the matrix with a bunch of bastards he was glad it was the group of lads around him."if it's real it needs to piss off. things were just starting to get hot."

Dash Dash rubbed at his forehead and then his eyes in the vain hope of straightening out his vision. It, of course, did no good. The trees around him elongated and bent over them like a dome, trapping them where they were. He tried not to pay attention to it, his heart quickening. Jeez, this wolf had harshed his buzz twice now. He slowly got to his feet, swaying dangerously as soon as we stood, and held out his hands to steady himself. “What d’we do? What’s the game plan?” Dash shook out his arms then hopped twice in place. “‘Cause I’m gonna be real with you, the trees’re growing teeth.”

Sawyer Sawyer puffed his cheeks full of air and let it out in one disappointed breath, shrugging. He didn't see what the big fuss about. The wolf could come take shrooms with them, too. "S'long as we ain't botherin' him, he's not gonna come eat us."

Jungle Movement is heard in bushes in the distance. (I'm guessing by Sebastian or whoever isn't high as a kite.)

Kian And just like that, Kian was super fucking dry. "Are you sure? 'Cos he sounds really close..."

Jungle The movement gets closer, rustling in the greenery near them.

Dash Dash let out one succinct, high-pitched yelp at the sound. "Fuck it! I'm out." He bent over just enough to cuff Callum on the back of the head to alert him of their impending death. "Up and at 'em!" He went over to Lukas, patting his chest repeatedly, then pulling on the collar of his shirt to get him to his feet. "Fuck this jungle sooooo hard."

Kian He whined and rolled over until JJ was out of his lap, struggling to crawl to his feet. "But I wanted to be fucked in the jungle..."

Callum Feeling a sharp smack against his head, Callum roused to consciousness. "What the fuck..?" He groaned as he stirred awake, hand moving to the back of his head to rub at the ache. "What's going on?" He asked as he sat up. He was unsure when he had fallen asleep, confused as to why everyone was so upset at the moment.

Lukas Lukas didn't know how long he'd been out, or even where the fuck he was when Dash started rustling him awake. But it only took one look at the moving greenery nearby and a tug on the collar from Dash for him to stumble to his feet and back away. " What the fuck, " he rubbed at his eyes, tripping over someone's leg and nearly falling but managing to stay on his feet. " Am I fuckin' imagining that shit? "

Sawyer "Wolf's comin'," he explained to Callum, looking all too casual about the fact.

Dash “Say less, K-man, and get your ass up! You really down to become the Big Bad Wolf's kibble?"

Jungle Jostling in the greenery intensifies, moving closer.

Joe he supposed dash leaping off the ground meant they all needed to run, he staggered to his feed."you can get shagged in the jungle later kian, right now we're running."

Callum Callum was slow to come to terms with the current situation, unsteadily getting back on his feet. "Wh– which way do we go?" He shook his head, rubbing at the side of his face to help himself get more alert. "Does anyone know?"

Dash Dash pointed in a vague direction where he was about sixty-three percent sure the rustling came from. "Not that way, my man." He tugged on Lukas, then gestured for someone to get Liam off the ground.

Callum Taking notice of Dash's gesture, Callum turned to Liam and went to grab him, wanting to be useful even if tiredness hung on every limb of his body.

Sawyer It wasn't until everyone else was standing that Sawyer finally slunk up from off the ground, stretching his limbs like a cat waking up from his nap. Well, that was fun for all of the...however long it lasted. "I'll ask the wolf," he said, before cupping his hands around his mouth and howling yet again.

Jungle The sound Sawyer made seemed to irritate the boys' mystery guest. The vigorous rustling in the greenery gets closer and closer. If the boys weren't high out of their mind, they could make out grunting as the movements approached.

Sawyer He barked a laugh. "Aw, shit, s'that what I think it is?"

Dash "Jesus H. Thanks a fuckton, Lone Ranger," Dash whined, walking backwards with a grip still on Lukas.

Jungle A wild boar charges out of the greenery, speeding through the boys aggressively.

Kian Kian screamed at the top of his lungs and grabbed the closest chav (Joe) to start running with.

Lukas Like Kian, Lukas also yelled at the top of his lungs when something ran out of the bushes and seemingly directly at them. Hand grabbing at Dash’s arm that was still holding onto his shirt and trying to tug him with him as he ran the fuck away

Dash In his haste to get away, Dash tripped over a root and stumbled. He lost his grip on Lukas and fell hard on his ass. He knew enough about wild boars from depressing local news segments to nearly piss his pants.

Sawyer "Shit," he cursed, suddenly feeling very not zen as the wild boar came charging at them. Sawyer threw an arm out to shield the boy nearest to him, movements sluggish as he backed toward the trees.

Joe high as a kite and extremely touch starved, he blushed furiously while running with kiki grabbing onto his arm. it didn't occur to him that he was the nearest chav and he should have been focusing on the impending danger.

Kian "You're from the country!" He screamed to Joe as they ran, "What do we do?!"

Joe "yeah but i'm not a wild pig farmer." he shouted back. he hadn't had much experience with pigs but the ones he had seen were pretty docile. it was the chickens and sheep you needed to watch out for."where the fuck did we leave the spears?"

Kian "We left them with the shrooms," he cried.

Joe where the fuck did they leave the shrooms? everything blurred together after everyone got in the gay little huddle."we need to go back and get the spears. we can still get some scran out of this."he suggested. peppa needed to be stopped before it put somebody's eye out.

Kian He knew he just gave a big speech about how not bad these guys were and how they should all live happily ever after together, but the instinct for self-preservation was much louder than that of selfless abandon at the current moment. But Kian knew Joe had a point - maybe they could get some bacon out of this. "Fiiiine!"

Blue blue had finished his staring/smiling contest with the tree and was readjusting himself when the second goal rang out. ".....shroomwolf?" he asked to no one around him. he paused contemplating, climb up the tree or make a run for it, he bounced a little trying to decide, praying someone else would just tell him what to do instead of hearing Her voice ridiculing him. he bolted back towards the clearing, finding at one point a rustling in the bushes too close for comfort. "fuck off, fuck off, nope, not today son." he said as he leapt around to the first person he could see. he leaned against a tree, panting and sweating. "what the fucking shit was that!? that wasn't shrooms and it wasnt anything like pumba."

Jungle The boar is furious. It charges through the boys and manages to snag Liam with its tusks, leaving Liam's legs with lesions. Just before it disappears back into the bushes and runs off deeper into the jungle, it charges into Dash, knocking him out of the way and leaving him with some deep scratches on his side and thigh.

Sawyer Sawyer fumbled for one of the spears the boys had discarded earlier, attempting to stab at the boar with its pointed edge - but to no avail. The hog was faster than their shroom-addled brains could keep up with, tearing through the group and back into the jungle before any of them were able to stop it. "Fuckin' hell," he swore beneath his breath, dropping the spear as he raced for Dash and Liam. "Shit, hey, you guys alright--?"

Lukas Lukas doesn’t know how the boar missed him, being barely a foot away from Dash he saw his very life before his eyes. And, honestly, pretty bleak. After a second to process the near death experience, Sawyer’s voice alerted him there were others still facing a near death experience. “ Fuck, man, “ he assessed returning to Dash’s side, somehow managing to keep his stomach settled at the sight of the wounds. “ It’s not that bad.” Lukas lied, in attempt to quell any building panic

JJ He appeared out of nowhere as he finally managed to trace down the guys. He just got there as a massive board tan through Liam and Dash and stood still in shock. “Fuck, you guys alright?” his brain was fuzzy from the shrooms so for a moment he wondered if the blood oozing out of Dash was just his imagination. He then began to slowly panic but not let it show as Lukas pointed out it’s not that bad. It was, it was pretty deep, which for this island meant pretty fucking bad. “Can you stand up?” He offers a hand of support while attempting to scout the extent of his injuries. “Is the boar gone?”

Dash At first, Dash didn’t feel much. His mind was preoccupied with the taste of dirt once he rolled over with his mouth open mid-gasp, clutching at his side. Craning his neck, he lifted his palm and saw the blood there, and then suddenly the pain came: white-hot and fast, it licked and pinched its way from his injuries to his brain with no remorse. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god—” he gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, wetness gathering at the corners. This hurt way more than the tit punch. This hurt more than any fall he had on a surfboard. And it was partially because he was stranded in the middle of nowhere with a group of people who were, for the most part, about as comforting as approaching cattle stampede. Or in this case, a whole-ass wild boar. Luckily or not, everyone's voices were drowned out by the heavy pulsing in his ears. “Oh my god, fuckin’—someone just fuckin’ kill me.”

Kian By the time he and Joe made it back to the clearing, it was too late. The boar nowhere and sight and two of their own down for the count, Kian's trip dove south faster than the hog had gotten away. "What the fuck's happened?!" He said, voice climbing a few octaves in pitch as panicked eyes darted between Liam and Dash. "What should we do?? JJ??" If anyone knew how to treat injuries on the spot, it had to be him.

JJ He was too high for this. “Uhh...” he started, knowing exactly what to do but there was absolutely no equipment to do it with. He needed alcohol, fire, stitches, antibiotics, most shit they didn’t have. “Pressure.” That’s it. He looked at Kian, encouraged and then dropped on his knees next to Dash to examine the scratch better. “It’s deep not gonna lie to you, but good news is that we can for sure figure it out. It didn’t fuck up any major blood vessels or organs...” he tried to be comforting but was never good at that. “Does anyone have any alcohol?” it was a long shot but, he took off his shirt and decided if there was none, a shirt alone would have to do. “Dash my guy, we need to take you back to camp.”

Dash When Dash opened his eyes, he was greeted with JJ’s bare chest. “Nice gains,” he choked out. The world went a little blurry and dark around the corners. Was he bleeding out? How much blood was too much to lose? Was he actually going to die here? Tears welled up again. Jesus Christ, he was totally going to die here. He wondered if it was a blessing or not that his dad might've already assumed he was dead. Fuck—his dad. His heart wrenched and he swallowed hard. “I’mma be straight with you,” Dash started between gasps. JJ’s words played again and again with a dim echo effect in his head, his voice fading more each time. “I’m afraid my guts’re all gonna spill out if I move.” He hadn’t gotten an actual good look at the damage, so he wasn't sure whether or not his guts were about to plummet out of his person. What he knew was that his shirt was torn and his side and thigh felt like they were being poked with a thousand tiny needles, and also that he wanted to vomit again. Dash inhaled heavily through his nose, his forehead wrinkling at the metallic scent in the air, then squeezed his eyes shut once more.

JJ He offers a smile at the joke, trying his best to be at least remotely helpful. Examining the cuts he’ll determine the others guts were still safety tucked beneath an abundance of connective tissue but the blood loss was sure still an issue. “And lemme be straight with YOU okay...” he begins, confident this time. “I studied the shit out of medicine for fun bro, and I can tell you for a fact your gut ain’t spilling on my watch, now...” he passed a stick for the other to bite on as he attempts to pressure pause the bleeding. “Let’s take care of this bleeding so we can get you back to camp and I can fix you up nice and proper, hm? Need your help tho...bite on to that.” He looks a round again. “Yo guys, there’s plastic bags and stuff in my backpack, you think you can makeshift a gurney real quick?” He sure hope they could, shouldn’t be that hard to tie couple large branches together. If they act quick, maybe he could avoid having to figure out blood transfusion on the spot. “Alright, ready? Yo hold him down.” And he proceeds to press the shit out of that wound with his shirt, hoping it would be enough.

Sawyer God damn it. If there ever were a time for whiskey, this was it. He knelt on the other side of Dash, trusting that one of them would also see to Liam to make sure his cuts and scrapes weren't as serious. As JJ tended to the most critical areas, Sawyer yanked his trusty bandanna from around his neck and set to wrapping it tight around Dash's upper thigh, just above where the hog had gashed him with one of its tusks. "It's all good, buddy, you're gonna be just fine," he found himself rambling as he tied a knot in the fabric. With JJ pressing on his stomach and the other boys holding him down, he didn't want Dash to feel any more panicked than he already was. "What's that movie you were talkin' about earlier? The one about the bees?" He motioned for someone to give him something he could use to blot the bleeding. "Man, you were quotin' that thing from memory. Somethin' about not being able to fly, right?"

Dash “For fun?” Dash repeated back in a whine, and now a few tears had actually escaped. That sounded even worse than getting shivved by Porky Pig, but he opened his eyes just a sliver and took the proffered stick anyway. As JJ continued to speak, Dash’s head felt heavy and fuzzy and he only registered every few words, but he didn’t know if that was the shrooms or the traumatic injury talking. He put the stick in his mouth and a wave of warmth washed over his body, the leaves above him spinning round and round. The stick immediately fell right back out and landed on his chest. Maybe it was the shrooms. Then he felt another new sharp pain in his side as JJ pressed down. He reflexively tried to reach out and punch him in the ankle, hoping to cause him the same amount of pain a razor scooter would, but the contact was weak and his hand flopped back to the ground. “Fuckin’ A.” He exhaled heavily when Sawyer spoke up. If he didn't have the evidence that his punches caused like, negative a thousand damage, he might've tried to take a swing at that guy too. "It's the goddamn Bee Movie, you bitch," he spat, though successfully distracted. "Have fun howling, did ya?"

Sawyer Sawyer was moving too fast and thinking too many steps ahead to have time for feeling guilty. He let out a distracted little laugh, offering his forearm for Dash to sink his nails into if he so pleased. "The Bees Movie, got it. Won't forget it."

Callum Callum, though panicked after the boar's attack, was still very much under the effects of the shrooms. He was trying really hard not to be though. He stared at Dash's bleeding body with wide eyes. "Holy shit, is he gonna bleed out?"

JJ With no gurney in sight yet, he decides for a quick and swift change of plans. “Yo Sawyer, try keep him awake...” he then pulls Lukas down and pushes his hands onto the wound. “Keep the pressure there, I’ll be right back.” he gets up to his feet and runs to his backpack to grab the plastic bags and his jacket. He ties the jacket to two opposing very large sticks and begins to use the plastic bags to tie smaller branches in between making a gurney. It didn’t take long but it seemed decently firm. “Callum lay down here lemme try this out.”

Kian Kian had been kneeling by Liam's head, petting his hair back as someone else tended to his injury. When he was a kid, he broke his leg playing rough at the park, and Clarke pet his hair while he waited for help to arrive. "Don't say that, he's not gonna fucking bleed out!" He snapped, eyes welled with panicked tears.

Dash Dash pointed at Sawyer from where he lay prone on the ground, his vision officially fuzzy and out of wack. "Thank you, but also fuck you." His finger moved toward Callum, his eyes slowly closing of their own volition. "And you? A plain ol' fuck you."

Callum Callum merely shook his head at Dash's insult. Though dazed, he still wanted to be helpful. He nodded his head at JJ's instruction and stumbled over to the gurney. "Just lay on it?" He asked before getting on. "Is this it? Am I helping?"

Sawyer "Buddy," he said to JJ, exasperated, "ain't no way some sticks and plastic bags are gonna hold him up. I'll carry 'im back if I need to."

Dash "Are you calling me fat?" Dash nearly slurred.

Callum Laid on the gurney, Callum lifted a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'll help carry too." Hearing Dash, he rolled his eyes. "Liam. I'll help carry Liam."

JJ “you’ll carry him alright.” He says to Sawyer, ignoring everyone else for the moment. The gurney would help with the weight distribution ever so slightly but they’ll still need to be quick. “Coke on let’s roll him on and we gotta be quick.” His eyes shift to Callum and Kian. “Kian can you hold the pressure? Lukas you too? The rest, we lift on three!” He is now focused on Dash. “This will be hell for you, it’s gonna be hard but I need you to stay relaxed and focus on breathing instead of fighting these lot...you got it?”

Lukas It was incredibly bold of JJ to tell the guy who had thrown up just about once every other day to keep pressure on an open wound, but hell, for his buddy, he’d fucking figure it out. Which was mostly putting pressure where JJ had told him too and looking up at the jungle canopy to settle his stomach. Not to be dramatic, but he was offing himself tonight if Dash died right now. “Yeah, all over it big guy,” he assured JJ that he was gonna keep the pressure on the wound, even if he couldn’t fucking look at it. sawyer "I said I'll fuckin' carry him," Sawyer snapped for perhaps the first time, pressing both hands into Dash's thigh now that they were free. "Can we focus on stoppin' the bleeding first before we move him?"

Callum Sat up and climbed off of the gurney, heading over to Sawyer. "Yo hey, here." His hands went to the front of his pants and he undid his belt, slipping it off of his waist and handing it over to Sawyer. "I saw it in a movie once. Belts help bleeding."

JJ “And I said you fuckin will.” He snaps back. He wasn’t gonna risk the guy bleeding out on the way from straining. “And you will use the fucking help.” His breaking is fast now and his mind is sober and he’ll look at the bleeding which had now soaked through the shirt. “Pressure, keep the pressure on.” He reminds the guys and as Callum passes the belt to Sawyer he just nods and says “Good.” And it was time to move. “If we set off now even if he loses more blood we can do a transfusion. Now I know the twilight of Adam application required a blood type, does everyone know their type?”

Sawyer He nodded his thanks to Callum, helping Dash lift his leg so he could get the belt around it and secure a makeshift tourniquet for the wound. "Aye, man, ain't gonna fight ya," Sawyer said. The tense atmosphere wasn't helping shit, and his mind was racing a mile a minute, but he needed to keep his attention where it mattered. His hands slippery from the blood, Sawyer pulled his shirt (Dash's shirt, actually - he made a mental note to tack that onto the list of apologies he owed him) over his head and wadded it up to soak up some of the rest. "He's not gonna bleed out, alright? We're gonna get it under control."

Dash Dash had what many in the past had described as a dramatic streak, so even as he bitched and moaned there was at least a teeny tiny sliver of himself that thought, hey, maybe it’s not that bad. But then the words transfusion cut through his fog with razor sharp teeth. How the hell would any of these numbskulls pull that off? He looked toward Lukas with wide, panicked eyes. “Excuse the fuck outta me, but what the hell did he just say?” He asked, barely able to enunciate. His body seemed keen to drag him into unconsciousness, probably to protect him from the pain and all the batshit things he was hearing. He grunted as Sawyer then pressed on the wound on his leg. Dash looked down and caught sight of the blood soaking his $200 shirt and wanted to cry again. Dizziness enveloped him and his head fell back. "Top five worst days of my life, f'real."

Lukas " Dude, top five? What the fuck takes number one through four? "

Kian Kian didn't know if it was his horrible comedown or all the sudden talk of blood transfusions, but the collective panic made his lungs feel like they were slowly draining of oxygen. He palmed his ribcage in a feeble attempt to soothe the ache and the tears in his eyes started to spill over onto his cheeks. Dash might have annoyed him at times, but he was a good person. One Kian really didn't want to die. "It's not gonna come to that, is it? They're stopping it, he's gonna stop."

JJ “it’s gonna be fine. It’s the worst case scenario. It’s good to know if worst comes to fuck with us, we’re ready. And...” he looks over at Dash. “We are ready. You’ll be fine.” He says trying to ease the tension in the air now that things were moving along and Dash has not only not passed out, but continued to entertain. “When you’re all sutured up we all gonna have matching red shirts in Dash, so we got that to look forward to.” He nudged at Sawyer. “Ready?”

Sawyer “Yeah,” he breathed, “hold on.” Sawyer fashioned a similar bandage with the t-shirt, making sure it was nice and snug against the wound. Luckily, the cut didn’t seem to go that deep—was just in an area that was wont to bleed more than the others. “Alright, bud—“ He took Dash’s hand and guided it to his side, urging him to keep the pressure on it. “Gonna lift you up and carry you back to camp now, quick and easy.” Sliding his arms under Dash’s back and knees, Sawyer slowly and carefully lifted him off the ground. “—Y’all got Liam?”

Callum "I've got Liam," Callum announced, carry Liam in his arms like the dude was a damn child.

JJ Retrieves his jacket and approaches Dash from the other side helping out Sawyer with the process he would have otherwise rejected to had it not been crucial not to waste any time. There was no way to keep consistent pressure this way, so he simply said a prayer and walked in silence.

Dash Matching red shirts in Dash. Again, Jesus wept. Considering that some of the boys currently sported something straight out of Dash’s own suitcase, that news didn’t sit well with him. He huffed a bit to signal to Sawyer that he was listening but not happy about it, and followed his direction to press against his side. Sudden, severe pain shot through him as Sawyer picked him up like a bale of goddamn hay—or he didn't know, a prized little piglet at the County State Fair. Something-something Hicksville, Montana. Dash was still a little peeved, and only felt a little bad about directing that mental peevishness to the dude now bridal style carrying him out of the jungle. At the mention of Liam he groaned, and tilted his head back to get in an attempt to get a look at the little guy. Everything was upside down and blurry. "Oh my Goood, I forgot the little bitch got Liam. Don't fuckin' trip."

Callum "Chill, Mendoza. I've got him." Callum hoisted Liam a little higher up then. "Focus on not bleeding to death."

#wilds.thread #wilds.toa

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wildshub · 3 years

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WHO: The Twilight of Adam Boys WHAT: What happens on shrooms in the jungle, stays in the jungle. WHEN: Day 10 NOTE: Part 3 of 4

Sawyer By the mischievous smirk on Sawyer’s face, the boys probably already knew what he was gonna say. “Never have I ever played Never Have I Ever on shrooms.”

Liam hearing sawyer, liam couldn't help but laugh. reaching over and swatting his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "well no you can't say that!" he knew the affects were starting be the light floaty feeling in his limbs, liam looked around at the other boys to see if they were feeling it too. "never have i ever.... uhhhh," he tried to think of anything to say but all his brain could think of was things he has done. "i got nothing," he said, bursting out into a fit of laughs.

Blue blue burst out laughing along and it felt like his skin stretched out, like an elastic smile. "lemme try, never have i ever....shit in a bucket."

Kian Kian hugged his knees to his chest and rested his chin on top of then. “Can’t say I’ve done that, either.”

Joe joe was content just to sit back and let the sensation of listening to everyone talking wash over him. he sat in the grass legs stretched. "that's not fair. it doesn't count cause i was like 10 and was sick. and on christmas as well! who gets that sick on christmas?" he chuckled not knowing why unpacking an embarrassing traumatic childhood memory was si amusing and made him feel light.

Dash Dash wiled away the minutes spent talking about siblings looking at his hands. He had them outstretched above his head as he catalogued the chips on his nail polish. Dash didn’t have siblings. He didn’t know what it was like to have siblings. There were about a hundred cousins on his dad’s side, but they all lived thousands of miles away and bullied him over Snapchat and then made him take them to the mall whenever they actually visited. He huffed a laugh. “Duuuude,” he rolled his head to look at Joe. “That’s so narsty. Couldn’t make it to a toilet?”

Liam liam wanted to laugh at joe’s story but he had no room to talk. “okay that sucks, sick on christmas and you had to shit in a bucket?” he shook his head and leaned on to the nearest boy without really thinking about it before realizing it was kian next to him. “but yeah, i have. but to be fair! i used to go on boy scout trips with my brother and a bucket was all you had sometimes.”

Joe "no pinky i couldn't. i already had a fever then squirty cream and christmas cake fucked with my intestines." dashhund obviously didn't understand the pain of being allergic to something that was in almost every food even when you least expect it. lactose was out to get him. joe whooped as liam told his shitting in a bucket story. it diverted attention away from him and distracted joe from thinking about how cows were trying to assassinate him ."ayy didn't know you were a man of action and on some bear grylls shit liam, that's so cool. you're so cool. does anybody else have a shitting in a bucket story?"

Sawyer Sawyer laughed and shook his head. "Nah, man. I ain't that kinda cowboy."

Blue "huh, you guys surprise me." This was it, the team vibe he had longed for, and the trees agreed, swinging with the groups energy. "i think whoever did shit in a bucket, deserves to ask next." Blue felt so proud of these boys, in this moment, coming together

Kian When Liam came toppling into his side, Kian tensed on reflex. He didn't...do this. Touch other people. The last person he'd hugged was Clarke, right before he went to his separate plane terminal. He kind of missed it. "I don't think whoever shits in buckets deserves anything," he snorted, loosening his grip on his knees. "Um...how about: never have I ever gone commando."

JJ He looks at Kian, not at all embarrassed to admit it. Especially not after shitting in buckets just became less weird. “I have. College. My roommate thought it funny to set all my shit on fire, was going commando for a week.” His roommate found the weirdest shit funny, from setting his clothes on fire, to shaving off his eyebrows, to screwing his girlfriend. “Shit...” he’ll say noticing he’d been munching mushrooms like it’s peanuts. He’d never done shrooms before, he didn’t know what it would feel like, for a second he even doubted himself in identifying the mushroom. But then it hit him. The colours, the flowers, the butterflies. It all began to glow and he looked around, and then at his hands, and then he laughed. “Shiiiiiiiit....”

Dash Dash knew it hit him when the world started to ripple. He wriggled until his shoulder hit Lukas’ and laughed to himself. Around them, the trees looked like they were breathing and that their breath was in sync with his. He inhaled deeply and watched the branches shift, the bark bulging as the trunks expanded. He tilted his head toward JJ when he heard his Shiiiit and laughed again at the way he popped the mushrooms into his mouth like breath mints. “Yeesh. If you don’t slow down you’re gonna leave a nice little present for yourself in your pants there. Commando or not, not a great thing.” Dash grunted as he turned and got to his hands and knees. He reached out and gave Lukas’ shoulder a shake, then smiled. His face looked like it was underwater. “How’s it hanging, bro?”

Liam liam shifted when he realized he was leaning on kian, half expected the other boy to hit him upside the head for it. “shit, sorry,” he mumbled. looking over to jj when he cussed, he watched as the other realized what he had been doing “oh man, you’re going to be tripping balls dude,” he said with a laugh as if they weren’t already tripping balls.

Lukas Lukas stared at the canopy as it started to morph in colours and shapes before his very eyes. As always, stupid grin etched on his face. He could have easily lied there until the shrooms wore off, captured by the movement. But when Dash shook his shoulder, he looked for a moment longer, then looked to his best island buddy, smile spreading even wider to lay eyes on him. He takes a second, moving at a fucking snails pace to do anything, before he laughs. Reaching out to Dash's shoulder for no reason other than it felt right. " Dude, are we fucking geniuses or what? " He asked, " This was the smartest idea. " And tragically, Lukas was completely serious about doing shrooms on top of molly in the middle of jungle on a deserted island where they'd heard a wolf howl the night before being the smartest idea he'd ever heard of.

Dash Dash’s grin widened at Lukas’ words. His brain felt soupy and slow, and the dead leaves that littered the ground around Lukas’ head vibrated. He could hear their low humming sound. Dash clasped his other hand on the side of Lukas’ face. “We’re so fuckin’ smart, I’m obsessed with us,” he said earnestly, then swooped down to give him a smacking wet kiss at the corner of his mouth. He pulled back, gave Lukas’s cheek a clumsy pat, and twisted to sit on his ass. “Fuck wolves! Am I right?”

Kian Perhaps subconsciously, Kian soon found himself leaning into Liam, too, watching the others slowly unravel. His hair was kind of soft, he noticed—felt nice and smooth against his cheek. Soft hair was nice. “And he told me he was proper straight,” Kian mumbled to no one in particular.

Callum Callum was upset. And when he was upset, he didn’t tend to make the very best decisions. “Yeah, fuck wolves,” he muttered from where he was seated on the ground. With a heavy sigh, he got up and went over to take some of the shrooms from JJ. They couldn’t catch a skunk. How were they going to take down a fucking wolf? Might as well say fuck it and die via poisonous mushroom. He reached into his shirt and pulled out his necklace, touching the wooden pendant to his lips. Then after another quick sigh, he shoved the handful of jungle shrooms into his mouth and started to chew. At least if he died, he'd die doing what he loved: eating.

Lukas The kiss was surprising, by the time he realised it was happening it was over. That didn't, however, mean it was unwelcome. Dumbass smile spreading on his lips again the moment Dash pulled away again, and then laughing again a moment later when Dash turned around and yelled to the sky. " Fuck wolves! " he yelled with enthusiasm, before cupping his hands around his mouth and giving his best, loudest wolf howl towards the jungle canopy before laughing again.

Sebastian Sebastian had resigned to sitting on the ground on top of his t-shirt, trying to weave strands of leaves and grasses together into some kind of structure, like the world’s ugliest daisy chain or similar. He had been half listening to the ridiculous banter of the other boys as they digested the shrooms but it wasn’t until Dash lumped onto Lukas that he paid any real attention. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered under his breath, they were like sophomore girls after a single White Claw, it was pathetic. “You’re going for it too?” he asked Callum, admittedly surprised. He’d thought he and the other male shared similar sensibilities but perhaps he’d been mistaken.

Callum The shrooms didn't taste good at all. Callum had no idea why he had expected them to since they were plucked straight from the ground. After a couple more seconds of chewing, he finally swallowed and then spoke. "Dude," he responded to Sebastian, "I'm pissed...." He coughed a little. "And hungry." He patted his chest. "This was the best option." He walked over to Sebastian and lowered himself to the ground, sitting down. "If this doesn't end well..." He pointed to the wooden pendant hanging off his neck. "Make sure this gets to my mom."

Sebastian Sebastian nodded his head in agreement and offered the other male a fist bump, "Gotchu, man," he confirmed, "-but I'm pretty sure if these knuckle heads can survive them, you're not gonna die on the spot. Plus, they ate 'em way before you did so if either of them drop dead, just make yourself puke," just not in front of Sebastian because he couldn't stand that shit. He looked at the pendant properly for the first time now, "What is it, anyway?"

Callum Callum met Sebastian's fist with his own before dropping his arm back to his side. "Thanks." He nodded at Sebastian's sound advice. For once, he was really hoping none of these idiots died. What a change. Callum hiccupped. "It's a bear claw." He touched the pendant, feeling the material of the wood between his fingers. "My sister gave it to me." Another hiccup. "She was obsessed with that movie Brother Bear when she was a kid... Made me watch it with her like a ton of times, it got annoying." He let out a shaky breath. "Anyway, she gave me this because I'm like, her 'Brother Bear'," he explained, curling two fingers of one hand like air quotes. At least that was how it was explained to him when it was gifted to him on his 12th birthday. "It's silly but it means a lot." Especially since Lily wasn't around anymore.

Sebastian He nodded his head once again, he'd seen the movie at least once, he was pretty sure though he couldn't remember the entire plot. He smiled delicately, just one corner of his lips curving upward as the other male explained himself with an obvious fondness seeping into his tone of voice. Sebastian wasn't a particularly sentimental kind of a guy but then again, he didn't have any siblings so he couldn't fully understand the bond between them. "Cute," he mused in response. He shrugged his shoulders, "Man, everybody's got stuff like that," he had stuff like that, not much but a few items he considered special and he was glad now that he hadn't brought any of them with him. "My girlfriend gave me this watch before she left for college so I didn't forget what time to FaceTime her after she finished class,"

Callum Callum could only nod his head in a 'yeah, I guess' fashion when Sebastian said the story behind the necklace was 'cute'. Looking back now, it really kind of was he supposed. Callum took a proper look at Sebastian's watch when he mentioned it had been a gift from his girlfriend to help keep track of the time. "Nice fucking watch, man," he complimented. "Your girl treats you good." Callum chuckled, nudging Sebastian on the arm with his own. "Bet she's pissed you haven't called her for a couple days, huh?" It was a joke. Because they were stranded on an island with no way of contacting people. And because it's been way longer than a couple fucking days.

Sawyer Oh, yeah. Sawyer was definitely starting to feel it, now. It always started as a warm tingle in his head that slowly trickled down into his fingers and toes, like a nice, warm shower or a good orgasm. That was when you knew it was working well. He lie back in the grass and spread his arms out like a bird, sighing contentedly—just like the jungle floor to be there for him when he needed it. Yeah. Mother Earth was looking out for all of them, he was sure of it. “Shiiit,” he whooped, rolling his head to share a toothy grin with He-Man and the Kaboom. “You got a girl, Sarge?”

Sebastian Sebastian smiled, perhaps more genuinely that he had since they'd boarded the plane when Callum complimented the watch. "Yeah, yeah, man, I'm a lucky guy," he confirmed with a nod of his head before his fingers once again found the grass he'd been mindlessly braiding before. He chuckled though his eyes were on the foliage in his hands now and not on Callum at all, "That's right," he confirmed, though his number, his parents numbers and just about every number he had access to had been blocked by the phone that belonged to the girl he spoke so warmly about. "Yep," he announced, looking over at Sawyer, laughing a little at the way the other male had found a spot to lay down spread eagle. Man, the bastard looked comfortable. "That surprise you?"

JJ He was still looking at his hands, then the other guys who now seemed to be in full HD. The full-on kissing ordeal with Dash and Lukas. The necklace hanging around Callum's neck, the watch around Claude's wrist and then Sawyer, getting comfortable on the ground which looked more and more like a green soft cloud. He took his shoes off, allowing the grass to tickle his feet as he crashed next to Sawyer. At the question directed at Sebastian, he listened up, smiling uncontrollably. Perhaps there really was someone out there for everybody, and he wasn't exactly sure why he'd been so curious to find out more.

Sawyer “Nah,” Sawyer said with a playful wink. Sure, maybe Claude was a little rough around his edges, but that didn’t stop Adam and Eve from fuckin’ and truckin’ with Satan in the Garden of Eden. “What’s’er name?”

Sebastian Sebastian stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them over comfortably at the ankle, clearly making a space for himself that he didn't plan on leaving for at least a little while. "Chelsea," they didn't need her last name, middle name or social security number as far as Sebastian was concerned so that would suffice. "Am I the only one?" he asked, looking around at the other guys. Sure, they were oddballs and assholes but that didn't mean they couldn't have girlfriends, boyfriends or whatever waifu pillows they kept in their closet, right?

Lukas Unlike Sawyer, Lukas was surprised any girl was dumb enough to stick around Sebastian. Like okay sure he had muscles but in Lukas' experience, dating someone involved speaking to them every now and then and he simply could not see how anyone could stomach it with Sebastian. However, then it was turned to the group. " Nope. " He popped the P, distracted for a second from continuing because the word had felt cool in his mouth. " I got a girl– well, had a girlfriend. " he admitted, eyes watching one life wobble in the wind pretty intently. " Jessica. Dumped me, like, two weeks before this shit. " In another situation where he wasn't completely blitzed he might have lied about who was dumper and dumpee but he was far too busy with the leaf to even consider lying in that moment. " Which, I guess, " he looked to Dash, sucked in a breath as he tried not to grin stupidly," Makes you the rebound, bud. Sorry. " Reaching over to knock his knuckles against Dash's forearm, only holding it a moment before he snorted into a laugh and rolled onto his back again.

JJ As he heard Lukas out, he felt encouraged to share. He was already tripping balls and because the shrooms had changed his perception of the guys entirely, he actually managed to convinced himself they cared. -- With a glance over to Lukas and Dash, who seemed to be getting cuter by the second, his smile will vanish as he recalls Diana. "I used to date the best girl..." he says, his fingers pulling on his curls. He wasn't sure why he had a need to even mention that, he hadn't thought about her in months. When he caught her cheating, he smoked a bunch of weed and blocked out every memory of her. "Anyways, she's dead to me."

Dash Dash sat with one hand planted behind himself, feeling as relaxed as the retreat’s brochures promised he’d be. He had plucked a leaf from the jungle floor and had busied himself blowing air at it when Lukas knocked his knuckles against his arm. The leaf fell from between his fingers and fluttered down to his lap in slow motion. “Dude, no. You kidding me?” he gasped, imitating shock and dismay, then followed it up with a smile. "Fuck. Guess I'll take what I can get." He picked up the leaf again and started pulling it apart, a little hypnotized by the way it gave way under his hands. He snorted a laugh at JJ's last sentence. “Yoikes. Bad blood?" JJ's pod person vibes shot up every single day. "Last girlfriend I had was... I dunno, something like four months ago? Five? Her name was Mai.” She was nice and pretty and smart and all the things his parents told him to look for in a girl, but he had been a pretty shitty boyfriend. “Irreconcilable differences.” He let the bits of leaf fall back to the ground, then immediately snatched up another.

Kian Kian distracted himself with a strand of his own hair, twisting it into a long, thin braid and unraveling it to start all over again and again. Was this the part of the boys’ retreat where they got all deep and personal with each other and shit? Because on any other occasion, he would’ve just rolled his eyes and called them out on being melts, but the shrooms had him stuck in a limbo between bursting into laughter and bursting into tears. “My ex and I ended things a couple months ago, too,” he murmured, laying the tips of his hair over his upper lip like a mustache. “And it sucks, ‘cos like, I proper loved him.”

Callum Callum's eyes went wide. Holy shit. There were girls out there that have dated Mole Man, Wikipedia, and Pinky? Willingly? A shock. Absolutely. Feeling his cheeks tingle, Callum couldn't help but let out a bit of a laugh. "Damn... wow." He shook his head, bringing his fist up to his mouth to hide his amusement. He let himself focus on something else to keep from potentially offending anyone else with his reactions, like the canopy above or the sight of Lukas and Dash awfully close to each other. Strangely, it didn't weird him out as much as he thought it would. He sort of expected them to meld together at one point honestly. When Kian spoke up, Callum actually felt... sad. Or something like that for him anyway. Oh, him. Kian was- ohhhh. "Sucks, dude. Sorry." To prove just how sympathetic he was, he reached over and patted Kian on the knee. "His loss. You've got a sick 'stache."

Kian When sober, Kian rejected absolutely any form of intimate touch that didn’t involve using his own spit. On shrooms? Just a friendly pat on the knee was enough to send him over the edge. Like the great dam breaking, he started tearing up on reflex. “Love is shit,” he said decisively, furiously wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Dash When Dash heard Kian’s voice wobble, his eyes widened. He fully did not expect that to be something Kian was capable of, and his stomach twisted. Man, he felt bad. He got up on shaky legs and walked over, then gracelessly planted himself between Callum and Kian, going a little out of his way to jostle Callum aside in the process. Like, he and Kian had a moment. He had some cred here. “Whoa. Fuck that guy,” he announced. “What’s his problem?”

Callum Oh. Oh no. He was crying? What the fuck! Callum said something nice! "Oh– Hey– Uhhh..." He snuck a quick look at Sebastian for moral support before crawling over and sitting down beside Kian, throwing an arm around him. Meant to be comforting, of course. "Hey, hey, man. Don't–" Cry? Too late. "–Don't feel that way. Like, I'm sure there are ch–" Wait, no. "–dudes out there." With his free hand, he patted Kian's arm. Not knowing what else to do, he looked over at the other boys, begging for helps with his eyes.

Donnie leaves are plucked into his clothes, but mostly importantly-- twigs in his hair. stopping halfway through following behind the rest of them, he'd been standing on what he didn't know was uneven ground. shoulders rolled back, he starts to water the plants with a stream, only halfway to zipping up his pants, when he's sideways stepping. the level of the dirt shifts, and without much noise other than the shit! that's muffled by the leaves, and the bushes he falls through, down to the bottom of a small hill. was this it? nope, he's laying there, staring at the stars, the sounds of the boys disappearing into the background as they'd hardly noticed him even part ways. it took him fifteen minutes to climb back up from where he originally slipped, turning on his heels to look around, a full 360, even. "guys?" tongue lulls into his cheek, and he'll groan under his breath, pinching his nose between his index and thumb. "of course-" he'll start off in the direction he can only assume they went, but quite frankly, he was just wondering around in circles. finally, he's parted through a few trees, ducking under leaves and finding the lot of them. "there you wankers are--" he's pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "wolf went back that ---" brows tethered together, what the bloody hell? gaze flickered between the lot of them. "ah, well while you guys were circle jerking i was just fighting for my life." brows furrow again. is he-- is he crying?"

JJ He had no idea where the crying came from, or Donnie. But he pulled Donnie down on the grass, right near himself and Sawyer and passed a bunch of shrooms his way. He was saving them for later, but right now he couldn't think past a single moment, nevertheless plan ahead. He whispers "Kian's heartbroken I think..." he was too high to actually know. Either way, he wasn't gonna let Callum and Dash do all the comforting, he was sure Kians ex was a cunt unworthy of tears. Most exes were. "Y-you know it's scientifically proven that people perceive 'good times' to be way better than they actually were. In retrospect. And we have this way to just block the bad shit out and dismiss it. It's nature." not that he could do either, he had eidetic memory but still. "M-my point is, I'm sure when you think of your ex you think of all these good moments. Don't man, focus on the bad things. Yeh....yeh my ex? Cheating bitch. Nothin' I can do about that. Focus on the bad....even if...it was the best fucking sex...." he drifts off, falling on his back.

Donnie he nearly falls, again. yanked down by his shirt, and thuds into the grass a little less gracefully than intended. brows are still furrowed, and he's glancing between them, and then back at jj. "yeah, what kj said-- fuck 'em." not sure what exactly he was talking about. "at least your dick still works." contrary to the pills that drowned at the bottom of the ocean, and kept his shit knocked off for years now. he's grabbing the bag, giving it an examine, and squinting. oh that makes sense, actually. "wait--" he's doing a double take to jj. "someone had sex with you?" --- "look, if mega mind over here can get in and out of the sack, then there's gotta be hope for the rest of the world."

Sebastian Sebastian couldn't deal with the crying, it was gross and lame, not as bad as puking but still enough to make him scrunch up his face. He said nothing on the matter, fairly confident that whatever he managed to say to Kian would just make things worse. "Your dick doesn't work?" he asked as Donnie recovered from plummeting to the ground, probably bruising his ass in the process.

Donnie he's leaning back, palms in the grass, and picking a mushroom from the bag, before glancing back at sebastian. "nah, it's been quiet down there for like, two years." he'll waver his hand for a moment. "barely got a pulse down there anymore," glances down into his lap for a moment, and then back up. "it's as dead weight as i am. so if you want a real reason to cry," he's plopping the mushroom in his mouth. "cry for my dick."

Sebastian The crease in Sebastian's brow deepened further, either for the fact that Donnie the dickless wonder couldn't get it up or because he suggested that anybody would cry over the fact. Yeah right. "You break your back or something?" he asked, genuinely curious about the ailment, rather than the specifics of his symptoms.

Sawyer Sawyer had been enjoying his little patch of wet grass until the bat signals started firing off in his direction and he sat up, the jungle walls spinning around him like a dryer on a tumble cycle. Traditional romance wasn’t necessarily his forte—he’d always been a love and let love sort of guy, letting his heart lead him to whomever it saw fit and if his dick liked them too, then hey: the more, the merrier. He put a hand on JJ’s shoulder to silence him—to his benefit, really. Wherever that last sentence was going weren’t somewhere he was sure Ol’ Faithful wanted to go with him right now. “Ah—it sucks, buddy, losin’ people you love. Life is a bitch.” He blew air from his cheeks, patting his knees. “But people comin’, people goin’...it’s also one of the things that makes it kinda beautiful, I think. To have a...somethin’ so special it hurts to lose, even just for a little while. Think about it: all the people out there in the world, and the universe aligned just so that your paths got to intertwine.” Sawyer lifted his hands in the air and clasped them together, two magnets meeting in the middle. “That’s somethin’ worth celebrating, if you ask me.”

Donnie another careless shrug, nose recoiling at the taste of the shroom. this one must've still had shit on it. it's swallowed down with a gulp, shuddering his shoulders at the taste. unbothered by the topic, was an understatement. "nah baby, it's the fluoxetine, and prozac for me." wavering his hand as he spoke. "add in a little bit of zoloft.." another shrug. "a dickless cocktail, if you would."

Sebastian "Uh-huh," Sebastian had heard of a couple of those at least and a couple of them he'd been recommended as well, though he'd refused to be prescribed anything of the sort. Needless to say that if it was ever suggested again, he'd tell his psychiatrist to swiftly fuck off, now that he knew what they did to dudes. He looked over at Sawyer then, surprised by how profound he was. "You always this poetic when you're fucked up or is this a special occasion?" he asked and though it sounded harsh, he hadn't necessarily meant it that way, he did genuinely think there was something poetic about Sawyer's advice, Sebastian just had trouble communicating that sort of thing with others.

Donnie stays quiet on the subject of losing people, isn't really in his space to talk about it-- given the situation with his mom. but sebastian was right, sawyer was profound.. "hey man, that's real nice-- sounds like something straight out of a movie." what's the one about gay cowboys, again?

Sawyer “Drunk thoughts, sober words,” he drawled, rolling his neck from shoulder to shoulder. He knew some of the boys thought he was a little slow, but he could be smart—when he wanted to be. Sawyer cracked an eye open. “Toy Story?”

Donnie stares for a minute, doesn't say anything particularly, but will glance back at jj and then back to sawyer. "nah, i think it was toy story 2." he'll add on, the mull of a smirk residing on his features.

JJ As Sawyer puts his hand on his shoulder he stops talking, but the sensation passed through his body making him feel like a prism. He could hear colours and see sounds. And so he missed most of the dick conversation and the Sawyers poetry. "Toy story took four years to make, it's a 77-minute film that required 800,000 machine-hours to produce the final cut."

Donnie he's glancing back at jj again, lips pursed slightly. "thanks for that dr. wonder brain, the er is paging you now."

Sebastian Sebastian looked over at JJ, deciding that the regurgitating of facts about children's animation was even worse than Donnie's limp dick or Kian crying about his ex-boyfriend. "Are you some kinda savant?" he asked, "Like Rain Man?" he asked in addition to clarify..

Donnie eyes squint for a moment, and the shrooms still haven't seemed to do much yet. "i think he's more of a glitch in the matrix, personally."

JJ "Rain Man was the highest-grossing film of 1988. The film was nominated for eight Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman.

Dash Dash’s hand fell from Kian’s shoulder as he stared at JJ in wonder. “Oh my God, do the Bee Movie script next.”

Donnie "is that how you dirty talk? you know, you're three knuckles deep and start verbalizing the production of willy wonka?"

Sebastian Sebastian didn't make any effort to disguise the disgusted look that consumed his face when JJ spoke up again. "I'll take that as a resounding yes," he said, slightly exasperated by the other male's manner. "A glitch in something, that's for sure," he agreed with Donnie; a dead pixel, broken code, a total processing error if you asked Sebastian.

Kian Between Callum and Dash rushing to his side to comfort him, JJ giving him some horrific statistics about dopamine or some shit, and Donnie suddenly appearing from the bushes like an evil piss monster, Kian was proper sniveling like a baby. As easy as it was to shift the blame to someone else, it wasn’t his ex’s fault they broke up. It was his. It’d always been his fault for being too chickenshit to let people in, wanting to be selfish with love and selfish with rejecting it. He glanced up at the others with watery eyes, trying to parse the bits of conversation that weren’t about limpdicks and Pixar movies. “Is—“ He sniffled. “Is he malfunctioning?”

JJ looks over at Dash "It took four years to make the Bee Movie and one million man hours to animate it, with an estimated 25 million render hours used during the course of the production team was five times the size of the original Shrek." he will then look over at Donnie. "Willy Wanker." a laugh. "I don't feel so good..."

Donnie he's immediately shifting, pulling his legs a little closer to his body and furrowing his brows. "shit, is he gonna' barf?"

Dash Dash groaned, completely unaware of JJ's sudden turn for the worse, and started in a staccato rhythm, "According to laws of space and time and airplanes, there's like, no way that a bee should be able to fly, man!"

Sebastian As if the conversation wasn't sickening enough with Donnie talking about his erectile dysfunction and JJ doing that weird thing with movie facts and shit, the absolute last thing Sebastian needed was to hear yet another person vomiting. He'd managed to very barely escape from the sympathetic upchucking earlier and he wasn't convinced he could do it again, not now. "Dude, go away," he instructed, raising his voice a little, "If you're gonna vomit, get the fuck outta here, go in the bushes,"

JJ He takes the water, the only ting he brought along and takes a long sip before crashing onto the ground, his view focused on the clouds limited by the tall trees. The grass was hugging him, he was certain. Donnie was pulling away, but he grabbed his hand instead and then Sawyers hand with the other. "Someone give Kian a hug and Sebastian some shrooms man, it's a fine fuckin' day." he'll say and a massive grin will appear on his face as Dash goes on about bees. "The key is the speed man,. Bees are able to beat their wings like 200 times a second. This lets their wings move the same amount of air as a pair of larger, slowly beating wings, like those of birds and bats."

Callum Maybe all of that running and the lack of food was getting to him. Callum had begun feeling... woozy. Or not woozy? The sensation came and went. He started making wide (and weird) movements with his mouth just to make sure it was still attached to his face. Then he shook his head quickly in an attempt to snap out of it. When he refocused his attention, he was surprised to find JJ on the ground, talking about... bees? "What..?" He shook his head again. Maybe he was imagining it. He turned to Kian, who his arm was still around. "Are you okay yet? Or?"

Dash At JJ’s mention of Kian, Dash remembered where he sat. He looked over and there were tears streaming down Kian's face—and Callum’s arm around his shoulder? He was shocked Kian’s skin wasn’t sizzling and/or melting from the touch. “Oh shit, yeah, K-man,” he started. “Uhhh, take deep breaths.”

Kian Kian just swayed into Callum’s side, resting his head on the Giant Canadian Goose’s shoulder. “All the people in the universe,” he sniffed, reciting Sawyer’s words from earlier, “and we got stuck with these dickheads. That must be a sign it hates me.”

JJ "I don't know man, I think you men are pretty dope."

Dash Dash scoffed as Kian leaned into Callum’s side. What the fuck, was he not just being totally warm and comforting too? He rolled his eyes and made himself dizzy with the action, then unceremoniously flopped back to stare up at the jungle canopy. The green swirled pleasantly above him and he folded his arms behind his head to settle in and enjoy the show. He could feel the roots of the trees under the ground beneath him, moving and searching for water. God, he was thirsty. He licked his lips then smiled at JJ’s words. “Shucks, man. You can’t just go from Skynet to Wall-E like that.”

Donnie doesn't say much as the other grabs his hand, just simply pats the top of it and rolls his eyes. "drink your water, tj, you'll need it for all the copious amounts of sex you're be having once you get off the island." it's rolled slightly with his eyes, doused in a smirk, as he slowly, tries to pry his hand back, only to get distracted and tune into dash's conversation. "kian, just because you're crying doesn't mean you gotta' be a dick, dude." he's kidding, he doesn't actually give a fuck about what the guys thought of him. "you're hurting sebastian's feelings."

Sebastian Sebastian managed a fairly humorless laugh at Donnie's comment, "Yeah, what limpy said, you're really hurting my feelings over here, Kian," Sebastian mused dryly, having started a new braid with new grass now, leaving the old one behind. "What's so great about your buddies at home that makes you think we're dickheads, anyway? You could do worse," he looked over at Lukas then, "Not much worse but you could still worse,"

JJ “How do you get girls off man?” JJ looks over at Donnie and his eyes narrow. “You uh...” he will make scissors with his fingers and laugh.

Sebastian Sebastian cocked his head slightly, looking over at JJ, genuinely confused, "Wait," he uttered as the realisation struck him, "Rain Man knows bee facts but thinks you need a dick to get a girl off- you couldn't write this fucking shit, I swear to God man," he laughed again, that was even funnier than Donnie, he decided.

Donnie leaning back on one of his elbows, he's snatching back his hand from jj and grins. "my dick might not work, but my mouth does, pj." another pause, and his brows wavers. "and if you think your dick is what's getting a girl off, you probably never actually made her cum.. unfortunately.." and with that, he laughs.

JJ “Facts are easier than women.” He admits but nods at Donnie with a laughter. “Maybe that’s why she fucked half the campus...” not that he cared much at this point, he knew he sucked at sex, he was always much too technical, it would ruin the mood. “Fucking on shrooms would be good tho...”

Kian Even on a bad trip, Kian couldn’t reserve his judgment. “You have an entire USB drive in your head but you can’t locate the clitoris...?”

Sebastian Sebastian was not surprised to hear that JJ found it easier to regurgitate useless facts than he found interacting with women on any level, not surprising at all. In fact, Sebastian was pretty sure poindexter probably struggled with other dudes as well. "Ever thought about Googling how to grow a personality instead of looking up Oscar winners?" he suggested, raising an eyebrow. He sucked his teeth and hummed lowly, thinking about the mushrooms again and realising, a fair amount of time had surpassed them. He looked at his watch to confirm that it was true. "Nobody feeling like they're about to drop dead yet? I think we're almost safe here," he suggested, though there was no certainty, he supposed.

JJ “Just because I know sex science, doesn’t mean I am as good in practice. Each woman is unique as well, you gotta communicate that shit...I ain’t good at that.” He shrugs knowing the others would probably mock him for it, but not giving enough fucks to care if they do. Sebastians words hit a nerve though, he had always struggled with social interactions and having the man with undoubtedly the least appealing personality point that out, left him somewhat offended. “You know man, better having no personality than having a shit one like you.”

Donnie donnie is wavering towards kian, from jj. "look, you got him saying clitoris through tears." he shouldn't be laughing, but really-- it was kind of funny. only then is he side glances at sebastian and back down to the other's watch for a brief moment. "unfortunately, i feel fine. no dropping dead here."

Sebastian Sebastian laughed easily at JJ's admission. He wasn't good at communicating? What else was new? "No shit, comrade, we kinda noticed that one," he mused, bending his knees and wrapping his arms around them loosely, though the braided grass remained between his finger tips. "Yeah well, I can always improve, something tells me you'r shit outta luck on that front," he assured the other male, oblivious to the fact that JJ had taken it to heart to some marginal extent. He tossed the grass into the dirt, abandoning it as he looked at JJ again, "Lucky you're on the island of misfit boys though, huh? Not a girl around for miles,"

Sawyer Sawyer erupted into a fit of giggles where he was tucking blades of grass down his shirt and feeling them slide against his skin. In the interest of full transparency, he’d checked out of this conversation somewhere around the talking bees. “Hell yeah, it’s lucky.”

JJ He’ll shrug at Donnie, but it’ll cause him to laugh anyways. He hoped Kian could find some comfort in his absolute deterioration to mediocracy. He then turns to Sebastian. “No one can have it all. I got the brain and the looks, giving me a shiny personality would’ve been a bit much.” he will laugh and come up to his elbows. Feeling much better than he did shortly.

Blue blue kept to himself on tbe topic of women, trying to take his own advice and not let Her in. he stacked blades of grass, laughed or groaned along, and tried to take some sort of perfect image of each boy smiling, especially the ones who didn't seem to do that often. "and see, thats why they made moi, just as if hot as jj with an amazing cool personality, the smarts wouldve been overkill, id be too perfect." he joked along with the boys, wishing he had a beer for the occassion. "im just too hot to be smart," he shrugged jokingly

Liam he doesn’t exactly know when or how but at some point liam has drifted away from the group. for some reason, he was standing a few feet away from the group and staring at a tree as if it was his favorite tv show. he could hear the voices of the others but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, he had more important things to focus on like the way the bark of the tree felt under his fingertips.

Sawyer Liam caught his eye at the edge of his hazy peripheral, and he stretched his grass-covered hand out to him like God reaching out to Adam. "C'mon an' join the love huddle, my man~"

Liam liam’s head rolled back, looking over his shoulder like a puppy who name was just called. a wide smile spread across his face when he registered that i was sawyer speaking to him. “but the trees, man. they need our love too.”

Kian He wasn't sure when he'd started to pet Callum's hair like it was an expensive fur throw, but it was happening, apparently. "Do you think trees feel? Like, when you cut them down or piss on them?"

JJ "Given that plants do not have pain receptors, nerves, or a brain, they do not feel pain same as us." he states, having felt all too loved by the grass right now to actually believe that. "But they do communicate."

Liam hearing the conversation and jj dismissing the trees can’t feel plain, liam ran his hand along the bark of the tree, whispering to it, “shhhh he doesn’t mean that. i understand you, i know you feel.”

Callum What the fuck..? Was there something in his hair? Everything was moving slowly. Callum blinked before tilting his head back, trying to see the top of his head. Then he turned his head to the side and saw that Kian was touching him. Normally, he'd go off on anyone touching his hair. But this wasn't normally. And he felt.... very, very strange. "Can you scratch?" He asked Kian. "Just a little."

Kian Kian's fingers curled against Callum's scalp, nails gently scratching down toward the nape of his neck and back up again. Soft. "What do you think they say to each other?" He wondered if the trees could read his thoughts right now...wanker. Piss shit. Balls.

Dash Dash’s eyes narrowed as he watched Kian’s hand pass over Callum’s hair. The only narrowed further when Callum tilted his head into it like a needy, flea-ridden dog. Officially peeved, he decided to distract himself. He rolled over onto his side, the world gone tits up as he went, and rested his head in his palm as looked over at Liam. It looked like he was slowly fusing to the bark. Dash blinked rapidly a few times. “Don’t fuck the tree, my guy.” He held out his free hand and repeated Sawyer’s words, “Join the puddle. Or huddle. Whatever the fuck. We’re straight vibing down here. And we've like, got Darwin's blessing to love back."

Liam liam broke out into a laugh at dash’s words, looking back over his shoulder at the group. “i’m not fucking the tree! i was just being friendly,” he said back. but he finally gave up and slowly walked back to the group, dropping down in the grass next to dash.

JJ Is jealous of the cuddle puddle but does nothing about it because he is a wuss.

Sawyer Leaning back on his elbows as Liam finally detached himself from that tree, Sawyer breathed a dreamy sigh. "Reckon we're anything but straight, over here."

JJ "there are studies that confirm there's no such thing as 100% straight, ya' know?" he shrugs. "Never have I ever fucked a guy...go..."

Dash Dash grinned as Liam took a seat beside him. “Settle in, Liam.” His name sounded funny rolling off Dash’s tongue. “Leeee-um. Leeeem.” He wrapped his hand around Liam’s wrist and tugged, hoping to get him to lie down on his back. He snorted a laugh when Sawyer spoke and then laughed aloud when JJ tacked on one of his little Trivial Pursuit facts. Dash suddenly wondered how many of these dudes were actual card-carrying friends of Dorothy. He twisted his head to look back at Sawyer. “Whoa, holy shit. Guys, raise your hand if you’re gay or like... a little gay.”

Liam laughing again as dash said his name weird, he felt himself relax a little. with a tug of his wrist, liam laid down next to dash, closing his eyes with a wide smile on his face. at the other boys request, liam held his arm up in the air, even if he’s never slept with someone, he very much knew that he liked men.

Sawyer Sawyer let out a snort that very quickly dissolved into squeaky laughter, scratching the bridge of his nose. “Fuck you, man,” he said as JJ started up yet another round of their little Never Have I Ever game. Not fair. “Uh...yeah.” Another laugh. “Guilty as.”

Kian Kian heaved a world-weary sigh at the words fucked and guy. “Yeah, looks like you’re a bit outnumbered by the homos, Mendoza.”

JJ he gets up to his elbows, and looks at sawyer just to make sure he was hearing that right. "yo, forreal? a'ight..." he's unable to stop a smile and crashes back onto the grass.

Sawyer “What?” He couldn’t seem to keep the laugh out of his voice—shrooms had that effect on him. “Wouldn’t lie to you, buddy.”

JJ He laughs as Sawyer laughs, believing the other had probably misunderstood him. He wasn't doubting the truthfulness of it, he just felt weirdly good about it. "Didn't think you would...jus' good on you..." he'll double tap the others elbow or shoulder or knee or wherever his hand had reached.

Lukas Lukas was so completely cooked. All he could do was lie there, feeling like he was spinning around on some sort of trippy water slide while everyone else managed to talk to each other. At some point he hears the talk of Never Have I Ever fucked a dude. And while he hadn't done that, when the Never Have I Ever was followed up by a question of who was gay or at least a little gay Lukas' hand lifted for a moment before it fell back down onto the ground. Offering absolutely zero follow up as the trippy water slide took a fun little turn onto a grassy field, fingers happily moving through the blades of grass and the guys around him continued talking amongst themselves.

Kian Although he tried to count the number of hands that went up, Kian’s vision swam so that three suddenly became thirteen. Ugh. Maths was hard enough when sober. Leaning onto the elbow he had resting on Callum’s shoulder as he scratched his head like a small dog, he asked: “What about you, then? Are you a gay or just Canadian?”

Callum Callum made a face at Kian's question. It felt totally out of left field. Probably because he'd been so busy watching the trees change shape above him. "Uhhh. Is there a country called Gay I don't know about? Because I'm just Canadian."

Kian Kian snorted. “Yeah, it’s right next to Greece, innit. You have to shag men to get in.”

Blue blue shrugged and raised his hand, "two things. one, im not gay but i could be, or like i dont know, maybe once i try it orsomething. but if i gotta be gay toget a head massage or hug or whatever, call me lil nas x." he didnt really know how to explain himself, but he didnt think She needed to brought up. "i havent before but i might someday amd then ill see. and two, is Gay a place or are you just joking around?"

Sawyer "If it is, stamp my passport." Sawyer wasn't an expert on sex and sexuality. Hell, he hardly knew his own orientation most of the time. That was the beauty of it all, to him - not having to slap a label on who he loved or how he loved them. He tilted his head and smiled lazily at Blue. "You don't gotta have it all figured out, my man. Love who you wanna love, fuck who you wanna fuck. The end."

Blue blue smiled and pointed towards sawyer "soy-dog! i knew we got each other, like a psychic star wars mind meld. i love you man, all of you. this is the worst camping trip of my life but i love you guys." blue rose a hand up, miming hoding a champagne glasas, "an imaginary toast to loving who you wanna love, and fucking who you wanna fuck." he paused for a moment, "and to some lube hopefully washing ashore if any of us do fuck here. cheers!"

Sawyer "To lube!" Sawyer whooped, raising his fist in the air like ol' buddy at the end of the Breakfast Club.

JJ “You men must have hella game...” he adds to the conversation near him, his eyes still closed as he relaxed on the grass. He could barely look at the people he liked, nevertheless speak to them.

Kian Kian laughed for the sake of hearing himself laugh. "You just have to, like, talk to people in a normal way instead of repeating the encyclopedia at them. If you like learning, try to learn more about them."

JJ “I tried that...” he sighs. “It’s hard to ask questions without feeling like you’re intruding.”

Kian "Okay, so like," he rocked a bit as he sat up, finally taking his hand out of Callum's hair to shake out his own. "Pretend I'm a girl you want to shag. Seduce me how you normally would."

Joe joe had no idea what was going on, there was so many conversations happening at once and people around him. he was happy to lie back and become one with the grass. then the conversation came back to mr spock's inability to find the clit and he guffawed."it's not that hard. just don't ask about the lass's blood type and opinion on rafts and you'll be fine. do what sebastian does and skate by on your height.and i wish fucking whoever you want to fuck was as easy as blue and soy dog make it sound. people have all these expectations and you're only option is to be the person they want to be."he sighed picking up a clump of grass.

Kian "Stop it! It's not enough to just be tall," Kian said, giggling. "If it were, he'd already have loads of girls. The problem is his approach."

Liam “it’s probably because he talks like a wikipedia page,” liam said without realizing how mean that sounded. but he was too high to care.

Kian He put his hand out toward Liam, looking at Joe and JJ as though to say, See?

Joe "it is enough to be tall."he whined before laughing, he knew he was fighting a losing battle."he'd be flying if he lost the serial killer vibes. people can forgive all kind of sins from a tall lad with gorgeous hair."not that he was speaking from experience.

Blue joe's comment was a harsh reminder that he hadnt been open with these boys about Her, or how bad it had really gotten, "yeah youre right, joe. its not that easy....." he offered a sympathetic look, his legs too rubbery to walk over to him. "j, man, i think you just have to rely more of the vibes, chemistry, flow." unless a demon holds you hostage in relationship hell but blue wasnt ready to share all of that yet.

JJ he laughs as everyone attempts to pitch in and help out and it actually, for the first time in his life, makes him feel like he's a part of something. finally, he will sit up from the grass and look over at kian, getting closer to him as the rest discussed the tallness and the variety of approaches. -- there were moments where he would have been hurt by the comments. on the way he talks, how he comes off as a sociopath and all things he's heard a million times before. as if he chooses to be that way. "sometimes it's easier not to talk and come off as a psycho than talk and remove all doubt." he'll attempt a joke on his own account. he then clears his throat, looks over at kiki, his eyes gleaming as the smile spreads wide across his face and he'll get embarrassed for a moment. nobody liked being judged, especially on things they sucked at. perhaps this is what it was like to be an idiot, or normal. "alright uh..." he'll clear his throat and chuckle. "h-how do we do this? do i get help? like 'who wants to be a millionaire' type or?"

Kian Kian sat up into a cross-legged position and scooted closer to JJ. Their sudden proximity made his vision go all fish eye lens and he giggled as JJ's face turned into a Picasso-esque blob of eyes and ears and lips. "I dunno, just start by approaching me how you normally would. Like I'm some chick you really fancy from..." Chemistry lab? A morgue? He smiled. "The club."

JJ he looks over at the other guys and bites his lip thinking things through. he didn't really go clubbing, he did meet girls at the comedy club where he worked though, maybe that's why they took him as a joke. "hi there..." he'll lean on his elbow, looking at kian, smile wide across his face. "like your uh, hair..."

Kian He tries to hold in a laugh - he really does - but it's almost unavoidable, in this state. "Right, yeah, not to stereotype myself or anything, but she's gonna think you're gay if you come right off the bat complimenting her hair." Kian schooled his face back into a neutral expression, but the ghost of a smile still remained. "Try, like, asking how her night's going or what drink she recommends. Get her to talk about herself first so you have a good starting block to jump off of, you know what I mean?"

JJ "Wait, really?" his eyes narrow in confusion. He'd always thought it girls like to be complimented. Either way, he'll follow instructions and continue. He was hoping others weren't watching, but the shrooms made it hard to care so he giggled like a child as he played with his curls nervously. "Hi there, I'm J." he smiles offering out a hand. "You uh, you come here often?" he thought it a good enough question. It would reveal more about her and also lead to the possible drinks recommendation Kian suggested.

Kian "J..." Kian echoed, giggling at the way it rolled off his tongue. J. What a lovely letter, that. He took his hand when it was offered and brought it to his cheek - it felt warm to the touch, like a blanket that'd suddenly fallen from the sky and landed in his lap. "I'm Ki...ara. Yeah. Kiara." Another giggle. "Erm, it's actually my first time here. Are you a regular?"

Liam liam wasn't paying attention to what was happening between jj and kian, he was more focused on staring at dash's head and wondering what he was going to look like when his hair inevitably grew out if they were stuck here any longer. that is until he heard the introduction between the two boys. "j? what happened to your second letter?" he heckled.

JJ He is about to reply to Ki-ara, letting his hand grace the soft cheek before Liam jumps in with the question. He can feel his own cheeks boiling and he'll laugh. "Come on g, I'm tryina sound cool. You know how many Skins jokes I went through over the second letter? I ain't even seen Skins..." he smiles. "Guess I could go with Jacob." he glances back at Kian who was now fully a Kiara the hot girl at the club and he'll get closer still. "Kiara. Nice to meet you Kiara." shaking his head he'll shrug. "Regular? N-no, no I don't frequent clubs really, bit overpriced don't you think? Ya know, beer company's invest millions of dollars in designing beer taps, since a good beer tap can improve sales of a beer by over $20. Pretty neat, huh? But clubs have been voted a number one location to meet people so...thought I'd give it a go, I...you come here often?" he'll shake his head. "Wait, no, I already asked that agh...."

Kian Kian hummed. JJ was doing that thing again where he just kind of rambled off facts he read on the back of his cereal box that day, but his hand felt so nice against Kian's skin, he couldn't be bothered to call him out on it. "You can tap me if you want," he said, free hand coming to rest on JJ's knee. Wait, wasn't JJ the one supposed to be coming onto him? Now that he thought about it, he was probably the wrong person to be roleplaying with - Kian was always something of a slag after a couple drinks. "Do you come often?"

JJ He couldn't believe he was doing so well, it even made him look around now hoping the others were actually watching. "Yo, did ya' all see that?" with eyes back on Kian, he'll let his hand trace down his cheek over his hands, tangling their fingers together. "Maybe I will, lemme buy you a drink first..." proud of himself, with confidence rising, he can't even help but laugh at the final question. He was so high, he didn't even know what to say. A rarity. "What do I even say to that?"

Dash Dash watched whatever the hell happened between JJ and Kian unfold with increasing amounts of horror and disbelief, and only partially because it looked like both boys were slowly growing antlers from their temples. He was pretty sure he lost the plot at some point. He couldn’t remember if this was real or like... some repressed housewife's version of sexy roleplay played out. He turned to Liam and tried to whisper, “What the fuck’s going on? Are they about to bone?”

Liam liam's eyes were pulled away from dash's hair when he heard the other boy speak up. he looked to the two boys who really did look like they were about to bone right in front of everyone. "i don't even know, man, but i think they are," he said with a snicker, his eyes finding dash's face.

Kian He'd kind of stopped listening to what JJ said after the whole twenty-dollar spiel, using their joint hands to swing forward into him and nuzzle against his shoulder. Yeah, he was definitely tripping balls.

Dash “K-man’s right, I’m outnumbered by homos,” Dash mostly mused to himself, scratching at his chin. It wasn’t a bad thing. Dash dug gay people. He knew a bunch of gay people, and now he suddenly knew like, way more. Gay as a country. He snorted. “Gaynadian.” He snapped back to attention, remembering that he was staring somewhere around Liam’s left ear as he spoke to himself. “You raised your hand, man? That’s so cool. Good for you, man. Like, gay rights. How'd you know?”

Blue blue had lost track of where the stuff with kian/jj was going so he spoke of the one thing he was sure of "I gotta piss sooo...." he trailed off letting whichever guys needs to be alone to be. he swayed a bit as he walked, enjoying the way the air felt around him. blue walked along, intrigued by a tree with what appeared to him like a cyclops eye. he smiled at it as he relieved himself, whistling to the tune of the drag race theme song, a show he used to watch with indigo.

Liam liam laughed at dash's comment, even if it came out a little offensively. thankfully he followed up with support of liam so he didn't think twice about it. "yeah, i mean... i guess i'm half... gay?" he said, his words coming out slow as he tried and failed to remember the word bisexual. "i dunno. i had a crush on a girl in my class when i was younger, but i also had a crush on a boy too. didn't really think anything of it."

JJ He lets Kian do his thing, happy and now confident that he could pick up a girl if there were any present. Suddenly, he wishes they had something to smoke, or something to eat, but is too lazy to actually move and look for it. "It's called bisexuality...if you're looking for a term." he says to Liam, nonchalantly.

Kian Kian rolled his head on JJ's shoulder to look at Liam and Dash, reaching a hand out for them, too. "Yeah. Bisexuality, innit."

Dash Dash tried to bat Kian’s hand away, but missed. “Are you trying to steal Leem from me?”

Liam liam looked to kian as if he was reading his mind for the word he was missing, not realizing that jj said the same thing. "bisexual! yes, yeah that's the word." he looked back to dash, feeling confident, "jealous, dashy?"

Kian He smirked at Dash and intertwined his fingers with Liam's, just barely able to reach him from where he practically sat in JJ's lap. "He's 'straight,'" said Kian. Emphasis on the air quotes.

Liam "i dunno, he said he'd kiss me," his voice coming out like a song as he said the words. "still waiting for him to pay up though."

JJ through laughter. "the fuck is going on?"

Dash Jealous? Yeah! He tried his hand at comfort and got nothing. He wanted to pet Gaynadian’s hair, but got beaten to the punch. And now he was trying to enjoy some one-on-one time with Liam and Kian had to take that, too? Jesus. He clumsily karate-chopped Kian and Liam’s hands to disband them, then turned to Liam. "I'm super confident in my sexuality," he started emphatically, flipping off Kian over his shoulder. "Which obviously threatens people." He grinned as Liam referenced what had been a spur of the moment comment, but he was willing to go two for two. "Aww, you been waiting on me? Feel free to take some initiative, dude." He called out to Lukas: "You hear that? I'm in high demand!"

Kian "Prove it, then," Kian said, turning around and situating himself on JJ's leg. No matter whether he was tripping balls or sober as a saint, bullying Mendoza was always fun. "Kiss him."

Liam liam let his hand fall from kian's when dash hit them. "i'm not threatened," liam said as if it was point to him. but then dash egged him on and kian getting in on it, liam just shrugged. without a second thought, liam took dash's face in his hand, turning it to him and press a kiss to the other boy's lips.

JJ With Kian in his lap and chaos unfolding in front of him, the second Liams and Dash' lips touched he could practically see the fireworks. He really took too many shrooms, but it pushed him to clap anyways, using his one hand to clap against his leg as the other was balancing himself and Kian. "Shit, is this how parties normally go?" he should get out more.

Kian The corners of his lips quirked up in a smug, lazy smirk as he watched Liam give Dash what was perhaps the most chaste kiss he'd ever seen two people under the influence share. Made him want to kiss someone, too. "Yeah, but it's usually the girls who get drunk and start making out."

Sawyer Still fighting to stay on this plane of metaphysical reality, Sawyer cupped a hand around his mouth and whooped as Liam went for the kill.

Dash If there was anything Dash was good at—sober or not—it was taking the unexpected in stride, or at least if the unexpected was exclusively a pair of lips plating themselves unceremoniously against his. He smiled against Liam for a second, then returned the kiss. His hand reached up into Liam’s hair for purchase and he slipped him a little tongue, just to shake things up a bit. After a moment, he pulled back and laughed, ruffling Liam’s hair before he fell back again. The sky above him swirled with green and blue. "Wow." He laughed again. "Big ups, dude. A weaker man would've backed down.”

JJ "That was hot." he didn't even realise he'd said it aloud, so he continues to giggle like a child and his attention will fall back at Kian. Suddenly he noticed how hot everyone was and it made his brain tingle. "You sure?" he'll ask Kian, finding it odd that girls would make out at parties but guys would refrain. It didn't really make sense. "Dunno, seems pretty fun to me..."

Liam he was a little surprised when dash actually kissed him back, adding tongue on top of it. he wasn't complaining, instead, he just let it happen, kissing the boy back happily. when they pulled apart, liam had a dumb smile on his face as he looked at dash, closing his eyes for a moment when he ruffled his hair. "guess no one can say i don't take chances," he said, laying his head back in the grass.

Kian Was it the shrooms making him feel things that weren't there again, or was JJ starting to chub up watching Liam and Dash get their gay on? Kian glanced over his shoulder. "You wanna try it?"

JJ “huh?” he looks over at unsure of what was happening for a split second but then he’ll shrug in approval. “shi-why not right?”

Kian Kian was full-on cheesing, now. He'd never been someone's first gay experience before - the practice kiss he had with his best friend in middle school didn't count. Without another word, he threaded his fingers up through JJ's hair and kissed him proper, tongue and everything. Even if JJ was a complete melt when it came to human interaction, he had nice lips that felt kind of like clouds and big hands that were probably big enough to wrap around Kian's entire forearm. God. He should try making out on mushrooms more often. When he finally pulled back for air, he gave JJ a breathless, expectant look. "So? Gay or Canadian?"

JJ he lets kian take the lead and doesn't spend much time thinking about it, it's what normally ruined the moment - thinking. instead he focuses entirely on the sensation, eyes closed as he gives in. kian's lips passed over his, soft and warm and it sent goosebumps down his spine and he remembered how much he'd missed this -- being close to someone. before he even got the opportunity to use his brain again, kian pulled away and a grin was left across jj's face as his cheeks burnt red. "uh...high?" a laugh and he'll pull on his curls again, avoiding eye contact.

Kian That made him laugh, all soft and sleepy like. He didn't even care that it was JJ - the affection gave him a different sort of buzz. "High is good," he murmured, going in for a shorter kiss. "High is," and another, "very good."

JJ He lets Kian kiss him again and is unable to resist until he begins enjoying himself too much with the pressure on his lap, so he'll tickle the other off himself and lay his head on Kian's lap, enjoying the sobering rush of blood to his head.

Kian Kian shrieked, landing in the grass with a soft oof. "Not fairrrr," he whined, pushing his lips into a pout. He was quickly distracted, however, by the head in his lap. "You know...this lot isn't so bad," Kian said as he ran his fingers through JJ's hair. "We should totally just start a civilization together and shag until global warming takes us all out."

Jungle Another wolf howl is heard in the distance.

#wilds.thread #wilds.toa

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