Work Text:
Sam heard a knock on the door of the comms shack a few moments after Five returned from her run. He had just gotten back from a rest break. Amber had taken over for him for awhile, but he’d been back in time to tell them to raise the gates and let Five in. She looked like she was carrying something strange, but he couldn’t make out what it was. When he asked her about it, she said it was a surprise.
Amber left the comms shack, greeting Five as she entered. Sam turned in his chair. “So, what’s this surprise?” he asked.
“I found you something today,” She was holding whatever it was behind her back. “I mean, I hope you don’t have to use it any time soon, but...”
She pulled out the axe she’d been hiding. He looked from her to the axe and back in disbelief. With all the supplies the runners had to carry, he didn’t think he’d get another one after he’s lost his old one, the one he’d grown so attached to. He was lucky they even brought him his marmite. He took the axe from her. It was a good one, sturdy. It even looked a bit like his old one, though he supposed their were only so many ways an axe could look. “How did you know?”
“I heard you talking about how you lost your old one on that new segment Eugene is doing. This Zombie Life, I think,” she said. “I know it’s probably not the same-”
“No!” he interrupted more quickly than he meant to. “This is... This is amazing. I don’t know what to say.”
She smiled. “‘Thanks, Five’ would suffice.”
“Thank you, Five, really.”
“No problem.”
Their conversations often went this way. It wasn’t that they were uncomfortable with each other, they had actually gotten quite comfortable around each other. But, then one of them would say something or do something and neither would know what to say. Well, maybe deep down they knew what they wanted to say, but neither of them dared go there. That was dangerous territory.
“Well, I should go stretch and get checked for bites,” said Five, breaking the silence. She took off her headset and put it down on his desk. “See ya later, then?”
“Yeah, see ya,” said Sam as she turned to leave. “Thanks again,” he called after her. She turned around and smiled once more before leaving for the hospital building.
It was then that Sam decided to start off on his own mission. He wanted to do something for her, repay her somehow. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy. He imagined that before the apocalypse, Runner Five was the kind of person who was hard to shop for. That meant that after the apocalypse, it would be nearly impossible to find something she liked, especially since she already brought back so much to Abel. Maybe he felt he owed her, or maybe it was something else. Either way he had to try, but if he was going to do this, he would have to enlist help.
He found Jack and Eugene getting ready to start broadcasting again after all the Runners were in for the night. They kept their comms shack messier than he kept his. He stayed by the door because if he tried to go in any further, he would probably end up tripping over some wires or something. He wondered how in hell Eugene managed to do this with one leg. “Sam, we’re about to start,” Eugene reminded him.
“I know,” he said. “This won’t take long. It’s just... um... You guys know Runner Five pretty well, right?”
“She helps us pick out music sometimes,” Eugene nodded. “Why?”
“I was just wondering if you knew anything she might like,” said Sam carefully. If he gave Jack the wrong impression he would never hear the end of it. “For a present of sorts, I mean.”
Jack grinned. “Ooo la la.”
“It’s nothing like that,” Sam said far too quickly. “It’s just that she got me this replacement axe and I just wanted to do something for her in return. So what does she, you know, like?’
“Sports bras,” said Jack and Eugene simultaneously.
“Well, I can’t just give her a sports bra,” he said. “She already has so many and she brought most of them here anyway.”
Jack and Eugene looked at each other and shrugged. “I’ve got nothing,” said Jack.
“Come on, there must be something else,” said Sam. This was going to be even harder than he thought. “What kind of music does she like?”
“None that you’ll be able to find around here,” said Jack. “She’s very picky about her music.”
Eugene looked over at the clock, and started pressing buttons on one of the machines they used to broadcast. “Sorry, but we’ve got to start. Try asking Maxine or maybe Sara. They might have some ideas.”
Sam sighed, “Okay. Have a good show, guys.”
“Thanks,” said Eugene.
“And good luck,” added Jack.
As Sam left, it occurred to them that he should’ve made Jack promise not to broadcast his predicament to the whole of Abel Township and whoever else might be listening, but they’d turned the red light on that indicated they were live and all he could do was cross his fingers and hope for the best as he headed for the hospital.
Runner Eight had been the last Runner to go out for the day and was just finishing up her bite-check when Sam came in. “Runner Eight, Maxine, do you have a minute?” he asked.
“Sure,” said Maxine. “What’s going on?”
“Can either of you think of something Runner Five really likes?” They both opened their mouths but Sam already knew what they were going to say and clarified, “Besides sports bras.”
“Why?” asked Sara.
“I want to get her something,” he told her.
She scoffed. “For god’s sake, Sam, you’re not a kid.”
“Yeah,” Maxine agreed. “If you like her, just tell her.”
“I didn’t say...” Sam tried to argue, quickly getting nervous, “I didn’t mean... I mean, that would be... unprofessional.”
Maxine rolled her eyes. “Right. I’d forgotten how professional you usually are.”
Sam shot her a glare. “It’s just that she got me a new axe and I’d like to return the favor.”
“Look if you really want to get her something nice, stop asking around and talk to her,” said Sara.
“That way when you get her something, she’ll know you’ve been listening,” Maxine added. “People like that.”
It was a bit discouraging. Five didn’t like to talk about herself that much, but he knew Maxine and Sara were probably right and decided he’d better go get some dinner before all the food was gone. Maybe, if Five hadn’t eaten yet, he could try to get gift ideas out of her now. They usually ate together anyway. “Thanks, guys,” Sam said and he left the hospital.
He had planned on avoiding the subject with Five all together. She might figure out what was going on, but it seemed he was running out of options. He started towards the dining area.
He found Runner Five at her usual table after he’d gotten his food. She gave a small wave when she saw him. “Hey, Five,” he said as he slid into the seat next to her.
“Hey,” she said, mouth half full. She had quite the appetite, that Five.
He chuckled, “Hungry today, are we?”
She swallowed. “Always.”
Dinner hadn’t started that long ago, but he wanted to figure out what to get her before anyone else joined them. With all of Simon’s flirting, he’d never find out what Five might like. “So,” he began before he actually figured out what he was going to say, “Uh... thanks again for the axe.”
“It was nothing,” she said.
“But I still really appreciate it,” he continued. “I’d really gotten attached to my old one. You know, how people get attached to stuff like that. Me and my axe. Jack and his bat. Jody and her bow and arrow.” He knew was just rambling now. “So... uh... did ever you have anything like that?” That was as subtle as it was going to get.
She thought for a second, “Not really. Anything that can kill a zom is good enough for me.” He did his best to hide his disappointment. “Although...”
He perked up. “What?”
“Well, it’s not a weapon,” she said, “And it’s kind of stupid.”
“Come on, tell me,” he insisted, poking her arm. Sara was right. He was acting like a bit like a kid, but Five just laughed.
“Fine,” she said. “When I was a kid, I used to have nightmares. I was scared of almost everything, thunderstorms, spiders, the dark. So, my mum got me this dreamcatcher. You know, those little things people hang over their beds sometimes. She told me it would protect me, keep the nightmares away. Mum and I were really close so I was certain she was right. I’d had it ever since, even managed to take it to Mullins with me. Then I came here, and I almost brought it but I didn’t want it to get damaged and I didn’t expect to be here that long, but... Well, it didn’t turn out that way. Sometimes, I actually think I’m not sleeping as well without it,” She laughed again, but it was smaller and half-hearted. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now. No sense believing in that sort of thing anymore.”
Sam racked his brain for something to say, but it seemed they had come to another one of those moments. It didn’t last long since Simon and Jody were now making their way to the table. “Hi, guys,” Five said, mood shifting instantly.
Sam had already zoned out of the conversation. Of course it would be something like that, something that he couldn’t possibly find anywhere. A dreamcatcher? Where in hell was he supposed to find a bloody dreamcatcher at Abel? Even if he could manage to send a Runner out for one, where in hell would they find a bloody dreamcatcher? Did they even make dreamcatchers anywhere near here before the apocalypse? Who even made dreamcatchers? Where did anyone ever even get a dreamcatcher?
He released an audible exasperated sigh. Everyone looked up at him. “You okay, Sam?” asked Jody.
“Yeah, you’ve been uncharacteristically quiet,” said Simon.
“I’m okay,” he said. “Just thinking.” They all looked a bit confused for a moment, before shrugging and returning to their conversation.
Maybe he could make one, he thought. No, he definitely couldn’t. He would have no idea what he was doing and his only experiences with any kind of arts and crafts were painting action figures. As for sewing... weaving...? He didn’t even know what making a dreamcatcher was considered, and he’d never tried anything like that before. The whole dreamcatcher thing was a bust. He’d have to figure out something else, but it was seeming more and more unlikely that he would.
After a week had passed, Sam had all but given up on getting a gift for Five. He had made a couple attempts at finding out about anything else she might like, but there was nothing. Aside from the dreamcatcher, she wasn’t exactly sentimental. He even tried making one a few times, but they’d all turned out as these oval shaped messes made up of tangled yarn, and then Jody had gotten mad that he’d wasted some of her yarn. He’d had to hide them under some paperwork in the comms shack so Five wouldn’t see them whenever she stopped by.
She was out for a supply run with Eight on the outskirts of the abandoned city now. They were on their way back thought hey hadn’t found a lot. The store that Sam sent them to had been ransacked since he’d last had Runners check it out. It was a shame too. They had a few jars of marmite and he was running low on it.
“Okay, guys,” he was saying. “If you go past that old antique store you should be able to-”
He stopped. Through one of the headcams, he could see a dreamcatcher in the store’s window. Maybe he’d given up too soon after all. He knew this was going to be his only chance. He needed to act fast. “Um, Runner Five...” he said. “Can you... uh... jog around the perimeter of the store for me?”
“Why?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No... I just thought I saw something... you know, on the other side,” he said.
Five raised her eyebrows. “Um, okay.” She looked at Sara, who seemed as confused as she was, and then started around the perimeter.
Just as Five turned the first corner, Sam switched onto a private frequency. “Quick,” he whispered, as if Five could hear him, “Before Five comes back, run into the store and get that dreamcatcher?”
“Dreamcatcher?” asked Sara. “What for?”
“Runner Five wants one,” he said. Sara was have to get in and out pretty soon if she was going to do it by the time Five came back around. “I talked to her, like you said.”
Sara smirked, “Well isn’t that sweet? But, don’t you think you should just tell her there’s one here.”
“I just think I should give it to her,” said Sam. “I think it would be more...”
“Romantic?” she teased.
“No, I...” he sighed, deciding it was time to stop trying to defend himself. Obviously no one was listening. “Please?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” And she pushed open the door and started towards the dreamcatcher. It wasn’t too far from the front.
“Hurry up before she get’s back,” he said anxiously. “God, she’s fast.”
“I’m almost there,” she said, just as she was reaching the dreamcatcher. She grabbed it off the shelf and stuffed it in her bag. “Got it.”
“Okay, now get out of there,” he said.
“Jesus, Sam, you’d think there were zoms in here,” she said as she pushed open the door again. “Calm down.”
“Sorry.”
Sara left the store just as runner Five made her way around the last corner. “Sam?” she was asking. “Are you still there? You haven’t said anything in awhile.”
“I’m here,” he told her. “You guys can come home now.”
As the two of them started on their way home, Five whispered to Eight, “What was that about?”
Eight replied, almost too innocently, “Beats me.”
Sam hadn’t thought the actual giving-her-the-gift part would be hard, but the longer he had it, the more he started to think about it. What if she didn’t like it? What if it was too different from her old one? What if it didn’t have any sentimental value? Well, it wouldn’t have any sentimental value obviously, but maybe it would be good enough... Maybe... Maybe not...
He kept it with him while he joined the group for Darkness and Demons, which they usually played on Thursday nights, waiting for the right time. It didn’t come until the end of the night, when they were cleaning up and Five was about to go to bed. He had always been good at procrastinating.
She was at the door when he’d called after her, “Five, wait.” She turned around. “I got something for you. You know, because of the axe.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said.
“I know, but... well..” he took the small dreamcatcher out of his pocket. “Here.” He placed it in her hands and she was speechless. He couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing. “Technically Runner Eight got it, but I, you know, directed her towards it. I just thought, well, since you were missing your old one and you aren’t going back to Mullins any time soon...”
He was cut off when she lifted up onto her toes and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
He could almost feel himself blushing. Quite flustered, he said, “Don’t mention it.”
She giggled, “Goodnight.”
“Sweet dreams,” he said as she left the rec center.
He turned around to see the knowing smiles and silly grins of all the others. “Oh, shut up,” he said, but as he returned to the table to help his friends clean up, he could still feel Five’s kiss on his cheek and found that he was smiling too.