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The second Troy drops Ben off back at Amnesty, he runs straight for Jack’s room.
“Nope,” Jack catches him when Ben’s halfway down the hall, jumping out from behind the banister and scooping Ben up, practically picking him up off the floor. Ben swats at him pitifully, but it’s no use. “He’s sleeping.”
“Well, wake him up,” Ben doesn’t whine. He’s too busy squirming to whine, but Jack’s grip is iron-tight. “I want to meet him! I’ve never met anyone who’s a hybrid of more than one Sylvan. Have you talked to Herschel yet, do you think that’s super rare or –”
“These are exactly the kinds of questions that Sammy doesn’t need right now,” Jack lets go of Ben’s torso, shifting to look Ben in the eye. Ben pouts as he stares up the eleven inches. Jack’s eyes are as kind as they always are, but with just that one element of resolve that means Ben is not going to get what he wants out of this conversation. “He’s injured and overwhelmed and jumps at loud noises.”
“I don’t see how any of this applies to me.”
“Ben,” Jack reaches up a hand, presumably to curl Ben’s hair behind his ear, but Ben swats him away before he can. Jack just smiles, far too knowing. “You are the loudest noise I know.”
Ben sighs up at Jack pointedly and dejectedly. He had been excited to meet a new person. The lodge was getting dull, and this would spice up the social groups if nothing else. Plus, if Sammy’s a banshee – which of course, what other creature could’ve screamed the way he did in the forest last night? But that means he doesn’t have any automatic social group based on background.
That means that he could be in Ben’s social group. And Ben doesn’t really have one of those outside of the Pine Guard. Troy and Ron have their own jobs outside of the lodge, so they’re always too busy. And Ben loves Jack very much, but Jack only has so many hours in his day and they can’t all be devoted to him –
“I’m the co-owner of the lodge,” Ben sticks his lower lip out, because sometimes he can get Jack to do what he wants, with enough wheedling. Sometimes. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
Jack raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “I can call your mom.”
Ben squares his shoulders. The only way he’s getting through this is with righteous anger, or maybe a complete meltdown like he’s a toddler. That usually scares Jack into agreement. “You knave! You scoundrel! You wouldn’t dare to interrupt my mother’s beach vacation –
Ben does not get to meet Sammy that day.
He sulks around Amnesty, making it clear to everyone who comes across him that he is Upset And Not To be Trifled With Right Now.
The next morning, he heads straight for Jack’s room, only to be stopped from the kitchen doorway by Mary, who holds up a bag of pecans.
Ben scowls, recognizing the bribe. Pecan tasties are his favorite.
“Oh, Benny,” Mary strokes his hair when Ben comes to sit next to the stovetop, hoisting himself up with a long sigh. “The whole world is out to get you, huh?”
“Jack’s out to get me,” Ben mumbles petulantly as he shoves aside the knife block to make room to sit comfortably on the counter. Amnesty has a state-of-the-art kitchen facility, but Tim and Mary are the only ones who ever put it to use. “I just want to meet Sammy! He’s being unreasonable.”
“I think Jack’s being extra cautious,” Mary shakes her head fondly at him. If Ben has a social group within the residents of the lodge, it’s reliant on Mary’s motherly love for him. Ben appreciates it – he knows he needs someone to talk sense into him – but he can’t help but feel like a kid sometimes. “He hasn’t even let me meet this new Sammy.”
Ben blinks over at her, a little surprised. Mary’s usually the best introduction someone can have to Amnesty. She’s a total sweetheart who will explain everything about Earth and Amnesty with patience and grace. She’s Sylvan, so she’s gone through the whole process herself and can offer better comfort. Ben and Jack are human, so they can only relate so much to the horror that so many residents face upon being exiled from their own planet and forced to readjust to a new one.
“He was badly injured, I know,” Ben says slowly. “I guess that’s it. Jack’s always a little protective of anyone he’s ever had to do surgery on.”
“I could hear it downstairs last night,” Mary shuddered, pulling a pan from the upper cupboard.
“Did he scream?” Ben asked, hushed but a little interested. The scream last night had shattered the sound of the forest last night, usually so quiet and peaceful.
Mary shakes her head. “I could just hear Jack. Crying and crying. I think it was a close call. I almost went down a few times but – well, I would’ve been more of a hindrance than a help.”
Ben shifts, suddenly feeling a little guilty, because he’s complained about not being let into Jack’s room to six people already today.
“I guess I’ll apologize to him,” Ben admits.
“I should hope so,” Mary brandishes her spoon at him. “Jack’s trying his best to keep everyone safe and happy. Speaking of, what happened to the Abomination yesterday? Saw old Troy pull in, but it looked like he was covered in some weird green goo.”
“The thing looked a bit like a bear, but with about six heads, and it spit this green acid at us,” Ben grimaced, thinking of the long chase through the woods. All night and well into the day. Good thing he’s used to living on minimal sleep. “Troy got the worst of it. It singed the top layer of his skin.”
Mary winces. “Shit, honey. Are you doing alright? Sure you don’t want Jack to look you over for scrapes and bruises? After he’s done making sure Sammy’s doing okay this morning.”
Ben shakes his head. “I’m fine. Troy said he’d call if the goop was more dangerous, and he hasn’t called yet.”
Mary nods, and they’re quiet for a moment before Ben asks “So did you hear that Sammy’s a hybridization? Of a banshee and –”
“Some type of bird, isn’t it?” Mary asks, raising her eyebrows with a nod. “You don’t see that a lot. Male banshees are rare too, so that’s probably a result of the hybridization. I’d be curious to know what he looks like. If there is crossover between species, it’s usually not along those lines.”
“But there is crossover –”
Jack’s voice interrupts from the kitchen doorway.
“This is what I get for letting Sammy have some privacy, isn’t it? Everyone gossiping.”
“Serves you right,” Ben bites at him, then remembers what Mary said about the crying, and flaps an arm at Jack to tell him to come closer. Ben hadn’t paid attention yesterday, but there are dark circles around Jack’s eyes, and his flannel is rumpled. It’s the same shirt he’d been wearing during the hunt two days ago. There are dark stains on it that look like blood.
Jack rolls his eyes as he moves past Mary to stand in front of Ben. Even with Ben sitting on the counter, Ben doesn’t reach his eye level.
“We need taller counters,” Ben informs Jack, as he does weekly.
“I think they should be shorter,” Jack raises a single eyebrow.
Jack is so annoying.
Ben hugs him anyway, though. He buries his head in Jack’s shoulder like he always does when he wants Jack to forgive him for his various obnoxious habits, and Jack obliges with a chuckle and a pat on the back of Ben’s head.
“I’m sorry I was bitchy,” Ben sighs as he lets go. Both Jack and Mary laugh, very fond in the way that Ben prefers people to laugh about things he does. “Is Sammy doing okay? Is there anything we can do to help?”
Jack half-grimaces. “It’s going to take him awhile to heal from his injuries, but he should be able to move around pretty soon. Thank God, since he definitely needs a dip in the springs sooner rather than later. I think once he’s revitalized from that, he should be well enough to live pretty normally here. I wanted to give him the really nice room, the one that overlooks the springs and the mountains?”
“Is it just because it’s as far from Herschel as you can get?” Mary asks knowingly with a sparkle in her eye. Jack shakes his head but smiles knowingly all the same.
“No, but I’m hoping he and Cecil’s bass tournament plans will help distract him from being too obnoxious in Sammy’s direction,” Jack rolls his eyes, then gets a much softer look in them. “Sammy’s been through a lot, and Herschel’s...well, Herschel.”
“Not good for injured bodies,” Mary nods. “I’ll be your distraction if necessary.”
“Thanks,” Jack pats her arm, then turns to Ben. He’s smiling, but it’s hesitant enough that Ben dares to hope. “Ben, I thought maybe you would like to bring Sammy some breakfast.”
Ben grins widely, pleased at the pink tinge on Jack’s face. “Of course –”
Jack raises a hand. “Half that volume.”
“Of course,” Ben pitches his voice lower, but can’t take out even a fraction of his excitement. Ben loves new people. “What’s he like? Is he nice? Is he funny? Do you think –”
“I think he’s been through a lot,” Jack interrupts, putting both hands-on Ben’s shoulder. “And not just in terms of what happened at the gate that night. He’s jumpy, and he’s scared. But he likes to talk. He’s asked a lot of questions, and he’s happy to be here. So just….be your usual charming self, but with just a little more restraint. Okay?”
“Restraint is my middle name, Jack.”
“It most definitely is not.”
Jack makes Sammy one of his weird protein shakes for breakfast, because Sammy can’t do solid foods right now. Ben thinks protein shakes are perhaps the worst introduction to Earth cuisine possible, but he can’t argue that logic. He’s going to personally make Sammy some of his mom’s famous broccoli and cheddar soup tonight and will not burn down the kitchen in the process, thankyouverymuch.
“Take a few deep breaths,” Jack says to Ben when they’re only a few feet from his bedroom door. “Control your energy.”
“I’m not five.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Ben kicks Jack’s shin. “Have you given him the charm yet?”
“One of the first things I did,” Jack says, then hesitates for a moment before he turns to Ben. “Don’t ask him to transform, okay? His wings are pretty badly mutilated, and he’s in a lot less pain as a human.”
“I wouldn’t,” Ben promises, meaning it with all of his heart. “I’m sure that’s annoying to him, though. Herschel would kill us if he couldn’t transform back.”
Jack bites his lip. “I think Sammy likes looking human, Ben. So – just don’t be weird or invasive, okay? No matter how well-meaning.”
There’s an odd, pensive look on Jack’s face that takes away any righteous fury Ben could’ve felt at the insinuation. Ben’s a defensive guy, but he knows Jack wouldn’t ask unless he thought it would be important.
“I will be on my best behavior,” Ben vows, and lifts up the smoothie in his hand. “This is a breakfast run, after all. No heavy subjects over breakfast. That should be a rule.”
Jack smiles, but there’s still a weird quality to it, almost anxious. Ben’s usually the anxious one here.
“Hey, Jack?” Ben asks before they start down the hall again. “Did you sleep last night?”
Jack doesn’t make eye contact as he shakes his head. “A couple hours slumped in my desk. But it was more important to make sure Sammy was okay.”
“You should really take care of yourself –”
“That’s rich coming from the insomniac himself,” Jack flicks Ben’s ear. “Don’t worry, I know. Sammy told me the same about six times.”
“I like Sammy already,” Ben grins, because someone needs to tell Jack these things, and he doesn’t like listening to Ben. Or anyone, really.
Jack just rolls his eyes and leads Ben down the reminder of the hallway.
Ben steels himself – quiet, quiet, quiet – as Jack opens the door.
There’s an entirely ordinary, innocuous human-looking man sitting against the headboard of Jack’s bed, with a few scrapes on his face and bandages fluttering around his back and chest. He’s probably pretty tall when standing, though not as tall as Jack, with square shoulders and a narrow nose and jawline. Extremely pale, but Ben knows most banshees are and the trait probably carried over.
The most distinct thing about him is the long brown hair that ripples down to his shoulders, slightly obscuring his face. When he turns, Ben can see brown eyes that blink over at him with a little apprehension, but mostly just curiosity.
“Hi,” Ben pitches his voice at a whisper, hoping that he doesn’t start shaking with the effort it’s taking to contain himself. “I’m Ben. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Sammy smiles, first looking up at Jack and then at Ben, hesitancy still apparent but Ben can’t blame him for that. “Hi. I’m Sammy. I – uh – I heard you were the nice one.”
Ben takes a moment to shoot Jack a look. Jack labors under the delusion that Ben is the favorite here, which is categorically untrue. Ben just has a deep need to make every single person in the world love him. Everyone likes Jack automatically. There’s nothing not to like about Jack, other than the fact that he’s too tall to be real.
“Well, we tie,” Ben says before scurrying past Jack to sit on the edge of the bed and hand Sammy the smoothie. Sammy takes it, his hands poking out of the sweatshirt he’s wearing. It’s a couple sizes too big, which means it must be Jack’s.
“Jack, you couldn’t have found him better clothes than your high school wrestling sweatshirt?” Ben asks as Sammy takes a small sip of the smoothie. He seems to like it, since he takes a longer sip. “And he needs ponytail holders, too, with his hair like that!”
“Oh, my hair has always been like this,” Sammy says quickly, shaking his head so that his hair obscures his eyes even more now. “I don’t need anything. And the sweatshirt is nice.”
“You don’t have to just say that,” Ben says, and resists the urge to pull the hair out of his face. Ben just wants to get a better look at him, and not for weird Sylvan research reasons. It just seems like Sammy’s hiding behind it, and he wants to be able to look the guy he’s talking with in the eye without a struggle. “We’ll take you shopping when you feel better, but that’s way too big for you.”
Jack pipes up from behind him. “What was I gonna do, come get him one of yours? They’re already tight on you.”
“I don’t appreciate that, six foot four,” Ben snipes at Jack without looking behind him. Sammy smiles when Jack laughs, though, quiet but real. Well, at least it’s obvious that Jack hasn’t been in here keeping Sammy against his will. Sammy clearly likes Jack. Again, proving Ben’s point that everyone likes Jack.
“You were with the Pine Guard in the woods that night,” Sammy meets Ben’s eye, voice strong but Ben recognizes some nervousness lurking under the surface. “The loudest voice.”
Jack snorts from behind Ben. Ben swats behind him and misses. Sammy’s eyes flicker between them in amusement.
“Well, I think you were the loudest voice with that scream,” Ben says and then immediately feels terrible at the way Sammy’s eyes slide from Ben’s face to his own hands, which clench almost immediately.
“Ben –” Jack says from behind him and Ben knows he needs to fix the mistake quickly.
“I’m sorry,” Ben reaches over and takes one of Sammy’s clenched fists in his hand, squeezing lightly. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Thank you, though – we never would’ve found the abomination without you.”
“You killed it?” Sammy asks, still not quite looking at him, but with a sense of urgency in his voice.
“Ron fucking blasted that thing,” Ben promises. “You’ll meet Ron and Troy soon – they’re the real Pine Guard.”
Sammy nods and Ben can tell there’s some hesitancy.
Jack probably can, too, since he immediately adds, “You don’t have to meet anyone yet if you don’t want to – I’ll introduce you to Mary soon, and she can help you with the transition as much as we can. But everyone else can wait until you’re feeling better. You can stay in my room as long as you want, we just need to get you to –”
“The springs,” Sammy says with a kind of clarity as he looks back up at them. “I’m okay. I don’t need too much care. I’ve been on my own a long time.”
“But you’re not alone now,” Ben says, Jack echoing the same sentiment with different words behind him. “You’re with us. At Amnesty, we’re all a family, okay? You can take your time, but everyone here will love you, I know. I already do and I just met you!”
Ben had hoped he’d get Sammy to smile again. Instead, he can’t help but feel terrible all over again when Sammy’s eyes rapidly fill with tears, visible even with his hair falling in front of them.
Ben’s hand is still on top of Sammy’s, so he squeezes again. “I promise you’ll like it here. Kepler is great. I’ll show you around – soon as you’re ready.”
Sammy takes a moment to speak, and though his eyes remain teary, his voice is solid. “I’d like that. You – you’d come, too, Jack?
“Of course,” Jack nearly whispers, fondness apparent. Huh. Ben can immediately tell that Jack likes Sammy, too, and this isn’t just his usual post-surgery protectiveness of patients.
“Did you make friends?” Ben can’t help but turn to grin up at Jack and then over at Sammy, who looks a little lost and out of place but is still smiling nonetheless. He turns to Sammy, since he wouldn’t know Jack’s usual people skills, to say “Jack’s usually too bookwormy to make friends right away.”
“I’m an extrovert!” Jack shoves Ben’s shoulders, cheeks reddening. “Just – sometimes – things are a lot at once, okay?”
“You made friends,” Ben says in a melting voice to Jack before taking Sammy’s hand again. Sammy has an equally soft and embarrassed look on his face as Jack, and it makes Ben grin.
Maybe Sammy’s going to be their friend, instead of a guest who has affection for Jack and Ben for giving them a safe place, but generally tolerate their presence more so than want to spend quality time with them. Plus, almost everyone at Amnesty has known Ben since he was a kid. Sammy wouldn’t have a decade’s worth of childhood and adolescence to remind Ben of whenever they argued.
“Well, anyone who’s met me can tell you that I hate being left out,” Ben says to Sammy, because he’s nothing if not truthful. “So do you think you and I can be friends, too?”
Sammy laughs, almost incredulous, but he has the same fond look on his face that Jack and Mary and all the rest do, and that makes Ben happy. “Sure. Let’s be friends.”
Jack catches the back of Ben’s shirt before Ben can launch in to hug Sammy.
“Did you even see the bandages?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Sammy, thankfully, just smiles at him. Even Ben can tell that he’s clearly surprised at the affection, and Ben immediately resolves to make sure that endearment and warmth are things that never surprise Sammy again.