Work Text:
Tabitha worked diligently on the generator she's been on for the past couple of minutes. She shivered from how cold everything is, making it particularly hard for her to precisely control her fingers when untangling the wires. She groaned as one of the wires zapped her fingers, causing her to pull back, letting go of the wires altogether. She lets out a frustrated sigh as she grabbed onto them again, continuing onwards, despite the irritation it brought.
Her knees were already beginning to hurt from supporting her entire body weight against the cold wooden floorboards, damp and covered in outside mud. However, for the team's benefit, she struggled through it, ignoring the aching and just continuing to do what she was supposed to do. This was probably her eighteenth or nineteenth match spent within the mist, though she lost count after the tenth; she didn't care anymore.
What mattered to her most was that she was there for those who've been injured during the matches. She's seen so many horrors within this cruel, demonic world to the point where she's gotten desensitized to all the atrocities, though she still winces at some of the wounds she's seen.
As she continued to assemble and untangle various wires, she heard the sound of a very familiar scream echo loudly throughout the campsite. As soon as her brain registered whom the scream belonged to, she froze. By the time her mind had already processed it, her body was already on the run, completely forgetting about the generator she'd been working on. She couldn't care less about the generator—all that was on her mind was that scream.
She just knew. It was always an instinct Tabitha carried. Would it be an instinct or a skill? It didn't matter in the moment. Someone screamed. Someone special screamed. He was hurt.
It was Wren. It had to be.
Throughout their time spent inside the mist, Tabitha and Wren had only ever been paired up twice, and they both survived both rounds with minimal injury. So when she heard the scream of her husband, it was something she'd never heard before. It was bloodcurdling. It struck something within Tabitha that had never been touched beforehand. It filled her with an unshakeable feeling of dread, and she hated it.
Tabitha ran out of the cabin as fast as her legs could take her, dashing out through the main entrance and into the pouring rain. Even as she ran, Tabitha breathed curses under her breath for not being able to run faster. She ignored the fact that she was getting soaked from the rain and that she was most likely going to catch a cold. With her husband's life at stake, nothing else mattered to her.
As she made her way through the various cabins, all she could think about was whether or not Wren was alright. She knew the selected killer was that crazy girl seemingly made of blood, but she always thought Wren would be able to stand his ground against someone weak like her. And yet... and yet... She didn't even want to think about it. She focused her attention on getting there as fast as she could, even if her lungs began to hurt from how heavy her panting has gotten. Why was Camp Roanoke so damn large? Why did she choose to wear heels?
After what felt like an eternity of running and almost tripping on herself multiple times, Tabitha was eventually able to make out someone lying amongst the overgrown field of thick grass. The pouring rain alongside condensed fog made it hard for Tabitha to make out exactly who it was, but it didn't matter. She just kept running and running. She kept running until she could make out the bloodied white button-up and the now-loosened red necktie.
Her heart dropped.
"W-Wren...!" She called out as she ran over to Wren, forcing her way through the thick flora over to her husband's side.
The sight was horrible. Just horrible. Wren laid amongst the grass, his clothes stained in mud and his own blood as he desperately gripped his abdomen, which had been brutally stabbed into, leaving him a bloody mess. All he could do was just lay there and close his eyes as the unforgiving rain came down on him. Only after he heard his wife's voice was he able to slowly crack his eyes open.
Seeing Tabitha look so distraught as she began to cry brought tears to Wren's eyes as well. "T-Tabby..." he managed to croak out softly, letting one palm, which was originally on top of his other palm to stop the gushing of blood, reach out to gently touch Tabitha's face. "My darling... you came for me..."
Tabitha sniffled as she immediately took off her trench coat, preparing to use it as a makeshift bandage wrap. "W-Why wouldn't I?"
Seeing what Tabitha is about to do, Wren tried to stop her. "No, you don't n-need to do that... You'll catch a cold, dear." Even though Wren was holding himself back from writhing in pain from how much the wound stung, he didn't want Tabitha to catch a cold either. He'd hate to be the reason why Tabitha got sick. Despite this, Tabitha insisted on it, prioritizing the love of her life over herself.
"Okay, this is gonna hurt, but..." Tabitha proceeded to help Wren up to a standing position. The sudden movement sent waves of sharp pain throughout Wren's body, causing him to yelp out in pain, to which Tabitha quickly began helping him walk towards a nearby cabin. However, this proved useless as Wren was unable to use his legs properly.
"Hm, this isn't gonna work..." Tabitha wondered aloud before slowly putting Wren back onto the grass.
Wren looked up at Tabitha, feeling horrible for causing her so much trouble. "Tabby, i-it's really alright if—!"
Without warning, Tabitha proceeded to pick up Wren by sliding her arms under Wren's body, picking him up bridal-style. She then uses the tip of her heels to kick up her trench coat, which had been on the floor, sending it into the air. She then catches it with her hand and, with precision, lands the trench coat on top of Wren, shielding him from the rain.
Wren would be clapping and gushing over how cool Tabitha was doing that if his wound wasn't also gushing blood while doing so, amplifying the pain even more. All he could do was bite his necktie while trying to hold back very obvious sounds of pain, almost to the point of tears. He wasn't going to cry again.
Without any spare time to lose, Tabitha carried Wren into the nearby cabin before plopping him down on one of the wooden tables, allowing him to lay down on top. She then put aside the trench coat so that she could inspect the wound closer.
Seeing that Wren's shirt is in the way, she reached her hands out to grab Wren's somewhat loose necktie. She looked into Wren's eyes, to which he looked back, giving her the silent consent. She smiled before proceeding to loosen his necktie and taking it off. She then began to unbutton Wren's button-up, which were now completely soaked in rainwater, blood and mud. "Lift your arms real quick." She said quietly, to which Wren did so, allowing her to take off his button-up, leaving him shirtless.
Tabitha chuckled to herself seeing Wren's face turn red from the intimacy the two were sharing. "Even after all these years, you still get so nervous, huh?" She says in a lightly teasing way, something she knows gets Wren all worked up.
Seeing that Wren is probably too embarrassed and in pain to say anything—and the fact that he's avoiding eye contact—tells Tabitha now isn't the time to play around with him. It's funny to her how she was crying a couple of minutes earlier, and now she's back to being her playful self.
She turns her attention back to the wound. Although Tabitha wasn't an expert by any means, she's immediately able to tell that a wound like this was pretty deep—if that wasn't obvious enough—and that it would require a lot more treatment than just a bandage wrap. However, knowing they return to their regular health when the round ends, Tabitha doesn't have to overthink this.
Tabitha took the trench coat and proceeded to guide the sleeves around Wren's abdomen before pulling tightly on it, causing Wren to bite his tongue in pain. Not wanting to put Wren through prolonged pain, Tabitha hurriedly ties it up and secures it in place using one of her huge hair clip, allowing her hair to come down. If there's one thing Filipino hair clips are good at, it's never letting go.
After a bit of more tweaking, Tabitha finally finished with the wrap and helped Wren onto his feet. Although there was still a lot of pain and limping from Wren, seeing that Tabitha did the most she could for him, even giving away her trench coat, touched Wren so much he couldn't stop himself from practically jumping onto Tabitha and tearing up. Seeing how much his wife loved him was exactly what Wren needed, especially since his mental health had been taking a turn for the worse after arriving in the mist.
This hug and affirmation was also what Tabitha needed, as she felt as though she was slowly losing her sanity also from the brutal games they were forced to play. It felt great being able to help others, but it felt even greater being able to stand by Wren when they needed one another the most. Although it was very upsetting to see her husband in such a state, it was even more rewarding being able to rescue him and look after him. And plus, she's the only woman whom he would ever let unbutton his shirt. That in of itself was amazing.
"Okay now... I love you too, Wrennie." Tabitha says with a grin on her face, the same grin from their high school days when she first laid eyes on him. Even as they've grown older and the youth has slowly slipped out of their faces, he still remains as the most attractive man on the planet in Tabitha's eyes. She wouldn't trade him for anything. "Now, don't get caught again, alright?"
Wren wipes his tears away before smiling again, looking into Tabitha's eyes. "Of course, Tabby cat."
That night, Wren lays on his bed inside his own cabin, thinking about what he should eat. That's when he gets a knock on his door, except it's knocked in a specific pattern. Hearing it always makes his world light up. He quickly gets up and swings the door open. As expected, standing outside is Tabitha, now shielded from the rain with an umbrella she burrowed from Makoto.
"Tabitha!" He calls out happily as he quickly pulls Tabitha inside before closing the door behind him. "So... What did Arlo say?" He asks as he walks over to the bed, pulling out a couple of more pillows; the two have slept in the same cabin together despite having their own. They're married after all.
"Well... he did say tha... a...!" Tabitha is cut off by a loud sneeze that shakes the entire cabin. Wren sighs, realizing that Tabitha's sacrifice of her trench coat earlier ended up with her actually catching a cold.
"I told you not to take off your coat, Tabby..." Wren reprimands in a playful voice, though there is concern underneath it. Tabitha only smiles at him as she takes off her shoes and climbs onto their bed, getting comfortable in the sheets.
"Oh, shut up! That's in the past... Now come here." Tabitha says as she gently pats the pillow next to her. Wren smiles as he takes off his slippers, climbing into bed next to Tabitha. Almost immediately, he's attacked by Tabitha's arms as they wrap around his upper body, pulling him closer to her. "Ha... good night, Wrennie."
Wren hugs Tabitha back, burying his face into the top of Tabitha's hair. "Mmm... going to sleep so soon?" He gets no response, meaning Tabitha already fell asleep... in just fifteen seconds. He feels a bit guilty, realizing Tabitha was incredibly tired. How did he not notice beforehand? He shrugs it off as he closes his eyes.
( and just like that, I managed to write another fanfic of Tabitha and Wren sleeping together peacefully😭i cant stop i just cant stop )