Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was evening, and Jacob Portman was awake. He couldn’t sleep but was still tired, so he decided to walk around the boat. Time flew by, and he still wasn’t asleep. He was walking when he suddenly stopped. Jacob heard something and slowly moved toward the noise. He gasped when he saw something—a large, invisible portal. Before he could tell anyone, the portal sucked in the boat and everyone on it.

Jacob woke up and started to look around. He saw everyone: Emma, Enoch, Millard (though he couldn’t see him, he noticed clothes floating in the air, which he assumed was him), Bronwyn, Horace, Fiona, Claire, Hugh, and, lastly, Olive.

Conscious of the situation, he quickly ran to Emma, placed her head on his lap, and tried to wake her up. “Emma! Enoch!, please be alive … I can’t lose you,” he said. Though Enoch often seemed annoyed at Jacob, But they were always together. Jacob was Enoch’s best friend, even if Enoch’s pride kept him from admitting it. Jacob, on the other hand, openly called Enoch his best friend.

A memory surfaced, making Jacob smile sadly. He remembered when Enoch was baking cookies in the kitchen. Jacob had sneaked in without Enoch noticing and, when Enoch turned his back, Jacob ate a cookie. Enoch saw him, got mad, and they ended up playfully fighting and laughing like brothers. Olive had to break them up, calling them childish. The memory ended, and Jacob felt tears streaming down his face. He was heartbroken that he couldn’t save the people he loved and called family.

Suddenly, Enoch woke up, confusion written all over his face as if questions were swirling in his head. He saw Jacob crying and Emma in his lap. Looking around, he noticed everyone else, especially Claire, his little sister, lying on the ground. He turned to Jacob and said confusedly, “What the hell are you crying for?”

Jacob stopped crying, looked up, and saw Enoch. Without thinking, he ran to Enoch and gave him the biggest hug. Enoch was confused, wondering, ‘Why the hell he is crying for? and hugging me? That’s new.’ Jacob, still holding onto Enoch, looked into his face and gently brushed his cheek. “Are you… real?” Jacob asked.

Enoch, still puzzled, replied, “Of course, and you need to tell me what the hell happened!”

Jacob wiped his tears away and answered, “I don’t know. I woke up and found everyone passed out.”

“Then let’s wake everyone up,” Enoch said, and Jacob nodded.

Chapter Text

It was 5:21 a.m. Jacob was awake but the others were still passed out, while Enoch was in the store. He had run into a problem—he didn’t have any money. Faced with no other choice, he did what many but not everyone would in his situation: he stole some food. Soon after, Enoch could be seen sprinting for his life. He ducked into a dimly lit alley, waiting for the man chasing him to give up. When the footsteps finally faded, Enoch smirked. ‘That was too easy. Now, I have to get back before Jacob starts crying again’ he thought.

But before he could move, a group of three black full clothes people appeared, and one of them grabbed Enoch, pinning him to the wall. He was caught off-guard. One of the men sneered,

“Look what we have here—a little thief stealing from my favorite store.” His grin was unsettling.

‘Ugh what now’ Enoch thought rolling his eyes .

“I’m afraid you’ll have to give me that,” the man said, pointing at the bag of stolen food .

“Um no? It’s in my hand first” Enoch said to him .

The man’s eyes narrowed. “I think you didn’t hear me,” he said, slamming Enoch’s head against the wall. Blood trickled down as Enoch winced in pain.

“I’ll ask nicely this time. Can you please give me the bag?”

Enoch glared at him, then spit in his face. “Fuck off.”

The man’s expression shifted to one of disbelief, then rage.

“You little shit. Carl, Ethan, grab his arms,” he ordered.

The others who Enoch assumed was Carl and Ethan obeyed, pinning his arms while the leader, whom Enoch guessed the man who punched him was their leader, delivered a hard kick to his stomach. Enoch screamed in pain, blood spilling from his mouth. Ethan, still holding Enoch’s arm, hesitated.

“Wait, Xavier, are you serious? He’s just a kid,” he said.

Xavier scowled. “The little shit deserves it. No one disrespects me and gets away with it.”

-
Jacob sat on the floor, worried sick about Enoch. Why hasn’t he come back? Did something happen? Was he kidnapped? Hit by a car? His mind raced with anxiety. Just then, he heard noise behind him and turned to see the others waking up. He rushed over first to Emma, grabbing her arm.

“Finally, you’re awake,” he said softly.

Emma looked around, concern on her face. “Where the hell are we?” she asked.

“We don’t know. We fell through a portal, and now we’re here. We’ll look around soon,” Jacob explained.

“Wait, we?” Emma said, eyes widening.

“Enoch’s out looking for food,” Jacob said casually.

“Alone?!” she shouted.

-
Back to Enoch his head was Covered with bandages, he looked at the man who had just saved him, a tall figure wearing a red helmet.

“Thanks for saving me, even though I didn’t need it,” Enoch muttered.

The man chuckled. “Yeah, sure. You’re welcome.”

He seems nice. ‘I hate that I misjudged him earlier’ Enoch thought.

“Hey, kid,” the man said, drawing Enoch’s attention.

“Where do you live?” the man asked. Enoch shot him a look that was hard to read. ‘Yeah, no, I don’t regret judging him’ Enoch thought.

“Why do you ask, you weirdo?” Enoch said, masking his anger. The man looked slightly hurt, as if an arrow had hit him. He put a hand to his chest, feigning pain.

“Ouch, that hurt, kid.”

“First, don’t call me a kid. Second, you deserve it. Third, why are you asking that kind of question?” Enoch snapped.

The man smirked, mocking him. “Well, first, you look like a kid, and I don’t know your name. Second, no, I don’t. Third, l’m a vigilante.”

Enoch was offended. ‘You fucker’ he thought.

“I’m not a kid! and Also My name is Enoch. I’m not alone, and we don’t have a home, so maybe learn to mind your own business.”

Enoch walked away, leaving the man in the red helmet lost in thought.

The one question in Enoch’s mind is ‘what the fuck is vigilante?’.

Chapter Text

When Enoch hoped to himself that it would be a quiet day, the world seemed to say, ‘screw it.’ Now, we see Enoch in an alley, being beaten by three people—mostly by the leader, Xavier. While striking him, Xavier said, “Now you’ll think twice before you speak, you brat!”

Ethan, one of the onlookers, spoke up hesitantly. “Xavier, I think you should stop. He’s just a child.”

Xavier turned to him slowly, eyes narrowed. “What did you just say? It’s 'boss' to you. We are not friends; we’re just co-workers, nothing more. And that brat deserves it.”

He then turned back to Enoch and resumed hitting him. Ethan stared at the ground, hurt. ‘Was that true? Everything we’ve been through and done together—was that all just being co-workers?’ These questions swirled in Ethan’s mind, but he chose to ignore them. He didn’t want anyone to see him cry.

A memory flashed through his mind: a young boy with a white hair and light blue eyes , covered in bruises, crying in front of his mother. His Mother’s voice echoed in his mind, saying, “You know you look ugly when you cry, and it makes you look weak. You don’t want that, do you?”. “S-sorry, Mum. I-I promise I-I’ll be g-good and won’t cry,” the boy stammered

The memory faded, and Ethan wiped away his tears, determined not to cry. He didn’t want his crush, or anyone else, to see him break down. But Carl noticed. The way Ethan brushed away his tears hurt Carl deeply, as he hated seeing the person he loved in pain. Carl turned his gaze to Enoch, who caught his eye with a look that seemed to say, ‘What the hell?’

Before Enoch could react further, Xavier hit him again. “Did I tell you to look away, you brat?!” he shouted.

Enoch smirked through the pain. “Dude, are you running out of nicknames for me or something?” he retorted. Then, unexpectedly, Enoch punched Xavier in the nose, possibly breaking it.

“YOU BASTARD!” Xavier screamed.

“Now that’s more like it,” Enoch said with a grin.

Suddenly, a noise came from the rooftop. They all looked up as someone landed gracefully on the ground, wearing a red helmet. The group froze at the sight of the familiar helmet, fear etched across their faces. Xavier attempted to flee, but Ethan were blocking his path and then he shoved him to the ground. Ethan let out a silent scream as he fell, his body aching from the impact.

Carl quickly ran over to Ethan. “Are you okay? We need to go,” he urged.

But Ethan wasn’t listening. He was admiring Carl, thinking, ‘All this time, I’ve been falling for the wrong guy, and the right one has been with me all along. But I didn’t see it before. This time, it will be different.’ He smiled and blushed then took Carl’s hand, letting him help him up, and together they ran.

“Well, that was some drama shit,” Enoch said, making the red-helmeted guy laugh.

“Damn, kid,” the guy said, still chuckling.

Enoch’s expression turned deadpan. ‘Is he seriously laughing? He’s such an idiot,’ he thought.

The guy with the helmet finally stopped laughing and said, “Okay, jokes aside, you really should check yourself out.”

Enoch glanced down at himself. “Well, all I can say is I am sexy,” he joked.

The guy raised an eyebrow. “What? No, I mean look at your head,” he said, pointing.

Enoch reached up and touched his head. “Oh, shit, I’m bleeding,” he said nonchalantly.

The mysterious guy looked exasperated. “Kids,” he muttered. “Now, let me help you.”

“Could you stop calling me a kid?!,” Enoch said.

“Sorry, can’t do,” the guy said, chuckling again.

With blood dripping down his face, Enoch muttered, “I really hope you will die.”

“Wow, kid, I didn’t know you, and I’m hurt,” the guy said jokingly. “Now, all jokes aside, let’s bandage your head.”

“Okay, DAD,” Enoch replied sarcastically.

“Hey, don’t talk like that to your father!” the guy said.

”jokes on you l never knew my father” he said.

Chapter Text

Back with the others, who had all woken up, Olive was talking with Jacob about Enoch.

“When is he coming back?!” she asked, clearly worried about her boyfriend, Enoch.

Jacob, scared for his life because he knew Olive could and would set him on fire without hesitation, stammered, “I… I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” she demanded, her voice rising with anger. “HE’S OUT THERE BY HIMSELF IN A CITY WE DON’T EVEN KNOW!”

Jacob looked down, equally worried about Enoch. He took a deep breath, then lifted his head. “Can you just shut up for one second! we know he’s missing but actually he just went to get food but never mind because it Look like someone couldn’t wait longer! ” he shouted.

Olive was stunned. Jacob had never yelled at her—or anyone—like that before.

He sighed and softened his tone. “I have an idea. How about we split up and search for Enoch separately?”

She hesitated, but eventually nodded.

Before leaving, they went to the other children to tell them the plan.

“Hey, everyone,” Jacob began, “Olive and I are going to look for Enoch.”

The others immediately protested, worried they wouldn’t return.

“It’s okay,” Jacob reassured them. “Emma is here.” He gestured toward her. “She’ll stay with you while we’re gone.”

Claire, the youngest(?) of the group, walked over to Jacob. She looked up at him with big, worried eyes. “When will big brother come back?”

Jacob crouched down to her level and said softly, “Soon. I promise you’ll see him again.” He smiled, trying to comfort her.

Later, as Jacob and Olive walked together, the air between them was tense. Jacob eventually broke the silence with a heavy sigh.

“Olive, I’m sorry for yelling at you,” he said quietly. “It’s just… you act like you’re the only one who cares about Enoch. But you’re not.” His voice faltered. “He’s my best friend. I know you’re his girlfriend but I care about him too.”

They fell silent again, but this time, the tension felt less sharp. Finally, Olive smiled faintly. “Fine. I forgive you.”

Jacob exhaled in relief. “Thanks.”

The pair soon arrived at a dark alley. Jacob turned to Olive. “Okay, I’ll go right, and you go left. If either of us finds him, we meet back here. Got it?”

Olive nodded.

With that, they went their separate ways.

Chapter Text

Olive walked into the alley, her footsteps echoing against the damp, narrow walls. She kept going, her legs growing tired, but she couldn’t find Enoch. Anxiety gnawed at her as fear for him crept in. With a heavy sigh, she decided to turn back and tell Jacob she had failed to find him.

As she retraced her steps, her eyes caught a figure leaning against the wall—a man, his face and body obscured by the shadows. She decided to ignore him and continued walking until his rasping voice cut through the silence.

“Where are you going, sweetheart?” he sneered.

He was older than her—she could tell by the gravel in his voice and the leering tone. He knew she was younger, vulnerable. Olive didn’t respond, keeping her head high as she walked past him, refusing to engage.

But he wasn’t done. He began following her.

Olive noticed his footsteps trailing behind her, growing closer. Her heartbeat quickened. She quickened her pace, but he was faster. She felt him nearing—his presence suffocating—and when she sensed a hand almost touch hers, she whirled around, her eyes blazing with disgust.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he rasped, his false confidence dripping from every word.

Olive didn’t flinch. Her sharp gaze pinned him in place, her fingers twitching as faint sparks ignited in her palms. Her voice was calm, but her words were like steel. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”

The man chuckled, a hollow, humorless sound, and stepped closer. “What are you gonna do about it, little girl?”

She raised her hand, a small flame sparking to life. It danced in her palm, casting an eerie glow across the grimy alley. “You’re about to find out.”

The man hesitated, his grin faltering for a moment before he forced it back. “Oh, scary,” he mocked, stepping forward again. “You think I’m afraid of a little light show?”

She didn’t answer. Her hand rose higher, the flames flaring brighter. He froze, his eyes darting to the growing fire, his bravado cracking.

“Back off,” she warned, her voice firm and unyielding.

He chuckled again, but it was shaky. “Or what? You’ll burn me? You don’t have it in you.”

Olive didn’t reply. Instead, she lunged forward, faster than he could react. Her fist connected with his chest, flames sparking around the impact. The man stumbled back, gasping in surprise.

“Stay away!” she snapped, her flames roaring higher.

The man clutched his chest, his grin replaced by a snarl. “You little—” he began, but she didn’t let him finish.

A fireball erupted from her hand, hitting the ground just in front of him. The heat made him recoil, stumbling into a trash can and collapsing in a heap.

“Get up,” she said coldly, standing over him as her flames cast long, flickering shadows. “Come on. Try me.”

The man scrambled backward, his confidence gone. “Okay, okay! I didn’t mean anything by it!” he stammered, raising his hands in surrender.

“You didn’t mean anything?” she repeated, her flames blazing dangerously. “Then why were you following me? Why were you grinning like that?”

“I—I wasn’t going to do anything!” he insisted, crawling away.

Olive stepped closer, the fire in her hands crackling. “You’re lucky I don’t take this further,” she said, her voice low and menacing. “Next time, you won’t get off so easy.”

The man scrambled to his feet and bolted, tripping and slipping on the wet pavement as he disappeared into the night.

Olive stood alone in the alley, the fire in her hands gradually dimming. She exhaled slowly, letting the flames fade completely. “Coward,” she muttered, shaking her head.

Her exhaustion and frustration returned. “Great. Now I have to go back to Jacob and tell him I’ve had no fucking luck finding him,” she said angrily, stepping out of the alley into the cold night.