Work Text:
They're in the middle of building a shelter, but Sammy can't stop watching Yaz. She's appointed herself project manager, because of her ankle, and she's directing them about where things should go, and taking ideas and adding them into her sketch. She looks happy with it, happy to be drawing, to be listened to.
Sammy's glad she's happy, and she's glad they're okay now, but... she still feels bad. Yaz trusted her, even though that's hard for her to do. And Sammy lied. Sammy lied, and then there was danger and chaos and lying wasn't the worst of their problems, and somehow in the tangle, they ended up friends again.
It'd be easy just to leave it there, not question a good thing once she's got it back, but. Yaz deserves better than that. Brilliant, funny, beautiful Yaz, designing their safety on a sheet of paper, opening up slowly, letting them in. Sammy wants to be deserving of her trust. Wants them to be the kind of friends who talk, openly, don't hide secrets and lie and then pretend it never happened.
“Sammy? You okay?” Darius asks, and she realises she's been standing still, looking over at Yaz, for longer than she realised.
“Who, me? I'm just fine, Darius, don't worry about me!” Maybe she says it too loudly. Darius stares at her for a moment, then shrugs and accepts her answer, carrying another battered plank over to their building site.
Brooklynn catches the interaction and shoots Sammy a grin, following her gaze. “Just talk to her,” she whisper-shouts.
Sammy almost says who? but Brooklynn waves her hand in Yaz's direction and gives Sammy a meaningful look, and Sammy sighs and gives up the pretence.
“Yeah, I should. Thanks.”
Brooklynn nods and goes to join the others, and Sammy makes her way over to Yaz.
“Hey,” she says, half-awkward, shifting from foot to foot in front of her.
Yaz looks up and smiles. Her whole face shines with it, and her brown eyes glow with warmth. Sammy wonders if Yaz has any idea how beautiful she really is. Even when she's tired and mud-spattered and wearing torn clothes, she's the prettiest person Sammy's ever seen.
“Hey, Sammy. Got more ideas? You know, I'd say there are no bad ones, but Kenji tried to get me to draw in a Jacuzzi, so I'm not really sure that's true.” She laughs a little, shaking her head. “I'd take your input, though. You're not the Jacuzzi-adding type.”
Sammy laughs too, then sits down next to Yaz against the tree, twisting her fingers together. She's spent her life surrounded by people and animals, making connections is one of the things she's best at, and still, it's hard to start this conversation.
“It's not about the shelter,” she says, and Yaz looks up from where she's sketching in a new line. She must catch something in Sammy's face, because she puts the sketchpad down and turns to her.
“What's up?”
“It's... Yaz, I know I said this before, but I'm really sorry. About the spyin'. And that I lied to you about it. I know it's hard for you to trust people, but you trusted me, and I broke your trust, and I'm just– I'm so sorry I did that, I should've been honest. I swear I don't lie, this is the first lie I ever really told, and it felt so awful, I'm never ever gonna do it again, I promise.”
Yaz listens, and then looks down, pulling strands of grass between her fingers. “Thanks for saying all that.” She sighs. “Look, I'm not so good at people. It's why I prefer running over team sports. There are still people around, but... it's something I do myself. It's not about socialising, or team dynamics, or... drama. That's the stuff I'm used to avoiding. Not just because it stresses me out, but... because people have never really wanted to be my friend before.”
Sammy wants to find out who these people are and go shake some sense into them, but right now, she knows Yaz needs her to listen.
“And then I came here, expecting to keep to myself, but... there was you. And you– you changed something for me, Sammy. You made me feel like maybe I could open up, and it'd be okay. So when I found out you lied... it really hurt.” She bites her lip, tears up more grass. “I've always been worried that people are just pretending to like me. And it made me scared you were just another one of those people, too.”
“I like you,” Sammy says, unable to stop herself, and she catches Yaz's hand. Yaz looks up in surprise at the touch, meets her eyes, and Sammy feels like her heart turns over in her chest. “I really do like you, Yasmina Fadoula. Really for real. I wanted to be your friend as soon as we got here. It wasn't a lie.”
Yaz smiles, and turns her hand over, links their fingers together. Her skin is soft and cool, her hand a little smaller than Sammy's, smudged with ink from her drawing. Sammy sort of wants to hold her hand forever.
“I know,” Yaz says softly. “I believe you. I just... at that moment, I felt so betrayed, and– ridiculous for thinking you'd ever really wanna be friends with me.” She looks awkward for a moment, staring down at the ground. “So I, uh. I reacted pretty harshly. And I'm sorry about that. I just... please promise me that if you're ever going through something like that again, you'll talk to me?”
“I'll never be spyin' for an evil corporation again,” Sammy says firmly. “But I get what you mean, and I promise. No more lies. I wanna earn back your trust.”
Yaz squeezes her hand. “I believe you, Sammy. And...” A soft smile lights up her eyes. “And I'll trust you, if you trust me.”
Sammy blinks, remembers. She said that to the dino that day with the gyrospheres, back before everything fell apart. To the dino, but she meant it for Yaz, too. She's glad Yaz heard. She's glad she remembered.
“Of course I trust you,” Sammy says.
Yaz bumps their shoulders together. “Then I trust you, too.”
“And you call me the slacker,” Kenji says dramatically. Sammy didn't even notice he was close by. She feels her cheeks heat, pulls her hand out of Yaz's. “Get over here and help us, Gutierrez!”
Sammy stands and goes to grab the other end of the branch he's lugging. But as she heads off, she sees Yaz smiling after her. Feels the echo of Yaz's palm against hers.
I'll trust you, if you trust me.
It feels like the start of something new.