WIP Amnesty 2/2
Continued from Part 1
- - -
Spencer is halfway through his report when Brendon says, “Your bed smells like you.”
Their eyes meet. Brendon’s eyes are glossy.
“It’s my bed,” Spencer points out. He looks back down to his computer, because Brendon looks positively disheveled, and it’s doing things to Spencer’s stomach that he’s not too ecstatic about. It feels like entering the atmosphere of a planet without the headache. “I hope it smells like me.”
Brendon climbs out of Spencer’s bed stiffly and sits next to him on the floor. Heat rolls of Brendon’s body like a furnace and smells of stale sweat.
“I need to meet with Sue and Jeremy,” Brendon says really close to Spencer’s ear.
“I’m not keeping you captive,” Spencer responds.
“I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Brendon says into Spencer’s neck. Spencer shivers at the sudden humidity. “I can be bad for you. I know where Jon keeps his ropes.” Spencer shivers again, and it has nothing to do with humidity. He’s oddly comforted by the fact that he knows Jon’s ropes are for spelunking not for anything else. Well, Spencer hopes they’re not used for anything else.
Brendon jokes. That’s how he copes. Spencer knows not to take everything Brendon says at face value. Yes, Spencer knows that Brendon has a crush on him. He’s not stupid - of course he knows Brendon has a ridiculously gay crush on him. However, Spencer feels that Brendon will soon move on, because Brendon, like Frank, flirts with everyone. Although, for the record, Frank doesn’t flirt with Spencer, a fact that Spencer is very much grateful for.
“Don’t you have a meeting to go to?” Spencer asks. He’s really proud that his voice only wavers a little. “Jones and King are probably already waiting for you.”
Brendon humphs unenthusiastically. He probably wants to say something else, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even say goodbye when he leaves Spencer to his paperwork.
- - -
By the time he’s finished his paperwork, it’s time for Julie’s ceremony. No one on this expedition brought formal wear, so Spencer doesn’t feel as bad when he goes as is. At least his clothing is clean and so is he.
The ceremony is pleasant. Brendon sandwiches himself between Jon and Zack, refusing to look at anyone. Pete gives Julie’s eulogy, and it’s short and poignant. Cassadee follows it up with some kind words.
Afterwards, Jones explains the importance of being aware of your surroundings, and King gives a motivational speech about how everyone needs to look out for each other.
Nobody asks how they’re going to dispose of the body.
By the end of the meeting, Brendon has disappeared.
Spencer finds him in Lab 2, Gabe’s lab.
He’s looking at Gabe’s rabbits. Brendon really likes Gabe’s rabbits, and sometimes Gabe even lets Brendon hold them.
Brendon turns large, sad eyes on Spencer. “We’re all just rabbits,” he says dully.
Brendon has spent a lot of the past two months talking to Gabe about the cruelty he’s imposing on the rabbits. Brendon has had to concede some points, because he wouldn’t have earned his multiple degrees if it weren’t for test animals.
Spencer doesn’t say anything, but he does wrap his arms around Brendon’s waist and hold him close.
For the rest of the day, Ryan gives Spencer strange looks.
- - -
The next day, Brendon is the doctor to go out with Spencer and Jon. Zack has the patience of a saint. Spencer looks at his plants, and Jon looks at his rocks, while their military goons watch them… and Brendon wanders off in search of wildlife. Zack spends the entire three hours of the excursion bringing Brendon back to the epicenter of the expedition party.
They had repelled down the cliff to examine the ocean’s edge. Jon had been ridiculously excited about being able to use his rock-climbing gear. So Brendon could only wander down the beach and not into the Forest of Pointy Thorns.
“There was a lizard!” Brendon gushes to Zack. “It was, like, this dusty blue and a tiny, tiny dimetrodon!”
“A what?” Haley asks.
Zack gives her a longsuffering look. So does Spencer.
“That dinosaur with the giant fin on its back,” Brendon explains, using his hands on his back to demonstrate, hunching over and almost falling in the mud. “Of course this fin was not as gianormous as a dimetrodon’s.
“What do you think it eats?” Brendon starts wandering off again, and Zack fetches him back.
“Oh, hey!” Brendon exclaims. “It’s camouflaged. Why do you think it’s camouflaged? I want to go find it and give it to Gabe as a present. He likes presents, and it keeps him from replacing my shampoo with that weird sticky shit.”
Zack grabs Brendon by the neck of his shirt. “I don’t think so, Urie.”
“But Zack,” Brendon protests. “This could be our one chance to observe these little guys in the wild! You’re letting an important scientific observation go to waste!”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Zack says firmly.
Brendon sighs dramatically and sits down on a giant rock that Jon’s examining. He finds something fascinating, and his head slowly follows it across the rock.
“Uh, Brendon?” Jon asks after a beat.
“I’m watching insects,” Brendon responds. “There are these tiny little roach-ants - Blattaria-Formicidae. Formicidae-Blattaria - No, I like roach-ants better - climbing all over this rock.”
“Roach-ants?” Jon asks.
“Yeah, they’re like cockroaches but ants,” Brendon says. Brendon leans over and squints at the rock. “And they have four body segments, not three. And ten legs. Neat.” He pokes them with a strand of alien grass that Spencer had been studying. “Really strong mandibles, too. Do you guys think these are alien crabs?”
“That’s a really creative name,” Jon says, and Spencer can’t even hear the sarcasm. Jon is good. “But I’m more interested in the rock than the roach-ants or your ass.”
“Oh!” Brendon jumps up. “Sorry.”
Jon smiles at Brendon. Tom, Jon’s military goon, rolls his eyes, and Spencer is inclined to agree. Maybe Brendon’s not that bad. Maybe Spencer’s just paying closer attention to him because of Julie.
Tom and Haley stand at the edge of the ocean and stare out to the horizon.
“Hey!” Brendon says. “Birds!”
Spencer sighs. This entire outing has been a waste. He’s too distracted by Brendon’s ADHD to focus on his own task, and Spencer likes his task.
The birds Brendon indicates aren’t exactly birds, but they are flying. It’s actually more like gliding. There are about three of those lizards with glide-y wing-arms along the shore about twenty meters away, and they’re playing chicken with the surf. If one of them is caught by a wave, they flap their arm-wings and glide back to shore.
It’s very reminiscent of Earth, and for one gut wrenching moment, Spencer is homesick, even though he didn’t live anywhere near the coast. He knows that the Earth as he remembers it is long gone. In the two months it took them to travel to this new planet, years have passed back on Earth. It’s a relativity thing. Ryan had explained it once when they were both freshly stoned, so Spencer only remembers some guy named Lorentz, and he’s the one to blame for the whole thing. Well, he and Einstein are to blame. There were a whole lot of mathematical equations. And something as simple as alien not-birds on a beach reminds Spencer that he will never see his family again, and they’re probably long dead. It’s a very miserable feeling, and he feels almost guilty for wasting the time he’s alive - and his family isn’t - upset with little things, like Brendon stealing the alien grass that Spencer had been examining to test the mandible strength of roach-ants.
“They’re like mini pterosaurs,” Brendon says.
They all watch, transfixed as the not-birds jump and glide about.
The waves become rougher as they watch the alien not-birds.
“Uh, guys?” Jon says, breaking the spell.
Spencer turns to him, but Jon is looking offshore. Very offshore.
“That’s a cumulonimbus,” he says, as if that makes any sense to anyone other than himself.
“A what?” Tom asks, and Spencer is glad that he’s not the one asking.
“Incus,” Jon says instead of answering like a proper human. He’s been spending too much time with Ryan. “It’s bad.”
“Bad how?” Haley asks.
“It’s the type of cloud that produces tornadoes,” Brendon cuts in. Seriously. Spencer had thought there was only room for air in Brendon’s head. Brendon has all these hidden depths. It’s like - “I remember my freshman meteorology course,” he states proudly.
Jon is proud of Brendon, and his smile shows it. “Supercells,” Jon agrees.
Oh. Well, that can’t be very good.
Spencer takes a look at the clouds, now that he knows what he’s looking for. The bottom is so dark it’s almost black, and there’s a very dark shadow over the violet sea. The top part of the cloud is so starkly white that it hurts Spencer’s eyes to look at.
“Jon,” Tom says almost tentatively. “How fast does that move over water?”
“This is an alien planet. I have no idea,” Jon admits. “Why - oh. Shit.” Jon looks out to sea, then up the cliff. They can only go up one at a time, even if Jon free climbs like he’d been talking about on the way down. Tom had given him a look, and Jon had stopped. “We can’t make it back up before it hits.”
All six of them stare at each other for an uncomfortable moment.
“Caves,” Brendon says eventually. “Jon, you said there were caves.”
“There could be caves,” Jon amends.
“Now would be a good time for a cave,” Tom points out.
“About a hundred feet down that way,” Haley says. She points to the left along the beach.
The boys all stare at her.
She shrugs. “Spencer doesn’t need me breathing down his neck all the time.”
“You’re my favorite!” Brendon announces. He kisses her messily on the cheek as she giggles, and Spencer does not feel the least bit slighted.
- - -
The cave Haley found is about eight feet up from the beach. If there’s a strong storm surge, they’re all going to drown.
Zack boosts Jon up first, so he can assess the cave, make sure it’s large enough for all of them and all that jazz. In the minute he’s in the cave, the sky darkens significantly.
Jon pops his head out of the cave and calls down to them, “Everything looks good!”
Zack doesn’t wait for the end of Jon’s sentence before he boosts Haley up. Jon takes her hands and pulls her up the rest of the way.
Brendon is next, followed by Tom, and finally Spencer, and they lower a rope for Zack so they can haul him up. By the time Zack’s mostly in the cave, big, fat raindrops are falling, pelting Zack and soaking his clothing.
Spencer watches the rain for a moment, before taking a look at the cave. He takes out his flashlight so that he can actually see it. The cave is large. The mouth is tiny compared to the actual cave. It angels upward, so if there’s a storm surge, they could move out of the way to higher ground. Nothing is smooth. Rocks are piled everywhere, like the caves in ancient science fictions shows where they couldn’t film in an actual cave, so they just piled rocks everywhere.
Jon appears at Spencer’s side like the ninja he is. “Rocks,” he says reverently.
Spencer chuckles lightly.
In the background, over the roar of the rain, Spencer can hear Zack on his radio, letting whoever’s back on Ursa know that they’ve been caught in the rain, that they’re fine, and that they’ll be back when the storm’s over.
“Hey, Tom!” Jon calls. It echoes slightly. “I’m going deeper.” He pulls a headlamp from his backpack.
Tom looks stricken.
“We should all go deeper,” Spencer says. “There could be a storm surge.”
“You are brilliant, Spencer Smith!” Brendon shouts from the mouth of the cave. It echoes three times.
“Urie, get the hell away from the edge of the cliff,” Zack orders. He grabs Brendon around the waist and literally carries him away from the mouth.
- - -
The cave goes way back, and with Jon pretty much instructing everyone’s every move, they find a spring. It’s in a huge cavern, and it’s cold and damp.
“Why the hell is there water coming from bare rock?” Jon demands, scowling at the rock face.
Spencer’s not surprised that the rock doesn’t answer.
“This is the grand ballroom!” Brendon announces. He’s been naming the caverns as they’ve passed through them. He’s also been making Zack carry him, and other than looking longsuffering, Zack hasn’t disagreed.
He jumps from Zack’s arms and grabs onto Spencer.
Spencer makes an undignified sound and glares at Haley over Brendon’s head. She’s supposed to be protecting him from things like this. She just looks amused, though.
“Dance with me, Spencer Smith!” Brendon crows, even though his face is almost buried in Spencer’s neck. “You look like a man who knows how to waltz.”
Spencer is not a man who knows how to waltz.
Spencer is a man who is going to kill Jon for sniggering at him.
Before he can respond, Brendon grabs his hands and leads Spencer around the cavern, laughing as Spencer trips over his, Brendon’s, and, one time, Tom’s feet. Then Spencer trips over a rock, and he and Brendon go down in a heap.
Okay. Here’s the thing about being a botanist. Botanists and other such professionals of a high field scientific caliber need tools to hack through thick vegetation. Spencer’s favorite is a machete. He’s named her Joyce, and she is a creature of beauty. Obviously his machete is female: only females are that tough and sharp all the time. Spencer has come to this conclusion through various scientific studies. And watching Ryan attempt to woo females: that’s like a car crash and utterly beside the point.
The point is that Joyce is in a scabbard on the side of Spencer’s backpack, which happens to be on Spencer’s back, which happens to be what he lands on when he and Brendon go down in a heap.
Joyce slips out of her scabbard.
Spencer makes a loud hissing sound and reflexively arches away from the pain and into Brendon.
Brendon frowns at him for a moment before scrambling off of Spencer and flipping him around with strength that Spencer would have never guessed Brendon would have. Brendon’s tiny.
Spencer’s aware that everyone else is staring at him as he lies face down on the cold rock, but Brendon’s gone into doctor mode, which Spencer has never seen before and would have liked to see it under circumstances that did not involve Spencer needing medical attention.
Brendon upends his backpack, and medical supplies skidder across the floor of the cave, and there’s pressure on the back of Spencer’s arm.
Spencer’s not entirely sure what’s going on. He hears voices, some of them are from the five other people in the cavern and some are their echoes. He’s pretty sure that Brendon’s giving orders, but Brendon is also whispering reassurances in Spencer’s ear. He’s begging Spencer not to turn out like Julie, and Spencer thinks that’s a little exaggerated, because Spencer’s just cut: he’s not going to go into anaphylactic shock. He probably has worse cuts on his hands from climbing into the cave in the first place.
When Brendon finally allows Spencer to turn around and sit up, everyone is still staring at him, something Spencer is even more aware of when Brendon buries himself into Spencer’s uninjured side. There’s something sticking to Spencer’s arm, and he guesses that it’s a bandage. It feels weird and hurts. Not the bandage, but what it’s covering.
“You missed all of the major blood vessels,” Brendon says softly. “You just took off the skin on the back of your arm.” He pauses. Spencer can feel the tension in Brendon’s body. It’s like he’s trying not to shake. “I’m so sorry.”
Spencer puts a hand in Brendon’s hair and tries not to think.
It doesn’t work very well.
Jon, Tom, and Haley have given them space, and Zack sets about picking up all of Brendon’s spilled medical supplies. He hands Brendon his backpack, which Brendon accepts with a shaky smile.
“It’s just a cut,” Spencer says eventually. “I’ll heal.”
Brendon does start shaking then. “I might be a little bit stressed,” he says with a self-depreciative laugh.
Spencer hadn’t thought of it that way. He knows that Brendon comes from a large family, but he has no idea what Brendon left behind that just doesn’t exist anymore. To top it off, one of Brendon’s patients, maybe even friend, died yesterday.
“You should talk to William,” Spencer recommends quietly. “I heard from the head medic guy that William’s the one to go to. But who knows. This doctor seems to say strange things when he’s drunk-sitting.”
Brendon snorts against Spencer’s neck. “I take it back: you are a bitch, Spencer Smith.”
“Hmm,” Spencer hums in agreement. He then admits, “I don’t know how to waltz.”
Brendon laughs weakly. “I’ll teach you sometime - when we’re not in a cave. How are you feeling? Lightheaded or anything?”
“I’m fine,” Spencer says. He’s not really fine though. He is feeling slightly lightheaded, but he doesn’t think it has to do the loss of blood. And the bare rock is making his ass very cold and numb, but Brendon is very warm.
“You should eat something,” Brendon insists. He dives into his backpack and pulls out a nutrition bar to offer Spencer.
“I’m really fine,” Spencer says, but the look on Brendon’s face tells him it wasn’t an offer. “Okay.” He plucks the bar from Brendon’s hand.
Brendon watches intently as Spencer unwraps the bar and eats it carefully. He makes a happy sound when Spencer finishes and takes the wrapper, shoving it into his backpack.
“Good,” Brendon declares.
Jon returns to them in a rush with Tom, Haley, and Zack trailing after him. Jon stares at them for a moment with a lopsided grin before saying, “The storm’s past. We need to head back.”
Spencer raises his eyebrows.
“Alright,” Zack says. “Up, both of you.”
He pulls both Brendon and Spencer up. Spencer walks on his own, but Brendon makes Zack carry him again. This time Zack doesn’t look longsuffering.
- - -
They don’t go back the way they entered. Jon, Tom, and Haley had found a new exit while Spencer had been busy with Brendon. It empties them out very close to the edge of the swamp. The entrance to the cave is narrow, and they need to exit on their hands and knees. Zack makes Brendon go before him and makes Jon help him out on the other side.
Spencer had no idea that everyone is so protective of Brendon.
The sky is darkening as the star sinks below the horizon of the sea, and the remaining clouds are a vivid violet. The ground is squishy and sucks at Spencer’s boots. He trails behind everyone, except Haley, who walks next to him. He watches Brendon, who’s riding piggyback on Zack, his head buried in Zack’s shoulder.
They head uphill towards the ship.
- - -
Brendon is needed the moment they step back on the ship. He’s whisked away by Pete. Neither of them say anything aloud, and nothing can be good about it.
Jon and Spencer debrief with Jones and King. Zack sits in with them, but Haley and Tom head off for a shower.
Jon has spent the last five minutes going on about how he wants to explore the extent of cave system. He’s really earnest about it.
“Okay, Walker,” King says eventually. “We understand that you’re really excited about it.”
Jon sits very still. “But?”
“We’ll see if Kusterbeck will switch with Smith,” Jones says. “Will that be a problem for you, Smith?”
“No, ma’am,” Spencer says. “Not many plants grow in caves. It wouldn’t be an effective use of my time.” He smiles.
“We can temporarily place you on a team with Mrotek and Saporta,” King offers. Now that’s an interesting combination. “Of if you’d prefer to work with Way and Iero…” That’s an even more interesting combination. Who thought those teams would be a good idea? Spencer’s pretty sure if nothing’s blown up yet, something must have gone wrong.
“Whichever team you’d prefer me to join,” Spencer says diplomatically.
“We’ll see,” Jones says. She turns to Zack. “Hall, Pope is now without a military escort. How would you feel about being reassigned to work with her and Simpson?”
“I have nothing against working with those ladies. However, while Urie doesn’t need a keeper,” Zack says. “He does need someone to be there.”
“I’ll do it,” Spencer says hastily. He’s not sure what compels him, and he’s a little worried about his impulsivity.
Four pairs of eyebrows rise.
“He trusts me,” Spencer explains.
“It takes a little bit more than trust,” King says slowly.
Spencer ignores the incredulous look that is probably permanently stuck on Jon’s face.
“Whenever Brendon goes out in the field he can come with us. Between me and Haley, he should be fine. Haley doesn’t need to watch me that closely. If it weren’t for her doing that, we would have never found that cave.” Spencer doesn’t look at Jon. “Besides, he’s not out in the field that often.”
Gabe bursts into the office announcing, “Sue, Jeremy, there’s - oh.” He looks at Jon, then Spencer, then Zack.
“Can this wait, Saporta?” Jones asks.
“No,” Gabe clips.
King gives Jon, Spencer, and Zack a look to banish them from the room, and as the door glides shut behind them, Spencer can hear Gabe say, “Rob, Amanda, and Tyler haven’t r- ” And the door cuts off the rest of the sentence.
The three of them share a concerned look.
Jon opens his mouth to say something, but he’s cut off by an announcement over the comm system.
“All military personnel report to Deck 3. All scientists report to Deck 5,” King says tersely. “Immediately.”
Jones, King, and Gabe burst out of the office, pushing past Spencer, Jon, and Zack. King and Gabe head to Deck 5, and Jones heads to Deck 3. Zack follows Jones, and Spencer and Jon follow Gabe and King.
When Spencer and Jon arrive on Deck 5, Ryan approaches them with a frown. Brendon breaks from his conversation with LynZ only to wave before returning to the discussion.
“What the hell did you do to your arm?” Ryan demands.
Spencer opens his mouth but realizes he has no idea how to answer succinctly.
“Spencer can’t dance,” Jon answers solemnly. Spencer kinda wants to punch him for that easy smile.
“So?” Ryan says. He already knows this. He watched Spencer flail around at prom his senior year of high school.
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Spencer says, giving Jon an unhappy look. Jon returns Spencer’s grumpiness with a charming smile.
King glowers at them, and Spencer presses his lips together.
“Currently,” King announces, “our security personnel are searching for three of their own.”
There’s a murmur that runs through the crowd.
“We believe that they were caught in the storm, and the military is making every effort to recover their own. There is no cause for panic. We are operating under the assumption that they were turned around in the storm,” King continues. “Until they return, no one other than the military will leave this ship. Is that clear?”
Another murmur starts up.
“Urie, Blackinton, Suarez, and Mrotek, I need the four of you with me. Everyone else, stay on board.” King leaves the room.
Brendon, Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher share a look that is somewhere between concerned and confused and head out after King.
Ryan turns to Spencer. “What happened to your arm?” he repeats. As if there wasn’t this big newsflash that people were missing and needed medical attention - if they were still alive.
“Show a little bit of compassion, doucheface,” Spencer snaps back.
Jon puts a hand on the small of Spencer’s back and one on Ryan’s and directs them from the room.
Nothing is said until the door to Jon’s room closes behind them. Jon glares at both of them.
“It’s intervention time,” he announces.
Both Spencer and Ryan raise eyebrows.
Jon points a finger at Spencer. “You,” he says sternly, “aren’t to take out your frustrations on Ryan in front of a bunch of panicky scientists. Gerard looked absolutely crushed. You are to talk with Brendon and stop dicking around. Either tell him yes or tell him no.”
Spencer opens his mouth to object, but Jon cuts him off with a curt “no.”
Jon then points a finger at Ryan. “You,” he says sternly, “are to respect the boundaries of others, and that includes Spencer.”
Ryan opens his mouth to object, and this time Jon doesn’t interrupt. “I asked a question. I was concerned about my friend,” he says crossly.
“It was morbid fascination,” Jon argues. “He hurt himself danc-”
“Shouldn’t I be the one explaining this?” Spencer interrupts.
“No,” Jon says. His voice is still stern. “Did I not just say that you should stop dicking around with Brendon’s feelings?”
“Wait,” Ryan says. “He was dancing with Brendon and ended up hurt?” Spencer can hear the taunt in Ryan’s voice even though he knows that Jon can’t.
Spencer narrows his eyes dangerously.
“Yes,” Jon says resolutely. “And Spencer is going to go find Brendon. Right. Now.”
Spencer looks at Jon challengingly.
“Right. Now,” Jon repeats.
Spencer sighs and stomps from the room like a teenager. He doesn’t think he’s stomped since he was thirteen, but the situation definitely merits stomping. He has been stuck in a tin can for the past two months, with Brendon throwing himself at him, and once Spencer had finally felt the sun on his skin again, he was now confined to the ship again, with Brendon close at hand. So to speak.
“Don’t stomp, asswipe!” Jon calls after him.
Spencer’s not at all sorry that the door shuts off any other comment Jon - or Ryan - could make.
---
Spencer finds Brendon in the medical bay, hanging out with Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher. They all watch Spencer curiously, and Spencer is very much aware of the type of look everyone is giving him. He’s used it himself on enough plants.
“Brendon,” Spencer says. He almost kicks himself for how tentative he sounds. Like a timid little girl; although, his sisters would kick his ass for using that expression. Except his sisters are still on Earth. Were on Earth. Fuck. Spencer does not need to think about how his sisters are long dead. That’s not going to help him.
He must look absolutely miserable, because Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher all have places they need to be right away.
“Look,” Spencer says, and he realizes he’s stalling.
Brendon watches him intently, and his expression is guarded.
“I just wanted to say that I - ”
Pete bursts into the medical bay with Patrick in tow. “They’ve returned,” Pete announces in a rushed voice. “They need blood. There’s severe BFT and SFT.”
Brendon’s expression hardens and sets.
Pete continues, but Patrick pulls Spencer aside. “You need to leave, Smith, unless you have any medical training.”
Spencer shakes his head and leaves quickly, sparing Brendon a concerned look. Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher come running back from wherever they disappeared to.
Spencer stares blankly at the door to the medical bay until the scurry and squeak of mission issued boots on the tiles breaks his stare. He should not be there. He steps aside just in time to avoid being run down by Carden and Chiz pushing and pulling a stretcher respectively. Spencer doesn’t look to see who is on the stretcher, because he doesn’t want to know how much that person needs medical attention. That was another reason why he chose the plant route in biology: blood should stay in the body.
There’s only one stretcher. There were three people missing.
Zack follows with a sack slung over his shoulder. There’s a suspicious dark stain at the bottom of it, and it makes Spencer’s stomach turn over when he realizes that those are probably the remaining two people.
He has just enough time to make it to the nearest bathroom to empty his stomach. He doesn’t even make it to a toilet and ends up puking in the sink, bracing himself on the cool metal sides.
Once his stomach stops convulsing, Spencer runs the water, washing his face as the water washes away the vomit. He also washes his mouth out many times.
He looks at himself in the mirror as soon as the vomit has disappeared down the drain. He looks like hell. He stares blankly until he can no longer focus on his face. That’s when his imagination kicks in, and it all revolves around the sack that Zack was carrying.
Spencer’s stomach gives another lurch.
He ends up staggering back to his room. He doesn’t want to see anyone, especially Ryan and Jon. At least he doesn’t have to worry about Brendon popping in.
He doesn’t bother to take off his clothes before he climbs into bed. It still smells faintly of Brendon.
Spencer wakes up with Brendon in his bed. He decides not to think about it and goes back to sleep.
Brendon isn’t there when Spencer wakes again, and maybe he wasn’t there to begin with. Except there is a sticky note on Spencer’s computer. Spencer closes his eyes and sighs before he climbs out of bed to read the note.
not disproven
better w/ company
requires further x perimentation
♥
Brendon has taken up Pete’s habit of discriminating against punctuation and capitalization.
Spencer flushes despite those flaws. Or because of them.
He had been doing so well when he could push Brendon away, but. Brendon is annoying as fuck, but he is also extremely likeable, and it’s not like Brendon has given Spencer much alone time or not made his feelings clear. Therein lays the problem. And somewhere down the hall, Ryan is cackling and not knowing why. Spencer can almost hear it.
Spencer boots up his computer to check his email. He wants to know what happened last night before he leaves his room. It’s better to be prepared.
His computer is almost up when Jon enters his room.
Jon eyes him and then eyes the computer. “Let me save you some time,” he says curtly. “They’re all dead, and Brendon’s a mess.”
Spencer doesn’t look Jon in the eyes, but he hears the unsaid “fix him.” He swipes a hand through his hair. It’s now greasy. And his mouth still tastes vaguely of vomit.
Jon studies Spencer closely. “Did you just wake up?”
Spencer nods.
Jon sits down on Spencer’s bed. “I thought you were in here hiding.”
“No,” Spencer says. His voice is raw.
“I know that you didn’t talk to Brendon,” Jon admits. “What happened?”
“They came back,” Spencer says quietly. Even now he feels the bile rise in his throat. He swallows.
“Oh,” Jon says.
They’re quiet for a while, before Jon says, “Ryan wanted me to tell you that you’re a pussy for hiding in your quarters, just so you know.”
“Thanks?” Spencer figures that Ryan would say something along those lines. He’s also glad that Jon had the sense to intervene.
“Do you want me to send Brendon in?” Jon asks.
Spencer pauses. He’s unsure. Especially because he doesn’t know if it will be Brendon the doctor, Brendon the annoying fuck, or Brendon the kinda friend who will come. Brendon the annoying fuck is probably out, though. Brendon has some sense in his head along with his into to meteorology course and the lyrics from 1990 pop rock songs. But Spencer doesn’t know if he wants the doctor or the friend. Or Brendon at all. At the moment. Because denial can only go so far, and yeah, Spencer cares about Brendon.
“I’ll send him in,” Jon decides for Spencer, and before Spencer can refute it, Jon is out the door.
Spencer barely has time to open his email before Brendon enters his room. He doesn’t ask to come in, he just does. He pulls Spencer up from behind his computer and tugs him into a hug.
They don’t say anything for a very long time.
Brendon’s the first one to talk. “My first day of med school, they gave me a cadaver.”
Spencer listens.
“I puked before I could even finish the Y incision,” Brendon confides. Brendon doesn’t say anything after that, but he still clings to Spencer.
Spencer wonders how Brendon knew he puked, except he catches himself. His breath still tastes like bile. And Brendon needs to cling more than Spencer does, so Spencer lets him.
“They were DOA before they were brought back on the ship,” Brendon says softly.
Spencer tries really hard not to flinch.
“You had to have seen them. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Spencer.” The words are whispered into Spencer’s shoulder, muffled a bit but otherwise clear.
“Yeah,” Spencer responds. His tongue is heavy in his mouth, and his voice is still raw. It’s hard to form words.
“No one should go out after dark,” Brendon states, apropos of nothing. “That’s what it says in the email.” Maybe it wasn’t apropos of nothing.
Spencer wants to ask why, except he knows why, and he’s not about to ask Brendon to bring it up. The problem is that Spencer wants to know what - what did that to the crew. It wasn’t just the storm, Spencer knows that.
Brendon’s hands sink down to the small of Spencer’s back, and Spencer’s belly does that stupid, irritating flip. It’s really not the time.
“What you don’t know,” Brendon says after a false start. “There’s a lot going on right now. We all have a curfew. Sue and Jeremy say that all military personnel should be armed when out in the field. Also, they told me that you’re now my security guard.”
Spencer jolts.
“Is that true?” Brendon pushes away from Spencer to look at his face. A rush of cold air squeezes between them.
“Yeah,” Spencer says.
A smile spreads slowly across Brendon’s face before he buries his face in Spencer’s neck. One of Brendon’s hands wanders across the span of Spencer’s chest. A thumb brushes up against a nipple, and Spencer shivers reflexively. He’s pretty sure that Brendon is doing that on purpose, but he has no hard evidence. Well, that was the wrong way to think about things, because that nipple is very hard under Spencer’s thin shirt and other parts of Spencer’s anatomy are threatening to become hard as well.
Spencer nearly jumps out of his skin when Brendon’s lips slide up his neck followed by the unexpected clamp of teeth nipping right under Spencer’s ear.
Spencer takes a deep breath and then a step backwards. Because he’s still unsure as to Brendon’s sincerity.
Brendon looks positively crestfallen, and Spencer feels like he’s been kicking puppies all morning.
“Is it because I’ve been throwing myself at you?” Brendon asks, not looking at Spencer in the slightest. “I - Jesus Christ, Spencer. I’m not the most subtle when it comes to things like this. I know that, you know that, everyone fucking knows that.”
Spencer’s throat makes a little sound against his will.
“Jon told me that he made you hunt me down last night,” Brendon continues. “I’m sorry that he had horrific timing, but I’m not sorry he made you do it. I need a concrete answer, not hot and cold or whatever. You’re the king of mixed messages. You are irritated by me, yet you volunteer to be my security. What the hell am I supposed to think? And Christ, how have you not realized that I’m in love with you?”
Spencer stares at Brendon as he tells everything to the wall behind Spencer’s shoulder.
“I knew,” Spencer says and mentally kicks himself. “I - Would you believe me if I said it isn’t you it’s me?” He ends lamely.
Brendon releases a humorless snort.
“I’m having difficulty adjusting,” Spencer mumbles almost defensively.
“For which Bill prescribed sex,” Brendon points out.
“Hey!” Spencer protests. “He said it was confidential!”
Brendon rolls his eyes. “It’s still confidential if it’s between doctors. Plus, Bill always prescribes sex. He thinks he can heal the world with the magic of cock. Uh, those are his words, not mine.”
“Even this world?” Spencer asks.
Brendon presses his lips together so tightly Spencer can see the stark contrast of the red of his lips and the white ring lining them. “You weren’t hiding it well, though,” he admits. “Your inability to adjust.”
“This trip is rough on everyone,” Spencer says, stating the obvious.
Brendon makes a small noise in affirmation. “Who did you leave behind?”
“What makes you so sure I’ve left people behind?” Spencer asks defensively.
“Because everyone has,” Brendon says sadly. Spencer can feel Brendon’s eyes boring into his own.
“My parents and sisters,” Spencer whispers.
“Were you close?” Brendon asks.
“Yeah,” Spencer says. He doesn’t want to think about his family now. Not when it’s clearly Brendon who needs to speak. More so than he has already. Spencer had heard rumors about Brendon’s family ties, but he wants to form his own opinion from whatever Brendon will tell him. And it will be helpful for Brendon, who is just as stressed as Spencer - if not more so. “Tell me about your family.”
Brendon makes a strangled noise.
“You never talk about them, but people say you have a large family,” Spencer says gently. “You don’t have to say anything until you’re ready.”
Brendon laughs humorlessly. “I tell you I’m in love with you, and you ask about my family. That tells me where I stand.”
“I want to understand you,” Spencer explains. “That didn’t come out right.”
Brendon glares. “I’m not a plant, Spencer,” he says tersely.
“I never said you were,” Spencer mumbles irritably. He runs a hand through his greasy hair. “Plants are a lot quieter.”
“There is no way that you are as social stunted as Ross,” Brendon bites back.
Spencer sighs. “Sorry. I’m sorry. This is not what I expected - I’m sorry. I’m cranky.”
Brendon snorts, but he doesn’t leave the room, which Spencer counts as a win.
Spencer feels compelled to continue. “I should - I should talk to William about, you know, Zack.” Spencer barges on, not even giving pause when Brendon says, “What?”
“He was carrying a bag of parts. Body parts. Of people I know!”
“Sit down,” Brendon orders in a stern voice.
Spencer blinks heavily at Brendon in surprise, but he sits on the edge of his bed.
“Close your eyes,” Brendon orders.
Spencer is not closing his eyes. No way in hell. Not with Brendon in the room staring at him. Not when Spencer knows that he’s going to see the bloody stain on the bag Zack was carrying.
“Close your eyes,” Brendon repeats. “Nothing’s going to happen if you don’t want it.”
Spencer snorts, but his eyes slide closed. He can feel the bed dip under Brendon’s weight, and he nearly jumps out of his skin when Brendon places a hand on his thigh.
“Shh,” Brendon whispers into Spencer’s ear. “Say yes or say no.”
Spencer thinks about not having to think, and “Yes.”
He opens his eyes so that he can pinpoint Brendon’s mouth and latches on.
- - -
Spencer is a lot more relaxed, but he’s still a little edgy. Nothing can undo the fact that now four of the original sixty are dead, and they have only been on this planet for eight or nine days, depending on which day Spencer used: earth or the new planet. The new planet is currently unnamed, mostly because no one wants to take Pete’s suggestions, generally because they revolve around how awesome Patrick is. Spencer will not deny that Patrick is awesome - especially to his face, but that has little to do with the planet. Not that Frank’s or Gerard’s ideas are much better. Frank’s ideas are about Bob’s prowess, and Gerard’s ideas are all references to classic zombie films.
Brendon also seems more relaxed. In a way. He’s just taken a hands-on approach to Spencer. As in Brendon’s hands need to be on Spencer at all times. Spencer knows that Brendon needs to touch everyone, but Spencer would like to at least eat without Brendon groping him. Brendon is subtle about it, to his credit, but Zack keeps giving him speculative looks, and Jon and Ryan keep giving him knowing smirks that Spencer just wants to punch.
“I’m trying to eat,” Spencer points out.
Brendon smiles at him. “How can you not be excited, Spencer Smith? This is the first time in a week we’re going outside! This is a time to celebrate! Not worry ourselves with trivial things like eating.”
“Wow,” Spencer says in a deadpan. “How on earth did you earn your medical degree?”
“My gorgeous face and pert, little butt,” Brendon says cheekily.
Spencer snorts at Brendon but continues eating his lunch.
“I’d have given you your medical degree based on your pert, little butt,” Jon says.
Brendon beams at him. “See, Spencer?”
Spencer snorts again. He almost considers making some sort of asinine comment, but Haley is heading their way, and she looks determined.
“We’re leaving in five minutes,” she announces in a clipped tone. Then she strides off.
Spencer frowns.
- - -
Spencer is paired with Gabe. It turns out that Haley does not like Gabe. Spencer has no clue why. He thinks he has it narrowed down to Gabe putting some sort of very permanent glowing paint on the inside of Haley’s bra and Haley not liking what Gabe does to his rabbits. He’s too nervous to ask Haley which it is. She might direct her weapon at him.
Spencer also has no clue why he’s paired with Gabe. Gabe is a life scientist, not a physical scientist. And Spencer, who is also a life scientist, should be paired with a physical scientist. Those are the rules.
And Spencer doesn’t like herps. Any sort of herp. He had been in charge of the “zoo” in the bio department for his workstudy as an undergrad, and that involved feeding the snakes live rodents that sometimes screamed upon being eaten. It was unpleasant. Even more unpleasant was that time the biggest snake named Steve, a nine foot Burmese python with cataracts, missed the rat but sure as hell didn’t miss Spencer’s hand. It had been a bloody mess.
Also when he was twelve, his sisters had caught a toad and placed it on his pillow. When Spencer freaked out and removed the thing, it had peed all over him, his pillow, and his sheets.
Combine that dislike with Gabe’s neuroses, and Spencer’s not sure the five of them (including Gabe’s military goon, Jersey) will survive this outing. Especially with Spencer’s new status as a pseudo-military goon, he’s allowed access to the armory. Whoever had this idea probably should have died of stupid long ago.
Brendon appears by his side just outside the ship. “Did Haley give you a briefing?”
“No,” Spencer says with a shake of his head. He looks to Haley, who stands stoically in the middle of the clearing. She’s watching both Spencer and Brendon very carefully. She looks intense with her SMG poised at the ready.
“Gabe and I need to hunt,” Brendon says.
Spencer doesn’t say anything. There’s only one thing Gabe would hunt, and there’s only one reason why Brendon would need to go with him. Spencer’s not going along to look at plants. He kinda wishes he had chosen a more powerful weapon from the armory than his Glock, but it was the only one he knows how to use.
Gabe shows up armed to the teeth with various herp-hunting equipment. He’s practically pulling Jersey along with his snake hook. Jersey looks fairly tolerant of it. It’s probably an everyday occurrence with Gabe.
Jersey’s own SMG is almost the same size he is.
“Let’s go, ladies,” Gabe croons, mostly to Jersey.
Haley glowers at the tree ferns, but Spencer can tell it’s directed at Gabe. So can Gabe.
Gabe leads the way through the swamp looking for cues that Spencer’s not aware off. Spencer watches Brendon and longingly looks to an occasional plant. Haley watches Spencer and keeps a wary eye on Gabe. Jersey, Spencer supposes, is accustomed to Gabe, but that doesn’t stop Jersey from watching Gabe.
Brendon and Gabe talk herp-speak. As near as Spencer can tell, the reptiles here really aren’t at all like the reptiles on Earth. They just bear a superficial likeness. That doesn’t come as any surprise, because the plants are like that, too.
Brendon keeps sending Spencer private looks. The only problem is that the five of them all know what those looks mean. So the looks end up being very public.
Spencer isn’t so worried about people finding out as much as he is about Gabe finding out. Gabe has this way of making something innocuous - not that Brendon’s at all innocuous - into something a bit more scandalous. Spencer knows all about the rumor mill on the Ursa. He also knows that Pete, Gabe, and William make up rumors to add to the rumor mill, but he also knows that he’d rather tell people about Brendon than have them hear about it through alternative means.
Although Brendon’s taken to singing about Spencer’s beard recently - as a metaphor. It’s not exactly subtle.
There are more adventures and scary times.
- - -
Spencer is halfway through his report when Brendon says, “Your bed smells like you.”
Their eyes meet. Brendon’s eyes are glossy.
“It’s my bed,” Spencer points out. He looks back down to his computer, because Brendon looks positively disheveled, and it’s doing things to Spencer’s stomach that he’s not too ecstatic about. It feels like entering the atmosphere of a planet without the headache. “I hope it smells like me.”
Brendon climbs out of Spencer’s bed stiffly and sits next to him on the floor. Heat rolls of Brendon’s body like a furnace and smells of stale sweat.
“I need to meet with Sue and Jeremy,” Brendon says really close to Spencer’s ear.
“I’m not keeping you captive,” Spencer responds.
“I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Brendon says into Spencer’s neck. Spencer shivers at the sudden humidity. “I can be bad for you. I know where Jon keeps his ropes.” Spencer shivers again, and it has nothing to do with humidity. He’s oddly comforted by the fact that he knows Jon’s ropes are for spelunking not for anything else. Well, Spencer hopes they’re not used for anything else.
Brendon jokes. That’s how he copes. Spencer knows not to take everything Brendon says at face value. Yes, Spencer knows that Brendon has a crush on him. He’s not stupid - of course he knows Brendon has a ridiculously gay crush on him. However, Spencer feels that Brendon will soon move on, because Brendon, like Frank, flirts with everyone. Although, for the record, Frank doesn’t flirt with Spencer, a fact that Spencer is very much grateful for.
“Don’t you have a meeting to go to?” Spencer asks. He’s really proud that his voice only wavers a little. “Jones and King are probably already waiting for you.”
Brendon humphs unenthusiastically. He probably wants to say something else, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even say goodbye when he leaves Spencer to his paperwork.
- - -
By the time he’s finished his paperwork, it’s time for Julie’s ceremony. No one on this expedition brought formal wear, so Spencer doesn’t feel as bad when he goes as is. At least his clothing is clean and so is he.
The ceremony is pleasant. Brendon sandwiches himself between Jon and Zack, refusing to look at anyone. Pete gives Julie’s eulogy, and it’s short and poignant. Cassadee follows it up with some kind words.
Afterwards, Jones explains the importance of being aware of your surroundings, and King gives a motivational speech about how everyone needs to look out for each other.
Nobody asks how they’re going to dispose of the body.
By the end of the meeting, Brendon has disappeared.
Spencer finds him in Lab 2, Gabe’s lab.
He’s looking at Gabe’s rabbits. Brendon really likes Gabe’s rabbits, and sometimes Gabe even lets Brendon hold them.
Brendon turns large, sad eyes on Spencer. “We’re all just rabbits,” he says dully.
Brendon has spent a lot of the past two months talking to Gabe about the cruelty he’s imposing on the rabbits. Brendon has had to concede some points, because he wouldn’t have earned his multiple degrees if it weren’t for test animals.
Spencer doesn’t say anything, but he does wrap his arms around Brendon’s waist and hold him close.
For the rest of the day, Ryan gives Spencer strange looks.
- - -
The next day, Brendon is the doctor to go out with Spencer and Jon. Zack has the patience of a saint. Spencer looks at his plants, and Jon looks at his rocks, while their military goons watch them… and Brendon wanders off in search of wildlife. Zack spends the entire three hours of the excursion bringing Brendon back to the epicenter of the expedition party.
They had repelled down the cliff to examine the ocean’s edge. Jon had been ridiculously excited about being able to use his rock-climbing gear. So Brendon could only wander down the beach and not into the Forest of Pointy Thorns.
“There was a lizard!” Brendon gushes to Zack. “It was, like, this dusty blue and a tiny, tiny dimetrodon!”
“A what?” Haley asks.
Zack gives her a longsuffering look. So does Spencer.
“That dinosaur with the giant fin on its back,” Brendon explains, using his hands on his back to demonstrate, hunching over and almost falling in the mud. “Of course this fin was not as gianormous as a dimetrodon’s.
“What do you think it eats?” Brendon starts wandering off again, and Zack fetches him back.
“Oh, hey!” Brendon exclaims. “It’s camouflaged. Why do you think it’s camouflaged? I want to go find it and give it to Gabe as a present. He likes presents, and it keeps him from replacing my shampoo with that weird sticky shit.”
Zack grabs Brendon by the neck of his shirt. “I don’t think so, Urie.”
“But Zack,” Brendon protests. “This could be our one chance to observe these little guys in the wild! You’re letting an important scientific observation go to waste!”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Zack says firmly.
Brendon sighs dramatically and sits down on a giant rock that Jon’s examining. He finds something fascinating, and his head slowly follows it across the rock.
“Uh, Brendon?” Jon asks after a beat.
“I’m watching insects,” Brendon responds. “There are these tiny little roach-ants - Blattaria-Formicidae. Formicidae-Blattaria - No, I like roach-ants better - climbing all over this rock.”
“Roach-ants?” Jon asks.
“Yeah, they’re like cockroaches but ants,” Brendon says. Brendon leans over and squints at the rock. “And they have four body segments, not three. And ten legs. Neat.” He pokes them with a strand of alien grass that Spencer had been studying. “Really strong mandibles, too. Do you guys think these are alien crabs?”
“That’s a really creative name,” Jon says, and Spencer can’t even hear the sarcasm. Jon is good. “But I’m more interested in the rock than the roach-ants or your ass.”
“Oh!” Brendon jumps up. “Sorry.”
Jon smiles at Brendon. Tom, Jon’s military goon, rolls his eyes, and Spencer is inclined to agree. Maybe Brendon’s not that bad. Maybe Spencer’s just paying closer attention to him because of Julie.
Tom and Haley stand at the edge of the ocean and stare out to the horizon.
“Hey!” Brendon says. “Birds!”
Spencer sighs. This entire outing has been a waste. He’s too distracted by Brendon’s ADHD to focus on his own task, and Spencer likes his task.
The birds Brendon indicates aren’t exactly birds, but they are flying. It’s actually more like gliding. There are about three of those lizards with glide-y wing-arms along the shore about twenty meters away, and they’re playing chicken with the surf. If one of them is caught by a wave, they flap their arm-wings and glide back to shore.
It’s very reminiscent of Earth, and for one gut wrenching moment, Spencer is homesick, even though he didn’t live anywhere near the coast. He knows that the Earth as he remembers it is long gone. In the two months it took them to travel to this new planet, years have passed back on Earth. It’s a relativity thing. Ryan had explained it once when they were both freshly stoned, so Spencer only remembers some guy named Lorentz, and he’s the one to blame for the whole thing. Well, he and Einstein are to blame. There were a whole lot of mathematical equations. And something as simple as alien not-birds on a beach reminds Spencer that he will never see his family again, and they’re probably long dead. It’s a very miserable feeling, and he feels almost guilty for wasting the time he’s alive - and his family isn’t - upset with little things, like Brendon stealing the alien grass that Spencer had been examining to test the mandible strength of roach-ants.
“They’re like mini pterosaurs,” Brendon says.
They all watch, transfixed as the not-birds jump and glide about.
The waves become rougher as they watch the alien not-birds.
“Uh, guys?” Jon says, breaking the spell.
Spencer turns to him, but Jon is looking offshore. Very offshore.
“That’s a cumulonimbus,” he says, as if that makes any sense to anyone other than himself.
“A what?” Tom asks, and Spencer is glad that he’s not the one asking.
“Incus,” Jon says instead of answering like a proper human. He’s been spending too much time with Ryan. “It’s bad.”
“Bad how?” Haley asks.
“It’s the type of cloud that produces tornadoes,” Brendon cuts in. Seriously. Spencer had thought there was only room for air in Brendon’s head. Brendon has all these hidden depths. It’s like - “I remember my freshman meteorology course,” he states proudly.
Jon is proud of Brendon, and his smile shows it. “Supercells,” Jon agrees.
Oh. Well, that can’t be very good.
Spencer takes a look at the clouds, now that he knows what he’s looking for. The bottom is so dark it’s almost black, and there’s a very dark shadow over the violet sea. The top part of the cloud is so starkly white that it hurts Spencer’s eyes to look at.
“Jon,” Tom says almost tentatively. “How fast does that move over water?”
“This is an alien planet. I have no idea,” Jon admits. “Why - oh. Shit.” Jon looks out to sea, then up the cliff. They can only go up one at a time, even if Jon free climbs like he’d been talking about on the way down. Tom had given him a look, and Jon had stopped. “We can’t make it back up before it hits.”
All six of them stare at each other for an uncomfortable moment.
“Caves,” Brendon says eventually. “Jon, you said there were caves.”
“There could be caves,” Jon amends.
“Now would be a good time for a cave,” Tom points out.
“About a hundred feet down that way,” Haley says. She points to the left along the beach.
The boys all stare at her.
She shrugs. “Spencer doesn’t need me breathing down his neck all the time.”
“You’re my favorite!” Brendon announces. He kisses her messily on the cheek as she giggles, and Spencer does not feel the least bit slighted.
- - -
The cave Haley found is about eight feet up from the beach. If there’s a strong storm surge, they’re all going to drown.
Zack boosts Jon up first, so he can assess the cave, make sure it’s large enough for all of them and all that jazz. In the minute he’s in the cave, the sky darkens significantly.
Jon pops his head out of the cave and calls down to them, “Everything looks good!”
Zack doesn’t wait for the end of Jon’s sentence before he boosts Haley up. Jon takes her hands and pulls her up the rest of the way.
Brendon is next, followed by Tom, and finally Spencer, and they lower a rope for Zack so they can haul him up. By the time Zack’s mostly in the cave, big, fat raindrops are falling, pelting Zack and soaking his clothing.
Spencer watches the rain for a moment, before taking a look at the cave. He takes out his flashlight so that he can actually see it. The cave is large. The mouth is tiny compared to the actual cave. It angels upward, so if there’s a storm surge, they could move out of the way to higher ground. Nothing is smooth. Rocks are piled everywhere, like the caves in ancient science fictions shows where they couldn’t film in an actual cave, so they just piled rocks everywhere.
Jon appears at Spencer’s side like the ninja he is. “Rocks,” he says reverently.
Spencer chuckles lightly.
In the background, over the roar of the rain, Spencer can hear Zack on his radio, letting whoever’s back on Ursa know that they’ve been caught in the rain, that they’re fine, and that they’ll be back when the storm’s over.
“Hey, Tom!” Jon calls. It echoes slightly. “I’m going deeper.” He pulls a headlamp from his backpack.
Tom looks stricken.
“We should all go deeper,” Spencer says. “There could be a storm surge.”
“You are brilliant, Spencer Smith!” Brendon shouts from the mouth of the cave. It echoes three times.
“Urie, get the hell away from the edge of the cliff,” Zack orders. He grabs Brendon around the waist and literally carries him away from the mouth.
- - -
The cave goes way back, and with Jon pretty much instructing everyone’s every move, they find a spring. It’s in a huge cavern, and it’s cold and damp.
“Why the hell is there water coming from bare rock?” Jon demands, scowling at the rock face.
Spencer’s not surprised that the rock doesn’t answer.
“This is the grand ballroom!” Brendon announces. He’s been naming the caverns as they’ve passed through them. He’s also been making Zack carry him, and other than looking longsuffering, Zack hasn’t disagreed.
He jumps from Zack’s arms and grabs onto Spencer.
Spencer makes an undignified sound and glares at Haley over Brendon’s head. She’s supposed to be protecting him from things like this. She just looks amused, though.
“Dance with me, Spencer Smith!” Brendon crows, even though his face is almost buried in Spencer’s neck. “You look like a man who knows how to waltz.”
Spencer is not a man who knows how to waltz.
Spencer is a man who is going to kill Jon for sniggering at him.
Before he can respond, Brendon grabs his hands and leads Spencer around the cavern, laughing as Spencer trips over his, Brendon’s, and, one time, Tom’s feet. Then Spencer trips over a rock, and he and Brendon go down in a heap.
Okay. Here’s the thing about being a botanist. Botanists and other such professionals of a high field scientific caliber need tools to hack through thick vegetation. Spencer’s favorite is a machete. He’s named her Joyce, and she is a creature of beauty. Obviously his machete is female: only females are that tough and sharp all the time. Spencer has come to this conclusion through various scientific studies. And watching Ryan attempt to woo females: that’s like a car crash and utterly beside the point.
The point is that Joyce is in a scabbard on the side of Spencer’s backpack, which happens to be on Spencer’s back, which happens to be what he lands on when he and Brendon go down in a heap.
Joyce slips out of her scabbard.
Spencer makes a loud hissing sound and reflexively arches away from the pain and into Brendon.
Brendon frowns at him for a moment before scrambling off of Spencer and flipping him around with strength that Spencer would have never guessed Brendon would have. Brendon’s tiny.
Spencer’s aware that everyone else is staring at him as he lies face down on the cold rock, but Brendon’s gone into doctor mode, which Spencer has never seen before and would have liked to see it under circumstances that did not involve Spencer needing medical attention.
Brendon upends his backpack, and medical supplies skidder across the floor of the cave, and there’s pressure on the back of Spencer’s arm.
Spencer’s not entirely sure what’s going on. He hears voices, some of them are from the five other people in the cavern and some are their echoes. He’s pretty sure that Brendon’s giving orders, but Brendon is also whispering reassurances in Spencer’s ear. He’s begging Spencer not to turn out like Julie, and Spencer thinks that’s a little exaggerated, because Spencer’s just cut: he’s not going to go into anaphylactic shock. He probably has worse cuts on his hands from climbing into the cave in the first place.
When Brendon finally allows Spencer to turn around and sit up, everyone is still staring at him, something Spencer is even more aware of when Brendon buries himself into Spencer’s uninjured side. There’s something sticking to Spencer’s arm, and he guesses that it’s a bandage. It feels weird and hurts. Not the bandage, but what it’s covering.
“You missed all of the major blood vessels,” Brendon says softly. “You just took off the skin on the back of your arm.” He pauses. Spencer can feel the tension in Brendon’s body. It’s like he’s trying not to shake. “I’m so sorry.”
Spencer puts a hand in Brendon’s hair and tries not to think.
It doesn’t work very well.
Jon, Tom, and Haley have given them space, and Zack sets about picking up all of Brendon’s spilled medical supplies. He hands Brendon his backpack, which Brendon accepts with a shaky smile.
“It’s just a cut,” Spencer says eventually. “I’ll heal.”
Brendon does start shaking then. “I might be a little bit stressed,” he says with a self-depreciative laugh.
Spencer hadn’t thought of it that way. He knows that Brendon comes from a large family, but he has no idea what Brendon left behind that just doesn’t exist anymore. To top it off, one of Brendon’s patients, maybe even friend, died yesterday.
“You should talk to William,” Spencer recommends quietly. “I heard from the head medic guy that William’s the one to go to. But who knows. This doctor seems to say strange things when he’s drunk-sitting.”
Brendon snorts against Spencer’s neck. “I take it back: you are a bitch, Spencer Smith.”
“Hmm,” Spencer hums in agreement. He then admits, “I don’t know how to waltz.”
Brendon laughs weakly. “I’ll teach you sometime - when we’re not in a cave. How are you feeling? Lightheaded or anything?”
“I’m fine,” Spencer says. He’s not really fine though. He is feeling slightly lightheaded, but he doesn’t think it has to do the loss of blood. And the bare rock is making his ass very cold and numb, but Brendon is very warm.
“You should eat something,” Brendon insists. He dives into his backpack and pulls out a nutrition bar to offer Spencer.
“I’m really fine,” Spencer says, but the look on Brendon’s face tells him it wasn’t an offer. “Okay.” He plucks the bar from Brendon’s hand.
Brendon watches intently as Spencer unwraps the bar and eats it carefully. He makes a happy sound when Spencer finishes and takes the wrapper, shoving it into his backpack.
“Good,” Brendon declares.
Jon returns to them in a rush with Tom, Haley, and Zack trailing after him. Jon stares at them for a moment with a lopsided grin before saying, “The storm’s past. We need to head back.”
Spencer raises his eyebrows.
“Alright,” Zack says. “Up, both of you.”
He pulls both Brendon and Spencer up. Spencer walks on his own, but Brendon makes Zack carry him again. This time Zack doesn’t look longsuffering.
- - -
They don’t go back the way they entered. Jon, Tom, and Haley had found a new exit while Spencer had been busy with Brendon. It empties them out very close to the edge of the swamp. The entrance to the cave is narrow, and they need to exit on their hands and knees. Zack makes Brendon go before him and makes Jon help him out on the other side.
Spencer had no idea that everyone is so protective of Brendon.
The sky is darkening as the star sinks below the horizon of the sea, and the remaining clouds are a vivid violet. The ground is squishy and sucks at Spencer’s boots. He trails behind everyone, except Haley, who walks next to him. He watches Brendon, who’s riding piggyback on Zack, his head buried in Zack’s shoulder.
They head uphill towards the ship.
- - -
Brendon is needed the moment they step back on the ship. He’s whisked away by Pete. Neither of them say anything aloud, and nothing can be good about it.
Jon and Spencer debrief with Jones and King. Zack sits in with them, but Haley and Tom head off for a shower.
Jon has spent the last five minutes going on about how he wants to explore the extent of cave system. He’s really earnest about it.
“Okay, Walker,” King says eventually. “We understand that you’re really excited about it.”
Jon sits very still. “But?”
“We’ll see if Kusterbeck will switch with Smith,” Jones says. “Will that be a problem for you, Smith?”
“No, ma’am,” Spencer says. “Not many plants grow in caves. It wouldn’t be an effective use of my time.” He smiles.
“We can temporarily place you on a team with Mrotek and Saporta,” King offers. Now that’s an interesting combination. “Of if you’d prefer to work with Way and Iero…” That’s an even more interesting combination. Who thought those teams would be a good idea? Spencer’s pretty sure if nothing’s blown up yet, something must have gone wrong.
“Whichever team you’d prefer me to join,” Spencer says diplomatically.
“We’ll see,” Jones says. She turns to Zack. “Hall, Pope is now without a military escort. How would you feel about being reassigned to work with her and Simpson?”
“I have nothing against working with those ladies. However, while Urie doesn’t need a keeper,” Zack says. “He does need someone to be there.”
“I’ll do it,” Spencer says hastily. He’s not sure what compels him, and he’s a little worried about his impulsivity.
Four pairs of eyebrows rise.
“He trusts me,” Spencer explains.
“It takes a little bit more than trust,” King says slowly.
Spencer ignores the incredulous look that is probably permanently stuck on Jon’s face.
“Whenever Brendon goes out in the field he can come with us. Between me and Haley, he should be fine. Haley doesn’t need to watch me that closely. If it weren’t for her doing that, we would have never found that cave.” Spencer doesn’t look at Jon. “Besides, he’s not out in the field that often.”
Gabe bursts into the office announcing, “Sue, Jeremy, there’s - oh.” He looks at Jon, then Spencer, then Zack.
“Can this wait, Saporta?” Jones asks.
“No,” Gabe clips.
King gives Jon, Spencer, and Zack a look to banish them from the room, and as the door glides shut behind them, Spencer can hear Gabe say, “Rob, Amanda, and Tyler haven’t r- ” And the door cuts off the rest of the sentence.
The three of them share a concerned look.
Jon opens his mouth to say something, but he’s cut off by an announcement over the comm system.
“All military personnel report to Deck 3. All scientists report to Deck 5,” King says tersely. “Immediately.”
Jones, King, and Gabe burst out of the office, pushing past Spencer, Jon, and Zack. King and Gabe head to Deck 5, and Jones heads to Deck 3. Zack follows Jones, and Spencer and Jon follow Gabe and King.
When Spencer and Jon arrive on Deck 5, Ryan approaches them with a frown. Brendon breaks from his conversation with LynZ only to wave before returning to the discussion.
“What the hell did you do to your arm?” Ryan demands.
Spencer opens his mouth but realizes he has no idea how to answer succinctly.
“Spencer can’t dance,” Jon answers solemnly. Spencer kinda wants to punch him for that easy smile.
“So?” Ryan says. He already knows this. He watched Spencer flail around at prom his senior year of high school.
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Spencer says, giving Jon an unhappy look. Jon returns Spencer’s grumpiness with a charming smile.
King glowers at them, and Spencer presses his lips together.
“Currently,” King announces, “our security personnel are searching for three of their own.”
There’s a murmur that runs through the crowd.
“We believe that they were caught in the storm, and the military is making every effort to recover their own. There is no cause for panic. We are operating under the assumption that they were turned around in the storm,” King continues. “Until they return, no one other than the military will leave this ship. Is that clear?”
Another murmur starts up.
“Urie, Blackinton, Suarez, and Mrotek, I need the four of you with me. Everyone else, stay on board.” King leaves the room.
Brendon, Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher share a look that is somewhere between concerned and confused and head out after King.
Ryan turns to Spencer. “What happened to your arm?” he repeats. As if there wasn’t this big newsflash that people were missing and needed medical attention - if they were still alive.
“Show a little bit of compassion, doucheface,” Spencer snaps back.
Jon puts a hand on the small of Spencer’s back and one on Ryan’s and directs them from the room.
Nothing is said until the door to Jon’s room closes behind them. Jon glares at both of them.
“It’s intervention time,” he announces.
Both Spencer and Ryan raise eyebrows.
Jon points a finger at Spencer. “You,” he says sternly, “aren’t to take out your frustrations on Ryan in front of a bunch of panicky scientists. Gerard looked absolutely crushed. You are to talk with Brendon and stop dicking around. Either tell him yes or tell him no.”
Spencer opens his mouth to object, but Jon cuts him off with a curt “no.”
Jon then points a finger at Ryan. “You,” he says sternly, “are to respect the boundaries of others, and that includes Spencer.”
Ryan opens his mouth to object, and this time Jon doesn’t interrupt. “I asked a question. I was concerned about my friend,” he says crossly.
“It was morbid fascination,” Jon argues. “He hurt himself danc-”
“Shouldn’t I be the one explaining this?” Spencer interrupts.
“No,” Jon says. His voice is still stern. “Did I not just say that you should stop dicking around with Brendon’s feelings?”
“Wait,” Ryan says. “He was dancing with Brendon and ended up hurt?” Spencer can hear the taunt in Ryan’s voice even though he knows that Jon can’t.
Spencer narrows his eyes dangerously.
“Yes,” Jon says resolutely. “And Spencer is going to go find Brendon. Right. Now.”
Spencer looks at Jon challengingly.
“Right. Now,” Jon repeats.
Spencer sighs and stomps from the room like a teenager. He doesn’t think he’s stomped since he was thirteen, but the situation definitely merits stomping. He has been stuck in a tin can for the past two months, with Brendon throwing himself at him, and once Spencer had finally felt the sun on his skin again, he was now confined to the ship again, with Brendon close at hand. So to speak.
“Don’t stomp, asswipe!” Jon calls after him.
Spencer’s not at all sorry that the door shuts off any other comment Jon - or Ryan - could make.
---
Spencer finds Brendon in the medical bay, hanging out with Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher. They all watch Spencer curiously, and Spencer is very much aware of the type of look everyone is giving him. He’s used it himself on enough plants.
“Brendon,” Spencer says. He almost kicks himself for how tentative he sounds. Like a timid little girl; although, his sisters would kick his ass for using that expression. Except his sisters are still on Earth. Were on Earth. Fuck. Spencer does not need to think about how his sisters are long dead. That’s not going to help him.
He must look absolutely miserable, because Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher all have places they need to be right away.
“Look,” Spencer says, and he realizes he’s stalling.
Brendon watches him intently, and his expression is guarded.
“I just wanted to say that I - ”
Pete bursts into the medical bay with Patrick in tow. “They’ve returned,” Pete announces in a rushed voice. “They need blood. There’s severe BFT and SFT.”
Brendon’s expression hardens and sets.
Pete continues, but Patrick pulls Spencer aside. “You need to leave, Smith, unless you have any medical training.”
Spencer shakes his head and leaves quickly, sparing Brendon a concerned look. Ryland, Alex, and the Butcher come running back from wherever they disappeared to.
Spencer stares blankly at the door to the medical bay until the scurry and squeak of mission issued boots on the tiles breaks his stare. He should not be there. He steps aside just in time to avoid being run down by Carden and Chiz pushing and pulling a stretcher respectively. Spencer doesn’t look to see who is on the stretcher, because he doesn’t want to know how much that person needs medical attention. That was another reason why he chose the plant route in biology: blood should stay in the body.
There’s only one stretcher. There were three people missing.
Zack follows with a sack slung over his shoulder. There’s a suspicious dark stain at the bottom of it, and it makes Spencer’s stomach turn over when he realizes that those are probably the remaining two people.
He has just enough time to make it to the nearest bathroom to empty his stomach. He doesn’t even make it to a toilet and ends up puking in the sink, bracing himself on the cool metal sides.
Once his stomach stops convulsing, Spencer runs the water, washing his face as the water washes away the vomit. He also washes his mouth out many times.
He looks at himself in the mirror as soon as the vomit has disappeared down the drain. He looks like hell. He stares blankly until he can no longer focus on his face. That’s when his imagination kicks in, and it all revolves around the sack that Zack was carrying.
Spencer’s stomach gives another lurch.
He ends up staggering back to his room. He doesn’t want to see anyone, especially Ryan and Jon. At least he doesn’t have to worry about Brendon popping in.
He doesn’t bother to take off his clothes before he climbs into bed. It still smells faintly of Brendon.
Spencer wakes up with Brendon in his bed. He decides not to think about it and goes back to sleep.
Brendon isn’t there when Spencer wakes again, and maybe he wasn’t there to begin with. Except there is a sticky note on Spencer’s computer. Spencer closes his eyes and sighs before he climbs out of bed to read the note.
not disproven
better w/ company
requires further x perimentation
♥
Brendon has taken up Pete’s habit of discriminating against punctuation and capitalization.
Spencer flushes despite those flaws. Or because of them.
He had been doing so well when he could push Brendon away, but. Brendon is annoying as fuck, but he is also extremely likeable, and it’s not like Brendon has given Spencer much alone time or not made his feelings clear. Therein lays the problem. And somewhere down the hall, Ryan is cackling and not knowing why. Spencer can almost hear it.
Spencer boots up his computer to check his email. He wants to know what happened last night before he leaves his room. It’s better to be prepared.
His computer is almost up when Jon enters his room.
Jon eyes him and then eyes the computer. “Let me save you some time,” he says curtly. “They’re all dead, and Brendon’s a mess.”
Spencer doesn’t look Jon in the eyes, but he hears the unsaid “fix him.” He swipes a hand through his hair. It’s now greasy. And his mouth still tastes vaguely of vomit.
Jon studies Spencer closely. “Did you just wake up?”
Spencer nods.
Jon sits down on Spencer’s bed. “I thought you were in here hiding.”
“No,” Spencer says. His voice is raw.
“I know that you didn’t talk to Brendon,” Jon admits. “What happened?”
“They came back,” Spencer says quietly. Even now he feels the bile rise in his throat. He swallows.
“Oh,” Jon says.
They’re quiet for a while, before Jon says, “Ryan wanted me to tell you that you’re a pussy for hiding in your quarters, just so you know.”
“Thanks?” Spencer figures that Ryan would say something along those lines. He’s also glad that Jon had the sense to intervene.
“Do you want me to send Brendon in?” Jon asks.
Spencer pauses. He’s unsure. Especially because he doesn’t know if it will be Brendon the doctor, Brendon the annoying fuck, or Brendon the kinda friend who will come. Brendon the annoying fuck is probably out, though. Brendon has some sense in his head along with his into to meteorology course and the lyrics from 1990 pop rock songs. But Spencer doesn’t know if he wants the doctor or the friend. Or Brendon at all. At the moment. Because denial can only go so far, and yeah, Spencer cares about Brendon.
“I’ll send him in,” Jon decides for Spencer, and before Spencer can refute it, Jon is out the door.
Spencer barely has time to open his email before Brendon enters his room. He doesn’t ask to come in, he just does. He pulls Spencer up from behind his computer and tugs him into a hug.
They don’t say anything for a very long time.
Brendon’s the first one to talk. “My first day of med school, they gave me a cadaver.”
Spencer listens.
“I puked before I could even finish the Y incision,” Brendon confides. Brendon doesn’t say anything after that, but he still clings to Spencer.
Spencer wonders how Brendon knew he puked, except he catches himself. His breath still tastes like bile. And Brendon needs to cling more than Spencer does, so Spencer lets him.
“They were DOA before they were brought back on the ship,” Brendon says softly.
Spencer tries really hard not to flinch.
“You had to have seen them. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Spencer.” The words are whispered into Spencer’s shoulder, muffled a bit but otherwise clear.
“Yeah,” Spencer responds. His tongue is heavy in his mouth, and his voice is still raw. It’s hard to form words.
“No one should go out after dark,” Brendon states, apropos of nothing. “That’s what it says in the email.” Maybe it wasn’t apropos of nothing.
Spencer wants to ask why, except he knows why, and he’s not about to ask Brendon to bring it up. The problem is that Spencer wants to know what - what did that to the crew. It wasn’t just the storm, Spencer knows that.
Brendon’s hands sink down to the small of Spencer’s back, and Spencer’s belly does that stupid, irritating flip. It’s really not the time.
“What you don’t know,” Brendon says after a false start. “There’s a lot going on right now. We all have a curfew. Sue and Jeremy say that all military personnel should be armed when out in the field. Also, they told me that you’re now my security guard.”
Spencer jolts.
“Is that true?” Brendon pushes away from Spencer to look at his face. A rush of cold air squeezes between them.
“Yeah,” Spencer says.
A smile spreads slowly across Brendon’s face before he buries his face in Spencer’s neck. One of Brendon’s hands wanders across the span of Spencer’s chest. A thumb brushes up against a nipple, and Spencer shivers reflexively. He’s pretty sure that Brendon is doing that on purpose, but he has no hard evidence. Well, that was the wrong way to think about things, because that nipple is very hard under Spencer’s thin shirt and other parts of Spencer’s anatomy are threatening to become hard as well.
Spencer nearly jumps out of his skin when Brendon’s lips slide up his neck followed by the unexpected clamp of teeth nipping right under Spencer’s ear.
Spencer takes a deep breath and then a step backwards. Because he’s still unsure as to Brendon’s sincerity.
Brendon looks positively crestfallen, and Spencer feels like he’s been kicking puppies all morning.
“Is it because I’ve been throwing myself at you?” Brendon asks, not looking at Spencer in the slightest. “I - Jesus Christ, Spencer. I’m not the most subtle when it comes to things like this. I know that, you know that, everyone fucking knows that.”
Spencer’s throat makes a little sound against his will.
“Jon told me that he made you hunt me down last night,” Brendon continues. “I’m sorry that he had horrific timing, but I’m not sorry he made you do it. I need a concrete answer, not hot and cold or whatever. You’re the king of mixed messages. You are irritated by me, yet you volunteer to be my security. What the hell am I supposed to think? And Christ, how have you not realized that I’m in love with you?”
Spencer stares at Brendon as he tells everything to the wall behind Spencer’s shoulder.
“I knew,” Spencer says and mentally kicks himself. “I - Would you believe me if I said it isn’t you it’s me?” He ends lamely.
Brendon releases a humorless snort.
“I’m having difficulty adjusting,” Spencer mumbles almost defensively.
“For which Bill prescribed sex,” Brendon points out.
“Hey!” Spencer protests. “He said it was confidential!”
Brendon rolls his eyes. “It’s still confidential if it’s between doctors. Plus, Bill always prescribes sex. He thinks he can heal the world with the magic of cock. Uh, those are his words, not mine.”
“Even this world?” Spencer asks.
Brendon presses his lips together so tightly Spencer can see the stark contrast of the red of his lips and the white ring lining them. “You weren’t hiding it well, though,” he admits. “Your inability to adjust.”
“This trip is rough on everyone,” Spencer says, stating the obvious.
Brendon makes a small noise in affirmation. “Who did you leave behind?”
“What makes you so sure I’ve left people behind?” Spencer asks defensively.
“Because everyone has,” Brendon says sadly. Spencer can feel Brendon’s eyes boring into his own.
“My parents and sisters,” Spencer whispers.
“Were you close?” Brendon asks.
“Yeah,” Spencer says. He doesn’t want to think about his family now. Not when it’s clearly Brendon who needs to speak. More so than he has already. Spencer had heard rumors about Brendon’s family ties, but he wants to form his own opinion from whatever Brendon will tell him. And it will be helpful for Brendon, who is just as stressed as Spencer - if not more so. “Tell me about your family.”
Brendon makes a strangled noise.
“You never talk about them, but people say you have a large family,” Spencer says gently. “You don’t have to say anything until you’re ready.”
Brendon laughs humorlessly. “I tell you I’m in love with you, and you ask about my family. That tells me where I stand.”
“I want to understand you,” Spencer explains. “That didn’t come out right.”
Brendon glares. “I’m not a plant, Spencer,” he says tersely.
“I never said you were,” Spencer mumbles irritably. He runs a hand through his greasy hair. “Plants are a lot quieter.”
“There is no way that you are as social stunted as Ross,” Brendon bites back.
Spencer sighs. “Sorry. I’m sorry. This is not what I expected - I’m sorry. I’m cranky.”
Brendon snorts, but he doesn’t leave the room, which Spencer counts as a win.
Spencer feels compelled to continue. “I should - I should talk to William about, you know, Zack.” Spencer barges on, not even giving pause when Brendon says, “What?”
“He was carrying a bag of parts. Body parts. Of people I know!”
“Sit down,” Brendon orders in a stern voice.
Spencer blinks heavily at Brendon in surprise, but he sits on the edge of his bed.
“Close your eyes,” Brendon orders.
Spencer is not closing his eyes. No way in hell. Not with Brendon in the room staring at him. Not when Spencer knows that he’s going to see the bloody stain on the bag Zack was carrying.
“Close your eyes,” Brendon repeats. “Nothing’s going to happen if you don’t want it.”
Spencer snorts, but his eyes slide closed. He can feel the bed dip under Brendon’s weight, and he nearly jumps out of his skin when Brendon places a hand on his thigh.
“Shh,” Brendon whispers into Spencer’s ear. “Say yes or say no.”
Spencer thinks about not having to think, and “Yes.”
He opens his eyes so that he can pinpoint Brendon’s mouth and latches on.
- - -
Spencer is a lot more relaxed, but he’s still a little edgy. Nothing can undo the fact that now four of the original sixty are dead, and they have only been on this planet for eight or nine days, depending on which day Spencer used: earth or the new planet. The new planet is currently unnamed, mostly because no one wants to take Pete’s suggestions, generally because they revolve around how awesome Patrick is. Spencer will not deny that Patrick is awesome - especially to his face, but that has little to do with the planet. Not that Frank’s or Gerard’s ideas are much better. Frank’s ideas are about Bob’s prowess, and Gerard’s ideas are all references to classic zombie films.
Brendon also seems more relaxed. In a way. He’s just taken a hands-on approach to Spencer. As in Brendon’s hands need to be on Spencer at all times. Spencer knows that Brendon needs to touch everyone, but Spencer would like to at least eat without Brendon groping him. Brendon is subtle about it, to his credit, but Zack keeps giving him speculative looks, and Jon and Ryan keep giving him knowing smirks that Spencer just wants to punch.
“I’m trying to eat,” Spencer points out.
Brendon smiles at him. “How can you not be excited, Spencer Smith? This is the first time in a week we’re going outside! This is a time to celebrate! Not worry ourselves with trivial things like eating.”
“Wow,” Spencer says in a deadpan. “How on earth did you earn your medical degree?”
“My gorgeous face and pert, little butt,” Brendon says cheekily.
Spencer snorts at Brendon but continues eating his lunch.
“I’d have given you your medical degree based on your pert, little butt,” Jon says.
Brendon beams at him. “See, Spencer?”
Spencer snorts again. He almost considers making some sort of asinine comment, but Haley is heading their way, and she looks determined.
“We’re leaving in five minutes,” she announces in a clipped tone. Then she strides off.
Spencer frowns.
- - -
Spencer is paired with Gabe. It turns out that Haley does not like Gabe. Spencer has no clue why. He thinks he has it narrowed down to Gabe putting some sort of very permanent glowing paint on the inside of Haley’s bra and Haley not liking what Gabe does to his rabbits. He’s too nervous to ask Haley which it is. She might direct her weapon at him.
Spencer also has no clue why he’s paired with Gabe. Gabe is a life scientist, not a physical scientist. And Spencer, who is also a life scientist, should be paired with a physical scientist. Those are the rules.
And Spencer doesn’t like herps. Any sort of herp. He had been in charge of the “zoo” in the bio department for his workstudy as an undergrad, and that involved feeding the snakes live rodents that sometimes screamed upon being eaten. It was unpleasant. Even more unpleasant was that time the biggest snake named Steve, a nine foot Burmese python with cataracts, missed the rat but sure as hell didn’t miss Spencer’s hand. It had been a bloody mess.
Also when he was twelve, his sisters had caught a toad and placed it on his pillow. When Spencer freaked out and removed the thing, it had peed all over him, his pillow, and his sheets.
Combine that dislike with Gabe’s neuroses, and Spencer’s not sure the five of them (including Gabe’s military goon, Jersey) will survive this outing. Especially with Spencer’s new status as a pseudo-military goon, he’s allowed access to the armory. Whoever had this idea probably should have died of stupid long ago.
Brendon appears by his side just outside the ship. “Did Haley give you a briefing?”
“No,” Spencer says with a shake of his head. He looks to Haley, who stands stoically in the middle of the clearing. She’s watching both Spencer and Brendon very carefully. She looks intense with her SMG poised at the ready.
“Gabe and I need to hunt,” Brendon says.
Spencer doesn’t say anything. There’s only one thing Gabe would hunt, and there’s only one reason why Brendon would need to go with him. Spencer’s not going along to look at plants. He kinda wishes he had chosen a more powerful weapon from the armory than his Glock, but it was the only one he knows how to use.
Gabe shows up armed to the teeth with various herp-hunting equipment. He’s practically pulling Jersey along with his snake hook. Jersey looks fairly tolerant of it. It’s probably an everyday occurrence with Gabe.
Jersey’s own SMG is almost the same size he is.
“Let’s go, ladies,” Gabe croons, mostly to Jersey.
Haley glowers at the tree ferns, but Spencer can tell it’s directed at Gabe. So can Gabe.
Gabe leads the way through the swamp looking for cues that Spencer’s not aware off. Spencer watches Brendon and longingly looks to an occasional plant. Haley watches Spencer and keeps a wary eye on Gabe. Jersey, Spencer supposes, is accustomed to Gabe, but that doesn’t stop Jersey from watching Gabe.
Brendon and Gabe talk herp-speak. As near as Spencer can tell, the reptiles here really aren’t at all like the reptiles on Earth. They just bear a superficial likeness. That doesn’t come as any surprise, because the plants are like that, too.
Brendon keeps sending Spencer private looks. The only problem is that the five of them all know what those looks mean. So the looks end up being very public.
Spencer isn’t so worried about people finding out as much as he is about Gabe finding out. Gabe has this way of making something innocuous - not that Brendon’s at all innocuous - into something a bit more scandalous. Spencer knows all about the rumor mill on the Ursa. He also knows that Pete, Gabe, and William make up rumors to add to the rumor mill, but he also knows that he’d rather tell people about Brendon than have them hear about it through alternative means.
Although Brendon’s taken to singing about Spencer’s beard recently - as a metaphor. It’s not exactly subtle.
There are more adventures and scary times.