Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chance sat on the dock, watching as the waves ebbed and flowed hypnotically. The sound was enough to put them to sleep, to let them dream of a world outside of this- before they heard a rustling, like someone was digging through a drawer. And it was from his cabin.

He panicked, wondering if one of the other survivors found the stack of money he had kept hidden ( he had no idea why he still had it, considering money was useless here ), but it was still enough to make even a middle class civilian jealous. They busted down the door, gun raised, hat fixed dramatically, before they locked eyes with the “intruder”.

It was Elliot, Chance knew that for certain. But more like… a big dog. Chance dropped his gun, eyes wide, mouth open, as they both stared at each other in utter shock.

Chance knew one VERY big secret about Elliot- he was a werewolf. But, for some reason, The Spectre never let him do… werewolf things. For a whole year, Elliot was a perfectly normal dude, and you’d never guess a thing.

Looks like that ended today.

Chance took their hat off, as if that would make him see any better. He was always a believer in the supernatural, but when his boyfriend dropped the fact he was a werewolf, he slightly assumed that Elliot was a tad bit on the weirder side. But, now that he’s seen his beloved as a large… wolf… looks like seeing is believing.

Well, wolf is debatable. Chance could see the resemblance, but he still thought Elliot looked more like a dog.

“…You honestly look kinda cute.” Chance laughed, though he tried to hold it back. Elliot huffed, though Chance could tell that he thought it was a compliment. Chance sat on the bed, looking around to see what Elliot could’ve been looking for. He didn’t see anything that would necessarily interest him, so he decided to drop it, knowing that Elliot likely wouldn’t tell him anyways. 

The night went on in a way that Chance would never expect, but a way he was fine with. He discovered that Elliot is EXACTLY like a dog, absolutely adoring attention, tugging on random things, getting scratches behind his ear, alongside downright attention and eye contact. They fell asleep, with Chance just casually accepting the fact that Elliot was actually a werewolf, just as he said.

“HOOOOOLY MOOOOOOLY! I was RIGHT! I was RIIIIGHT!” Shedletsky shouted, waking everyone up, no matter how far away they were. Chance jolted awake, alongside Elliot- who was a normal person again, just asleep on the floor- both of which were upset that his voice was so loud that likely people outside of the realm they were in could hear it.

“…I’m not gonna go right now. I’m not in the mood.” Elliot groaned, sprawling out on the floor.

“Weeeelllll… we gonna talk about last night?” Chance smirked, giggling at Elliot’s slight embarrassment.

“Uhh… wh… what is there to say? I think it was self explanatory!” He awkwardly laughed, running a hand through his unkempt hair.

“Uh huh. You’re actually a werewolf. I hope you know I have a ton of questions. Like… a ridiculous amount.” Chance teased, and Elliot just groaned, knowing that he likely did have a ridiculous amount.

They both threw some clothes on, before making their way to the cabin. Elliot was still slightly asleep, and the sight before him didn’t help.

Taph was on the ceiling.

Just… standing there. On the ceiling. Elliot looked up in shock, while Chance let out a low whistle.

“I was RIGHT! Taph, you ARE a vampire! I knew it, I knew it!” Shedletsky cheered, his wings ruffling in excitement. Elliot’s eyes went wide at he looked up at Taph- a VAMPIRE?! Not only is there a werewolf in the group, but there’s also a VAMPIRE?! Chance looked at Elliot, sharing the same thought.

Builderman, however, wasn’t as pleased. He simply watched in terror, remembering everything vampires could do, and that Taph thought he and Builderman were best friends. He knew, deep down, that this only made his situation with Taph even worse.

“Keep it down, will you? Some of us are trying to sleep.” Dusekkar sighed, coming through the wall, causing Guest to yelp in surprise- a sound that nobody thought they’d hear from a grown man soldier.

“…Hello?! HELLO?! Is ANYONE going to explain what’s going on?!” He panicked, looking at Taph, still on the ceiling, and then at Dusekkar, who had just phased through the wall.

“Uhm… that’s not all.” 007n7 chimed in, laughing nervously as everyone took in his appearance- demon horns and a tail, just like c00lkidd. Guest groaned, before it turned into a slight scream of terror.

“Is anyone else hiding the fact they’re not human from us?!” He sighed, running a hand through his hair and taking deep breaths. Chance and Elliot looked at each other, before Elliot shook his head. Chance sighed, knowing that he should keep Elliot’s secret. It wasn’t his business to tell, after all.

“Fascinating… and, Shedletsky, aren’t you a god? Uhm… Telemoon, right?” Two Time asked, looking towards Shedletsky, who simply smirked proudly.

“First off… it’s Telamon. Second off… YES! I am indeed a god!” Shedletsky cheered, spreading his wings in pride. Elliot had to duck, shocked at the wingspan. He growled a bit, but Chance elbowed him in the side, trying to get him to stop before someone heard him and got suspicious.

“…This is so odd. How come we’re just now finding this out? It’s been over a year.” Noob mused, looking down thoughtfully.

“Beats me. Maybe The Spectre decided that switchin’ things up might give us a bit more trouble? Or… maybe it just decided that it wants us to suffer.” Builderman sighed, slapping Shedletsky’s wings away from his face.

Everyone sat down around the table where Guest had finished his breakdown and went back to cooking breakfast alongside Noob. It seemed to be pancakes, but food always just… spawned in whenever they needed it, so they really couldn’t be picky. Morning drink selections consisted of water, milk, orange juice, and apple juice. Taph excitedly poured himself from apple juice as he came down from the ceiling, everyone wondering how on earth he would drink it. Another one of the many mysteries of life.

After everyone got situated around the table, food ready, drinks poured, a debate broke out about the recent discoveries. 007n7 kept his mouth shut and head down, though he was still a topic of conversation- not a negative one, but he was still brought up. Most of it was Shedletsky gloating about his power and everything he can do, as well as Dusekkar getting mad at Taph for eating with hands that had been on the ceiling, despite the fact he had gloves on.

“Well, could always be worse. At least we don’t have a werewolf.” Shedletsky shrugged, taking another sip of his orange juice while Elliot almost choked on his. He coughed a bit, trying to brush it off, but his eyes being wide and his shaking hands concerned everyone. However, the rest just assumed it was from Elliot’s lack of eating- but Chance knew the truth.

“Why? What’s so bad about werewolves?” Two Time asked, pouring a ridiculous amount of syrup on their pancakes, getting a look from everyone at the table. Chance reached for Elliot’s hand under the table, both of them feeling anxiety that was weighing them down like a truck.

“Uncivilized dogs, I tell you! Listen, people get mad at vampires, but at least they’re decently polite. Werewolves? No no, they’re utter animals. Even as humans, they’re still aggressive and irritable, but when full moons come out? Oh, you’re done for. Trust me, I’ve seen my fair share of werewolves, and they’re not exactly the friendliest entities ever.” Shedletsky explained, with Two Time nodding along in interest. Elliot put his head down, just like 007n7, and kept his mouth shut. Chance looked at Shedletsky in anger and disgust, but didn’t say anything yet. His hand tightened around Elliot’s, hoping that would help comfort him at all.

“Well, not necessarily. I had a friend who was a werewolf, and he was a pretty relaxed guy.” Noob countered, though they remained polite about it.

“Ehhhh, he was probably on those pills that keeps werewolves chill. If those things didn’t exist, they’d all be out for blood, trying to kill us.” Shedletsky sighed, and Elliot looked at him from the side of his eye, trying his best to not say anything. However, he was right about one thing-

There were indeed pills to keep werewolves calm. Though they were a slight misconception- it was closer to anxiety medication. It keeps them calm and relaxed, similar to how anxiety medication keeps humans calm and relaxed. Plus, werewolves aren’t aggressive, they’re just stressed out. So, yes, those pills did exist. Yes, Elliot did take them… but they were actually just modified versions of human anxiety pills. 

Elliot, thankfully, still had them. Magically refilled whenever he ran out, but now he was worried that they might stop refilling themselves. After all, now that The Spectre allowed the others to show themselves, what about Elliot? If he did run out of those pills, would he actually end up like Shedletsky described? He had taken them since he was a kid, since his family was full of werewolves, so he never knew anything about them going berserk or anything close. He felt his heart pound faster and faster as anxiety filled his head, controlling his thoughts, making it impossible for him to even notice that everyone was worried about him. What would happen if the others found out? He was pretty well liked, but if they found out he was an “uncivilized dog” like Shedletsky described, how would they feel about him? And what if he really did hurt someone?

“ELLIOT!” 

“Wh… huh…?!”

Chance snapped their fingers in front of Elliot’s face, bringing him back to the real world. He looked around, seeing everyone’s eyes glued on him- something that didn’t make him feel any better.

“You okay, kid? You just started starin’ off inta space. You got really pale ‘n stuff, too.” Builderman asked, his nervous expression reflecting everyone else’s. Chance looked down at Elliot, knowing this wasn’t going to end well. Elliot stood up and left the main cabin, going back to his room. Chance stood up after him, looking at the rest of the survivors, before chasing after him. He probably needed someone- someone who knew- to talk to.

“Elliot… don’t let Shedletsky get to your head, okay? He’s an asshole, right, but he didn’t mean it. If he knew-”

“Chance, Shedletsky’s an inter-dimensional being…! Or something! Of COURSE he knows! Plus… he was right. THAT’S why I’m so nervous.” Elliot interrupted, his voice breaking towards the end. He was so nervous he felt as if he was going to cry.

“…Right about what?” Chance asked, growing curious. He just assumed Shedletsky was overreacting, but was everything that he said actually… correct?

“Werewolves are naturally aggressive. I mean… well, that one doesn’t need an explanation. However, Noob was also right. Pills do exist to keep me nice and relaxed. I take them, and they’ve been… magically refilling themselves, so… probably why I haven’t absolutely mauled you yet.” Elliot teased, managing to find a small smile in his humor. Chance laughed a bit, knowing that if anyone was getting mauled by Elliot, it was going to be them. Elliot opened his drawers and began digging through them, trying to find the bottle and ensure that he was going to be okay.

“Well… just keep taking them, y’know? You were chill last night, if we can just keep it that way- mainly for my safety, considering we share a room- then we’re gonna be fine!” Chance chimed, completely confident in their statement. Elliot mindlessly nodded along, still engrossed in his search for his pills. Finally, he was relieved when he found them- half-full, but he found them. He took a deep breath, remembering the calming techniques his mom taught him to make sure he didn’t get too stressed out.

“Yeah… everything should be fine. But… I don’t want to tell anyone. Not yet, at least. After what Shedletsky said… I don’t know. Just give me a bit,  I’ll see how I feel.” Elliot sighed, debating on if it was truly a good idea to tell the others. Chance sighed as well, standing up and putting his arms around Elliot’s shoulders. He leaned forward, almost knocking Elliot down, while Chance just laughed as Elliot struggled to keep his weight.

“Uh huh. Evil murder dog and you can’t even support my weight.” Chance giggled, ruffling Elliot’s hair a bit.

“Evil what now?! Of all the nicknames, that’s gotta be the worst!” Elliot laughed, throwing Chance down onto the bed with a triumphant smirk.

Elsewhere, while those two were messing around in the cabin, Dusekkar watched from the porch. He was sipping on a coffee mug, reflecting on everything Shedletsky said, as well as how Elliot reacted. Something was up with him, and he was going to find out.

Chapter Text

It was Chance’s second time of dealing with werewolf Elliot, and he was sleeping on the floor, using him as a pillow, fighting for their blankets. Unfortunately, Chance forgot the two main rules when dealing with a dog: never tug on something they have in their mouth, and then never start running after you have it.

You see, Elliot was a tad bit too big for the bed, so he moved to the floor. But he didn’t like that Chance was on a bed, so he continuously whined over and over again, only for Chance to pat him on the head like a broken alarm clock. So, naturally, Elliot pulled Chance out of the bed and onto the floor next to him, like anyone would. Chance managed to take the blankets with him, but failed to grab his pillow or mattress- but then discovered that Elliot was actually a decent pillow. Soft, warm, save for the fact that he kept moving all the time.

“Elliot… stop moving… I’m trying to sleep…” Chance groaned, pulling the blankets back on his side. Elliot huffed, tugging the blankets back over to him. This continued for a while, before Chance made his first mistake: standing up, looking Elliot in the eye, and tugging on the blankets.

“Ok, dog! Give them back! You have fur! I don’t!” Chance grunted, realizing just how strong Elliot was. He had to be careful- these blankets were limiteds, soft, plush, perfect… if Elliot ripped them, he was going to have some strong words. Elliot pulled back, growling- Chance was hoping that was the kinda growl that dogs did when they were playful- and almost dragging Chance to the ground.

Chance finally managed to get them back, and booked it down to the other side of the room. Elliot paused, before quickly chasing after him, closing the gap, and pinning him down. 

“AGH-! ELLIOT! You’re gonna break my ribs, dammit! Us squishy little humans aren’t exactly fit to be under pounds of sassy fluff like you!” Chance wheezed, trying to breathe, despite the fact Elliot was crushing his whole body. Chance eventually managed to get him off, but Elliot wasn’t tired. And that’s when Chance realized-

This was like when dogs were completely determined to play with you.

He groaned, pulling the blankets over his head and rolling to face away from Elliot. He wasn’t in the mood for this- it was barely the buttcrack of dawn, everyone else was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware to the playful torture that Chance was undergoing. 

Chance only had two bruises when he woke up, only half of his hair was still covered in saliva from where Elliot had licked him nonstop, and his whole blanket was covered in fur, as well as his beloved pijamas. Elliot was still blissfully asleep on the floor, back to the unassuming human that Chance never would’ve assumed could beat his ass like that. They sighed, before grabbing a change of clothes and taking their clothes and blankets to the washing machine.

They were one of the first ones awake, save for Shedletsky sleepwalking and Builderman trying to get him back, Dusekkar sipping on coffee, and Chance looking like death.

“Rough night?” Dusekkar asked, appearing silently from behind Chance, holding out a spare mug he had. Chance yelped like Guest when Dusekkar first appeared, sounding like a girl who just met a spider for the first time.

“…That’s one way to put it. Thanks. What kind is this?” Chance sighed in relief, taking a sip of the caffeinated bliss that was coffee.

“Black. I assumed you were fine with it, since I saw you drinking it once. You crawled out of your room like you just came from hell, so I figured you could use it.” Dusekkar shrugged, and the two moved over to the rocking chairs on the front porch. Chance melted into the chair, enjoying the relief of not running around from a massive dog who really just wants to show his affection in the most horrifying way possible.

“Yeah, they get playful. They’re basically like dogs. Werewolves mate for life, by the way, so you’re stuck with him. And if he finds out you cheated, he’ll kill you and leave the carcass for the kids.” Dusekkar hummed, smirking to himself slightly.

“Ha, tell me about it… and… y’know, I’m fine with th- WAIT, WHAT?! HOW-?!” Chance spat out his coffee, making Dusekkar flinch and mourn over the wasted drink. He laughed a bit, Chance’s reaction quickly changing his mood.

“That’s right, I know. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I saw what he can do to you in a good mood- god forbid he gets to me when he’s pissed.” Dusekkar shuddered, trying to erase that mental picture.

“But… how? How did you know?” Chance asked, sitting up straighter now.

“Body language, Chance. Body language. I suspected him as one the first time I saw him get royally pissed with 007n7: head tilted down, eyes looking up, shoulders up, hunched forward slightly, showing teeth, and fists clenched. That’s similar to the pose that wolves strike when they raise their hackles, showing that they’re mad. Us scholars call that “human hackles pose”- it’s basically the equivalent of a werewolf in human form raising their hackles.” Dusekkar explained, crossing his legs as he did so. Chance watched him, realizing just how… scholarly he was.

“Oh… hm. That’s kinda cool.” Chance nodded.

“He was mentally mauling him, Chance.”

“Oh… hm. That’s not kinda cool.”

Dusekkar laughed, before shaking his head and moving onto his next explanation.

“Next, it’s when he’s comfortable, like with you. He just looks at you head-on, relaxed. Now, werewolves become more dog-like in this state. When he stares at you, it’s more like how a dog stares at someone. Also, he drapes himself over you, nuzzles into your hair, sprawls into your space, follows you, you’re one of the few people he shares his food with, and whenever you tell him “everything will be fine”, he actually listens to you and calms down. All of that is more closely related to canine-like behavior.” Dusekkar shrugged, looking over at the cabin that Chance and Elliot shared. The other half was Guest and Noob, so hiding Elliot was a pain.

“You… know a lot, don’t you?” Chance awkwardly laughed, sitting up straighter.

“I’m not done. Next, it’s when he’s nervous and cautious. This is when I got suspicious again. This story involves Builderman- everyone knows that packs have an alpha, and werewolves are the same. Elliot, being separated from the one that he dubbed the leader, had to find a new one: Builderman. What I assume is that, since his last name is Builder, Builderman reminded him of his dad, whom he likely saw as his leader, and thus declared him the leader. Whenever he’s cautious, he watches Builderman to see what he does. He also doesn’t like being approached from behind when stressed out, there’s a slight whining undertone to his voice when he talks, and he puts his weight on his toes, like he’s ready to run away.” Dusekkar continued, and Chance looked at him in utter shock. How did he know all of this? Just from observing him?

“You knew all of this… just from looking at him?” Chance asked, mildly concerned for Elliot.

“I’m smart, Chance. Scholarly. I know a lot. And don’t even get me started on his behaviors… but let me tell you one thing. Werewolves aren’t born polite and calm. They’re born wild. They learn how to behave from their parents- and, given how Elliot is, his parents were like domestic werewolves- ones capable of functioning in society as normal, basically dogs. But remember one thing: even dogs are still wild wolves deep inside. So, no matter how calm or playful Elliot may be… werewolves are still animals at their core. One wrong move, and he’s acting like the ones in the horror movies.” Dusekkar warned, leaning in close, his voice dropping low to make sure only Chance could hear.

This made Chance hesitate. He always had the idea, but now that he basically had confirmation… it was a decently horrifying thought. Werewolves were predators, so… if Elliot was basically just a predator at his core, who knows what he could do? Chance knew that it sounded cringe, like those stupid movies or webcomics, but… losing control? Elliot mentioned those pills, but pills can only do so much. Since Elliot said they were basically anxiety pills… does that mean if he gets too overwhelmed… he’s basically gonna tear everyone to shreds? It was a thought that made Chance a bit… scared. Both for the others, for himself… and of Elliot. But, Dusekkar said that when Chance tells him to calm down, he does. So, as long as he just had those pills and listened to Chance, everything was going to be fine.

Or so they hoped.

Breakfast was still interesting. Dusekkar would use some kind of magic to turn water into a blood-like substance for Taph, 007n7 still terrified Guest, Elliot basically devoured 8 whole pancakes, and Shedletsky completely forgot about personal space with his bigass wings that everyone hated. Feathers were everywhere, and that’s how they discovered that Noob was allergic.

“And you complain about my shedding…” Elliot laughed, leaning towards Chance. They almost spat out their orange juice, upsetting Guest, ever the clean freak, more than he already was.

“…Shedletsky, do you think you could take on a werewolf? As you are now?” Chance asked. Everyone went quiet. Elliot looked up at him in minor confusion, yet also an underlying sense of aggression.

“Hm? Oh, no, absolutely not. Werewolves are absolute powerhouses, especially when they’re pissed. They’re fast, strong, durable… but mostly bloodthirsty. They’d rip you to shreds in the blink of an eye.

Now, if I were…” Shedletsky rambled, going off on a tangent, whereas Chance and Elliot just looked at each other. Shedletsky was likely the strongest of them all, but even he couldn’t take one down… they were both anxious for what that meant for the rest of the group.

“Why do you ask, Chance? Do you know a werewolf here or something?” 007n7 asked, giving Chance a suspicious look.

Dusekkar simply looked between the two of them, still casually sipping on hours-old coffee, and trying to keep Taph under control.

“Uhh… no. He just seemed to hate them, so… I was just curious.” Chance awkwardly laughed, holding Elliot’s hand under the table.

“You should tell us if you do. Maybe, that way, we can catch them off guard and get them before they’ll get us.” Guest said, and everyone nodded. Chance looked down at Elliot, who looked like he was ready to disappear.

“...I’ve always been curious about what you are, Dusekkar. A ghost? An… entity? Maybe a god like Shedletsky?” Elliot asked, quickly trying to change the subject.

“If Dusekkar was a god, then I’d be one too…” Buildermangrumbled, poking at his bacon, while Shedletsky just laughed.

“No, no. I’m not a god. I suppose a ghost is the most accurate. You see, we scholars sacrifice our bodies for the sake of our studies. I left my mortal one, entering one fit for obtaining knowledge- not bound by mortal rules, so I can do things that you mere humans simply cannot. ” Dusekkar explained proudly, while Taph just clapped. Taph was the kinda guy to think Dusekkar was the greatest thing since sliced bread- though not nearly as clingy as Elliot.

As the rest of the morning carried on, everyone prepared for the events of the day- typically, The Spectre made them do the rounds after lunch, so the survivors prepared early. And, now, Chance realized- Elliot did really like sharing his food with Chance, sometimes insisting that he take his leftovers- or maybe even purposefully leaving some- to ensure Chance would be fine during the rounds. Chance couldn’t help but smile a bit- just one unique little way that Elliot showed his affection for Chance.

However, Chance couldn’t help but watch Elliot as he helped the others prepare. Given what Dusekkar said, Shedletsky being unable to defeat a werewolf, and the fact that Elliot could get so stressed out easily without Chance… he couldn’t help but think if he was really as dangerous as the others warned. Elliot around Chance was so… relaxed. There’s no way he was capable of such violence like they both described. But, then again… they were both admins. They probably knew what they were talking about.

After lunch, when everyone was getting ready, Chance was back at their room in the cabin, fixing up their gun. Elliot came up from behind him and just leaned on him, moving their hat up and pressing his head into his hair. Another thing that Chance realized- basically the human equivalent of nuzzling. Chance still couldn’t help himself from smiling. Now that he realized it, Elliot probably had the cutest ways of showing affection. Elliot was taller than Chance- which he never exactly understood why, until now- which made it even easier for him to lean on Chance and ruffle up their perfect hair, which they spent hours meticulously combing, only for their clingy murder dog boyfriend to mess it up. At least he tried to fix it afterwards.

“How’re you holding up?” Chance asked, reaching up to run his hand through Elliot’s hair.

“Well… just don’t make me mad, or ‘y… you’ll see a… side of me I… that I don’t want you to see’...” Elliot joked, even using the cringe accent that the movies and shows use when talking about some kind of creature losing control. Elliot always loved those jokes- telling Chance that there was some kind of beast within him and he didn’t want it tearing through a whole army of people. Of course, Elliot thought they were priceless, but Chance was starting to get… nervous. The harsh truth that, maybe, Elliot could tear through a whole army… made Chance a bit anxious. But he just tried to push it down. He wouldn’t let that happen, he couldn’t. It would ruin Elliot, and he would do anything to make sure Elliot was fine in this hellhole.

Before they knew it, the round started. John Doe was the killer, and they were in Glass Houses. Chance found himself sticking close to Elliot, ready to act if he got upset. He was fine for the time being, thankfully. Elliot complained, telling Chance he was fine.

“Just looking out for my favorite boyfriend!” Chance nervously laughed, pulling Elliot into an awkward side hug.

“Chance… I’m your only boyfriend.” Elliot growled, and Chance remembered what Dusekkar said- werewolves who found out their partner cheated killed them and left the rest for the kids. Chance awkwardly laughed, realizing he was one wrong move away from becoming dog food, quickly recovered.

“Well… even more reasons as to why you’re my favorite!” They laughed, pulling Elliot closer. He sighed, before rolling his eyes, telling Chance he was fine, and then going off. Chance watched as he walked away, feeling like a broken record with the same thought echoing in his head.

However, elsewhere, John Doe managed to corner Two Time, 007n7, and Dusekkar. Elliot quickly looked over to Builderman, staring him down and observing his movements, then following after him as he ran off to help those three. Chance adjusted his hat and followed after them, both to help and ensure Elliot didn’t get too stressed out.

They found that John Doe had them cornered, trapped behind spikes, ready to do what he did best. 007n7’s fingers flew across the c00lgui as he desperately tried to get out, occasionally looking up at John Doe to ensure he wasn’t getting caught. Dusekkar’s staff glowed at the end, ready to unleash some kind of spell, while Two Time’s eyes had the mildly insane glint, showing they were ready to draw blood for their second life.

Chance, Guest, and Shedletky went to hold John Doe off, while Dusekkar got 007n7 and Two Time out.

“Elliot! There you are! I was looking for you. I got this bad wound on my side… think you can help?” Two Time asked, showing a nasty gash on their torso.

“What? No! I’ve probably got a broken bone!” Shedletsky scoffed, rushing over to Elliot to show him his swollen wrist.

“Are you kidding me? Look at me!” 007n7 shot back, standing up to show everyone his wound-covered body.

Immediately, everyone surrounded Elliot with their wounds, showing their beaten, blood covered bodies. Their voices all converged into one loud cacophony of background noise to Elliot as he just saw them coming closer to him, trapping him almost like John Doe trapped the other three back there.

“I…” Elliot hesitated, holding onto his delivery bag like it was a lifeline, afraid that someone would try and reach into it on their own. Dusekkar looked over from shielding Guest to the crowd, wondering what must’ve caused everyone to huddle together so fast- until he saw Elliot in the center. The way he was looking for an escape route, the way he looked over at Builderman, the way he shifted his weight onto the front of his feet, and the way he looked over at Chance. Dusekkar knew this was a recipe for disaster.

“CHANCE!” Dusekkar called out, before motioning to the crowd.

They looked over, seeing Elliot struggling- breathing fast, ready to bolt. He quickly stopped what he was doing and ran through the crowd, pushing past the other survivors as he made his way to Elliot.

“Elliot! Hey… hey. Calm down. I’m here now.” Chance said calmly, slowly reaching for Elliot’s hands. His breathing slowed and his hands stopped shaking slightly as he looked up at Chance, feeling his heart rate slow down. Chance telling him to calm down always worked, somehow… it just reminded him that he was always going to be there for him. He pulled Chance into a tight hug, trying to get himself to calm down further, while Chance reached for Elliot’s delivery bag. They threw it onto the ground, pizza boxes spilling out, causing some slices to slide out onto the ground.

Immediately, everyone rushed for it, trying to grab one for themselves. Chance used this time to pull Elliot to the side behind a wall, sitting down with him and keeping him calm. That was too close- far too close.

The round ended with only Noob and Guest dying, but they were both good team players, so they didn’t really care. However, Chance wasn’t exactly a good team player right now- he had some strong words for the others.

“…I hope you guys know that the fact you immediately went for the pizza, despite the fact Elliot was clearly overwhelmed by you greedy bitches, goes to show you cared more about what he could offer than Elliot himself.” Chance sneered, helping Elliot to their cabin room. A silence fell over the other survivors as they realized Chance was right.

“Well… that’s how it’s always been, y’know? Elliot’s got the pizza, we keep him alive because we want it.” Shedletsky shrugged. Chance’s anger only got worse.

“I’m sorry, but did you just say that the only reason why you protect him is because you want what he has, and not because he’s a survivor like the rest of us?” Chance scoffed, moving closer to Shedletsky, almost challenging him.

“That’s how it is with all of us. We all bring something to the table, and we want their teamwork. So…” Shedletsky explained, and everyone went silent again. Chance shook their head in disappointment.

“Shedletsky… you’re not a god anymore. And, honestly, with the way you’re acting right now? That you just protect the people who are helpful? You seem like a really shitty god to me.” Chance sighed, before walking out of the main cabin, back to Elliot. Shedletsky stood in shocked silence- nobody had talked back to him like that. He followed after Chance, but Builderman stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Just… leave him be. Here, I’ll help that wrist of yours. Sit down.” Builderman sighed, bringing out a medkit and sitting down next to Shedletsky. Everyone got back into their regular routine, recovering from after the rounds. Chance stepped into his side of the cabin, only to find that there were clothes everywhere, half the drawers had been ransacked, and Elliot was even more anxious than before.

“Elliot? What? What’s wrong? Talk to me.” Chance panicked, putting his hands on Elliot’s shoulder to look him in the eyes.

“I… Chance…” Elliot stuttered, eyes darting from the drawers to Chance.

“What? Are you okay?”

“…I can’t find the pills.” Elliot said. Chance felt his heart skip a beat. After today, if Elliot couldn’t find them…

“…We’re gonna make this work. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. Trust me.” Chance sighed, pulling Elliot close. 

He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Nothing was going to happen to Elliot as long as he was around. And he was going to do anything to make sure that he was okay.