Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ralph had gotten sick a little while ago, “just a cold” he said it was, and Piggy would’ve believed him if it didn’t get worse, cold shivers turning into tremors and the vomiting becoming constant. For the past two weeks Piggy was at the blonde’s every beck and call, sitting next to his bed through the days and nights like a nurse or coddling mother, and Ralph would’ve said something snarky about it had he not also been so worried about his own health- and to be frank PIggy’s presence could be quite comforting at times, especially when the other boys were too busy playing to pay him a visit.

As Ralph continued to worsen someone needed to step in as chief and the only two options were Piggy or Jack- and Piggy knew the redhead would be furious if he wasn’t elected chief so he decided to pay him a visit, and for the first time in his life prayed that this would go well. The two talked and the bespeckled boy had to practically beg to get his point across, however it was not in vain as Jack (reluctantly) agreed to share the title of chief with Piggy until Ralph regained his strength.

On that fateful day Piggy was tending to Ralph as per usual as jack watched on, his expression contorted into a slight scowl as he thought about how weak Ralph had become, lying on that makeshift bed all day everyday letting himself be coddled like a baby, “he’s probably just using this as an excuse to run away from his chiefly duties like a coward” Jack thought bitterly as the blonde’s shoulders shook with a violent, wet cough that Piggy was quick to soothe him through.

“Careful. Sit up while you cough, I don't want you to choke on your phlegm or owt…” the fat boy crooned as he helped Ralph sit up, rubbing his back firmly before reaching for a coconut shell full of water, bringing it to the boy’s lips as the coughing fit ended. “ ‘ere, have a drink”

Ralph was quick to grasp the coconut shell with a trembling hand and desperately chugged the water it contained, sputtering slightly with how quick he drank. Once he had finished the drink he panted, as though the mere action of swallowing had exhausted him, but he spoke through his gasps for air, looking up at Piggy with those tired, bloodshot eyes. “Piggy… m-more water… please…” That was all he seemed to do lately; drink and drink and drink, like he was constantly dying of thirst no matter how much water Piggy gave him, but the bespeckled boy wasn’t going to comment on it; he just wanted to make sure Ralph was comfortable.

“Yeah, I’ll get you some more water… you jus take it easy, alright?” Piggy brushed Ralph’s sweat soaked fringe away from his forehead and gently took the empty coconut shell from his hand, muttering a quiet reassurance before standing up and walking off to get some more water for the blonde. Ralph settled back into his lain down position and took it easy as Piggy had requested, Jack saw this as his chance. With a mocking smirk and eyes full of malice, Jack sauntered over to Ralph, poking the sickly boy with the blunt end of his spear.

“It’s embarrassing, you know? Allowing yourself to be coddled and fawned over like a baby- it makes you look weak. Nobody likes a weak chief.” Jack taunted, poking him a couple more times just for his own amusement. But much to Jack’s and his own surprise, Ralph lifted himself up slightly and spat at Jack, his words venomous with fury.

“Shut up!” He hissed “the only embarrassing thing about this is that you continue to act like a whiny prat! And at least I HAVE someone that’ll take care of me! If it were you in this bed they’d all leave you to rot!”

Jack just stared, his mouth agape with shock and disbelief- not just at the words but the fact that they were coming out of Ralph’s mouth; the same boy that had spent most of his days crying from constant stomach pains and clinging to Piggy at every chance given. But his shock soon dissipated in exchange for anger, his expression contorting into a scowl yet again as he loomed over the ill lad and jabbed him with the end of his spear, harder this time, eliciting a grunt of pain from Ralph.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to like that?! Have you forgotten who had to take over your role as chief because you’re too busy playing nurse with that fatty?! Face it Ralph, I’m a better chief than you ever-“ Jack was interrupted by a gasp of shock and a hand protectively pushing him away from Ralph. It was Piggy, of course it was. The chubby boy’s eyes were wide with shock and worry as he kneeled down next to Ralph, looking up at Jack in disbelief.

“Jack! What on earth do you think you’re doin’?! We’re s’posed to be helpin’ Ralph, not hurtin’ him!” Piggy was immediately at Ralph’s side, gently checking where Jack had jabbed the boy with trembling hands. He couldn’t help it. All he seemed to do lately was worry, his mind constantly plagued with ‘what if's' that kept him up at night.

Ralph on the other hand appeared to have settled at the bespeckled boy’s presence, slumping back into his curled up position on the bed of leaves as Piggy’s hand gingerly examined the already forming bruise. Ralph would never admit it out loud but he found himself enjoying Piggy’s company lately, so much so that he would eagerly wait for the fat boy to return from fetching things like a dog waiting for its owner.

“P-Piggy… I’m fine, really… did-did you get the water?” Ralph rasped out, his eyes half-lidded with exhaustion from the whole ordeal.

Piggy nodded and grabbed the coconut shell full of water that he had set down while checking where Ralph had been hit, some of the water had spilled from it but the blonde didn’t care in the slightest; just simply chugged it down as before.

Jack had been watching on in jealousy, the sunburnt bridge of his nose crumpled up in disdain. There was just something about the way Piggy cared for Ralph so diligently, so competently, that made his insides writhe with envy and his freckled cheeks flush in embarrassment for feeling such a way. In a fit of childish anger he spat at Piggy, like a petulant child throwing a tantrum- just as Ralph had described him.

“Stop coddling him! You’re not doing him any good by treating him like a baby! And-and pack it in trying to act like you know what you’re doing! You’re a stupid, fat idiot- not a doctor!” Jack whined, scrambling for excuses to be mad, mad at Piggy in particular, throwing his spear to the ground in a hissy-fit and storming off once he had run out of said excuses.

Piggy just watched the redhead go, his brow furrowed at how worked up Jack was getting over something so small- was the stress of it all getting to him too? With a sigh Piggy turned to look at Ralph, taking the empty coconut shell off him and his hand moving instinctively to rub the blonde’s back in a soothing manner as he muttered.

“I ‘aven’t a clue what’s up with that lad… I mean, he whinged before but it was never this bad. Either way he needs to sort himself out…”

Chapter Text

Jack spent the rest of the day sulking, finding something or someone to complain about- his main victim being Piggy. Jack hated him. He hated how fat he was. He hated his stupid asthma. He hated how much he seemed to care about everyone. He hated how smart he was. But most of all he hated how he doted on Ralph, sticking close to his side, ensuring he was comfortable, tending to his every beck and call with a kind of gentleness that was such a far cry from Jack's very own being. It made his stomach twist with a sickly mixture of envy and longing.

Once he had enough of wandering the jungle and muttering to himself he decided it was high time to go back to the shelters- but halfway there something made him stop in his tracks, the sounds of groaning and faint crying. Upon further inspection Jack found the source of the noise was Ralph; the boy was curled up into a ball on the bed of leaves, desperately clutching his midsection as he groaned and sobbed, his frail body writhing with the familiar pangs of pain in his stomach. Unsurprisingly, Piggy was knelt down next to the blonde, his expression one of worry and helplessness as all he could do to try soothe Ralph’s pain was rub his back and hold him.

Jack simply stood and watched on as Ralph was wracked with pain, his stomach twisting with a slight guilt rather than jealousy this time- though it quickly turned into disgust as the blonde suddenly hurled, his body convulsing in an attempt to purge its contents.

Piggy immediately sprang into action despite the panic he felt filling himself; he wiped the vomit from Ralph’s mouth with a leaf, offered him water and rubbed his back as he tried to recover. Piggy could’ve sworn that he saw something shifting, writhing, in the puddle of vomit but it was hard to tell in the dim light of the fading sun, so he instead tried to put all his focus on Ralph for the time being.

Once Ralph had settled from the fit, lay on his side and his chest rising and falling with labored breaths, Piggy then turned his attention to the puddle of vomit with a grimace, knowing he’d better clean in. He covered the sick with sand in an attempt to make it easier to clean and after a few minutes with the help of some palm leaves he had cleared it away and was back at Ralph’s side, gently rubbing his trembling shoulder.

After the whole ordeal Jack decided to go up to Piggy, watching as he cared for Ralph- he couldn’t help but be impressed by how well the bespeckled boy was handling all of this despite his own clear exhaustion. Thinking about it properly for once struck him with a strange feeling of guilt, guilt at leaving Piggy to handle this all on his own. So he decided to do something he never in a million years thought he would.

“Piggy… I want to help….” Jack’s cheeks heated up with embarrassment once the words were out of his mouth, but he didn’t run away like he usually did, he stood there and waited for a reply.

Piggy just gawked at the redhead in shock for a moment or two, completely baffled that JACK MERRIDEW of all people was offering to lend a helping hand, the same selfish boy that had prioritised his silly little hunts over being rescued. Upon noticing just how antsy Jack was becoming with the prolonged silence he quickly cleared his throat, his tone betraying his disbelief at the situation.

“Oh- uh, s-sorry! You… you want to help? Help ME take care of RALPH? Really?…” he said with a raised eyebrow, clearly not believing it which only seemed to agitate Jack whose face scrunched up with irritation.

“Yes, really! It’ll make things more efficient around here! I want you to… to teach me how to take care of him…” Jack spoke reluctantly, cringing slightly at his own words. He couldn’t believe he was asking PIGGY of all people to teach him; it felt like an admission of weakness.

Piggy just sat and stared again, processing it all before giving a soft, hesitant nod. “Y-yeah… I’ll teach you… j-jus come back ‘ere in the mornin’, yeah? An’ I’ll teach you what to do!” And with that he offered a small smile which was surprisingly reciprocated by Jack, who nodded and muttered a quiet ‘goodnight’ before walking off to the rest of the shelters.

Jack didn’t sleep much that night, thinking over what had happened throughout the day and what tomorrow might hold. The redhead wondered to himself why he offered to help Piggy, was it from guilt or from something else entirely? Thoughts swarmed through his mind and only when the moon hung high in the sky did he fall into a fitful sleep.

The next morning Jack was up later than usual- probably because of the time he went to sleep, but it made certain that Piggy would already be up and caring for Ralph. So Jack hauled himself out of his makeshift bed, washed his face in the lagoon and set off to the shelter where Piggy and Ralph were. Just as Jack had assumed; Piggy was awake alongside Ralph and was dabbing his forehead with a cold, damp cloth.

Jack cleared his throat once he stood at the shelter's entrance, quietly making his presence known before speaking, “uhm, hey Piggy… are you still going to teach me to… take care of Ralph?”

His words were hesitant, the very last thing he wanted was to be by Ralph’s side for hours on end, but he couldn’t bring himself to let Piggy deal with this burden all on his own, the mere thought elicited a strange feeling of guilt and concern in him.

Piggy perked up at the sound of Jack’s voice and, surprisingly, seemed happy to see him, patting the space next to him in an invitation to come sit “yeah, yeah! Come sit down an’ I’ll get you started on all you need to know!”

Jack reluctantly sat down next to the chubby boy and his eyes landed on Ralph’s form, frail, pale and almost imperceptibly twitching. He couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander back to last night, the way Ralph's body convulsed almost unnaturally as his stomach purged its contents- the memory knocked Jack sick, so he tried not to think of it or what he saw in the blonde’s vomit.

Piggy immediately began to ramble on about all Jack would need to know about caring for Ralph, gesticulating as he explained, “okay, so for starters Ralph does drink a lot so it’s good to have some water on hand- an’ be careful when you’re feedin’ him coz sometimes he’ll just chuck it right back up. Another thing, you wanna always keep an eye on his temperature! What I like to do is-…”

Piggy’s infodumping faded into background noise as Jack was focused on Ralph, despite his exhausted state the blonde was giving him the dirtiest look he had ever received. Jack began to wonder if helping Piggy out with Ralph was such a good idea after all, perhaps there were other things he could help with-

Jack was brought out of his thoughts by Piggy’s voice which had stopped rambling, startling Jack slightly, “okay, you got all that? You need me to go over anythin’ again?”

The redhead’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he realised he had completely tuned out everything Piggy was teaching him- which was definitely not a good first impression, so he decided that he would just wing it and learn as he went along, “huh? Oh- yeah, no, I got all that… so what next?”

Jack internally slapped himself for that, what kind of idiot essentially asks for a test right after they’ve listened to absolutely naff all!? Lucky for him Piggy only provided a simple task, “could you turn Ralph on his side for me? I jus wanna see how you handle him…”

Jack was relieved at the easy request and reached out, gently grabbing Ralph’s shoulder and side to flip him over- but he didn’t anticipate the reaction he would receive at all. Ralph lashed out, aggressively slapping Jack’s hand away and hissing at him with an almost feral look in his eyes, “Don’t fucking touch me! Keep offa me, you moron!”

Jack just sat there stunned and Piggy covered his mouth in shock, both of them gawking at the unexpected display of aggression. While Jack sat there in silent shock Piggy was quicker to get over it, swallowing thickly before placing a gentle hand on Ralph’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, “I-it’s alright Ralph, Jack’s just gonna be helpin’ me take care of you, yeah?… he’s not gonna try owt, okay?…”

The feral glimmer in Ralph’s eyes softened at Piggy’s words, he had noticed how the bespeckled boy was often up early in the morning and late at night for him, trading his own comfort for the blonde’s- Ralph knew this but he still snapped at Jack. He didn’t know why he was like this. With a heavy sigh he glanced away from Piggy in slight shame, trying to reel in his anger, “I know but… why would you let him in here? After all he’s done… why can’t someone else help? I don’t want *him* here…” despite his efforts Ralph couldn’t help the bitterness in his voice when mentioning Jack.

The redhead had been listening intently to each word that came out of Ralph’s mouth and his shock was quickly replaced by a painful sting of guilt and hurt. The one time he actually tried to help just blew up right in his face and it hurt him more than expected.

Piggy took a deep breath at Ralph’s bitter words and gently tried to explain to him, “Ralph… Jack’s helpin’ because he asked! He-he wants to help, he wants to be better! He’s tryin’ to make an effort….”

But Ralph just huffed and turned over in the makeshift bed in response, clearly not happy at the prospect of having Jack around longer. With that Piggy got up from where he was sat and quietly pulled Jack off to the side to talk, wanting to spare his feelings but also be honest, “I’m sorry about him Jack, he always seems to be in a foul mood lately… just don’t take his words to heart, alright? You can still help! But I don’t think it’ll be as hands-on as you’d like…”

Jack sighed at that, wishing he could do more to help Ralph, to help Piggy, but he simply gave a resigned nod and mumbled “no, yeah, I understand… I-I can see why he wouldn’t want me around… but I’ll still help as much as I can, yeah?” He said with a soft smile which was quickly reciprocated by Piggy.

Chapter Text

The days passed and Jack grew content with helping Piggy care for Ralph, sure he didn’t get to be around the chubby boy as much as he would’ve liked but he found a sense of purpose in running errands for him: fetching fresh water, wetting cloths, cleaning up when Piggy couldn’t- it made Jack feel useful. Needed. It was a feeling he relished in more than he’d like to admit.

However, just as Jack became used to their little routine something happened that changed everything for the worse. Percival had gotten sick too. Normally this wouldn’t have been an issue whatsoever as there were two of them to care for the sickly boys, the only problem was that Percival constantly cried for Piggy and Piggy only, and that Ralph hated Jack’s guts and most likely had it out for him.

All of a sudden Jack’s job of caretaking had become much more hands-on as he went back and forth between caring for Ralph and caring for Percival with Piggy. Percival wasn’t much of a problem but it was sad to see the young boy in so much pain, Ralph on the other hand was an absolute terror; taking care of him was like trying to give a very angry, feral, RABID cat an injection. Jack would never admit it out loud but he’d cower in fear a little bit every time he had to enter Ralph’s shelter.

Piggy was in Percival’s shelter, cradling the frail child to his chest as he cried and curled up from his stomach pains, when Jack stepped in stood by the entrance, “Piggy… can we talk really quick?” The redhead asked hesitantly.

Piggy gave a soft sigh at the question and gently hushed the wailing littleun as he tried his best to soothe him, “yeah, jus make it quick…”

Jack took a deep, steadying breath as he came and sat down next to the bespeckled boy, frowning slightly as he watched Percival tremble in his caring grasp, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking ever since I started helping and- don’t take this the wrong way, but I think we need some extra help…”

Piggy gave him a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow at Jack's request, "more help? But the two of us is enough... are you havin' trouble takin' care of the lads? Because you don't 'ave to help if you're strugglin'!"

Jack's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the implication that he couldn't do his job- it was just Ralph that was an issue, but saying that would upset Piggy, so he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, "I-it's not that! I just think that I'd be good to have a bit of extra help..."

"But we don't need any extra help? We're managin' jus fine?" Piggy prodded with a look of skepticism and slight concern, "Jack, what's goin' on...?”

Jack took a deep breath, deciding Piggy’s happiness was more important than his own selfish wants, and simply said; “nothing… it’s fine, we’re getting on just fine….”

However Piggy could almost instinctively sense the redhead’s distress and spoke softly, offering a solution and subsequently a bit of comfort, “well… once Percival’s fallen back asleep d’ya wanna watch him an’ I’ll keep an eye on Ralph?”

Jack was immensely grateful for the escape from that menace called Ralph and offered up a rare, but seemingly more frequently occurring, small smile, “yeah, that sounds like a plan… thanks Piggy”

Piggy returned the smile before redirecting his attention to the frail boy that was cradled close to his chest yet again. He continued to gently rock Percival, rubbing his back and occasionally offering water until the Littleun fell into a feverish sleep, his tiny hand stubbornly gripping at Piggy’s top.

The bespeckled boy had to carefully pull the fabric from the iron grip before gently setting Percival down on the makeshift bed of leaves and discarded choir cloaks, the child whimpered and stirred but eventually settled back into a fitful slumber.

Piggy got up from where he was knelt and began to walk past Jack, lightly patting his shoulder as he did so, “he’s all yours now… jus make sure to keep an eye on that fever, yeah?”

Jack gave an affirmative nod and once Piggy had left an unsettling silence fell upon the shelter, broken only by Percival’s laboured breathing and occasional whimper.

As he entered the shelter Piggy spoke out softly, gently notifying Ralph of his presence, “Ralph? It’s only me… you feelin’ any better?”

Ralph perked up at the sound of Piggy’s voice, it had been a while since they had seen each other as the bespeckled boy was often busy caring for Percival so this was an extremely pleasant surprise. The blonde hauled himself up into a position where he was leaning on his elbow, smiling weakly at Piggy, “not really, still feel like absolute crap… but it’s a bit better with you here”

Piggy couldn’t help but smile at that and sat down next to Ralph, his hand instinctively coming to rub his back as it usually did, “well that’s good to ‘ear…. I’m-… I’m sorry for not visitin’ more…” he mumbled solemnly, a pang of guilt going through him as he realised how little he had come to see Ralph as of late.

Ralph’s smile faltered at that- not at the reminder that Piggy hadn’t been visiting lately, but at the fact Piggy felt guilty, upset about it. The blonde was quick put a hand on Piggy’s shoulder, using it to pull himself into a sitting position and pull the bespeckled boy closer as he reassured him, “N-no! No, it’s fine! You’ve been busy! Don’t apologise…. I don’t like seeing you upset”

Piggy felt his chest tighten at that, Ralph was so happy to see him despite how long he had left him. He couldn’t help himself from pulling the other into a gentle hug, torn between wanting to squeeze the daylights out of Ralph and not wanting to hurt him, cause his aching body any more pain.

Ralph almost immediately melted into the hug, relishing in the somewhat firm embrace and the familiar warmth of Piggy’s body. He had forgotten just how much he had missed the tender care of the bespeckled boy, he had grown so used to the pure hatred and inexplicable anger he felt around Jack that he forgot how nice it was to just lay back and ignore the world for a moment.

The two just held each other for god knows how long, every slight squeeze an attempt to make up for lost time. But the longer they hugged Piggy began to notice that Ralph reeked of sweat; Jack mustn’t have taken care of Ralph as well as he had assumed. He pulled back ever so slightly, not wanting to leave the Blonde’s embrace just yet, “Hey… how about we go for a soak in the bathin’ pool? Like we done before…”

Ralph gave a small, amused huff at this, “but you can’t swim, remember? Because of your ass-mar…”

Piggy gave a genuine chuckle at Ralph’s joke, a real, honest smile gracing his face as he carefully wrapped his arms around Ralph’s waist, “ ‘ere, let me help you up….”

He gently began to hoist Ralph up, the blonde stumbling slightly and wincing at the strain on his weary muscles, the action making Piggy frown a little but not loosen his grip. He supported the majority of Ralph’s weight as they walked and murmured soft reassurances to him until they reached the bathing pool, where Piggy carefully lowered him into the warm water once they had both shed their clothes.

Ralph gave a soft sigh of relief and closed his eyes in bliss as he was lowered into the bathing pool, the water taking away the strain of having to support his heavy body. Piggy couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Ralph so relaxed, so unburdened, it had been a very long time since the bespeckled boy had seen him like this and the image made his heart tingle with an unfamiliar warmth that was not at all unwelcome.

Piggy grabbed the cloth that he always kept in the pocket of his shorts ever since he started caring for Ralph and stepped into the water alongside him, sighing softly at the pleasant feeling of the warm water on his skin. The chubby boy waded over to Ralph and decided to give him a bit more time to relax at the sight of him so blissful, “I’m gonna wash up real quick, Ralph… I’ll help you out once I’ve finished, yeah?”

The blonde simply nodded before flipping onto his back, allowing himself to float weightlessly on the water. Ralph, for a moment, truly believed that everything would get better from here, he didn’t feel angry anymore, he just felt at peace… His body didn’t hurt as much anymore and he had Piggy rather than that god awful Jack Merridew- his very own little slice of heaven.

Piggy scrubbed his skin with the cloth, cleaning off all the sweat and grime that had accumulated over the course of a few days- but his mind wasn’t on how clean he was getting, no it was far from that. Piggy silently went through the motions of washing himself as his mind was preoccupied with Ralph. Ralph… he didn’t know what to think. His best friend had become so frail and sickly, his form almost unrecognisable, but his eyes still held the same warmth they had weeks before. The blonde seemed… happy now. At peace. But Piggy didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing- he had remembered that he read in a book once that sick people could suddenly seem perfectly fine before dying. The thought terrified Piggy, shook him to his core in a way that he would never let Ralph see.

Ralph, despite how peaceful it was, had grown bored of simply floating around in the water and looked over to Piggy, frowning softly as he saw the thoughtful, almost empty look on the bespeckled boy’s face. He stood upright before swimming over to Piggy as much as his deteriorated muscles would allow, siding up to him curiously, “Piggy? Hulloooo? You still with me?”

Piggy snapped out of his spiralling thoughts at the sound of Ralph’s voice right next to him, blinking firmly as though he were waking himself, “uh? Oh, sorry Ralph! I was jus… thinkin’… d’ya wanna wash up yet or are ya still wantin’ to play in the water a bit longer?”

Ralph hummed a little in thought before deciding; “I suppose I should wash up now… I can always swim a little longer after I've finished, right?” He asked to which Piggy nodded in agreement.

Piggy then soaked the cloth yet again and began to gently scrub at Ralph’s body, taking his time to ensure that he wasn't accidentally too rough with blonde’s delicate skin- but as he continued to gently wash the other he had started to notice little red blotches or rashes on Ralph's now pale skin, perhaps it was eczema or bed sores? Piggy felt that familiar pang of guilt in his chest at the fact that the blonde was now in even more pain, and that there was probably something he could've done to prevent it.

The bespeckled boy gave a silent sigh at the realisation and blinked away a few stubborn tears that had begun to sting his eyes before reminding himself of the task at hand, finishing up washing Ralph's body and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, “alright, lean back for me so I can wet your hair…”

Ralph obliged and leaned back so that his head was in the water, Piggy’s arm diligently supporting his back as he lightly scrubbed the water into the golden locks.

When Ralph stood back up in the water Piggy began the process of gently detangling his hair; a lengthy process but a necessary one. He had laid the blonde’s hair out to make things a bit easier as he separated the pieces and began to run his fingers through it as carefully as possible- but then he stopped in his tracks, his breath hitching in his throat as he made a sickening discovery.

In his hand, tangled between his fingers, was a clump of Ralph's hair, the strands thin and straw-like. Piggy was frozen in utter terror as he looked between the hair in his hand and the now bald patch of the blonde’s head, feeling like he was going to throw up. He had no idea things had gotten this bad and was torn between telling Ralph or staying silent, his hand trembling as a sick, sinking feeling formed in his stomach.

Ralph was wondering why the bespeckled boy had suddenly stopped but didn't turn around, not wanting to possibly mess up any progress, “Piggy? Why'd you stop?”

Piggy swallowed thickly and attempted to compose himself, trying not to let the tremble show in his voice, “Uh? Oh- n-no reason… it's jus b-been a while since we… y’know, done somethin’ like this… it’s jus nice, innit?”

Ralph suspected absolutely nothing and smiled along blissfully, too lost in the intimate moment to register the fear in Piggy’s tone, “Yeah, it is nice… we should get out like this more often- I'm feeling better already!”

The bespeckled boy felt as though he might burst into tears as he listened to the excitement in Ralph's voice, the ignorant bliss. He simply gave a quiet “mhm” to conceal the lump in his throat as he resumed detangling the blonde’s hair, doing his best to not pull anymore out.

Piggy eventually finished with Ralph's hair and had managed to somewhat compose himself, gently patting the other's shoulder to let him know he was done, “Alright then, all done… d’ya still wanna swim for a bit or d'ya wanna go back to your shelter?”

Ralph, while he was still very much eager to swim, could feel his body starting to tire out and ultimately decided that it would be for the best if he took a nap or something of the likes, “yeah, I think we should go back to the shelter… we can come back later though, right?”

“Mhm! We can come back later if you're feelin’ up for it!” Piggy quickly reassured as he began to help Ralph out of the water, wringing the leftover water from his hair and setting him down on the warm rocks. While he was glad that Ralph was getting his strength back he couldn't help but feel as though something was… wrong. He was bouncing back but far too quick- and it unsettled something deep within the logical side of Piggy’s brain. The whole situation just didn't seem right.

Ralph splayed out on the rock with a content sigh, soaking up the sun. His skin had become much paler in the past few weeks, even a tad yellow, but the blonde chalked it up to the fact that he hadn’t been out of his shelter in so long and his tan must’ve faded, so he was more than happy to bake in the sun for a little bit.

Piggy on the other hand felt like a complete and utter mess, he didn’t know exactly what to feel or do in that moment of time and that utterly terrified him. The fact that he didn’t know what to do. Normally he had an explanation or solution for everything, but not this time and it made him feel like the control was being ripped from out of his hands. But he knew one thing for certain- he had to stay calm. For Ralph.

After the two had sat there for a while, occasionally exchanging a few words in the peaceful moment, Piggy had dressed himself once again and helped Ralph with his clothes before walking back to the shelter, taking his time to ensure the other was properly supported.

Piggy gently lay Ralph back down in his makeshift bed, tenderly brushing his fringe away from his forehead as he got settled in. Ralph looked surprisingly peaceful in that moment, his eyes growing heavy with the need for rest as he smiled up at Piggy, his words soft but grateful, “thanks for coming and seeing me, Piggy… I had a lot of fun….”

The bespeckled boy felt the familiar, painful lump in his throat return at how happy Ralph seemed at such a simple act, it made his chest burn with guilt. Still he swallowed it down, trying his best to keep face for the other, “it’s no problem- I had fun too, honest… we’ll do it again soon, yeah? You jus try rest up now…”

Ralph simply nodded in response as he curled up on the makeshift bed with a weary sigh, finally succumbing to his tiredness. Once he seemed settled in well enough Piggy finally left his side, this time unsuccessful in holding back the hot tears that had begun to sting his eyes.

Ralph, for the most part, slept well if not occasionally drifting into a dazed, half-awake state- but then he heard something from the next shelter over… the familiar pained cry of a certain weepy littleun. It was like the sound had awoken something in Ralph like a sleeper agent and his eyes snapped open, completely disregarding his body’s weary state as he slowly got up from his bed and creeped his way over to the shelter.

Inside was Percival; sobbing and crying out as he writhed with the familiar pangs of pain in his stomach, and Jack who was cradling him and gently rubbing his tummy in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain.

Ralph just stood there in the doorway, his eyes wide and almost blank as he observed silently, his gaze fixated on the small child. He felt as though he couldn’t move, his body frozen in place as his unwavering gaze burned into Percival and his breathing picked up ever so slightly.

That was the only reason Jack realised they were being watched, the heavy breathing just barely breaking through the littleun’s cries. He turned his head towards the entrance of the shelter and felt his blood run cold. There stood Ralph, unmoving and watching the two of them with an almost inhuman gaze that made Jack feel an inexplicable sense of terror.

Jack just stared back at him for a good moment or two, his heart feeling like it was beating out of his chest, violently pounding against his ribcage. Eventually he gathered enough courage to speak, swallowing thickly as his voice trembled ever so slightly, “R-Ralph… you shouldn’t b-be out of bed… what’s w-wrong?” He managed to choke out.

Ralph, however, didn’t reply, just continued to stare. It was then that Jack noticed that the blonde wasn’t just watching them; his eyes were transfixed on Percival specifically and they didn’t seem to be moving any time soon. The realisation frightened Jack beyond belief and he subconsciously held Percival tighter to his chest.

Jack tried to get his attention again, his voice more noticeably shaking with nerves this time, “Ralph, w-what’s the matter?… why-… why are you just-just s-standing there like that?….”

Ralph’s gaze briefly flicked up to Jack’s, and the redhead could’ve sworn that he saw a sort of manic anger in them, but his eyes were quick to return to the frail child in his arms, silently looking on.

The two continued on like this for a few minutes, just staring at the other as the tension between them grew thicker. Lucky for Jack Piggy was close by, wiping away any residual tears from his eyes as he made his way back over to the shelters, stopping dead in his tracks as he realised that Ralph was not in his own shelter and rather was standing in the entrance of Percival’s, motionless.

Once the bespeckled boy snapped out of his surprise he walked over to Ralph, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder and tearing his gaze away from the sickly littleun, “Ralph, what’re you doin’ out of bed, luv? You shouldn’t be strainin’ yourself like this…”

The blonde just wordlessly blinked at Piggy as if coming out of a daze, his only word being a quietly uttered; “…what?…”

Piggy was quick to repeat himself before carefully ushering Ralph away from the entrance of the shelter and back into his own, settling him back into bed.

At Ralph’s departure Jack gave a heavy sigh of relief as his heart rate began to calm back down, his trembling hands still clutching tightly to Percival even after the whole ordeal. Jack had never felt such a raw, primal fear like that and it got him thinking- what if something had actually happened? What if Ralph had tried something? Would he have been able to protect Percival in a scenario like that? Jack tensed at the thought of anything happening to the frail boy, he knew Piggy would be beyond devastated: Percival was like a son to him. The redhead boy shook his head softly at that, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts that were plaguing him when Piggy stepped into the shelter.

The bespeckled boy frowned as he observed just how shaken up Jack was after the encounter and came to sit down next to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder as to try not frighten the other even more, “Hey, it’s fine now- Ralph’s back asleep… why don’t I take over for you, yeah? You go get some rest…” he tried to offer up a small smile but it was clearly laced with concern for the redhead’s well-being.

Jack breathed out a sigh of relief as he was relieved of his duty, muttering a quiet “thank you” as he carefully transferred Percival into Piggy’s arms, the littleun curling up at the warm embrace and immediately clutching onto his caretaker’s top yet again, the familiar presence seeming to soothe him immensely.

The redhead rose from his position and threw a grateful glance in Piggy’s direction as he left, feeling his body beginning to sag with exhaustion as he trudged back to his own shelter where he slumped down onto his makeshift bed next to Roger who was seeking respite from the harsh sun.

Meanwhile, not too far from camp, things were seeming to only get worse for an identical set of boys. The twins had been feeling a bit more lethargic as of late, a little queasy from time to time but nothing that overly affected them- up until now. Sam and Eric had been out playing in the jungle and decided to eat fruit they had found on the ground rather than plucking it from the trees as usual.

Just a few bites in and Sam felt as though he couldn’t swallow anymore, like his body was physically preventing him from doing so, and then he suddenly found himself keeling over and clutching his stomach, his stomach relentlessly forcing everything back up.

Eric was stunned to say the least but still rushed over to help his brother, rubbing his back and trying to keep him upright, “Jesus, Sam! What happened?! The fruit couldn’t have been that bad!”

As Sam continued to vomit Eric too felt his stomach begin to churn, normally he wasn’t a very squeamish person but there was no denying that he could feel himself beginning to salivate profusely and he knew that he too was going to be sick.

As expected Eric followed soon after his brother, his body purging its contents as he tried desperately to support them both, his mind swirling with panicked thoughts.

Once the grotesque chain of events had ended the twins allowed themselves to recover a moment before rushing back to camp and seeking out Piggy, bursting into the shelter with zero regard for the sleeping child in his arms as they babbled out,

“Piggy! Me and Sam just-“

“Threw up! We didn’t eat-‘

“Anything bad though! D’ya think-“

“We could be sick?!”

Piggy just stared at them blankly as Percival began to squirm and whine in his arms, his expression a painting of utter despair as he realised just how much work he’d have to take on now on top of caring for both Ralph and Percival.

Chapter Text

Over the span of just a few days Piggy had been utterly worn thin by just how much he now had on his plate with the twins getting sick, Jack would sometimes try butt in and offer what help he could but the bespeckled boy often became frustrated with him and spewed quite a variety of harsh words- not because he meant all of them but because he felt so tired… so helpless… to be truthful he was more frustrated with himself rather than Jack because he thought he wasn’t doing enough.

Sam and Eric still had sense and strength enough to take care of themselves for the most; fetching themselves water and bathing themselves. Percival on the other hand seemed to get weaker, he struggled to eat on his own and now only cried to be held, Piggy couldn’t stay at his bedside all day and night so he had made a habit of propping the frail child on his hip as he did his rounds. He never brought Percival to Ralph’s shelter though.

Ralph’s condition had hugely deteriorated in the days passed, unravelling like a ball of yarn being pulled. No matter how many times Piggy had told him not to or tried to gently coerce him back into bed all the blonde seemed to want to do was pace, he’d pace back and forth in his shelter like a rabid animal, his gaze always on the entrance. “It makes me feel better” Ralph would mumble out hazily on the occasion that Piggy would try stop his pacing- but there was never any change in his expression, no relief, no exhaustion, just that dead-set expression that made it seem like he had somewhere to be.

Piggy felt as though he was on his last limb but he knew he couldn’t stop now; there was too much to be done, too many people to take care of, and so he soldiered on despite his own exhaustion. The real struggle (aside from having to carry Percival around everywhere which was a workout in itself) was caring for Ralph, he had become unpredictable frighteningly fast and it left Piggy at a loss- for example the blonde had suddenly refused to drink anymore water despite previously asking for it every five minutes, growing frustrated whenever Piggy brought it and the new development unsettled the bespeckled boy deeply. Fearing that Ralph may become dehydrated he had begun trying to sneak him little sips of water when he had just woken up and was still slightly dazed, some days it worked and others it didn't- nonetheless Piggy continued to try.

However, Ralph was becoming increasingly restless, oftentimes (when Piggy wasn't around to soothe him) he'd become frustrated with pacing like a caged animal and have an outburst: yelling and kicking anything around him- before sheepishly setting it back in its original place. He didn't quite understand why he got like this or why he didn't leave to go sate his own restlessness, but it felt as though there was something holding him back- perhaps it was the thought of worrying Piggy? Well whatever it was he didn't dare try to leave.

Until one day he did.

Piggy had promised Ralph that he would be back soon and that he just had to check up on Percival. Jack stood at the entrance as he said this and had followed in tow as the bespeckled boy left for Percival's shelter, something about the action had enraged Ralph inexplicably, but he chose to stay put and seethe in his anger. This had lasted about ten minutes. During those ten minutes various thoughts had swarmed in Ralph's mind- the main one being that Piggy preferred Jack's company to his, that the redhead was trying to steal away HIS best friend. In a moment of blind, bitter anger the blonde had scrambled up from where he sat and stormed off into the jungle.

As he stormed through the trees Ralph seethed through his teeth, the rage bubbling up within him like a kettle boiling water; boiling, boiling, boiling- until it began to whistle furiously. Ralph lashed out in a fit of anger, growling and yelling as he swung his fist repeatedly into an unsuspecting tree, paying no regard to the pain in his knuckles until they began to bleed- to which he replaced the punching with slamming his body against the poor tree like it owed him money.

When the haze of anger cleared, only then did Ralph stop his assault on the wooden giant, opting to rather slump against it with a heavy sigh as a large bruise began to form on his shoulder, a medal to commemorate his fruitless attack.

Meanwhile, back at the shelters, Piggy had finally gotten Percival to settle back down into a light sleep after a particularly bad episode of stomach pains, with a soft yet tired sigh he gently lay the littleun back down in his makeshift bed, rubbing his side soothingly as he stirred slightly, “thank god, he’s finally settled…” the bespeckled boy murmured.

Jack stood just a foot behind him, watching on with a somewhat guilty gaze before deciding to hesitantly step closer, “erm… s-sorry, Piggy, I just couldn’t get him to calm down, you know?” He said awkwardly, feeling bad about just standing there like a gormless idiot.

Piggy ran a hand over his face with another deep sigh, trying his best not to get irritated with the redhead though his exhaustion and frustration were making it increasingly difficult to refrain from snapping at Jack- he hadn’t technically done anything wrong it was just the lack of sleep talking, “it’s fine, Jack, don’t apologise- it’s not your fault… jus- TRY everythin’ I told you to before comin’ to me, yeah?”

The other boy winced and nodded sheepishly at the barely disguised agitation in Piggy’s tone, the bespeckled boy shook his head slightly in disbelief as he started to walk out of the shelter, trying to keep his voice quiet for the sake of the lightly sleeping Percival, “right, let’s jus… go keep an eye on Ralph….”

The two returned to the aforementioned blonde’s shelter but Piggy immediately stopped in his tracks once he reached the entrance, panic bubbling up in his chest and his weary eyes widening at the sight of the once occupied bed now empty, the makeshift blanket of a discarded choir cloak now splayed across the shelter floor as though it had been tossed off.

“Oh you’ve gotta be shittin’ me….”

That was all the bespeckled boy could manage to utter, silently wracking his mind for an answer, an idea, just SOMETHING to do next.

Jack stepped in besides him and his eyes too widened- but it was moreso from fear rather than concern, he had experienced Ralph's fiery temper first-hand and the mere thought that this terror of a patient could be anywhere out there, just waiting around every corner to get his ass, was utterly terrifying and instilled a fear in him like no other.

Piggy swallowed thickly, running a clammy hand through his messy mop of hair as he looked back at Jack, “uhh…” he cleared his throat “c-could you keep an eye on Percy while I go look fer him? He-he prob'ly jus got restless waitin’....”

All Jack could do was nod dumbly and murmur an almost silent mumble of agreement before backing out of the shelter, glancing over his shoulder as though Ralph were about to pop up right behind him as he made a dash for Percival's shelter.

The bespeckled boy inspected the makeshift blanket and bedding for any blood or other signs of struggle- just to prepare himself for any possibility, but was relieved to find none. He soon left for the jungle, thinking about how he could've prevented this if he had just pushed Jack harder to keep watch over Ralph temporarily- but he knew it wasn't right. He knew how uneasy the redhead felt around Ralph. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Piggy ventured deeper into the trees and creepers, cupping his hands around his mouth as he called out for Ralph, “Ralph! Raaaaaalph! It isn't safe fer you to be wanderin’ like this! Ralph!” He could feel the pit of anxiety growing in his stomach but still he continued on.

Meanwhile back at the shelter, Jack just sat there watching over the motionless Percival, his eyes occasionally glancing down to observe the way his chest raised and fell with laboured breaths. He was beginning to grow extremely bored with the mundane task, “what's even the point of this, he's not going anywhere… it should be Piggy here, not me….” He thought out loud to himself but shuddered when he remembered that it was RALPH the bespeckled boy was looking for and quickly changed his attitude.

Time passed and it felt like Jack had been there for hours (though it had only been about ten minutes) and Percival hadn't moved a muscle since Piggy left, which got the redhead thinking; surely nothing would happen if he stepped out for a few minutes, right? He hadn't been able to slowly savour his food in weeks and to be honest it had been a while since he'd washed himself. So, despite knowing he was completely betraying Piggy's trust, he silently crept out of the shelter, making sure not to rouse the sleeping child.

However soon after he left two more entered the shelter, two littleuns to be exact, Johnny and Phil. The two began to gently wake the frail boy with a bit of shaking and hushed whispers of; “hey, wake up… we wanna play with you… Piggy said fresh air is good for when you're sick”

At first Percival grumbled about not wanting to get up but at the mention of Piggy's authority he began to weakly sit up, assuming it must be right if Piggy had said it.

The two boys were overjoyed at the new addition and helped him onto his feet, supporting him until he could find the strength to walk a little himself. The three walked and talked, eagerly discussing what games they could play when they found a good spot near the jungle.

Further into the jungle was Ralph, he had risen from his slumped state and had began to walk rather than pace, no longer restrained to his shelter. He walked and walked and walked like a mindless creature on autopilot until something snapped him out of it, that familiar laboured breathing.

Standing from the treeline he watched as Johnny, Phil and Percival walked together- but it was short lived as the other two exclaimed in joy and began to run off. Percival had tried to keep up with running after them but his legs soon buckled beneath him and he broke out into a coughing fit due to the extra strain. The two continued on without notice, assuming the third was right behind them.

Ralph just stared for a good minute or two, not even budging when blood began to trickle from his nose at which he licked some away once it had reached his lips. Eventually he began to trudge forward, his feet feeling like lead as he grew closer.

“Hey, Percy… what're you doing out here all by yourself, huh?.... Piggy, sure is gonna be worried…”

The blonde practically whispered as he inched closer, holding a hand out to the small boy who was recovering from the coughing fit and looked up at him, his voice weak yet guilty, “ ‘m sorry, Ralph… I-I just wanted to play… I don't want Piggy to be upset….”

Ralph's lips curled up into an almost uncontrollable grin as he stopped right in front of Percival, crouching down to his level as he tried to keep his voice as soft and comforting as possible, “Oh it's alright, you're just a littleun… I'm sure Piggy'll understand… no need to get upset now, is there?” He held his arms out to offer a hug to which Percival sheepishly nodded and leaned into.

He squeezed the small boy in an affectionate embrace, lightly rubbing his back as he cooed gently, the grin not leaving his face, “that's it… no need to get all worked up… you're just fine.”

Percival hugged him back weakly and murmured in agreement, “yeah, I s'pose not…” but just as he began to relax the squeezing got tighter, still affectionate but bordering on painful.

“You'll be just fine…. Just fine if you stay here… yeah, just stay with me and Piggy…” Ralph babbled quietly into the boys ear as his grip tightened.

Percival gave a grunt of pain, grimacing at the grip as he cried out softly, “ngh! R-Ralph, you're hurting me… s-stop!” He began to squirm slightly in an attempt to free himself.

Ralph’s arms just seemed to relentlessly constrict around the struggling boy, his nails digging into the tender flesh of his upper arms as he rambled on, “yeah, that sounds good, don't it?... just me, you and Piggy… me, you and Piggy… no Jack. No Jack to bother us… it'll be great. We'll be one big, happy family… yeah….”

“Ralph! Ralph, stop! You’re hurting me!” Percival shrieked as he began to weep as he usually did, the skin of his arms beginning to turn an irritated pink colour from where the blonde's nails had dug in.

Ralph's almost manic grin now began to contort with fury as Percival continued to struggle and cry. Why couldn't he see that he just wanted the best for them? Why didn't he want this? He should want to be a family… unless that bastard Jack Merridew had poisoned his young mind, snatched him away like he was doing to Piggy. He couldn't take it anymore. Why was Jack doing this? Why couldn't he have nice things? Why why whyWHY WHY WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY

In an instant Ralph pulled back slightly only to plunge back forward and sink his teeth into the frail boy's neck, jaws clamped around his windpipe. Percival let out a shrill cry that was more terror than pain as Ralph changed so suddenly- but it was soon cut off as the blonde tore the organ from the safety of his body, the sick ripping of flesh echoing throughout the clearing and covering up the sound of the windpipe whistling as the child desperately gasped for air.

After that Ralph just couldn't stop himself; he shoved Percival to the ground and out of the painful embrace just to pounce on him once more, hands clawing and teeth tearing into the tender flesh of his abdomen, paying no mind whatsoever to the weak pushes and kicks from the terrified boy beneath him.

Once he saw that beautiful rich red and almost pink colour of his organs Ralph immediately reached into the newly formed cavity, entrails grasped tightly in his greedy hands as he shoveled whatever he could into his mouth, devouring the child he had once cared for so deeply like a mindless glutton, only swayed by the sick desires of his stomach.

Percival struggled with the little strength he had left but it was no use, so as tears streamed down his face and his mouth gaped with silent sobs he turned his gaze towards the sky, not wanting to look down at the origin of this horrid, searing pain or the boy he had once looked up to that was causing it.

Ralph continued to rip and tear, ravenously desecrating the innocent boy below. As he consumed Ralph finally felt at peace like he did in the bathing pool, he didn't feel thirsty, he didn't feel hungry, he didn't feel restless anymore- it was like something in him had been sated and the blonde relished in the feeling. So he continued to eat until he physically couldn't stuff his body with anymore of the delectable offal before him.

Once he had his fill Ralph stood from his hunched position and loomed over Percival, looking down at the twitching boy blankly as one thought came to mind. What would Piggy think? He felt a pang of shame in his chest at that. He didn't feel bad about what he had done, far from it, if Percival had just stayed in line none of this would've happened. But the thought of Piggy being mad at him? Disappointed? Disgusted? Possibly never wanting to see him again? Ralph just couldn't handle it…

But what Piggy didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?

Sure, he'd be sad for a bit but if Ralph just walked away and washed up things would all go back to normal. They'd find another littleun and be one big, happy family.

Ralph just stared down at Percival for another moment or two, watching as the boy's mutilated body weakly writhed in a last desperate attempt for life, before turning and trudging deeper into the jungle, leaving the child to struggle.

Back over by the shelters Jack was walking back over with a rather large mango in his hands which he had partially peeled and bit into, but then he ran into Piggy who had grown worried leaving the redhead and Percival for so long.

“Jack?”, Piggy asked, a tad breathless from all the walking he had been doing, “What’re you doin’? Why aren’t you watchin’ Percival?”

Jack was quick to reassure Piggy, stepping closer to him, “Piggy, Percy’s just fine… he’s fast asleep in his bed and I’ve not heard a peep out of him.” He wrapped an arm around the bespeckled boy’s shoulder, a gesture that would’ve been comforting had Jack’s tone not turned almost smug, “So I took it upon myself to take a little break! Maybe you should try it sometime!”

Piggy let out an irritated sigh at the other’s returning cocky demeanour, shoving his arm away as he began to march over to Percival’s shelter to which Jack followed close on his heel, his voice now a little more desperate at Piggy’s cold behaviour, “Hey! I’m just saying you could use a break! Things aren’t gonna magically fall apart if you decide to take a nap….” He grumbled under his breath.

Piggy froze as he looked into the shelter, dread filling his entire being as he saw the bed empty, Percival nowhere to be seen. Jack stepped forward and leaned over Piggy’s shoulder to see what was going on- he was expecting this to be a sweet moment, his head on Piggy’s shoulder and the stress melting away from the bespeckled boy’s body as he saw Percival curled up and sound asleep in bed but his mango dropped from his hand as he lay eyes upon the scene.

After a moment or two passed Piggy couldn’t contain the anger that had been bubbling over the past few days and lashed out, pushing Jack away as his expression contorted into a scowl, “you IDIOT! I ask you to do one thing- ONE bloody thing! And you fuck up coz of your-your STUPID BREAK!” He panted from the outburst before aggressively rubbing his face with an exasperated groan.

“Right, just help me bloody find him! Make yourself useful for once!” Piggy spat before pushing past Jack and making his way deep into the jungle, a horrid mix of anger and anxiety swirling in his stomach.

Jack just stood there for a moment, utterly stunned and conflicted, he wanted to argue back and yell at Piggy for daring to speak to him like that but deep down he knew that he had messed up big time, so he simply trailed behind the bespeckled boy with his head down.

The two roamed through the trees, Piggy’s pace more hurried than Jack’s, as they desperately called out for Percival. However Jack soon began to pick up on a sort of… stench. “Eugh, what’s that smell…” the redhead muttered, his face scrunching up in disgust.

“What?” Piggy stopped in his shouting, turning to look at Jack in slight confusion.

“Yeah, it smells absolutely rank!” Jack gave a little ‘blegh’ as he sniffed the air once more but began to walk to the origin of the putrid scent with purpose, as if it were calling out to him.

But once they found what was causing it Piggy let out and ear-splitting, grief-stricken shriek, “OH GOD! NOOOOOO!”

There lay Percival, cooling entrails spilled over his lap and eyes rolled back, the small body no longer twitching.

Piggy bounded over to the mangled boy, tripping over his own feet in the process and dropping down to his knees next to what was left of of Percival, “NOOO! PERCY! DEAR GOD NOOOOOO!” He screamed through choking sobs, fumbling for a moment in a panic before deciding on desperately trying to perform CPR on the boy despite all his rational thoughts telling him Percival was long gone.

“OH GOD, PERCY, PLEASEEEE! COME ON BABY, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!” Piggy cried out in anguish, blood splattering on his hands as he pleaded with the lifeless body.

All Jack could do in that moment in time was stand there stunned, eyes wide in terror and shock. His mouth gaped as he watched Piggy eventually crumbled, stopping in his efforts as his shoulders shook with heaving sobs and he cradled Percival’s corpse close, not caring in the slightest about the blood staining his own body. He just wanted his boy.

After a minute of standing frozen in shock Jack began to inch forwards, his feet feeling like lead as he reached out a trembling hand for the bespeckled boy’s shoulder, “P-Piggy, I-“

He was interrupted by Piggy slapping his hand away and practically screaming at him, “FUCK! OFF! This is all your fault! If you’d just-just-“ the boy was cut off by his own sobs breaking through his words, unable to contain his grief.

Jack didn’t blame him one bit but it still all hurt; the insults, the sound of Piggy’s devastated cries, the sight of the boy cradled tightly in his arms- it was all too much. So all he could think to do was sink to his knees and hold Piggy as he sobbed, allowing himself to weep softly in this moment of weakness.

After Jack had managed to pry the bespeckled boy away from Percival and cleaned him up in the little stream in the jungle they walked back to the shelters, the redhead’s arm still around his shoulders as he weakly sobbed- however when they got there the twins were outside their shelter, shivering slightly as they paced and mumbled to one another,

“H-hey! Do you guys think we c-could-“

“-Go on-on a walk or something!?”

The twins were obviously feeling a bit cooped up in their shelter and wanted to get out with Piggy’s permission, but Jack shook his head softly with a grimace as if to say ‘now’s not a good time’ which only seemed to further frustrate the two who grumbled and paced furiously.