An Ally A Day Keeps The Bad Guys Away
From this g/t prompt list ^^
Using: “I just want to help you.” & “Don’t touch me!”
It had been an hour since Sammy had been taken out of the jar for Bear’s own purposes- and even though she was back, Pond could clearly see that she was in terrible shape. He had decided to keep an eye on any injuries once either Tanner or Sammy got hurt, by taking them to his desk for a while. He just wanted to be there for Tanner and Sammy.
Now, Tanner was the sweetest kid he’d ever met, with a heart of pure gold and the kind of kid you never want to disappoint. Sammy was snarky and hated Pond, but he didn’t blame her… And besides, he could see how much she really cared. He knew that she was only pretending to be tough, which makes her even stronger.
Pond wanted to check her over for injuries, though he knew that she hated to be touched. Besides, he hadn’t noticed anything off aside from her usual limp and previous injuries. That was, until just now.
Sammy was crying. He had never ever seen her cry before, and even though she was quieting herself and covering her face, he could tell something was up… Pond stood, walking over to the jar she was kept in, and kneeling down beside it. He watched for a few moments before slowly unscrewing the lid, wincing at her reaction.
She had immediately shut herself up, holding back everything as she tensed. Crying was technically against the rules, but Pond despised Bear and those silly rules; these were innocent children, not experiments. They deserved much better.
Pond delicately reached in to pick her up, but hesitated once he saw Sammy push herself against the bottom of the jar to be as far from his fingers as possible. “I just want to help you.” He assured, but it may have come across a bit too calm.
The young teenager seemed to growl in response, putting on her tough front. Whilst it amused Bear so he would get sidetracked with messing with Sammy (rather than hurting her in more severe ways), for Pond he just felt his heart clench with pity. “Don’t touch me!” She snapped.
Pond sighed, taking his hand back out of the jar, but not putting the lid on. He scanned her over, before offering the hint of a concerned smile. “I won’t touch you then… But might I ask why you were crying?”
The man felt guilty all over again when he saw her freeze up. She thought he would punish her, and Pond felt a need to correct that thought.
“It’s alright if you cry in front of me… Just be careful around Jared. I won’t tell anyone, or hurt you for showing that you’re upset…” He assured gently. “In fact, I’d be more worried if you weren’t upset. I’m upset about everything they’re doing to all of you…”
Sammy was clearly skeptical, not that he’d expected her to trust him; he had technically caused her and her family to get captured in the first place. She didn’t answer for a while, instead deciding that her bare feet were much more interesting at the moment. Pond sighed, standing back up to get back to work, only to hear a much softer and hesitant voice speak up.
“Do… Do you know what he does to me…?”
Pond blinked. It was Sammy speaking! She wasn’t being snappy or snarky at all; which was a huge step forward in his book.
As much as he wanted to turn around immediately to properly speak to her, but knew that might scare her into going quiet again. Instead, he slowly turned back around, but quickly enough that it wasn’t silent for a few months. Over the few months of Sammy living here, he’d noticed how uncomfortable she was with silence- particularly because it left her to her thoughts.
“I know that he’s a sadistic bastard.” Pond announced, hoping to at least lighten her mood slightly. Sammy seemed to even smirk slightly in agreement, which made Pond feel a lot better. Hopefully she wasn’t too uncomfortable around him…
“Yeah you’ve uh… Basically got the whole story…” She looked down, relaxing a little. “Can you please… fix me…?”
Pond felt the concern bloom inside his chest, and he knelt down beside the table her jar was kept on again. “It’s not you that needs fixing… But I can try to treat any injuries, or give you something to help with pain.” He responds confidently.
“Some painkillers would be nice…” There was the ghost of a smile playing on her lips, but it disappeared yet again. “I don’t like being touched or held… Please can I just treat my own wounds?”
Pond’s expression softened considerably, though he knew he couldn’t let her do that. “Doll…” He began. “I can’t let you do it all by yourself, I’m sorry. But as soon as I’ve finished with any stitching then you can apply cream or bandages.” He felt guilty saying that she couldn’t, but she was fifteen. He couldn’t just allow her to treat herself fully! That would be irresponsible.
Okay, maybe he was a bit protective over the children, but he had every right. He felt responsible for all their pain and suffering. One day he would get them out of here for sure…
Sammy deflated, but barely let it show as she looked to the side. “After you’re done, can I please see Tanner?” She asked. Pond paused. Wait… Does she think that I’m trying to keep her away from her brother..?
“Of course..!” Okay, maybe a bit loud. “I only keep you guys here with me for a little because I want to make sure you have time to calm down without being in that environment… Do you just want to go straight back to Tanner then, instead of coming here every time..?”
Sammy shook her head slowly. “N-no… Can Tanner just come in here too?” Pond blinked. Huh. Maybe Sammy was starting to trust him… The man offered a warm smile.
“Whatever you want- so long as he agrees, okay?” He smiled again, before standing up.
Perhaps getting Sammy out of the jar now would be good- he doubted she enjoyed it in their, and he’d need to fix her up anyway. “Is it alright if I pick you up..? Or- uh… I’m sure you can climb out of the jar yourself, but I don’t want you to aggravate any wounds. So…may I?”
There was another small nod in response. Pond offered another smile, before finally reaching in and delicately pinching her waist, pulling her out of the glass confinement. He knew to be gentle, and he knew that he needed to be quick but not too fast. The man placed her down on the desk.
“I’m going to just check you over, but I’ll be very gentle. If it hurts, or you feel uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll stop.” Yet again, Sammy nodded in response, a little surprised by how little she was handled. It was…nice, not being in a fist or manipulated like a doll. She didn’t feel as vulnerable.
Maybe it was okay to trust a human, just this once.