Pigment (Millard Nullings X Reader)

Operation: Idiot

We ended up assembling a team to go with Jacob and Enoch. Emma refused to stay here, and I was obviously coming with. I told them that you can't just take one headstrong idiot without the other, and Enoch asked for me to come as his personal bodyguard.

Bronwyn surprisingly came as well, saying she could be the muscle we needed. No one disagreed, since we needed as much help as we could at the moment. The only person we needed help trying to convince was Millard, who had threatened to rat us out.

"If we all go," Emma said. "The Bird won't be able to banish Jacob. She'll have to banish all five of us."

"But I don't want to be banished!" Bronwyn cried out. Great, good job, Emma!

"She'll never do it, Wyn. That's the point. And if we can make it back before lights-out, she may not ever realize we were gone."

Everyone left Emma's room, but I asked Millard to meet me outside of the hall. They were all going to dinner, and I promised to catch up with them sooner or later.

"Mill, I want to help Jacob." I told him. "I want to feel needed and appreciated, and make something good happen for once in my life. Look, I'm scared, Millard, and I can tell that you are too, but don't you feel like we need to take action? Even if the hollows aren't out there, the overlooming threat of Miss Peregrine having us tied around her fingers is." I sighed and crossed my arms. "If you don't want to come, you don't have to. I'd just appreciate it if you didn't say anything, okay?"

I quickly went down to dinner, and got a seat with Emma. No one talked through the whole thing; there was no need. What would we have even talked about? I mean, we had absolutely marvelous weather today! (Not that anyone was able to enjoy it, since we were currently in a hard lock down.) Even Miss Peregrine was silent the whole time, and didn't even bother to give us one of her uplifting speeches to cheer everyone up.

When we were all excused, I went to my room, promising to meet everyone else on the roof. It was the original plan, after all. But we all had to find our own ways up there, since Miss Peregrine would have been suspicious if we all suddenly left as a group to the attic.

I pulled my window up, and slipped out onto the smaller portion of the roof. I inhaled the good old Cairnholm air, then looked up to the top of the roof. I was going to have to jump up and grab the edge of a shingle or something, so I could just wiggle my way up.

"Need help?" I heard Millard say.

I didn't even know he was there, but I heard him grunt as he crawled out of his window to see me.

"You finally decided to come?" I asked cockily.

"No, although I thought that it would be better if I stayed here to make sure The Bird doesn't catch onto your plans," Millard explained. "I just don't want you to get in trouble for trying to help someone out."

I smiled at him. "You're amazing, you do know that, right?"

"So I'm told. And I'm assuming you'll need a boost up?"

I nodded, grabbed his shoulder, then shakily put my foot in his hands. On the count of three, he popped me up to the top of the roof while I silently cheered that I hadn't died yet. I made sure to wave at him, and left to go join my group.

"'Bout damn time you showed up," Enoch muttered. "We were goin' to leave you."

I didn't have time to say anything back, because Olive's frail little body suddenly floated up to meet us. She had a rope tied to her waist, where Fiona could be found near the ground, with a tight grip on her. Olive giggled at Jacob's expression as she bobbed in the air, and said, "Who's keen for a game of parachute?"