Peter Parker & Tom Holland Imagines

no longer lost pt.3

about a year and half later

The night is unusually quiet. Mostly because today we parted ways with the rest of the crew, leaving Percy, Jack, and I to continue on alone. I have to remind myself that it's safer this way--even if it is a little nerve wracking. Because now, we're passing the hazy line of 'safety,' which is entirely relative in the Amazon. The tribes that live this deeply into the jungle are more hostile, cautious, and wary of outsiders.

I just hope that we'll be lucky enough to encounter my tribe or one I knew. Even after all the time that has passed, I know they would remember me. There's no way we could have forgotten each other with the familial bond that developed over so many years.

Especially now that the 'Elliot' facade is less necessary, it will be easier for them to recognize me and to feel comfortable. Still, Jack watches me from across the fire, and I can practically hear the unspoken question ringing in my head. Are you sure?

Percy, Jack's father, lets out a small chuckle, which causes both Jack and I to look towards him curiously. "You two are quite lucky the crew was so oblivious."

Jack's eyes widen a fraction in shock, but I'm not remotely surprised. Percy Fawcett is a clever man--a quality he passed on to his son. It was only a matter of time before he solved the puzzle; and I could feel his suspicions growing already. What does surprise me, is the lack of anger and attempts to send me back.

"How did you know?" I question, immensely glad to use my natural voice again.

Percy meets my eyes with a soft grin. "I'll admit, it took me a while, but when Jack got sick, I realized something was different."

A shiver passes through me at the memory. Jack contracted a fever a few weeks back. He was pale, trembling, and barely holding on. It was the most terrifying experience of my whole life, to think that I might lose him to the same illness that claimed my parents and most of their party.

My heart was breaking, and I admit to being quite reckless and forgetful about my secret while mending Jack's health. Whenever the crew was asleep, I stayed awake with him and did everything I could to comfort him. Everyone seemed worry about me too; I wouldn't sleep or eat, too afraid that if I so much as glanced away from him, he would be lost forever.

"I realized the way you worried for him was much too familiar and much too tender." Percy lets out a small sigh and glances to his son. "After that, I started to have my suspicions. It wasn't hard to figure out. Especially because you two instinctively look to each other in dangerous situation."

A smile tugs at the corner of my lips at the information. "Well, I suppose this makes the rest of the journey easier." I comment to break the thickening silence and move to sit next to Jack. He and Percy anxiously wait for me to continue and watch patiently as I restore my wedding band to its rightful place. "It will be easier for me to interact with the tribes as myself instead of a stranger. If we're lucky, we may just cross paths with someone who knew me or another member of the original party."

My fingers interlace with Jack's for the first time in months, and both of us visibly relax from the comfort of the contact. I tap my fingers against his hand as I nervously meet Percy's eye and continue. "And as unlikely as it may seem, please, know that we didn't want to lie to you, Mr. Fawcett. It's just--" The words slip away from me before I can finish.

Luckily, Jack finds some of his own. "We needed her with us, Father, but I knew you and the rest of the men would have apprehensions about her presence." He sighs and traces his thumb across my knuckles. "But without her, we wouldn't have made it this far--I wouldn't have made it this far."