Fuera de la manada
2- Outside the Pack
The cave room smelled of dampness, earth... and sweet bread. Everyone was sitting or lying down as best they could, sharing the moment while the echo of their planes mingled with the rustling of wrappers and muffled laughter.
"When Kon comes back," Darius said, wiping the crumbs from his mouth, "he's going to want the rest of the control chips."
Brooklyn frowned. "We must destroy them."
"Yes!" Yaz added firmly, just before taking a decisive bite of the bread. "And get rid of the plans and files so he can't do anything else."
"And where do you think those files are?" Sammy asked, with his typical curious look, the one that always looked for the practical side of everything.
"I imagine on Kash's computer," Darius replied. "Okay, Brooklyn and I will go to the office to erase them. Yaz, Sammy, and Ben, go to the workshop to destroy the chips."
Ben raised a finger dramatically, his mouth full. "Actually... I'm past my pure destruction stage."
"Weren't you the explosion expert?" Brooklyn asked, raising an amused eyebrow.
Ben shrugged. "Don't pigeonhole me. A man can evolve."
Yaz stood up, stretching her arms in a nimble gesture before reaching for Sammy. "How about a little friendly competition?"
Sammy took her hand with a wide smile, allowing Yaz to help her up. That contact, however brief, made something inside Yaz clench and light up at the same time. It was nothing. It was everything.
"Like a race?" Darius said, looking at Brooklyn and Ben. They both nodded excitedly.
"I like the sound of that," Sammy said, already catching the buzz. "I want to blow up the chips and the workshop!"
Yaz put a hand on her shoulder, smiling half-heartedly and raising an eyebrow. "Or rather, we don't start a chemical fire inside the biome, okay?"
Sammy laughed, that laugh Yaz loved to hear. "Hahaha, good point. I don't know what I'd do without you. Shall we have a bonfire on the cliffs?"
"Hahaha, we'll see them there," Brooklyn said, "or rather, we'll beat them there."
"Losers roast the marshmallows," Ben added, as if that were the most important part of the mission.
"Excellent," Darius concluded with a smile. He got into position. "Ready?"
They all took their places, shoulder to shoulder. Yaz, beside Sammy, couldn't help but glance at her. There was something about these moments that hurt and healed at the same time. They were close, they were a team, they laughed together... but it wasn't enough.
Yaz took a deep breath, let the wind move her hair, and focused on the ground in front of her.
For now, she would run to her side. That was all she could do.
For now.
—-----
The campfire crackled softly, throwing small sparks into the starry sky. The sound of the sea crashing against the cliffs accompanied the night with its constant swaying. Yaz and Sammy were there, the first to arrive, sitting near the fire that was already beginning to consume the first pieces of wood. Beside them, the box with the control chips.
"I'm glad we beat them," Sammy said, taking out the chips one by one. "Of course, I couldn't have done it without the best teammate in the world." Her voice was warm, genuine. Sammy wasn't saying it out of politeness or playfulness: she truly meant it. And that was what made Yaz look at her… and unable to look away. The way Sammy smiled, the way her eyes sparkled in the firelight. For a second, Yaz felt seen. Truly seen.
They held each other's gaze. A heartbeat. Two.
Yaz forced herself to break the moment, looking down just in time to reach into the box and grab the next chips. "I think… maybe it was just a super-easy race."
Sammy didn't respond immediately. Instead, he leaned toward her and gently took her arm. Yaz felt the touch like electricity: warm, direct, impossible to ignore.
"Stop it," Sammy whispered, a half-smile of pride as she looked into her eyes. "You know you're a winner."
Yaz couldn't help but smile. It was small, one of those smiles you can barely see… but it was real. She looked up to meet Sammy's eyes again, and then... time stopped.
Everything disappeared. The campfire, the wind, the crackle of the burning chips. It was just the two of them, and the reflection of the fire dancing in Sammy's eyes.
Yaz was lost.
She could see every detail: the curve of his smile, a small smear of soot on his cheek, the way his breath trembled slightly when they were so close. And in that second that lasted an eternity, she wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to scream it, whisper it, cry it out. But she didn't.
She didn't.
Because just then the others arrived. The voices of Darius, Brooklyn, and Ben broke the bubble, bringing With them, laughter and footsteps.
Yaz subtly moved away, as if nothing had happened.
As if she hadn't fallen a little deeper in love... right there, in the fire of that gaze.
:3