AN: Uncharted needs more fanfiction! I've been in love with this game since the beginning of the year, so my muse as of late has mainly been focused on this fandom (but don't worry, whoever is still reading my RE stuff... I'm continuing it soon!). The prompt for this one-shot came from a friend. It takes place in-game, shortly after Nate and Elena stumble upon the poor soul who got owned by the spiked trap.
Please, if you are able to take a moment to leave me a review, I will be incredibly grateful. It's the only way an author knows if they're doing something right (or wrong). And without further ado, please enjoy! :)
The path towards the monastery was treacherous and after a particularly arduous day, exhaustion was starting to take its toll on Nathan Drake's body. He felt a growing ache in every conceivable muscle, comparable to the feeling of running a marathon without properly stretching… and it didn't help that the journey was largely uphill.
Elena, on the other hand, was surprisingly energetic, leading the way through the jungle with increased vigor while she kept a good distance between them. Every so often, she'd turn around and egg Nate on with an enthusiasm that he admired, but simply couldn't match at the current moment in time. He would never admit it, but he was actually beginning to have a bit of difficulty keeping up with her steady strides and unwavering energy.
"Hey, Elena," he said breathlessly, nearly losing sight of her through the dense foliage as he lagged behind. "Make sure you stay close, I don't want you wandering off where I can't see you."
Even in the fading light of evening, he saw her blue eyes sparkle with mischief as she turned to face him for a moment before picking up the pace again.
"What's the matter, can't keep up?"
"Of course," he said, with a hint of sarcasm. "That's exactly what it is."
"I can tell you're out of breath, Nate… but we have to keep moving."
"Just stay close, all right?" Nate repeated. "You'd think those home-made traps back there would be motivation enough to keep you from wandering ahead. I mean, didn't that unnerve you in the slightest?"
Nate's mind flashed a gruesome image of the unfortunate man who had fallen pray to a spiked trap, complete with shrapnel from their crashed plane. He almost shuddered at the thought. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight, and he certainly didn't want Elena or himself to meet the same demise.
"I've got to admit, it was pretty disturbing, but that's all the more reason to get the hell out of here before nightfall. And now that I think of it, I should be the one worried about keeping you from wandering off…" said Elena, brushing a particularly large branch out of her path as it snapped backwards, coming dangerously close to hitting Nate in the face. "Or do you need another reminder of how you and your buddy ditched me?"
"I think I already have quite a nice little reminder of that, thank you very much," said Nate. "And it was painful enough the first time."
Not only was Elena quite talented at verbal sparring, as he was coming to realize, but she was pretty good at the physical kind, too. The hollow of his left cheek was testament to that fact, and although he hadn't actually seen it for himself, he had the feeling that she had given him quite the shiner.
"Fine, I'll spare you this time," she joked, before her voice took on a more serious tone. "But I don't like being patronized, okay?"
Nate scoffed at that.
"Wha-how was I patronizing you?!"
"You keep telling me to stay close, like I'm some little puppy or something that's just going to stray into the wilderness and never come back. Don't you think that's a little bit demeaning?"
Nathan released a heavy sigh. "Okay, I don't know where you got the impression of me thinking of you as a 'puppy'… But is it any crime that I want you to stay in my line of sight, so if Roman's men or some… thing comes and swipes you out of nowhere I can be able to intervene?"
"Listen, Drake..."
It was Elena's turn to sigh, and Nate knew that he was in for it the moment she addressed him by his last name. Only enemies, shady business partners, and people who were particularly pissed off called him by his surname, and apparently Elena had hung around him long enough to learn that fact. Touché.
"That's very noble and all, but I'm perfectly capable of looking out for myself. We've split apart a few times, and if you haven't already noticed, I did just fine on my own. I mean, I didn't get locked in jail or anything."
"Oh, ouch." Nate placed a palm to his chest in feigned offense as he staggered backwards a bit as if wounded. "Yeah, you really hurt my manly pride with that one! Listen, missy... I may have gotten locked in prison, but I was in the process of preventing your assassination while doing so. If I hadn't been there, you'd be blown to smithereens right now. And are you forgetting so soon about nearly falling to your death at the bridge? What would you have done if I hadn't been there, huh?"
Nate supposed that their current argument was the result of Elena's pent-up resentment after having to choose between her beloved camcorder and her life. During Elena's brush with death back at the bridge, Nate had honestly thought for a moment that she was going to choose the camera.
She turned for a moment to glare at him. "I've been in worse scrapes!"
"Well, I'd love to hear about them!"
"I don't think anything that I say could impress you, so I won't waste my breath," she snapped. "Maybe next time you'll actually research your business associates before jumping into a wild goose chase with them."
"Oooh, low blow," mumbled Nate.
As Elena continued to berate him, once again picking up a swift pace, Nate's eyes caught the glint of something a couple of inches from Elena's feet.
"Hey Elena, hold up--"
"I mean, have you ever watched an episode of Discovered? I've been halfway around the world with nothing more than the clothes on my back and my camera--"
Nate opened his mouth to utter another warning, raising his hand to halt her, but it was too late. In the split-second that he had delayed, he watched helplessly as Elena's ankle snagged the well-hidden trip-wire, setting off an unstoppable sequence of events.
"Elena, watch out!"
Confusion was apparent in her features as she spun to face him, and he heard the darts more than he actually saw them. With hardly any time to react, Nate smashed into Elena, crushing her to the ground as the projectiles narrowly missed pelting her petite frame. He released a grunt of pain as his body landed on top of hers, and the whoosh of another volley sounded from overheard. It was over in a matter of seconds, with the evening air filled with the sounds of exotic bugs singing their sweet nocturnal lullabies, accompanied by Elena and Nate's irregular breathing and the furious pounding of their hearts.
A few beats passed before Nate caught his breath and righted himself, balancing his weight on his palms as he looked down into Elena's face. He paid no mind to the fact that he was straddled over her rather awkwardly.
"You okay?"
"Yeah… yeah… I think so…"
Elena's hands were lightly pressed against his pectoral muscles, seemingly in a state of mild shock. It was then that Nate noticed how her hair had been knocked loose from the perpetually messy ponytail atop her head, allowing her blonde highlights to spill around her face like a golden silhouette.
"Thanks," she said breathlessly. "I owe you one."
"Yeah, well… after today, I think you owe me a lot more than one."
He smiled down at her, and was rewarded with a slight laugh that made him feel strangely giddy.
"Same to you, mister. And if I remember correctly, you still owe me a camera, too." She raised an eyebrow at him as Nate chuckled.
"We'll see about that once we get off this island…"
Despite his inner voice telling him to move, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Elena's face, momentarily entranced by the intoxicating smell of her unbound hair. The fact that she smelled so good after all they had been through was truly beyond him. He was certain that he couldn't say the same for himself... and he suddenly felt compelled to reach out and touch her in some way. Unable to listen to his better judgment, he leaned in tentatively... closer... closer...
"Umm, Nate?"
... and he immediately pulled away, as if he were physically slapped.
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you should get off of me, first. You're kind of squashing me."
"Oh. Right."
Nate got to his feet as he offered Elena his outstretched hand, and she gratefully took it as he aided her back into a standing position.
"So, uh... where the hell did those come from?" Elena asked, brushing herself off as she moved nearer to the direction the darts had flown. "As if it isn't bad enough that people everywhere are trying to kill us, but now we've got more booby traps to worry about?! This is beginning to feel like something out of Indiana Jones."
Nate polished himself off, too, more to be ridden of the awkwardness than anything else.
"Just our luck, right? I think they came from that direction." Nate squinted through the foliage as his vision clouded slightly. Around them, what remained of the daylight was fading further into darkness. "It must've been some sort of contraption connected to the trip-wire you triggered. I'm surprised they still work after centuries of lying dormant."
"Yeah, unless somebody re-rigged them, like the trap we saw earlier…"
"...which is always possible."
"Whatever it was, we should probably get a move on before it gets completely dark. If we're lucky, maybe we can still make it to the monastery before nightfall."
"Yeah..."
Nathan continued to stare into the jungle, and it wasn't until Elena placed a concerned hand upon his shoulder that he jolted out of his daze.
"Uh... Nate? Did you hear a word I just said?"
"What? Yeah. I just..."
He trailed off, searching for the correct words. How could he begin to explain to her what his emotions were suddenly telling him to convey? He felt odd, almost stricken... and he was amazed by what a bit of close proximity could do to a man.
Elena crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
"You just what?"
"I just... ah, nevermind. Let's keep moving."
Nate was stepping towards the beaten path again when his knees buckled beneath him. He nearly stumbled right into Elena, but with a display of quick reflexes, she caught him beneath one arm and hoisted him upright.
"Hey! Easy there, cowboy. Are you all right?"
"I think I hit the ground a little harder than I thought," he laughed, as he lifted a hand to his forehead. "I'm feelin' a little dizzy."
He questioned if that was true, since Elena was standing rather close to him again. Nate was feeling warm all of a sudden, hot and bothered, he presumed... and he cursed the unfortunate timing of all of this.
"You're not looking so good, Nate..." she said. With a hand upon his chest to steady him, Nate wondered if Elena could feel just how rapidly his heart was beating. "Maybe we should rest for a while. I mean, we've been on the move non-stop for hours. You're probably overexerting yourself."
Elena's eyes brushed over him as he leaned against her, and she released a gasp as her gaze traveled downwards. As Nate looked down at his own legs, his heart rate quickened even further when he saw that a dart was protruding from the fleshy part of his thigh.
"Oh, crap," he moaned. "That's not good."
"Oh my God! Nate, I think you should sit down."
Before he could lower himself to the ground again, his world world was spinning out of control as a blackness obscured his vision completely. He tried to fight the inevitable darkness, but it was rapidly consuming him, begging him to slip into its awaiting arms. Unable to control his limbs for a moment longer, Nate slumped into Elena, apologizing to her in his mind as words suddenly seemed to fail him on the brink of unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was his name being yelled frantically over and over again…his last thoughts were of blue eyes and blonde hair…
And then, nothing.
Nate's eyes fluttered open ever so slowly as he blinked several times, seeing nothing but stars twinkling before his sight. It wouldn't have been surprising, except for the fact that they were talking to him and calling him by name.
"Come on, Nate… God damn it, Nate! Wake up! Please, Nate… come on…"
Their voices were far-away echoes, but he heard them, nonetheless, and he mentally told them to leave him the hell alone so he could get back to his peaceful oblivion. Body aching terribly, he wanted nothing more than to sleep for an eternity, to give up right then and there…
...And then an unexpected slap to his face jolted him back into reality. Nate squinted through the haze, finally beginning to regain consiousness... and a familiar face blurred into focus above him.
"Elena…?"
"Nate! Oh, thank God you're awake!"
"Is it just me, or are you always hitting me?" Nate groaned while Elena grinned, looking more than a little pleased.
"It worked, didn't it?"
He made an attempt at sitting upright, but Elena's palm met the center of his chest, easing him gently back to the jungle floor.
"Hey, just rest for a minute, okay?"
Settling upon his elbows until his vision cleared, Nate was suddenly aware of something cool and damp against his forehead. Even in the relative darkness, he could see that Elena had removed her maroon-colored tank top, and was now using it as a makeshift cold-compress.
"What happened?" he asked groggily. "Did I hit my head?"
Elena looked deeply concerned as her free hand came to rest upon his shoulder. "Do you remember anything?"
Nate thought for a moment, concentrating with all his might despite his massive headache and his numbed limbs. Noting that Elena's hair was back into its usual ponytail, he said: "I remember your hair."
"My hair?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you look really cute with your hair down… should wear it like that more often."
He managed a devilish grin, earning a roll of the eyes from Elena.
"You know, I should smack you again, but I don't think it would do you any good at this point. Seriously, Nate this is not the time for hairstyle advice. Do you remember what happened?"
Nathan concentrated a bit more, and although his mind was foggy, he began to remember the recent events of the evening. Their trek through the jungle, the sudden argument that had broken out between them, Elena triggering the trip-wire, their unceremonious fall to the jungle floor, and…
The dart!
At the memory of being darted, Nate bolted upright, and his eyes immediately came to rest upon his legs where the dart should have been. Thankfully, it was no longer there.
"Don't worry," said Elena. " I got it out shortly after you lost consciousness. It was in your leg pretty deep, though. The tip of it was huge. Here, let me show you."
Before he could utter a polite "I'd rather not," Elena held the offensive dart between her index finger and thumb, displaying it to Nathan. He felt a bit nauseated looking at it.
"Ouch," Nate winced involuntarily, noting the dull ache emanating throughout his thigh. He hadn't felt the dart upon penetration, most likely because of the adrenaline racing through his system. He couldn't decide whether or not it was more disturbing that it had actually been imbedded in his leg, or the fact that Elena had kept it for display.
"I can only assume that it was poisoned, and given that information, you are one lucky son-of-a-bitch," said Elena. She settled onto her heels next to him as she continued to dab his forehead with her damp shirt. "I've heard all about the poisons of South America, used by primitive hunters and tribes. You know, poison dart frogs and all."
Nate nodded grimly. "Yeah, but lucky for me, this was probably a plant-derivative. If it were extracted from a poison dart frog, I'd be dead." He paused for a moment to groan again as his headache continued to pound furiously. "Still, whatever it was, it packed quite a punch. I mean, I weigh a good 160 and it had me down for the count in a matter of minutes. Imagine what it could have done to you... what do you weigh, like 100 pounds?"
Elena laughed at that.
"More like a healthy 120, but thanks."
"Still a lot smaller than me," he said.
"True."
"So..." Nate sighed. "How long was I out for?"
Elena shook her head, looking utterly solemn as she paused. "I don't know. An hour, maybe more? I kind of lost track of time. I kept checking your vitals, and you were still breathing and your heart rate was steady, so I just hoped for the best. You seemed to be running a bit of a fever, too, so I got some water from that stream we passed earlier."
"Thanks for that."
"Yeah, don't mention it. I was worried that Roman's men would find us, but I think they've learned to stay clear of their own traps."
"And with good reason," said Nate, as his face scrunched up into a wince.
A few moments of silence passed in which Elena continued to gingerly dab at Nate's forehead. He allowed himself to close his eyes, enjoying the coolness that was a stark contrast to the warmth of sweat that still mingled upon his brow. And then, a question came to mind that he couldn't resist asking.
"Hey, Elena?"
"Yeah?"
"Not to be a downer, since I'm very thankful for being alive and all... but... what would you have done if I hadn't woken up?"
Not missing a beat, she said: "I'd have left you, of course."
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Revenge for me being overprotective earlier?"
"Something like that."
At last, Elena pulled the makeshift compress from Nate's head, and she began wringing out her wet tank top. Her eyes focused somewhere in the distance before she allowed her gaze to fall upon his face once again.
"All kidding aside, Nate... I'm not sure what I would have done. I feel terrible that this happened to you. I mean, you could have died. If I had just listened…"
Her voice wavered with emotion, and Nate placed a hand upon her arm to halt the frantic squeezing of her shirt.
"Hey, you just saved my ass. There's absolutely nothing to be sorry about."
She shook her head, disbelieving.
"How can you say that?"
"Because it's true."
"Fair enough. But I can't take all the credit. You kind of saved my ass, too. Thanks for biting the bullet for me."
"My pleasure. So... I guess we're even now, huh?"
"Yeah," she said. "For now."
"So, no more keeping count?"
"We'll see."
They both grinned at each other, and Elena punched Nate's arm lightly.
"So, now that you've had a little nap, do you think you're fit to carry on?"
"Yeah," Nate chuckled. "I'm feeling a lot better. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Okay, help me out..."
Elena stood first, grasping Nate beneath one arm as she helped him get upright again. Once on his feet, Nate swaggered a bit and lifted a palm to his forehead.
"Aaagh, okay, maybe 'a lot better' was an exaggeration..."
"I really wish I had some aspirin to give you," said Elena, still grasping his arm.
"Screw the aspirin, I could use a stiff drink right about now."
"What you need is a doctor, but we're going to have to make do. Come on, nice and easy now..."
Elena slipped a supportive arm around his waist, and Nate's eyebrows rose at the gesture. She looked utterly determined to support him, despite the fact that she stood a full head shorter than him and weighed considerably less.
"I can walk on my own, you know," he said.
Elena sighed heavily, rolling her eyes upwards towards the heavens.
"For God's sake, Nate... are we really going to start this again? Besides, you wanted me to stay close. Isn't that how all of this started?"
She certainly had a way of throwing his words back at him. Nate smiled a little at that, allowing an arm to drape around her shoulders.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "But this isn't quite what I had in mind."
"You gonna complain?"
"Hey, I said it's not what I had in mind, but I didn't say that I couldn't get used to it."
Elena nudged her head against his shoulder, giving his waist a little squeeze.
"Good."
She graced him with a genuine smile and Nate was more than happy to return the favor. This time, he was fairly certain that his sudden giddiness had nothing to do with the poison coursing through his system. Slowly but surely, Nate and Elena resumed their trek through the jungle, unaware of the dangers that they may face... but this time, nobody was keeping count.