Hey, guys. Kkattapiya speaking!

So, that's my first fic. I finished Tomb Raider last week and Lara Croft and her new friend Sam are so super duper adorable - like friends or something else. And after beating the game I read that article where new TR's writter Rhianna Pratchett saiys she "would love to make Lara gay". ...WHO I AM TO DISAGREE LOLOL

Anyway, hope you like this short afterward. Please, review and tell me any wrong word or non-sense I wrote, ok? Enjoy :)


Chapter 01: That's what friends are for.

"I'm not going home", she said with such conviction it made Margane Kamotsu ship's captain think twice before pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Lady Croft?", she faced him at last closing the book she was reading, "Your turn, miss.".

Damn, she thought. The others need more assistence than me. They had been through too much because of my curiosity….

"But you need care nonetheless" sounded a tender voice behind the two of adults. Lara knew that voice. She would recognize it no matter how many people were talking at the same time.

"Are you ok, Sam?"

" 'course I am. I'm a tough cookie, ya know", the American girl showed her imaginary bulky biceps to emphasize what she just said, making Lara Croft briefly smile – thing she has rarely done since they aboarded. But Sam understands her friend. Gods know what brutal things Lara must have seen… and done.

The captain cleared his throat to make himself present again and the younger brunette proceeded towards the doctor's cabin. She knew bad things were coming. And so did Sam. Reaching the doc's door, the latter stoped and placed a hand over her friend's shoulder.

"I'll be right here."

"Mhm. Thank you, Sam.".

Opening the door a gray-haired man with a trimmed beard and tan skin greeted Lara. He asked her to lie down on the improvised hammock. He carefully helped her take off the ragged clothes that were covering her torso and then he saw - he saw all those recovering holes, scratches. What did happen to her?

It didn't take long for the brunette to get out of the cabin and there was Sam who heard the doc says "do it quickly" before the door closes again. Lara heavly sighed.

"So?"

"Just have to get rid of this dirt. My wounds are healing already."

"That's great" Sam said. And she really meant it. Thanks to Lara she was safe and sound from Himiko, Mathias and could be going home. However, it was impossible not to see the pain in the archeologist's eyes. "Need some help?" she added. Her friend hesitated but finally noded. Sam bet the adrenaline was wearing off and Lara began to feel the real pain of her wounds. She smiled. It wasn't always that Lara Stubborn Croft shows her weaknesses and asks for help.


They reached the girls' room. It consisted in a buk, a desk – which Lara's already managed to fulfill with all the documents and relics she's gathered back in Yamatai – and a little wardrobe. Beside the bunk there's a door leading to a small room with a tub that badly fits a single person and a toilet. Luxury wasn't the lead inside Margane ship.

After the brief check-up, Lara told Sam she needed some help to take a bath. Sam didn't even dare to ask why – she would do anything and everything for her bestfriend and saviour.

I will never be able to pay you back…

"Excuse me?"

"Ah!" she then realized her thoughts came out loud, "Never mind. So, uhm, I'll get some clothes with the crew. You can't stay wearing rags, can you? After all, you are a Croft".

Lara risked a light laugh but that still really goddamn hurt her ribs. "You sounded like Roth" she managed to say before a hurtful whine. Lara and Sam felt for the first time after all the rush that Roth wouldn't come back. He wouldn't yell at the girls in the ship's aisle for being late (mostly because of sleepy-head Samantha).

Tears made their way to girls' eyes.

"Alright. I'll go, uh, get the clothes" Sam left before both of them started crying. That wasn't the right thing to do in front of Lara.

A couple of minutes has passed when Sam came back holding some folded clothes and found no one. Panic embraced her for a few seconds due to the bathroom's door not being partly opened as she left before leaving; but there was Lara, towel covering her sunk shoulders, sitting on the tub's edge, staring at the rusty wall before her. That gaze of hers - the short-haired brunette thought – since the day we met each other, nothing can take that blank gaze off of her…; but that's not what made Sam astonished. She stood there for a while only looking at her friend – at Lara's body. Even with all those scratches blemishing her skin, she's still so pretty.

Sam sat behind Lara and startled her in the process.

"Sorry."

"That's ok", she looked at Sam, "Shall we?"

"Sure."

The water started pouring above Lara's head, spreading over her shoulders, back; but then the warmth began to hurt every inch of her torso. Seeing Lara curling in pain, Sam turned off the water.

"Bad idea, uh."

"I think so… Damn it."

"Right", Sam stretches her right arm and reaches a small towel hanging in the sink. "I'll clean you up, Sweetie."

"I can not refuse, I assume…"

"It's the least I can do."

With the said damp towel, the filmmaker started rubbing Lara so softly that it seemed more like a caress than a proper rubbing. She began cleaning her shoulders and arms, then her armpits till the hips. Cautiously not reopening the wounds covered only by a thin skin.

Being behind Lara, so close to her, made Sam feel funny inside. And it didn't take too much for breast-time comes. Excusing herself, she pressed the towel over those two mounds of flesh. There's a thick wet towel between Sam's hands and Lara's breasts but she could reassure they're indeed soft as they seemed to be. They're round and firm as the rest of her friend's well-toned body.

And perky.

"Something's wrong?" a low voice retaining the cry asked in the middle of the really small bathroom.

"N-Nah. It's okay. Everything's just fine."

Shit. She couldn't believe she stuttered! Lara's in a terrible condition with all those injuries and mental damage. How come she could think those kind of things in a moment like that?

The only uncleaned part of Lara was her feet and Sam pomptly washed 'em quickly. The tub's water was getting cold, anyway. With that, Lara stood up and wrapped herself with the bigger towel. "Done", said Sam after drying her friend's body and helped her wear the new clothes. She guided Lara to the lowest mattress. Lara lay down. Everything was right. The bath's finished, Lara didn't notice Sam's awkward behavior back there but then, when she was leaving to take a quick shower, she felt something warm preventing her from leaving. Turning around she found Lara holding her hand without even looking at her – she was still. Not trembling neither crying. Just holding her friend's hand. Sam could feel an uneasy feeling in Lara's hold.

"Hey," she crouched beside Lara, "I know how you feel."

"So, would you stay with me?"

For some reason, the whole situation was different. Lara and Sam stayed together many times, but with broken Lara Croft right before her she felt some kind of protective feeling. Most maternal.

Lara, seeing her friend's hesitation, tried to reason herself. The said American girl didn't allow her to, though.

"Sam?" questioned Lara, having Sam straddled over her.

"Shh. Tonight I'm not going anywhere, Sweetie.".

Weirdly beside Lara, Sam reassured her decision by lightly squeezing the archeologist's right hand. They turned their bodies to face each other, touching foreheads, sharing the some air to breath.

"Thank you, Sam. For being here."

"I'll be here when you wake up. Don't you worry and take some rest."

"No, Sam."

"No what?"

"I'm not greatful for having you in my bed. I mean, not only that. Thank you for being part of my life. Back in Yamatai – ".

"We don't have to talk about that."

"No", Lara closed her eyes, "I must.".

The way Lara said the last sentence wasn't just towards her friend. She wanted to convince herself. Samantha will never forget what came after that.

"Back in Yamatai, I thought we'd have a great time like in Bulgaria. However, things's changed. I let Mathias take you away from me. I let… I put everybody in danger. It was all my fault. But you, Sam… If I ever lost you", Lara contained the tears and squeezed Sam's hand harder, "You gave me the strength to keep going. Losing you wasn't an option and I knew that in the end I would find you. And I did. I think dad was talking about these kind of supernatural thing we don't notice into us. Samantha," Sam looked up at her younger and now serious friend, meeting those hazel eyes opened.

"as long as you stay by my side, I will not let you go out of my sight ever again."

She fell deeply in Lara's eyes and spotted they have greenish circles…

"I'm gonna be supervised forever? Geez…" she said to enlighten the mood and was rewarded with a wide white smile in the darkness. She felt the other body moving and a hot but tender breath touched her cheek oh-lord-so longing. Sam tasted the following whispered words all to herself till falling asleep. And then she wondered that perhaps her previous maternal instinct wasn't so maternal at all.

Lara, what are you doing to me?


That's all, folks. Hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. About the ship's name: watching the ending cutscene, I spotted some writing on the side of the ship. It's written "MARGANE 貨物". The hell is 貨物? As a japanese student, I found out 貨物 means "cargo" but the kanjis separated mean "treasure" and "thing"... oh, well. My mind's going to the gutter. Better leave before I embarass myself. Ciao!