"Reuben? Oh, Reuben…"
Lukas frowns as he follows Jesse toward her small pink friend. The others are right behind him; Petra frowning and Olivia holding onto Axel's arm like a lifeline. It feels odd to him that seeing the pig look so weak, so tired, makes his throat tighten up. He hadn't known Reuben long, but to say he hadn't gotten a laugh or two out of his antics would be a lie. Maybe it all has to do with the way Jesse falters, like she hasn't ever before during their adventure, before kneeling next to him. Her smile pained as she places a hand on the side of Reubens head, her thumb rubbing gently at his ear.
"You're a hero, you know that?" She says with a breathy laugh that sounds more like a sob. "You just saved the entire world!"
Reuben looks up at her with glassy eyes that don't belong to the juvenile pig Lukas had come to know over the span of a month and it makes things worse when Lukas glances down to find Jesse's hands are trembling.
"C'mon, buddy, say something!" Jesse's trying. She's really trying, but tears are hard to fight and they're welling in the corners of her eyes as Reuben tries to lift his head, tries to stand, and fails with a defeated squeal.
"It's okay, boy. I'm here," Jesse's hand slides down to the pigs bruised abdomen, the tears still welling but not brimming just yet. "I'm— I'm here."
Lukas has to swipe at his own eyes to keep the tears away. The ball in his throat has grown tighter. Reuben looks up at Jesse a long while before the light floods from his eyes and his head goes limp, eyes fluttering shut. Reuben slowly withers away in smoke, leaving nothing but a pork chop behind. Jesse gathers it up and bows her head. A morose silence fills the empty spaces as more people gather around. Lukas looks out at them, he recognizes them all, mostly because they're still wearing their EnderCon merchandise and some of them had participated in the Building competition. It all feels so long ago now; EnderCon, the building competition, he and Jesse not getting along…
Petra starts to gather people, people who are willing to go out and look for others. And Lukas helps her; telling anyone and everyone who will listen and want to help to go with the woman in the dark blue armor. Nearly a quarter of the crowd dissipates with her, the others that stick around reuniting with old friends. Lukas's throat tightens at that, he still hasn't seen his old friends. Amongst the noise and chaos of people Lukas notices Jesse walking away, Reuben in hand. Olivia and Axel are coming after her. It's then that she finally breaks down turning to her friends and collapsing into the closest one, Axel. Olivia comes around the side joining Axel in comforting their friend. Lukas starts to walk before he thinks, and finds himself there with them Olivia coaxing him closer into the hug. He moves in without hesitation, resting his head against Jesse's shoulder as Axel squeezes harder. Lukas starts to tear up again this reminds him all too much of group hugs between him and his team.
They all pull away after a long moment and Jesse smiles at him. "Thanks, Lukas."
He gives her a grin. "What're friends for?"
The three of them walk back to the crowd of people together, Jesse having taken his right-hand Olivia his left and Axel was holding Jesse's idle right. He smiles at them and for a moment the Ocelots are forgotten. Until he hears a voice call out amongst the crowd.
"Lukas!"
It's followed by another voice that's just as familiar and louder. He's already releasing Jesse's hand and walking out in front of the trio before he sees Maya and Gill. They freeze just as he does and time slows.
"Aiden, he's over here!"
Lukas is sure his heart's stopped when Aiden comes rushing through the crowd bruised and limping slightly—they're all bruised and limping slightly—and he starts to move and doesn't know he's running until they are too and he collides with Aiden nearly knocking the other boy over. He doesn't seem to mind. And neither do Maya and Gill as they come to his other sides. Lukas begins to laugh and cry at the same time. Somehow, he's gotten lucky. Somehow, he's lost the bare minimum in all this. Aiden's arms tighten and Lukas hears a sob come from the boy and he tightens his arms around him too. As the quartet of them land on their knees, gripping each other and sobbing.
They're back. They're safe. He can breathe again.