They Say I'm Home |Jay x Reader|

𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐏 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐓 𝐖 𝐄 𝐋 𝐕 𝐄

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙈𝙚 𝙂𝙤

𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 the streets of the Isle, a sense of dread crawled through them with every step they took. They saw every person in the streets as a potential threat. Uma knew that they were here. The members of her crew were everywhere and were more than willing to throw themselves into a volcano if she asked them to. Back when they owed the Isle, they didn't have to worry about them; they were stuck on the island's southern end. But since they left, Uma probably expanded her territory and her crew, leaving them clueless about which people were deemed safe and the ones that were declared as a danger to them.

Memories flooded Jay's mind with every step. The story of his life was written on the walls of this island. Every corner of this place held history, a story even on his time spent here. He ran his hand against a brick wall, feeling the rough texture beneath his leather gloves. His hand stopped as he reached a sketch into the wall. Thin lines were carved into the brick, the scarring paler than the brick itself. A small smile appeared on his lips as he traced over the lettering. The first letter of her name and his were carved with just a mere plus sign separating the two.

He let his palm rest on the carving, allowing himself to have a moment's rest. He took a deep breath, his ribs expanding and deflating. The air on the Isle was disgusting. It was thick and smelt bad, most likely being the main cause of all the diseases on this island. It was nothing like Auradon. The air always smelt fresh with a small scent of lavender behind it for some reason. It didn't make him want to claw out his throat with every breath he took.

But, deep down, the nasty-smelling air and the rude people reminded him of the best times of his life. Of course, Auradon has its moments, but the only reason why they were his favourites was because Y/N was there with him. It wasn't the place that determined the joy behind it; it was her.

As the group weaved through the different markets—Ben and Nakoa being shielded in the middle of the pack—the VKs kept their eyes on the roofs above them. Their senses were working overtime. Between having to keep their eyes peeled on the rooftops and ground, this mission was starting to seem more and more impossible.

"Stay sharp," Jay spoke, nearly bumping into someone as he focused on a building to the right of him. "Y/N could be anywhere," his voice came out softer, a mumble to those around him.

Nakoa grimaced. "Wouldn't she be with Mal?"

Jay scoffed. "Wish it were that easy," he grumbled, earning a glare from the blue-haired girl at the front.

"Jay—" Evie hissed. "Not the time." She rolled her eyes before focusing her attention on the black-haired male. "Back when we lived on the Isle, Y/N was known for travelling by rooftop. Less traffic, according to her." A saddened smile appeared on her face at the memory of the E/C-eyed girl. 

Jay paused, crossing his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face. "So, if she's not in the bunker with Mal, we'll never find her. Unless she wants us to."

"Do we know for sure that Mal's at the bunker?" Ben asked, cutting into the conversation.

Evie smiled. "It's a good place to start."

"Let's just find them and get out," Nakoa groaned, looking around the area, and praying to the Gods that Y/N was safe.

The longer he looked around the island, the longer the sense of dread settled into the pit of his stomach. Sweat started to accumulate at the back of his neck as he felt the heat of the Isle pound against his body, suffocating his skin. Fires crackling around him caught his attention whenever they walked past ones, the burning trash inside the barrels only making the air quality around them worsen. The strangers around him only worsened his paranoia; no one here could be trusted. They were barely on the Isle for ten minutes before they encountered their first threat.