BARELY MAKING IT BY - YN X RAFE CAMERON
SUMMARY: the pogues lock rafe in the bathroom of the boat
WARNINGS: cursing, violence
You and Rafe had a past, an amazing one. But after his dad died, everything changed.
He broke up with you and he was convinced that you and your friends were responsible for his father's death in South America. It wasn’t true not even close. But he didn’t care.
Rafe hated the Pogues but somehow he hated you the most. That was the part you could never understand. You had loved each other before all of this… before everything fell apart.
And yet seeing him with Sofia at the biker race and later on the beach still hurt more than you wanted to admit.
Has he really moved on that quickly? you wondered.
You pretended not to care when JJ asked if you were okay, brushing it off like it was nothing. But everyone could see right through you.
At some point your sadness turned into anger. Then surprisingly into something softer empathy.
His dad had just died. No matter how complicated their relationship was losing a parent wasn’t something you just moved on from overnight.
But the real shock came when Rafe helped you JJ and the others avoid getting arrested for a murder JJ didn’t commit.
Of course JJ had to ruin it.
He knocked Rafe unconscious, tied him up, and locked him in the bathroom of the boat the same boat Rafe had helped you all get on.
And now here you were making him a sandwich because, let’s be honest no one else was going to.
As you made your way toward the bathroom kiara stopped you.
"Y/N… what are you doing?" she asked her eyes flickering down to the tray in your hands, a sandwich, a cup of water, and aspirin.
"I'm giving this to Rafe?"
Kiara’s face twisted in disbelief. "We can’t waste food, Y/N."
You sighed in frustration. "He's gonna starve, Kiara."
She groaned knowing there was no point in arguing. "Fine. Just don’t let him out… I’m serious."
"Okay, okay! I won’t" you promised pushing past her and heading toward the small, dimly lit hallway.
Stopping at the bathroom door you took a deep breath bracing yourself for whatever attitude Rafe had in store.
You unlocked the door and stepped inside.
There he was wrists tied to the sink and the rope digging into his skin.
God, I hate seeing him like this.
You avoided his gaze but you could feel him staring straight through you as you kneeled to place the tray at his feet.
"Great" he muttered as you stood back up. "Just like I said no good deed goes unpunished."
"I'm sorry Rafe" you said softly. "I… I really am. I brought you some aspirin too if you need it."
"Aspirin?" He let out a dry laugh. "Oh what? Are you gonna toss it into my mouth like a trained seal?"
"I'm just trying to help Rafe. But no one trusts you."
That made him snap his head toward you... his blue eyes burning with frustration.
"I was trying to help!" he shouted making you flinch.
"I-I know Rafe! But this wasn’t my decision."
"They’ll let you out when we get there, but right now, no one trusts you."
He kicked the tray in your direction, sending the food and water spilling across the floor.
You barely had time to shut and lock the door before he started yelling again.
"You don’t trust me, huh?"
You swallowed hard, your hands trembling as you crouched down trying to clean up the mess.
"My dad died because of you and my stupid sister! You wanna talk about trust?"
You winced as you heard him thrashing inside, kicking whatever he could.
You couldn’t do this. Not anymore.
Leaving the spilled food where it was.. you bolted out of the hallway heading straight for the deck.
You didn’t stop until you reached the railing sucking in the cool ocean air.
"Hey," Sarah’s voice came from beside you. You turned to see her watching you carefully. "Are you okay?"
You quickly wiped at your face, nodding. "Yeah… I just needed some fresh air."
Sarah hesitated. "Was it Rafe? You can talk to m—"
Before she could finish you turned and walked away, locking yourself in one of the boat’s tiny rooms.
Curling up on the bed as you squeezed your eyes shut.
Maybe if you slept long enough you’d wake up to a world where none of this had ever happened.
You were abruptly jolted awake by Cleo shaking you...hard.
"Hey! Wake up!" she urged, her voice urgent.
Blinking rapidly, you sat up, dazed and disoriented. The boat was swaying aggressively beneath you making your stomach churn.
"What’s happening?" you mumbled rubbing your eyes.
"Shit is going down," Cleo said before darting out of the room leaving you utterly confused.
You scrambled out of bed gripping the walls for balance as you stumbled into the dimly lit hallway.
The entire boat rocked violently, causing cabinets to rattle and loose items to crash onto the floor.
Your heart pounded as you spotted JJ leaning against a wall, swaying slightly clearly drunk.
"JJ! What the hell is going on?" you yelled over the sound of the storm raging outside.
He just shrugged lazily taking another sip from a bottle in his hand.
You groaned in frustration. "Thanks a lot asshole."
Ignoring him you hurried toward the kitchen where Sarah and Cleo were frantically moving around, stuffing supplies into baskets.
"Oh, thank God!" Sarah gasped when she saw you. "Y/N help us! We need to secure everything before it gets worse!"
She shoved a basket into your hands as the boat lurched again nearly sending you stumbling backward.
Your pulse spiked as you glanced toward the small porthole window sheets of rain hammered against the glass and beyond it...the ocean churned violently under the dark sky.
"How bad is it?" you asked breathless.
"Bad." Cleo muttered fastening a cabinet shut. "Real bad."
Lightning flashed outside illuminating the room for a split second before darkness swallowed it again.
You swallowed hard gripping the basket tighter.
Something told you this night was about to get a whole lot worse.
After helping Sarah and Cleo secure everything in the kitchen, you rushed to check on John B.
"Holy shit!" you gasped as you caught sight of the monstrous waves crashing outside the window.
John B barely spared you a glance, his knuckles white as he struggled to steer the boat.
"Y/N! What are you doing here? Check on Sarah!" he shouted over the roaring wind.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay!" you called back gripping the doorway to keep yourself steady.
You turned trying to make your way back to the kitchen but the boat lurched violently sending you stumbling forward.
It was pitch black and the storm outside raged louder than ever. You wiped at your face as water dripped from above seeping through the cracks of the boat.
"There you are!" Pope’s voice cut through the chaos as he grabbed your arm dragging you back into the kitchen where everyone was holding onto something for dear life.
"This storm is crazy, man!" Cleo shouted bracing herself against the counter.
Something felt off. Like you were forgetting something.
You ran a shaky hand over your head to block the water from your eyes barely able to see.
"Hold on to something!" Kiara warned gripping your hands to keep you steady.
A voice rang out from down the hall.
"Y/N! Cut me loose, come on!"
Everyone turned to you watching as you hesitated.
"No! No!" Cleo shouted. "Do not let him out!"
Your heart pounded in your chest.
"But he’s gonna drown!" you argued pushing yourself up. Ignoring their protests
you snatched a knife from the counter and made your way toward the bathroom, gripping the walls for support as Rafe’s desperate yells grew louder.
"I'm coming!" you shouted back.
Just as you reached for the door handle the boat rocked violently throwing losing your balance. Your foot twisted the wrong way and you collapsed onto the hard floor with a sharp cry.
Pain shot through your ankle like fire but there was no time to stop.
If you didn’t get him out now or he wouldn’t make it.
With gritted teeth you pushed the door open from the ground, ignoring the throbbing pain as you crawled inside. Rafe's face twisted with concern.
You didn’t answer Instead you bit down on your bottom lip to keep from screaming as you sawed through the rope. The moment his restraints fell loose, he shot up.
Before you could protest he crouched down pulling you up and slinging your arm over his shoulder.
You limped back toward the kitchen together, the storm’s wrath shaking the boat with every step.
But the second you stepped inside, your stomach dropped.
"Where the hell is Sarah?" Panic filled your voice as you scanned the room.
"She went to look for John B," Pope answered.
"You guys just let her go?!" Rafe snapped, his expression dark.
John B’s voice rang out from outside, raw with terror.
Shoving away from Rafe, you ignored the sharp pain in your ankle and limped toward the deck your heartbeat thundering in your ears.
"Y/N, come back!" Rafe yelled after you but you didn’t stop.
The second you stepped outside freezing rain pelted your skin. Wind howled around you and the boat rocked like a toy against the monstrous waves.
John B stood at the railing gripping it so tightly his knuckles were nearly blue. His chest rose and fell in frantic uneven breaths.
"John B!" you shouted shielding your face from the storm. "Where’s Sarah? Where’s JJ?!"
He just turned to you, eyes glassy, face pale.
Then without a word he pulled you into a desperate hug.
You stiffened confusion and dread flooding through you.
"What happened?!" Your voice cracked. "Where’s my brother?!"
Just silent, gut-wrenching sobs.
Rafe’s voice cut through the storm like a knife.
Kiara rushed onto the deck her own scream joining his. "JJ! No, no, no!"
You stood frozen in place, unable to move, unable to breathe.
Your soaked clothes clung to your skin. Your leg ached. You were exhausted.
