edit - dude why did no one tell me the title said "lifetines" instead of "lifetimes"

I was really daunted to write this one because it's so meaningful, so I admit I was slightly waiting to publish it. But it's here now: The_Dam_Snackbar_'s request. I'm not sure if this is exactly what you wanted, but here it is...

It had been a week.

An entire week had passed since Bennett started his terrible mood, and it hadn't improved at all. If anything, it had only gotten worse.

None of us knew what to do.

The atmosphere in the base had shifted from bad to worse. Jordan and Declan played games by themselves while Bennett watched them grumpily, and I tried desperately to comfort him.

It didn't work.

"I'm going to go for a walk," Bennett announced one morning, Jordan and Declan finally looking up from their game.

"Great, buddy. You own that walk," Jordan muttered sarcastically, turning back to his and Declan's game.

Ignoring Jordan, I sighed. "Do you want me to go with you?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder. To my surprise, he pushed it away.

"No. Why don't you stay here with them, because you guys are such good friends?" he spat, pushing past me.

Declan dropped his game and immediately stood up, shoving Jordan behind him to get to Bennett. He pinned Bennett against the wall, their faces inches away.

Jordan just watched in awe. "Is Beclan finally coming true?"

"Jordan," I whispered. "Now is not the time for your ships." Besides, I thought, Jeclan is still better.

"Did you just push her?" Declan snarled in Bennett's face. "What kind of boyfriend are you? You're the luckiest guy out of all of us and you're pushing her away? You don't deserve her, Bennett. You could live ten lifetimes and never deserve her."

"Wow," Jordan muttered. "So not Beclan."

Bennett's glare disappeared and he just stared at Declan for the longest time, icy eyes meeting brown. For a minute, I wondered if they really were going to kiss, but Bennett slipped out of Declan's grasp and bolted down the hall.

"Bennett, you come tell Naomi that you're sorry!" Declan shouted after him.

Slam.

"He's not even going to apologize? The jerk," Declan spat, slumping down onto the couch furiously.

Well, he didn't exactly say 'jerk'.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Declan said, rubbing his head. "But if he's gonna act like that, he doesn't deserve you. Not in ten lifetimes, not in ten thousand."

I didn't know what to say after a speech like that, so I sat on the couch beside Declan and gave him a questioning look. Wordlessly, he nodded and pulled me into a hug.

"You're doing it again," Jordan said.

Declan and I pulled away. "Doing what?" he asked, as Jordan stood up from his game and sat on the other side of me.

"That. I think that's why Bennett's mad."

He pointed to nothing at first, and then I realized he was pointing at us. Declan and I.

"Why would Bennett be mad, Jordan? He knows I'm completely loyal to him. Doesn't he?"

"I don't think he does, Naomi," Jordan told me softly. "I think he feels threatened."

"But why?"

Jordan sighed. "Just little things, like the way you came to Declan on the Ferris Wheel, or the way you went with me to McDonalds. He's probably especially mad that he put himself in that position... where Declan had to stand up for you against him."

I stared at Jordan in shock. "You figured all of that out? You?"

Jordan gave me a small smile. "Like I told you earlier. Before you were here, Declan was the brawn and I was the brains. It was that simple. I'm not as stupid as I look, Naomi."

"But... but that's stupid. Bennett knows that you guys don't like me and that I don't like you guys... like that, anyway."

Declan didn't meet me in the eye. "Well..."

What does he mean, "well"?

Jordan sighed again. "We used to, Naomi. Before we realized that he was yours and you were his, we used to. We all did. And Bennett knew that. That's why he's so scared right now."

"Oh." I realized that Jordan had avoided saying whether or not he and Declan still liked me, and I had a feeling that I probably shouldn't bring it up.

For now, I could just enjoy having them both here, both wrapped around me like this, both just sitting here with me in silence.

And then a phone started ringing.

"That's your phone, I'll get it," Jordan told me, leaping up from the couch to look at it.

He sighed. "Bennett."

Declan's eyes immediately narrowed into deep brown slits. "Don't answer it, Naomi. It's probably him just trying to apologize."

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Jordan made his own decision and declined the call, settling back down next to me. The three of us slowly started to talk again, talking about everything, from school, to sports, to Jordan's new OTP — Camvey.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Is he calling again?" Jordan asked, reaching over and declining the call without a second thought. "Can he not apologize in person?"

We continued our Camvey conversation. "So you really ship Camvey more than you ship Beclan, Jordan?" I asked.

"Yep." He nodded. "They're so cute, Declan you never heard the phone call—"

"Guys, shhhh."

We all fell silent as Declan stood up. "Do you guys hear that? It sounds kinda close..." I listened carefully and then finally I heard it:

Sirens.

And then the same ring, ring, ring of my phone.

"Maybe you should answer that," Jordan suggested, handing me my phone. "Maybe this is the only apology you're going to get."

Slowly, I accepted the call and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Is this Naomi Lorraine?" asked a female voice I didn't recognize. My heart rate sped up... this was Bennett... right?

"Yes," I replied quietly.

"You were the first contact on the young man's phone. What are you in relation to him?"

"I'm his girlfriend." I think. "What is it, who is this, what's happening—"

"Where are you? We need you to come to the nearest emergency room effective immediately."

"W-why?" I ask, my voice wavering. Jordan and Declan looked at me anxiously; they could only hear my side of the conversation.

"Ms. Lorraine, I'm afraid Bennett Frazier has been shot."

• • •

Yes, there is going to be a Part 2.

Okay, here is Part 1 of your request, The_Dam_Snackbar_. I'm really sorry if this isn't really what you wanted, feel free to complain all you want :D

I know this isn't exactly the best one-shot, but I'm trying :') Tell me about typos, too, this isn't edited

Also, the whole "they all like Naomi" thing is from [[spoilers]] TGGBB2, where they all admit to liking Naomi.

One more thing. Say what you want about him, Declan is my favorite Musketeer. Who's yours?

Okay, I'll shut up now, peace out you guys

~glory