safe from nightmares
Title: safe from nightmares
Author: alifeofourown
Pairing: Jackson Wittemore/Danny (Teen Wolf)
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 2,938
Summary: This was it, exactly what he had wanted. Jackson should have been ecstatic but for some reason he just felt more hollow than he had before he had been given the bite.
Warnings: Spoilers, angst, cliffhangers and possible death depending on how you squint.
Dedication: Eh for lifeisafantasy2 as per usual
Disclaimer: I really like Teen Wolf okay but I own nothing regarding it.
Author Notes: I don't know what to say about this because it's technically an unfinished piece but it is finished because I wanted to leave the ending up to your imagination so... There might be a sequel but probably not. Enjoy! (:
It started off with a nosebleed or what at least felt like one.
It hadn’t taken more than ten minutes for Jackson to convince Derek to give him the bite and now that he had it he was determined to be better, faster and stronger than Scott ever could be. In fact he was going to prove that Scott was nothing compared to him, just like he’d always been.
There was just so much for Jackson to prove. He just needed to be perfect, to show his adopted parents that he was worth keeping around and to prove that he was the best on the lacrosse team and in his courses and everything and anything else that was thrown at him. Now he could be perfect just like he’d always wanted to be. Now he could prove that he was worth it.
~
Jackson wasn’t sure how he ended up in the lake. He didn’t remember much of it as he broke the surface, pulling himself up out of the water to catch his breath. He’d ripped his shirt somehow but Jackson didn’t remember how. He was pretty sure that he didn’t remember anything from what had happened since he’d gone out for a jog to clear his head. With everything that had occurred recently with Lydia and Scott and Alison’s dad and even his transformation, Jackson was feeling overwhelmed and he needed a break from it.
Apparently he got more than he bargained for with the fact that he couldn’t even remember a moment of what had transpired between when he left his home and found himself in this lake. He glanced up at the full moon that hung lazily above him, its bright light illuminating the grin that was spreading across his face.
He must’ve changed. That had to have been it. Jackson traced his fingers along the bite mark that was imprinted into his side and he absent-mindedly wondered how long that would take to heal and how long it would take for his heightened traits and senses to kick in. Jackson stepped out of the lake and he tugged at the shredded remains of his shirt, pulling it off of him so that he was free from the fabric that was clinging to him and tossed it aside.
This was it, exactly what he had wanted. Jackson should have been ecstatic but for some reason he just felt more hollow than he had before he’d been given the bite. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had more expectations to live up to now that he was given the privilege to be the definition of perfection. Jackson shrugged off the feeling as he made his way back to his house, determined that he wouldn’t let it affect him the way that it was. He wasn’t going to be one of those ‘people’, like Scott. He wasn’t going to regret what had happened because this was his end game. This was all that he wanted.
It was going to be perfect.
~
Lydia went missing and the entire town was in a frenzy trying to find her.
Jackson really couldn’t care less because she was no longer his responsibility. He had more important things to deal with than worrying about where his ex-girlfriend was at all times of the day and while he was probably supposed to care that she couldn’t be found and was missing and naked, Jackson really couldn’t be bothered. That, of course, pissed Scott and Stiles off just like Jackson knew it would.
“We think she’s turning,” Scott told him at their lacrosse practice after their coach offered them an easy A for the rest of the course. Jackson considered it for half of a second before he brushed it off and decided that he didn’t want to take the easy way out. That was why he’d practically begged for the bite from Derek. He didn’t want things given to him usually but this was something worth asking for, something worth being given. He was now going to be amazing.
“Turning?” Playing dumb was exactly what Jackson wanted to do since it wasn’t his fucking business. So what if she was turning? That wasn’t his problem. “Turning into what?”
“A unicorn,” Stiles snapped at him and Jackson had to resist letting a smirk cross his face as Scott just smacked his arm. “What do you think, dumbass?”
“I think it’s not my business anymore. She doesn’t belong to me and it’s not my job to watch after her,” he responded and Scott made a pathetic whining noise that Jackson knew could only be associated with his worry that Alison’s best friend wouldn’t be found rather than Lydia herself. She was just Lydia to Scott. She was Alison’s best friend and Stiles’s crush and Jackson’s ex-boyfriend but Scott and Lydia had no real ties to each other.
That was why Jackson had no idea why Scott was trying so hard to help find Lydia. It wasn’t like she mattered to him and unless Derek had ordered Scott to find Lydia, something he highly doubted, there wasn’t much of a point. Maybe it was so that he could keep getting into his girlfriend’s pants every night or maybe it was because he was a genuinely good person. Jackson had to bite back a laugh at that thought.
“You’re an asshole,” Stiles replied and Jackson just shrugged in response before he pushed past them and headed off to change and get ready for class. Behind him he could hear Scott trying to calm Stiles down who seemed hell-bent on chasing after Jackson and punching him in the face. Jackson chuckled. It still was hilarious.
~
“Dude, your nose.”
The smirk that Jackson had been reveling in faded as he reached up and touched his nose, feeling the liquid that was dripping from it. He pulled his fingers back and stared at it for a moment because it was black and as far as he was sure blood was supposed to be red.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Jackson replied quickly before he clambered of his stool, grabbing his bag as he did so. He didn’t miss the way that Scott turned around and stared at him and he definitely didn’t miss Danny’s worried expression as he bolted from the room.
His heart was pounding as he locked himself in the bathroom stall and he shakily grabbed a clump of toilet paper before pressing it to his nose. The black ooze was gushing from his body and it soaked through clump after clump of toilet paper. Someone kept pounding at the door and Jackson, assuming it was Danny, kept telling him to just hold on a minute. It wasn’t until the door was actually ripped open and he was pulled out of the stall that Jackson realised it wasn’t Danny. It was Derek.
“What’s wrong, Jackson?” he asked. “You’re looking a little pale.” How the fuck was he supposed to respond to that? Oh I’ve just been expelling black ooze from my nose no big deal I’m fine. That would definitely be something that worked out well for him.
“I’m fine,” he snapped back at Derek and tried to not grow at the fact that Derek just smirked at him. Of course Derek fucking Hale would find amusement from everything that was happening with Jackson. They argued about whether Jackson was a part of his pack or not, which he was not thank you very much, and Jackson spat out that he would never be a part of Derek’s pack.
He was in the middle of his huge spiel when Derek grabbed him by the chin and pushed his face towards the mirror. There was that same black ooze leaking from his ear. “What is it?” he asked and he touched the liquid, shuddering at how hot it felt. That definitely wasn’t normal.
“Body’s rejecting the bite.”
“Why?” Jackson responded instantly and internally he began to panic. His body couldn’t reject the bite. He had to be a werewolf he just had to.
“I don’t know,” Derek responded and Jackson could feel him walking behind him, staring at him like he was something broken. That wasn’t something that Jackson ever wanted anyone to ever do. He wasn’t broken, not even close, and the fact that Derek was even looking at him like he was lit a fuse in him.
“What does this mean?” he asked as he whirled around and looked at Derek. The Alpha merely backed away and Jackson clenched his fists. “What does it mean!?”
He was left alone in the bathroom and Jackson, shaking with anger and fear, cleaned up whatever he could of the disgusting black liquid before rushing back off to finish what he could manage of his test.
~
Danny caught up to him just as Jackson was making his way to his car, his backpack slung over his shoulder and a handful of toilet paper clamped in his fist just in case. “Where are you going?” he asked and Jackson barely glanced over at him before he continued walking.
“Home. Not feeling too well.”
“Is it because of the nosebleed?” Jackson could tell by the way that Danny responded that he knew it wasn’t a nosebleed but he apparently doesn’t want to tread on whatever this weird situation is.
Jackson nodded in response and he fished his keys out of his pocket, not even bothering to check and see if Danny was still following him out of the school building.
He heard the door slam shut behind him and sighed at the knowledge that Danny was in fact following and rather closely now that he thought about it. “Coach is going to kill you you know.”
“He can deal,” Jackson replied as he pressed the alarm to unlock his Porsche, opening the door quickly so that he could just get away from Danny. Yeah they were best friends but this was one of those moments where Jackson just didn’t want to deal with Danny. He almost managed to get the car door shut before Danny slid into the passenger seat, causing Jackson to let out loud sigh. “Get out of my car, Danny.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” Danny replied and Jackson genuinely resisted the urge to shove Danny as hard as he could.
“Nothing’s wrong, Danny,” he replied through clenched teeth. “I’m just not feeling well, so go away.”
He could tell the second that he said it that Danny wasn’t going to even consider leaving. Jackson started the car up and he pulled out of the parking lot without a response, trying to ignore the fact that Danny was still sitting in the passenger seat.
They were halfway to Jackson’s house before Danny actually said anything and the second he did Jackson wished he’d just stayed silent. “I saw your test. That wasn’t blood on there, Jackson. What was that? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Danny,” Jackson replied instantly as he turned onto his street. He could feel Danny tense up beside him and he knew that that calm, casual composure that Danny usually kept was completely gone. Danny was clearly worried as fuck and Jackson had no answers for him. He couldn’t fucking tell him about the werewolves because Danny would never believe him.
“Jackson-“
“I said it’s nothing now shut up.” The tension that was building up inside of Jackson was starting to break and he slammed on the brakes as he pulled into his driveway. “Get out.”
“No.” Jackson turned and stared at Danny, wondering if the shock on his face was actually showing or not because Danny had never defied him so blatantly like this.
“Fuck off, Danny.” Jackson moved to climb out of the car but before he could Danny launched forward and grabbed onto Jackson’s arm, holding him place. “Let go of me,” he snarled and Danny’s grip only tightened as he reached forward with his other hand and swiped his finger beneath Jackson’s nose.
“What is this shit?” he asked in response and Jackson instantly reached for the clump of toilet paper that he’d pocketed. “Jackson, it’s fucking black. What the hell is going on?”
“It’s not your fucking business, Danny,” Jackson spat at him as he wrenched his arm from Danny’s grip. “Piss off.” He pressed the tissue to his nose, trying to ignore the fact that he hadn’t even felt it start up again before he climbed out of the car. “Stay as long as you like,” he sarcastically told Danny before he ran up the steps to his house, going two at a time to try and escape his friend as quickly as he could, leaving Danny’s frantic questions unanswered.
~
“Danny’s been around again,” his mother stated as she came into Jackson’s room with a bowl of soup. “Are you sure you don’t want to see him?”
“Yeah,” Jackson replied as he balled up the tissue that he’d been letting soak up the ooze coming from his nose. “Don’t want to get him sick.”
“How considerate of you,” she replied with a gentle smile and Jackson tried not to flinch away as she touched his forehead, ignoring the fact that her hand felt searing against his skin. “Jackson, you’re burning up,” she stated and Jackson just sunk lower in the bed. “I’m calling the doctor tomorrow.”
Jackson sat up almost instantly. “No. I’m fine, mom.” He hesitated as he struggled to find an excuse. “I don’t feel too bad. It’s just a fever. It’ll break.”
The worried look on her face made Jackson’s stomach twist in unease, or maybe that was just the smell of the soup hitting his nostrils. “I’ll be fine, mom,” he reassured her and she hesitated before agreeing, telling him that if he wasn’t better by the end of the weekend that she was calling the doctor. “Fine,” he replied, knowing that the full moon was on Saturday and that was do or die for him. Either he’d turn like he was supposed to or he’d die because nothing would happen or worse.
When she left, Jackson sunk back down into his bed and pressed the tissue against his nose again, letting the paper soak up the ooze leaking from his nose. He wasn’t going to eat that soup and he wasn’t going to even consider moving from his bed. The last time he got up he had felt so lightheaded and dizzy that even taking a step or two was overwhelming and he found himself right back in the bed. The only chances that Jackson took involving leaving his bed was crawling to the bathroom when he knew that neither of his parents would give a fuck.
Jackson squeezed his eyes shut and tried to relax or sleep or something. His entire body ached and whenever he tried to get a few minutes of sleep he ended up jolting awake from nightmares of his body being torn apart by this…whatever it was.
“Jackson?” Jackson slowly opened his eyes and he found Danny hovering over him, his face set in such a worried expression that Jackson had never seen on Danny before.
“How’d you get in?” he murmured, his voice thick with the sleep that he’d been on the brink of.
“You never lock your window, dumbass. I was waiting for a chance to climb up here without your parents catching me. What’s happened to you?” Jackson opened his mouth to speak but before he even could he doubled over and dry-heaving. Danny grabbed the trash can next to his bed and pressed it into Jackson’s hands just in time for him for him to vomit a thick stream of black liquid into it.
When Jackson finally stopped heaving and coughing he realised that Danny was there, rubbing his back and trying to help him through it like Danny always would. “Jackson…” He could tell that Danny was going to ask him what was wrong with him again and he almost told Danny to fuck off before he let the boy finish his thought.
“Jackson, are you dying?”
He was taken aback by the question and before he knew it, Jackson was pressed against Danny’s arm, leaning against him as he softly panted for breath. He was shaking and didn’t even know how that had started but it had and the mere thought that this was real and he might actually be dying terrified him.
“No,” he barely responded. “I’m too wonderful to die.” That earned a barely-there chuckle from Danny and he wrapped his arm securely around Jackson, pulling him into his arms and Jackson didn’t even consider to protest.
“You better not be dying on me, Jackson. You owe me two favours and I expect you to pay up still.” The attempted joking was something and Jackson relaxed slightly in Danny’s grip. He was just so tired, so fucking tired of all of this and Danny cared enough to actually check up on him. Maybe this was all just a hallucination or a nightmare or a dream. Maybe it was even real, but in any case Jackson felt comforted.
So when the words, “I don’t want to die,” slipped from his lips, Jackson didn’t even bother to try and stop himself. Danny pulled him closer and Jackson rested his head on Danny’s chest, finding the sturdy frame of the boy’s body more comfortable than his overly soft pillow. “It hurts.”
“It’ll be better soon,” Danny instantly replied and that was the last thing that Jackson remembered him saying before he fell unconscious in the boy’s arms.
Author: alifeofourown
Pairing: Jackson Wittemore/Danny (Teen Wolf)
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 2,938
Summary: This was it, exactly what he had wanted. Jackson should have been ecstatic but for some reason he just felt more hollow than he had before he had been given the bite.
Warnings: Spoilers, angst, cliffhangers and possible death depending on how you squint.
Dedication: Eh for lifeisafantasy2 as per usual
Disclaimer: I really like Teen Wolf okay but I own nothing regarding it.
Author Notes: I don't know what to say about this because it's technically an unfinished piece but it is finished because I wanted to leave the ending up to your imagination so... There might be a sequel but probably not. Enjoy! (:
It started off with a nosebleed or what at least felt like one.
It hadn’t taken more than ten minutes for Jackson to convince Derek to give him the bite and now that he had it he was determined to be better, faster and stronger than Scott ever could be. In fact he was going to prove that Scott was nothing compared to him, just like he’d always been.
There was just so much for Jackson to prove. He just needed to be perfect, to show his adopted parents that he was worth keeping around and to prove that he was the best on the lacrosse team and in his courses and everything and anything else that was thrown at him. Now he could be perfect just like he’d always wanted to be. Now he could prove that he was worth it.
~
Jackson wasn’t sure how he ended up in the lake. He didn’t remember much of it as he broke the surface, pulling himself up out of the water to catch his breath. He’d ripped his shirt somehow but Jackson didn’t remember how. He was pretty sure that he didn’t remember anything from what had happened since he’d gone out for a jog to clear his head. With everything that had occurred recently with Lydia and Scott and Alison’s dad and even his transformation, Jackson was feeling overwhelmed and he needed a break from it.
Apparently he got more than he bargained for with the fact that he couldn’t even remember a moment of what had transpired between when he left his home and found himself in this lake. He glanced up at the full moon that hung lazily above him, its bright light illuminating the grin that was spreading across his face.
He must’ve changed. That had to have been it. Jackson traced his fingers along the bite mark that was imprinted into his side and he absent-mindedly wondered how long that would take to heal and how long it would take for his heightened traits and senses to kick in. Jackson stepped out of the lake and he tugged at the shredded remains of his shirt, pulling it off of him so that he was free from the fabric that was clinging to him and tossed it aside.
This was it, exactly what he had wanted. Jackson should have been ecstatic but for some reason he just felt more hollow than he had before he’d been given the bite. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had more expectations to live up to now that he was given the privilege to be the definition of perfection. Jackson shrugged off the feeling as he made his way back to his house, determined that he wouldn’t let it affect him the way that it was. He wasn’t going to be one of those ‘people’, like Scott. He wasn’t going to regret what had happened because this was his end game. This was all that he wanted.
It was going to be perfect.
~
Lydia went missing and the entire town was in a frenzy trying to find her.
Jackson really couldn’t care less because she was no longer his responsibility. He had more important things to deal with than worrying about where his ex-girlfriend was at all times of the day and while he was probably supposed to care that she couldn’t be found and was missing and naked, Jackson really couldn’t be bothered. That, of course, pissed Scott and Stiles off just like Jackson knew it would.
“We think she’s turning,” Scott told him at their lacrosse practice after their coach offered them an easy A for the rest of the course. Jackson considered it for half of a second before he brushed it off and decided that he didn’t want to take the easy way out. That was why he’d practically begged for the bite from Derek. He didn’t want things given to him usually but this was something worth asking for, something worth being given. He was now going to be amazing.
“Turning?” Playing dumb was exactly what Jackson wanted to do since it wasn’t his fucking business. So what if she was turning? That wasn’t his problem. “Turning into what?”
“A unicorn,” Stiles snapped at him and Jackson had to resist letting a smirk cross his face as Scott just smacked his arm. “What do you think, dumbass?”
“I think it’s not my business anymore. She doesn’t belong to me and it’s not my job to watch after her,” he responded and Scott made a pathetic whining noise that Jackson knew could only be associated with his worry that Alison’s best friend wouldn’t be found rather than Lydia herself. She was just Lydia to Scott. She was Alison’s best friend and Stiles’s crush and Jackson’s ex-boyfriend but Scott and Lydia had no real ties to each other.
That was why Jackson had no idea why Scott was trying so hard to help find Lydia. It wasn’t like she mattered to him and unless Derek had ordered Scott to find Lydia, something he highly doubted, there wasn’t much of a point. Maybe it was so that he could keep getting into his girlfriend’s pants every night or maybe it was because he was a genuinely good person. Jackson had to bite back a laugh at that thought.
“You’re an asshole,” Stiles replied and Jackson just shrugged in response before he pushed past them and headed off to change and get ready for class. Behind him he could hear Scott trying to calm Stiles down who seemed hell-bent on chasing after Jackson and punching him in the face. Jackson chuckled. It still was hilarious.
~
“Dude, your nose.”
The smirk that Jackson had been reveling in faded as he reached up and touched his nose, feeling the liquid that was dripping from it. He pulled his fingers back and stared at it for a moment because it was black and as far as he was sure blood was supposed to be red.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Jackson replied quickly before he clambered of his stool, grabbing his bag as he did so. He didn’t miss the way that Scott turned around and stared at him and he definitely didn’t miss Danny’s worried expression as he bolted from the room.
His heart was pounding as he locked himself in the bathroom stall and he shakily grabbed a clump of toilet paper before pressing it to his nose. The black ooze was gushing from his body and it soaked through clump after clump of toilet paper. Someone kept pounding at the door and Jackson, assuming it was Danny, kept telling him to just hold on a minute. It wasn’t until the door was actually ripped open and he was pulled out of the stall that Jackson realised it wasn’t Danny. It was Derek.
“What’s wrong, Jackson?” he asked. “You’re looking a little pale.” How the fuck was he supposed to respond to that? Oh I’ve just been expelling black ooze from my nose no big deal I’m fine. That would definitely be something that worked out well for him.
“I’m fine,” he snapped back at Derek and tried to not grow at the fact that Derek just smirked at him. Of course Derek fucking Hale would find amusement from everything that was happening with Jackson. They argued about whether Jackson was a part of his pack or not, which he was not thank you very much, and Jackson spat out that he would never be a part of Derek’s pack.
He was in the middle of his huge spiel when Derek grabbed him by the chin and pushed his face towards the mirror. There was that same black ooze leaking from his ear. “What is it?” he asked and he touched the liquid, shuddering at how hot it felt. That definitely wasn’t normal.
“Body’s rejecting the bite.”
“Why?” Jackson responded instantly and internally he began to panic. His body couldn’t reject the bite. He had to be a werewolf he just had to.
“I don’t know,” Derek responded and Jackson could feel him walking behind him, staring at him like he was something broken. That wasn’t something that Jackson ever wanted anyone to ever do. He wasn’t broken, not even close, and the fact that Derek was even looking at him like he was lit a fuse in him.
“What does this mean?” he asked as he whirled around and looked at Derek. The Alpha merely backed away and Jackson clenched his fists. “What does it mean!?”
He was left alone in the bathroom and Jackson, shaking with anger and fear, cleaned up whatever he could of the disgusting black liquid before rushing back off to finish what he could manage of his test.
~
Danny caught up to him just as Jackson was making his way to his car, his backpack slung over his shoulder and a handful of toilet paper clamped in his fist just in case. “Where are you going?” he asked and Jackson barely glanced over at him before he continued walking.
“Home. Not feeling too well.”
“Is it because of the nosebleed?” Jackson could tell by the way that Danny responded that he knew it wasn’t a nosebleed but he apparently doesn’t want to tread on whatever this weird situation is.
Jackson nodded in response and he fished his keys out of his pocket, not even bothering to check and see if Danny was still following him out of the school building.
He heard the door slam shut behind him and sighed at the knowledge that Danny was in fact following and rather closely now that he thought about it. “Coach is going to kill you you know.”
“He can deal,” Jackson replied as he pressed the alarm to unlock his Porsche, opening the door quickly so that he could just get away from Danny. Yeah they were best friends but this was one of those moments where Jackson just didn’t want to deal with Danny. He almost managed to get the car door shut before Danny slid into the passenger seat, causing Jackson to let out loud sigh. “Get out of my car, Danny.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” Danny replied and Jackson genuinely resisted the urge to shove Danny as hard as he could.
“Nothing’s wrong, Danny,” he replied through clenched teeth. “I’m just not feeling well, so go away.”
He could tell the second that he said it that Danny wasn’t going to even consider leaving. Jackson started the car up and he pulled out of the parking lot without a response, trying to ignore the fact that Danny was still sitting in the passenger seat.
They were halfway to Jackson’s house before Danny actually said anything and the second he did Jackson wished he’d just stayed silent. “I saw your test. That wasn’t blood on there, Jackson. What was that? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Danny,” Jackson replied instantly as he turned onto his street. He could feel Danny tense up beside him and he knew that that calm, casual composure that Danny usually kept was completely gone. Danny was clearly worried as fuck and Jackson had no answers for him. He couldn’t fucking tell him about the werewolves because Danny would never believe him.
“Jackson-“
“I said it’s nothing now shut up.” The tension that was building up inside of Jackson was starting to break and he slammed on the brakes as he pulled into his driveway. “Get out.”
“No.” Jackson turned and stared at Danny, wondering if the shock on his face was actually showing or not because Danny had never defied him so blatantly like this.
“Fuck off, Danny.” Jackson moved to climb out of the car but before he could Danny launched forward and grabbed onto Jackson’s arm, holding him place. “Let go of me,” he snarled and Danny’s grip only tightened as he reached forward with his other hand and swiped his finger beneath Jackson’s nose.
“What is this shit?” he asked in response and Jackson instantly reached for the clump of toilet paper that he’d pocketed. “Jackson, it’s fucking black. What the hell is going on?”
“It’s not your fucking business, Danny,” Jackson spat at him as he wrenched his arm from Danny’s grip. “Piss off.” He pressed the tissue to his nose, trying to ignore the fact that he hadn’t even felt it start up again before he climbed out of the car. “Stay as long as you like,” he sarcastically told Danny before he ran up the steps to his house, going two at a time to try and escape his friend as quickly as he could, leaving Danny’s frantic questions unanswered.
~
“Danny’s been around again,” his mother stated as she came into Jackson’s room with a bowl of soup. “Are you sure you don’t want to see him?”
“Yeah,” Jackson replied as he balled up the tissue that he’d been letting soak up the ooze coming from his nose. “Don’t want to get him sick.”
“How considerate of you,” she replied with a gentle smile and Jackson tried not to flinch away as she touched his forehead, ignoring the fact that her hand felt searing against his skin. “Jackson, you’re burning up,” she stated and Jackson just sunk lower in the bed. “I’m calling the doctor tomorrow.”
Jackson sat up almost instantly. “No. I’m fine, mom.” He hesitated as he struggled to find an excuse. “I don’t feel too bad. It’s just a fever. It’ll break.”
The worried look on her face made Jackson’s stomach twist in unease, or maybe that was just the smell of the soup hitting his nostrils. “I’ll be fine, mom,” he reassured her and she hesitated before agreeing, telling him that if he wasn’t better by the end of the weekend that she was calling the doctor. “Fine,” he replied, knowing that the full moon was on Saturday and that was do or die for him. Either he’d turn like he was supposed to or he’d die because nothing would happen or worse.
When she left, Jackson sunk back down into his bed and pressed the tissue against his nose again, letting the paper soak up the ooze leaking from his nose. He wasn’t going to eat that soup and he wasn’t going to even consider moving from his bed. The last time he got up he had felt so lightheaded and dizzy that even taking a step or two was overwhelming and he found himself right back in the bed. The only chances that Jackson took involving leaving his bed was crawling to the bathroom when he knew that neither of his parents would give a fuck.
Jackson squeezed his eyes shut and tried to relax or sleep or something. His entire body ached and whenever he tried to get a few minutes of sleep he ended up jolting awake from nightmares of his body being torn apart by this…whatever it was.
“Jackson?” Jackson slowly opened his eyes and he found Danny hovering over him, his face set in such a worried expression that Jackson had never seen on Danny before.
“How’d you get in?” he murmured, his voice thick with the sleep that he’d been on the brink of.
“You never lock your window, dumbass. I was waiting for a chance to climb up here without your parents catching me. What’s happened to you?” Jackson opened his mouth to speak but before he even could he doubled over and dry-heaving. Danny grabbed the trash can next to his bed and pressed it into Jackson’s hands just in time for him for him to vomit a thick stream of black liquid into it.
When Jackson finally stopped heaving and coughing he realised that Danny was there, rubbing his back and trying to help him through it like Danny always would. “Jackson…” He could tell that Danny was going to ask him what was wrong with him again and he almost told Danny to fuck off before he let the boy finish his thought.
“Jackson, are you dying?”
He was taken aback by the question and before he knew it, Jackson was pressed against Danny’s arm, leaning against him as he softly panted for breath. He was shaking and didn’t even know how that had started but it had and the mere thought that this was real and he might actually be dying terrified him.
“No,” he barely responded. “I’m too wonderful to die.” That earned a barely-there chuckle from Danny and he wrapped his arm securely around Jackson, pulling him into his arms and Jackson didn’t even consider to protest.
“You better not be dying on me, Jackson. You owe me two favours and I expect you to pay up still.” The attempted joking was something and Jackson relaxed slightly in Danny’s grip. He was just so tired, so fucking tired of all of this and Danny cared enough to actually check up on him. Maybe this was all just a hallucination or a nightmare or a dream. Maybe it was even real, but in any case Jackson felt comforted.
So when the words, “I don’t want to die,” slipped from his lips, Jackson didn’t even bother to try and stop himself. Danny pulled him closer and Jackson rested his head on Danny’s chest, finding the sturdy frame of the boy’s body more comfortable than his overly soft pillow. “It hurts.”
“It’ll be better soon,” Danny instantly replied and that was the last thing that Jackson remembered him saying before he fell unconscious in the boy’s arms.