It's In The Blood (42/43+Epilogue)
Title: It's In The Blood (42/43+Epilogue)
Author: chasingxrabbits
Pairing: Jalex (Also Gabilliam, Ryden, Very slight Sykecest, More pairings soon.)
Rating: PG13 (Over all NC-17)
Dedications: My favorite person in the WHOLE world, beside Alex Gaskarth, Lydia (Wooden_Roses)
Disclaimer: Title belongs to AFI. I only own the story and maybe someday, Alex too.
Authors Notes: Really close to the end. I'm gunna miss it.
Masterpost
Alex snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Tom clear his throat. The living room of their cozy, safe little house had become a doctor's waiting room suddenly. And Tom finally appeared at the top of the stairs with a simply broken look on his face.
Of course Oli's condition had taken it's toll on everyone. Jack hadn't stopped crying since they got back from the hotel and Christofer's normally childish facade had completely vanished with the situation. Brendon and Ryan had returned the previous morning, just in time to get the terrible news and Brendon, being the soft caring soul that he was couldn't really handle it. So here was this pile of people, all more worried and hurt. But compared to Tom, they all looked happy.
The boy's eyes were sunken in from all the worry that he'd faced. He felt lost, even now and more than anything in the world, he felt helpless to care for his brother. And the fact the Oliver had been denying his help for a while was a sign that he was giving up completely. Tom couldn't understand. Why would his brother, the fighter of the family or any family for that matter, just give up like he did. He couldn't comprehend the amount of strength it took for his brother to even keep his eyes open anymore.
So when Tom cleared his throat at the top of the stairs, everyone perked up for a second like maybe he'd have some good news. But Alex saw the look of desperation at it's core in the boy's crystalline blue eyes.
"Oliver," Tom whispered and Alex's heart stalled, waiting for the terrible news. "He wants to see you, Alex."
Alex simply wouldn't believe the amount of deterioration of Oliver's condition if he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes and suddenly, for the first time ever, Alex didn't see a stubborn twenty seven year old. What he saw instead was a weak, fifty something year old. Oliver sat in his truest, human form and Alex wanted to just turn away and run like he had that many years ago. He closed his eyes; at least then he could see Oli like he knew him, with out the translucent, sheet white and wrinkled skin that drooped around his muscles.
"Alex." The whisper was as loud as a flake of snow landing on a window sill, a sheet pulling across a bed and Alex had to strain considerably to hear it, even with advanced senses.
"I'm here," he assured, going to take a step towards the elder but pausing due to the amount of fear that the action brought.
"I'm sor-sorry for," Oli started, an actual tear trailing down his pale skin and across the caked, dried blood on his face.
Alex nodded for him to go on as the elder look at him with sad, tired eyes.
"Upsetting you," he finished and let out a pained breath as his face scrunched up for a second.
"When did you upset me?" Alex asked, imagining the tears rolling off his own cheek bones in desperation as he fidgeted with his thumbs.
"Everyday of your human life."
Alex huffed, choking back a sob. Because now was not the time.
"I would have forgiven you; my human self would have anyway."
Oli nodded, smiling the slightest bit as he closed his eyes.
"Because my human self loved you all those years ago," he admitted and Oli's smile faded.
"My human self loved you too, Alex."
Alex didn't have time to take it in though because he was taking baby steps forward until his knees touched the edge of the man's bed. He sat as gently as he could as not to disturb the relaxed man. Oliver opened his eyes as Alex stroked a hand down his cheek. Their eyes met for a second for Alex closed his tight and leaned into the man's chest, holding all of his own weight so Oli didn't have to.
"I'm so scared," he admitted in a sob like a dry heave, clenching his jaw as tight as it would allow as he felt the man's weak arm stretch out and wrap around him.
"I am too, Lex."
Alex couldn't halt the sobs that kept escaping now because never in his life had he heard Oliver admit that he was scared or sincerely unsure about something.
"I don't know what's going to happen to me."
"I don't either," Alex admitted, as he clutched the man tight now.
"Alex," Oli warned and the younger loosened his grip to look at him. He knew that look. Oli wouldn't last much longer being as weak as he was. Alex slipped off of the bed and onto the floor, losing his own strength to stand or even sit.
“Please don’t. Okay? You can’t just go. Let” Maybe if he could reason with the elder, maybe that could change something, but it wouldn’t.
“Well, I can’t stay, so,” he joked, even in the severity of the situation. His voice was raspy and quiet in comparison to the sound of his breathing.
"Let me get Tom," Alex said suddenly like he was surprised that he didn't think of that sooner but Oli snapped a "no" quickly.
"No, don't," he said again and Alex looked at him in question, still trying to choke back the hiccupy sobs in vain. "I sent him away for a reason. He couldn't handle it."
Alex knew the grave meaning behind his words and the physical pain was too much. He collapsed onto the floor more, resting his forehead on the mattress.
"Take good care of him, okay?" Oliver requested quietly and Alex nodded his head a bit as a sob gone wrong escaped his lips, sounding like a choked sick coughing. This was too much stress for one person to handle in honesty but he would bare it if it meant spending the last minutes of Oliver's life with him.
It took a few minutes for Alex to pick himself off the floor like a pile of discarded clothing. He felt like a dish cloth, to be used and thrown away at a person’s will but when he did he reached a hand out to stroke down Oliver’s cheek.
Alex’s eyes snapped open when he felt that the pulse below the man’s skin was nonexistent.
Author: chasingxrabbits
Pairing: Jalex (Also Gabilliam, Ryden, Very slight Sykecest, More pairings soon.)
Rating: PG13 (Over all NC-17)
Dedications: My favorite person in the WHOLE world, beside Alex Gaskarth, Lydia (Wooden_Roses)
Disclaimer: Title belongs to AFI. I only own the story and maybe someday, Alex too.
Authors Notes: Really close to the end. I'm gunna miss it.
Masterpost
Alex snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Tom clear his throat. The living room of their cozy, safe little house had become a doctor's waiting room suddenly. And Tom finally appeared at the top of the stairs with a simply broken look on his face.
Of course Oli's condition had taken it's toll on everyone. Jack hadn't stopped crying since they got back from the hotel and Christofer's normally childish facade had completely vanished with the situation. Brendon and Ryan had returned the previous morning, just in time to get the terrible news and Brendon, being the soft caring soul that he was couldn't really handle it. So here was this pile of people, all more worried and hurt. But compared to Tom, they all looked happy.
The boy's eyes were sunken in from all the worry that he'd faced. He felt lost, even now and more than anything in the world, he felt helpless to care for his brother. And the fact the Oliver had been denying his help for a while was a sign that he was giving up completely. Tom couldn't understand. Why would his brother, the fighter of the family or any family for that matter, just give up like he did. He couldn't comprehend the amount of strength it took for his brother to even keep his eyes open anymore.
So when Tom cleared his throat at the top of the stairs, everyone perked up for a second like maybe he'd have some good news. But Alex saw the look of desperation at it's core in the boy's crystalline blue eyes.
"Oliver," Tom whispered and Alex's heart stalled, waiting for the terrible news. "He wants to see you, Alex."
Alex simply wouldn't believe the amount of deterioration of Oliver's condition if he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes and suddenly, for the first time ever, Alex didn't see a stubborn twenty seven year old. What he saw instead was a weak, fifty something year old. Oliver sat in his truest, human form and Alex wanted to just turn away and run like he had that many years ago. He closed his eyes; at least then he could see Oli like he knew him, with out the translucent, sheet white and wrinkled skin that drooped around his muscles.
"Alex." The whisper was as loud as a flake of snow landing on a window sill, a sheet pulling across a bed and Alex had to strain considerably to hear it, even with advanced senses.
"I'm here," he assured, going to take a step towards the elder but pausing due to the amount of fear that the action brought.
"I'm sor-sorry for," Oli started, an actual tear trailing down his pale skin and across the caked, dried blood on his face.
Alex nodded for him to go on as the elder look at him with sad, tired eyes.
"Upsetting you," he finished and let out a pained breath as his face scrunched up for a second.
"When did you upset me?" Alex asked, imagining the tears rolling off his own cheek bones in desperation as he fidgeted with his thumbs.
"Everyday of your human life."
Alex huffed, choking back a sob. Because now was not the time.
"I would have forgiven you; my human self would have anyway."
Oli nodded, smiling the slightest bit as he closed his eyes.
"Because my human self loved you all those years ago," he admitted and Oli's smile faded.
"My human self loved you too, Alex."
Alex didn't have time to take it in though because he was taking baby steps forward until his knees touched the edge of the man's bed. He sat as gently as he could as not to disturb the relaxed man. Oliver opened his eyes as Alex stroked a hand down his cheek. Their eyes met for a second for Alex closed his tight and leaned into the man's chest, holding all of his own weight so Oli didn't have to.
"I'm so scared," he admitted in a sob like a dry heave, clenching his jaw as tight as it would allow as he felt the man's weak arm stretch out and wrap around him.
"I am too, Lex."
Alex couldn't halt the sobs that kept escaping now because never in his life had he heard Oliver admit that he was scared or sincerely unsure about something.
"I don't know what's going to happen to me."
"I don't either," Alex admitted, as he clutched the man tight now.
"Alex," Oli warned and the younger loosened his grip to look at him. He knew that look. Oli wouldn't last much longer being as weak as he was. Alex slipped off of the bed and onto the floor, losing his own strength to stand or even sit.
“Please don’t. Okay? You can’t just go. Let” Maybe if he could reason with the elder, maybe that could change something, but it wouldn’t.
“Well, I can’t stay, so,” he joked, even in the severity of the situation. His voice was raspy and quiet in comparison to the sound of his breathing.
"Let me get Tom," Alex said suddenly like he was surprised that he didn't think of that sooner but Oli snapped a "no" quickly.
"No, don't," he said again and Alex looked at him in question, still trying to choke back the hiccupy sobs in vain. "I sent him away for a reason. He couldn't handle it."
Alex knew the grave meaning behind his words and the physical pain was too much. He collapsed onto the floor more, resting his forehead on the mattress.
"Take good care of him, okay?" Oliver requested quietly and Alex nodded his head a bit as a sob gone wrong escaped his lips, sounding like a choked sick coughing. This was too much stress for one person to handle in honesty but he would bare it if it meant spending the last minutes of Oliver's life with him.
It took a few minutes for Alex to pick himself off the floor like a pile of discarded clothing. He felt like a dish cloth, to be used and thrown away at a person’s will but when he did he reached a hand out to stroke down Oliver’s cheek.
Alex’s eyes snapped open when he felt that the pulse below the man’s skin was nonexistent.