I Don't Think He'll Make It Through The Night - Chapter Eighteen
Title: I Don't Think He'll Make It Through The Night
Chapter: You're Building Me Up, Just To Break Me Down
Author: tothebatcaveO_o
Pairing: Alex/Zack (Rian Dawson/Cassadee Pope & Jack Barakat/Tay Jardine) Alex/Jack
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Since his brother died, things at home haven't been good for Alex. His mother became overly controlling of him, and his parents continue to argue, all the time. Alex turned to his demons to help resolve the conflict, but now, Zack's suffering too, the only difference is, Zack's problem can be hidden
Disclaimer: Everything's extracted from my imagination
A/N: I don't know why it's blue... I haven't a clue... (that rhymed ;)
Warning! Not very nice...
Masterpost
‘Of course you can!’ Alex almost squealed down the phone. He was happy Jack was even talking to him again. It was almost like nothing had happened - almost like it; there was still some uncertainty, some ambiguity, a little dust in the air.
Jack was coming round! Jack was coming round! Alex was ecstatic! He didn’t know what they could do though. He thought about inviting Rian and Cassadee, but decided against it. He took in a deep breath and began to set up the sofa bed in the spare bedroom for Jack to crash out on.
He didn’t want to read too much into things.
The doorbell rang and a grin spread on Alex’s face. He hurried down the stairs and opened it, his grin faltering when he saw Rian and Cassadee at his door. He frowned.
‘But I only typed the message out; I never sent it, did I?’ Alex mumbled to himself,
‘What message? We’ve come to tell you something.’ Cassadee responded. Alex made an ‘O’ shape with his mouth and invited them in.
They sat in the living room, an uncomfortable silence had settled until Rian broke it.
‘Zack’s coming back.’ Alex’s eyes bulged.
‘Coming back? Here? Where’s he going to stop?’
‘His brother helped him find a small apartment; he put a deposit down for him. He helped him get a full-time job so he can afford it.’ Cassadee explained.
‘I- um,’ Alex bit his lip, ‘what made you want to tell me?’
‘We thought you’d like to know.’ Rian said.
‘I do, I’m glad you have told me, but what made you feel like I deserved to know?’ Rian sighed,
‘You deserve to know, Alex.’ Alex nodded but slanted his mouth. He wondered whether Zack would ever make contact with him, whether he would ever want to, but then he realised that he was living some kind of fantasy - in what world what Zack ever want to talk to him?
***
Jack came over, Sandy in his arms. He gave a sheepish smile as Alex let him in.
‘Thank you, by the way.’ Jack said to him as he plonked Sandy on the sofa.
‘It’s fine,’ Alex said, ‘my parents are away as well. I was considering having a few people over, but I didn’t know if I could be bothered with it all.’ Jack hummed. ‘What do you want for dinner? I can make something or you can get a takeaway?’
‘What do you mean me? Don’t you mean us, we?’ Alex bit his lip,
‘Yeah, that’s, yeah…’
‘You have been eating, haven’t you?’ Jack looked up at Alex before finally absorbing the sight in front of him. He hadn’t paid enough attention to him. He paid no attention to him. His face had become sunken; his cheek bones had begun protruding again. ‘Take off your shirt.’ Jack commanded, but with no force, just straight. Alex shook his head and turned away,
‘What do you want to eat? There’s menu’s in the drawer.’
‘Alex, why have you relapsed?’
‘I haven’t relapsed, I’m fine, there’s nothing wrong with me.’
‘Is it because of me?’ Alex chuckled,
‘Someone’s a bit egocentric.’ He pulled out a handful of takeaway menus from the kitchen drawer and held them up high. ‘Here you go. Take your pick. I’ll pay.’
‘I’m not eating if you’re not.’
‘Don’t be so foolish. You’ve got to eat something, and what about Sandy? Has he got baby food?’ Jack nodded and returned to the living room, pulling out a couple of jars of baby food from his backpack.
‘All his things are in here, and I’ve got a change of clothes.’ Alex nodded. Jack looked up at him again, noticing the way his clothes hung off him, clinging to the fragile bits of bone and draping around him. Jack gulped, ‘you look ill, Alex.’
‘I’m not ill. I’m disgusting. Have you seen my body?’
‘No, you wouldn’t take off your shirt.’
‘Because it’s horrible, I’m so fat, Jack.’
‘You don’t look fat to me.’
‘You’re just being nice.’
‘How long has it been since you ate?’
‘Why does it matter? I went shopping today with Kath, we got food, and I had lunch, I ate lunch.’
‘How much of it?’
‘As much as I wanted; as much as I felt I was allowed.’
‘By whose standards?’
‘It doesn’t matter, Jack. What do you want to eat?’ Alex’s raised voice surprised Sandy, but he was accustomed to raised voices, now, he didn’t cry.
‘It doesn’t matter, Alex. I’m not hungry.’ Alex gulped,
‘Do you want to watch Home Alone?’ Jack nodded and made his way to the DVD player in the living room, pulling out the DVD from his bag and placing the disc inside.
***
It was eleven o’clock when Jack’s phone rang - it was May.
‘Why’s she…’ Jack raised an eyebrow and picked up the phone, ‘May? What?’ Jack’s face went pale as May spoke on the other end of the phone. He swallowed and glanced at Alex. He hung up the phone and stood up slowly.
‘What’s wrong?’ Alex asked him,
‘Someone took a gun to the party. May’s hiding and she wants us to go over there.’ Jack spoke, emotionless, like a robot.
‘What? A gun?’ Jack nodded,
‘Stay here with Sandy, please?’ Alex stood up and caught Jack’s arm,
‘You can’t go, not even with someone, Jack they could kill you.’
‘They’ve already killed someone. My sister is in that house, Alex.’ Alex’s breathing became rapid, but he didn’t let go. He stepped closer to Jack, his eyes dropped to his lips. He pressed their bodies together and pressed his lips against the younger boy’s. Jack reciprocated the kiss, but broke it off,
‘I need to get my sister out of that house, Alex.’ Alex nodded and looked at Sandy.
‘What if…’
‘Don’t think about it, not at all.’ Jack placed a last kiss to Alex’s thin lips and escaped, slipping his vans on and leaving the house, running down the road.
***
The door to the house was ajar. People were still inside, but there was a crowd outside.
‘Jack! Jack!’ Rian and Cassadee were amongst the crowd,
‘What are you doing here?’
‘May invited us, we thought you’d be here, but Jack, there are people in there and there’s someone with a gun!’ Cassadee replied,
‘I know, do you know where she is?’ They shook their heads. Jack pushed through the crowd,
‘You can’t go in.’ Rian said,
‘I need to!’ Jack countered. He pushed through the crowd of people and made his way to the open door.
A shot echoed through the house. Jack found himself slip slightly as he walked through the kitchen. He looked down to see a pool of dark red on the kitchen tiles. He peered around the island in the kitchen and saw the corpse of a young girl from his school. There was a hole in her forehead. She was slumped against the island. There were other bullet holes in her body, where most of the blood had escaped from.
Jack placed his hand over his mouth. Another shot went off, followed by people inside screaming, and the crowd outside gasping.
A thud was heard in the bedroom above the kitchen,
‘Mom and Dad’s room?’ Jack whispered to himself. He hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He carefully tread along the cream carpet towards the master bedroom. The door was wide open. There were rows of people lined up in the room. Someone was standing behind the door. Jack put his hand over his mouth and stepped back. He edged towards May’s bedroom and slipped inside.
‘Jack!’ May whispered loudly. She was hiding in her cupboard which had angled slats in the door which would prevent anyone seeing in, but she was capable of seeing out. She swung open the door and wrapped her arms around her brother. Her makeup had run down her face from crying.
‘You OK?’ Jack’s breathing was heavy. She nodded. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ She nodded again and poked her head round the door to hear another shot go off. She jumped back in her room and let out a tiny squeal, almost inaudible over the shrieks resounding through the house. ‘Follow me.’ Jack whispered. He led May out of her bedroom and towards the stairs. They crept down them when another shot went off. Jack’s eyes became bloodshot and his pupils dilated.
Jack’s shirt became damp with red.
‘Jack!’ May shrieked before being cut off completely by a bullet flying through the air, piercing her head and bursting out the other side. Her body collapsed and fell down the remaining steps.
‘M- M- May.’ Jack croaked. He turned around to see the shooter slowly descending the steps. The shooter was wearing a Halloween mask to hide his identity. It was the ghost-face mask from the movie Scream. Jack shuddered as he took further steps down, making his way down the hall, holding his side as he approached the front door. The shooter was busy reloading his gun as Jack made it to the front door and out to the crowd. The shooter held the gun up and fired it into the crowd. Jack was flung forward with the impact of the bullet. Rian caught him.
‘Jack! Jack!!’ Rian yelled. The shooter made his way back into the house.
Sirens came blaring down the road. The police were too late. May was dead. Along with however many people had been killed.
‘Jack.’ Rian whispered to the nearly lifeless boy in his arms.
Chapter: You're Building Me Up, Just To Break Me Down
Author: tothebatcaveO_o
Pairing: Alex/Zack (Rian Dawson/Cassadee Pope & Jack Barakat/Tay Jardine) Alex/Jack
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Since his brother died, things at home haven't been good for Alex. His mother became overly controlling of him, and his parents continue to argue, all the time. Alex turned to his demons to help resolve the conflict, but now, Zack's suffering too, the only difference is, Zack's problem can be hidden
Disclaimer: Everything's extracted from my imagination
A/N: I don't know why it's blue... I haven't a clue... (that rhymed ;)
Warning! Not very nice...
Masterpost
‘Of course you can!’ Alex almost squealed down the phone. He was happy Jack was even talking to him again. It was almost like nothing had happened - almost like it; there was still some uncertainty, some ambiguity, a little dust in the air.
Jack was coming round! Jack was coming round! Alex was ecstatic! He didn’t know what they could do though. He thought about inviting Rian and Cassadee, but decided against it. He took in a deep breath and began to set up the sofa bed in the spare bedroom for Jack to crash out on.
He didn’t want to read too much into things.
The doorbell rang and a grin spread on Alex’s face. He hurried down the stairs and opened it, his grin faltering when he saw Rian and Cassadee at his door. He frowned.
‘But I only typed the message out; I never sent it, did I?’ Alex mumbled to himself,
‘What message? We’ve come to tell you something.’ Cassadee responded. Alex made an ‘O’ shape with his mouth and invited them in.
They sat in the living room, an uncomfortable silence had settled until Rian broke it.
‘Zack’s coming back.’ Alex’s eyes bulged.
‘Coming back? Here? Where’s he going to stop?’
‘His brother helped him find a small apartment; he put a deposit down for him. He helped him get a full-time job so he can afford it.’ Cassadee explained.
‘I- um,’ Alex bit his lip, ‘what made you want to tell me?’
‘We thought you’d like to know.’ Rian said.
‘I do, I’m glad you have told me, but what made you feel like I deserved to know?’ Rian sighed,
‘You deserve to know, Alex.’ Alex nodded but slanted his mouth. He wondered whether Zack would ever make contact with him, whether he would ever want to, but then he realised that he was living some kind of fantasy - in what world what Zack ever want to talk to him?
***
Jack came over, Sandy in his arms. He gave a sheepish smile as Alex let him in.
‘Thank you, by the way.’ Jack said to him as he plonked Sandy on the sofa.
‘It’s fine,’ Alex said, ‘my parents are away as well. I was considering having a few people over, but I didn’t know if I could be bothered with it all.’ Jack hummed. ‘What do you want for dinner? I can make something or you can get a takeaway?’
‘What do you mean me? Don’t you mean us, we?’ Alex bit his lip,
‘Yeah, that’s, yeah…’
‘You have been eating, haven’t you?’ Jack looked up at Alex before finally absorbing the sight in front of him. He hadn’t paid enough attention to him. He paid no attention to him. His face had become sunken; his cheek bones had begun protruding again. ‘Take off your shirt.’ Jack commanded, but with no force, just straight. Alex shook his head and turned away,
‘What do you want to eat? There’s menu’s in the drawer.’
‘Alex, why have you relapsed?’
‘I haven’t relapsed, I’m fine, there’s nothing wrong with me.’
‘Is it because of me?’ Alex chuckled,
‘Someone’s a bit egocentric.’ He pulled out a handful of takeaway menus from the kitchen drawer and held them up high. ‘Here you go. Take your pick. I’ll pay.’
‘I’m not eating if you’re not.’
‘Don’t be so foolish. You’ve got to eat something, and what about Sandy? Has he got baby food?’ Jack nodded and returned to the living room, pulling out a couple of jars of baby food from his backpack.
‘All his things are in here, and I’ve got a change of clothes.’ Alex nodded. Jack looked up at him again, noticing the way his clothes hung off him, clinging to the fragile bits of bone and draping around him. Jack gulped, ‘you look ill, Alex.’
‘I’m not ill. I’m disgusting. Have you seen my body?’
‘No, you wouldn’t take off your shirt.’
‘Because it’s horrible, I’m so fat, Jack.’
‘You don’t look fat to me.’
‘You’re just being nice.’
‘How long has it been since you ate?’
‘Why does it matter? I went shopping today with Kath, we got food, and I had lunch, I ate lunch.’
‘How much of it?’
‘As much as I wanted; as much as I felt I was allowed.’
‘By whose standards?’
‘It doesn’t matter, Jack. What do you want to eat?’ Alex’s raised voice surprised Sandy, but he was accustomed to raised voices, now, he didn’t cry.
‘It doesn’t matter, Alex. I’m not hungry.’ Alex gulped,
‘Do you want to watch Home Alone?’ Jack nodded and made his way to the DVD player in the living room, pulling out the DVD from his bag and placing the disc inside.
***
It was eleven o’clock when Jack’s phone rang - it was May.
‘Why’s she…’ Jack raised an eyebrow and picked up the phone, ‘May? What?’ Jack’s face went pale as May spoke on the other end of the phone. He swallowed and glanced at Alex. He hung up the phone and stood up slowly.
‘What’s wrong?’ Alex asked him,
‘Someone took a gun to the party. May’s hiding and she wants us to go over there.’ Jack spoke, emotionless, like a robot.
‘What? A gun?’ Jack nodded,
‘Stay here with Sandy, please?’ Alex stood up and caught Jack’s arm,
‘You can’t go, not even with someone, Jack they could kill you.’
‘They’ve already killed someone. My sister is in that house, Alex.’ Alex’s breathing became rapid, but he didn’t let go. He stepped closer to Jack, his eyes dropped to his lips. He pressed their bodies together and pressed his lips against the younger boy’s. Jack reciprocated the kiss, but broke it off,
‘I need to get my sister out of that house, Alex.’ Alex nodded and looked at Sandy.
‘What if…’
‘Don’t think about it, not at all.’ Jack placed a last kiss to Alex’s thin lips and escaped, slipping his vans on and leaving the house, running down the road.
***
The door to the house was ajar. People were still inside, but there was a crowd outside.
‘Jack! Jack!’ Rian and Cassadee were amongst the crowd,
‘What are you doing here?’
‘May invited us, we thought you’d be here, but Jack, there are people in there and there’s someone with a gun!’ Cassadee replied,
‘I know, do you know where she is?’ They shook their heads. Jack pushed through the crowd,
‘You can’t go in.’ Rian said,
‘I need to!’ Jack countered. He pushed through the crowd of people and made his way to the open door.
A shot echoed through the house. Jack found himself slip slightly as he walked through the kitchen. He looked down to see a pool of dark red on the kitchen tiles. He peered around the island in the kitchen and saw the corpse of a young girl from his school. There was a hole in her forehead. She was slumped against the island. There were other bullet holes in her body, where most of the blood had escaped from.
Jack placed his hand over his mouth. Another shot went off, followed by people inside screaming, and the crowd outside gasping.
A thud was heard in the bedroom above the kitchen,
‘Mom and Dad’s room?’ Jack whispered to himself. He hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He carefully tread along the cream carpet towards the master bedroom. The door was wide open. There were rows of people lined up in the room. Someone was standing behind the door. Jack put his hand over his mouth and stepped back. He edged towards May’s bedroom and slipped inside.
‘Jack!’ May whispered loudly. She was hiding in her cupboard which had angled slats in the door which would prevent anyone seeing in, but she was capable of seeing out. She swung open the door and wrapped her arms around her brother. Her makeup had run down her face from crying.
‘You OK?’ Jack’s breathing was heavy. She nodded. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ She nodded again and poked her head round the door to hear another shot go off. She jumped back in her room and let out a tiny squeal, almost inaudible over the shrieks resounding through the house. ‘Follow me.’ Jack whispered. He led May out of her bedroom and towards the stairs. They crept down them when another shot went off. Jack’s eyes became bloodshot and his pupils dilated.
Jack’s shirt became damp with red.
‘Jack!’ May shrieked before being cut off completely by a bullet flying through the air, piercing her head and bursting out the other side. Her body collapsed and fell down the remaining steps.
‘M- M- May.’ Jack croaked. He turned around to see the shooter slowly descending the steps. The shooter was wearing a Halloween mask to hide his identity. It was the ghost-face mask from the movie Scream. Jack shuddered as he took further steps down, making his way down the hall, holding his side as he approached the front door. The shooter was busy reloading his gun as Jack made it to the front door and out to the crowd. The shooter held the gun up and fired it into the crowd. Jack was flung forward with the impact of the bullet. Rian caught him.
‘Jack! Jack!!’ Rian yelled. The shooter made his way back into the house.
Sirens came blaring down the road. The police were too late. May was dead. Along with however many people had been killed.
‘Jack.’ Rian whispered to the nearly lifeless boy in his arms.