Fic: "The Long Way Home Part 6 B", Jared/Alec, NC-17
Fic title: "The Long Way Home Part 6B
Author: the_milky_way
Genre: Dark Angel/RPS
Pairing: Alec/X5!Jared
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 10.115
Beta: Thank you to A. for the help.
Disclaimer: This story is fictional (not real, didn't happen). Not true in any way. I don't own anything. Dark Angel belongs to Fox and no money is being made out of this.
Summary:
The room is warm, almost cosy. It’s okay, not too warm and the air isn’t stuffy anymore. The windows have been open the whole morning so Jared feels a little less like he is breathing in his own air.
It’s dark in here, almost too dark, but it’s because the curtains are closed. Jared admits that he hasn’t been feeling like getting up and shuffling across the room to open them again after they were closed against the glaring sun this morning. Jared never thought snow and sun could be this blinding. There is a small sliver of light coming through where the two halves aren’t connected and he can see the sun being up and high.
Notes:
I am sorry for the long delay. Editing when sick is not fun.
Anyway, there is still one part (Part 7) left, it will be posted as soon as possible.
banner made by purequicksilver
Previous Parts: Part 1 * Part 2 A * Part 2 B * Part 3 A * Part 3 B * Part 4 * Part 5 * Part 6A
The room is warm, almost cosy. It’s okay, not too warm and the air isn’t stuffy anymore. The windows have been open the whole morning so Jared feels a little less like he is breathing in his own air.
It’s dark in here, almost too dark, but it’s because the curtains are closed. Jared admits that he hasn’t been feeling like getting up and shuffling across the room to open them again after they were closed against the glaring sun this morning. Jared never thought snow and sun could be this blinding. There is a small sliver of light coming through where the two halves aren’t connected and he can see the sun being up and high.
It’s cold outside. Clear air and everything covered in snow. He can feel it on his skin, breathe in the cold air and take a deep breath. He can see it all when he closes his eyes. He raises himself up on his elbows to see if he can get a glimpse of something outside, turns his head to work some kinks out of his neck.
Jared hasn’t been outside in days.
He feels restless, trapped even. The room starts feel a little more like a prison with every added day he stays in it. Not like the cell where White had him. Nothing like that. But the walls seem be closing him, making it hard to breathe, hard to think.
He wants to get out of bed without someone hovering close by and watching his every move. Okay, without Alec doing that, since no one else is here. He wants to be outside, feels the sun on his skin and the snow crunch under his boots. He hates feeling dependent, hasn’t been in over a year and suddenly he has to ask for help with the simplest things.
He is so damn tired of lying in bed all day. He just doesn’t know how to ask Alec if he can help with that.
Jared sighs, flops back down onto his pillow and waits for Alec to come in and force some more food on him. He tries not to blush when he remembers the conversation they had about food, giving it away due to feeling guilty and failing to take care of himself. As if he wasn’t feeling inadequate already.
They’ve had some of those conversations during the last few days and Jared hopes they are done with trying to analyze him and recounting all his embarrassing behaviour. But he figures that Alec must be as bored as he is, trapped here babysitting an instable teenager who can’t even move around properly and be entertaining.
Jared huffs a little, mostly at himself. Because he knows his thoughts are irrational, knows that Alec actually seems to like spending time with him despite the way they first started out as. Alec doesn’t seem to mind being here, being just responsible for Jared and not for an entire, mostly disorganized, place of people. Alec has even told him as much.
It’s still hard for Jared to believe it.
Thinks are a little awkward between them though. A little strained and maybe underlined with embarrassment and worry. It has been like this every day since Jared almost gave Alec a heart attack the day he woke up.
So yeah waking up after taking a major beating and having been asleep for four days and then just yelling for the only person that was on his mind then probably hadn’t been the best idea he’s ever had. But no one could blame him; he had been traumatized after all.
Jared still blushes when he thinks back at the way Alec had rushed, almost flown, into the room, eyes wide with panic, shirt half open and still dripping from a shower previously taken. He blushes because he hadn’t even thought of reassuring Alec that he was fun, no he was too busy staring at the naked skin and muscled chest that had been in his direct line of sight.
Again no one could really blame him. He was all disoriented and then a half naked, good looking guy was standing in his room. Okay, a half naked guy that was panicking and flailing a little but it still didn’t make him any less hot.
Jared almost groans out loud, because this is going nowhere and he should stop thinking about it. Alec is here to take care off, Jared likes that. What Jared doesn’t like is the fact that he is an invalid who is shaken by bad nightmares almost every time and can only go back to sleep when Alec is there, touching him, being close. He wishes it wasn’t so embarrassing; otherwise it would be cool to have Alec in his bed every night.
That won’t happen though. He is a teenager after all, almost 8 years younger than Alec. And yes he’d asked Max during one of their talks how old they actually were and how long they had been at Manticore. Seeing it with his own eyes Jared still can’t get over the fact that this place had been where Alec, Max and all the other grew up in. Not to mention that now he has his own set of horrible memories connected to it.
So yeah, things have been a little awkward for a week now. A week since he woke up and yelled for Alec. Alec is almost overly worried, checking in on Jared every hour or so, making sure he is still in bed and not like on the floor or something.
Jared knows it’s his own fault. He did try to leave the bed on the third day. He ended up crashing to the floor when his knees buckled, jarred his hip and ribs so hard that he shouted out in pain.
Alec has been a little pissed ever since, and maybe a little embarrassed as well. Alec came running the second Jared crashed down, talked him through the pain with words so soft and reassuring that Jared is pretty sure he only imagined them.
He hasn’t been allowed to leave the room despite him telling Alec that he feels better, which is probably due to the high class pain meds Sam has sent along but Jared doesn’t care, he just wants to be outside for a while.
He has considered whining and begging, too. Jared is sort of sure that it would even work the way Alec is trying to read every wish or need in his eyes lately.
Jared moves under the covers to find a position putting less pressure on his left side, the side with the cracked ribs. He hisses when he moves the wrong way but at least it isn’t a spiking pain anymore. It’s all numb and throbbing now. Black and blue under the bruised skin and the bandages have been a little less tight as well. Alec does them every day, applies a salve to all the bruises and cuts and makes Jared drink and take his meds like a good little nurse. It earned him a whack to the head when he mentioned it to Alec, but there had been a small smirk and it had made Jared feel all triumphant for a while.
They talk when Alec tends to Jared’s wounds. It’s easier then, when both of them are occupied with other things, not looking at each other, not taking more than the other can give. They talk about Manticore, about Jared’s days there and what he remembers.
Low words, sometimes whispered when Jared can’t say them out loud. Alec listening quietly, telling some of his own stories when it fits. Jared has gotten a clearer picture of who Alec is but there is still so much more to learn about the other man.
It helps to talk, to tell what he got from White’s words. It’s not much though; he was too out of it for most of the time. Alec tells him what Sam found under his skin, it makes Jared shiver every time he thinks about it; it also makes him wonder about what his body is capable of doing. Blocking emissions, transmissions of tracking and explosive devices? Pretty freaky if someone asked him.
Jared smiles at that thought now though. He is a freak after all and Alec thinks that isn’t all that bad.
One of those evenings when Jared was laying in his bed, huddled under the covers and Alec was bored to death they talked about it, talked what exactly Jared is, what Alec is, what it means. Jared remembered that he hadn’t actually listened to Logan much the first time they had this talk, when they god the results of the blood work.
Jared doesn’t know what made him ask, what made him look at Alec from under his lashes and start talking. It was like the first time Jared woke up in Alec’s arms. They talked about Jared’s family, how he grew up, how Alec’s life was so much different, so much more fractured and broken
Alec has tried to decipher all of Logan’s scientific talk for him then. Fun was had; Jared still shudders when he thinks about all the things he still doesn’t get.
According to Alec Jared’s DNA is a special mix, even more so than those of the other x5 Transgenics. It explains his psychic abilities, his empathy and the projecting. There is cat, a little lion and some other feline components in his matrix. The rest is his parent’s and modified human DNA. He has given up thinking about it, has started to accept it all and the fact that he’ll always be a target for White.
Sometimes he wonders if his dad knew, knew what might happen to his family because of the project. Jared knows his dad hadn’t worked for them in years, but he also knows that him going to e military school wasn’t a coincidence either, it makes it even less bearable to think about his parents, his siblings, being murdered for just that. For a project that seems like it has been dead for years but has still being running it’s programmed course.
Jared sighs, shifts the pillow under his head and doesn’t even try to open his eyes again when they slip close. He is still so exhausted, everything aches and throbs in ways he never thought possible. He still wants out though, needs to see more than just those wooden walls, the bed, bathroom and Alec. He isn’t even allowed to go into the kitchen or to explore the house they are in. It’s Logan’s uncle’s house, he knows this much. There is a lake and mountains, has seen it all through the window. They are safe for now; only Logan has been by, bringing supplies that will last them through weeks if they have to and relaying news from TC.
They are trying to set up a new Council, delivered evidence that White attacked TC. It’s chaos, political and otherwise. Max is fighting hard and seems to be winning on some fronts. No one knows how it will turn out but Jared might be able to go back home soon. And it is home now. He misses TC, misses his new friends, his new family.
He is glad that it’s Alec here with him though. It sounds mean in his head, selfish even and he is sure it will come out even more spoiled and bratish if he’d say it out loud. He’d already gone crazy by now if it was anybody else but Alec.
There is one thing though that frustrates the hell out of Jared and Alec is the center of it. But what else is new?
What they don’t talk about though is what happened when Alec got Jared out of there. For some reason there is an unspoken rule that this topic is untouchable.
Jared slips of to sleep again with the though of trying to talk to Alec about that in mind.
***
Jared wakes up again when the curtains are drawn back, revealing a scenic view of snow covered mountains and a setting sun. The windows are being opened and he takes a deep lungful of fresh mountain air.
It hurts a little, the cold air and his expanding chest makes his ribs throb a little. It still feels like he is alive again though.
“You done sleeping the day away?” Alec asks with not a small amount of amusement audible in his voice?
“As if I can anything else in this… room.” Jared grumbles and tries to hide the smile he seems to be unable to suppress every time Alec is close.
“Oh… well you could read you know. I know you can. There are books. A chess board even. There is an old CD player even. Antique, the way it looks. You could try and figure out how it works.” Alec answers in a teasing voice. He loves to rile Jared up and rub it in that Jared can’t really move on his own or isn’t allowed to anyway.
“Funny. Really funny. I have read every single piece of paper that can be found in this room. Why can’t I have the computer in here? Afraid I’ll accidentally give away our secret hiding place?” He is grinning like a fool, can’t help it, because this is another thing he apparently likes doing when Alec is close, he loves to flirt. They love to flirt.
“The way you are hooked up on meds? Yeah, not gonna risk it, kid. Either you blow up the computer, shout it out to the world where we are or download porn and freeze the whole damn thing.” Alec is busy cleaning away Jared’s dishes but he is smiling, too.
“Damn…
“Let’s get you off the meds first and then we can talk about any usage of electronic devices that are hooked up to the outside world. Okay?” Alec looks at him with a small smile before he turns toward the drawer and starts taking out clothes for Jared to wear. It should feel weird, for Alec to do that but it doesn’t. Logan brought so many clothes that Jared is pretty sure he’ll never get the chance top wear them all. It’s more than he has owned or seen since before he left home for school.
Jared blushes a little when Alec puts the clothes, underwear included, on the bed and goes to get the little bathroom ready. Alec still changes Jared’s bandages twice a day, applies the salve and never allows any kind of additional movement. It’s still a little weird, especially with them not really talking about this thing between them.
“Okay, let’s get you all fresh and clean. I got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Jared can’t suppress the giddy feeling, knows it’s audible in his voice and doesn’t care that Alec is smirking at him again. When Alec nods Jared is already trying to figure out what that surprise could be.
Jared takes a few minutes to get out of bed and he can see Alec hovering but not moving to help for which Jared is really kind of grateful. It has been awkward the first few days, having Alec carrying him around and refusing to let him walk anywhere on his own. He tries to be quick in the bathroom, doesn’t even bemoan the open door anymore. Because yeah, Alec had thrown a fit when Jared closed it and promptly collapsed. And Alec is scary when he is mad and a little panicked.
He steps out of the bathroom and frowns and the new layer of clothes on the now made bed. Another pair of sweatpants and one thick winter jacket. He glances at the window; it’s closed now and wonders what Alec is planning. Maybe he wants to air out the whole house and needs Jared to be dressed for it? That would actually be a surprise, the way Alec is bitching about the cold these days.
“Get them on, don’t move too much though.” Alec walks by the open room door and doesn’t even look into the room. Jared frowns, frowns some more when hears the backdoor open and not closing again. There is a deck outside, something similar to a porch that runs around the whole house and becomes wide at the back of the house, the backdoor leads out to it.
Jared gets dresses slowly, even manages to the sweat pants on without having to call out to Alec for help. He looks up from his bare feet when a shadow falls across the wooden floor boards. Alec kneels down and Jared has to swallow hard. This comes way to close to one of the recurring dreams he has lately. And yes he is praying that he isn’t projecting those. Alec hasn’t said anything yet but Jared doesn’t know if he would anyway.
Alec’s cold hand on his bare skin makes him jump and hiss a little. There is a mumbled ‘sorry’ and a small smile and Jared wants to reach out and touch Alec’s hair. It’s so soft looking and so close, just the right angle for Jared to bury his fingers in it. Alec’s putting thick woollen socks on Jared’s feet and Jared has to repress a sigh.
“I feel like I am five again, you know. I can do that myself.”
“Can you? Bent down and try to tie your boots, kiddo.” Alec sounds amused, sounds like he knows he is right. Jared hates it because he has to admit that Alec actually is… right. That doesn’t make it any less embarrassing though when Alec is done with the socks and boots, and suddenly picks Jared up from the bed.
“Dude! What the… Alec!” Jared flails just a little, holds on to Alec when the move. He slings his arms around Alec’s neck and thinks ‘to hell with it’. He can touch Alec now and he’ll take every chance he can get.
“Shut up and enjoy the fact that you don’t have to walk. And no, princess, you aren’t too heavy for me. Freak here, remember? You need to eat more anyway.” Alec ends the last sentence on a serious note. It’s been an issue between them ever since Jared woke up and they had their little talk about it. Pain killers are a good excuse though. He really isn’t hungry most of the times.
All Jared can respond with is a mumbled ‘Hmpf’ which makes Alec laugh and Jared cling harder to him.
“Man, this is so not cool. I’m not a girl and this being carried around is seriously messing with my ego. I can walk; have been doing it for a while now.” He knows he sounds whiny but he can’t help it. He isn’t knocking on death’s door here.
“Sam said a week of bead rest. Week’s over tomorrow. Until then… bear with it.” Alec sounds way too smug, as if he is enjoying carrying Jared around. To be honest, Jared secretly loved being this close to Alec, still no reason to let the last bit of his dignity go without a fight.
“Well, actually the week was over like two days ago.” Jared can sound smug, too if he wants to.
“Am not counting the days you weren’t awake. So shut it and enjoy it. Won’t be carrying your ass around much longer and we both know you like it.” Alec knows how to make Jared blush in a matter of seconds and he seems to be doing it on purpose lately.
They walk down the narrow hallway leading to the backdoor, which is open as Jared had guessed before. The cool air makes him shiver a little but the second realizes where exactly they are heading he can’t stop the grin from spreading.
There is one of the deck chairs placed in the middle of the otherwise empty deck, thick blankets slung over it and a low crate pulled close. Alec walks them slowly over, mindful of the rest of snow still frozen to the wooden planks. Jared is too busy to take in the fresh air and the fact that he is outside to say anything.
Though, he grumbles at Alec when the he tucks Jared into three blankets and makes sure that only Jared’s face is exposed to the cold. Now Jared really feels like five.
“I’ll let you sit here for a while. I know you’ve been going cuckoo in there. Not too long though, don’t need to nurse you through pneumonia or something. You are still weak, so please do me a favor and don’t try to get up. If there is a bear or wolf, scream but don’t move.” Alec looks sincere when he delivers his little speech and Jared knows there are all kinds of wild animals close by but he doubts they’ll come close in the middle of the day. He’ll scream anyway, he is pretty sure of it. Not embarrassing at all. Alec just knows him too well.
Jared takes a deep breath, and like in his room it hurts to breathe this deeply but he smiles at the twinge in his chest. And lungs. It still feels good.
“I freaking love you.”
It stands in the air between them for a few seconds; no one moves or says anything. Alec seems frozen to the spot and Jared can’t move anyway.
“I... I mean.. I… Uhm... Thank you?” It comes out weak, small and Jared curses the lack of filter between mouth and brain. Of course he loves Alec, has come to terms with that while being all laid up sick in bed. But that doesn’t mean he has to blurt it out like that.
Alec blinks and then smiles all bright and sunny. Not the fake wide smile he puts on when he wants to placate someone but a real smile. A big smile. “Yeah. You’re welcome kid. Oh and more surprises are on the way, but don’t hold your breath.” He is gone before Jared can say anything else.
Right. That went well. Jared is a little confused but tries to not let it get to him too much.
He closes his eyes, feels the sun on his skin and the air move around him. It’s quiet but not silent. Nature is never silent. He focuses, then over-focuses and has to withdraw at the impact of all the sounds crashing down on him. He focuses again, this time with his mind, tries to catch emotions and feelings. There are only Alec’s and they are muted somehow. Jared doesn’t know what it is but it’s almost as scary as having too much of them in his head. He’d kind of gotten used to having to block everything out.
Maybe White did more to him then just plant those tracking devices?
Jared shivers, refuses to think any further about it. His nightmares are enough to deal with, he’s not going to waste good thoughts and energy on White when he finally is on the way to getting better.
This day is way too beautiful to ruin it with dark thoughts.
Jared looks around, takes everything in and feels himself smiling at the snow-covered trees and mountains. There are tyre tracks in the snow, from Logan’s truck, so it hasn’t snowed in a few days. Jared wonders how long they’ll have to stay here. Right now this might be the best place in the world.
****
All curtains are open, even the doors are. The air has a chance to move through the entire house and it is much needed. Alec feels sort of proud of himself for thinking about getting Jared outside for the time being. The kid needed to get away from the room for a while and if it only meant sitting on a chair wrapped in blankets and watching the world go by.
Passing the hallway mirror Alec stops short and backtracks. The picture greeting him is something he hasn’t seen in a while. In a long while. The smile doesn’t seem quite right on his face but it still fits somehow.
Jared put it there with what he’d said out on the deck, and even though it probably was just Jared thanking Alec for finally letting him out of the house, it still made him feel warm and good. And yeah, he’d had to bite his tongue not to answer with the same words.
Way too soon, way too out of the blue and way too much to deal with right now. But it isn’t any less true.
The kid is keeping him on his toes, surprising him in moments when Alec last expects them. And he thought his life was already interesting enough.
Shaking his head at himself, at feeling like a teenager all of a sudden, Alec moves through the house and started to clean up a little. Logan had called to say he’d be by today. There are still a few hours of sunlight left and Alec plans on using them. They need fresh fire wood for the fireplace and the water boiler.
It all feels slightly domestic, in a way Alec thinks he never would have considered enjoying. But he does… enjoy it. Or maybe it’s just the company.
He is still worried about Jared, is prepared to call in an emergency to Sam every hour during the day and more so during the night. He doesn’t sleep through, wakes up every so often and checks on Jared. The boy looks better now, bruises fading and movement less sluggish, surer.
But still, Alec is worried. Ever since the day Jared woke up and scared him half to death with that scream Alec has tried to stay calm and cautious. The calm part though, never really works.
Of course, Jared has to try every possible thing to make Alec’s life harder. No matter how many times Alec tells him to stay put Jared will try to get out of the bed one way or another. Thankfully he never achieves it fully and usually gives up when he thinks Alec isn’t looking. It’s sort of a game between them now, Jared tries to play tough and Alec tries not to be too smug about when he catches Jared failing.
It’s sort of fun as well. They bicker, banter and flirt shamelessly. But they do not talk about that thing between them. And yeah, Alec knows there is something between them. Has been ever since they allowed each other to get to know the other one.
Alec just doesn’t know how to broach the subject, how to really deal with a teenager who is way too innocent and way too mature for his age. Jared has seen too much already, has gone through too much and Alec is at a loss here. His social skills suck anyway. Manticore never foresaw the possibility of one of their soldiers falling in love. It just wasn’t planned.
And it has happened twice to him now, not to mention Max and all the others. Shows how much cannot be planned or engineered when it comes to life.
He checks on Jared every other minute, can’t keep the smile off his face every time he sees - almost feels - the happiness radiating from the boy. Alec thinks he should stop calling Jared boy, especially after the dreams he’s had lately. He knows it’s partly Jared projecting, feels flattered by it even but he can’t solely blame it on teenage hormones.
Alec feels so domestic that he even makes hot chocolate and refuses to blush when Jared quirks an eyebrow but remains silent otherwise. Alec knows the little shit is preening inside.
He sighs when he walks back into the house; he knows he is way too deep into it already, no use denying it anymore. Closing all the windows again doesn’t take long and he uses the chance to check everything over. Looks for traces in the snow and is satisfied when he finds none. He of all people knows that animal footprints aren’t always what they seem.
Alec wrinkles his nose at himself but even goes as far as to sniff the air, takes in the scents of everyone and everything around. Nothing has changed since they arrive here. It’s rare that he uses all his trained and untrained senses but he’d do anything… everything for Jared.
He is in the middle of getting the wood piled up to be taken in later when he hears the car arrive. They are expecting someone but it’s still better to be cautious. He rests the axe on the work bench, slowly moves up against the wall of the house so that he can look around the corner if he has too. The gun in his hand is ready to be used.
He knows Jared’s heard it, too, can see him sitting still and silent in the chair and is instantly grateful for the position of the wood shed.
“Hey. Where are you guys? Got new fuel for the generators.” Alec relaxes, smiles at Logan’s voice and tugs the gun away again.
“Back here.”
Logan rounds the corner, smiling and seemingly relaxed. Alec blinks slightly, doesn’t really flinch when Logan pats him on the back and just follows him when he walks right up onto the deck.
Jared looks sleepy, adorably so and Alec hides a smile looking down. “Surprise number two?” He asks and gets a confused look from Logan. Alec, though, just grins and nods.
“Cool.”
Logan drags over and flops down onto the deck chair the stands lonely next to the house wall.
“Good news guys. Seems like the Council finally has had enough of White's solo tours and asked for him to be stripped of his entire official... whatever it is he had anyway. I don’t know the details but White was caught hands down into a case he had no business with, stepped on toes and it didn’t go down well. He’s gone… for now. So I guess it might actually be safe for you to come home. He still has all the paperwork on Jared though.” It’s all said in a rush, excitement warring with worry. A voice Alec knows just all too well coming from Logan.
“So, they aren’t after... me?” Jared sounds so very young that Alec just wants to pulls him close. He actually has to fight the urge to do just that. He does however sit down on the crate that was supposed to be for Jared’s legs but go pushed away.
Logan looks at both of them, smiles a little and then concentrates on Jared.
“Not now anyway. And really, we are prepared now Jay. We know… Max knows what White wants. He’s not getting it. And well you have your own personal bodyguard here. Not to mention that Joshua will growl at everyone coming close to you.”
Alec refuses to blush at that. It’s so not on and it’s not him anyway. He isn’t a freaking teenaged virgin anymore. He also refused to look at Jared or Logan just then, the lake is way more interesting. Well, not really but it’s there and Alec needs something to look at.
“So... how is everyone? TC okay?” Jared wriggles a little, tries to get out of the bulge of blankets Alec just has to look at him once to stop any movement. Jared then flops back, frustrated but not trying to get up anymore.
If Logan is amused by the display he doesn’t say anything. But Alec can see it on his face nonetheless.
“TC is good. As good as it can be. Max is holding up. They are trying to form some new trade lines. Works so far. Suma is teaching the classes Alec has to carelessly abandoned. Gem has been keeping your place all tidy and Dalton is bored to death without you there. Mole is grumpy as usual. So, not much to tell.” Logan seems cheerful, something Alec hasn’t seen in a while, it’s sort of infectious and he pats Jared’s head when he invites Logan inside.
They both chuckle at the indignant ‘Hey’ that follows them inside.
After they have unloaded the truck, some more things for Alec and Jared, Alec makes fresh coffee and hot chocolate. It earns him raised eyebrows again, he just shrugs them away.
“How is he?” Logan suddenly sounds serious, worried.
“Better. Ribs are healing just fine. He’s restless, wants to move, and drives me crazy with it. But yeah... better.” Alec can see that Logan wants to ask for more, wants to know more. It’s Max asking and Logan wants to know, too.
“The nightmares are less, still there, still violent. Sometimes I think he might hurt himself, but then he calms down again, can’t remember much when he wakes up. Dammit Logan, sometimes it’s bad. Really bad. But he is getting better. Here. Away from it all.” Alec sighs, opens the fridge and pulls some cake out of it.
At the surprised look Logan shoots him he shrugs. “What? You think Manticore didn’t teach us some basic domestic skills?”
“Right. Never thought I’d see it though. You, Alec McDowell, are whipped.”
“Shut up.” Alec growls. He knows Logan is right. “And really that isn’t even anything between us… I mean not really.”
Logan stops taking out the plates for the cake and looks at Alec then. There is mild curiosity there but worry as well. Alec wonders what Logan is really thinking, about him, about him and Jared. “There is something big between you, Alec. Really big. And if it happens, it will be an explosion. Believe me, the tension between you and him is just about to go bang. You are already doing everything you can for him.”
Logan sticks his head back into the cupboard and Alec is momentarily speechless. He really doesn’t know what to say to that and he doesn’t have to because when Logan resurfaces he goes on as he just didn’t tell Alec that he is doomed. “Anyway, Max thought it might be hard for Jared. To come back to TC. She spoke to Suma about it. They think... if it’s okay with you and I think that won’t be a problem at all, they want you guys to stay a little longer.” Logan is almost smirking now, it’s the first time in a while that Alec feels the urge to punch him again.
“Staying here for a while? Hmmm, he sure could use some more time away from everything. Let’s just ask him then.”
Continued HERE
Author: the_milky_way
Genre: Dark Angel/RPS
Pairing: Alec/X5!Jared
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 10.115
Beta: Thank you to A. for the help.
Disclaimer: This story is fictional (not real, didn't happen). Not true in any way. I don't own anything. Dark Angel belongs to Fox and no money is being made out of this.
Summary:
The room is warm, almost cosy. It’s okay, not too warm and the air isn’t stuffy anymore. The windows have been open the whole morning so Jared feels a little less like he is breathing in his own air.
It’s dark in here, almost too dark, but it’s because the curtains are closed. Jared admits that he hasn’t been feeling like getting up and shuffling across the room to open them again after they were closed against the glaring sun this morning. Jared never thought snow and sun could be this blinding. There is a small sliver of light coming through where the two halves aren’t connected and he can see the sun being up and high.
Notes:
I am sorry for the long delay. Editing when sick is not fun.
Anyway, there is still one part (Part 7) left, it will be posted as soon as possible.
banner made by purequicksilver
Previous Parts: Part 1 * Part 2 A * Part 2 B * Part 3 A * Part 3 B * Part 4 * Part 5 * Part 6A
The room is warm, almost cosy. It’s okay, not too warm and the air isn’t stuffy anymore. The windows have been open the whole morning so Jared feels a little less like he is breathing in his own air.
It’s dark in here, almost too dark, but it’s because the curtains are closed. Jared admits that he hasn’t been feeling like getting up and shuffling across the room to open them again after they were closed against the glaring sun this morning. Jared never thought snow and sun could be this blinding. There is a small sliver of light coming through where the two halves aren’t connected and he can see the sun being up and high.
It’s cold outside. Clear air and everything covered in snow. He can feel it on his skin, breathe in the cold air and take a deep breath. He can see it all when he closes his eyes. He raises himself up on his elbows to see if he can get a glimpse of something outside, turns his head to work some kinks out of his neck.
Jared hasn’t been outside in days.
He feels restless, trapped even. The room starts feel a little more like a prison with every added day he stays in it. Not like the cell where White had him. Nothing like that. But the walls seem be closing him, making it hard to breathe, hard to think.
He wants to get out of bed without someone hovering close by and watching his every move. Okay, without Alec doing that, since no one else is here. He wants to be outside, feels the sun on his skin and the snow crunch under his boots. He hates feeling dependent, hasn’t been in over a year and suddenly he has to ask for help with the simplest things.
He is so damn tired of lying in bed all day. He just doesn’t know how to ask Alec if he can help with that.
Jared sighs, flops back down onto his pillow and waits for Alec to come in and force some more food on him. He tries not to blush when he remembers the conversation they had about food, giving it away due to feeling guilty and failing to take care of himself. As if he wasn’t feeling inadequate already.
They’ve had some of those conversations during the last few days and Jared hopes they are done with trying to analyze him and recounting all his embarrassing behaviour. But he figures that Alec must be as bored as he is, trapped here babysitting an instable teenager who can’t even move around properly and be entertaining.
Jared huffs a little, mostly at himself. Because he knows his thoughts are irrational, knows that Alec actually seems to like spending time with him despite the way they first started out as. Alec doesn’t seem to mind being here, being just responsible for Jared and not for an entire, mostly disorganized, place of people. Alec has even told him as much.
It’s still hard for Jared to believe it.
Thinks are a little awkward between them though. A little strained and maybe underlined with embarrassment and worry. It has been like this every day since Jared almost gave Alec a heart attack the day he woke up.
So yeah waking up after taking a major beating and having been asleep for four days and then just yelling for the only person that was on his mind then probably hadn’t been the best idea he’s ever had. But no one could blame him; he had been traumatized after all.
Jared still blushes when he thinks back at the way Alec had rushed, almost flown, into the room, eyes wide with panic, shirt half open and still dripping from a shower previously taken. He blushes because he hadn’t even thought of reassuring Alec that he was fun, no he was too busy staring at the naked skin and muscled chest that had been in his direct line of sight.
Again no one could really blame him. He was all disoriented and then a half naked, good looking guy was standing in his room. Okay, a half naked guy that was panicking and flailing a little but it still didn’t make him any less hot.
Jared almost groans out loud, because this is going nowhere and he should stop thinking about it. Alec is here to take care off, Jared likes that. What Jared doesn’t like is the fact that he is an invalid who is shaken by bad nightmares almost every time and can only go back to sleep when Alec is there, touching him, being close. He wishes it wasn’t so embarrassing; otherwise it would be cool to have Alec in his bed every night.
That won’t happen though. He is a teenager after all, almost 8 years younger than Alec. And yes he’d asked Max during one of their talks how old they actually were and how long they had been at Manticore. Seeing it with his own eyes Jared still can’t get over the fact that this place had been where Alec, Max and all the other grew up in. Not to mention that now he has his own set of horrible memories connected to it.
So yeah, things have been a little awkward for a week now. A week since he woke up and yelled for Alec. Alec is almost overly worried, checking in on Jared every hour or so, making sure he is still in bed and not like on the floor or something.
Jared knows it’s his own fault. He did try to leave the bed on the third day. He ended up crashing to the floor when his knees buckled, jarred his hip and ribs so hard that he shouted out in pain.
Alec has been a little pissed ever since, and maybe a little embarrassed as well. Alec came running the second Jared crashed down, talked him through the pain with words so soft and reassuring that Jared is pretty sure he only imagined them.
He hasn’t been allowed to leave the room despite him telling Alec that he feels better, which is probably due to the high class pain meds Sam has sent along but Jared doesn’t care, he just wants to be outside for a while.
He has considered whining and begging, too. Jared is sort of sure that it would even work the way Alec is trying to read every wish or need in his eyes lately.
Jared moves under the covers to find a position putting less pressure on his left side, the side with the cracked ribs. He hisses when he moves the wrong way but at least it isn’t a spiking pain anymore. It’s all numb and throbbing now. Black and blue under the bruised skin and the bandages have been a little less tight as well. Alec does them every day, applies a salve to all the bruises and cuts and makes Jared drink and take his meds like a good little nurse. It earned him a whack to the head when he mentioned it to Alec, but there had been a small smirk and it had made Jared feel all triumphant for a while.
They talk when Alec tends to Jared’s wounds. It’s easier then, when both of them are occupied with other things, not looking at each other, not taking more than the other can give. They talk about Manticore, about Jared’s days there and what he remembers.
Low words, sometimes whispered when Jared can’t say them out loud. Alec listening quietly, telling some of his own stories when it fits. Jared has gotten a clearer picture of who Alec is but there is still so much more to learn about the other man.
It helps to talk, to tell what he got from White’s words. It’s not much though; he was too out of it for most of the time. Alec tells him what Sam found under his skin, it makes Jared shiver every time he thinks about it; it also makes him wonder about what his body is capable of doing. Blocking emissions, transmissions of tracking and explosive devices? Pretty freaky if someone asked him.
Jared smiles at that thought now though. He is a freak after all and Alec thinks that isn’t all that bad.
One of those evenings when Jared was laying in his bed, huddled under the covers and Alec was bored to death they talked about it, talked what exactly Jared is, what Alec is, what it means. Jared remembered that he hadn’t actually listened to Logan much the first time they had this talk, when they god the results of the blood work.
Jared doesn’t know what made him ask, what made him look at Alec from under his lashes and start talking. It was like the first time Jared woke up in Alec’s arms. They talked about Jared’s family, how he grew up, how Alec’s life was so much different, so much more fractured and broken
Alec has tried to decipher all of Logan’s scientific talk for him then. Fun was had; Jared still shudders when he thinks about all the things he still doesn’t get.
According to Alec Jared’s DNA is a special mix, even more so than those of the other x5 Transgenics. It explains his psychic abilities, his empathy and the projecting. There is cat, a little lion and some other feline components in his matrix. The rest is his parent’s and modified human DNA. He has given up thinking about it, has started to accept it all and the fact that he’ll always be a target for White.
Sometimes he wonders if his dad knew, knew what might happen to his family because of the project. Jared knows his dad hadn’t worked for them in years, but he also knows that him going to e military school wasn’t a coincidence either, it makes it even less bearable to think about his parents, his siblings, being murdered for just that. For a project that seems like it has been dead for years but has still being running it’s programmed course.
Jared sighs, shifts the pillow under his head and doesn’t even try to open his eyes again when they slip close. He is still so exhausted, everything aches and throbs in ways he never thought possible. He still wants out though, needs to see more than just those wooden walls, the bed, bathroom and Alec. He isn’t even allowed to go into the kitchen or to explore the house they are in. It’s Logan’s uncle’s house, he knows this much. There is a lake and mountains, has seen it all through the window. They are safe for now; only Logan has been by, bringing supplies that will last them through weeks if they have to and relaying news from TC.
They are trying to set up a new Council, delivered evidence that White attacked TC. It’s chaos, political and otherwise. Max is fighting hard and seems to be winning on some fronts. No one knows how it will turn out but Jared might be able to go back home soon. And it is home now. He misses TC, misses his new friends, his new family.
He is glad that it’s Alec here with him though. It sounds mean in his head, selfish even and he is sure it will come out even more spoiled and bratish if he’d say it out loud. He’d already gone crazy by now if it was anybody else but Alec.
There is one thing though that frustrates the hell out of Jared and Alec is the center of it. But what else is new?
What they don’t talk about though is what happened when Alec got Jared out of there. For some reason there is an unspoken rule that this topic is untouchable.
Jared slips of to sleep again with the though of trying to talk to Alec about that in mind.
***
Jared wakes up again when the curtains are drawn back, revealing a scenic view of snow covered mountains and a setting sun. The windows are being opened and he takes a deep lungful of fresh mountain air.
It hurts a little, the cold air and his expanding chest makes his ribs throb a little. It still feels like he is alive again though.
“You done sleeping the day away?” Alec asks with not a small amount of amusement audible in his voice?
“As if I can anything else in this… room.” Jared grumbles and tries to hide the smile he seems to be unable to suppress every time Alec is close.
“Oh… well you could read you know. I know you can. There are books. A chess board even. There is an old CD player even. Antique, the way it looks. You could try and figure out how it works.” Alec answers in a teasing voice. He loves to rile Jared up and rub it in that Jared can’t really move on his own or isn’t allowed to anyway.
“Funny. Really funny. I have read every single piece of paper that can be found in this room. Why can’t I have the computer in here? Afraid I’ll accidentally give away our secret hiding place?” He is grinning like a fool, can’t help it, because this is another thing he apparently likes doing when Alec is close, he loves to flirt. They love to flirt.
“The way you are hooked up on meds? Yeah, not gonna risk it, kid. Either you blow up the computer, shout it out to the world where we are or download porn and freeze the whole damn thing.” Alec is busy cleaning away Jared’s dishes but he is smiling, too.
“Damn…
“Let’s get you off the meds first and then we can talk about any usage of electronic devices that are hooked up to the outside world. Okay?” Alec looks at him with a small smile before he turns toward the drawer and starts taking out clothes for Jared to wear. It should feel weird, for Alec to do that but it doesn’t. Logan brought so many clothes that Jared is pretty sure he’ll never get the chance top wear them all. It’s more than he has owned or seen since before he left home for school.
Jared blushes a little when Alec puts the clothes, underwear included, on the bed and goes to get the little bathroom ready. Alec still changes Jared’s bandages twice a day, applies the salve and never allows any kind of additional movement. It’s still a little weird, especially with them not really talking about this thing between them.
“Okay, let’s get you all fresh and clean. I got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Jared can’t suppress the giddy feeling, knows it’s audible in his voice and doesn’t care that Alec is smirking at him again. When Alec nods Jared is already trying to figure out what that surprise could be.
Jared takes a few minutes to get out of bed and he can see Alec hovering but not moving to help for which Jared is really kind of grateful. It has been awkward the first few days, having Alec carrying him around and refusing to let him walk anywhere on his own. He tries to be quick in the bathroom, doesn’t even bemoan the open door anymore. Because yeah, Alec had thrown a fit when Jared closed it and promptly collapsed. And Alec is scary when he is mad and a little panicked.
He steps out of the bathroom and frowns and the new layer of clothes on the now made bed. Another pair of sweatpants and one thick winter jacket. He glances at the window; it’s closed now and wonders what Alec is planning. Maybe he wants to air out the whole house and needs Jared to be dressed for it? That would actually be a surprise, the way Alec is bitching about the cold these days.
“Get them on, don’t move too much though.” Alec walks by the open room door and doesn’t even look into the room. Jared frowns, frowns some more when hears the backdoor open and not closing again. There is a deck outside, something similar to a porch that runs around the whole house and becomes wide at the back of the house, the backdoor leads out to it.
Jared gets dresses slowly, even manages to the sweat pants on without having to call out to Alec for help. He looks up from his bare feet when a shadow falls across the wooden floor boards. Alec kneels down and Jared has to swallow hard. This comes way to close to one of the recurring dreams he has lately. And yes he is praying that he isn’t projecting those. Alec hasn’t said anything yet but Jared doesn’t know if he would anyway.
Alec’s cold hand on his bare skin makes him jump and hiss a little. There is a mumbled ‘sorry’ and a small smile and Jared wants to reach out and touch Alec’s hair. It’s so soft looking and so close, just the right angle for Jared to bury his fingers in it. Alec’s putting thick woollen socks on Jared’s feet and Jared has to repress a sigh.
“I feel like I am five again, you know. I can do that myself.”
“Can you? Bent down and try to tie your boots, kiddo.” Alec sounds amused, sounds like he knows he is right. Jared hates it because he has to admit that Alec actually is… right. That doesn’t make it any less embarrassing though when Alec is done with the socks and boots, and suddenly picks Jared up from the bed.
“Dude! What the… Alec!” Jared flails just a little, holds on to Alec when the move. He slings his arms around Alec’s neck and thinks ‘to hell with it’. He can touch Alec now and he’ll take every chance he can get.
“Shut up and enjoy the fact that you don’t have to walk. And no, princess, you aren’t too heavy for me. Freak here, remember? You need to eat more anyway.” Alec ends the last sentence on a serious note. It’s been an issue between them ever since Jared woke up and they had their little talk about it. Pain killers are a good excuse though. He really isn’t hungry most of the times.
All Jared can respond with is a mumbled ‘Hmpf’ which makes Alec laugh and Jared cling harder to him.
“Man, this is so not cool. I’m not a girl and this being carried around is seriously messing with my ego. I can walk; have been doing it for a while now.” He knows he sounds whiny but he can’t help it. He isn’t knocking on death’s door here.
“Sam said a week of bead rest. Week’s over tomorrow. Until then… bear with it.” Alec sounds way too smug, as if he is enjoying carrying Jared around. To be honest, Jared secretly loved being this close to Alec, still no reason to let the last bit of his dignity go without a fight.
“Well, actually the week was over like two days ago.” Jared can sound smug, too if he wants to.
“Am not counting the days you weren’t awake. So shut it and enjoy it. Won’t be carrying your ass around much longer and we both know you like it.” Alec knows how to make Jared blush in a matter of seconds and he seems to be doing it on purpose lately.
They walk down the narrow hallway leading to the backdoor, which is open as Jared had guessed before. The cool air makes him shiver a little but the second realizes where exactly they are heading he can’t stop the grin from spreading.
There is one of the deck chairs placed in the middle of the otherwise empty deck, thick blankets slung over it and a low crate pulled close. Alec walks them slowly over, mindful of the rest of snow still frozen to the wooden planks. Jared is too busy to take in the fresh air and the fact that he is outside to say anything.
Though, he grumbles at Alec when the he tucks Jared into three blankets and makes sure that only Jared’s face is exposed to the cold. Now Jared really feels like five.
“I’ll let you sit here for a while. I know you’ve been going cuckoo in there. Not too long though, don’t need to nurse you through pneumonia or something. You are still weak, so please do me a favor and don’t try to get up. If there is a bear or wolf, scream but don’t move.” Alec looks sincere when he delivers his little speech and Jared knows there are all kinds of wild animals close by but he doubts they’ll come close in the middle of the day. He’ll scream anyway, he is pretty sure of it. Not embarrassing at all. Alec just knows him too well.
Jared takes a deep breath, and like in his room it hurts to breathe this deeply but he smiles at the twinge in his chest. And lungs. It still feels good.
“I freaking love you.”
It stands in the air between them for a few seconds; no one moves or says anything. Alec seems frozen to the spot and Jared can’t move anyway.
“I... I mean.. I… Uhm... Thank you?” It comes out weak, small and Jared curses the lack of filter between mouth and brain. Of course he loves Alec, has come to terms with that while being all laid up sick in bed. But that doesn’t mean he has to blurt it out like that.
Alec blinks and then smiles all bright and sunny. Not the fake wide smile he puts on when he wants to placate someone but a real smile. A big smile. “Yeah. You’re welcome kid. Oh and more surprises are on the way, but don’t hold your breath.” He is gone before Jared can say anything else.
Right. That went well. Jared is a little confused but tries to not let it get to him too much.
He closes his eyes, feels the sun on his skin and the air move around him. It’s quiet but not silent. Nature is never silent. He focuses, then over-focuses and has to withdraw at the impact of all the sounds crashing down on him. He focuses again, this time with his mind, tries to catch emotions and feelings. There are only Alec’s and they are muted somehow. Jared doesn’t know what it is but it’s almost as scary as having too much of them in his head. He’d kind of gotten used to having to block everything out.
Maybe White did more to him then just plant those tracking devices?
Jared shivers, refuses to think any further about it. His nightmares are enough to deal with, he’s not going to waste good thoughts and energy on White when he finally is on the way to getting better.
This day is way too beautiful to ruin it with dark thoughts.
Jared looks around, takes everything in and feels himself smiling at the snow-covered trees and mountains. There are tyre tracks in the snow, from Logan’s truck, so it hasn’t snowed in a few days. Jared wonders how long they’ll have to stay here. Right now this might be the best place in the world.
****
All curtains are open, even the doors are. The air has a chance to move through the entire house and it is much needed. Alec feels sort of proud of himself for thinking about getting Jared outside for the time being. The kid needed to get away from the room for a while and if it only meant sitting on a chair wrapped in blankets and watching the world go by.
Passing the hallway mirror Alec stops short and backtracks. The picture greeting him is something he hasn’t seen in a while. In a long while. The smile doesn’t seem quite right on his face but it still fits somehow.
Jared put it there with what he’d said out on the deck, and even though it probably was just Jared thanking Alec for finally letting him out of the house, it still made him feel warm and good. And yeah, he’d had to bite his tongue not to answer with the same words.
Way too soon, way too out of the blue and way too much to deal with right now. But it isn’t any less true.
The kid is keeping him on his toes, surprising him in moments when Alec last expects them. And he thought his life was already interesting enough.
Shaking his head at himself, at feeling like a teenager all of a sudden, Alec moves through the house and started to clean up a little. Logan had called to say he’d be by today. There are still a few hours of sunlight left and Alec plans on using them. They need fresh fire wood for the fireplace and the water boiler.
It all feels slightly domestic, in a way Alec thinks he never would have considered enjoying. But he does… enjoy it. Or maybe it’s just the company.
He is still worried about Jared, is prepared to call in an emergency to Sam every hour during the day and more so during the night. He doesn’t sleep through, wakes up every so often and checks on Jared. The boy looks better now, bruises fading and movement less sluggish, surer.
But still, Alec is worried. Ever since the day Jared woke up and scared him half to death with that scream Alec has tried to stay calm and cautious. The calm part though, never really works.
Of course, Jared has to try every possible thing to make Alec’s life harder. No matter how many times Alec tells him to stay put Jared will try to get out of the bed one way or another. Thankfully he never achieves it fully and usually gives up when he thinks Alec isn’t looking. It’s sort of a game between them now, Jared tries to play tough and Alec tries not to be too smug about when he catches Jared failing.
It’s sort of fun as well. They bicker, banter and flirt shamelessly. But they do not talk about that thing between them. And yeah, Alec knows there is something between them. Has been ever since they allowed each other to get to know the other one.
Alec just doesn’t know how to broach the subject, how to really deal with a teenager who is way too innocent and way too mature for his age. Jared has seen too much already, has gone through too much and Alec is at a loss here. His social skills suck anyway. Manticore never foresaw the possibility of one of their soldiers falling in love. It just wasn’t planned.
And it has happened twice to him now, not to mention Max and all the others. Shows how much cannot be planned or engineered when it comes to life.
He checks on Jared every other minute, can’t keep the smile off his face every time he sees - almost feels - the happiness radiating from the boy. Alec thinks he should stop calling Jared boy, especially after the dreams he’s had lately. He knows it’s partly Jared projecting, feels flattered by it even but he can’t solely blame it on teenage hormones.
Alec feels so domestic that he even makes hot chocolate and refuses to blush when Jared quirks an eyebrow but remains silent otherwise. Alec knows the little shit is preening inside.
He sighs when he walks back into the house; he knows he is way too deep into it already, no use denying it anymore. Closing all the windows again doesn’t take long and he uses the chance to check everything over. Looks for traces in the snow and is satisfied when he finds none. He of all people knows that animal footprints aren’t always what they seem.
Alec wrinkles his nose at himself but even goes as far as to sniff the air, takes in the scents of everyone and everything around. Nothing has changed since they arrive here. It’s rare that he uses all his trained and untrained senses but he’d do anything… everything for Jared.
He is in the middle of getting the wood piled up to be taken in later when he hears the car arrive. They are expecting someone but it’s still better to be cautious. He rests the axe on the work bench, slowly moves up against the wall of the house so that he can look around the corner if he has too. The gun in his hand is ready to be used.
He knows Jared’s heard it, too, can see him sitting still and silent in the chair and is instantly grateful for the position of the wood shed.
“Hey. Where are you guys? Got new fuel for the generators.” Alec relaxes, smiles at Logan’s voice and tugs the gun away again.
“Back here.”
Logan rounds the corner, smiling and seemingly relaxed. Alec blinks slightly, doesn’t really flinch when Logan pats him on the back and just follows him when he walks right up onto the deck.
Jared looks sleepy, adorably so and Alec hides a smile looking down. “Surprise number two?” He asks and gets a confused look from Logan. Alec, though, just grins and nods.
“Cool.”
Logan drags over and flops down onto the deck chair the stands lonely next to the house wall.
“Good news guys. Seems like the Council finally has had enough of White's solo tours and asked for him to be stripped of his entire official... whatever it is he had anyway. I don’t know the details but White was caught hands down into a case he had no business with, stepped on toes and it didn’t go down well. He’s gone… for now. So I guess it might actually be safe for you to come home. He still has all the paperwork on Jared though.” It’s all said in a rush, excitement warring with worry. A voice Alec knows just all too well coming from Logan.
“So, they aren’t after... me?” Jared sounds so very young that Alec just wants to pulls him close. He actually has to fight the urge to do just that. He does however sit down on the crate that was supposed to be for Jared’s legs but go pushed away.
Logan looks at both of them, smiles a little and then concentrates on Jared.
“Not now anyway. And really, we are prepared now Jay. We know… Max knows what White wants. He’s not getting it. And well you have your own personal bodyguard here. Not to mention that Joshua will growl at everyone coming close to you.”
Alec refuses to blush at that. It’s so not on and it’s not him anyway. He isn’t a freaking teenaged virgin anymore. He also refused to look at Jared or Logan just then, the lake is way more interesting. Well, not really but it’s there and Alec needs something to look at.
“So... how is everyone? TC okay?” Jared wriggles a little, tries to get out of the bulge of blankets Alec just has to look at him once to stop any movement. Jared then flops back, frustrated but not trying to get up anymore.
If Logan is amused by the display he doesn’t say anything. But Alec can see it on his face nonetheless.
“TC is good. As good as it can be. Max is holding up. They are trying to form some new trade lines. Works so far. Suma is teaching the classes Alec has to carelessly abandoned. Gem has been keeping your place all tidy and Dalton is bored to death without you there. Mole is grumpy as usual. So, not much to tell.” Logan seems cheerful, something Alec hasn’t seen in a while, it’s sort of infectious and he pats Jared’s head when he invites Logan inside.
They both chuckle at the indignant ‘Hey’ that follows them inside.
After they have unloaded the truck, some more things for Alec and Jared, Alec makes fresh coffee and hot chocolate. It earns him raised eyebrows again, he just shrugs them away.
“How is he?” Logan suddenly sounds serious, worried.
“Better. Ribs are healing just fine. He’s restless, wants to move, and drives me crazy with it. But yeah... better.” Alec can see that Logan wants to ask for more, wants to know more. It’s Max asking and Logan wants to know, too.
“The nightmares are less, still there, still violent. Sometimes I think he might hurt himself, but then he calms down again, can’t remember much when he wakes up. Dammit Logan, sometimes it’s bad. Really bad. But he is getting better. Here. Away from it all.” Alec sighs, opens the fridge and pulls some cake out of it.
At the surprised look Logan shoots him he shrugs. “What? You think Manticore didn’t teach us some basic domestic skills?”
“Right. Never thought I’d see it though. You, Alec McDowell, are whipped.”
“Shut up.” Alec growls. He knows Logan is right. “And really that isn’t even anything between us… I mean not really.”
Logan stops taking out the plates for the cake and looks at Alec then. There is mild curiosity there but worry as well. Alec wonders what Logan is really thinking, about him, about him and Jared. “There is something big between you, Alec. Really big. And if it happens, it will be an explosion. Believe me, the tension between you and him is just about to go bang. You are already doing everything you can for him.”
Logan sticks his head back into the cupboard and Alec is momentarily speechless. He really doesn’t know what to say to that and he doesn’t have to because when Logan resurfaces he goes on as he just didn’t tell Alec that he is doomed. “Anyway, Max thought it might be hard for Jared. To come back to TC. She spoke to Suma about it. They think... if it’s okay with you and I think that won’t be a problem at all, they want you guys to stay a little longer.” Logan is almost smirking now, it’s the first time in a while that Alec feels the urge to punch him again.
“Staying here for a while? Hmmm, he sure could use some more time away from everything. Let’s just ask him then.”
Continued HERE