Kiss and Sell

She answered the door -looking almost as distraught as Alex -as he looked down at her shyly -trying to hide his tears with his bangs as they fell in his face. For a minute, through blurry eyes and distressed thoughts, Joyce almost saw her son in Alex's figure. They were both tall, skinny, same weird hair style. She almost squeaked out Jack's name as she pulled Alex into her arms for a hug, but realized it was the friend of her son's. It was good enough for her. Alex just slumped against her -letting his tears roll down his face and onto her shoulder as he said, "I'm so sorry."

Alex sounded as if he had murdered someone. As if guilt was rotting his insides and killing him slowly. Joyce pulled back to look at him -seeing his emotions swimming in his eyes as she wiped the tears from his cheeks and bit her lip while shaking her head, "This isn't your fault, honey." She reassured, "Jack... Jack has been upset for a very long time and I pretended not to think it was a big deal... that... that he would get better in his own time, but I was wrong, and I didn't do anything about it." She whispered -closing her eyes as a few stray tears slipped down her face.

She sounded like he had committed suicide, so, Alex frantically croaked, "He's alive isn't he?" making Joyce nod quickly and say, "Yes, yes of course..."

"What happened?" Alex asked when he could finally gulp down his sobs.

Joyce sighed -giving Alex a shake of her head as she led him to the couch in the living room and out of the anteroom, "He lost a lot of blood from his thigh and arm... We have no idea what he was doing and how it happened but the doctor said it looked as if he had cut his thigh on his own and maybe even have cut his arm with it too. It cut important muscles and nerves so they had to reconnect them in his arm... He could have lost it if we hadn't got to the hospital in time... a-and..." She began to choke on her words, "He fell down the stairs and they said he fractured his spine and... he might have permanent brain damage from the fall..." She whispered the last part -unable to fight back the tears forcing their way out.
Alex let a sob out that time, "Is... Is he awake? C-can I see him? I-I don't care if he can't understand. I just have to talk to him..." He whimpered out -Joyce grabbing his hands quickly in comfort.

She seemed to be struggling through her own batch of tears as she cleared her throat and swallowed thickly, "He... comes in and out of consciousness. We have no idea if he can move or remember or even talk. He might never speak again."

Alex nodded -sucking his bottom lip in between his teeth as he pulled his hands out of Joyce's to wipe away tears, "When did this happen?"

"Monday."

Alex froze. Joyce watched him tense, watched new tears roll down his cheeks as he suddenly stood up and shook his head.

"The day I told him I hated him?" He cried suddenly -looking angry. Not necessarily with Joyce and the woman knew that, but with himself. He began pacing back and forth -pulling his hair harshly as he thought. He knew he was the last person to cry about Jack, but he couldn't stop the guilt pooling into his stomach and the pain filling his chest. He had nearly killed Jack. None of it would have happened if they hadn't got into the damn argument. He wouldn't have been raped, Jack wouldn't have been hurt, they would have been okay. Hell, he probably could have even gone home with Jack -snuck all his clothes out of his mother's house and never face her, never let her know he was even alive. He could have lived without her and his damn father.

He didn't though -instead he caused all of these things to fall like dominoes. He looked up at Joyce and shook his head as he laughed bitterly, "I can't believe this." He whispered, "This is all my fault."

"No, sweetie, this isn't anyones fault..." She said as Alex stopped pacing and just sat on the floor. He looked up at her -watching the way her own eyes swirled with emotion. Pain, regret, guilt -it was all there -the same as Alex.

Alex looked down at his hands in his lap -his hands curling into Danny's coat as he mumbled, "Where is everyone?"

Joyce sighed, "Bassam and May are at work. I have no idea about Joe... He's been so different lately... Its only seemed to get worse after Jack... Its so lonely here without him to be here after school... We haven't even ate dinner as a family since..." She trailed off and looked away.

"Why... Why didn't you tell me or... or something? I-I would have come down here and kept you company... I would've helped you with chores a-and stuff..." Alex murmured as he wiped what was left of his tears from his eyes. He looked up to see Joyce shaking her head and he just kind of knew he wouldn't have been the same as Jack. He felt a tinge of hurt but he shook it away -reminding himself he deserved it and it was her son after all -and said, "Do you mind... if I stay for a little bit? I... I just... I can't go home and all my friends ditched me." He shrugged.

"Of course you can..." Joyce said softly -wiping her own tears away as she sighed shakily and stood up -probably to start chores or something a regular stay-at-home-mom would do. She moved towards Alex on the floor -helping him up despite him not needing the hand at all and hugging him close. She loved having him around, honestly. He reminded her of her son and at the moment the comfort of a teenager was all she really needed. Especially a sweet one like Alex.

"I didn't mean for it to be weird or anything since Jack's... But I'd really like to stay around and help you, Mrs. B." He said softly -pulling back as Joyce did. She nodded slowly and patted his arm while smiling and saying, "I'll tell you if I need help, sweetie. You look worn, though. Why don't you go take a nap in Jack's room? I'm sure he won’t mind, honey."
Alex hesitated but the look the elder woman sent him told him not to press anything so he shut his mouth and nodded slowly. A nap sounded nice anyways.

He sighed as he reluctantly drug himself upstairs. He was at war with himself with actually going into the room. Seeing the bed where Jack usually sat when he had nothing better to do, the room itself, completely empty would be painful, but a part of Alex told him it’d also prove to him that this was really happening -almost like closure of denial.

When Alex had gathered enough courage he entered -everything exactly the same except for Jack’s table lamp mysteriously disappeared - and Jack, to his dismay. He glanced around before stepping towards Jack’s empty bed and collapsed into it -Jack's strong scent embracing him in the sheets. It was as if the boy never left. He rolled around in them and the loitering smell -pulling the blankets up to his nose and taking a deep inhale of the scent of the raven-haired boy.

His eyes slipped shut as he pretended Jack was there with him -laying beside him in the bed. He was right in his reach -able to hold him and keep him close, never allow something like this to happen again. He grabbed Jack's pillow and spooned it -albeit not exactly the same as Jack it would have to do.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against the pillow -allowing himself to start whimpering quietly again, "Please forgive me, Jack."

He could feel himself drift away and he let himself despite having told himself he wanted to bask in what was left of Jack in his room.

"No!" He screamed. His hands were being pinned by another's -his legs kicking as a large weight straddled his hips to hold him completely down, "No! Please stop!" He shrieked -looking up to see a familiar Cheshire grin etched into a bearded face. His father was holding him down -his free hand moving from his wrists to his neck, "Ple-ease, st-stop!" He wailed, tears evident in his eyes.

Peter only laughed at him -watching with that same sickly twisted grin -and hissed, "We're only giving you what you want."

Alex shook his head frantically -Josh and Oliver appearing beside his father and laughing along side him -all three maniacally spitting out howls as they looked down at him. He searched for an escape -heart racing and chest heaving -a weapon, anything, but all he could see in the dark room -a spot light being set over the four of them -seemed to be a silhouette of someone standing in the shadows. Normally, Alex wouldn't have any clue who it was. Maybe it was another accomplice to come and hurt him along with his father and rapists, but for some reason he could just feel that it was Jack. He didn't know why, exactly, but he physically felt the protective atmosphere Jack seemed to wrap around him when he was near -reminding him that he'd be strong for him, fight for him, die for him.

"Jack!" He screamed -albeit coming out choked and struggled, "Jack! Hel-lp m-me please! Ja-ack!"

The figure began moving closer. It was painfully slow -as if taunting him -but he knew it was Jack. He knew he was trying. The felt his father unbutton his pants -pulling them off before he could protest -but he continued to watch Jack move closer and closer until he was directly under the light. He gave Alex some kind of look -one that told Alex he'd be okay, that his beacon had worked and he was there now, he was safe. He smiled thankfully at him -Peter stopping his removal of each article of his clothing in favor of looking up at Jack just as he cracked him right in the jaw -Peter falling back and Jack pouncing on him.

Alex scrambled to his feet -grabbing Jack's arm and pulling him back as he snarled at Josh and Oliver -the boys backing away like scared dogs. The three once threatening men disappeared and then it was just Jack and Alex. Jack turned -a smile plastering his face -and held out his hand for Alex to take that the blond did so willingly -and laced their fingers together as they smiled at each other.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Jay." Alex breathed as he let go of Jack's hand in favor of wrapping his arms around his torso for a hug. He felt Jack freeze -what was once relax muscles turning to tense stone making Alex frown as he pulled back and looked up while asking, "What's wrong?"

Jack stared at him -his mouth opening but nothing coming out as if his words got stuck in his throat. Alex reached forward to take his hand and hold it in his only to have it fall limp back at Jack's side. His frown deepened as he watched Jack stand as still as a statue in front of him. Their eyes met -Jack alive but somehow he was dead. Alex's eyebrows drew together as he again grabbed his hand and laughed nervously, "Jay-Jay, please talk to me. You're... You're scaring me, babe."

He became scared as Jack remained silent -only able to move his eyes to follow Alex as he moved closer -until suddenly Jack's body was collapsing on the floor -appendages no longer able to hold him up. The room shifted as Alex fell on his knees beside the younger -pulling his head up into his lap as he cried out, "Help! Please someone, help!"

He looked up -knowing by the white tiles, the beeping monitors, the smell of bleach and other cleaners, that they were in the hospital now -he shifted Jack's limp body in his lap -bowing his head to press his forehead against Jack's as he felt tears pricking his eyes before looking back up and crying, "Someone! Anyone!"

He felt so alone -not getting any help in that moment -so insignificant. There were people walking by -ignoring him and Jack as they lay in the middle of the hall -ignored how he was bawling his eyes out and Jack looked as if disease -and all Alex could do was weep harder and scream louder. He wasn't able to help Jack any other way. He felt weak while remembering how Jack had saved him a mere five minutes ago. He could never do the same for him and he felt pathetic.

"Sorry sir, you're going to have to move away from the patient." A doctor -appearing out of nowhere -said as he doubled over to look at the two. Alex reluctantly crawled back -watching the doctor crouch down and hover over Jack's body as he hummed and poked and probed his limp body. The white-coated man stood up straight and pulled a need from his pocket as he said, "I'm afraid Jack has brain damage and is paralyzed. He'll have to be put down."

"Put down?" Alex whimpered before furrowing his brow and standing up to push the doctor away and protect Jack somehow -even if it meant dying -and cried, "He's not an animal! He's a fucking person!" Tears starting their steady trickle down his face. He lurched forward as the doctor moved closer to Jack only to be pulled back by a two nurses. He elbowed and kicked and screamed -looking down to see Jack's eyes begging him to make them stop, to save him, but Alex was too weak. He tried his very best -all of his strength being put in to get away as the doctor knelt down again -the needle being stuck in Jack's arm as he said, "We're putting him out of his misery. He'll be happier now. Besides, why do you care? You hate him."

Alex shook his head frantically as he shouted, "No! No I lo-"

"Alex. Alex, dear, wake up." Joyce said as she shook his shoulder softly making him stir and groan as he opened his eyes. She looked at him sadly -as if she knew what he was dreaming about. Alex rubbed his eyes before sitting up and saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep so lon-"
Joyce cut him off with a shake of her head and one simple question, "Do you want to see him?"

Notes

h-h-h-hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,

Hello, its been awhile guys. We've been real busy so sorry for the slow updates D: I guess Jack's gonna die now. Whooooooops, just gav eout my plot to this whole story D: Soorry. /.\

We love you guys though seriously and how patient you are with us and our updates xD. We love your comments too especially when they are hate soooo bring it pretty much <3 cx.

Next update will be on Tuesday right after Never bc we lazy asf.

(whenever we can xD)