Warning: Mentions of abuse.

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“I swear, I saw them and I have no idea what else they would be!” Jack exclaimed. He was discussing the state of Alex’s hand with his best friend, Matt.

“Do you even know he has a boyfriend or a girlfriend for that matter?” Matt asked. He seemed slightly annoyed.

“No, but Matt, honestly, I’ve seen his hand and dude, I don’t know why else it would be this bruised!” Jack stressed.

“Jack, he’s just one of your customers. Don’t get so upset over it. Maybe he really just fell and something else made him sad,” Matt said, fiddling with his phone. Probably texting one of the girls or boys he brought back home way too often for Jack’s taste. He had come out of his room enough times to find Matt and a girl or boy coming out of the bathroom, often only with a towel around their bodies.

“Matt, you don’t understand,” Jack sighed, shaking his head.

“Maybe I don’t, but I understand that you could need some cheering up,” Matt replied, waving a DVD in Jack’s face. “Freshly bought, the new season,” he added, grinning.

“No, Matt-“ Jack insisted, swatting the DVD away.

“Oh come on!”

“No. I gotta go,” Jack stated. He got up quickly, gathered his things, ignoring Matt’s swearing and was out the door. He walked aimlessly through the streets, thoughts racing his mind. He was just worried about Alex. Abuse was a serious matter and he didn’t need Matt who didn’t even take this whole thing seriously.

Maybe he was misinterpreting Alex’s bruises; but honestly, it was better to be safe than sorry.
He ended up at a small bar and ordered a large whiskey and coke. He didn’t even care that they didn’t have coke and used Pepsi instead; he was too focused on the whole Alex thing. He had gotten stupidly attached to the boy, more attached than he usually got. It was weird, really, but the confident brunette had sparked something inside Jack’s mind that made him want to make sure that the older one was okay.

He should probably not have been at the bar and instead have studied for his upcoming history exam but he knew that in this state, he couldn’t possibly concentrate on the Habsburg monarchies and what they had done. So he sat at the bar, drank his beverage, thought about Alex and when it was time to pay, he got out his wallet and got out the money. But with the money, something else fell out. A small scrap of paper.

“Frederico’s Palace Pizza and Pasta” it read. Jack thought about it for a moment but then remembered what it was. Alex had left it behind one day after having consumed his black tea and Jack had taken it, not thinking about it any further. And he knew that Alex worked at a pizza place. And suddenly, Jack was feeling hopeful again, sprinting out of the bar and googling the directions to Frederico’s. He hurried to his place to get into his car and drive off to Frederico’s. He arrived there with his tires screeching.

He rushed inside and looked for Alex. No Alex. He asked the girl working behind the counter whether Alex was there but she said no. He’d only stop by for a talk with his boss later on.

“Could you please tell Alex to call Jack? It’s urgent.”

She nodded. “Yeah, sure. Do you want a pizza?”

“I… No, thanks.” But he thought about it and realised that a pizza as a peace offer for Matt would be a good idea. “Okay, well, maybe a large pizza fungi and a large pizza margarita.”

“Sure. Takeaway?”

“Yes. Thanks.”

He paid and took the boxes. He was feeling slightly nervous even if he didn’t know why exactly but he felt a bit better about the whole thing. He just hoped Alex would call him.

Notes

What are you doing, Jack?!

I won't be adding any other warnings for future mentions of abuse. I have it as a general content warning in the summary and since it's a major plot point, I think quite a few of the chapters will contain it in some way. If it might trigger you, it's up to you whether you want to read on. You know your own boundaries best I believe. Take care!

Please leave me some more comments! I want to know what you think about the story so far!

-Laura