// COLD // ALL TIME LOW

20). JUPITER

This chapter has taken ages and I blame it on animal crossing; pocket camp (Add me; 12754992172). Also, I'm now enrolled in university

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Grinding his heels against the concrete, Jack huffed. He couldn't get the door to close. It weighed a ton, the heavy metal imprinting into his hands. Mercy had been able to move it with ease. He could still remember that smirk painted on his face, the first time they had come here. It had been a Thursday, the weather burning. Mercy had oil on his hands from fixing one of the gang member's car. His hands had stained the love-heart key-chain to this place, the red material smudged with oil. Mercy's hands were shaking when he gave Jack the key, the key to his safe house. They had spent so much time here, away from the gang life, but you can never leave your past behind.

Wiping a tear out of his eye, Jack tried dismissing the memory. Digging his nails into the metal, he pushed his weight against it. A strangled cry escaped his lips when it didn't budge. "Fuck," He swore, punching the door. The bruise forming on his raw knuckles did nothing to stop the torment.

"Dude, could you come and dress Mercy's wound again?" Zack asked, sensing Jack's frustration. Leaving the spot beside the open door, Jack hurried over, wiping away his tears with the ends of his sleeves.

Zack's knees ached from where he had been kneeling on the concrete, but he didn't complain. He was just thankful it wasn't him lying on the couch with a knife wound.

Closing the door, while Jack tended to his boyfriend, Zack searched for where his vodka went. God, he needed a drink. Never had he expected to end up in some factory turned apartment with a half dead guy. Mercy would survive, the wound wasn't fatal, but he looked like he was on death's doorstep. How he hadn't managed to bleed out was a miracle. "How did you learn to stitch up a wound like that?" Zack questioned.

"Not the first time he's been stabbed," Jack replied forcing a laugh, "He really is an idiot.""It explains why he didn't go into shock straight away," Zack noted, passing the vodka bottle over to Jack. He looked like he needed the drink more.

"Plus, this is more of a slash than a stab. Still, he lost a lot of blood," He continued, wiping the top of the bottle. "God, this is such a mess. They're going to be so pissed off that I broke my ankle bracelet."

"You're worried about your ankle bracelet, right now?" Zack exclaimed, searching Jack's eyes for answers before the pair burst into laughter.

"Yeah well, Christensen is going to kill me," Jack admitted before taking a sip of vodka. He almost spat it out, the disgusting taste burning his tongue. "You really drink this shit?"

"I go to college, can't be picky, plus I have to feed my girl?" Zack laughed, leaning against the kitchen bench. His clothes drenched by blood, it covered both of them, and yet all they could do was laugh at the situation. It was one of those surreal moments when reality was just too much.

"Straight people, honestly, I can't tell if you're talking about your dog or your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, unfortunately" Zack admitted. He turned his back to Jack as he said it, hiding his face. Jack had been through bad relationships too, and good ones that still ended.

"There's a great pain in loving someone but knowing you can't be the right person to love them," Jack admitted. "I guess it's all a learning experience."

"Dude, you sound like Christensen."

"Shut up," He groaned in reply, throwing the nearby roll of bandages at Zack. "I don't want to be anything like that bitch."

Zack opened his mouth in retaliation but his words became interrupted by a loud sob. Mercy was crying. It was a good sign that he wasn't dead but still the noise was haunting. It was like hearing an animal in pain. "Hey," Jack whispered, dropping to his knees beside the couch. He placed a hand on Mercy's forehead and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Shhh, It's okay. You'll be okay, it's just a flesh wound."

"You've never seen him cry, have you?" Zack pointed out, noticing the tears welling up in Jack's eyes. Jack had cried the entire way here as they managed to carry Mercy. It was only luck that this place wasn't too far away. 

"No, I've only seen him cry once."