Overexposed

Ch. 17 Paciencia y Fe

Happy playfully lunged towards him, chuckling when Juice put his hands up to shield himself. "Best shut up then, idiot," he said, walking back towards his tools and grabbing the bucket of bleach and water. "Think all that hair is cloudin' your judgement."

Juice rolled his eyes, closing the laptop slowly. "Your cousin doesn't mind it," he muttered to himself.

He rounded on him threateningly. "What was that?"

"Nothin'," he said, trying to hide a smirk. "Think you're goin' deaf, old man."

Happy picked up an icepick from his tools looking it over and inspecting the blood that ran down its length before nodding to Juice. "You're about to be deaf if you don't shut the fuck up."

Juice didn't look at all frightened by the threat; he was used to them. "Go for it. My head's been too loud anyway."

The comment was a slight show of hand for Juice, a hint as to how his mental state was. Also a big red flag that he wasn't doing too well. Happy knew being in Charming was hard for him, adding on everything that had happened with Angela was probably not helping either. "Tell it to shut the fuck up."

"Yeah," he answered on a sad laugh. "Believe me, I've tried. Easier said than done. Doesn't help that I got Angel constantly askin' me if I'm okay."

"She's worried."

"I know, and I...I love her for that, but I don't want to keep talking about my crazy head shit. We go in fuckin' circles, and all it does is make me feel like some weak asshole," he admitted on a frown. "I'm okay. I really am. Its hard, but I'm dealin' with it, you know? I can handle this shit. I'm stronger than I was last time I was here, and she...she's got so much goin' on and she won't let me in. Makes me feel...inadequate or somethin'. Does that make sense?"

Happy nodded in understanding. It wasn't strange for Juice to open up to him like this. During the fourteen months they were locked in a cell together in county, they'd had a few deep talks. Juice usually did most of the talking, of course, but those talks were what made Happy feel comfortable with Juice's relationship with his little cousin, gave him better insight to the man everyone had called 'idiot' for years. While Hap would never stop calling him that, he also knew Juice was no idiot. The guy was smarter and more in tune with his emotions than most people gave him credit for. "It ain't 'cause she thinks you're weak. She knows you're not. Think its 'cause she don't want to feel it herself. Easier to focus on you than her."

"Drivin' me crazy," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his longer hair.

"Doesn't help you knocked her up. Hormones 'n' shit."

Juice smirked, playing with his wedding ring as a smile crossed his face. "Only good thing that's happened since I've been home is finding out she's pregnant."

"Home?"

He blinked, grimacing to himself. "Shit. Didn't mean that."

"Yeah, you did," he said, dunking another tool into the bucket of bleach. "You ever think about comin' back?"

Juice raked a hand through his hair, letting out a long, sad sigh. "Didn't until I got here. 'Til I found out I was safe. Despite all the shit that's happened; she's happy here with her family and the funeral home. Being here makes her happy."

"Wasn't happy 'til you showed up."

He smiled a little at that, looking back at the computer. "Good to know."

"You gonna move back?"

Juice sighed again, rubbing at his eyes. "Not to Charming, that's for damn sure. Bay Area, maybe. If that's what she wants. My brother-in-law wants a satellite office out here anyway, so I'll have a job, and she'll have the funeral home and her family so...she'll be happy. That's all I want for her."