Jazz Red's Anomaly

c h a p t e r. 12

But the douchebag doesn't even bother saying anything.

With a song twisting like the bark leaves of a willow tree, he looks at Jazz with a semi exasperated and pleading face, gesturing to room before swiftly moving aside to let him go in.

Hesitating only slightly, the musician opens it further and steps half in and half out, staying in the doorway as he blinks over at Cas, not realizing he was pouting at the sight of his bruised and cut cheek..

The celestial says something, body moving in on himself as the pain in his song grows and Jazz's instincts riot in his body. It was wrong for him to be in pain, for him to be hurt.

He should've never let Cas fight Axel.

This was his fault.

Cas moves his hand towards his chest, moving it in a circle and it takes a moment to realize it's not a tic and, instead, and I'm sorry.

Surprise shot down Jazz's spine, momentarily cutting through the fear as he took a couple steps into the room, hands holding onto his shoulders.

Blinking a couple times, looking further at Cas' colors, still an overwhelming amount of just... pain, he tilts his head, "You k-know ASL? And, and you d-don't have to apologize. Axel, w-well, Axel knew what he-- he fights? A lot, I-I mean."

Seeing the flash of chartreuse of annoyance, he realizes that Cas, in fact, doesn't know ASL and the sorry was just a word he knew, he knows he needs to be able to hear him.

But that meant taking his earbuds out.

Atlas' song is so loud, usually. But since it's just Cas...

Glancing back at the door with a wince, Jazz pauses for a couple moments before shutting it completely and sitting down against the floor, back against the wall as he takes out a single earbud.

The celestial's song instantly fills him, it so full of raw fear he didn't understand and anxiety that it amped up his own but he pushed that to the side as he shook his own head, hand briefly coming up to cover his ear before slowly letting it go.

"S-sorry," Jazz risks a glance up at Cas, who's watching him with stormy eyes. There's a battle going on inside him and the musician isn't quite sure what started it. "You can, um-- I can h-hear now." Then he repeats, "You d-don't need to apologize."

"No, I do. I- -in Eden- -scared you and I just don't want--" Cas says, wincing as his shoulders jut up to his ears. "--I don't want that but I'm just, in Eden! I don't, I can't-- I can't--"

Jazz reacts as soon as his panic-filled brain registers that Cas was on the brink of breaking, his tics making him shake as he held his face in his hands, harsh breaths in the shade of seaweed staining the air like a warning.

It's something his Goddess mama does when everything gets too overwhelming and her stutter-- hers is caused by trauma while Jazz's is a speech impediment he always had-- won't let her speak.

It's not a good sign.

And he really wants the celestial to be happy again, to not be upset.

"Cas," He's up and moving over to him before he could think about it, warm hands pushing himself to sit next to the celestial on the bed before moving to gently cradle his trembling form into his arms. "W-we're okay, Cas. You didn't, you didn't scare me. Violence, fighting, a-anger... it triggers bad m-- bad memories. But that's not on you. I-I know you wouldn't hurt me, not even if you, if you wanted to."

Cas doesn't reply but Jazz didn't expect him to right away with the way he was struggling to get a hold of himself.

Repositioning them both, he gently moves them both, back against the wall and the celestial curled between his legs, held against him with the gentle but tight arms he wrapped around his waist.