Jasper dared to look Killian in the eyes, leaning his weight calmly against the door frame to the kitchen. Killian's brows narrowed, and Jasper noticed the subtle coiling of Killian's muscles. Almost like a wild animal, his body was tensing up and ready for a fight at any second. This young man truly believed that Jasper was going to hurt him, then? After a brief moment of silence suspended in the air between them, Jasper finally let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He hadn't noticed he was so tense during their whole staring contest of sorts. Not being able to take the brittle silence any longer he said, "Alright then, I'll leave you alone until I can find us some dinner." Turning his back on Killian to look through the kitchen again he hastily added, "You'll need some new bandages too."
"I'll find something to eat myself!" Killian's voice shouted from the other room. Jasper heard stumbling footsteps, then a loud thump as the other man tripped and fell over.
"That's going to be pretty hard to do from the floor, I'd imagine." Jasper replied as he opened one of the cabinets. The house they were in wasn't very extravagant. Jasper wasn't surprised that he hadn't found anything by that point, just a bit disappointed. The kitchen was made up of marble counters up against the walls. The surfaces were all covered in a thin layer of dust and cobwebs. Under the counter were wooden cupboards and drawers. Mounted on the walls were smaller cupboards as well. Jasper refused to look in the fridge, for fear of finding anything spoiled that would make his stomach churn for the rest of the night. At last he came to the last cabinet, and thankfully it wasn't empty. There was an old can of what looked to be peaches. Setting it down on the counter, Jasper noticed a place he hadn't bothered to check yet. There was a cabinet on the other side of the room.
Jasper's heavy combat boots made hearty thumping sounds on the wooden tiles as he cross the kitchen to the cabinet. Opening it, he was relieved to see that there were a few cans of food left over. More peaches, and two cans of soup. Picking one up, Jasper held the other two with his arm pressed up against his chest so he didn't drop them. Kicking the cabinet shut, he grabbed the can of peaches from the counter and made his way back to the living room. "See? Could be worse." Jasper said. He set the cans on the ground carefully. Without warning, Killian's hand flashed out and grabbed one of the soup cans, his gaze daring Jasper to try and take it from him. A quiet sigh left between Jasper's lips, "I'm not going to take your food. I might be hungry, but I'm not hungry enough to be a complete asshole just yet."
If Killian heard Jasper, he didn't acknowledge anything he said. Jasper watched as Killian took hold of his hunting knife and stabbed through the top of the can, cutting it open. When Jasper knit his brows together and looked closely, he noticed that there were dark bags under Killian's eyes, and his skin was paler than it should be. He was lethargic in his movements as well. The boy wasn't starving, but he was definitely in need of a good meal. "Here, have more." Jasper said. He gently kicked another can towards Killian, "You're going to need it more than I do right now." Killian glanced up, and gave Jasper a curt nod, before swiping that can away too.
Jasper crossed the living room and into the bathroom then. He moved the light switch, but nothing flickered on. He'd have to search in the dark and hope he didn't miss anything. The bathroom was lacking at best. Turning the faucet, no water came through. Opening cupboard above the sink, Jasper found a few bottles. Some pain medicine, with only three or four pills left. An elastic bandage, definitely something that would come in handy. He found nothing else but some bleach, which wouldn't do any good. Heading over to Killian again, Jasper set the things he'd found down. By now, the only thing keeping them from complete darkness was the pale moonlight filtering in through the cracks of the barricaded windows. "I'm guessing you won't let me help you, so there. Patch yourself up. Next time we find water, we can clean and reuse it."
"Why are you helping me?" Killian asked suddenly, his words split by a yawn. His brows knit together as he looked at Jasper more closely. Jasper could admire the boy's observation skills. It hadn't taken him too long to come to, and find a weapon. If he could get Killian to be a little more trusting, he might make a good traveling partner. "You're in military uniform," Killian muttered, "Did you kill somebody for it?"
Jasper snorted with amusement. "That would have been a cooler story," He admitted, but shook his head. Jasper ran a hand through the tuft of hair on his head, which had fallen in front of his eyes from the sudden movement. "No. I was part of a team that came here to try and beat back the...things while people could evacuate." He tried his best to keep the somber note out of his voice as he said, "That didn't work out too well, did it? But it could be worse. I could be dead." He paused, "And I'm helping you because that's what I was trained to do. Keep people safe, help them."
"I guess." Killian mumbled quietly. His hazel eyes stared longingly at the second can Jasper had pushed towards him earlier.
Jasper tilted his head to the side, "Something wrong, kid?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Killian bristled, and Jasper had to take in a deep breath to stop himself from snapping back. Being aggressive to Killian was only going to make things worse. But eventually Killian said, "I'm hungry, but if I eat more too fast then I'll get sick."
"I'm not going to take it from you," Jasper repeated, keeping his voice even and calm. "Take it easy. You can have more when you're ready."
Killian kept his eyes narrowed, as if he didn't quite believe what Jasper was saying. Frustrating as that was, Jasper wondered if maybe he himself was the strange one in this situation. He was part of a group; maybe that's why he was still optimistic about his interactions with others. He didn't think his past occupation had anything to do with that though. He'd always been this way, just like his father. Jasper would be lying if he said he wasn't curious as to why exactly Killian was so distrustful of him, even if Jasper had proven to be rather innocuous. But it wasn't his place to ask or inquire about it.
A few minutes of silence passed between the two; Jasper swore that he could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. Suddenly, Killian spoke up again. "You were in the military?" He inquired. There was a long pause again. "What was it like?"
Jasper leaned back, running a hand idly along the stubble on his jaw. Thinking back on it, he wasn't quite sure. There were good times, and bad times. Times when he'd feared for his life, but been forced to keep a level head. But the outcomes of ultimately keeping others safe and possibly saving their lives had been worth it. "There were good days and there were bad days." He finally managed. "The worst time of my life, but also some of the best. Met my best friend there, Rowan."
Killian knit his brows together, his nose wrinkled irritably into a scowl. "You'd risk your life for other people then? Trust others to help you out, too?"
Jasper tilted his head to the side. "No man gets left behind," he said bluntly. "I'd risk my life to save them and they'd do the same for me." Killian looked down, taking a sudden interest in his soup again. Was that bitterness Jasper saw in his eyes, or jealousy even?
"You're an idiot." Killian said softly. Jasper's stomach sank at that comment, and he narrowed his brows. Was that what Killian really thought of him? What had to have happened to Killian for him to think that way?
"If being brave makes me an idiot, then I'll take the title gladly." Jasper replied simply. Killian scoffed, but Jasper said nothing else. To break through the tense, desolate silence Jasper changed the subject. Asking about Killian wouldn't result to anything so he wouldn't even attempt with that. "We should go out looking for water tomorrow. I'll clean off that old bandage so we can reuse it again, and we can hydrate. Hopefully find some we can carry along with us."
As Killian glared up at Jasper, the light of the moon caught his eyes just right. Jasper paused. They were nothing but hostile and cynical. Dangerous, even. "I never said I was going with you." The younger man's voice was cold and reserved.
"Where else are you going to go?" Jasper replied indignantly. He took a mindful breath to calm down a bit. Raising his voice would only set Killian off even more. "Like I said already, going out on your own is a death sentence. You can barely stand, so what's going to happen when you run into one of those things? If you stay here, they'll eventually break down the barricades. Not to mention anybody who sees you as a good target to steal from," he added hastily. "That man who stabbed you could even come back to finish you off."
With the tense silence between them, Jasper was worried Killian might snap. He was preparing himself for any type of violence the younger man might carry out against him. At this point, Jasper wasn't even sure if Killian hadn't been the first one to attack that other man. But after a long minute that felt like an eternity, Killian relented. "Fine." He spat. "But that still doesn't mean I trust you." He added.
Jasper let out a breath of relief. After silently replacing the old bandage with a new one Killian said irritably,"I'm going to bed." He scoffed, "Spare myself from any more dumb conversations with you." Killian pulled a thin, small blanket from his pack and laid it out on the floor. He moved onto it, wincing. Jasper could tell he tried to hide it, but didn't do a very good job. Killian tried turning his back to Jasper, but laying on his wound was too painful. He struggled to sit up, before turning and laying on his other side. He covered his face with his arms so Jasper couldn't see him.
Jasper shook his head with exasperation. Much as he didn't want to admit it, Killian's grumpy and abrasive nature was starting to grow on him a bit. Despite being as prickly as a hedgehog on a cactus, the young man was intriguing to him. After checking the barricades one last time, Jasper laid out a blanket that he got from his own pack and laid down. Part of him wondered if Killian would possibly sneak off in the middle of the night, but based on how painful it looked just for Killian to switch sleeping position, Jasper assumed he wouldn't.
After a while of pondering his new situation and strange traveling partner, Jasper eventually trailed off into a dreamless sleep.