After the Storm


His appetite returned when he realized that Danny would be okay. Snatching a greasy burger from the tray in front of him, nearly sighing in ecstasy as the cheesy goodness reached his mouth. He ate three burgers before he knew how to reply to Danny's question.

"Yeah," Jack mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his still-bloodied hand. "Yeah I-I saw you." He trailed off for a moment, his mind flashing back to his time overseas, when bloodied stumps were a rather common occurrence. "I um... yeah.. Danny I don't know how it happened, b-but I'm not complaining, ya know? I've seen the aftermath of shit like that. It ain't easy and I'm glad you ain't gotta deal with that."

"I just wish I knew how!"

Visibly confused, Jack reached for another burger, unwrapping this one rather gingerly and hesitating before speaking again.

"I-I didn't see Ness, Danny. I... I tried to look at everyone, ya know? Trying to make sure they weren't you b-but I didn't recognize anyone. Do you think she got away or..."

He couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence. Those people in the white lab coats weren't up to any good and if he had to guess, probably some kind of government agency. So no help from the authorities even if they wanted to go that route. Taking another bite and letting his shoulders cave for a moment, Jack closed his eyes and chewed solemnly, thanking whatever benevolent forces that allowed him to not only save Danny, but for his miraculous healing abilities, and the fact that he was still safe and out of the clutches of the lab coats.
 
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Letting out a gasp that turned into a shudder, he thought about Ness, lying tangled in the framework of the bleachers like he had been. Her eyes, cold and unmoving, her glasses shattered and off to the side, out of reach. That wasn't fair. She couldn't see like that. His stomach clenched. She couldn't see.

And what about Jeremy? His shock white hair spattered with blood. What about his family, what would happen to his family? He was always rambling on about his sister, with that big dopey smile. They'd cry and cry when they found his body. It'd be all fucked up. Like his was. Wrist twisted all the wrong way. No big dopey smile. How many other kids had been killed? How many other kids woke up with.. powers? How many people did those lab coats take?

How had he been so lucky to get away?

Danny sat up, shock straight, and attacked Jack with a hug so fierce it had the strength of a linebacker behind it. "I thought I was dead." Danny sobbed. "Nessie is probably dead. Jeremy's probably dead. They're all fucking dead. My bones fucking grew back, and everybody else is dead. Why me, Danny? Shoulda been Ness, or Jeremy. Or any of 'em. Shit. I mean.. I wouldn't.. I would never leave you alone, Jack. I would never. But.. fuck.. fuck! What the hell did we get ourselves into?!"
 
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Danny took the breath from his lungs in more than one way. Jack squeezed his brother back, sending along any reassurance that he could. In his chest, however, a tightness grew that was all too familiar. He didn't want Danny to have to experience that kind of pain... ever... and let alone so young. He clung to Danny tightly for as long as his brother allowed him too, eyes threatening but never succumbing to tears.

He cleared his throat after awhile, dispelling the growing frog.

"I'm not sure what kinda mess we're caught up in, Danny, but what I do know is that we're together. And that's gotta count for something." He cleared his throat again and opened his mouth to speak, hesitating at first. "Try not to ask why, Danny, j-just be thankful."

His mind flashed and he saw Danny lying there, under that bleacher, bloodied and mangled and he cringed. Jack had thought he was dead as well. Never in his life had he seen anything like Danny's... ability to heal and regrow limbs... but he couldn't help but thank that Danny had them. Sighing, rubbing his eyes to drive away the mental image, Jack thought back on the night before, before prom, and the day before that, when Danny and Ness spent half the night bemoaning it.

"I would have recognized Ness, Danny, I know for a fact she wasn't in that auditorium. Who's Jeremy, though? I haven't heard you talk about him before."
 
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Rubbing furiously at his eyes with the sleeve of the hoodie, determined to diminish the sudden bout of emotions, His brother's eyes were brimming with tears, but they never fell. He'd barely seen Jack cry. Danny wasn't much of a crier, but Jack had a resilience Danny had seen in no other man, and was a large part of the reason he so desperately looked up to him.

There were days when he'd questioned if Jack really loved him back, the days that he was across the country, the day that he announced he was going to the army. He knew, now, and he'd known for sometime, that those thoughts weren't true. But at that time, they hurt more than anything else. He never said it enough, but Jack was the only person, deep down, that understood Danny. That cared for him like no other, not even like Jeremy or Nessie. And the days when Jack was so far away, so terrifingly far away, were the worst days of his life.

Danny blinked as Jeremy's name fell out of Jack's mouth. He'd let it slip. But as he looked at Jack, he knew.. it was stupid of him to hide it anyway. That Jack would've loved to meet him, and now he was probably dead. Nothing could really be worse than almost dying, which the brothers had now come to know with too much familiarity.

"My.. boyfriend." Danny whispered. "Ness and I aren't dating. Jeremy is.." Danny hiccuped, hands flying to his mouth. "Was..." He felt bile rise in his throat. "I think I'm gonna puke."
 
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Jack stared at Danny for a moment, his mouth falling open slightly as the stars aligned and he realized just how dumb he really was. He mentally facepalmed himself and realized that Danny and Ness were just that-- best friends, not lovers. Jack felt like an idiot and a light flush crept across his cheeks. He frowned then, realizing something, before reacting quickly to grab the empty ice container and handing it out to Danny.

"Don't puke on me please," Jack retorted with a grimace and then voiced his unfinished train of thought. "How come you never told me? Did you--Were you worried I'd be upset about it, cause Danny c'mon that's dumb of you. Ya know I love you more than anything and having a boyfriend aint gunna stop that."
 
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As Jack thrust the empty ice bucket in his hands, Danny could feel the bile rising in his throat. The moment it was in his hands Danny vomited, ducking his head as he heaved the contents of his stomach. Once he was done, Danny stood up and wobbled over to the bathroom, where he splashed water in his face almost aggressively.

"You know how I am with that shit." He croaked from the bathroom, taking a deep br eath before returning to sit beside Jack. "It was dumb. I know. I should've told you. At school.. we were all secretive about it, so I guess I just.. I don't know. I'm sorry. You're always rambling on about girls and stuff. I didn't want to.. change anything. But, you know, now I can apparently regrow flesh and bone so it feels a bit outnumbered. If mom and dad ever found out... shit. I don't know if they'd kill me or use it as a PR sob story." He shook his head.

"Got anything sharp, Jack? Your pocket knife?" Danny whispered.

"Yeah, I always have it." Jack fished out his pocket knife before even thinking about Danny's reasoning. "Wait why?"

Once Jack handed over the pocket knife, Danny flipped it open. "Uh, no reason." Danny deadpanned, and before Jack could say anything, brought out his palm and sliced it open.

Hissing, Danny forced himself to keep his palm open, despite wanting to clench his fist in pain. Surely enough, blood spouted out, and Danny had cut fairly deep. As soon as it had begun to bleed, it begun to heal, and within moments, the cut had closed up on itself.

"Holy shit."
 
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