Requested by didsomeonesaymarblehornets on tumblr: Something Jaylex.
This story takes place shortly before Alex called Jay to meet him at Rosswood and tries to shoot him and Jessica.
For the tenth time that day Jay dialed Alex's number. His fingers moved automatically to the numbers without him having to think about it, he was so used to this code. He held the phone to his ear as it rang, his grip loose with hopelessness. Alex never picked up, now it was nothing more than habit driving him to preform this ritual. He heard a click he assumed was the message machine and sighed ready to hang up.
"Hello?" Alex's voice came out of the phone's speaker. Jay was speechless for a minute. "Hello? Jay?" Alex asked.
"Yes!" Jay yelped snapping to attention even though he doubted Alex was anywhere nearby. "Sorry I didn't really expect you to pick up, it's been so long and I was…" He trailed off. Alex knew he had been worried, there was no need to say it. Jay was starting to wonder if Alex cared.
"I know you've been worried Jay, I'm sorry." Alex sighed a burst of static breath coming from the phone. "Just… things haven't been going well. I-I think I know what I need to do but…" He trailed off, Jay knew there were many things that could mean. It was dangerous, it was wrong, Alex didn't want to do it.
"What can I do to help Alex? You know you're not alone, you just need to ask and I'll help. I've been trying to even without you asking." Jay assured franticly. Alex gave a frustrated growl.
"I know and that's what got you into this mess! I wish you had never gotten involved in this! Then I wouldn't… I miss you." Alex said almost resignedly.
"I miss you too Alex." Jay replied quickly. "Where are you?"
"I'm at another shitty motel, where else?" Alex laughed humorlessly. "But… are you still where I asked you to wait? I want to come back for you now, I can't be alone anymore."
"Of course I am Alex, I trust you." Jay answered.
"I know." Alex whispered. Jay knew it must be his imagination that made Alex sound choked up. "I'll be there in a few hours." Alex hung up without saying goodbye but Jay was used to that. Alex hated goodbyes. Jay smiled stupidly at his phone, he was going to be seeing Alex again soon.
Oh shit he was going to be seeing Alex again soon and he hadn't shaved in weeks! Hadn't showered in days and the room he had been renting the past little while was a complete mess, he had so much to do! He quickly did a cursory clean of the hotel room and made sure he had enough food for both himself and Alex. He made a quick run to a nearby store to pick up some other groceries as well as some alcohol, because he knows Alex will need it.
Once that was done Jay had a long shower making sure he's clean and his face is smooth. As usual he looked like he hadn't slept in a month, but there's nothing to do about that and it's not far from the truth. Sighing he left the bathroom. Alex could be here any minute now but he wasn't yet so Jay took the time to do a little bit more cleaning waiting for Alex's call that he had arrived.
It came twenty minutes later. Jay went down to the front desk to meet him, leading the way back up to his hotel room. Alex was more hunched than last time Jay had seen him. He had lost weight and he looked as if he hadn't slept in even longer than Jay. Jay waited to say anything until they were both in the hotel room, relatively safe.
"You look like you've been through hell." Jay said hugging Alex carefully; Alex hugged back after a second.
"I think we both have." Alex sighed heavily resting his head against the side of Jay's tiredly.
"That's true." Jay murmured. "But I think you've been trying too hard to shelter me. I'm not the fragile little bird everyone seems to think I am. And if anything I'm a pretty fast runner." He ended jokingly and Alex chuckled.
"I know Jay, but that doesn't stop me wanting to protect you. But tonight… tonight I just need a distraction. Please, at least until the morning, let's pretend like nothing's wrong."
"Of course." Jay murmured pulling back and kissing Alex gently, they had gotten into the habit of this. They could be close to each other and no one else after all, they might as well be close in every way. "I bought some alcohol 'cause I knew you'd need it. Let me make us both drinks." Alex nodded and let go of Jay, letting him pour them both glasses of the stronger alcohol after all 'beer before liquor never sicker.' Alex went and sat on the edge of the bed rubbing his face with both hands tiredly.
Jay handed Alex a glass and crawled onto the double bed settling down comfortably propped on some pillows. Alex kicked off his shoes and did the same as Jay reached for the tv remote.
"This hotel actually has some good channels. Want to find a bad ghost hunting show and drink every time someone does something stupid or over reacts to nothing?" Jay asked grinning at Alex. It was one of their favorite pastimes, making fun at people who were pretending to be in the same position they were actually in.
"Sure thing?" Alex said grinning gratefully back at Jay. Jay slid closer to Alex, settling against his side as he clicked through the stations until they found one of the ghost hunting shows that always seemed to be playing in hotel rooms.
By the time the show was finished they were both drunk. Jay was giggling and Alex had gotten really affectionate. They missed seeing what the next show was going to be because Alex had started tickling Jay, it ended up in a giddy drunk wrestling match which Alex won (of course). Jay ended up pinned under Alex laughing madly as Alex grinned down at him triumphantly.
"Okay you win, now get off of me." Jay laughed pushing up against Alex's chest.
"Only if you'll get on me." Alex purred huskily, smiling crookedly down at Jay.
"What do.. oh." Jay trailed of his eyes widening in delayed realization of what Alex meant. "Oh okay."
Hours later they lay together under the covers facing each other. Jay's arm was draped over Alex's waist, he was drifting to sleep happily to the sound of Alex's heavy breathing. He assumed that Alex was asleep until Alex started playing with his hair gently. Jay sighed softly but didn't wake up all the way.
"I'm sorry, I know what I hate to do but I don't like it." Alex whispered obviously believing Jay was fully asleep. Jay didn't let him know otherwise. "I know what they want now, they want me, I never told you my middle name but when you add it in my initials spell Ark. They've been trying to make you lead them to me.
"Why would they have been doing that if I couldn't hurt them somehow? If I didn't know something? But I didn't realize what it was until recently, I know how to stop the disease, I'm sorry." He shifted closer to Jay protectively.
Jay didn't have any idea what Alex meant or what he was talking about. How could he be the Ark? That didn't make sense, the Ark was a place. But it didn't matter, he trusted Alex to do what was right, whatever Alex did Jay would go along with that. If he wasn't so close to sleep he would tell Alex so, but he was just so comfortable and warm, and it had been so long since Alex had last been there with him Jay couldn't bring himself to wake up enough to respond.
A/N if you want to request something from me you can do so here or on my tumblr too-much-tea-stuff.
