Author: veiledndarkness
Title: Descent
Rating: PG
Pairing(if any, or gen): Implied Bobby and Jack
Summary: From birth to death, you only get one life.
Warnings: Usual disclaimer. They aren't mine, they never will be.
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The first time that Bobby found Jack passed out in a park, he'd yelled and pushed Jack all the way back to the house, berating him the whole way. Jack had made mumbled promises to stop using, to go clean. Bobby wanted to believe him.
The second time, Bobby had dragged him from one of the more popular drug dens, viciously swearing as he pushed Jack into his car. He had yelled all the way home, making sure to mention how worried and frightened Evelyn was. Jack offered no apology, no explanation. Instead, he sat slouched down in the seat, staring out the window and ignoring what Bobby said.
The third time, Bobby wasn't there. He was doing a six month stint for aggravated assault. Jack had moped for weeks, lashing out angrily at anyone who questioned him. It wasn't long before he was skipping school, and staying away for days on end. This time, Evelyn found him unconscious in the bathroom, convulsing slightly, his hand wrapped tightly around a half-empty bottle of stolen painkillers. Jack had remained silent in the hospital after they had pumped his stomach, doing his best to pretend that he didn't care.
The fourth time, Bobby came back from work early, only to find Jack lying in the middle of his bed, whispering apologies for the mistakes he had made. He had pulled Jack close, smoothing the hair back, pressing light kisses to his forehead, and listening closely to everything that Jack confessed to. His guilt was overwhelming, his need to not feel was drowning him. Bobby had nodded. He understood. When Jack was more coherent, more aware of what had happened again, Bobby quietly spoke to him, his words getting through, just this once, the one time that it mattered the most.
"You only get one life Jackie, don't throw it away."
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