Norman Jayden stared at the sleeping form of Carter Blake. From what little he remembered, they hadn't gone far that night. They'd only returned to this room and... perhaps made out? It was all hazy for Jayden, and he was a little grateful to that fact. Jayden, gently as possible, slipped himself out of Blake's grip and got out of the bed, picking up his dress shirt and tie before returning his ARI to his chest pocket.
He quietly stepped out of the room and went downstairs with his shoes in his hands, going to the living room where his suit blazer had been dropped.
His hands started to shake, and instantly a feeling of dread washed over him.
Blake awoke a little when he gradually began to notice the lacking of Jayden's warmth in his arms. He opened his eyes to find that Jayden wasn't even in the room anymore, which nearly set him off. Almost instantly afterwards, he heard the front door being closed in a rush, and he leaped out of his bed.
"Goddammit!" He hurried and got his shirt on before practically kicking the bedroom door open to follow Jayden.
Jayden ran outside, shaking all over from his craving for Triptocaine. 'I could take it... I could take some right now... I-It's right the'e in my pocket... Ooh... I... I... I gotta...! I gotta take some...!'
The FBI agent stopped in his tracks and pulled the tube of Triptocaine out of his pocket, staring at it lustfully.
"NORMAN!" Blake yelled behind him, having caught up quickly.
Jayden looked back at the Lieutenant and backed away. "Stay back!"
"Norman, chill the fuck out. Put the drug away and come back inside."
"No, Blake."
"Do it." Blake demanded harshly.
"NO, BLAKE." Jayden replied with equal harshness.
"Goddammit, Norman, get the fuck back inside!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, BLAKE!" Jayden snapped. "YA REALLY DON'T GET IT, DO YA?!"
"What the hell are you ranting about, Norman?!"
Jayden put a hand on his head, trying hard to think of something to respond with. His world was spinning, it was hard to concentrate, to even think, and -

"Norman?"
Norman Jayden snapped out of his thoughts and glanced up at Jodie Holmes. She looked terrible, but that was to be expected with how long they'd spent homeless.
"Norman, are... are you okay?"
Jayden could only nod. His head was still aching like hell, and he still couldn't concentrate too well.
Jodie was still really worried about Jayden, but she said nothing. "Anyways, Stan... I think we should split up... Doesn't make sense for both of us to be in the same place..."
Stan nodded a little. "Are you going to take Norman with you?"
"He'll stay close by. Right, Norman?"
Again, Jayden only nodded. At this point all he really wanted was warmth and absolute silence around him.
Jodie started to walk, Jayden following in a bit of a stumble. Eventually the girl walked by a burly man leaning against a building.
"Hey~." He called out. "You lookin' to make a few quick bucks?"
Jodie stopped. "What would I have to do?"
"Just do me a bit of a... 'favor'. I'll give you 10 bucks for it."
Before Jodie could even consider it for a moment, Jayden caught up and started dragging her away.
"Hey!" The guy shouted. Jayden didn't stop pulling Jodie along, and luckily it seemed that he therefore narrowly avoided getting into a fight.
"Thanks." Jodie said. "I would rather take my chances out on the street naked than do that."
"Don't say that. If that we'e th'case, ya wouldn't have enehthin' t'offah enehmo'e."
Jodie gave Jayden a strange look, but Jayden didn't respond to it.
Soon enough, Jodie stopped Jayden. She walked over to a man. "Is... Is this your guitar...?"
The man nodded. "Nearly froze my fingers off trying to play it... You're welcome to try if you'd like..."
Jodie picked up the guitar and sat down, leaving room for Jayden to sit next to her. "Do you know how to play, Norman?"
Jayden shook his head. "... Do ya know how to, though?"
Jodie shrugged. "Only one way to find out..." The girl tuned the guitar to her preference and started strumming. She started to sing, and it made Jayden shudder, as she reminded him of his mother all of the sudden.
A few people here and there stopped, but only about a third of them left small tips. Jodie kept playing, but she truly did look disappointed and near tears.
She was surprised, however, when Jayden started to sing along, however quietly. She nudged him a little, trying to goad him into singing louder, and after about three or so nudges, he raised his voice a bit, creating a fine harmony for her. The guy who sat next to them seemed surprised by their musical ability, and soon a crowd had gathered to hear them sing.
When it had become dark outside, Jodie stopped playing. Jayden had stopped singing a little earlier, as his voice had given out and begun cracking.
Jodie stood and placed the guitar down, picked up the tips they'd gathered, and handed a bit of a fair share to the man who'd let her use the guitar. He nodded at her in gratitude.
"Come on, Norman... We should go back now..."
Jayden nodded and forced himself to stand. He stumbled over to Jodie like a wounded dog returning to its master, making Jodie worry more about his physical health.
"Norman, truly, are you okay...?"
Jayden nodded. "I'm just ti'ahd..."
The two of them started to walk, Jodie helping Jayden along so they could move a bit faster.
"I had no idea you could sing so well." Jodie said.
"Neitha did I..." Jayden chuckled weakly. "Ya really think I did alright...?"
Jodie nodded. "It was amazing."
"No, yer guitah playin' was what made the pahfahmence amazin'..."
Jodie's cheeks became a bit hot at the flattery, but she said nothing more.
When they returned to Stan, Jodie looked down at him. "How'd it go...?"
Stan shook the tin can he'd been collecting in and dumped out a few cents. "Not great. Is..." Stan gestured at Jayden.
Jodie shrugged a bit.
Stan sighed. "How'd it go for you two?"
Jodie revealed the money they'd made, and Stan jumped up.
"My God... Jodie, where'd you get all this cash...?!" He asked in a hushed voice.
Jodie, again, shrugged a bit. "I found this guy's guitar... He let me use it, so I played and Jayden started to sing, so..."
Stan was clearly ecstatic. "This is wonderful. This is amazing! Absolutely amazing! I could kiss both of you!"
"Please don't." Jayden muttered, making Jodie struggle to hold back laughter to no prevail.
"Thank you, Norman. I needed a good laugh." She said to him when she'd calmed down.
Jayden smiled a little, but gave no verbal response.
"Wait here. I'll go buy some food." Stan rushed across the street and disappeared in the supermarket.
Jodie leaned Jayden against the wall while they waited.
"... Norman? Are you still awake?"
Jayden had his head leaned against Jodie's shoulder. He grunted quietly in response, but seemed to be nodding off.
Jodie decided to let him rest for a bit - Jayden had been having trouble sleeping recently, she knew that much.
She was content and happy, happier than she'd been in weeks. Then Stan stepped out of the store... only to be attacked by some punks.
"Oh, fuck! Norman, wake up! Stay here!"
"Out of the question." Jayden was already as alert as he could be at this point.
"Fine, come on!" Jodie started running towards the punks as they kicked at Stan, Jayden following close behind.
"Oh, look, the old man got himself a girlfriend and a boyfriend! Bisexual two-timer, huh? Nice." One of the punks said.
Jayden was about to try using psychology to talk himself out of a fight when he was hit over the head from behind with a plank.
Jodie watched with wide-eyes as Jayden fell to his knees, then onto his stomach. "Norman!"
"Awww..." The leader of the punks mocked.
"You fucking assholes!" Jodie threw herself at the leader, punching him in the face and proceeding to kick the shit out of him. She'd only just realized that she'd forgotten the others when Jayden was suddenly up and fighting again with almost tenfold the amount of brutality she'd figured he'd ever fight with. She actually could've sworn that heard Jayden break one of the punk's arms.
Jodie and Jayden beat all of the punks until they fled, at which point Jodie turned to Jayden.
Stan watched as Jayden stared away from her with a lethal posture.
"Nice fighting, N-" She didn't have time to finish, as Jayden lunged at her, a homicidal look in his pale green eyes. She nearly screamed, but almost more-so when Jayden was hoisted up into the air and began choking, clawing at something invisible around his throat.
"AIDEN, NO!" She screamed in protest. "PUT HIM DOWN NOW! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!"
Aiden argued his point, trying to get through to her that Jayden was going to kill her if he put him down.
"PUT HIM DOWN!"
Trying to show her that he was right, Aiden dropped Jayden. Jayden fell over and started coughing and gasping for air. Jodie rushed to his side.
"Oh my God, Norman, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"
He shook his head. "I... He was gonna hurt ya..."
"Huh...?"
"I couldn't control myself the'e... Don't blame Aiden fer attackin' me like that, he saved ya again... I'm the one who should be sorry..."
"What in the world just happened...?" Stan asked timidly, confused by what he'd just seen.
"I'll... I'll try to explain later. Let's just go back inside. It's over with now..." She turned to face Jayden. "Right?"
Jayden nodded. "I think I'm okay now..."
Stan decided to forget about the last few seconds. "You two kicked their asses. Where did you two learn to fight so well?"
Jodie helped Stan up. "I learned in the military."
"And you?" Stan asked as he looked at Jayden.
Jayden didn't reply right away. "Uh... I... I guess I just... learned on my own... somehow..." His head was spinning, and now it was nearly impossible for him to focus.
Jodie helped Stan gather the groceries he'd bought before she went over to Jayden and helped him up.
"I'm... I'm so... so ti'ahd..." He muttered weakly.
"How hard did he hit you, Jayden?"
Jayden didn't reply, now drifting back into his thoughts.

- he just felt so goddamned angry all of the sudden.
Carter Blake took a step closer to Norman Jayden, tried to get close enough to restrain him without alarming him.
"I said stay back!" Jayden shouted.
So much for not alarming him.
Jayden's nose started to bleed, and he looked back at his Triptocaine.
"Goddammit, Norman! Listen to me! Don't take that shitty drug!"
Just despite Blake's demands, Jayden brought the tube up to his left-hand nostril, the one that wasn't bleeding.
"NORMAN!" Blake stepped forward and tried to smack the tube out of Jayden's hands.
Jayden stepped back, effectively managing to avoid Blake's wild swipe, and snorted some of the drug into his body. Almost instantly, pleasure overtook his body. He panted out of relief that the tremors, the pain, and the anger were gone.
"FUCK! GODDAMMIT, NORMAN!" Blake shouted. "THAT SHIT'S GONNA KILL YOU IF YOU KEEP TAKING IT LIKE THAT!"
"Well that's just none of yer goddahmned business, isn't it, Blake?" Jayden countered. "Now don't stress me out, or I'll have t'take mo'e..." The agent couldn't contain his excited shudder at the thought of taking more.
Blake snarled, but otherwise heeded Jayden's advice. 'Looks like I'll need to find another way to get my warning through Norman's thick fucking skull. Hopefully I can find out how before he overdoses...'
Jayden put the drug back into his pocket and looked at Blake. "I'm gonna go fer a walk."
"No, you're not." This was a typical response Blake gave to anything Jayden said he'd do that could involve slipping away with Ethan Mars. This time, though, he added more. "We still haven't caught that Mars guy - the Origawmi Killer. He might hurt you."
"I'll be fine, Blake. I have a few leads I'd like t'covah myself."
"No, Norman. It's too dangerous. I'm not going to let you go alone."
"Blake. I said I'll be fine." He revealed a white cellphone. "If I have any problems, I'll call ya, okay?"
"I want you to call me even if you get a fucking paper-cut, you hear me? If you see Mars, too."
Jayden nodded. "Fine." In truth, he was willing to halfheartedly agree to anything just so long as it got him away from the possessive police Lieutenant.
"Go for a fucking walk then. But be careful. You hear me, Norman? Be careful."
Jayden nodded again and started to walk through the rain, pulling his coat tighter against himself.

Norman Jayden turned his head at the feeling of slight warmth to his left. Jodie Holmes was there, holding out a can of food for him.
"I..." Hesitantly, he took the food. Even if he did vomit it up later, he certainly wouldn't pass up the offer of something to warm his freezing hands with.
Jodie sat next to him, and together they watched for a moment as traffic drove by under them. "You really like this spot, don't you, Norman...?"
Jayden shrugged a bit.
"... Aren't you going to eat?"
Jayden couldn't think of a way to respond in time.
"Hurry and eat before it gets cold..."
Still, Jayden didn't even bother to try eating it.
"... Why don't you come sit with the others and I over there and eat? It'll warm you up." Jodie offered.
"I'm fine... Go sit with them, Jodie..."
Jodie frowned. "... Well, uh... The offer's still open..." Slowly and with great hesitance, Jodie left Jayden alone and returned to the others.
"He's not coming over here?" Tuesday asked.
Jodie shook her head. "He doesn't want to for some reason..."
Jayden sat alone, hearing the droning noise of quiet conversation behind him, and he shivered from cold. He looked down at the food Jodie had given him.
'... Heck. Why make them think it's a waste t'feed me...?' Slowly, Jayden started to eat.
Jodie learned the back-stories of her new pals. "Your baby..." She asked Tuesday. "Is it going to be a girl or a boy?"
Tuesday shrugged. "I'm not sure. But her or she is due very soon..." She rubbed her bulge lovingly.
Everyone was surprised when Jayden walked over.
"Uh... It got coldah ovah the'e... Can I...?"
"Yeah. Sit down, Norman." Stan said. "There's a chair somewhere over there, I think."
"T'anks..." Jayden walked away and came back with a chair, sitting next to Jodie as he timidly ate.
"So, why are you two out on the streets like us?" Stan asked.
Jodie glanced at Jayden for a moment before she spoke. "We, uh... got into some trouble with the military." was all she said, not bringing Aiden into this.
"Stan, what happened to your face?" One of the others asked.
Stan nodded a bit for some reason. "Got jumped by those punks. Hell, if it wasn't for Jodie and Norman, I'd still be out there. They opened up a massive can of whip-ass on those little shits."
The three other homeless fellows seemed pleased and applauding, but Jodie noticed Jayden hang his head in shame. For the time being, she decided she'd say nothing about it.
Luckily, Stan had apparently truly forgotten about Jayden attacking Jodie and being lift up by the throat by Aiden, as he didn't mention it for the rest of the night.