Hey guys! This is the new chapter! Nothing much to say, just that it left off right where the other chapter ended. Enjoy! :)
(JASON POV)
I'm so done. I went on that goddamn mission that Fury assigned me, and then I went missing for two weeks. My power still isn't working. I mean, the fire is, but I still can't feel Red's emotions, and I wish I could. I don't know how she's doing, but it's probably not good. And I don't think she can hear my thoughts either, or she would've come and found me already.
I was kidnapped and stuck inside a room. Someone masked came in to interrogate me, and when I didn't tell them what they wanted to know, they left me, for a week. And then the door opened and I was let out into a maze. It was a very difficult maze, and it was constantly changing and moving around, upon other . . . Obstacles. I finally found my way out, and here I am, in front of Avengers Tower, home.
I walked inside only to find nobody there. It was three AM, so I'm not surprised. I went into the elevator and upstairs to Jade's room. I know she's awake. I can hear her walking around in there.
I knocked and she opened the door. When she saw me she did something totally unexpected.
She started shaking her head rapidly and telling me to go away. "You're not here. Why do I keep seeing you?! You're dead." She said, crying. She thought I was dead?
"Red, I'm really here, I'm not dead." I said.
She shook her head. "Why don't you leave me alone? You're not real."
"Red, it's really me." I said.
"No! I just want it to stop!" She said, opening her drawer where I know she keeps a spare gun.
"Red, stop!" I said, coming in quickly. She looked weaker than usual, a lot weaker than usual.
"I can't- I can't do this anymore. I can't handle the hallucinations and the nightmares." she whispered, pressing the barrel against the side of her head.
I quickly disarmed her and looked her in the eye.
"It's me. Red, I'm alive, and I'm right here. You're not hallucinating." I said. She started crying a lot, sobbing even. She sank down to the floor and I followed her, holding her tightly. She struggled for a little bit before she looked at me.
"Promise me. Promise me you're real. You're not going to disappear in a second. Jase, I need to know you're not dead." She said, her voice shaking.
"I promise. I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again." I swore. She cried into my shoulder, holding on as though if she let go I would disappear.
But that probably is what she was afraid of. Then Aunt Tasha and Uncle Steve appeared in the doorway, and were shocked.
(NATASHA POV)
Am I hallucinating too? I don't know. Steve and I heard Jade crying from down the hall and came over to see what had happened. When we get here, we see Jason, alive, and holding Jade tightly as she cried. We decided to just leave and let them have their moment.
(JASON POV)
Red cried for what seemed like hours before she looked at me. "Why can't I hear your thoughts? Did they put something on you?" she asked, examining me closely. "And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
"My shirt was really ripped up, so I just took it off. As for the other stuff I don't know. I can't feel your emotions either." I said. She winced.
"That's probably a good thing." She muttered, looking at my back. "Aha! Here. This is going to hurt." She said, pulling something off of the center of my back. I winced slightly. "And you're hurt." She said, giving me a look. Clearly she can hear my thoughts again. And I can feel her emotions. Oh god. Never in my life have I felt more guilty about anything.
"It's not bad. I'm fine really." I said. She raised an eyebrow at me.
"You have bruises all over your back." she stated, giving me a look.
"Really? I didn't notice." I said. She rolled her eyes.
"What happened?" She asked. I sighed.
"It really wasn't that bad. They wanted information on SHIELD. I refused to tell them. And then they left me alone for a week before the door to the room unlocked. By the way, everything was fireproof. Then there was a giant maze. It constantly changed and eventually I got out. Then I realized I was in New York City and I walked here." I summed up.
She looked at me. "You should probably go see your family now." she said.
I smiled. "Yeah, I should."
"Warning. I kind of almost slit Nat's throat. And everyone is kind of scared I'm going to start having a panic attack at any moment. So you know. Things are different around here. Everyone is a little terrified of me. Especially since I attacked Fury." she said quietly.
"You attacked Fury?!" I asked her incredulously.
She smiled slightly. "I was pissed. He sent you on a mission where you 'died'. So I was on a murderous rampage."
"What else did I miss?" I asked. She winced.
"A lot. I'll tell you all of it later." she said, not meeting my eyes. She got up and went into her closet to change.
I thought about how everyone would react. Nat would probably crush me in a hug, which will hurt like crazy. Mom will probably also crush me in a hug before telling me that I'm grounded. Dad will most likely hug me and then ask me how life has been. Yup. There you have my whole family summed up in three sentences.
Red came out and we walked downstairs. I'm thoroughly prepared for Elliot to punch me for disappearing for so long. And Juliana might punch me too.
"Jade? You're-" Juliana started before she saw me. Her jaw dropped.
"You're alive? You jerk. Do you have any idea what you've done? Was a call too much to ask for?" She asked, not looking entirely angry.
"Sorry. Sorry. Next time I'll call." I joked. She punched my arm.
"You better." she said, running into the kitchen quickly.
"Guys! Jason's back!" She said excitedly. I didn't hear a response until I actually walked in. When Nat saw me she started crying a little and crushed me. It hurt like crazy but I didn't say anything and hugged her back.
Then she pulled away and glared at me.
"If you ever make me think that you're dead ever again, I will make sure that you end up actually dead." She threatened. It was really empty though, because right after she hugged me again.
My parents reacted pretty much exactly how I predicted they would. Afterwards we sat down in the kitchen and that's when I noticed all of the little things with Red that were different. It's like she backtracked three years, to when she was still recovering.
She was glancing around the room nervously as though anyone would attack her and all of her muscles were tensed.
I put my arm around her and she relaxed slightly but not much. I then noticed how everyone else was looking at her. It was wary, as though she would explode any minute. And she knew. I saw Nat giving her a very wary look and I gave my sister a pointed look in return.
I got up and was going to grab some cereal when I noticed that it was all gone. I'm confused. Nat eats it too, not just me. And she doesn't eat 5 boxes within 2 weeks.
"Where's the Cinnamon Toast Crunch?" I asked.
Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Nat spoke up.
"Someone threw it away in a fit of rage." she said, looking pointedly at Red, who got up and left. I rolled my eyes.
"What was that for?" I asked her irritated.
"She tried to slit my throat." She said, giving me a challenging look. She wants to know who I'll choose. But choosing isn't an option. Those two need to just move on and get over it.
"Please. Red doesn't just randomly attack people." I said.
"Oh yeah? She attacked Fury in the Hub, and then she was going to kill him but she too but she was caught off guard." She informed.
"That wasn't random Nat. And you know it. In fact, if it had been Eddie who had assigned me that mission, she would've attacked him too." I replied. She stood up, really angry now.
"don't you dare bring Eddie into this!" She said. At this point everyone else looked highly uncomfortable.
"I'm putting it into perspective for you since clearly you're being a closed minded idiot. You're being ridiculous." I told her.
"Oh really?! She went on a murderous rage and I'm the one being ridiculous?" She asked.
"You don't get it Nat. You don't understand any of it. You're not even trying!" I told her, feeling my temperature rising. I was trying hard to control it right now but it's not working that well.
"You know what I do understand? She wasn't the only one affected by you being quote unquote dead. So she has no right to act like it." She replied, not noticing how much I was struggling. But I'm not about to leave the situation.
"She might not have been the only one, but she was definitely the most affected by it. And if you can't see that then you're blind. I know it was hard for you but you don't have to be a brat. Act like the adult you are." I said, feeling flames starting to flicker on my fingertips. I clenched my fists so nobody would see it. They have never seen me lose control over my fire before.
"No. You're blind to see that your girlfriend is a-"
"Don't you dare. You don't cross that line." I hissed, my entire fists on fire now. Everyone's eyes widened in shock, as they had never seen this before.
"Jase. Calm down." I heard Red say, and she grabbed my right hand. Everyone drew in a sharp breath, fearing that she would burn herself.
"I'm good." I said quietly as the flames died down, but she didn't let go. She just looked at everyone.
"I'm sorry. Nat, I'm sorry for almost slitting your throat. Mom, Dad, I'm sorry that you had to see me like that. Ana, I'm sorry that I kept pushing you away. It was all really uncalled for and you have every right to be angry with me. Just know I'm sorry." she said, before turning and leaving again.
I gave Nat a look before following her.
(ALANA POV)
What the heck just happened? One minute Jason and Nat are having a heated argument and the next minute he's on fire and then Jade apologized even though she really had nothing to apologize for and Nat looks extremely guilty and Jason is not dead and what?
I'm really lost. Nat turned and looked at Riley, who had been watching the whole exchange very quietly for a baby.
"Maybe I was a bit too hard on her?" She asked quietly.
"You think?" I replied.
Riley nodded and sucked on her thumb. I smiled slightly.
"I know. I know." she said resignedly.
"Good. Now you have to apologize." Uncle James said.
"But dad-"
"No buts." He said. Nat rolled her eyes.
(JADE POV)
I'm still kind of convinced that this is just a dream I'm going to wake up from at any minute. And I don't want that to be the case. I want him to actually be alive and real. But really who knows what's real and what's not.
"Promise me you're actually alive." I told him, probably looking desperate. But I am desperate.
"I promise you, I'm alive and real." he said. I nodded, still not sure whether or not to believe it.
I know logically that a hallucination can't last this long, but after everything I wouldn't be surprised.
"Jase?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Why do you do it? I know I'm not easy to be with. Ever. And I have nightmares that keep you up at night. And I'm not okay." I said, looking him in the eye.
"Because Red, I love you. That's why. You're stuck with me." he told me.
I smiled a little. "I love you too." I told him.
"I'm never leaving you again." he swore.
I looked at him warily. "You are not allowed to leave my sight for the next 24 hours, got it? I'm still a little concerned that you're going to disappear on me." I said in a joking tone, although the real message behind my words was clear.
"I'm okay with that." he said, smiling slightly.
"Even if you weren't, you don't get a choice." I informed him. He laughed.
"I know." he said. Then his expression turned serious. "Seriously though, are you really okay?"
"I think so. I mean, I really have no idea whether or not I'm just having a really great dream and I'm going to wake up any minute and you're going to be gone again because even in my dreams you would still act and talk and be the exact same and you would know exactly what to say to convince me that it's not a dream but then I'll wake up and everything will be back to the way it was and you'll be dead again." I said, looking at him, trying to discern anything different about him. There's nothing different though. Nothing I can see.
He was silent for a few moments before he kissed me. I kissed back, because even if it's a dream, he's still a pretty great kisser.
"I'm real. It's not a dream. I could promise you that as much as I'm capable of doing, but it wouldn't do anything. So I'm going to prove it. However long it takes." he said.
I kissed him again. "I really hope this isn't a dream." I whispered. He looked me in the eyes.
"It's not." he said.
(LATER JASON POV)
We were about to go to sleep before Aunt Tasha came to talk to Red, about what I have absolutely no clue.
When she came back, she had a small smile on her face. "What did she want to talk about?" I asked.
"Nothing. She just asked if I was alright and all that." she said. "Why?"
I shrugged. "No reason. Just wondering." I said. She looked at me skeptically but just nodded.
She came and sat next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Are you sure you're fine? You were gone for two weeks." she asked.
"Yeah. Really, I'm okay." I said. I paused for a second. "What about you?" I asked.
"I could be better. But you're here now. So I'll be fine in a little bit." she said.
"You know I can't just magically get rid of all your problems right? Even as much as I want to?" I asked.
"I know. But you don't need magic." she said, looking at me.
I looked back at her. Even more little things started to come to light, like how skinny and pale she was. "You haven't eaten in awhile, have you?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter." She said.
"Yes it does. You were the one that told me that I have to take care of myself." I said.
"I'll eat. It's not like you've been eating either." She told me.
"I know. But I didn't have a choice." I said.
"Neither did I. I would go all crazy at anything and everything. I couldn't hurt anybody I cared about. After everything with Nat, I just didn't want to hurt anybody else." she said quietly. I put my arm around her tightly.
"I'm so sorry. I should've been here." I said guiltily.
"You couldn't have been. This is why I didn't tell you earlier. Because I know you. I didn't want you to feel guilty for something you had no control over." she said.
"I know exactly what that feels like." I said quietly. She didn't reply. A few minutes later she just sighed.
"Why us?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know. I really don't know." I replied.
"For once I wish everyone would just let us live our life." she said. "But I guess this is our life. It always has been." She said bitterly.
"Red . . ." I trailed off. What can I even say? She's right. And she knows it. Me saying anything else would be lying.
She looked at me. "Yeah." she muttered. "It sucks. But we're together right?" she said.
"That's really the only thing we have going for us right now." I said.
"Yeah." she said quietly, before leaning up and kissing me. She pulled away only slightly, leaning her forehead against mine.
"And neither of us are ever going on solo missions ever again." she said, giving me a pointed look. I smiled.
"Believe me, we're never doing that again." I replied, before kissing her again. She responded, wrapping her arms around my neck as mine ended up around her waist and it was kind of perfect.
(LATER, JADE POV)
I'm not sure whether or not to believe that Jase is actually here. We went to bed a little while ago, but I've been too terrified to sleep. He fell asleep a few hours ago, and he looked fairly peaceful. No nightmares yet.
I sighed and shifted slightly closer in his arms. I'm not going to lose him again. Not now, not ever.
I regret a lot of things in my life, but this past week just added another two pages to the already long list.
I mean, I almost hurt Nat. And I know, I knew, that she didn't mean any of what she said. She was in just as much pain as I had been, but instead of using logic and reason, I almost slit her throat. And I would've too, had I not known that there were people heading down to the kitchen.
And I know what they all think now. They're terrified of me. They're scared that I'm going to go all crazy again. My friends are more just worried for me, but their parents are scared of me.
Very scared. And they have every right to be. But that doesn't mean I want to live like this. Everyone in the tower, except for Jase, Juliana, Nat, and my parents, has had concerns regarding my mental state for years now. How on earth am I ever supposed to even look them in the eyes again?
I stopped that train of thought quickly. I'm not going down that road. Not tonight. They'll be plenty of time to think about this later.
I sighed and finally let myself fall asleep, and surprisingly, there were no nightmares.
When I woke up I didn't want to open my eyes. I could still feel Jason's arms around me, but I don't want to open my eyes and find that he's not actually here and that whole past day was just one really good dream.
I sighed and opened my eyes slowly, only to see him still sleeping peacefully. I glanced out the window and it was still dark out.
I looked back at him and started to really find out what happened to him. He's acting like it was nothing, pretending that he's fine and well, but he can't fool me.
I've seen the way he tenses around others. He's being extra overprotective of me since he got back. He would never have started fighting with Nat before. And those bruises didn't come from wandering around a maze.
I searched his sleeping brain, feeling slightly guilty about it, but I know he won't tell me on his own. No matter what I say or do he won't tell me. He worries about me a lot, and he probably doesn't want to put that on me now.
And that's irritating. Because he can't deal with all of this on his own, no matter what he thinks. Ugh. Boys and their "masculinity". I scoffed lightly.
He stirred slightly and turned on his side, facing away from me. I gently traced the scars on his bare back, remembering exactly where each came from.
Almost all of them are because of me. I know that. And I know that he doesn't care, nor does he regret it, but I do. I care. I regret it.
And I wish none of this ever happened. But it did. And now we have to live with it.
I faintly traced another. A long scar running from his shoulder down to the bottom of his spine. I remember this one very clearly, probably because I lived through it with him. He had been kidnapped and I could hear all of his thoughts resounding in the hollowness of my mind.
I wonder if that's how it was when I was kidnapped. He could feel my emotions. He could feel my fear the whole time I was there. For a month he had no control over his powers and had to suffer through that. Knowing that I was being hurt but not being able to do anything.
I hate that he had to go through that. I hate it with every fiber of my being. I hate the life we lead. The only thing that's of any consolation is that we're together.
Thinking he was dead showed me something. I'm weak. Very weak. I couldn't do it. I couldn't function without him. Even if we aren't always comforting each other every second, just the fact that the other is always near is comforting. Thinking he was dead shattered me into a million pieces.
I wish I could've gone on without him. He shouldn't have had to come home to me being like that. It's not right.
There were bruises covering his back, mottled and purple, not in any particular order. But they weren't random either. It's strange.
I could tell that they were put there by a human and not a machine, but I can't believe he's not telling me these things.
Suddenly he tensed. I put my hand on his shoulder lightly and he relaxed a little before his breathing went back to normal and he was asleep again.
I moved my hand away and glanced outside to see that the sun had risen in this seemingly short time that I'd been awake. I got up tiredly and went into my closet to change.
I came back out and found him awake and looking around tiredly.
He looked at me and smiled slightly. "Good morning." He said groggily.
"Good morning. I actually woke up before you. That's a first." I said. He closed his eyes as he was sitting up still.
"And I want to go back to sleep." He mumbled.
"Then go back to sleep." I said, smiling.
"You have to come here." He mumbled some more.
"Jase, I already washed up and changed." I told him.
"Red . . ." He whined.
"Fine. Fine. If you were anybody else I would slap you." I informed him. He smiled slightly.
"I know." He mumbled under his breath.
"Give me a minute." I said. There's no way I'm lying down in my tight jeans. I'll cut off my circulation.
I walked back into the closet and threw on a pair of shorts. I laid down next to Jase, looking at him.
"Happy now?" I asked, smiling.
"Yeah." He mumbled, putting his arms around me. "I know you didn't sleep much. Go back to sleep."
"How did you know?" I asked sarcastically. His tired brain didn't comprehend the sarcasm.
"You were touching my back." he said, his eyes already closed. He's really tired. He probably hasn't slept in two weeks.
"Sorry." I whispered, but he was already asleep again. I smiled slightly and let myself fall asleep too.