Hello again!

Whoa. A regular update!

Be proud of me~

Jack sat with his legs crossed on the couch, a pillow in his arms. Aster stood against the wall across the room, feeling that if he got any closer to the teen right now, he'd explode. And although he didn't know much about Jack, the one thing people keep warning him about is to not make him an enemy. He thought it would be better to be cautious. Just in case.

Aster kept waiting for him to talk, but all Jack had said was that he was sleepy. He honestly felt bad for him, but he knew if they didn't talk about this right now, he'd never get the story out of Jack. He had an incredible talent of avoiding things he didn't want to deal with.

"Jack, really," Aster sighed. "I'll learn sooner or later. I mean, I'm one of you now, right?"

Jack shrugged. It was probably true. Aster was part of their strange little family now. All kinds of truths would be spilled to him in time. Jack just didn't understand why he had to know right now. It wasn't as if it affected him in any way. They weren't that close yet.

"Please," he begged. "I want to know."

"Why?" Jack asked, his head resting on the pillow in his arms.

"What do you mean, why?" Aster questioned. "I know you wouldn't ever harm someone if you could help it. There's no way Lucy got it right. She must've misunderstood what was going on."

"Pitch Black is a sore wound in many peoples' hearts," Jack muttered. "Including mine and Lucy's."

"What happened?"

"It's complicated."

Sensing Jack was easing a little, Aster pushed himself off the wall and walked towards Jack. He sat next to the keyboarder on the couch, looking at the floor so he wouldn't make Jack uncomfortable.

"We've got the time."

Jack glanced to Aster. "It was a misunderstanding."

"I thought so," Aster said.

"But I was partly at fault too."

"How?" Aster asked.

Jack breathed in, and hid his face in the pillow. Aster didn't say anything, thinking that Jack was getting ready to tell the story. Jack was just buying time, though. He hoped Jamie would get back and save him from this.

He really was tired, though. The pillow felt so soft against his face. If he wasn't careful, he really would fall asleep. Not that it would be a bad thing. That was also a good way to avoid the conversation. Aster didn't seem like the type to wake someone up for his own selfish reasons.

Aster saw that Jack was still in the same position. He reached over and put his hand on Jack's back. Jack's body twitched slightly in surprise, but then Aster started rubbing circles around, massaging it. Jack sighed at the good feeling. Aster's hand was really warm.

It wasn't long before Jack's eyes really were drooping. He was having a difficult time keeping himself conscious. As Aster continued his massaging, he found it harder and harder. Finally, his eyes closed and he stopped fighting the sleep that was trying to take him.

It took a while for Aster to notice that Jack had fallen asleep. He was letting Jack take all the time he needed, trying his best to be encouraging. It wasn't until Jack started sliding towards him that he realized Jack was asleep. He shook his head and allowed Jack to use his lap as a pillow.

"You tricky bugger," Aster chuckled. "You planned this."

Still, he couldn't keep the smile off his face. The only time Jack looked truly peaceful was when he was sleeping. Every other time, he held up his guard and looked troubled. With his defenses completely down, Aster could really see how fragile and beautiful he was.

"Goodnight, Snowflake."