I do not own Lord of the Rings.
I do own my OCs.
XLVIII
It's been way too long since Jupiter had the opportune time to enjoy a soothing violent game that consists of constantly spraying bullets into a hoard of zombies of all kinds - be it slow, fast, in hell dog form, or creepy fuckers that crawl and leave behind a trail of green fumes.
Two of his teammates were still able to keep up with him at round sixteen, his third teammate - a complete stranger - having long since died during the third round.
He was clad in his boxers as he slumped back in his computer chair with a headset on as to not to disturb his sleeping elf prince behind him. Yes. Sleeping. As in his eyes were closed, muttering incoherent words beneath his breath every now and then. Jupiter wasn't sure which was weirder - seeing Legolas 'sleeping' with his eyes open or sleeping like a human.
Legolas didn't particularly enjoy the nights where he slept like a human, considering that he is not as alert with his surroundings as he is in his more meditative state. Also, the times where he has dreams - they are more often than not unpleasant. So far, from what Jupiter can observe and can feel through their link, his dream was either blankness or nothing concerning.
From the corner of his eye, Jupiter can see the beginnings of light seeping through the cracks of the curtains. He withheld a bitter chuckle as he tried to imagine what he looked like at the moment. Even with Legolas by his side, he had only gotten a mere three hours of sleep and has been mindlessly playing video games for the rest of the night ever since he realized that he was not going to be able to fall back asleep. It was a bit annoying when that happens. Usually, nightmares are the cause of his sleeplessness, but Legolas chases them away by his mere presence. Night terrors, as well, but, again, Legolas always manages to soothe him back to sleep. Sometimes, though, there are nights where he simply wakes up and just... can't go back to sleep. For no reason.
As the game moves onto the next round, he quickly reaches his hand up to rub at his eye beneath his lenses. He most likely had dark circles under his eyes considering how heavy they felt. His appearance overall as well probably seem exhausted and ruffled. Jupiter returned his hand to his controller and the shine of the screen in front of him gave him a glimpse of the faint bruises on his wrists. His mood lifted at the sight, a smirk appearing. It's the weekend, yet they still haven't gone away.
Jupiter can still clearly remember what happened the day after he and Legolas tried out something new in the bedroom. He hadn't noticed at first, but the blonde had gasped, panicking at the sight of his bruised wrists. The scientist had nearly laughed as Legolas's hands hovered over him unsurely as he babbled out apologies. He had managed to calm him down by giving him a kiss, telling him that they didn't hurt and only got bruised because of the yanking and tugging he had done. Jupiter made sure that Legolas knew that he would one-hundred percent do it again.
"Hey, Jay," A deep, yet friendly voice came through his headset. Jupiter recognized the voice of one of the very few people he friended with on the game console; everyone called him DJ. "I'm down, mind helping a brother out?"
He made some kind of noise to indicate that he heard him, his character quickly heading over to him whilst clearing the way. Their other teammate covered them as Jupiter healed DJ, "DJ, how did you get downed already?" Their other teammate was also part of his tiny friend list. He refers to himself as- "Jinx is superior to you all, he knows, but as mighty as he is, he can't really take all of these nasty peasants by himself." ...He also tends to speak in third person most of the time.
"Well, damn, I'm sorry that I'm still learning how to play this dumbass game."
Jupiter wasn't sure what to consider both of them exactly. He just knew they landed somewhere between acquaintances and friends. Back before the Fellowship came around, they played games all the time together and simply enjoyed talking, joking, and raging together. Jupiter was considered the quiet one in the small group, which DJ and Jinx accepted easily, but they both made it their goal to make him speak more than a couple of words or say something that wasn't related to the game.
They were both aware of how distant he is when it comes to relationships, but they made it clear that they didn't mind and were just glad that they all met, and were able to escape reality together. After they told him that, Jupiter was sure that wherever they are, their lives weren't all too great either.
"You're extra quiet today, Jay." Jinx noted as they all resumed to running around with a horde of zombies chasing them, turning back around every several seconds to spray bullets, "Not gonna lie, it's scaring me a bit. Especially after you disappeared on us for like months and popped up out of nowhere as if nothing happened."
"Yeah, man, what happened? I was about to call the cops!"
"No, you weren't."
"Wha- Jinx, for once can you just let me overdramatize shit? I seriously was worried."
Jupiter paused briefly, listening to the tone of their voices. He spoke before his brain could catch up, saying quietly, "Friends from out of state came by and are living with me for a while. A lot of stuff happened after that."
"...Holy shit, did you just tell us something from your life?"
"Jinx is about to piss his pants."
He rolled his eyes, relaxing slightly. It was surprising how comfortable he was with saying that, "Ha. Ha. I'll just give you a SparkNotes version: Girlfriend cheated on me and I broke up with her, got kidnapped by a psycho stalker, and then I went on vacation."
There was a brief moment of silence.
"DJ owes Jinx twenty dollars. You know where to send it."
"Fuck you, at least I'm not a dick to believe that Jay's life is worse than our's!"
Jupiter wasn't even surprised that they made a fucked up bet like this. They have a tendency to do that. "Assholes."
"Anyway, did that seriously happen or are you fucking with us?" DJ asked.
"Yep."
"Are you okay?"
"Mhm."
"Good, if you died, I swear I would cry-" Jinx's sentence was cut off by his own girlish shriek and DJ bursts into barrels of laughter as they both watch Jinx get scared by a zombie that he thought he had gotten rid of in order to finish the round, killing it before he began wasting his bullets on its corpse.
They moved onto the next couple of rounds after that, Jupiter reverting back to one or two words and a quiet voice. All of them were put under quite a lot of pressure when they got to round twenty and were struggling to survive. Jinx, surprisingly enough, was the first to officially die when neither of the two were unable to get to him without being downed as well.
Quickly following Jinx was Jupiter, and although Jinx made an effort to guide DJ through the round, he was unable to handle the swarm and eventually succumbed to them. They weren't all too mad that they lost, this game was all for fun and a goal wasn't set for them. They all took that time to settle their cramped hands, DJ hissing as he complained about his wrist locking up on him.
Not moving from the lobby, they all talked - well, mostly Jinx and DJ. Jupiter only listened and grunted yes or no when a question was directed towards him.
The redhead jumped when arms suddenly draped over and around his shoulders, Legolas's tired voice speaking above him after a kiss was pressed against his temple, "Jupiter, who are you talking to?..."
Barely noticing how the voices in his headset became abruptly silent, Jupiter immediately put his attention on his elf. He reached up with one hand to cup his husband's cheek, caressing it with his thumb as he spoke soothingly, "It's five in the morning, darling, you should be sleeping."
"I should be the one telling you that." Legolas chuckled, "Were you unable to sleep? Was it-"
"No, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a bit restless tonight."
Legolas looks up at his screen, "What are you doing?"
"I'm playing a video game with some... pals. Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Yes, but it's alright. I'm still a bit tired, though..." He bit his lip, "I want you to join me. You need sleep, too."
"Okay, but don't get any funny ideas."
"Oh, please, as if I would when you look as if you are about to faint. Besides..." Legolas tilted Jupiter's head, "It would be very unlikely that you would be unhappy with my 'funny ideas'." He said lowly before giving him a long, slow kiss that had the redhead humming contently. Breaking the kiss, Legolas allowed his hand to linger on his shoulders as he fully pulled away from him and walked back over to their bed.
"...What the fuck did Jinx's ears just witness?"
"Jay, who was that? Was that a dude? Did I really hear what I just heard? I am so confused."
Jupiter sighed as he set his controller down, "That was my husband."
"Um... Huh?"
The scientist paused and furrowed his brows, "I didn't mention that before? Jeez, I need sleep..."
"You're... you're married."
"Yeah."
"And gay."
"Extremely."
"Huh."
Jupiter rolled his eyes yet again, "After breaking up with my ex, I found out I was gay and ended up marrying a sexy British dude that has me wrapped around his finger."
"...Jinx, I want my money back. This guy is literally the luckiest fucker in the world."
"DJ, you're only saying that because you're gay, too."
"What? No, I'm not."
"DJ."
"What?"
"I'm your boyfriend."
Jupiter slapped his hand over his mouth as his shoulders shook. Holy shit, if he had known he would get some pleasant surprises and laughs out of this, he would have told them this weeks ago.
Legolas, having heard his silent chuckles, huffed and blindly reached for Jupiter's hat that sat on the nightstand, throwing it at his husband's head, "Jupiter! Bed!"
"What the fu-" Jupiter spluttered, failing in catching it before it hit the ground. He sighed, picking it up, "Sorry, love, I'll be there in a second." He prepared to disconnect from the voice chat, "Bye, guys."
"Bye! Have fun with your boy toy!"
"Jesus Christ, Jinx-"
Jupiter quickly disconnected, shut off his console and monitors, and climbed into bed with Legolas. He chuckled as the elf immediately clung onto him with his arms wrapped securely around his waist. Jupiter pulled the covers over them more before he adjusted their position so that Legolas was able to use his arm as a pillow while the other draped over his shoulders, fingers combing through platinum blonde hair.
The scientist's smile faltered as he felt Legolas nuzzle into his chest, "Doll?"
A hum of acknowledgment is all that he receives. "You cold?" He asked quietly, his hand trailing down to rub circles into his back between his shoulder blades.
"No." Came Legolas's muffled reply, "You feel quite warm, though."
"Huh..." Jupiter's eyes narrowed slightly at nothing in particular.
"Quit your fretting, just rest."
"Ugh, fine."
"I-I-... I just can't believe s-she would just... just do this! To us! To o-our daughter! My daughter!"
"Tony, c'mon, sit down, you're on the verge of a panic attack."
The disheveled, frantic man only stared wide-eyed at the red-haired teen as he was gently guided to a seat in a more secluded corner of the fortunately empty room. His eyes were bloodshot and tears continued to cascade down his face as his chest heaved with deep, uneven breaths, "W-Wha- A panic- I don't care! My daughter, w-who's in the goddamn PICU is way more important than-"
"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me." Jupiter knelt down in front of him, "I've been in your shoes, trust me, I have. I know that you're terrified about what's going to happen to Cana and the most horrible outcomes are going through your head, but you need to take a moment and breath. In and out."
Anthony took a stuttering breath in, muttering to himself as he shook his head, "My little girl... My little princess..."
Jupiter felt his heart break for the man. Both of them barely knew each other, having seen each other face to face about three more times after their encounter at the store, and having briefly spoken through calls and texts whenever Anthony needed advice for calming a fussy Cana or was having trouble with something new. The last time he had called for advice, it was when his daughter had started teething.
Usually, when he sees a stranger in distress, he feels a small pang of pity, but with Anthony, he can't help imagining himself in his place. To witness and experience everything that he did, but with Levy. Add onto the fact that he had witnessed the death of his parents and the near-death of his best friend, he most definitely couldn't help, but to relate to what the single father was feeling.
Jupiter remained as unwavering support for this stranger as he clung onto his hoodie, his head bowed as he continued to sob his grief. He was surprised that he himself hasn't shown a single hint of emotional distress as of yet considering that with the short time he spent helping Anthony with Cana, he, too, ended up with a small attachment to the baby. It really couldn't be helped, he had a special soft spot for babies and kids that weren't complete brats. That was why he had broken quite a few traffic laws getting to the hospital.
He hadn't been expecting the day to turn out this way. He had just gotten it all planned out and had been ready to ask Legolas out on another date. A few days ago he found out that a certain cafe downtown did poetry nights during the weekend. He thought it was a great idea to show Legolas something new that he knew he would enjoy, but he never got the chance to ask.
While nearly every individual in the household was having a really intense game of Wii Sports, Jupiter had gotten a sudden call from Anthony and had excused himself to answer it. A sick feeling slithered within him when he heard his voice, rough from his tears and completely anguished:
"Jupiter!... I-... I'm sorry, I-I didn't know who else to call!... It's Cana. S-She's-" A sob had ripped out of him before he said to himself, "Jesus Christ, Minerva, what have you done?"
Jupiter had immediately bolted to grab his shoes, trying as best as he could to keep his voice calm as he asked where he was. The moment he told him that he was on his way to the hospital, following the ambulance, he told Anthony that he'd be there soon and hung up. He was barely able to tell everyone what had happened before rushing out of the house and to his motorcycle.
Another shuddering breath from Anthony, one much calmer and less shaky, brought Jupiter back to the present. He patted the man's knee as the tears noticeably lessened. Anthony just looked so tired now. Both exhausted from his near panic attack and the crying. The redhead stood up, "I'll go grab you some water." He was given no reply.
No less than two minutes later, he returned with a water bottle that he snagged from the vending machine and handed it over to the man, sitting on the seat next to him. He was given a quiet thanks before half the bottle was gulped down. Once Anthony was finished, he screwed the cap back on and set it down on the ground before sighing heavily, rubbing a hand down his face, "I'm sorry, Jupiter, I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
Jupiter couldn't stop his eyes from rolling along with the words that spilled from his mouth, "Quit apologizing, seriously, you're starting to sound like my husband." He shook his head slightly, "It's fine. I'm... actually glad you called me. I may have gotten a little too attached to Cana."
A quiet laugh bubbled out of Anthony. It was weak and a little sad. His head tilted up from where it hung, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at Jupiter, "You're married? Aren't you a little young?"
"Yeah," The scientist agreed easily, "We kinda rushed it, but... We're happy."
"That's good." He nods, sniffling, "I wish I got married before having a baby. Hell, I... I wish I was at least ready."
Jupiter silently listened as Anthony continued on, "After I got kicked out of a private university a few years back, my life just... plummeted. I got high every moment that I could, used all my money on weed, and my parents got sick of my shit so they kicked me out. I lived on the streets after that. I ended up meeting people after a while and started doing some things I'm not too proud of just to get by. In the middle of everything, I met Minerva, Cana's mother. She did dirty jobs like me, so we ran into each other all the time. We started talking and then we ended up becoming fuck buddies."
He sighed again, "Me being young and stupid, I found myself telling her that I had feelings for her. Supposedly, she felt the same way and then dropped the bomb that she was pregnant. It was like... a flip switched in me. I tried getting off the street and quit all of those drug runs, and I succeeded, but the price wasn't too pretty." He laughed bitterly, "I tried getting a job and ended up getting one at some fast food restaurant out of town. I worked seven days a week with barely any sleep just to get us an apartment, food, things for the baby... I did everything I could."
Anthony fell silent and Jupiter nudged him lightly, asking hesitantly, "What happened after Cana was born?"
He didn't answer right away. "Minerva didn't let me touch her. Not even hold her. Not once. It was as if one second she cared about me and the next she could give less of a shit. It was like she realized that now that Cana was born, I definitely wasn't going to leave - I would just continue to bring in the money in order to take care of Cana, but at that point it was useless. Minerva wasn't always... there. Y'know? She was normal, but there were days where she looked like she was in her own little world. Because of that, she wasn't all that great at taking care of Cana, my God, she made me look like a damn veteran at caring for a baby."
Anthony paused for a moment, "Two weeks after she was born, I came home from work and... and it was just a mess. The whole apartment was torn apart and I heard Minerva screaming while the baby was crying. I ran in the bathroom and Cana was floating in the bathtub, nearly drowning, while Minerva was just screaming at her to shut up. That's when I found out that Minerva had been on cocaine ever since I met her. Cocaine."
"Shit," Jupiter shook his head in disbelief. "Did it affect Cana?"
"No, Minerva had at least some sense to try to quit during the pregnancy. Apparently, she managed to push through all nine months, but the stress of caring for Cana was too much for her and she relapsed."
"You mentioned her on the phone. Minerva, I mean." He said, "What did she do to Cana?"
"Well... After the incident, I got full custody of Cana and a restraining order against Minerva. I wanted to have her put in jail, I was fully capable of doing it, but I... I love her, I couldn't-"
"I get it."
Anthony's shoulders relaxed upon hearing his whisper and took a deep breath, "Today, Minerva found us... And she was insane. Had a gun pointed right at me, took Cana, and left. I was in hysterics while calling the police and after a couple of hours, they found both of them in a ditch in a car. Minerva was drunk off her ass, barely hurt, and Cana she... She had gotten serious head trauma. She might not make it, Jupiter."
"Anthony," Jupiter turned in his seat slightly to look at him properly, "Do you remember when I first came to help you with Cana? She bruised the fuck out of my finger when she wouldn't let go of it - I swear, that bruise didn't go away for days."
The corner of the man's mouth briefly twitched up, "Yeah, I remember."
"Cana's strong. You and I both know it, and the last thing we should be doing right now is doubting that she'll be able to pull through all of this. You see, Cana is nothing like Minerva. Minerva had the will to be a mother, but she didn't have the strength. Cana has the strength, but she doesn't have the will. We have to provide that for her."
Anthony looked at him for a long moment with surprised awe once he was finished. He shook himself out of his stupor and placed his hand on Jupiter's shoulder, squeezing it before letting go, "You're right. You're goddamn right." He quickly wiped away his tears, "My little girl is a warrior. If she survived once, she can do it again."
They both fell into a comfortable silence. Nurses behind the front counter continued to tap away at their keyboards and answer phone calls as a couple more people walked into the waiting area, seating themselves far from the pair.
"How did you get kicked out of that private university anyway?" Jupiter asked suddenly.
Anthony snorted, "I was a little too invested on one of my peers' research. We shared common beliefs so we worked together on it. I ended up stealing some equipment that students in their first and second year are prohibited from handling. I got caught and was kicked out. I heard that the professor I looked up to got kicked out, too, for focusing on things that weren't 'facts'. It was stupid."
"Oh, yeah?" Jupiter smirked slightly, "Makes me wonder what exactly these beliefs were."
"Multiverses, parallel universes, alternate dimensions, that sort of thing." He shrugged, "He and I got surprisingly far in the research. It was... insane discovering that something that was initially fiction is actually fact. We knew that whatever was out there, it wasn't a multiverse, or a parallel universe, or an alternate dimension. It was something completely different..."
Jupiter stared at him wide-eyed, "Holy shit, seriously? I'm actually researching that, too."
"Huh." Anthony blinked, surprised yet again, "How far have you gotten?"
The redhead's expression became blank as he pointed at him, "Okay, now that part's confidential."
Another chuckle left Anthony, "Oh, man, you sound just like Professor Holo."
Jupiter blinked.
"Professor Whomst-In-The-Fuck?"
If there are any spelling/grammar errors, please tell me so I can fix it ASAP.
