Jake
"That guy," Jake points to a table where three people sit, wrinkling his brow in confusion. "The one next to the one with the black hair. Yea-"
Rich points. "Tall one. Jeremy Heere."
"Yeah. Usually they have four people there, I think. The other guy is shorter, glasses, kind of a loser…" Jake scans the cafeteria as they make their way to the table with Jeremy. They've never sat with that guy, but Jake knows Christine and Jenna, and for their first day back to school after getting out of the hospital, he'd rather play it safe than sit with his popular friends.
He's still got broken legs. Rich shoots Jake a questioning glance, the brown eyes catching in the light. "So this other guy is the one who brought the Mountain Dew, and the other is the one who saved y'all, and these chicks here- oh hey, I know them."
Jake laughs at Rich's eyes light up and he's grinning. It's so nice to see the real Rich back, bubbly and delightful.
Jake eyes Jeremy, who seems to be glaring at his food. "Yo. You good?"
"Fine," the lanky boy growls, sounding anything but fine.
Jake opens his mouth to ask, but Christine widens her eyes at him and shakes her head. Rich punches his shoulder and jerks a chin to the corner, where the boy in the red sweater is eating on his own, looking miserable.
Rich turns his eyes to Jeremy. "Heere, right?"
"Yup." Jeremy shovels a forkful of dry rice into his mouth.
"Thanks for stopping, you know…" Rich says. "I tried but it didn't turn out to well…" Jake shifts as Rich looks at him, feeling heat rise in his cheeks the longer Rich gazes.
"It's fine," he murmurs for the trillionth time.
"Thank Michael," Jake thinks he hears Jeremy say, but when he asks, Jeremy just shakes his head. "Nothing."
What the hell is going on between those two?
Jake watches Rich swallow a bite, the muscles in his throat flexing, and lets his eyes roam over Rich's arms as Rich chats up the two girls, realizing Jeremy doesn't want to talk.
Rich's burn marks marr the smooth skin in places, though he's mostly healed, and Rich still wears muscle tees and shirts with the sleeves cut off- he doesn't seem to mind the markings, but Jake wishes he could run his fingers over the skin and pull the burns from them.
Then the tee shifts and Jake catches a glimpse of something else right below the cut of the sleeve. Purple, blueish, bruise-like. And when Rich reaches over to playfully tweak Jenna's nose, the light meets a few more bruises as the hem of Rich's shirt inches higher.
Rich
Jenna squeaks and Christine's eyes light up at the sound. Rich laughs despite the way it makes his ribs ache, and grins when Christine tucks the loose strand of Jenna's hair behind her ear.
They should be a couple if they're not already. Rich turns to ask Jake whether they are, catching Jake watching him contemplatively and… worriedly? Rich's pulse jumps at the idea. He discovered that Jake is really hot and also that it actually wasn't new information: he's known it for a while and… forgot, or something. A while meaning years, probably.
Shut up, like anyone would actually like you.
Rich yanks his eyes away. That's not new either- only some of the negative voices in his head were the SQUIP and really, most of them were just him.
"Not feeling too good," Jake winces, and Rich turns quickly, not knowing how to help and aching to help, "Help me to the nurse?" Jake glaces at Rich hopefully and Rich almost melts.
"Yeah, of course, of course, you got it!" He jumps to slip an arm around Jake's slim waist, offering the other arm to pull Jake up. Jake slips shaking arms around Rich and Rich grabs Jake crutches, pushing one under each arm. He can hear Jake's sharp breath in his ear, he can feel the muscles of Jake's chest as he holds Jake's tall body to him. When Jake is steady, Rich finds himself wishing he could just hold on forever.
When they get to a hallway, empty and quiet, Jake stops and Rich looks back, confused. Is Jake hurt? Do I get to hold him again?
"What's with the bruises?" Jake asks finally.
Oh, hell. "You say it like it's a style decision." Rich shoves his hands in his pockets and looks away.
"Sorry, I-" Jake stutters. Stutters. The great, popular Jake Dillinger. Rich blushes in spite of himself.
"Nah, you're fine." Rich shifts as the taller boy peers at him until finally he sighs. "My dad."
Jake's eyes widen, and his Adam's apple bobs in his long throat. "Again?"
Rich stares at his feet. "Not super happy about me- you know… being bi?" He says it like it's a question, but if it is, he knows the answer to it is told clearly in the bruises under his shirt.
Jake leans forwards, as if to be closer, and Rich stays put, trying desperately not to cry. He's so great at pretending not to be hurting. They say laughter is the best medicine- especially for depression- but neither that nor the expensive pills Rich's been prescribed have done anything yet.
"I'd hug you, but, you know." Jake does what looks like a shrug around his crutches, and Rich tried for a faltering smile. When it doesn't really pull through, Jake bites his lip. "So are you okay with being bi?"
"I tried to stop," Rich mutters. "I- I mean, I was- I am fine with it, but it'd be better for me it I…" He swipes at his eyes, which are prickling painfully. "It's stupid."
"S'not stupid," Jake says softly, his brow wrinkled.
Rich takes a deep breath. He owes this much to Jake. "Remember when I said I didn't think about you at all?"
Jake flinches and backs up. "Yeah."
Rich bounces nervously on his toes. "Yeah. Well. Guess why."
"Because you wanted to cut yourself off from me, so you had your SQUIP…" Jake's eyes flit over the walls.
"I- no! Definitely not." Is that what he thinks? Fuck, Rich feels bad now. Really, Jake had so many friends, Rich thought Jake wouldn't even notice, let alone care.
"Stupid?" Jake's lips pull up in a smile.
Rich shakes his head. "Not stupid. I didn't- I should've said something."
Jake nods to Rich. "You had a lot going on." Jake eyes him nervously and Rich feels his heart racing.
Is he really going to do this? Here? Now? Today?
"Because- because I like you." he blurts. Jake's eyes go wider than Rich has ever seen them and Rich plunges onwards before he loses his nerve. "A lot. So, I told the- it- you know- yeah. I told it I wanted to be straight so… I had it block you. I- fuck. I'm sorry. Stupid, I know-"
Jake is grinning stupidly now, his eyes sparkling. "Not stupid." He stands there for a moment in all his gorgeous glory. Rich is paralyzed, no words left to say.
Jake rolls his eyes. "Well? Get over here and kiss me!"
Swept away in a wave of everything at once, Rich does.
