He's at a diner. The diner. The familiar place where he used to meet with friends in high school. A part of him is shocked it's lasted so long, but that's overwhelmed by the nostalgia that shrouds the place.
Memories of late Friday nights, weekend meet ups, and end of year drinks. All are connected to the Diner, and all broaden the smile on his face.
The building's red and white brickwork is still stylish to the 50's theme of the diner. It's honestly amazing how little corrosion or discolour has stained the brick throughout the years. The neon lights still glimmer strongly, striking themselves into the scenery, like stars. Even the tacky images, lining all over the glass doors, of Cadillac's and women dressed in embarrassingly short miniskirts still demonstrate a nostalgic charm.
Nothing about the place has dated badly. And that is undeniably impressive, given the feel is seven decade's too old.
He draws his eyes to his phone to check the time. '11:30.' He reads, 'He should be here by now.' His eyes returns to the doors and he exhales sharply. A part of him still wonders why he's even here. It's been nine years since he even walked a mile near the place, but here he is after one phone call. Nevertheless a call from…
He shakes his head slowly. It doesn't matter how odd the timing seems. In the end, it's still good to visit old memories. He's got nothing better to do with the day.
Plus, he could really use coffee. Especially if his associate tuns up.
When he enters the diner he's met with familiar diner scents: Eggs, Bacon, Waffles, Hot dogs. All the food mixes into a scent that he can only describe as mouth watering. The inside of the place hasn't changed much either. The floor is still a chess board pattern of black and, slightly greasy, white. Red chairs line across the metal row of tables; past evidence of repeated stitching evident on the leather seats.
And the friendliest guy alive is still the only waiter. Not that anyone complains. He stands behind the front desk grilling a coffee while humming a old school jazz beat. But his attention is immediately gained with the jingle of the door bell.
Elijah immediately takes notice when a new customer enters. Another reason he's beloved by management; always on top of things the snake is. And he immediately grins when he realises who the customer is.
"Jack!" The snake exclaims. Jack would have been embarrassed normally, but the only customers at this time of morning are the elderly folk looking for a late coffee.
"How's it going Elijah?" The jackal says, offering a palm to his old friend.
The snake immediately grips Jack's hand, shaking it violently yet still well meaning. It's hard not to smile with the guy. "How the heck are ya doing, man?" He exclaims, "Damn you look good! Oh, no awkwardness meant of course!" It's literally impossible to find Elijah's behaviour creepy or annoying.
The smile. The energy. The snake is just too damn likeable.
Jack offers a small laugh once his hand has been released. "None taken, Elijah. I'm doing great, thanks." He cranes his head around the diner in familiar wonder. "So, you're still working the place? Even after all these years?"
The snake lets out a laugh that Jack presumes to be calm, but it still resorts in Elijah lifting his head back to cackle at the ceiling while slapping Jack on the back.
Once again. The snake? Too damn likeable!
"Ah, I'd never leave the place!" He grins, "It's not so much the job. Not that I don't love it!" His frame drops in a blissful sigh, "But I just LOVE seeing customers! It's just… that drive ya know!" He nudges Jack with a playful elbow.
"Heh, well as long as it makes you happy." Jack says.
"Oh it does."
"Great. Still though," He shifts attention to the room around them. "It's crazy how little the place has changed. Can't tell if its the place itself or you constantly working on it?"
Elijah shrugs, still maintaining a perfect grin. "Probably both."
Jack chuckles, "Yeh, that's what I thought."
Elijah's arm stretches around Jack, walking him towards an empty stall. The leather squeaks under the Jackal as he settles into his seat. Jack takes a moment to look around the Diner. His associate still hasn't arrived. He sighs, why on earth should this surprise him.
"Anyway!" The snake proclaims, reaching into his apron to whip out a notepad and pen. "What can I get ya?"
"Just an espresso, please."
"No food?" Elijah gives Jack a questionable look. "You don't know what you're missing." He sings playfully.
"No thanks, man. I'm not that hungry." Jacks rubs his face with a groan. "Just really damn tired."
Elijah nods and writes down the order. "Got it. Just a few minutes, buddy." The snake puts up a hand when Jack reaches for his wallet. "It's on the house."
"Oh, you don't need to!"
"Of course I don't." He shrugs with a sly grin. "But I'm still going to."
Jack smiles, setting his wallet back into his jeans. "Thanks Elijah."
He offers one last grin before heading to the kitchen. "Anytime."
Jack shakes his head with contentment before returning it to his hands. His eyes feel heavy and drained with drowsiness. The late nights at the observatory are really beginning to take a toll on his days. No matter how beautiful the city is at night, they really doesn't feel worth it in the morning. It's amazing that he never had this kind of exasperation, after working his shifts, during his time at ZPA. It's the same job in the end; but it's only now that he feels the effects of working through the whole night.
Maybe it's because he now does it six times a week, as a full time job, instead of two nights for simple student earnings.
Maybe it's because it's a job now, not an escape.
Either way it doesn't matter. It still adds up to the same thing in the end. Jack sits back into his chair, comfortably stretching his arms upwards. He's so tired he doesn't even notice the warning scream that suddenly pierces the air.
But he does feel something cold and sharp slice through his wrist. He sees the spurt of blood that paints the table in front of him; his right hand slumps into the red fluid with a heavy thud, the fingers still twitching in the gory mess.
He doesn't even scream at the pain, he simply looks at the bloody stump with utter annoyed boredom.
'God damn it! Not again!'
Not even the shards of bone protruding from the flesh affect him. It's just too normal a sight.
It's just his luck.
Elijah comes into his view, his face a mix of terror and worry. "Jesus Christ! J-Jack! I-I-I'm so fucking sorry!" Jack knows Elijah won't ask if he's all right. He already knows about his condition after all. But the snake at least has the heart to apologise. That's good enough.
"Don't worry, man." Jack asserts with a tired smile. He holds up the still bleeding stump with a chuckle. "No damage."
Elijah's face says what his gape won't. Bull-Fucking-Shit.
Jack picks up his spasming hand, without issue, before pushing the detached limp back onto his wrist. With a few twists, and a stomach churning crunch of bone, the hand is reattached onto his arm. He moves the fingers around a few times, just to check it's functioning, before turning back to Elijah's awed expression with a grin.
The hands fingers dumb against the table awkwardly. "So," Jack drawls, "What happened there?"
Elijah rubs the back of his neck, "The, uh, blender, it kinda…" He shoots out his hands with a mimic of explosion. "Went crazy. Blade just…shot out the thing! No warning at all!"
Jack scoffs, "Hm, talk about bad luck."
Elijah chuckles weakly, "Yeah. Though I guess we're lucky there's no one part from you here, right now." He whistles. "Woulda had a riot if anyone saw that." His face drops quickly with caution. "No offence of course!"
"None taken. You're absolutely right." Jack shrugs.
The snake gives out a sigh of relief before setting his attention to the blood splattered table. "I'll be right back. I just gotta get a cloth to clean that up." He meets Jack's gaze with worry, again. "You need anything. Bandages, disinfectant, a call for 911?"
Jack snickers, "I could use a wash cloth myself, if you don't mind. Just to clean this shit out my fur."
"Done!" The snake nods before rushing to the kitchen.
Jack turns to his hand. The wound is visibly healing very quickly, but blood still seeps from the breaks in flesh. He rubs a vigorous paw over the wound letting the blood dry into his fur. It's better than the fluid just trailing down his arm. The crimson mixes with his fur into a dirty red, a familiar sight to the jackal. It's a sight he's witnessed ever since he was young, too young to fully realise what kept causing his suffering.
Much too young.
When Elijah returns he wastes no time scrubbing up the gore. Luckily for him the blood only managed to cause a mess as large as a cup of water, before it withdrew to trickle down Jack's arm. He hands Jack another damp cloth which he quickly smooths along the wound.
Elijah sighs as he wipes the table. "I honestly have no idea how you keep so cool Jack." He wrings the cloth to squeeze bloody water into a bucket near his foot before returning to clean. "Seriously, you're hand just got cut off, and you're acting like it's a scratch."
Jack casts a shallow gaze back to his hand. "Well that's just what it feels like at this point."
Elijah shakes his head softly, "Sorry Jack, but I just find that hard to believe."
Jack lets out a hushed laugh, "I don't blame you for that." His eyes turn bleak as he finishes scrubbing his arm; he drops the cloth into the bucket, then turning his gaze back to Elijah, he smiles. "But trust me. After twenty eight years, it isn't as bad as it seems."
He's only partly lying. It isn't that bad, but only because he's become numb to the pain.
But Elijah's smart enough to leave the subject alone. He lets a false grin return to his face. "You know Jack, it could be you just have a hell of a lotta guts."
"I really don't."
Elijah carries on the happy mask until the table is a spotless silver once again. "I really don't like modesty Jacks!"
"Could I just get my coffee, please?" Jack doesn't sound rude. Just tired. Elijah knows to not take it personally, he keeps his smile broad.
"Sure thing, bud." He picks up the bucket of blood and soap, and heads back to the kitchen.
The jackal's face turns down to the clean table. Once covered in bodily muck, it's now shining and pristine. He raises his right arm. It makes him chuckle with the similarities both objects share.
Both were dirty.
Both are now clean.
Both will get dirty again.
But, then again, he isn't helping himself by worrying about that.
These type of thoughts were common in High School, and even now they're still quite frequent. He can't lie himself and say that they'll just go away. As long as his luck stays with him, these thoughts will be present in the future.
But Jack already knows that.
Thanks to Miss Walden.
'Everybody experiences the darkness, Jack. For some, it's darker than others. But in the end, all you have to do is look up to the stars in order to see the light.'
That quote may be one of the reasons Jack settled on a career in astronomy.
There are days where Jack does feel like not even getting up. He knows that they won't just fade away with the click of a finger. But he still gets up. Because he knows when he goes to work, he will see those stars. Be them from the night, or from those around him.
Even when it's day, the stars aren't gone. They're just hidden.
And Jack knows how to find them.
He's smiling when a coffee is set down in front of him. The rich scent lingers into his mind, injecting the organ with a fresh shot that eases his migraine. He picks up the drink and takes a quick mouthful. The taste is bitter, but its warm flow is heaven to Jack. He looks up to Elijah to thank him, yet again.
Only it's not Elijah. "Heya, Jackster." He beams his dark eyes brightening warmly. "Sorry I'm late, traffic is a dick at this time!"
Jack doesn't smile back.
"I'm guessing this is yours." The demon states with a grin. He looks around, wide-eyed, to emphasise his 'joke'. "Though I'm pretty certain it is, giving no one else is here."
Jack looks at him with narrowed eyes. "Why'd Elijah give it to you?"
"He was taking it out just after I came in. Thought I'd be a good samaritan and take it to you!" He settles smugly into a chair.
Jack scoffs as the demon sits down across the table, to face him. He notices that he's grown a foot or two, but he shows no sign of that. He continues sipping on his coffee, eyes closed and uncaring to his cousin. "Never really saw you as a samaritan, Dame." He says, only just stopping it from sounding too cold. He'll give Damian a chance, at least.
No matter how meaningless it will prove.
Damian only shrugs, showing no sign of care towards the hostility. "Well there's a first time for everything, Jack."
Jack sets his cup down. He cuts to the chase. Refusing to be here longer than it needs to be.
"So," Jack looks Damian straight in the eyes. "Why'd you call me-"
A voice cuts in. "Hi Jack!"
Jack turns, annoyed at the disturbance. But then his eyes widen, his jaw drops, and his mood immediately brightens. Better memories come to mind. Ones of High School. Him sat in the Diner at a table laughing merrily with Zill and…
"Kayla!" He steps out the table to wrap his arms around his friend. She returns the embrace gladly, letting out a familiar giggle. She's leaner now, and still incredibly beautiful.
And much more famous. Jack has all her records and spent at least a week playing them non stop at the observatory. Not that anyone complained.
When they part, he ignores the chuckling from his cousin. The is an actually important reunion to Jack. "It's so great to see you!" Jack pipes.
"It's great to see you too." She smiles. "You look well, no change in all this time!"
"Thanks. You look wonderful yourself." His smile turns sly. "Sound wonderful too!"
"Aww, you're too sweet." She doesn't even blush. Probably used to the compliments by now.
Damian chuckles again, "That's Jack for ya!" He's risen from the table to edge between the two. His arms threading around their necks to pull them towards him in a 'friendly' hug.
Jack groans at the demon's interruption. But then he gazes to Kayla, a frown edging on his lips. He braces for the sudden flinch she will give at the demon's voice. The familiar fear that will fill her eyes.
Instead she laughs earnestly, takes her arm off of Jack, threads it with Damian's, and kisses the Demon's cheek.
He stares. Frozen in spot. His eyes glassy and wide.
There are too many words that Jack wants to say right now. Most begin with, WHY?!, or, WHAT?!, or even, JESUS CHRIST!
But Jack only lets out a hushed, "Uh…"
The two are now sat together, awkwardly staring at the Jackal. Kayla whispers something to Damian worriedly. His head cranes with a dismissive look. Jack hears him quickly say, "Just give him a minute."
It is, in fact, a whole minute before Jack can speak again. He sets himself back in his seat, closing his own gape before he feels his jaw will fall off. It's happened in the past, he's not risking it again.
"So, uh," He nods to the two, trying to erase the unease that's settled into the atmosphere. He coughs quickly into a hand, "Is there…something you want to fill me in on Dame?"
Damian laughs, but it's clear he doesn't see any amusement. "Um, pretty much the short of it is…" He looks up with a slight smile. "Remember when you said my chances with Kayla were zero?"
Jack nods, ignoring the fact Kayla has clearly just covered her mouth to cover a wave of laughter.
Damian suck tight air through his grin. "Turns out zero is actually a pretty good chance."
"Oh my god." Jack's mind has officially broken, he's literally gone insane. He did not, could not, have heard what he thought he just heard. He looks to Kayla, his gaze almost pleading. "K-Kayla, is-is he serious?"
Kayla shrugs with a smile. "Yep!"
Jack leans back to stare at the ceiling. He rolls the words through his mind. Repeating them to check their meaning. He silently says the sentence on his tongue.
"Damian…is dating Kayla." He inhales and says it again.
"DAMIAN!…Is dating Kayla." He exhales. One more time.
"DAMIAN IS DATING KAYLA!"
"Yes I am." Damian says flatly.
Jack groans. He knew Zill and Kayla had broken up, and that did surprise him. Though honestly more for how little Zill seemed to care about the whole thing. But this?
This is pure madness.
Jack rubs his temples as he leans against the table. "Could…Could one of you please fill me in on how the heck…" He pauses before pointing two palms towards the pair. "This came to be?"
The pair look to each other amusingly. Kayla nods approvingly at Damian, and the Demon wraps an arm around her shoulder. She leans a head against him, affectionately cuddling into his body.
Jack only just stops himself from passing out
Damian obviously relishes in the bafflement of his cousin. All those times at ZPA, where Jack only rolled his eyes at Damian's dreams of Kayla and him being together, fade away as the new fact of their relationship settles itself in stone before the immortal dog.
"Well Jackster," Damian clears his throat dramatically, building up the moment. Jack cringes when Kayla giggles at it. "It was a few months back when I decided to pay Kayla a visit."
…
"And two months later, here we are!" Damian gazes sweetly at Kayla while he finishes his story. His arm has shifted from her neck to intertwine a hand with hers. Throughout the story, the Kangaroo has nested deeper into her boyfriends side. The memory is a clear bliss for the pair.
Needless to say, Jack finds the story about as pleasant as a punch to the stomach.
Jack blinks. The whole story is being processed into a mind that strongly wants to deny the information. This… This can't be real! All the moments Kayla ran from Damian, screamed at his sight, cringed at his voice?
Of course, they grew closer by the end High School, where Kayla could actually bare to be in the same room as the Demon. But… a romantic relationship? Especially after just one night! It's like a fantasy story!
Though. Of course. Jack fell in love with someone after only one look.
Jack leans forward onto the table, his shock still clear. "I…I-" He can't find the words. The story just won't set.
Damian doesn't react to the growing tension of the silence. He looks on, silently awaiting his cousins final say on the matter. But Kayla can't help herself from frowning, her hand squeezes Damian's lightly.
"Jack, I know this seems hard to believe." She lets out a soft laugh. "I found it harder to understand than you at first!" Her gaze returns to stone sincerity. "But this is what it is now Jack. Wether you accept it or not. We just thought you would know."
Jack looks straight at Kayla. Her severe, yet gentle, stare doesn't falter. He sighs, looking to Damian who only shrugs with a raised brow. Jack sinks a little in his seat, he doesn't find their relationship wrong, just strange.
A part of him suddenly feels disgusted. Both feelings lead to the same outcome in the end.
So he accepts it.
Jack lets himself give in, only to function the information and drop the atmosphere. Hostility would only darken the reunion, and Jack is far too forward thinking for that to occur.
"I-I can't say I understand it," Jack admits. He's being perfectly honest. The couple nod, they weren't expecting him to. "But, it's your lives!" He straightens himself up with a smile. "If you're both happy with this, their's no reason to judge you for it."
Kayla beams at this, while Damian chuckles. "I think that means he's ok with it, Kay!" He grins at her. Kayla's smile widens with a laugh, she swiftly pecks the demon's lips before setting herself back into her normal, inviting, posture. "Thank you, Jack." She asserts, a grateful shine in her eyes.
Jack quickly gulps down the rest of hiss coffee to make sure he's fully awake. He may accept the relationship, but, by God, it still confuses him.
"You're welcome." He coughs on the bitter taste before turning to the grinning demon. "So is this what you called me down for Dame? To brag about your new found love?" He gazes tiredly at his cousin. "Gotta say, this is actually better than I expected." He laughs dryly.
Then something really, really, unexpected happens.
Damian recoils like he's been slapped. And his smug face descends into uneasy worry.
"Um, no." Damian mutters. His gaze is now cast downward. Kayla puts a hand on his back, her smile now tinged with concern. "I actually didn't."
Jack's eyes glower with hesitant wonder. He's never seen Damian like this. "Then what did you need?" He cautiously presses.
A gulp fills the table. Damian fingers twitch skittishly on the table, like he's the one who's just downed a mug of coffee. His face can't meet Jack's fully, it only rises halfway before shifting back down with a tight moan.
"I-I just-I wanted to say that I-" His words trail off like a path in the desert. He's unable to let the sentence trip off his tongue. A new emotion is present on Damian's face, to Jack. It's one that Jack himself has been a welcome wearer of many times. But to see Damian mask it? That is a true surprise.
The demon looks terrified.
Kayla pats him gently on the back. Almost like a mother to a child. "Go on, sweetie."
Damian inhales sharply before raising himself up with a confident upsurge. His face is now stony and bold. Fearless intent sparking in his eyes.
It only takes Jack's bemused glance to make Damian whimper and sink back down pathetically.
"Jack, I-" He gulps the words down once again. It's at this point Kayla steps in with a groan, she puts a hand on Damian's cheek and roughly pulls him to face a hard, bored frown.
"Damey, sweetie." The demon's face immediately perks alive with the Kangaroo's impartiality. "Please just get on with it. Or we won't get anywhere! Ok?" She grumbles. Jack isn't surprised by this at all. He knows that Kayla can be the sweetest creature on Earth when in a good mood. But if you damage that mood.
Good God help you.
Damian nods frantically with a weak smile. Kayla immediately beams and releases the Demon. He stares at her anxiously for a second before turning to Jack with a gulp.
"Jack," He musters, his face full of panic and anxiety. He coughs faintly before inhaling to meet Jack's gaze. "I called you here to say…I'm sorry."
For the past hour Jack has been astounded. He has been subjected to facts he never even would have thought would become true. Nothing should surprise him at this point.
But those words. Those two words. They are the last thing that Jack expected to ever come out of Damian's mouth.
I'm sorry. There are so many things those words should be used for in Damian's case. So many sins and acts he's committed, without thought, against Jack. So many times where Damian added fuel to the fire of Jack's suffering. Literally! Adding gasoline when Jack was on fire! An apology is long overdue at this point.
He shouldn't be able to forgive Damian. The demon doesn't deserve it.
But still. He can allow him to speak his case.
"For what?" Jack holds himself back from growling. He's angry, but he was never the type to not allow a chance. One of his greatest pro's and con's in some cases.
Damian shrugs but Jack recognises guilt in his expression. "Everything."
"Everything?"
Damian nods, his face cast downward once again. "Yeah. Everything."
"Hm." Jack exhales and leans back into his chair. "Why'd you do it, then?"
The demon seems to sink lower. Kayla looks away with an exasperated sigh but she continues to hold on to her boyfriend.
After a moment the demon looks up, eyes shadowed with regret. A half smile laced with disgrace works up. "Because I'm a dick."
No. Jack won't accept that. "A lot of people are dicks, Dame!" He says with a groan. "But not many torture their own family! So why'd you?"
"I don't know, Jack." Damian mumbles, "I was a shitty little kid back then, I don't have a good reason."
"Of course you don't have a good reason." Jack says with a disgusted chuckle, "There is none."
He isn't even being harsh. Everyone around the table knows it's the truth.
"Exactly." Damian nods wistfully, "I can't say anything to explain it apart from I was a little shit."
Jack sighs morosely, his eyes lie flat and unimpressed. "Yeah, well that's not good enough Dame."
"I know. I just wanted to apologise."
Jack shakes his head in disbelief. He can tell the Demon's sincere, but it's still not enough for the years of added torture.
"Well, I appreciate that Dame." And he does. The fact Damian's remorseful for his actions does mean something. "But I don't forgive you."
Kayla doesn't like that, it seems, as she leans forward with a harsh frown. "Look Jack-"
She's cut off when Damian places a hand over hers. He looks at her with a somber grin. She opens her mouth to say something but Damian signals her to drop it.
"It's alright Kay." He soothes, resting his head against his palm. "You can't blame him."
And from the sad glint in her eyes, Kayla realises she can't. She settles back down with a sigh. "Maybe." She sounds more certain when she says it.
Damian turns back to Jack with an understanding crane of his head. "Well, I just wanted you to know Jack." He raises two palms up weakly, "I wasn't expecting any forgiveness."
Jack nods, his mouth sat in a tight line. "I'm glad you understand that, Dame. That's…mature of you."
Damian lets out a hysterical laugh. "Mature? Jack, I'm not a kid anymore! I'm twenty-six!"
Jack lets a small smirk rise on his lips. "Yeah, well the last time I saw you, you were the same little brat cousin."
Damian wipes a fake tear from his eyes. At least, Jack assumes it to be fake. "Yeah, I guess so." He then rises up from his seat, making both Jack and Kayla confused. He chuckles awkwardly. "I'm just gonna head to the car, Kay, and let you two catch up. I don't want to get in the way of any reunion."
It's a mixed bag for Jack at this moment. He hasn't forgiven Damian, maybe he never will. But at the same time.
He looks down at his right hand, now completely healed and devoid of pain.
He was always taught to move on and appreciate the stars.
And Damian does have his stars. You just need to look in the right places.
"It much less of a reunion if you leave, Dame!" Jack snaps. Damian stares at him bewildered, after everything they've just said. Kayla's face is slowly rising with a beam.
"But I thought-"
"I don't forgive you Damian, I won't deny that." Jack asserts blankly, but a warm smile soon comes. "But I don't have to sit around thinking about that. We can still keep in touch." He waves a dismissive hand, "After all, we are family."
And that's a fact neither can change. No matter what their relationship is like.
So they might as well make it a good one.
Damian stands, still in awe at the dramatic change in atmosphere. He lets out an 'oof' when Kayla pulls him bask into his seat, she's grinning smugly as she pats the demon's cheek. "What did I tell you?"
The demon chuckles and shakes his head with a smile. He turns back to Jack, gazing gratefully at his cousin. "Thanks, Jack."
Jack shrugs and returns the smile. "Don't mention it." His eyes then turn stony with a serious frown. "Just don't go pulling any of that shit in the future, ok?"
Damian sniggers but he remains genuine. "Done."
The two cousins smile at each other with a bond that hasn't existed in their lives. Newfound respect and heart is shared between them. Hostility isn't entirely gone yet, but deep down, both know that it's only a matter of time.
The moment is cut when Kayla pipes in with a cheer. "Alright! Now that's settled, how about we actually fill each other in on what's happened with us, the past few years?"
Both boys laugh with her and set into an atmosphere that has been familiar from their high school days. The right atmosphere for this diner.
Jack leans back with a half lidded simper. "I thought you'd never ask."
…
They talk for the next two hours. Sharing the stories of their lives since graduation. By this point, all past hostility is forgotten and everyone has established the new found accord between them.
It even comes to the point where Jack finds himself comfortable with the romance between two people he thought incompatible. He even congratulates them when they announce to him their plans of sharing an house together.
When Jack tells the duo of his job at the observatory and how he's on the verge of discovering a new galaxy; Damian doesn't scoff like he would at ZPA, he nods with genuine impressment and offers a hand to shake.
And Jack actually takes it.
Kayla, herself, is overjoyed at the two. Thrilled to see the pair, who used to yell and fight on the school stage, now sharing stories and laughter. She knows nothings completely healed at this time, but she knows it won't be long.
They're family after all.
When the time comes that the cousins have to part ways. They find themselves actually disappointed that the meeting couldn't last longer. They shake hands, bid each other farewell, and then in a surprise turn for everyone and a choice that nearly make Kayla scream with delight.
The cousins hug. They embrace like family should, awkwardly patting each other on the back and making possible future dates for another reunion.
And then, just before they part, Jack feels Damian drop something into his jean pocket. Before he can even react, Jack find himself in a tighter embrace from Kayla. He look curiously to the Demon, who only offers him a wink in return.
"Lets just call that a parting gift." Damian grins as he steps into his car, "My first way of making everything up to you." Jack's brow raises as he feels paper in his pocket. He looks up to the Demon for an answer, but he's already starting his car.
"See you later, Jackster!" He yells over the engine. The vehicle begins to move, and Jack waves it off as it disappears down the road.
Jack pulls out the strip of paper cautiously. He doesn't completely trust Damian yet.
On it, scribbled in messy writing, it shows a phone number. Underneath the words:
YOU'RE WELCOME ;)
Jack stares at the number carefully, trying to recall it in his memory. A part of him thinks it'll be some prank call to a pizza place or a prostitute, it wouldn't be the first time Damian did that.
But Jack takes the chance, and inputs the number on his phone.
It rings for around five seconds before a female voice answers.
"Hello."
Jack's breath stops.
He smiles.
He forgives Damian a little more.
And he responds.
"Hi Jill. It's Jack."
…
Special thanks to Brand New, who's music accompanied me all throughout the writing of this chapter.
And Vivz, of course! Couldn't have done this without her wonderful characters!
Hope you enjoyed!