Rude walked back to his apartment after he convinced Reno to go back to the doctor and get some pain killers. He was sick of watching his best friend cringe in pain every time he said anything and it was obvious that some of the bruises were throbbing and nasty. It had taken about an hour for him to try and talk Reno into it and in the end he had practically dragged Reno down to the doctor and had forced him to ask for a prescription. The thought of the pouty ill-tempered red-head left a smile on his face that lasted until he opened the door to his apartment.

"You have a good time?" Jareth sneered from the couch, arms folded in front of his chest and a scowl marring his features.

"Of course." Rude responded to Jareth's question the same way he would to anyone else and for some reason his honesty pissed Jareth off.

Jareth's eyes narrowed, "Why are you so cold to me?"

Rude raised an eyebrow, "I'm the same to you as I am to everyone else."

"Not to Reno." Jareth stood up, hands balling into fists at his sides, "You always smile for him! You sound happy when he's around! Why don't you sound happy around me?"

Rude shrugged, "He's my best friend, of course he makes me happy."

"And I don't?" Jareth growled advancing on Rude.

"Not right now." Rude's eyes narrowed behind his shades as Jareth planted himself in front of him.

"Why not?" Jareth snarled and grabbed the front of Rude's shirt, "Why don't I make you happy? I try so damned hard just to make you smile at me!"

Rude rolled his eyes, "I do smile for you Jareth."

Jareth's eyes brimmed with tears. "It's him isn't it? You're gonna leave me for him aren't you!"

Rude blinked, "He's dating Gareth."

"You're trying to break them up! I know you are! That's why you try to spend so much time with Reno! You want to keep him away from Gareth!" Jareth choked, fisting the front of Rude's shirt "I know you love him Rude! I know you do!"

"Why am I with you then?" Rude untangled Jareth's hand from his shirt. "Give me one good reason why I would stay with you if I loved him."

"I don't know!" Jareth tried to pull his hand from Rude's grasp, "I just know you don't smile at anyone else!"

"I smile at you all the time." Rude corrected, Jareth's accusations were starting to anger him.

"Not the way you smile at him!" Jareth's tears started to spill from his eyes.

"You're confusing the 'I-love-you' smile with the 'you've-been-my-best-friend-for-years' smile." Rude glared evenly at Jareth, his voice betraying no emotion.

"You say his name in your sleep." Jareth growled, unable to keep Rude's gaze.

"You ever think he might be involved in my nightmares?" Rude grabbed Jareth's chin and forced him to meet his eyes.

"Nightmares?" Jareth sniffed, "Why didn't you tell me you have nightmares?"

"Because they aren't important." Rude stroked Jareth's cheek lovingly, his voice suddenly tender and soothing, "They're about the night my mother died. Reno was there. Of course I say his name, our lives were in danger and in my nightmares he's getting killed."

"More proof that you love him." Jareth frowned, his lower lip trembling.

"No," Rude kissed Jareth softly, "more proof that he's my best friend and I can't live without him."

"You never have dreams about me." Jareth sniffed. "Does that mean you can live without me?"

"I don't know." Rude answered honestly, "I haven't come close to losing you yet."

Jareth glared at him, his voice unforgiving and his tears suddenly gone, "So you can."

"I didn't say that." Rude sighed, "It's complicated."

"Complicated." Jareth huffed, "Sure it is."

"You don't have room to talk." Rude growled.

"What does that mean?" Jareth snarled, glaring daggers at Rude.

"I know you cheated," Rude gripped Jareth's wrist tighter in his hand, "I saw."

"If you knew then why did you stay with me?" Jareth snapped, "I knew you saw! I made sure that you were around when I did it! I wanted to know if you'd say anything or if you'd be a coward!"

"I wasn't going to say anything. I figured you'd tell me. I was waiting for you to be a man and fess up." Rude loosened his grip on Jareth's wrist. "I thought you were just drunk. That it was a mistake and that inside somewhere you were guilty about it." His eyes narrowed, "I guess I was wrong."

"I was sober as anything." Jareth snarled, ripping himself from Rude's slackened hands, "I've known that you love Reno more than me for a while now. I wanted to see if the idea of loosing me would strike enough of a blow to get a reaction from you. It didn't even phase you! You really are the cold-hearted bastard Ellie thinks you are."

"Get the hell out of my apartment and don't come back." Rude snarled, grabbing Jareth by his shirt and throwing him bodily from the room.

Jareth landed in the hall with a thud, "No problems there asshole! You have fun chasing things you can't have!"

"I will." Rude slammed the door so hard the frame cracked.

He clenched his hands into fists at his sides and thought hard about what Jareth had said. He was fairly sure that he wasn't in love with Reno. He loved Reno, that he wouldn't deny, but he wasn't sure if it was the same type of love he had thought he had for Jareth. In truth though, he had been unsure about his relationship with Jareth since the beginning. He hadn't really felt comfortable with the idea that he had started a relationship drunk and he had felt bad for taking advantage of Jareth when both their judgements were impaired. What he imagined his behavior had been like that first night reminded him of Crowlman. That sick bastard had taken him drunk before and Rude hadn't enjoyed it. He had never enjoyed it. He always felt that he was completely taking advantage of Jareth and he hated himself for it, but now he realized that Jareth had taken advantage of him and had probably been taking advantage of him since day one. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

Rude sighed and punched the wall, relishing the feel of cracking dry wall under his fists. He then took off his shoes and set them neatly beside the door, determined to go on as if his confrontation with Jareth hadn't happened. He would eat dinner, he would relax, he would go to sleep, and he would wake up happy.

Except he wouldn't.

Author's Note: *sniff* Poor Rude!