Author's Note: Wow. I haven't updated this story since summer. It's kinda sad, but yeah. My summer was awful, and school is even worse. I won't be able to update this fanfic too frequently, but I'll try my best. As long as someone's reading, someone's writing.
Chapter Five Part I
The haze of sweaty sleep brought a ringing to the burning red ears that kept themselves hidden beneath a curtain of blonde hair. The mattress he lay upon was much too soft to be his own. The covers that sheltered him were too comforting and navy blue. This room was not the dingy surrounding of the dormitory he was forced to live in everyday. In fact, a place this wonderful was not something Ralph was familiar with at all. Am I dead…?
Though he was having a hard time hearing, a strange buzzing coming from the other side of the room was brought to his attention. Slowly, he turned his damp body in a half circle, creeping past the covers to see his wet savior pinned against the wall. Or at least, that's what the blur of his eyes showed him. Ralph was sure he was seeing another person who was holding Jack fast to the wooden wall. Jack… A luminous light seemed to drift closer to the pale form surrounded by red locks. Was this a wild figment of his imagination? Was it a dream? "Jack…Jack!"
Ralph raised his voice with all the might he could muster, but unfortunately, it seemed only a whisper to the actual world around him. D…Damn… Desperation pulled Ralph's fingers past the sheets. Gravity took advantage of his weak body with a forceful slam into the sea of blue carpet. This must have caught the attention of the blurry forms, for the one in a dark shadow appeared at his side in minutes. The only thing Ralph could make out was… "Better…dead…yet." He swung his head dizzily, mumbling in an incoherent fashion until he was lifted back onto the cloud that had carried his slumber. Another jumbled set of words lay close to his ear. "Please…die…now…" What? That sounds like…Jack…? He wants me dead?
"You always roll over in your sleep. You just never want to stay put, do you?" Jack sighed, sitting back in the wooden chair he placed beside the bed. "You always have to save someone, don't you? I should be thanking you. I really got hurt, you know?" His quivering hand rubbed his shoulder, moving to eyelevel to reveal a rosy streak of blood running down his ivory flesh. "What am I doing…?" Jack watched over the restless sleeper while reflecting on the cause of his new wound.
His hand had been wet from the rain earlier, and turning the brass knob was a slippery pain. Ralph continuously turned from stomach to back, putting a kneading pressure into the tops of Jack's revealed shoulders. You just don't stop moving… "Man, you're both helpless," a gruff voice chortled while a hand roughly twisted the knob, flying open the door as fast as it could. Jack, who had straightened up immediately, slouched slightly with an exasperated exhale of breath. "What are you doing here Roger? You said you were going to contact me la—."
"Shut up! Geez, you are such a Catholic!" The less than caring Roger unlatched the buckles on his mud dressed boots and dragged them slowly by the doorway, much to the dismay of his comrade. "What wrong have I done that has brought about such derogatory terms? Aren't you above that yet Roger?" Scolded the preoccupied choir boy, who had taken it upon himself to remove Ralph's damp blazer. "Thank you for the lecture, but I'm the only one givin em out. I did my job, unlike you."
Roger stretched his lean form from edge to edge of the bed, letting his fingers dangle against the carpeting as clothes were tossed every which way. "What are you talking about! I went with every request you demanded. Seduction, that's what you asked for!" Jack gritted his teeth in guilt to hear Ralph moan, his eyelids holding shut tightly in reaction to the sound. The dark locks of Roger's hair lifted slightly to get a full view of Jack who had just finished lighting a few scented candles to sooth the blonde patient. "What more do you want from me now?" The malicious manipulator snorted at the sound of Jack's hushed tone. "CAN'T HEAR YOU JACK! WHAT!"
Jack moved his fingers to his own lips in panic, hoping to convince the punkish boy to lower his voice, but it only turned up his volume. "JACK! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND Y…" The whip like sound of the slap that followed the angered red head's hand caught Roger in the strangest possible situation he'd been in for years. Rolling off the bed, his ominously dark eyes narrowed while staring at the plain ceiling above him. Suddenly, he unfolded his crushed arms, stifled laughs passing between his sharpened carnivorous teeth. "You…you…you cannot be serious…"
The skeleton like finger curved to motion Jack over Roger, whose smile was from ear to ear. "You little preacher boy…You think you…You think you can hit me just like you used to? You think you can treat me like that little sidekick I used to be? YOU ARE DEAD WRONG!" Like the animal he truly was, Roger growled ferociously, slamming Jack's now frail body into the ground, followed by a loud THUNK of his head against the thin line of carpet, covering the unforgiving wooden floor. "Now you listen to me," Roger warned darkly, his eyes visible clearly for the first time as his gaze dove into Jack's innocent fear. "You ARE going to listen to me. That's the ONLY way this will work out in the end. I've told you over and over again!"
"I don't understand what you mean! I DID WHAT YOU SAID!" Jack struggled to get his knees beneath Roger's heavy press, but to no avail. "NO! You did NOT do everything I said! One kiss was all we were going for, not a ten minute love scene!" Roger's tan fingers slowly tightened their grip on Jack's wrists, burning them into the carpet. The sadistic smile grew with a scream of pain. "This is what you get for screwing up! Just like before! Your screw ups bring you pain! Following Ralph brings you pain, don't you get it!"
A tremble waved down the feeble force Jack tried to use against the dominant demon. The last ounce of vigor seemed to drain away while Roger's nails made their way to his arms, finding wounds leftover from the deepest secret still untold. "You don't want to start this again do you?" Roger questioned, leisurely picking at the gaping scars as if orchestrating the cries that came from below him. "STOP! STOP! PLEASE!" Jack begged in a pathetic desperation which couldn't have made Roger any happier.
"You've fallen so…so far down. You're in hell Jack. I know, because I'm here too." Tears had already welted into the crystal mirrors of Jack's eyes. "Ooh Jack…" Roger cooed in a softer tone, lowering himself into a resting position so the two were chest to chest, and face to face. "You know I love you. You know I care for you more than anyone else in the world…" Liar…liar… "So…So hard to believe…" Jack grunted, pushing himself up to fling Roger back in much more violent force than he'd planned.
Retreating to the wall, the winded young man was only given a moment to catch his breath before Roger had his wrists within his grip again. "Don't you dare go denying something like that! I saved your ass and you're going to repay me! You're going to belong to me!" He raged in the deepest tone he'd reach through the argument. Jack released a small gasp after Roger's pair of dagger like incisors broke the skin of his neck, Roger's only way of raw affection. "Be flattered because I love you," he mumbled while his tongue greedily took in the cheery red blood atop the milky white skin.
No words were able to find their way out of Jack's lips, and his eyes just kept with the picture of Jesus watching him blankly from the wall. Why are you doing this to me? Am I truly to be the devil's lover? "There now, it all makes sense to you doesn't it?" Roger whispered, tracing his teeth along Jack's features, stopping at his cheek. "I need you and you need me. That's all. Just do what I tell you, and everything will be just how we want it…" Jack swallowed slowly, his eyes watching in horror at the closeness of Roger's lips, dripping with freshly drawn blood. "I…I…" Another loud thud hit the floor, but this time it was made by another. "Ralph!" Jack exclaimed in shock, sliding up against the wall to his feet. "Tsk. Guess I have to be leaving then Jack, but you remember what I said and don't screw up again…"
Slowly, Roger loomed over his helpless prey who had just taken to the floor, still dangling from the bed. "Heh, better not be dead yet. I have a lot to get revenge for." Curling his lips as if to growl, Roger rolled his tongue close to Ralph's coloring ear. "And keep away from Jack. I won't tolerate anything more than what I ask for. You already stole him once, but never again." The last thing the feral beast did was rebuckle his boots and give Jack a bloody smile to remember. He knew he'd broken Jack once again, and left with utter satisfaction.
What has happened to me…? Jack remained pressing into the wall, the blood making a small river into the crevices of his neck. He was on a chain, an endless chain. Roger, for now, was God. Jack could not defy his will…could not escape him. After another moment of shock, he trudged to the mirror and looked at his weary body. Blood and tears, just like before. I'm dirty. I'm a sinner… A quick glance at the unforgiving scars on his arms launched the final wretched spear into his body.
With what was left of his consciousness, he drew Ralph into his arms, which he had become rather accustomed to. For a moment, he allowed Ralph to rest on his clean shoulder, small whimpers and breathes coming from both of them. "Please don't you dare die yet Ralph. I think I need you…I know I need you. I'm going to hell so please stop me…please…" Jack begged, his tresses hanging over his eyes, wiping any trace of a tear. Help me… Ralph slept heavily as he was cried upon and embraced tightly, his slumber being the only comfort Jack would experience that day.
Now he was the guardian, watching down with pride. Every now and again, the one he guarded would do something to cause a stir in the red headed protector, but as soon as Ralph settled once again, curling beneath the sheets, Jack would breathe a sign of relief. Once though, it seemed the nightmare was too much, and Ralph twitched uncontrollably, his breath hitching uncomfortably. You can't get any peace either, can you? Of course not…as long as I'm around…you won't be.
Hesitantly, he made his way beneath the mountains of blankets, reaching for Ralph's clammy hand. "Miserable…" Pressing their foreheads together, the fever seemed to burn even hotter than during his previous check. "Hell spreads fast, doesn't it Ralph?" Jack said aloud, knowing he would get no response. "Maybe…there is some heaven left in us? Or at least you…" With unsteady hands, Jack unzipped the already wet jacket he'd covered Ralph with earlier, laying it over the chair beside the bed. Slowly, he lowered himself over Ralph, taking in a deep breath at the intense heat the boy held. I promise I'll change this somehow. I've got to save you somehow…even if I fall into hell because of it…Pressing his ear to Ralph's chest, the slow heartbeats gave Jack a small sense of security, giving him an opportunity to rest among the heat.
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Author's Note: This chapter seemed kinda rushy, but I'm trying to finish this before I have to go to bed. Sorry if you don't like it! And no, Roger is not a vampire. His teeth are just sharp from all the meat he's been eating since his time on the island and afterwards. I just thought it would be a good add in. I've made him pretty sadistic…but you can still see a lil something else. I split this into parts because this chapter became a flashback, and I didn't want it to go on too long. The second part of the two part will be Jack and Ralph, and we'll find out more about what they both went through during the five years after the island(why Jack is the parallel of his LOTF self). We'll also learn about Jack's mystery scars and many other things! I'll update when I can!
Thank you for reading thus far!