[28– Healing]

   A week had passed since the events with The Harbinger. The four of you had made it out of the forest after another hour's walk, the light of dawn guiding you to a nearby town. Though on the verge of passing out, you had eventually come across an abandoned apartment complex to stay in. It was rundown, and you and Liam had spent the first night taking guesses at how long it has been abandoned until you had both fallen asleep.

   Jack had been more quiet than usual for the first two days since then. He had done a sweep of the complex and its surrounding area multiple times a day, and checked twice in a row at night before he went to sleep. Every time you had laid a hand on him, he had always been so tense, his body never relaxing as he was always on alert, listening out for something.

   As much as it did worry you, you could not blame him, for you, too, could not help the way you excessively checked over your shoulder or jumped at sudden, strange noises. You knew he was on the lookout for The Harbinger or any of its proxies, and as paranoid as you were about it, you worked gently with him to try and get him to ease up.

   Liam would cry himself to sleep. The second night staying in the complex was when you first heard it, and it still twisted your heart even now as you heard it. Sometimes he would mumble something into the pillow, and two of the things you were able to make out was Iris and the names of his friends. You let yourself cry a little, too.

   Jeff's injuries were slowly healing, as difficult as it was for Jack to treat them with such limited supplies. You had allowed yourself to worry a little about Jeff's condition, especially after the first night when he could barely move and barely said a word, but he was slowly coming back to himself, so you knew he would be fine. He was still snippy and angry, though you had not seen as much aggression as you had used to. His demeanour was calmer, and it was easier to hold a conversation with him without any genuine threats spat your way. Perhaps this was due to his injured, weakened state, but if it was, you did not mind.

   And you were alright. As alright as you were able to be, at least. The mixture had no doubt worn off since your stay at the complex, and despite the worry that the four of you were still being followed, there had been no signs of such, and so you were beginning to allow yourself to relax.

   A part of you was still homesick. Less for the home you were raised in with Uncle Luis, but more for your friends you had left behind. You were able to go out on supply runs with Jack for food— both his kind and your kind— and trust Jeff to not be Liam's attacker, but now protector as you did. At first, you had not wanted to leave him, in case something had happened while you were gone, but you had grown to accept that, since Jeff was severely injured and Liam was still only a little boy, you were best fit for it. Jack could handle himself, that you knew, but the both of you were weakened, and you would not expect him to bare all of the responsibility on his shoulders.

   None of you wanted to stay there forever, though all of you were avoiding the greater discussion of where you all wanted to go specifically, and if hopping from place to place and living in the shadows of the world around was really what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. For now, the only thing any of you cared about was recovering and continuing to get as far away from The Harbinger's grasp as possible.

   You were sat on the couch in the apartment the four of you had chosen, reading over the lamplight you were thankful to have ever since Jack had discovered the spare generator during one of his patrols. He had been on one now, though for longer than usual, and you were attempting to distract yourself from your worry with the book in your hands.

   The door to the room opened, and your head shot up to see Jack finally enter. You lowered the book and smiled his way, shoulders dropping in relief. He came over to you, smelling faintly of dirt and sweat, and lowered down onto the couch next to you.

   "Are you alright?" you had asked, setting the book down and adjusting your position to face him better.

   Jack pulled off his mask, revealing his own tired smile. He set it down on the table in front of the couch before leaning back and releasing a sigh. "Oh, I'm great," he said.

   You blinked in surprise. This was not the demeanour you had been expecting. He had been easing up on how often he patrols, as if finally beginning to realise that The Harbinger most likely wasn't on your tails, but had went out tonight with an unusual amount of urgency.

   "What?" you asked softly.

   That smile of his widened, and the hand behind him moved, bringing up a fresh rose in between the both of you.

   "Jack," you started, "is this why you came back so late?"

   "Maybe."

   You carefully took the rose from his fingers. "Did you steal this one, too?"

   "Maybe," he said again.

   You leaned in closer to him. "So... that's a yes?"

   "Mhm..."

   "If you say 'maybe' again, I'll slap you." Your face was beginning to hurt with how much you were grinning.

   He hesitated. "Maybe."

   "Agh, stop!" You cupped the side of his face with your free hand and planted a kiss on his lips, feeling his chuckle against your mouth. Warmth blossomed in your chest, spreading through entire body as your heart fluttered. "You idiot," you then said as you pulled away.

   His own hands went up to you, one cradling the back of your head and the other caressing your face. "I think I'll keep going if that's what I get out of it."

   You playfully rolled your eyes. "You're the worst."

   "Maybe I am."

   A sigh escaped you, but you did not have time to get all of the air out before his lips were back on yours, Jack having pulled you back in for more. His grasp on you was firm but gentle as he lathered you with kisses, smothering any complaint you had about his nonsense completely.

   Finally, you pulled away for air, and after you had, you gave him a gentle smack on his cheek. He stopped momentarily in surprise, and then let out an amused breath as he brought a hand up to where you had delivered the underwhelming blow. "Was that the slap you said you've give if I didn't stop?"

   You couldn't hold back your laugh. "Maybe."

   He smirked. "I see I have quite the effect on you."

   You leaned closer. "Oh, you had no idea what sort of effects you have on me, Mr. Jackson Miller," you teased, putting a hand on his chest.

   Jack opened his mouth to reply, but the both of you stopped at the sound of movement across the room. Your head shot in the direction of it, and past the lamplight, you managed to spot the slouched form of Jeff lumbering his way across the room.

   "Jeff?" Jack called out, turning on the couch to fully look face him. "Where are you going?

   Jeff stopped in his tracks and grimaced. "Why don't you two keep smacking lips and mind your own fucking business?" he snapped.

   Small sparks of warmth from your chest shot up to your face at that, but you tried to ignore it. "Can you not answer the question? Why are you trying to sneak off?"

   A long, irritated sigh escaped Jeff as he finally looked at the both of you. It was only then that you noticed the bag in his hands. "I'm done here."

   You and Jack sat up. "What? What do you mean?"

   Jeff shifted where he stood impatiently. "It means I'm leaving! You too starry-eyed to think right now?"

   "Why?" Jack then asked. "You shouldn't go anywhere. Your injuries still haven't fully healed, and—"

   "I'll be fine," Jeff interrupted him, continuing to make his way across the room toward the door. "They've almost healed, and I'm not incapable of looking out for myself."

   Jack tried again. "I didn't say you were, but you—"

   "Fucking stop. You want someone to fret over, [Name]'s right there."

   "But why?" you pressed. "Why are you leaving?"

   Jeff stopped at the door, turning to look at you. He didn't answer at first, his lidless gaze piercing into yours, as if trying to read you. "We've had the talk, [Name]. I'm not sticking around. That faceless fuck is no longer a problem, and I..." He glanced at Jack. "My time is better spent elsewhere."

   You briefly looked at Jack after that in confusion, trying to gauge what exactly he had meant, and then recalled everything you and Jeff had talked about.

   Right. I guess this was obvious.

   Sharply sucking in a breath, you rose from the couch and began to walk over to Jeff. He shifted, seemingly trying to figure out just what you were doing or what you were going to say. However, as you reached him, no amount of predictions would have prepared him for the way you flung your arms around him.

   The man stiffened immediately, as you had expected, though he did not shove you off, as you had trapped his hands at his sides. Jeff stumbled, squirming in your hold.

   "What the— get the fuck off!" he exclaimed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

   You only tightened your hold. "Were you going to tell us you were leaving?" you questioned, voice firm. In truth, even you were shocked at your own behaviour, but if this was the last you were going to see of him, you might as well make it count.

   "[Name]..." Jack warned, and you could hear him cautiously approaching from behind.

   "Why does that matter?" Jeff continued to struggle against you.

   "Were you?" you asked again, this time stronger.

   "No! Let go!"

   "People care about you, Jeff, whether you like it or not. Don't try and push them away forever, because it's okay that you care, too."

   "I don't ca—"

   "You were willing to go to any length to sabotage me to get me away from Jack, but you wouldn't kill me because that would destroy him. You risked your own life to save us from The Harbinger. You watched Liam for me for the past week without complaint. It kills you how much you care, Jeff."

   He said nothing, but you could feel his form ease in your hold, even if it was only a little.

   "And people care about you, too, like I said. Let them. It doesn't make you weak, and you deserve it. I forgive you, and I know your brother does, too."

   Jeff's breath hitched, and then the next thing you felt were his arms breaking out from your hold, and him pushing you away. You stumbled back, but looked up to see his seething face smeared with not only anger, but anguish. "Get the fuck away from me!" he hissed as he whirled around. He flung open the door and burst out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The pounding of rushed footsteps down the hallway was the last thing you would ever hear from Jeff.

   Jack put a hand on your shoulder as he reached you, forcing you to look at him. "Are you alright?"

   You nodded. "I'm okay."

   He sighed, glancing between you and the door. "I don't think he'll ever listen to anything anyone says."

   You shook your head. "No, he did. He will."

   Jack looked at you. "How do you know?"

   You smiled. "If he could have broken free like that the whole time, then he chose not to."

   Jack huffed, and then moved his hand from your shoulder to your cheek, bringing you in for another kiss. "Well, then maybe you're right."

   You chuckled and returned the gesture, your own hand sliding down to his other one and intertwining your fingers with his. Once you pulled away, you began to tug him further away from the door. "I know I'm right," you said warmly. "Now, come on. I'm sure Liam's getting tired of waiting for us, and we have a future to discuss.

   He gladly let you guide him. "Anything for you, [Name]."

   "Anything with you, Jack."

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Alright, well, I do hope that closes off things nicely. To be honest, compared to the last two things I've written on this site, I do believe this is the weakest of them... and I was the least motivated to write it. I think that might show in the writing quality (mostly the pacing) and how often I updated it, haha. I don't think I did too bad, though, considering this was my first time writing in second person.

Nonetheless, I do hope anyone who read this far has enjoyed it, and I thank you for making it this far! I did do my best with this, despite everything stated above. ^^||

Have a good rest of your day, and remember to take care of yourself!