rockabillyboy | (no subject)

Jack leans back against the counter, studying Poison for a moment. He rubs his cheek, still sore.

"I know," he says. "I'm not saying I don't get it."

"Want me to say something?" He lifts his head, eyebrows drawn together a bit. He would. He didn't want anyone making Jack feel bad, not even Sunny.

Jack shakes his head and then pushes away from the counter, crossing the space between them to wrap his arms around Poison from behind. N

"Do you want to talk about?"

Poison shrugs. "What is there to talk about? I know he's dead now." And he's still trying to cope with that as much as he can. "He's the only persons he's ever seen me with, that's all."

Jack nods, rests his chin against Poison's shoulder. "Still. If you want to talk about it. About him?"

He takes a shaky breath. "I-- do you really wanna hear?" He's tried so hard not to talk about Ghoul around Jack.

"Yeah," he says, squeezing Poison gently. "Yeah, I want to hear."

"Eat first," he insists, giving Jack a nudge. "Or I'll talk while you eat. What do you want to know...?"

"What do you think I ought to know about him?" Asks Jack, fetching the food, dividing it between the two bowls. "What would Dee tell me about the two of you?"

"She'd probably be a punk about it," he says with a wry look. Poison shrugs. "We knew each other since we were teenagers... kinda fell in together a year or so before we went to rescue Girl."

"Right," Jack says, setting the bowls down on the table and sliding into a seat. He's bought chopsticks and forks so Poison kids. "When you were about my age?"

"Yeah. I mean I'd known him for a little longer than that, but we were both kinda young." He shrugs.

"He's... he was... I dunno." Poison thinks of the first time he looked at Ghoul and really felt something. He's spent so much time trying not to think or talk about him, he's almost not sure of the words he wants now.

"He kept me from flying apart. He made all my hard edges soft, kept me from cutting myself apart from the inside. And when he was with me, everything was okay. Even when it really, really wasn't."

Jack feels a little spike of jealousy but he breathes and let's it pass, recognises that there's no way that has a place.

"It sounds..." He pauses for a moment. "God. It must be so hard, babe."

Poison keeps his eyes on the table. "I had a feeling... I was so sure everything had gone completely Costa Rica but I was hoping it wasn't true. Then Dee got here and told me how it happened..." He can picture Ghoul, angry and determined and... resigned, maybe.

He rubs his forehead.

"He made me laugh," he says quietly. "Covered in tattoos. Really good shot, could rig anything to explode, I'm sure."

Jack doesn't say anything. A smile pulls at the corner of his mouth at the way Poison describes Ghoul. He reaches under the table and squeezes Poison's bare knee, encouragement, whatever he needs.

Poison shakes his head. "And it's--" He shrugs. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't. Not at you." He reaches under the table to squeeze Jack's hand. It doesn't feel fair to vent all this to him.

"Why not at me?" Reasons Jack, threading their fingers together. "This is a thing. We're a thing. He matters to you. You matter to me." He shrugs. "It's okay, Poison."

"It doesn't feel okay." Even though Poison knows he'd do the same for Jack in a heartbeat. "I'll try to be better about it."

Jack nods.

"I just don't want there to anything you feel you can't say to me, babe."

"Promise I'll try to remember. And you can nudge me if you feel you need to." Surely Jack knew by now that Poison would draw a line if he needed it. Even if it was just temporary.

He eats his stir fry with chopsticks for a moment.

"I understand that this is happening really freakinf quickly, boo," he says, quietly. "I understand if it's freaking you out."

"I don't want to be freaked out. It sucks," he sighs, dropping his head to the table. "You're better than that. You deserve better than that."

Jack reaches out a hand and tousles his fingers through Poison's red hair.

"I don't care," he says quietly. "Don't want anyone but you."

Poison turns his head a little so he could smile at Jack. "Thanks," he says, a soft look on his face. "Seriously."

"It's true," shad Jack, returning the smile. "Whatever this is? I'm done. I'm with you." He shrugs. "We'll figure everything else out."