A Happy Face, A Happy Smile, A Happy Point Of View

[Finn Eogeum]

Finn hadn't been listening for anything really whilst he was heating up under the warm water from the shower. He'd heard conversation and possibly a little tumbling or something, but he was sure the other two were fine. He didn't really suspect anything that was more or less than being friendly. He really wasn't thinking that the pair of them were making out in his absence.

Not that he would mind. Nope.

When he turned the water off, he definitely heard the laughter. It made Finn smile. Why would laughter make someone upset anyway? He began drying off, wondering what was so funny. Maybe he'd ask them about it once he was out there. He thought about it as he changed into the baggier clothing he'd been given. It hung off of him adorably, if I do say so myself. He looked in the mirror and giggled at himself, "I look ridiculous..." He mumbled, before unlocking the door and stepping out, which was when he was met with the... interesting sight. If you were looking close enough, you would notice that his colours faded ever so slightly from seeing the pair like that. From jealousy. It wasn't necessarily that it was Jackson and Rue, but more that they were able to enjoy themselves in that kind of way. When was the last time Finn was tickled, or even that intimate with someone? He couldn't even remember.

He forced himself to brighten and smiled, "You guys look like you're enjoying yourselves." His eyes fell on Rue for a second and he remembered the man's meta power - if he was looking at his aura, he would see right through him; he didn't realise, however, the possible misinterpretations Rue might make. He walked past the pair, bouncing on his feet slightly, heading for the kitchen, which was when he got a little distracted by another probl--- Rue messing about with Jackson wasn't a problem! Probably. Whatever. Finn poked his head back out, pouting, "You didn't make the hot chocolate, you meanies~!" He went back to do so himself. He made better hot chocolate than Rue anyway. Eheh. He got all the things out and started boiling the kettle.

He didn't realise he was comfort eating the marshmallows until he found the once almost full bag was now half empty. Heh... woops.

[Deleted]

Omg, Rue was tickling him on purpose now? That was supposed to make him stop or...or...Jackson didn't know what he was trying to do or wanted to happen, but he also didn't expect that simple hands could make him squirm so much. So he was ticklish! Why did Rue have to exploit it!? Meanie! Rue was a big, fat meanie!! And he would've said so if he could manage to make coherent sentences instead of just squealing and squirming like a toddler. When had he last done something like this, he wondered briefly. It must've been...must've been with his mom, or his dad, before they were removed from his life.

The thought would make him a little sad later, but right now, Jackson didn't have the luxury of dwelling on the subject. If he didn't focus fully on the moment, then he'd be nothing but a lump of Jackson, a plaything for Rue to do with as he pleased, including tickling him to death. And Jackson was feeling the onset of burning lungs, trembling and cramping in his sides and stomach...and no matter how much he tried to protect himself or get away, Rue always found a way in! The fiend! "Stop~! Stopit! Mercy uncle!" he squealed out with glee, hoping(or not?) that Rue would finally give him a break.

But then Rue was lifting up Jackson's shirt and putting his mouth on his pudgy tummy and... Jackson shrieked at the funny sensation. He was crying, literally crying from laughing so much. His face didn't even have the chance to turn red from embarrassment, it was already turning purple from the sheer lack of oxygen from laughing so much.

Jackson was going to have to get back at him later for this! Somehow.

It was Rue who noticed Finn there first, and when Jackson noticed Rue had stopped and sat up, Jackson followed his gaze to finally see Finn there watching them. Jackson sat up himself and scurried backwards into the arm of the couch away from Rue, as if he'd just been caught doing something wrong. "Mm....Mmmhmm!" he hummed with a nod. Did he see them kissing too? Jackson felt his shame start to swell at having being caught doing something so....intimate. He stayed frozen there for a moment, his knees now pulled up against his chest, staring off into space until Finn called from the kitchen.

Oh, no! He's right, the hot chocolate! Because the two of them had been...Now Jackson was even more ashamed for what he'd been doing. "Sorry...!" he said, trying to sound casual. "I distracted him, it's my fault." Jackson attempted a lighthearted laugh. "Um...I guess that means it's my turn, right? I'll go now, then, okay, be back soon!" Jackson didn't care anymore about using someone else's shower, not after this. He slipped from the couch, nabbed the pile of clothes on the floor, and disappeared into the bathroom.

[Deleted]

Rue was giggling himself, hearing all the sounds that Jackson was making under his hands. It was one of the cutest things he’d seen in a long time (which was saying a lot, considering Finn was really adorable too, and he half-wondered what it would be like if he could tickle him too… ahem), and he didn’t want to stop until Jackson begged him to. It wasn’t like he was hurting anything!

“What’s that? You want me to stop?” he chuckled merrily, continuing just a little more. “Uncle? I’m not your uncle, rawr~” It would have reminded him of their age difference, though, if he hadn’t been busy enjoying himself. Especially that squeal he made when Rue’s lips vibrating against his tummy, heehee…! Rue was having a fit of laughter himself, deep, guttural chuckles bubbling out as his shoulders shook in mirth. He looked so much like Phoenix right now… That little cutie had always been ticklish too…

But his mirth quickly vanished at the reappearance of his best friend, realizing how dumb he’d been. What would Finn think? How would he react? Rue was vaguely aware of Jackson moving away from him, and he let the teen go without restraint, an uncomfortable weight sinking into his stomach. He noticed everything that changed about his friend – the slight desaturation, the sickly green color that bloomed over his aura… And Rue felt even worse, because he could see how much Finn was trying to hide it.

Still, he forced a smile back and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… Yeah…” he mumbled, not knowing what else to say. Why was Finn jealous anyway, he wondered? Shouldn’t he just be… Annoyed? Rue didn’t want to mull on this, though, and fortunately Finn distracted him again. “Ah, shiba,” he sighed, remembering what he was supposed to have been doing. “I’m sorry, Finn…” He glanced at Jackson as the younger boy tried to take the blame. “No, it wasn’t…..” he began to protest, but the teen seemed eager to get out of the room, and Rue couldn’t blame him. He wondered if he should warn Jackson about the large, dark welt on his neck… Eh, he’d see it soon enough, he supposed…

Rue sat there for a few more moments before getting up and quickly changing into his dry pants. Then he slowly meandered into the kitchen, nervous habit making him rub the back of his neck again. “Are you going to, uh, leave any of those for the rest of us?” he teased weakly, leaning against the counter beside his friend. “… I really am sorry… I just… Got distracted…” What a pathetic excuse. A grown man distracted so easily by a boy five years younger than him? What was wrong with him? “… Forgive me?”

He wasn't offering an explanation yet of what Finn had seen. Rue wasn't sure that he should.

[Finn Eogeum]

Finn looked between the two kind of blankly. He felt bad for how Jackson had reacted to his appearance, by snatching away from Rue so quickly. It was good that Rue had other friends, but this situation made it almost seem to the saturator that the consensus was no one could be Rue's friend in Finn's presence other than Finn himself. Of course, this wasn't true. But that was how it made him feel.

He noticed Rue's discerning eyes. It was obvious that he would pick up on everything. Still Finn kept smiling, "That's good." His eyes spotted the bruise on Jackson's neck by that point, but only winked at the teenager upon seeing it. It didn't help his envy but, surprisingly, it didn't make it much worse. And he shrugged off the hot chocolate thing, "It's only a drink. I'm joking." He was speaking differently.

Finn let himself dwell in his emotions, stewing and bubbling through them as Rue returned, alone. He looked at the bag, the marshmallows in his own hand, and then at Rue, as the younger one spoke. Finn shuffled down as he came closer, feeling irrationally angry. His reply was quiet at first, "I don't need to forgive you for anything. You're allowed to have fun..." He mumbled... and then he suddenly stepped back a bit and threw a marshmallow at Rue, not so gently, "I'm fine with my best friend doing what he wants." There was a definite hint of spite in his tone. He was upset. He wanted hugs and kisses and tickles--- m-maybe not from Rue, but... to some extent at least. And he couldn't get them. It just ticked him off. His voice became mocking, "Finn doesn't like being touched, we can go and start getting intimate and friendly on the couch. He won't get jealous or anything, it's not like he knows what it feels like!" Throughout the whole of this, he was periodically throwing more marshmallows, and now threw the packet on the side, taking a breath and turning around, sorting out the hot drinks.

"...how long did you make out for?" Finn asked, voice quiet and curious now as he poured out water and stirred. "He your boyfriend or something?" Why else would Rue give him such a dark hickey?

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The wink caught him off guard. What? What was that supposed to mean? Jackson grew even more stiff when he saw it, as if it were proof that Finn had deduced exactly what had been going on prior to him coming out of the shower. Yes, it made him self-conscious. Jackson had no idea what Finn thought of those kind of relationship…not that he and Rue were in a relationship…but they were…something. Something that Jackson thought he had to hide from the public eye. What if Rue got in trouble with Finn because of Jackson?? That was one of the things he was worried about the most when he darted out of the sitting room with the borrowed clothes and into the bathroom.

The other important thing was… that he was just so embarrassed that someone else had seen that. It didn’t matter that it was Finn, it could have been anyone, but the fact was that someone had seen him doing something so shameful and private. Even if it were with a girl, Jackson would’ve felt the same way. Probably.

Oh, well, at least he was out of there, now, away from the awkward air. Yup, just great, Jackson, you left Rue to take care of it all on his own, real nice, he scolded himself. Jackson started removing the still damp clothing and threw them in a pile in the corner of the bathroom. He just needed to take his time in here and maybe things will have smoothed over out there? He hoped so.

Jackson normally took long showers, but since he was at somebody else’s house, and it was really just to warm up(he was already pretty warm, actually, from earlier), it probably wouldn’t take very long. When he did finally get out, Jackson would wipe the steam from the mirror and let out a short, but audible shriek as his eyes laid upon the purple welt right there on his neck. He’d spend the next several minutes panicking, wondering what to do, if Finn had seen it, and desperately searching for a way to cover it up.

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Rue hated how well he could see through people sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes. He hated knowing how much Finn was trying to hide this strange jealousy that had bloomed, hated not knowing why, exactly, he felt jealous, and hated that he didn’t feel it would be fair to simply ask him why he was. It was almost an invasion of privacy, he felt, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

His hand was still wrapped around the back of his neck, and his head tilted slightly downward, sure that the apples of his cheeks were mottled red in guilt and embarrassment. “I know, but…” he mumbled, lost for words. “It was stupid… For me to…” He was going to go on, but suddenly Finn shifted back and there was a soft plop of something against his shirt. Rue stared in bewilderment down at the marshmallow that was now on the floor. “Hey, what are you-“ he stammered, thrown off by the sudden change in behavior. He shouldn’t have been – after all, Finn’s middle name was unpredictable – but he was already confused about the events that had happened in the past couple of minutes. Rue gawked slightly, listening to the spiteful tone as his best friend continued, and his heart sank to the bottoms of his feet. “That’s not what I was thinking at all,” he pleaded quietly, trying (and failing) to catch the marshmallows as they came so they wouldn’t just go to waste. “Please, Finn, don’t th-think that…” Did he just stutter? “I know how hard it is for you, I wasn’t doing that because I think it’s not…!”

He wavered uncertainly in the kitchen, hand half-reaching out towards his best friend, but not daring to touch him. “How long did we…?” he repeated softly, slowly lowering his hand. “I… I don’t know…. A couple of minutes?” Why did it matter? The second question made Rue’s cheeks burn more, and he quickly shook his head. “N-no, it’s not like that, we’ve only…. This is only the second time…” Stupid! Why had he thought giving Jackson a hickey had been a good idea? “I haven’t been able to think about doing anything serious with anyone for a long time,” he said quietly. “Not since…” Finn knew. “It’s just… Just casual. That’s all, I promise.” Not that that would likely make his friend feel any better, but…. What else could he say?

[Finn Eogeum]

Finn didn't really fully understand what was making Rue so guilty. Yeah, it was tickling (and kissing), but it wasn't like he hadn't actually seen Rue tickling (and kissing) someone else before, namely his still good friend Phoenix. It was a thing people did. Rue had no reason to feel 'stupid' about those kinds of things.

But then again, he was probably getting mixed messages, considering the balls of processed squishy sugar bouncing off of him at random intervals. Ah well. Finn scowled, letting that green eyed monster take over his temper. He was unhappy. He didn't like this. He didn't know how else to react. Staying quiet when uncomfortable was something Finn had lost the ability to do over time. When he was unhappy, everyone would know it. Usually. He erupted in a confusing way, "I know you don't! I'm not stupid!" He retorted, contradicting his last statements, "And I know he doesn't either!" His chest heaved a little, "You're my best friend. You care about me, I know that, and he's sweet, he wouldn't..." His thoughts wandered off, "I'm just upset, okay? I'm allowed to be jealous." He sighed, "When you're like me, whenever you see those things..." He stopped himself again, "...I think it's just 'cause it's you and a near stranger..." He didn't like thinking his friend would be that... friendly with just anyone.

Finn kept mucking around with the hot chocolate, finishing one and putting it to the side, for now, before going onto the next. "Right." He replied, "Curiosity." That was why he asked. He raised a silent eyebrow, "The second time. Right." He might have seemed cold but he was just thinking was all. He thought even more as Rue continued, turning around, mug in hand, resting against the counter. "...I know. I get that." When someone mattered, you couldn't replace them that quickly if they went. It just wouldn't happen.

"...why is that important?" He asked, curious, "I... I know you haven't had anything serious, but... if you did..." Finn kept hesitating, "I wouldn't... mind. I'd miss you and stuff but... well, I'd miss you a lot..." After mumbling that second part, Finn shook his head, "I'm rambling..." He didn't really know where all this emotional flailing was going. "I'm not your boyfriend, Rue. You don't need to apologise and get awkward about doing things with people. I'm just jealous 'cause I can't do them too.... that's all."

[Deleted]

What else could Rue do but apologize, and make sure he didn’t do it again in the future? He made mistakes, he wasn’t perfect, despite his attempts to be that way as much as he could. All he wanted to do was pull Finn into an embrace and hold him and ki- no. No no no, he wasn’t going to think about that after he’d just left a huge hickey on another boy’s neck. What was wrong with him? “Of course you’re not stupid,” he breathed quietly, hating to be the center of Finn’s upset. He felt, though, that he anger was slowly ebbing off, possibly into something more damaging to the older boy. “I do, Finn. I care so much about you… More than anyone else,” he said sincerely. “You’re my best friend too, of course I do…” His hands continued to hover halfway in the air, wanting to do something, but held back by Rue’s self-restraint. “Yes… You are,” he said softly. Finn was allowed to be jealous. Rue knew he probably would be if he was in the same place. “And it’s okay, Finn… It’s a natural way to feel. I wish that I hadn’t caused it, though.” But it was too late to take it back.

He watched quietly for a moment as Finn worked on the hot chocolate, fingers still fidgeting uncertainly. “Right…” he repeated, half-paying attention. He was starting to get lost in his thoughts; this had stirred up a well of emotions that he had to concentrate to keep at bay. Rue didn’t look up again until the other boy turned around and started speaking more. It was like… Like he did feel like he needed Finn’s permission to do this sort of thing, almost. Why did he feel that way? “Trust me… I don’t think I’m going to be ready for anything serious for a while yet,” he said softly. “So… Don’t worry about missing me, okay? I’m still going to be your best friend, no matter what happens. And nothing… Will happen.” He fiddled with a handle on a nearby drawer as Finn mentioned the word – boyfriend – and Rue’s body seemed to stiffen slightly. “…Yeah… Okay….” was all he said. “… I love you, you know that, right?” he added after a moment, very quietly. Rue finally looked up and slowly lifted his hand, a silent offer for Finn to touch; he hoped he would.

[Finn Eogeum]

Rue was treating this as if he had cheated on Finn or something, that's what it felt like. And Finn's reaction did kind of reflect a similar theme, but he was fine with Rue doing what he wanted, despite his childish whining and anger. People did those kinds of things, it didn't need to be apologised for, even if Finn had come out with an adverse reaction. He sighed as Rue spoke, giving him a small, awkward smile at his sentiments. He noticed the hovering hands, and he could have held his out for them to touch, but he didn't feel like doing that right now.

It felt like they were both a little caught up in their emotions, only Finn was more visual with what he was feeling. And he was getting very confused; it showed on his face, the way he tilted his head ever so slightly like a confused puppy. "Hmmm... okay." Rue could take all the time he wanted getting ready to be serious again, it was his personal life after all. "How do you know?" He had to ask, "You might meet someone. I would be fine, honestly. I know you wouldn't just... start ignoring me or something." He shrugged, "Things are unpredictable, you don't know what could happen." That was kind of a fact of life for Finn by this point.

Finn drank a little in the silence, and froze momentarily when Rue did speak again. And then he chuckled, putting his mug down, "Love me? I'm a mess." It wasn't self-derogatory, it came out as more of a joke than anything. Finn looked at the younger man's hand, slowly meeting it with his own, his colours involuntarily brightening a little as he did. He smiled up at Rue, "...I don't know about you. You're a mess too." He sighed in a kind of content way, "But no, I didn't know you loved me." And now he wasn't sure how he felt about that, if it was anything more than platonic, which Finn couldn't interpret. "And I think getting attached to a trainwreck is a dumb thing to do, but you've been willing to deal with my weirdness until now, so it kind of makes sense." He waited a couple more moments before pulling away and folding his arms. He may still have looked a little confused, but he was definitely even just a little more content.

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Rue… Was treating this like that, wasn’t he? And…. Why was he? Even as he wondered this, he still felt like he needed to apologize, despite Finn’s assurances that he didn’t. It was just… It had been rude of him, that was all. Right? And Finn had been so upset, even if he’d tried to hide it…

He was struggling to calm the inner turmoil going on. He might need to book an extra session with his therapist sooner than he had planned, just to try and get this thing settled inside him again before it became a storm that he couldn’t control.

Rue wouldn’t show it, though, and he was glad that Finn didn’t have his ability. Still, the questions and prodding made him uncomfortable in ways he hadn’t expected, and a slight crease did form on his brow as Finn kept talking. “How do I…?” he repeated, speaking softly. “I… I don’t know. I just don’t see myself being able to settle with anyone without… Thinking of…” He trailed off again. “It wouldn’t be fair to the other person.” True, he never knew what might happen, but he just didn’t think it was in his capacity yet, or if it would ever be. He had much deeper issues and personal emotional problems that he never let on to anyone. “Just… Don’t worry about it. I’ll always be here, I promise.” Finn was his rock, even if the older boy didn’t know it. Helping and being with his best friend helped keep Rue sane. He didn’t know how to tell him that, though – knowing the other guy, he’d probably just scoff and laugh it off.

He smiled dryly at Finn’s words. “Even if you are, that doesn’t stop me from… Loving you,” he said softly. “You’ve been the closest friend I’ve had since… Ever…” Was it really that shocking that he’d said that? His smiled turned more genuine as Finn’s hand met with his own, and he let himself breathe a small sigh of relief. “Me? A mess? Heh, I guess you see right through me,” he chuckled, wondering for a moment just how much of his calm exterior Finn did see through. “I… I’m sorry I haven’t told you before, I thought it was obvious…” At the trainwreck comment, Rue shook his head, still smiling faintly. “Well, too bad, you’re stuck with me, so there.” He even stuck his tongue out a little. When Finn pulled his hand away, Rue slowly dropped his, unsure what to do with it now. A sudden urge to say something more hit him, and the younger man opened his mouth and began,”Finn, I think I-“

That was when he heard the shriek from the bathroom, and Rue jumped in surprise and worry. “Jackson??” he called out, quickly going to the door. “Are you alright?” He wasn’t sure if he should open or not, so he just rapped on the outside, shooting a worried glance at Finn.

[Finn Eogeum]

Basically, all of this was coming out of confusion and curiosity. Finn was prying because he didn't know or fully understand why certain sentences were coming out of Rue's mouth, because they seemed out of context or befuddled. Once he understood, his nosiness would decrease - however, that wasn't exactly happening right now. So he was still asking. He nodded as Rue trailed off, knowing what he was talking about. Phen had been a toll on him, and Finn couldn't really blame Rue for what he was doing, avoiding anything serious, considering his ex-boyfriend. Don't get him wrong, Finn really liked his friend but... even he could see that that relationship was unhealthy. He'd pointed it out once or twice but Phoenix seemed to happy for Finn to always be opposing him. He tilted his head, "Maybe if they understood...?" It wasn't like he was desperate for his best friend to find somebody, but he was knocking down all possibilities without giving them a try. He couldn't know how things would turn out in the end until he tried, right?

Finn smiled and glanced at the ground, before looking at Rue again, "I know. I trust you." He did. More than anyone else. He wasn't verbally returning the sentiments, but he felt them, definitely. The stability was comforting.

Rue really knew how to form his words well - that was what Finn thought. They usually had a way of convincing Finn to defer from a negative state of mind to a positive one, or make him see a new point of view. Finn and Rue were pretty different people, but he was glad the pair of them still related so well, still communicated so successfully. "So are you." Finn replied, nodding with certainty, "I don't know anyone as well as I know you." He still had a lot to learn about Rue, but he did know quite a lot already. He gave a knowing expression, although he didn't realise the depth of his best friend's emotional turmoil, "We're all a bit messy." It was true. As calm as Rue acted, Finn felt like he couldn't always be like that. However, it would be nice, if that was actually the case. Would be easier than being messy. Finn shrugged, "It's okay. I know now at least."

"Oh no," Finn returned the stuck out tongue, "My life's ruined." But of course it wasn't. This was Rue. Rue was awesome and the best and stuff. His ears pricked up as Rue spoke again, noting his tone and suddenly very interested in what he had to say. But- an interruption! No, nononono!! I mean, oh no, Jackson screamed, he might be in danger, oh no - but Rue!! Finn was left, mouth wide open as Rue went off. "Rue." He said, rather urgently, for now practically ignoring Jackson, "Rue, what were you gonna say?" It was going to kill him if he didn't know.

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Jackson snapped his hand over his mouth the moment that yelp escaped his throat. He held it there, staring with eyes as wide as saucers at that giant blemish on his neck. Jackson poked at it with his other hand, then rubbed it, then cupped his hand over it and released it. No matter what he did, it was still there when he looked again. Still there and obvious to anyone looking. Jackson lowered his hand from his mouth and leaned in closer to the mirror, his face twisted in shock and panic. He whined once again.

He couldn’t go to school like this! What’s more, he couldn’t go home like this! What was he supposed to do? Wear a turtleneck for a week until it disappeared like some girl? There had to be a better solution than that!

Jackson started rifling through the cabinets and drawers around the sink, searching for something, anything that he could use to cover it up. Maybe a bandaid, then he could just tell people he cut himself! It was then that he heard the knock at the door and Rue’s voice coming from the other side.

He turned his head sharply. “I’m….I’m fine!” he squeaked, though the longer he didn’t find anything that could help, the more panicked he became. Stupid Rue! Why’d he have to do that! Why didn’t anybody tell him!? That must’ve been what Finn was looking at him for, which means he definitely knew that they’d been kissing on the couch while he was in the shower and…!

All this was too much….Finn knew everything(probably), he had this thing on his neck, Grams was definitely going to ask about it because it was so obvious that it was from somebody sucking on his neck! And he still couldn’t find anything to cover it up with! Dammit Rue! Why can’t you just keep the bandaids in the bathroom like a normal person!? Why'd you have to leave that thing there in the first place!?

But he couldn’t stay in here forever….and if he stayed any longer he was going to worry the two boys standing outside the door. There wasn’t any other choice but to just accept fate and go out there as is. Jackson grudgingly put on the clothes Rue had loaned him(he looked like a kid trying to wear his dad’s clothing), and opened up the door with his head hanging and hand covering up the welt on his neck. “Rue….?” he said in a tiny voice. Jackson slowly looked up at the tall man, tears forming in his eyes. “W-what am I supposed to tell my Grams?” he wailed desperately, pulling the collar of the shirt back slightly to reveal the hickey that Rue had left there. “You dummy!” He balled up his fist and pumped it down in frustration, though he wished he had the guts to just go ahead and smack Rue with it, the fiend!

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Rue was feeling a warm, uncomfortable bubble filling his chest the longer he and Finn talked. He’d been so worried about Finn being mad at him that he was relieved he was still even talking to him, and now especially with this talk of love and trust… Rue wasn’t entirely sure what to think about this weird feeling going on. And that was why he had almost blurted…. Something…

Something that he probably would have regretted later, because it would have been an incredibly selfish and unfair thing to say, after what he’d been doing with Jackson on the couch. No, it was best he kept it to himself and reflected on it while meditating later, or something. But… But Finn was practically begging him to tell him what it was while he waited worriedly for Jackson to come out of the bathroom, and Rue bit his tongue; the moment had passed, and he didn’t want to say it. “I… I’m sorry, I forgot,” he lied softly. “I don’t think it was important anyway.” Another lie, but one that was better for Finn.

Jackson said he was fine, but his high, squeaky tone just made Rue more worried. “Are you sure?” he asked, leaning slightly against the door. “What happened?” Why wasn’t’ he coming out? Had he done something embarrassing, or…? The wait was agitating the already on-edge aura reader, so that he could see his own Kermode bear pacing restlessly in a rusty shade of red.

Finally, finally the youngest boy appeared, dressed in Rue’s far too-large clothes and looking like the most dejected puppy in the world. “What is it??” he demanded, his voice rising slightly for the first time that day. He wasn’t angry, just concerned to the point of breaking his normal calmness. And then… Jackson spoke again, and revealed the large blotch on his neck, and Rue let his shoulders slowly relax, relieved that it wasn’t something more serious (even if it was serious to Jackson). “Is that what you’re so worried about?” he asked softly, his calmness returning. The tears in Jackson’s eyes made his heart squeeze, and he winced slightly at the insult. “Hey, shh… It’s going to be okay, we’ll take care of it,” he promised, giving Finn a brief sideways glance to gauge his reaction before looking back to the teen. “I can buy you some cover-up or something, if you’d like. Or you could wear a scarf? Or both…” It couldn’t be that hard to cover it up, right? He’d given plenty to Phoenix, but then again, he’d never worried about hiding them… Hell, he’d worn them like a trophy.

Rue reached up and cupped the side of Jackson’s face, hyper-aware of every move he made in front of his best friend. “Don’t worry,” he breathed, making his voice as soothing as possible. He didn’t have the ability to manipulate emotions, but Rue liked to think he was decent at it just on his own. “Just take a couple deep breaths, okay? This will be fine.” Even if it was Rue’s fault. Oops… He would definitely be mulling over this entire ordeal later when he was alone.

[Finn Eogeum]

Finn wanted answers! He wanted them now! What was Rue going say? He couldn't just... do that, he couldn't just start saying something and cut off in the middle of a sentence! What if it was important, or life changing, or something, and now Finn didn't know? Of course, it could be minor, just something like 'Finn, I think I'm gonna sneeze.' That's a natural process, maybe that was what it was. Did explain why he sounded solemn about it, but sneezing was a serious issue in society. Finn couldn't be certain, though, that that was what it was. That was why he was so desperate for an answer he wasn't sure he was going to get anymore. Ughhhh....

So when he said he'd forgotten, all Finn could do was sigh and grumble a little bit. Rue couldn't help it, obviously. And he said it probably wasn't important. Well, as long as that was the case, it was okay. He did regard him for another moment, though. Finn wasn't always the most observant or subtle person, but he had an odd feeling about this. Maybe he hadn't forgotten...? Well... well, Finn trusted him. If he said he didn't know.... he didn't know. Right?

Oh yeah, Jackson. He only remember the other boy was in some kind of difficulty when he heard his voice again, frowning at the sound. He sounded like a distressed squeaky toy - that didn't sound good. But Finn didn't know how to help. He wasn't the problem-solving type, at least when it came to real life situations. He could fix something artistic when it went wrong, but human beings weren't paint strokes, even if sometimes his art met that kind of complexity. He just... wasn't experienced in helping other people all that much. Other than Rue. Who looked on edge, Finn could tell that much. He swallowed and gently took some of Rue's sleeve between his fingers, tugging a little to get his attention. Whatever this made Rue do, Finn would tilt his head in worry, "You okay?" He would ask softly. The three of them didn't all need to go overboard emotionally.

Jackson looked as ridiculous as Finn did, but maybe a little more so, since the other boy was somewhat smaller. It didn't really bring a smile to his face right now, considering his posture and expression. He looked between the pair, unable to help with a situation he had no knowledge of. His head was tilted, thinking when Rue looked at him, which he didn't notice. As he began rattling off the possible fixes, Finn shuffled back to the kitchen, grabbing the bag of marshmallow and the whipped cream, along with some tissues. He returned as Rue was reassuring and handed the tissues over to Jackson, "Rue's an idiot." He said bluntly, as if his friend wasn't next to him, secretly wanting to bat his friend's hand away from Jackson's face, but not doing it for numerous reasons. Instead, he smiled, "But this'll go away. You'll be okay." He couldn't relate to this kind of situation, but he could help to some extent. He took out a marshmallow and put some cream on it, holding it out for Jackson to take if he wanted it, "Chocolate usually helps, but Rue doesn't have any, 'cause he's an idiot." He glanced at the taller man, with a bright glint of cheekiness in his eye, before looking at Jackson again, "If you want, you can come to my house. My sister might have some makeup you can borrow." Ooh, Finn thought of a thing! He could be helpful, sometimes, then.

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What happened? You happened, that’s what! he wanted to say. “It’s…it’s…!” Instead, he could only stammer, unable to think of an excuse on the spot, especially not when it was becoming more and more apparent that any lie Jackson came up with was going to be shot down almost immediately. Because that thing was just so huge!! It was a big, honking thing just sitting right there on his neck and it wouldn’t go away!

Perhaps it wasn’t terribly serious to either Rue or Finn, but they also weren’t a 16 year old boy with no experience In intimacy and who’d been raised to keep these sorts of things all hush-hush and private. Furthermore, they probably didn’t have (especially not Rue, who seemed to live alone) anybody waiting for them at home who would literally have a heart attack and die if she knew that the boy was exploring intimate relationships, even more(yes, she’d die even more!) if she found out it was with a guy! There were just so many thing wrong with this situation and to Jackson it was only enjoyable as long as nobody else knew about it! And now Finn knew, undeniably after hearing Jackson wailing about it. And his Grams was definitely going to find out at this rate!

And it was all Rue’s fault! The dummy! Because he…he….he had to go and to something so completely unnecessary!!

“A scarf!?” Jackson had a scarf, but… “I can’t wear a scarf inside all the time, people will think it’s weird!” And why would he even suggest cover-up? Was he talking about like…like make-up? “Make-up’s for girls!” he screeched. Jackson didn’t want to be a girl! It was so frustrating because Rue didn’t seem to be taking this seriously, with Jackson still panicking like he was. He probably looked like such a kid to the two of them…but dangit! Jackson wasn’t going to apologize for acting like a kid, because he was a kid! Still, the tears were probably a bit much, though the teen couldn’t help it. He was just so….!

Jackson closed his eyes and let them fall when Rue cupped his hand on the side of his face, making small, pathetic whimpers with every breath. Jackson wasn’t sure if it was the physical contact or the breathing, but he was calming down, gradually.

He looked to Finn, who had disappeared to somewhere, as he spoke up, and Jackson nodded in agreement. “A big idiot.” At least these two could agree on one thing. Actually, they seemed to agree on quite a few things. “It will?” Of course it would go away, it was essentially a bruise, and bruises healed. “How long will it take?” he asked, taking the marshmallow-cream treat without a thought. Whoops, he wasn’t supposed to have this, he thought too late. It was already being nommed delightfully in his cheeks. “Mmm….idiot. A big dumb idiot.” The sugar was good. It definitely helped.

But then there was the suggestion of using make-up again, and Jackson frowned. “Why does everybody want me to wear make-up?” he pouted. “I’m not a girl….” But if that was the only solution they could find right now…. Jackson looked up to Finn with unconvinced eyes. “Are you sure it’ll work?” he asked suspiciously. Jackson wasn’t going to try something like that unless there was the highest probability that he could get away with it.