Your First Time (Jackson)

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Rue winced as Jackson wailed over his lack of mobility. Maybe he should have said something like this would happen last night, before they had done anything…? But would that have stopped either of them? Well, it was too late now, either way, so he supposed he shouldn’t dwell on it. “You’ll be fine,” he promised. “It’s just the initial walking and standing that can be difficult…” At least, that was what he’d been told before. Rue had never actually experienced it himself.

He was at least glad that the boy was able to do what he needed in the bathroom without, seemingly, too much difficulty. Rue paced around outside for a little while until he came out, and looked over him again for any signs of damage (he was obsessive about making sure Jackson wasn’t hurt beyond what was expected. “Can you get dressed on your own…?” he asked uncertainly, but it seemed like Jackson had a one-track mind at the moment, so Rue just dipped out of the way and went to boil some hot water.

As he did, he could hear the younger boy’s muffled speaking in the other room, and assumed he was calling home. Rue didn’t want to interrupt him, so he didn’t go back in until the tea was made, bringing the box of scones with him. “Sorry it’s not a lot….” he apologized as he sat down next to the blonde. Rue put the items on his bedside table and reached down to pet Jackson’s back with long strokes up and down his spine. “You can’t change the past,” he murmured. “There’s no point in beating yourself up over it.” It was Rue’s fault more than anything, anyway, but all of his guilt was worn out from what he’d done to Oriel. “Want me to drive you home?”

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Jackson was just glad that they were on summer break and he didn’t have school to go to, or else he would have been in some big trouble there. As it was, he just had a soccer practice that he would have to bow out of. Though if he didn’t recover by the time school started up again…. he didn’t want to miss the first day of school! Dammit Rue! He grumbled slightly at Rue’s reassurances.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. At least Rue wasn’t lying about things getting better. Once he got moving, it gradually got easier to move around(he was going to need help getting up from the bed though), and he got dressed with only a little bit of trouble, even while on the phone leaving a message for his grandmother.

Jackson sighed with the phone still underneath him, grumbling to himself over how stupid he’d been. He stayed like that until Rue came wandering in with the box of scones. The strokes across his back were soothing and gradually calmed the upset boy. “I know…I just hate disappointing her. Grams must’ve been worried.” He turned his head and smiled up at Rue. “Can you?” he asked. With a laugh, Jackson pushed himself up and flipped over to sit off the edge of the bed. “I don’t think I could make the walk home, ha ha…” Not like this anyway. Jackson grabbed one of the scones and took a large bite out of it. “Mmm…it’s good,” he said. He probably shouldn’t have too many, though, at least not until he took his meds. Which was at home. At least, the important one was. “Can I take these to go?” he asked, looking up again at Rue, a few crumbs from the scone stuck to the sides of his mouth.

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Poor thing. Rue wished there was more he could do, but he didn’t want to take anything too fast this morning, with Jackson so sore and everything. He continued to rub his back, eventually moving to make small circles between his shoulder blades. “I understand,” he said softly. “If I’d have thought of it, I would have told you to call her before… You know.” Rue sighed. “I’m sure she’ll get over it soon enough.” He smiled faintly down at Jackson, moving his hand up to stroke through his blonde hair. “Of course, it’s the least I can do,” he murmured. When Jackson moved, Rue shifted slightly so sit beside him at the edge. “Heh… Probably not,” he agreed sheepishly.

Rue gingerly took a scone after Jackson did, and finished it off in just a couple big bites. He smiled at the compliment. “Yeah… they are.” He nodded when the blonde asked if he could take them with him. Rue glanced down and noticed the crumbs, and gave a small smile. “You’ve got something…” he brushed his thumb over the crumbs before tentatively leaning down and giving Jackson a gentle kiss. “…. I really enjoyed last night,” he murmured against his cheek. “I hope you did too.”

Rue continued to hold the boy’s face cupped in his hand for another brief moment before he got up and went to put the rest of his clothes on. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make himself look a little less “just woke up after a night of sex” and slid on his shoes. “Whenever you’re ready,” he told Jackson. Once the boy followed him out, Rue once again slid his arm around his waist to help support him, at least to the car. It was still pretty early, so he doubted anyone would see. Rue helped Jackson get seated before going around and getting on the driver’s side. Soon enough, they were heading to the blonde’s place. “How are you feeling now?” he asked after a while. “Will you be able to walk without limping in front of your Grams, or are we going to need to think of an excuse?” he joked weakly.

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“It’s okay…” he said despondently. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve paid more attention.” And Jackson was usually pretty good at checking in too! Oh, well. Nothing to do for it now. He rolled his shoulders as Rue continued to rub circles on his back. So nice~ Rue really did spoil him with all the affection he gave him like this. Even last night, Jackson was already wanting to experience it again. What could he say? He loved touch! He liked sensation. He liked feeling things, even if it was a little bit painful.

That made him sound a bit weird, didn’t it?

“Thanks,” he said, smiling sweetly up at Rue. With their eyes locked, once again Jackson became lost in them, mesmerized by the older man’s powerful, dominant gaze. He didn’t flinch when Rue brushed the crumbs away, his attention focused entirely on Rue’s handsome features, and closed his eyes when Rue leaned in to place that gentle kiss upon his parted lips. He felt a warmth spread through him, something very similar, but at the same time very different than what he was feeling the night before. “I did,” he muttered, slowly blinking his eyes open again. “….I wanna do it again,” he confessed, pressing his cheek to the side against Rue’s hand. He felt weird. Not bad, but just….weird. Jackson tried to shrug it off. It was probably Rue’s fault anyway…

He let Rue go do what he needed to get ready while he continued to sit on the bed, swinging his tired legs against the side of it, and nibbling more on the delicious scones Rue brought in earlier. When prompted, Jackson nodded, a piece of biscuit still hanging from his mouth, and carefully stood to follow Rue out to his car, giggling at the support Rue was trying to give him. “I’m not a cripple, y’know?” he said playfully, nuzzling against Rue slightly. His mind wasn’t even thinking about whether anyone would see them or not. Once seated and they were on their way, Jackson rolled his head back against the back seat and closed his eyes. “Heh heh…tired,” he said, smiling. “A lot more than I thought I was.” But he was also feeling…still weird, and wonderful, and like he’d just released a lot of negative tension that’d been building up over the past several weeks. Jackson shrugged, turning his head to look out the window. “I dunno. I’ll probably just tell her we had to do a lot of squats at soccer practice or something like that.” He didn’t have practice yesterday, but she didn’t know that. Probably.

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Rue loved touching, too. He loved being the one to smother his partner in affection and compliments and sweet whispers. He did it to everyone that he spent this sort of time with. He was just a very loving, caring, affectionate person, and he wanted Jackson to know how much Rue appreciated him. He wished that the boy could stay longer so he could do it even more.

“Mhmmm….” Rue’s voice rumbled lowly in his chest. With the way Jackson was looking at him, it was hard to resist the urge to pull him in once again, remove whatever clothing the boy had put on, and do last night all over again. He relished the kiss while it lasted, knowing it could be a while before he might be able to see Jackson again; for all he knew, his Grams would keep him grounded in the house for a few days. Rue chuckled at the boy’s confession. “Mmm, I want to too,” he replied quietly. Rue’s thumb brushed over Jackson’s cheek. “Just let me know when you’re free again. I don’t have a lot going on. I should… Probably call Hammel to see if they want me to come back…” He held in a sigh. That wasn’t as important right now.

He chuckled at Jackson’s comment. “I know you’re not, but these stairs can be tricky. I wouldn’t want you to fall and break something because I made your butt too sore.” Rue ruffled the boy’s hair again and kissed the top of his head. Once they were inside and driving, he looked over at the fatigued boy, smiling faintly. “I bet,” he murmured. “You can take a nap when you get home, where I can’t bother you.” His smile widened playfully, then turned back to the road. It wasn’t a very long drive, at least. “Mmm…. Sounds good to me,” he replied. “I’ll tell her we had a party for you and a couple other students for finishing the year with great grades… And that we lost track of the time and before I knew it you’d already passed out and I didn’t want to wake you.” It was the best he could think of; hopefully it would work.

After a few more minutes, they pulled up to Jackson’s place. Rue parked the car and got out, waiting for Jackson to go in front as he trailed a little behind. “I’ll just pop in really quickly and apologize and tell her it was my fault,” he explained. Hopefully that would take some of the blame off of Jackson.

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Trigger Warning: Death

Jackson wouldn’t mind. Well, he would have, but if Rue wanted to go at it again, Jackson was…strangely agreeable to that idea. No, he had to get back home, this wasn’t the time to be fantasizing about those things, not when he had more important things to think about. “Okay,” he said, his lips turning up into an affectionate smile. School was starting soon, so Jackson wasn’t going to have a lot of time anymore, but he was sure to find some time. Sometime. Somehow. “You should! I’m sure they’d be glad to have you back!” And they didn’t have to know about the incident with that other kid. If it was that big of a deal, wouldn’t somebody have come after Rue already over it?

“Fiiiine,” he whined, pretending to be wholly upset at Rue and his coddling. He loved it more than he would admit. Jackson blushed and giggled at the kiss on his head. He really was acting weird, wasn’t he? It was probably just the aftereffects of the night before. He was feeling good from it, even though he was tired as hell. “Mmm, I probably will.” Take a nap. Once Grams was done lecturing him. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad with Rue there with him, taking the blame. Because it really was the older man’s fault. “Okay,” he said, turning his smile back to Rue. “Thanks again. That…it really helps, Rue.”

When they pulled up to the apartment complex, suddenly Jackson’s heart began thumping against his chest. “Oh, god…I’m nervous now,” he said with a awkward laugh. She didn’t answer the phone, so she must either be asleep or out somewhere. Or maybe she was just that mad at him? Taking a deep breath, Jackson slowly stepped out of the car, taking a little more effort than normal to get steady on his feet, then headed inside. The entryway was dark, but Jackson could see the light from the living room was still on. Grams never went out without turning off the lights(to save on electricity), so that meant she was home, at least.

Jackson stepped through the hall and rounded the corner into the living room, spying a familiar old figure sitting in her usual chair. “Ha ha…she’s asleep,” he said. Should he wake her? Probably, if just to let her know he was home. “Hold on,” he told Rue, looking back over his shoulder. Without a thought, Jackson approached the old woman and wrapped his arms around her loosely. “Hey…hey Grams, I’m home,” he said in a hushed voice, trying to wake her gently. “Sorry I worried you….”

Jackson held her for a few seconds before pulling back, thinking that something was wrong. There was a strong, sinking feeling in his stomach and a tightness gripping at his chest as he stared down on her sleeping figure. No….not sleeping…. “R-rue….” he said quietly, his voice trembling. Jackson’s throat tightened up and he dared not say a single word more, fearing if he said it, it’d make it true. Jackson took a step back.

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They still had some time before school started again. Rue was sure they would be able to find the time to see each other again, at least once or twice. And afterwards… Sure, Jackson would be busy, but as his ‘tutor’ Rue figured he could use breaks from work anyway, so…. “Heh… I hope so,” he murmured. He would likely just ask not to volunteer for theater anymore, since that’s where he saw Oriel the most.

He chuckled at Jackson’s ‘complaints’. “You’re being a brat,” he said affectionately without any hint of annoyance. Rue found it cute. And he really did feel like he should take the brunt of the scolding if he could manage, considering it had been him who had initiated their night’s antics in the first place. Jackson hadn’t known what he was getting into when he came over… Rue smiled over at him. “Of course,” he said softly. “Just try not to worry too much, okay? It’ll be fine.” He hoped.

He reached over and gave Jackson’s hand a squeeze when he voiced his anxiety. “It’s okay. It’s not like we’re going to go in and tell her what really happened,” Rue tried to assure him. Surely his Grams would understand he couldn’t be perfect all the time. He kept close behind the younger boy in case he looked like he might fall over, but Jackson seemed to be alright. Rue closed the door behind them when they stepped inside.

Rue noticed something wrong before Jackson did. Maybe it was part of his ability, maybe not, but Rue had always found that he had a good sort of sixth sense for being able to feel the aura in a room. The house, it felt… Too quiet. It unsettled him deeply, and a sick, nervous feeling suddenly sunk into his stomach. As soon as he turned the corner and saw her, he knew. There was no aura beside Jackson’s grandmother at all. That only meant one thing. Rue had barely registered that the boy had been talking until he cluelessly approached his Grams and went to hug her. “Jackson, wait-“ he tried to warn the boy, but his voice caught with emotion, and it was too late.

When he finally managed to grasp the situation fully, Rue rushed forward and pulled Jackson away, holding the boy to his chest as he fumbled for his phone and called an ambulance. He knew he was too late, but what else could he do? He could tell that Jackson was in shock, so he wrapped his free arm tightly around him and held him there while he spoke on the phone. Within a few minutes, they said they were on their way, so Rue hung up and pulled into his full embrace. “It’s okay,” he croaked, holding the back of the boy’s head into the crook of his neck. “I’m not going to leave, okay? I’m right here. It’s going to be alright.” His own eyes watered in sympathy for the younger teen. Rue hadn’t known his grandmother that well, but he knew that Jackson loved her, and that this was going to be incredibly hard for him to deal with.

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Jackson wasn’t completely convinced things would be alright. His grandmother, while she wasn’t a meta, had this uncanny 6th sense ability to tell when something was up. At least, it always seemed like she could tell when he was lying, though she never called him out on it. Jackson didn’t think they’d be so lucky this time. Somehow, he just knew she was going to figure it out and pitch a fit over Rue ‘corrupting’ her grandson.

Still, with Rue there, he was almost certain he could withstand even that disaster. She could be disappointed in him all she wanted, it wasn’t going to change what happened last night. And while Jackson didn’t really want to advertise his relationship with Rue, he didn’t want to pretend it didn’t exist either. It was just…confusing, he supposed. Maybe all this - the fight, talking with Kodi, being with Rue - had been good for him, in giving him some incentive to be more honest with himself? Maybe…

Maybe….maybe not… Maybe… Jackson shook his head, refusing to believe it was true. No, she couldn’t be…Grams couldn’t be…

The boy was in shock and barely registered Rue pulling him back into his arms. He just kept his eyes on the form of his sleeping grandmother, feeling like his whole life, his whole existence, was suddenly frozen. He didn’t hear a word Rue said to the 911 operator. His mind felt numb, his already weak knees threatened to collapse from beneath him. The only reason he was able to stay up was because Rue had at some point pulled him in tighter and was holding the boy up. The whole while, Jackson didn’t speak a word. He barely moved. Jackson wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

For a few moments, Jackson stayed like that in Rue’s arms. Then, suddenly, something snapped inside him and along with it, a nearby lightbulb shattered. Jackson wriggled in Rue’s arms and a force pushed the older man away. With trembling limbs and watering eyes, Jackson looked at Rue, then darted out to the hallway and to the door, intending on running away. Were it not for his already weakened legs, the boy would have made it farther than the entryway. They gave out just before he reached the front door and he collapsed into it, landing hard on his knees and barely holding himself up with one hand on the doorknob. Jackson hung his head and he wept like the child he was.

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Rue would have taken any scolding over this. Anything at all. Any humor that they had shared over the anxiety of trying to explain themselves to the old woman had dissolved completely, replaced with overwhelming loss and shock. Rue could see Jackson’s aura rapidly losing color, and knew that there was nothing he could really do to make this any less horrible. All he could do was try to hold Jackson and comfort him until the ambulance got there.

He went over the five stages of grief in his head. First… Shock and denial. Both of them were feeling this, he knew, but it was easier for Rue to accept because he wasn’t as close to Jackson’s grandmother as the boy was. The shattering of a nearby lightbulb made him flinch, and he covered his face to keep from getting shards in his eyes. Before he could react any more, he felt something push him back, and Rue stumbled, alarmed. What was going on? He stared back at the boy, slowly realizing he’d never asked Jackson what his ability was. Telekinesis. Of course. “Jackson!” he called after the blonde as he darted away. Rue followed after him with a sinking feeling in his already sick stomach. He was going to hurt himself….

He turned the corner and saw Jackson collapsed against the door. Rue’s heart squeezed painfully. Every sob felt like a knife in his chest, but the aura reader forced himself to take a step at a time until he crouched down by the weeping boy. “Jackson,” he murmured. “Come here.” Rue carefully removed the telekinetic’s hand from the doorknob and wrapped him up in his arms again. He stood with a little difficulty, but managed to carry the blonde to his room (if he didn’t struggle). By the time he got there, he heard sirens in the distance. “I think you should stay in here,” he said softly, after depositing Jackson on his bed. “I can take care of the medics.” He didn’t leave just yet, though, instead propping the grieving boy against his side and stroking shaking fingers through his hair. “Alright, sweetheart?” Rue didn’t want Jackson to make anything else shatter or potentially cause harm to the paramedics once they got there. "But I won't go anywhere. I'll be right here if you need me."

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It wasn’t true! It couldn’t be true! She wasn’t dead, she wasn’t, she was just…

Jackson grew more dizzy as the world seemed to be spinning faster and faster with this new reality gradually sinking in. She’d called him last night. So many times, she must’ve been worried. She’d been waiting for him to come home. She’d stayed up all night waiting for him! And…and Jackson was too buy having gay sex to even answer the fucking phone and give her even the tiniest bit of relief!! She’d been waiting for him when she….and he…..

Wave after wave of guilt swept over him and as the tears fell, his whole body quaked from his grief-filled sobs. He wailed, took a stinging, ragged breath, and wailed again. His grip on the doorknob was tight, and would take some effort to peel off, but once Rue did, the boy fell into him, his fingers clinging to Rue’s shirt and face pressing into his chest which muffled his unending sobs. He continued to hold onto Rue as the man picked him up and carried the boy to his bedroom. Meanwhile, Jackson continued to shake his head, unwilling to accept that his grandmother was….she was…

Jackson wanted to run away. He wanted to be alone and run far away, but he couldn’t even do that much with his body in it’s weakened state. So he just…continued to weep pathetically in Rue’s arms. He couldn’t find his voice to speak, to respond to Rue’s words, and so just nodded shakily. Whenever it was that Rue finally left, Jackson would throw himself across the bed and bury his face into the comforter, though taking absolutely no comfort from the blasted thing. Jackson could feel his power reaching out, and he grabbed with it the first thing it touched and threw it towards the door. He’d continue that pattern for as long as he was left alone.

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Rue had never had anyone he was particularly close to die before, so it was hard for him to really relate to what Jackson was feeling now. All he could feel was through the boy’s aura, and he was having a hard time even looking at the horribly grey and black puppy that looked like it was completely lost and mournful. And he could only imagine the guilt Jackson felt too…. Knowing that they had been… And she didn’t know where he was…. Oh, God, had she had a heart attack because she was so worried…?

Rue swallowed his own guilt and remorse, trying not to think about it. Jackson needed support now, not someone else adding onto the guilt. He didn’t even know how she had passed yet, maybe he was worrying over nothing. He tensed at the awful sounds coming from the younger boy’s throat; it was all he could do not to cover his ears and cry himself. Rue felt the blonde’s fingers clinging into him as he carried him down the hall. He didn’t want to leave him alone, but he knew he had to take care of things, as Jackson was in no state to do it himself.

He heard knocking at the door. Rue held Jackson for a few more moments before kissing the top of his head and gently pulling himself out of the boy’s clasping fingers. “I’ll be right outside,” he swore. It crushed Rue to leave Jackson alone, and even as he let the paramedics in and tried to explain what had happened, all he could think about was getting back up there to him. He averted his eyes when they pulled in the stretcher and placed the old woman on it. He didn’t need to hear them pronounce her gone, but he did anyway. He swallowed hard as they took her away, making sure he’d written down what he needed to do and assuring them he would ask what the family would like done with the body. Not now, though. No way would Rue even bring that up with Jackson in his current state.

It was only when the house quieted that he noticed the sounds coming from Jackson’s room. Alarmed, he rushed towards it and opened the door, nearly getting clocked in the head by whatever Jackson was throwing. “Jackson!” he cried. The room was a mess, broken pieces of a variety of things scattered around chaotically. “I’m here, please, stop….” He quickly went over to the bed and propped himself up next to the grieving boy, pulling him against his chest once again. “I’m right here,” he murmured, feeling moisture finally bead up in his eyes and run down his cheeks. “I won’t leave you again for as long as you need me, I swear.” He wondered what other family Jackson has that he could call, if any. Rue didn’t know. For all he knew, the boy was orphaned now. His chest clenched painfully and he pulled Jackson closer against him. He tried humming softly, his chin resting on the top of Jackson’s head. “You’re not alone.”

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Jackson wanted to be alone. Yet, once he was alone, all he could think to do was throw one piece of something after the other like a kid throwing a tantrum. Well, he was a kid. And he was throwing a tantrum. It was as if his wailing and desperate destruction would somehow change the past, that it would make it not true if he pitched enough of a fit. If he pleaded with God about it, threatened to do one thing, apologized for another, promised a million more all so that He could make it not true. And then he raise his head and open his eyes, realize nothing had changed at all, and then despair all over again at his foolishness. He was too helpless to make a difference in this situation. All he could do was….throw shit against the wall, and the door, and at whomever came through the door.

When the door opened, Jackson didn’t bother looking up, not even when his name was called. Another thing, a book, was prepped and ready for another heave in some random direction. It didn’t fall until the boy was pulled up back into Rue’s arms and held tight. The telekinetic’s sobs had died down, though that didn’t mean he was in any level of ‘fine’. Jackson didn’t think he ever would be again, not after this. Grams was the only person he had left. Not truly, he had his dad’s family in Mexico still, but they didn’t give a shit about him! On top of the guilt he now had running thought of what was going to happen to him now? Where would he go? Who could he depend on? He didn’t even know what happened to a person when they died, who was going to take care of all of that? What was going to happen to Grams’ stuff? One thing after the other just kept piling into his thoughts and each one weighed him down just a little bit more than the last until he couldn’t move anymore, he could barely even breath. There was no one else…. No one but him… He was alone….

After a good long while, Jackson seemed to finally calm down, his tears caked to his cheeks and eyes red and puffy. He was still clinging to Rue, his breathing slow and shaky. He rubbed his face into Rue’s shirt. “I…” Jackson tried to speak, but his voice was raspy and cracked through each word. “I don’t want to stay here,” he told Rue, slowly shaking his head. “I….c-can’t…stay here….” Not anymore. The place was just eerie and empty. He couldn’t stand it, the sound of such emptiness, of being so alone. He just knew it would drive him mad.

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Rue really wished he hadn’t had to leave Jackson in the first place. He felt like it was his fault that the boy had trashed his room, but knew it was pointless feeling guilty over it now. Rue had felt so much guilt lately… And would likely let it overwhelm him again once he was alone. Being with Jackson was helping him stay sane too.

He wasn’t sure if he should ask if Jackson had other family. Rue was afraid of the answer. What if he said no? That wouldn’t make this situation any easier. He just made a silent promise to himself that he would make sure the boy found a stable place to stay, wherever that may be. He hit himself for not asking more about Jackson’s family sooner…. Then he might know who to contact. Or maybe… Maybe he could ask the people at Hammel. They would probably know, right? Rue rubbed circles on the boy’s back like he had earlier, not knowing what else to do other than be there for Jackson and try to be as comforting as he could.

Rue didn’t know how long he was there for until Jackson’s tears subsided somewhat. He’d closed his own at some point, keeping his arms wrapped firmly around the younger boy’s. When the blonde finally stirred, he opened them, and lifted his hand to brush some hairs away from Jackson’s tear-streaked face. He blinked at the boy’s words, but wasn’t surprised. Rue wouldn’t want to stay here either. “I can take you back to my place,” he offered quietly. “For however long you need. We’ll figure out something, I promise.” Rue began to move a little, sitting up more and bringing Jackson with him to the edge of the bed. “Can you walk?” he asked gently. If not, he would carry the shorter boy again. If he could, Rue would lead the way out the front door, locking it behind them and leading Jackson out to his car once again. The ambulances were gone, making the whole scene seem too quiet, too eerie. Rue shivered. He wanted to get out of here, too.

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Jackson felt numb. He’d felt it before, when he first realized that Grams was gone, and now again it completely smothered him. Like if he allowed himself to feel anything, he’d just break down all over again and become useless. He still felt useless like this, though. He could barely think, much less do anything productive. All he could try to do was take comfort in the fact that Rue was still there with him, and would be there to make sure he was okay until he could move by himself again.

Jackson nodded. “Okay.” Back to Rue’s place would be good. Honestly, it was still troublesome since that was the place he’d been at all night while Grams was waiting for him to come home, but it was better than staying in that empty apartment. And better than going back to the school and either being left completely alone in his room or having to deal with more people than he could handle. Jackson didn’t want either of those at the moment. He just…needed some time. Some space. A safe place he could hide out in and not have to worry about anything, and he knew he could get that with Rue.

“I think so,” he said. His tongue was dry along with his rough throat. He tried to clear it and it stung something terrible. “I could use some water too.” Jackson refused any offer from Rue to carry him or hold him up. He may have moved slowly, but at least he was moving. The boy grabbed a bag and dropped a few necessary items inside, including the whole stock of his medicine and supplies, then followed Rue back out to the car. Jackson didn’t know how long he was going to be staying with Rue, but he knew he wasn’t coming back here anytime soon.

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Rue knew there was no way he could in any way replace the hole that losing his grandmother had left in Jackson’s heart, but he damn well wasn’t going to leave him alone to wallow in his grief and potentially cause more harm, especially to himself. He didn’t trust this telekinesis with the boy so worked up, and hoped that holding him and distracting him enough would keep him from doing anything too destructive. At least his own apartment wasn’t full of too many valuable, breakable things.

He was relieved when Jackson agreed to go with him. Rue was sure there were some bitter feelings towards his apartment for the exact reasons that Jackson was thinking, but figured it was the best at the moment. Maybe the cats would be good and help him keep Jackson warm and close and safe, too.

Water. Right, of course. While Jackson gathered his things, Rue went to the kitchen to get him a glass. He brought it to the younger boy once he was out in the hallway after gathering his things. “Here,” he offered softly. Rue was glad that Jackson had remembered his meds and such, because he wouldn’t have. He just wanted to get him out of there as quickly as he could. The drive back was quiet, and Rue kept one of his hands on Jackson’s knee, to keep that physical comfort there. Soon enough, they were back in his apartment. “You can put your things wherever,” he told Jackson, going to make some calming chamomile tea. Hopefully it would help lull Jackson to sleep. “You can go in my room, okay? I’ll be there in just a minute. If you need anything, just ask.” He paused and wrapped Jackson into another hug, then pulled back and kissed his forehead. “And I mean anything. I’m here for you no matter what, okay?” Rue brushed his cheek once before going to boil the water. He wanted to curl up and sleep now, too….