Beatdown! [Closed]

[Jesse Adams]

After yesterday’s little escape, Jesse was looking forward to relaxing a bit today. Sure, he had lessons to attend, but right now he had a bit of downtime. Downtime he was planning to put to good use. He was exhausted from the previous day’s activities. Keeping his thoughts shielded with Dr. Neville, running away, getting punched in the damn face, and then the struggle he’d put up for Gabriel and Max upon his arrival.

At least he wasn’t in pain anymore. Thank god for biological manipulation. The teenager was currently curled up in the entertainment room, the television playing a gruesome horror movie that had the blond smirking. Special effects were so realistic these days.

His feet were tucked beneath the massive dog that lay on the couch beside him. Gambit was fast asleep, his paws twitching every so often as he dreamt. Jesse was glad for the alone time. After yesterday, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to see anyone from MSAD. Especially Max. As a person, he wasn’t so bad. He knew that, logically speaking. But it was his profession that bothered him. Though he hadn’t thought twice about yelling down the hallway yesterday, now he’d had time to calm down and reflect, he’d realized that half the compound had probably heard him. And if not, they’d have heard about it by now. Things never stayed a secret for long around the mansion.

He sat up a bit and ran his fingers through Gambit’s short fur. Times like this weren’t common in the compound. Quiet, peaceful. He didn’t know where the rest of the members were, and frankly, he didn’t care. The longer he was left alone, the better.

Then maybe everyone could forget about the little scene he’d caused.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jacob had been working hard to keep his affair with Morgan secret. (Could it really be considered an affair? It wasn't like he had any romantic or intimate obligation to Gabriel anymore.) And he knew he'd been spending an awful lot of time with the blonde lately, so in favor of calling him up again, Jake had decided to spend the evening watching movies with Levi. He'd gathered a stack of his favorite movies, bought some popcorn, candy, and ice cream for the movie marathon munchies, and now all that was left was claiming the theater room before anyone else did.

Shame Jesse had got there first.

Now, it was common knowledge that Jake didn't like Jesse. Actually, that's a huge understatement. To him, Jesse was little better than the dirt caked in the bottom of his shoes. It grated on the brunette that now the whiny little brat was here to stay and Gabe was fawning over him left and right. What made it even worse though, was that Jesse's presence was ruining his plans for the night, simple though they might have been.

Snorting, Jake crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at the boy sprawled across the couch. "Well what do we have here? If it isn't the resident baby!" Oh yes, Jake had heard very quickly about the fit that Jesse had pitched for poor Dr. Sexy Max. And if Jesse thought he was going to get away without so much as a little teasing, he was sorely mistaken.

Jake was going to take this and run.

[Jesse Adams]

Much as Jake didn’t like Jesse, Jesse didn’t like him. He didn’t know why, he just knew he didn’t like him. Which was why it didn’t bother him that Jake seemed to be around the mansion less and less while his training sessions were held. And yesterday, thankfully, he hadn’t been around when he’d pitched his fit. Nor had he interrupted the comforting, calming time he’d had with Gabriel, afterwards. (Yes, violent movies, cigarettes, and alcohol were comforting and calming, thank you.) He hadn’t even seen any of the other MSAD members, which had given him a little bit of hope. Maybe no one had heard. If it was just between him, Gabriel, and Max, he’d be okay. Maybe. (He’d be happier if Max wasn’t involved.)

He would have been fine, lounging in the entertainment room all alone. But then Jake had to poke his ugly face into the room. Jesse was intent to ignore him at first. If he ignored him, maybe he’d just give up and go away. That was his hope, anyway. But when he actually came in and crossed his arms, Jesse looked up at him, scowling. His first full day at the MSAD compound, as a trainee operative, and Jake was going to play this game? Really?

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” he mumbled, his gaze sliding back to the television. He wanted to pretend it was just a jibe at his age. That it had nothing to do with his little meltdown yesterday. (Seriously, who had been spreading the story?) But his hopes were slowly sinking, the more he watched Jake from the corner of his eye. “Look, go bug someone else. I’m busy.” Please, please let Jake take the hint and leave.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Obviously Jesse didn't know just how much Jake despises him, because if he did, he'd know that the man standing across from him now was bound and determined to make his life at the compound a living hell. (And considering all that we have planned, I'd say he's going to do a stellar job of it.) The fact that he'd heard about the massive fit that the kid had thrown yesterday was just going to make it oh so much easier. It was just the little gem he needed to start crawling under the whiny brat's skin.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. So tell me, I'm curious, did you piss yourself when Max touched you?" He was grinning, but it certainly wasn't the laid-back easy smile he so often wore. No, this was the part of Jake that enjoyed upsetting people, of using their fears against them. This was the side of Jacob that he usually only brought out when he was working and he needed to, but oh Jesse made him feel so angry and he couldn't help it. One look at the blond rat's face and Jake could feel his blood boill.

Casually, Jake leaned against the wall. Though Jesse's mere existence triggered what little temper Jake had, he could keep it in check if he needed to. Right now, he just wanted to tease. Nothing wrong with that, right? We'll let Max be the judge of that when Jesse winds up at his mercy a second time in under a week. Something tells me that Dr. Donahue is going to want a vacation in the very near future.

[Jesse Adams]

No, Jesse really didn’t know much about how much Jake hated him, or why. Oh, he knew he didn’t like him. He just wasn’t too clear on the why. He knew he and Gabriel had a history, but the specifics were lost on him. Granted, there was a lot of personal crap that went on within the compound that he didn’t know about. But he’d learn. He’d make it his business to learn. His only thought was that Jake was jealous. After all, Jesse was the favourite now. Gabriel’s own little protégé to teach and shape into a dangerous member of MSAD.

And if Jake had a problem with that, too bad for him.

He tensed slightly and hissed when Jake actually spoke again. “Fuck off,” he growled. At the other end of the sofa, Gambit rolled up to a sit and looked at Jake, his teeth bared in a growl. The dog was loyal to Jesse (he had no idea why), and if his master was tense around Jake, he didn’t like him. Normally Gambit was friends with most of the members within the compound. But Jesse was his clear favourite, and if someone was upsetting him, well, it was game on. “Whatever you heard, it ain’t fuckin’ true.” He sat up and dug his fingers into Gambit’s fur, one hand wrapping around his collar. Just in case.

And of course, now he had to be so damn casual. Jesse shot Jake a glare. He wasn’t amused. Not in the slightest. Why did things get around the compound as fast as they did? Though it was childish, he let go of Gambit’s fur in favour of curling his fingers around the remote and sent it flying at the older man. “Go the fuck away.”

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jesse's reactions told Jake everything that he needed to know. He had barely started in with his teasing and already the kid was defensive and tense. Even Gambit had growled, which didn't bother Jake since he'd known the dog longer than Jesse had. The only one of Gabe's dogs that he had a problem with was Frederic, who was about as annoying and ratlike as Jesse. Jacob smirked as an idea surfaced in his mind; he was totally unleashing that little bastard into Jesse's room in the middle of the night.

Now, Jake wouldn't say he was necessarily a mean person, but doesn't everyone feel like being a jerk every once in a while? Part of him felt like Jesse deserved this kind of treatment, not only because he was stealing away Gabriel's attention, but because deep down Jesse was just as rotten as he appeared. As far as Jake knew or cared to know, there were absolutely no redeeming qualities about the brat. "C'mon, you and I both know you nearly shit yourself the very second Gabe mentioned Max. Bet if I called him down here now you'd get whiplash trying to get out the window." He laughed, his heel tapping against the wall.

He had expected to get a little more volatile reaction out of Jesse after that comment, but he hadn't expected the kid to actually throw something at him. Thankfully, his reflexes were much better than, say, Vincent's and he was able to smack the remote away before it hit him. "What are you, fucking ten?" Jake huffed, pushing himself away from wall and crossed over to the other side of the room. "Now, before you start crying for Gabe, why don't you get the fuck out? I'm getting sick of looking at your face."

[Jesse Adams]

Had he known his defensive nature had only tipped Jake off further, Jesse might have rethought his approach. He wanted the older man to just go away and leave him alone, but it didn’t look like that was going to be happening anytime soon. Word to the wise, Jake. Release Frederic into Jesse’s room, and you might find yourself facing some very twisted night terrors. Revenge is sweet, and Jesse has it down to a science.

Unlike Jake, Jesse was mean. He was good at being mean. He excelled at being mean. A part of it was the way he’d been raised. The rest was simply his personality. Gabriel was helping him to combine the two elements and raise a criminal worthy of MSAD. Yes, he was stealing their leader’s attention, but he had a damn good reason for it. Besides, Jake had screwed himself out of Gabe’s good graces. Literally. He glared at Jake. “Fuck you,” he hissed. “Where’d you hear it from, huh?” Whoever it was, they were a lying bitch, and they were going to pay for it. (Never mind the fact it was true.)

Okay. So the remote trick didn’t work. Too bad for Jesse. “I’m fucking sixteen, jerkass.” He didn’t want Jake so close to him. Not when he could be on the offense. Much as he didn’t want to give up his coveted spot on the couch, he let go of Gambit’s collar and got up. Not that he was leaving. Hell no. He just wanted to get the hell away from Jake. “Leave me alone, bitch. I don’t cry to Gabe.” Oh Jesse. When will you learn not to antagonize your peers?

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake says that a couple nightmares are totally worth watching Frederic chew on Jesse's face and normally, I'd agree. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that Jesse would go for all Jake's weak spots. (Wait, does Jesse know them yet? If not, yay!) And you and I both know how that ends up. Gabe might forgive Jacob for some things, but I sure as hell doubt he'll forgive him if Jess ends up six feet under.

"Oh, I have very reliable first-hand sources." Jake smirked, enjoying this far beyond what he should have. Yes, he'd heard from Gabe some details about Jesse's trip to Max, but he'd also been sneaking around the compound when he first heard the fit. He heard some things, but he'd been laughing so hard he was afraid he'd get caught. "So cut the crap, I know you practically pissed yourself, brat. You suck at lying." He'd also like to point out that Jesse sucks at other things, like being tolerable, and attractive, and life.

But when Jesse got up, Jake saw his opening. It was only brief, just a flash of movement, and easy to miss. With his power he lifted Jesse's shadow up past his ankle, just enough to trip him. With that done, he flopped onto the couch, stretching across it in a very triumphant fashion. "Piss off, you little fetus." He snorted, looking down at Jesse. "And fall down the stairs while you're at it. I wanna set Max on you again." For everyone's sake, Jake should really not have any knowledge of Jesse's fear of doctors, but where's the fun in that?

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse says that it wouldn’t just be a few nightmares if he found Frederic attached to any part of his body. He hated the little rat dog. He hated him so much that, if Gabe wasn’t so damn attached to him, he’d have kicked him over the fence of the compound by now. If he could get close enough to kick him, that is. The point is, he hates that dog. And, while he doesn’t know specifics, he knows enough to go for Jake’s weak points. At least one of them. Word to he wise, don’t stick Frederic in the blond’s bedroom.

“First hand, huh?” That meant he either had to whine to Gabe, or he had to go and threaten Max. “Who told you?” If it was anyone other than Max or Gabe, he could claim they were lying through their teeth. He glared up at Jake, wishing he’d just die or spontaneously combust. Anything, but stand here tormenting him. “I didn’t! All he did was fuckin’ fix my goddamn busted nose. Nothin’ to be scared of.” Oh Jesse, stop lying. It’s not that bad.

Oh no. No no no. Of course Jesse missed the movement. He wasn’t looking at the ground, he was looking at Jake. So he fell. Flat on his face. Okay. Game on. Jesse growled and rolled so that he was sitting up. Jake was already up on the couch, talking trash. Again. He was going to die. “Fuck you,” he managed to spit before getting to his feet. He could have taken the easy way out. He could have given up his time in the entertainment room and gone up to his room. He could have taken Gambit for a walk.

Instead, he was throwing himself at Jake, fists first. Clever, Jesse. “You’re suck a fuckin’ jerk. Go die in a ditch.” He swung at him, hoping something would connect. Please, Jake. Please, please pin him down on the ground. He needs to be put in his place.

[Jacob Lawrence]

At least Jake had a hatred of Frederic in common with Jesse. He generally tried to be sneaky when he was being unkind to the dog. "Accidentally" locking him in closets, or sitting just out of the evil little bastard's reach and teasing him, all the sorts of things he's going to start doing to Jesse. Granted, he would never hit Frederic (he'd feel bad, even if the dog was satan incarnate) but he would oh-so-gladly hit Jesse.

"Pull your head outta your ass, brat." He rolled his eyes, wondering how Jesse could be so stupid. Who else would he have heard it from? "Keep tellin' yourself that, you little dick. Maybe next time you'll actually believe it instead of freaking the fuck out." Jesse's attempts at defense were only encouraging more stabbing comments from the elder, who was really starting to tire of the whiny blonde's entire existence. What he wouldn't give for the ability to send Jesse tumbling down a trap door into the basement, where he'd hopefully just waste away quietly.

But seeing Jesse fall flat on his face was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that he doubled over with laughter. It was followed by a mental note to do that much, much more often. It could easily be passed off as an accident... and Jake knew there were a couple others around the compound who would get a kick out of seeing Jesse eat it. Unfortunately, his moment of victory was shortlived.

Jesse came at him in a fit of rage and Jake reacted in the only way he knew how. He scrambled to grab hold of the blonde's wrists and earned a couple glancing blows in the process. Once he had his grip on Jesse, he flipped him over and pinned him down... but that loud popping noise didn't sound that good. Maybe it was nothing?

[Jesse Adams]

At least Jake had the sense to be sneaky about being mean to the dog. Jesse had no qualms about yelling at him, or sticking his foot out to prevent the little bastard from locking onto his hands. Most of the time, he was able to avoid him. That, and if he was really out of line, well... Gambit was a good defense. He was a hell of a lot bigger than Frederic, for a start. And loud.

“You pull your head outta your ass,” Jesse retorted. Childish? Just a tad. But Jake had started it. For Jake’s information, if he’d heard it first hand, it was either from Max or Gabe. He wanted to know who was responsible. Either way, he was pissed, but depending on who was behind it, he wasn’t sure where to direct that rage. ... Oh. Wait a minute. Yes he did. “I didn’t freak the fuck out!” Why couldn’t Jake just accept that fact?

It was the laughing that really did Jesse in. The tripping, he might have been able to handle on its’ own. But the laughing? Yeah. Jake was going to die. He was going to have nightmares for a month straight. He was going to have Frederic attached to his ass before the day was out.

Pissed? Just a little.

He wasn’t thinking when he attacked Jake. So he didn’t think about the chances of a retaliation. By the time Jake had his wrists firmly, he was too busy being smug over the fact that he’d actually hit the older man. Until he was flipped and pinned. And fucking hell. “OW!” He struggled against Jake, pain shooting through his arm. “Let me go!” He wanted to get away from him. He wanted to go back to his room. If he just burrowed himself in the dark, his arm would stop hurting.

Really. It would.

... Not.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jesse could try as he might to convince Jake that he hadn't flipped a bitch during his encounter with Max, but the brunette knew the truth and he was going to lord that truth over Jesse's head for as long as he possibly could. Every no would be countered with a yes and Jesse really has no chance of out-stubborn-ing Jake. This is a man who has had years and years of getting exactly what he wants and right now he wants to piss Jesse the fuck off. He'd also like to give him a black eye, but that could wait until later.

Now, Jake kept his hold on Jesse's arms, one knee pressed into his back to keep him from getting away. "Listen up, you little shitbag. You're not the king of this fuckin' castle, so get the hell off your high horse. From now on, when I say leave, you fucking leave. Got it?" He gave a tug on Jesse's arm to punctuate his words, but that was when he noticed that something was just a little... off.

Jacob would never consider himself an expert at anatomy, but he was pretty sure Jesse's shoulder wasn't supposed to move or look like that. And then suddenly he understood what that popping noise had been. "Oh... shit." Rather delicately, he let Jesse's arms go and removed his knee from his back. Sure, he'd meant to cause the kid a little pain, but he hadn't meant to actually dislocate his shoulder. "Um..." He wasn't entirely sure what to say. He knew the very basic mechanics of how dislocations worked, but he highly doubted Jesse would have let him be the one to put it back in place, nor did he really have any desire to attempt and end up fucking Jesse's arm up for good. Gabe would not be happy if he did that.

"Don't shit yourself, but uhhh... I think you need to see Max again." If Jake hadn't been so worried about what would happen to him because of this, he might have laughed at the circumstances. As it were, he just looked slightly worried and sounded faintly remorseful. That had to hurt like hell.

[Jesse Adams]

That just wasn’t fair. Jesse hadn’t wanted that knowledge leaked to anyone, let alone the biggest pain in his ass. Jealous little bitch. It was bad enough he’d flipped out in front of Gabriel. The one person he strove to impress. But he’d already been down points that day, with his little escape from Hammel. The last thing he’d wanted was to lose face in front of his mentor. But he had. And he’d paid for it. But Jake was a different story. He didn’t need to know. Now he did, Jesse was indeed very, very pissed off. And a pissed off Jesse is not a pleasant one.

He didn’t like being held like this. Not by a long shot. It was why he struggled so hard to get out of Jake’s grip. He growled in response. Since when was Jake so high and mighty? He was Gabriel’s favourite, not Jake. He grunted as he turned his face away from the carpet. “Gabe’s king of the goddamned castle, moron. Not me, not you.” He wore a tiny little grin though. “But I am his favourite.” That statement was short lived, however. When Jake pulled his arm, all hell broke loose.

Jesse let loose a string of curses. Loud curses. And struggled to be let go. Of course, the struggling made it hurt worse, but it was better than being touched by Jacob any longer. His shoulder felt like it was on fire, and his entire arm seemed to be tingling. This could not be good. Not by any stretch of the word. The moment Jake let go, he collapsed to the floor, another string of curses leaving his mouth. He couldn’t move, and little tears from the pain pricked at his eyes.

“Fuck you,” he hissed at Jake. It didn’t matter what was going on. He was not going to see Max. He squirmed, biting back a groan as he tried to get to his feet. It was a hopeless venture. “Just go away,” he choked out. He’d lie here all day if he had to. He just wanted Jake to back the hell off, and Max nowhere near him. Somehow, I don’t think he’s going to get either.

[Jacob Lawrence]

“Wrong again, you disgusting little prick. Solo is his favorite.” Yes, Jake was quite aware he had fallen from favor since Jesse had reared his ugly head and, yes, he was quite jealous even if he’d never admit it out loud. When Jake had been the obvious favorite, at least he could say that he’d been there before all the dogs. He’d been there before all of them.

Also, Jake would like to add that any Jesse is an unpleasant one.

The brunette clenched his jaw as Jesse fell, wincing a little and ignoring the shouting. “Shut up you little fuck… and quit trying to move your damn arm!” He leaned down and pushed up the sleeve of Jesse’s shirt, just to verify that yes, he had indeed pulled the kid’s arm out of socket. Maybe if he was lucky, Max wouldn’t tell. “Shit.” He muttered, stepping back and pacing.

“Look, I know you’re fucking pissed, kid, but it ain’t gunna fix itself.” That was going to be one hell of a trick, getting a pissed demon child with a dislocated shoulder down to meet one of his greatest fears. And, if you’re wondering, no it’s not Jesse who Jake is looking sorry for at the moment, it’s Max. There was really nothing that was worth having to deal with Jesse, but Jake could try to come up with something to pay Max back with.

And then the metaphoric light bulb over Jake’s head turned on.

Rampaging animals were calmed with tranquilizers, but seeing as Jake didn’t have any of those available, he went for the next best thing. Stepping over Jesse’s body, he leaned down. “Y’know, I’m actually not sorry about this at all, brat.” He said cheekily, glad for Jesse’s impaired ability to fight back. He grabbed that blonde mess of hair, pulled his head back, then wrapped his arm around Jesse’s neck in a particular manner; a sleeper hold. It wasn’t quite as fun as shooting Jesse with a tranq gun, but now it would only be a manner of seconds before Jesse became infinitely easier to deal with.

[Jesse Adams]

Oh, so now Jesse ranked below the dog? Somehow, the teenager didn’t think that was true. Maybe it was because it was coming from Jake’s ugly mouth. He scowled up at the older man, wanting nothing more than to headbutt him in the mouth and leave. Childish, yes. But within the confines of the MSAD compound, he didn’t need to be all that adult. He was still a teenager, a student. And he liked his lessons here better than anything he’d ever experienced at Hammel. “I’m still higher up than you,” he hissed. And that, Jake couldn’t easily argue.

Shut up? Not a chance. Thought it was a little late in the game, Jesse was realizing that Jake was going to be in trouble for this. And the more noise he made, the better the chances someone would notice. Hopefully not Fifi, but perhaps Oliver, or the twins. Anyone that he could actually stomach. Anyone he could trust to tattle. Much as he did not enjoy being in this position, if Jake got into trouble, he would remain in pain. It was just another reason he didn’t want to see Max. Max would fix it, and probably keep his stupid mouth shut about it. Then it would be his word against Jake’s, and he figured regardless of favouritism, he knew who Gabriel would believe.

When he felt Jake’s hands on him, pulling up his sleeve, he growled and tried to thrash away, yelping as he did so. This sucked. A lot. “I know that,” he spat, trying against to brace himself enough with his good arm to get his feet under him. “I just don’t wanna fuckin’ go. I want Gabe to see what his dipshit lackey did.” And again, his feet didn’t quite make it under him. This much pain made it difficult for him to figure out how to get up again. Not without hurting himself worse.

When he felt Jake move on top of him, the little blond was ready to fight. He braced himself against his touch. He didn’t trust Jake. Not in the slightest. And when his arm came around, he twitched. Not because it hurt, but because it was touching. “Getoffmegetoffmegetoffmegetoff-” And that was it. No more struggling, no more biting comments. Just a very, very limp teenager.