|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 7:37 am
“I’m really bad at keeping secrets from Kaelan, so if you could just surprise me, that would probably be best,” he admitted with a grimace. It wasn’t like he liked keeping secrets from him, anyway. But even if Kaelan didn’t ask, he would still panic over not knowing what was going on. He would see the expression on Orien’s face and know he was anxious about something and then panic, himself.
While he’d started the conversation tense and uncertain, he was much more relaxed now. He didn’t know if he would regret trusting Jett, but he hoped he wouldn’t.
He just needed to make sure whatever happened didn’t end up making Kaelan more stressed than he already was.
“I’ll tell Kaelan what’s going on once we get the results and have a game plan. If that’s okay,” he sighed and lifted a hand to rub at his head, and then shake out his hand because it was twitching obnoxiously. But that wasn’t anything unusual. Although…
“If they could fix this too, that would be great,” he snorted and flexed his hand, before making a fist to keep it from being too obvious that it was trembling. “These specialists of yours will have their work cut out for them.”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 7:54 am
That made sense. And what if Orien forgot it was supposed to be a secret and spilled the beans, anyway?
“I can do surprises,” he promised, but leaned forward in his chair to squint at Orien’s hands.
“What is that, is that why you drop things?” he asked. He didn’t reach out to touch Orien; he knew he was already pushing his luck with sensitive conversation. Orien seemed like he was handling things all right though, so maybe a few more questions wouldn’t hurt.
“Do they do that all the time or just when you’re stressed?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 7:57 am
Orien was hesitant about answering, but he had been the one to draw attention to it, so after a few more moments of contemplation, he held out his hand for Jett to see.
Without it being balled into a fist it trembled slightly, especially with his fingers outstretched.
“Not just my hands,” he confessed, but it was clear that it was most obvious in his hands. “It’s all the time, but more when I’m stressed. I’ve gotten used to it, so I can usually ignore it. I just have to remember to pick things up with both hands. It’s been like this for as long as I can remember. Side effects from using too many of the wrong things for too long.”
He knew it sounded bad, and while he usually didn’t care about defending himself because it didn’t matter, he found that he kind of did care what Jett thought of him.
“It usually wasn’t my choice,” he said quietly and withdrew his hand to rub with his other, as if that would get the trembling to calm down. “And when it was… it was usually due to withdrawal and not being able to resist. Probably just as intended. And I was too young to know any better. Too young to know I shouldn’t trust anyone.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 8:13 am
Jett watched his hands mostly, but when Orien withdrew them he glanced up to see his face–briefly, and then he nodded. “I get it,” he said. In a vague sense, he understood. Not the specifics, not exactly what Orien had been through.
They’d touched on the conversation before. Jett didn’t think decisions you made in your youth should count against you. Although, ‘his decision’ was a dubious claim.
“Well, we’ll see if there’s anything our specialists can do. You’re young, still at that age where there’s a lot you can bounce back from. Especially when you’ve got the right people figuring out how to make that happen. I don’t know too much about it myself, but I know people who will. Do me a favor when you can, make a list of everything you can think of. Whatever you’ve been on, for how long, how many times you’ve quit. You don’t have to show me, we’ll take it to the doctor to see if that helps them figure out how they’re going to help us. And write down any other problems you’re having. The shaking. Any other aches and pains. Anything that doesn’t feel right. And I don’t care how ‘used to’ it you are or if you’ve just learned to live around it, write it down. I’d rather you not have to manage something if there’s any way to make it easier on you. There’s probably plenty of better things for you to spend your energy on. I’ll remind you about making that list, though.”
Just in case he forgot. If Kaelan wasn’t supposed to know, he wouldn’t be around to remind Orien. So Jett could, at least until they could get a professional to help fix things.
“The more we tell the doctor up front, the more he can work on fixing. The less visits we’ll have to make. But we’ll do however many it takes. We’ll make sure this gets done right.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 8:19 am
Orien didn’t want to admit that there was a lot he probably didn’t remember. A lot that he didn’t know. Some of the things that might be useful for the doctor to know were things that Orien had never been privy to.
Still, he nodded. He kept his eyes down so Jett couldn’t see the shame as easily, although Orien doubted anything got past him.
In many ways, he was lucky to even be alive. Lucky to have been given a chance to be out on his own again, after being in the system for most of his life. He was pretty sure he still didn’t know how to function like an actual human.
Whatever Jett saw in him, he knew he should count it as a blessing. Maybe it was because Jett saw the potential Kaelan had, and wanted him to succeed and thus wanted to make sure Orien was able to offer his support as well. That made the most sense -- wanting to make sure Kaelan thrived.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, flustered and embarrassed by the kindness he was being shown. It wasn’t something he got from more than Kaelan usually, but it was something he was getting more and more used to from Jett.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 8:25 am
Jett had to watch Orien closely and draw his own conclusions more often than he wanted to admit. Orien was good at hiding his thoughts and feelings, and his anger was somewhat easy to read through. Jett couldn’t always tell what he was hiding, just that he was trying to hide it.
There was no anger here, only aversion. And gratitude, surprisingly. It was more than Jett expected but he was grateful for it all the same.
In civil conversation, manners would demand Jett said ‘You’re Welcome’ but so many interactions were loaded. He nodded instead and decided not to dwell on it. He wasn’t helping Orien with the expectation of thanks and he didn’t want Orien to think that Jett was trying to force him to be humble.
“Any time. I’m going to guess you haven’t eaten yet?” He didn’t see any wrappers or empty boxes or dirtied plates and it really wouldn’t have surprised him if they weren’t actually making good use of the room service like he’d insisted. “This place has decent food. Pizza’s pretty good. Waffles, too. Here,” he reached next to him and passed one of the two menus resting on the corner of the table over to Orien. He kept the other one for himself. “Help me pick out something Kaelan would like. BLTs are good.” He scratched at his chin like he might have been thinking about getting something for himself while he was here, too. He was used to Kaelan picking out the cheapest thing on the menu but if he wasn’t here to insist then Jett could just get whatever he wanted. “He needs to eat well so he can pass these finals. And you, too, so you can heal up. And me, too, because I’ve got a lot of work to do when I get back to the office.”
They were good kids that life dealt s**t hands to. He couldn’t undo everything that had happened, but he could at least give them a chance to have a different future. A twelve dollar plate of waffles didn’t mean anything to him but he knew it was something special for them. And if it got them through the day a little easier, he was happy to be a part of that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 8:31 am
Orien felt his cheeks burn when Jett guessed (correctly) about him not eating. He’d gotten anxious about picking up the phone to order, so didn’t bother. He would have found a place to eat or something, probably. But he didn’t want to get lost on his way back to the hotel. Even with the room number written on his arm.
He took the menu as it was handed to him and glanced over everything, including the prices. Even if Jett was buying for them, he didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity. That was probably the fastest way to make him not want to bother helping.
However, Orien did agree that Kaelan needed to eat well.
“I think… BLTs, if that’s okay?” he asked, and then frowned a little in case Jett was waiting for him to explain himself. “We try to get vegetables and stuff, but it’s usually so expensive. So… Kaelan should have something at least somewhat healthy to eat. Although I don’t remember the last time we’ve indulged with bacon.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 8:32 am
“BLTs sound good,” Jett answered. He didn’t look up from the menu. He didn’t expect an explanation or a justification, but he filed away the information anyway.
“Kaelan mentioned vegetable prices the other day. He was trying to do the math to figure out if it was worth it to take a bus ride over to the farmer’s market, but it’s almost six hours out of the day according to him.” A fifteen minute car drive there, and another back, but he knew that wasn’t really feasible for them. It would have been less time walking, but then Kaelan would have had to sacrifice studying and had to carry all that back with him. He didn’t drive, didn’t even have a license. And a bike? No, too expensive, and if it got stolen–
Jett had heard it all. It wasn’t always easy to get Kaelan to open up; he always seemed very tight-lipped about his problems. It wasn’t difficult to piece things together, though. Sometimes he showed up early for his shift and stayed in back to work on homework, or side projects. Jett didn’t mind; there was air conditioning and wifi and power supply. Sometimes Kaelan stayed late, especially on days where Orien was working, too.
Naturally, Jett had seen the text books, the planners, the notebooks, constant flow of educational materials. He almost never saw the same book twice so he couldn’t help but wonder how much time Kaelan was spending at the library, devouring resources.
He might not have such dark circles under his eyes if he slept more, or ate better, but Kaelan put himself on an extreme time crunch and he had so much to do, per his own expectations.
“Let’s get salads, too. I’ll order dinner for you tonight, some brain food for you and Kaelan. Keep your energy up. I don’t know how he crams so much information and retains any of it. Salmon and avocado, I know a place.” He always knew a place. “It’s good, healthy. You have to try it. Kaelan’s got so much on his plate, do you think he’d want to do cooking classes too, if I signed him up? You, too. When you’re feeling better.”
He knew Orien had shaky hands, he knew he was forgetful, but he didn’t want to exclude him from that just because. There were plenty of horrible chefs out there, only they didn’t have any justification to be so bad at cooking. A good teacher would work with him.
But if there was medicine to help Orien? If he did have the confidence to try more things?
“If there was ever anything you wanted to learn, you’d have to tell me so I could get you enrolled, too.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 9:42 am
It broke Orien’s heart, knowing how much Kaelan did for the both of them, while he couldn’t even remember a room number. So much of his life was like walking through a haze, with Kaelan being the only light. It wasn’t fair to him, and he knew it. He also knew that Kaelan loved him and would do anything for him.
Orien didn’t think he deserved it. It wasn’t as though he had very many redeeming qualities. He worked hard? Sure, because if he focused on something sometimes he didn’t forget what he was doing. But when it came to useful tasks, he was pretty much a waste of space.
He glanced up when Jett suggested salads. He could imagine Kaelan worrying about Jett doing too much for them.
“Salmon and avocados are usually on the expensive side,” he pointed out with a frown, but nodded. He could figure out a way to cut down on costs of whatever he was eating so Kaelan could get better nutrients. There was no point in him staying healthy if they couldn’t help him in the first place.
Which was why he didn’t seem very enthusiastic about the idea of being signed up for extra classes.
“Everything in our apartment is plastic or cheap metal,” he shrugged, but didn’t need to gesture to his hands again when the menu was already trembling slightly. He placed it on the bed since they’d already picked something out, but it was still annoying.
“I think he’d like to learn, yeah. But I don’t know if he’d trust leaving me around sharp knives or whatever else he might need for cooking.” He didn’t bother mentioning himself for classes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 9:47 am
Jett watched him with a somewhat knowing look in his eye, like he’d already expected this response. “Well, we’ll see what the future holds. Don’t worry about prices today. I was actually going to treat you two to dinner for the work you’ve been doing. The storage lockers you moved last week, it was the set of two? I said I didn’t think it could get done in a day but you did that and a third. Kaelan was helping sort through things and it was only because you got everything back at the same time that he was able to locate a set of artwork I would have thought were individual pieces. And we had a customer who had been looking for them for so long that when I called to say we had a set, he paid almost double asking price to get it packed up and delivered that day.”
Maybe Orien didn’t remember. Maybe it was just a day’s work for him. Jett knew he worked hard. He broke some things here and there, but such was life, anyway.
Jett remembered. And he wanted Orien to know that he and Kaelan did a good job and were appreciated.
“We don’t always get perfect timing and perfect customers, but you two made it work. I wasn’t going to say anything until the check cleared, and everything’s just gone through as of nine this morning. So with your bonuses, maybe you can budget something good in there, too. But we’ll talk about that at work. For now, I just want you to know that I’m glad I’ve got you two on my team. Well, both of them.”
They put in hard work, whether it was with the antique store or with the Court. He had the distinct impression that neither of them received adequate praise or proper appreciation. Kaelan was like a puppy when given kind words, but Jett could tell there was anxiety bubbling just underneath. Orien lashed out more often than not, like he thought someone was teasing him, or trying to get him to lower his guard.
In this, Jett was sincere. Especially because he had a paper trail to back it up, anyway.
They deserved to know they were doing a good job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 9:47 am
While Orien didn’t remember exactly what he did that earned him such praise from Jett, he still felt his cheeks flush with color from all the appreciation he was given. He grumbled under his breath about how it was nothing and how Kaelan deserved more credit than he did. Which was true! Kaelan did so much. Orien was only good for moving things, and hopefully not breaking them in the process.
He did glance up to eye Jett skeptically.
“Bonus?” he scoffed, trying to remember if that was a normal thing or if Jett was just trying to divert attention from him being nice for the sake of being nice, or whatever he was doing.
But… if he was serious, then maybe Kaelan could get a bike. It would be a pain to carry it up and down the stairs every day, but they could probably put it next to the bed, and he would absolutely carry it down and up for Kaelan every day.
He didn’t want to get too excited about it, so he shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to decide how he felt about everything.
Jett didn’t seem like he was trying to pull a fast one over them. He didn’t seem like he wanted something in return -- more than just their work.
Finally, Orien relaxed a little, his shoulders drooping a bit as he let the tension go.
“Yeah, same…”
He could have probably said more. Something more meaningful, but he was trying to figure out how to keep emotions in check for something like this.
“Well… I should be back to work, uh… tomorrow.” He couldn’t remember. Kaelan would tell him. Oh, he supposed Jett would tell him, too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 9:55 am
“No rush,” Jett said, not quite firmly but certainly decisively. He pulled the hotel room phone closer to him with a clear plan of doing all the hard work of ordering food. Probably best if he was still here for it just in case Orien got distracted and forgot to expect it.
He called the front desk and only waited three rings before a sweet voice on the other end picked up. Jett ordered three BLTs, two salads, drinks, and a slice of apple pie and chocolate cake. The kitchen must have been busy making things because they were sure they could have it up in ‘just a few minutes’ so that didn’t seem like too much time to wait. He thanked the woman on the other end and hung up before continuing with Orien, “Bonus, yeah. It doesn’t happen all the time but I can acknowledge when someone went above and beyond. You two made me some extra money that I would have missed out on. Everything was in the right place for a good deal. When I profit, you profit. We’re a team. I started out on the bottom of all of this. A decade ago, my antique shop was an old man, me, and two part timers. He didn’t do it because he cared about the money. He made enough to stay alive and save for retirement. He just liked ‘being surrounded by neat stuff’. Me, I like money. That’s why we’ve grown so much.”
He shrugged. He’d put a lot of time and effort into expanding the business once he inherited it. For practically nothing. He’d put a lot of effort in to get this far and he’d been rewarded for it. Jett was selfish in that he cared about making sure he and his were well taken care of, but if he were being honest–any member of the Dark Mirror Court was also ‘his’ to take care of.
It helped that he liked Orien and Kaelan, too. Besides, they were more grateful than most. He wanted to help when he could. Not out of charity. Kaelan might have accepted that–albeit with great humiliation. Orien, probably not.
So Jett kept rewards transactional, at least on the surface. Who could reject a bonus for doing a good job?
“If you still need to rest, just do work on the laptop.” He nodded towards the bag he’d brought. “I printed out instructions for what you can do. It’s photo editing and some research if you’re feeling up to it. Nothing you haven’t done before.” And, just in case Orien needed a refresher on the tasks, Jett had included a copy of the same guide they used at the store. Really, he didn’t expect Orien to do any work but if he insisted, Jett could at least try to make it easy on him.
“You’re allowed to take advantage of me giving you a day off, though. You work hard, Orien. I see that. I recognize that. Just try not to get hit by any more cars, okay? That’s all I’m asking.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 10:57 am
Orien appreciated Jett placing the order for him. He could do it! It just wasn’t something he particularly wanted to do. He didn’t want to have to stumble over being polite when he was already stressed.
Jett was making things easier, and he didn’t know how to show how much he appreciated it. So he just awkwardly held his hands together to keep the trembling from being too bad.
“I was in the crosswalk,” he said, with a strange sort of clarity that maybe came from him being able to relax. He looked up with a frown, realizing he didn’t want Jett thinking he was so reckless as to put himself willingly into danger. “I waited until the signal changed. I was thinking about the hotdog vendor I’d passed. They were closing up, but I was going to go back and see if they had anything they could sell me at a discount or… just one so Kaelan would have something to eat. But then the light changed, and I didn’t want Kaelan to worry if I was late. I was going to surprise him and meet him at the library. I saw the car. They slowed down, but then sped up again--”
He held a hand to his head. It was throbbing and the memories were faint and coming in flashes.
“I wasn’t breaking the law or not paying attention… Or. I think.” Maybe that was just fabricated in his head. Could he even trust his own memories?
“I’ll try…” he mumbled, lowering his head as though he’d been scolded, or at least preparing to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 4:06 pm
Jett’s interest was rekindled when Orien started talking. On one hand, Orien did get confused by his memories sometimes. He’d convinced himself that someone had abducted Kaelan, for example. Jett was pretty sure Kaelan was just still at school, and from there nothing had deviated from the usual schedule except him staying late to study. Planned, though.
Kaelan didn’t really do anything without telling Orien first. He was well aware of the text messages and sticky notes and the journal Kaelan made where he logged his daily plans in case Orien ever needed to refer to it.
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he said after a minute. “People are getting more reckless. I almost got hit getting coffee last week.”
Had someone hit him on purpose or was it negligent? Jett didn’t know. Either was possible. Destiny City didn’t make much sense on a good day so it might not have even been Orien’s mind trying to fill in the gaps or give him a story to fall back on.
“Don’t look so down. You’re not in trouble or anything, I just want to make sure you’re okay. And I’d like to make sure that you stay that way, if I can help it. Sometimes there’s no helping it, accidents happen. Sounds like you were doing everything right, so maybe it was just bad luck.”
Orien’s phone began to ring so Jett paused. He looked at his watch and expected it was Kaelan. Done with class, probably. Hurrying back. Going to ask how Orien was doing and if they needed anything.
Jett waited.
As soon as Orien answered the phone, Kaelan started chattering, and Jett could hear him from where he sat.
”Orien, hi, I love you. I just got out of class. It looks like it might rain soon, I’m going to hurry back. How are you doing, are you feeling okay?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 19, 2024 5:30 pm
He’d immediately answered his phone, of course. Jett would understand. He needed to make sure Kaelan was okay.
And when Kaelan started talking, Orien relaxed further.
“I love you too. I’m okay. A little hungry, but Jett’s here. He dropped off the laptop and we’re waiting for lunch to be brought up to the room. He had some good news about work he wanted to share, too. You scored him a big payout so he wanted to share that,” he explained with a smile. He didn’t look at Jett while he spoke, hoping it wouldn’t make him feel too awkward.
“Was class okay? Oh… no, you can tell me when you get here. Did you want me to stay on the phone until you get to the hotel? Or, maybe Jett can pick you up so you’re not stuck in the rain?” he asked, this time glancing up with questioning purpose, eyebrows raised as though he was hoping for a positive answer.
For good measure he mouthed a silent ‘Please?’
He appreciated Jett not making a big deal about him getting hurt, but he was still waiting for whatever would push Jett into not wanting to help them, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
