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 Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 7:43 pm
Getting supplies for Kaelan and Orien could have gone much faster if Kaelan didn’t look like he was going to protest any time Jett didn’t buy the bargain value product. It was all going on the business card, what did he care. He had the money. He’d worked hard to be able to do this sort of thing without sweating it.
They got new pajamas, they got two fresh outfits. Electric toothbrushes, some travel size necessities. Some medicine, some ice packs. A few things here and there.
The hotel wasn’t anything amazing but Kaelan looked at it with such reverence and awe that Jett had to wonder if he’d ever even stayed in a hotel. He didn’t ask. He got them set up and helped them order the first room service meal. He only stayed to make sure it arrived, and then he left them for the night.
Orien looked far healthier by the time he left so Jett wasn’t too worried. He stayed in contact with them just to check in. Kaelan had one two hour class and Jett ‘was going to drop off a laptop for Orien’.
He was, of course. But really he just wanted to talk to him while Kaelan wasn’t around. He was always more honest when he wasn’t worried about upsetting him. And, with Kaelan already finding every other thing in the world to stress about, it was best that they have a bit to talk alone.
He showed up about half an hour after Kaelan left and had texted Orien that he’d be there soon so he didn’t surprise him. Ten minutes later, he was knocking on the door. “Orien, it’s Jett. You got a minute?”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 7:49 pm
Orien spent the night comforting Kaelan and promising that he was okay. Showing him that he was okay. At least physically. He was still unsettled by his lapse in memories, but he didn’t want Kaelan worrying about that. Not when they basically had a free vacation, courtesy of their boss.
He did everything he could to pamper Kaelan while they were alone, and made sure they had a chance to stretch their legs in the morning and had all they could eat from the hotel’s breakfast selection. Their room number had been written in sharpie on his wrist, along with the time he could expect Kaelan to be back from class, which had both been labeled with a further ‘room’ and ‘back from class’ just to be sure.
He’d been lazily flipping through channels on the ridiculously large television when Jett arrived. He hopped off the bed and opened the door, before taking a step back to let Jett in.
“I know you said don’t mention it but… really. Thank you.”
He was much more relaxed than the night before. And looked better. Even the cut across his cheek had healed. Whatever that bone was that Jett had, Orien was about to scour all of Mirrorspace for more. Just in case.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 7:50 pm
Jett nodded and knew he could just brush off the gratitude but because he knew it wasn’t easy for Orien, he took the time to say, “I’m glad you let me help. You two push yourselves so hard. One of these days you’ll realize that I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t willing to follow through.”
He expected slow progress. He knew that Orien was more likely to snap and then think about things and calm down. He just needed time to figure things out and he panicked on the spot. More so when Kaelan was there.
Both of them were more honest when the other wasn’t around, he’d picked up on that a long time ago. Neither of them wanted to make the other worry and they wound up sneaking around a lot to protect each other.
It was extra work for Jett but they were young, and they were still figuring things out. They had very different life experience than he did and he was doing his best to give them the space to adapt.
When he stepped into the room, he immediately noticed the markings on Orien’s wrist. He’d thought they might be bruises at first but a quick glimpse alone was enough to tell them that it was deliberate.
“How are you feeling today?”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 7:56 pm
“A lot better, thanks to you and whatever that thing was you had,” Orien sighed, if only because it would have been convenient to have stuff like that in the past. Then again, he didn’t want things like that used unless it was really necessary. He felt like it hadn’t been a bad idea to use it last night. It definitely saved them from a trip to the hospital.
He hadn’t missed the glance Jett had at his wrist, so he turned it over for him to see more fully.
“I didn’t hit my head,” he said, as if he needed to clarify himself from the night before. “Not this time, anyway. Usually it has nothing to do with head injury. Although who knows, maybe I was dropped as a baby. Wouldn’t surprise me. And that wouldn’t even be the worst thing I would have survived,” he shrugged.
Maybe he wanted to believe that Jett meant it when he said he really would help them if they needed it. And that was part of the reason why he’d suggested calling Jett in the first place. Thankfully, he really was able to help them.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:01 pm
“I know,” Jett answered, because if Orien was going to be honest, so was he. For now, at least. “But Kaelan looked worried and I was trying to figure out how much you were saying for me or for him. I wanted to talk with you while he was gone. Whatever you went through last night probably didn’t help whatever else you had going on, but I’m glad you’re doing better. You look better. I’ll have to see if I can dig up a few more of those for you two. I know you’ll know to save them for emergencies. They’re hard to come by, and if we’re being honest I’d rather know when either of you get seriously hurt. But I don’t want you to have to rely on me if something happens, either.”
He set the laptop bag down by the desk in the room and took a seat in one of the chairs.
“I don’t need you to tell me more than you’re comfortable with, but I will tell you what I think. I know you don’t like doctors. I know you don’t trust anyone but Kaelan. I know you’re both going through a lot, and I know you both have the s**t end of the stick. I’m in a position where I can get you access to things you didn’t have before and both of you make excuses to turn down the offer. I know why,” he insisted; Orien didn’t have to explain it to him again.
“But I can see that there’s a problem here, and I don’t like the idea of avoiding it instead of fixing it. Kaelan looked scared last night. I’ve seen him worry but I haven’t seen him quite like that. So I know last night was bad. Worse than usual. Did you remember anything else that happened or are you still trying to figure it out?”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:04 pm
Jett wasn’t wrong about Kaelan being really shaken up about what happened. Orien felt bad. He wished there was a way he could prove to Kaelan that he would be okay. But he just didn’t know for sure.
While Jett sat in a chair, Orien sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed over his chest as though ready to put on a defensive front. So far he didn’t need to, but he was ready.
Orien frowned and stared down at the floor, as if trying to force himself to recall anything. “Everything is still a blur. I remember flashes of something. I remember thinking that I didn’t want to go to the hospital, that I didn’t want the police involved. Kay said that on his way to find me, he overheard some people talking about someone getting hit by a car. He said he was held up, too. But…”
He sighed and shook his head.
“He doesn’t like worrying me. I don’t like worrying him. I know it probably makes things worse than it has to be. I can’t deny that it felt like I’d been hit… Maybe not very hard, or… I don’t know.”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:10 pm
Jett listened as much as he watched, and though Orien wasn’t looking at him he still nodded. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Orien had walked in front of a car. Destiny City drivers were bad, it was late, and if Orien was already disoriented, sure. He could have missed it.
He was pretty sure he’d seen Orien walk into the counter at work, or nearly walk into the door or shelves. Jett didn’t think poorly of him, it was just like his mind went somewhere else for a while. He was always a hard worker, and Jett suspected it was as much of a desire to please him as it was forgetfulness that he forgot to take his breaks so often.
“Makes sense,” Jett said. He didn’t push the conversation too strongly.
Orien was like a cornered animal, ready to lash out and bark and bite and scratch his way out of any uncomfortable situation. He was already posed like he was ready to start making things difficult.
“So, he’s worried about you,” he circled back. “...Are you worried about you?”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:12 pm
Orien frowned. He still wasn’t looking at Jett, and he tensed a little at his question.
Was he worried about himself? Did he have a choice? Was there any real way to fix all of the damage he’d been through?
So he forced a shrug.
“I don’t think I have the right to worry about myself. Not after everything I’ve done. Everything done to me. I was born on the losing side. I’m lucky enough to be alive now.”
Even as he spoke he could feel the way his hands trembled under his arms. There was an annoying tick in his jaw, too. His arms felt like they were pins and needles.
“I know the right answer is that I should worry about myself, but I think I’ve passed the point of being able to fix anything. I just don’t want Kaelan to end up alone and with nothing because he spent it all on me.”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:13 pm
“You have good insurance for a reason,” Jett mused. He really doubted either of them had done anything with it. “I don’t think you can just brush off worry like that. You’re not even old enough to buy alcohol yet. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t let Kaelan wind up with nothing. You know that. But my ideal plan is to make sure nothing happens to you in the first place.”
Jett sighed and propped himself up on his elbow against the desk.
“The less you worry about yourself, the more Kaelan will. And, no offense, but I’d rather hear from a professional that there’s nothing that can be done than you. I already know you’re expecting the worst. I’d like to get you to talk to that specialist I mentioned. I’m not going to make you do anything, there’s not any repercussions for saying no right now. But what if I said you could go talk to a specialist, get some testing done, just get some answers and hear some options–and not have to worry about the cost. Does that change what you’re willing to try?”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:22 pm
“Insurance is never free,” Orien scoffed, crossing his arms tighter over his chest. He finally lifted his eyes to glance curiously at Jett. He’d already told him that one of these days he’d realize Jett wouldn’t offer to help if he wasn’t willing to follow through.
He dug his heel into the busy hotel carpet, just for something to do with himself as he debated.
“What happens if I get testing done and it is the worst? You’re not really planning on investing thousands of dollars into some annoying kid, are you? What happens if I end up needing… I don’t know… really expensive medication, or surgeries, or a special diet? I’m not even related to you. I’m just your employee. An employee who forgets things and breaks things and messes up. Who cares if I can gather some energy if you can just find someone else to take my place? Someone less troublesome.”
There were plenty of people in the court who were more cost effective than he was.
“What happens if it’s the worst and there’s nothing they can do except give me a countdown?” he asked quietly, and maybe that was really what his fear was -- knowing how much, or how little, time he had left.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:35 pm
There was a lot to unpack in Orien’s questions but Jett didn’t break eye contact. He didn’t falter.
“If they give you a countdown, we go find someone smarter. Earth medicine isn’t the be-all, end all. I’ll find some Mauvians. Talk to some aliens. See what Mirrorspace can do for us.”
He sounded like he’d already worked out a plan in his head, but Jett had always been good at coming up with things on the spot. He was quick to think and quick to act.
“I know you’re not a quitter. I bet if they tried to give you an expiration date, you’d stick around well past that just to spite them. That’d give us plenty of time to get a different solution. But we won’t know that we need to start looking unless we know there’s not something easy to do first. So what if you need expensive medication, or surgery, or diet? Then you’ll get it. If that’s what it takes then, yeah, I am planning on investing thousands of dollars into you. I don’t need anything back, so don’t get it in your head that I want something from you.”
Orien might doubt that for as long as he lived, but Jett was just going to keep reminding him. “Is being related a prerequisite for wanting to help? I don’t think so. Look, when I was a kid, my mom had some health issues and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I didn’t really even know the whole extent of it. I just knew my father left her, and she was broken hearted and sick, and trying to raise a troublesome kid all on her own. The old owner of the antique store, way back when it was just a little brick and mortar, he stuck his neck out for my mom and I. He didn’t have to. He wasn’t related to us, hardly even knew her. Definitely knew I was on the right path to grow up to be a piece of s**t.” He shrugged.
“He didn’t have to do anything. But he took care of her, and gave me a job. He took a chance on us. My mom’s doing great, she’s healthy and happy. I’m doing great, just the same. I don’t know if we would be if he didn’t try to help. And I know he wasn’t bringing in the money I am. So maybe this doesn’t feel like it needs an explanation. It’s the right thing to do. You need help, I can help you get it. Besides, you’re a little more than ‘just an employee’. At some point we’re going to have to move into friend territory.”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:40 pm
Orien could feel the heat rising in his face the more Jett talked. He squirmed uncomfortably, wanting to accuse Jett of pitying him, but… it didn’t sound like he was saying those things just because he felt pity and nothing else.
He swallowed thickly, trying to keep back any emotions that threatened to bubble up and embarrass him further. Jett seemed like he had all the answers. Orien just didn’t know what to make of it. He couldn’t understand why someone would put so much effort into wanting to help him and Kaelan. It certainly wasn’t anything he did. Maybe Kaelan’s hard work and potential helped turn things in their favor, but they’d both been so used to getting the short end of the stick that this was… weird.
Jett thought of him as a friend? Why? They hadn’t done anything for him. They were always the ones asking for help and getting free stuff from him.
“I really don’t like being alone with doctors,” he said quietly, swallowing back some more emotion before daring to say anything.
“My memory isn’t always that great, but…” He paused to sigh, because he wasn’t sure if Jett would think he was just being dramatic or something.
“It’s more than just being nervous or untrusting. I’m… I’m not trying to make excuses, I just--” He wished he could explain how he felt, but doubted it would make much difference.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:51 pm
“You don’t have to be alone.” He suspected Kaelan would want to go, probably to hastily take notes and make sure he knew everything to research and didn’t miss a single suggestion or concern.
He also suspected that wasn’t entirely what Orien was thinking about.
“I’ll go with you, too. If you don’t mind me being there. Even if you were just nervous or untrusting, I’d make the offer. And the one I want to take you to is a good guy, I’ve got a lot of experience with him. I’m comfortable with him and I know he’d take things seriously and do his best to help. We should probably get you both in to see a general practitioner, they might need you to do that before we see a specialist. But, same offer. It’s just good to get a baseline of your health. Especially if you’re worried about anything.”
Jett saw the way he squirmed, the way he looked like he wanted to bolt. He was still calm, but he figured he had to be when Orien was so reactive.
“Whatever experience you’ve had in the past, it’s not going to be like that. I’ll make sure everything goes how it’s supposed to go. And if we don’t like the doctor, we won’t go back. If you say you get a weird feeling about them, fine. That’s enough for me. I’ll make sure we only go to people who are going to listen and who are going to take you seriously.”
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 10:26 pm
Orien was unsure. Nervous. He knew he wanted to be with Kaelan as long as possible, but was so afraid of being told they only had so much time together. He didn’t want Kaelan to know and to worry. He didn’t want him losing more sleep over him, or of thinking everything they were working towards as a waste.
“I don’t want to worry Kaelan,” he frowned and shifted awkwardly again.
“But if you don’t mind going with me. Uh… yeah, I’d appreciate that. Okay. Okay, fine. Whatever. If you’re going to keep insisting anyway, I might as well get it over with,” he huffed, but looked flustered as he spoke.
He would just have to trust that Jett really meant it when he said they would only go to people who would listen to him. Not that it really mattered if they didn’t listen to him, but that would just prove his point that it was useless. Orien doubted they would have anything that would significantly help him, but… for Kaelan’s sake. If he could prove there was nothing for him to worry about, then that was the best he could do.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 11:31 pm
Jett nodded. He watched Orien, but not too closely. The last thing he wanted to do was set him off when they seemed to have come to some sort of agreement.
“Okay,” he said, as simply as if Orien had just told him what he wanted for lunch. Like it really wasn’t any skin off his back to be there or set things up or see this through.
“I’ll make some calls and get everything set up. I appreciate you working with me.”
Because, yeah. He probably would have kept insisting. Especially if things like this kept happening. if something was wrong, he didn’t want to give it time to fester and get worse. Solving things with medicine was going to be much easier than trying to pry other solutions from Mirrorspace or aliens, but Jett was committed.
He’d do whatever it took.
He hoped Orien would, too. He was sure he could dangle Kaelan’s well-being to carry him along if he needed to.
Jett liked to think that Orien did actually want to get better, though. He was just afraid of confirmation. Jett didn’t blame him. He was a kid, he shouldn’t be worried about an expiration date.
So Jett would do what he could to make sure he didn’t have to.
“Do you want to know when the appointment is or should I just pull you from work one day so you don’t have time to worry about it?”
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