21. Morning After

Apparently, when Jet’s brain goes numb, the rest of him does, too. He blinks hard, but the world won’t stay in focus, and insists on swaying from side to side.
“Lightweight.” Luca’s voice is in Jet’s ear, low and slightly amused.
“I am not.” Jet’s words are running into each other. The ground beneath him won’t stand still, so he keeps one hand anchored to the car for balance. “I’m just…dizzy. Not drunk.”
“Oh yeah?” Luca’s voice seems to come through a fog. “Get out of the car and walk in a straight line.”
“Fine.” Jet grasps the top of the car door with both hands, levering himself upright. He squints at his feet. They don’t move. “My feet don’t work.”
“I know.” Luca still sounds amused. “You’re wrecked. Six Black Russians will do that to you.”
“Six?” Jet doesn’t remember that many. But apparently Luca had. It takes Jet a minute to figure out why that’s important. “Means I’m not—not what?”
“You’re not a lightweight.” Luca informs him. “It was a joke.”
“That—that’s not—” Jet frowns in his direction and Luca’s grin comes into focus for just a second. The street lamps flicker, casting mockingly dancing shadows. He knows there’s a word for what he means. It takes a second before his brain finds it. “Not funny.”
“It is a little bit, but I’ll tell you why later.” Luca loops one of his arms around Jet’s waist. “Let’s get you inside.”
“Get off.” Jet shakes him off, slumping against the car. His feet skid against the gravel of the driveway as the street lamps blur into streaks of yellow and white. “I’m ferc—perc—”
“Perfectly capable?” Luca supplies.
“Yeah, that.” Jet slurs. Those words sound the way they’re supposed to. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. Not even close.” Luca hauls Jet upright, guiding him the rest of the way up the driveway.
Driveway? Jet’s in the wrong place. Rather than the brightly lit parking lot and front entrance of a condo complex, he has a vague impression of a small suburban house.
He halts in confusion. “Don’t live here.”
“No, I do.” Luca unlocks the door and manages to get Jet into the front room. Jet stumbles against a coffee table, nearly overbalancing. “Watch your step.”
“My step’s fine.” Jet mutters. There’s something wrong with this house—it’s moving, more than any house is supposed to. “Your floor’s...wrong..”
“I’ll fix it tomorrow. Sit down.” Luca’s voice is a mixture of concern—which Jet doesn’t understand—and amusement, which is annoying.
“Annoying.” Jet frowns at him. “You’re really really annoying.”
“I know,” Luca smiles at Jet’s accusatory tone. “Sit.”
Jet is not about to do something just because Luca tells him to. “Why?”
“Because you’ll fall.” Luca’s hand is on Jet’s elbow.
“Don’ need your help.” Jet grasps one of the arms of a nearby couch, the fabric soft and cool under his fingers. Even the cushions tilt at odd angles. And also—“Hot. My feet…my feet are hot.”
Luca is already helping Jet remove his shoes. When Jet struggles with his shirt buttons, Luca gently takes over, undoing just enough so the shirt falls open just enough so Jet can feel the cool air on his skin. Jet sighs in relief, shivering against the coolness soothing his overheated body.
“Better?” Luca’s voice remains gentle.
Jet hauls himself upright. He’s finally figured out where Luca is, but it’s a struggle to keep him in focus. “Stunning…”
“What?” Luca murmurs.
“You.” Jet’s fingers graze Luca’s face. "Luca--"
“Not tonight.” Luca gently catches Jet's hand, lowering it back down. “Go to sleep.”
“Not here.” Jet pushes himself upright, or tries to. His hands slide against the cushions as the room tilts again, this time bending at an almost impossible angle.
“Yes, here.” Luca lifts Jet’s legs so that he’s lying full length on the couch. He braces his hands against Jet’s shoulders, ready to hold the man down if necessary. The warm glow from one of the table lamps softens his expression. “You can barely stand.”
“I’m fine.” Jet levers himself up onto his elbows so he can look Luca in the eye. “Still think this is the best dish—the bestest—”
“The best decision I made all night?” Luca leans so close that his scent tickles Jet’s nostrils: woody, sweet, and earthy at the same time. There’s a name for that scent, but Jet’s brain is too fogged to remember it. “Yes. I’ll tell you why in the morning, when you can understand me better.”
Jet frowns. “What?”
Luca is still smiling. “Close your eyes, Jet.”
“Fine.” Jet’s head lolls. He snuggles down into that cool cocoon, unable to remember the last time he felt this comfortable. Or heavy. So, so heavy. He will close his eyes, but he won’t sleep. “No sleep.”
“I know.” Luca smiles.
“Luca.” Jet squints at him. “You’re annoying.”
“You’re stubborn.” Luca’s smile widens as Jet’s eyes drift closed.
By the time Pepper gets home, Jet still hasn’t opened his eyes, but he’s been sick twice. Luca’s still scrubbing when Pepper walks into the room, wrinkling her nose at the stench.
“Don’t ask,” Luca says before Pepper can say anything.
“I don’t have to. I just wish my nose didn’t work so well.” Pepper’s gaze falls on Jet, who is tossing restlessly on the couch. “Painkillers, water, trash can, or all three?”
“Start with the trash can.” Luca jerks his head in the direction of one of the bedrooms. “The one in my room’s empty, so put that next to him. Maybe get a hangover pill, too.”
Pepper nods, and comes back with the requested items. She tosses Jet’s car fob on the coffee table. “I drove his car here like you asked, so he doesn’t have to go get it in the morning. He’s wearing your clothes.”
“Yes,” Luca tries to keep his voice neutral and fails.
Pepper raises her eyebrows. “So you really did just bring him here to sleep it off.”
Luca scoffs. “It’s hard to have any fun with someone in that condition.”
“That’s never stopped you before,” Pepper waits for Luca to say something before continuing. “Which means…you’re taking it slow? That’s new.”
“Actually…the bossmen asked me to do them a favor.” Luca confesses.
Pepper looks genuinely surprised. “Since when do you do ‘favors’ for Bel and Kam?”
“Since this particular ‘favor’ looks like that.” Luca grins at her, jerking his head in the direction of Jet’s sleeping form.
Pepper looks Jet over. “He is kind of cute.”
“Cute?” Luca looks offended on Jet’s behalf. “He’s gorgeous. Even in this state.”
“Good thing he’s your type, then.” Pepper can’t help rolling her eyes before her face becomes more serious. “Would this favor have anything to do with certain information you have?”
Luca’s eyes steadily meet hers. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“I already told Kai I would help him,” Pepper admits. “But I didn’t tell him why.”
“If you didn’t come clean to Kai, then I don’t have to come clean to Jet.” Luca’s expression dares Pepper to argue. “Not yet, anyway.”
“Just,” Pepper presses her lips together. “Don’t do anything to piss Kai off. He cares about his brother, whether he says it out loud or not.”
“I know,” Luca’s voice is completely sincere. “Trust me.”
Pepper’s answering smile is mischievous. “It’s not my trust you have to earn. So are you going to tell Kai tomorrow morning, or do I get to?”
◼️◼️◼️◼️
Tires squeal.
Breaks scream.
The stomach dropping sensation of being whipped forward and then back like so much forgotten street rubbish.
Glass explodes, landing in his hair, slicing his face.
Someone is shouting, calling his name over and over.
Pressure across his chest, a red and sticky substance smeared across his hands where he’d wiped his stinging face, streaming from his nose, splattered over the front of his shirt.
A face, bent into absurdity through the spiderwebbed remains of the side view mirror.
Kai jerks upright, feeling as though someone has tried to squeeze his insides out through his mouth. His pillowcase is damp and the sheet equally so, tangled around his legs. The dorm is coated in darkness, the only sound the low hiss of the AC and the erratic gasps of Kai trying to breathe.
Again. It’s happened again.
Kai runs shaking fingers through his hair, flopping back onto his bed, knowing, as he did on other nights, that dreaming about the car accident means he won’t be going back to sleep. The tightness in his chest is still there, almost suffocating him.
The dorm had been empty when Kai got back, which meant Zone was still out with Iris. He’d stared at the ceiling until he heard Zone’s key in the lock, then clamped his eyes shut when he’d heard the door open. Zone had said his name a couple of times, but Kai had refused to respond. Zone would want to pick apart everything that had happened since this morning and Kai isn’t really in the mood for that right now.
It takes a ridiculous amount of time for his friend to collapse into his own bed. Kai burrows his head back into his pillow, pressing his body deep into the mattress and trying to match his breathing with Zone’s, half hoping all of that will finally force his body to relax and give in to sleep.
No such fucking luck.
Kai flips onto his back and watches the ceiling turn from black to gray to pink, trying to force his brain to stop turning cartwheels. The blurred image of that face in the shattered side mirror is stabbing at his memory, but he can’t think why.
He should know that face.
He should—
His phone vibrates, potentially offering another distraction. Kai smiles when he sees the name of the caller on the screen. “What’s up?”
“I drove Jet’s car to my place last night.” Pepper’s answer isn’t what Kai’s expecting to hear.. “You should come get him. I don’t think your brother’s in any condition to drive.”
◼️◼️◼️◼️
Someone must have dropped several bricks on top of Jet’s head, and then rubbed sand in his eyes for good measure.
That was the only explanation for the insistent hammering in his temples and the dryness under his eyelids. His mouth feels like he’s been chewing leather, each swallow feels like scraping sandpaper, and even his skin feels sore and curiously swollen. It takes more effort than Jet likes to crack open his eyes.
Ugh!
Bad idea!
Really bad idea!
Really very bad idea!
The indoor lights are off, but morning sunlight is pouring through the window, setting off wave after wave of cranial pain. Jet lets out an involuntary moan, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes to try and ease the pressure in his head. Even that movement hurts more than it should.
“I thought I was the idiot in this family.”
“Kai?” Jet doesn’t have to open his eyes to know his younger brother is giving him the look a disappointed parent gives a naughty toddler.
“Pepper called and told me I should come drive you home, and now I see why.” Kai looks Jet up and down. “I don’t think you're an asshole anymore. Now I think you’re a moron. If you moan any louder you’ll bring the house down.”
“Not funny.” Jet lowers his hands long enough to take a peek at Kai’s face.
Kai holds his thumb and forefinger a couple centimeters apart. “It is a little bit.”
The pressure of Jet’s hands against his eyes isn’t helping, and neither is lying down. His pulse throbs through his entire body as he levers himself into a sitting position. “I hate you so fucking much.”
“That’s supposed to be what I say. Soooo,” Kai grins. “Which pain is worse, Muay Thai injuries or a hangover?”
“Kai.”
“What?” Kai doesn’t look the least bit put off by the warning in Jet’s voice. Actually, he’s grinning like an idiot. “I’m allergic to alcohol, remember? So I can't drink, which means I’ll never have a hangover, and I’m curious what it’s like.”
“It’s hell,” Jet tries to glare at his little brother, but can’t manage more than a squint. “Stop smiling.”
“Take these.” A hand with two painkillers and a full glass of water appear in front of Jet’s face. “and drink all of that. No arguments.”
Jet swallows painkillers, looking up into the newcomer’s face. Luca’s dark hair curls around his face exactly the same way it did last night, and the look in his black eyes is just as intense. The magnetism radiating from him makes Jet’s pulse speed up in a way that has nothing to do with the consequences of his actions last night.
At least, the actions he can remember.
Jet glances down at the clothes he’s wearing. They aren’t his. “Did we—”
“When I sleep with someone, it’s because we both want it, and are both fully aware of exactly what’s going on. ” Luca’s voice is dry, but amused. “And when one of us hasn’t consumed six Black Russians beforehand. Do you know how hard it is to scrub vomit out of tile? That’s not something anyone should experience more than once. Also, you owe me new clothes. Silk stains.”
“That really was silk?” Kai sniggers, not looking the least bit apologetic when Jet shoots him a half hearted glare. “What?”
“Here,” Now Luca is holding a steaming plate just under Jet’s nose. “Omelet. Your favorite breakfast. You should eat before Kai takes you home.”
Jet’s stomach lurches at the mention of food. “Not hungry.”
“You can eat the omelet yourself,” Luca puts the plate on the coffee table in front of Jet and sits down next to him. “Or I’ll feed it to you…darling.”
Jet takes one very small bite, barely meeting Luca’s gaze. “What exactly did I say last night?”
“A lot, actually.” Luca looks amused. “You’re really talkative when you’re all liquored up. Stubborn as hell, too.”
Kai barely manages to turn his snigger into a cough, and Jet gives him a Look. “Don’t get any ideas.”
“I didn’t—I wouldn’t—why would I ever do something like that?” Kai shakes his head, but can’t keep the mischievous glint out of his eyes.
“For the hell of it.” Luca says exactly what Jet is thinking. He’s refilled Jet’s glass with water. This time he also drops something in it which makes the liquid fizz and turn a shade of green that makes Jet’s stomach churn. “Finish the omelet and take the hangover pill. And don’t say you just took painkillers, because a lightweight like you needs all three to function properly.”
“Hilarious.” Jet takes another bite of the omelet, forcing himself to chew and swallow.
Luca grins at him. “Last night I was annoying.”
◼️◼️◼️◼️
Jet is able to choke down the rest of the omelet and the hangover pill concoction, which is a good thing because Luca won’t let him off the couch until both the plate and the glass are empty. Kai just sits and watches his brother with a very slight smile on his face. He has the car fob in his hand before Jet can even reach for it, and despite Jet’s feeble protests, Kai is behind the wheel with Jet in the passenger seat. The silence in the car is neither completely comfortable nor completely tense. Jet is concentrating on making the pain in his head disappear, and Kai is still unsure how to say what he needs to, so neither of them feel much like talking.
“I’m sorry,” Kai’s voice is a little uncertain as he finally breaks that silence. “I acted like a jackass last night.”
“You’re not the only one.” Jet looks over at him. He needs to make Kai understand. “Nail tried to run Mali down yesterday.”
Kai sucks in a breath, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “Are you sure?”
“He called me afterwards. Told me to back off Chalam.” Jet’s voice is very quiet. “And after seeing that, and seeing Nail confronting you at the gym, and you being so damned determined to go back to OmniVentures, I just—”
“It’s ok.” Kai sounds like he means it. “Really. I get it.”
The silence becomes a little more comfortable as they drive the rest of the way to the condo. Apologies can sometimes help ease tension, even if they don’t completely heal it. Kai stays quiet until they pull into the parking lot. Both get out and Kai hands Jet his car fob back.
“Thanks,” Jet mumbles.
The silence becomes a little more comfortable as they drive the rest of the way to the condo. Apologies can sometimes help ease tension, even if they don’t completely heal it. Kai stays quiet until they pull up to the condo. Both get out and Kai hands Jet his car fob back.
“Thanks,” Jet mumbles.
“Hang on,” Kai steps in front of his brother, preventing him from going inside, and the words come out in a rush. “There’s something I need you to know. I acted like a jackass and I’m sorry for that, but I’m still going back to OmniVentures tomorrow. Nothing you say is going to change my mind. I know you don’t like it, and I know you’re worried about me, but I have to do this, Jet. I need you to understand that.”
“Ok.”
Kai blinks at his brother’s simple answer. “Ok?”
Jet nods. As much as the thought of Kai being that close to Chalam again makes his stomach turn to ice, he is fully aware of how stubborn his little brother can be. “Just—I just want you to be careful. Are you capable of doing that?”
“Don’t worry,” Kai smiles. “I won’t let Nail kick my ass a second time.”


"22. Progress" 

Read from beginning: "1. Ignored"