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Mearc had gone out to handle some sort stuff, but Lux was staying at home. Perhaps purposely to be here when Jack got home, to check on him. The weird texts Jack had sent were pretty worrying, after all.
When Jack comes home, they find Lux sitting on the couch, wearing shorts and a tank top, TV on. But at the sound of the door opening, Lux's attention turns to watching him come in.
Jack's got sunglasses on when he plods into the apartment. He's in jeans and a t-shirt under his leather jacket, and he drops his overnight back on the ground next to the door after he carefully closes it. The thud of the bag makes him wince, and takes a few seconds to fiddle with his boot laces until they're loose enough that he can kick them off.
It's not until he's got his boots off that he paws at his face to take his sunglasses off with a sigh, and heaves his bag back onto his shoulder to bring it further into the apartment.
"Hey, babe." It's a rough sort of mutter, and he offers Lux a small, tired smile. His mien's slightly smudge, and shifts slowly and lazily around his face as he drops the bag again, next to the couch this time, and sinks down next to Lux with a groan.
"Hey," Lux echoes, looking Jack over slowly. They scoot in, resting their hand on his knee. "You look tired."
"Mhm." Tired and...maybe not quite sober, given the way he blinks at Lux. He flops onto Lux's shoulder with a sigh, the faint whiff of alcohol following him. "Diplomacy successful, though. And...managed to get with Drake and Amon last night, 'm a little sore..." He lets out a quiet huff of a laugh. "How're you?"
"Both of 'em, huh? At the same time?" Their arms wrap around him, pulling him into their lap to hold and rub at his back. "I'm good. A bit worried about you. But I'm glad to hear the diplomacy went well."
"Mhmm..." Scribbles drift across his cheeks as he grins, though it fades quickly, and he drops his head onto Lux's shoulder. "I...'m sorry about texting both of you like that last night. I uh..." a grimace. "Haven't been that fucked up in a long time. It uh...mmmh." He kisses along Lux's neck, like he wants to switch to something that doesn't require talking.
Lux... almost lets him. But after a few kisses, Lux pulls back enough to look him in the eye again. "How fucked up did you get?"
Even smudged as Jack's mien is, it still manages to flicker at the question, flecks of charcoal dissolving away into the air around him. He whines quietly in protest, and doesn't meet Lux's eyes.
"...More'n I have since...since I got clean after Over There," he finally mutters, his voice full of guilt. "It...it was easy."
Lux doesn't show any judgement as he watches Jack, rubbing slowly at his back. They nod faintly. "I imagine it was. How are you feeling about it now, though?"
There's a beat, and Jack actually looks like he's thinking about it, instead of pushing all his feelings away. "Guilty. Scared. Like...like I let you an' Mearcstapa down. He...we talked about me drinking, in Hawaii. Said I'd try to work on it, an' then...this. It's...it felt good. An' I - I thought I got away from that."
"The fact that you feel guilty is good, I think. You know you fucked up." Lux leans back, looking thoughtful. "Becoming a better person isn't a straight shot, Jack. It's twisty and turny and sometimes you have to retrace steps you've already taken. The trick is to... keep going."
"Really fucked up. I...feels like I'm right back where I was, the physical shit...'s so fucking familiar. I...'s a big part of me that wants to make it go away - and I know how to make it go away." A beat. "I'm not gonna, I just..." Jack shakes his head. "Mearcstapa thinks I should get help. And...maybe sober up completely." He eyes Lux, like he wants to know if they agree.
"Feeling some withdrawal again?" Lux guesses, watching him intently. He doesn't stop rubbing along his side and back though, comforting him. They pause, regarding him a moment. "Do you think you can?"
"The worst of it'll hit tonight, probably, once I've been sober for a few hours..." Jack curls into Lux, not looking at them as he considers their second question. "No."
"I'll be here to help you ride it out," Lux assures, kissing him softly on the cheek, cradling him protectively. They fall quiet a moment. "And is Mearcstapa says its him or the booze?"
"He...I mean he can't trust me like this." Jack deflates a little as he says it. "And I get it, I don't deserve that trust - from either of you, really, it...I wanna be better."
"Hey." They cup his cheek, forcing him to look them in the eyes. "No matter what you do, no matter how many mistakes you make, you deserve to be loved. Maybe you'll break our trusts, but trust can be earned and mended. Mearcstapa took me back, and I was an oathbreaker."
"I don't wanna break your trusts, 's what love is." Jack's voice wobbles. "I - he was fuckin' scared to even talk to me about this shit and I don't - I don't want either of you to...be afraid to talk to me. That's..." He shudders, and curls into Lux more, clinging to them while his mien flickers and shudders around him.
Lux... hesitates. They frown, rubbing his back slowly. "You... do get pretty upset anyone tries to point out that you have a problem, Jack."
"I...denial's a hell of a drug," Jack mutters into Lux's shoulder. "An' like...'s so much worse shit I could be doing. But now...I mean I did that. I fucked up and that scares me more than the idea of getting sober."
"I think... getting sober would be good for you," Lux admits. "Or at least cutting back quite a bit. I've never wanted to start a fight, but... It does bother me when you get really drunk," they murmur softly. "And... I don't think you were sober the whole time we were in Hawaii."
Jack shakes his head. "Wasn't, yeah...'m sorry. Lionheart's gonna...stop drinking too. Not gonna ask you to do that, don't think he needs to. An' I guess..." He wraps his arms tightly around Lux. "I accidentally texted Sturm, last night. She wants to help, lionheart talked to her, I guess she's been sober for a while."
Lux nods. "I knew she didn't drink at all. Figured it was something like that." Their fingers drag through Jack's hair. "Would it help you if I didn't drink either? And we helped hold each other accountable?"
"Dunno." Another shake of his head. "'S all new ground, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, you know? Dunno how it works, 'cept that it's gonna be rough as fuck, for who knows how long. But...not gonna stop you, if you wanna."
They smile. "I'll do it. You're worth it, my muse." Lux leans in to kiss him softly on the lips, then squeezes their arms around his waist. "I'm so proud of you, babe. Even if you stumble along the way, just the fact that you're finally accepting that you need to change, is... its a big step."
Jack kisses Lux back desperately, sliding his hands up their back and gripping their shirt. "It's...you don't gotta be proud of me." A smudge of a blush fills in his cheeks.
"I don't gotta fuck you either, but that doesn't stop me, does it?" Lux smiles warmly. "I love you. You're mine. I'll cherish and want and be proud of you as much as I damn well please."
Jack's blush turns scribbly at all those declarations, and he shifts on Lux's lap. Grinding his ass against Lux just a little. "Love you too, firefly. Fuck, I dunno what I did to deserve to be yours, but I'm not gonna stop trying to be everything I can for you. And lionheart. 'S...god, 's the shit that makes life worth living, you know?"
"Stop that." Lux boops him on the nose. "You deserve it all, and more, because you are a wonderful person, even with your faults and vices." Their arms circle again, hands rubbing down to rest on his ass. "Still horny, huh?"
"Always..." Jack mutters, and presses soft kisses against Lux's neck, tugging the back of their shirt up as he does. "Sore as fuck, but...mmph. Coming home to you..."
They smile, slowly kneading and rubbing over his ass. "Mm. Have you drank any water today?"
Jack lets out a grumble of protest.
"...Had some at breakfast. I think." He stretches in Lux's lap, grinding against them some more, and pulls Lux's shirt up over their head.
Lux allows it, but they give Jack's ass a chastising playful smack. "Well, we're going to fix that before you get any rewards for being good." They grin sly. "Off. I'll get you a glass."
"Oh that's just fuckin' unfair." But Jack's grinning, and he slides off Lux's lap, giving them a lingering kiss as he goes.
Lux returns the kiss, but then gives him a shove off and stands. "I never promised to be fair." The waggle a finger, then disappear into the kitchen. A few minutes later they return with a large glass of ice water, handing it over.
"You're awful, d'you know that?" Jack huffs out a laugh and smacks Lux's butt as he leaves.
Amd gulps down the water when they return with it. "Thanks, firefly," he murmurs, and holds out his arms, inviting them to sit on his lap.
Lux watches him gulp it down. They accept the hand, but pull at him instead of letting themself be drawn in. "Come on. We're gonna take a bath. Wash away the bad, start new. And let me get a look at all your scratches."
"Fuck, that sounds...amazing." Jack stands to give them a deep kiss, wrapping his arms around Lux's waist as he starts to walk them toward the bathroom.
Lux returns the kiss, hands roaming, but they focus on getting Jack to the bathroom. Once there they step away and lean over to get the water running. Hot, but not scalding. A relaxing heat. Then even dig around in in Mearc's shelves for some nice smelling bath salts and such. Because Lux had no doubt stowed away some fancy bath stuffs there by now. "Get undressed," they command.
The scribbly blush on Jack's cheeks darkens at the command, and he gives Lux a lopsided grin as he strips. Sharp parallel lines cross his chest and back, and claw marks bruise his hips, too. His smile widens as he stands naked in front of Lux, letting them look him over.
Lux sits on the edge of the tub as it fills, looking up and over Jack as he strips with a thoughtful, intent expression. They make a gesture for him to turn around so they can see his back as well. "Poor thing. They did a number on you, didn't they?" They reach out to take his hips, drawing him back so they can lean in to kiss at the base of his spine.
"They're both sharp." It really doesn't sound like Jack minds too much, though. He shivers at the kiss, turning back to look at Lux with a smile.
"Wanna kiss me better? You're pretty good at that..."
"Hmm." They pause, considering the question, before kissing his ass cheek. "Once you're washed up, I'll kiss everything better."
"Right now, I want to pamper you."
"Mmm..." Jack wiggles his ass with a grin, and then steps to the side so he can get into the bath. He sinks into the water with a sigh and pulls Lux in enough to kiss them slowly before leaning back and closing his eyes.
Lux kisses him back slowly, for a moment. Then they pull back, getting a luffa to soap up with body wash. Seems like they were literal about wanting to wash away Jack's Bad Day, as well as pamper. They lean over him, starting to rub the luffa gently along his shoulders, neck, and chest. They watch him all the while, smiling softly.
There are twitches and quiet hisses when Lux hits particularly deep scratches, but Jack relaxes little by little as Lux washes him. He blinks lazily at them, bringing a wet hand up to caress their cheek, and smiles.
"'S is...wonderful. You're wonderful."
Their head tips to kiss at his wrist softly. "You're wonderful. Handsome, charming, funny, sexy as fuck, and so sweet. So beautiful, inside and out."
"Right back at you, firefly." Jack's face splits into a warm smile. "Don't think I'm ever gonna stop being amazed and overwhelmed by you wanting me in your life the way you do. I love you so much. And not just 'cause you pamper me like this." A little humor to get away from the Feelings™️.
"I love you too." They kiss softly at his shoulder, then starts to wash down his back--being more gently here, as there's more scratches, no doubt. "Tell me what they did to you."
"Ah..." Jack's smile falters. "They fucked me at the same time, I...don't really remember the specifics. Think Drake was behind me for most of it, he holds on so fucking tight." His smile starts to return at that. "Prob'ly kept the whole floor up, doubt I was quiet by that point."
Lux pauses, considering him a moment. "...Do you regret doing it?"
"...Regret that I can't remember more of it." Jack sounds guilty again.
"Would you have done it if you were sober?"
"I...I don't think they would have done it sober. They've got some history, none of it's good."
"That doesn't answer the question, Jack..."
"I..." Jack sighs and leans back. "I don't know. I'd definitely do it again, sober. Dunno what that means."
Lux considers that answer for a moment, then nods, seeming satisfied. They kiss his temple softly, then trails the luffa down to dip under the water, sliding it along his legs. Focusing mainly on getting his inner thighs nice and clean.
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