Jackson woke to a gentle shake.

He cracked one eye open and squinted in the white light that filtered through the open windows.  Looking around in confusion, he blinked as Mark tugged on his wrist.

“Jackson,” Mark said, his face looking refreshed after a good night’s sleep, “Get up already.  I’m hungry.  Let’s go out!”  He nodded towards the windows and gave a few more tugs.

Jackson squinted as he stared out of the windows at the gloomy sky.  Overcast clouds blanketed the blue and sent a stream of gray white light into room.  “It looks like it might rain though,” he muttered.  Before he could even pull back the covers, the clouds opened up to a shower that quickly drenched the world outside.

Despite the rain, Mark looked excitedly outside and said, “It’s just a little rain.”  Letting go of Jackson’s hands, he instead reached for the covers and pulled them off.  “Let’s go play in the rain,” he said, tossing the covers aside and resuming his pulling of Jackson’s arm, “I read that in a book once.  It’s supposed to be fun.” 

Sighing, Jackson rubbed his eyes and grimaced at the headache forming between them.  He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before; he had spent most of it tossing and turning followed by some ceiling staring.  He glanced at the clock; it was nearly noon. 

Mark eagerly brought him the room service menu and sat down on the bed beside him with a smile.

“You look chipper,” Jackson muttered, flipping through it without really looking.  In contrast, he felt as if he had fully embraced the life of a zombie.

“I feel good today,” Mark replied as if it Jackson had asked a silly question, “What are we going to eat today?”

Jackson looked through the menu quickly.  All he wanted was a steaming cup of coffee.  Still… Mark had said he wanted to go outside.  “Let’s grab some sandwiches and go out to the veranda,” he said tapping on the menu.

“What’s that?” Mark asked, automatically nodding despite his lack of knowledge about what a veranda might be.

“You’ll see,” Jackson said with a small smile.  Though he was bone tired, he felt strangely relaxed at Mark’s bright smile.

When lunch came, the two grabbed their plates and headed down to the beautiful veranda on the first floor.  Though the rain continued to drizzle, the air was warm and smelled like fresh grass.  They ate their food through miscellaneous chatter and watched the soothing rain with appreciation.  Jackson mildly wondered if he had ever taken the time to sit outside on his apartment balcony on a day like this just… enjoying nature.

“What’s that?” Mark asked suddenly as he stared at the mug in Jackson’s hand.  Curiosity beamed from his eyes as they darted from the mug to Jackson’s face.

“It’s coffee,” Jackson said, holding out the mug towards Mark’s reaching hands, “Remember the coffee maker in our room?  This is what it makes.”

Mark sniffed the black liquid hesitantly before bringing the cup to his lips and taking a tiny sip.  His face quickly morphed into a grimace as he held the mug away from himself in a hurry.  “It’s…” he said, sticking out his tongue, “It’s…”

“Bitter,” Jackson finished, taking the mug back and taking a much needed sip, “It’s an acquired taste I guess?”

Shrugging, Mark quickly washed the flavour out with a few sips of his juice.  Setting his cup down, he got up from his seat and walked over to the railings.  Leaning against them, he stretched a hand out from under the veranda cover and let the rain wash between his fingers.

“I really like this smell,” he said without turning around, “I don’t really know how to describe it but it makes me feel so relaxed…”  He looked up at the sky with a peaceful smile.

“I smell lavender,” Jackson said, walking over to join him with his mug securely in his hand, “Those purple flowers over there.”  He pointed to the garden spread where a patch of lavender bloomed beautifully.  He took a sip of his coffee before shifting his gaze to Mark.

With some food and coffee, his headache seemed to fade off a bit into the distance where it now sat comfortably at the back of his head.  He knew it wouldn’t go away completely though; he wasn’t sure if it would ever go away.

How many days has it been?  How much time did they still have?  He looked down at his half-finished coffee and grimaced at the suddenly sour taste in his mouth.  He could feel the weight of it on his chest and it gave him a strange sense of emotional heartburn.  Frowning, he gulped down the rest of his coffee and set the mug on the veranda railing.

Four days had passed, if he remembered correctly, and their fifth was already half over.  Jackson looked at the watch on his wrist and felt urgency tug at his mind.  He had to make every second count; time was running out too quickly.  He didn’t want to think about it but it plagued his mind.  They only had three days left.  No, he swallowed the sour taste in his mouth, they had less.  They would be spending a portion of their seventh day returning to Facility.  How long did it take?  He couldn’t remember when they had to be back by.  Did it even matter?  Did he even want to go back?

Jackson jumped as rainwater splashed onto his face.  He looked up as Mark giggled before splashing more rainwater on him. 

“What are you thinking with that frown on your face, Jackson?” Mark asked, his smile radiating ten thousand watts.

Jackson felt both regret and anxiety crawl their way up through his stomach.  He was wasting time worrying about the future; he was doing exactly what he didn’t want to do.  Mark was here now, in front of him.  “Nothing,” he said, forcing a smile on his face before reaching to circle an arm around Mark’s neck, “And did you just splash me with rain, you punk?”

Laughing, Mark squirmed out of his grip and ran out from the veranda into the rain.  The drizzle covered his hair in sparkles and gave him a look of such purity that Jackson had to clear his throat and look away.  It wasn’t long, though, before Mark came dashing back inside to take a grip on his arm.  Letting himself get dragged out under the rain, Jackson felt the coolness on his face as he watched Mark with a chuckle.

Mark spread his arms out wide and lifted his face to the sky.  He spun slowly while opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish to catch the rain.  He tasted the rain occasionally as if he was sampling fine wine before returning to his spinning.

Jackson looked up at the grey sky himself and wondered what it was that captured Mark’s soul about this weather.  Was the grey sky something to lose himself in?  What about the rain?  Did it taste like aged wine?  Or maybe it wasn’t any of that at all.  Maybe it was simple fact he could stand here now, in the middle of the hotel garden, surrounded by the sound of soft pattering and smells of fresh flowers. 

“Jackson!” Mark called, pulling him out of his trance. 

Jackson looked over at Mark, who was now crouched by a rose bush pointing at the corner of the stone walls.  Seeing nothing in particular, Jackson walked over to join him.  It was only when he got closer that he noticed a large spider web sprawled between the two walls.  Though it wasn’t significant in size, the droplets of water gave it a glowing effect that made it look nearly crystalized.

“It’s so pretty,” Mark murmured, leaning forward to get a closer look.

Jackson glanced at Mark and took in the wet hair, soaked shirt and carefree smile.  He swallowed and looked at the flowers beside him as if they could help dispel everything he was feeling.  He couldn’t even put into words anymore; he was more confused than he ever remembered being. 

Confused about where he was in life… about the work that he had dedicated his life to, about whom he worked for, about whom he worked with and… whom he worked on.  He looked back down at Mark with guilt tearing at his heart.  Without thinking, he reached out and ran his fingers through Mark’s wet hair.

Mark looked up in surprise, his smile fading a bit as he met Jackson’s eyes.  “Hmm?” he hummed.

“You’re not cold?” Jackson asked, unable to take his hand away.  It had slid down to settle at Mark’s nape comfortably.  As the words left his mouth, he felt a small shiver on Mark’s shoulders.  “Time to go in I think,” he said, nodding towards the veranda, “Let’s check out the sauna.”

“Sauna?” Mark repeated, his eyes sparkling again, “What’s that?”  He followed Jackson back into the hotel.

“It’s a hot room that makes you sweat,” Jackson replied, leading them to the elevator that would take them to the recreational floor.  Thanking the receptionist for the towels and locker key, he glanced back at Mark to see the boy looking around the room with muted excitement.

The warmth humidity of the locker room hit them in the face as they walked in.  Jackson raised an eyebrow as a eucalyptus scent wafted by his nose.  He couldn’t remember the last time a men’s locker room smelt so… fresh.

They weaved through the rows of lockers until they got to nearly the last row.  Turning, he handed a towel to Mark and said, “You’ll need to change out of your clothes before we can go in the sauna.”  He paused briefly before switching places with the Critical.  Their locker was nicely placed in a secluded section of the room.  This suited Jackson just fine; he didn’t want anyone laying eyes on Mark’s large scar.  Looking around, Jackson used his body to block Mark from view and began changing himself.

It felt good to be out of wet clothes.  Jackson tossed the wet pile into the locker and wrapped the towel around his waist.  He turned to Mark and wasn’t surprised to see the guy standing stark without a shame in the world.  He grabbed the towel and wrapped it around Mark’s waist.  His fingers brushed against cold skin as he secured the towel.  It was a good call to come inside, he mentally noted.  The last thing he wanted was for Mark to get sick… again.  Ignoring the weight in his stomach, he led the way to the steaming sauna.

“Wow,” Mark murmured as they stepped inside.  The room was dimly lit and filled with fresh scented steam.  It was hard to make out much in the room other than faint silhouettes.  “It smells nice in here,” he said, feeling around.

“It’s a steam sauna,” Jackson said, squinting against the steam, “Let’s sit.” 

Jackson sighed as warmth seeped inside of him.  When was the last time he went to a sauna?  He had forgotten how good it felt to just sit in warmth and relax.  Silence washed over them.  The only sound audible was the soft currents of steam pushing through the vents.

Sleep washed over him.  He wanted to stay in this place forever.  In here, he could see nothing but fog.  He didn’t have to think about anything but breathing.  He didn’t have to feel anything but warmth.  Here, he could sleep without the fear of a cold… dark… nightmare…

“Jackson…”

He blinked as Mark’s soft voice carried across the air.

“Hmm…” he grunted, looking in the direction of Mark’s voice.  They sat close enough that he could see Mark’s facial features.

“Do we just… sit here?” Mark asked, his voice slightly confused.

“Yeah,” Jackson replied, “That’s what you do in saunas.”

“Oh,” Mark replied, looking around the empty room again, “I can’t see anything.”

“Hmm…” Jackson agreed, stretching slightly, “Nothing to see in saunas.” 

Silence fell again.  Jackson could feel lethargy creep up on him again.  He wanted to freefall into sleep’s open arms…

“Jackson…”

Sighing, Jackson opened one eye and peered at Mark.  He blinked quickly as Mark’s face came into view much closer than he had anticipated.  Their faces were barely inches apart.  Jackson could make out the rosy cheeks and damp eyelashes.  Just like that, his lethargy was placed with a curling snake of lust.

“W-What,” he said, scooting back slightly without thinking.

“Can we do that thing again?” Mark asked, scooting forward to close the distance again.

“What thing?” Jackson asked quickly, scooting back again until his back hit the wall.  His heart raced in his chest… was it the heat?  It must have been the heat.  Right?

“The thing we did last night-” Mark said in excitement as he scooted even closer.

“Oho!” Jackson cleared his throat loudly and pressed a hand against Mark’s mouth, “You… Don’t…”  He glanced at the door to make sure no one had stepped inside.  “Don’t talk about that thing in public,” he hissed, feeling a different kind of heat rise up in his groin at the thought.

“Why-” Mark muffled through his hand.

“Just… We don’t talk about that stuff in public,” Jackson said, still squinting around the room.  Did anyone else come in after them?  He couldn’t see… he was pretty sure the room was empty when they came in but visibility was poor so…

“J-Jackson…” Mark said, his voice softer.

Jackson didn’t respond.  To his relief, the room looked empty from what he could make out in the dim lighting and fogged visibility.  Sighing, he removed his hand and let it fall to his thighs.  Through the towel, he could feel a faint stiffness near his groin.  Groaning, he looked down.  The last thing he needed was a in the sauna to officially earn him the stamp of a ert.

To his surprise, however, it wasn’t his bulge that was visible but a smear of… what is that?  He lowered his head to get a closer look at the dark looking colour on his white towel.  Was that… blood?  “What the…?” he murmured before realizing it was also on his hand.  He brought his hand closer to his face to look.  It was… blood.  How…?  Suddenly jolted, Jackson looked in Mark’s direction and reached out to grab the latter’s arm.  Pulling Mark closer, he felt sick to his stomach as Mark’s face came close enough to be visible. 

“You’re bleeding,” Jackson said, his throat tight as panic hit him.  Standing quickly, he dragged Mark out of the room and back out into the change room where lighting was much brighter.  He cursed as he took in the blood seeping from Mark’s nose.

“Ah,” Mark said, touching his fingers to his nose.  He blinked blankly as he looked down at the red on his fingers.

“Wait here,” Jackson said, his voice suddenly hoarse.  He buzzed across the room like a fly as he gathered bathrobes, tissues, and slippers.  Taking the tissues in his hands, Jackson wiped away the blood that had by now dribbled onto Mark’s chin.  Plugging up the bleeding nostril, Jackson tilted Mark’s head forward so that the Critical faced down as far as he could without falling over.  “Don’t lean backwards,” he warned as he wrapped the bathrobe around Mark’s shoulders, “You’ll choke on your own blood.”  Slipping inside of his own towel, he grabbed their wet clothes from the lockers and ushered them back out to the elevators.

Jackson hands shook as he held Mark’s shoulders.  He couldn’t explain the sheer panic he was feeling at the moment over a nosebleed.  He felt as if Mark would drop dead in a second if he didn’t do something… anything to stop the bleeding.  He let out a shaky breath as they made their way back inside the hotel room.

“I’m fine,” Mark said as he watched Jackson.

He couldn’t hear it though.  A roaring had begun in Jackson’s ears that seemed to be drowning out all the other sounds around him.  He searched around the room for a first aid kit.  Where was it?  Kitchen?  No… bathroom?  What should he do next? 

“Jackson…”

He rummaged through the night stands for nothing in particular.  What was the protocol for a nosebleed?  Should he call a doctor? 

“Jackson…!”

No, what would they do that he hasn’t done already?  But was he missing something? 

“Jackson!”

Jackson stumbled as he felt hands on his arms.  He was dragged mid-orbit towards the bed and promptly sat down.  He blinked as Mark’s frowning face came into view.  His heart raced with incredible speed and made him want to throw up his lunch.

“Jackson, I’m fine,” Mark said softly, leaning forward so that they were on the same eye level, “It’s just a minor nosebleed.”  He pulled the tissue out from his nose and waved it in the air.  “See?” he said, his face melting into a gentle smile, “It stopped already.”

It happened all at once. 

Jackson felt a sense of stupidity slap the back of his head while tension in his stomach seemed to erupt through his chest.  He felt relief strangle at his throat and a rush of tears blurred his vision.  A random sob clawed its way out of his throat and his mind chose exactly then to revive his inner five year old.  He felt his face burst into an ugly blossom of tears as his crying voice nearly made his ear drums explode.

Startled, Mark dropped the tissue and blinked for a moment before reaching forward and cradling Jackson’s head in his arms.  Like shushing a baby, the two stayed in place and let the rush of emotions spill forth without restraint.

Jackson gripped Mark’s bathroom as he sobbed into the Critical’s arms.  What was wrong with him?  Had he become so emotionally unstable in the last few days that he would sob like a child into the arms of someone he barely knew?  What were these emotions storming inside of him?  Why had he gotten so worked up over a nosebleed?  Really… this entire situation was just so…

Finally getting some control over his breathing, Jackson pulled away and reached for a tissue.  “Sorry,” he muttered, blowing his nose, “Don’t know… what’s gotten into me.”  He pressed his palms against his throbbing eyes and tried to will his headache away.

“Mmm,” Mark said, dabbing a tissue against Jackson’s nose, “I don’t really like the sight of blood either.”

Jackson paused and blinked at Mark.  Blood… “Yeah,” Jackson sighed, “That’s… what it was.  That…”  He leaned back and scooted himself against the headboard.  Closing his eyes, he rested his arm on top of them.

“Are you okay now?” Mark asked, scooting closer to take a look.

“Mmm,” Jackson said, looking down at Mark’s innocent face.  “I’m mentally unstable right now,” he muttered, leaning forward until their faces were only inches apart, “You should keep some distance.”  Even as the words slipped through his mouth, he felt a snake coil at his groin.  He must be unstable, he thought, to go from being a crybaby to thirsty animal in the blink of an eye.

“Why?” Mark asked, his voice a soft whisper as he crawled in closer.  His eyes dropped to Jackson’s lips briefly before looking up again.  “Jackson,” he whispered, “I want…”

Jackson didn’t have to hear it.  He wanted the same thing.  Throwing caution to the wind for a second time, he leaned forward and drew Mark into a hungry kiss.

Authors notes:

*prostrates self*

I seriously cannot believe the last time I updated this was in Sept 2015.  I swear I updated this in 2016... but I guess that's just how quickly that year flew by for me.  To my readers, I am so so so SO sorry for having kept you waiting for over a year.  Thank you very much for still sticking with this story to date!  I will finish this story.  There's not a doubt in my head that I will because I already know what happens next and how it ends.  I hope I get the time to finish this in the next few months at most.  THANK YOU FOR READING as always <3