Taken

Close Your Eyes and Pretend

TW: Loss of a Loved One, Death

Jasper lay lounged across Alcarion's chair in front of a large screen. Alcarion has decided that ever since Jaspers injury he's never allowed to leave Alcarion's sights.

He sighed and stretched out, bumping the touchpad on the arm of the chair. He raised a brow. It had brought up what appeared to be a personal profile on him. "The hell...?" He whispered, clicking away at the touchpad. It opened the file, bringing up his picture and pages and pages of information on himself.

He rolled his eyes, moving to click away when suddenly he saw a picture of his dad. He sat forward, reading the information beneath the man's  name, frowning at the death date. His dad has died a few years ago due to a heart attack. He continued on, reading his moms profile. His blood ran cold. Under her date of birth was her date of death, two weeks ago.

His mom wasn't dead... He jumped from the chair. "Alcarion!" He shouted. Alcarion strode into the room looking worried. "Yes?" "This profile's wrong." He raised a brow. "That's simply not possible, it was only updated yesterday." Jasper shook his head. "Well it is, my moms not dead."

Alcarion paused, deliberating what he should even say. "She...is though dear." Jasper paused, not even breathing as he stood in shock. "And you didn't think to fucking tell me!" Suddenly all his rage burst forward and tears streamed down his face. "I....knew it would only serve to upset you." "Upset me?!" His voice wavered and he had to swallow the breaking of his voice. "I'm fucking livid!" "My mom died and you didn't even bother to fucking tell me!"

He felt his heartbeat thrum angrily and he stomped away. "Jasper." "Get away from me!" He ran away, disappearing down the halls and out the nearest door of the castle. The sky was dark, and thick blue clouds moved in, seemingly crashing into one another and swirling together.

Jasper didn't seem to care, or even notice at all. He just kept running until he reached the edge of a cliff, overlooking what could only be described as an ocean, but it was white and the foam appeared to be black as the waves crashed together in a strange way.

He sighed and plopped down in the grass a ways away from the edge. He'd always been afraid of heights. He cried there in the strangely plush grass until his eyes were sore and his lungs ached from screaming, and even then, he laid on his side as tears slowly made their way down his face, almost as if caressing his cheeks to console him themselves.

"Jasper..." He turned slowly. "Get away." Alcarion put a hand out, unprepared for the waves of emotions his lover was feeling.
"Get away from me!" Jasper sobbed and threw himself to his feet. Blue lightning shattered the sky with a rumble almost comfortingly familiar to earth.

Jasper took a step back and stumbled slightly. Alcarion put his hands out. "Please, come back, I promise it'll be alright." Jasper shook his head. "Alright?!" He screamed. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He sobbed. "I can't do this anymore, I want-" He paused and let out a scream.

"AGHHHH!" "I don't know what I want!" He cried.
"I-i-i don't have anything left for me back home but I don't wanna stay here!" He crumbled to his knees. "I can't do this anymore." He turned to the cliff, watching the waves throw themselves against the wall of rock and dirt.

"Why, why did it have to be like
this?" He shook his head, almost feeling as if the weather were missing something. "Are you unhappy here?" Alcarion looked as guilty as he ever had. "Yes." Jasper sighed, his face seeming heavier. "But not with you, with this-" He motioned in a circle with his hands. "I don't know, whatever this is, I've started to....to like it, and I'm scared." "I can take you back, to earth I mean."

Jasper put a hand to his forehead. At this point he had been so wrapped up in defying Alcarion he hadn't really looked at the bigger picture. He really had come to enjoy life here better than on earth, he was treated well, and had people that really loved him. He sighed, letting his muscles go lax, and the wind whipped at his skin.

Suddenly, the wind seemed to be too much, and he tipped backwards, and never managed to find solid ground. As mist and air brushed past his face, kissing his skin, he realized it had been rain. Rain was what was missing.

He watched Alcarion slowly get further and further away and suddenly decided just to close his eyes, and before he knew it, the world went dark again, the sound of waves crashing disappearing just as abruptly as the wet feeling of his skin and the view from falling.

For a second, he could pretend that he was back on earth, on a trip to the ocean with his family again, back when they were whole, and back when shit wasn't so complicated. Back when he was truly and just genuinely happy.