Don't Panic (Jalex)

Do You Want Me (Dead?) Shouldn't Be The Title She Doesnt Even Go Here

Content warnings:
- Weapons
- PTSD
- Angst

Though the drinking never really stops, Alex is proud to say he hasn't been doing it in such excess these days. Rian and Zack are both very grateful for that.

Alex, however, is now dealing with issues—such as being a third wheel to Rian and Zack 24/7–completely sober.
That's why he took his two friends to meet Richard.

Zack at the time had said something like "Who the fuck is Richard?" When Alex originally proposed the idea. But Rian was honestly just glad Alex wasn't just going down to beach to drink his problems away anymore.

However, something Zack's learned in the past month or so is that things always seem great until they're not.

He's downstairs in the lobby looking for extra blankets while everyone else is asleep when he hears a knock on the door.

It's a soft, quiet knock. Almost like the person on the other side of the door is unsure of if they should even be knocking in the first place.

Alex and Rian are both asleep upstairs and there is no way in hell Zachary Merrick is going to let his boyfriend and his best friend be murdered some crazy person knocking on an abandoned hotel door in the middle of the night.

He grabs a handgun before actually making his way toward the glass door. He can already see a shadowy figure looming behind the glass. They need to board up that door before they get murdered or some shit.

He's 100% ready to shoot the possible intruder as he opens the door until he hears a familiar voice barely choke out his name.

"Zack?"

Zack blinks as he lowers the weapon. He then steps back so the person wearing a black hoodie can step into the light.

A pair of glasses cover his friend's black eye and matted black and blond hair is barely visible from beneath the hood of his sweatshirt. His face obviously hasn't been shaved in a while and the terrified, broken look on the mans face shatters Zack's heart into a million pieces that fall into a pit in his stomach.

"Jack," Zack says softly, "what happened to you?"
Jack crosses his arms tightly as he shrinks in on himself. "Please don't shoot me," Jack barely manages to say. His voice sounds too high and he won't make eye contact. Instead, Jack is staring at the floor and looks almost like he might run from the entrance of the hotel at any moment. "I-I know I fucked up but please don't shoot." Jacks voice tightens and fluctuates as he speaks, revealing that he's holding back tears.
Zack is tempted to hug him, but somehow he can't help but think that's a bad idea.

"How did you get here?" Zack asks him. "Where were you? What happened?"
Jack shakes his head. "I'm sorry," he chokes. "I shouldn't have come! I-I this was a bad idea and- and they could be coming after me at any moment and- Alex probably doesn't want to see me, I know, but- fuck I fucked up I know I just- I-I-I just.... I'm so stupid! They took my phone, so I couldn't call and- and fuck, Zack, I-"
"Hey, hey, relax," Zack says softly, trying to calm Jack down. "You're okay now."

Jack shakes his head and turns as if he's going to run but Jack grabs his arm, causing Jack to flinch and turn to punch him. Zack dodges Jack's fist and then turns to look at his terrified friend.

"Jack, I'm not going to hurt you."
Tears are already falling from Jack's eyes and causing his glasses to fog up.
"Jack..."

"You're holding a gun," Jack whispers.
Zack sighs and shoves the weapon in his back pocket. "You should come in."

Zack leads Jack to an empty hotel room on the main floor of the hotel so as to not wake anyone else up. It's dusty inside, but otherwise it looks like most every other room in the hotel. Neither of them really care that it's a mess.

"So what happened?" Zack asks, careful roll make sure his tone isn't too harsh. "Why are you back now? Like this?"

Jack looks down at the floor, silent as he thinks of the hell he's seen. Then he sighs. "Alex was right," he says. "They were worse than the aliens."
Zack seems confused. "What do you mean?" He asks.
"I- Well- I-It was a conversion camp, Zack. They- fuck, Zack, they-" Jack can't even force the words out, he just sobs. He doesn't care if Zack is going to think he's weak or stupid or whatever.

"I thought it was only LGBT people left," Zack says, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
"Me too!" Jack cries.

Zack, unsure now of what to say, pulls Jack into a hug, careful not to hold him too tightly. He's too fragile now. Zack hasn't ever seen Jack like this. Not even once. Zack isn't even sure Alex has seen Jack this way.

Jack sobs into Zack's shoulder as HES unsure of how to explain his past traumas. The whole situations a nightmare, and he's glad it was Zack who opened the door instead of Alex.

Though part of him still wishes it had been Alex who had answered the door.

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