Title: Two Tales
Genre: Humor, Drama
Rating: PG14
Warnings: There will be both homosexual and heterosexual relationships in this story. Be prepared for the unexpected.
Summary: Jaile Feriand works in a gay bar as a drummer, Sethiel Calhoun is a runaway from the Deep South. Two teenage boys, so different, are thrown together under unusual circumstances. Can they even be friends when their dark pasts come to light?
Written: 2008

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Chapter 1: “Unsuspecting Victim”

Hello there, the angel from my nightmare, the shadow in the background of the morgue, the unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley

–“I Miss You” by Blink 182

--

Seth:

September 3rd, 2002

It was a cold and lonely night in the City. It was exactly like any other night… except that two boys would never forget it. A fated meeting, maybe, but one would think fate would have picked a better place…

Okay, this is the city. I can do whatever I want. There's no one to stop me, no one to question or harrass me, I am my own man. The world is my oyster...so what do I do? Seth thought to himself as he wandered down 5th Avenue. There's a cool looking bar. Spectrum...sounds cool. He pondered as he crossed the street to enter the bar.

-

Jai:

"Jaile!" A raging voice rang through the Bar. Jai cringed. "Get back to work!" "I'm taking a break... bastard" Jai growled through his teeth.. Working at a bar as a drummer wasn't all the glam it was made out to be..

-

Seth:

Sethiel took a deep breath and took his first step into a bar. He inhaled the strong, almost overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke and cheap beer and almost choked. He strutted up to the bar, trying to look like he 'owned the place' to cover up the fact that he was not only new to the place, but underage. He plopped down on a stool and tried to get the bartender's attention.

-

Jai:

A grin slid across Jai's face as he peered across the bar, from his booth, at the freshmeat wandering through the door of the Spectrum Bar. Snaking through the parse crowd to the blonde newbie. "'Ello poppit. How're you this fine evening?"

-

Seth:

A smile appeared on Seth's face for the first time all day. Finally someone greeted him, finally a friendly face. "I'm fine thank ya sir. How are you?" He asked in his strong southern drawl.

-

Jai:

Jai cocked an eyebrow at the accent. "Out-of-towner, eh?" He gleamed his golden eyes along Sethie's densely built frame. "Didn't know the south made 'em so fine?" Jai waved the bartender over

"What'cha want Goldylocks?" The red-headed, buff, pirate-like woman winked at Jai with a heavily laden eyelash. It was actually quite hard to tell if she was a girl or guy, apart from the boobs.. but who knows if they're real or not in a place like this.

He didn't answer but grabbed the cigarette from her mouth and took a breath of it, then turned back to Sethie, "Want something farmboy?"

-

Seth:

Sethie, stunned at the "didn't know they made em so fine" comment could only stare for a moment but he was quickly brought back to reality when the bartender asked him what he wanted. "Um, cream soda please." He answered as the dark haired guy took another drag of the cigarette.

-

Jai:

Jai took a long smoke and puffed out a cloud at the bartender, whom rolled her (or his?) eyes and grabbed a bottle from the back, after a bit of shuffling. "Yee a ligh'weight or somthin' Southerner?" The pirate-like person handed Sethie the soda.

The dark haired boy peered through his long bangs at the blond. Kid looks a bit nervous... First time in a gay bar..? Hm.. probably, he wouldn't have lasted long in one before. And so Jai made his angle of approach, "First-timer as well as a lightweight? Well you came to the right place, after all, I'm here." The golden-eyed boy gave a bit of a snicker, maybe because of the alcohol he'd been drinking all night... or, more probably, brought on to hide the cough from the breath of smoke he had taken.

"Jaail, yee give meh back me cig. You're still a ligh'weight yerself, get yer own cig's if yee gunna waste them on breaken in yer lungs." The bartender snatched back her (his?) cigarette and scowled at Jai.

-

Seth:

"Um, yeah, I guess I am sort of a first-timer. Are you good at gettin people situated or somethin'? Sethie asked Jai, in regards to his "I'm here" comment. He tucked a loose strand of his light blonde hair behind his ear and took a sip of his soda. He peered around the bar for a second, thinking that something seemed off. It didn't look like the bars Seth had seen in the movies...

-

Jai:

"Situated...?" Jai blinked at Sethie, that was sure one way to turn someone down.. either he was dense or just blunt... or, of course, he could be...

The dark haired boy let his hair fall back into his eyes. "Or something.. Well I guess you could put it that way." Jai didn't let up from his silky voice, One way or another this could be fun. Jai's dark humor always shone through at strange moments. "Why not come dance? Or did you just come to get drunk on... cream soda?" A smirk crawled across Jai's face.

-

Seth:

"Oh, no I don't drink. Alcohol at least. And I'm not much of a dancer sir. See, I'm just new to the city so I thought I'd see what the night life is like. " Sethie stammered. He noticed the golden eyes behind Jai's hair and thought he saw something...was this guy checking him out? Seth looked around once more and noticed what was strange about this place. Guys were dancing with guys, and girls were dancing with girls! "Just what kind of a bar is this exactly sir?" Seth asked a little worried.

-

Jai:

Ah figures... Would have made a fine catch, but ah well. Jai broke into a grin then chuckled. "I was waiting for you to notice, you don't seem the type to come here 'cept accidentally. This is Spectrum, resident homosexual bar of this great part of the city." Jai patted Sethie on the shoulder. "Oh well, if I'm going to stop hitting on you, you've gotta at least tell me your name." Jai paused then, as if he'd forgotten, "Oh! I'm Jai, by the way.. like the French word not the letter, so stop calling me "ser" or whatever crap you're spouting, this is the city, not the farm."

-

Seth:

Seth was taken aback by actually knowing that what he was in was a 'gay' bar. Seth looked back at the guy who identified himself as 'Jai' and managed to squeak out "Sethiel". His eyes went wide as he witnessed all of the 'activities' going on around him. After seeing one pair of guys making out, he closed his eyes shut and willed himself to forget what he just saw.

-

Jai:

"Sethiel, eh? Lovely name. 'EY! Bartender, a scotch on the rocks and another cream soda for the Straight." Jai felt himself losing his battle to stay coherent and grabbed a nearby water and dumped it on his head.

"YO! Jayjay! It's not wet t-shirt night yet!" One of the men nearby, dressed neon green, tight pants (sans shirt) yelled out at Jai.

"Name's J'AI, and keep your wang in your pants, sheesh." Jai shook his head, turned back to the nearly whimpering Seth. "Oh c'mon, it's not that bad. Just avoid the butches and trannies, Sethie." Jai elbowed Seth and nodded towards the girl's side, where a rather muscled woman was dancing among the others. "They're scary."

"Yee tawkin' 'boot us, now, Jaail?" The bartender was playfully glaring at Jai... or at least, playful in the manor of looking like she (he?)'ll rip you a new one... then laugh about it.

Jai was undaunted though.. probably because of the scotch. "Tis Jai, my dear. I'm not named after any rehabilitation center."

-

Seth:

Seth kept his eyes closed and only peeked when he felt some water land on his arm. He looked up to see Jai fully drenched and just kinda starred at the drunk teenager. "Uh...uh.." He stuttered, not knowing what to say. He remembered back to a time when he was watching the Wizard of Oz, and remembered how Dorothy had to click her heels three time to go back home and wished he had those shoes.

-

Jai:

His gold eyes had a glint in them for a moment, looking more like the metal the color took it's name from, before Jai grabbed Sethie's arm, "C'mon and dance, Sethie!" Before Seth had a chance, he was in the middle of the dance floor.

This part of the floor held both girls and guys, although most of them were simply dancing alone. There was a solid rock song on right now, although it was slightly out of sync with the neon colors of some of the people's clothes.. while others fit the scene of rock intensely well.

Jai spun Sethie around and then continued to dance in a drunken fashion to the music... which meant he was horribly off beat and half doing disco for a moment..

-

Seth:

Watching Jai dance, it didn't take long for Sethie to realize that he was drunk. Although he had never seen anyone drunk, he had watched TV. Jai waved his arms around like an idiot, and though most of these people knew him, Seth thought it wise to take him outside and let him get some fresh air. "C'mon cowboy", Seth said taking Jai by the arm and dragging him outside of the club.

-

Jai:

"hic Cowboi? Yuuuuuu" Jai gave a hacking cough before continuing, "Yuuu are sooo siiiilly." He hung his arm around Seth's neck as he slurred his words, his condition getting worse by the moment. It was a wonder that he'd been coherent enough moments before to figure out Seth was straight.

"Craaaaaap. I.. thi...iiink... uh." Jai's face was pale and sweaty, and he was squinting his eyes as if he was going blind. When suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head, and Jai became dead weight on Seth's shoulders.

-

Seth:

"JAILE! JA- oh." The enraged voice from before stood personified in the doorway of the bar. "Crap. Well he won't be performing anymore tonight..." The plump man ran his fingers through his thinning hair. "You... person.. take this bum home." With that, the man shrugged and turned to go back in the bar.

"Wait! Sir, where does he live?" Seth asked propping Jai up with his shoulder. The man turned to him and gave a street address.

"637 Edjeford Lane, Apartment 65." Seth mentally recorded the address and thanked the man. Figuring he couldn't possibly find the address at this time of night, and dragging Jai, he waved down a cab and threw Jai into the backseat, following.

"Wher' too?" The cabbie asked.

"Um, 637 Edjeford..Lane?" Seth recited.

"Ah, what's wrong wit him?" The cabbie nodded to Jai's sleeping form.

"Oh, just a rough night I guess sir." Seth propped Jai more comfortably against the door, for fear of a horrible neck cramp if he had stayed in the position he was in for much longer.

In a few minutes, they arrived in front of a fairly dilapidated old building, and the cabbie said "That'll be twenty bucks." Seth searched his pockets and found a five, but nothing more. He had more in his car, that he had left across the street from the bar but that didn't do him any good right now.

"I only have five sir." Seth responded shakily.

"Ah, I see ya a newbie, I'll give ya the one." He took the five from Seth and Seth cracked a smile. Maybe the city wasn't so cruel. "But don't espect any sympathy from anybodys elses. This city's hartless."

Seth nodded, showing that he understood and then dragged Jai out of the cab. "Thank you sir!" He called out as the cab pulled away. "Alright cowboy, let's get you upstairs", Sethie said more to himself than Jai as he pulled him up the stairs of the apartment building.

-

Jai:

The apartment looked rather run down, although not the worst... just definitively not the best either. Number 65 was on the second floor, and the metal door looked a bit beaten up. A fern sat below the mailbox, but the fresh green looked horribly out of place with all the worn down walls and scuffled carpets. It looked like someone had sat the fern down for a moment to rest, then forgot about it and left it.

The only thing keeping one from assuming it was a lost fern, was a paper sign taped to the side of the pot, reading: "Jai's place, all are welcome." And underneath in small letters someone had wrote: "Find the key, leave Jai at the door, and make yourself at home." ... Apparently Jai collapsing from drunkenness was not a rare event.

-

Seth:

Sethie was surprised to say the least, when he read the card. And searching above the door frame, found the key. He opened the door, turned on the light and dragged Jai across the floor and laid him on a old, raggedy couch...if it was a couch. Seth then got the fern, brought it in and took a look around the apartment. It wasn't much, but it was something. Much more than he had. The kitchen was connected to the living room, which was all of a plaid couch, a beaten up coffee table, and a TV with bunny ears. How...vintage, Seth thought upon seeing the TV. He felt it safe to leave Jai, and walked down a hall to find one bedroom covered with band posters, and a bathroom that looked unsanitary at best. Well, might as well stay here the night, Seth decided. And while the thought of sleeping the night in his 89 Honda Civic was appealing, the car had no heat, and no locks. At least I'll be safe here...I think.

--

Jai:

The next morning was an interesting thing. Jai was quite used to waking up at his apartment (or in a gutter) after a drinking session.. which was at least once a week... anymore and the boss would kill him for ditching work.

The purple haired boy yawned and stretched, patting the old, patched-up couch like an old friend. Wandering to the tiny half-kitchen the apartment had, Jai was halfway through getting his noon bowl of lucky charms when he finally realized there was someone else in the kitchen.

Jai paused with bowl and box of cereal in hand, watching Sethie do something to his stove. "Eh...?" His golden eyes peered through the mass of deep purple hair at the stranger, as if a deer in headlights.

-

Seth:

Seth woke up at the crack of dawn, more by habit than choice. And seeing that his new "friend" was still passed out on the couch, he took the opportunity to get a bowl of cereal and peruse the apartment more. Everything was as he left it last night, but on closer inspection he noticed a fire escape window in Jai's room and he crawled out to see an overview of almost the entire city. Sethie took the view in while finishing his cereal and went back inside only when he couldn't feel his fingers.

Deciding that Jai would probably be out until at least noon, Seth took the key and headed out to find his car. After searching for an hour, he found it and drove it up to the apartment building, making a parking space for himself near the sidewalk.

Around noon he searched the fridge and found some bread and cheese. Finding nothing more of substance, he somehow found a frying pan and started making some lunch for him and Jai.

-

Jai:

Jai stared at the blonde teen in his kitchen, his blazing headache and hunger were forgotten in a second. Suddenly, words burst from his lips, "What are you doing to my kitchen!?" Jai stared at Seth, Crap.. I don't remember him at ALL. Did he bring me home, or did I bring him home.. and if I did.. WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER?!

Under his mass of hair, Jai was slowly turning more and more red, until he'd begun to turn purple as well. In contrast to the chaos in his mind, Jai was staring intently at the stove, "Why do you have my lucky pan over the house-warmer?"

-

Seth:

Sethie turned to face Jai and smiled as the purple-haired bartender starred at him in disbelief. I've seen this in movies, he must have a hangover. Geez, he might not remember me. Upon looking at Jai again, Seth thought he doesn't remember me. Jai sputtered something about his lucky pan and house warmer, and Sethie cracked a wide smile. "I'm cooking some lunch. Want some?" He motioned to a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches on a chipped plate.

-

Jai:

A sudden pain spike brought Jai to grip the sides of his head in pain. Recovering minorly, he flopped into a chair and glanced at Seth. Blonde hair... something about blonde... The teen tried to figure out the blurs of memory of last night...

"Cooking... a sandwich?" Jai raised a brow at Seth, although still gripping his head. He gave a chuckle then winced, before crossly grumbling "Whatever, I just need some food."

-

Seth:

Sethie smiled at his hungover friend and flipped a fresh sandwich onto a plate. Grabbing a sandwich off the pile, he handed the plate to Jai and sat down beside him eating his own sandwich. Noticing the slight wince Jai seemed to bear, Sethie said "If you have any Advil or Tylenol I'd advise you to take some."

-

Jai:

Jai winced like a spooked rabbit from the plate for a moment, then snatched it. Not bothering with manners, Jai sat hunched over the plate, munching on the grilled cheese. He paused for a moment, looking amusing with a silly smile on his face, like a purring cat or something, before wolfing down the rest of the sandwich.

He nibbled on his fingers, then suddenly realized Sethie had told him something. "I have some... I forget where.." Jai gritted his teeth, bliss-time over and his hangover returning. The teen flopped his head on the table, letting his deep purple hair tangle across the tabletop and his empty plate. "Frrrrrackin' FRIG. Why did I get so druuuunk." He whimpered.

-

Seth:

Sethie rolled his eyes at Jai's comment and searched the cabinets for some form of painkillers. He found a half-empty bottle of Aleve in the back of a drawer and took two pills out. Returning to the table, he laid the pills in front of Jaile and sat back down in his own seat to finish his sandwich. Taking a look around the rather...quaint apartment he noticed a pair of drumsticks on the table and cocked one eyebrow. "You play?" He said nodding to the sticks.

-

Jai:

Jai fumbled at the pills, his fingernails having been chewed down from stress, making it hard to pick things up. He popped them in his mouth and shallowed, without bothering to get any water. Glancing over at his drumsticks, Jai nodded his head dully, not thinking much of it, instead his mind was elsewhere..

Damn...if I did anything last night...Jo'll be so... Suddenly Jai's whole body stiffened. His golden eyes snapped wide, full of new shock and reawakened hurt. "Ah...shit. I need a scotch." Jai's voice was sounded very raspy, seemingly out of the blue, as if a different sort of pain was racing through him.

-

Seth:

"What? You already have a hangover!" Sethie reminded his pained friend. "You wanna double that pain?" He asked incredulously.

-

Jai:

Jai's eyes were suddenly stained red at the edges. He tossed Seth a glare, then decided the crumbs on his plate were extremely interesting thing in the world. "Body pains better then of the heart..." he muttered under his breath. Meeting Seth's eyes, Jai exclaimed suddenly "Who ARE you anyways?!"

-

Seth:

Seth heard Jai mutter something about art, or something, but decided to let it go.

Sethie sighed heavily and rubbed his temple. "My name is Sethiel, we met last night at the Spectrum, you passed out on the street, so I brought you here...and here we stand."

-

Jai:

Jai narrowed his bloodshot eyes. "Just that?"

-

Seth:

Seth nodded innocently. "As far as I know."

-

Jai:

Jai seemed to deflate as he laid his head back on the table. "Good." Suddenly aware of his words, Jai jummped up from the table, knocking his chair over, "Not that that's a bad thing! I just mean...erg." Jai rubbed his temples. "Look, nevermind. Thanks for breakfast...and getting me home. You can go now..." The teen turned around and busied himself with picking up his chair.

-

Seth:

"Um..." Seth starred at the table. "Actually, I was kinda lookin for an apartment or something, see cause I just moved here, so, I uh...well...wanna roomie?" Sethie asked with a forced smile. Please have pity, please have pity, Sethie prayed.

-

Jai:

Jai paused, glancing back at Sethiel. A flash of memory returned to him, "Why not come dance? Or did you just come to get drunk on... cream soda?" Jai didn't blink at the fainted memory, but he this whole situation unnerving. Turning his back to the farmboy, Jai placed the fallen chair back in place under the table. Without looking up, Jai mumbled something hard to hear, "... If you want." And without waiting for a reply or looking up for a response, the purple-haired drummer flopped face-first into the ragged-looking couch.

-

Seth:

A wave of relief inundated Sethiel, and finally he felt like he would make it in the city. He cracked a grin and thanked his now "roomie". "You won't even know I'm here, I swear!"

-

Jai:

Jai sighed from the couch as Sethie happily exclaimed how wonderful he would be as a roomie... I'm too nice sometimes... seriously.

--

-to be continued-