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Crystal
& Ice
Original Story
Created and written
by
FireDreamer
Chapter 2
Winter looked at the nervous young man trying to explain that he found him in a bad part of town without explaining how he was there in the first place. He found it amusing to tell the truth, the man played with the tip of his braid and kept avoiding eye contact. "What is it exactly you do for a job Mr..."
"Jayce. Jayce Collins. I'm one of your students actually."
"Mr. Collins. What is it you do for a job?" And in such a part of town! "You don't..."
Jayce watched the disgust hidden in the back of Winter's eyes and shook his head quickly. "Oh hell no! You can die from that stuff you know. I dance."
"Dance."
"Just Dance. No side businesses. I have a family to think of after all."
"You're married?"
"No...I take care of my brother. Like I had been saying. He's the one that found you. They said you're pretty messed up. Someone beat you good. Why?"
"It's none of your business."
"It's all of my business. You'd probably be dead now. Or didn't that thought come to mind." At Winter's blank stare he threw his hands up in disgust. "Adults are all the same. Never grateful." Winter resumed his practice of ignoring the student that had spent the last hour babbling at him.
Winter mumbled something as Jayce and Jim helped him out of the car. Jayce was surprised the car didn't break down once, Chris had done a good job fixing it this time.
"What was that?" Jayce smiled and walked with Winter towards the door.
"I said I'm too old to be in this kind of mess." Winter grumbled and winced as he put too much pressure on his broken leg, and the cast shifted.
"So cynical in you're not-so-nearly-old age."
"Nearly 40. I'm too old to be beaten by delinquents in any case." Just Beaten... Jayce thought. He knew that wasn't true, after all he found him. The doctors had someone talking to Winter, but he had no memory of all that had happened to him that night. It wasn't a healthy mental state, but it would do while his body healed.
"Well you're going to stay with these delinquents until you can actually climb stairs to your apartment again." Chris practically chirped out the words, delighted to have company.
Jim held the door open. "I think you aren't old." Jayce whispered as he watched Winter go inside, and, a moment later, followed.
"Why did I agree to this again?"
"Because it's too hard for you to get around easy in a cast. Now here's lunch." Jayce placed a tray and a plastic bowl filled with soup in in Winter's lap.
"That looks disgusting, no offense intended of course. I'll eat later."
"Fine. We only have mayonaise left though." Jayce picked up the tray and walked back to the kitchen.
"Mayonaise?"
"You act like I'm made of money. We can't get more food here until I get paid tomorrow." Jayce ran his fingers through the loose hair that had fallen out of his braid.
"Don't you have class or something to do?" Winter leaned forward and stared at the man leaning against the kitchen doorway.
"Yes, yours." Jayce shrugged, "I can miss class for a few days."
"Why are you helping me anyway?"
"Because you got fucked over, and I have a soft spot for people like that. Look at Chris if you don't believe me." Jayce pointed down the hall. "On second thought, don't look at him. He's writing now."
"Writing?"
"Songs. We're a band." Jayce picked up some crumbled up paper off the floor and went to throw it away. "Speaking of which; it's Wednesday. We're playing tonight. You can come with us or stay here, personally I'd come with."
A band?
Jayce leaned against the wall and smiled at Winter. Sweat covered and exhausted, he was on an emotional high from their biggest crowd yet. "Unfuckinbelievable! So, what did you think?" He looked around and his eyes settled on a water bottle, which was promptly snatched from it's place.
"You're all so loud. But it seems popular, there wasn't any room left in that place." Winter grabbed the water from Jayce and put the right bottle in his hands. "That one's mine."
"Yeah well, we won't go much farther than this without a better singer than me." Chris added in, wiping the makeup off of his face. "I mean, I'm just a song writer. None of the record companies think my voice will sell big."
"I see."
Chris turned his head and fixed his gaze on Winter for a second. "You don't happen to sing do you?" At Winter's stunned look he began laughing.
"Hey Jayce, your boyfriend's looking like a fish out of water." Jim pulled Chris to his side.
"Ew! Get off me you smelly sweaty monster!" Chris jabbed a finger in Jim's ribs, making the tall drummer gasp and move away.
"Serves you right, Jim, Winter's not my boyfriend." Jayce threw some of his water in his best friend's face. Winter just stared at the three, half in shock.
"Can you sing?" Chris looked to Winter seriously. Winter focused on the glowing green eyes staring back at him.
"I - I don't know. I never really tried. It's not a practical career." Winter confessed.
"Well, you do have the looks I think." Chris wiped off his hands and pulled Winter's hair loose from the low ponytail, he then messed it up a bit. "Yeah, definitely have the looks."
Winter glared at the annoying child as he pulled his hair out of his face. "I'm a teacher. Teachers don't get up on stage practically naked, singing loud music."
"Sure they do. Lookit that one woman. What'shername..." Chris looked to Jayce for an answer.
Jayce shook his head. "I don't listen to girl singers. Besides, music after 1980 rarely exists to me lil'bro. You're on your own."
"Whatever. Anyway! We hav-"
"We have to get back. You have school tomorrow don't you?" Winter reached for his crutches.
"Here, let me help you with that."
Chris watched as Jayce helped Winter up, his hands on Winter's wrists just a second longer than they should have been. Winter pretended not to notice, and stared at the ground. "If they aren't in bed together by the time the month's out I'll eat my underwear." He whispered to Jim.
"You think they'll last 3 weeks?"
"Not with our help."
Jayce yawned and curled up against Winter's side; Winter having fallen asleep a few minutes before him. Chris and Jim looked at the movie, some boring old movie that they had to fight to stay awake with and back at each other and smiled. When they were sure Jayce was asleep as well, they threw a blanket over the two, turned off the movie and left the room making as little noise as possible.
Winter woke up with something warm against his side. Correction- something warm and alive. It was breathing. Jayce was sleeping soundly, looking for all the world like an innocent little angel. Of course, having seen him on stage, Winter knew that the innocent angel part was closer to the truth than that act. Jayce put up a defense against the world. A hard bitterness that he tried to hide from Chris. He was too young to be taking care of a family, especially not one like this. Jayce mumbled something and pulled Winter closer, no matter that they were on the thinly carpeted floor, and Jayce surely was as stiff as Winter was from sleeping on it.
Winter touched the tanned, and worn looking face. "Good morning." He whispered, and was answered with the smile of those who sleep like the dead. Jayce hadn't gotten back here till 3 am all week except last night, which he had not been working. He needed his sleep dearly. He's earned it.
Chris looked in from the hallway, saw Winter touching Jayce's cheek and tip-toed back to his room. Victory!
