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“That’s it! This is the last time you’ve failed me!” Jafar screamed.
“Dad! No! I promise I’ll do better I- I’ll find the big score!” Jay pleaded.
“No! You’ve had plenty of chances, now I’m going to take away what you love most!” Jafar threatened, narrowing his eyes and pulling out a dagger from his sleeve.
“Please, Dad, don’t!” Jay cried, tears streaming down his face. He watched as Jafar turned to Carlos, who had appeared beside him. He plunged the dagger into his stomach as Jay screamed, his cries turning to sobs as the boy fell to his knees in front of him. He moved forward so that his head wouldn’t hit the floor, and cradled it in his hands as tears steadily flowed down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, God, I’m sorry,” Jay repeated over and over, rocking Carlos back and forth in his arms when-
Jay awoke with a start, his body jerking him up into a sitting position. He looked around him, momentarily unsure of where he was, when he saw Carlos on his bed across the room. He took a deep breath as he laid back down, running a hand down his face as he did so. He tried to calm his racing heart, but seemed to just increase its speed when he thought back to his dream; It had seemed so real, and when Carlos had died he had felt like his heart had shattered into a million pieces. He could feel his breath start coming in short gasps and he turned over as the tears spilled over onto his sheets, hoping to stifle himself by crying into the pillow.
He stayed that way for a while, Jay wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed, and found that he couldn’t stop sobbing. He hadn’t realized how much he cared for Carlos until faced with the possibility of losing him, even if it only happened in his head. Jay was about to get up and leave the room, maybe go outside so he could scream until his throat was raw, when he heard movement from Carlos’ bed.
“Jay?” Carlos whispered, his voice still thick from sleep.
Jay didn’t answer, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to say anything without sobbing.
“Jay, I know you’re awake,” Carlos said, “And I can hear you sniffling… what’s wrong?”
Jay turned his head to look at Carlos, hoping that he didn’t look too bad. His hopes were crushed however, when Carlos quickly sat up at the sight of him, getting off his bed and moving across the room towards him.
“Hey,” Carlos whispered when he reached Jay, sitting on the edge of his bed and placing a hand on his shoulder, “What’s wrong?”
Jay hesitated, not sure if Carlos would understand why he was so upset, but decided to relinquish control of his actions as he turned over and sat up, quickly pulling Carlos into a hug. Carlos had tensed at Jay’s sudden movements, but relaxed when it was clear that he had just gone to hug him. He reached his arms up to rub slow circles on Jay’s back, listening to him blurt out everything in one breath while shaking in his arms.
“I was dreaming and- and my Dad, h-he was mad because I c-couldn’t steal him anything good. So he s-said that he’d take what I love most and he t-took out a knife and- and he k-killed you and-” Jay was overcome with sobs when he remembered the sight of Carlos’ body in his arms, not able to continue as he clutched the smaller boy to him.
Carlos’ eyes widened at Jay’s confession, not knowing if the older boy realized that he had inadvertently admitted that he loved him. Tears welled up in Carlos’ eyes as the older boy broke down, completely taken aback by the amount of raw emotion Jay was displaying. They both stayed that way, clutching each other as tears flowed down both of their cheeks, for what felt like hours. Carlos was the first to pull away, only when he was sure that Jay was somewhat stable.
“Hey,” Carlos whispered, “You’ll never lose me.”
Jay looked into Carlos’ eyes and whispered, “But how do you know that? I mean, the barrier’s broken now! Maybe my Dad will come and-”
“He won’t,” Carlos murmured, reaching a hand up to cup the side of Jay’s face, “And even if he does, I know your Dad. He may have been greedy, but he’s no murderer.”
Jay relaxed as he mulled over Carlos’ words, acknowledging that Jafar hadn’t even so much as swatted a fly in ten years. He closed his eyes and leaned into Carlos’ hand, his tears finally stopping when his brain caught up to reality.
“I’m… what you love most?” Carlos murmured, looking at the hand that Jay’s head was resting in.
Jay’s eyes opened at Carlos’ words, his mind going back to replay what he had just said and internally screamed when he realized that he’d just admitted that he loved Carlos. He looked at Carlos’ face, trying to find any sense of disgust or anger, but all he could find was embarrassment and maybe even… happiness?
“Yes,” Jay breathed, finally admitting to Carlos and to himself what he knew had probably been true for a while.
Carlos looked back up at Jay, not really expecting a response to his question. He leaned in closer to Jay, going slowly so the older boy would have plenty of time to back out, but he didn’t. Carlos pressed his lips to Jay, both boys’ eyes shutting as he did so. Jay’s hand came up to grip the back of Carlos’ head, his other hand resting on his hip. Carlos pulled away after a moment, not wanting to go too fast.
“You’re what I love most,” Carlos whispered, smiling tentatively at Jay.
Jay broke out into a grin and Carlos’ heart fluttered, his own mouth curving upwards on its own accord. Jay moved over so Carlos could lie down beside him, refusing to let the boy go for the rest of the night. Carlos lied down and snuggled into Jay, placing a hand on his chest as he whispered, “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Jay replied as he wrapped his arms around Carlos, “Thing I love most.”