Chapter Text
Growing up, Jesse rarely got sick.
To him, this was a blessing. While other kids were shackled indoors every winter when cold season came around, Jesse continued to play without a care in the world.
This immunity to common colds and small ailments came with one caveat, however. When he did come down with something, he came down hard. Every four to five years, Jesse would be stricken with some of the worst fevers anyone in Beacontown had ever seen–nausea, vomiting, splitting headaches–everything Jesse hated and more.
In most cases, fevers like this would only last a week or so, but with Jesse being… well, Jesse, he could never stay truly bedridden for that long. His incessant energy and constant, restless need to “stretch his legs” every hour after sitting for too long often prolonged his fevers, stretching to two or even more weeks at a time.
Of course, Jesse wasn’t a kid anymore. He had defeated the Witherstorm, thank you very much! And because of this, not long after after said defeat when he began to feel a little under the weather–though not fever levels of sick like he was used to–Jesse assumed it was simply a product of getting older. He assured himself that his body had finally caught up to the fact that it was supposed to get sick from time to time in a non-debilitating way like he once did.
Jesse was, of course, ignoring the gash on his side, which he had obtained during his fight with the Witherstorm.
The gash that was, of course, refusing to heal.
The gash that Jesse, of course, refused to tell anyone about.
But those couldn’t possibly be related, right?
–
Jesse was handling everything just fine. Great, even! Sure, he couldn't sleep on his right side anymore and he stumbled over his feet more often than he used to, but he preferred to sleep on his back anyways, and he had always been a little clumsy.
And anyways, Jesse was just happy to be back in Beacontown. So what if he was a little hurt and under the weather? He had been through way, way worse than a little cut and some headaches, and the bandages he kept tightly bound around his midsection kept the whole thing out of sight, out of mind.
Plus, Lukas had invited him to visit him at his cabin today, and Jesse would be skipping with excitement if it wouldn't have hurt so badly. Everyone seemed to be having a bit of a hard time acclimating to normal life after the events of the past few weeks. Jesse wouldn’t say it hit him and Lukas the hardest, but they both definitely have had a rough time relaxing and adapting to not being constantly on high alert anymore. Jesse was still struggling with the loss of Ruben, and spending time Lukas really helped.
Since he and Lukas lived relatively closest together out of all their friends, the two men had taken to confiding in each other recently. Nothing insanely deep–they weren’t quite past that “we’re just bros who saved the world” barrier yet–but Jesse couldn’t help but think (and hope) that he and Lukas were coming along nicely.
Personally, he loved learning more about Lukas. After spending so long believing that they were supposed to hate each other (which, in hindsight, was definitely more Jesse’s doing than Lukas’s), Jesse was pleasantly surprised by how much he liked Lukas. While they were very different people overall, they shared a lot of the same interests and always managed to find things to talk about.
And- yeah okay sure, Jesse thought the guy was cute, sue him! But honestly, can he really be blamed when Lukas laughs at his dumb, stupid jokes in earnest and talks to him like he has personally looked into Jesse's soul and understood every single trouble he's been through?
Maybe he was being a bit dramatic.
Truly though, even though he's known Lukas for a far shorter time than the rest of his friends, and even less of that time was spent being civil to each other (again, his bad), Jesse felt that Lukas had a sort of understanding of Jesse's mind that the others didn't. Every conversation between the pair made Jesse feel lighter, like he was truly being seen and listened to for the first time in a long time.
Jesse had even talked to him about Ruben.
He couldn’t bring himself to talk about the pig with Axel and Olivia. He was always met with kind, pitying looks that didn’t really help him feel any better. The two of them had always cared about Ruben, of course, but sometimes he was “just a pig” to them.
Lukas, on the other hand, had a pet of his own; an ocelot named Dewey that Jesse was shocked he had never heard about before. Lukas understood the bond that people and animals could form, and their conversations kept his heart light when he would normally be weighed down.
Hence, the cabin visit Jesse was so eagerly awaiting.
Jesse had never seen where Lukas lived, but he knew that he lived in the woods outside Beacontown. This didn't surprise Jesse one bit, Lukas seemed like the kind of guy to value privacy and quiet.
Jesse had the task of picking up lunch for the two of them and bringing it back to Lukas’s house. Lukas had offered to meet him halfway so he could help and show Jesse the way, but Jesse had refused the offer. He didn’t want to inconvenience his friend by making him come all the way into town just to go back home!
And… maybe he wanted to brag about his navigating skills by following the directions Lukas gave him, so what?
It also had nothing to do with the fact that Jesse had gotten… undeniably slower lately. He had to be extremely careful with exerting himself so he didn’t twinge or put pressure on his right side, and truthfully, that was a lot to be aware of constantly if he wanted to convince Lukas–and everyone else–that nothing was wrong.
Because nothing was wrong!
Totally.
Everything was going to be just fine.
—
Things might have been worse than Jesse had anticipated.
He had successfully picked up sandwiches for Lukas and himself with no issue, a veggie sandwich each for them. The weather was great, the sun was out with a light breeze and not a cloud was in sight. He waved to the townspeople when they looked at him, but carefully avoided the more crowded parts of town. Even if he wasn’t dealing with a not-at-all-an-issue injury, he didn’t like the feeling of so many eyes on him when he was just trying to go about his day.
The easy way over to the sandwich shop was just the universe giving Jesse false hope. Once he actually got the sandwiches, the world seemed to be out to get him.
Firstly, he almost tripped walking down the steps of the shop! Imagine if the people of Beacontown had seen their hero faceplant on the sidewalk? Jesse would never recover!
The more pressing issue, however, was that he had stretched a little too much in his stumble and twinged his injury. It was bound to be… bleeding? Oozing? (Jesse hadn't decided the best word for it) now with how fiercely the throbbing pain had returned.
Lately, Jesse had taken to carrying bandages in his inventory just in case of emergencies, but since Jesse seemed to encounter a lot of emergencies in his daily life, he had run out. He’d have to make a stop back at his house.
“Crap.” Jesse muttered to himself as he hastily picked up the pace as best he could. “Now I’m gonna be late to meet Lukas!”
While still being mindful of his injury and the sandwiches he carried (both equally important in his mind), Jesse hurried back home.
Well… to call it “home” was a bit of an overstatement. Jesse had taken up residence in an apartment near the center of town. The townspeople had insisted he live there free of charge for all he had done for them, and while Jesse had tried to refuse initially, he reluctantly had to admit that it may have been time to move on from his days of the treehouse.
While Jesse hesitated to truly call it his home home (apartments weren’t really his thing), he was immensely grateful to have a roof over his head. Jesse spent most of his time out and about trying to help around town when he could anyways. He got restless cooped up inside.
Jesse was just glad he had a first floor apartment. It made his life much easier, especially now with his little… problem.
Jesse fumbled with his keys for a moment before he made his way inside. He quickly stashed the sandwiches into his relatively empty fridge (he really needed to do a grocery run) and made his way to the bathroom.
Because of the frequency of his injuries, Jesse had just left his bandages on the counter from the last time this had happened for convenience sake.
And boy, was Jesse glad he headed home when he did. He carefully lifted his shirt to find his once-clean bandages were beginning to be stained a horrible, dark reddish-purple. The sight had haunted Jesse for a few days now, but he still cringed when he saw it.
With no time to dwell on it though, Jesse tried to make quick work of re-dressing the wound. He quickly washed his hands before gently starting to peel back the bandages. Jesse hissed a breath in through his teeth as the gash was exposed to the cold air of his bathroom, and he pointedly did not look at it as he did so.
The gash reached from just to the right of his belly button and circled around to almost reach the small of his back. It was not small and it was not shallow, and damn did it hurt.
The wound was angry and irritated, and gave off a faint but very unpleasant stench. It didn’t bleed so much as it oozed, almost as if the blood itself had begun to coagulate and rot from within his body. The blood wasn't even red anymore, instead a deep, deep purple color that only reminded Jesse of the End.
If that wasn't bad enough on its own, Jesse couldn't ignore the veins of bright purple that were starting to spread out from the wound onto the rest of the skin around it. About two inches of skin all around the injury was this same purple, almost like a vibrant bruise, and seemed to spread little by little each day the wound was allowed to fester.
Jesse closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. What was he doing?
“What am I doing?” He said out loud. Jesse felt helpless staring at the sight before him.
The wound was clearly not healing like it was supposed to in the slightest, and only appeared to be getting worse. Bracing himself, Jesse grabbed a rag from the counter and wetted it in the sink. He took a deep breath and held it before he gently pressed the rag against the worst of the blood.
Jesse clenched his teeth so hard he half expected his jaw to pop. The pain of cleaning the injury got worse every time, but he knew he had to at least try and do something about it. If he went at it long enough, the pain would fade to a numbing ache, but that didn’t make the first moments of contact feel any better.
Reminding himself that he was still keeping Lukas waiting, Jesse steeled himself and gripped his bathroom counter with one hand and continued to clean his wound with the other. He did his best to grit his teeth and ignore the pain as the rag got more and more saturated with his blood.
After the gash was cleaned to the best of his abilities, Jesse made quick work of wrapping his bandages. He hurried to wash his hands and tidy up the bathroom before he checked the time.
He was supposed to be at Lukas’s house two minutes ago.
“Shit!”
—
For someone with an other-worldly injury that was carrying a bag of sandwiches, Jesse managed to make it to Lukas’s cabin in what had to be record time. Either he was a directional genius or Lukas gave fantastic instructions, because Jesse had no issue finding the cabin either.
As he approached, Jesse slowed to a stop and leaned against a nearby tree. He was practically wheezing with how hard he was panting, and he felt lightheaded from the shallow breaths he had to take to not irritate his side. The previously pleasant sunshine was now overbearing, and he was grateful for the shade the tree provided.
Jesse let out a pained whine akin to a wounded animal. He felt pathetic. He hated how weak his body felt.
Wallowing wouldn’t get him anywhere, however, and Lukas was just a little bit away, Jesse reminded himself. He would recover and everything would be back to normal soon. It had to be.
Once his breathing had evened out to a more normal “I just ran here I’m so sorry I’m late” pace, Jesse made his way up to the cabin and got a good look at it. It was a nice size, especially for one person, and was made mostly out of spruce logs. Jesse wondered briefly if Lukas built it himself, given his background building with the Ocelots.
Jesse was quickly torn from that train of thought when he noticed a small addition to the side of the house that he hadn't noticed before. It almost looked like… a small horse stable? Did Lukas have a horse? He would have to ask him about it later.
Walking up the steps of the porch, Jesse would have questioned if this was the right house if it weren’t for the massive ocelot glaring at him from the window. Jesse wondered if the cat had seen the breather Jesse needed to take before and was judging him for it.
“Why am I worried about what a cat thinks?” Jesse muttered to himself. He already had an answer to that; because it was Lukas’s cat.
Jesse took a deep breath and knocked a little tune against Lukas’s door. He practically held his breath (not a smart thing to do when he was already struggling oxygen-wise) when he heard a loud meow and footsteps approaching the door. It swung open to reveal a tall blonde wearing a striped shirt and a bright, warm smile.
Jesse felt like he could melt on the spot looking at him.
“Jesse! I was worried I was gonna have to come into town and find you myself!” Lukas leaned against his doorframe and smirked down at the shorter man, making him wince.
“Hey Lukas! I’m so, so sorry for being late!” Jesse gasped out. “Sandwich shop was super busy today!” He held out the sandwich bag as an explanation.
Lukas just grinned and shook his head, holding the door open for Jesse and chuckling reassuringly. “I’m just joking, it’s no problem, Jesse! That's what we get for ordering from such a popular place at lunchtime.” He inclined his head inside. “Come on in!”
Jesse grinned sheepishly as he entered Lukas’s home, taking in the space he had just entered.
“It’s… not much but, you know. It’s- yeah. It’s home.” Lukas said bashfully. “Welcome to my humble abode, and all that.” Lukas seemed nervous about what Jesse would think of it.
He literally had nothing to worry about.
It was quite possibly the coziest place Jesse had ever seen. A soft looking couch with colorful accented throw pillows and blankets, a coffee table with matching side tables by the couch, and a fireplace along the opposite wall. Along another wall was a window was framed by two large bookshelves, and a shorter one that sat under the window between the larger ones. The large shelves were filled with books, while the smaller one held not only books, but small trinkets and decorations as well.
“This place is amazing!” Jesse exclaimed, eyes wide. “How the heck have you managed to decorate this place so well?”
Lukas looked surprised at the outburst, but puffed out his chest a bit and smiled.
“Well, after the stress of… um, everything?” Lukas shrugged, “It was really calming to just- rebuild. Turns out decorating is a thing I enjoy too, not just building.”
Jesse chuckled, “Is there anything you’re not good at? Maybe I’ll have to hire you to spruce up my apartment, it’s a dump compared to this place!”
“You don’t have to hire me, man." Lukas gave Jesse a kind smile, "I’m always happy to help a friend out.”
Jesse smiled back, hoping that his cheeks weren’t pink.
“Thanks, Lukas.”
The two stared at each other a few moments more, a comfortable silence falling over them as they simply smiled at each other.
The moment was interrupted by a yowl and a paw batting at Jesse’s leg. Both men jumped and looked down, face-to-face with a tail-twitching Dewey, who seemed indignant about the lack of hello he received.
“Oh! Jesse, this is Dewey. He’s very opinionated.” Lukas chuckled, earning a glare from the large cat. “I can take those sandwiches into the kitchen while you say hi to him if you want?” Lukas offered.
“Thanks!” Jesse grinned, handing off the bag to Lukas before he squatted to be eye-level with the cat.
Dewey sat back and inspected Jesse as Lukas headed into the kitchen. Jesse carefully extended his arm and offered his hand for the cat to sniff. Dewey promptly ignored his hand and stood to thoroughly look Jesse over, circling the man and cautiously sniffing him every once in a while.
When Dewey made his way to Jesse’s right side, he sniffed his midsection with a bit more intent. A pool of dread began to form in Jesse's gut as the cat seemed fixated on his hidden injury, his ears flattening against his head. Dewey recoiled when he got too close, fixing Jesse with a glare for a few moments.
“Sorry about the smell, little guy. I promise I’m not normally like this.” Jesse mumbled, giving the ocelot an apologetic look and expecting him to run away after that.
To his surprise, Dewey bumped his head against Jesse’s thigh and began to purr, rubbing the side of his body against him. Jesse made a small noise of delight and gently stroked his hand down Dewey’s back, making the ocelot purr harder.
He carefully lowered himself to the floor and sat criss-cross (hopefully Lukas didn’t think it would be weird to find him on his floor a few minutes after being in his home for the first time), and Dewey immediately clambered into Jesse’s lap. Against his will, Jesse felt his eyes sting with tears as he watched the sweet display of affection, his heart clenching painfully in his chest at being so close to an animal again.
Of course, Lukas chose the moment he was most vulnerable to make his presence known again.
“Alrighty, I got the table all set up and- oh!” Lukas stopped in his tracks and stared down at the pair that were now on the floor. Jesse looked up at him with wide, watery eyes while Dewey just blinked (almost smugly?) at Lukas.
“Oh gosh, Jesse- he didn’t scratch you or anything, right?” Lukas asked worriedly, squatting to be eye level with Jesse and looking him up and down.
Jesse shook his head frantically and tried to blink his eyes dry. “No, no! He’s being so sweet!” Jesse used the hand that wasn’t petting Dewey to wipe his eyes, “I wasn’t expecting it is all. He’s purring so much!”
Lukas grinned at the two of them getting along so well, looking relieved.
“Well, consider yourself lucky! Dewey doesn’t like everyone. Petra doesn’t seem to like cats very much, so he doesn't really like her, and the only one of the Ocelots he tolerated was Gill, and even then it wasn’t anywhere near this level.” Lukas’s expression soured and he added, “He really hated Aiden.”
As if he knew what they were talking about, Dewey gave an indignant meow. Jesse didn’t speak cat, but he couldn’t help but agree with whatever that meant. He was still thrown off by the anger and discontent in Lukas’s normally calm and kind voice.
“Well, I’m honored that Dewey approves of my presence so much.” Jesse smiled, steering the conversation into a more lighthearted direction.
Lukas seemed to snap out of whatever anger he had been feeling and a smile quickly came back to his face. “You should come over more often, Dewey really needs to socialize with people other than me.” Lukas gave his cat a pointed look.
Before Jesse could blush at the idea of coming over here more often, Lukas continued, “And as much as it makes me happy to watch this,” He gestured to the purring cat in Jesse’s lap, “Our sandwiches are waiting in the kitchen and they are seriously calling my name.”
As if on cue, Jesse’s stomach gave a loud growl, making him turn a bright red. “I think my stomach agrees.” Jesse said sheepishly.
Lukas just laughed good-naturedly and stood, gently shooing Dewey off Jesse’s lap and extending a hand for the shorter man to grab. Jesse gratefully took it, glad he wouldn’t have to try and play off how slowly he would have gotten up on his own.
As the pair made their way to Lukas’s kitchen, Jesse took the time to get a look at more of Lukas’s home.
The kitchen was small, but cozy, like the living room had been. Jesse couldn’t help but smile at the pink cat food and water dishes set on the floor. He briefly wondered what a large cat like Dewey even ate, but was quickly distracted by the smell of their sandwiches.
A small table was at the far wall, right under a window, with two chairs at the ends and a bench seat along the side. Four placemats were set out, and the two at the ends of the table had plates with their sandwiches already on them.
“Not… really sure why I got so much seating,” Lukas admitted, a little embarrassed, “I never really have company.”
“Dude, your house is awesome!” Jesse grinned at Lukas as he took a seat at the table. “I know I’d be happy to come back, and I’m sure Petra and the others wouldn’t mind either! ”
Lukas shrugged noncommittally, though Jesse could see him trying to hide a smile.
The two ate in a comfortable silence, though most of the eating was from Jesse’s end of the table. He ate like a starved animal, which never failed to make Lukas chuckle.
“So,” Jesse began around a mouthful of his sandwich, “How have you been holding up?” He purposely kept his tone light, but hoped Lukas got the message that he was being genuine.
Lukas raised an eyebrow and smirked up at Jesse, “Didn’t we see each other, like, what? Two days ago?”
“Yeah, but a lot can happen in two days!” Jesse huffed, playfully indignant, and smiled back at Lukas. “Anything of note? C’mon, what’s been going on in that big brain of yours?”
Lukas’s smirk morphed to something a bit more genuine, if not a little sad. He looked down at his plate and hesitated before he spoke.
“Actually… kind of, yeah. Something happened.”
“Nothing too bad, I swear!” He quickly added to ward off the concern that Jesse clearly showed on his face, “It’s nothing, really.”
Jesse raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I hate to pry... but now I’m way more curious about whatever happened.” He relaxed his gaze and added, “You can tell me anything, Lukas. Only if you want to, of course.”
Lukas looked away sheepishly again.
“Yeah I- I know, Jesse.” He murmured.
A moment passed as Lukas hesitated, fidgeting with his hands. Jesse was sure he was going to brush it off again, but Lukas took a deep breath, still not meeting Jesse’s eyes.
“I talked to Aiden… and the other Ocelots.” Lukas grimaced. “They uh, they weren’t too happy to see me.”
Jesse’s eyes widened. “Really? Like, not happy at all?”
Lukas half-shrugged, half-shook his head. He looked… really sad.
Jesse gaped at the man across from him. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn’t this. Truthfully, he hadn’t even thought about the other Ocelots once Lukas told him they were fine in the aftermath of the Witherstorm attack.
“They weren’t happy that you’re alive? Or grateful for, you know, saving the world?” Jesse gawked.
Lukas chuckled half-heartedly. “I could have destroyed that command block with my bare hands and I think they still would’ve been mad at me.” He clenched his hand that rested on the table into a fist. “Aiden was going on and on about how I ‘betrayed them’ and ‘went to the dark side’ or whatever. I tried to tell them how great you and all your friends are and that he had judged you guys way too harshly before, but he just wouldn’t listen.”
"Maya and Gill didn't say anything before they left, but I have a feeling they agree with with Aiden given how much they glared at me. I tried to talk to them separately but they just- ignored me. Like I wasn't even there."
Lukas was getting increasingly more frustrated.
“And the worst part?” He continued, “I can’t even blame it on any kind of… wither-related after effects or- or anything! Aiden, Maya, Gill- all three of them! They were all fine. They ran and got away from the witherstorm. This is just- actually how they think! Aiden had no right to be saying anything like that about you!”
Jesse was a little stunned by that last sentence, but Lukas’s shoulders slumped and he continued speaking, oblivious.
“I’m not even sure what I expected. I knew they were assholes sometimes-” Jesse raised an eyebrow and Lukas faltered, “Yeah- okay, basically all of the time. But I thought I would be able to… I dunno, change them? Make things like they used to be? Or at least change their minds on how they treated you guys, especially after we worked so well together.
“I think… before- I was holding on to the past too much.” Lukas’s expression was solemn, the fight seemed to be drawn out of him now. “They’re just- not the same people I used to know.” Lukas paused and took a deep breath. “I… don’t think I really wanna talk to them anymore.”
Lukas stopped to take a breather. Jesse decided to stay quiet and let Lukas think.
Though, maybe Jesse let him think a little too hard, because Lukas suddenly rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Sorry- talked a lot there. Maybe it bothered me more than I realized.”
“Hey- don’t apologise!” Jesse insisted earnestly. He shifted off his chair so he was on the bench seat, closer to Lukas now, and reached a hand in the direction of Lukas’s still-clenched fist. “I’m glad you told me. It can’t have been nice to have that all bottled up.”
“And for what it’s worth,” Jesse continued vehemently, sitting straight up, “I think Aiden is a complete idiot to throw away a friend like you. You’re probably the nicest person I know, and you’re crazy smart. And your archery skills are pretty sick, dude.”
Lukas raised an eyebrow in a what are you getting at? kind of way, though his cheeks were pink and he smiled bashfully.
“What I’m trying to say is-” Jesse chuckled and composed himself so he wouldn’t go on a tangent about how amazing the man in front of him was. “You’re an amazing person, Lukas. I’m really happy to call you my friend.
“This is… probably really selfish to say, but-” Jesse took a deep breath and considered his next sentence. “I’m really glad you decided to stay in the cave with us that night. I know you were worried about your friends… but you still stayed. It- it really meant a lot to have you on our team.”
Lukas’s head shot up at that, his eyes wide. Jesse winced, taking it badly.
“Too much?”
“No- no!” Lukas quickly shook his head, stumbling over his words. “That, ah- That just- might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Honest.”
“Oh!” Jesse couldn’t stop the dopey smile that made its way onto his face, warmth blossoming in his chest at Lukas’s sincerity. “I’ll just have to say nice things about you more often, then.”
Lukas chuckled and rolled his eyes lightheartedly. “You’re too nice Jesse. And a great friend to have.”
It was Jesse’s turn to blush now, though he did his best to act as casually as he could. “I do my best.”
A comfortable silence fell over them again, the two simply smiling at each other, icy blue meeting sharp green.
The butterflies in Jesse's stomach felt like they were exploding. Moments like this had happened before, and they never failed to make his brain go haywire. As Jesse looked into the eyes of the kindest, sweetest guy he knew, he couldn’t help but wonder if Lukas felt the same way he felt right now.
But these thoughts were always subsequently followed by panic at the idea. (Of course Lukas didn’t feel the same, was he nuts?) Then Jesse would worry that he was making Lukas uncomfortable. (Obviously you are! You’re staring at him like an idiot!) Then he would try to course-correct and change the subject completely. (You’re lucky he doesn’t hate you!)
Prying his eyes away from Lukas’s was never an easy task, but he quickly came up with an excuse to fill the silence.
“Oh yeah!” Jesse exclaimed, pointing at Lukas and unintentionally startling him. “Was that a stable I saw outside? Do you have a horse?”
Lukas blinked a few times, looking dazed, but recovered quickly. “Oh! Yeah, I kept one of the horses we rode away from the Witherstorm. She’s a lot more friendly now that the stress of everything has worn off.” He smiled, almost bashful. “Do you, ah, wanna meet her?”
Jesse grinned and nodded, akin to a bobble-head. “Heck yeah, I do!”
Lukas chuckled at Jesse’s enthusiasm, leading him through a door Jesse hadn’t noticed before. Outside was a neat dirt path, lined with raised plant beds with sprouts of what looked like wheat, carrots, potatoes, and maybe even a few pumpkins. Jesse let out a low whistle.
“I swear, you’re just good at everything, man. Building, decorating, and now gardening too?” Jesse grinned and bumped Lukas in the shoulder.
Lukas just shrugged and smiled back at Jesse, rolling his eyes playfully. “Like I said, it’s calming!”
“If you’re as good at gardening as you are at decorating, I look forward to stealing some of those veggies once they’ve grown.” Jesse winked at Lukas.
“Presumptuous, are we, Jesse?” Lukas smirked, causing both men to laugh at each other’s antics.
The pair approached the small stable, still laughing, and soon Jesse was face-to-face with a beautiful, dark chocolate-colored mare. She nickered softly as they approached, eyeing Lukas with big, hopeful eyes.
“Woah…” Jesse uttered softly. “She’s beautiful!”
“I know!” Lukas exclaimed, gently petting down the side of the horse’s neck. “I figured she must have been someone’s pet, with how well-trained and taken care of she looked. I tried to find her original owners, but nobody came forward.”
“That’s… really sad. Poor girl.” Jesse murmured, eyeing the horse sympathetically. “What’s her name?”
To Jesse's surprise, Lukas turned bright red and avoided eye contact with him.
“Oh- um. It’s ah- Her name is…” Lukas took a deep breath and Jesse raised an eyebrow at his hesitation.
“Her name’s… Princess… Dewdrop.” Lukas’s voice trailed off into an embarrassed mutter.
Jesse’s eyes went wide. He pressed his lips shut to keep himself from laughing at his friend’s discomfort, but he was doing a poor job of it.
“So, we have Dewey… and… Princess Dewdrop?” Jesse questioned, voice wavering with barely-contained laughter.
“It’s the name on the saddle I found her with!” Lukas yelped, his blush somehow deepening even further. “It seemed- rude to change it! I can grab her saddle if I need to show you!”
Jesse couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore, Lukas’s adorably red face and frantic speech driving him over the edge. Lukas just glared, though he looked like he was holding in a smile of his own.
“No, no, I believe you!” Jesse snorted, waving Lukas off with a hand. “It’s cute, I swear! I like it, it’s fitting!”
Lukas huffed indignantly, turning back to the ho- Princess Dewdrop, who copied his action and tossed her head.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry for laughing! I would have liked it whether she came with the name or if you had named her yourself, I promise! I just wasn’t expecting it, that's all.” Jesse held his hands up in surrender, still grinning. “This ah- really wasn’t the best introduction to her, was it.”
“Ya think?” Lukas snarked, raising an eyebrow and smiling exasperatedly at Jesse. “Watch out, she might hate you forever, now.” Lukas winked at him.
Jesse gasped with a mock-horrified look. “Oh gosh, how can I make it up to her?” He asked, playing along.
Lukas pretended to think for a moment, tapping his chin exaggeratedly. “Weeellll… she does really like carrots.” The mare in front of him perked up at the word. “And I do happen to have some in that chest over there. Maybe a peace offering will make up for your wrongdoings?”
Jesse bowed to Princess Dewdrop. “Please forgive me, oh great horsie. I will bring you a peace offering to make up for my crimes!”
Jesse hurried to the chest. It was full of horse feed, apples, and, most important of all, plenty of carrots. He quickly grabbed one and made his way back.
“So uh-” Jesse’s playful bravado was dwindling. “So I just… give her the whole thing?”
It seemed that Jesse’s previous errors had already been forgiven, because Lukas smiled genuinely at him.
“You really haven’t been around horses, have you.” When Jesse shook his head, Lukas just chuckled. “That’s okay, I can feed her while you pet her to make it easier for you.” Lukas reassured him.
Jesse let out a soft breath of relief and handed the carrot to Lukas. He held it out to the mare, who looked delighted and began to eagerly munch on her treat. Jesse still hesitated.
Lukas smiled softly at him and beckoned Jesse closer. Jesse obeyed, and barely contained a yelp as Lukas reached out and gently grabbed his wrist. He gazed at the blond wildly, but Lukas simply inclined his head to the horse like it was obvious.
Slowly, Lukas raised Jesse’s arm toward Princess Dewdrop, who was still happily distracted by her snack, and guided it towards her neck. Jesse didn’t realize he was holding his breath until his outstretched hand hit her soft fur, and he released it. The mare didn’t react, boosting Jesse’s confidence, and he slowly began to pet her.
Lukas beamed at him, and Jesse couldn’t help but smile back.
“Good job, Jesse!” Lukas whispered, not wanting to startle the horse he was feeding, her carrot nearly gone now.
“She’s so soft! You weren’t lying about her being well taken care of!” Jesse exclaimed softly. “You did a good thing taking her in.”
Lukas just smiled and shrugged. “She just needed a home, I couldn’t leave her. You’d do the same thing in my position.”
Jesse smiled sadly and nodded. He knew he would. It felt like just yesterday he took in a little baby pig as his pet, his best friend. Jesse was glad he had a friend who would do the same.
Lukas sighed. “That got a little… sad, sorry. How about we head inside. Dewey is probably wondering where you are.” Lukas offered a smile and attempted to lighten the mood.
Jesse gratefully nodded, hoping the lively cat would boost his spirits.
“It was great to meet you, Princess Dewdrop.” Jesse smiled at the horse, who simply lowered her head in acknowledgement.
"You can just call her Princess, you know." Lukas told him, smiling and raising an eyebrow as he led the way down the rest of the path. "Much less of a mouthful."
"And strip her of her title?" Jesse gasped, jokingly horrified, "I wouldn't dare! She might bite my fingers off!"
Lukas laughed openly at that, the somber mood from a few moments before already lifting.
They made their way back around the side of the house in a comfortable silence. Jesse took the time to get a better look at the forest surrounding Lukas’s house. He’d been too winded to pay attention when he first arrived, but the dark oak trees were beautiful, if not a little ominous. The leaves ahead were densely packed and the tree trunks were wide and solid. Plenty of foliage covered the ground, providing shelter for what Jesse assumed was many animals.
And… it was certainly very dark.
“Lukas… you kinda live in a serial killer forest.” Jesse smirked and looked at Lukas from the corner of his eye.
Lukas startled for a moment, then scoffed in mock-offense, putting his hands on his hips and trying to glare back at Jesse. He failed miserably and ended up smiling.
“It is not a ‘serial killer forest’!” Lukas made air quotes. “I happen to think it’s very peaceful, thank you very much!”
Lukas turned up his nose and didn’t look at Jesse, making the other laugh.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way! Or- that bad of a way. It’s just- ominous, is all!” Jesse grinned at Lukas.
“Yeah, yeah.” Lukas huffed, still smiling as he turned back to Jesse. “Let me remind you that this is coming from the guy who used to live in a treehouse.”
“Ouch!” Jesse put a hand over his heart. “That treehouse served me well while I lived there! Minus all the bugs.”
“Uh huh… I bet it was soo convenient to climb a ladder every time you wanted to go somewhere.” Jukas raised an eyebrow and laughed, nudging Jesse’s side with his elbow.
Jesse’s entire midsection immediately felt like it was on fire.
Jesse let out a (wildly embarrassing) yelp at the contact with the tender wound and jerkily flinched away from Lukas on instinct. Jesse squeezed his eyes shut and doubled over, clenching his teeth to keep from crying out again.
Jesse realized this was a catastrophic blunder on his part.
“Oh my gosh- Jesse!?” Lukas rested his hand on Jesse’s back and leaned down to try and catch his eye. “I’m so, so sorry, are you okay?”
Shit. Jesse thought wildly, not even having time to feel excited about the spark he felt at Lukas's hand on his back. He quickly straightened back up, conjuring up a wide, “this is totally real don’t worry about me” smile to try and mask the panic that threatened to show on his face and the lingering pain in his side.
“Sorry- sorry about that Lukas, it wasn’t your fault!” Jesse rushed out. His throat felt dryer than a desert biome. “I bumped into a table pretty hard when I was picking up our food earlier. It must have gotten bruised without me realizing!” Jesse let out a nervous, not at all convincing chuckle and fixed Lukas with a strained smile. “Don’t worry, it's fine now, doesn’t even hurt anymore!”
This was, of course, a lie and Lukas was, of course, not convinced by Jesse’s little display, his heart still pounding at the fear he felt when Jesse flinched away so suddenly. Still, his friend was obviously hurting and he didn’t want to ignore that.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Lukas raised an eyebrow, forehead creased with concern. “That looked like it hurt pretty bad. Do you want me to take a look at it?”
“NO!” Jesse shouted, then cringed and turned bright red with embarrassment when Lukas jumped. He really wasn’t cut out for this whole lying thing.
“Um- no, no, it’s okay Lukas,” Jesse continued, “It’s really nothing to worry about, I just wasn't expecting it is all.” He couldn't look Lukas in the eye as he spoke, his face still red.
Lukas narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him.
Before Jesse could protest or react, Lukas reached out and gently pressed on Jesse’s side with his fingers. Jesse gasped and clenched his teeth before he could stop himself, wincing not only from the pain, but also because he was incriminating himself further.
Lukas furrowed his eyebrows again, his gaze searching and accusatory now. “Jesse. A bruise from a few hours ago shouldn’t hurt like that. What’s going on? Did you get in a fight or something?” Lukas’s expression softened back to one of concern, tilting his head at Jesse.
Jesse, pointedly ignoring how much Lukas looked like an adorable puppy gazing at him like that, pounced on the opportunity for an excuse.
“Oh, ha ha… You got me, Lukas.” Jesse laughed unconvincingly, “I got in a little fight with a zombie with a wooden sword last night, nothing crazy! It’s healing well, I just didn’t want you to worry about it.” Jesse waved a hand dismissively.
Jukas raised his eyebrows, “Oh.” He wasn’t entirely convinced, but he let up on the questions for now. “I guess that makes sense.”
Then Lukas winced and turned pink, “Sorry for ah, poking you like that when I knew you were hurting. It was super uncalled for.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Jesse grinned and lightly shoved Lukas’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, man! Thanks for always looking out for me.” His smile turned into something more genuine and soft, “I really appreciate you being there for me Lukas.”
Lukas smiled back, equally genuine. “Always, Jesse. Just- promise to let me know about these kinda things in the future , okay? You don’t have to lie to me if you’re hurting, you know.” He gave Jesse a pointed look.
Jesse smiled back bashfully. The pool of guilt in his stomach was slowly turning into a lake. Despite it, he held out his pinkie finger to Lukas.
“I pinkie promise.” Jesse gave Lukas a dopey smile, an almost challenging glint in his eyes.
Lukas chuckled at Jesse’s antics. “A pinkie promise? Are we five?” Despite his teasing, Lukas held out his pinkie all the same and locked it with Jesse’s.
“No more secrets?” Jesse asked.
“Deal.”
. . .
Jesse was soo screwed.