Chapter 21: Symbiosis

 

“So I told him,” Tyler says, forcing his words over a mouthful of steak, “I told him that he was finally going to become a real doctor, and that would be amazing.”

He lifts his beer to his lips, tipping the bottle back. Jarod grins, beside himself. He knew Tyler had a healthy appetite, but this is something else. It’s that relaxed, unhurried way that he’s tucking into his side of buttered vegetables, how he takes swigs of some obscure craft beer without worrying about whether he’ll have more to eat or drink later, how he leans into Daniel and bumps their shoulders every time he brings up something they did together.

That’s it. Jarod’s never seen him so alive, so grateful for the gift of blood and breath that he’s living like he’s celebrating every damn minute he has left. Beside him, Daniel’s eyes crinkle as he half-smiles, half-blushes through the occasional ribaldry of Tyler’s stories. He cuts delicately into a steak that’s the twin of what Tyler ordered, only that he’s more demure about eating it, though no less hungry.

The dark circles under his eyes have receded, and the horror of losing all that he did at the Hive, at least on the outside, that seems to have diminished, too. Going by what Tyler tells Gabriel, Daniel handles the grief better, a little more each day. He volunteers at a children’s hospital any time he can, and Tyler tags along, a better partner than Jarod could have ever imagined he would be.

It’s been months since the colossus burned. How many, exactly, Jarod can’t say. Some things are best left dead and buried in the past. Through hitchhiking and too much walking the six of them made it to Maven, a couple of cities over, far enough from Pleasance for them to stop moving and consider themselves safe. Sometimes, Jarod thinks, not far enough. But it’ll do for the moment. There’s lots to like about the city, after all. Magpie, Esther, Tyler, Danny, they all live close by, all of them just a text or a phone call away, which is how they arrange to see each other every week.

Yet despite this casual joy between them, that they can finally share as friends, Jarod always remembers. The facility being destroyed means little, as there are still other Vertex branches around the world. Vertex’s blight really does spread far, and deep. It’s how they were able to prevent the incident at Pleasance from turning into an all out fiasco. Bribery and sinking their tenterhooks into both the media and the government probably has a lot to do with somehow convincing the rest of the world that Pleasance needed to be evacuated and shut down due to some gas pocket, but Jarod knows they have many, many other methods of keeping everything neat and tidy.

Even Jarod’s parents were had. He made sure to call them as soon as he could, and was at once disheartened when the first thing his mother did was scold him for not calling her “right after that Caribbean cruise.” It took some minutes of dissecting that to figure out that someone had impersonated Jarod over a video call, convincingly enough that his parents were sure he was just off on some Vertex-mandated months-long vacation.

Nessa probably had something to do with that, plucking his voice out of the biometrics system and generating an animated version of him the way she created one of herself. Chances are she did the same with the rest of the facility’s employees, if not the entire population of Pleasance. Given the resources and computing power available to her, it wouldn’t have been a stretch.

And failing that, there was always Hargrove’s mind control. Hell, Vertex probably has a bunch of anomalies lined up just for that purpose, to convince the friends and family of Paragon’s victims through illusions and hallucinations that they were perfectly fine, and not starved, half-eaten, or shambling throughout Pleasance as part of the swarm of walking dead. Jarod just reminds himself to be glad that Vertex didn’t resort to anything more extreme than obfuscation. Assassination comes to mind.

But Tyler whoops excitedly, prompting laughter from the table, and Jarod slips out of his memories to join in. No use dwelling on the dead now, not when they still have life ahead of them. Tyler brings Daniel in for a one-armed bear hug. Daniel looks around awkwardly, his grimace probably conveying that he’s embarrassed by the attention, and possibly in a little bit of pain.

The expression vanishes when Tyler starts peppering his cheek with exaggerated kisses. “You’re going to become a doctor. A real one. And you’ll make so much money that I’ll never have to work another day in my life again. I’ll stay home. On the couch. Watch TV. Play video games. Get fat. We’ll be so happy.”

Daniel scowls, an unfamiliar expression, as far as Jarod’s aware. “You get fat, we’re breaking up.”

Tyler flinches as animatedly as if he had been struck. “But Danny,” he whines. “I thought you didn’t care about my looks. I thought you didn’t get with me for my hair.”

Daniel holds the scowl for just a second too long, enough that Tyler sets down his cutlery and sinks into his seat. Then Daniel winks, laughs, and kisses him, just lightly on the cheek. Tyler’s skin goes a little redder, but he chuckles heartily, happy and relieved.

The laughter circulates around the table. Jarod gives Gabriel a knowing look. Gabriel grins shyly back and shakes his head. They’ve had this conversation before. Since they’ve returned to civilization, Jarod’s body has remembered how much it enjoys pizza, and ice cream, and stuff that’s supposed to kill you in large quantities, except that it all tastes so good.

He hasn’t gained much weight, really, but the belly is making its way back to his torso, slowly and surely. The first day Gabriel noticed, he’d poked at it, made a little fun. After Jarod moped a little, gave him the old scowl and pout treatment, Gabriel finally confessed that he liked it. He doesn’t mind that little pouch Jarod carries around.

Of course, it’s not just Jarod’s diet, but his new occupation as well. They’ve got jobs now, all mostly independent, at least making enough for them to live in units of two. Back when he was a garbageman the not-so-mandatory physical training and occasional internal facility incident worked to burn those few extra calories off of Jarod’s tummy.

Now he sorts stuff in a mailroom for a living, somewhere in the basement of a midsize corporation that prints labels for canned food, something nice and boring like that. It was just about all that he was qualified for in terms of office work, but it’s a start. Plus it’s quiet, and dull, and it doesn’t put him or Gabriel in the path of anything much more dangerous than a rare paper cut.

He tries not to begrudge how Gabriel applied at the same company and somehow finagled a sales position, even without any relevant work experience. There’s just something about the kid’s charm that lets him get his way. That’s okay, though. Jarod doesn’t mind putting in the work to prove that he’s capable of more than just shuffling around envelopes and packages. They have time now, an ample supply of it, and he means to savor every mind-numbing minute he can in a workplace that doesn’t constantly expose him to death.

Then there’s Esther, who is functionally a one-woman money-printing machine. She had no hesitation going back to her old routine: secure some fake IDs, work three jobs, and thrive off of her tripled income. It’s what helped all of them get their lives on track, back when they first moved into Maven and had to stay in that tiny box of an apartment that Esther paid for.

Jarod always did acknowledge her as the Hive’s matriarch, but before then he hadn’t ever really seen her as the mother that she was. Tyler had even taken to calling her Mom more often, something she grumbled about, except Jarod could see in her face that she never really minded when he did that. It was especially helpful having Esther as a security blanket while the rest of them tried to access whatever funds and accounts they had left over from before the outbreak. Small mercy that Hargrove and Vertex didn’t actually sabotage that – or the rest of their lives – by putting them on some sort of criminal watch list.

Gradually, after months, as each one of them found their own means, everyone moved out, left the nest, as it were. Esther still uses her income to support Magpie while she works things out for herself. Jarod knows that Magpie’s been talking to Daniel a lot, the two of them figuring out how to pick up on their studies. Tyler found a job as a bike messenger for a local courier company, continuing his former career, and between that and some temp work that Daniel does, they manage well enough to keep a small apartment, start a life of their own.

When dinner wraps up Daniel and Tyler seem eager to go, so Jarod takes a raincheck on asking them out for a couple more drinks. Daniel busses Gabriel on the cheek, then moves on to Jarod, giving him a quick peck. Jarod chuckles because it tickles. Tyler is unbothered, and doesn’t even give them a second glance. This friendship thing really seems to be working out.

They wave goodbye, and Jarod and Gabriel head in the opposite direction, back to their apartment. Gabriel takes Jarod’s hand in his, and this time, Jarod doesn’t slink back. He blushes at first, sure, the flush in his face a momentary mantle of warmth against the night air. He’s still getting used to this, how Gabriel seems to have grown even more affectionate in recent times.

If anybody looks at them, if anyone’s bothered, they don’t care. They’ve survived much worse together, just the two of them. The air out here is crisp, clean, nothing at all like the stinking miasma of Pleasance, that fog of decay that hung over everything. Jarod doesn’t even remember how it all smelled. That’s a good thing.

It’s unthinkable that they can just do this now, cross city blocks to meet friends, sit down in a restaurant for dinner and drinks. All these things they took for granted, the buzz of the city, the convenience of running down to the store for a beer or a bite, the fact that they’re alive at all. It’s all so familiar and vibrant, the street lamps flooding out the darkness, bright windows everywhere he looks, each little pinprick of light another person. A constellation of humanity. Who knew they could have it all back?

Jarod squeezes Gabriel’s hand, just to see that he isn’t dreaming, that they’re in this together. He sips in the air, his chest filling with its sweetness, expanding with a great swell of contentment.

“Ow,” Gabriel says.

Jarod pulls his hand back. “Sorry,” he mutters. “Sorry. Just checking you were right here with me.”

Gabriel tilts his head, then guffaws. “Of course I am, dummy. You’re being all weird.”

“I want to know that this isn’t a dream.” Jarod rubs the back of his hand, throwing on one of his signature pouts. “I was just making sure. No need to be so hurtful.”

The kiss takes him by surprise. It’s a quick one, and it only hits him on the cheek, but it’s enough to give him a whiff of Gabriel’s scent, this clean, spicy something that he wears in his hair now that it’s growing longer again. The pattern of his lips lingers on Jarod’s skin, burning there merrily like a slow, soft ember, before the night touches it and seals it with its coolness.

What’s even more surprising, however, is the shove Gabriel delivers to his chest.

“Race you to the apartment.” He flashes that devil’s grin, the same one he wore the very first day Jarod saw him in the facility, and he takes off on his heels.

“You little asshole,” Jarod mutters under his breath, the smile taking all the bite out of his words. He starts the chase.

This happens sometimes, whenever it take Gabriel’s fancy. He’ll give Jarod a rough little nudge, then announce an impromptu race. Always on weeknights, when the streets aren’t too busy and they won’t bother too many pedestrians with their foolishness. Jarod speeds after him, thoroughly grateful that he decided to wear the sneakers tonight instead of those loafers he sometimes uses for work. The laughter spills out of him as he runs. He can’t help it. This is fun.

This is fun, and it’s something they’re finally allowed to have now that they’ve escaped. And the two of them will keep running like this forever, playing at new and exciting games. Jarod doesn’t care how stupid they are, like the one they’re playing now, this ridiculous sidewalk chase between two overgrown boys chortling and hooting as they go.

“Drunks,” someone calls out, giving them the finger.

They aren’t drunk. Far from it. Jarod grins as he stamps the concrete, the air shearing through the tangle of his hair. It’s not the beer’s fault, but sure, he’s intoxicated, just due to various other reasons.

The most important of those reasons is only a few feet ahead, his hair sailing in the wind, his laughter clear as bells pealing in the city streets. Gabriel looks over his shoulder, his grin widening. He thinks he’s going to win this again. And Jarod lets him win, sometimes, but tonight he picks up his pace, putting his energy into a brutal second wind that lets him easily close the distance. Sure, he has a little gut now, but that doesn’t mean he can’t sometimes obliterate Gabriel in a race.

Gabriel hits the doorstep first, but Jarod barrels into him, skidding to a stop and pressing him against the locked gate of their apartment building. The light overhead is busted again, but that’s just perfect, and part of the reason they get to play their silly game, anyway.

In the dark, in the not-quite privacy under the awning, that’s where Jarod is most comfortable stealing his kisses. It’s not about shame, or fear. Maybe he’s just an old-fashioned guy. Plus he doesn’t want them getting arrested for the things he does to Gabriel when they kiss sometimes.

The kiss is the winner’s reward. Sure, technically Gabriel hit the apartment first, but Jarod gets to take advantage of him while he’s still panting, while his muscles are still screaming, when he’s flustered and sweaty and the hair is plastered to his forehead. This is one of those rarest of moments when Gabriel is truly vulnerable, when he’s too raw and the situation too intimate for him to throw up a wall or wear a mask. Gabriel whimpers into his mouth, his body still starving for air. Jarod likes that, too. He likes to think that he did that.

“Stop that.” Gabriel pulls away, giving Jarod another half-hearted shove in the chest. “You’re taking my breath away.”

Jarod laughs.

They tumble into their apartment in a flurry of hands and mouths, but mysteriously without anyone making any motions to rip clothes off of the other. It doesn’t always have to be about sex, Jarod thinks, grinning as he kisses Gabriel more, as he makes him squeal with a little pinch on the ass. Sometimes this can be plenty, a reminder of how hungry they are for each other, how perfect this all is.

Gabriel slumps onto the couch, panting and giggling, his face red from the cold and the exertion. He pats the cushion next to him. “Come on. Still early. Watch something with me?”

“Think I’ll take a shower.” Jarod wipes his face along his shirtsleeve. “Worked up a sweat.”

“`kay,” Gabriel chirps, bounding over to the TV, no doubt to pick out a video game. He powers up the console, then flops back on the couch. Jarod starts unbuttoning his shirt and heads to the bathroom. Whatever Gabriel’s playing, he’s pretty sure it’s not about zombies. Somehow the genre has lost its luster for them both.

The apartment is far from stellar. The paint’s chipping everywhere, some of the carpeting is pulled up in the corner, and there’s that damn kitchen faucet that even the super couldn’t get to stop dripping. But anything – literally anything is better than what they had at the Hive. None of those problems truly carry any weight. They have each other.

But as broken down as the apartment is, Jarod’s sure to keep the bathroom clean. Immaculate. He’s incredibly proud of that, even if it means he has to scold Gabriel when he forgets to squeegee down the shower stall. He sighs and gurgles under the blast of hot water, something else his body has sorely missed. He rakes a quick handful of shampoo through his hair, then soaps up, chuckling like a lunatic when his fingers meet his belly.

He grins to himself, never thinking he’d be happy to have a little tummy back. That’s not what it’s about, though. It’s just a sign that he can provide for himself, and for Gabriel, their little family of two. They won’t ever be thirsty or hungry or afraid, ever again. Everything’s going to be okay from now on.

Jarod steps out of the shower, humming contentedly, then watches himself in the clearing condensation on the mirror as he towels off. Yep. Definitely a bit heftier, but that’s okay. He’s still handsome enough to crack a few mirrors, break a few hearts.

His mood doesn’t even shift when his gaze lands on the ragged mess of tissue on his chest. Jarod’s put so much of the past behind him, so much that the scar could almost belong on someone else’s body. He’s just happy to be happy. He’s just happy to be alive. Life couldn’t be any better.

Except when the lights in the bathroom seem to flicker, or maybe it’s a flash of the bulb just above the mirror, and he catches a glimpse of his reflection and sees himself – differently. Changed. With fairer skin, longer hair. And was he smiling? He wasn’t smiling.

Fingers dance along his shoulder.

Jarod yelps, whirls around, then clutches his chest.

“Jesus, Gabriel. Don’t do that to me.”

“I needed to pee.” Gabriel shrugs, then squints. “You okay there, big guy? You look like you saw a ghost.”

Jarod shakes his head, waves a dismissive hand. “I’m fine, everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Silly,” Gabriel says, tilting his head and smiling. His hair is longer now, that’s factual. But something seems different. Off. Maybe it’s the light in the bathroom, but his skin seems fairer. Paler. And the way he’s grinning. Were his teeth always that sharp?

“Yeah,” Jarod says. “Silly.”

Gabriel’s eyes, the color of them is lighter somehow. Almost pale blue. No, it’s nothing. Just the lighting in here. He blinks once, and they’re back to being crystalline brown.

“You’re still looking at me weird, though,” Gabriel mutters.

It’s just the light. The water was too hot, and the steam is playing tricks on Jarod’s eyes, the heat gone to his head. That’s Gabriel, right there. His Gabriel. Nothing else to it.

“It’s nothing,” Jarod says. “Nothing at all.”

 

 

END

 

 

 

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