Chapter Text
Jet enjoyed being back in his hometown. There was something about the familiarity of the people and the atmosphere that always made him feel warm. Granted, sharing such an intimate place with the other members of his community service club had its downsides. Namely, the assholes who now seemed to have decided Khem was their toy to screw with.
Thankfully, things were generally avoided yesterday. Khem, unreasonably, unbothered by the bigoted remarks and half-assed compliments. Jet had, and still would, throw hands with those shits — classmates or not — if they tried anything else. No one came at his friends.
The protective buzz still coursed through every fiber of his body the next day as he helped fix one of the town’s roofs. Khem, begrudgingly, had stayed back at Paran’s place, leaving Jet slightly less guarded. It was almost like a match waiting to be struck. He couldn’t explain it any other way. Khem was someone he cared for; doing wrong by him ignited the match with ease.
Jet truly would do anything to protect Khem.
The sun was just starting to really heat everything up by the late morning, and Jet could feel his clothes growing moist underneath its assault. The rooftop perch offered no shade, and he was starting to feel the effects just enough to know he needed to wrap up his work soon. Fay, one of the older guys around town, had been helping him, but Jet told him to take a break a half an hour back, fearing for the old man’s health.
Jet was not ashamed, nor did he feel guilty about bringing Khem with him to seek help — but he couldn’t help but feel responsible for the problems that had arisen since. He had decided to bring Khem here – it was his convincing that got the entirety of the club to come to the village. The least he could do was to offset the damage he’d brought by helping others.
“Jet! Don’t stay up there too much longer.” May called out from below, “If you pass out from up there, you’ll end up dead!”
“Unlikely!” Jet called back before he could stop himself.
Charn’s head popped out from under the deck beside her, “You shouldn’t be up there alone, regardless. It’s not a safe thing to do.”
Jet paused for a moment; a response stuck somewhere in his chest. Charn looked better than he had the night before. Which, Jet supposed, was to be expected. Last night had been an anomaly. He had managed to fabricate a decent enough lie to convince the girls that Charn had simply been drunk – the assholes as well – even if it was less than believable. Still, the idea of Charn being a lightweight was more likely to be believed by their classmates than another exorcism would have been.
“Seriously,” Charn moved further out and into the sun, hair already sticking to his forehead in spots, “It isn’t a good idea to be up on the roof alone. Come down and cool off.”
The concern felt stranger still. Everything about Charn felt strange if Jet allowed himself to dwell on it for more than a few seconds. “Mnm, after I finish up with this row.”
Charn appeared to roll his eyes at that, but Jet turned back to his work before confirming it.
The heat started to really pick up by the time he finished the last piece. He could feel it radiating from his skin and getting stuck within the damp fabric of his clothes. Clinging to him like soap film. It was a familiar feeling, albeit unenjoyable. He felt mildly ill by the time he’d reached the ground, but was pleased enough with his work to push past it.
Jet genuinely liked helping others. He had been the one to push Khem into joining the community service club to begin with, spewing something about trying to balance out karma. Though Khem needed no convincing – they were a lot alike, the two of them. In spirit, if nothing else.
Thinking of his friend, Jet disjointedly pulled his phone from his pocket to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Khem was safe. Stubborn though his master seemed to be, Jet knew he’d cave sooner or later. He was too kind a soul to allow someone innocent to face death without assisting them.
“What the fuck is up with that little shit, anyway?” Voices drifted through the trees just as Jet walked past the last row of houses, having skillfully dodged Charn in the process.
“Shh… that little shit is from here. Do you want to get on everyone’s bad side? We still have to stay at these people’s houses for another night or two.”
“Give it a break –”
“He must be dating that lady-boy Khemjira.” The original voice mocked, bending Khem’s name into a broken falsetto neither hushed nor concerned with who might hear.
Laughter followed the jibe, “Not like you don’t want to get into the kid’s pants – if –”
“Shh…” the same person who’d hushed them before tried again more forcefully, “I don’t think we should be speaking badly of people around here after –”
“What?” Now that he had taken the time to listen, Jet recognized those voices, “It’s that little shit’s fault we are stuck here to begin with. Fucking drag… I say we just corner the lady boy once he’s not hanging out with the shit.”
“He’s always hanging out with Jet.”
Jet had intended to ignore the assholes. He had intended on walking back over to where Charn was currently painting, intended on saying something oddly threatening while asking if he’d remembered anything about the previous night, intended on then drinking a fuck ton of water and heading back to his master’s place.
But now he couldn’t.
It wasn’t even that he wanted to go and confront those assholes; he had to. The match had been struck, and now the need burned something horrid.
Fuming, still flushed and tired, Jet stalked over to the outcropping without even thinking about the outcome. He didn’t consider the size difference. Never gave a thought to being outnumbered three to one. All he knew was that no one spoke about Khem that way and no one threatened his friend.
“Hey!” They all jumped, sending a jolt of satisfaction through Jet’s body, “Don’t even think –" He had barely made it close enough to confirm that the assholes were, in fact, Korn, Phu, and Te, before Korn was on his feet and already charging.
His hands landed squarely on Jet’s chest, sending him sprawling backwards. His back struck the dirt milliseconds before his head slammed into it as well, “Just piss off.”
“Korn, what the fuck are you doing?!” Te was on his feet now too, looking mildly uneasy.
Despite his ringing ears and wavy vision, Jet was back up only seconds after being knocked down. Body slamming into Korn’s open side. “Stay the fuck away from Khem!”
Korn staggered, nearly tripping over the bench the three had been sitting on, “What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem?” Jet’s head was pulsing angrily, but he wasn’t going to back down, “You have the –”
A fist cut him off. Phu’s fist, bony but formidable, hit Jet squarely on the side of the head. Sending him to the dirt a second time. “Someone needs to teach you a lesson in sharing.” Jet bounced up again, but Phu was ready, tripping Jet as he moved forward.
Pain spread through Jet’s ankle as he toppled over the bench and landed against a tree. Once again, smashing his head in the process.
“Manners are what you –”
“Hey! What are you doing!”
“For fuck’s sake…”
“I’m out,” Te muttered before dashing back towards the building.
“Whatever… next time don’t fuck with me,” Phu spat in Jet’s direction before dashing off, following his friends.
Jet lay still, awkwardly against the tree, with his eyes closed tight. Pain wasn’t the problem. He hurt, his ankle throbbed something awful, and his head was starting to feel like a balloon about to pop with the slightest touch. But that wasn’t the issue. He’d failed – probably had been destined to fail up against those three. Ghosts he could fight. That was a matter of spiritual power and disposition – both he had in abundance.
“Jet? Jet, are you alright?”
He grimaced at the sound, half tempted to ignore the question and allow himself to quietly lick his wounds in peace. But there was something in the tone. A reluctant genuine care that made Jet open his eyes anyway, meeting Charn’s, “Yeah…”
“Right…” Charn had ducked down beside him. Mostly expressionless, except for the touch of concern that simmered behind his glasses, “Can you sit up?”
He took a moment to consider it. He felt a bit like a child again. Like the small kid he used to be, dealing with people taking advantage of him until he’d been told who to avoid. His musing was interrupted by Charn's gently hands running around the back of his head. Jet would have smacked it yet again if Charn hadn’t held fast, protecting it from the tree.
“Sorry — I didn’t intend to startle you, but you started to zone out.”
Heat rose to his skin, somehow worse than when he’d been on the roof, “It’s just a bump…”
“Right…” Charn said again, just as unbelieving as the first time, “Here.”
Reluctantly, Jet took Charn’s extended hand, “Thanks…”
With a gentle care that felt almost more confusing than reassuring, Jet was helped up so that he sat on the bench rather than the ground. Dirty and dazed, but more or less unharmed. However, being upright made him a bit dizzy.
“Look here.”
“What?”
Charn had again lowered himself, kneeling in front and trying to look at Jet’s face, “You hit your head. You might have a concussion.”
“Are you a doctor now?” He’d wanted it to come out accusatory, but it ended up sounding rather meek.
Charn scowled lightly but stayed quiet.
It wasn’t that Jet didn’t like the guy. Hell, he even felt confident that Charn would look out for Khem if he ever needed to — he wasn’t trying to be so negative or abrasive towards him. In truth, Charn felt comfortable. Kinda the same way Khem had when they first met. Except Khem made him feel protective and maybe even a bit possessive. Charn was different.
“I don’t know for sure, but I definitely think you have a concussion.”
He rolled his shoulder and carefully ran a hand back around his head. Jet could feel the bump directly on the back where he’d slammed into the dirt, “Those assholes…”
“Hey,” Charn’s hands hovered over Jet’s bicep for a moment. Dancing around the large bruise, “Did they do that too?”
“Oh, that? No. That was…” he paused, lowering his arm again. That? Oh yeah, the ghosts that tried to murder my best friend yesterday held me down. No biggy… “from last night.” He hoped that was enough of an explanation. It was true after all, and Charn had been unconscious the entire time Jet was there, so he couldn’t argue.
“Oh…right.” He rocked back, “Thanks for yesterday… I don’t know exactly what happened,” he paused, and Jet was fairly certain Charn knew what had happened - knew that Rhea had been possessed at the very least, “but I know you helped get us to safety. So, thank you.”
“I—I’m one of the master’s — Paran’s disciples. I mean —“ the more he rambled on, the more embarrassed Jet became, heat once more flooding him, “Don’t thank me. It was my pleasure or… whatever…”
“Can you walk?” He eyed Jet’s ankle.
Releasing a short breath, Jet nodded — though he knew he probably shouldn’t be walking on the injury — and stood up slowly. Testing the joint. It ached, throbbed like his head did. Tentatively, he took a step and then a second, biting back the sharp pain that accompanied each.
“Stop. Here,” Charn, who’d been hovering awkwardly, moved so that Jet could more easily climb onto his back. “This will be easier.”
“I — what —“
“You can’t walk on it. Just,” Charn seemed at a loss for words, “stop being difficult.”
Feeling oddly chastised, Jet relented.
Charn was surprisingly careful, making sure Jet was secure before moving, “Into town, or to the place you’ve been staying.”
“That’d be a long ass walk.”
“I’m offering.”
“If you’re willing, I guess…” his head was still pounding angrily, making it harder to decide why exactly he was supposed to be annoyed at Charn’s existence – he wasn’t really. Maybe it was how chummy Charn already seemed to be with Khem. Or maybe it was the way the guy watched, like he was studying for a report, making him feel too exposed. Or maybe it was the warm feeling he got when they locked eyes. “Thanks, by the way… I could have handled those guys, but…”
“No, you couldn’t have. Te, sure, he didn’t look too interested in whatever was going on. But Phu, from what I understand, he has a black belt.”
“Still coulda…”
“Sure,” Charn carefully adjusted Jet a bit higher up as he turned down the path to Paran’s house, “What did they do anyway?”
Pouting despite himself, Jet huffed out, “Talking about Khem… I don’t trust them.”
“Hmm. So,” he hesitated slightly, “are you and Khem dating?” Before Jet could get a word in, and despite the sudden jerk Charn must have felt, he forged on in a rush, “There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. Society has progressed far enough that no one should be judged for the people they are attracted to. I was simply wondering because you seem to be very protective of him, and he seems to look to you for advice and –”
“Shut up,” Jet lightly slapped Charn’s shoulder, caught between the appalling thought and hysteria at the absurdity of it, “Khem and I are not dating! Fuck dude… he’s like my brother or something. How weird would that be… He’s my best friend, that’s all.”
“Oh…”
Jet let the awkward silence sit for a while. The pounding in his head had receded some, transitioning into a solid hum rather than angry pulses. He would need to push down any residual pain before they arrived. Khem would be concerned, but that was no big deal. That Jet could blow off. But Paran… If he saw, assuming he already doesn’t know, Jet would be in trouble. Violence, even justified violence, attracted spirits, and that was something Jet couldn’t afford to have happened.
“Don’t fall asleep,” Charn’s voice made him jump, “I can’t check with you like this, and you shouldn’t sleep with a concussion.”
“Sorry,” Jet wasn’t exactly sure why he muttered an apology. Perhaps it was just the ridiculousness of the situation.
“Don’t worry about it.” Charn stopped for a moment to adjust his glasses, then looped his arm back under Jet’s leg, “So, if you aren’t dating him, why are you so protective?”
Jet pondered over possible answers. Reluctant though he was, every second made it clearer. Charn was a part of this – whatever this was – he was connected in some unclear way. Khem already trusted him. Even though he hadn’t shared everything yet, Jet felt it was only a matter of time before Khem revealed the problem to Charn.
“Khem’s a nice guy – a good friend,” he scoffed gently, “my only friend really. Anyway, he’s dealt with a lot of shit, and I don’t think that’s fair. No one screws with my friends. That’s the end of it.” The forest was quiet around them. Sun filtering down through the canopy and dancing along the path before them, and if Jet didn’t know the dangers it held, he might have suggested they stop here for a few minutes, “I’d die for him, I think.”
“Don’t say that –”
“It’s true.” It was true, though Jet had never thought to speak it aloud before. Subconsciously, he must have known it since the moment he and Khem met – certainly after he recognized the seriousness of Khem’s karmic energy. Regardless of that, it was true. He would die for Khem if he needed to. He’d die with Khem if it came to that as well. Maybe he should tell his master that – maybe that would help turn the tide in their favor and convince him faster.
“He wouldn’t like to hear that.”
“How the hell would you know that?! You barely know us!”
“Because…” Charn paused, changing topics, “’only friend?’ You?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” The longer Jet allowed himself to be carried by Charn, the more relaxed his body became. The fight was slowly leaving him. Even his annoyance no longer felt genuine, “Yes. Khem is my only friend. I’m picky, alright – I don’t trust people.” Was taught not to trust people. Too many bad intentions – too many ways to get hurt.
“Well,” they had just reached the start of the clearing, and the scent of incense had begun to mix with the wind, “maybe I can be your second friend then.”
Suddenly embarrassed and yet again overly warm, Jet signaled to be set down. His ankle still pulsed under his weight, but he was certain he could cross the remaining distance without assistance – he would, regardless, to save his pride if nothing else, “Yeah. Sure. Whatever… Thanks for getting me here… you can borrow the bike to get back to the village.”
“Okay.”
They stood awkwardly in the shadow of Paran’s house for nearly five minutes, neither quite looking at the other before Jet’s ankle forced his hand, “Get back to the village before dark… message Khem once you get there…”
“I could message you. Since you’re asking…”
Another awkward beat followed, then Jet relented, “Fine.” With a show of effort, he pulled his phone from his pocket and unceremoniously shoved it in Charn’s direction, “Add your number then.”
Charn did just that, sending himself a message from Jet’s phone before handing it back, “Tell Khem about the concussion.”
“Sure.”
“Make sure you stay awake for a while.”
“Fine.”
“And put ice on that –”
“Okay – yes! I will, just go.”
Charn grabbed the old bike that had been sitting just beside the staircase and offered Jet a small smile, “See you tomorrow then?”
“Will you just go!”
He laughed at that and set off, missing the small smirk that Jet had sent him in return.