No One Lives Forever (Lyric/Jory)

[Jory Addison]

Jory shrugged and shook his head, "No, not really. It wouldn't be any fun to go alone, anyway." He would love to go to a concert, but he didn't have anyone to go with, however much he would love to go with someone. Of course, maybe if he went somewhere alone he could meet someone. He didn't need to think like that. "I was just curious."

[Trent Frey]

Lyric shrugged. If any part of him had hoped Jory would be jealous, it refused to acknowledge the deep disappointment it felt. Part of him still wanted Jory to care, no matter how many times they'd fought. He hardened himself against any hurt that tried to creep in. "Now you know," he said. It didn't sound like Jory was fishing for a chance to come along so much as reminding himself of exactly how much Lyric didn't matter.

[Jory Addison]

"I saw Quinn the other day," Jory said, his eyes dropping as he thought about it. He didn't want to mention Ariel just yet. He wanted to hold that for later. "She had that marble on a necklace." Did Lyric really like her? Or had he just given it to her for no reason? Though Jory couldn't bring up any strong desire to seek out a relationship with Lyric, he couldn't just brush off the uncomfortable tightening of his chest at thinking that Lyric might really like Quinn.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric shrugged again, his gaze directed out into the corridor, but seeing nothing. He only vaguely remembered giving it to her, his memories of that night scattered and blinded with emotions he'd numbed himself to. "You didn't want it back," he said. Yes, he realized at some level that the day he'd gotten it, Jory had given it to him to keep, but he meant so much more than that. Jory didn't want him anymore, so why would he carry around a reminder of that? He hated himself enough without that smooth lump in his pocket taunting him.

[Jory Addison]

"Do you like her?" Jory asked, raising his eyes to Lyric for just a moment. If he did, then Jory couldn't say anything about it, not really. Whether he really liked the idea or not, maybe if Lyric was with Quinn he could be happy somehow. Whatever it was that Lyric needed, Jory knew he couldn't give it, though he wanted to. It was so much easier to give up, though. He wanted to be able to pretend like he didn't care, but he didn't think he could ever get to that point.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric was getting tired of shrugging, but he repeated the motion anyway. "What do you care?" he asked, brows drawing together defensively. Jory didn't care. Last he remembered, Jory didn't like Quinn, didn't like what he was doing, and didn't like anything about him but his hair, his tattoos, and his camera. He was starting to think that what he'd taken earlier had already worn off, because this shouldn't be bothering him this much.

[Jory Addison]

"I'd like to be able to think that you could be happy without drugs some day," Jory answered, searching Lyric's face for a few moments before his eyes dropped to his ring. He wanted Lyric happy, even if he wasn't the one to do it. "Maybe she's good for you." He hadn't been, Lyric used to smile before they had done stuff.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric's brows lowered further. "She's someone to party with," he said, bypassing the fact that Jory had finally figured out what the hell he was doing with his time. "At least someone's not afraid to have some fun," he said under his breath. He wouldn't admit it, but he wanted Jory to hear, wanted him to care or to do something. Jory was so emo for someone who'd seemed so happy. You broke him, he reminded himself. This was his own damn fault, even if he'd been sober when he'd broken Jory in the first place.

[Jory Addison]

"We had fun, didn't we?" Jory asked. He had certainly enjoyed his time with Lyric. "I'd like to be able to hang out with you and stuff, like on your birthday." Everything about that had been great, until the next morning when everything had finally fell apart. "Did you ever develop those pictures?" Jory had never had the chance to look at them, either at the ones he took or the ones Lyric took that night.

[Trent Frey]

"No," Lyric said, "I didn't develop them." He didn't want anything to do with those pictures. In fact, he'd rather get rid of them completely. "I'm not the person I was on my birthday," he said, dropping his duffel bag. He knelt to unzip it, digging in after Melody's case. "This is who I am." He carried his camera with him in case he decided to end it, so no one else would get their hands on her, but he didn't use her, and he focused on that now. He opened the case to pull her out, then brought out his wand to get the film without ruining it. As much as he didn't want it, he didn't have the heart to destroy it. "Take it," he said, looking up at Jory as he held out the cartridge.

[Jory Addison]

"Are you sure?" Jory asked, but before Lyric could take it back he took the cartridge, just in case. He didn't know how to develop film, and he had no idea who he could go to, but he would rather have them and not take the chance of Lyric just getting rid of them. "I mean...thank you." He held it in his hands carefully, as though it would break if he touched it the wrong way, and looked at it just as carefully. "I'm sorry I messed up so bad."

[Trent Frey]

Lyric's eyes darkened in the moment before he looked away to pack up his camera. He pushed everything back into his bag and gave the zipper a sharp tug closed. "It's not your fault," he said, the words tight with tension. Everything was his fault, and he preferred it that way. It meant that he didn't matter, that the world really would be better off if he decided that death by wand would be more effective than standing on the tower again.

[Jory Addison]

Jory turned the cartridge over in his hands, silently, for a few moments, before looking up at Lyric. "I wanted to touch you," he said, remembering that day they had first been together. What if he had handled that better? "But I shouldn't have. Maybe...if I hadn't, you would be happy and wouldn't have to do those things." There were so many ifs, and any of them could have changed what was going on right now.

[Trent Frey]

"I do those things because they feel good," Lyric said, shouldering his bag. He pushed to his feet, pocketing the cigarette he'd gotten out when he'd been digging for Melody. "They relaxed me enough to give you what you asked for and I remembered how good they were. I'd have gone back anyway, it was just a matter of when."

He'd been happy when Jory had gotten to Hogwarts, but he couldn't imagine that he'd have stayed that way, even if he hadn't gone out that first night, he couldn't have stayed clean forever. He turned something over and over between his fingers, debating whether he wanted to wait or not as he looked down at Jory.

[Jory Addison]

"I don't want you to get hurt," Jory said, finally bringing the topic up. "I want you to be safe. I would have waited, you know? If I had known you weren't ready for anything I would have waited. I was happy where we were, even though we were going slow." It had just meant he could savor it and memorize every little thing that happened.