It didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but as soon as Jack left the room, he started feeling self-conscious. For a while he thought maybe that part of his brain would disappear after so much time alone while he was recovering from some pretty extensive injuries, but apparently that wasn’t in the cards for him. Other people emerged from life-altering experiences not giving a shit about what people thought about them anymore. Realizing that he very much cared about what Gabe the Very Attractive Space Hunk thought about him and knowing what his crazy person apartment looked like, Jack was hugely bummed that he wasn’t one of them.
Honestly, what was it going to take to get his stupid brain to that point? Another near-death experience? Because, when you got down to the nitty-gritty, that’s what this one had been. With every bone he’d broken, it was a miracle he hadn’t broken anything crucial to his continued survival. A long recovery and lasting discomfort were a lot better than dead, but all that time confined to his loft hadn’t done him any favors in the mental department.
“They never show that in the comics,” Jack grumbled to himself as he dashed into his bathroom and found the aspirin in the medicine cabinet. Except they did, one time, and that one time had been about Clint, of course, and good ol’ Hawkguy hadn’t fared any better than Jack. Chalk that up to one more thing they had in common.
Jack caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and gave it a half-hearted shrug, as if saying What’re you gonna do? to himself.
Thinking quite a bit farther ahead than he usually did, Himself thought to himself, Brush your teeth, bro.
“.... good thinking, bro.” Talking to himself was, unfortunately, a habit he was going to have to break sooner rather than later, since he was pretty close to being able to go back out amongst the people again. For now, though, he took his own advice and quickly brushed his teeth, tucking the bottle of aspirin under his arm as he did so.
Once that was done, Jack put his Around People face back on and returned to the living room, throwing the bottle up and down in his hand as he entered. It made a satisfying crackling noise as the pills inside rattled against each other every time it hit his hand, which partially drowned out whatever Gabe was saying. Something about a Jedi? He’d have to remember to ask after –
Jack stopped in his tracks, catching the bottle one last time. “Is he seriously already asleep? I was barely gone for two seconds!”
He pointed at the reposed form of one Matt Silva, with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles in front of him, his head on the back of the couch, and Lucky snoring at his side. Jack could’ve been referring to either Matt or the dog, but it was Matt that took him by surprise. He wasn’t even laying on the couch like a normal person, he was just…. asleep. Like that. Like a cowboy or something. All he needed was the hat over his face.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Jack grabbed another chair and pulled it up next to Gabe. Despite the wholesome picture on his couch, it hadn’t escaped his notice that Gabe hadn’t joined Matt there. Jack didn’t question why; if Gabe was more comfortable on the chair, that was fine by him, might as well join him.
He sighed and held out the aspirin. “Well, how ‘bout it? I’m sure they’ll give you the good stuff once you’re with the doctors, but this can’t do anything but help until then.”