Jace Herondale pretends to be okay with (rejection) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-01-02 16:06:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, jace herondale, stanley worthington (nine) |
Who: Jace and Nine
What: Overdue talk about things
When: Before Thanksgiving
Where: Nine's apartment
Rating/Warnings: Medium/Mediumhigh, mention of sex before the log started and nudity
Status: Complete when posted
Nine rolled into his back, panting and sweaty from his and Jace’s latest round of sex, feeling quite content. As he waited for his breath to calm, he shifted his gaze over to Jace. “Can we shower in the morning?” They had a habit of going at least another round before they went about their days.
***
Jace was laying on his back, coming down slowly from the high of sex with Nine, staring up at the ceiling when he heard that question and he turned his head to look at him. "Considering I'm not sure I actually have the energy to move right now? Yeah we can." Or desire to move might be more accurate. What was he doing here? Falling back into the pattern from before Nine had left for his trip? He'd missed him and having him back was great. The sex was great but he'd learned, because of Nine, that he actually did want more than just great sex in his life.
He shifted slightly, tucking one arm under his head as he made himself comfortable, his arm moving as if inviting Nine to come closer.
***
Nine still recalled their non-verbal cues and he had no issue curling up against his...well, they hadn’t figured that out. He knew they needed to discuss it but he was just glad to have whatever it was they had. So, he silently snuggled against Jace.
***
Jace wrapped his arm loosely around the other man, idly stroking his arm lightly as they laid there together. This...was easily one of the things he liked most about staying over here. It was definitely what he’d missed most. Although the shower was a close second. “How early tomorrow?” He asked, thinking quickly over his schedule. He had a class at 11 and should probably swing by the Institute before heading to the gym to change and make sure everybody knew he was still alive.
***
Nine gave a slight shrug, “I have the morning off, so until whenever you have to leave.” Nine was overextending himself; he feared a relapse of poor coping methods if he spread himself too thin.
He took a deep breath and curled closer to Jace. He really had missed Jace and this. Still, things were fixed between them, not completely. “So...are we back to being complicated?” He asked after a moment of silence.
***
“I don’t have to leave until...10. Go and change into some clean clothes before I go to work.” Jace said, looking at the dark haired man’s face as they laid there.
“What do you mean?” He asked, brain not quite following what Nine was getting at with his question. Or more he didn’t want to follow that question although he knew he needed to.
***
Nine wanted to let Jace know he could just keep things at his place again, but it didn’t feel like a good time to bring that up.
Nine took a breath, not looking up as he spoke. “You’re here...but I’m sure we aren’t dating again...but we’re definitely fooling around...or are we just friends with benefits?” It was like when they’d first met, before they had slapped the dating label on what they had.
***
Jace had to admit there was a part of him stung by the way Nine said they weren't dating again. But he knew - they weren't. He still needed to figure things out after all. At least that was what he kept telling himself. He'd managed to make his life more complicated than ever somehow.
"I don't know what the hell we are. I hate that friends with benefits label though." He swallowed before continuing. "And...making it more complicated we haven't discussed what the ground rules are for whatever...this is. I've been spending time with Jesus on nights I don't come to see you."
***
The idea of Jace spending time with another guy wasn’t something that he wasn’t expecting to hear. However, Nine did give a slight eyeroll. “Not labeling things got us in trouble last time…” he muttered. “So...who is Jesus?” He asked, flatly.
Clearly, things weren’t serious with him and Jace but if Jace mentioned Jesus, there was something there. Maybe even try to decide if they would be more than friends. “Do you spend time with him like we spend nights together?”
***
“Pretty sure it wasn’t the lack of label that got us in trouble so much as me not being able to keep away when I was on a date with a certain redhead.” Jace said quietly. He looked back up at the ceiling. “One of the other instructors at the gym. We help each other with training sometimes for my competitions or his stunt jobs.”
He swallowed before answering. “If you’re asking if I’ve slept with him - yeah I have.”
***
Nine held his breath, when Jace turned and released it after the truth came out. “Ah…” he said, rolling onto his own back, and staring up at the ceiling, well, the mirror above his bed.
Nine knew he couldn’t be mad, but he was definitely a bit jealous. Yet, that was his own fault, too. He was quiet for a bit, “I’m gonna go shower.” Softly, he got out of the bed and made his way into the bathroom to get his shower going.
***
Jace felt a stab of guilt when Nine said that, knowing that he’d hurt him. But they weren’t together together so why should he feel guilty? He sighed quietly as he got out of bed, heading to the bathroom and leaning against the doorframe. “If you want - I can go while you’re taking your shower. In case you want some time without me here now.”
***
Nine gave a shrug. “It’s up to you.” This wasn’t exactly how he had imagine things going between them. He wasn’t expecting to get back together but hearing that Jace was with someone else, whom he trained with… that would need some time to process.
***
“I’ll just get dressed and go.” Jace said, feeling like a door had slammed shut between them all over again. He headed back into the bedroom, looking for his clothes mixed up with Nine’s on the floor from where they’d stripped each other as they came in. And not finding his shirt anywhere in there. Which meant it must be in the living room.
***
Nine sighed as he watched Jace’s reflection turn away. Still, he decided to continue with his shower. He knew he’d regret letting Jace leave soon enough. He wondered if this had been a mistake and if he should have not contacted Jace upon returning.
***
Jace found his shirt next to the kitchen and shrugged it on, looking around to make sure he hadn’t missed anything before heading into the bathroom to say goodbye. “We’ll talk later?” He asked, trying to keep his demeanor calm and casual.
***
Nine hadn’t really done anything aside from just stand under the running water. He was surprised to hear Jace’s voice. He took a moment to process the words before he nodded, “Yeah, sure.”
***
Jace leaned into the shower partway so that he could see Nine more clearly, not caring if it got him a little wet because he could dry on the way home. Good think about a bike in California, when it wasn’t randomly snowing at least, warm weather made it okay for him to ride that way now and then. “I’ll see you later.” He pulled away, ignoring the temptation to just say fuck it and strip and join him in the shower as he headed for the door and left.