Loki chuckled, despite his better judgment. He pulled his wet hair over one shoulder and put his hand on Jack’s chest, smiling at how pale it looked against all of Jack’s freckles. “Come on. It’s you who should look at yourself. Why would I be interested in a loser like him when I have you?”
Jack’s chest moved up and down rapidly, but he didn’t push Loki’s hand away. “I don’t know, ‘cause he’s got a real job and shit? ‘Cause you ended up wasting your time in jail because of me yesterday?”
Loki stepped closer and sensed Jack’s heart speed up beneath his palm. His own was slowly getting in sync with it, too. “I was there. I could have said, No, let’s wait till we’re home. And I don’t care about his job, or anything like that. Only you can give me the things I want.”
Jack swallowed, watching him with an intensity that burned Loki’s skin. “A good fuck?” He laughed, but there was a nervous undertone to it.
Loki smiled and pressed his cheek against Jack’s warm shoulder, slipping his arms around him. “That, too. I love that, too,” he whispered, closing his eyes.
The way Jack hugged him back was truly everything Loki ever needed. As if Jack’s strong arms could shield him from anything, maybe even death when it finally came for Loki. Jack would be there, holding him as tight as ever and he’d refuse to let go.
Loki kissed the dip over Jack’s collarbone and moved his nose all the way to Jack’s ear, kissing him gently. “You make me feel so happy.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” Jack uttered, and Loki wasn’t sure if this was just about Richard anymore. Over Jack’s shoulder, he looked at the open patio door and inside the house he now felt so welcome in, and he closed his eyes when his vision started getting cloudy.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry,” he whispered with his heart suddenly weighing a ton and pushing him farther into Jack’s arms.
Jack took a deep breath and rubbed his cheek against Loki’s head. “There’s this guy I’ve heard of, and he does a kind of… experimental treatment. I thought we could go and check it out?”
Loki exhaled. He didn’t believe in alternative medicine in any other case than minor ailments. “What kind of treatments?” he asked nevertheless, not to discourage Jack.
“It’s got origins in Brazil or something.” Jack stroked Loki’s hair. “I’ve heard good things about the guy from one of the hangarounds. He’s touring the world with that method, but now he’s staying close to LA. Apparently, he has this way of teasing the tumor out of someone’s body…”
Loki closed his fingers on the flesh of Jack’s back and took a deep breath. He’d heard about things like that, and they were a scam. Just a way to get money out of desperate people. And now Jack was desperate, too. Loki swallowed the tightness in his throat and pressed his forehead against Jack’s thick beard. Images of Jack holding his cooling hand flooded his mind like eels, swift and biting at the edges of his brain. He couldn’t turn back time and disappear. If they went to the “doctor”, Jack might briefly believe it was over if Loki pretended to feel better, but there was no way to will death away. Jack would end up hurt no matter what happened. Then again, wouldn’t it be cruel not to let him hope for a few more weeks?
“Does it hurt?” whispered Loki, even though he already knew that he would go through with it, no matter what the answer would be.
“No, not much. They only need to make a small incision or something. And it’s… you know, they keep the details secret.” Jack kissed Loki’s temple and stroked his back.
Loki exhaled and bit his lip, cuddling up against Jack’s beard. “Okay.”
“I promise I’ll take care of you if something goes wrong, so don’t worry.” But it seemed it was Jack who was more nervous.
Loki exhaled. It wasn’t like he had much to lose, though if something “went wrong”, the quality of his remaining life could drastically decline. His stomach clenched so hard he lost all appetite for the breakfast waiting for them in the house. “And you’ll keep me if it goes well, right?”
“Yeah, we’d work something out. You can be a pain in the ass, but I can deal with that.” Jack laughed and hugged him even tighter, molding his powerful, warm body to
Loki’s. That alone was such a wonderful, calming sensation.
”Yeah, I’m a good-looking pain in the ass.” Loki smiled and found Jack’s lips buried in the thick red fur on his face. Jack deepened the kiss and stroked Loki’s back as they enjoyed each other in the sunshine. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Just the two of them, naked by the ocean. Jack was such a good kisser, too. His tongue made those languid moves, exploring the inside of Loki’s cheek, his palate, he even slipped the tip between Loki’s top lip and his gums, sending a shiver all the way down to Loki’s cock.