Seth "No, I've kinda always liked modeling...  because, like you said, I'm good at it." He admitted, seeming to completely change his outlook on modeling though he really didn't. "Its just like it seems like models are just pretty faces without any sort of brain for them to fall back on." He told the other. "And I dont want to be thought of that way... thats all."

He reached up and rested his hand on Jake's over his face and leaned slightly. "Thanks," He replied warmly to his boyfriend. "I needed that... " He told his appreciatively. He was head over heels for this boy... 

Jake grinned and allowed his hand to drop. "You know. Some models are just pretty faces. Then again you have the one's who when they do drop otu of modeling fall back on their real talents. Who said you ahd to go into modeling empty handed and not a back up plan?" He asked curiously.

"You could write and be a model. You could also do anythin else you wanted. If you wanted to be a brain surgen you could take cl*censored*es inbetween modeling gigs or on your day off. It can work out if you relaly want it too, plus I cna help you as much as you want me to" He explained not wanting Seth to think bad about his dreams or think they were unatainable.

Seth continued to smile. there was no reason not to when he was with Jake. Even when he was pushing him down on stage. "What about you?" He asked him, wondering what jake wanted to do and realizing that they had been only talking about him and what he wanted to do.

He suddenly wondered if, by being here alone with Aiden would somehow bring his father upstairs to check on the two of them to make sure that they werent doing anything inappropriate together. That would make Seth want to leav ecompletely. His fath was intimidating and he hadn't even met the man yet. 

"Me?" Jake asked before laying back and resting his head back on the pillows behind him. He wans't tired he just wanted something to lay his head on to think. Plus he was getting uncomfortable just sitting on the bed. Why sit when you could lay down?

"Well....I want to be a famous actor. Movies, Theater plays, and anything or anywhere that would accept me. I dream of my name written in lights and on magazines. To be known by millions of people not just by my talent but as a person" He spoke not sure if his goals were just his dreams talking or his heart. The lines between the two had become blurred over time. "I guess if that doesn't work out....I'll fall back into my father's motor company. Invest in stocks and just take over his buisness like he wants me to. I mean...it owuldn' be bad to have my father's money but his job is just..." Jake paused to try to find the words before they clicked in his mind.

"Boring. Dealing with papers, dealing with people richer and snootier than you. It doesn't sound fun as Acting does. Acting...I can be anyone I want to be. I can be a stripper down to a mere homless peson. I can set my own future withen my characters and roles...but with my father's job. I'd be stuck and restricted to one life...one person" He explained focusing his dual colored eyes on Seth. "If that even makes any sense" he pouted not sure if his boyfriend under stood what he was saying.

Seth turned to watch Jake lay down and simply pulled his other leg onto the bed and scooting a little closer to him. He didn't want to push things.... just incase a intruder did in fact enter the room. The fact they were even on the bed together would have driven most parents crazy at the thought.

He reaced over and began to play with Jake's hair lovingly. "It makes sense." He responded warmly, his eyes softening as Jake talking about his dreams. He was so passionate about it, it even made Seth excited with him just talking about it.

-

Andrew had figured Jake had taken Seth away and had checked with nurses to find that he had, in fact. He he went home, having to walk. But he was fine with that. At this poit he wasn't hurt in any way other than maybe his relationship status with Eric lately. SO he would be fine to walk plus.... he could deal with the cold better with his jacket.  

Jake smiled warmly enjoying the soft touches from Seth while he was playing with his hair. It was oddly relaxing in a way. "Hmmm." He didn't know if his parents would even accept him going to a performing art's school versus a buisness school. That would be yet anouther rocky conversation with his father that he was most certianly not looking forward to. "College is something i'm goin to have to go to. I know that for a fact but the question is....Do i work now to raise the money for a performing arts school or allow my parents to put me on a full ride through buisness school?" He asked letting out a low sigh.

"One way it would take me...months if not years to get enough money to pay for an art's school but then again. Buisness school instant and I wouldn't have to lift a single finger to raise money. It would be handed to me by my father" he huffed pulling his ears back not exactly sure which path to go down. "My dreams...requre a lot of work in order for them to come true."

--------

Back at the appartment complex, Reed pulled into the parking lot with the lost car that Eric had hired him to find. He smirked listening to the sweet sounding engine before turnign it off and pulling out the key shoving it into his pocket. He slipped out of the driver's seat, making sure all the doors were locekd before abandoning hte car in Eric's usual parking space for Andrew to find. The singer took a deep breath making hsi way into the building and up to Eric's room. He let himself in figuring he'd wait for Andrew to apear to hand him the keys not to mention hang out with him seeing he was bored and his boyfriend wasn't anwering his calls.

Seth listened to Jake quietly, taking everything he said in and thinking about it himself. Wondering if there was a way for him to hlp with with his own dreams since Jake had already started to help him with his. "It's gonna take a lot of work but you'll make it." He said reassuringly. 

He continued to play with Jake's hair. "I'll help you too." He added, his tails swaying a little, showing how relaxed he was right now. He hadn't felt so relaxed in a while, being wound up for weeks now. Ever since Jake had shown up and now he was all Seth's. He could stop being wound up about it though it still excited him that they were actually together now.

-

Andrew had taken a while to get back to Eric's place. For one, he had been walking abd taking his time to get back, knowing that he was just showing up to an empty apartment building to be reminded of the arguement that the two of them had had earlier that morning. And two, because he'd gotten turned around somehoe and had to go back to get back on track back to the apartment.

He wasn't usually at the hospital so he'd gotten a little lost. Even though he had been down that road ringing Eric to the hospital that night he'd gotten shot in Andrew's old neighborhood by one of his old fellow gang members. He shuttered to think what would have happened if Eric had never shown up at that jail house.

He reached the parking lot of the apartment complex and strolled across it, his hands in his jackets pockets and actually passed the care that was intended for him. He didn't even think about it seeing as he wasnt looking for the car. For any car in partcual for that matter. But the fact that he'd passed it and it looked familiar hit him and he stopped o look and tha unfamiliar, familiar car.

He didn't get it at first, wondering what this car was doing here and why he thought he'd seen it before. It finally registered and his eyes flew opn in surprise, ears perked, tail bristled. It was.... Alex car!! He gaped at it, the car his mother had sold soon after his big brother's death! It was... here! Right in front of him once again and looking the exact same way it had all those years ago.

He suddenly felt and if his legs wouldn't support him. And they didn't. They were all shakey and so was the rest of him. He sat down on the sidewalk and just... looked at the machine in front of him. Nver before in his life had he ever thought he was going to faint before. "Shit...."  He whispered to hiself, running an hand through his hair.

He got back up and started to back away from the car. "Shit shit shit!!" he repleated. He was so happy tears actually formed in his eyes and he felt close to his brother once more, after five years. 

He turned and almost sprinted up to the fourth lever of the apartment building. He wanted to tell Eric! And he didn't realize that eric was gone until he was standing in front of the apartment building door, panting a little bit from the sudden exursion. He scoffed at himself for being so stupid and then went to unlock the door only to find that it wasn't actually locked.

"weird..." He mumbled, going inside. 

Jake couldn't help but smile. Seth was actually going to help him? He enjoyed thos words before reaching up go place his hand on Seth's cheek. "Thanks babe" He spoke shifting uncomfortably on the bed. Why did he feel weird all of a sudden? Jake's eyes glanced down before letting out a small sigh. He all of a sudden knew why. The shirt the nurse had given him brushed against the stitches causing a slight pain when he moved a little bit.

"Stupid battle wounds" He sighed actually leaning up on his elbows and strippping his shirt off and tossing it to the side. He couldn't stand the fabric rubbing up against the stitches and figured out this might just be difficult for him. Maybe there was something he could put over the annoying black marks on his chest so that shirts wern't really a bother for him.

------

Reed's ears perked hearing noticing the door knob turn. He smiled to himself as he lounged aginst the couch watching Andrew enter. "Sooo, Kid. Enjoy Eric's little suprise?" He asked refuring to the car and actually held out the key. "It's yours...." he added standing up focusing on Andrew. "He made me promsie that once he was gone for the week i'd give it to you because he didnt' want you walking in the cold. The weather's only suppposed to get worse" he shrugged. Behind him his tail flopped focusin on Eric's little pride and joy wondering how exactly he'd take all this. It seemed to be a big thing when Eric was explaining it.

Seth smiled at Jake's touch, it was almost like a drug for him at this point. He perked his ears however, watching Jake removing his shirt that the hospital had given him and revealed his 'battle wounds'. He half smiled when he called them that, but the actual sight didn't make him happy at all. 

He reached forward tentatively and gently touched Jake skin just beside the stitches, afraid to touch them. "Did that hurt?" He asked, looking at the black marks on his chest. He ran his fingers over the uninjured skin slowly.

-

Andrew nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of someone else's voice in the apartment with him. He was still a little jittery from finding his brother's car parked downstairs in the parking lot. he looked at Reed as he closed the door and flipped on the lights. "Why the hell are you sitting in the dark?" Andrew growled, not really mad at Reed as much as he was pissed that he'd jumped when he spoke.

He set his bag down by the door, not in the mood to fight with anyone right now. Not even Reed whom he still wanted to turn into a bloody pulp. For reasons unknown, even to himself. he'd been hit on by guys before at work. And at school. Reed hadn't been the first and what he did wasn't even as bad as some, so Andrew didn't understand why he made him so mad so easily.

Eric doing this for him made Andrew's mind reel. And he felt like a complete *censored* for this morning too. He focused on Reed. "Why would he do that?" He asked, trying to make it seem like this didn't mean so much to him. He turned and headed to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. He still didn't eat openly in this house, it was just oo odd for him. 

"He's been ignoring me for days." He said, opening the fridge and getting the water. This being the perfect excuse not to go to Reed and take the key or to look at him even.  

Jake glanced down at his chest and watched Seth's fingers moved across the uninjured skin. "Like a bitch. Pain killers didn't work for me. They gave me a shot which also hurt but near the end the nurse said it was supposed to work ten stitches ago and it never really worked. I felt every needle insert and pulling the skin together" he explained with a small sigh.

"But it'll heal. It's supposed to hurt more when they are put in then when taken out so. I can't get them wet so no baths or showers any time soon. I'm gonna be stuck with the sink and my hair products for a while" He shrugged. He brought his free hand to Seth's cast and made small swirl marks with his finger. "What about this....You were twisted in pain going to the hospital. Did they hurt you any more when putting this on?" He asked tapping on the cast gently with his index finger.

---------

Reed sighed tossing the key onto the kitchen counter before shrugging. "He cares?" Reed asked seeming to follow Andrew to the kitchen but not go inside. He just leaned on the counter watchin the student. "Eric...told me how much you loved that car. He came to me I guess after you told him your story about your brother or something and wanted me to hunt down the car for you. He didn't like seeing you walk and told me you needed your rest instead of going an hour early to school every day. He just reinforced not wanting you to walk in the cold while he was gone on this trip" He shrugged glancing up at the ceiling.

"What, Eric can't do something nice for you?" He asked letting his tail flop curiously behind him.

Seth frowned at Jake's story. "Ow... I'm sorry," He responded with a flinch at the details that his boyfriend had given him. He didn't have a very strong stomach and the thought that had come into his head wasn't a pretty one. "They shouldn't have done it without knowing for sure that you couldn't feel what they were doing." he said, taking his hand back slowly. 

He looked down at the pink cast they had given him at the hospital. It was pink and a rock hard weight on his leg. They hadn't even asked what color he had wanted like they usually do. He figured that they looked at his hair color and chose this one to match it. But he liked it, glad that it was a neon pink color. He bet that it even glowed in the dark. 

"No," he answered, "In the ambulance one of the men stuck me with this big needle and it pretty much rendered my whole body useless for a while." He smiled.

-

Andrew listened quietly to what reed had to say about Eric caring. He had a funny way of showing it over the past few days but he knew that he did care somewhat about him. Obviously. "I gues he can but I wish he'd stop..." Andrew sighed and opened the bottle. He didn't want Eric running around worrying about him all the time. Because eventually he's going to come to like it and then, like everything good thats ever happened to him, it'll stop.

Like now. Eric was getting more and more distant it seemed. And Andrew was getting frustrastrated and was starting to take him anger out on Eric. He knew that after a point that he pushed people away and thats what he was doing right now. Pushing Eric away. And evetually Eric isn't going to want to deal with him anymore.  

"It's fine." Jake shrugged. It was the past and he would be happy to put the past behind him. He didn't have to worry about it until he got them taken out. Then it would probably really hurt despite what they say. His eyes glanced around the room before back at Seth. His ears perked hopefully as a stray thought came into his mind.

"Hey! Can I sign and maybe....draw on it? Or did you want the whole school to put their names on it?" He asked curiously sitting up and focusing on his boyfriend.

------

Reed seemed to chuckle to himself. "I doubt he'll stop. If you knew half the things I do you'd understand him a little bit more" he shrugged standing up straight. "So kid. How was your day?" He asked turning around wondering what exactly to do. Eric wasn't here and all he had was Andrew.

The kid didn't seem to like him very much but he could deal. If Andrew wanted him to leave he could ask and then he'd think about obeying. He wasn't sure that it was really safe for Andrew to stay here alone. Especially for a week.