#jack: captive

—

“I’m twenty-eight. But sure, why don’t you get me some weights and I’ll be like He-Man by the time your brother and his colleagues make up their mind about what they’re going to do with me.” Eiji replied, narrowing his eyes slightly as the wolf shook his head at him. He released a breath through his nose and sat back so that his back pressed against the wall. “No, that would be too much like a good time.” He muttered to himself, “I’m fine.” He then stubbornly answered. “So are you the Lycaon pack’s token cop? Do they send you down here to all their prisoners?” He asked saltily. Perhaps the withdrawal was taking its revenge but Eiji was far too stubborn to ask for any help.

—

"That still isn't that old, even by human standards," he pointed out. The young man was so irritable that Jack knew he'd likely fight over everything, no matter how inconsequential. Jack wasn't sure what they were going to do with Eiji or how long they would hold them. They had upped the security around the house but if this threat was as big as Caleb believed it to be, the human could bring all kinds of trouble to their doorstep. "And illegal," he added. "I'm just doing my part for the pack." Although he was certain that Eiji could probably just think he was a pawn for his brother. In a way he was, he had to do his part like everyone else. "But I've also just gotten off from a long shift and I'm tired so I'm going to go relax. Shout if you need something, I'll hear you." The wolf stood then, giving Eiji another once over before he turned to leave.

—

Eiji might have muttered something about the wolf being a ‘spoil sport’ but he decided against it, especially in his current predicament. He already had enough resting against him without a cop coming after him about a drug charge. So instead he stayed quiet, eyes steady as they watched the wolf get up to exit, leaving him alone.

It grew quiet then and eventually the last of the evening light began to dwindle until it left the basement in near darkness, except from a small lamp. The books had long since lost their entertainment value and Eiji had been pacing the floor for a while, trying to ignore the steady shake of his hands and the sweat he could feel against his forehead and temples. He didn’t know how much time had passed, battling bouts of nausea and trying to convince himself that he didn’t need more drugs to fix this, all the while all he could think about was how much better he’d feel if he could have them.

He realised he hadn’t asked for the wolf’s name. Eiji didn’t even know if anyone was still there, it had been quiet for so long. He rest his forehead against the cold brick, barely holding back from urging, “Cop guy?” He called out, somewhat meekly.

—

He expected that Eiji would be too proud to ask for help for a while so he wasn't going to waste his breath. He trudged his way up to his bedroom and changed out of his uniform and showered before settling in for the night.

It was all quiet in the house and most pack members had eaten their dinner and headed out or home for the night. He decided to turn down the offer to watch the game at Lunar Heights and stayed home to watch it on TV. He had finished dinner by the time he heard Eiji call out.

From the sound of his voice, those withdrawals had gotten worse. He moved around the kitchen, grabbing a few items that could be useful to the situation. The basement was darker now but he could still see the young man in the corner, looking miserable.

He stopped in front of him and placed down a bucket as well as some crackers, a Gatorade and ibuprofen without another word. "I took a stab in the dark at what you might need," he murmured, turning back to him. "Need anything else?"

—

Eiji could only imagine his fathers disappointment. He was extremely familiar with the feeling and yet for some reason he kept expecting a different reaction. Wasn’t that madness, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? He’d honestly been surprised the man hadn’t already tried to erase the memory of any substances from his brain years ago.

He exhaled a slow breath at the click of the door, turning his head enough to see the man place down the items before it seemed like he might leave. “Wait— could you… could we go outside? Just for like five minutes?” He pleaded, “I just need some air. I won’t try anything, I promise.”

—

He felt a small sense of sympathy for the younger man. While they didn't know for certain why these attacks were happening, Jack had hazarded a guess that the Remington coven leader might have something to do with it. He didn't have that problem with his father but he had been disregarded by his mother when he was young, younger than Eiji would have been.

He waited, expecting to be cussed out despite his efforts so he was surprised when Eiji spoke again. "Outside?" The wolf's lips pursed as he listened out for his brother in the house. It sounded like he had gone out so maybe they could. "Alright but I will catch you if you try and run," he conceded. "Get your shoes on. It'll be cold out."

—

Eiji was equally as surprised when the wolf actually agreed instead of leaving him to suffer through it. He might have come up with a witty retort, but his current state had him keeping his mouth shut instead and eagerly shoving his shoes on to walk across to the exit of where he was being kept. Eiji picked up the items the other man had brought in for him, trying to ignore how jittery he felt and how disgusting he assumed he looked. “Thank you.” He said, holding back another wave of nausea.

—

Caleb didn't need to know about this little adventure outside. The last thing he wanted to do was get chewed out by his younger brother but the kid looked worse for wear. He was a big believe in fresh air helping to make you feel better. He waited patiently, not pressing him to move faster or complaining. It wasn't like he had any other plans, it was why he had been asked to babysit while everyone else went out for the night. "Just don't get sick, I really don't want to clean that up," he grumbled. When he was sure Eiji was ready, he lead him up the stairs and into the foyer. He almost went out the front door before he thought better of it and headed towards the back door instead. When he stepped out, the air was chilly but refreshing and he stepped aside to let Eiji take the space he needed. He didn't take his eyes off him though, not willing to make the mistake of letting their fugitive escape.

—

“No promises.” Eiji mumbled but made his way up the steps to the foyer. He didn’t remember much from when he’d been brought in, it had all been a bit of a blur and if he was honest, Eiji was just glad there had been some sort of interim before Zamok. That didn’t make the fact that he knew he wouldn’t survive the place any easier. He stepped through the back door and exhaled a slow breath when the night air hit him. It was cold, but it felt nice against the heat of his skin. He glanced behind him for a moment to where the other man was, before deciding it looked like he had enough time to sit down on the grass. “I never asked you your name…” Eiji said as he clicked open the lid of the Gatorade.

—

Jack was watching Eiji closely, knowing his brother would kill him if he messed up. Luckily, the young human didn't seem capable of running and he wouldn't over power him. Being outside would likely do him some good for his mental health as well. He couldn't imagine being confined to one room when he got restless indoors. He took a seat on the porch steps and let Eiji find his own comfortable spot. "You didn't," he agreed. It wasn't exactly a question so he didn't answer right away. "It's Jack. I'm guessing you already know my surname." There were plenty of people with the surname "Lycaon" that were pissed with Eiji but he decided not to rub it in when he was feeling unwell. He might save it when his bad attitude returned though.

—

“Jack.” Eiji repeated, nodding slightly. He sipped at the Gatorade and tried to concentrate on the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees and not the tremor of his hands. He didn’t blame him for the lack of conversation, he was likely smart and as a police officer knew Eiji was much more likely— especially now— to tell him something if he just stayed quiet. Still, Eiji had gotten used to most of the pack members coming down to tell him how what he had done had affected their lives one way or another and somehow the silence was deafening. “How is it, being a Lycaon?” He asked after a moment longer, wanting to think of something other than wishing the Gatorade had a spirit in it to distract from the rest of the withdrawal.

—

He kept himself quiet, mostly listening out for anyone who might be listening or watching them. They had no idea if someone was watching the human or would try and come looking for him. He hoped his brother would figure that out but the alpha hadn't been home for Jack to ask about it. He straightened his legs out in front of him and shrugged. "I imagine it's probably similar to being a Remington. A lot of people watching you, a lot of expectations," he answered. They were both the eldest sibling and not the heir to their family legacy so Eiji likely could relate to that feeling. "It kinda sucks," he admitted.

—

Eiji lifted his head to the sound of the wolf’s confession. For some reason he’d always assumed the wolves treated each other better, or at the very least that pack hierarchy was built into their upbringing so that it didn’t seem so cutthroat, but perhaps he was wrong. “Well you seem to be coping with it far better than I am.” He pointed out, waving around his general person before his hands dropped again. He did eventually glance back up though, looking over the other man properly for the first time. “You mean they made it your entire purpose to be one thing and then when you weren’t they started looking to next person and forgot you existed?” Eiji asked casually, “Yeah, it kind of sucks.”

—

Jack didn't often admit that out loud. His father was the only one who had heard his complaints over the years. His father was the one to comfort him when his mother moved on from him to his brother. It was clear that his sister was also upset but at least she was the younger sibling, it was an easy excuse to say that Caleb was older. He laughed softly, dropping his gaze to his feet. "I've had more time to get over it," he replied. Jack had been a pain in the ass when he was young but joining the police force settled him down. He pulled his knees up and leaned his elbows against them as he listened. It was a familiar story that did sting to hear and for the first time, he felt sympathetic to Eiji Remington. "Yep," he agreed. Maybe Jack had it easier, it became clear that he wouldn't present as an alpha when he was fifteen so the attention shifted to his brother much earlier than it would have for Eiji. "I'm sorry that it happened to you as well. Parents and legacy is a funny thing."

—

“How old are you?” Eiji asked, actually enjoying the very brief moment of normal conversation where someone wasn’t yelling at him. He understood why everyone was upset, a lot of people had been caught in the crossfire that probably shouldn’t have been, but it had been what needed doing in order for anyone to start taking notice. Eiji needed to keep reminding himself why he had done it, it made the moments of silence where he knew his fate was bleak, at least have a purpose. “Mm. Maybe I missed the ted talk on why it’s all so important…” He replied, absently picking at some loose thread on his sleeve. There were numerous times when he had wondered if he was just selfish and spoilt. His father was only doing what he had been taught by his parents and respecting a line of witches that needed to continue. Still, it had hurt to know that he wasn’t worth more than that. Or that his father wasn’t willing to make changes to at least make his life bearable. Safe. “You make it sound like you weren’t so collected when you were younger.”

—

He wasn't sure Eiji would like his answer but he answered anyway. "I'll be 108 in a couple of weeks. It took me about 8 years to become apathetic." Jack wouldn't say he didn't care or it didn't hurt at the time, because it had. It was his duty to support the alpha of the pack and it was never destined to be him. "That's a shame, I got that talk about twenty times when I was a teenager," he muttered, shaking his head at the memory. His mother had given up on trying to make him understand but his father had not given up on that, he still heard that lecture from time to time. Jack could remember how much it hurt when it first happened, how angry he'd been but he had no one to blame but himself. No one could make him be something he wasn't. "Well I didn't do anything as dramatic as you but yes, young wolves aren't known for their mild tempers."

—

“So I should be ready to start feeling apathetic right about now?” Eiji asked, huffing a small breath of amusement, even though it really wasn’t funny for either of them. He certainly didn’t feel numb, despite all the alcohol and drugs, and that was the problem. “I don’t know, maybe I have and I just stopped listening every time my father told me the coven is worth more than us.” Eiji shrugged. He supposed at least he had been honest with him about that much, but it didn’t make it any easier. “That’s where the dru—“ Eiji paused, glancing up at the other man, “herbal remedies… for my mental health, come in.” He quickly corrected, knowing he wasn’t fooling a damn soul. He paused, the severity of the situation returning to him. The cold was starting to make him shiver, but Eiji was trying to make the most of his time outside of the basement. “Well… it seems like you’ve turned it around.”

—

"I don't think anyone should tell you how long it can take you to recover from something," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. Jack would suggest that drinking and drugs didn't help you heal, it only delayed the process. Then again, he wasn't there to lecture Eiji when the young human was still clearly hurting from his father's treatment. "What about your mother? Why didn't she stick around to protect you?" the wolf asked. Jack wasn't sure he could feel the way Eiji did, he was still a wolf but he couldn't lead the pack. He also had his father for support, something it seemed like Eiji was missing from his mother. The wolf laughed, rolling his eyes at the terrible attempt at a cover up. "You're already under arrest, you can't get more under arrest and you're crap at lying," he mused. It was funny that someone who was masterminding a terrorist organisation was also a bad liar. "Yeah, my mom beat my ass a couple of times and that settled me down I guess."

—

Eiji shrugged. “She was around when we were young, but I think by the time we were teenagers she’d had enough of the way our father treated her and felt like she’d already given up enough of her life.” He tried to explain, “So she left and I didn’t really see her that much after that. I’m not sure she even knows what’s going on right now. Probably for the best…” Eiji nibbled at the inside of his lip.

“I suppose. Though I wouldn’t put it past the council to try and add a few things on where they can.” Eiji replied, before his face fell slightly to an expression mixed with both surprise and sadness. “Jesus. I thought you were going to say she didn’t let you have pudding, not that she beat you.” Eiji replied grimly, “I’m sorry.”

—

Jack only raised his brow. Maybe he had a grudge against mother's but that sounded like pretty shitty behaviour to him. His parents were on rocky ground at the moment but they both stuck around. "Do you want someone to contact her?" he asked, deciding it was worth offering to see if she would come. Or maybe Eiji didn't want that disappointment on his shoulders too. "I think you're giving them more credit than they deserve. They haven't decided what to do with you, let alone what crime to charge you with," he admitted with a shake of his head.

"Well when you say it that way, it sounds bad," he replied with a huff. Maybe it was bad but to wolves, rough housing was part of the territory. "Fighting is part of what we do, I fought my mom and I lost. And I lost a couple of times over before I realised I couldn't beat her. My brother could." No one was quite sure how Caleb managed it. He wasn't as aggressive or quick as their mother had been. He had a feeling his mother gave in quicker, wanting the mantle to pass to Caleb. That was what she had been training him for.

—

“No, it’s fine. I don’t want to upset her.” Eiji replied, however uncertain his voice might have sounded. He hadn’t seen his mother in a long time but Eiji still chose to believe that she loved him, even if her distance sometimes made him feel the exact opposite. “But thanks for offering.” Eiji said. “I’m sure they’ll hold some kind of bias meeting and come up with their answer soon enough.”

“I guess,” Eiji replied, still sounding unsure about the idea, but he supposed it was just a dynamic he didn’t understand. “How did that happen exactly? Your brother seems like he wouldn’t be the fighting type.” He added. The fresh air was helping Eiji to feel more steady and think of something other than the obvious, though he definitely wouldn’t have turned it down.

—

He only hummed in response. The eldest Remington was already at odds with his father. Jack knew better than to dog pile on when things were already down. "The offer can remain open too," he added. "Like once you get any news of a sentence or trial." Maybe Eiji didn't want to talk to her now but a time may have come when he wanted to. Jack was certain he could convince his brother to allow it, even prisoners got visitors in Zamok.

Jack shifted awkwardly. The wolf understood the discomfort and, now reflecting on his childhood, maybe it wasn't the best way to deal with angry and emotional kids. That would be a thought tucked away for another day, or for whenever he got forced into mandated therapy for work again. He snorted and laughed. "Yep, you'd be right. That might be what will make him a good leader." Or a bad one if he didn't grow a back bone on some matters. "It happened the same way it always does, he challenged her and he won. Now he leads the pack."

—

“Yeah… thanks.” Eiji replied. He was trying not to think too much on what a ‘trial’ would look like when it came to the council and what conviction they would fashion out of thin air, depending on what mood they were all in that day. Regardless, he hoped his mother might at least come home for that.

“I suppose you’re right.” Eiji replied, though he wasn’t sure what a ‘good’ leader entailed. From watching his father, it seemed to involve abandoning everything else in favour of it and choosing power and control over basic reason. “Do you get on with Caleb?” Eiji asked.

—

They still had no idea how long the pack would be housing Eiji. Other pack members weren't happy about it already so he hoped they moved faster. The worst case scenario would be Zamok but, as Jack looked him over, he knew he wouldn't survive very long there.

Jack didn't know if he was right or wrong. He knew nothing about leadership, except maybe leading his little league teams. "Most of the time, we do. But we're still brothers so we disagree and argue but he's my brother. I'm sure you're probably close to your brother too."

—

Eiji noticed the other man looking him over, but he didn’t think too much of it. He likely looked like he belonged in the ER and Eiji thought perhaps Jack was probably worried he would need to take him there.

“Yeah, we are. But he lives in another city now, too. My father has a way of making people pack their bags.” He huffed a small breath of amusement he didn’t really feel. “But I’m sure you didn’t want to spend your evening listening to me complain.” Especially not when you just tried to unveil the supernatural, Eiji thought to himself.

—

He didn't know much about withdrawals so he might have to ask around at work and figure out something to help Eiji. Not every pack member was going to be nice to him and he doubted he'd get much time outside but maybe he could suggest it to Caleb as well.

"Sounds like it. Never did much like magic myself so I probably wouldn't like your dad either," he admitted. That probably wasn't very helpful but the wolf felt bad for him. Despite the crimes he'd committed, it felt like Eiji was just lonely and his family weren't there supporting him. Regardless of pack dynamics, he'd always had family around. "It's fine, I was just watching TV anyways."

—

“How come?” Eiji asked. “Mm. It’s a real possibility.” He agreed. It seemed like people either loved or hated his father. So much so a demon had offered to curse him for free, though Eiji wasn’t going to bring that up. He was already proving how much of a bad person he was by being here in the first place, let alone telling the other man he’d cursed his own father too. “Anything good?” The blonde asked.

—

"Probably a similar reason to you. I gotta watch as witch's wipe the mind of human's when they saw something they shouldn't. I don't like that they do it so flippantly." Jack had chosen to take a passive route in his career but it didn't stop him from feeling uneasy about it.

He huffed in amusement, the blonde sounded like he angling for TV time as well as outdoor time. "Just baseball," he answered, doubting Eiji would be interested in that. "I'm sure it's better than whatever self help book Caleb probably gave you."

—

“Yeah, I spent eight years enabling that, so I’m not sure I’m any better than the rest of them.” Eiji thought aloud. Pretty much his entire job had been combing through all the numerous ‘mistakes’ the supernatural had made and finding a way to over write them. Which usually came in the form of alerting those in power so that they could perform spells to have the humans forget, along with dispensing of footage and evidence.

“That sounds… horribly heterosexual of you.” Eiji offered a faint smile of amusement, “But I’d still take it over reading those books again.” He teased, in truth he was grateful for the books, it was better than staring at the walls and contemplating his life choices. “In his defence, he asked what I wanted and I said he could choose.”

—

"If we look at it that way, I've spent eighty years doing the same," he said with a shrug. It didn't make him any better. They were doing what they thought was right and for Jack, even if he didn't like it he had to keep it up for the sake of his pack and family.

Jack bristled, slightly offended at being called heterosexual but he couldn't fault Eiji for the assumption. "That's probably because you're one of those people that doesn't understand how good the story telling in live sports is. It's like live theatre but the ending isn't written yet," he said, trying to defend his love of sports. "That's your own fault. He loves hippy books. I could get you some crossword or sudoku books or something like that?" he offered.

—

Eiji couldn’t help the amused expression on his face at Jack’s words. “The story telling of live sports?” He repeated, “I can honestly say I’ve never heard anyone compare the theatre to live sports.” Eiji wasn’t particularly passionate about either, but it was interesting to see how the wolf came alive at the subject. “Okay, so, what great love story is the baseball game going to tell you?” He asked curiously. He still looked blanched, but managed a faint smile of amusement at ‘hippy books’ “Maybe he still thinks there’s time to fix me.” He replied, though he was unsure any self help book was going to do that. “That would be good. Numbers and simple question and answer I can deal with. Thanks…”

—

Jack frowned, not enjoying being teased by the blonde. "Yes, it's a very real thing. There's the underdog, there's the heels and then there's hubris and watching them fall and fail. Aren't most of the Greek tragedies and Shakespeare plays have someone falling to their own hubris?" he argued. Jack knew he was getting overly passionate about it but he felt like he had to defend his point. "And that's not very heterosexual so there." He didn't know why he felt the need to straighten that out but now he sighed, rubbing his forehead. Jack thought that maybe Caleb thought the books would fix Caleb as well but he didn't say it out loud. "You can't fix people, you can only fix yourself if you're willing to," he replied in turn. The wolf nodded, happy to stop Eiji from going insane in their basement. "You're welcome. So are you going to make me miss the entire game or do you want to watch a few innings?"

—

Eiji leant back against the body of the tree behind him, loosely folding his arms as he watched the wolf with amusement. He’d never seen someone so passionately defend a sport before, let alone give it such a dramatic comparison. “So baseball is the same as Shakespeare? I’m sure there are about a million theatre enthusiasts out there willing to put you in the stocks for that comparison. Do most people with their giant foam fingers think about Greek mythology while watching the game?” Eiji paused, smirking a bit, he leaned forward, “You like dick, we get it.” He teased him.

“Maybe you should be the one setting the halfway house, not Caleb.” Eiji pointed out as he sat back, before glancing around, a little bit in disbelief of the offer. “You’re going to let me watch baseball with you?” He asked incredulously.

—

It was rare that Jack got embarrassed this far through his life, he left that up to his younger siblings. The way Eiji talked back at him was enough to make Jack fluster though. His face turned red, knowing he had got over passionate and now he was being made fun of because of it. "Maybe you just don't understand sports and you feel the need to pick on people who do when you couldn't run a hundred feet," he retorted. His blush only got worse and he went from sitting relaxed to getting to his feet, ready to head inside now.

"Not anymore," he answered. "Come on, time for you to go back inside," he answered, waiting to usher the human back inside.

—

The way Jack turned red didn’t escape Eiji and he wondered for a moment whether it was because he had teased him about his passionate rant, or the comment about his sexuality. He couldn’t decide whether it was cute or not, either, to see the burly wolf clearly so wound up. Regardless, Eiji’s eyebrows rose when he suddenly snapped back at him. “Wow, you are bitey.” He responded, “I was kidding, keep your Shakespearean breeches on.” Eiji teased him again, watching him get up to his feet.

Eiji’s face dropped when he took back his offer. He supposed he shouldn’t argue, he was a prisoner not a house guest and he had been doing him a favour. The blonde got back up to his feet and walked across to where Jack was stood by the door. “I’ll show myself back down there, shall I?” He asked, before stomping irritably past him.

—

The conversation had taken a turn for the worst and he was more than ready to continue his peaceful night before his shift in the morning. Eiji had no idea how bitey he could be because he was holding back from being worse. The young man didn't know it but he'd already suffered enough embarrassment at his hands and he didn't feel like being dumped on for the rest of the night as well. Maybe when he learned how to not make fun of people, he would let him watch the baseball but that wouldn't happen tonight.

Jack didn't say anything, just stood to the side as Eiji stomped back inside. "Brat," he muttered under his breath, watching him go. He closed and locked the door behind him before making a pit stop by the kitchen. He met Eiji at the basement door, wanting to make sure he went downstairs like he was meant to. "Take these with you because I'm not coming back tonight," he said, holding out another water and gatorade to the human.

—