Sorry (Jai/Jory)

Jory fell asleep purely from exhaustion, but couldn't stay there. Sleeping in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man, not to mention occasional whines from the closed door, led to him waking a few hours later. He sat up and looked his bed-mate over, feeling numb as the last vestiges of sleep left him. Once awake, the surreal feelings were gone, leaving a hollow sense in his chest that quickly led to burning in his eyes and a tight throat.

As quietly as he could and working to maintain enough control to avoid waking Jai, Jory rushed to get out of bed. He'd gotten to the door before he remembered Jai didn't live alone, and he fumbled for the closest clothes he could find. In a pair of underwear that was his and a shirt that wasn't, he opened the door, nearly tripped on Astra, and headed to the living room. He wanted to curl up and cry.

Dismas didn't normally spend his nights at home. A majority of his time was spent at the club, meeting with guests, watching Jai make mortal mistakes or simply enjoy life, and doing business of whatever sort called for his attention. On the odd night however, like tonight, it seemed a poor idea to leave his Sunrise alone. He'd thought the young wizard would be fine tonight, but it seemed he hadn't been. A now-empty bottle in the trash can proved it.

The vampire sat beside a roaring fire, legs crossed and a book in hand. He would be near in case his Sunrise needed him. And perhaps for the boy, as well.

Jory was sniffling by the time he reached the living room and looked up to see Dismas sitting there, and he came up short. Yeah, this was exactly what he wanted, to be seen in underwear and a borrowed shirt bawling his eyes out. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and stood awkwardly for a few moments while he tried to rearrange his goals in his mind. "Sorry, I was..." he tried as Astra pressed her side against his leg. "Couldn't sleep." It was only after he'd spoken that he realized he could have just asked where the damn loo was or something.

Dismas let the boy have what dignity he could and didn't immediately look up from his book. "No need for apologies, Jory," he said. "I tend not to sleep nights at all." He flicked a glance aside, but his gaze held no judgment. The boy looked miserable. "If you wish to talk," he said, closing his book and looking into the fire, "listening would cause me no trouble at all. I'm here for Jai's comfort, and as you are a guest, I will gladly see to yours as well."

"Not a lot to say," Jory said, shrugging. He tried to look around, but everything was blurry. "Lost my boyfriend, got laid, normal night." None of this was fair, and for a second he was happy to forget that it was all his fault. He didn't know if he wanted to sit and talk with an older, powerful guy, either. Time to take advantage of his belated out. "Could you just tell me where the bathroom is?"

Human needs. Dismas gestured toward the hallway and told Jory which was the correct door. It was indistinguishable from the others and kept closed whether in use or not. "If you would like food or drink after, please join me in the kitchen. I'll be awake for hours yet." He pointed out the doorway for that as well.

Jory nodded and waited until he'd turned away to wipe at his eyes. Astra kept tight against him all the way to the bathroom, where he steadfastly refused to look into the mirror. He didn't want to know how bad he looked, and didn't want to look himself in the eyes, either. It wasn't a dream. Unlike other horrible days, he knew that this whole day had been just as real as any other normal boring day.

He should've kissed Indigo in the club instead of avoiding it, since there'd never be another chance. For some time he stayed in there, and when he'd dried up again he scrubbed at his face in the sink. At least if he scrubbed hard enough more of his skin would be red, and it would be harder to tell he'd been crying. He scoffed at himself. Yeah. Right. He didn't even think about flushing the toilet to mask what he'd been doing, only left to seek out the kitchen, not yet ready to face Jai's bed again. "Could I have something to drink?"

"Of course," Dismas said. He'd turned on only the dim, inset lights above the center island in the kitchen, something he tended to do when one of Sunrise's conquests was about. The vampire pulled a tall glass from a cupboard, asked Jory his drink preference and served, all without giving the boy so much as a curious look. He gestured toward a bowl of fruit on the counter island. "Help yourself," he invited.

Jory thanked Dismas and then reached for an orange, since it would at least give him something to do with his hands. Astra sat herself at his feet, though she wasn't exactly settled. "Sorry for kind of causing a scene at the club," he said, shoving a nail into the rind with a little more force than was probably necessary. "I didn't mean to."

"I know that," Dismas assured the boy. He turned to find a heavy bowl and began filling it with water. "You need not apologize. All will be dealt with in time." He set the bowl on the floor at one end of the counter island, then stepped back and retrieved his own drink, which awaited his attention in the microwave.

"Jai spoke of you some time ago," Dismas said, wondering if the boy knew. "Several times, actually."

That actually pulled Jory out of himself enough to look up. "Really?" he asked. No way he was important or special enough to have a music star talk about him. But then again, Jai had sent him that invite, that could mean something, right? "We only got together a couple times," he continued, shrugging and looking back down at his hands.

Dismas nodded. He knew that as well, though it wouldn't do to say as much. "It was some two and a half years ago. Late winter of 2013, I believe." He took a sip of his steaming drink as he thought. "We have a rather unique relationship. A friendship of sorts, beyond simple business. He confided in me. He doesn't take to people easily. You may not have had that issue, but in many, confidence sometimes hides insecurity."

It almost made Jory feel a little better. "He's a good guy, from what I can tell, not that I'm any good at that kind of thing," he said. It wasn't like they'd spent a lot of time before tonight having actual conversation. "I got with Indigo pretty soon after, though." Peeling an orange was a lot more difficult when he was thinking such heavy thoughts.

"Your boyfriend?" Dismas asked. "Or... former boyfriend, rather?" Dismas hadn't heard the boyfriend referred to by name, but it was simple enough to put the pieces together. "I could give you platitudes about love and fate, but in truth I've seen nothing to suggest that fate exists and love is far too complex to be summed up in simple statements. What I've seen of life, and I'm a bit older than I may look, is that it can be terribly difficult."

Former boyfriend. Jory cringed. That was definitely something he wasn't ready to hear yet. "You don't have to tell me that. I'm not older than I look, but I've been through my fair share," he said, nose wrinkling at the resurgence of bad memories. Life had gotten simple there for a while with Indigo, just so, so easy. Of course it couldn't stay that way. "Love should be simple. It was simple."