there was a part of him that wanted a cigarette in between his fingers, that wanted to grab one of the champagne flutes and throw it back – but he wasn’t intent on self-destruction tonight, and he needed to keep his wits about him. so instead he drifted, listening in on conversations, eyes quietly scanning from one side of the crowd to another. you had no idea what you could find out in a place like this until you went for it, but still – his skin was crawling just from being around this many people.
abram lee had long ago learned the art of fake it til you make it, and his smile had been honed into a weapon, so when gazes lingered too long or he felt himself growing far too uncomfortable, he let his lips split into something sharp and excused himself to circulate again.
a heavy breath slipped through his teeth, and abram lifted his eyes just in time to catch the gaze of a face he hadn’t seen in so long – but not one he had forgotten. he’d never forget jason knight, not after the funeral, not after watching him fall apart and feeling so angry it had burned out everything else in him. now, abram knew that it wasn’t really anger he’d felt that day, but jealousy. he had been so jealous that jason could fall apart like that, but he’d only ever admitted it to himself.
abram cocked his head gently to the side as jason approached him, and calling him apollo felt so strange, so instead he let his eyes drift to their feet. “hello, jason,” abram said, eyes carefully lifting back to the other man’s face. abram scrutinized him, taking in the healthy weight in his cheeks, the life behind his eyes. he didn’t look hollowed out anymore. he looked…better.
“you don’t look like death anymore,” abram mused, tilting his head again. “this place can’t be easy on your…sobriety.” a dig, and one that made abram’s mouth twist afterwards – he hadn’t wanted to say something like that. but he wouldn’t apologize, there was no point – “how are you holding up?” fuck.
abram wasn’t someone he had really considered a friend prior to everything, just someone who he had always seen in passing, sometimes alone and jason knew it was likely something he preferred. but inching his way back into olympus or elysian meant getting along with everyone, even with personalities he knew that he would not mesh with or people who would be cruel to him for his mistakes and missteps. after all, they were at war and jason’s loyalties were still up in the air. he was sure that made others nervous, even if he had nothing to offer either side.
he arched an eyebrow at abram as his name left his lips, a pleasant surprise given how few words they had exchanged over the years. family was still family, he supposed, even if no one else seemed to view it that way. maybe things would be more pleasant than he had hoped.
his next few words caught him by surprise, a dark shadow passing over his features at the obvious jab, before reverting back to one of friendliness. glancing at the champagne glasses and a mix of heavier drinks around him, jason shrugged and pressed on with a lie. “it’s easy once you realize how much you hurt people when you break your sobriety, i guess i’m lucky like that.”
he wasn’t, he truly wasn’t. but why reveal weakness to someone who obviously cared very little for him? even now, he could feel the itch to grab a bottle and run into the stairwell, happily letting himself sink further and further into bliss.
“i’m okay, i think. but thanks for asking, it means a lot.” his voice fell flat as his gaze continued to wander, eyeing temptation. “how have... things been with you?”
