[hr][center][IMG]http://fontmeme.com/freefonts/img.php?f=109098&s=75&t=JE&c=F5deb3[/IMG][IMG]http://fontmeme.com/freefonts/img.php?f=109098&s=75&t=CHO&c=0072bc[/IMG]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/F6oF814.jpg[/img]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/y3N5m60.jpg[/IMG]
[u][b]Location:[/b][/u] Apartment 1B to The Mighty Bean
[u][b]Interacting With:[/b][/u] Bean Occupants, specifically Tas, Claire [@Lady Amalthea] and Rose [@lydyn]
[u][b]Special Mention:[/b][/u] Grand Shipper [@Aewin]
[hr][sub]Whatever-the-damnth collaboration between [@ChaoticFox] and I
[IMG]http://fontmeme.com/freefonts/img.php?f=113265&s=55&t=%22Love%20is%20in%20the%20air.%22&c=FFD700[/IMG]
Hope y’all enjoy[/sub][hr][/center]

Echo’s apartment had never been so quiet for so long. For a week, it sat empty of life while both Tas and her practically took up residence at the hospital while she recovered. Then, when Echo did finally get home she was anything but talkative. She had pretty much refused to talk to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary and mostly kept to herself in her room, strumming gently on her guitar or finishing assignments for school on her desktop.

Echo had too much time to think about the accident and had gotten very little sleep over the week, reliving the wreck every time she closed her eyes or whenever there was a loud noise.

When she did finally come out of her bubble of a room, she spent her time playing her guitar and looking through old photos of various things; the day she met Dom on the ski hill and raced him down, the day she met Didi at college, the day she moved out of her home in San Diego and began her road trip up the coast to find a new place to live. Those were the days. Nothing but the sun, the sand and the open road ahead of her. No worries.

Eventually she had to talk. Both Jay and Tas were getting concerned and while truthfully, she was never in the mood to talk, her inner Canadian had to come out and she eventually came back to something resembling her old self. She began playing her guitar again and started teaching Jay as well, hoping to develop their relationship even further.

Jay had been worried. Ever since Echo moved back into the apartment with him, she had been silent. Deathly silent. He had watched her just sift through old pictures of her past life, seemingly reminiscing the memories. Sure she had begun to break out of her shell, teaching him guitar and small talk here and there but was that what he wanted? The most amazing girl he had ever met, reduced to a shell of her former self? He didn't like it at all. When she came back from the hospital, that was when it was really bad. She sat in her wheelchair, lonesome in her room. That was when he was really afraid, afraid of going in there and talking to her. To him, she seemed so… dead inside. Those soft, dough eyes were replaced by these cold, distant ones. And, even though he’s afraid to admit it, he wasn't sure if this relationship was going to work.

Was he going to hurt her more? The increasing amount of [i]sessions[/i] with Tas had made him realise how much of a freak he really was. How unworthy of Echo he was. He wasn't no damn scientist, engineer, soldier. He was just some freak of nature. And damn did he hate it when he saw what he did to ruin this relationship. [color=wheat]’[i]Great job Jay, ruined your bloody chance with her.[/i]’[/color] As he watched her from the kitchen, looking out into the streets of L.A, he just sighed. He wasn't going to abandon her. Hell no he wasn't. It was his job to fix some bridges, not break them. 

[color=wheat]’[i]Like you can fucking talk, [/i]dumbass[i]. It was your fault.[/i]’[/color] He was also afraid of his growing condition. He didn't know which thoughts were his anymore, his growing paranoia of almost everything and anything scared the shit out of him, hallucinations spooked him every now and then, the Other Guy visited everyday to give a daily dose of “kick-ass”. It was exhausting, this journey into madness. But he really couldn't give a shit anymore. Who the heck cared about two years from now? Instead, he placed the eggs on the plate with some of his homemade [url=https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS8xZYgpm5bwrMncXLVzyjN3EEczSlLefjGH5nPL-nF0I9EdMeuPTH5tFBhcA]tocino[/url]. He turned the grill off and grabbed the steaming plate with one hand, another cleaning his apron and grabbing utensils. He put on his best smile and walked over to her, placing the delicious bundle of food on the table in front of her, giving Echo a small kiss on the lips. He felt a rumbling in his stomach as a pounding headache appeared. [color=wheat]”Hope ya enjoy the food, Ecks. I'll eat with you later, yeah? I just need to do something real quick.”[/color] She probably knew by this point, what he was doing before every meal. Why he hadn't been eating for the past week. As he stepped into the bathroom, he locked the door behind him and sat on the tiles, patiently waiting for another round of abuse to come his way. He would stay strong, he thought, for Echo. And as the first bout of coughing ensued, he begun to cry.

Echo smiled gently at him. She tried her hardest to make it look sincere but she still didn’t feel the same inside and the sleep deprivation didn’t help. She looked down at the plate and picked the fork up, prodding the contents of her plate idly, sighing gently to herself. 

[color=0072bc]“Get it together girl, you need to eat.”[/color] She whispered to herself, stabbing the eggs and popping them into her mouth. Echo was not inspired in any way, shape or form. She ate the meal reluctantly; It wasn’t the fact it tasted bad, because it didn’t. No, she didn’t feel like doing much at all, even playing her guitar had became more of a chore than a hobby.

She turned her head a bit as she heard Jay coughing in the bathroom, shaking her head gently as she tried to imagine what he was going through. It had to be hell, judging by the fact that Tas was trying to help him. She looked down at her plate and closed her eyes, wondering if she had done the right thing those long weeks before, saying she loved Jay so quickly without hesitation or a second thought. 

She grabbed her crutches from the side of the table before standing up from a half eaten plate of food and hobbled over to her guitar, collapsing into her desk chair with it. She slung the strap over her shoulder and and plugged the cable into her amp before giving it a short strum to judge the volume. Then, she began plucking a few very familiar notes and began to play.

[hr][center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDFpPyu_gDs[/youtube][/center][hr]

[color=wheat]”Jesus, Mary and Joseph!”[/color] There was one last heave, a sound of exertion coming from his mouth before he vomited one last time. There was blood all over the floor, his vision red with anger. This was one of his lighter attacks but it still hurt him, especially now that he hadn't had any food for what seemed like an age. His insomnia kicked in about two weeks ago, the hallucinations coming right after. The sessions with Tas had helped but it was nowhere near enough. It would take time for him to heal. Holding back a sob, he wiped the tiled floor, making sure he left no traces of blood and bile.

He clumsily opened the bathroom door and was going to limp back to Echo but heard a very distinct knock on the door. Scratching his head, he wiped some blood from his lips and walked slowly towards the door, straightening his clothes. [color=wheat]”I'm coming!”[/color] He struggled with walking after the attacks but it wasn't anything he hadn't faced beforehand. Opening the door, he smiled at the delivery man. [color=wheat]”Hello there, what can I do for you?”[/color]

[color=66cdaa]”I have a personal letter and package for… One Jejomar Salinas? I believe this is for you sir.”[/color] Raising an eyebrow, he took both and nodded a quick thanks before closing the door, not even recognizing the former homeless guy turned delivery man. Opening it, he smiled. It was a collection of photos from the Director and a copy of the magazines he promised to send him and Eva. Walking quickly towards Echo, he saw her playing guitar. He tapped her shoulder and gave her the letter, grinning like a maniac. He hoped that this would lighten the heavy mood in the air. [color=wheat]”Look through ‘em Ecks.”[/color] There was a sadistic side of him that knew that by giving her half-naked photos of him, she would surely go red as a beet. Unfortunately for her, that side was winning.

Echo looked up at him with a suspicious smirk, trying to read him before she looked at the contents of the envelope. She was good at reading people, enough so that she’d made it a game when she was working at the Bean. Echo would try and figure out how people were feeling and sometimes even why they were based on their emotions. She never knew if she was right, but it passed the time regardless.

She took the envelope and opened it up very cautiously, noting that Tas had been pranked not all that long ago. Granted she’d never found out who had done it, but you could never be too careful. She pulled out the contents and after taking in the initial shock, Echo’s cheeks, just as predicted in Jay’s twisted little head, went as red as a fire engine before she broke down into a fit of giggles. She laughed long and hard, something she’d done since before the accident. She continued to look through them, still shaking with laughter and a large smile plastered across her face. 

Jay smiled at her, blushing a little at the first picture. It was his most embarrassing photo, the peeking over the shoulder shot. It almost made him grab the photo out of her hands and throw it out. But seeing that laugh. Her smile. The joy that just seemed to surround her in that moment. He almost melted at the sight as a sudden warmness began sparking in his ole’ little heart.

It was that moment she forgot about all the bad stuff between them, all of the guilt, the blame and the doubt, and remembered the happiness and love between them. She looked up at Jay with the biggest smile and stood up on her good leg, gently kissing him on the lips, drawing it out for a good few seconds.

His eyes widened slightly before he squeezed them shut. His hands crept behind her back, pushing them together as subtle as he could, loving the feeling of their bodies wrapping together. A sharp spike of heat, a large release of emotions. He felt her frustrations let out in those few golden seconds, his response was a quiet moan in response. There was a brief touch of tongues before they separated, eyes opening, a strand of saliva connecting the two before being quickly wiped away. Dark looked at light, hot breaths tickling, a blush on each of their faces. He smiled at her, a true smile this time. Nothing fake. No lies. Just pure happiness. Pressing her a little closer, he raised an eyebrow. [color=wheat]”Did ya like ‘em?”[/color]

Echo met his eyes with her soft, welcoming doe eyes in response, a gentle smile spread across her face. She looked down for a second before nodding, her cheeks still bright red. [color=0072bc]“I don’t even wanna know why….don’t spoil it.”[/color] She stuck her tongue out at him playfully before taking a seat again, letting her good leg rest. She smirked and looked back up at him, having thought up a semi-decent remark in response to the pictures [color=0072bc]“I hope you don’t expect pictures like that of me any time soon.”[/color] She smirked at him, her eyes playful, perhaps a slight hint of mischief to them.

He smirked, inappropriate images popping into mind. There was one thing he had to thank the Other Guy for. The boost of confidence was amazing! Before he could respond with a sly comeback of his own, something interrupted their moment.

She looked at her phone as it buzzed with Tas’s text, then followed by Rose and Belle’s. It dawned on her that she’d never packed a bag for the Disneyland trip and her eye’s widened [color=0072bc]“OH crap! I need to pack!”[/color]

She quickly grabbed her crutches and hobbled over to her room, getting down on all fours to scrounge up clothing, phone chargers, her camera and various other little things. She then grabbed her new laptop that she’d been able to pay for courtesy of her insurance company, along with the rest of her usual everyday carry stuff, stuffed it into a duffle bag and called it a day. She wandered over to the bathroom, somehow managing to carry her bag at the same time as walking with crutches, to collect her toiletries, which she promptly also stuffed in her bag. [color=0072bc]“There.”[/color] She wiped a hand across her forehead and looked back to Jay [color=0072bc]“You ready?”[/color]

[color=wheat]”Ya know you could’ve let me help you. And yes, I’ve packed my stuff. Let’s head downstairs to meet Tas and rest of ‘em before I have to lug the stuff to my car.”[/color] Jay smiled at her and gently set down her bags on the ground. He clutched her crutches in his armpit and swept Echo off her feet as soft and gentle as he could. Ignoring any cries of mercy, he kicked open the door and walked down the stairs, smirking in delight. It was a good day to be Jay.

Echo yelped lightly as she was picked up, but broke into another fit of giggles after realising what he was doing. She adjusted herself slowly to make her leg comfortable but otherwise didn’t struggle and leaned up to peck Jay on the lips before they left the apartment. After getting through the door, she leaned back and began her attempt at locking the door upside down, to which she surprisingly succeeded in doing. She looked up to Jay, the biggest smile on her face. She was herself again, something that would be extremely evident in comparison to the empty shell she had been only hours before.

They walked into the Bean together, Jay still holding Echo up in the air. He flirted with her a little, kissing her on the forehead. They parted eyes  to see Rose first, Tas and then CLaire. With a big smile on their faces, they greeted them with a happy [color=wheat]”He[/color][color=0072bc]llo!”[/color] He couldn’t care less what the rest of the people in the cafe was thinking. He was happy, she was happy and they didn’t give a shit.