Battle of the coffee shops

Jack's flight

Jack went to push the door open, but it seemed to be stuck on something. Dropping his sweatshirt and the bottle of whatever Bunny had given him he turned the knob again with the backs of his hand and rammed up against the door. It pressed open a crack, but it was large enough that he could see what was blocking the door. A pile of clothing was laying haphazardly in the floor, it seemed that someone had just thrown it there for some reason. Jack laid onto the hallway floor, inwardly cringing at the cheap carpet, and reached his arm through the door. He tried to tug at one of the articles that was blocking the doorway, but it had already been pulled partly under the door and had already gotten stuck too tight. 'If I could barely use my hands for this, how could I use them for work tomorrow?' Jack thought, before he remembered that he just broke into his workplace and got caught on camera doing it. Still laying on the floor Jack sighed and his shoulders sagged uselessly. Still, Loki was one of the cleanest guys he knew; Why would he leave his clothes right in front of the door?

"Hey Loki...Loki? Come get your clothes, I can't get through the door!" He shouted after he got himself close enough to where the door had opened. He renewed his efforts to move the clothes, biting his lip at the pain from his hands and he had just about tugged one of the bigger articles free when something slithered past his hand. He reeled back in surprise and pulled his arm out of the room as quickly as possible.

"What the..." Jack stood up and looked down at the floor curiously, what had touched his arm? He leaned against the door to get a better look when the door gave a jolt and sprung forward. Jack gave a startled yelp as he fell straight onto his face.

A strong, large hand helped him to his feet. Jack followed the hand up to arm which connected to a long neck which led to...a mop of black hair and a sharp face. His roommate glanced down at him with worried blue eyes.

"Are you alright?-Sorry I took so long-where's your shirt?" Loki couldn't seem to keep to one topic, and he was fluttering around him like a mother hen.

"Right there in the hallway, what were you doing anyway?" Jack asked, though it was just then that Jack noticed that Loki was only wearing jeans.

"Oh," He gasped in realization before turning away and blushing.

"I umm...I didn't interrupt anything did I?" Loki looked at him questioningly before blushing himself and rushing to get the rest of his clothes on.

"Oh no no no. I was just...Just, just walking around naked. Yeah, that's what I was doing." Jack picked his sweatshirt and the bottle up foot. The hallway floor before walking back into the room and pushing the door behind him with a foo. Loki was throwing on the other clothes that had been laying on the floor; A green long sleeved shirt and a pair of orange socks that had cartoony ghost and witches on them. Jack's eyebrows rose in confusion.

"So did you just decide to become a closet nudist tonight or is this a habit of yours?" He asked averting his eyes from Loki. He didn't think he would ever be able to look at him the same way again.

"J-just decided to tonight, ya' know, a mans gotta be free to run around naked in his own home!" Loki said with faked enthusiasm; He couldn't let Jack know the truth. Jack hummed thoughtfully and nodded.

"Next time you decide to do a naked marathon in our dorm make sure to put your clothes on before I get back." At this remark, Loki froze before frowning.

"Where were you, anyway?" He asked with narrowed eyes. Jack paused and glanced up at Loki suspiciously. 'He knows something' he thought as memories of the dark horse floated back towards the front of his mind.

"I was just at my other job."

"Other job when did you get another job?" It was a valid question, Jack supposed. After all he hadn't even been able to get one before Loki helped him out with Pitch. Jack felt the beginning of guilt start to churn in his stomach. Pitch had been the only one to even think about giving him a job before this week and he had betrayed him so easily just for a lesser paying job.

"Just a little bit after I got the one with Pitch, someone was hiring and I thought that I might as well try my luck." For some odd reason Loki looked relieved.

"That's great-" Loki stopped short, the smile that had begun to form on his face sliding off in favor of what looked like horror.

"What's wrong with your hands?" Jack froze and looked down at his blistered up hands.

"I-I-I can't tell you." The guilt that had just started to burrow into his stomach a few moments ago was back full blast now. A cold sweat was making it's way down his forehead and the room seemed to be closing in on him. What could he tell Loki? Loki worked at the coffee shop for years and was bound to know that just about every shop closed at around the same time so he couldn't have just said that he burnt it cooking something. But since Loki worked there for years did he...Did he know about the things in Pitch's shop at night?
That same worried look was back and Loki stepped forward to get a better look at Jack's hands.

"Jack," He began with a wavering voice as he grasped Jack's wrist and turned his hand over to view his palm.

"What store do you work at?" Jack felt something like lead, heavy in his stomach and the guilt was overwhelming him, but when he opened his mouth to tell him, to yell it out that he was working at the Christmas café with people who hated Pitch. That he had broken into Pitch's shop for them and dropped something that he knew was dangerous in there; Nothing came out.

He wanted to tell Loki, tried yelling it. North hired me! He tried to scream out, but his mouth wouldn't even move to form the words. What was happening?

"I can't say it." He admitted tearily. The guilt of what he had done was tearing him up inside but no matter how much he tried to he couldn't get the words past his lips. Loki's eyes filled with pity, as if he knew exactly what was wrong. He pulled Jack forward into tight hug and Jack felt as if he might suffocate because Loki couldn't know what was wrong, if he did he wouldn't be able to look at him again. Loki would be on the first line to the police telling them that his roommate just broke into a store and put a dangerous object in there for his boss to find. Jack stepped out of the hug and stumbled back to the door. He fumbled around with the handle and managed to open it somehow, though his hands had started bleeding. Loki tried to follow him but Jack was running on pure adrenalin. His fight or flight instinct had just kicked in but he would never be able to hurt Loki. Loki had helped him so much in the past few months that he could never repay that by harming him, so Jack ran. He ran and ran until he was in his car and even then he drove as fast as he could off of the campus heading whatever direction the roads took him; his only thought being that he had to get away.

Loki tried to run after Jack but the kid was much younger than him and definitely faster. Loki watched from the parking lot as Jack's car sped down the busy road. He knew exactly where Jack worked now, even if he hadn't been able to say anything his silence had said a thousand words; All of them being 'The Christmas cafe'. He should have realized something was wrong when Jack had told him that North had approached him. North didn't just come up to random people and start up a random conversation. Somehow he had know who Jack was. He had known that he, a loyal All hallows employee, hung out with Jack. Loki knew he should have grabbed Jack the second he had told him that North had spoken with him and demanded that he tell him everything that North told him. He didn't do that, but now he knew that he couldn't just wait around for Pitch or Jack to answer their phone. His friend was in danger and he had no idea where he had gone, but he knew someone who could tell him. With strong, determined steps Loki made his way to his car. He just hoped that Pitch was still at the shop.