Just an illusion. | Jaythan AU | co-written with @chasing_TW

Chapter fourteen

Chapter fourteen.

Max's heart was beating at the speed of light. With Tom holding him in a headlock and holding a knife to his throat, he was completely powerless. Jay's pleading didn't seem to phase Tom. Max asked himself what kind of a sick, twisted joke this was. Tom had done a lot of things, but he was not a murderer. At least that's what he had thought up until now.

Jay was terrified of what Tom would do. The last thing he wanted was to be the cause of Max's death. He would put Max and Nathan's life over his own any day. And that's exactly what he decided to do.

"Okay Tom, fine! You win! You can have me! I'll be yours! I'll kiss you and tell you I love you and spend every second of every day with you as long as you don't hurt Max and let him go! He had nothing to do with this!" Jay shouted, competing with the wind that only grew louder by the minute.

Tom paused and stared at Jay. "Really? You'll be mine?" he asked, hope clearly written on his face.

"No! Jay don't do this!" Nathan shouted. He couldn't believe Jay was ready to sacrifice his happiness that way. If anything, Jay's happiness was Nathan's priority and it's all he ever wanted for Jay. Tom would not win.

Max shook his head frantically at Jay. Max loved Jay too much to see him give up that way just to save his life. First, he'd lose his own.

Max pushed upward as Tom was distracted and threw him off of him. He didn't care what happened to him; adrenaline was rushing through his veins and he knew that Jay's happiness was on the line here. Max would not give up so easily. He continued to fight Tom until he felt Nathan ram his body into Tom's. That final hit was enough to send Tom over the edge. Max gasped, Nathan stared in shock, and Jay involuntarily screamed. They hurried to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Nothing but the sound of the crashing waves and the violent waters were there. There was no sign of the disturbed but love stricken boy they'd all come to know as Tom Parker.

It was as soon as the adrenaline pumping in Max's veins left that he then felt the horrible and all-consuming pain in his side. He let out a pain-filled cry and gripped his side. Nathan and Jay quickly caught him just as he was about to fall to the cold, hard ground. As Nathan held him, Jay looked for the source of Max's pain with his heart in his mouth. Jay was shaking uncontrollably. That entire night was too much to process, and all the shock coming upon him at once was proving difficult on his fragile mind. Jay swore he could feel the final stages of pure insanity creeping in on him. He prayed over and over that he didn't lose it completely until Max was okay and no longer hurt.

"Love, calm down. Just calm down. It's gonna be okay", Nathan said as he stroked his cheek with the pad of his thumb. Jay couldn't help but lean into Nathan's touch. All was forgiven at this point. Nathan had already proven several times over that he really did love Jay, and that was what mattered to Jay at this point. Not what Nathan might've said earlier.

Jay found the spot on Max. As soon as he touched it, Max cried out even louder. A sticky substance clung to Jay's fingers. Max was bleeding. During the fight, as Max couldn't feel anything but the adrenaline pulsing in his veins, Tom had stabbed Max in the side just before falling over the edge. Jay began to panic. He started to choke on air and rock Max back and forth.

"Nathan! We have to help him!" Jay cried as tears flowed steadily down his cheeks. He'd been doing a lot of that lately- crying.

"Okay help me get him into the car, Jay, hurry!" With quite a struggle, they managed to get Max into the backseat of his car. Jay sat in the back with him, rocking Max and holding him close. Jay hadn't realised how special Max was to him and how lucky he was to have such an amazing man loving him. Jay didn't need much more than that. Just someone to love him. It's all he'd ever wanted since he became an outcast because of his disease.

Nathan saw the change in Jay's eyes now as he watched the way Jay looked at Max. It was the same look he gave Jay every day. Nathan only silently begged no one in particular that Jay still loved him, and this newfound feeling Jay seemed to be developing wouldn't interfere with Jay's love for Nathan. After all, what would Nathan do if he lost Jay to someone else?

Jay's eyes locked with Nathan's for a moment. That one look made all of Nathan's fears disappear. Jay loved him unconditionally, and that feeling would never die, no matter who else Jay fell for along the way.

The rest of the night was a blur for Jay. He was still trying to process what happened on the cliff. Tom had tried to kill him again. He barely failed. Nathan had said the wrong thing, but he truly did love him. Max loved him. They all fought and narrowly came out alive. Tom was dead. Max was currently bleeding to death. And Jay was about to lose his mind.

The only clear part of that entire night, the only words that made it through the cloudy haze that was Jay's mind were the words,"We regret to inform you that Max George has entered into a coma."

Those words very much destroyed whatever sanity Jay was holding onto. Those words drove him hysterical. They drove him over the edge, just like Tom, but not in the physical sense. Those words broke him.

That was the night that Jay finally went mad.

Written by @chasing_TW.