Plague (Discontinued)

Chapter Fourteen: Candy

The tapping of shoes against tile floor was the only sound that could be heard in Smiley's lab. His mind had been flooded by thoughts of last night's events. A small sigh escaped him as he tossed the pen he held to the side and stared down at the notes he'd been trying to write. He couldn't focus, that much was obvious. The doctor stood from his seat and made his way over to the operating table in the center of the room. His fingers subconsciously traced the cold metal of the table while he tried to focus again. It was Plague he was thinking about. His thoughts were supposed to be centered on what was causing his mutations, not why he liked him. A knock at the room's door made him groan in frustration. A simple "come in" left him while he walked back over to his desk and sat back down. The door screeched open to let in someone the doctor didn't expect to see. "Laughing Jack? Why are you here?" He questioned, raising a brow in confusion. Jack gave a smile, but something seemed off about it. "Are you alright?" Smiley asked and Jack sighed, letting his smile fall. In all the years Smiley had known the clown, he's never seen him without his crazed grin. "No." L.J. stated plainly and walked forward to take a seat on the table. Smiley awkwardly moved to stand by him. "What's wrong? This isn't like you to be unhappy." He said and saw L.J.'s frown worsen. "I...don't know what to do, or who I can talk to." The clown stated sadly and let his head fall. "You can talk to me. You know that." Smiley said and placed a hand on the others shoulder in an effort to comfort him. L.J. nodded and gave a small smile to show his appreciation. He took a deep breath and sat up before turning to Smiley. "I... like someone, but I'm not sure what to do." He said and Smiley looked at the clown in surprise. Once again, he's known L.J. for a long time but never had the man liked someone. "Well, it depends on who it is." The doctor said unsurely. Jack visibly gulped before continuing. "Jeff." He stated and Smiley had to hold back a shocked gasp to not make himself sound like an overdramatic school girl. "Jeff? You like Jeff...?" Smiley asked to make sure he heard the clown correctly. L.J. nodded and looked down at his feet with a slight blush rising to his pale face. "Well..." The doctor trailed off, not really having anything to say. "I...don't know how to confront him." The clown stated, sounding rather worried. Smiley sighed and L.J. looked up at him from where he sat. "Why don't you just tell him how you feel? That's the easiest way to do it, in my opinion." He stated and saw L.J. gulp nervously. "Yes, but it's also the most stressful way. What if he says he doesn't feel the same-" "That's the worst he could do." Smiley said in an attempt to calm his friend. With a small and uncertain sigh, the other agreed. "Don't worry yourself." Smiley said reassuringly and offered L.J. a smile, which he returned gratefully. "Thanks...for helping. I really appreciate it." He said while getting up. "Anything for a friend." The doctor stated happily. L.J. made his way over towards the door and opened it, stopping when he heard Smiley speak again. "Good luck." Was all he said and L.J. smiled to himself, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Back at the mansion things were oddly quiet. Masky wandered around in search of Plague, who he hadn't seen since yesterday and was beginning to get worried. Yes, he had disappeared before, but something about how he'd left this time didn't seem right to the proxy. He was brought from his thoughts when he bumped into someone. Looking up, he saw L.J. "Hey, sorry." He said and the clown smiled. "It's alright. Um, have you seen Jeff anywhere?" The clown questioned. "He's in his room." Masky said and thought. "You wouldn't know where Plague went, would you?" He questioned. "No, sorry." L.J. stated and rose a brow when he saw Masky's saddened expression. "Why are you looking for him?" He asked curiously. For a moment he swore he could see the brunette become visibly nervous. "I...he's my friend and I was just wondering where he went. I haven't seen him around." Masky stated and L.J. nodded in understanding. "He should come back soon. He usually does, right?" He asked and Masky nodded. "I need to go talk to Jeff, hope you find Plague." L.J. stated with a small smile and Masky thanked him. They then continued their previous actions.

The monochrome clown came to a halt before the door that stood between him and Jeff. With a deep breath to calm himself, he knocked on the door. An annoyed "come in" was heard and L.J. opened the door. Jeff looked up from sharpening his knife to see L.J. and immediately lightened up a bit. "Hey." He greeted and the clown smiled nervously. "Something wrong?" Jeff questioned and L.J.'s face flared up. "U-Um...no. Why?" He asked and Jeff put his knife down then got up. He stopped in front of the taller man looked up. "You're not smiling." He stated and paused to bring his hands up to L.J.'s face. "And you're blushing." He finished and L.J. mentally cursed himself. "Something is wrong." Jeff stated and rose a brow. L.J., without thinking, leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jeff's. The killer's eyes widened in surprise at first. Seconds turned into minutes until the two broke apart. Neither spoke. Another few minutes passed until L.J. broke the silence. "J-Jeff...I really, um...like you." He stuttered out and Jeff looked up at him with a smile. Instantly L.J. was ready to deal with rejection until he heard what Jeff had to say, and it left him with a smile of his own.

"You taste like candy."