Rainy Days

Chapter Seventy-Seven: IT'S TATE OMG TATE WE LUV U

[jordans house–four p.m., tuesday afternoon]

TATE TOLD Nico that he'd be ready to be picked up in a few hours, and the boy nodded. They shared a short kiss before the other drove off.

Tate looked up at Jordan's house and clenched his jaw. He didn't care if he was relieved that his friend was alive, he was still going to give him a serious talking to about disappearing off the face of the Earth. And, he'd brought Jordan's homework.

The porch creaked under Tate's feet, and his stomach was twirling. God, it felt like it'd been forever since he'd seen Jordan. He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but--

It swung open and Klaus grinned like he was insane. The brunet dropped a wink and said, "What're you doing here, cutie?"

"Jordan asked me to come here and pick Ron up. I'm eating dinner, too." Tate said. "Can I come in?"

Klaus nodded, looking slightly disappointed, and skipped into the living room. Tate closed the door behind him and shrugged his coat off, hanging it up on the hooks. He followed Klaus into the kitchen, where Luther was putting what looked like a frozen pizza in the oven.

"Hello, Tate," the blond said. Tate nodded in response.

"Can either of you tell me where Jordan is?" he asked, and Ben, who apparently had been outside (he'd just came in from the back door, some grass in his hair), told him to look in his room; but to be careful, because Five was up there too and who knew what those two had been up to.

"Thanks, Ben," Tate said, and he grabbed the homework and went towards the stairs, the voices of the three Hargreeves fading out behind him. Once he'd reached the top of the stairs, he paused to roll over the idea that he might walk in on Jordan—his best friend—making out with Five Hargreeves. A famous, celebrity superhero.

That'd be weird, he decides, and then he goes past Ron's room (he can see Diego, and considers saying hi, but the two seem to be bonding so he leaves them alone).

The door to Jordan's room is slightly open, and Five and Jordan are talking about some band Tate had never heard of before. Taking a deep breath, Tate knocks on the door.

"Come in," Jordan calls out, and Tate doesn't wait; he pushes the door open and stands there.

"Tate!" Jordan's face lights up and he rolls off the bed, leaping to his feet and throwing his arms around the other. It takes all Tate's willpower not to hug his friend back, but he is determined. "Oh, God, thank you so much for coming, you have no idea how grateful I am, and..."

Jordan keeps talking, stepping backwards when Tate doesn't respond. He tilts his head to the side, and Five, who has been sitting on the bed watching, frowns slightly. The brunet sits up, and Tate notices that he's wearing one of Jordie's sweatshirt and that it is way too big for him; the sleeves hide his hands and it falls down to his mid-thigh. But his brows are furrowed and he looks suspicious of him.

"What...what's wrong?" Jordan asked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tate said. Five arched an eyebrow at the outburst, and Jordan looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Jordan said quietly.

"You fucking left!" Tate shoved his friend back. "You went to some weird ass time-travel place, you skipped school! We had a test! You and I were going to study for it, because we had no fuckin' clue what to do! And you left!"

"I came back!" Jordan replied, brows furrowing. "I–I called you, and—"

"You called me so that I could come and watch your little brother!" Tate shouted. "You didn't ask me how I was, didn't say how you where! What if you had died, huh? What if you had died and left me without a best friend, Jordan, what if that had happened?"

Jordan was silent. He was stumbling over the beginning of words, but he never responded. Five gently stood up and walked out, pulling the door shut behind him. Once they where alone, it was like all the anger Tate had towards Jordan died out. But he had to stay angry, even if the tears flossing over his friends eyes made his will waver. Jordan couldn't do that—he should realize that consequences exist!

"I'm sorry," Jordan finally mumbled. "I'm sorry, Tate."

"You...you can't do stuff like that," Tate replied. "You—you just can't."

Jordan fidgeted, looking away from his friend.

There was a long, long moment of tense silence. Tate finally sighed.

"What're we having for dinner?" He questioned. Jordan shrugged.

"Whatever is in the fridge."

"Damn." Tate shook his head. "I think I'll just get Ron and go home then."

"Oh," Jordan mumbled. "That's fine."

Tate nodded. "I'm going to go call Nico, ask him if he can pick us up soon."

"You two still going strong?" Jordan asked. Tate shrugged.

"Yeah. Getting nervous, since he's going home soon."

Jordan nodded, and everything felt wrong. Tate being mad at Jordan, Jordan being quiet, Five obviously eavesdropping from outside the door, the superheros scattered around the house, Ron being home during the week, their mother missing.

Tate left the room, smiling dryly at Five. He went downstairs, eyeing Ron and Diego laughing through the open door.

Nico promised to show up in fifteen, so Tate yelled the information up to Ron and sat down on the stairs, head in his hands.

Jordan did not come down to talk to him.

A/N:
kinda short and kinda trash but whateverrrrrr
i hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!!!