Long Live Us

*Alex POV*

“Hello, nice to meet you Mrs and Mr Jardine!” Alex greeted, smiling politely and sticking his hand out for a handshake. Both parents completed the gesture, before Tay’s mum told them dinner would be ready in half an hour. Alex left the bag by the door, took off his shoes and followed Tay up the stairs and into her room. She had a short red dress on, with glitter covering the top half, and it glistened in the light coming through the window in her bedroom.
“Your parents seem nice.” He commented, sitting down on the spinny chair by her desk, not wanting to sit on the bed.
“Yeah, they’ll think we’re dating. Feel free to be a really obvious gay if you want.” She replied with a laugh, while Alex just rolled his eyes. He was glad people didn’t look at him and think “wow he’s definitely gay”, because that always meant those people would prematurely judge him. He was comfortable with his sexuality, he just didn’t flaunt it in the way some people would expect him too.
“Anyway, how is your boyfriend?” Tay asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
“He’s brilliant.” Alex replied instantly, smiling and blushing as he remembered yesterday. He still wasn’t over the fact that Jack had finally kissed him, and then had let Alex kiss him again. Too other people it would be considered a small thing, nothing special, but to Alex it was the best thing that had ever happened, and he knew that it was a huge step forward for Jack as well.
“What you smiling about? Oh my god what happened?” Tay asked quickly, her voice urgent and her eyes wide, bright with curiosity.
“Weelllll....” The boy said, dragging out the word because he couldn’t stop smiling, so his mouth wouldn’t move to form words. It was ridiculous how heavily he had fallen for Jack, and it scared him if he thought about it for too long. He often wondered whether what was going on between them would develop further, and if he would one day be able to say “Jack Barakat is my boyfriend”. It would be a long, hard road but he knew they would make it, if they walked it together. Maybe something would happen, if he put all his heart and soul into it. Admittedly, most of him was already into it, desperately wanting something.
“Stop day dreaming and tell me what happened you idiot!” Tay said, throwing a pillow at Alex, snapping him back to reality as it hit his face.
“Ow! You bitch!” he said, flinging the pillow back at her, yet missing by miles like he always did.
“We need to work on that aim of yours.” The short girl commented, standing up to retrieve the pillow and place it back on the bed.
“Now talk.”
“Okay... he kissed me.” Alex said, deciding not to draw it out and just fling it all at her. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at him for a moment.
“Seriously?” she asked, the excitement building up inside her. Alex just nodded and started smiling again, whilst she jumped up onto the bed, and started jumping and clapping. Alex’s smile widened into a grin as he watched the glee on his best friend’s face, which he knew mirrored that on his own. It took a good few minutes for Tay to calm down again, and she leaped of the bed and scuttled round the room to Alex, where she flung her arms around him, squeezing him and squealing quietly into his ear.
“Tay bloody hell you’re happier about it than I am!” he commented when he pulled away, going back and sitting on the bed. She just shrugged and grinned, before asking more questions about the kiss, their day yesterday and what else had happened now that they were basically living together until Alex’s parents returned – which was a very weird thought. They talked until dinner was ready, and spent the rest of the day playing board games, until it was time for Alex to return to Jack’s house.

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A few days later, Alex was sat on the couch in his pj’s, mug of tea in his hands and the news playing on the tv. It was now the 28th of December, and the next big thing to happen was obviously New Year. The news reporters were commenting on rumours for each cities fireworks, and Alex fondly remembered how over the top London would go, with way too many people crammed into the small space by the river to watch them. He wondered what would happen in Baltimore, and if there was a big countdown like there was with Big Ben. Glancing at the clock, he laughed when he saw the hands signalling it was half past one in the afternoon, and Jack still hadn’t stirred. Vic was coming round in a bit, and Alex thought Jack had told him he was going to meet Josh somewhere. Sighing, he finished the rest of his tea and trudged upstairs to start getting ready. He quickly showered, brushed his teeth, and then with a towel wrapped around his waist, he walked into Jack’s room to find some clothes. As expected, the taller boy was still sound asleep, lying on his side facing the wall, curled up underneath the cover. Alex thought it was adorable, and even more so when small sounds escaped his lips, before silence returned again. Deciding to let him sleep for a bit longer, Alex pulled out his black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt – which might not have even been his – and pulled them on over a pair of fresh boxers. He put the towel on the rack on the landing, and then walked back into the room to find some socks. Jack’s phone lit up on the bedside table, catching Alex’s attention, and he walked over and saw Josh’s caller ID.
“Hey, Josh.” He answered.
‘Hey Alex, where’s Jack?’ he replied, a slight hint of irritation in his voice.
“He’s still asleep. How comes?” Alex said frowning, looking down at Jack who hadn’t moved a muscle in the minutes passed.
‘Fuck’s sake. Wake him up, he was meant to meet me ten minutes ago. Tell him to meet me down the high street. Cya!’ Josh said quickly, sighing angrily before hanging up. Laughing, Alex poked the sleeping boy to try and wake him up. This had no success, so he tugged harshly on the quilt and flung it off of Jack, revealing his curled up body. He groaned loudly, before sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Fuck off you dick.” He mumbled groggily, pouting up at Alex and trying to grab the duvet back.
“Get up, and meet Josh down the highstreet.” Alex replied sternly, moving the cover further back from the dark haired boy’s grasp.
“Shit...” was his reply, as he stood up and started rummaging through the pile of clothes for something to wear. Alex quickly threw the cover back onto the bed, before running down to answer the doorbell that had just sounded. He opened the door and let Vic in, and the pair wandered into the kitchen.
“Want tea?” Alex asked, filling up the kettle again.
“Oh you British twat. No thanks.” Vic replied rolling his eyes, taking the cap off of his head and putting it on the table. Alex pouted at him, acting offended, before making his own tea and sitting down at the other end of the table. They spoke about Christmas for a bit, Alex desperate to update Vic on what was going on, but having to hold back until Jack left. Vic had gotten the new guitar he wanted, his brother also getting a real drum kit that he had been wanting for years. Their parents were obviously happy for them to chase the dream of becoming a band, which looked likely to happen with this record deal only a few years out of their reach.
After twenty minutes, Jack emerged, still not ready, but nearly there. He waltzed into the kitchen without a shirt on, his hair done to perfection, with his jeans and trainers on, and his leather jacket in his hand.
“Lex I need a shirt.” He said simply, walking round the table over to the pile of ironing that Alex had done yesterday while Jack was still asleep. The tall boy either didn’t see Vic, or chose to ignore him, but both sets of eyes were on him as he checked every item in the pile.
“Then find a shirt.” Alex replied, eying Jack’s back, while Vic got over the fact he was half naked and turned back to look at the table. Trying not to make it look like he was staring, Alex took a sip of his tea that was in his hands, ignoring the glint in Vic’s eye that he could see. Moments later Jack found a shirt, and turned around to move back into the main bit of the room so he could put it on.
“Oh, shit, hey Vic!” he said chirpily, only just noticing the short boy sat at the table.
“Hey Jack.” Vic replied, smiling up at the dark haired boy, who towered over him even more now that Vic was sitting down.
“Now as much as I would love to stay and join in your chitter chatter,” Jack started, pausing as he pulled the black and red BONER shirt over his head. “But I must dash or Joshua will cut my dick off and feed it to me.” He finished, quickly pushing his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. Alex laughed and shook his head, knowing all too well how pissed Josh would be, and laughing at the fact that Jack could – and would – make every situation in some way related to dick. Vic said a quick goodbye, while the dark haired boy shoved his phone into his pocket, and took two marshmallows from the cupboard.
“Later, handsome.” He said to Alex, leaning down so the brunette could kiss his cheek, which he did, before he walked quickly out of the room and the house, shutting the door loudly behind him.
“Ooooo, handsome, eh? Update. Now.” Vic said once the door closed, raising his eyebrows at Alex. The taller of the two blushed and looked down while another smile crept onto his face.
“He kissed me on Christmas Day.” He announced, looking up at Vic through his fringe. The Mexican boy just grinned ear to ear, his whole face lighting up.
“I knew it! That’s why you’re so happy!” he replied loudly, making Alex blush once more. The rest of the day was spent talking about Jack, then playing on the xbox, and even having a muck about on Alex’s guitar. He loved spending time with Vic, and was glad that he had chosen to sit with him on that first day at music school. He was glad he approved of Jack, and got on with the lanky boy. The past couple of days had been perfect, and Alex wished it would never end.

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Panic! At The Disco was playing loudly from Jack’s phone that was plugged in charging while the two boys got ready. It was New Year’s Eve, and it was “Rian’s turn” to have them all over, however Alex had a feeling it was always “Rian’s turn.” Alex had given Jack a head start on getting ready, and they were both finishing at the same time now. It was getting on for six o’clock, and Rian was officially starting the gathering at seven, so the pair had ages. Jack waltzed back into the room from retrieving his shirt, now pulling it over his head. The taller boy was wearing black skinny jeans with a dark grey KISS top, where the font was filled with the print of the American flag. Alex had settled on his dark grey skinnies and a grey top that had an astronaught and butterfly wings on it, topping it off with creamy coloured sailor shoes. He covered his hair in spray whilst Jack put his new red trainers on, then handed the can to the dark haired boy who then did the same. When they were both nearly choking on the amount of hair spray in the air, they declared themselves ready to go.
“Only take what you need because you won’t know your name by midnight.” Jack warned with a laugh, checking himself out in the mirror one final time.
“Hang on, come here!” Alex said, grabbing his camera. He pulled Jack into the frame, feeling his lips slightly touch his cheek, then took the picture, and left it on top of the album.
“Let’s go!” Jack said, unplugging his phone, putting it into his pocket, grabbing his jacket and leading Alex downstairs. They decided to drive because they couldn’t be bothered to get the bus, and arrived at Rian’s house just after seven. There was already music loudly playing as the pair made their way down the drive, pinkies interlocked because Jack was holding a litre bottle of vodka in each hand. They knocked on the door and Rian answered, smiling brightly at them.
“Hey guys! Come in!” He led them through to the living room, where Josh was standing with Abi, another girl who was introduced as Amy and Cassadee, and Dan and Chris were chatting away happily. Jack darted into the kitchen, and returned with two beers, handing one to Alex with a wink. They joined Dan and Chris, joining in conversation until everyone arrived. Tay arrived with Jenna, Hayley and Lucy, and they were soon followed by two of Rian’s work friends Hannah and Molly who came with Zack and last to arrive were Matt and Max. By the time everyone was there it was nearly half past eight, and everyone was drinking a lot. Alex’s mind was already going fuzzy, as Zack suggested they play a game. They went with spin the bottle, and were now seated in a raggedy circle. Alex had ended up in between Tay and Josh, and opposite Dan.
“Right I’ll spin first seeing as it was my idea, everyone else shout what has to be done when it lands, Josh and Abi can be exceptions because yeah, let’s go!” Zack said, wavering a little bit as he leaned forward and spun the empty bottle. It landed on Hannah, and everyone yelled ‘kiss!’, so the muscular boy leaned over and quickly kissed her before pulling away and sitting back down. Hannah then spun, and it went on for a bit, and Alex zoned out a little bit, the game getting a little bit boring. He took a long chug of his drink, before sighing and looking up again, seeing everyone looking at him and the bottle facing his direction.
“Er, what?” he asked, wondering what was happening. Tay nudged his side, and told him that it was them two. He nodded, waiting for the rest of them to decide what they would have to do.
“Full on make out!” Max shouted over the music that was playing, raising his glass slightly and everyone else nodded. Alex just shrugged, his mind numb, but his heart dropped slightly as he saw Jack get up, staggering slightly, and mumble something about needing a drink. He watched the boy leave, then turned to Tay, his eyes wide with worry.
“Just do it while he’s gone, or the others will get all pissy.” She whispered, and when Alex nodded she leaned in and started the kiss. It had been years since Alex had kissed a girl, and even in his drunken state he didn’t enjoy it. Tay’s lip gloss made his lips feel sticky and taste of a weird strawberry flavour, her hands and face to petite for Alex to grip onto harshly. After a minute or so, he pulled away, wanting to get rid of the horrible texture and flavour. He turned his head out of the circle to wipe his lips, Tay gave him a sympathetic look, before both of them turned back to the game. Moments later Jack returned, plopping down in his spot, keeping his head down and not looking at Alex. Hurt, he took a gulp of his drink before spinning the bottle. He watched as it went round and round, and he found himself silently praying that it would land on Jack. His wish came true, and he knew his eyes lit up. Not waiting for anyone else to say anything, he flung himself across the circle towards Jack, whose eyes widened slightly at his eagerness. The brunette sat on Jack’s lap, wrapping his legs around his waist.
“Hey sexy.” He slurred quietly, placing his arms around the dark haired boy’s neck. Jack smiled shyly, looking down, obviously trying to remain annoyed at him. Alex nudged his forehead with his nose so that he looked up again, any residue anger leaving his eyes and now filling with lust.
“I’m too drunk to stay mad at you, and I want you too much.” Jack growled, moving one hand to the back of Alex’s head, and pushing their faces together. Alex immediately complied, moving his lips against Jack’s, tasting the vodka on them. Forgetting the other people in the room, and everything else in general, Alex opened his mouth slightly, silently begging Jack for more. After a moment’s hesitation, the younger boy complied and opened his own mouth slightly, and Alex wasted no time in getting their tongues involved. They roamed each other’s mouths, Alex letting a soft moan escape his lips when Jack’s fingers knotted in his hair. He felt the dark haired boy smirk slightly, before he pulled away, resting their foreheads together.
“Right thanks for that guys, Jack spin the bottle!” Rian shouted from one side of the pair, making Alex unwrap himself and stagger over to sit back down next to Tay, whose eyes were bright, but she was managing to keep her mouth shut.

A few hours later, everyone was beyond the drunken stage, and the TV was turned on and the countdown began. Alex was leaning on Tay, who was keeping herself propped up against the wall as the last minute of the year started. The brown haired boy looked around for Jack, wondering where he was. Jealousy churned inside of him as he pictured the boy grabbing one of the girls for the countdown, as he pictured himself standing alone. His worry was soon cleared, however, when a familiar pair of arms snaked round his waist, each hand holding a small shot glass, with what smelled like vodka in it. Turning around slowly, Alex smiled up at Jack, who’s hair was flopping over his face, and his eyes bright – it was obvious to everyone how much he enjoyed being drunk.
“On ten, drink, on one, kiss.” He ordered, staggering slightly as he handed Alex one of the small glasses in his hand, before dragging him away from Tay and towards the TV, where most of them were gathering around to watch the Baltimore fireworks. “
TWENTY SECONDS GUYS!” Rian shouted, causing everyone else to gather around the screen, watching the clock tick down. It got too ten, and Jack looked at Alex, and they both knocked back their drinks, before putting the glasses on the table and returning to the group. Alex grabbed Jack’s hand and interlocked their fingers, while the tall boy rested the sides of their heads together as the final countdown began.
“FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE!” Everyone yelled loudly, not realising how loud they were due to the amount of alcohol consumed. When the clock reached one and the bell chimed, and the fireworks began, Jack grabbed Alex’s face and pulled them together, locking their lips for the second time that night. It was a passionate kiss, filled with emotion that flowed between the two of them. Smiling into the kiss, Alex knew that there was nobody in the world he would rather share this moment with that the boy he was gripping on to. Nobody. Jack pulled away as the cheer began, and everyone looked towards the TV for the display. The two boys remained with their gazes locked, enjoying the moment. They both smiled shyly at each other, and as their fingers interlocked once more, Jack whispered what they both wanted to happen, and Alex knew there was hope, and that this was going somewhere.
“This is going to be our year. Let’s make it our year.”

Notes