Holding On To Keep This Strong
New Light
A week later and Jack hadn't attended school at all, his work being brought from Zack to Alex's apartment every other day. Not that there was much of it since many of the teachers had stopped really teaching since there was just a month left for seniors.
He was still staying at Alex's house as his mother had went back home just a day before. He actually missed having her there since she'd kept him company while Alex was at school. Though the elder had been coming home during most if his free periods Jack didn't like being left alone at all anymore. It just gave him more time to think about what happened and how much it had really hurt him. He was finally starting to feel more like himself but each step he took into his normal skin the more realization hit him. He'd been hurt much more than he wanted to realize, feeling unsafe and vulnerable in almost every moment he spent alone.
Jack finally got out of bed for the first time that day at around noon, heading into the kitchen. His mother had at least made enough pre made meals to hold the couple over for the next week or so. She'd thought that Alex was under enough pressure having to work at set hours, grade, and take care of Jack so she did her best to help out.
He scanned over his options finally picking out the chicken noodle soup she'd made. It had always been his favorite meal that she made for him as kid, sometimes he'd even fake sick just so she'd make it for him. He smiled back on the thought before getting a bowl from one of the cabinets and pouring his soup into it.
...
A few movies later and Alex was home, greeting Jack with a kiss and sitting down with him in the couch.
"Hey you. How're you holding up today?"
"I'm a little better. My mom called like an hour ago, she said that they matched everything they found at the hospital to Billie Joe this morning after they took him in."
"So we've got enough for a case?"
"Yeah...Just...I don't think I can handle being in the same room as him. Not now anyway."
"It'll be a week or two before there's a hearing or anything. And I'm sure we can pull some strings so you won't even have to see him."
"If I have to will you be there?" Jack asked though he knew it was cutting it close to have Alex that close to the law with him.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to just be in the court room...I'll be there for you Jay."
"Thanks Lex." The younger smiled. "How was your day?"
"It was alright, I missed you. And I finally told your class that I'm not coming back next year."
"Were they upset?"
"Some people were, said they won't be able to visit on the days they have off that the high school doesn't." He shrugged. "I doubt anyone would come and visit anyway."
"I would."
"But you won't have to, you get to pack me up and take me to school with you." Alex laughed, judging his nose against Jack's jaw. "And I think I'll be the one visiting you on campus."
"Probably, yeah. But I'll come to your place a lot, I'll practically live with you."
"During your sophmore year you can, it'll be great. This time you can even help decorate the place."
"Mhm, why can't it be sooner?" He asked leaning his head on the elder's shoulder. "Things won't be complicated and I won't be dealing with this. Why can't it just be now?"
"Cause I think life is testing us and what happened it really shouldn't have happened but before we get there we've gotta work through this."
"Damn it, you're too good with words sometimes. Where is your off switch?"
"Shut up." Alex said with a roll of his eyes. "Im gonna get a cup of tea, would you like one?"
"Please?"
-
Alex hugged his boyfriend into his chest, pressing a kiss behind the younger boy's ear. Things had gotten better the past week and with only four weeks of school left he really thought they'd make it.
Though it did make him a little upset that Jack had opted out of going to prom. He deserved that experience and Billie Joe had even taken that away from him. Which was just something else that Alex had on the list of reasons he need to not only have his ass kicked but be thrown in jail. He tried to ignore those things though, focusing as much as he could on Jack's well being and how he was holding up through the past week. It'd taken a lot of effort but he'd gotten over feeling sad for himself and had gotten back to as much of a normal routine as possible. He may have spent quite a bit of his free time at school reading up on how to handle situations with a rape victim, which he highly disliked. He didn't see Jack as a victim, he saw him as the boy he loved and hated to see hurt, he didn't want to see him in any other light. But he supposed everything he'd read was a little helpful, Jack seemed to like the fact that he'd stopped asking so many questions and let him breach the topic. He'd also seemed to appreciate Alex at least being vague when he had questions and respecting his boundaries, though he'd done that beforehand.
"Jay, are you asleep?" Alex whispered.
"No...I can't."
"Me either."
"Wanna talk?"
"What about?"
"I don't know...let's talk about the future."
"Hm...I think I'm gonna be a professor like my dad." Alex whispered, holding back a yawn.
"Really? I don't know what I'm gonna do...maybe I'll just be a stay at home dad."
"Stay at home dad? Really? I'm sure there's something else you'd want to do with your life."
"Not really, I like kids enough and I don't think I'm going to do much with music."
"You could record, who knows maybe get signed with a record company."
"Eh, I like my stay at home idea much better. I don't want to do anything where I'm away from you."
Alex smiled at that and kissed Jack's forehead.
"Go to sleep babe. I'll be here in the morning."
"Goodnight Lex."
"Night kitten."
He was still staying at Alex's house as his mother had went back home just a day before. He actually missed having her there since she'd kept him company while Alex was at school. Though the elder had been coming home during most if his free periods Jack didn't like being left alone at all anymore. It just gave him more time to think about what happened and how much it had really hurt him. He was finally starting to feel more like himself but each step he took into his normal skin the more realization hit him. He'd been hurt much more than he wanted to realize, feeling unsafe and vulnerable in almost every moment he spent alone.
Jack finally got out of bed for the first time that day at around noon, heading into the kitchen. His mother had at least made enough pre made meals to hold the couple over for the next week or so. She'd thought that Alex was under enough pressure having to work at set hours, grade, and take care of Jack so she did her best to help out.
He scanned over his options finally picking out the chicken noodle soup she'd made. It had always been his favorite meal that she made for him as kid, sometimes he'd even fake sick just so she'd make it for him. He smiled back on the thought before getting a bowl from one of the cabinets and pouring his soup into it.
...
A few movies later and Alex was home, greeting Jack with a kiss and sitting down with him in the couch.
"Hey you. How're you holding up today?"
"I'm a little better. My mom called like an hour ago, she said that they matched everything they found at the hospital to Billie Joe this morning after they took him in."
"So we've got enough for a case?"
"Yeah...Just...I don't think I can handle being in the same room as him. Not now anyway."
"It'll be a week or two before there's a hearing or anything. And I'm sure we can pull some strings so you won't even have to see him."
"If I have to will you be there?" Jack asked though he knew it was cutting it close to have Alex that close to the law with him.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to just be in the court room...I'll be there for you Jay."
"Thanks Lex." The younger smiled. "How was your day?"
"It was alright, I missed you. And I finally told your class that I'm not coming back next year."
"Were they upset?"
"Some people were, said they won't be able to visit on the days they have off that the high school doesn't." He shrugged. "I doubt anyone would come and visit anyway."
"I would."
"But you won't have to, you get to pack me up and take me to school with you." Alex laughed, judging his nose against Jack's jaw. "And I think I'll be the one visiting you on campus."
"Probably, yeah. But I'll come to your place a lot, I'll practically live with you."
"During your sophmore year you can, it'll be great. This time you can even help decorate the place."
"Mhm, why can't it be sooner?" He asked leaning his head on the elder's shoulder. "Things won't be complicated and I won't be dealing with this. Why can't it just be now?"
"Cause I think life is testing us and what happened it really shouldn't have happened but before we get there we've gotta work through this."
"Damn it, you're too good with words sometimes. Where is your off switch?"
"Shut up." Alex said with a roll of his eyes. "Im gonna get a cup of tea, would you like one?"
"Please?"
-
Alex hugged his boyfriend into his chest, pressing a kiss behind the younger boy's ear. Things had gotten better the past week and with only four weeks of school left he really thought they'd make it.
Though it did make him a little upset that Jack had opted out of going to prom. He deserved that experience and Billie Joe had even taken that away from him. Which was just something else that Alex had on the list of reasons he need to not only have his ass kicked but be thrown in jail. He tried to ignore those things though, focusing as much as he could on Jack's well being and how he was holding up through the past week. It'd taken a lot of effort but he'd gotten over feeling sad for himself and had gotten back to as much of a normal routine as possible. He may have spent quite a bit of his free time at school reading up on how to handle situations with a rape victim, which he highly disliked. He didn't see Jack as a victim, he saw him as the boy he loved and hated to see hurt, he didn't want to see him in any other light. But he supposed everything he'd read was a little helpful, Jack seemed to like the fact that he'd stopped asking so many questions and let him breach the topic. He'd also seemed to appreciate Alex at least being vague when he had questions and respecting his boundaries, though he'd done that beforehand.
"Jay, are you asleep?" Alex whispered.
"No...I can't."
"Me either."
"Wanna talk?"
"What about?"
"I don't know...let's talk about the future."
"Hm...I think I'm gonna be a professor like my dad." Alex whispered, holding back a yawn.
"Really? I don't know what I'm gonna do...maybe I'll just be a stay at home dad."
"Stay at home dad? Really? I'm sure there's something else you'd want to do with your life."
"Not really, I like kids enough and I don't think I'm going to do much with music."
"You could record, who knows maybe get signed with a record company."
"Eh, I like my stay at home idea much better. I don't want to do anything where I'm away from you."
Alex smiled at that and kissed Jack's forehead.
"Go to sleep babe. I'll be here in the morning."
"Goodnight Lex."
"Night kitten."
Okay I normally cringe at student/teacher fics, but cuz it's a 6 year age difference, I gave it a shot. This story is so great! The ending is beautiful. My eyes are watering. Not even kidding.
2/28/16