Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

December twelfth was the last day of school before winter break, and it had Jack waking up somewhat excited for the first time in a long time. Bounding down the stairs at quite an unusually early time, Jack greeted his mother quickly, before grabbing his bag and heading out the door. He walked to school just as briskly as he had while getting ready in the morning, his final destination the only thing on his mind. As he hurriedly stepped over the cracks in the pavement, Jack finally caught himself thinking about something else. He wondered why, exactly, he was to eager to get to a place he usually dreaded. It took him a moment, but the knowledge of it being the last day of school eventually registered in his mind, and Jack was finishing his final steps up to the doors of the school with a smile on his face. Of course, the last day of school before winter break carried a feeling that seemed almost magical. Not only that, but Alex's birthday was the following Sunday, and Jack was more than happy to be able to celebrate it with him for the first time.

That particular Friday seemed to be exclusively in Jack's favour, as he caught sight of Alex on his way to his first class. Alex perked up immediately as Jack came into his line of view, and he grinned an impeccable grin, one that made Jack's stomach flutter in a fairly embarrassing way. Brushing off that shy feeling, Jack slowed down as he neared his boyfriend, leaning over to plant a big kiss on his cheek as they brushed past one another. He chuckled as he heard Alex complaining about the kiss as they parted ways, and from there on, he began to look forward to seeing Alex again in math class.

Unsure of whether Alex had to stop at his locker or not, Jack simply met Alex outside of their math classroom, prompting the younger boy to put his stuff down before dragging him outside.

"It's cold, Jack," Alex whined, huddling close to the taller boy as they made their way through the courtyard. "What are we doing?"

"Nothing," Jack hummed, "It's pretty out, and we have a little time before class starts. I think I'm officially excited for Christmas."

Alex giggled as he took in the sights before him; the ground covered in a soft blanket of snow, and the walls of buildings layered in a thin layer of frost. The sky was a greyish-white, which could be seen as eerie in another season, but simply made the two boys feel like they were being kept safely in a winter wonderland. There was no way out that was not sparkling and white, and it was comforting in a sense.

"I'm not, yet," Alex voiced, "Not usually until after my birthday, anyway."

"Makes sense," Jack nodded, the arm Alex was curled around moving to instead protect his shoulders. Alex liked it whenever Jack did this, because it meant he could lean into him even more. "Your birthday is sort of the last thing before Christmas starts for you, right?"

"Right," Alex confirmed, "Speaking of that, I'm inviting Marissa, Sam, and Natasha over in Sunday, and I want you to come, too. You can bring Zack and Rian if you want."

"Sounds fun," Jack said, "We should get back to class, now. I'm pretty sure I saw candy canes somewhere in that room."

As it was the last day, no teachers really had any lessons planned, so Jack and Alex spent the majority of their math period sitting together in the corner of the classroom, talking about how they would spend their break.

"You should sleep over tonight," Jack suggested, pouting when Alex began to look puzzled.

"I don't know, Jack. My mom-"

"Don't say she'll say no! You don't know until you ask her," Jack tried, "Come on, please? It'll be fun."

"Fine," Alex smiled, "I'll ask her when I get home. You think your mom will be alright with it, though?"

"My parents don't give a shit about that kind of stuff," Jack shrugged, confused when Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Even if we're dating?" Alex mumbled, looking down to see Jack's hand clasping his own.

"Even if we're dating, baby. Do you really think they would want to think about that? Obviously not, so they're going to just treat you like a friend." Jack explained.

"Oh."

"I know, it sucks. I'm sorry. I mean, it's not all bad, though, right? It certainly works in this situation." Jack spoke, his fingers brushing over the back of Alex's hand in small, comforting movements.

"I guess," Alex sighed, "But it still sucks they don't take us seriously."

"One day they will," Jack whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Alex's head just as the bell rang. "Come on, let's go find Zack and Rian, yeah?"

It had taken a fair amount of convincing to allow Isobel to let Alex sleep over at Jack's house. When they first arrived at the Gaskarth home, Jack and Alex were ready to leave as soon as they got an answer, but Mrs. Gaskarth did not make it so easy. She drilled Alex as usual, and then, turning to Jack, she made sure her son's boyfriend was aware of the circumstances, as well. Alex was to only eat food he was sure of, and he was to bring along with him whatever else he was needed. Isobel called Jack's mom to let her know this, too, and Jack and Alex were surprised when Joyce seemed completely alright with the arrangements. Apparently, Jack was right, and she really was treating their relationship as just a friendship, but at least she was respecting Alex's allergies.

"Got all your stuff?" Jack asked Alex with a grin, offering to take Alex's bag. Handing it over, Alex smiled graciously.

"Yep, thanks, love," Alex nodded, before running over to give his mom one last hug. He rarely ever spent a night away from home, so that was the least he could do. Isobel appreciated it, and Jack thought it was adorable.

"Alright, let's go then," Jack took hold of Alex's left hand, bringing it close into his body as the two boys headed out into the freezing, final hour of daylight.

Upon arriving at Jack's house, Alex greeted his parents, who were seated in the living room. They answered back kindly, and a wave of relief washed over Alex. The only reason he was scared of sleeping over was Jack's parents, and they did not seem like they would be a bother.

"What're we gonna do?" Alex asked, as Jack then guided him up the stairs by hand.

"Whatever you want, baby. You're the birthday boy," Jack laughed, smile only growing at Alex's reply.

"Oh, yeah!" Alex considerably perked up, "I forgot about that."

"Well, then," Jack turned to face Alex once they were standing in his room, "Tell me what you want to do."

"Let's play board games," Alex suggested, and Jack chuckled.

"You're so simple sometimes. It's too easy to please you," Jack places a kiss on Alex's cheek, "We can definitely play board games."

So, for the following three hours, the couple sat on Jack's floor with a pile of board games to the side. They played almost every single one Jack owned, besides Monopoly, which Alex said would keep them up until the following morning.

"I'm bored," Jack voiced, when it was finally past midnight. They had taken a break for dinner, as well as a few other various important pauses, before resuming chatting and playing board games for another three hours. It seemed like an awful long time to be doing something so utterly repetitive, but the conversation between Jack and Alex made it more than bearable, it made it fun. They talked more in depth about both of their lives before the other, they talked about their hidden interests, and their hopes for the future. Both Alex and Jack gained an immense sense of trust from sessions like these, as sharing about themselves brought them closer together.

"I am, too," Alex sighed, throwing down his piece to the game they were playing. "I don't want to play anymore."

"That's alright," Jack yawned, "Hey. It's your birthday tomorrow, now."

"I guess it is," Alex hummed.

Jack stretched out his legs, holding out his arms for Alex. "C'mere, birthday boy."

Moving over and situating himself in Jack's lap, Alex buried his nose in Jack's neck, as his boyfriend's fingers explored the plains of his back from underneath his shirt.

"You're pretty," Jack mumbled, "So pretty. Like a painting,"

Alex simply chuckled in response, quieting down when Jack's finger beneath his chin guided their lips together.

"I love you," Alex whispered between kisses. Even his own words made his heart flutter, and the pace only increased when Jack grinned warmly with affection, reciting the words himself.

"Love you, sweetheart."

After several more minutes with their lips locked, as well as a significant amount of grinding on Alex's part, Jack moved back.

"What're you..." Alex tried, confused as Jack maneuvered Alex off of him.

"Shh. Listen," Jack murmured, caressing Alex's cheek and sliding their lips together for one more moment, before continuing. "I want you to bend over the edge of the bed, okay?"

"But, I-"

"Hey, don't worry about it. No sex, yet, I know. You can trust me, 'Lex. Just tell me if you want to stop," Jack said as he helped Alex off of the floor, before unbuttoning the shorter boy's pants and sliding them down his legs.

"M'kay, Jack," Alex laughed lightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek, before tugging his shirt off and laying his top half on the edge of the bed. He could feel Jack sliding his boxers down his legs slowly, and he could hear Jack looking for something in a drawer beside his bed. Although in an uncomfortable position, Alex did not feel uncomfortable at all. It surprised him, really, how he never was embarrassed during these sort of things with Jack. It made sense, though, because Alex had made sure he was ready before they moved on to every next step, and he was sure proud of himself for doing so.

"Remember," Jack reminded Alex softly, "Just tell me."

Alex nodded once more, grinning at how loving and careful Jack always was. He could feel Jack's hands taking hold of his hips then, and he could feel his boyfriend's lips pressing and sucking kisses into the back of his thighs. Soon, the kisses moved upward, spread out over the curves of Alex's ass cheeks, before they moved to what lay in between. Alex was surprised to feel Jack's tongue poke out then, surprised that it surprised him even though he knew it was coming, and surprised by how amazing it felt. He was not sure if Jack had done this before, but he vaguely remembered the older boy saying he had once or twice.

"Shit, Jay," Alex groaned, and he could hear a chuckle coming from behind him.

"Good?"

"Not bad," Alex laughed, breathing airily, "Not bad at all, babe."

With the help of his hand, Jack was able to get Alex through his orgasm and back quite nicely. Alex certainly seemed pleased with it, crawling all the way onto the bed when he finished, and laying on his back contently.

"Mm," Alex hummed, "Your turn, come to me. Now,"

"Alright," Jack chuckled, slipping his shirt over his head and off his body before walking over to the side of the bed. Alex rolled over to lay on his stomach, moving to the edge of the bed and unbuckling Jack's belt. It was certainly obvious that Jack needed some relief, and Alex was glad to be the one to assist his boyfriend as he got to work on something he was still learning to perfect.

When Jack eventually felt like he was being pushed too far, just before the euphoria took over, he uttered to Alex, "'Lex, babe, I'm-"

His warning came too late, though, and Jack was not able to get his cock away from Alex's mouth fast enough before he came. The sight that greeted him next was one that gave him the biggest laugh he had had in awhile, although he also did feel particularly sorry.

Notes

k hi guys so i told you this one was going to be bad and i think you've realized now that i was totally right and i'm SORRY but hopefully the next one makes up for it??? i'm super ahead and i've written it already so woo for me! the chapter after this is one is pretty funny too imo

thanks so much for reading, and thank you to ApathyforSympathy, Alltimegabi, and Alex_thelion99 for commenting :^) don't forget to let me know what you think!!!