Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

When Alex woke up, he could feel Jack lying lightly on top of his back, the older boy's mouth hovering over neck. He let him continue for a while, registering only Jack's touch, before waking up a bit more and becoming aware of what his boyfriend was actually up to. Peeking up at Jack, he asked in sleep induced confusion, "What're you doin'?"

"Nothin,'" Jack murmured, his breath tickling Alex's neck, warm in contrast to the chilled air of the room. "Sorry I woke you."

"Did you think you wouldn't?" Alex chuckled breathily, rolling onto his back beneath Jack. "I've been awake for a while, though."

"Well," Jack hummed, "I've been doing this for quite a long time, and you just seemed to start paying attention."

"Yeah," Alex said, "What time is it?"

"Around four," Jack answered, nudging Alex's cheek with his nose and leaving a kiss there, before climbing out of bed. "I'm going pee." As Alex watched Jack get up, he took note of how he was wearing absolutely nothing, which reminded him of his own state. Following Jack's path, he decided to put on his boxers, too, before heading over to the washroom. Jack was finished by the time Alex reached him, standing at the door and welcoming Alex into his arms as they leaned against the door frame. "How do you feel?"

"My ass hurts," Alex whined, and Jack stifled a laugh. "Shut up."

"I'm sorry," Jack smiled, "It was good, though, no?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed, stepping around Jack. He turned his head to look in the mirror, and Jack cringed as Alex looked at himself for a few seconds, before slowly turning back to look at him. "What the fuck, Jack?"

"Oops?" Jack offered, and Alex rolled his eyes, leaning in closer to the mirror to get a closer look at the angry marks covering his skin.

"Sure," Alex grumbled, "Like I believe that."

"I didn't do it on purpose," Jack tried, but the stare Alex held with him for the duration of the next few seconds made it obvious he was bluffing.

"What, you realized you hadn't done any of this shit so you did it after? Where everyone could see it? Including my mom?" Alex delivered smoothly, looking into the mirror once again. Whether he meant for them to or not, his words struck a small amount of guilt in Jack, and Alex could hear his boyfriend's voice deflate as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I should've-" Jack began, before Alex was staring at him again.

"It's alright, love," Alex cracked a smile finally, saying after, "You're so possessive, it's weird. Cute, though."

"I thought you were actually mad," Jack chuckled, joining Alex in the washroom.

"I'm not happy, either," Alex confirmed, looking at the side of his neck once more, "But I can deal. Jeez, you really went all out on this, huh? No wonder why it took you so long."

"Well, uh," Jack bit his lip, "That's not the only one."

Raising his eyebrow, Alex was surprised when Jack spun him around, pulling down the back of his boxers a small bit. Looking over his shoulder, Alex groaned. "Gosh, Jack. I do suppose it's better than my neck, though, since it's hidden."

"That was the point," Jack laughed, "Until I saw your neck."

"Whatever," Alex shrugged, "Let's go downstairs."

The couple searched around Jack's room for pairs of sweatpants and hoodies, before retreating downstairs. They ended on the couch, cuddled up together with a bowl of chips between them.

"I think we need to talk about things," Jack started, not liking the way Alex looked up at him questionably. "Don't look at me like that, I just want to sort out what happened last week."

"Okay," Alex hummed, "What do you want to know?"

"Who told you all of that stuff about Chloe?" Jack asked, and Alex pouted before answering.

"Sam," he sighed, "I told you she had been acting funny. This just adds onto it."

"Weird," Jack mumbled, "It was her who talked to me, too."

"I wouldn't doubt if it was her who ruined the fort, either." Alex suggested, eyebrows knitted together. "But why?"

"I have no fucking idea. Do you really think it was her?" Jack asked, and Alex shrugged.

"Maybe. She's definitely walked with us in that direction before, and no one else is really messing with us besides her right now." Alex explained, resting his head on Jack's shoulder.

"We'll just have to ask Marissa and Natasha tomorrow, I guess." Jack said, moving the bowl of chips to pull Alex closer to him.

Alex did not go to school the next day. His mother agreed to let him stay home for just once, as long as he took the time to nap. She called the school in the morning, and Alex texted Jack, letting him know he would see him later. Spending the whole day in a light sleep, Alex was surprised when his phone rang suddenly, until he realized it was past three o'clock.

"Hello?" Alex picked up the phone, still in bed and still slightly dozing off.

"Hey, Alex!" Marissa said on the other end, and Alex could not help but to smile. It had been a while since they had actually spoken, and Alex missed her. "How're you feeling?"

"Just tired," Alex yawned, "What's up?"

"We're all heading over to the bakery," Marissa informed him, "Do you want to come? We can stop by your house, if you want, in about ten minutes."

"Sure," Alex hummed, "I'm still in bed, but sure. Will J-"

"Yes, Alex," Alex heard Marissa chuckle, "Jack is with us."

"Cool," Alex smiled, deciding it was about time for him to get up. "I've got to get changed, so I'll see you in a moment."

"See you!" Marissa hung up, and Alex set his phone back down on his nightstand, hopping out of bed and searching for something to wear.

After sifting through his clothes to find something clean, since he had not been able to do laundry for almost a whole week, and then rushing as fast as he could in the washroom, Alex was finished getting ready just in time. Marissa texted him that they were outside, and Alex made his way down stairs, saying goodbye to his mother as he slipped out of the door. Marissa, Natasha, Adam, Zack, Rian, and Jack were waiting on the sidewalk, and Alex grinned when he saw the group. From an outside perspective, his group of friends looked quite big, and he was proud to be included in such a thing. Walking over to them, he was greeted by every voice present, and he returned the gesture with a smile.

"How've you been?" Natasha asked, and Alex shrugged as they fell into step with each other.

"Alright. Better, now, I guess." He could not help but to smile when he felt a hand brush his on the opposite side moments later, and he looked up to see Jack grinning at him. Natasha moved up between Marissa and Adam, leaving them alone.

"Nice scarf," Jack commented, and Alex rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you," Alex mumbled, and Jack laughed in response.

"Actually, I-" He tried, but Alex was quick to shut him down.

"Don't you even dare," he groaned, "That's not funny."

"Alright," Jack hummed, tightening his grip on Alex's hand, swinging their arms back and forth slowly. "How was your day?"

"Boring," Alex sighed, "Yours?"

"Same," Jack nodded, "This should be interesting, though."

"How come?" Alex questioned, and Jack whispered in response.

"Notice anyone missing?" He hinted, and Alex looked around himself for a second.

"Oh," he said suddenly, "Yeah."

"Yeah," Jack repeated. By this time, they had made it to the bakery, and Jack held the door open for Alex, and they all took a seat in a booth at the back of the shop. Their conversation was casual, until Marissa finally decided to bring up what was on everyone's minds.

"So, you two," she said, directing her speech toward Jack and Alex, "I see you've made it over this bump in the road alive?"

Nodding, Alex replied with, "Yeah. It was all just miscommunication between us."

"Not just us," Jack added, turning to Alex, "You were right, it was all Sam. They told me earlier."

"It's true," Natasha said, "We talked to her this morning."

"Did she tell you why?" Alex questioned, his eyebrows knit together. Beside him, Jack was biting his lip, very much uncomfortable with what was about to be said. He did not want Alex to hear about it, but he knew he would want to find out eventually.

"She likes Jack," Marissa sighed, "She always has. In the beginning, when you moved here, we thought maybe her setting you two up was her way of moving on. It turns out it was all just a plan to get closer to him, though."

"She didn't tell you about this?" Alex mumbled, and Jack put his hand on his knee under the table, his thumb brushing over Alex soothingly.

"No. We would've told you, don't worry." Natasha sympathized. She could tell how hurt Alex felt on his face, and could only imagine what it would be like to have a friend do such a thing to you. "None of us suspected anything."

"Thanks," Alex said softly, looking to Jack beside him when he felt his boyfriend squeeze his knee.

"I don't have to confirm anything to you, do I?" Jack whispered, and Alex shook his head.

"'I'm your only one,'" Alex said in a mocking tone, and Jack chuckled.

"Exactly, babe."

Notes

hey! i'm so sad with the feedback from the last chapter, i got way less comments than i usually do, combined on all 3 sites i post on. i was so excited about it, because it's my favourite, but i can't really tell how you guys all feel about it. in general, i don't know what anyone's really feeling, at all. should i end this story soon? is it getting boring? let me know! we all know how terribly bad i am at making my own decisions :^)