My Song Has Not Been Sung

“Thanks for coming.” Alex grumbled sarcastically as he turned around to see who had entered. He looks familiar.

“We’re here to talk to our lawyer.” The skunk-haired boy, who nearly broke down the door, growled.

“No, you’re not” Peter commanded, “Ms. Gunnulfsen is. You are going to leave this office, hopefully not destroying my door on the way out. Alexander can go with you to make sure you don’t kill anyone if you have a tantrum.”

“But she’s my frie-” The boy began.

“Let’s go.” Alex interrupted. He stood up and placed his hands on the boy’s tall shoulders and steered him out of the room.

“Dick.” The boy muttered under his breath as he allowed himself to be led away from his friend.
Alex brought him to the empty conference room, up the hall, and locked the door as they entered. He was slightly fearful that the door would be torn off it’s hinges if his father took too long talking to his client.

“So… Alexander, you’re a little young to be an assistant. Did your boss ship you across the Pacific with him?” The boy sat (more like intentionally fell) into one of the large, padded swivel chairs in the room.

“I’m not his assistant, I’m his son. And very funny, mock us because we’re British. I’m sure you’ve never met someone who wasn’t born in the states before.” Alex plopped down across from the boy.

“I have actually, my parents were from Lebanon.” He shot back violently.

“Why are you so ridiculously hostile? How about you just tell me your name and we can have a rational conversation while we wait for your friend to be done with her meeting?” Alex proposed. He wasn’t in the mood to argue with a complete stranger who he was slightly attracted to at the moment. His friends back in England had made him watch porn before, he knew how that scenario was supposed to go down.

“I’m Jack.” He replied calmly.

“As you’ve already gathered, my name’s Alexander but you can just call me Alex. What I want to know is how you managed to barge in here without your parents ripping your head off.” Alex responded.

“My parents are dead so” Jack stated flatly, “sorry that was kinda abrupt. I just meant that I live independently. Lynn, my friend, does too.”

Alex was taken aback, “How do you support yourself without your parents?”

“I dropped out of school and took over my dad’s car shop. It pays well enough to feed me. I live with two friends, Zack and Rian. They’re both still in school but they also have part-time jobs so we can all get by together.” Jack explained.

“That’s impressive that all of you can manage on your own.” Alex thought aloud. He couldn’t even fathom the idea of not living with his parents for at least another year. His entire life, he’s operated in the upper-middle class, now even higher. His parents have always been able to provide him with almost anything he could want or need.

“Earth to Alex.” Jack began waving his hand in front of Alex’s face.

“What?” Alex pulled himself out of his thoughts.

“You zoned, out for a bit there buddy.” Jack replied, “So why did your dad, a prestigious British lawyer, who is like top dog here in Baltimore now, take a case like this? No rich people were involved so, sorry to say it, but why would he even care?”

“We only moved here yesterday, he hasn’t made any kind of impression on the city except for what they thought of him when the elected him. If he wins this case, which he most definitely can, then people will believe that he’s a good lawyer and that he’s sympathetic.” Alex answered.

“You moved here yesterday? That explains why your floor was totally covered in boxes.” Jack laughed to himself.

“I’m sorry, what?” Alex demanded in shock. How has this guy seen my apartment?

“I delivered your pizza yesterday…. no way could I have forgotten that building, or your accent, or face.” Jack reminded.

Alex blushed at the last comment, assuming it was a compliment, “Didn’t you promise me that Baltimore has better food than Pizza Hut? I’m starving and the courthouse is kinda stuffy.”

“There’s a good spot a couple blocks from here. I have to swing by my place first so I can grab some cash.” Jack shot to his feet and started for the door.

“I’ll pay. I bet my place is closer and my parents have two of the highest paying jobs in the city so putting pizza for two on my credit card is not going to be an issue.” Alex insisted.

Jack just shrugged and opened the door for both of them. He made exactly four awful knock-knock jokes before the two managed to get out of the building. He also had hid his face in Alex’s shoulder as they passed through the front lobby, saying something about how the “front desk lady might call security”.

When they trotted down the massive steps, Alex led the way to Glenora, his street. It was only a few blocks away but he also had lived in this city for less than two days so he got lost. After Jack practically begged, while complaining about the emptiness of his stomach, Alex caved and punched his address into Google Maps.

Ten minutes later, he had still gotten lost because he didn’t understand how the street layout worked. Jack did his best to recall how he got there yesterday and also explained that the US had a strong roundabout deficiency. I hope I never have to learn how to drive in this country.

When they finally made it to Alex’s building, which he hadn’t even recognized, it was Jack that spotted it, the taller boy opened the door for him with both a shit eating grin and a death glare. Apparently, someone “didn’t want to wait another forty minutes to get some goddamn grub”.

Alex asked the doorman to take them up to his floor while Jack looked baffled by the concept of someone whose job was literally to press buttons for an elevator. After they got to the top floor, Alex thanked Charles and started digging around in his pockets for a key. I grabbed my key right?

“Uhhh Jack… we have a problem. I forgot to get my key before I left this morning.” Alex wrung his hands, embarrassed that he had been stupid.

“Hey it’s fine” Jack reassured, “I got this.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, snapped the case off of it, and pulled out what looked to be a warped paperclip. He kneeled down in front of the door and inserted the thin piece of metal into lock.

“Jack, I can just call the doorman up. He can verify that I live here and let me in. You really don’t need to do that.” Alex kept looking from one end of the hallway to the other, praying that nobody would come out of the elevator and see what they were doing.

“Done.” Jack announced. The door swung open to show that he was correct.

“How did you learn how to do that?” Alex asked as entered his home.

“Easy” Jack followed close behind, “when Lynn and I were younger, there was this abandoned gas station somewhere in between our apartments. The guy who owned it was fleeing the cops so he just ditched it. It crap property so nobody ever tried to buy and the city barely even acknowledged the existence of that side of town anyways so it never got foreclosed.

“There was a functioning lock on the doors, which was pretty surprising. But when Lynn and I first went there after it was ditched, she had just been on a date with her girlfriend so her hair was all pinned up and stuff so she had a bobby pin with her. It only took about twenty minutes to figure out how to pop the lock with it.

“After that, we started hanging out there when we wanted to get away from our parents or just chill. There was also like a billion RockStars in the back cooler so we basically had a lifetime supply. Once, Rian and Zack tagged along and so did Jenna, Lynn’s girlfriend, when we were all fifteen I think and we started a bonfire in there and spent the night.

“We always locked up after we left so nobody else could get into our little hiding place and because of that we all started carrying paper clips or bobby pins on us so we could always get in. None of us really get the chance to hang there anymore except for birthday’s and Halloween. I only ever go there if Zack and Rian are home and I’m about to get laid.” Jack explained. By the time he finished, Alex had already grabbed his wallet and a key and they had started for the elevator.

“Why would anyone want to have sex in an old metro station?” Alex asked.

“First of all, it’s a gas station. Second of all, people who live on my side of town typically don’t have terribly high standards. Besides, it’s not like we’re screwing on the floor. I’m a gentleman so I have the courtesy to leave a mattress, some blankets, condoms, lube, and a portable charger that’s normally charged. I don’t provide a Samsung cord though because I hate Samsungs and I’m trying to discourage people using them.” Jack explained.

“Do you think that people will just go buy a new phone cause some guy they screwed in a metro station didn’t provide them with a way to charge it?” Alex joked.

“Of course they will. I’m a great lay so after someone experiences that, they’ll totally take my advice on anything.” Jack laughed.

“I would ask to see this lovely place you’ve described but I’m afraid of what horrific stains might await me.” Alex replied.

“Hey I use a condom, no need to pull out. Also I change the blankets every couple months or so, if anyone else comes on them and gets them gross then I change the batch.” Jack informed and directed Alex down the street as they left the building, “So, where did you rich Brits get laid?”

“The entire city of London did not have a special place to have sex. Also I was homeschooled so I didn’t really get out very often and meet people to date.” Alex answered.

“You don’t need to date someone to sleep with them, one-night-stands are nice for when you need to loosen up a bit. Wait have you never had sex before?” Jack stopped dead in his tracks. Which did happen to also be in the middle of the street so it was a good thing Alex had fast reflexes and pulled him out of the road quickly.

“Are you trying to get hit by a car? And yes I’m a virgin, laugh all you want.” Alex grumbled.

“I’m not laughing, I’m just surprised. Hot kid like yourself, girls and guys should both be all over you.” Jack winked.

“Are you flirting with me when I’ve known you for about an hour and don’t have a clue what even your last name is?” Alex questioned, while severely blushing.

“Barakat, and I’ve flirted with less. Also that and fixing cars are my only skills.” Jack answered.

“You are a strange person, Jack Barakat.” Alex thought aloud, “So where’s this pizza place we’re going to?”

Jack led the way happily, flirting intensely the entire walk while Alex tried to deflect his comments and hide the pink covering his face and neck. Not that he was doing a very good job but A for effort.

I cannot have a crush on my dad’s client’s bestfriend. That’s all kinds of messed up and probably violates attorney-client privilege somehow. Alex tried to push away his thoughts of Jack but he still managed to find himself smiling from ear to ear at every awful joke the tall, skunk haired boy made as they walked to the restaurant he kept talking up.

Every two seconds, Alex heard something along the lines of “I swear to God this pizza could probably give someone an orgasm” or “Chicago ain’t got shit on us, I’ll fight them”. Alex didn’t understand any statements made about Chicago at all, but Jack seemed pretty fired up about the reputation of Baltimore’s pizza compared to this other city’s.

“Have you ever been to Chicago?” Alex asked.

“Hell no. There’s absolutely no way I could possibly understand their weird, midwest accents.” Jack replied.

“So how do you know if Baltimore has better pizza than Chicago if you’ve never had pizza from Chicago?” Alex smirked.

“You’ll know after you have this pizza. We’re almost there.” Jack grabbed Alex’s hand and started sprinting into a scary looking alleyway. Alex didn’t even want to think about what had happened against these walls or what the people around the area had thought when they saw the two start running.

A teenager in a business suit was already a strange enough sight. Add in another teenager wearing jeans and a tshirt then of course have them holding hands while dashing into an alley. Doesn’t look strange at all.

Jack let go of Alex’s hand when they got to the end of the cracked pavement. Alex would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed to lose the contact.

Jack scavenged around for a few minutes until he found a dusty wooden crate. He propped it against the one of the brick walls they were in between and hopped onto it to test its integrity. After putting his entire weight on it and jumping a few times, he deemed it safe. He stood on his tiptoes and reached towards an open windowsill on the wall.

“Wait here for a couple seconds, I’ll be right back.” Jack told Alex right before he pulled himself into the window and disappeared. What kind of pizza place is this?

Alex only waited a few moments before the other boy jumped out of the window. He landed with a thud against the pavement. Thankfully, he also landed on his feet. Alex wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to accidentally hurt himself after he had literally stopped in the middle of the street earlier.

“Sorry about that, Pete always locks the cellar door, from the inside of course, so I have to climb up there to get him to unlock it.” Jack grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled him back up the alley. He is a very touchy person.

Alex didn’t even notice the tiny, trapdoor like hatch until Jack stopped and snapped it open. From just standing there, Alex was already hit with the strong smell of dirt and melted cheese. He could see dim light coming from inside and he could hear lots of people talking and laughing loudly.

Jack gestured for him to go first. Alex hesitated for a moment before his eyes made out the thin stairs leading from the cramped doorway into the actual building, if it even qualified as that. He eventually took his first step down and found it much easier than he anticipated to fit and keep his head from bumping anything.

Once he properly entered the restaurant, Jack was right behind him with an arm across his shoulders.

“Pete, get us some slices! I’m starving! Also grab a beer while you’re at it!” Jack started screaming towards a blonde guy standing behind the counter. He used the position of his arm to steer Alex to where he was yelling.

“Jack! Haven’t seen you all month. Who’s the powersuit?” The blonde man, probably Pete, spoke as they sat down in front of the bar.

“This is my new friends Alex. He’s British so he’s never had good pizza in his life before. I want you to change that.” Jack explained.

“Hey, there is perfectly good pizza in London!” Alex retorted, trying to defend his homeland’s pride.

“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.” Pete looked at Alex in pure amazement, “Say yogurt and tomato.”

Alex glared at Jack, not wanting to prostitute his voice out.

“He’s not a zoo animal, Pete. And I’ve tried to casually get him to say yogurt but that’s a hard one to bring up in conversation. More importantly, pizza. Now.” Jack demanded like an impatient five year old.

“Fine, I’ll give it to you for free cause I’m nice and business is booming as it always does over spring break.” Pete pushed open a tiny, red door behind the bar and returned within seconds with two plates. Both had three slices each, laying haphazardly across them. Jack snatched up a piece for himself and waited for Alex to grab one before eating it.

“Get ready for the best food you will ever eat in your life.” Jack warned. Alex dug in a the same moment he did, relishing the delicious flavor and completely ignoring the buzzing of his phone is his pocket.

Notes

Slowbuild??? What the fuck is a slowbuild??? They have to fall in love IMMEDIATELY. Sorry I got kinda excited. But anyways, two updates in one day!!! You can imagine how much homework I've been procrastinating. Also this will never happen again until my journalism homework piles up again, which in my defense, is the worst class ever taught be the worst teacher ever and we get more homework than any other class even though it's an elective so yeah. I recommend you check out my other fic, I'm even worse at updating that one but it is a lot more popular than this one so idk I'm doing something right over there.

Title Creds: Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't) - All Time Low

Your boy, PJ