Save Me From Me

Twenty months had come and gone since Zack had finally stepped out of the Otium. Twelve of which Jack and he had spent on the roads to export Jack and Mark’s clothing line. They’d gone to every continents, crossed countries that they didn’t even know existed and seen things they’d never imagined could be real. Zack had loved every minute of their journey. He’d loved hearing about all these different cultures and meeting all these different people. Jack had helped him overcome his fears in and out of the institute. He’d taken him further than he’d thought he could ever go, both physically and mentally. Zack had also developed a passion for photography during all these travels. He’d taken about a millions pictures of each cities they’d visited. There were so many of them that the guestroom had been changed into a private gallery. Jack had sent a few of his boyfriends’ shots to a few art galleries when they’d come back a couple of months ago and they were still waiting on some feedbacks. Jack kept telling Zack to be patient because they must receive thousands of demands every day and it took time to look at everything. Zack believed that they would have contacted him already if they thought his work was worth anything. But he wasn’t going to say that to his boyfriend. He wasn’t going to tell him that he was hopeless on so many levels. He’d dropped out of high school before his sixteenth birthday. He had no qualification whatsoever and he’d spent half of his life locked up in a psychiatric hospital. No one would hire him, not even if they were bribe into it. He had to face the fact that he couldn’t be anything but a housewife, male version. He’d have to take care of the house while waiting for his loving boyfriend to come home after a long and tiring day at the office.

“Honey, I’m home.” Jack called out from downstairs and Zack could hear the giggle that followed. He rolled his eyes in amusement before walking down the stairs and straight into his boyfriend’s arms. He wasted no time to push his lips against the brunette’s, kissing him like their life depended on it. Even after all this time, their kisses still brought butterflies to Zack’s stomach. He’d never get tired of this feeling.

“I have a surprise for you.” Jack breathed out when they finally pulled apart, resting his forehead against his boyfriend’s for a minute. Zack looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He couldn’t help but be suspicious when his boyfriend smirked. He always smirked when he had some big announcement; just like the day he’d told Zack they had to go abroad for a little while. What an understatement it had been.

“Please, tell me you didn’t stop by the sex-shop again. We’re gonna have to buy a bigger house if you keep getting sex-toys to spice up our sex life.” Zack joked, pushing his boyfriend away to let him see the stern expression on his face. Jack had a strange obsession for sex-toys, even though they barely used them during their relations. Zack knew better than to question his boyfriend’s reasoning. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was going on in there.

“What I’ve got for you is better than a sex-toy and you can use it without me.”

“I don’t need you to use a dildo.” Zack pointed out with a devilish grin, knowing the effect such a statement could have on Jack. They knew each other better than they’d ever thought possible, like all these months spent in trains, planes and cheap hotels’ rooms had taught them everything they needed to know to make their relationship last forever.

“You’ll have to show me your technique later.” Jack laughed heartedly and quickly kissed his lover’s lips before putting an envelope in his hands. Zack stared at him with a frown but only earned a shrug to answer his silent question. He took the letter out and read each word carefully, his eyes growing bigger with every line. Jack had given him an application to get a job at his and Mark’s firm, as a semi-freelance photographer.

“Before you say anything, Mark has seen a few of your pictures and thought we could do with your talents. He didn’t even know they were from you when he talked to me about it. I’ve got nothing to do with it.” Jack explained calmly, knowing that his boyfriend could easily get pissed if the offer actually came from him. Zack stared at him for a minute to weight the sincerity in his eyes and he liked what he saw. He smiled at the man in front of him before pulling him down for a kiss. He may not have to be a desperate housewife after all. As he remembered about his previous fears, a thought came to his mind.

“If that’s not your doing, what did you get me?” Zack questioned with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. Jack flashed his less innocent grin before opening the door, revealing a puppy attached to the doorknob by the leash. A black Labrador with big black eyes using the little freedom she had to bounce up and down. Zack chuckled at the little thing on his doorstep and kneeled down to take it in his arms. The dog tried to bark but failed miserably so went to lick Zack’s face instead.

“I’ve called her Peps but she hasn’t registered it yet so you can change her name if you want.” Jack shrugged casually, ruffling the dog’s head and kissing his boyfriend’s hair before walking to the kitchen. Zack disentangled the leash from the doorknob to let the puppy run around the living room, watching her explore her new world. Jack came back to the living room with a sandwich, wrapping his free arm around Zack’s waist from behind.

“I love you.” Jack whispered into his boyfriend’s hair, distantly playing with the hem of Zack’s shirt. The older boy used to be uneasy with the casual declaration of love but now, he’d be worried if Jack didn’t tell him how much he loved him at least once a day. He knew that his boyfriend was trying to make-up for his past mistakes, that he wanted Zack to know how he felt in case of anything bad happening to one of them.

“I love you too.” Zack answered, lacing his fingers with Jack’s as he leant against his chest. He closed his eyes, relishing the moment. He had everything he could ever wish for and he still couldn’t believe his luck sometimes. His life had been nothing close to a fairytale... and then he’d met Jack, his personal prince charming. He hadn’t defeated any dragons but he’d saved Zack in so many ways. He’d helped him out of his shelter. He’d made him face his fears. He’d given him the will to live instead of just survive. Yes, Jack had saved Zack from himself.

“Now, about that technique…”