I Forgive You.
one of one.
“Jack!” Alex whines loudly across the stage. Jack rolls his eyes and wanders over to him.
“Could you get me some water?” Alex asks. Well, demands, really. “My throat hurts.”
“Honey, I have to soundcheck too.” Jack replies quietly. Alex glares at him.
“But I can’t soundcheck at all if my throat hurts and if I don’t have water!” Alex pouts.
“Couldn’t Matt get it for you?” Jack asks, folding his arms. Alex glares at him again and rolls his eyes.
“He doesn’t know what brand I need.” Alex retorts. Jack sighs.
“Alex, it’s water. No matter what brand it is, it’ll taste the same. I’ll just get Matt to fetch you some, okay?” Jack says quietly. Alex groans.
“Jack! You wouldn’t understand! You’re not a vocalist! I need a specific type of water!” Alex rages, and Jack looks desperately towards Rian for help. The older shrugs from behind his drum kit and goes back to practicing.
“Fine.” Jack sighs, walking offstage to the fridge that’s backstage. He picks up a bottle of water and rips the label off. What Alex doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
“You can’t let him walk all over you, you know.” Zack comments from the other side of the room as he flicks through the channels on the TV. Jack shrugs.
“It’s kind of funny, really. He just started ranting at me for a specific brand of water.” Jack laughs. Zack shakes his head and laughs a little.
“He does realize water is basically the same no matter what name it has, doesn’t he?”
“That’s exactly what I said.” Jack laughs, leaving Zack and going back to the stage. He presents the water to Alex, who smiles and kisses his cheek.
“Thank you, baby.”
Rian stares at them over his drums and shakes his head, walking backstage to Zack.
“When did Alex go so insane?” He asks the younger. Zack shrugs, his eyes staying fixed on the TV.
“Seriously, he was just yelling at Jack, and now he’s being all cute with him. It’s not cool.”
*
The bus is quiet, and Jack’s making the most of it. By attempting to sleep.
He guesses the only reason the bus is as quiet as it is, is because Alex is asleep. Thank God.
Jack peers out from behind his bun curtain and looks across at the plaid lump he has to call his boyfriend, since Alex left his bunk curtain open before he slept.
Jack somehow things that, once this tour is done, and he’s done with Alex, watching the older boy while he’s asleep will be one of the few things he will genuinely miss.
Why?
Because Jack actually gets some time to be himself and do what he likes when Alex is asleep.
It’s when Alex wakes and immediately starts yelling the place down, demanding something petty, that Jack finally realizes that the elder is actually insane. And not in a good way.
Alex is completely, one hundred percent, stark raving mad.
And Jack used to think he was the crazy one.
*
It’s the last day of tour, and Jack cannot wait until he can leave the bus and Alex -even though he’ll probably make him stick around for longer than necessary to say goodbye.
They’re in the parking lot of something Jack thinks is a Wal-Mart, but he’s not sure. Alex is clinging to him, though, and Jack wants nothing more than to push him off.
“Alex?”
“Yeah, baby?” Alex asks, looking up at him.
“I think it’s time we took a break from being together.”
Alex stares at him.
“I mean, you’re going to England for a while and I’m saying here, so it would make sense to stop us from pining.” Jack says.
Alex blinks back tears; Jack is unfazed by them. He doesn’t particularly care, if he’s being honest.
“Why didn’t you say so?” Alex asks with a watery voice, “This is really hurting me, Jack.”
“Alex, you’ve been a pain in the ass to everyone for the whole tour. If you didn’t see this coming, then you must be blind.”
Jack pulls Alex’s arms from around his waist. He thinks, finally.
“Jack.” Alex says quietly. Jack looks back at him.
“I’ll forgive you, if you ever want to come back. I’ll forgive you for telling me that painful truth. And for lying to me. Even though, I think I like you better when you lie.”
“I guess maybe I’ll forgive you for being you -especially since you’re basically a whiny toddler.”
Alex stares at him, distraught.
“You were better when you were fake.” Alex says finally, wiping away his tears furiously. Jack shrugs and walks away.
A few months pass and there’s a knock on Jack’s front door.
He knows it’s Alex, back from England, without even opening the door. He can hear him whining even through the wood.
He laughs to himself quietly.
There’s no way he’s ever going back.
“Could you get me some water?” Alex asks. Well, demands, really. “My throat hurts.”
“Honey, I have to soundcheck too.” Jack replies quietly. Alex glares at him.
“But I can’t soundcheck at all if my throat hurts and if I don’t have water!” Alex pouts.
“Couldn’t Matt get it for you?” Jack asks, folding his arms. Alex glares at him again and rolls his eyes.
“He doesn’t know what brand I need.” Alex retorts. Jack sighs.
“Alex, it’s water. No matter what brand it is, it’ll taste the same. I’ll just get Matt to fetch you some, okay?” Jack says quietly. Alex groans.
“Jack! You wouldn’t understand! You’re not a vocalist! I need a specific type of water!” Alex rages, and Jack looks desperately towards Rian for help. The older shrugs from behind his drum kit and goes back to practicing.
“Fine.” Jack sighs, walking offstage to the fridge that’s backstage. He picks up a bottle of water and rips the label off. What Alex doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
“You can’t let him walk all over you, you know.” Zack comments from the other side of the room as he flicks through the channels on the TV. Jack shrugs.
“It’s kind of funny, really. He just started ranting at me for a specific brand of water.” Jack laughs. Zack shakes his head and laughs a little.
“He does realize water is basically the same no matter what name it has, doesn’t he?”
“That’s exactly what I said.” Jack laughs, leaving Zack and going back to the stage. He presents the water to Alex, who smiles and kisses his cheek.
“Thank you, baby.”
Rian stares at them over his drums and shakes his head, walking backstage to Zack.
“When did Alex go so insane?” He asks the younger. Zack shrugs, his eyes staying fixed on the TV.
“Seriously, he was just yelling at Jack, and now he’s being all cute with him. It’s not cool.”
*
The bus is quiet, and Jack’s making the most of it. By attempting to sleep.
He guesses the only reason the bus is as quiet as it is, is because Alex is asleep. Thank God.
Jack peers out from behind his bun curtain and looks across at the plaid lump he has to call his boyfriend, since Alex left his bunk curtain open before he slept.
Jack somehow things that, once this tour is done, and he’s done with Alex, watching the older boy while he’s asleep will be one of the few things he will genuinely miss.
Why?
Because Jack actually gets some time to be himself and do what he likes when Alex is asleep.
It’s when Alex wakes and immediately starts yelling the place down, demanding something petty, that Jack finally realizes that the elder is actually insane. And not in a good way.
Alex is completely, one hundred percent, stark raving mad.
And Jack used to think he was the crazy one.
*
It’s the last day of tour, and Jack cannot wait until he can leave the bus and Alex -even though he’ll probably make him stick around for longer than necessary to say goodbye.
They’re in the parking lot of something Jack thinks is a Wal-Mart, but he’s not sure. Alex is clinging to him, though, and Jack wants nothing more than to push him off.
“Alex?”
“Yeah, baby?” Alex asks, looking up at him.
“I think it’s time we took a break from being together.”
Alex stares at him.
“I mean, you’re going to England for a while and I’m saying here, so it would make sense to stop us from pining.” Jack says.
Alex blinks back tears; Jack is unfazed by them. He doesn’t particularly care, if he’s being honest.
“Why didn’t you say so?” Alex asks with a watery voice, “This is really hurting me, Jack.”
“Alex, you’ve been a pain in the ass to everyone for the whole tour. If you didn’t see this coming, then you must be blind.”
Jack pulls Alex’s arms from around his waist. He thinks, finally.
“Jack.” Alex says quietly. Jack looks back at him.
“I’ll forgive you, if you ever want to come back. I’ll forgive you for telling me that painful truth. And for lying to me. Even though, I think I like you better when you lie.”
“I guess maybe I’ll forgive you for being you -especially since you’re basically a whiny toddler.”
Alex stares at him, distraught.
“You were better when you were fake.” Alex says finally, wiping away his tears furiously. Jack shrugs and walks away.
A few months pass and there’s a knock on Jack’s front door.
He knows it’s Alex, back from England, without even opening the door. He can hear him whining even through the wood.
He laughs to himself quietly.
There’s no way he’s ever going back.