Untangle Me.

Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd been so happy.
He'd had a brilliant time travelling and had met some amazing people and seen some amazing things but nothing compared to being back in the city and he was pretty sure there weren't enough beautiful sights in the world that could match the way Alex, and now Jake, made him feel.

He woke up the next morning with a smile on his face and rolled over, reaching for his phone on the bedside table.
Unlocking it, he saw the familiar green bubble telling him he had a text.

"Thank you for tonight, we both had a great time - A x"

Jack grinned at the message before typing back a quick reply.

***

Alex couldn't remember the last time he'd been so late.
Zack hadn't showed up during the night or even in the morning so Alex was left running around madly to get Jake ready for his play date with Oscar.
"Jake!" He yelled from where he was trying to button his shirt and brush his teeth at the same time.
When he got no response from the little boy, he gave up his attempt at multi-tasking and decided to find his missing son.

He found the boy sat on his bedroom floor with his legs crossed and his tongue poking out of his mouth in concentration. The area around him looked like a Crayola factory had exploded, with a rainbow of scattered crayons surrounding him as he scribbled enthusiastically on a piece of paper.

"What 'ya doing, buddy?" Alex asked, walking over to the little boy and kneeling down to pick up some of the mess.
"Colouring." Jake replied, looking up and smiling at Alex.
"Who's that you're drawing?"
"It's Batman." The boy said, holding up the scribbled mess for Alex to see.
"Oh, yeah! I see it now." Alex replied, nodding.
"Jack likes Batman." Jake said, looking back down at his picture.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, he told me. He likes Superman too." The young boy replied casually with a shrug.
"That's cool." Alex replied, grinning.
"Yep." Jake replied, popping the 'p' sound. "Can Jack come over again today, daddy?"
"I'm not sure, buddy, he might be busy." Alex replied before jumping slightly as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
"Please?" Jake asked as Alex got his phone and unlocked it.

"Me too. I'm glad you had fun. We should do it again SOON x"

Alex smiled at the text before getting an idea.
"I tell you what, I'll call Jack and see if he's busy and if he isn't then we can rearrange another day to see Oscar, how does that sound?" Alex asked.
"Yes!" Jake cheered, jumping up to hug Alex tightly.
Alex smiled, looking back down to his phone and finding Jacks name on his contacts menu.

***

It was lunchtime by the time Jack arrived at Alex's house.
He rang the buzzer and fidgeted with excitement while he waited for the door to be opened. It wasn't long before he could hear the approaching sound of small feet hitting the wooden floor and then the door swung open to reveal a very excited looking Jake.

"Jack!" The little boy shouted happily as he ran forward and wrapped himself around Jack's leg in a hug.
"Hey little man!" Jack replied, wrapping his arms around the boy.
"Daddy's making lunch!"
"Do you mean burning lunch?" Jack asked, with a smile, gaining a chuckle from the little boy.

"Excuse me." Alex said, appearing from the kitchen door wearing a pink apron. "I am an extraordinary chef!"
"You're right... There is nothing ordinary about the things you make!" Jack replied with a grin.
"Asshole." Alex laughed.
"Asshole!" Jake shouted, copying Alex and laughing too.
"Jake, that's a naughty word." Alex scorned the young boy, before turning to Jack again. "So, it turns out I can't cook. How about sandwiches?"
"Sounds perfect." Jack replied with a laugh.
"Picnic!" Jake shouted, jumping up and down.
"Picnic it is." Jack agreed with a shrug.

***

Since it was pretty cold outside and Jake had apparently been unlucky enough to inherit Jack's crappy immune system, Alex had suggested they have the picnic in the living room.

Jake had responded by grabbing Jack's hand and dragging him towards the cupboard which contained all the blankets they needed and had them proceeded to show him how to lay them out just right.
Jack pretended not to notice how the little boy never let go of his hand the whole time.

By the time they'd finished eating, Jack was pretty sure they'd eaten their body weight in sandwiches and any junk food Alex could produce from the depths of the kitchen cupboards. All three of them were spread out on the blankets, looking up at the ceiling.

"Can we play the cloud game?" Jake asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
"I'm not sure it works inside, Jakey." Alex replied, smiling at the child fondly.
"Jack will play with me." Jake demanded, looking over at the older man.

Jack was momentarily lost in memories of himself and Alex laying outside in the summer, making shapes out of clouds and talking about forever like they had any idea what the future held.
They'd always called it "the cloud game" back then too, and although he knew that most people had played it before, it still momentarily overwhelmed him that Alex would pass on the game to their child.

"Sure." Jack replied, clearing his throat when he looked over to see Jake looking at him expectantly. "I think that one," He said, pointing up at a plain white piece of ceiling. "Looks like a dragon."
"Oh yeah!" Jake replied, staring at the ceiling and giggling.
Alex snorted to himself at the pair.
"I think that one looks like daddy." Jake said, pointing at another bit of ceiling. "And that one looks like Jack." He continued, pointing at the same spot.
"Really?" Alex asked, suddenly sounding interested. "Well, I think that one looks like Jakey." He said, grinning and pointing up at the ceiling too.
"All together!" Jake shouted, excitedly.
"Yeah, all together." Jack repeated, mirroring Alex's smile.

***

It was nearly 8pm by the time Jack decided it was time to leave. Jake was too engrossed in Spongebob Squarepants to fully notice, but he muttered a goodbye and Jack kissed him on the head as he walked past on his way to the door, Alex following close behind.

When they got to the door there was an awkward moment before Alex rolled his eyes and pulled Jack forward by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. Alex kissed him slowly, working his tongue around Jack's mouth carefully as if he was trying to relearn every part of the dark haired boy him.

When Jack pulled away from the kiss and leaned his forehead against Alex's to breathe, he couldn't help the giggle that escaped.
"What?" Alex asked, nudging his nose against Jack's.
"I feel like a teenager."
"That's a strange thing to say when we're having a moment, you perv." Alex grinned.
"No, I mean like all the sneaking kisses. Anybody would think you're trying to hide me, Mr. Gaskarth."
"We don't have to sneak." Alex said, standing up straight and looking serious suddenly.
"What?"
"Well, what are you doing tomorrow night?"
"Working. But I'm off on Monday."
"We're going on a date."
"Are you serious?" Jack asked, grinning.
"Deadly. Pick me up at seven and don't be late." Alex grinned back before sneaking another peck and pushing Jack towards the door.
"Until Monday, then." Jack said.
"Until Monday." Alex agreed with a wave.