Painting Flowers

This chapter is in Alex's POV by the way (this is just a one-off, and you'll probably get why I did it by the end of the chapter). Enjoy!!

~

Jack and I arrived at Danny's house, the music inside already thumping our ears. I raised an eyebrow, since I'd never been to a high school party before, especially one as rowdy as this.

"’Lex, come on," Jack said, grabbing my wrist (I was grateful for the darkness, because I felt the blood rush to my cheeks) and dragging me up the patio. The door burst open just as we were a few feet from it, and Jack swung his hand out, knocking me in the chest and pushing me backwards, a kissing couple tumbling backwards on to the grass in front of us. This didn't off put them, however; they continued to make out, and for a second, I imagined the two interlocked bodies as Jack and myself.

"Alex," I heard a voice say, and I shook my head, blinking up at Jack's concerned face. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just..." I said, my jaw slack. "Uh, yeah."

Jack smirked at me, turning to enter the buzzing house. I followed him, and as soon as I did, my eyes widened. It was basically people grinding against each other and making out, the music blaring loudly for nothing.

"Woah," I said, and Jack grinned from beside me, nodding and looking round. He saw someone, perhaps one of his friends, and grabbed my wrist again, dragging me behind him through the mass of people.

"Hey, Frank!" Jack called, and a small guy with some girl grinding on him broke away to look up at us.

"You fucking cockblock, Barakat," this dude apparently called Frank grinned, and the girl moved aside cautiously, glaring at Jack, and stalked off. "I was gonna get laid, you ass!"

"Frank, let's be honest, you're never gonna get laid," Jack laughed, and the boy stood up, punching Jack weakly in the arm. "Ow, Fwankie, that hurt!"

"Oh, shut up," Frank smirked, and turned to me. I looked down at him nervously as he studied my face.

"Who's this?" he asked Jack.

"Oh, 'Lex, this is Frank Iero. He was in my middle school. Frank, this is Alex Gaskarth," Jack explained to both of us.

"Oh," Frank nodded in understanding. "Your boyfriend."

Wait.

His what?

My eyes widened and I felt my stomach do a backflip as I turned to Jack, who had his jaw squared.
"Alex is my best friend," he said forcefully. "Not my boyfriend."

"But you said-" Frank started, but immediately raised his eyebrows and shut up with a gesture from Jack. "Right. Sorry. Uh, nice to meet you, Alex."

"Hi, Frank," I said quietly, my heart thumping loudly and my mind racing. Had Jack told Frank I was his boyfriend? Did Jack like me like that?

'No, obviously,' my mind yelled suddenly. 'Jack's only your friend! He'll never be more than that! He likes girls, not boys, and especially not you!'

I slumped my shoulders dejectedly, sighing inwardly as I turned to look at Jack saying something to Frank. "Your height difference is amazing," I attempted a smile, and Frank laughed, looking up to the top of Jack's hair, probably about a foot above him.

"Yeah, well, Jack's freakishly tall, and I'm freakishly small, so we don't make a really good pair," he smirked.

"I'm not freakishly tall, you're just a fuckin' hobbit, Iero," Jack grinned. "Tell me, how is Isengard for you?"

"Fuck up," Frank chuckled, shaking his head. "Hey, Alex, you wanna get some beer?"

"Uh, sure," I shrugged. I turned to follow Frank into the next room, but I was stopped abruptly by Jack's hand on my shoulder.

"Alex," he said into my ear. "I never told Frank you were my b- boyfriend. I don't know where he got it from."

I felt my heart sink miserably, and I found myself staring at the polished floor whilst Jack pulled away. "Oh. R- right."

I sensed Jack staring at me, and I lifted my head up to see him biting his lip. "I..." he started, but sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. Just go with Frank."

He almost pushed me, and I stumbled away after Frank, who'd stopped beside a wall to make out with another girl. I grinned.

"Hey! Frank!" I called over the music, and he peeled away from the blonde girl.

"Seriously, Alex, you're worse than Jack," Frank shook his head, and muttered something in the girls ear, which caused her to smirk and turn away, making her way towards the exit.

"You're a whore," I laughed, following Frank through a corridor. "Honestly. Two different girls within, like, five minutes? Dude, that must be a record."

"Hah, if you think that's something, you've not seen me drunk," Frank grinned. "You probably will soon, though. We can share all the beer. Ooh, and vodka!" he smiled as his eyes glanced over all the bottles on the kitchen table.

"What's vodka taste like?" I asked, watching Frank pick up as many bottles as his hands could carry.

"Heaven," was all he replied as he headed back into the main living room, out of the kitchen. I followed him, and sat on the arm of the chair as Frank collapsed on the comfy seat. "Help yourself, bro," he smirked, handing me a bottle of Smirnoff. I'd seen this in Tom's room all the time, but had never been brave enough to sneak a taste.

I cautiously brought the bottle to my mouth, sipping the liquid and grimacing as it burned down my throat. The aftertaste was amazing, however, and so I took another few gulps, sighing happily. Just as I was about to take another drink of it, Frank swiped the bottle out of my hands from beneath me.

"Hey!" I yelled, looking down at the mess on my jeans. "It looks like I've pissed myself! Frank, you fucking dick."

"You would've pissed yourself if you'd had anymore," Frank shrugged, grinning, and took a massive gulp from the vodka bottle. I smiled, and took to pretending to sulk, leaning against the cosy chair. "Come oooooooooon, Alex," Frank laughed. "Don't be a baby. If you drink too much for your first time, then you'll be sick eeeeeeeverywheeeeeeere. And Jack won't appreciate that!" Frank grinned, and I could tell he was already slightly tipsy.

"Jack? Why wouldn't he appreciate me being sick?" I asked.

"Cause Jack's your booooooooyfrieeeeeeeend!" he giggled.

"No, he's not," I said, looking down. "Jack's just my best friend."

Frank pouted at me. "But he told me on the phone yesterday he was your boyfriend. No wait, it was that he wanted to be your boyfriend. And he was gonna ask you in a while. Heh."

"What?" I whispered. "He... Are you sure? Are you absolutely positive he said that?"

"Yup!" Frank grinned widely. "I remember because I was all grossed out, but then I thought that Jack was my old best friend, and I should be happy for him, because he's in looooooooooooove!"

"Right," I said, and I felt a massive grin creep its way into my face. "I need to go find Jack. Do you know where he went?"

Frank shook his head sadly, jutting out his bottom lip. "Go look for him!" I stood up, my heart pounding in my chest. "FIND YOUR LOVE!"

In retrospect, believing a drunk teenager about a guy liking me probably wasn't the best thing to do. But hey, I was a little tipsy as well (the alcohol made me feel like I was seeing everything through a blurred glass), and when you're told that someone likes you back, you've kind of got to act on that.

I smirked at Frank as I began to search for Jack, checking the living room, only to deduce a few seconds later that there was a lack of skunk hair in here. I checked the hall leading off into the kitchen, but only saw three couples sucking each other’s' faces off.

"Jack?" I called nervously, but to no reply, other than the continuous music blasting. I decided to go upstairs to look, and half way up the staircase, I noticed Jack standing alone beside a door. He saw me, and instantly raised his eyebrows, pushing himself up against the wall and striding over to me as I arrived at the landing.

"Jack, we need to ta-" I began, shaking my head a little bit, but the words died in my throat as Jack pressed his lips against mine, slamming me against a wall and running his fingers through my hair.

Oh my god.

Fuck.

What?

My whole body was numb, and I couldn't believe this was happening. Was this real life? Or just another stupid dream? His lips sled against mine clumsily, but I could tell he was putting everything into it as he kissed me, his tongue pressing against my own in a weird mess of our lips. I was still frozen against the wall of the landing, my mind trying to convince me that, wow, yes, this was actually happening.

'Alex!' my head suddenly screamed. 'Kiss back!'

And so I did.

I reached forwards and grabbed Jack's hair in my fists, pulling him closer to me, and opening his mouth further with my tongue. He tasted of beer and a mix of other strong drinks, but I decided not to dwell over the fact that he was probably drunk, and grasp the moment. Jack's tongue fought over mine, and I gave up fighting for dominance. He cupped my cheeks in his palms, pulling me towards him a little more, so I could feel his eyelashes flutter open.

I copied him, staring brightly into his wide eyes, which were determinedly searching mine. We had a few seconds of silence between us, in which we gazed in disbelief at each other, before Jack pulled in for another kiss, sliding his hands around my neck and pulling me closer to him. I ran my hands across the back of his t-shirt, eventually getting tangled in his hair. Jack retrieved his hands quickly from my neck, grabbing my wrists and pinning them above my head, not once breaking away from my lips.

I whimpered helplessly as I had nothing to clutch onto, and Jack kissed me deeply, our mouths melting together and moving with ease. I bucked my hips up to meet his, and Jack moaned, this fucking gorgeous moan, which had my chest contracting and my mind spinning around wildly, all coherent thoughts totally lost as we made out against the wall. Jack grinded clumsily on top of me, and I felt myself pull away, gasping at the tension. He left a trail of kisses down my chin, stooping down to suck on my neck, leaving hickeys along my collar bone.

"J- Jack," I stuttered. "Mmph, fuck..."

Jack grinned lazily, and he suddenly picked me up bridal-style, so it felt like I was floating, carrying me to the room he was standing beside previously. I laughed a little as he staggered around a bit, his legs moving across the landing awkwardly (I realised that he was having trouble walking because he was drunk, but I didn't do anything to call him out on it). Pushing the door open with his foot, Jack leant down and captured me in another kiss, and I could taste the vodka I'd had earlier mingling on his tongue.

He slowly dropped me on the bed that must've been in this room (talk about good luck), keeping our lips attached, but deepening the kiss as he knelt above me, his hands knotting around my shirt and tugging.

"Subtle," I smirked, and pulled away enough so that Jack could lift my top off. He did so, lifting it gawkily over my arms and tossing it across the room. Immediately, Jack began to roam his fingertips across my bare chest, and I let out a breath, arching my back up and pressing myself into him.

Wordlessly, I reached up and pulled his t-shirt off, throwing it off to the side and pulled his mouth down to mine again, roughly clashing our lips together. Jack began to kiss down my neck, leaving a light peck over the hickeys he'd given me a minute ago, and trailed his way down my thudding chest.

When I suddenly realised what Jack was planning on doing, going down on me like this, I felt my heart jump up into my throat, and my mouth went dry. Holy shit. I wasn’t ready for this, losing my virginity in some dude’s bedroom, when the guy I was going to be having sex with was as drunk as a fucking sailor or something. Fuck. Crap.

"Jack," I whimpered. "Stop."

Jack ignored me, nuzzling his nose into my happy trail, and kissing the waistband of my jeans.

"Jack, seriously," I said a little louder, and he looked up at me this time. "Stop it."

"What?" he blinked, his speech slightly slurred. "Why?"

"I don't want to," I said quietly, grasping his arms and hoisting him up to lie beside me on the bed, pushing myself away from him a little. "I mean, like, you're drunk and everything, and you don't know what you're doing..."

"But I want to," he whined, and Jack snaked his hands across my chest, fingertips grasping at the waistband of my jeans and trying to tug them down. I just pushed my knees closer together, preventing Jack from pulling them down any further than my mid-thigh. "Alex, stop resisting, c'mon..." he hissed, ignoring my wriggling around in his grasp.

"Jack, please don't do this," I asked him quietly, whimpering when I felt his nails scratch my skin as he forcefully dragged the waistband of my jeans down over my legs, shoving them apart.

"You'll like it, 'Lex," Jack murmured, rubbing his hands over my thighs. "Promise I'll make you feel good."

I just struggled against him a little, grimacing as I felt Jacks hands clamp down on my sides to stop me, turning over and straddling me with his legs so that he was kneeling on top of me. "I'm not ready, Jack, I don't want to yet... Don't force me into this. Please."

"But you're so hot," he breathed into my hair, clumsily kissing down my cheek. At any other time, this would've been so amazing, and I would've killed to be in this position with Jack. But now... this didn't feel like my best friend, the guy who had me pinned to a bed, lips parted and sucking at my neck, and the sudden fear that he was going to rape me or something swept through me, turning my body cold. Jack wouldn't do that. I knew he could be stupid and did some weird stuff sometimes, but he'd never rape his best friend... would he?

In a fit of panic, I reached forwards and shoved Jack's chest away from mine, making him stumble off of me in shock. He almost fell off the foot of the bed, but somehow just managed to keep his balance, and glared at me as I quickly brought my knees up to my chest so Jack couldn't force his way into my boxers.

"What the fuck was that for?" he demanded, and he was stumbling over his words so much it was difficult to hear what he was even trying to say.

I just shook my head at him, my heart thumping against my rib cage at an alarming rate. "Jack, I'm not going to have sex with you. Not right now. You're not yourself."

"But I wanna fuck you," he said (I think, at least), trying to move towards me, but I backed up against the headboard of the bed a little more. "'Mon, Alex, please?"

"No," I said, and I felt my voice shake. "No means no, Jack. Don't try anything funny on me. I'll sleep in the same bed as you, but I won't have sex with you, okay? I'm not ready, and you're not sober, it's not right."

I saw his nostrils flare and Jack squared his jaw tightly at me. "Alex, I want this. 'Kay? Plus, you l- led me on..."

"But I don't want to," I said slowly, so he might understand me. "It's not sex if I don't want it, then it's r- rape. And you don't dare fucking touch me like that without my consent, Jack."

His eyes searched mine for a few moments, and I saw my best friend staring back at me, instead of the blatant monster I'd been talking to for the past few minutes. Eventually, Jack let out a murmur of, "fine," and he moved up beside me on the bed, but curled up into the foetal position and faced away from me.

I almost felt bad, but then I just remembered that none of this was actually my fault; Jack was just trying to guilt trip me again. "Okay," I said shortly, cautiously lying down on the bed on top of the duvet, my mind racing and my heart rate still way too quick to be normal.

A few moments passed, and then I saw Jack turn over to face me, eyes closed, but an arm outstretched and wrapping its way around my waist. I felt my breathing hitch in my throat, and I just stared down at Jack to see if he was going to try and make a move on me or something.

But he didn't.

He simply cuddled himself into me a little bit, pressing his nose against my side and tightening his grasp around my hips as his breathing slowed and became deep and even. I gazed down at Jack for a while, trying to decide whether I should shove him away from me, or just fall asleep beside him like this. I eventually decided on the latter, and I relaxed my body into the mattress beneath me, allowing Jack to hold me whilst I began to dip in and out of consciousness, the vodka I'd had making my brain go all fuzzy and slow now.

And maybe drunk Jack wasn't so bad when he wasn't trying to force his way into my underwear, I decided. Because I liked this.