Ignite

The first week back after Thanksgiving had been a bit strange for Jack. Not bad strange necessarily, but definitely strange. Why? Because of Zack. Of course it was Zack. It was always Zack. Zack just had an inherent way of affecting every little part of Jack’s life, and it didn’t seem like there was anything he could do about it.

All week Zack had been acting differently. Like, lingering his hand on Jack’s shoulder when he walked past him at his desk, always striking up a conversation when Jack was in his office alone, smiling at him every time they caught each other’s eyes (and it was just Jack that Zack smiled at, he’d noticed), and even complimenting Jack on things that were just mundane. He’d even caught Zack’s eyes drifting down to his mouth when he was talking (like, what? Did he have food in his teeth or something).

Jack just didn’t get it. Did Zack make some sort of promise to himself to start being nicer to him or something? He didn’t think he’d done anything in particular to warrant this extra attention. Maybe Zack was just trying to make him feel better about his relationship ending with Jaime. Yeah, that was probably it. Zack was a good boss like that.

It was Friday evening now, and Jack was just looking forward to going home and sleeping. Maybe for both of Saturday and Sunday. Zack was making his head hurt. What? He couldn’t deal with how his stupid unrequited crush was being made all that much worse by Zack being so nice to him. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that his heart and head and dick (awkward boners were becoming the bane of his fucking life) were aching for all of this new behaviour to mean something more than just platonic congeniality. It just really wasn’t fair.

So yes, sleep sounded perfect.

And of course, Jack’s luck never goes his way. 5 minutes before he was due to shut his computer down and run towards his bed, he got an email through from Zack.

To: Jack.Barakat
From: Zachary.Merrick
Subject: I’m really sorry to ask this…

Jack,

I understand that this is completely last minute and a total dick move, but would you mind staying late tonight? I just haven’t got the big Yates project finalised and I can’t get my head around my ideas, and I could really do with your help.

Is that okay?

Zack

It was official. Some higher power in the universe was determined to torture Jack and make him suffer.

It was only because of the colloquial nature of the email that Jack replied without hesitating.

To: Zachary.Merrick
From: Jack.Barakat
Subject: RE: I’m really sorry to ask this…

Zack,

No that’s fine, I’ll see you in 5.

Jack

What? He could play nonchalant if he had to. Anything to protect his sanity.

“You look like someone pissed in your cereal,” Alex snickered.

Jack grimaced. Charming as always, Alex.

“What’s up?” Alex mused.

“Zack’s asked me to stay late to help finalise the Yates project. I just wanted to go home and sleeeeeep,” Jack whined.

“Ouch, tough break man,” Alex said, frowning sympathetically, “Why didn’t you just tell him no?”

Jack sent him and incredulous look, like how could he ever say no to Zack?, making Alex laugh.

“Ah yes, because of your big gay girly crush on him,”

Jack blushed heavily, eyes bugging wide. Not work appropriate! Their teams were still in the office!

“Alex!” Jack hissed, “Shut up!”

Alex just shrugged, grinning. “If it makes you feel any better, Rian has asked me to stay behind as well,”

Jack raised an eyebrow. These were different situations entirely.

“Difference is, Lex, you’ll be getting buttsex out of your late-night-work and I won’t,”

To his credit, Alex did actually blush.

“You could do if you asked,” Alex fired back.

“Yeah, right. Because that’s totally something normal people ask for,”

“Since when are you normal? Since when are any of our situations here normal?” Alex smirked.

Asshole.

Jack looked at the time and sighed. It was now or never.

“Whatever. Try to keep your moans down, I don’t want to hear them,” Jack muttered, locking his computer as he stood up.

“Can’t promise anything,” Alex winked.

Again, asshole.

Jack made both him and Zack a coffee before heading into Zack’s office, not even bothering to knock. What was the point? Zack knew he was coming in.

As if to prove Jack’s point, Zack pretty much full-on-beamed at him. Wow.

“Come in, sit down! We have lots of work to do,”

“Oh yay,” Jack muttered, handing the coffee over.

Zack snickered, taking a sip of his drink.

“Don’t act like you don’t love it, I know you do,”

Hah, yeah right. Like Zack knew anything.

*

Just over an hour had passed before Jack’s stomach rumbled loudly, making him blush furiously as Zack laughed.

“Shut up!” Jack whined.

SO. EMBARRASSING. What even was his life anymore.

Zack just held his hands up in surrender.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking that ordering pizza is a good idea right about now,” Zack mused.

Wow. Yeah. Pizza.

Wait, pizza with Zack?

Fuck his life, now his heart wanted to believe this was a date. Fuck fuck fuck. No, behave Jack. This was just Zack feeling bad for his stomach rumbling. Fuck. So not fair.

“Rian and Alex are working late too,” Jack blurted.

“Then I’ll call them and ask if they want in,” Zack shrugged, “I would ask in person but I don’t know if they’ll be dressed or not and I don’t really fancy seeing Rian’s bare ass any time soon,”

Jack couldn’t help but giggle, a smile spreading across Zack’s lips, eyes twinkling. It wasn’t fair how his stomach filled with butterflies, it really wasn’t.

“I’ll get us some more coffee,” Jack offered.

Anything to get out of this room and clear his head. Zack just nodded, handing Jack his cup, and Jack all but ran from the room.

He took a little longer than usual to make the coffees, just needing to calm himself down, because Zack acting like this and looking like that made him crave for what he couldn’t have and he needed to remind himself that. He wouldn’t give himself false hope. He wouldn’t and he couldn’t.

By the time Jack got back to Zack’s office, Zack was ending a phone call, so Jack walked in and silently closed the door behind himself. Zack grinned his usual mega-watt smile as Jack placed his coffee down at his desk, which Jack chose to ignore. Control. Strict control and he would be fine.

“Yeah, that’s all correct…uh huh just give my name to the front desk and they’ll call me…okay, thanks!”

Zack put his phone down, turning his full attention to Jack.

“The pizza will be about 20 minutes. I ordered Rian and Alex one too,” Zack explained.

Jack just nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. They fell silent, and for once it was an awkward silence, which Jack hated. The control he needed to exert over himself, the barrier for his emotions was going to make all their encounters awkward now, wasn’t it? He couldn’t just let himself be free and open with Zack like he was before. He had to remember that Zack was his boss and that he was being stupid – it just sucked that it would come with this price.

“So…how was your Thanksgiving?”

“What?” Jack asked, confused.

“How was your Thanksgiving?” Zack repeated, sounding more unsure.

Oh, right. Normal conversation. He could totally do this.

“It was okay. A bit weird and kinda awkward, but okay,” Jack shrugged.

“Why?” Zack frowned.

Oh great. Zack really did want to talk.

“Nothing major. Just, um, my brother and sister brought their partners home, and my cousins brought their husbands and kids, and I was just sitting there by myself,”

“Oh,”

Jack understood that oh. He knew Zack had only spent Thanksgiving with Rian, he knew Zack didn’t have anyone else this year either. So he knew that Zack understood.

“Well hopefully that’ll change by next year,” Zack said firmly.

“What?” Jack frowned.

The determined look in Zack’s eyes cracked, an embarrassed look flashing across Zack’s face before it was wiped blank.

“Nothing,” Zack mumbled, “Let’s try to get this last idea finished before the pizza arrives, yeah?”

Jack opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he pressed his lips into a thin line. Whatever. If Zack was going to be difficult, then so was he. Because what the fuck was that?

*

The tension seemed to simmer away from them over the next 15 minutes, and Jack felt a little better when Zack’s phone rang to say the pizza was delivered. Zack had insisted on going down to pick it up, instead of Jack doing so, allowing Jack to lean back in his chair and relax while he waited.

“Uh, Jack?”

Fuck. Fuck! He’d fallen asleep! Jack jerked upright, spewing apologies, but as his arms flailed, he managed to knock a pile of papers off Zack’s desk and onto the floor. Zack burst out laughing, placing the pizza onto his desk, but Jack just wanted to die. Shoot him now. This was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to him and he just wanted to crawl into a corner and die. This wasn’t fair!

Jack scrambled to the floor, cheeks red from embarrassment, even more so as Zack knelt down next to him.

“I’m so sorry,” Jack whimpered, gathering papers frantically.

He inhaled sharply as Zack placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder, impossibly warm through his shirt.

“It’s okay, Jack. We’ve been working hard so it’s not a surprise you fell asleep,” Zack said kindly.

But Jack shook his head. He was trying to be a professional, damn it!

“I’m sorry,” was all Jack could repeat.

“It’s okay,” Zack repeated too, his voice softer this time.

It was only then that Jack realised how close they really were sitting. How Zack’s hand was still on his shoulder, his thumb now gently gliding back and forth, heating Jack’s skin even more. How he could count all of Zack’s eyelashes, and he knew Zack could count his too. How, if Jack were to lean forward, he could totally kiss Zack right now.

Woah. What?

NO.

Zack’s thumb stilled, but his hand didn’t move. If anything, the air around them got more intense, Zack’s breathing just as shaky as Jack’s. Jack didn’t fail to notice Zack’s eyes flicking down to his lips, his heart and gut and head and everything yearning for this to be real, not to be just another stupid fantasy. Zack swallowed heavily, Jack watching his adam’s apple bob up and down, his stomach flipping at the sight. Something changed in Zack’s eyes, a flicker of determination, and he...

“ZACK! JACK! HAVE YOU GUYS GOT SPARE BARBECUE SAUCE?”

Seriously? Seriously right now?

Rian. Jack was going to fucking kill him. He’d been that close.

Zack bit his bottom lip, before moving away from Jack, Jack barely able to stop the whimper coming from his lips.

“NO WE HAVEN’T! FUCK OFF!” Zack called back.

Rian just laughed, thumping on the door once before walking away. Zack glanced over at Jack, and Jack could only manage a weak smile back before he turned his head, gathering the rest of the papers from the floor. His shoulder still burned where Zack’s hand had been, like a brand, the memory of the longing on Zack’s face ingrained into his mind.

“So, um, where were we?” Zack said, gesturing at his desk.

Jack’s smile remained weak at the crack in Zack’s voice, so he cleared his throat and sat back down in his chair.

Fuck.