First Impressions

Alex had never been good at meeting people. He’d stumble over his words the way a child stumbled over their own feet – clumsily and stupidly, and it often ended in crying. In hopes to make up for his poor production of words, he’d try to say something funny, which usually came out as something accidentally offensive in some way, and then was generally when the tears started.

Needless to say, he wasn’t surprised that he was nineteen years old and single. He’d never been asked out, never held hands with anyone, never been kissed, and he sure as hell hadn’t had sex. He didn’t even have a job.

He had a total of two friends – Matt and Rian. Matt was cool, but Alex was closer with Rian, mostly because things were awkward between Alex and Matt, considering Matt had a crush on the younger boy and hadn’t hesitated to tell him so. Alex didn’t like him back.

“Lex,” Rian said next to him on the couch, nudging his shoulder. “You wanna go on a double date with me and Cass?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Why not?”

“I wouldn’t have a date, and I’ve never met Cass.”

“Bring Matt.”

“No! I don’t want to lead him on. I’ll see if Meg wants to go, but if I make Cass hate me, it’s your fault.”

Rian rolled his eyes. “You’re not as bad at introductions as you think you are. Besides, we’re just going to go to a bar. Hell, you might find a hot guy who wants to dance with you.”

Alex frowned, pouting a little. “Ri, I’m not interested. I don’t want to ruin your chance at a relationship. Why don’t you take Zack or whatever his name is? He’s not terrible at meeting people.”

“But you’re my best friend. You just have to tell her your name and say she looks nice. Answer whatever questions she asks and don’t go into too much detail, because that’s usually when you mess up. It’ll be fine. We’ll just go to a club, get a little drunk, you’ll find a cute boy, and you’ll finally get laid. It’ll be that easy.”

“It’s not that easy! I don’t want to lose my everything to a one-night stand.”

“You wouldn’t be losing your everything.”

“Rian, I’ve never even held hands with anyone. I’ve never been kissed. I would be losing my everything.”

“Jesus, Lex. You’re coming with us, and you’re getting laid. That’s that.”

“Rian, I-,”

“I don’t care. Go get dressed in something hot.”

~~~

Against Alex’s will, he found himself sitting at a bar in a club with a beer in hand. Cass was sweet, but as he’d suspected, he’d fucked up the introduction. He’d given her his name, the college he went to, and the fact that the human heart created enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. She’d laughed awkwardly and turned back around in the passenger seat of the car.

“Lex, go find someone to dance with,” Rian suggested, nudging the older boy’s shoulder. “There’re cute guys here, right?”

Alex shrugged. “Wouldn’t matter if there were.”

“Oh, that’s such bullshit. Go out there and find a cute boy.”

Alex groaned as Rian shoved him off the stool and towards the dance floor. He fell right into a muscly man that scared the hell out of him and he apologized quickly, blushing deeply before slowly making his way to the dance floor. He apologized as he pushed past people, including a couple who would most likely be leaving soon to get some much needed privacy.

He felt someone grab his hand and he spun around. Due to the little room between people, he found his chest pressed around a stranger’s. “Oh,” he breathed, leaning back a little bit and feeling the man’s arms move to rest on his hips. “Um. Hi.”

“Hey, you’re alone and cute,” the man said. “What’s your name?”

“Alex.”

“I’m Jack. Wanna dance?”

“I can’t dance.”

“Like you’ve never danced before.”

Alex blushed, looking down. “Not in front of anyone, at least. I mean, I spend most of my time reading or on the computer. Did you know that Coke would be green if food coloring wasn’t added?”

Jack raised an eyebrow, his eyes scanning over Alex’s body. “For someone as hot as you, you are awful as being sexy. But no, I didn’t know that, nor did I need to.”

Alex blushed again and bit his lip. “Oh. I’ve never tried to be sexy.”

“You’ve never had a one-night stand?”

“I’ve never even been kissed.”

Jack gave him a look that made him want to cry – he had an attractive guy who thought he was hot and wanted to dance with him, and he was fucking up. “Jesus,” he muttered. “You’re, like, eighteen.”

“Nineteen.”

“And you’ve never been kissed.”

Alex bit his lip again and shook his head. Jack’s fingers were aimlessly rubbing his hips and making his shirt ride up just a bit. He wondered if it was intentional or not. “All right, you know what? I’ll take you back to mine, we’ll make out a ton, and you can stay the night as long as you promise not to rob me. Sound good?”

“I don’t have a way to get home. I came here with my friends.”

“The only straight couple in this entire club?”

“Yes.”

“Tell them you’re going home with me and I’ll take you home tomorrow.”

“How do I know you’re not a rapist?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “All right, if I rape you, which I won’t, feel free to turn me in. My name is Jack Barakat, I work at the animal rescue on 3rd, I’m twenty years old, I go to school at the university, and you’ll know my address when we get to my apartment. I’ll give you my phone number if you really want it. Is that good enough for you?”

“It’ll do. Did you know that a duck’s quack doesn’t echo anywhere?”

Jack laughed lightly, shaking his head. “Just go tell your friends that we’re leaving, Alex.”

Alex nodded and rushed off to Cass and Rian. “You found a guy,” Rian stated with a grin, and Alex smacked his arm.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up. I’m going back to his place and spending the night, so you guys don’t have to worry about taking me home.”

“You’re going to his place?”

“Yeah.”

“To do what?”

“He said we’re going to make out and he’ll take me back to mine tomorrow morning. And he’s not a rapist; he gave me all his info.”

“How do you know it’s true?”

“I’ll get his address when we get to his. It’ll be fine, Ri. We’re just going to make out a little and go to sleep. If we fuck, we fuck. If we don’t, we don’t. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Fine. Text me if something goes wrong, got it?”

“Okay.”

Alex practically skipped back to Jack, who was waiting patiently where Alex had left him. The elder wrapped his arm around the boy’s waist, gently pushing him towards the exit. “So what other weird ass facts do you have up in that little head of yours?” Jack asked with an amused smile. Alex blushed, looking at his feet.

“Sorry about that,” he said softly. “I’m really awkward about meeting new people.”

“No, I think it’s cute. I haven’t been interested in a hook-up in a long time. Talk to me.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Why would you care about such stupid, useless things?”

Jack shrugged and smiled privately. “I guess you could say I’m not too great at introductions either.”

~~~

That night, Alex found himself sitting awkwardly on Jack’s couch, his hands folded in his lap. Jack was sitting across from him and talking about kissing, about what to do and what not to do and where to touch him and to do what he was comfortable with and Alex had long since forgotten about listening and had begun focusing on Jack’s lips and how they’d feel pressed against his. He was getting a bit fidgety.

“… of go along with what I do, all right?”

Alex nodded as if he’d been listening, and Jack didn’t waste any time leaning in and pressing their lips together. Alex tensed up a bit, but let his eyes fall closed anyway and pushed back lightly. His hand was balled in a fist on his thigh, his fingers trying to grip the denim that clung to his leg.

Jack kissed a little harder, and Alex went along with it. Jack’s lips were soft, but his fingertips on the back of Alex’s neck were calloused. “Babe,” he muttered, tugging at the younger boy’s lower lip with his teeth gently. “Relax. Put your hands where it feels right.”

“Snails can sleep for three years without eating,” Alex breathed, and Jack paused for a moment before laughing lightly.

“You’re cute. C’mon, now, you’re good at this. Like I said, just relax and put your hands wherever you want. You can get in my lap or lie down or push me on my back or whatever; just tell me if I’m going too far or fast at any point.”

Alex nodded, and Jack kissed him again. This time, he placed his hands on the back of the elder’s neck as Jack’s hands settled low on his hips, the elder’s lips slotting between Alex’s. Alex kissed back as best he could, hoping that he was doing something right.

After a few moments, Jack lightly ran his tongue along the younger’s lower lip. Alex made a small, surprised noise in the back of his throat; he hadn’t been expecting that. He opened his mouth a little more nonetheless, letting the man lick into his mouth eagerly. He hesitantly flicked his tongue against Jack’s, feeling the elder’s fingers tighten on his hips.

There was a different feeling to that kiss; it was intense and hot and Alex was a little worried that he was going to get turned on. His fingers threaded into Jack’s hair, pulling him closer as best he could, a tiny, needy noise leaving his mouth when one of the elder’s hands slid down to his ass.

Alex’s entire body was hot; he felt like he was radiating warmth that he hoped Jack couldn’t feel. He took up Jack’s offer to get in his lap and straddled to elder’s thighs, letting the man’s other hand settle on his ass.

Jack broke away for a second and asked a question that Alex didn’t hear, and he blinked a few times before breathing hazily, “What?”

Jack laughed lightly, rubbing his ass without purpose. “I’m not going too far, am I?”

Alex shook his head vigorously. “You’re fine. Did you know-,”

“Alex,” Jack interrupted, and Alex blushed. “How many of these ‘did you know’’s do you have up in your mind? Do they just, like, circle around up there until you meet someone new and decide to come out instead of saying something that fits in with the conversation?”

Alex might have been hurt or upset, but he saw the amused light in Jack’s eyes and realized that he wasn’t angry or teasing. “Um. I don’t know. I’m really, really bad at meeting people. I accidentally told Rian that a pregnant goldfish is called a twit when we first met.”

Jack laughed again, touching his nose to the younger boy’s gently. “Why are you so bad at meeting people?”

“I get really nervous and I don’t know what to say and usually a stupid fact is the first thing to come out of my mouth.”

“But why?”

“I don’t know. I can’t think of anything logical to say. You said you were bad at meeting new people too, but you’re clearly not. What makes you think you’re bad at it?”

“Uh, I was pretty rude as a teenager and whenever I’d meet a new person, I’d say the first thing that came to mind, which usually wasn’t too nice. Usually something like, ‘you’re wearing way too much makeup’ or ‘get some jeans that fit.’”

Alex laughed, draping his arms around Jack’s neck loosely. “So what would you have said to me if you didn’t know better?”

“I did say what came to mind. You were alone and cute.”

Alex blushed. “That was your first impression?”

“Yep.”

“Wow.”

Jack grinned and kissed him quickly. “It’s, like, three in the morning. We should go to bed.”

“Oh. Right. Okay. Um. I’ll sleep on the couch; I don’t want-,”

“Alex,” Jack laughed. “You can sleep with me.”

~~~

The next morning, Jack drove Alex back home. They’d spent the morning making out in Jack’s bed, but they’d been interrupted when Jack’s cat (who’d been hiding out under Jack’s bed the night before) jumped up and gave Alex a miniature heart attack.

“So last night,” Alex began, and Jack glanced over at him. “You said that if you rape me, you’d give me your phone number so I could turn you in.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Is consensual kissing considered rape in your book?”

Alex laughed. “No. Even though you didn’t rape me – thanks for that – I was hoping I could get your number anyway.”

“Aren’t you smooth?”

“Oh, shut up. I’m new at this.”

“At what?”

“Sort of trying to flirt?”

Jack laughed, rolling his eyes. “You’re awful at it. If you give me your number, I could teach you more than just how to flirt.”

Alex gasped, blushing deeply and smacking Jack’s thigh. “Oh my god!”

“That, Alexander, is how you flirt. Now, I’m assuming this is your address, unless I’m completely mistaken. Now, do I get your number or not?”

Alex gave it to him without too much trouble (or any), and Jack kissed him goodbye. He got out and, before closing the door, said with a grin, “Did you know that it’s physically impossible for a pig to look up at the sky?”