The Leather Jacket

Alex wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up to the sound of ringing. The phone sat on his bedside table behind him was ringing, disturbing him from the nice sleep he was having. Alex turned over and picked it up, he didn’t want to wake Jack who was still sleeping softly beside him. Seeing the time it was nearly 5am and the call was coming from the hospital... Alex took a deep breath and answered it, it wasn’t going to be good.
“Jack” Alex spoke softly trying to wake Jack.
“Jack, baby wake up”
“Tired” Jack mumbled back.
“Please it’s important”
Jack clumsily rolled over so he was facing Alex, his eyes staring at him the semi darkness more awake than they had been moments earlier.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your phone was ringing so I answered it and hmm... It was from the hospital”
“Wh... What did they want?” Jack asked.
“I’m so sorry Jack, I’m so sorry but your mum, she’s died”
Alex waited for the weight of his words to sink in, but Jack stayed perfectly still, like somehow the words had gone over his head, like they weren’t for him.
“What happened?” he managed to get out.
“Her heart stopped, there was to pain, no fuss, it was peaceful and pain free” Alex said, he knew his words weren’t exactly reassuring but it was the best the hospital had given him.
That’s when Jack broke, the sobs shaking his body as Alex scoped him up in his arms. Alex held him tightly as he cried, his hand running through Jack’s hair in some attempt at comfort. Jack curled himself up in Alex’s lap, trying to make himself as small as possible. How could his mum be gone? He’d only spoken to her a few hours earlier and she’d been okay. They told him she’d be okay. She wasn’t allowed to be gone.
“I’m sorry baby” Alex whispered in his ear.
Jack eventually cried himself back to sleep, Alex stayed awake his hand still tangling in Jack’s two toned hair. How was he spouse to sleep when his love was hurting so much? He wanted to take all the pain away but he’d just have to settle for holding him.
That’s how they stayed all night, Jack sniffling in his sleep as Alex stayed awake beside him. Long nights were nothing Alex wasn’t used to, he could live on 4 hours sleep better than most. When his phone bleeped into life telling him it was after 10 Alex felt Jack stir in his arms.
“Hey baby, you fancy something to eat?”
Jack shook his head and sat up, the blonde side of his hair stuck his face where he’d been lying on it why the dark side stuck out at odd angles. Alex had to try not laugh at the adorableness of it.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked.
Jack shook his head again and reached over Alex for his phone on the bedside table.
“I should call the hospital...” he mumbled.
“Okay”
Alex got up to let Jack take his call in peace, thinking he could make them some tea. Tea was good for everything, or so the internet said. Alex made them both tea, adding the extra sugar to Jack’s when he entered from the bedroom. His eyes were red and just everything about the way he moved was sad, Alex just wanted to hold him forever.
Jack wrapped his pale fingers around his favourite mug and sat down at the bar stool opposite Alex. It seemed forever ago they’d sat there the morning after they’d met again. Alex wanted to ask Jack what the hospital had said but he didn’t, he waited for Jack to tell him what he thought he needed to know.
“She wasn’t alone, Lily was there”
“Lily? The nurse who let you stay in my room?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, she was so nice to me and mum. I’m glad she was with her”
Alex smiled and reached over to put his hand around Jack’s.
“They said there was nothing for me to other than plan the...” Jack faltered, unable to say the word, the word that had slipped so easily off the tongue of the man of the phone, like it had been the easiest thing in the world.
“First, do you want some breakfast? More important meal of the day and all that” Alex asked.
“No, I’m not really hungry” Jack replied.
Alex didn’t push it, though he’d never dealt with grief in the way Jack was he knew what it was like to be left alone. He knew not to push and to let things happen on there on.
“How about a movie? We can just hang about the apartment all day”
Jack nodded.
“You pick, I’m going to have a shower”
Alex kissed Jack on the cheek as he passed on the way to the bathroom. The butterflies that Jack got every time Alex kissed him were lost under the sadness that seemed to take up his entire being.

Alex turned from his shower, his hair still damp to find Jack curled up on the coach crying. His cheeks tear stained and eyes red.
“Jacky...”
Alex sunk down on the couch beside him and wrapped his arms around Jack’s shaking body. Jack put his head to Alex’s shoulder and just continued to cry and Alex tried to whisper reassuring things in her ear.
“Can we go to bed?” Jack asked, in between sobs.
Alex nodded and moved to pick Jack up but a sharp pain in his ribs made him stop. He didn’t want to end up in hospital himself.
He took Jack’s hand and led him to the bedroom, he crawled back under the duvet and Alex joined him. Letting Jack cuddle against him, with their legs entwined. Jack sobs stopped as he lay cuddled up with Alex, somehow the older boys arms wrapped around him made him feel better.
“When I was younger we’d watch a lot of movies, on days she was sick and I wouldn’t go into school we’d just watch endless movies” Jack explained, his voice soft and slightly croaky from crying.
“Aw that’s lovely” Alex replied.
“I miss her”
“Tell me about her, tell me all those lovely memories”
“She loved baking, she was always making me something and she always read me bedtime stories, you know the ones with dragons and Princes? I was always the Prince.”
Jack continued to speak quietly, telling all the heart warming memories of his mum until he fell asleep in Alex’s arms. Alex didn’t sleep though, despite the lack he’d got the night before he couldn’t keep his eyes closed with the sun still in the sky and his stomach demanding to be fed. Carful to get up without waking Jack he went to the kitchen to fix himself something.
“Caught in a cold sweat
Stuck splitting hairs and drinking too much
I’m on my way to striking out
Go to sleep with the pressure of everyone watching and waiting
They’re yours for the taking, but I still have my doubts”
Alex began to sing softly to himself as he moved around his kitchen.
“Before you ask which way to go, remember where you’ve been
Stay awake, get a grip and get out
You’re safe from the weight of the world
Just take a second to set things straight
I’ll be fine even though I’m not always right
I can count on the sun to shine
Dedication takes a lifetime
But dreams only last for a night”

Jack woke alone, Alex’s arms no longer wrapped around him. He pulled the duvet around him and curled up, he didn’t want to be alone but he couldn’t some up the energy to go looking for Alex or the energy to do anything for that matter. Expect he could hear it, the soft singing that echoing through the walls of the apartment. The angel like voice that was drawing him in...
“Figure it out
Boy, you’re tripping so pull yourself together
Or you’ll wash up like the rest
This ship is sinking
I’m thinking I’m done for
I’ll watch as the sails disappear under water
‘Cause I’m no captain yet”

Jack just stood a listened to Alex sing, his voice soft and the lyrics unfamiliar but just watching him dance around the kitchen to his own song made Jack love him more.
“Stay awake, get a grip and get you
You’re safe from the weight of the world
Just take a second to set things straight
I’ll be fine even though I’m not always right
I can count on the sun to shine
Dedication takes a lifetime
But dreams only last for a....”
Alex was cut short when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.
“Oh hey Jack, sorry did I wake you? I was just making some food”
“I love you” Jack said, pressing his face into Alex’s shoulder.
“I love you too baby” Alex smiled, placing a kiss to Jack’s temple.
After begging Jack to eat something they end up curled up on the couch why Home Alone played, Alex had never seen it before and Jack had partially freaked over his love having not seen the best movie of all time. And Alex thinks it might just be okay, that’s until they’re in bed again and the clock showed 2am. Jack sobbed in Alex’s arms again why Alex held him, praying his pain would end.