All That Comes to Life

“How many times have you read that book now?” Rian asked as he sat across from his best friend at their usual lunch table. On the other bench, with his face all but buried in his tattered copy of Twilight, sat Alex… who ignored him.

“Uh, let’s see… this is the first day of our senior year, and he reads the entire series once per semester, including another time during summer break, so it’s gotta be the… tenth time now?” Zack said as he sat next to Rian, eyes glued to the blond.

“I know you can hear us,” Rian said after a moment of still not receiving a response. “At this point, you don’t even need to read it to recite it perfectly. We would know since you’ve done it for us.”

“You know he’s not gonna say anything until he gets to the part where—” Zack began, but a squeal stopped him mid-sentence.

“They just met,” Alex squeaked excitedly as he bounced in his chair. “Well, not met, but he caught her. Soon they’re gonna start dating, and then they’re gonna fall in love, and… and…” He all but screamed as he thought about how the rest of the story would play out. More than half of the kids in the cafeteria didn’t even glance over. They were all far too used to it happening by that point.

“But, oh no, what about Jacob? What a lowlife. How dare he try to tear apart what Bella and Edward have? Stephanie Meyer should’ve just, like, totally killed him off,” Rian teased as Zack chuckled beside him. Across from them, Alex’s demeanor changed from ecstatic to annoyed.

“Jacob was pointless,” Alex agreed in a mumble. “Shoulda killed him. What a douche bag. She and Edward are perfect together.”

As he grumbled his lament, he dog-eared the corner of the page he was on (as gently and lovingly as possible) before setting it on the table in front of him. There was no point in starting the next chapter seeing as how lunch would be over soon.

“Aren’t you ever gonna get sick of it?” Zack inquired as he poked at the pile of mashed potatoes on the tray before him. “Like… all the other teenage girls stopped liking it years ago. I’m pretty sure you’re the only person on earth who still likes it.”

Alex glared. “Well, see, I’m not a teenage girl,” he pointed out. “Just because teenage girls don’t like it doesn’t mean I can’t.”

“We’re not saying you can’t or shouldn’t,” Rian cut in, “but, dude, it’s kind of… weird. Most guys our age have posters of hot girls and cars and shit like that covering their walls, and you have Twilight posters. Like, do you even like anything else?”

It wasn’t the first time they’d had that same exact conversation, nor was it the first time he merely shrugged in response. Was it a crime to like something now?

“It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t all you talked about. You wear the same Twilight hoodie every day, and you only wear Twilight shirts, and you’re almost as bad as a Brony at this point. Probably worse, actually. What even happened to your love of music?”

“I still love music,” Alex defended. Even that was cut short by his friends.

“No, you love the Twilight soundtrack. I’m not even sure twilight is a real word anymore. That’s how often it’s said between us. Do you even—”

“Y’know what, just… leave it. We’re not gonna get through to him anytime soon. He’ll run himself out of it one of these days. I mean, he’s bound to, right? Just let him enjoy it while it lasts or whatever,” Rian said with a sigh and wave of the hand. He was acting as though Alex wasn’t even there, and honestly, that just pissed the eldest boy off more than he’d surely ever been before. Even more than when Jacob had kissed Bella.

The piece of literal shit.

However, he didn’t have the time to make any further comments before the bell was ringing. Had he really spent the entire lunch period reading the chapter? He’d need to kick it into high gear if he planned on finishing it by the time December rolled around.

“We’ll see you later, Al. Try to pay attention in class, alright? This is our last year here. It’d be shitty if you got left behind because you couldn’t keep your hands off your book,” Rian said as he stood. Zack followed with a wave, and with a sigh, Alex climbed to his own feet and began the trek to his next class.

Still, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his mind off of the things he’d been told. Or criticized for, really. Was it honestly that big of a deal? So what if he liked something that everyone else had stopped liking? So what if he’d rather read the same books every few months instead of do something like chase after girls (or, in his case, boys) or obsess over football? So what? It’s not like he was hurting anyone, was he? It’s not like he was—

An ‘oomph’ was all Alex heard before he was falling backward. He hadn’t even realized that the sound had come from his own lips. The only thing he knew was that he was headed towards the ground… and then strong, quick hands were wrapping around him to hold him in place.

“Are you okay?” the stranger asked, arms still holding Alex close. The teen was hesitant to open his eyes, in fear that the stranger would let him go just to see the look on his face as he was dropped, but when he finally glanced up into the other person’s eyes, he was sure he’d probably, like, died.

Alex’s jaw dropped open and closed as he looked the other person over (at least, what he was able to see, given their close proximity). Dark eyes and hair, the glint of perfectly straight, white teeth through a small simper, and oh, God, he was a lot stronger than he appeared. He was no Edward, that was for sure, but he was honestly probably better. By a lot.

The blond wasn’t going to melt on the spot. He was okay. He was okay. He was—

“Tell me, pretty boy, where are you headed? Looks like you could use a little more help,” the stranger joked. He was still so close. Alex just nodded. That had the other boy laughing, and then Alex knew he’d died. He had to have. There was literally no other way this was actually happening. “Well? You gonna tell me where you need to be? I have things I gotta do, too, pretty boy.”

There was another blank moment where all Alex could do was stare before he was coughing and stuttering over his words. “Biology with, um… w-with Carsak. In, uh… in the… the…”

“Next building over? I was just on my way there. Why don’t you walk with me?” Another nod, and Alex was being adjusted so that he was fit snugly against the other boy’s side with an arm wrapped around his shoulders. It was stupid of him to lean into the touch, it really was, but he couldn’t help it. He just smelled so good, and he was—“So, pretty boy… you gotta name?”

“It’s, uh… it’s Alex,” he spluttered out. He was just starting to feel the blush as it overran his cheeks. How long had it been there? How dark was it getting? Jesus, he was the biggest embarrassment to society the world had ever seen.

The stranger gave an approving hum before looking down to send a sly smile at the blushing boy. “Pretty name for such a pretty boy,” he remarked. Alex wanted to both disappear and never leave the stranger’s side at the same time. Why was he even letting himself act like this? It was just some guy. He didn’t need a guy in his life, distracting him from his books. He was probably already thinking of ways to make fun of—“The name’s Jack. Tell me, Alex, why Twilight?”

And there it was. He was already trying to think of ways to mock Alex. He wasn’t going to spill his life story to this guy or anything just because he was hot. He’d settle for a simple answer. Something like ‘because’ or ‘it’s none of your business.’ That’d show him.

“I really like vampires. Edward is my favorite. Everyone tells me it’s not real, but I think it could be. Don’t you think so? Like, how is everyone so sure that it’s not? Just because they don’t tell us they’re real doesn’t mean they aren’t. It’d be so exciting. I’d love to be in Bella’s shoes for a day. Not because I, like, wanna be a girl or something, but because… oh, God…” Alex rambled. He hadn’t meant to do it, and that’s what counted, right?

Jack hummed again as the corner of his mouth quirked up just so. “They might be, Alex. Who’s to say? I’m sure they’d love to have a pretty boy like you around. At least, I know that I sure would.”

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Focus on where he was stepping. Alex was okay. He wasn’t dying, and he would be fine, and they had to be somewhat close to their class, right? He really, really hoped they weren’t.

“Can I ask you something?” he was barely able to choke out when Jack squeezed him closer—to save him from being run into again by the oncoming traffic, of course. He didn’t get an answer in response, but he took that as a sort of go ahead. “Why do you keep saying that?”

“Keep sayin’ what, pretty boy?”

“That,” Alex emphasized. “Why do you keep calling me… pretty boy?”

Jack laughed. “Because I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” he dismissed easily. “You’re pretty, and as far as I can see, you’re a boy… doesn’t take that much to put two and two together, does it?”

The blond couldn’t even find it in himself to say anything in response. He didn’t need to make an even bigger fool of himself in front of anyone, especially not an attractive boy who seemed somewhat interested in him.

Before he could think of something even semi-intelligent to say, they were already stood in front of the classroom door that they needed to be behind. As Jack’s arms left his shoulders, Alex found himself wishing for nothing more than to have the innocent contact back.

“It’s been fun, pretty boy. We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

Alex couldn’t wait.

--- ---

Despite what Alex had decided about putting the pedal to the metal with his reading, over the course of the first month of his senior year, he found himself reading less and less often. It wasn’t his fault, really. If anything, it was Jack’s.

How was Alex supposed to concentrate on his books if the other boy seemed to always be around every corner? It seemed that no matter where he went, Jack was there with open arms and an absolutely to die for smirk. He wasn’t one to talk about himself often, and that just intrigued Alex more. He sort of reminded Alex of… well… Edward.

For a while, he figured that he was just being stupid. After all, what were the odds? Why would a vampire want to be around him? But the more he thought about it, the more plausible it started to become. Bella hadn’t thought there was much of a reason for Edward to be interested in her, and they were soulmates. Why couldn’t the same apply for him, too?

He didn’t need to read Twilight anymore if he had his own Edward. He could just live it instead.

It took another week of careful deliberation and thoughtful planning before Alex decided to charge headfirst into whatever life was planning for him. He wanted this after all, didn’t he? Maybe for once, life would play out the way he hoped it would.

--- ---

It took another two weeks before Alex could actually work up the nerve to return Jack’s advances. They were always subtle touches, gentle whispers in his ear and sometimes, if Jack was feeling especially flirty, an arm wrapped around his waist instead of his shoulders.

Alex didn’t blush anymore. At least, he was pretty sure he didn’t… he hoped he didn’t…

It was before seventh period on a Thursday afternoon when Alex finally got the nerve to do something. Jack always walked Alex to all of his classes, made sure he got where he needed to be without any trouble, and that was really the perfect opportunity.

He tried to not psyche himself out too much beforehand, and as Jack’s arm began to slip away from his waist, he turned and pressed a small kiss to the taller boy’s cheek.

It was quick and hardly there at all, but it still had that smirk spreading across thin yet completely kissable lips.

Jack didn’t say anything about it, didn’t bring it up as he was walking Alex to his car after that period or at any point during any of the following days, but he did make sure to return the kiss the first chance he got. He’d been waiting to make that move for… weeks, at least.

It had made Alex jump in fear and surprise (because, okay, what if Jack had been going to bite him or something?), but he easily relaxed. It was going to happen at some point, right? It had to if they were going to be together forever.

The packed school parking lot just really wasn’t the ideal place to become undead, no matter how you looked at it. He wanted something more… romantic, really. He also wanted to remain a human for just a little longer.

Jack knew that. He must’ve.

--- ---

Their relationship progressed much more quickly than it should have after those first innocent kisses. Granted, most high school relationships move too quickly as it is. Alex placed it on the fact that he was Jack’s soulmate. Jack never said so explicitly, but he knew that they were. How else would one explain the way they’d been attracted to each other since the moment they first touched?

He probably just never said anything because he didn’t want to scare Alex away. It was silly of him to think that, of course. Alex still loved everything about Twilight just as much as he had before they’d met (and he was a little disappointed that Jack didn’t sparkle, but Stephanie Meyer had to make something false, didn’t she?), and it was more than clear that nothing Jack could do would scare him off (because, hello, Alex already knew about the things he could do). If anything, he was eagerly looking forward to the day when Jack would open up and be honest about everything. He’d be able to learn so many things that he’d never find in a history book, and then they’d be able to truly start their lives together.

Or… not lives, but eternity. Alex really liked how that sounded.

Still, he didn’t ask or make the first move. He could wait, and he would wait, and then one day, everything would be easier on the both of them. If Jack needed time to make sure that everything was okay for them, he could have it. Alex didn’t mind.

--- ---

Jack knew that Alex thought he was a vampire. He knew about it all. Truthfully, he found it pretty damn endearing. Seriously, here was this cute, shy boy who just wanted a vampire to fall in love with him, and he clung to Jack like there was no tomorrow.

Most other people probably would’ve found it a little odd, had they known about it as well, but not Jack. He’d play along if it made Alex happy. It wasn’t even like he was actually telling a lie, either, since he’d never even suggested that he was a vampire. He only made comments that made it seem like he was suggesting it, but he really wasn’t.

One day Alex would know the truth, and they’d look back together and laugh, but for the time being, Jack was a vampire. A not-quite bloodthirsty vampire who wanted nothing more than to make sure his kinda-but-not-really boyfriend was both happy and healthy at all times.

Keeping up the façade wouldn’t even be that difficult, he was sure. Hell, he even read Twilight (all damn four of them… and watched the movies… and pretty much every canon, Twilight-related piece of literature on the market…) just so that he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Be both mysterious and romantic—check. Offer very little information about himself—check. Keep his skin as cold and pale as possible—sort of check. That was a little difficult to accomplish, but he somehow constantly managed.

Jack Barakat may have seemed like a douche bag to anyone on the outside, but really, he was just a boy with a crush on his not-quite boyfriend. He’d really do anything to make Alex happy, even if it involved pretending to be something that didn’t actually exist.

He couldn’t have been the only one, right? He’d keep telling himself that.

--- ---

The first time Jack ever visited Alex’s house, it was to meet his mother. The woman was lovely, she really was, and she seemed to adore Jack just as much as her son did. That was a definite plus, right? When Alex found out that he really was just another, average human, that’d be a deciding factor in whether or not they’d be able to move on together as a couple, wouldn’t it? Jack prayed it did.

The second time was because Isobel, Alex’s mother, had invited him over for dinner. Alex had held his hand underneath the table as they ate and cuddled against him as they all reclined in the living room afterward, and that really helped put Jack at ease. He wasn’t nervous or anything ridiculous like that. He was just… a little bit uneasy, really. No matter how much his partner’s parents had liked him in the past, they’d always seemed to nitpick him apart at a dinner.

The fact that Isobel wasn’t like that anyway really helped, too.

The third night found both boys in Alex’s bed, lips locked and bodies pressed together tightly. Isobel had gone out for the evening (for a girls’ night out or something like that) and left the two with a playful warning. Alex couldn’t remember what the speech had originally been about, honestly. Maybe it was something about not setting the house on fire, or maybe it was something about them behaving themselves. Hell, it could’ve been both of those things, and then some.

It didn’t really matter, anyway.

What did matter was the fact that he needed Jack closer. His tongue needed to swipe along sharp teeth and his arms needed to wrap tighter around a thin waist. He needed more contact, more of Jack’s hands gripping at his hips under his shirt, more of Jack’s legs resting against his own, more of everything and anything he could possibly be given.

Yet, he found himself pushing his boyfriend away. His eyes were wide in the dim lighting of his room, but Jack could still make out the way his chest heaved and his shaky, wet lips parted open just slightly. After only a few moments of staring, he was back into motion and shifting them around until Jack was sitting up against his headboard with Alex settled comfortably on his lap.

A pause, just long enough for clumsy fingers to twirl dark hair before they rubbed down a lean torso, and then he was leaning in for another kiss.

It was fairly innocent compared to the pace they’d been moving at before, but there was… something about it that made Jack a little uneasy. He wasn’t even sure why he would feel that way about making out with his own damn boyfriend, but when Alex pulled away again to speak, all of his silent questions were answered.

“I want you to change me,” he whispered. His tone was strong, but it still wavered with a bit of uncertainty. “Please, Jack. I want to be like you.”

At first, the meaning didn’t quite catch for Jack. Did Alex want him to… to change his clothing? Was he playing babysitter now? He was too damn filled with lust and desperation to understand what he was being asked.

But then it clicked, and he sat up a bit further. His hands moved from where they were resting on Alex’s thighs, one wrapping around the back of the blond’s neck to bring him forward so that their foreheads were touching as the other pushed up under the loose ‘Team Edward’ shirt he was wearing to rub at toned skin.

“Alex,” he started, husky voice only a murmur. He stopped there, needing a second to gather his thoughts and think of a way to get out of what he was being asked to do, and then he was trying again. “You don’t understand this, Alex. This isn’t a book; this isn’t a movie. This isn’t as easy as you’d think it would be. You’d be leaving so much behind. You know that, don’t you? You wouldn’t be able to see your mom again. We’d have to run and never look back. You’re not ready for that.”

What was even the point in pretending that he thought Alex didn’t “know?” That ship had sailed long ago.

“No, I do. I know. I wanna be with you. Please? I want this. It’s all I want,” Alex begged. It was clear that, no, he didn’t want it as much as he was trying to make it seem, and that gave Jack an idea.

With a gentle kiss to swollen lips, he was leaning away so that they could truly see each other.

“You’re sure? You can’t go back after this. We’d be able to stay until graduation, but after that, we’d need to leave and never look back. Are you sure you’re ready for that? There’s no going back from something like this. You’re absolutely positive this is what you want?” he asked, putting on his serious face. When Alex nodded, he did so as well. “It’s going to hurt. It’s going to be excruciating. There’s no easy way to do this. Are you ready?”

When he got another nod, he leaned forward for another kiss before casting one final glance into Alex’s eyes. Indecision and fear swam in his irises. Jack could almost feel him shaking from where he was still sat.

He was slow in leaning forward, heading toward the smooth skin of the blond’s neck. The hand that was resting against the back of Alex’s neck moved up to grip at soft hair, and with a gentle, guiding tug, Alex’s head was craning away and exposing more of his neck. When his lips came into contact with the warm skin there, he let them part.

He could feel the erratic, labored breathing that overtook his boyfriend’s body before he could even let his teeth come into any sort of contact with the flesh, and he let his lips close once more to press a gentle kiss to the thudding pulse as it throbbed in Alex’s straining neck.

A heavy gasp filled his ears before he pulled away. As his grip eased itself out of Alex’s hair and their eyes met once more, it became more than obvious that Alex had realized his mistake. Before Jack could even fully lean back against the headboard, the blond was lunging forward and wrapping his arms tightly around his boyfriend’s neck.

“I don’t want it,” he sobbed, breathing still ragged. It was only getting worse the more he attempted to speak. “I don’t want it. I’m sorry. I don’t want it, Jack. I don’t want it.”

Jack held him just as tightly. His large hands smoothed over Alex’s back as he buried his nose in the fruity-smelling hair closest to his face. “Sh,” he soothed as best he could. “I know you don’t, baby. I know. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’d never do anything I wasn’t sure you wanted. Everything’s okay.”

It took what felt like hours of coaxing to get Alex to relax. When it had finally been managed, another gentle kiss was pressed to the same spot on his neck before they were being arranged to lay on the bed together. With Alex’s face pressed into Jack’s neck and his hair brushing Jack’s cheek, everything was fine. Alex wouldn’t be asking for Jack to change him again (not for a good, long while, at least), and that was a relief in its own right.

--- ---

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately,” Alex said just a week later as the pair sat outside, under the shade of the tree in Alex’s front yard, “and I just… what was it like?”

“What was what like?” Jack asked as he pulled Alex closer, so that the blond was more or less sitting sideways across his lap.

“The past,” Alex explained. He shrugged. “I mean, is it really like in the history books? What are some of the things you saw? Has it been weird, having to adjust to everything? How old are you even?”

And, okay, shit, he’d never actually thought that far ahead. Or behind, as it would be.

“I’m actually, uh—I’m still pretty young. Maybe fifty at this point? I don’t remember. Birthdays become meaningless when you don’t age anymore. It’s been kinda cool, though, y’know? How many other eighteen-year-olds can say that they were at Wood Stock?”

Alex laughed at that before he leaned against his boyfriend’s chest. “I’m dating an old man,” he said before another giggle slipped through his lips. He peeked up through the hair hanging in front of his face before he was sitting up just enough to plant a kiss on falsely pouting lips. “You look good for fifty,” he assured, cheeky smile spread across his lips. “Almost a little too good, actually.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me, Gaskarth?” he questioned, mock offense flooding his words. His thick eyebrows scrunched together on his forehead, and his arms squeezed where they were wrapped around Alex’s waist, holding him in place.

“Why would I insult you?” Alex asked back, mirroring his boyfriend’s expression. “It must suck to be you, though. You’re never gonna be twenty-one. What’s even the point of being so old if you can’t even drink to pass the time? Are you just gonna wait ‘til I’m twenty-one so that I can buy us all the drinks we want?”

“That’s the plan, actually,” Jack said with a nod. “You caught me. Damn, you’re good. Nothing gets by you, does it?”

Alex’s grin was smug as he shook his head. They stared each other down, Alex with his simper and Jack with his deadpan expression, before the taller boy was reaching up to push his boyfriend off of his lap and onto the ground beside him. It took a little bit of a struggle to switch his position so that he could pin the blond to the grass, but the surprised gasp and bout of hysterics that flit into the air around them were enough to let Jack know that it wasn’t a bad thing.

Jack waited, adoring smile just barely stretching his lips, and as soon as Alex was able to calm down enough to breathe properly, a gentle kiss was being pressed to his lips. It didn’t matter that they were in out in the open for anyone who cared to see them as they expressed their admiration for the other.

It didn’t matter that the back of Alex’s Twilight shirt would definitely be covered in both grass and dirt stains by the time they decided to head inside for the day, and it didn’t matter that, one day, Jack would have to come clean about everything and put their entire relationship in serious jeopardy.

Even if Alex despised him for his lies later down the line, it didn’t matter at the moment because they were happy and they were together, wrestling in the blond’s front yard like they’d really live forever and never had to worry about anything again.

Jack would do absolutely anything to keep that shy, Twilight-obsessed boy of his happy, even if it meant hiding who he truly was. He was, as Alex had thought upon their initial meeting, just like Edward, except… maybe Alex liked Jack better. He’d rather his boyfriend over anyone else, fictional or not, any day of the week.

Maybe their relationship wasn’t truly the most conventional, but that was okay. They had each other, and that was all they needed.