Old Songs- Sammy x Jack

City Lights

Sammy's POV

The ink was rushing closer. Sammy bolted down the tunnels, but his limbs were to slow to move. The ink was gaining. His heart pounded in his ears. He could think. Couldn't breath. He kept hearing a humming. Jack! He had to get him out of here! But he couldn't speak. His words came out gurgled and chocked. The black wave was closing in. A hand reached out of the abyss. Jack! Jack!

"Sammy! Wake up!" Jack was shaking Sammy, concern rising in his voice. Sammy bolted up, glancing around frantically. No ink. No tunnels. Jack was safe. He was sitting at his desk. He glanced at the clock, which read 11 o'clock. Jack was standing over him, looking worried. He had his hands on Sammy's shoulders. "Are you ok? You were yelling for me."

Shit. Jack had heard him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a dream." Jack didn't look convinced.

"It's all this stress and late nights. It isn't good for you," Jack said. "How many times do I have to tell you to take a break?"

"One more time?" Jack didn't look amused. "Ok, but if I took a break, I wouldn't be working." Sammy turned back to the sheet music on his desk. "I have bigger things to worry about than sleep."

Jack huffed, crossing his arms. "Samuel Lawrence, you will take a break even if it kills you."

"It probably will."

Jack groaned again, throwing his hands in the air. "Fine. I guess we're doing this the hard way. Come on." Jack grabbed Sammy's arm and started dragging him out the door.

"Jack stop- what are you-"

"I'm not doing this again," Jack said, turning around. He was only a few inches from Sammy, and suddenly his small size seemed intimidating. Sammy stared into Jack's serious eyes. "Everyone has already gone home. If I can't force you to sleep, then I'll force to follow me. So come on!" Jack stormed out of the room, leaving Sammy no choice but to follow him.

Jack walked confidently in the front, leading Sammy through the music department. Sammy followed behind, wondering where Jack was taking him. As he walked, his mind wandered to that moment in the elevator with Norman, and when they were down in the sewers. He wanted to believe Jack was just a friend to him, nothing more. But he knew that wasn't true. He had known it wasn't true from the day they had met. He was terrified at what Jack might say if he found out. Sammy wasn't willing to risk losing his best friend. But could he just go on like everything was normal? They climbed the stairs to the projection booth. Jack opened a door once they reached the top. It opened out into a hallway Sammy was sure he'd never been down. Where is he taking me?

They walked passed door after door, but Jack seemed to know exactly where they were going. After a few turns, he finally opened a door on the left side of the hallway. It swung open with a creak, reveling a staircase leading up. Jack began climbing, Sammy close behind him.

"Where are we going?" Sammy asked.

"I want to show you something." This only made Sammy more curious. After a few more flights of stairs, Sammy saw a bright red door labeled "Exit" come into view. Jack opened the door without hesitation, and Sammy followed after him. He was suddenly hit with a blast of warm air. Sammy found himself standing on the roof of Joey Drew Studios. The wind blew his hair out of his eyes, and he squinted. The roof was baren, save for a few air conditioning units and birds' nests. Jack was making his way to the edge of the roof that faced the back of the studio. He stopped and took a seat, letting his feat dangle over the side. He turned and waved Sammy over. Sammy looked out across the city, and gasped. The lights were brilliant and blinding. The studio sat at the top of a hill, looking down at the busy streets below. The distant echos of laughter and conversation reached Sammy's ears. He could see people crowding the streets; women in furs and dresses, men wearing bow ties. Sammy gaped, struggling to take it all in. It was beautiful. He heard a chuckle, and looked down beside him. Jack was staring up at Sammy, smiling wide. God, his smile was so cute. Jack pat the roof beside him, and Sammy took a seat. The two gazed out below them, inhaling the smells of the city.

"This is what I wanted to show you," Jack whispered. "You spend all your time huddled in your office and we never get to talk anymore. Your so dedicated to your work, and I love that about you, but you can't waste your life away. So take a second. Breathe." Sammy did. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.  He propped himself up on his hands and smiled, letting the wind toss his hair back and forth. This was kind of nice.

Out of the silence, a large bang shook the air. Sammy's eyes shot open, and he was met with an explosion of vibrant colors and sparkles. Fireworks. Green and yellow and red shot across the sky, shining brighter than the stars. Sammy stared, dazzled by the color and the surelism of it all. Jack chuckled again, causing Sammy to turn his head. Staring at the sky, Jack was smiling his soft, honest smile. The millions of sparks of color reflected in Jack's eyes, causing them to shine even more than normal. Sammy's heart sped up. A sudden movement made him look down on his left. Jack had placed his hand over Sammy's. Shit. Jack's hand was rough, but warm. His touch was light, almost as if he was afraid Sammy would jerk away. Sammy wasn't quite sure what to do. His face burned. But, he remembered what Jack had said. "Breathe." Easy for you to say. Right. Ok. He took a deep breath and closed his fingers around Jack's. Sammy thought he would die right then and there, but Jack didn't pull away. Instead he did the same, rubbing the back of Sammy's hand with his thumb. He smiled up at Sammy, and Sammy was pretty sure he smiled back. He was too distracted by the feeling of Jack's hand in his and the million little volts of warmth it was sending through his arm. They looked back out across the streets. Sammy squeezed Jack's hand, and he squeezed back.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."