Invisible (A Jean Hobbs fic)

Chapter 1

Dean Dobbs sobbed on the couch in the living room of his flat. He was alone, as was common now. Normally, that wouldn't bother him, but in moments like this, when he was at his emotional limit, the silence and the reality that he had no one to turn to for comfort made him hate the fact that he lived alone.

The reason for his tears was what he saw when he checked his YouTube channel earlier in the day. The comments he saw shattered his already low self-esteem.

Dean is so uninteresting. His jokes are cliché and his delivery is so awkward.

The only thing this kid has going for him is the fact that he's cute. If he didn't have nice hair and a baby face, no one would pay attention to him.

The only reason I even know who he is is because of his partnership with Jack, who by the way, is by far the better looking and more entertaining of the two. No wonder so many people like Jack more than him.

Jack. It always came back to Jack. Jack was the hot one, Jack was the tall one, Jack was the charismatic one, Jack was the funny one, Jack was the creative one, Jack was everything Dean wasn't and it killed him.

Dean had tried in recent months to make a name for himself. He'd uploaded vlogs more frequently, he did challenges and collaborations with other well-known British YouTubers like Dan, Phil, PJ and Chris, including mutual friends he had with Jack like Bing and Ben Cook. He got more views and people became more aware of him, but it didn't change the fact that he was always in Jack's shadow and that people didn't respect him.

Clearly, Dean is trying to prove that he's a big name on YouTube and it's just not true. People only know him in association with Jack and his videos with these other big names like Dan and Phil aren't interesting because of him, but because of the talent of his guests.

There's a reason Jack has more collaborations and projects than Dean does. Jack is just more talented so he's more in demand. That's not to say Dean has no talent, but he's not in Jack's league. Jack can mesh well with anyone he collaborates with. Dean's only truly good when he's with Jack. Their relationship brings out the best in him.

He needs to stop trying to be a big shot and stick to making videos with Jack. It's all he's good for.

I honestly don't know what Jack sees in Dean. He's so much better than that short, floppy-haired nobody.

A nobody; that's what he was and that's what he would likely always be: invisible, overlooked, and insignificant.

"Why do I even try? Nobody likes me. They just watch me because of Jack. If I didn't have him, I'd be nothing."

His crying was interrupted by the sound of his phone indicating that he'd received a text. Dean took his phone out of his pocket and saw that the text was from Jack.

Hey Dean. It's been a while since we made a video. I'm going to be in town this week so what do you say we get together? In a non-romantic way of course.

Dean laughed and wiped the tears from his eyes before composing a reply.

Sure, come on over. And are you sure you don't mean it in a romantic way? After all, you're the one who decided we should kiss three separate times.

He waited and soon he got Jack's reply.

That was only for the shippers and you know it. I'll be over in a couple days.

Dean smirked. He loved teasing Jack about their bromance.

Still, you must have liked kissing me since you did it more than once. Looking forward to seeing you.

Jack's response was quick given the length of the text.

Maybe I did like it. Maybe I like kissing guys since you're not the only one I've made out with. It's not like you didn't enjoy it too.

Dean smiled and sent his quickly typed message. I never denied that I enjoyed it. ;)

He typed another message before Jack could reply.

 And you're my man so I don't appreciate the fact that you've been cheating on me.

 He got a text from Jack almost as soon as his second message was sent.

So you're admitting that you love me?

Deans' response was one word. No.

He got another text about three minutes later.

So you're denying that you love me but you're calling me your man and you don't like that I kissed other guys. And what about you? I saw you cuddling up with Ed Sheeran. That's OUR thing!

Dean smiled again. He was already feeling better just communicating with Jack.

You know I love my cuddles and if I can't get them from you, I'll get them from someone else. Are you admitting that you love me since you're jealous that I cuddled with another man?

Jack's response was one word. No.

 You're a liar.

So are you.

You're right. I love you with all my heart.

And I love you with every fiber of my being. See you soon, honey. Xo

I'll be counting the seconds baby. Xo

Dean put his phone back in his pocket and laid back down on the couch. It was true; he did love Jack and if Dean were to be honest, he had been questioning just how he loved him for a while now. He had caught himself daydreaming about being in a real romantic relationship with his best friend more than once. Those thoughts never lasted long because he knew Jack would never go for someone as pathetic as him.

***

Jack was riding the train to Lincoln, his text conversation with Dean still in his mind. They had flirted with each other many times before, partly for the shipper's enjoyment and partly because they loved teasing each other. Lately, he'd wondered if flirting was all it was. When he would send messages proclaiming that he loved the brunette or make sexual jokes with him on Twitter, in the back of his mind, Jack would sometimes imagine scenarios where the things they talked about were reality.

It confused and scared him. All of his life, he believed he was straight. It wasn't until he partnered up with Dean and started indulging in the shipping phenomenon that these thoughts about his friend began surfacing and he started questioning his sexuality. Jack shook his head and resolved to not think about the issue, at least for the time being. He was going over to do a video with Dean and nothing more.

Both of us have girlfriends. You may not be straight but Dean is and you can't break up with Carrie just because you're curious about a relationship with your best friend. Forget about it.

___________________________

AN: Sorry it's short, but it sets things up for the rest of the story. I hope you like it anyway. Votes and comments are appreciated.