crawl to you

what do you have to say for yourself.

Zach wakes up in the middle of the night. Jack was fast asleep next to him. He presses two fingers on his neck. He's stable. He sighs, relieved. Zach holds his breath when he feels Jack's hand on his wrist.

"I'm okay. It's the third time you've checked on me." He tugs him closer. "You only have to change my gauze in the morning. And I can still move my hand."

The brunet chews on his lip and opens his mouth to speak, but Jack is faster. "And, no, I'm not in pain." He says softly.

Zach nods, stuffing his face on the crook of Jack's neck. "I'm just... worried for you."

Jack painstakingly covers his shoulders with a blanket offered by the Athenas. "I know, angel. But thanks to you, I'm okay." He moves his left arm to caress his face. "You can sleep."

The brunet hugs him tightly, making sure his ear his against his heart. The curly head closes his eyes and lets him make sure he's alive.

When he feels his arms loosen around him, Jack falls asleep again.

He wakes up at the crack of dawn with Zach changing his gauze. His eyebrows were furrowed, as if he's deep in thought. Jack rested his right hand on his thigh, interrupting his train of thought.

Zach smiles softly. "Did I wake you up? I was trying to be careful."

Jack admires him. He was gentle when cleaning the stitches. He blew on the wound, relieving some of the pain he was feeling. Jack watches as he expertly wraps the gauze around his arm, fixing the tiny imperfections. He watches as he chews on his lips when he tapes the gauze together. Zach smoothes the tape with his fingers gently. Every single one of his movements was carefully executed.

Zach kisses Jack's forehead. "There we go. Any pain?" Jack must admit. When he looks at him with such intense care, there's no pain in the world that can distract him. He shakes his head. "You should still have something to eat and then take a pill."

He gets up and grabs him a small energy bar and some water, as well as the pills. Jack sits up and complies with his orders. Zach looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed and measures his fever with his hand. "Uhm, no fever... that's weird. Your body should be fighting the infection."

The curly head shakes his head. "I never had a fever when I was a kid. "

Zach smiles softly as he watches Jack eat. He holds his left hand as his fingers slither to his wrist to see if he still has a pulse. He does, and he sighs relieved. "You can still move your fingers, right?" Jack nods as he shows him. "I'm glad you can."

The brunet hands him the water and lets him take the pill. Jack lays back down and makes sure he comes with him. Zach rests on top of him, his right leg in between Jack's. He holds himself up with his left arm, not wanting to crush Jack.

Jack caresses his face ever so gently. Zach barely flinched now. Only when he was at a state of high anxiety did he flinch away from his touches.

"You know, I am enjoying being babied by you." He comments.

Zach playfully scoffs. "Don't get used to it." Yet, he still moves to get a curl out of Jack's forehead.

Jack reaches into his pocket and takes out a little pebble from it. He opens Zachs hand and makes him take it. "What's this?" Zach asks as he opens his hand. It was a heart-shaped pebble.

"When penguins want to win a mate's heart, they... they find a pretty pebble to gift to them." He explains.

Zach smiles softly. Jack smiles and presses him closer with his right arm. Their lips were barely touching as Jack licked his own. "And what do they to show they accept?" Zach asks.

"They set it on their nest, and they keep building it together." Jack smiles back.

The brunet connects their lips together gently. "So romantic."He chuckles into the kiss.

Jack smiles, too."Marine biology is romantic at times."

The two keep lazily kissing, both humming into. The curly head ran his right hand up and down his back languidly, enjoying how his kisses faltered from time to time. "It tickles." He smiles, not wanting to move away from his lips.

The curly head slid a hand under his shirt and kept running his hand across his back. He feels him shudder and arch his back away from his fingers. "Jack." He warns breathlessly. He was reaching dangerous territory.

"Ew, stop being gay." Daniel complains as he opens the trailer door.

Zach flips him off while kissing Jack. Once he returns, the two are laid down side by side.

Daniel nods his head at Jack. "How're you feeling?"

"Good. My nurse is taking care of me." Zach playfully rolls his eyes but confirms Jack's words with a nod

"I'm gonna have breakfast and start driving, y'all want anything?"

Zach sits up. "Can I have a word with you? Before they wake up."

Daniel swallows in dry but nods. The two grab their breakfast and sit by the front of the vehicle. Jack stays in bed, as he knows he's getting told off if he moves just an inch.

Daniel starts the old trailer, and Zach takes out his switchblade. "What do you have to say for yourself?" He asks.

The blond sighs. "A lot." He looks at the road in front of him. "I think we're being followed by the rebels... and Jack is probably hurt because of me. I didn't mean for all of this to happen." His foot presses on the gas. "And now I just feel so guilty." The urge to cry floods Daniel's senses.

Zach sets a hand on his shoulder."You don't know if it's the rebels or not. It could be the natives."

Daniel wipes some tears away from his eyes and slows the trailer down. He takes a deep breath. "That's not even the worst part." He scoffs. "Jonah's in love with the leader of the rebels, and he doesn't even know it." Zach's eyes widen. "I can't even tell him that because I know he'll want to run back to Illinois."

The brunet looks at the road in front of them. "How would you feel if you were in his shoes?"

The blond nods. "I'd run to Corbyn even if I died trying." Zach nods and looks back at Jack, who had fallen back asleep.

"Love's messed up sometimes."He comments.

Daniel shakes his head in agreement. "Can I... ask you something?" He says hesitantly.

Zach signs him to ask away. "How do you feel? Now that Valentino is part of your past?"

The brunet shrugs. "I can't help but make comparisons between them. And it's wrong of me, yeah. Their ways of treating me are so different. Jack always takes care of me, like I'm precious to him. Valentino didn't do that. I felt stupid with him. But with Jack, I feel like I can take over the world."

Daniel smiles. "That's how you know you picked the right one for you."

Zach nods. "I feel relieved. I closed a chapter of my life." He replies to his first question. "I'm free. I no longer live in fear that he'll catch me and force me to be what I was before." He smiles.

The blond taps on the steering wheel. "That must feel great."

"It does."