Band Member Oneshots

X4 (Sixteen Times)

"What, are you not having fun, JB?"

"I would be." Jack's dark gaze settled on Alex, dragging up the cards towards himself threateningly. "If you weren't cheating."

"Who says I'm cheating? Maybe I've just been very lucky."

"Yeah." Jack scoffed, combining both old and new playing pack into one. "Lucky".

Alex and Jack play UNO, but it's not all fun and games.

For the September All Time Low Microfic Challenge: Treat

Whether it was done out of spite, or to tease Jack mercifully, the sentiment remained the same.

Alex was cheating.

Really what else could explain why, for the past half hour they'd been in the back lounge of the bus playing UNO, Jack hadn't gotten a single card to put down?

And, at every turn, was forced instead to press down on the goddamn buzzer.

Just as he was doing now, slamming his fist down on the button with a heavy sigh, 20 cards landing on the table in the process. A feat all too amusing to Alex. "What, are you not having fun, JB?"

"I would be." Jack's dark gaze settled on Alex, dragging up the cards towards himself threateningly. "If you weren't cheating."

"Who says I'm cheating? Maybe I've just been very lucky."

"Yeah." Jack scoffed, combining both old and new playing pack into one. "Lucky".

The added cards now at the forefront of his mind, Jack haphazardly began to organize the lot in a system that usually guaranteed him wins. Matching and flyaway cards to the left, with the universal ones at the far right. That is, those highly sought after "Change the Color" and "X4" draw cards.

So concentrated was Jack in organizing these into a somewhat functioning order that he forgot it was still his turn to play.

Until Alex spoke up, unsurprisingly eager to finish the game so he could finally claim victory. "Jack? Are you going to play or what? First official day of tour starts tomorrow so we should probably call it at night."

"Hm."

"I'm being serious!" Alex exclaimed at Jack's lack of response. "You know how cranky you get if you don't get your 12 hours of sl-"

Though the statement was true, Jack's attention wavered off at the last words. Because, at this very moment, stood in front of him, the solution to the problem that was plaguing him from the start of their game.

Four recently "X4" draw cards recently nestled at the far right of his deck.

The four "X4" draw cards available in an Uno pack.

That, if Jack prayed hard enough, would, with the buzzer's random selection, downright bamboozle Alex with cards.

"Jack?" Alex prodded at Jack's silence. "Play up or I win."

Challenged by the threat, Jack smirked mischievously at Alex. Knowing very well the underlying intent, Alex furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Lex." Jack taunted, before throwing down the four cards unto the pile with a loud smack. His tone and facial expression boasting of triumph, "Just that you'll have to press on the buzzer sixteen times!"

"Sixteen?" Alex's eyes widened at the sight before him, "Sixteen? Do you know how many cards I'm going to get now? And how long it will be before we actually finish the game? How we'll both be grumpy tomorrow because we didn't get enough sl-"

Suddenly renewed by the possibilities of the new challenge, Jack interrupted Alex both his smile and tone sly. "Well, I guess we're both in for a treat, then, Gaskarth."