Ain't It A Fine Life, Carrying The Banner!

JackCrutchie 6- "Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?"

Not a lot could surprise Jack at this point. With the company he kept? Please. A newsie had a better shot at becoming a millionaire than they did at genuinely shocking Jack Kelly.

But walking into his attic room in the lodging house to see Crutchie sprawled on his low mattress wearing nothing but the dying sunlight?

... Well. It came close to genuine shock. That, or an emotion he didn't really want to put a name to. He wasn't even sure he knew what the name would be.

"Ah... Crutchie?"

He opened his eyes lazily, sunlight dancing over freckled skin. "Hmm? Oh, hiya Jacky. What's up?"

"Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?"

Crutchie grinned, stretching slightly. Jack very deliberately kept his eyes on Crutchie's face.

"I lost a bet," he said through a laugh, seeming very comfortable.

Jack, however, was beginning to fidget a bit. He did not even want to confront what these feelings meant, but the sight of his best friend sprawled in his bed in the summer sunset was playing tricks on his mind. He was noticing little details, like the way his mouth was quirked in a crooked grin, the way his hair fanned out around him, the lithe sprawl of limbs across his mattress...

Jack swallowed past the lump in his throat enough to speak. "A bet?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell was the bet?" The universe was toying with him, he decided. His best kept secret was about to be thrown out the window, simply because he didn't know how much restraint he had left.

"Well... The boys bet that I wouldn't kiss you in the square."

Jack floundered for words for a moment. "Oh. I, ah... I see why you chose the alternative."

"Oh, I was going to kiss you," Crutchie said matter-of-factly. "But I didn't want to embarrass you in front of everyone. You got a reputation to maintain, yeah?"

"You... You were gonna kiss me?" Jack could swear there was fire licking up the sides of his neck where a blush was creeping above his collar.

"Mmhmm. When I didn't, this was the other option. Or they were gonna lock us in a closet."

"I think I prefer this," Jack managed, steeping a bit closer and sitting heavily on the edge of the bed, making absolutely certain he wasn't touching any of that lovely skin.

"Yeah, you ain't big on confined spaces," Crutchie mused thoughtfully.

After a brief moment's hesitation, Jack threw caution to the winds and spoke again. "No, I mean I prefer... Seeing you like this."

Silence.

Just as the moment stretched out to the point Jack was considering diving out the window alongside his pride, tentative fingers wrapped around his wrist.

"Yeah?" Crutchie asked softly, joking tone gone.

Jack nodded. "Yeah."

It was Crutchie's turn to blush, the skin under his smattering of freckles turning a rosy pink. He looked completely embarrassed.

It was so damn adorable. Jack wanted to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go.

"So... It wouldn't be unwelcome if you walked in to see somethin' like this again?"

"Christ, Crutchie," Jack sighed, imagination working overtime. "Only make a habit of this if you're gonna let me do something about it."

A grin spread over those beloved features. "What are you gonna do, cowboy?"

Rolling his eyes, Jack shut him up with a kiss.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Jack came down the stairs of the lodging house, shirt off and hair sticking up every which way.

Race whistled lowly, grinning. "Good night so far, Jacky?"

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to know." Raising his voice a little, he leaned against the railing of the stairs, pants low on hips and expression far too smug. "Who arranged this bet?"

Specs raised a sheepish hand, second guessing his attempt at playing matchmaker. Jack often didn't take kindly to people meddling in his affairs, and-

A small pouch with two day's earnings landed in his palm. Jack gave another satisfied grin.

"I think you won the bet, then, champ." With that, Jack turned and started back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

Jack paused, then called back over his shoulder. "You got your winnings, I got mine. And he's waiting upstairs. Goodnight boys!"

For once, the common room of the lodging house was absolutely speechless.

When Jack locked the door behind him and slipped back into bed, Crutchie gave him a loving smack on the shoulder.

"Do you always have to be so dramatic?"

"I got no idea what you're talking about."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure you don't. Now hurry up, I'm sick of being the only one naked in this bed."