Bedroom Warfare - Rack (boyxboy)

| twenty six |

"What's up with you and Rye?" Mikey asked Jack when it was just the two of them still awake.

"Nothing, why?" Jack lied.

"Because you haven't spoken since he popped my lip like a week ago," Mikey raised a brow, "what was that over?"

Jack shrugged, "something stupid. But that's not why we haven't spoke..."

"Then why?"

Jack looked up at him, "i don't wanna speak to him."

"Why not? What did he do?"

"Nothing, he didn't do anything-" Jack sighed, "he did nothing wrong... but it's not like he cares that i'm avoiding him."

Mikey scoffed, "he hasn't shut up about you for the past week."

"Really? Saying what?"

"He wants to know why you're avoiding him," Mikey told him, "he's convinced you hate him again."

Jack sighed, "i just- i can't do it anymore. But i can't bring myself to tell him because-"

"Because....?" Mikey prompted when he stopped.

"Because then it'll actually end."

"And you don't want it to?"

"Not even a little bit no," Jack admitted, "but i can't keep it up, i'm going fucking insane!"

"Why can't you keep it up if you don't wanna end things?" Mikey asked slowly.

Jack just shook his head, glancing at a sleeping Ryan only a few feet from him on Mikey's bed. They'd all had a movie night, and somehow Andy had ended up on the couch with Brooklyn, as Mikey and Jack had stolen his bed and Rye and Alex had stolen Mikey's.

"Jack, you gotta talk to him," Mikey spoke up again.

Jack only shook his head again, "he doesn't wanna know."

"He fucking does," Mikey said firmly.

"He doesn't care," Jack snapped, "he said nothing had changed when it fucking had and-"

"What changed?" Mikey questioned.

Jack took a deep breath and let it all out, "he kept getting jealous, but like, he never did at first, so i asked him about it and he said nothing's changed, but it had, and then i couldn't deal with everything and i flipped on him for nothing - that's when he punched you - but like, what if i wanted things to fucking change? I can't fucking stand not talking to him but-" he cut himself off, realising what he'd just said, he wanted things to change.

Mikey stayed quiet, knowing a smug remark wouldn't help the situation. He pulled Jack into a hug and mumbled into his hair, "speak to him. Please, Jack."

Jack shook his head, but Mikey pulled away to look at him properly, "either you speak to him, or i will, and i don't think he'd appreciate something like that coming from me."

"I hate you," Jack huffed.

"I know," Mikey nodded, "i love you too."