Standalones

A Secret (PG-13)

Alex liked Jack. It wasn't love, he knew that for sure, but it was definitely like.

Only Zack and Rian knew at this point of Alex's life, two of his best friends, other than Jack. It came to no surprise to the two football stars that Alex liked Jack in that way, they could tell from when Alex first saw the guy, he was drooling. It was cute, on a totally, 100%, non-gay way.

Not that they're not okay with gay people, obviously they are, because, Alex, but they don't swing that way. Well, Rian does, he's bisexual, but he prefers girls.

And so here the three musketeers were, sitting in Alex's bedroom, just hanging out. That's all they do when they're together, no video games, nothing. Just them. Because Zack and Rian are almost always at football practice.

"So, Alex, what's the word on the street with you and Barakat?" Rian nudged the slightly older boy's shoulder teasingly with a playful smirk, which left Alex confused.

"What do you mean, Dawson?" he shot back awkwardly, blushing from slight embarrassment. Rian and Zack both laughed.

"Rumor has it that Jack and you are going out on a date tomorrow night." Said the youngest of the three. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"I worry about the way gossip travels through this school," he said, shaking his head in disappointment. "No, it's not a date, as much as I wish it was. Jack asked me if I wanted to hang out tomorrow, and while I got my hopes up that it was a date, he said, "Oh, and bring Rian and Zack, they're always a blast."

"Damn, Lex, I'm sorry. One day it'll be a date, I promise." Rian reassured.

Alex smiled sadly, it never hurts to have faith.

<>

5 years later, and Alex and Jack still hadn't had that date. Zack and Rian think it's time he moved on, but it's obvious he won't anytime soon. So Zack did something about it.

As he and Jack were grabbing coffee one day, Jack asks him how Alex is doing. Zack bites his lip.

"He's...going a bit crazy," Zack decides to reply after 5 minutes of awkward silence.

"What do you mean?" Jack asks.

"Well, he's liked this guy for 5 years. He's too scared to ask him out and is keeping faith that one day this guy will finally ask him out."

"Who is this guy?"

Zack hesitates a moment before whispering, "You."

"Hm?"

"It's you, Jack. He likes you. A lot. I don't know if you like him too but you need to do something about it because obviously Alex isn't going to. Please, Jack," he says, and then he sees Alex, coincidentally (thank God), walk in. "Look, he just walked in, please do something."

"Okay."

<>

"Hey, Alex! What's up?"

"Oh, h-hey Jack," Alex smiles. "Just getting some coffee."

Jack bites his lip and silently gives himself a pep talk.

"So, Alex, Zack just told me that you've liked me for quite some time now..."

"I'm going to kill him."

"...and lately I've been feeling indifferent," he bites his lip again. "Would you, uhm, like to go out sometime?" Alex's eyes widened and his jaw went slack. Was he hearing shit?

"Lex? Alex, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Alex said. "A-And yes, I-I'd love to go out with you." Alex bit his lip into a grin and blushed slightly. He couldn't believe it was happening. All this time he thought Jack didn't like him like that.

Jack grinned widely, causing Alex's heart to flutter. "Lex, can I, uhm, kiss you?" Alex nodded.

Jack then lightly grasped Alex's cheek and leaned forward, catching Alex's lips with his own. At first, Alex was in shock - he hasn't expected Jack to do that. No, not at all.

But after he'd registered that he wasn'tdreaming, and that Jack fucking Barakat, the guy he's liked for the past 5 fucking years, was actually kissinghim, he returned the kiss.

When they broke apart, Jack rested his forehead against Alex's. He smiled at the slightly elder, earning a shy one back from the aforementioned boy. "I've been waiting for this for 5 years. I know it's real, but I still can't believe that it's actually happening." Alex spoke, breaking the comfortable silence between the two. Jack grinned.

"Well, believe it. Because you're not going to be a Katy Perry song about that British comedian dude, or a Taylor Swift single about her many ex-boyfriends. At least not right now, or hopefully ever." Jack responded, earning a chuckle from Alex.

"It's about fucking time!" Shouted Zack from across the café. The two both laughed, playfully rolling their eyes as Alex shouted, "Have fun asking out the hot barista!"

That made Zack blush. And to his embarrassed dismay, that barista was working today.

It's now or never, he thought.