Alate (Trans Jack Kline AU)

Tacenda

It'd been a few weeks since that drunk night out with Jack's friends. He had woken up with a killer hangover, his memory spotty. Clark had an aspirin ready for him as soon as Jack sat up in his bed.

That felt like ages ago. And somehow, Jack found Tinder on his phone. He wasn't sure when he downloaded it, but he'd already messaged a few people while he was blackout drunk. It seemed as though only one responded, and that was a girl that lived off campus. They didn't share any classes but he did recall seeing her around.

Well, Jack was going to go on a date. His first ever date. He looked over at himself in the mirror, fussing over each detail of his outfit. He wore black slightly ripped skinny jeans, cuffed at the bottom, a white tee shirt, a jean jacket, and his trusty Vans. This was his third outfit already, and he still wasn't sure if he wanted to wear that.

Jack was nervous. he was sure that he was going to do something stupid to just completely ruin his chances at a normal relationship. Just before his panic truly started however, Clark made his way through the door. He'd just had a long shift and his feet were sore, but his eyes couldn't help but get stuck onto Jack and his adorably flushed cheeks.

"What's the occasion?" Clark asked as he threw his uniform shirt off that had its usual overwhelming smell of Italian food. He looked up at Jack after putting on a new shirt, almost concerned by his silence.

Jack was fidgety, just playing with the ends of his thin jacket. And then he finally looked up at Clark, his tone bashful as he said, "I'm going on a date. Does this look okay?"

Clark had an odd feeling in his chest at the thought of Jack going on a date. He played it off well enough as he gave Jack a warm smile. "You look great. Where are you headed?"

That eased Jack's nerves slightly. "We're going to the movies first, and then we're gonna get something to eat." He said as he finally moved away from the mirror to sit down on his bed.

Clark hummed to himself as he put his work shoes away in his closet. He fumbled around the top shelf and grabbed a small chest, where he kept all of his weed paraphernalia. He needed to whine down. He was high strung from work and having to take care of rude customers. He didn't want to spoil Jack's evening with his mood, even if the idea of him going on a date didn't sit well with him for whatever stupid reason that he refused to acknowledge.

Clark still smiled fondly as Jack talked about his date. The girl was a sophomore, so just a little older than the both of them. Clark could tell from seeing her photo that he'd seen her around before and that she was very pretty.

He made sure to take a long drag from his joint as Jack moved to answer his phone. He stuttered slightly as he moved to the mirror, his free hand nervously going through his hair, "Y-you're here? Okay, I-I'll be out soon."

Jack took a deep breath as he slid his phone into his pocket. His hands were shaking and his heart was hammering in his chest. He had no idea what he was doing. He was so clueless and panic started to rise in his chest, something Clark was able to catch up on. Clark's hand on his shoulder brought him back down to earth, his wide blue eyes catching with bright green.

"You got this, Jack. Don't second guess yourself." He made sure to give Jack's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before letting his arm fall down to his side. He watched as Jack took in a deep breath and grounded himself. He gave Clark a confident nod as he finally made his way out the door.

Clark finally let his smile fall as the door shut behind his roommate. He scrubbed a hand over his face and let out a quiet groan. He didn't know why he was feeling frustrated. He should have felt happy for Jack and it was just selfish that he wasn't.