Take a Breath, Let the Rest Come Easy
Title: Take a Breath, Let the Rest Come Easy
Author: Laura, aka umbrellabeach55
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Merrikat
Summary: And then Zack was there, standing opposite him, and Jack found himself wondering why exactly he was so nervous. All of a sudden it seemed simple, really.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. Title credit goes to All Time Low, for their song Dear Maria.
Author's Note: So I haven't written anything for a while. Some of the reason being that I didn't have any ideas, the other part being that my English teacher has been piling on the essays lately, so I've been a bit sick of writing. But alas, I'm over that, so here you go. Enjoy.
My Tumblr can be found here.
Present (9 am Maui Time)
It was nine in the morning when Jack opened his eyes. The sunlight was streaming through the open window, causing him to blink and squint and immediately regret his decision. Groaning quietly, he turned over, squishing his face into his deformed pillow. He smiled sleepily at the person beside him as he pulled the thin sheet up to his shoulder.
His new husband Zack was still asleep, flat on his back with his limbs haphazardly placed. Jack could never figure out how he slept comfortably like that- he was strictly a side sleeper himself.
A warm breeze blew in the window, ruffling the curtains and the small piece of hair hanging down on Zack’s forehead. Jack reached out and gently brushed it off his face- he didn’t want the tickle to wake him up. Zack deserved the rest.
24 hours before (9 am L.A. Time)
Jack paced around his hotel room, nervously fussing with his loose tie. His best friend and best man Alex lounged on the bed, amused. He’d never seen Jack like this before.
“Do you think I should change my tie? Is the color alright?”
“You look fine,” Alex told him for the umpteenth time. “Grey is what you wanted, remember? It’s your color scheme or whatever.”
Jack sighed, stopping to look at himself in the full length mirror hanging on the closet door. He buttoned and unbuttoned the top of his purple dress shirt, then fussed with the sleeves on his grey suit jacket. “I’m just so fucking nervous. How can anyone stand the anticipation? And not throw up or something.”
Alex stood, buttoned his jacket, and joined Jack in the mirror. “Everything’s going to be alright. You love him. That’s all that matters.”
“I know,” Jack said quietly. His stomach was exploding with butterflies. A riff from a Yellowcard song looped through his head frantically, something that always happened when he was nervous.
Alex looked at his watch, then threw his arm around Jack’s shoulder.
“It’s show time.”
23 hours before (10 am L.A. Time)
Jack stood in the right wing of the church with Alex. Nervously twiddling his fingers, Jack peeked out into the nave while Alex tied his tie for him. He could see the small crowd assembled in the pews- no more than 40 or 50 people. The band stood in a small semi-circle on the left of the altar, quietly preparing. Purple flowers wrapped in grey ribbon were hanging on the ends of the pews, sitting on the windowsills, and arranged on the altar. After a few minutes, the priest joined them, saying it was time to begin.
Jack nodded, and the priest caught the band director’s eye from the wing, giving him the signal. The music started; quiet, simple, nothing too out of the ordinary. Alex squeezed his shoulder and Jack tried to breathe as he, Alex, and the priest took their places by the altar.
He waited anxiously as his other three groomsmen, Rian, Matt, and Joe, and two bridesmaids, May and Cassadee, paraded slowly up the aisle.
The band faded into the “here comes the bride” part of the processional, jokingly renamed “here comes the groom” by Jack, and the congregation stood.
“This is it,” Jack thought, clenching his hands tighter together.
His heart jumped when three figures appeared in the open doorway. It jumped even further when he saw his soon-to-be husband’s face, aglow with joy, grinning widely back at him. Zack was dressed in a grey suit and purple shirt similar to his, only he was wearing a bowtie rather than a regular tie. His grin grew larger as his parents lead him up the aisle, almost having to hold him back from running to Jack.
And then Zack was there, standing opposite him, and Jack found himself wondering why exactly he was so nervous. All of a sudden it seemed simple, really.
He barely heard the priest begin. All he was focused on was Zack’s face, practically giving off light from beaming so hard. Zack’s eyes never left Jack’s as he said “I, Zackary Merrick, take you, Jack Barakat, to be my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death parts us.”
Jack somehow managed to swallow, and repeated after him, replacing Zack’s name with his and vice versa.
They placed rings on each other’s fingers and repeated a few more things, and before he knew it, the priest was declaring them husband and husband, and giving Jack permission to kiss Zack. Jack hesitated for a second, and then he launched himself at Zack and kissed him for all he was worth, dipping him back on the spot.
The congregation erupted in applause and cheers, and Jack pulled away and blushed. Grinning, Zack took his hand and, after kissing him one more time, pulled him back down the aisle. Together they ran out of the church and out to the cool June air, laughing and shouting their joy.
Jack paused, watching Zack dance and skip around the lawn, and he wondered how he had gotten so lucky. But when Zack pulled Jack back in to join him, he realized he didn’t care how it happened. He was just glad that it did.
19 Hours Before (4 pm L.A. Time)
The reception had lasted for 2 hours, and there was much rejoicing. The families of both sides talked, ate, drank and danced until they could do no more, and after a heartfelt sendoff, Jack and Zack found themselves on an airplane taking them from sunny Los Angeles, California to dreamy Maui, Hawaii.
In the cramped coach seats, Jack leaned his head on Zack’s shoulder. He had a pillow, but preferred Zack whenever possible.
“You should probably sleep now,” Zack said quietly. “I have other plans when we arrive.”
Smiling to himself about Zack’s implications, Jack closed his eyes and fell into a content sleep.
14 hours before (7 pm Maui time)
“Wait here,” Zack commanded as he climbed out of the rental car.
Jack rolled his eyes, slipping off his seat belt. He drummed his fingers against his leg as Zack flit around, collecting all the bags. He disappeared into their beach house, and didn’t reappear again.
Jack huffed, getting out of the car. He could see the ocean from the driveway; it was peaceful, softly lapping against the shore, inviting him down to join. So, he slipped off his shoes, rolled up the legs of his jeans, and scampered down to meet the water.
It greeted him like an old friend, playfully swirling around his feet as he dashed in. He loved the feeling of the current pulling him forward and pushing him back- there was something so hypnotic about it. He played tag with the waves, laughing quietly to himself.
Zack had been ready for Jack for 10 minutes, but he couldn’t help just standing on the back porch and watching his husband play. When he and Jack came here, he could visibly see Jack change. He was much more relaxed, carefree- different from the rushed person he had to be back home. Maybe it was the ocean air, but Zack felt his love for Jack more intensely whenever they stayed in this house.
“Jack,” he called from the porch. Jack’s head snapped up, smiling when he saw Zack standing there. He grabbed his shoes and jogged up to him, shielding his eyes from the setting sun.
“What took you so long?” Jack breathed, depositing his shoes on the porch steps.
“Just getting things ready,” Zack replied. He took Jack’s hand, and led him inside.
The beach house was just as they had left it back in December, when they last came. Modestly furnished, it was a cozy little home, with only 4 rooms: a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and den. Zack had already stowed their bags away in the bedroom, and there was fresh produce sitting on the kitchen counter.
“I had Evan drop off some groceries this morning,” Zack said when he noticed Jack eyeing it skeptically. Evan was their nearest neighbor, who had a key for emergencies.
Jack nodded, running a hand through his plane-messy hair.
“Shall I make you dinner?” Zack said, kissing his cheek.
“It’d be better than if I made it,” Jack chuckled. Zack kissed him again, this time on the lips, and promptly shooed Jack out of the kitchen, a safe decision for the both of them.
13 ½ hours before (8:30 pm Maui Time)
“Dinner was delicious, babe, as always.” Jack leaned back in his chair, stretching his shoulders. The two of them sat at the patio table on the back porch, admiring the stars as they ate.
“Thank you, as always,” Zack answered, smiling. He stood, and pulled Jack up with him. “Join me in the hot tub?”
“Yes, please,” Jack replied eagerly, immediately pulling his shirt off. Leaving the dinner dishes for later, Zack uncovered their hot tub attached to the porch, which was bubbling merrily.
“I had Evan start it this morning too,” he explained, running a hand through the water to test it.
A naked Jack appeared next to him, immediately climbing in. “Perfect,” he sighed.
Zack stripped off as Jack looked at the moon, throwing his clothes in a pile. Jack grinned as Zack climbed in next to him, pulling Jack’s skinny body close to his.
“Ready for the second part of my plans?” Zack whispered.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Reaching up to his chin, Zack gently pressed his lips to Jack’s. Jack responded by moving against Zack in every way he knew he loved. He knew he loved when Jack gently bit his bottom lip, pulling it for just a second. He knew he loved when Jack firmly placed a secure hand on the back of his neck, keeping him close. And he knew he loved when Jack moved onto his lap, grinding their bare hips together.
When he did this, Zack broke the kiss, pulling away to breathe a soft ‘oh’. Jack hummed, pressing his hips closer to Zack’s, moving in small circles. Zack braced one hand on the small of Jack’s back, guiding him. The other he wrapped around Jack’s length and began pumping, the water beginning to splash more violently around his stomach from the movement.
Jack’s head was thrown back from the feeling of Zack’s hand right where he needed it, but he wanted more. When he glanced down again, he saw Zack was already watching him, so he nodded.
Zack withdrew from Jack, and got him to turn on his lap so that his back was facing him. He kept one hand firmly on Jack’s hip, and with the other lightly circled a finger around his entrance. Jack whined impatiently, so Zack pushed his finger in.
Jack dropped his head back, his soft noises growing to harder ‘oh’s’, ‘fucks’, and ‘Jesus, Zacks’ as Zack added another finger, then another. When Jack was grinding down hard on his hand, Zack knew he was ready, so he withdrew his fingers and slipped himself in in one quick motion.
Jack immediately cried out as Zack hit that spot in him, and he bounced up and down jaggedly. The sounds of the hot tub water splashing over the edge joined his vocalizations and the sounds of the waves, and there was nothing sexier he could think of at the time.
He was reveling in the slick motion of both Zack and the water slapping against him, his jaw hanging open. He couldn’t see Zack’s face, but he could imagine how he looked from the sounds he was making behind him. The ball of heat growing in his stomach was intensified by the warm water, and he felt it extra hard when he finally let go.
Unintelligible sounds were coming out of his mouth, and he was practically screaming as his brain exploded in pleasure. He was glad for Zack’s steady hand on his hip, for he was swaying on the spot and probably would’ve fallen over. Seeing Jack’s reaction brought Zack further to the edge; and after a few more thrusts he was joining Jack in his screams. He was being so loud, but he couldn’t care less if anyone heard.
As they came down from their high, Zack guided Jack off of his lap and down next to him. Jack’s legs were jelly as he laid his head on Zack’s shoulder, breathing hard.
“We probably just gave the neighbors a good show,” Zack said, running his words together from fatigue.
“It’s our fucking honeymoon, we’re allowed,” Jack breathed.
“It is, literally, our fucking honeymoon.”
“I love you, Zack.”
“I love you too, new husband.”
Present (9 am Maui Time)
Jack sighed happily as he recounted all the previous day’s events. He laughed at himself for being so nervous, when it was all so easy. He stared at the ceiling and thought of Zack’s face as he walked down the aisle.
Next to him, his husband murmured, waking up. Jack rolled over and watched as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight. Gaining consciousness, he rolled over on his side, sliding his arm underneath his pillow. When he saw Jack was awake, he smiled.
“Hey.”
“Good morning,” Jack whispered.
Zack’s eyes were soft from sleep. “I thought yesterday was a dream, but then I woke up and saw that it wasn’t, and it was awesome.”
Jack laughed at Zack’s little kid-esque declaration. He always talked like that when he was tired. “It was too good to be true, wasn’t it.”
“Yeah,” Zack yawned. His eyes drifted closed again.
Jack scooted closer, pressing his forehead to Zack’s. “You have no idea how glad I am that it wasn’t a dream.”
“I love you, Jack.” Zack murmured abruptly, and within seconds sleep had reclaimed him.
“I love you too, darling,” Jack whispered, kissing his nose softly. “I always will.”
Author: Laura, aka umbrellabeach55
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Merrikat
Summary: And then Zack was there, standing opposite him, and Jack found himself wondering why exactly he was so nervous. All of a sudden it seemed simple, really.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. Title credit goes to All Time Low, for their song Dear Maria.
Author's Note: So I haven't written anything for a while. Some of the reason being that I didn't have any ideas, the other part being that my English teacher has been piling on the essays lately, so I've been a bit sick of writing. But alas, I'm over that, so here you go. Enjoy.
My Tumblr can be found here.
Present (9 am Maui Time)
It was nine in the morning when Jack opened his eyes. The sunlight was streaming through the open window, causing him to blink and squint and immediately regret his decision. Groaning quietly, he turned over, squishing his face into his deformed pillow. He smiled sleepily at the person beside him as he pulled the thin sheet up to his shoulder.
His new husband Zack was still asleep, flat on his back with his limbs haphazardly placed. Jack could never figure out how he slept comfortably like that- he was strictly a side sleeper himself.
A warm breeze blew in the window, ruffling the curtains and the small piece of hair hanging down on Zack’s forehead. Jack reached out and gently brushed it off his face- he didn’t want the tickle to wake him up. Zack deserved the rest.
24 hours before (9 am L.A. Time)
Jack paced around his hotel room, nervously fussing with his loose tie. His best friend and best man Alex lounged on the bed, amused. He’d never seen Jack like this before.
“Do you think I should change my tie? Is the color alright?”
“You look fine,” Alex told him for the umpteenth time. “Grey is what you wanted, remember? It’s your color scheme or whatever.”
Jack sighed, stopping to look at himself in the full length mirror hanging on the closet door. He buttoned and unbuttoned the top of his purple dress shirt, then fussed with the sleeves on his grey suit jacket. “I’m just so fucking nervous. How can anyone stand the anticipation? And not throw up or something.”
Alex stood, buttoned his jacket, and joined Jack in the mirror. “Everything’s going to be alright. You love him. That’s all that matters.”
“I know,” Jack said quietly. His stomach was exploding with butterflies. A riff from a Yellowcard song looped through his head frantically, something that always happened when he was nervous.
Alex looked at his watch, then threw his arm around Jack’s shoulder.
“It’s show time.”
23 hours before (10 am L.A. Time)
Jack stood in the right wing of the church with Alex. Nervously twiddling his fingers, Jack peeked out into the nave while Alex tied his tie for him. He could see the small crowd assembled in the pews- no more than 40 or 50 people. The band stood in a small semi-circle on the left of the altar, quietly preparing. Purple flowers wrapped in grey ribbon were hanging on the ends of the pews, sitting on the windowsills, and arranged on the altar. After a few minutes, the priest joined them, saying it was time to begin.
Jack nodded, and the priest caught the band director’s eye from the wing, giving him the signal. The music started; quiet, simple, nothing too out of the ordinary. Alex squeezed his shoulder and Jack tried to breathe as he, Alex, and the priest took their places by the altar.
He waited anxiously as his other three groomsmen, Rian, Matt, and Joe, and two bridesmaids, May and Cassadee, paraded slowly up the aisle.
The band faded into the “here comes the bride” part of the processional, jokingly renamed “here comes the groom” by Jack, and the congregation stood.
“This is it,” Jack thought, clenching his hands tighter together.
His heart jumped when three figures appeared in the open doorway. It jumped even further when he saw his soon-to-be husband’s face, aglow with joy, grinning widely back at him. Zack was dressed in a grey suit and purple shirt similar to his, only he was wearing a bowtie rather than a regular tie. His grin grew larger as his parents lead him up the aisle, almost having to hold him back from running to Jack.
And then Zack was there, standing opposite him, and Jack found himself wondering why exactly he was so nervous. All of a sudden it seemed simple, really.
He barely heard the priest begin. All he was focused on was Zack’s face, practically giving off light from beaming so hard. Zack’s eyes never left Jack’s as he said “I, Zackary Merrick, take you, Jack Barakat, to be my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death parts us.”
Jack somehow managed to swallow, and repeated after him, replacing Zack’s name with his and vice versa.
They placed rings on each other’s fingers and repeated a few more things, and before he knew it, the priest was declaring them husband and husband, and giving Jack permission to kiss Zack. Jack hesitated for a second, and then he launched himself at Zack and kissed him for all he was worth, dipping him back on the spot.
The congregation erupted in applause and cheers, and Jack pulled away and blushed. Grinning, Zack took his hand and, after kissing him one more time, pulled him back down the aisle. Together they ran out of the church and out to the cool June air, laughing and shouting their joy.
Jack paused, watching Zack dance and skip around the lawn, and he wondered how he had gotten so lucky. But when Zack pulled Jack back in to join him, he realized he didn’t care how it happened. He was just glad that it did.
19 Hours Before (4 pm L.A. Time)
The reception had lasted for 2 hours, and there was much rejoicing. The families of both sides talked, ate, drank and danced until they could do no more, and after a heartfelt sendoff, Jack and Zack found themselves on an airplane taking them from sunny Los Angeles, California to dreamy Maui, Hawaii.
In the cramped coach seats, Jack leaned his head on Zack’s shoulder. He had a pillow, but preferred Zack whenever possible.
“You should probably sleep now,” Zack said quietly. “I have other plans when we arrive.”
Smiling to himself about Zack’s implications, Jack closed his eyes and fell into a content sleep.
14 hours before (7 pm Maui time)
“Wait here,” Zack commanded as he climbed out of the rental car.
Jack rolled his eyes, slipping off his seat belt. He drummed his fingers against his leg as Zack flit around, collecting all the bags. He disappeared into their beach house, and didn’t reappear again.
Jack huffed, getting out of the car. He could see the ocean from the driveway; it was peaceful, softly lapping against the shore, inviting him down to join. So, he slipped off his shoes, rolled up the legs of his jeans, and scampered down to meet the water.
It greeted him like an old friend, playfully swirling around his feet as he dashed in. He loved the feeling of the current pulling him forward and pushing him back- there was something so hypnotic about it. He played tag with the waves, laughing quietly to himself.
Zack had been ready for Jack for 10 minutes, but he couldn’t help just standing on the back porch and watching his husband play. When he and Jack came here, he could visibly see Jack change. He was much more relaxed, carefree- different from the rushed person he had to be back home. Maybe it was the ocean air, but Zack felt his love for Jack more intensely whenever they stayed in this house.
“Jack,” he called from the porch. Jack’s head snapped up, smiling when he saw Zack standing there. He grabbed his shoes and jogged up to him, shielding his eyes from the setting sun.
“What took you so long?” Jack breathed, depositing his shoes on the porch steps.
“Just getting things ready,” Zack replied. He took Jack’s hand, and led him inside.
The beach house was just as they had left it back in December, when they last came. Modestly furnished, it was a cozy little home, with only 4 rooms: a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and den. Zack had already stowed their bags away in the bedroom, and there was fresh produce sitting on the kitchen counter.
“I had Evan drop off some groceries this morning,” Zack said when he noticed Jack eyeing it skeptically. Evan was their nearest neighbor, who had a key for emergencies.
Jack nodded, running a hand through his plane-messy hair.
“Shall I make you dinner?” Zack said, kissing his cheek.
“It’d be better than if I made it,” Jack chuckled. Zack kissed him again, this time on the lips, and promptly shooed Jack out of the kitchen, a safe decision for the both of them.
13 ½ hours before (8:30 pm Maui Time)
“Dinner was delicious, babe, as always.” Jack leaned back in his chair, stretching his shoulders. The two of them sat at the patio table on the back porch, admiring the stars as they ate.
“Thank you, as always,” Zack answered, smiling. He stood, and pulled Jack up with him. “Join me in the hot tub?”
“Yes, please,” Jack replied eagerly, immediately pulling his shirt off. Leaving the dinner dishes for later, Zack uncovered their hot tub attached to the porch, which was bubbling merrily.
“I had Evan start it this morning too,” he explained, running a hand through the water to test it.
A naked Jack appeared next to him, immediately climbing in. “Perfect,” he sighed.
Zack stripped off as Jack looked at the moon, throwing his clothes in a pile. Jack grinned as Zack climbed in next to him, pulling Jack’s skinny body close to his.
“Ready for the second part of my plans?” Zack whispered.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Reaching up to his chin, Zack gently pressed his lips to Jack’s. Jack responded by moving against Zack in every way he knew he loved. He knew he loved when Jack gently bit his bottom lip, pulling it for just a second. He knew he loved when Jack firmly placed a secure hand on the back of his neck, keeping him close. And he knew he loved when Jack moved onto his lap, grinding their bare hips together.
When he did this, Zack broke the kiss, pulling away to breathe a soft ‘oh’. Jack hummed, pressing his hips closer to Zack’s, moving in small circles. Zack braced one hand on the small of Jack’s back, guiding him. The other he wrapped around Jack’s length and began pumping, the water beginning to splash more violently around his stomach from the movement.
Jack’s head was thrown back from the feeling of Zack’s hand right where he needed it, but he wanted more. When he glanced down again, he saw Zack was already watching him, so he nodded.
Zack withdrew from Jack, and got him to turn on his lap so that his back was facing him. He kept one hand firmly on Jack’s hip, and with the other lightly circled a finger around his entrance. Jack whined impatiently, so Zack pushed his finger in.
Jack dropped his head back, his soft noises growing to harder ‘oh’s’, ‘fucks’, and ‘Jesus, Zacks’ as Zack added another finger, then another. When Jack was grinding down hard on his hand, Zack knew he was ready, so he withdrew his fingers and slipped himself in in one quick motion.
Jack immediately cried out as Zack hit that spot in him, and he bounced up and down jaggedly. The sounds of the hot tub water splashing over the edge joined his vocalizations and the sounds of the waves, and there was nothing sexier he could think of at the time.
He was reveling in the slick motion of both Zack and the water slapping against him, his jaw hanging open. He couldn’t see Zack’s face, but he could imagine how he looked from the sounds he was making behind him. The ball of heat growing in his stomach was intensified by the warm water, and he felt it extra hard when he finally let go.
Unintelligible sounds were coming out of his mouth, and he was practically screaming as his brain exploded in pleasure. He was glad for Zack’s steady hand on his hip, for he was swaying on the spot and probably would’ve fallen over. Seeing Jack’s reaction brought Zack further to the edge; and after a few more thrusts he was joining Jack in his screams. He was being so loud, but he couldn’t care less if anyone heard.
As they came down from their high, Zack guided Jack off of his lap and down next to him. Jack’s legs were jelly as he laid his head on Zack’s shoulder, breathing hard.
“We probably just gave the neighbors a good show,” Zack said, running his words together from fatigue.
“It’s our fucking honeymoon, we’re allowed,” Jack breathed.
“It is, literally, our fucking honeymoon.”
“I love you, Zack.”
“I love you too, new husband.”
Present (9 am Maui Time)
Jack sighed happily as he recounted all the previous day’s events. He laughed at himself for being so nervous, when it was all so easy. He stared at the ceiling and thought of Zack’s face as he walked down the aisle.
Next to him, his husband murmured, waking up. Jack rolled over and watched as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight. Gaining consciousness, he rolled over on his side, sliding his arm underneath his pillow. When he saw Jack was awake, he smiled.
“Hey.”
“Good morning,” Jack whispered.
Zack’s eyes were soft from sleep. “I thought yesterday was a dream, but then I woke up and saw that it wasn’t, and it was awesome.”
Jack laughed at Zack’s little kid-esque declaration. He always talked like that when he was tired. “It was too good to be true, wasn’t it.”
“Yeah,” Zack yawned. His eyes drifted closed again.
Jack scooted closer, pressing his forehead to Zack’s. “You have no idea how glad I am that it wasn’t a dream.”
“I love you, Jack.” Zack murmured abruptly, and within seconds sleep had reclaimed him.
“I love you too, darling,” Jack whispered, kissing his nose softly. “I always will.”