Dear Mr. Gaskarth (41/46)
Titled: Dear Mr. Gaskarth (41/46)
Author: chasingxrabbits
Pairing: Jalex, Slight Merrikat and Olex (Alex and Oli)
Rating: NC-17
Dedications: Everyone who has commented on this. Thank you. Sincerely thank you. <3
Disclaimer: I don't own the boys at all, but the plot belongs to sausajizz and myself
Beta: paigerhiann, the lovely darling
Facebook: HERE (If you add me here, introduce yourself please.)
Tumblr: HERE
Masterpost
When Alex woke up, it was Monday morning at an alarm clock. He glanced over at the retched thing, slapping at it until it shut up.
9:30, it read, and there was a little note taped to it.
“Let you sleep in, see you in English.
Jack."
Alex smiled at that, stretching out of bed. His hair had dried perfect, much to his surprise, and he made his way down the stairs with a yawn.
His morning routine went perfectly, having his cup of coffee and reading a section of the paper about a man who had won the world record for most dogs owned.
He laughed a little, and he figured that that’s how he’d end up. Him and Jack would end up owning like...five hundred dogs or something and-
Wait wait wait. Since when did he start including Jack into the picture of his future.
Jack was his student, not something permanent for him, but then again, he wasn’t sure about his future right then. Nothing was awfully permanent for him in that moment.
He pushed it out of his head and started off to school.
-
He glanced at the clock, finding that it was only about eleven so he stopped in to the coffee shop, figuring he’d treat himself to a peppermint hot chocolate in class.
As soon as he got to the counter, he was greeted. “Alex.”
His head snapped up at the familiar voice, his eyes having just been on the both where Jack and him had sat, the first time Alex had taken him here.
William was standing at the counter, rag in hand. He was dressed up in the uniform for the place, Alex noted, and he figured it looked nice on William, his chestnut hair resting again the cream colored shirt perfectly.
“Hey,” Alex said, eyes lighting up as he stared at the rather worried-looking barista. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Yeah,” William agreed. “Can I make you something?”
Alex nodded. “I want a peperment white chocolate.”
“Hot?” William asked, ringing it into the register as Alex nodded.
Alex had known William for a long time, having met in college when Oli introduced the two. For a little while, William had had a thing for the teacher, flirting with him constantly. Oliver obviously had ended that soon after it started. He’d been best friends with Martin, ever since. Alex was actually pretty sure that they shared an apartment together.
“Here,” William said, snapping Alex away from his day dream as he handed the man his drink.
“So, how’ve you been?” Alex asked, sipping his hot chocolate casually, standing up at the front counter since there were no other customers, just staff bustling around, cleaning. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Alex,” William said, a little worried. “Martin said that Oliver’s looking for you.”
Alex’s brow furrowed at that, stomach dropping a little. He’d really hoped that the police had caught him by then, but he guessed not.
“Oh.”
“Alex, you shouldn’t be around here at all,” William advised, under his breath in a hush-hush tone. “What if he finds you.”
“I-” Alex started, trying to look unphased by what the lanky boy was suggesting. “I’ll call the cops.”
“I don’t think you’ll have time if he finds you,” William said, frowning heavily. It was a look that the boy had always worn, ever since Alex had known him. William had tried to change Martin, but could never really get close enough, so the most of the time Alex would see the boy, he’d look worried or on edge.
“I should be going,” Alex said, turning until William reached a small hand out, placing it on Alex’s shoulder, almost spilling the drink in his hand.
“Alex, please take my advice and get out of here,” William said, giving him a really raw look, a really raw and real look, but Alex didn’t stick around to see it, just hustled as fast as he could back to his car. With shaky hands, he was able to get it started.
--
Jack walked into English, a little earlier than usual, and Alex was already there, on the phone and talking in a quieted voice. He merely lifted his eyes to see Jack’s presence before saying a goodbye and hanging up.
“What was that about?” Jack asked, honestly curious, but Alex just gave him a blank look, and an equally blank.
“I’ll tell you later.”
Class went by like that, Alex having the students work on their homework for the next day while he just shuffled around at his desk, helping the occasional kid when they’d come up to him, but that was about it.
It wasn’t until after class that Jack confronted him. All the kids had made their way out, but Jack stayed behind.
“Lex,” he said, but the only response that he got was lifted eyes again, dark eyes through a caramel fringe. “Lex, what’s wrong?”
Alex bit down on his bottom lip, standing and walking over to where Jack was seated.
“I’ll tell you when I get home, but you have to go now.”
Jack just nodded, finding the urgency in his words and doing what he said.
-
Jack waited for him at home, sitting on the couch in near silence as he stroked Delilah’s fur.
His hear started beating faster when the door opened, but he relaxed again to see it was his mom. They chattered a bit, but only long enough to say “hey, how’s your day, I’m waiting for Alex, okay”.
Another twenty minutes passed of nothing for noise but Joyce working on dinner in the kitchen, water running occasionally. Finally, at six-thirty-one, Alex opened the door, letting himself in and the pressing his back against it like he was exhausted. Jack stood instantly, walking over to him, exciting Delilah in the process to the point where she barked a little.
“Hush,” he said to her, and she just went a laid down.
“Jack,” Alex started with a forced smile.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked, tugging Alex’s jacket off and hanging it on the coat rack, doing the same with the wet beanie on Alex’s hair.
“A lot,” Alex said. He looked like a mess, tired and glistening with sweat as he struggled for breath. Jack helped him over to the couch, and finally Alex relaxed.
“Tell me,” Jack insisted, running his finger tips gently through Alex’s hair. “Please.”
Alex nodded. “I saw a friend today at the coffee shop,” he paused, only speaking again when Jack gestured him to go on with his eyes. “He told me that Oli was looking for me.”
Jack scowled at that, maybe at the name, maybe at the news, but either way, it disgusted him. “Uh- huh?”
“That’s what I said,” Alex answered, meeting Jack’s eyes finally. “Like it didn’t really matter but then I saw Oli. I saw him on my way to school.”
“Oh my God,” Jack said, ghosting his thumb over Alex’s cheek bone. “Did he see you?”
“I don’t think so,” Alex said, nibbling into his lip for a second. “But he looked bad.”
“Bad how?”
“Bad like he’d been sober for days and he was going through withdrawals,” Alex answered then, and Jack could see that he was close to tears. He leaned in then, pulling Alex close to his chest. “Jack,” Alex whimpered.
“It’s okay,” he cooed back, pressing the smallest kiss to the man’s forehead. “I’m right here.”
“I’m scared, Jack,” Alex admitted, wrapping his arms around his boy in an equally tight embrace. Joyce was standing, looking on from the kitchen with a worried expression like she’d hear the whole conversation.
“I know, Lex,” Jack soothed. “I know, but we’ll get it figured out.”
They didn’t move from that position for a while, maybe a couple minutes, maybe an hour. Jack had guessed it was closer to an hour since when they finally let go, it was because dinner was ready and on the table.
They all sat down, but nothing felt right this time. No matter how they all sat, something felt wrong, tensing almost. The food was good, but it Jack couldn’t taste it, and he guesses by the look of a near disgust on the man’s face, Alex couldn’t either.
“Okay,” Joyce said, finally breaking the silence once it got painfully awkward. “What are you going to do?”
Of course she knew everything, she always did, but that didn’t stop Jack from giving her a look of disbelief.
“I don’t know,” Alex admitted, trying to hold himself together as he set down his fork, a scoop of sweet potatoes still on it.
“Have you considered leaving?” she asked, and Jack looked over at her like she was crazy.
“Yeah,” Alex answered after a second of thinking about whether it was okay to tell or not.
Jack’s eyes moved to him with the same expression as the one he gave to his mom, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“I talked to my parents today and they want me to stay with them,” Alex finished. Jack’s bottom lip dropping open a little as Alex just stared at the pile of peas on his plate like they were the most interesting and uninteresting thing in the world at the same time.
“What?” Jack said then, the other two at the table looking up at him then. “Where are they?”
Alex paused, frowning a lot as he finally met the boys eyes. He didn’t talk again until he could see the boy getting impatient for the information.
“England,” he answered, ashamed to no end as it sounded, and Jack’s jaw dropped even more.
“What?!” he repeated. “You can’t just g- You can’t just get up and go!”
Alex adverted his eyes. He’d been holding the information from Jack because he’d known that there would be an argument of monumental size.
“Jack,” Joyce said, trying to reason with the boy as he pouted like a child, glaring down the table at Alex.
“He’s not really going, right?” Jack asked, gaining Alex’s attention again and meeting his hurt gaze. “You’re not really considering this, right?”
Alex took a minute before he shrugged.
“Now, Jack,” Joyce interrupted. “It’s his choice. If he’s really in danger, I think he should go.”
“What?!” Jack exclaimed, pushing his chair out from under him as he stood in a swift motion. “Mom, you can’t just let him go! What about his job, and his....other things?” Jack finished, not really being able to think of anything else until a couple seconds later when they boys met eyes again.
“What about me?” Jack said in a pleading voice, more of a statement than a question. Sure, he was pissed too, but more than anything he was hurt beyond belief.
Alex frowned then at that, more so than he had before. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet, Jack.”
“I do,” Jack said, pretty much towering over the both of them as they sat. “You’re going to go and just leave me here to rot in this fucking place.”
“Jack!” his mother scolded, but he didn’t give her any more time to talk before he was storming off out the front door.