The Tension and the Terror - Standalone
Title: The Tension and the Terror
Author: x_cheapnovelty
Pairing: Alex Gaskarth/Jack Barakat
Rating: R
Summary: your lips, they pout and twist.
POV: Third
Warnings: fluff, boykissing, insinuated boysecks
Disclaimer: This happened in my mind. Not irl. Title and song aren't mine either.
Author Notes: THIS IS A LYRIC FIC!
This whole story is based on the song The Tension and the Terror by Straylight Run.
It's not your typical pop-punk band song, nor are they your typical pop-punk band. At all.
But it's an adorable song and I hope you like it :)
all the boys' voices cracking
oh, the moaning half tones
come summertime, we're all the same age here
all the tension and the terror
thin limbed gorgeous brown eyes smiling
and i'm going straight to hell
all the possibility and promise just weighs on me so heavily...
Alex is singing. Alex is always singing, but this time is private Alex singing, not stage Alex singing. Jack likes private singing Alex better, though he’s not sure why. Maybe it’s the complete rawness of it, unblemished by microphones or background noise or autotune or screaming fangirls fans. And his voice isn’t flawless; Jack loves it when Alex’s voice breaks or wavers weirdly over particular notes. He loves that no autotune will ever smooth it out and that no fangirl’s scream will drown it out. Because when Alex is imperfect, Jack sees him as perfect. Alex is still singing in that perfect way he does. It’s a sound like honey when he holds those long notes and Jack forgets the rest of the world every time he starts to listen. It’s becoming a problem. Especially since Alex began singing Damned If I Do Ya and, well... those cute little “oh oh ohs” sound a LOT less innocent when Alex is right in your head, and Jack can’t help but imagine Alex blowing his load every. single. time. he sings those little “oh oh ohs”. Needless to say, it was Jack’s favourite song to play live from their new album.
Now the band is on their bus, city hopping again, living the dream. Alex and Jack are sprawled out in the lounge, not doing anything, just talking, throwing ideas around in the goofy way they do, though Jack always felt that Alex assumed the role of leader in everything they did together. Whether this was a front man thing or because his ego was the size of Egypt, it made Jack feel so small. He smiled at the thought that he and Alex would be the same age again soon, come summer, and Jack’s birthday would be huge, as usual. He looked up at Alex and smiled his mischievous grin and Alex smiled his identical one; the identical smile that stretched from his twinkling brown eyes down to the way he positioned his boney elbows. Jack liked to imagine kissing Alex. Kissing him properly, that is. Stage kisses and drunken kisses did not count for anything but a laugh and Jack liked dreaming of the way he would do it properly; maybe on a ride in Disneyland or randomly in the bus. Though nothing he came up with was remotely romantic and often led to a more adult-rated scene within his mind. Jack sighed heavily and shifted his focus back to the present and the real world, cursing his heart for choosing his best friend, his best male friend. But at the same time he knew they could be something as perfect as Alex’s voice.
and i try but i'm not convincing
your lips, they pout and twist
and i die trying just to keep myself from kissing you.
you take in everything with a certainty i envy
it's somehow all i need
just keep me guessing please
Sometimes Jack thinks Zack and/or Rian know about his infatuation with their front man but they never say anything. In fact they don’t really say much at all when Jack and Alex start talking, but he’s seen the way they look at him after he looks at Alex and Jack knows he’s not convincing anyone. So he returns his gaze to Alexander where their gazes meet. Their eyes always meet; their stares lock in place and for a moment Jack can’t breathe because Alex’s eyes are pouring smoke into his lungs. But then it clears, their eyes stray and Jack feels so unsatisfied. He hates what Alex can do to him but he needs it all the same and God, what he wouldn’t do to pounce on the older man right now and satisfy all those suppressed urges. It kills him to watch Alex sitting there all calm, always calm, waiting for everything to fall into his lap, which it does; and sometimes Jack thinks that Alex might just inexplicably know about all these undisclosed desires that he has.
darling, all of these awkward, jump-start, stalling conversations
mean much more to me than anything
and it comes down to me and you
and whether we're supposed to or not, we still will
we're so much better off than them
all the possibility and promise just weighs on me so heavily...
The sexual tension between Alex and Jack is intense. It builds during the day, starting with small brushes of skin; hands reaching for sugar sachets and returning empty to their blushing owners. Stolen glances during sound check; dark eyes meeting dark eyes and averting away before the other knew they were looking at them. But the physical ones... well, they were something else entirely. Not cute, giggly gestures, but ohmygod,please-get-in-me-now! gestures. Hugs that would go too long and result in almost-nuzzles, hips aligning, stubble tickling their cheeks and breaths ghosting across their necks... before they caught themselves and pulled apart, always, always followed by forced, awkward conversations in attempt to blow it off. Jack hated those stammering exchanges but at the same time he would never give up what prefaced them.
Now Jack and Alex were alone. They had been partying with some other bands but headed back to the bus for more liquor; now was Jack’s chance. Neither of them were drunk but Jack had enough alcohol in his system to work up his courage, and he took Alex’s hand in his own as they walked under the starry sky. Alex peered at him through the darkness inquisitively; Jack usually saved this kind of thing for on stage or as a joke, but Jack just squeezed Alex’s hand and said nothing, keeping his motion steady, reassuring, and now it was Alex’s turn for his breath to hitch in his throat and heart start pounding. The boys reached their bus but neither of them went inside. Alex let go of Jack’s grip and sat down on the metal step below the bus door.
“I want to kiss you.”
The phrase reverberated in the air for a moment as what Alex said sunk in to Jack. He tried to answer, he did but all that came out was a choked:
“What?”
“I... Jack, I know you’re my best fr- but these things make me feel like- and I know that you’re a boy... but, Jack...” Alex stammered and Jack shooshed him, moving to sit next to him on the step and putting a finger over his lips gently. Jack stroked Alex’s cheek with his thumb and Alex leaned into his touch, closing his eyes. Then Jack did what he’d wanted to do forever; leaned in and pressed his lips to Alex’s.
a look,
a laugh,
a smile,
a second, passes by and i regret it
words just aren't right
sometimes i just can't explain
all the ways you devastate me
always on my mind
Kissing Alex was the best decision Jack had ever made, and he cursed himself for letting all those chances he had in the past go by. But the only thing that mattered was now, and now he was caressing Alex’s flawless face. They kissed on the step for ages, softslowgentle, perfectly until their desire got the better of them and they moved it to the interior, bodies pressed up against walls, lusty breaths ghosting each others necks until shirts became too invasive and they were discarded. Hands roamed, and nails scraped delicate patterns across skin, their kisses opened and turned needy, fists grabbing at blonde-streaked hair as they blocked out all air between their bodies. Alex stopped. He ran his hands down Jack’s torso to rest them on his hips, panting hard but keeping his eyes away from Jack’s.
They stayed like this for a few painful seconds and Jack began to think Alex was having second thoughts.
“Jack, words can’t explain right now, how much I wanted... us.” Alex whispered, still keeping his eyes hidden underneath his lashes and Jack melted a little bit. “Sometimes I can’t explain to myself how much you... devastate me.” Jack tilted Alex’s chin up so they could look at each other again.
“Whether we’re supposed to or not, we still will. Because I want us, too...” Jack murmured, and he smiled his dorky grin, so Alex smiled his mischievous one and they were suddenly pulling each others faces and bodies back together, impossibly close now, staggering to the closest soft surface still trying not to break away from the others touch.
and i try but i'm not convincing
your lips, they pout and twist
and i die trying just to keep myself from kissing you.
you take in everything with a certainty i envy
it's somehow all i need
just keep me guessing please
Now Alex and Jack are holding hands. They’re always holding hands but no one has said a word. Those around them all the time just became accustomed to their homo-hijinks and didn’t look twice if they saw them cuddling in a corner. Jack thought that if they stopped it all and tried to convince people they were “just friends” well then people would become suspicious. Their only problem was trying desperately to restrain themselves from mauling each other in public and as soon as they were behind closed doors they were meshed together as one and the room/car/bathroom/whatever would be steamed up in moments flat; Jack and Alex returning a short while later with sex hair, swollen lips and identical giggles.
Rian knew.
So Rian told Zack.
So Rian and Zack knew. And they did not care, because the only difference it made was having to be careful about entering rooms to avoid walking in on... well, gay porn, really. Just as long as they didn’t start calling each other ‘Pookie’ and ‘Cuddlebutt’, Rian and Zack thought, they would just put up with it.
What Zack and Rian didn’t expect after a few months however, were the extremes Jack and Alex went to to keep each other guessing in the bedroom. Rian had the misfortune to come across candy underwear and a dick beard lurking in the lounge, which, quite frankly, disturbed him and he screamed like a sissy girl, flinging it across the room to where a hysterical Jack and Alex were standing as he ran past them to get to the soap and the nearest sink. They high-fived each other and plopped down on the now empty lounge, playing with their toys.
“Rian scares too easy,” Alex thought out loud.
“Mmmm but Flyzik... he can be next,” Jack replied as he shifted himself to fit Alex in his lap. They shared a comfortable silence as they cuddled but it wasn’t long before Alex’s soft and perfect voice drifted up to Jack’s little ears.
“It never felt right calling this ‘just friends’... I’m happy, if you’re happy...”
“Cuddlebutt, you have no idea just how happy I am,” Jack cut him off and with that he pressed his lips against Alex’s, feeling more at home than he ever had.
Author: x_cheapnovelty
Pairing: Alex Gaskarth/Jack Barakat
Rating: R
Summary: your lips, they pout and twist.
POV: Third
Warnings: fluff, boykissing, insinuated boysecks
Disclaimer: This happened in my mind. Not irl. Title and song aren't mine either.
Author Notes: THIS IS A LYRIC FIC!
This whole story is based on the song The Tension and the Terror by Straylight Run.
It's not your typical pop-punk band song, nor are they your typical pop-punk band. At all.
But it's an adorable song and I hope you like it :)
all the boys' voices cracking
oh, the moaning half tones
come summertime, we're all the same age here
all the tension and the terror
thin limbed gorgeous brown eyes smiling
and i'm going straight to hell
all the possibility and promise just weighs on me so heavily...
Alex is singing. Alex is always singing, but this time is private Alex singing, not stage Alex singing. Jack likes private singing Alex better, though he’s not sure why. Maybe it’s the complete rawness of it, unblemished by microphones or background noise or autotune or screaming fangirls fans. And his voice isn’t flawless; Jack loves it when Alex’s voice breaks or wavers weirdly over particular notes. He loves that no autotune will ever smooth it out and that no fangirl’s scream will drown it out. Because when Alex is imperfect, Jack sees him as perfect. Alex is still singing in that perfect way he does. It’s a sound like honey when he holds those long notes and Jack forgets the rest of the world every time he starts to listen. It’s becoming a problem. Especially since Alex began singing Damned If I Do Ya and, well... those cute little “oh oh ohs” sound a LOT less innocent when Alex is right in your head, and Jack can’t help but imagine Alex blowing his load every. single. time. he sings those little “oh oh ohs”. Needless to say, it was Jack’s favourite song to play live from their new album.
Now the band is on their bus, city hopping again, living the dream. Alex and Jack are sprawled out in the lounge, not doing anything, just talking, throwing ideas around in the goofy way they do, though Jack always felt that Alex assumed the role of leader in everything they did together. Whether this was a front man thing or because his ego was the size of Egypt, it made Jack feel so small. He smiled at the thought that he and Alex would be the same age again soon, come summer, and Jack’s birthday would be huge, as usual. He looked up at Alex and smiled his mischievous grin and Alex smiled his identical one; the identical smile that stretched from his twinkling brown eyes down to the way he positioned his boney elbows. Jack liked to imagine kissing Alex. Kissing him properly, that is. Stage kisses and drunken kisses did not count for anything but a laugh and Jack liked dreaming of the way he would do it properly; maybe on a ride in Disneyland or randomly in the bus. Though nothing he came up with was remotely romantic and often led to a more adult-rated scene within his mind. Jack sighed heavily and shifted his focus back to the present and the real world, cursing his heart for choosing his best friend, his best male friend. But at the same time he knew they could be something as perfect as Alex’s voice.
and i try but i'm not convincing
your lips, they pout and twist
and i die trying just to keep myself from kissing you.
you take in everything with a certainty i envy
it's somehow all i need
just keep me guessing please
Sometimes Jack thinks Zack and/or Rian know about his infatuation with their front man but they never say anything. In fact they don’t really say much at all when Jack and Alex start talking, but he’s seen the way they look at him after he looks at Alex and Jack knows he’s not convincing anyone. So he returns his gaze to Alexander where their gazes meet. Their eyes always meet; their stares lock in place and for a moment Jack can’t breathe because Alex’s eyes are pouring smoke into his lungs. But then it clears, their eyes stray and Jack feels so unsatisfied. He hates what Alex can do to him but he needs it all the same and God, what he wouldn’t do to pounce on the older man right now and satisfy all those suppressed urges. It kills him to watch Alex sitting there all calm, always calm, waiting for everything to fall into his lap, which it does; and sometimes Jack thinks that Alex might just inexplicably know about all these undisclosed desires that he has.
darling, all of these awkward, jump-start, stalling conversations
mean much more to me than anything
and it comes down to me and you
and whether we're supposed to or not, we still will
we're so much better off than them
all the possibility and promise just weighs on me so heavily...
The sexual tension between Alex and Jack is intense. It builds during the day, starting with small brushes of skin; hands reaching for sugar sachets and returning empty to their blushing owners. Stolen glances during sound check; dark eyes meeting dark eyes and averting away before the other knew they were looking at them. But the physical ones... well, they were something else entirely. Not cute, giggly gestures, but ohmygod,please-get-in-me-now! gestures. Hugs that would go too long and result in almost-nuzzles, hips aligning, stubble tickling their cheeks and breaths ghosting across their necks... before they caught themselves and pulled apart, always, always followed by forced, awkward conversations in attempt to blow it off. Jack hated those stammering exchanges but at the same time he would never give up what prefaced them.
Now Jack and Alex were alone. They had been partying with some other bands but headed back to the bus for more liquor; now was Jack’s chance. Neither of them were drunk but Jack had enough alcohol in his system to work up his courage, and he took Alex’s hand in his own as they walked under the starry sky. Alex peered at him through the darkness inquisitively; Jack usually saved this kind of thing for on stage or as a joke, but Jack just squeezed Alex’s hand and said nothing, keeping his motion steady, reassuring, and now it was Alex’s turn for his breath to hitch in his throat and heart start pounding. The boys reached their bus but neither of them went inside. Alex let go of Jack’s grip and sat down on the metal step below the bus door.
“I want to kiss you.”
The phrase reverberated in the air for a moment as what Alex said sunk in to Jack. He tried to answer, he did but all that came out was a choked:
“What?”
“I... Jack, I know you’re my best fr- but these things make me feel like- and I know that you’re a boy... but, Jack...” Alex stammered and Jack shooshed him, moving to sit next to him on the step and putting a finger over his lips gently. Jack stroked Alex’s cheek with his thumb and Alex leaned into his touch, closing his eyes. Then Jack did what he’d wanted to do forever; leaned in and pressed his lips to Alex’s.
a look,
a laugh,
a smile,
a second, passes by and i regret it
words just aren't right
sometimes i just can't explain
all the ways you devastate me
always on my mind
Kissing Alex was the best decision Jack had ever made, and he cursed himself for letting all those chances he had in the past go by. But the only thing that mattered was now, and now he was caressing Alex’s flawless face. They kissed on the step for ages, softslowgentle, perfectly until their desire got the better of them and they moved it to the interior, bodies pressed up against walls, lusty breaths ghosting each others necks until shirts became too invasive and they were discarded. Hands roamed, and nails scraped delicate patterns across skin, their kisses opened and turned needy, fists grabbing at blonde-streaked hair as they blocked out all air between their bodies. Alex stopped. He ran his hands down Jack’s torso to rest them on his hips, panting hard but keeping his eyes away from Jack’s.
They stayed like this for a few painful seconds and Jack began to think Alex was having second thoughts.
“Jack, words can’t explain right now, how much I wanted... us.” Alex whispered, still keeping his eyes hidden underneath his lashes and Jack melted a little bit. “Sometimes I can’t explain to myself how much you... devastate me.” Jack tilted Alex’s chin up so they could look at each other again.
“Whether we’re supposed to or not, we still will. Because I want us, too...” Jack murmured, and he smiled his dorky grin, so Alex smiled his mischievous one and they were suddenly pulling each others faces and bodies back together, impossibly close now, staggering to the closest soft surface still trying not to break away from the others touch.
and i try but i'm not convincing
your lips, they pout and twist
and i die trying just to keep myself from kissing you.
you take in everything with a certainty i envy
it's somehow all i need
just keep me guessing please
Now Alex and Jack are holding hands. They’re always holding hands but no one has said a word. Those around them all the time just became accustomed to their homo-hijinks and didn’t look twice if they saw them cuddling in a corner. Jack thought that if they stopped it all and tried to convince people they were “just friends” well then people would become suspicious. Their only problem was trying desperately to restrain themselves from mauling each other in public and as soon as they were behind closed doors they were meshed together as one and the room/car/bathroom/whatever would be steamed up in moments flat; Jack and Alex returning a short while later with sex hair, swollen lips and identical giggles.
Rian knew.
So Rian told Zack.
So Rian and Zack knew. And they did not care, because the only difference it made was having to be careful about entering rooms to avoid walking in on... well, gay porn, really. Just as long as they didn’t start calling each other ‘Pookie’ and ‘Cuddlebutt’, Rian and Zack thought, they would just put up with it.
What Zack and Rian didn’t expect after a few months however, were the extremes Jack and Alex went to to keep each other guessing in the bedroom. Rian had the misfortune to come across candy underwear and a dick beard lurking in the lounge, which, quite frankly, disturbed him and he screamed like a sissy girl, flinging it across the room to where a hysterical Jack and Alex were standing as he ran past them to get to the soap and the nearest sink. They high-fived each other and plopped down on the now empty lounge, playing with their toys.
“Rian scares too easy,” Alex thought out loud.
“Mmmm but Flyzik... he can be next,” Jack replied as he shifted himself to fit Alex in his lap. They shared a comfortable silence as they cuddled but it wasn’t long before Alex’s soft and perfect voice drifted up to Jack’s little ears.
“It never felt right calling this ‘just friends’... I’m happy, if you’re happy...”
“Cuddlebutt, you have no idea just how happy I am,” Jack cut him off and with that he pressed his lips against Alex’s, feeling more at home than he ever had.