Anywhere Else But Here (chapter 6)
Title: Anywhere Else But Here (6/?)
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jalex
Summary: Jack has grown up in a world where music is a felony. It was believed to influence kids too much. Jack had never known the beautiful world of music. That is, until the day the beautiful Alex Gaskarth walked into his life and showed him the truth behind music. The beauty everyone had been hiding from him for so long.
Disclaimer: I don't own All Time Low and the name of the story is a song by Simple Plan
Master Post
"Fuck, he's fast." Jack breathed, his tone reaching hysteria. He wasn't about to let Alex go. Not now. Not ever. They'd run out of the store, but by the time they had made it out, Alex was far gone.
Jack slid to the ground, hands shaking. Mark sat down beside him, clapping his hand on one of his shoulders.
"We're going to find him Jack." Mark said as if he was more sure about this than anything he had ever felt sure about in his entire life. Jack looked up at him, realizing he was right. Alex wasn't going to run forever.
Jack stood up quickly and pulled out his phone, dialing Zack's number.
"Hey... Alex ran off... yeah, he literally just took off... okay... yeah, can you stick around my house or something to see if he ends up there? Thanks, Zack." He said, and hung up.
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They ended up splitting up to cover more area. Jack's heart was pounding like crazy. He couldn't let this all hanging. What if there was something between them? What if something was forming? He had to know. And he just wanted Alex back.
He rounded the corner, looking in alleys, parking lots... hell, he'd even decided to check a dumpster once because he wanted Alex back so badly.
"Alex... Alex!" He yelled hoarsely, his voice giving out. "Fuck! Where are you?" He yelled, his fear escalating as it neared dark. They were in one of the worst parts of Baltimore. At night. And Alex was alone. A hopeful thought in Jack took over. What if he was back at his house? No, Zack would have called.
"Alex! Please!" He called, ready to just give up. Give up on everything, not just Alex, but the image of the older boy flashed before his eyes, giving him motivation.
He kept walking, trying not to break into a dead sprint. In truth, Jack was never comfortable with being out at night. He heard faint laughter. Malicious laughter. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking around him.
Then a small whimper, almost lost in the sound of laughing. Jack's heart stopped.
"Alex..."He called softly. He was trying so hard not to break down. Fear clawed at his insides. He ran towards the laughing and cringed as it got louder. He wanted to turn around and run the other way, but something told him he had to keep going. He wished Mark and he hadn't split up.
He stopped at an alley, the laughter almost deafening. He peeked around the corner, feeling like he was going to throw up at the sight. A few guys, older than Jack, were taking turns kicking Alex's frail body on the ground.
"Faggot! Can't even fight back!" One of the boys said and the others howled with laughter. Alex tried to stand up and was quickly back on the ground, coughing and holding his stomach. Jack stood, frozen in terror. No, this couldn't be happening. He was supposed to protect Alex.
"Hey! Hey you fucking assholes! Back off!" He said suddenly, not able to stop the words from escaping his lips. Shit. Now he was just going to get the shit beaten out of him. He couldn't save either of them now.
The boys looked up at him all at once, horrible grins spreading accross their faces. Jack felt absolutely sick.
"Yeah! I'm talking to you, dickwads!" He yelled again, figuring there was no reason to stop now. They stepped toward him and he walked towards them. He had never felt like this. He'd never felt as he'd been invincible.
"Is this your boyfriend?" One of them sneered.
"You seem to have a lot of those yourself." Jack retorted, taking slow step towards Alex. He was motionless, laying in a heap.
He felt a fist in his stomach, all the air whooshing out of him. Okay, maybe he wasn't invincible. But he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight. He swung back, hitting one of them in the face. He stepped back, holding his nose and groaning.
Jack felt fists hitting him from all around. God, had they multiplied? He groaned, his knees buckling under him. And then everything was spinning. He couldn't stand up. Pain shot through him as he felt someone's foot connect with his skull. And then everything went black.
--------------------------------
"Jack... Jack wake up." Alex croaked, holding him. "Jack..." He said again, almost inaudibly as he began to cry. "Fuck... this is all my fault Jack. I'm such a fucking baby." He said, burying his face into Jack's shoulder.
Jack's eyes fluttered open, looking around. The first thing he saw was Alex. He tried to sit up, but pain shot up through the back of his head.
"Jack, are you okay?" Alex asked, his voice frantic, but at the same time relieved.
"M'sorry..." Jack responded. Alex almost laughed because it was he who should have been apologizing.
"You didn't do anything..." Alex said, running his hand over Jack's hair.
"I... I didn't get you... they hurt you." Jack mumbled, rolling over and burying his face into Alex's stomach, breathing him in.
"It's not your fault I'm an asshole." Alex said comfortingly.
"No you're not..." Jack said, muffled against Alex. Jack didn't want to move. He just wanted to stay like this forever, always with Alex.
"Oh my God! What happened to you two?" Mark's voice came from a few feet away. Jack could hear his rapid footsteps and he hear him kneeling down.
"Jack..." Mark said gently. "Jack, you okay, bud?" He asked.
"I feel like shit." Jack groaned, curling into Alex more.
Mark looked up at Alex. "What happened?" He asked. Alex bit his lip, a tear sliding down his cheek.
"I... I was running and they just... they wouldn't stop kicking me." Alex said, his voice strangled. "And Jack came and they did this..." Alex said.
"Alex..." Jack groaned, trying not to pass out again.
"Yeah?" Alex asked.
"Don't ever scare me... like that again." Jack said.
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jalex
Summary: Jack has grown up in a world where music is a felony. It was believed to influence kids too much. Jack had never known the beautiful world of music. That is, until the day the beautiful Alex Gaskarth walked into his life and showed him the truth behind music. The beauty everyone had been hiding from him for so long.
Disclaimer: I don't own All Time Low and the name of the story is a song by Simple Plan
Master Post
"Fuck, he's fast." Jack breathed, his tone reaching hysteria. He wasn't about to let Alex go. Not now. Not ever. They'd run out of the store, but by the time they had made it out, Alex was far gone.
Jack slid to the ground, hands shaking. Mark sat down beside him, clapping his hand on one of his shoulders.
"We're going to find him Jack." Mark said as if he was more sure about this than anything he had ever felt sure about in his entire life. Jack looked up at him, realizing he was right. Alex wasn't going to run forever.
Jack stood up quickly and pulled out his phone, dialing Zack's number.
"Hey... Alex ran off... yeah, he literally just took off... okay... yeah, can you stick around my house or something to see if he ends up there? Thanks, Zack." He said, and hung up.
------------------------
They ended up splitting up to cover more area. Jack's heart was pounding like crazy. He couldn't let this all hanging. What if there was something between them? What if something was forming? He had to know. And he just wanted Alex back.
He rounded the corner, looking in alleys, parking lots... hell, he'd even decided to check a dumpster once because he wanted Alex back so badly.
"Alex... Alex!" He yelled hoarsely, his voice giving out. "Fuck! Where are you?" He yelled, his fear escalating as it neared dark. They were in one of the worst parts of Baltimore. At night. And Alex was alone. A hopeful thought in Jack took over. What if he was back at his house? No, Zack would have called.
"Alex! Please!" He called, ready to just give up. Give up on everything, not just Alex, but the image of the older boy flashed before his eyes, giving him motivation.
He kept walking, trying not to break into a dead sprint. In truth, Jack was never comfortable with being out at night. He heard faint laughter. Malicious laughter. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking around him.
Then a small whimper, almost lost in the sound of laughing. Jack's heart stopped.
"Alex..."He called softly. He was trying so hard not to break down. Fear clawed at his insides. He ran towards the laughing and cringed as it got louder. He wanted to turn around and run the other way, but something told him he had to keep going. He wished Mark and he hadn't split up.
He stopped at an alley, the laughter almost deafening. He peeked around the corner, feeling like he was going to throw up at the sight. A few guys, older than Jack, were taking turns kicking Alex's frail body on the ground.
"Faggot! Can't even fight back!" One of the boys said and the others howled with laughter. Alex tried to stand up and was quickly back on the ground, coughing and holding his stomach. Jack stood, frozen in terror. No, this couldn't be happening. He was supposed to protect Alex.
"Hey! Hey you fucking assholes! Back off!" He said suddenly, not able to stop the words from escaping his lips. Shit. Now he was just going to get the shit beaten out of him. He couldn't save either of them now.
The boys looked up at him all at once, horrible grins spreading accross their faces. Jack felt absolutely sick.
"Yeah! I'm talking to you, dickwads!" He yelled again, figuring there was no reason to stop now. They stepped toward him and he walked towards them. He had never felt like this. He'd never felt as he'd been invincible.
"Is this your boyfriend?" One of them sneered.
"You seem to have a lot of those yourself." Jack retorted, taking slow step towards Alex. He was motionless, laying in a heap.
He felt a fist in his stomach, all the air whooshing out of him. Okay, maybe he wasn't invincible. But he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight. He swung back, hitting one of them in the face. He stepped back, holding his nose and groaning.
Jack felt fists hitting him from all around. God, had they multiplied? He groaned, his knees buckling under him. And then everything was spinning. He couldn't stand up. Pain shot through him as he felt someone's foot connect with his skull. And then everything went black.
--------------------------------
"Jack... Jack wake up." Alex croaked, holding him. "Jack..." He said again, almost inaudibly as he began to cry. "Fuck... this is all my fault Jack. I'm such a fucking baby." He said, burying his face into Jack's shoulder.
Jack's eyes fluttered open, looking around. The first thing he saw was Alex. He tried to sit up, but pain shot up through the back of his head.
"Jack, are you okay?" Alex asked, his voice frantic, but at the same time relieved.
"M'sorry..." Jack responded. Alex almost laughed because it was he who should have been apologizing.
"You didn't do anything..." Alex said, running his hand over Jack's hair.
"I... I didn't get you... they hurt you." Jack mumbled, rolling over and burying his face into Alex's stomach, breathing him in.
"It's not your fault I'm an asshole." Alex said comfortingly.
"No you're not..." Jack said, muffled against Alex. Jack didn't want to move. He just wanted to stay like this forever, always with Alex.
"Oh my God! What happened to you two?" Mark's voice came from a few feet away. Jack could hear his rapid footsteps and he hear him kneeling down.
"Jack..." Mark said gently. "Jack, you okay, bud?" He asked.
"I feel like shit." Jack groaned, curling into Alex more.
Mark looked up at Alex. "What happened?" He asked. Alex bit his lip, a tear sliding down his cheek.
"I... I was running and they just... they wouldn't stop kicking me." Alex said, his voice strangled. "And Jack came and they did this..." Alex said.
"Alex..." Jack groaned, trying not to pass out again.
"Yeah?" Alex asked.
"Don't ever scare me... like that again." Jack said.