Anywhere Else But Here (Chapter 16)
Title: Anywhere Else But Here (16/?)
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Jalex/Riassadee/John Ohh and Josh Franceschi
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 anyone and the title cred goes to Simple Plan.
Master Post
Josh sat at the counter, looking down at a cup of coffee he'd just made. He absolutely hated coffee, but he hadn't slept since they'd taken Alex, Cassadee and Jack away. He remembered that day well, for that reason and much more. He had told John to not worry, but inside, he was worrying way more than John ever would.
But at least that day had led to something good.
John walked out from the kitchen and beamed at the sight of Josh. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but the look worked.
"Hey, gorgeous." He said leaning over the counter, touching his nose to Josh's and kissing him softly. Josh only returned in half-heartedly. "What's wrong?" John asked, looked up at him.
"Everything." Josh croaked, his mind foggy. He felt like just passing out and never, ever waking up.
"Not everything..." John said softly, bumping his nose with his. Josh couldn't help but offer him a small smile.
"Yeah... I guess not everything." Josh said, kissing him again. There was something therapuetic about John's kisses. Unlike the first kiss, they were usually slow and calculated, rather than urgent.
John pulled away, much to Josh's dismay and looked at him.
"We're gonna go get them." John said simply.
"W-what?" Josh asked, aghast. "We don't even have a fucking clue where they are. How are we going to get them, may I ask?" Josh asked, not believing what he was hearing. John shrugged.
"Someone has to know." He said, offering him a grin.
"What do you mean?" Josh asked, curious for a moment.
"I know people..." John said, giving him an innocent look.
"But... how?" Josh asked, wide eyed.
"Oh, not all the police around here are enforcing the law. I didn't tell you... but the other night I was almost taken in, but the policeman was... way different than anyone else." John said slowly.
"How could you not fucking tell us?" Josh asked, feeling angry, more than hopeful.
"Calm your tits. I was planning on it, but there was so much going on." John said.
"So, who was this cop?" Josh asked, feeling exasperated.
"I don't know... his name was Tom or something... Like I said, I don't know. But he said he could help us." John said, his excitement obviously rising.
"Help us?" Josh asked, suddenly feeling happy.
"Mmhmm..." John said, loving the smile he'd put on the other boy's otherwise solemn face.
"John... You're amazing." Josh said, breathlessly.
"I've been told." John said, shrugging. He was a little surprised by Josh's lips suddenly on his, desperately kissing him. But he was okay with it.
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"Found 'em." Sierra said as she stepped into the clearing, the light from the rising sun showing her Jack and Alex. Cassadee let out a sigh of relief and Rian laughed at the sight.
Both the boys were shirtless with their hair messed up. Alex was between Jack's legs, his head on his stomach, lips parted. Jack's arms were behind his head, making a makeshift pillow. Both looked so blissfully asleep.
"Hey, wakey, wakey!" Cassadee yelled, tickling Alex's sides. He started giggling sleepily and opened his eyes.
"Caaaaaaass..." He groaned, still laughing as she tickled him more. Jack yawned and stretched his arms, looking at the new guests. He sat up on his elbows, eyes wide.
"Ummm... This isn't what it looks like." Jack said, looking at Alex.
"Mmmm... yeah it is." Alex said, standing up and stretching. "It was two boys sleeping on each other." He added. "Where the fuck did you put my shirt, Barakat?" He asked, looking around. Jack blushed and pointed to a spot a couple feet away.
"Oh, kinky." Sierra teased.
"Shush." Alex said, retrieving his shirt and putting it back on.
"So, where exactly did you guys go last night?" Rian asked.
"Um, well, I found Alex with some random dudes... Pierre and Jeremy or something..." Jack said, rubbing his eyes and standing up.
"Oh, so you've met the welcoming comittee." Rian said, rolling his eyes.
"Who?" Cassadee asked.
"Well, let's just say, these guys are self-proclaimed moderators of God knows what this is." Sierra said, hands on her hips.
"They didn't seem that bad." Alex said, but Jack knew.
"They're alright, but they think they own the place." Rian said and Sierra gave a sarcastic laugh.
"Uh-huh. Totally fine with those guys." Sierra said dryly.
"Yeah... they told Sierra she shouldn't sing." Rian explained. Sierra still looked bordeline livid.
"So, I've been meaning to ask... Is this an end to this place?" Cassadee asked.
"I've tried to find a way out too many times to count. But, I it's like going around in circles." Rian said, sighing.
"I just want to know what's going on. That's all." Cassadee said, her voice thick.
"I know... we all do." Jack said, looking at the ground.
"You said there was a watch tower, right?" Alex asked out of the blue.
"Yeah... but there's no ladder. Not that I've seen. There's no way to get in." Rian said, thinking about it.
"Take us there." Alex said. He had a hunch.
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The watch tower was a building about forty feet from the ground. The part holding it up was made of steel beams and poles, starting to criss-crossing about ten feet from the ground.
"We could get in. We could climb." Alex said. Everyone gave him a look.
"Are you nuts? There is no way in hell." Jack said, not even ready to think of the idea of any of them trying to scale that thing, especially Alex.
"You know, I'm trying to figure this out. And I'm not about to just sit here for my whole fucking life just waiting." Alex said calmly, assuring them he was in fact sane.
"No." Jack said simply. "Nobody is climbing that." He added.
"Well, then what do you want to do? Let's play Monopoly. Oh, wait. We don't have fucking Monopoly. We don't fucking have anything. Hell, we've been wearing the same clothes for days. I just want a fucking shower and adequate food." Alex said, his temper bubbling up.
Jack had to agree though. He felt gross and tired and sore and he just wanted to go home.
"We'll figure something out. But not this." Jack pleaded, terrified by the look in Alex's eyes. It was determination and Jack wasn't about to let him out of his sight now.
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"So, what do you know?" A cop asked, his eyes drilling into the suspect opposite him. He was standing, hands on the table, leaning in, waiting for a response from the silent man.
"What do I know?" The man asked. "What do I fucking know? I know a lot of things. I also know that this whole this in the biggest pile of bullshit I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing in my life." He said, staring the cop down.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Mr. Hoppus." The cop said, unamused.
"Somebody's gotta say it." Mark said, the interrogation seeming like a waste of time now.
"Oh, believe me, I've heard it many times." The cop said, sighing and sitting down.
"Well, what answers do you need? Music is a way of life. We're not letting the past or government stop it from being like that. It'll always be greater than any law. A law is just a piece of paper. Music can break through anything." Mark said, feeling like he'd conveyed his opinion well enough. "What's your name, anyway?" He asked.
"David. David Grohl." He said, leaning back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table.
Mark's eyes widened. "What?" He asked, not believing his ears. Now he could see the similarities. "What are you doing... here?" He asked.
"I'm... existing." His voice was lower now. He looked around warily, and whispered. "It's kind of... a way to not be suspicious." He said, looking down at the ground as if he hadn't said something completely and utterly life changing. The resistors were everywhere.
"I can't believe this." Mark said, putting his face in his hands.
"Do you really think I could give it up?" David asked. Mark looked up, confused.
"I feel just like you said." He continued.
"How do they... How do they not know who you are?" Mark asked, still confused by the new information.
"I get around the system... I'm Robert McCormick here." David said, not able to contain a smile.
"You cheeky bastard..." Mark said, smiling.
This battle was far from over.