The Truth Is Hard To Swallow [Five]
Title: The Truth Is Hard To Swallow [Five]
Author: detourtoyou
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairing: Jack/Alex
POV: 3rd
Summary: Of course the one time he decided to act his age, Alex would end up messing even that up. But in his defense, it was hard to act his age when he was faced with things so entirely beyond his age and maturity level, like a one-night decision that decided to follow him into the rest of his life.
Warning: Future mpreg
Disclaimer: This is sadly false and a complete lie created by my mind. Title take from Toxic Valentine by All Time Low.
A/N: Took me a little longer, but here is five! :)
Nervous hand tugging at the tie he had been forced to wear, Alex tried to remain still as his mom rang the doorbell. He could feel a layer of sweat begin to form on his palms as his heart thundered against his ribcage. It felt like he was riding up higher on a rollercoaster, waiting for the inevitable plunge to drive him downwards at a force that was enough to throw his stomach down to his feet.
The front door clicked and swung open, revealing the man Alex guessed would be marrying his mother. He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, and waited as his mom and the man hugged, exchanging words and greetings that were lost to his ears. Alex could only hear his heart hammering faster and faster. He wasn't ready for this.
"You must be Alex," the man finally addressed him, a warm smile on his face as he held out his hand. Alex took it numbly, wincing upon realizing how sweaty his hands were. The older man did not seem to mind as he gave it a strong shake, his grip firm.
"Um, yeah. Hi. It's, um, nice to meet you," he said awkwardly and released the man's hand. He quickly wiped his palm off on the fabric of his slacks.
"It's good to finally meet you, too. Your mom has talked a lot about you. Come in, come in."
Alex just nodded distractedly as he followed his mom inside. Despite himself, his eyes were searching around for the man's son. He just wanted to hurry up and skip over the building suspense part by seeing who the boy was already. The apprehension was becoming too much for Alex to handle, and the only thing that kept him from losing every inch of his sanity was the fact that his mom looked absolutely radiant with joy. He knew how important this night was for her and did not want to do anything to fuck it up.
"Jack! Come downstairs! We have company!" Mr. Barakat called up, shaking his head with a small grin. "Geez, that boy."
The sound of heavy thudding above his head startled Alex into looking up at the ceiling with wide eyes. It did not take long for footsteps to follow, and Alex held his breath as he felt himself climbing up even higher on the rollercoaster.
"Yeah, Dad?"
When Alex turned around, he was abruptly dropped down, the flop disrupting the rhythm of his stomach. Standing in front of him was the same Jack who had fucked him and then pretty much demanded that they forget about it because they were friends with the same people and it would make him look like the douchebag he was. Truthfully, Alex had been expecting to see him, regardless of how many hours he spent at school earlier in the day, trying to tell himself that it was just a coincidence; that did not pad the shock in the slightest, however.
The surprise widened Jack's eyes only momentarily before disappearing into a blankness Alex remembered from when they first met after sleeping together. He smiled at Alex without recognition and said casually, "Hey. I'm Jack."
Unable to find his voice, Alex just stared, dumbstruck and mouth dangerously close to dropping at the sheer irony of the situation. Even when he felt his mother's hand on his shoulder, asking him what was wrong, Alex could do nothing. It wasn't until Jack's eyes narrowed with a quiet warning, telling him to get his act together, that Alex managed to stammer out a faint and nervous, "H-hi, I-I'm Alex."
"Wanna come upstairs to my room?" The invitation was anything but, leaving Alex with no choice in the matter regardless of how much he wanted to refuse. He turned to his mom who just beamed, nodding enthusiastically. Mr. Barakat looked extremely pleased as well that their sons were getting along right from the get go. Alex had the strangest urge to laugh.
Reluctantly, he tore himself away from their parents who immediately headed for the kitchen and followed Jack back up the stairs. The trip was made in silence and each step that brought him closer to the privacy of Jack's room only doubled his anxiety until Alex was no longer certain whether his lungs were properly inflating or not. It turned out that they weren't and he gulped for air once inside the other's room and out of their parents' earshot.
It was modestly sized and reminded Alex of the room back at the party where they had first met. The floor was clean and free from the random junk and clothes that usually cluttered Alex's room, and he could make out a guitar propped against the wall in a corner. As soon as the door shut, however, Jack was crowding his personal space, asking with a tight frown and a narrow of his eyes, suspicious, "Did you know about this?"
"Know? About what?" Alex squeaked out, backing away from him and almost toppling over back onto the bed. He did sit down however as Jack remained standing, towering over him. His mind was reeling and could not follow the line of thought Jack was trying to take him down.
"About my flaming, secret crush on you," said Jack sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "About our parents, dumbass! What else would I be talking about?"
Alex paused, uncertain, and asked with blinking eyes, missing the point Jack was trying to make, "You have a crush on me?"
Hands covering his face, the taller boy let out a noise of discontentment before letting his hands drop back down by his sides. "Did you know about our parents?" he repeated in full question, face back to sporting the uninterested expression Alex was used to seeing whenever the two of them had to talk.
"Um. No. Kinda. Maybe?" Judging by the arched eyebrow against Jack's forehead, Alex figured he was doing a bad job at answering. He settled for shutting his mouth and waiting for Jack to speak again.
"This is so fucking messed up," was all he said. Alex silently agreed.
Personally, Alex thought that in comparison to himself, Jack was taking the news pretty well. Alex had spent at least half an hour trying to calm himself down after his mom had left, and it was only by some miracle that he had even managed to get to school. Even now he wasn't completely calm though the anxiety was beginning to wear off, for which he was grateful for. His heart no longer felt like it was going to run itself exhausted.
"So, what are we gonna do?"
Jack crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression muddling his face as he mumbled to himself, "Fucking clingy one-night stands." He missed how the comment made Alex's cheeks flush bright red. That was something Alex had managed to mostly forget.
"It's not like I forced our parents to decided to get married," Alex muttered quietly.
"You could've for all I know." He snorted, disgruntled with the entire situation. "Look," he said, and Alex felt like it was that night on repeat all over again, "I think we both know what we need to do. We're still forgetting about having sex, but since we can't exactly ignore each other with our parents about to tie the knot, it'd be easier for the both of us to just try to get along." Jack grimaced as though the very thought was offensive.
Alex blinked, eyebrows tugging together in a show of perplexity. "You mean like... as friends?"
"Pretty much. Just enough so that we can tolerate each other and stay out of each other's ways." The younger boy paused for a second before adding, "And each other's pants."
"That'll probably be harder for you than for me," Alex remarked without thinking, instantly regretting it upon seeing Jack's eyebrow arch.
"Who was the one asking me to stay?" reminded Jack with a smug smile when Alex shrank back with a pink blush.
"Shut up. I didn't mean anything by it so don't get such a big head over it," he said, irritated with having his humiliation brought up so easily. "I was drunk and didn't know what I was saying."
Rolling his eyes, Jack did not look convinced. "Sure you didn't."
"I didn't," Alex muttered back childishly. "Like I would ever want to date you. You're a complete asshole, and I bet you'd suck at a relationship."
"You're just upset that I don't want to date you," Jack taunted, leering.
"I am not!"
"Well, too bad for you, I don't do relationships." The taller teen shrugged nonchalantly, not even listening to Alex. "Even if I did, I could do way better than you."
With a noise of exasperation, Alex just huffed, "You're so full of yourself. I wouldn't want to date you even if you were the last person on this planet."
"Try not to be so disappointed. Our parents might get ideas."
Alex had to hold himself back from shoving the other boy. If they went down to dinner with only Jack having a black eye, their parents would undoubtedly become suspicious. His mom would most likely not appreciate him making the wrong first impression by socking her husband-to-be's son, no matter how much of a jerk he was. He instead settled for saying simply, "I really hate you."
"You didn't seem to hate me when I was busy fucking you into the mattress, whenever that was. You moaned and begged me for more like such a good little whore," Jack reminded conceitedly while smirking. His smile became fuller as Alex turned beet red once more from a mixture of anger and shame. His fingers twisted into the side of his pants, itching to move and possibly curl into a fist to sink into the other's complacent face.
"I didn't beg you," mumbled Alex defensively. "And I'm not a whore."
"Boys! Dinner's ready!"
His response had been mostly lost to the sudden call from below, and Jack was already moving towards the door. Alex trailed behind him. By the time they reached the dining room, Jack was snickering as he took his seat.
His mom shot him a hopeful smile, most likely thinking that the two of them had gotten along just wonderfully while upstairs by the way Jack was smiling so gleefully and laughing quietly. Alex didn't have the heart to tell his mom the real reason why and just returned her smile feebly while sitting in the empty chair next to her and across from Jack. Somehow, he did not think this would go over as easily as he had hoped.
He seriously hated fate and her bitchy ways of always messing up his life.
--
"Can you say that one more time?"
Huffing an overdramatic sigh, Alex flicked his eyes up at Caleb and stated evenly, "My mom and Jack's dad are getting married, and we're going to become stepbrothers."
He laughed when Caleb fell out of the chair purposely in a show of blown up shock. It was mostly funny because when he first told him the news, the redhead really did fall out of his chair. A passing elderly woman stared at him strangely.
They were at the mall again, sitting in one of the lounge areas in front of the department stores and taking a pretzel break. It had been two days since the dinner at Jack's house, and Alex was surprised he had lasted as long as he did without telling anyone about the news.
"How the hell did that happen?" he asked incredulously, getting up and sliding back into his seat.
Shoulders moving in a shrug, the older boy smiled helplessly without an answer. "Not sure."
"Wow. This is just... Wow. I don't even know how to react. What are the chances? Seriously? God, this is the weirdest thing ever." Caleb leaned back, shaking his head in amazement.
"You're telling me," grumbled Alex. "I still can't believe this is really happening."
Truthfully, Alex was still having a hard time accepting the reality of his situation as well. It seemed way too surreal to actually be happening, and more importantly, he didn't want it to be happening. Caleb gave him a sympathetic look, bumping their shoulders together as he leaned against the other teen in a show of comfort. Alex shifted his weight onto him and let out a sigh.
"So, I guess this kinda screws everything up?"
"Maybe. He basically just suggested that we start over as friends or at least as people who can stand to be next to each other for longer than five minutes. Since we're going to be a family soon." Alex made a face at the thought.
"That's good though, isn't it?"
"I guess. It would just be a lot easier if I could pretend like he doesn't exist though," the older boy admitted. His stomach churned in agreement.
Caleb quirked a brow obviously as though catching a sudden though occurring to him. "Alex, do you like Jack?"
Alex crinkled the wax paper holding his pretzel with a flabbergasted hand and straightened up in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden question. He was quick to correct the other's misunderstanding. "What? No! Of course not! We just fucked. I didn't fall in love with him or anything girly like that."
From the way Caleb looked at him, unsure and hesitantly hopeful, Alex could hear Zack's words echoing in his head. He shook them out of his mind, scowling a little at Zack and his stupid assumptions. Now they were plaguing him and filling him with equally stupid thoughts.
"Really, Caleb. I don't like him. He's a douchebag anyways," reassured Alex with a smile. He wasn't certain of what doing this would mean or what direction it would take them in, but he didn't think he minded. Jack was really a douchebag in Alex's opinion at any rate so it wasn't like he was lying to the redhead.
"Jack's not that bad. Just mostly to people he sleeps with. Once you become friends, you'll see what I mean. He's actually pretty cool."
He seriously doubted it after their friendly little pre-dinner chat in his room but didn't speak out against it. Alex didn't like it whenever someone badmouthed Zack so he wouldn't do it to anyone else's friend either. Instead, the teen just shrugged and took a bite of his pretzel to keep from saying anything, chewing slowly. He could feel a rumble disturbing his stomach like it was complaining about being fed nothing but one measly pretzel all day long. Alex rubbed his belly through his shirt with a wince.
"Stomachache?" Caleb asked with a worried glance over.
"I think my stomach's pissed that I haven't fed it properly," he joked. He had been feeling a little nauseous for the entire day but had ignored the sensation, chalking it up to nerves and stress. Alex was about to take another bite to appease his body when the rush of acidic burning rose up his throat. He was up on his feet and running for the nearest bathrooms within half a second, hand clamped firmly over his mouth and trying to swallow back the spill of nausea just long enough.
Public bathrooms were not very ideal to throw up in, but Alex ignored the dirty, unsanitary conditions to slide into the first empty stall and heave into the toilet. He missed and a little splashed onto the floor next to the bowl. He didn't even have time to properly close the door behind him, and Caleb came in after him a few seconds later.
"Alex?"
It was difficult to speak with vomit spewing from his mouth but the redhead managed to find the stall he was in anyways. Not that it was too difficult considering he was gagging loudly in the mostly silent bathroom. Another lurch brought up the rest of the pretzel and water previously sitting in his stomach. A hand touched his back, rubbing circles soothingly as he continued to dry heave into the bowl. With nothing left in his stomach, nothing else came up, and after a few more minutes, Alex let himself lean back into Caleb's hand. He felt weak and tired, stomach unsettled like it was tipping back and forth in a jerky rhythm.
"Shit, that pretzel was bad," he moaned with a small titter, eyes closing. The pressure on his back felt good and unconsciously, Alex tipped halfway into Caleb's chest.
"Come on. Let's get you home," whispered Caleb after a few more minutes, hand still working against his back. He went ahead and flushed the toilet. "Can you stand?"
"I think."
Caleb helped him up nonetheless, gently gripping his arm and pressing his hand flat on the small of the other's back as he pulled the both of them up to their feet. Unsteady on his feet, Alex tilted into the younger boy. His body was too tired to move much, and every part of him felt heavy. He let himself be led to the sink to wash up and rinse his mouth of the nasty, bitter taste of vomit.
"Okay, we're definitely not letting you eat anymore pretzels."
Alex managed a weak smile and wiped his mouth with a scratchy paper towel.
The walk to the car was difficult, but Caleb supported much of his weight and dragged the both of them out. Not even seconds after sitting himself into the passenger's seat and getting a little more comfortable did the older of the two fall asleep. He remained that way for the entirety of the car ride back home until the redhead was forced to wake him up to get them back into the house.
They managed to make it through the front door before Alex was swallowing back the bile steadily rising in his throat. He pushed through the door and ran straight for the bathroom again, dropping to his knees and becoming rather intimate with the toilet bowl once more.
"Shit, again? Alex, fuck, are you okay?" asked Caleb immediately, concerned. He sat down next to him, rubbing his back and looking around for a towel.
Alex made a small noise to indicate 'no' before another round of vomit rose. He gripped the sides of the toilet bowl tightly, helping to ease his discomfort a little. He rested his head against his arm, the other one moving up blindly to flush.
"Feeling better yet?"
"No," Alex croaked, throat raw. He felt worse the second time around. Stupid fucking pretzel.
"Do you think you're going to throw up again?"
Waiting for a full minute just in case of a relapse, he shook his head. His stomach had settled again for the most part, but then again, he had thought it was okay after the first round of throwing up.
Caleb removed the wet towel and helped Alex up to his feet once again, maneuvering him to his bedroom once he rinsed his mouth, since the other was practically left unable to move. He laid the boy down carefully so as not to upset his stomach any further and immediately propped his head up with two pillows.
"Thanks, Caleb," murmured Alex with a small, thankful smile. His eyelids were already drooping rapidly.
"Don't mention it." He hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Do you want me to stay? Just in case?"
Alex was too exhausted to even fully hear the other boy's question. Eyes shutting, he just mumbled unintelligibly without concern to what he was saying as his conscious faded fast. At this point, he did not care about anything outside of his own slipping awareness. All Alex could hear was the sweetness of sleep calling his name, and it sounded wonderful to his drained body. So, he listened and answered its call.
Author: detourtoyou
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairing: Jack/Alex
POV: 3rd
Summary: Of course the one time he decided to act his age, Alex would end up messing even that up. But in his defense, it was hard to act his age when he was faced with things so entirely beyond his age and maturity level, like a one-night decision that decided to follow him into the rest of his life.
Warning: Future mpreg
Disclaimer: This is sadly false and a complete lie created by my mind. Title take from Toxic Valentine by All Time Low.
A/N: Took me a little longer, but here is five! :)
Nervous hand tugging at the tie he had been forced to wear, Alex tried to remain still as his mom rang the doorbell. He could feel a layer of sweat begin to form on his palms as his heart thundered against his ribcage. It felt like he was riding up higher on a rollercoaster, waiting for the inevitable plunge to drive him downwards at a force that was enough to throw his stomach down to his feet.
The front door clicked and swung open, revealing the man Alex guessed would be marrying his mother. He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, and waited as his mom and the man hugged, exchanging words and greetings that were lost to his ears. Alex could only hear his heart hammering faster and faster. He wasn't ready for this.
"You must be Alex," the man finally addressed him, a warm smile on his face as he held out his hand. Alex took it numbly, wincing upon realizing how sweaty his hands were. The older man did not seem to mind as he gave it a strong shake, his grip firm.
"Um, yeah. Hi. It's, um, nice to meet you," he said awkwardly and released the man's hand. He quickly wiped his palm off on the fabric of his slacks.
"It's good to finally meet you, too. Your mom has talked a lot about you. Come in, come in."
Alex just nodded distractedly as he followed his mom inside. Despite himself, his eyes were searching around for the man's son. He just wanted to hurry up and skip over the building suspense part by seeing who the boy was already. The apprehension was becoming too much for Alex to handle, and the only thing that kept him from losing every inch of his sanity was the fact that his mom looked absolutely radiant with joy. He knew how important this night was for her and did not want to do anything to fuck it up.
"Jack! Come downstairs! We have company!" Mr. Barakat called up, shaking his head with a small grin. "Geez, that boy."
The sound of heavy thudding above his head startled Alex into looking up at the ceiling with wide eyes. It did not take long for footsteps to follow, and Alex held his breath as he felt himself climbing up even higher on the rollercoaster.
"Yeah, Dad?"
When Alex turned around, he was abruptly dropped down, the flop disrupting the rhythm of his stomach. Standing in front of him was the same Jack who had fucked him and then pretty much demanded that they forget about it because they were friends with the same people and it would make him look like the douchebag he was. Truthfully, Alex had been expecting to see him, regardless of how many hours he spent at school earlier in the day, trying to tell himself that it was just a coincidence; that did not pad the shock in the slightest, however.
The surprise widened Jack's eyes only momentarily before disappearing into a blankness Alex remembered from when they first met after sleeping together. He smiled at Alex without recognition and said casually, "Hey. I'm Jack."
Unable to find his voice, Alex just stared, dumbstruck and mouth dangerously close to dropping at the sheer irony of the situation. Even when he felt his mother's hand on his shoulder, asking him what was wrong, Alex could do nothing. It wasn't until Jack's eyes narrowed with a quiet warning, telling him to get his act together, that Alex managed to stammer out a faint and nervous, "H-hi, I-I'm Alex."
"Wanna come upstairs to my room?" The invitation was anything but, leaving Alex with no choice in the matter regardless of how much he wanted to refuse. He turned to his mom who just beamed, nodding enthusiastically. Mr. Barakat looked extremely pleased as well that their sons were getting along right from the get go. Alex had the strangest urge to laugh.
Reluctantly, he tore himself away from their parents who immediately headed for the kitchen and followed Jack back up the stairs. The trip was made in silence and each step that brought him closer to the privacy of Jack's room only doubled his anxiety until Alex was no longer certain whether his lungs were properly inflating or not. It turned out that they weren't and he gulped for air once inside the other's room and out of their parents' earshot.
It was modestly sized and reminded Alex of the room back at the party where they had first met. The floor was clean and free from the random junk and clothes that usually cluttered Alex's room, and he could make out a guitar propped against the wall in a corner. As soon as the door shut, however, Jack was crowding his personal space, asking with a tight frown and a narrow of his eyes, suspicious, "Did you know about this?"
"Know? About what?" Alex squeaked out, backing away from him and almost toppling over back onto the bed. He did sit down however as Jack remained standing, towering over him. His mind was reeling and could not follow the line of thought Jack was trying to take him down.
"About my flaming, secret crush on you," said Jack sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "About our parents, dumbass! What else would I be talking about?"
Alex paused, uncertain, and asked with blinking eyes, missing the point Jack was trying to make, "You have a crush on me?"
Hands covering his face, the taller boy let out a noise of discontentment before letting his hands drop back down by his sides. "Did you know about our parents?" he repeated in full question, face back to sporting the uninterested expression Alex was used to seeing whenever the two of them had to talk.
"Um. No. Kinda. Maybe?" Judging by the arched eyebrow against Jack's forehead, Alex figured he was doing a bad job at answering. He settled for shutting his mouth and waiting for Jack to speak again.
"This is so fucking messed up," was all he said. Alex silently agreed.
Personally, Alex thought that in comparison to himself, Jack was taking the news pretty well. Alex had spent at least half an hour trying to calm himself down after his mom had left, and it was only by some miracle that he had even managed to get to school. Even now he wasn't completely calm though the anxiety was beginning to wear off, for which he was grateful for. His heart no longer felt like it was going to run itself exhausted.
"So, what are we gonna do?"
Jack crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression muddling his face as he mumbled to himself, "Fucking clingy one-night stands." He missed how the comment made Alex's cheeks flush bright red. That was something Alex had managed to mostly forget.
"It's not like I forced our parents to decided to get married," Alex muttered quietly.
"You could've for all I know." He snorted, disgruntled with the entire situation. "Look," he said, and Alex felt like it was that night on repeat all over again, "I think we both know what we need to do. We're still forgetting about having sex, but since we can't exactly ignore each other with our parents about to tie the knot, it'd be easier for the both of us to just try to get along." Jack grimaced as though the very thought was offensive.
Alex blinked, eyebrows tugging together in a show of perplexity. "You mean like... as friends?"
"Pretty much. Just enough so that we can tolerate each other and stay out of each other's ways." The younger boy paused for a second before adding, "And each other's pants."
"That'll probably be harder for you than for me," Alex remarked without thinking, instantly regretting it upon seeing Jack's eyebrow arch.
"Who was the one asking me to stay?" reminded Jack with a smug smile when Alex shrank back with a pink blush.
"Shut up. I didn't mean anything by it so don't get such a big head over it," he said, irritated with having his humiliation brought up so easily. "I was drunk and didn't know what I was saying."
Rolling his eyes, Jack did not look convinced. "Sure you didn't."
"I didn't," Alex muttered back childishly. "Like I would ever want to date you. You're a complete asshole, and I bet you'd suck at a relationship."
"You're just upset that I don't want to date you," Jack taunted, leering.
"I am not!"
"Well, too bad for you, I don't do relationships." The taller teen shrugged nonchalantly, not even listening to Alex. "Even if I did, I could do way better than you."
With a noise of exasperation, Alex just huffed, "You're so full of yourself. I wouldn't want to date you even if you were the last person on this planet."
"Try not to be so disappointed. Our parents might get ideas."
Alex had to hold himself back from shoving the other boy. If they went down to dinner with only Jack having a black eye, their parents would undoubtedly become suspicious. His mom would most likely not appreciate him making the wrong first impression by socking her husband-to-be's son, no matter how much of a jerk he was. He instead settled for saying simply, "I really hate you."
"You didn't seem to hate me when I was busy fucking you into the mattress, whenever that was. You moaned and begged me for more like such a good little whore," Jack reminded conceitedly while smirking. His smile became fuller as Alex turned beet red once more from a mixture of anger and shame. His fingers twisted into the side of his pants, itching to move and possibly curl into a fist to sink into the other's complacent face.
"I didn't beg you," mumbled Alex defensively. "And I'm not a whore."
"Boys! Dinner's ready!"
His response had been mostly lost to the sudden call from below, and Jack was already moving towards the door. Alex trailed behind him. By the time they reached the dining room, Jack was snickering as he took his seat.
His mom shot him a hopeful smile, most likely thinking that the two of them had gotten along just wonderfully while upstairs by the way Jack was smiling so gleefully and laughing quietly. Alex didn't have the heart to tell his mom the real reason why and just returned her smile feebly while sitting in the empty chair next to her and across from Jack. Somehow, he did not think this would go over as easily as he had hoped.
He seriously hated fate and her bitchy ways of always messing up his life.
--
"Can you say that one more time?"
Huffing an overdramatic sigh, Alex flicked his eyes up at Caleb and stated evenly, "My mom and Jack's dad are getting married, and we're going to become stepbrothers."
He laughed when Caleb fell out of the chair purposely in a show of blown up shock. It was mostly funny because when he first told him the news, the redhead really did fall out of his chair. A passing elderly woman stared at him strangely.
They were at the mall again, sitting in one of the lounge areas in front of the department stores and taking a pretzel break. It had been two days since the dinner at Jack's house, and Alex was surprised he had lasted as long as he did without telling anyone about the news.
"How the hell did that happen?" he asked incredulously, getting up and sliding back into his seat.
Shoulders moving in a shrug, the older boy smiled helplessly without an answer. "Not sure."
"Wow. This is just... Wow. I don't even know how to react. What are the chances? Seriously? God, this is the weirdest thing ever." Caleb leaned back, shaking his head in amazement.
"You're telling me," grumbled Alex. "I still can't believe this is really happening."
Truthfully, Alex was still having a hard time accepting the reality of his situation as well. It seemed way too surreal to actually be happening, and more importantly, he didn't want it to be happening. Caleb gave him a sympathetic look, bumping their shoulders together as he leaned against the other teen in a show of comfort. Alex shifted his weight onto him and let out a sigh.
"So, I guess this kinda screws everything up?"
"Maybe. He basically just suggested that we start over as friends or at least as people who can stand to be next to each other for longer than five minutes. Since we're going to be a family soon." Alex made a face at the thought.
"That's good though, isn't it?"
"I guess. It would just be a lot easier if I could pretend like he doesn't exist though," the older boy admitted. His stomach churned in agreement.
Caleb quirked a brow obviously as though catching a sudden though occurring to him. "Alex, do you like Jack?"
Alex crinkled the wax paper holding his pretzel with a flabbergasted hand and straightened up in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden question. He was quick to correct the other's misunderstanding. "What? No! Of course not! We just fucked. I didn't fall in love with him or anything girly like that."
From the way Caleb looked at him, unsure and hesitantly hopeful, Alex could hear Zack's words echoing in his head. He shook them out of his mind, scowling a little at Zack and his stupid assumptions. Now they were plaguing him and filling him with equally stupid thoughts.
"Really, Caleb. I don't like him. He's a douchebag anyways," reassured Alex with a smile. He wasn't certain of what doing this would mean or what direction it would take them in, but he didn't think he minded. Jack was really a douchebag in Alex's opinion at any rate so it wasn't like he was lying to the redhead.
"Jack's not that bad. Just mostly to people he sleeps with. Once you become friends, you'll see what I mean. He's actually pretty cool."
He seriously doubted it after their friendly little pre-dinner chat in his room but didn't speak out against it. Alex didn't like it whenever someone badmouthed Zack so he wouldn't do it to anyone else's friend either. Instead, the teen just shrugged and took a bite of his pretzel to keep from saying anything, chewing slowly. He could feel a rumble disturbing his stomach like it was complaining about being fed nothing but one measly pretzel all day long. Alex rubbed his belly through his shirt with a wince.
"Stomachache?" Caleb asked with a worried glance over.
"I think my stomach's pissed that I haven't fed it properly," he joked. He had been feeling a little nauseous for the entire day but had ignored the sensation, chalking it up to nerves and stress. Alex was about to take another bite to appease his body when the rush of acidic burning rose up his throat. He was up on his feet and running for the nearest bathrooms within half a second, hand clamped firmly over his mouth and trying to swallow back the spill of nausea just long enough.
Public bathrooms were not very ideal to throw up in, but Alex ignored the dirty, unsanitary conditions to slide into the first empty stall and heave into the toilet. He missed and a little splashed onto the floor next to the bowl. He didn't even have time to properly close the door behind him, and Caleb came in after him a few seconds later.
"Alex?"
It was difficult to speak with vomit spewing from his mouth but the redhead managed to find the stall he was in anyways. Not that it was too difficult considering he was gagging loudly in the mostly silent bathroom. Another lurch brought up the rest of the pretzel and water previously sitting in his stomach. A hand touched his back, rubbing circles soothingly as he continued to dry heave into the bowl. With nothing left in his stomach, nothing else came up, and after a few more minutes, Alex let himself lean back into Caleb's hand. He felt weak and tired, stomach unsettled like it was tipping back and forth in a jerky rhythm.
"Shit, that pretzel was bad," he moaned with a small titter, eyes closing. The pressure on his back felt good and unconsciously, Alex tipped halfway into Caleb's chest.
"Come on. Let's get you home," whispered Caleb after a few more minutes, hand still working against his back. He went ahead and flushed the toilet. "Can you stand?"
"I think."
Caleb helped him up nonetheless, gently gripping his arm and pressing his hand flat on the small of the other's back as he pulled the both of them up to their feet. Unsteady on his feet, Alex tilted into the younger boy. His body was too tired to move much, and every part of him felt heavy. He let himself be led to the sink to wash up and rinse his mouth of the nasty, bitter taste of vomit.
"Okay, we're definitely not letting you eat anymore pretzels."
Alex managed a weak smile and wiped his mouth with a scratchy paper towel.
The walk to the car was difficult, but Caleb supported much of his weight and dragged the both of them out. Not even seconds after sitting himself into the passenger's seat and getting a little more comfortable did the older of the two fall asleep. He remained that way for the entirety of the car ride back home until the redhead was forced to wake him up to get them back into the house.
They managed to make it through the front door before Alex was swallowing back the bile steadily rising in his throat. He pushed through the door and ran straight for the bathroom again, dropping to his knees and becoming rather intimate with the toilet bowl once more.
"Shit, again? Alex, fuck, are you okay?" asked Caleb immediately, concerned. He sat down next to him, rubbing his back and looking around for a towel.
Alex made a small noise to indicate 'no' before another round of vomit rose. He gripped the sides of the toilet bowl tightly, helping to ease his discomfort a little. He rested his head against his arm, the other one moving up blindly to flush.
"Feeling better yet?"
"No," Alex croaked, throat raw. He felt worse the second time around. Stupid fucking pretzel.
"Do you think you're going to throw up again?"
Waiting for a full minute just in case of a relapse, he shook his head. His stomach had settled again for the most part, but then again, he had thought it was okay after the first round of throwing up.
Caleb removed the wet towel and helped Alex up to his feet once again, maneuvering him to his bedroom once he rinsed his mouth, since the other was practically left unable to move. He laid the boy down carefully so as not to upset his stomach any further and immediately propped his head up with two pillows.
"Thanks, Caleb," murmured Alex with a small, thankful smile. His eyelids were already drooping rapidly.
"Don't mention it." He hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Do you want me to stay? Just in case?"
Alex was too exhausted to even fully hear the other boy's question. Eyes shutting, he just mumbled unintelligibly without concern to what he was saying as his conscious faded fast. At this point, he did not care about anything outside of his own slipping awareness. All Alex could hear was the sweetness of sleep calling his name, and it sounded wonderful to his drained body. So, he listened and answered its call.