The Truth Is Hard To Swallow [Eleven (1/2)]
Title: The Truth Is Hard To Swallow [Eleven (1/2)]
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: Mpreg
Disclaimer: This is sadly false and a complete lie created by my mind. Title taken from Toxic Valentine by All Time Low.
A/N: Busy weekend, but I've finally managed to find some time to update. And hey, it's 10/10/10, 10:10! Okay, I'll stop now. The ending is a little messy, but here it is. Enjoy!
"How about this?"
"How about no?" scowled Alex, seizing the hanger out of the hand dangling it in front of him and putting it back onto the rack with a metallic clang. "I am not wearing a shirt that says, 'I love my bump'."
Jack rolled his eyes, saying with a shrug, "Hey, it's true, isn't it?"
"I'm not showing that much yet. Besides, I don't want the entire world knowing that I'm pregnant," countered the older boy as he rummaged through the rack. He could hear a snort of disbelief coming from the other and chose to ignore it for taking out another shirt that seemed relatively normal. He grimaced, however, upon seeing the decal. It was placed back.
"Yeah, because they totally won't be able to figure it out when you start getting as big as a fucking whale. Nah, they'll just think that you're gaining some weight."
"Why are you even here?" mused Alex with a shake of his head, keeping his eyes on the maternity clothes mostly meant for women. Seeing as to how there was only a single rack of maternity clothes dedicated to males and they resembled the ones in the woman's section anyways, he was scouring both sections carefully in an attempt to find something suitable. In all honestly, Alex had been surprised when Jack had dragged him out of the house to go buy clothes. It had come as a shock considering that just a week ago, he had been agonizing about buying new clothes. Initially, Alex declined, pointing out that he had no money, but Jack had just told him to shut up and get into the car, and out of intimidation, Alex did. The taller boy was acting as though they were friends when Alex wasn't even sure what they were. It was not that Alex thought that Jack hated him but more like Jack didn't care enough about him to even put forth the effort to hate him. Like Alex wasn't worth the effort. He frowned.
Bored and unaware of the sudden quietness falling over the other, Jack reached blindly through the rack, thumbing through the clothes as he responded with what sounded like a rehearsed answer, "Because someone needed to take you to the mall to go buy some clothes, and Caleb's busy and Zack's busy which left me." He paused before tacking on to the end, "And Zack and Caleb pretty much threatened me into going so don't be getting any ideas."
The latter statement did nothing to cool the warmth filling Alex as he hid a smile behind the pair of jeans he was pretending to look at. What did it matter what he and Jack were. Maybe they weren't anything, and maybe that was okay.
Not to sound ungrateful, but Alex was glad to be with someone who didn't treat him like glass and who didn't dote on him twenty-four seven. While he appreciated both Zack's and Caleb's concerns about his well-being, he also wanted to enjoy time without being constantly reminded that he was pregnant and thus unable to do about half the things he used to do pre-pregnancy.
"How about this?" A baby blue shirt with the words 'Knocked Up' and a stick figure of a pregnant woman above it was thrust into his line of vision. "I think this is pretty fitting. Y'know, in case the huge stomach doesn't get the message across, this should."
Considering the validity of the statement along with the person holding it, Alex was unsure of how to feel about the t-shirt, staring at it with blinking eyes. He ducked his head, saying, "That's just crude. I don't want people thinking the baby was a mistake or something."
"Well, aren't you just a tough crowd to please," he commented, raising a brow. Alex would almost say that Jack looked offended. Almost. It was too bad he knew the other enough to see the signs that hinted to Jack just being indifferent rather than offended. "Fine, shoot down all of my suggestions. See if I help you anymore."
"I wouldn't mind your help if it didn't mean you picking out stupid shirts that are embarrassing and emphasize the bump hiding under my shirt," retorted Alex with a roll of his eyes.
"C'mon. You have to admit that the pregnant stick figure is pretty accurate. Look, it's not even wearing a skirt or a dress so even you can wear it without feeling like a total girl." Jack waggled his brows in addition to his pitch to entice the other boy into buying it. It earned him a shove from Alex who feigned annoyance but the smile threatening to break across his lips ruined the effect. "Yeah, you're totally getting this shirt. You get no say in this."
"You're such a jerk." There was no bite to his words as Alex finally gave in to the smile.
Jack hummed in agreement. "So I've heard."
"I'm not wearing it," he warned teasingly, adding another shirt to the stack in his arms.
"We'll see. Now hurry up. I want a pretzel."
A small laugh slipped as Alex thought back to when he first had symptoms of being pregnant, sorting through to pick out more clothes with a hum and a smile. It was difficult to think that he had been intimidated, and maybe even afraid, of Jack when now, the once-brusque boy was taking him maternity clothes shopping. At the request of Caleb and Zack, but still, Alex was having a good time, and that came as the biggest surprise.
When they finished shopping (which Jack had pushed Alex out of the way to pay for, not even bothering to listen to Alex's nonsensical splutters and telling him to just shut up), Jack dropped onto a bench, pretzel in hand. Alex followed suit, taking small nibbles of his almond pretzel.
"Why did you pay for my clothes?" he asked finally, the question itching his tongue.
Watching the passing shoppers, Jack chewed on the kneaded dough, shrugging. "Don't think too much into it. It's just a birthday present."
"Birthday present?"
"Yeah, birthday present. It's your birthday today, right? Caleb wouldn't stop harping me about it all week 'cause he wouldn't be able to spend it with you," muttered Jack, fingers sifting through his hair. "And then Zack called me saying how he had to go to his grandmother's or something and would have to miss your birthday."
Alex blinked. He knew that Zack would be out of town because the other boy had told him two weeks well in advance that he had to go down to visit his grandmother. But it had slipped his mind that Caleb had called yesterday to apologize for not being able to spend his birthday with him. Which was strange because the news had upset Alex yesterday, making him feel lonely and depressed, but now that he was out, he had forgotten all about the apology and the dejection. Alex blinked again as a sudden thought snuck its way into the front of his mind.
"Wait, so does that mean you took me out so that I wouldn't be alone on my birthday?" Alex asked, voice lifting with question as he fitted the pieces together.
Jack actually choked on the baked bread, eyes round and a faint red tinging his cheeks.
"Um, that's," he coughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Alex tried not to smile.
The feeling of victory was not one Alex got to experience on a daily basis especially since he normally did not get a win over Jack. He relished in it, verbally poking the other boy once again into speaking; since this didn't happen often, he wanted to exploit the moment to its full potential to embarrass the other a little.
"That's what?"
"That's..." He lowered his eyes in defeat, muttering, "My dad made me come over to hang out with you."
The excuse did not match up with the previous one he had given earlier, but Alex did not call him out on it. Instead, he just asked, "Oh really? You could've gone and hung out with other friends though. It's not like your dad would know."
Turning away, Jack took another sullen bite of his pretzel, unable to give the other an appropriate answer that would deter Alex from his current line of thought. The look of denial molding the lines of his expression only deepened. Alex wasn't fooled though.
"So, basically, you took me out so that I wouldn't be alone on my birthday and you bought me a present," summarized the pregnant boy with a budding grin. The scowl twisting Jack's face did nothing to hide the blush dusting his cheeks, and Alex's grin widened in victory.
"You're really annoying."
"And you're spending the day with me so I won't be alone on my birthday," Alex countered easily, silencing Jack again. It was amusing to see the other fidgeting underneath the cool exterior for once. Since meeting Jack, he knew the boy as nothing but indifferent confidence and casual sarcasm. To see him like this was surprising and reassuring all at once. It was a nice reminder that Alex was not the only one who could be left spluttering and embarrassed. Normally, he was the one in Jack's position.
Forgetting himself, Alex just stared at the taller teen next to him, brow quirked downward in thought. Initially, Jack had been rude and cold towards him upon finding out that they were friends with the same people. Now, however, Alex felt like the other was beginning to warm up to him. All these nice, friendly gestures, though hidden underneath a layer of feigned disinterest, were still hints towards building a relationship that could possibly progress into friendship one day. Alex liked the thought of being friends with Jack; if they were friends, it would ensure his presence in the baby's life, even if it wasn't in the way it should be. It would be asking for too much for Jack to be in the baby's life as a willing and caring father, but maybe as a nice, caring uncle would be reachable now.
"Thank you."
Jack turned towards him, eyes lifting up to match with Alex's. They were doused with confusion at the sudden spoken gratitude. "Huh? For what?"
"For taking me out on my birthday, and for the present. You really didn't have to, but..." Alex bit his lower lip, twitching into a genuine smile. "Thanks."
For a long few seconds, Alex worried that perhaps he should have just kept his mouth shut and left it alone. The way Jack was staring at him, blank and unreadable, made the pregnant teen feel the need to apologize, slightly fearful that he had managed to unravel any and all process they might have achieved today. The smile disappeared with a wince, and Alex flinched when Jack sighed. However, the teen just rolled his eyes and briefly glanced away before saying with a flap of his hand, "Whatever. It's not a big deal. We're kinda friends now, right?"
Alex didn't answer because he honestly didn't know, but that didn't stop the smile from making a reappearance.
--
Instead of the familiar buildings of his apartment complex that he was so used to seeing, Alex blinked as Jack pulled into an already crowded driveway of a subdivision, shutting off the engine with a finality that told Alex that they weren't moving any time soon. He just wanted to get home already.
"What are we doing here?"
"I need to pick something up from Rian's house," was his only explanation, getting out of the car. When Alex didn't follow suit, Jack huffed. "You get out too. It's heavy, and I need help."
"But I'm pregnant!" was Alex's protest to the request.
"Doesn't meant your arms are broken. Now get out already."
Giving a loud huff himself, Alex hopped out of the car, saying loudly as he crossed his arms, "I can't believe you're making me do manual labor when I'm pregnant."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, knocking on the door once before just going ahead and opening it. Alex followed behind, frowning at the darkness of the room. Was Jack breaking in or something? He almost snorted at the thought; leave it to Jack to break into someone's house and get Alex arrested while he was at it. The thought of being a pregnant teen in prison made him wince. It was not a thought he wanted to develop any further past hideous, bright orange jumpsuits and large, bald guys named Tiny.
But then streams of light were flashing into his vision and loud pops were filling the surrounding air without warning. Alex screamed, grabbing a hold of Jack's arm on instinct as confetti rained down on their bodies and showered his hair with square sparkles.
"Surprise!"
Mind still reeling, it took a few seconds for Alex to take in the sight before him. The sight being Caleb standing before him with a grin and a cake balanced in both hands. Behind him were a crowd of people Alex could barely recognize let alone identify, all singing "Happy Birthday". Eyes blown wide with shock, Alex could do nothing but stand, jaw unhinged and hitting the floor.
When the song came to a close, with several people screeching the last few syllables, Caleb stepped up to him, saying with a soft smile, "Happy birthday, Alex."
"Y-you." All of his words seemed to lose themselves in his throat, refusing to come out.
"Blow out the candles," encouraged Zack from behind with a whoop.
Tears sprang in his eyes as Alex shakily drew in a breath to blow out the candles, catching only half of the flickering flames with the first breath. When nothing but smoke rose from their wisped tips, applause exploded around him. He probably didn't even know a quarter of the people in the house, most of them probably friends of Caleb of Zack or just people wanting to party, but it was still the most thoughtful and romantic gesture anyone had ever done for him.
Zack came up to the teary boy with a devious grin, engulfing him in a hug. "Happy birthday, Lex."
Alex didn't even try to speak, knowing his words would just be garbled nonsense. Instead, he clung on to his best friend, discreetly sniffling into his shirt. Zack didn't say anything, just hugged back until Alex had managed to compose himself enough to pull back. His eyes were red and watery, the only evidence of tears. Not that Alex would ever admit it.
"You... I can't believe you," he finally managed to push out, surreptitiously wiping at his eyes with the backs of his hands. "You lied to me!"
"For a good cause!" countered Zack with a waggle of his finger.
Warm fingers wrapped around his wrist, tugging gently and prompting Alex to turn around. He pointed an accusing finger at the redhead, exclaiming with no real heat behind his words, just shock, "You lied to me too!"
"Sorry, babe. I didn't want to, but there was no way around it." Caleb kissed the tip of his nose as in apology.
"We didn't want you to suspect anything. That's why we got Jack to distract you and keep you company all day today," Zack explained as he slung an arm around said boy's shoulders. Jack threw him a dirty look, complaining about the cake in his hand and how Zack almost made him drop it. The banter between the two was lost to Alex's ears as his eyes scanned the room. Most of the people were already dispersing and chatting with one another, music pounding through the speakers.
"Happy birthday!" Alex was swallowed in another hug, only seeing a mop of platinum blonde.
"Don't strangle my boyfriend, Kyle," Caleb joked. The blonde released Alex with one more squeeze of the arms, stepping back with a cheerful grin that was all teeth. Alex's hand immediately dropped to his stomach unconsciously, rubbing it. He was relieved to find that it was still protruding outward.
"But he's so squishy!"
From behind, Rian lightly bopped Kyle's head, earning himself a small whine of complaint. The teen waved to Alex, saying with a smile, "Happy birthday, Alex. Hope you don't mind the excess people who decided to crash. I'd kick them out, but it's probably just easier to let them get wasted and end up streaking around the neighborhood."
Incapable of speaking, Alex just shook his head. He wanted to thank them, but the words would not make it up, collecting in a lump in his throat. Instead, he threw himself into Caleb's arms, propelling their bodies backwards from the force of the movement. Caleb nearly collided into Jack and the cake, but managed to keep them steady, chuckling into Alex's ear as he wound his arms around the pregnant boy once catching his balance.
"I know it's not much, and you're not really into partying, but I wanted to do something special for your eighteenth birthday. I hope you like it," he whispered, kissing the top of his head. Alex tightened his grip on the other in response.
Alex's eyes strayed back to Jack as he continued to hug Caleb. The boy was chatting with the others, cake still in his hand. It had been Caleb and Zack who had planned the entire party in celebration of his eighteenth birthday, but Alex could feel the burst of warmth only bubble in his chest, giddy that Jack had helped. Jack had willingly helped to do something that would make him happy and that brought an uncontrollable grin to his lips.
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: Mpreg
Disclaimer: This is sadly false and a complete lie created by my mind. Title taken from Toxic Valentine by All Time Low.
A/N: Busy weekend, but I've finally managed to find some time to update. And hey, it's 10/10/10, 10:10! Okay, I'll stop now. The ending is a little messy, but here it is. Enjoy!
"How about this?"
"How about no?" scowled Alex, seizing the hanger out of the hand dangling it in front of him and putting it back onto the rack with a metallic clang. "I am not wearing a shirt that says, 'I love my bump'."
Jack rolled his eyes, saying with a shrug, "Hey, it's true, isn't it?"
"I'm not showing that much yet. Besides, I don't want the entire world knowing that I'm pregnant," countered the older boy as he rummaged through the rack. He could hear a snort of disbelief coming from the other and chose to ignore it for taking out another shirt that seemed relatively normal. He grimaced, however, upon seeing the decal. It was placed back.
"Yeah, because they totally won't be able to figure it out when you start getting as big as a fucking whale. Nah, they'll just think that you're gaining some weight."
"Why are you even here?" mused Alex with a shake of his head, keeping his eyes on the maternity clothes mostly meant for women. Seeing as to how there was only a single rack of maternity clothes dedicated to males and they resembled the ones in the woman's section anyways, he was scouring both sections carefully in an attempt to find something suitable. In all honestly, Alex had been surprised when Jack had dragged him out of the house to go buy clothes. It had come as a shock considering that just a week ago, he had been agonizing about buying new clothes. Initially, Alex declined, pointing out that he had no money, but Jack had just told him to shut up and get into the car, and out of intimidation, Alex did. The taller boy was acting as though they were friends when Alex wasn't even sure what they were. It was not that Alex thought that Jack hated him but more like Jack didn't care enough about him to even put forth the effort to hate him. Like Alex wasn't worth the effort. He frowned.
Bored and unaware of the sudden quietness falling over the other, Jack reached blindly through the rack, thumbing through the clothes as he responded with what sounded like a rehearsed answer, "Because someone needed to take you to the mall to go buy some clothes, and Caleb's busy and Zack's busy which left me." He paused before tacking on to the end, "And Zack and Caleb pretty much threatened me into going so don't be getting any ideas."
The latter statement did nothing to cool the warmth filling Alex as he hid a smile behind the pair of jeans he was pretending to look at. What did it matter what he and Jack were. Maybe they weren't anything, and maybe that was okay.
Not to sound ungrateful, but Alex was glad to be with someone who didn't treat him like glass and who didn't dote on him twenty-four seven. While he appreciated both Zack's and Caleb's concerns about his well-being, he also wanted to enjoy time without being constantly reminded that he was pregnant and thus unable to do about half the things he used to do pre-pregnancy.
"How about this?" A baby blue shirt with the words 'Knocked Up' and a stick figure of a pregnant woman above it was thrust into his line of vision. "I think this is pretty fitting. Y'know, in case the huge stomach doesn't get the message across, this should."
Considering the validity of the statement along with the person holding it, Alex was unsure of how to feel about the t-shirt, staring at it with blinking eyes. He ducked his head, saying, "That's just crude. I don't want people thinking the baby was a mistake or something."
"Well, aren't you just a tough crowd to please," he commented, raising a brow. Alex would almost say that Jack looked offended. Almost. It was too bad he knew the other enough to see the signs that hinted to Jack just being indifferent rather than offended. "Fine, shoot down all of my suggestions. See if I help you anymore."
"I wouldn't mind your help if it didn't mean you picking out stupid shirts that are embarrassing and emphasize the bump hiding under my shirt," retorted Alex with a roll of his eyes.
"C'mon. You have to admit that the pregnant stick figure is pretty accurate. Look, it's not even wearing a skirt or a dress so even you can wear it without feeling like a total girl." Jack waggled his brows in addition to his pitch to entice the other boy into buying it. It earned him a shove from Alex who feigned annoyance but the smile threatening to break across his lips ruined the effect. "Yeah, you're totally getting this shirt. You get no say in this."
"You're such a jerk." There was no bite to his words as Alex finally gave in to the smile.
Jack hummed in agreement. "So I've heard."
"I'm not wearing it," he warned teasingly, adding another shirt to the stack in his arms.
"We'll see. Now hurry up. I want a pretzel."
A small laugh slipped as Alex thought back to when he first had symptoms of being pregnant, sorting through to pick out more clothes with a hum and a smile. It was difficult to think that he had been intimidated, and maybe even afraid, of Jack when now, the once-brusque boy was taking him maternity clothes shopping. At the request of Caleb and Zack, but still, Alex was having a good time, and that came as the biggest surprise.
When they finished shopping (which Jack had pushed Alex out of the way to pay for, not even bothering to listen to Alex's nonsensical splutters and telling him to just shut up), Jack dropped onto a bench, pretzel in hand. Alex followed suit, taking small nibbles of his almond pretzel.
"Why did you pay for my clothes?" he asked finally, the question itching his tongue.
Watching the passing shoppers, Jack chewed on the kneaded dough, shrugging. "Don't think too much into it. It's just a birthday present."
"Birthday present?"
"Yeah, birthday present. It's your birthday today, right? Caleb wouldn't stop harping me about it all week 'cause he wouldn't be able to spend it with you," muttered Jack, fingers sifting through his hair. "And then Zack called me saying how he had to go to his grandmother's or something and would have to miss your birthday."
Alex blinked. He knew that Zack would be out of town because the other boy had told him two weeks well in advance that he had to go down to visit his grandmother. But it had slipped his mind that Caleb had called yesterday to apologize for not being able to spend his birthday with him. Which was strange because the news had upset Alex yesterday, making him feel lonely and depressed, but now that he was out, he had forgotten all about the apology and the dejection. Alex blinked again as a sudden thought snuck its way into the front of his mind.
"Wait, so does that mean you took me out so that I wouldn't be alone on my birthday?" Alex asked, voice lifting with question as he fitted the pieces together.
Jack actually choked on the baked bread, eyes round and a faint red tinging his cheeks.
"Um, that's," he coughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Alex tried not to smile.
The feeling of victory was not one Alex got to experience on a daily basis especially since he normally did not get a win over Jack. He relished in it, verbally poking the other boy once again into speaking; since this didn't happen often, he wanted to exploit the moment to its full potential to embarrass the other a little.
"That's what?"
"That's..." He lowered his eyes in defeat, muttering, "My dad made me come over to hang out with you."
The excuse did not match up with the previous one he had given earlier, but Alex did not call him out on it. Instead, he just asked, "Oh really? You could've gone and hung out with other friends though. It's not like your dad would know."
Turning away, Jack took another sullen bite of his pretzel, unable to give the other an appropriate answer that would deter Alex from his current line of thought. The look of denial molding the lines of his expression only deepened. Alex wasn't fooled though.
"So, basically, you took me out so that I wouldn't be alone on my birthday and you bought me a present," summarized the pregnant boy with a budding grin. The scowl twisting Jack's face did nothing to hide the blush dusting his cheeks, and Alex's grin widened in victory.
"You're really annoying."
"And you're spending the day with me so I won't be alone on my birthday," Alex countered easily, silencing Jack again. It was amusing to see the other fidgeting underneath the cool exterior for once. Since meeting Jack, he knew the boy as nothing but indifferent confidence and casual sarcasm. To see him like this was surprising and reassuring all at once. It was a nice reminder that Alex was not the only one who could be left spluttering and embarrassed. Normally, he was the one in Jack's position.
Forgetting himself, Alex just stared at the taller teen next to him, brow quirked downward in thought. Initially, Jack had been rude and cold towards him upon finding out that they were friends with the same people. Now, however, Alex felt like the other was beginning to warm up to him. All these nice, friendly gestures, though hidden underneath a layer of feigned disinterest, were still hints towards building a relationship that could possibly progress into friendship one day. Alex liked the thought of being friends with Jack; if they were friends, it would ensure his presence in the baby's life, even if it wasn't in the way it should be. It would be asking for too much for Jack to be in the baby's life as a willing and caring father, but maybe as a nice, caring uncle would be reachable now.
"Thank you."
Jack turned towards him, eyes lifting up to match with Alex's. They were doused with confusion at the sudden spoken gratitude. "Huh? For what?"
"For taking me out on my birthday, and for the present. You really didn't have to, but..." Alex bit his lower lip, twitching into a genuine smile. "Thanks."
For a long few seconds, Alex worried that perhaps he should have just kept his mouth shut and left it alone. The way Jack was staring at him, blank and unreadable, made the pregnant teen feel the need to apologize, slightly fearful that he had managed to unravel any and all process they might have achieved today. The smile disappeared with a wince, and Alex flinched when Jack sighed. However, the teen just rolled his eyes and briefly glanced away before saying with a flap of his hand, "Whatever. It's not a big deal. We're kinda friends now, right?"
Alex didn't answer because he honestly didn't know, but that didn't stop the smile from making a reappearance.
--
Instead of the familiar buildings of his apartment complex that he was so used to seeing, Alex blinked as Jack pulled into an already crowded driveway of a subdivision, shutting off the engine with a finality that told Alex that they weren't moving any time soon. He just wanted to get home already.
"What are we doing here?"
"I need to pick something up from Rian's house," was his only explanation, getting out of the car. When Alex didn't follow suit, Jack huffed. "You get out too. It's heavy, and I need help."
"But I'm pregnant!" was Alex's protest to the request.
"Doesn't meant your arms are broken. Now get out already."
Giving a loud huff himself, Alex hopped out of the car, saying loudly as he crossed his arms, "I can't believe you're making me do manual labor when I'm pregnant."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, knocking on the door once before just going ahead and opening it. Alex followed behind, frowning at the darkness of the room. Was Jack breaking in or something? He almost snorted at the thought; leave it to Jack to break into someone's house and get Alex arrested while he was at it. The thought of being a pregnant teen in prison made him wince. It was not a thought he wanted to develop any further past hideous, bright orange jumpsuits and large, bald guys named Tiny.
But then streams of light were flashing into his vision and loud pops were filling the surrounding air without warning. Alex screamed, grabbing a hold of Jack's arm on instinct as confetti rained down on their bodies and showered his hair with square sparkles.
"Surprise!"
Mind still reeling, it took a few seconds for Alex to take in the sight before him. The sight being Caleb standing before him with a grin and a cake balanced in both hands. Behind him were a crowd of people Alex could barely recognize let alone identify, all singing "Happy Birthday". Eyes blown wide with shock, Alex could do nothing but stand, jaw unhinged and hitting the floor.
When the song came to a close, with several people screeching the last few syllables, Caleb stepped up to him, saying with a soft smile, "Happy birthday, Alex."
"Y-you." All of his words seemed to lose themselves in his throat, refusing to come out.
"Blow out the candles," encouraged Zack from behind with a whoop.
Tears sprang in his eyes as Alex shakily drew in a breath to blow out the candles, catching only half of the flickering flames with the first breath. When nothing but smoke rose from their wisped tips, applause exploded around him. He probably didn't even know a quarter of the people in the house, most of them probably friends of Caleb of Zack or just people wanting to party, but it was still the most thoughtful and romantic gesture anyone had ever done for him.
Zack came up to the teary boy with a devious grin, engulfing him in a hug. "Happy birthday, Lex."
Alex didn't even try to speak, knowing his words would just be garbled nonsense. Instead, he clung on to his best friend, discreetly sniffling into his shirt. Zack didn't say anything, just hugged back until Alex had managed to compose himself enough to pull back. His eyes were red and watery, the only evidence of tears. Not that Alex would ever admit it.
"You... I can't believe you," he finally managed to push out, surreptitiously wiping at his eyes with the backs of his hands. "You lied to me!"
"For a good cause!" countered Zack with a waggle of his finger.
Warm fingers wrapped around his wrist, tugging gently and prompting Alex to turn around. He pointed an accusing finger at the redhead, exclaiming with no real heat behind his words, just shock, "You lied to me too!"
"Sorry, babe. I didn't want to, but there was no way around it." Caleb kissed the tip of his nose as in apology.
"We didn't want you to suspect anything. That's why we got Jack to distract you and keep you company all day today," Zack explained as he slung an arm around said boy's shoulders. Jack threw him a dirty look, complaining about the cake in his hand and how Zack almost made him drop it. The banter between the two was lost to Alex's ears as his eyes scanned the room. Most of the people were already dispersing and chatting with one another, music pounding through the speakers.
"Happy birthday!" Alex was swallowed in another hug, only seeing a mop of platinum blonde.
"Don't strangle my boyfriend, Kyle," Caleb joked. The blonde released Alex with one more squeeze of the arms, stepping back with a cheerful grin that was all teeth. Alex's hand immediately dropped to his stomach unconsciously, rubbing it. He was relieved to find that it was still protruding outward.
"But he's so squishy!"
From behind, Rian lightly bopped Kyle's head, earning himself a small whine of complaint. The teen waved to Alex, saying with a smile, "Happy birthday, Alex. Hope you don't mind the excess people who decided to crash. I'd kick them out, but it's probably just easier to let them get wasted and end up streaking around the neighborhood."
Incapable of speaking, Alex just shook his head. He wanted to thank them, but the words would not make it up, collecting in a lump in his throat. Instead, he threw himself into Caleb's arms, propelling their bodies backwards from the force of the movement. Caleb nearly collided into Jack and the cake, but managed to keep them steady, chuckling into Alex's ear as he wound his arms around the pregnant boy once catching his balance.
"I know it's not much, and you're not really into partying, but I wanted to do something special for your eighteenth birthday. I hope you like it," he whispered, kissing the top of his head. Alex tightened his grip on the other in response.
Alex's eyes strayed back to Jack as he continued to hug Caleb. The boy was chatting with the others, cake still in his hand. It had been Caleb and Zack who had planned the entire party in celebration of his eighteenth birthday, but Alex could feel the burst of warmth only bubble in his chest, giddy that Jack had helped. Jack had willingly helped to do something that would make him happy and that brought an uncontrollable grin to his lips.