"Troubled Ones"?
NICE. A+ choice, anon!
I was never entirely sure how clear I made this in the actual fic, its a delicate little hint, but I think* Jackson and Isaac end up together later. They probably, really, hook up the next morning: Jackson falls asleep there, next to Isaac. They curl up on top of one another the way they used to when they were children, when they were still friends. He supposes theyâre not, technically, friends now. Â Can you be friends with someone you havenât seen in seven years?Â
Isaac wakes up first. Luisa is downstairs, making breakfast for Jacksonâs parents, washing the cups Jackson and Isaac used last night, dumping out the wet grounds from the coffee machine before brewing another pot. He thinks about moving but doesnât really know where to go. Doesnât want to go back across the street. Doesnât want to go home.
"Youâre thinking too loud," Jackson grumbles. He hasnât even bothered to open his eyes. Isaac blurts out an apology, whiplash quick, and Jackson groans. "Shhhhhhhhut up." He pulls the pillow over both of their heads. "How are you not tired, I am fucking tired." They were probably like this even as kids; Isaac waking up early and playing quietly in Jacksonâs room, because he didnât want to bother anyone, while Jackson lazed around until he damn well felt like getting up.
Itâs hotter under the pillow, itâs weirder, even though they were lying close together before. Isaac smells like Armani still, and Jackson like some ridiculous almond hair conditioner Lydia bought him and heâs addicted to. It hits all at once - the way theyâre lying together, curled up around each other, how easy it is.Â
"Hey," Jackson says, quiet, inane, stupid, and he lifts his chin as if to say âwhat of it?â
"Hey," Isaac says back, a whisper, because it feels like a time you should whisper. Hushed and secret. The kiss is soft too, inevitable and comfortable and unhurried.Â
aaaand they play hooky from school and go to the diner and Jackson orders them pancakes just the way they like, and chocolate milk - Isaac makes a weird little face at him, like itâs that hard to remember how a person likes their pancakes, Christ - and Jackson feels⌠light.Â
*âI thinkâ. Like I didnât write the damn fic. time for sleep
