i love you more than this job.

in which j. daniel atlas cannot figure out why his card indicates he's 'the lover'. he's positive he isn't capable of it.

-

Danny didn't grow up in the most loving environment. He spent his days and nights minding to himself. In preschool, he sat in the left hand corner of the classroom, right by the door, playing with whatever he could get his hands on before the stampede (his classmates) took them all. He simply kept to himself. Same for elementary school, and eventually high school. Though, as he became older and wiser, he began to use his hands for more than flipping book pages.

He began card tricks when he was fourteen, starting with the original guessing game, and ending with showstopping illusions that one could only dream to perform. It's not that he was born with a magical skill no one else had; Danny simply craved for one thing in his life; control.

It's not his fault that control is what magic happens to be all about.

Eventually his days secluded in his black walled bedroom gave Danny enough skills to make it big. He used his magic to amaze and inspire as many people as he could. Aside from craving the attention and secretly loving the immense applause he gets after every performance, he's aware that he's sharing something with the world that he wish he had when he was a little boy.

The night he received a card from The Eye, his life tilted against his well steadied axis. Suddenly he was being thrown into a group with three people he barely knew.

Well, rewind.

He definitely knew Henley Reeves, his once assistant, now solo act. Apparently he called her fat, or something along the lines of that.

Danny's far too busy sorting the current mess in his mind to pay attention to occurrences of the past. For example, the reasoning for his card; The Lover. The Lover? Danny barely found himself capable of loving another human being, he just couldn't imagine it. He pondered on what it could possibly be referring to during his trip to New York City, fingering the thick tarot card with his skillful hands. Perhaps his love for the art of magic? But no, it considers relationships and everything he can't bring himself to do.

Danny can only control so much; where you look, what you see, but the one thing he hasn't learned to control is how people feel. The human race as a whole is an independent variable, and he can't comprehend that. Without both of his hands on the wheel, Danny feels like he'll fly right through the windshield.

He was born to the name Atlas, who bore the world on his own two shoulders. One misstep, and Atlas would fall along with the world. This is what lack of control feels like to Danny.

So when Merritt and Henley begin to poke fun at his desire for power, he can't help but scowl, regardless of his stuttered comeback. He can't help but think that they'd be absolutely perfect together. Both of the fuckers happen to be out for Daniel after nearly five minutes.

There, in front of the door they were meant to enter, the three of them argued in light tones until they heard ascending footsteps approaching them.

Danny turns around, only to have his sturdy heart drop from it's place in his chest, to his stomach. When he sees the boy in full form (he can't be older than nineteen or twenty; everything about him from head to toe is youthful and beautiful), he has to fight to refrain from clutching his chest. He smiles, a cheeky grin evading his crisp features and Daniel can't help but blush at the sight of him.

"Sorry, I'm late..."

He tries not to let his jaw fall in pure shock of the brunette's flawless presentation.

"Hey, I'm uh...Jack Wilder, and uh--wait..."

He's speaking to him, staring at him, and Danny shakes himself from his trance to pay attention.

"J. Daniel Atlas?" His eyes sparkle with something Danny has never seen in all his years of living.

"Yes?"

"I--" he stammers, blushing, "I've seen everything you've ever done. I idolize you..."

Danny swears he can hear the angels singing above him.

"Oh well, thank you," He snaps out of it officially and shakes his hand, "it's nice to hear from a true fan."

"So let me ask you," Merritt, the hypnotist (so he calls himself), interrupts Danny and Jack's greeting, "did you receive one of these?"

Merritt holds his tarot card high in the air for the younger boy to see. Jack nods quickly, reaching into his pocket.

"Yeah actually, I did," He takes out his tarot card and holds it up proudly, "I'm Death."

And again, Danny is confused. Death? What could that possibly pertain to? Nothing about Jack comes across as deadly, but lively instead.

"The Lovers," He says, ignoring Henley's and Merritt's chuckles, only paying attention to Jack and his undeniable charisma. He catches him continuing to grin, and Danny has to force himself to look away before he gets tempted.

"The Hermit." Merritt says smugly.

"The High Priestess," Henley finishes it off, proudly returning her card into her pocket as Daniel rolls his eyes discreetly. The girl was always full of herself, and he can clearly see nothing has changed since the two of them took separate paths.

"So what are we waiting for?" Jack asks, and Danny decides to tell him.

"The--the door is locked," He stutters and the brunette shakes his head, pushing to the front of the small crowd.

"Nah," he looks back, pinning Danny down with his gaze before sending him a wink, "nothing's ever locked."

As Danny watches Jack's dexterous hands work their way through the door, he can't help the wave of fondness that crashes along his shore. He's already proving to be clever beyond his age, and that's something Danny feels he'll like about Jack.

It opens wide and he steps back, grinning as the other three pass by him, entering the room they had been sent to.

It had been at least half a year since the four had been titled 'The Four Horseman'. Since the day they discovered the plans personally sent to them by The Eye, they had been preparing nonstop. Utilizing the time slot given to them (365 days), they followed the precise instructions to pull off some of the greatest heists ever performed.

Of the four illusionists, Danny was the one who took their performance the most seriously. You couldn't pass his room without seeing him bettering himself in one way or another.

Henley and Merritt were having none of it, telling Danny he was practically obsessed with his art of hand. And to that he replied, 'How could you not be obsessed?' He was positive his abilities were something sent to him as a gift from the almighty being above, and he had no other choice but to make himself the best in his craft. Even when he's told he already is the best, Danny take none of the bullshit.

Over the past few months, Danny has taken quite a liking to Jack. The younger boy's infatuation with his skills always lead him to take his side in most of his quarreled with Henley and Merritt. Not only that, but, Jack is...Jack.

He has a smile that you can see from a mile away, this cocky confident attitude that seems to be shattered by no mortal human being, and the man is just so goddamn attractive.

Daniel wonders how he does it; look the way he does, and be as intelligent as he is. Usually something is lacking, from what he sees. Though, Jack doesn't seem to come across as what he's used to. He believes the only flaw Jack has is his naïvety. It'll take him in a choke-hold one day, especially considering how much older and wiser his peers are.

"Daniel, we're going out."

He looks up in alarm from the deck of cards he was shuffling around, seeing Merritt staring him down from the kitchen.

"I don't know why I ask, but would you care to join us?"

"No, I'm alright," he responds with the same excuse he always has, "just going to look at the last few steps of our plan."

"Danny we promised to look at those together," Henley comes in, baring her midriff slightly as she takes each step in her red high heels. She feels like the shoes give her some sort of edge that the others don't have. Maybe because she's the only one that can pull it off, but Danny doesn't pay attention. He snorts, rolling his eyes as he eases himself off of the couch.

"Let him do his control freak thing," Merritt shrugs, "if he doesn't know ahead of time he'll probably kill us all in the process of losing his mind."

"Ha ha, funny," he says in a monotone voice. At this stage of the game, he's used to Henley and Merritt. They hate his way of living, end of story. He doesn't care; as long as they do what the need to do. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.

"Well it looks like you won't be alone for once," Henley grabs her bag from the counter, "Jack's sitting this one out. Claims he doesn't feel well."

"Oh," He senses a slight blush rising and shakes it off, "alright, we'll keep each other company."

"I'm sure you will; you know, that boy pines for you like crazy."

"He does; it's like everything you do, he mimics. He's your shadow."

"I get why I like him more now," Danny smirks, "he never bothers me the way you two do."

"We're leaving," Henley steps out the doorway, pushing it open for Merritt.

"You know," he continues to chide, "maybe you and Jack should--"

"Goodbye," Danny slams the door on Merritt before his face turns to red to confront the younger Horseman later in the night. Typical McKinney; he can't seem to go a day without commenting with his sexual innuendos about him and Jack. He surely wanted to (by that he means...do him), but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to find the confidence within him. Danny had played the scenario out his head many more times than once.

Jack would be naked; on his bed. Waiting, just waiting to be dominated. And Danny would be on top of the world; and then Jack--

And Lord Jesus, he may be insane. He may actually be insane because why is he imagining Jack naked on his bedsheets more than once when he obviously doesn't have time to do things such as plow the nineteen year old.

Danny sits down on the couch again, letting his hair fall back with his head as he flings it over the edge. He has too much to think about; The Eye, the plans, Jack, the people he's forced to work with otherwise. He wants to find that perfection within him, but he's not sure now. He has to find out how to reach it before he can worry about anything else. Or perhaps not worry about anything at all, other than magic. Magic, illusions, the control and the fame is all the oxygen he needs to breathe.

He doesn't need Jack. Jack is just someone that's there to distract him. Yes. He can't be distracted.

"Hey so," Danny hears the distinctive booming voice and opts to run, but it's too late as his feet pad closer to him., "I dunno what we're doing for dinner, but we gotta do something fast because I'm about to eat my own hair."

"I-I--you couldn't even reach your hair with your mouth if you tried..."

"Try me," Jack emerged from the kitchen, a banana in between his teeth as he taps away on his phone, "I'm up for it."

"You're a cocky boy," Danny decides to follow him, "it doesn't suit you very well you know."

"It suits me perfectly!" He's peeling the banana with his teeth now, and it's in this moment that Danny realizes that Jack isn't wearing a shirt. Jack isn't wearing a shirt.

"You could be the nice guy, the one that everyone underestimates because he's too shy but he has more potential than say, uh--"

"The cocky football player?"

Danny grins as Jack does, dropping his banana on the counter.

"Do you wanna come with me? See the blueprints we haven't looked at yet?"

"You mean the last phase? Didn't we agree to look at those plans together--"

"Yeah but I'm antsy," Danny shrugs, "Please?"

"Don't beg me Atlas," Jack stops him as he gets up from his stool, "it's nice, but weird. I'm the one that needs mentoring."

"Well who says I'm even a good mentor?"

"You don't need to believe it for me to know it..."

Jack says it, and Danny knows he isn't meant to hear it. The sentence had barely left his lips and he was already walking away. Nonetheless, the elder one follows Jack like a lost puppy looking for a way back home.

When they had first found the blueprints for the theaters they were performing in, and the plans for each one of their shows, they had decided as a unit to take it step by step in the time span they had allotted to them. This would prevent stress, nerves, and anything else that could distract them from giving the best effort they possibly could.

They both step into the room they entered in a long time ago, Jack leaning down to pick up the white rose and Danny standing back and observing. Everything had reset itself as soon as each one of them was away from the room.

"Ready?" Jack grins and Danny nods, flushed from the noted sparkle he managed to see every time his eyes fell to a specific angle to the sunlight blaring through the open windows.

Fuck.

"Ready as I'll ever be," He responds to the younger before folding his hands behind his back, wanting to seem as casual as humanly possible.

The water fills the engraving of the symbol in the floor, and steam releases from the gaps. Jack grins, watching as the plans appear before them.

"Last stage, here we come," he rubs his hands together, licking his lips as he examines what is being displayed before him.

Danny looks at his role as well, seeing that he really doesn't have much left to do in the plan. It's disappointing, but he can spend more time finessing other aspects of the plan.

He looks over to see what Jack is, but Danny suddenly experiences something he's almost positive he's never experienced.

He's reminded of when the waves of the sea washes away all the seashells along the shore of the beach whenever they come in. He watches as Jack's confident and flamboyant attitude washes away. His face pales, his hands freeze in the air, and Danny takes a step closer.

Oh. Oh my.

"I'm going to die...?"

And just like that, literary terms began to play a valuable role in Jack's life.

Danny doesn't know what to do. He sits in his room, flipping his cards in between his hands anxiously, wishing he could just do something instead of sitting in his room. Jack is torn to pieces about his next sacrifice for the success of their plan. He can imagine why; being asked to do something as dangerous as 'dying' is more than just a little frightening.

Henley and Merritt weren't back, and he knew it was at least around midnight. Knowing them, they wouldn't show up until around two in the morning. As a bonus, they would pass out on the couch and have no memories of whatever of a wild night they had. He definitely had time to be alone with Jack, to sincerely see how he's doing with the news.

"I should check on him..." Danny whispers to himself, "I should because it's the right thing to do and as his friend it's only fair to make sure he's okay."

He truly refers to Jack alone, as his friend. He's the one deserving of the title. He doesn't think he's a sadistic controlling dick. If he does, he doesn't make it as painfully obvious as the other two of the four do.

"Yes," he places his cards on his night side table, standing up and running a hand through his hair, "let's go, come on, be a man. I'm going to check on him."

Danny straightens his white tank top against his slim pale body before padding over to Jack's room nervously, taking each step with a pounding heart until he's standing fully in his door frame.

The nineteen year old is sitting on the edge of his bed, flipping his tarot card between two of his nimble digits, his lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed. He looks focused, and Danny almost uses it as an excuse to return to the safe confines of his room. Instead, he pushes himself to stop thinking about the situation itself and to just breathe. If he wants what he wants (let's face it, he really wants Jack), then he'll have to learn to pass the reigns to someone else. He can't control how Jack feels, and perhaps now is when Danny begins to realize the full truth of this statement.

"Jack?"

Brown eyes meet Danny, and his mouth drops slightly, but he nods for Danny to come in.

"Are you okay?" He asks cautiously as he sits beside Jack on his king sized bed. He falls back, letting the tarot card slip from his fingers onto the hardwood floor as he shakes his head.

"No," he shrugs, "not really..."

"I mean, it's not a real death," Danny tries to make it better, "the plan is to fake it, so then you'll be able to--"

"Yes I know," he sighs, throwing his hands back in anguish, "but Danny, we're not professionals. The Eye hopes we are, but that doesn't make us the know it alls of magic, and illusions, and faking deaths. Something could go horribly wrong, and you know it."

"I do," he replies, "but I think we can do it. It's dangerous, yes, definitely. But, I'm sure we could pull it off Jack. This whole thing we're doing? We need to trust each other as well."

"Who says I trust you all?" Jack asks, sitting up, "Yeah, maybe with one of my decks of cards I guess, but not with my life, or my past? There's a limit to trust Danny, and my own life is something I didn't know I'd have to put in jeopardy."

Danny had never considered that Jack may be the one with more cracks in his complexion. Per usual, it had been about himself, and his own problems in regards to his past and his anxieties. He never thought Jack would have his own.

He begins chuckling out of the blue, and Danny feels the conversation beginning to become slightly personal. More personal than he's ever been with everyone in this apartment.

"Fucking. Foreshadowing. That's what the word is. My card says DEATH. Of course that's what it means. It all makes sense now."

"Maybe so, yes." Danny sighs, "But if this is what they want--"

"Can you ever stop thinking about what they want?" Jack begins to interrogate Danny now, "I mean seriously. Everything with you is about The Eye, and we need to do for them. What they want me to do is downright insane and yes, there's a slim chance of us pulling it off, but there's the even higher chance of a real casualty."

He lays back down, and this time, Danny follows suit by laying stomach up beside him. Their feet are dangling off of the edge of the bed, their toes almost touching the cold ground.

"You can trust me," Danny tries, "with you life, I mean. The past, and the present, and the future. Just um, talk to me?"

"You want to talk to me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

They're both staring at each other now, somewhat confused about who feels what about whom.

"Do you hate me Danny?"

"No; do you hate me?"

"Of course not."

"Then what the hell?" Danny asks, and Jack shrugs again in defense.

"I don't know! Usually you're not much of a talker. You've always been more of a strict, stern...machine."

Danny can't say he isn't hurt by this. He wants to be anything but mechanical, but sometimes he just can't help it. It gives him an edge, plus he's not sure how to...well, deal with his feelings.

"I can be human."

"You can?"

"Try me."

He looks over to see Jack staring right back with hopeful eyes. Does he want him to talk then?

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Danny is unsure of what he's about to hear, but he's sure he loves hearing Jack talk, and he wants nothing more than quality time with him.

"Okay," he sighs, standing up again, while Dany opts to stay on his back and watch Jack from behind.

"Well uh, when I was little--"

"Wait wait wait," he stops him, "what about you start from the basics?"

"What do you mean--"

"Siblings? Your parents? Why are you going straight to the obscure melancholy 'when I was little'?"

Jack turns around, his fingers shaking as he flicks them back and forth. It's one of his nervous actions, as Danny has come to notice. He has six; he remembers because Jack looks like he's about to cry like a baby when he's nervous, and he hates when he has to see him in such a distraught state.

One, he has shaky fingers. With the shaky fingers, he attempts to mask it by moving his fingers around, making it seem like it's just normal. Two, he rubs his hands and licks his top lip with his tongue (in that order). Three, the uhs. He says 'uh' in between almost every word in a sentence. Danny thinks this one is personally cute, but the fourth one is his least favorite to witness. Sometimes, when the nerves dig through to his tough core, he'll have a panic attack. No, he won't sit in a corner, rocking back and forth crying until it passes. Jack's panic attacks are the scariest of all, because he doesn't do anything. He sits in silence, staring straightforward without uttering a single word. Once it's over, he usually falls asleep wherever he crashed. Danny hates waiting for Jack to come to whenever he's mid-panicking. He has his own set of anxieties to worry about, but his mind can't help but push Jack further up on the list of priorities. Five is stress eating (typically Merritt's least favorite nervous reaction; he does the grocery shopping), and six just happens to be isolation. Jack's never been one to talk about his feelings, hence why Daniel is so intrigued to sit down and hear what he has to say, no matter how scared he is to hear it.

The only reason why he's afraid of tonight, is because he knows he has something to lose. He can't control Jack, no matter how hard he tries.

"Am I making you nervous?" Danny asks, and he shakes his head quickly.

"No no, I--"

"But I am..." He tries again, knowing Jack is lying, "aren't I?"

"It's fine it's fine..."

"No, I'm just being a dick," Danny decides to tell him, "I'm a dick when I'm nervous."

And there's something about that confession that relaxes Jack. He sends him a crooked smile before sitting down again, pressing the side of his leg against Danny's as he lays back down. He admires Jack's body rising and falling as he calms himself.

"Okay so," he sighs, "I don't...have a family."

"You don't?" Danny asks, slightly caught off guard.

"No," he says with sad eyes, but an easy demeanor, "no mom, no dad, no siblings."

"What happened?"

"I was nothing special, just the same old story; I got dropped off in a basket the winter night I was born, then put through the foster care system after orphanages became a legend."

"I'm so sorry."

Danny had always seen Jack as a family man, so it catches him off guard when he discovers that he never had family to begin with.

"Don't be," he shrugs, "just don't tell Henley or Merritt, please?"

"I wouldn't but," Danny tries to search for his answer, "why does it matter if they know. We're just co-workers..."

"Do you really find us to be anywhere close to coworkers?" Jack sits up and grips one of Danny shoulder, staring him down.

"No...but--"

"I can't...I can't talk. I don't have a voice when the three of you are here, overbearing me. I never had a voice in my childhood, and I don't have a voice now. I feel like I have a voice with you."

"You--you'll always have a voice with me," Danny assures him, reaching up to touch his cheek faintly with the back of his hand.

"That's good to know."

He can't stop staring at Jack in this light; this intimate light that he'd never dared to step into. He loves talking to someone like this, knowing things that others don't, being one step ahead of everything in terms of Jack and only Jack.

"Um, this is gonna be weird--scratch that, really weird, but...could you stay?"

"In--In your room?" He questions, "At night? During the night?"

"Yeah I knew it would be weird," Jack sighs, spewing words Danny didn't even know he could say, "I'm sorry, but I just feel so alone, and you're just good company."

"I--" Danny's crashing; his mind his falling apart because all he wants to do is hold the younger boy as he sleeps soundly, but all he can see is losing control of everything. He stands up, running a quivering hand through his hair.

"What is it?" Jack tries to get an answer, looking up at Atlas as he shakes his head.

"Do you know what it feels like to be afraid?"

"What are you asking me right now?" Jack asks in disbelief and Danny shakes his head quickly.

"I'm scared of losing control of everything." He answers nervously, "Do you know what that could possibly feel like?"

"You're not afraid of losing control of what's around you," Jack hoists himself up on his knees, pushing them against the mattress and taking Danny's arms in his nervous hands, "you're nervous about losing control of yourself. I know how that feels, but sometimes it's good to."

"Why Jack?"

"Because how are you going to take those leaps of faith while you're in control?"

And then Danny kisses him, because something about the words that left Jack's lips inclined him to do so. He grips his cheek tighter in his hand as he pushes his lips onto his. Jack grasps Danny's shirt, pulling him back onto the mattress and letting him pin his body against the surface.

"Mmm," Jack stops them, pulling away but still touching his mouth, "not so fast not so fast."

"You were the one that pulled me down," Danny grins sheepishly and he blushes, rolling over and reaching for the sheets hastily.

"Can we just sleep?"

"Course," he follows Jack under the sheets and reaches to turn off the lamp on his bedside table. Jack scoots over to where he lays, resting his head on Danny's chest.

They lay in silence for awhile, taking each other in for as long they can before the other half of their group returns.

Atlas just can't wrap his mind around how wonderfully warm Jack's mouth feels pressed up against his. He hadn't even planned on kissing him up until Jack started talking about risks and losing control and suddenly losing control didn't seem like such a bad thing after all. The heat rising within his body and the fire burning in his heart that followed made him feel alive. Jack made him feel alive; Death made him feel alive.

"Thanks for talking," Jack suddenly whispers, and Danny leans down to press his mouth against his forehead.

"Thanks for wanting to talk to me."

Danny knows now. He knows that he doesn't just want Jack anymore; he needs Jack.

"Rob a bank," Merritt chuckles, running his hands together, "ready to pull this off?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jack shrugs, and Danny simply nods in response to Merritt's question.

"This is the start," Henley smiles confidently, "don't worry, we've got this. The rest of the show went well, so why wouldn't this?"

And Danny should know they're right, because they are. But his heart is pounding outside of his chest, so much that he can't push it away. He's been nervous all evening, but now is when it starts to become important.

Jack senses Danny's worry and as Henley and Merritt slowly move away from them, he comes up behind the older boy and grips his hip. He leans down and presses his lips to Danny's cheek before whispering in his ear,

"You're doing fine, and you're going to keep doing fine. Stop worrying for once."

And Danny sighs in immediate relief at Jack's touch. He didn't realize how deprived he was until he felt the butterflies again.

"Thank you," He turns around and pecks his mouth lightly, "I needed that."

He leaves to get his microphone checked before going back on, and leaving Jack to follow with him.

He arrives on the stage again, waving to the crowd as he begins to say his lines, Jack in his peripheral vision.

Danny is in the zone, but all the nineteen year old can think about is how much he missed his touch. They didn't have a night like the one before after their first kiss. In fact, there were no passionate moments like the said kiss afterwards. He was distant afterwards, even more focused on what he already knew than before. Jack missed Danny, but it's not like he could find it within him to ask why he ran in the first place.

Danny tries not to lose his focus on the game plan as he watches Jack being shoved into an interrogation room much farther away than he'd like to be from him. Yes, he's been distant from him, spacing out their encounters more than before, but it's only because he's unsure. He has no reason to be, but nonetheless he still is. After the night in September, he didn't move to make it happen again.

He has an undeniable fear of opening up to someone else; he knows it's visible by now.

"J. Daniel Atlas?"

He doesn't look up to the FBI agents attempting to gain his full attention. If they tried really hard, maybe they'd get a quarter of it.

"You're literally begging to be arrested, you know that right?"

"If that means you'll actually do it," Danny mutters, "then yeah."

Once this is all over, he'll talk to Jack. He owes him that at least.

And that's exactly what he does once he's out of his handcuffs and walking out of the investigation room, leaving a fuming Agent Rhodes and his slightly amused accomplice.

He figures his only one on one opportunity will be when they're being driven to the airport. It's supposed to be him and Henley together, leaving Merritt and Jack to pair up as the remainders. The second he spots the fedora on his bald head, he makes his move.

"Hey hey," Danny rushes up to Merritt as they begin to leave the FBI's headquarters, "can we switch cars?"

"What do you mean?" Merritt chuckles, "Why does it matter who we ride with?"

"I don't wanna take a four hour drive to the airport with Henley today," He makes up an excuse quickly, "Detective Rhodes pissed me off with his cockiness and what not."

"Wow," he smirks, stepping aside to move back towards Henley, "The Great Atlas has been pushed off of his high horse? I never thought the day would come."

"Yeah yeah," He rolls his eyes, speed walking away from hypnotist before lining his pace up with Jack's. He ignores the fact that Merritt now assumes Danny has fallen weak to someone else's attempts at his feelings. It's simply a price to pay for the brunette he can't seem to forget about.

"Jack," He whispers to him as they continue walking to the cars awaiting their arrival, "Jack I need you to--"

"Don't," he stops him, "not now, please?"

"But I--"

He pushes the door open and Danny is suddenly farther from Jack than he was before. Regardless, he follows him into the vehicle, shutting the door behind the two of them.

"Look," Danny starts, unsure of where this is headed, "I'm sorry it's been weird for the past six months, that's on me. I know I haven't been fair but part of me can't even help it."

"Well, getting straight to the point then?" Jack looks over to the older boy, amused and annoyed at the same time.

"I'm trying here," He begs, "I care about you, don't doubt that."

"The six months of awkward silences definitely says something else," Jack responds, obviously bored of this argument before it even began.

"My entire life is an awkward silence Jack!" Danny protests, "I don't know how to feel what I'm feeling, I'm just the prestigious self-obsessed dick that can't seem to look past himself to observe others even though that's all I do."

Jack is silent due to the sudden outburst, but Danny couldn't stop himself once he had started.

"It's not like you're invisible Jack I see you," Danny begs, "I just, don't...really want to accept that."

Silence commences as he waits for Jack's next witty reply; whether it be about his personal issues with intimacy or his complicated reasoning towards private human interaction in general.

But instead, he feels the soft serenity that are Jack's rosy lips pressed up against his own. At this point, he isn't concerned about the driver simply a barrier away from their private moment. Instead he holds Jack close to him and takes in the moment, kissing him back sweetly.

The younger pulls away after a while, smirking as he presses his slightly damp forehead to his.

"You should've seen the look on Agent Rodes face when we took down his entire investigation."

"I don't think we took the entire thing down," Danny laughs quietly, slotting his fingers in Jack's short hair, "but yes, we did good today."

"Why don't you want to see me?"

"Perhaps I'm scared? Or I can't accept the fact that someone has enraptured me in such a manner that I can't think or breathe without seeing their face every day?"

"That's strangely the most romantic thing that's ever left your mouth," Jack chuckles quietly, somewhat surprised at Danny's small confession.

"I want to try this you know," he attempts to suggest it again.

"I do too," Jack agrees, "maybe it's the fucked up timing that we can't seem to get a handle on."

"Maybe," Danny sighs, "so, what do we do from here?"

"Work it out in New Orleans?"

He smiles, seeing the sunshine behind Jack's features and feeling the love emerge from his cold beating heart. Slowly, but surely, Jack is beginning to thaw the ice.

"Yeah; work it out in New Orleans."

The next show consisted of a much more complicated regime. The Four Horsemen even spent an extra day on the flight reviewing how exactly they were going to approach this challenge, even after finessing the finishing touches back in New York City.

It had more to do with manipulation of the mind rather than what they had been doing. If anyone utters the wrong word, the operation falls apart.

Luckily, the plan had been played out with no complications. It seemed that the first break the four magicians would have during this period of time would be now.

Per usual, Henley and Merritt had decided to go out on the town, and live their life outside of The Eye.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes," Danny repeats, "now go away!"

Henley and Merritt make their way out, shutting the door to Danny's shared hotel room with Jack tightly. Danny knows he's in the shower, washing every inch of his creamy tan body down. The elder is tingly merely from the image of him showering. He doesn't know what he'll do once his eyes feast on Jack when he sits beside him.

As if the universe is telepathically communicating with him, Jack walks out of the bathroom with a towel draped around his toned waist. He grins sheepishly, running a hand through his damp hair as Danny unknowingly stares him down.

"Hey I'm...I'm sorry I just find you undeniably stunning," He gushes fiercely, "clothes, or no clothes, or I'm sorry I just--"

"It's okay to gush, I guess," Jack blushes, "we're not friends...right? That's the direction we're headed in, right?"

"What...?" Danny chuckles, slightly confused.

"Well when you said 'let's sort it out in New Orleans', I thought that's what you meant. Moving from friends, to...the romantic aspect of the relationship?"

"I--" He sighs, rubbing his hands together, "of course, duh, of course that's what you meant."

"Wait, what did you think I meant?" Jack chuckles, "we'll kiss a little more? Maybe I'll suck you off in the process?"

"No no Jack, I--"

"Danny I am not sticking around for a one night stand, you know that right? When this whole thing is over, if we are to make this a reality, I want to be in a relationship. I don't know what else to say because you're not getting it. You're being wishy washy about whether you want to hold me at night when I can't sleep, or fuck me when you need a fuck buddy."

"Jack..." He stands up, reaching out to touch him caringly, but the younger pulls away.

"No no," he rips the towel off of his body, and Danny watches with wide eyes as it falls onto the floor. Jack places his hands on his hips, looking at him dead in the eyes.

"Here, is my naked body." Jack stresses, and it takes all the will power within him to hold back, "you can either fuck me, or act otherwise. What do you want Danny?"

"I..."

"The deal was to work it out," He argues, "and all you're doing is hiding."

"Okay," Danny stops him, reaching down and pulling his shirt off. Jack's eyes go to his bare chest as he continues to strip himself, from pants to socks to boxer briefs, until he's completely naked, "okay. Here it is."

"What...?"

"Do you want me?"

"I--yes Danny--"

"Then you can have me. I can't trust myself to make the decisions in this relationship; not yet at least; I can't trust myself."

"And...and that's okay, I--" Jack sighs, reaching for his clothes, "I understand why; this is new. Too new."

"So we take it your way," Danny exhales, sitting on the bed.

"You're giving me control?"

"Yes, I guess I'm giving you control."

Jack leans down to kiss Danny's forehead, and it's all he needs to convince himself that it'll be alright as long as he has him. He grips the younger's waist, pulling him down on top of him.

"But can I trust you to make the hard decisions I can't bear to?"

"Of course," Jack grins, "in fact, I've already made one."

"What?"

"We're never going to be a one night stand," he orders, "never. Okay?"

"Ha," Danny grins, stroking his back with his fingertips, "okay."

The day of the dead had finally come once they arrived back from New York, fleeing from Dylan and his hoard of FBI agents. Jack and Danny had completely forgotten about it, due to the fact that before they left New Orleans, they basically lived in their hotel room.

Jack knew that Danny had a thing for textures; the tips of his fingers would feel every inch of the surface of an object before he could be mentally satisfied. He also knew that when having sex with Danny, you had to talk; a lot. His anxiety overpowers him when in intimate situations, and he needs to know that his partner is on the same page as he is.

Jack's okay with it; he can't stop talking when he's scared, so they fit together like puzzle pieces. Though, he hopes one day they won't be scared to love each other.

But right now he can't think about that; his brain is running more than he is and he's beginning to lose it. Grab, burn, repeat. It's simple really; grab the paper, burn it in the fire place, and repeat. Not a single trace of their presence left behind, for anyone to find. Not even the Horsemen themselves.

He looked over to Danny, wondering if he was feeling the same way; flustered, confused and running a mile a minute.

But Danny didn't look anywhere near what Jack assumed; he was calm and collected, maybe a bit frazzled, but he didn't show it.

Suddenly, he isn't sure if he can do it.

"I..." Jack is stammering his sentences, "I don't think I can do this guys."

"Well you wanted a chance to be big and bad and responsible, didn't you?" Danny comes at him so quickly he can't even form a coherent reply.

"I--Danny you know I've been afraid of this."

Danny takes note to what's happening and quickly motions for Henley and Merritt to leave. Once they're gone, he says the first thing he can think of.

"I thought you trusted me?"

"I do Danny, we've been over this many more times than once."

"This is why I'm driving, and Henley isn't."

"Yeah I know and--"

"Then leave the rest to me," he begs, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to Jack's forehead that he knows will never leave his mind as he's sprinting away to his sudden doom.

He runs away without another word (other than 'Burn everything!'), following Henley and Merritt out through the garbage chute. And all Jack could think about, was the god damn irony laced within his tarot card.

Death.

"You make me feel alive," Danny whispered against Jack's lips as he laid on top of him, both of them wrapped in the duvet.

"Ironic," he chuckles, pushing his hands against Danny's chest, "and yes, I'll say it all the time."

"What if the persona that comes with the tarot become irrelevant?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you somehow weren't related to the idea of Death in any way?"

"Well," Jack sighs, "maybe I'd let you get away with 'you make me feel alive' a little more,"

"Ah," Danny laughs, laying flat and nuzzling his nose in the crease of Jack's neck, "that would be nice."

"I don't want to move to the next part of the plan," Jack whispers back sadly, "I want to lay here with you, and forget everything."

"Everything?"

"Every. Single. Thing."

"You know we can't do that, right?" He sighs, "I would love to lay with you forever, but we have a job to complete. And perhaps, maybe more after that."

"You sure do know how to kill the mood, don't you?"

"Jack..."

"Do you want life, outside of The Eye? Will the eye be everything that possesses you?"

"Other than you? I mean, yeah."

That specific night rises in Jack's memory in flashes as he dives into the back seat of the car Danny is driving. His head almost hits the inside of the other door, and he clutches the car seat with his life. He remembers wondering if his anger towards Danny about not taking his relationship seriously branches from his abandonment issues. He wonders if it's even worth it to stress about it all.

Maybe all he needs is what he has before him now, and to forget about the future he has no control of.

"See? You're okay. I knew you would be."

If he wasn't driving right now, Jack probably would have kissed him hard enough to knock him off his feet.

Danny knew that Jack was okay, retrieving the contents of the safe and doing the behind the scenes work in their caper. He also knew that Jack hated to be behind the curtains, and that this plan shoved him to the back for good. He understands the craving for attention, and he feels deeply for him.

He stays silent as he walks alongside Henley and Merritt within Central Park. He was thinking about the last little disagreement he had with Jack, about whether they were real or not. Danny was surprised he said that he was going to give control of their future to Jack.

He doesn't give; he takes. He feels the world slipping off his shoulders every time he feels Jack's skin against his fingertips, or his mouth pressed against his. Or when he stands next to his and he smells that intoxicating smell he can't seem to pinpoint in the apartment they shared.

He can't get the first words Jack ever said to him that day in New York.

'Oh no, nothing's ever locked.'

Maybe it's not the first thing he said, but it's the sentence that sticks. And he was right; nothing's ever locked. Not even Danny.

CENTRAL PARK
12:09 AM

The carousel never stops turning.

Quite literally; it never stops turning.

Jack and Danny sit beside each other, the high from the final show of their trifecta vanishing before their very eyes. The carousel they had just been riding never seemed to stop moving, as they have begun to notice. They had just met their real leader as well, who they happened to know all along; Dylan.

He had been working them left and right in the background, and his tactics left everyone fairly impressed.

He had invited them to celebrate the successful, and Henley and Merritt took the invitation gratefully, per usual. But also per usual, the other two boys decided to stay behind and meet up by the carousel again later. Once they left them to their own devices, Jack slumped on the ground against a tree, running a hand down his face.

"I think the exhaustion is finally hitting me," he breathes as Danny willingly sits beside him, "I literally feel it slapping me in the face."

"But it's over for now," He chuckles quietly, reaching for Jack's hand gingerly, "we can breathe."

Jack presses his back on the tree, breathing in and out of his nose with closed eyes. Danny watches him intently as he leans towards him, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"I have abandonment issues you know," he laughs sadly, "that's why I'm always fighting you on your indecisive attitude. That's usually what leads to leaving."

"Jack, I'm not leaving."

"No I know that," he continues, "I see that, I just don't believe it."

"Well, I have control issues, so I guess we're even."

"I already knew that, dud."

"No no," he says, "it's more than just making sure everything is right before moving on. My entire life has been, me. I don't share Jack, and sharing means I'm not always in charge. I'm so used to holding my world on my shoulders, that I don't know what I'll do with myself when I don't have to anymore."

Jack raises his eyebrows, squeezing his hand, "Wow. I guess we are even."

"So, let's just call for a ceasefire?" Danny suggests, "We have our own issues that we have to deal with internally, and fighting with each other about it is just gonna make it worse."

"I agree," he replies, sitting up against Danny and sighing, "we could use less stress."

"It'll get better as we get used to it."

"Will we?"

"We will," Danny snorts, "we definitely will."

"We're on a path that never ends Danny. It's gonna be difficult with these new responsibilities as The Eye's new puppets."

"Then we'll make pit stops if we have to, enforce them even. I want this to work. And yeah, The Eye is great but as of right now you're proving to be so much better."

They leave it at that, Danny tilting Jack's chin up and pressing a tender kiss to his lips. They sit watching the carousel, and Jack may not know it, but though he never planned on spewing his feelings in such a manner, he meant every single word.

i'm currently working on another short story based off of the sequel of this series, and a larry stylinson short story. archive of our own will be receiving published versions of these works before wattpad, as they have been waiting longer.

add me - narrydrunk & votrestyles

thank you for unconditional support
- bria