On the good days, mornings taste like sparkling water and springtime, fizzing on Jack's tongue. The world explodes into colour as the sun peels his eyelids back to a supernova of creamy white and glittering gold, light rays dancing over his crumpled sheets in rainbow hues. They wrap his bare feet---as unnaturally cold as they always are when Lee sleeps over---in their warm embrace, a bear hug to his nerves. All the illusions of night fall apart like melted sugar in his hands, leaving behind nothing but the sweet solidity of reality.

Jack's gaze snaps over to the alarm clock on his nightstand.

Oh, fuck. I'm late.

(Reality, indeed.)

He bolts upright in bed, only to feel something thin and warm shift next to him beneath a small mound of blanket, and Jack suddenly realises exactly why he's always so cold every time Lee stays the night.

This fucker. He's been stealing the entire blanket.

"Oi," he says, giving the lump next to him a quick shake. "Get up. We're going to be late."

A head appears from the top of the blanket, peeking at Jack through one lazy eye before closing it again. "I'm tired," Lee whines, rolling over languidly.

Lee is...devastatingly beautiful in the morning. His hair covers most of his face in tangled drifts of pale blue-grey, curling over his neck, the ends already touching the pillow. The sun dapples tiny golden spots over smooth expanses of tanned skin, revealing the unmarked curves of his collarbones and hips. His dark eyes are softer, smaller, bleary with sleep, almost seductive in their lowered cluelessness. Normally, his smile is wider, more infectious---but in times like this, when it's just Jack and him, the little half-grin that teases his thin lips is the prettiest thing Jack's ever seen.

Jack could stare at him forever, but he knows they've both got a life to get back to.

"Up, up, up," he chants, tugging the blankets off Lee and making him curl into a tight ball. He looks so small, so thin, so fragile---even though Jack knows he really isn't. The imprint of the burn sprawled over his bony elbow is proof of that, and so is the scar spilling over the back of his knuckles, pink and bumpy and almost harsh. And Jack knows Lee isn't really small, just---smaller, but in Jack's bed, he looks tiny. Even though the mattress really isn't big enough for two.

Lee's recently started sleeping naked, and while Jack's not exactly complaining, the sight's a bit distracting when he's trying to get both of them up and properly dressed.

"Come on, Lee," he urges. Lee flips onto his stomach and groans loud enough for probably the whole house to hear.

"I just sucked your dick for the first time yesterday, okay? Give me a break," Lee rasps, gazing up at Jack through half-lidded eyelids with a stare so filthy that it makes Jack blush from head to toe. Lee had looked at him the same way yesterday, all fluttering eyelashes and bad intentions, and Jack would be lying if he said he hadn't given in---over and over again, white spilling across his vision, hands tangled in Lee's hair.

He sighs, grabbing Lee's waist and hauling him into a sitting position. "We have school, Lee."

"Fuck school. Let's skip."

"You promised both me and your dad that you'd try to come for all your classes. At least for a while."

Lee studies him for a long while with those dark, weary eyes, before letting out a loud sigh. "Fine. But only because it's you." He pulls himself up higher, hugging his knees to himself. He's gained a little weight in the past few weeks, but his ribs still stick out of his chest, bones protruding from his limbs like headstones in the soil. Still shades too frail. And Jack knows Lee can hold his own, that he's more strong than weak---nine months older, barely three inches shorter---but he worries, sometimes. Worries that Lee will get himself into a fight he can't win.

Even though they're late and probably about to be even later, Jack gingerly sits on the edge of the bed, reaching over to take Lee's hand in his. He's not good with things like this---affection, physical touch, ruin instead of routine. But with Lee, it feels...natural, somehow. As if physicality is more than just tugging hands and messy hair and want, want, want. "How's everything, actually? I know we didn't get to do much talking last night, so---"

A smile makes its way across Lee's face, bright and serene. It makes Jack want to grin too. "It's---good. Life's good."

Lee doesn't talk about his therapy sessions, and Jack's learned not to push---especially since he's just starting. What Jack does know is that he's been calmer ever since. Happier, too, although maybe that's because his father pays more attention to him now. It's not uncommon to hear Lee babbling about going out for ramen and talking about life, or telling stories he'd heard from his father when he was younger and hears again now.

("Don't you get bored?" Jack always asks.

"I'd rather hear the same story over and over again than hear nothing at all," Lee always replies.)

He watches as Lee stretches his arms, almost cat-like in the morning glow (even though he knows Lee prefers dogs), something hazy, something twisted, something beautiful. Every ripple of his body, all hard curves and sharp bones and ninety-degree angles, nothing soft about him except his heart, shines dimly against the golden day. He rolls his shoulders back, splaying himself across Jack's rumpled sheets like he owns the place. His fingers curl in the thin fabric, leaving behind invisible smears of stardust and calcified glitter.

Dangerous little thing. Sharp, unpredictable, tricky. All the things Jack should avoid. All the things that make him love Lee even more instead.

From his place on the bed, Lee grins up at him. Jack can't deny the way that makes his heart skip a beat.

"Not as good as you, though," Lee murmurs teasingly.

٩( ᐛ )و

"Come on, come on, we're going to be late," Lee frets as Jack stuffs a handful of textbooks into his backpack, scowling all the way.

"Remind me exactly why we're rushing off from school again?" Jack questions, raising an eyebrow.

"Because," Lee explains, bouncing up and down on the tips of his toes. "Miss Sunny Tan has asked my wife out on a date. And as the best friend, it's my duty to make sure she's a suitable suitor."

Jack shoots Lee a sideways glance. "So basically, you're going to stalk them."

"Um..."

"Lee, answer me."

"Okay, maybe I am going to stalk them! But in my defense, Yumeko doesn't know that Sunny's interested in her! She thinks they're just going out for ice cream like normal people to get to know each other better! I guess I just kind of want to make sure Yumeko doesn't do anything stupid. And that Sunny doesn't do anything stupid, either. Because they're not really friends, you see, but Sunny's interested in Yumeko, and---"

"Lee. Calm down. You're rambling."

Lee deflates. "Sorry. It's just that...after Maya, you know..."

"Overprotective?"

"Kind of. I don't want to see her...hurt like that again. I mean, she was acting all careless and shit, like it didn't really matter, like she'd been planning the breakup all along, but...Yu's like that. Always pretending she's tough shit when she's really just as human as the rest of us."

"She can take care of herself, Lee."

Lee looks up at him with those mournful, dark eyes, twin puddles of melted obsidian shining out of his golden skin. It always makes Jack feel a little weak to his knees whenever Lee looks at him like this---like he's his whole world and all of his stars. "I can take care of myself too, but you're always overprotective of me anyway."

Jack doesn't have anything to say to that, so when Lee adds on, "And besides, we could stalk them just for the drama!" he wordlessly zips up his bag and lets Lee drag him to the carpark.

Just as Lee's reaching into his pocket for his key fob, a loud ahem from behind them has Jack freezing in his tracks. "Mr Jay said he saw you two walking out here," a crisp voice booms.

The principal.

Jack turns, tilting his head in a stiff bow---more out of habit than actual respect. "Good afternoon, Principal Greene." Lee lets out a snort that he quickly turns into a cough when Jack elbows him in the side.

"Good afternoon, Jack. Good afternoon, Leroy. Jack, may I see you in my office for about fifteen minutes? I have something I need to talk to you about."

Jack frowns, casting a worried glance at Lee. "Um, sir, is it urgent---"

He's cut off by Lee grabbing his shoulder and whispering into his ear, "Jack, it's okay. You can go. I'll wait for you."

"No, you'd better leave first," Jack insists. "I'll catch up with you later, okay? Where are they meeting?"

Lee's mouth hardens, but he nods anyway. "You know where Snow Halation is, right?"

"Yeah."

"Great." Lee hesitates, as if deciding whether to trade every shred of dignity in his body for just a little bit more physical affection, before reeling forward and pressing a light kiss to Jack's cheek. "See you there, Jack."

Jack's still blushing when Lee drives away.

٩( ᐛ )و

Principal Greene's office is just as cold as it had been the last time Jack had been summoned to it. Then again, the last time he'd been summoned to it had been so the principal could strip him of his position, so maybe it had seemed colder in his head.

Nevertheless, the icy air blasts him like the crack of a whip the moment he steps inside, raising goosebumps over his arms. Jack still hasn't gotten used to wearing the regular polo. It's all---wrong, somehow. Sleeves short where they should be long. Collar soft where it should be hard. Scarlet tie missing where it should be blazing over his chest. He misses the stiff, starchy confines of his uniform more than he'd ever admit to Lee.

"What's your relationship with Leroy, exactly?" Principal Greene asks as he lowers his large bulk into a black swivel chair at least two sizes too small. "Are you two cousins, perhaps?"

Jack grimaces. Have you ever seen cousins kiss like that?

Still, he hasn't got much of a reputation left to ruin, so he hardens the line of his jaw and declares, "We're dating."

Principal Greene leans back in his seat, sighing. "That explains a lot."

Jack resists the urge to raise an eyebrow. Well, ex-cuuuse me. I didn't know there was a way to look gay.

"You see, the reason I'm even talking to you right now is because Leroy barged into my office at lunchtime, begging me to reinstate you as a prefect. On his knees," Principal Greene continues.

Oh, shit.

"I'll admit, I was quite impressed at Leroy coming to ask me for something by himself. It's usually his father who comes. So I thought I'd at least hear him out."

Oh. Maybe this isn't an 'Oh, shit' situation after all?

"Leroy says he's been going through a hard time lately, and that you skipped school because you were looking after him. He told me that you were helping him, and asked me why you should be punished for helping people---which, as he insisted, is part of the duties of a prefect, so technically speaking, in his words, you were doing your job perfectly. As he phrased it, you were trying to keep him from 'going off the edge'. Is that true, Jack?"

Jack's heart swells with affection. Fuck, Lee, I fucking love you. "Well, sir, partially---"

"What's not true about it?"

"I mean---I guess he wasn't really---" Jack's words catch in his throat as he realises he has no idea what to say, because he doesn't really know how Lee's feeling. Not really. He can't say that Lee was never on the edge, because he was. And it makes him wonder what else he doesn't know about Lee, whether he'll ever learn all his ticks and tocks and the clockwork of his cogs.

Probably not, Jack thinks ruefully, and he's shocked to find that he doesn't really mind. Lee's unpredictable. He's always been. But maybe that's just one of the many things that Jack likes so much about him.

Principal Greene sighs, lacing his hands together. "Leroy made me realise that maybe I've been a bit too harsh on you. You've been a model student and prefect this whole time, after all, and it does seem a bit unfair to remove you from your position for just a week missed of school, especially since it's your final year. And I'll admit that Leroy coming to me personally has made me second-guess my decision even more, given how he only comes to me when he gets expelled, and even then, he doesn't show up all the time." Principal Greene's gaze softens ever so slightly. "You must be very special to him."

Jack's fingers curl around the hem of his polo, tightening with every word. I'm...special to Lee. Even without saying the words out loud, he knows he's as special to Lee as Lee is to him.

"Yeah," he answers, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. He's awkward without his uniform, out of his element. "I guess I am."

"Anyway," Principal Greene continues. "I've thought over my decision, and I think...you deserve a second chance. So I've decided to reinstate you as a prefect. But remember that this is your last chance, Jack. Consider this a warning."

The words don't sink in immediately. Once they do, Jack finds himself staring at principal like an idiot, eyes wide and mouth open. "What?"

"I can tell you value this position a lot, Jack. So I'm giving you a second chance." Principal Greene's hard stare slices right through him amd puts him back together again. "Don't mess up."

If Jack didn't have a shred of dignity in his body, he'd run over and hug the principal. But as it is, his pride's something he holds close to his chest, so he settles for a series of grateful bows, hands clasped to his ribs. "Thank you, sir! Thank you so much! You won't regret it, I promise!"

No more wearing the polo! I finally get my uniform back!

"I believe I won't," Principale Greene says, the slightest hint of a smile finally teasing his mouth. "But...continue doing your duties as you've done all along, and make sure Leroy stays out of trouble, okay? He's a bit...eccentric. Keep him on a short leash."

Jack bows again. "I will, sir. Thank you."

Principal Greene waves a meaty hand dismissively. "You can stop thanking me now. Make sure you wear your uniform tomorrow."

"I will, sir!"

As he's leaving, Principal Greene opens his mouth like he wants to say something, then shuts it again with a nod. "Take care, Jack."

With a final thank you, Jack's out the door.

The second he's out of Principal Greene's office, Jack yanks out his phone. Several unread messages from Lee light up the screen, haloing his face in a brilliant blue glow.

Lee: the date is

Lee: um

Lee: not going well

Lee: yumekoreallydidnotknowitwasadate

Lee: so sunnys like hey ur cute thats why i asked you out for ice cream

Lee: and yu's like ?????????

Lee: also

Lee: i may or may not be stuck in the bathroom

Jack sighs and hits the Call button.

"Hi, I'm stuck in the bathroom," Lee states, voice crackling over the line. "And that's your cue to say 'Hi, stuck in the bathroom, I'm Dad.' Or Daddy, whichever you prefer."

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to call myself Daddy."

"I'll call you anything you want."

There's an edge to his voice, but it's nothing angry, nothing playful, nothing sexually charged. Just---sweet, soft, slippery between Jack's fingers, a gentle nip against his tongue as it spreads its wings over his skin, taking root in his veins. A supernova of feelings. A million little things all at once.

"Would you call me yours?" Jack breathes.

There's a pause. When Lee speaks next, his words are light, breathy. Filled with a thousand possibilities. They make Jack want to fall in love---but he's already fallen long ago.

"I don't need to tell you what you already know," Lee answers, something trembling beneath his lungs and spilling over Jack's palms. It is something bigger than Lee, than Jack, than both of them together. "Because you're already mine."

Jack takes a deep breath, the butterflies in his stomach spreading their wings and taking flight. Everything is blurry even though he's not crying, the good kind of blurry, sinking deep into his bones with the kind of bubble bath comfort that he hasn't felt in a very long time.

And then Lee's speaking again, cheerful as always as if he hasn't just given Jack the world. "So, anyway, I kind of need you to rescue me, because again. Locked in the bathroom."

Jack sighs. "How did you even get yourself into that situation?"

"Well, like I said earlier, Sunny tells Yumeko that she asked her to go for ice cream because she thinks she's super cute. And Yumeko gets super confused, so she's like, 'Sorry, I just broke up with my ex-girlfriend like, a month ago, so I'm not exactly ready for a new relationship yet. Especially since I don't really know you.' So Sunny's not the happiest camper because I may have accidentally forgotten to mention the broke up with the ex a month ago part because I'm a giant fucking idiot, but they agree to stay friends---or whatever the hell comes before friends---and finish the ice cream date because they want to get to know each other better. So yeah."

"That...doesn't exactly answer how you ended up locked in the bathroom."

"I may have chosen the booth directly behind them."

"Okay?"

"I may also have accidentally dropped my ice cream spoon on the table."

"And?"

"I may also have said Fuck way too loud, which was kind of how Yumeko recognised my voice. And, um, well, Yumeko's my best friend, so she obviously realised that I was spying on them. And none of them are particularly happy about that fact. I didn't really feel like dealing with two pissed off lesbians, so I ran. And that's the story of how I'm locked in the nearest bathroom stall while Yumeko and Sunny bay for my blood."

"Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a fucking idiot."

Lee's laugh tinkles over the receiver, high and bright. "I'm your fucking idiot," he teases, and despite himself, Jack feels a smile spread across his own face.

He sighs, shaking his head even though he knows Lee can't see him. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Well, you could come rescue me, for one. I might actually die in here. I think the guy in the stall next to mine is taking a massive shit."

"Fine. I'm coming, I'm coming."

"That's what she said." Jack can practically hear the grin in Lee's voice, especially when he pauses for just a second. "By the way, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

It's the stars, the moon, the tender sun. It's the honey on his tongue and the glitter in his hands and the starlight in his lips as Jack feels himself grin from ear to ear. It's the feeling of loving, the sensation of being loved. The knowledge that Lee loves him, and like the sun loves the moon, Jack loves him too.

"Love you too," he whispers, waiting long enough to hear the giggle that follows before he hangs up, pocketing his phone.

Falling in love is tiring. It's new, dangerous, scary. It's flawed, disorganised, unpredictable. It's messy and rumpled and all the things that Jack should hate.

But, as Jack heads into the embrace of the setting sun, he decides that falling in love isn't too bad, as long as it's Lee that he's falling in love with.

i'm currently writing a Jakai fic (Jake from Enhypen x Hueningkai from TXT) just for the heck of it and the amount of times i wrote Jake instead of Jack was ASTRONOMICAL (so if you see a random Jake anywhere please let me know thank you)

honestly, the first part of this chapter was really hard for me to write, mainly because it just felt so intimate, if you get what i mean? it's like the sex scene in The Spectacular Now, where we honestly feel like we're intruding on something because it's just so sweet and intimate. yeah, i kinda felt that way. i mean, they're not even doing anything, but it just felt so intimate, and i honestly really struggled to write it because i kept feeling like i was interrupting something even though i'm the writer lmfao

I KNEW A BUNCH OF PPL WANTED JACK'S POV SO HERE YOU GO. WHOEVER REQUESTED JACK'S POV FOR A BONUS CHAPTER (i'm sorry i legit cannot remember who it was) I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY BECAUSE I HAVE DELIVERED

anygays so

i'm like super emotional rn because i'm!!! saying!!! goodbye!!! to my boys!!! like!!! actual goodbye!!! as in!!! no more writing Jack and Lee!!! and i am!!! sobbing my mf eyes out!!! because they are so so cute and they make me believe in love again and rn i'm just ajdhsksbskskl

i won't say that much now cause the (very very emotional) a/n and trivia (murder party) are coming tmr <3 so watch out for those!

also please let me know if you spot any mistakes, as well as what you thought of this chapter!

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH HGSJDNSN THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CRACKERBOX VERY EMOTIONAL THANK YOU NOTE DROPS TOMORROW

xoxo, Alex