June 6, 33 AE

Mack wasn't entirely sure how he got back to his place. He definitely didn't remember leaving Elsie's, and he only vaguely recalled sitting shotgun in his own car while Jordan drove. The memory of climbing up the stairs from the parking lot to his apartment simply merged with the thousands of other times he traversed the same route, and while he felt like he recently hydrated, showered, and brushed his teeth, he didn't have any proof to show for it. The only thing he was certain of was the present.

And in the present, Mack stared at the digital clock propped besides his TV, entranced by the steadily blinking lights between the hours and minutes. In the distance, he could hear the water running in the bathroom as Jordan took a shower; Mack remembered promising he would be in bed by the time Jordan was done, but such a simple task seemed impossible now.

Saying Mack was exhausted was an understatement. He was completely drained, both physically and mentally, and there was nothing he could do about it. With the last remnants of adrenaline gone, Mack's entire body ached, especially his right shoulder, and thinking clearly was like trying to navigate a forest filled with a dense fog. Sure, a nap might help, but he couldn't picture himself falling asleep when his mind was still reeling about the night's events: the Barracks were destroyed, a group of meta-terrorists was lurking in the shadows, and he had to wake up in four hours for what was sure to be a hectic day of work.

This day was off to a terrible start.

Mack let out a frustrated groan as he slumped back on his couch, letting his body sink into the worn cushion. A part of him yearned to take the day off, not wanting to be reminded of the destruction at the Barracks and the imminent threat of a terrorist group that seemingly wanted them dead. But the rest of him needed to go to Base at that very moment, itching to do whatever he could to help everyone with everything. The two sides were at war within him, and neither of him was willing to let him simply rest.

"That doesn't look like a very comfortable way to sleep," Jordan's voice sounded from above him.

Mack raised his gaze from the blinking clock to see Jordan standing over him from behind the couch. His expression looked as if he was trying to pull off a stern expression, but was failing miserably with an outpouring show of sympathy.

"These cushions have had years to mold to my body," Mack mumbled groggily.

Thankfully, Jordan didn't scold Mack any further, and he sat down beside him with one leg folded onto the chair. Just as Mack was thinking about how Jordan's thigh looked like the perfect pillow, Jordan patted his lap in invitation, and Mack nearly collapsed onto it in relief, only slowing down when his shoulder throbbed with his movement.

For a while, they were silent, with Jordan gently running his fingers through Mack's hair and Mack focusing solely on the feeling of Jordan's touch against his scalp. With each brush of Jordan's hands, a hint of Mack's stress melted away and the tension slowly lifted from his body. Before long, he was nothing more than a limp pile of limbs splayed out on his couch.

"I'm glad you're here," Mack heard himself mutter into Jordan's leg.

Belatedly, Mack worried that his admission would make Jordan stop whatever his magic fingers were doing. Whenever their conversations went into emotional or intimate territory, Jordan would always hesitate, as if he had to mentally weigh the cost and benefits of proceeding. And while Mack was normally fine with Jordan being cautious, it usually put him a little on edge as well.

So Mack was surprised when Jordan didn't miss a beat.

"I'm glad you're here too," Jordan whispered. "Waiting for you was terrible. I mean, I know it probably is nothing compared to what you went through tonight--"

"No, I believe you," Mack interjected, partially because he didn't want Jordan belittling his own feelings, but also because Mack didn't want to be reminded of the night's events. "The feeling of not knowing and not being able to do anything... I hate it too."

Mack turned his head slightly so he could look up at Jordan. And when Mack gave Jordan a small smile, Jordan returned it with ease.

But then, after a moment, Jordan's smile slipped away, and the hint of nerves in his expression filled Mack with a chill of dread.

"I'm sorry," Jordan muttered. His fingers stilled in Mack's hair.

Part of Mack wanted to shift his head to encourage Jordan's fingers into motion; the rest of him forced him to still, worried that the slightest movement would push Jordan further away.

Mack opted for the latter, and the muscles in his neck tensed.

"About what?" Mack asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"At Elsie's..." Jordan began, his focus now on Mack's hair. "How I offered to live with her. That I was fine if people thought we were dating."

Mack forced himself to grin, but he wasn't sure how convincing he was. "Why would I be mad about that? You said so yourself that Elsie was absolutely not your type, and having to fake date her and put up with her disgusting habits had to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment."

Jordan winced at the reminder. "Please don't tell her I said that. It sounds so much worse when you say it out loud.

"But that's not what I meant," he continued, his tone a hint heavier than before. "It's just... I volunteered for her so easily... and it's not fair to you. It's not fair that I'm fine with random people thinking I'm in a fake relationship with someone I'd never be attracted to, but I don't want them to know I'm in a real relationship with someone I really care about."

As foreboding as Jordan's voice sounded, his words still managed to spark some joy in Mack's chest.

"Aw, you really care about me?" Mack teased, his grin slightly less forced this time.

But when Jordan's eyes finally met Mack's again, his gaze stern, Mack faltered.

"Mack, I'm being serious," Jordan said firmly.

Mack's smile vanished. "Sorry."

After a moment of tense silence, Jordan sighed.

"No, I'm sorry," he continued. "It's fine. You're fine. You've been more than fine, in fact. You've been so understanding and supportive and patient with me, and... I feel like I've been taking advantage of that. And it's not fair to you."

Jordan began to fiddle with Mack's hair, seemingly unaware, and while the gesture should have been comforting, Mack still felt a sense of unease.

"Honestly... I've been thinking about this for a while," Jordan continued. "And I wasn't planning on saying anything just yet... but after what happened tonight, I don't want to keep keeping this to myself. I can't keep it to myself."

Mack wasn't sure what exactly about Jordan's words set him off, but he couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"You're not... you're not breaking up with me, are you?" Mack blurted out, almost fumbling over his question as if that could prove his guess false.

For a second, Mack thought that Jordan's surprised face was because Mack assumed correctly, and Mack felt like he stopped breathing. But then, something in Jordan's expression shifted, and Mack immediately knew he had been wrong.

"What?!" Jordan exclaimed. "No! Sorry, no, definitely not!"

As if to emphasize his words, Jordan reached his free hand to one of Mack's and held it tightly. Relieved, Mack returned the gesture with a gentle squeeze, then silently vowed to let Jordan say his piece.

"I've just..." Jordan continued. "I just think that I've been holding myself back from taking the next step because I'm too scared of what happens after. I feel like if I take the next step, that'll just... open the floodgates, and I won't be able to hide my feelings for you anymore."

Jordan's hand stilled in Mack's hair, but this time, with Jordan's eyes locked on his, Mack wasn't worried.

"I really like you, Mack," Jordan said confidently. "I know I don't show it very well, especially when we're in public, but I really care about you. It's embarrassing how many times a day I think about... just wanting to be with you, to just feel your arms around me, hell, to just smell you." He winced. "Oh my god, I sound like such a creep."

Okay, Mack had to say something about that. "A sexy creep."

"I don't know if that's any better." Jordan shook his head as if he was brushing off his ineloquence. "Anyway, it's probably unhealthy how much I think about you when you're not around me. And when you're with me... well, I'm just worried that if I give in to my feelings, I won't be able to hold them back anymore. And I won't be able to go back."

Jordan fell silent again, his gaze turned back to his still still fingers entangled in Mack's hair. The way he bit his bottom lip showed that there was more, that he was still holding something back, and Mack wondered if he just needed a little nudge to let it out.

"So..." Mack began tentatively. "What do you want to do now?"

Jordan's eyes flicked back to Mack's, but Mack couldn't read his expression.

"Now? After everything that's happened tonight? Well..."

Jordan's gaze seemed to scan Mack's face for a moment before returning to Mack's eyes. And when they finally did, there was something behind them that Mack had never seen from Jordan before.

"I want to do what I've wanted to do for a while," Jordan whispered.

Mack still couldn't discern the look in Jordan's eyes when Jordan released his hold of Mack's hand. When Jordan gently dragged his newly freed fingers along the side of Mack's face, Mack still couldn't comprehend what in the world was going on. And even when Jordan's fingers lightly held Mack's chin, and even when Jordan lowered his face to Mack's, and even as Jordan's spectacularly long eyelashes fluttered shut, Mack could only be certain that he must have passed out and he was clearly hallucinating.

But as soon as Jordan's lips touched his, Mack knew there was no way he was dreaming. Sure, he had imagined how Jordan's lips felt before, but they were somehow so much softer than his brain could even fathom. Mack had guessed that Jordan would taste like the caramel he drank with his milk and coffee, or the chocolate stash Mack kept for him at his apartment for when Jordan needed a quick pick-me-up. Instead, Mack's senses were filled with the flavor of minty vanilla from the special toothpaste Jordan had stored in Mack's bathroom.

The only things Mack imagined correctly was the sensation of Jordan's fingers tightly gripping his hair, the familiar floral scent of Jordan's lotion, and the sounds of their breathless gasps as if every moment of this could be their last.

Suddenly, Mack couldn't hold back a wide smile. A part of him was frustrated with himself--no, stop smiling, start kissing--but that feeling vanished when Jordan gently pecked a corner of Mack's lips and brushed Mack's nose with his own.

When Mack slowly opened his eyes again, Jordan was smiling as well with his warmly flushed cheeks and his gaze of adoration. It was an image that Mack vowed to forever keep in his memory.

At some point during their moment of intimacy, one of Mack's hands had found its way into Jordan's hair, and Mack now slid it down so he could feel the warmth of Jordan's cheeks.

"How are the floodgates?" Mack asked, his grin widening slightly.

"Completely demolished," Jordan beamed without the slightest hesitation. "I'm a complete goner for you, you know that?"

Mack laughed softly. "At least now you know how I feel. Fair's fair."

Jordan shrugged. "I guess I can't complain. It's a good feeling."

Mack couldn't disagree with that. If he was crazy about Jordan before, he was clearly losing his mind now. And it was that feeling that filled him with a warmth, and it kept growing as Mack ran his hand from Jordan's face to his neck to his shoulders to his chest...

He paused with his palm over the familiar design: the vintage logo of his hometown's university, rainbow and all.

"You know..." Mack began, running his palm over the familiar pattern. "I feel like I should mention that I do enjoy seeing you in my clothes."

Jordan blushed even more, now looking slightly embarrassed.

"This shirt is one of your softer ones," he explained with feigned nonchalance.

"Okay," Mack relented--but only for a moment. "And the jacket that you wore to Elsie's?"

"It was the first thing I could find," Jordan insisted much too quickly. "You just left it lying on my living room floor like a throw rug."

Mack chuckled. "Would you prefer if it was me lying on your living room floor?"

As expected, Jordan's eyes grew wide and his blush darkened. But then, something in his gaze shifted, and his demeanor flipped to something that Mack could only describe as seductive.

His fingers on Mack's chin gently brushed up one side of Mack's face before returning to where they started, leaving a path of warm, tingling skin in their wake.

Mack froze.

Jordan's other hand tightened its grip in Mack's hair.

Mack gulped.

"Maybe I would," Jordan--there's no other way to say this--purred.

It was Mack's turn to falter, and his hand froze on Jordan's chest as if the slightest movement would be the spark that set Jordan off.

"W-what?" Mack stammered, suddenly painfully aware that he was not mentally prepared for this turn of events and he clearly could not reap what he sowed.

Thankfully, Jordan's hungry eyes were only on Mack's for a moment longer before Jordan grimaced and buried his face in Mack's chest.

"I'm sorry, that was awful," Jordan groaned.

"Uh..."

Confused, Mack simply patted Jordan's head in comfort.

Honestly, Mack was more than a little startled by Jordan's sudden change in demeanor. But after his shock wore off, Mack realized that he wasn't complaining about any of it. In fact, he could get used to it.

"I thought I would... try something different," Jordan admitted into Mack's chest. "But... oh my god, I can't."

"I loved it," Mack said enthusiastically.

Jordan peeked up from Mack's chest to give him a dubious look.

"I'm serious!" Mack insisted. "I did! And now... well, I can't get the imagery out of my head..."

Jordan's doubt rapidly shifted to horror, and he sat upright just so he could lightly smack Mack's chest.

"Oh my god!" Jordan hissed.

But his gentle admonishment only earned him a deep laugh from Mack.

"Don't worry, I'm kidding," Mack said, wrapping a hand around the one that Jordan held on his chest. "Another time."

After a brief glare as an additional punishment, Jordan relented. And after shifting their hands to interlock their fingers, he squeezed gently.

"Another time," Jordan agreed.

And when they met again, Mack let Jordan take over his senses once more.

---

NOTES

And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this little side story! While it doesn't reveal as much about Mack and Jordan as I originally intended, I still had fun adding on to the characters I created for Triple Point. And who knows, maybe I'll write more about them in the future... 😉 But if you need more of Mack and Jordan immediately, you can catch snippets of their evolving relationship in Triple Point!

Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting, and I hope to see you around my next project, whatever and whenever that may be!