A/N: Sorry I haven't been able to put up anything sooner. I've been working on a story and once I start it I want to be able to update regularly, but with the end of the year happening I had a million tests to study for and I honestly have not been able to do anything but work for the past two months :( So now that I actually have some time, I've managed to scrap up this one shot for you guys. Even though I'm not much of a fluff person, everyone needs a little balance in their life. Also, someone requested a prologue for Satisfied so, even though this was not originally intended as a prologue, it could totally be seen as that or even an epilogue, though I think prologue would be better. Either way, it's totally up to interpretation. Anyways….here it is, enjoy. P.s. constructive criticism would be great :)
Jack sleeps beside you peacefully, his even breathing a metronome to your rampant thoughts. You can't help but lightly run your fingers across his forehead to brush away his untamed silver mess of hair. He's completely undisturbed by your action, still securely locked into his own little dreamland. It's times like these when you're reminded how boyish he is, completely relaxed and free of his usual mischief. You smile at the thought of his trouble making, taking his hand in yours and softly touching the pads of his fingertips to your lips because you really can't stop touching him. The way his fingertips chill your lips only makes you more fascinated with him. Eternity in this moment would be bliss.
Maybe you're starting at Jack too long, because he begins to move a little bit, the sheets rustling around him. He settles again but before you think you're in the clear, one icy blue eye peeks out at you. His immense adorableness forces a smile on your face. He buries his face into his pillow, trying to adjust to his current state of consciousness and groans, a sound you've gladly gotten used to, before reaching out and pulling your naked body to his. His cold temperature envelops you, but it doesn't bother you in the slightest. Of course you still shiver, but you stopped trying to figure out a long time ago whether that happens because of his icy touch, or just because he does that to you. Then Jack nuzzles his face into your chest as if you were his pillow, taking refuge in the valley of your breasts. You giggle, hands immediately weaving themselves into his soft hair. After a minute Jack lifts his head, repositioning himself so that both of you are at eye level while he still holds you close.
"G'morning?...I think?" Jack gives you a lazy smile that makes you melt into him even more.
"Just about, its almost 4" you respond. He studies your face for a bit, maybe searching for something, before speaking again.
"What're you thinking about?"
"Nothing," you say, maybe a little too quickly. Jack raises a brow.
"Really?"
"Yes, really," you assure, cupping his face gently and then letting your hands drag down softly to his chest. His focus falters only for a second, before zeroing in on you again.
"Something tells me that's not exactly true…C'mon, what is it? You know you can't hide anything from me." You can't. Hiding things from Jack is tough as it is, but now that he had questioned you about it, concealing your thoughts would be impossible. You lower your eyes to the small patterns you've begun tracing on Jack's chest.
"It's…stupid. It's really not important." Jack rolls his eyes at you. A finger curls under your chin, bringing your eyes back up to Jack. When you look up he locks you in with a stare.
"It doesn't matter how stupid you think it is. It's bothering you, so stop trying to avoid it and tell me." Jack was frustrated, you could see it. But under that thin veil of frustration was genuine concern, which always seemed to break whatever willpower you held against Jack. You sigh.
"I was just…" you begin," thinking…about the future," Jack frown slightly, his confusion urging you to go on and explain, "You know, our future."
"What about our future…" he asks tentatively. For a second you pause, planning your words carefully. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?" The complete seriousness of Jack's expression makes you burst out laughing.
"No!" you manage to respond, after a good minute of reveling in the absurdity of Jack's question, "What would even make you think that, silly?" Jack's cheeks taint with his own foolishness.
"I don't know…you were just making me nervous."
"No…I'm not breaking up with you," the absurd thought still left a smile on your face.
"Then what about our future? Is it…" the corners of his mouth turn up and you see the familiar glint in his eye, "How amazing it will be? How much fun we'll have? Just the two of us. And how the good times will never stop?" He goes on, trying to lighten the mood by describing the utopia he has in mind for the both of you. However, his ignorantly optimistic words only remind you further of what your future would really be like.
"Jack…" you begin, trying to stop him. You speak a little louder this time, "Jack you're not getting older." He stops. Smile falling into a thin line. For some reason you feel like you have to keep talking, now that it's out. "You're not getting older, and I am. You're not…" the words choke at the back of your throat, making your voice small, "You're not going to grow old with me." What Jack's expression was, you didn't know. Your eyes had reverted to your hands on Jack's chest, trying to concentrate on anything other than the slight stinging in your tear ducts. Rather than say anything, Jack pulls you impossibly close, offering you the comfort you need. While covered by his cold skin you could feel nothing but safe, yet it didn't stop you from thinking of how limited these moments really are. Jack still doesn't say anything, you can tell he's really trying to think of a way to respond to this situation, but for the time being his secure embrace was all he could offer you and that's okay.
"So it's finally come to this conversation?" You scoff, the only type of laughing you're capable of at this moment.
"Yeah, I guess it has." This revelation wasn't novel in your relationship with Jack; it's always been obvious, you just always ignored it. You were too stuck in the honeymoon phase and too drunk off of each other to give any mind to the fatal flaws of your love. But lately, you've been coming down from your high and reality has been forcing its way into your thoughts. Talking to Jack about it was never out of the question. It wasn't that you couldn't, it's just that, well…you couldn't. Jack is the guardian of fun; bringing up something so serious just seemed out of place and unnatural. And even when it was alluded to, and both you and Jack could feel the tension rising from the topic, he was as eager as you to just drop it and move on. So instead you forced the future to the very dark corners of your mind and lived in the present when you were with him. But that didn't mean you still didn't think about it. More often than not you ended up thinking about it on late nights, when Jack was off with guardian business or asleep…which brings you to your current predicament. But Jack was right in his words. It has finally come to this. It was inevitable.
"You know…it's okay." You pause.
"Hmm?" You look up at him looking down on you, not quite sure of what he meant. Jack brushes a piece of hair behind your ear, taking the time to trace his thumb along your jawline and down the side of your neck.
"I mean, it's okay to be scared of what will happen. We're not fools, and as far as I know there's no solution to our situation, so we're stuck having to deal with a shit hand at life. The reality is, time will tear us apart." Jack lies back & focuses his gaze on the ceiling fan, "You're still young, and beautiful. You'll start to change, maybe you'll have different interest or views, but things will change for you. Meanwhile I'm going to stay the same - exactly the same. That might not seem so bad now, but change is a part of all normal relationships. Sometimes people need to change. Not only will I not get to grow old with you physically, but also mentally I won't grow. Not to say that I can't learn a few things…but I'm still just going to be a teenage boy. And maybe your feelings for me will stay the same, but I know other guys will go after you, and what type of threat is a boyfriend who's always away on business trips and can't even be seen by 90% of teenagers and young adults these days? One day I'm going to have to let go of you. And I really hope, dammit I even pray sometimes, that we get into some unforgivable argument where we trash each other and agree that we can't stand the sight of each other, because maybe if I hate you it'll be easier to let you go. 'Cause if we just get to that point where we have to go our separate ways, and have to realize we're just too different or whatever, I know that it's not going to be enough for me. Eventually you'll move on with your life, whether you want to or not, and you'll meet new people, and you'll have a new life, without me. And then you'll die. As all normal people do, and I'll be stuck here." Silence follows. "But me…who the hell else am I going to share my life with?" Jack turns his head to face you, "You're all I have, even when things change for us, I will always feel the same."
As Jack is telling you all of this, it hits you how this relationship can cause so much more pain to Jack than it could ever do to you. You were so selfish, worrying about how you were going to survive without Jack to build a future with, but he's been right about everything. You're young, and even though Jack will always have a place in your heart, you'll probably move on. And even if you end up alone and an old cat lady, there's always death to set you free. But Jack has no way out. Jack, who loves you so much, will have to witness you grow apart from him, leave him for another man who can give you the family life you've been told to dream for, and then leave this earth while he stays behind. It's now that you realize you'd do anything for Jack, anything to make this better for him.
"So…" Jack starts again, "we can either talk about this some more and just mope for the rest of the day, or we can acknowledge & accept these facts, and then move on from this. Because while our story is bound to have a tragic ending, it doesn't mean that we can't live it up in the meantime," Jack moves on his side and pulls you towards him once more, reestablishing your intimacy, "Right now we'll love each other. We'll spend every moment we have glued to each other, we'll do trickstery things together, have a little, well a lot, of sexytimes," as he says this you feel his nimble fingers trace their way along your body in your favorite places, making you smile for the first time in what felt like a century, "and we'll just enjoy this. Our clock is ticking…but I don't intend to waste one second of my time with you." Making good on his word, Jack dives in for a bold kiss, quickly taking you by surprise and dominating your mouth all at once. Even though you couldn't have put up much of a fight anyway, you don't even try. You've surrendered to Jack. You love him. That's one thing you're absolutely sure of at this point, and whatever adventures he wants to take you on, you'll gladly go with him. You can't fix the future, you know that now, so you'll try your damn hardest to make sure the present is as good as it gets. Jack pulls away from your kiss, very reluctantly, and smiles when he sees that you're smiling. "Are we good now?" he asks.
"Yeah," your fingers weave their way once more into Jack's hair.
"You sure?" Jack asks again, finding something in your expression suspect.
"Yes! It's just, I love you. A lot." You find yourself almost giddy, surprising your own self, considering the dismal conversation that took place not so long ago. Jack glares at you some more, before deciding your telling the truth this time.
"Okay," he breathes a sigh of relief, curling down and resting his forehead on your collarbone, "I love you." With the two of you together like this, in this exact moment, everything seemed to be perfect. Even with all your troubles previously addressed, they didn't seem to matter anymore. Even with the sands of the hourglass of time steadily dropping to the other side, you could feel in your soul that a majority of that time would be filled with this feeling. This feeling that Jack gave you, and you could live off that till the end of time. Fuck the hourglass. You had each other, and right now, that was all you needed.
**side note! I have an idea for a Jack/possible reader or OC & as I was thinking about who to pair Jack with I realized there are never really guy/guy reader or OC stories, so I just wanted to ask if anybody would think that's a good idea or not. I'm totally up for it & I think Jack's character would be great for it, I just want to see if you guys would be interested. Tell me in the review section or PM me.