Author: veiledndarkness
Title: Wishing
Word Count: 428
Rating: PG
Summary: Dreams and wishes are for children, aren't they?
Warnings: Usual disclaimer. They aren't mine, blah, blah.
000
"Someday I will," Jack murmurs into his long arms, wrapping them firmly around his knees.
Bobby looks at him, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Sure you will Jackie," he agrees.
He sees the look in Jack's eyes, the desperate wish, and the belief that somehow, some way he'll find his dream.
He looks down at his battered stick and imagines having that unwavering belief still fueling him like it did when he was a child.
Bobby sighs and wraps tape carefully around the edge of his stick, listening to Jack speak in low whispers, his heart sinking for every wish that Jack utters.
Once, Bobby had believed as Jack does now. That he would find his wish, that his talent, not his rage would bring him notoriety, his name spoken in awe, not in fear.
He finishes taping his stick and places it beside him, drinking his beer and nodding every so often to show that he is still listening. Jack goes silent, resting his head on his knees and watching Bobby with his wide blue eyes.
"You could have," Jack mumbles, red tingeing his cheeks. Bobby glances at him, snorting into his bottle.
"I almost did," Bobby says, regret and memory clouding his eyes. He finishes his beer.
Jack picks at a scab on his knee, the remnants of a fight with Angel, one that had given him several such cuts and Angel, a black eye given to him for hitting Jack too hard. Jack thinks Bobby worries too much, that Jack is still too fragile to wrestle with his brothers.
He watches Bobby drink, wishing he had the nerve to ask for one. At 15, he's no stranger to alcohol, but when Bobby is there, even if Evelyn isn't home, Jack is not allowed to drink.
Bobby watches Jack watching him. He'd give anything to tell Jack the truth. That wishes can only carry you so far, that life isn't fair to people like them. He holds his tongue and says nothing, letting Jack comfort himself with his wishes.
"Someday, I'll be a star," Jack says again. Bobby hides his wince, smiles for Jack.
"I know you will," Bobby says. "Just don't go forgettin' bout your family," he adds, looping one arm around Jack's narrow shoulders.
Jack laughs lowly. "Never would," he vows. "No matter how big of a star I am."
Bobby holds him close, and breathes in the familiar scent of Jack, feels the exuberance of his youthful age, and the slight bitterness of reality slipping into his mind. He smiles sadly.
000