Disclaimer: : The only thing I own is the story idea and only some of the witty remarks. I own so little; so please don't steal.
Background music: -
Faint
Jack knows when Simon is about to throw a faint. He knows because he is always there when the boy does; he knows it is about to happen when Simon becomes quieter than usual. He does not talk because if he does, Simon might force himself to answer snidely and exert more energy. He does not call him out on it for the same reason. When Simon presses a hand against his stomach, inconspicuously, Jack pretends not to notice but reaches for the boy's hand, which willing grips his own: this is his second sign.
When Simon can barely walk, or even stand up straight, Jack sits down wherever he is. It doesn't matter where; today, he screeches to a stop and plops down right on the cobbled stone path between the school classroom buildings. Simon stands next to him, wobbling slightly with glazed eyes barely comprehending what is in front of him. Jack knows that Simon's vision and hearing are leaving, slowly like a funeral procession, so he tugs the boy down softly, so Simon leans against his shoulder. There is no stopping these fainting spells. The dark-haired boy becomes limp in his arms.
When Simon is out, Jack scoops him up and finds a place for him to lie down. At school, there is Maurice's room in the dorms; Maurice lives in a town a few hours away and keeps his room empty during the day for these kinds of reasons. Being an upperclassman, he attracts no attention from the underclassman enjoying a free period in the student lounge. No one asks him why he is carrying a middle schooler through the premises; the only boy who did received a rather scathing look from the redhead and was reduced to nothing but incomprehensible babbling.
Simon is not a dead weight; in fact, Jack wonders sometimes if Simon becomes weightless when he faints, as if all forces of gravity disappear along with his consciousness. The boy is a feather, breathing gently against his neck like a whisper. He nudges the dorm room door open with his foot and lays the boy on the bed.
Jack thinks that if he were a normal boy, just your ordinary redhead who could sing C-sharp, he would like Simon best when he was in a faint. Weird and masochistic that he is, though, Jack finds that he can fully appreciate the other sides of the boy when he cannot say anything. Simon smirking and saying that the older boy had a libido unprecedented of an innocent Catholic choir boy when they kissed was better than Simon whose hand felt clammy as Jack let go.
He is older and therefore has responsibility so whatever happens, he stays with Simon until he awakens again.
Simon knows whenever he is about to throw a faint. He tries not to be alone when he does so he always tries and finds people to stay with at all times, because waking up alone is a very scary feeling. But he doesn't trust a lot of people, and not everyone he trusts can take care of him properly when he faints.
But he can trust Jack; he can trust Jack to be there when the funny feeling starts in his stomach, threatening to make him lose his lunch. He trusts to be able to take Jack's hand when the feeling passes on to lightheadedness that precursors the blackout. He trusts Jack to catch him when he starts to hear sounds through a muffled thickness and his vision breaks up in chunks. When he can see nothing but white, he trusts Jack to be with him when he finally closes his eyes.
When he opens his eyes, he feels the familiar lumpy pillow that belongs to Maurice under his head. Often, Jack is busy doing other things when he wakes up (reading, studying, sleeping) but he can always trust him to be there, and today, he sees Jack sitting next to the bed, feels the other's fingers brush his bangs out of his face. When he blinks his dark eyes open, Jack's hand disappears and the redhead's face stares at him with a mixture of concern and controlled apathy.
Simon shifts in the sheets, tangling his feet up, and laughs lightly. "Don't be such a poof, Jack," he says, subduing a smirk when Jack flushes and scowls. He should be a polite boy and thank him for staying with him, but that would be out of character. And Jack knows. He doesn't need to say anything.
"You're pleasant when you're out," Jack says, crossing his arms and looking as if this has all been a bother.
"Am I?" Simon asks absent-mindedly.
When Jack hovers over him, Simon stares up into those familiar blue eyes and tries to find something. The bed creaks slightly as Jack sits on the mattress and leans over Simon, seeking out the mouth where that quip came from. Simon closes his eyes when Jack kisses him, his stomach taking on that airy quality. Before he faints, he feels like he could fly, he feels so light. Kissing Jack makes him feel the same way.
Maurice is about to walk right into the room, but he sees that shock of red hair and backs out, smiling slightly. Oftentimes, everyone in the choir sees Jack as a strict, down-to-business kind of person, but if you were careful, you could see the other side to that beast.
End
Note: I couldn't really relate to Simon's faints until recently, when I nearly passed out due to heat at work. So I decided to write this. I hope it was okay. is hating on my dash scene breaks so I used italics to change POVs. I'm thinking of writing a fic about how Jack and Simon met. Would that be well received? Thank you for reading!
