A/N: Hello! Hope you enjoy this chapter, pleeeze review, please! Thanks to Jokerluv for prodding me again, ha ha! As always, sorry to be so poky with the updates (bows head in shame). Thanks for reading!

Reeniecat

* * *

Jack's return to school following his brief incarceration was the subject of much eager gossip and discussion among every clique in North Gotham High's student body.

The football jocks congratulated themselves on having summed up the little freak as a total loser in the first place; the stoners pondered whether or not this event would bring more of the cops' attention to be focused on them; and the bad-boy toughs were now eager to welcome him with open arms as one of their own, considering his now-notorious status as helping to improve their own street cred.

Jack just wished everyone would leave him alone.

The good news was that his hearing before the judge went unexpectedly well; after seeing the size of Jack's former roommate, hearing from his doctor that his injuries were entirely superficial, finding out about Jack's un-refilled prescription due to his foster-mother's negligence, and hearing a passionate plea on his behalf from Jack's CPS counselor, the judge dismissed the assault charges. He placed Jack on a six month probation for threatening a police officer.

And, on the recommendation of Jack's lawyer, he was awarded emancipation, meaning that he was no longer a ward of the state and was free to live on his own and be responsible for himself. Bruce gave a huge sigh of relief at that news, knowing that Jack wouldn't have to relocate or be forced to live in a home that made him crazy.

On the other hand, he was now going to have to take care of himself, find a place to live that he could afford on his part-time salary, cover his own expenses, etc. And he had already refused Bruce's offer to come live with him; instead, he found a semi-furnished room in an old-fashioned boarding house with cheap rent, and Bruce went with him to help gather his few possessions from the McKinney's house, mostly to be sure no further violence ensued.

He would be required to take anger management classes and show that he was keeping up with his medication as part of his probation.

"You are one lucky son-of-a-gun," Bruce ruefully congratulated Jack as they set up his new living space in the broken-down old rooming house.

"Yeah, just born under a lucky star, wasn't I?" Jack said, critically eyeing evidence of an old leak in the ceiling before moving his small television set out from under it.

"You know what I mean. You could have been locked up...."

"I know. I do feel fortunate, really. I just...I just feel like every time things start to go right for me, I do something totally stupid to screw it all up. I...I was really scared that you wouldn't want to have anything more to do with me, Bruce." He said this quietly, staring at the floor.

"Oh...hey. I..." Bruce made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "I don't care if you're a damn criminal, Jack," he said in amusement. "I guess I'm just a sucker for a bad boy...."

He grinned teasingly at his lover, and Jack rolled his eyes in sarcastic agreement.

"Yeah, that's what you need, Mr. Future-CEO-Wayne. My criminal record on your resume...."

They laughed and Bruce gave him a quick hug.

"How about we get out of here and I take you out for a decent meal? Or did you develop a taste for jail-house cuisine?"

"Oh, I'm very much looking forward to cooking beans on a hot plate right here, but until then, sure, I'll settle for one of your fancy restaurant meals...."

Leaving their worries behind, the two teens headed out for an afternoon of fun--together.

* * *

Bruce's Aunt Miriam was on the phone with Alfred. Alfred had long been her conduit for information about Bruce's ever more mysterious life as he grew up, and now she was very interested to hear about the latest escapade of his friend, Jack.

"They put him in jail?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, mum. On assault charges, which were later dropped...."

"He's quite the budding delinquent, isn't he?"

"So it would seem, mum. Master Wayne was beside himself."

"I can imagine...who would think such a thing would happen to someone so, uh, close to Bruce? When I think of the friends he used to spend all his time with--Rachel, Harvey, even Jim Gordon--such nice kids, from good homes...I suppose Bruce is getting a real education from this boy...."

"I suppose, mum," Alfred said dubiously.

"Well. It's all very interesting, isn't it?"

"Yes, mum."

"You're doing a great job, Alfred. Thank you for taking such good care of my nephew all these years."

"It's been my pleasure. He's a fine boy, with a wonderful future ahead of him, thanks to you..."

"Um-hm. A very bright future...we have to be sure nothing happens to, shall we say, compromise that future? Right, Alfred?"

"Of course, mum."

"Of course. Well, thanks for the update...."

"Yes, mum."

"I'll talk to you later."

They hung up, and Miriam pursed her lips in thought.

This boy, Jack...he could turn out to be a problem. A big problem, in more ways than one...

* * *

Harvey Dent sat on Rachel's couch, waiting for her friend, Cindy, to come downstairs so they could go on their date. Cindy had spent the night at Rachel's and was now, apparently, giving herself the full treatment to look just right, and Rachel was attempting to entertain Harvey.

"So, Harvey, what have you been up to lately?" Rachel asked genially.

"Not much. I can't believe our junior year is almost over...what are you doing this summer?" he asked perfunctorily as he glanced around the gracious living room in impatience.

"I don't know yet. My parents are talking about a vacation to California, but it kind of depends on Bruce...I'd like to spend some time with him, but he's thinking he'll be working for his aunt a lot."

"Yeah...good ol' Bruce...haven't seen much of him, lately."

"I know...he's so busy. What did you think about Jack getting arrested?"

"No surprise there, I'm amazed he's not on death row by now," Harvey said contemptuously.

Rachel laughed ruefully. "He's not that bad. In fact, he can be really nice...he just has a lot of problems, it seems."

"Yeah, like mental problems...Bruce oughta watch out, that guy's gonna cause him some trouble down the road..."

"Maybe. Bruce is too nice for his own good...always sticking up for the underdog."

"You should talk," said Harvey, fondly. "You do the same thing. You and Wayne have been responsible for some of the most irritating hours of my life...."

"Oh, Harvey, are you still mad that we made you spend a couple of Saturdays fighting illiteracy?" Rachel grinned.

"Yes, and a couple more volunteering at the animal shelter..."

"We're just looking out for your future! If it weren't for me and Bruce, you'd have no community service hours whatsoever to put on your law school apps, and then where would you be?"

"I'd...well, yeah. I guess I'm pretty lucky to have friends like you...and Wayne."

"I like to think so!"

Just then, a fully-preened Cindy came down the stairs and she and Harvey said their goodbyes as they headed out for their date.

Rachel stood at the door and waved goodbye, wondering what the heck Bruce had to do on a Friday night that was so important that he couldn't be bothered to go on a double-date with her.

* * *

That night, Bruce shifted uncomfortably in Jack's rickety, old-fashioned bed with the iron headboard. Jack watched with an amused grin as his bedmate attempted to find a less lumpy part of the mattress.

"You look nervous, Brucie. Is it the lack of lumbar support, or the way the springs creak when you move?"

"It's fine. I just..."

"What?"

"I'm not so sure this whole thing won't fall down with us when we're, uh...."

"Yeah, adds a whole new dimension to the excitement, doesn't it?" Jack asked cheerfully.

"Well, I don't relish the thought of having to explain a crash-related bed injury to Alfred..."

Jack laughed. "Come on, bud, I thought you'd get a kick out of slumming! Makes you feel all dirty, doesn't it?"

"Uh..."

"Wait'll you see the bathroom!" Jack chortled, and he bent over to take Bruce's uninterested penis into his mouth in an attempt to try to get his mind off of whatever imminent danger they were in due to the ancient bed slats.

"Oh...shit. Jack...yes. God, that feels so good," Bruce murmured, feeling himself relax. So what if they crashed through the none-too solid floorboards and landed smack on Mrs. McCaffrey downstairs in 2-D? Jack's mouth was much too warm, his tongue too insistent, and his hands too demanding to allow Bruce to dwell further on his decrepit surroundings.

Maybe he'd bring Jack a nice plant next time, add a little color to the place.

Once Bruce's erection was efficiently brought to life, Jack reached for the tube of lubricant and applied a generous coating to his partner's member.

"So, old buddy, you ready to take this broken-down old mattress for a test drive?" Jack asked, impishly winking at him.

"Uh...I suppose so," Bruce answered doubtfully.

Jack threw one leg over Bruce's hips and, with Bruce's help, lowered himself onto the waiting cock, slowly taking it deeper and deeper inside himself. Bruce ran his hands over Jack's chest and down to his thighs, gripping them firmly as the blond boy found a comfortable angle and began to rhythmically rock back and forth.

"Um...damn. Tomorrow...I'm finding me...a boyfriend...with a smaller cock..." Jack gasped as Bruce's thick member stretched him open and snaked further and further into his body. Bruce smirked.

"Never heard any complaints before..." he offered.

"Never tried riding you before..." Jack retorted.

Jack just grunted as Bruce lovingly took the blond teen's cock into his hand and began stroking him firmly in time to the rhythm Jack had established. It didn't take long for Jack to come; Bruce then pushed him off of himself, onto his stomach, and entered him from behind. The hard thrusting and bouncing of the mattress caused the heavy iron headboard to slam into the wall with a regular beat that would have certainly announced to any neighbor what the occupants of the room were up to, but fortunately, the bed was against an outside wall.

When Bruce finished, he pulled Jack into an embrace, and sighed thankfully that the bed had held up under their exertions.

"Whew, well, we survived this time...." Bruce murmured.

"Maybe you did. I'm gonna find a new boyfriend..." Jack groused into Bruce's chest.

"Why is that, again?" Bruce asked accommodatingly.

"Yer cock's too big..." he answered sleepily.

"Oh, yeah. Well, when you find one more, um, acceptable, give him my sympathy..."

"Ok."

"What are you going to do, hold tryouts?"

"Mmm."

"I'll miss you..."

"Not going anywhere. Just kidding."

"Oh. Well, good, then. Goodnight, Jack."

"'Night, Brucie. Love you."

"Love you, too, you jerk."

* * *

In the morning, the boys got dressed and prepared to walk down to a little diner in the next block for breakfast. As Jack had implied, the communal bathroom for that floor was a disturbing wreck, and Bruce wondered if he had caught any ebola-like disease from using the sink to wash his hands.

As they walked down the street, Bruce observed the blighted neighborhood, the boarded up houses, the trash, the overgrown front yards. He had also noticed the inhabitants of Jack's house tended to be of the drug-dealer/prostitute variety, and he was now fully worrying not only about Jack's safety and health, but about the very real possibility of him getting inadvertently--or, even advertently, if there was such a word--roped into some bad business. He would be much better off coming to stay with him and Alfred, summer was coming, and he honestly didn't care what anyone thought of him, anyway....

Over breakfast, he again broached the subject.

"Jack, I don't like you living in this neighborhood. It's not safe," he opened his argument.

"Oh, hell, it's fine! I've lived in worse shit-holes than this when I was a kid. At least this has heat..."

"No, I mean...there're some suspicious characters hanging around, you know, and..."

"I'm not stupid, Bruce. I know how to stay out of trouble, hard as that might be for you to believe..."

"It is a little difficult," Bruce responded sardonically. "But, I'm just saying, it's silly for you to live in such a terrible area when I have tons of room and..."

"And all the money in the world, yeah, I know. Listen, all my life, everything I've ever had came from handouts. From the government, from the state, from foster parents...I don't want any more handouts. Especially not from you. I can take care of myself, don't worry about me."

"It's not a handout, it just makes sense..."

"I already told you, I'm not moving into Wayne Manor! Just forget it, Bruce, I'm fine."

Bruce glared irritably at his stubborn companion.

"Fine. But, you could at least find a better place..."

"Can't afford it."

"I could help you out! I could cover the difference between what you're paying here and..."

"Oh, let's see, how shall we calculate how I pay you back, hm? How much per blow job, how much per fuck? I'm not a whore, Bruce, at least I'm trying not to be."

"I didn't mean to imply that..."

"No, it wouldn't occur to you that I'd see it that way, would it? You're so used to people being, what, eternally grateful for your generosity. But, I'm not like that. Can't you understand? I finally have a chance to stand on my own two feet, with no one telling me what to do, where to go, and I'm going to make it. You just wait, I'll show ya, I'm going to do fine."

Jack went back to eating his breakfast, and Bruce turned to stare out the window. A homeless woman was listlessly pushing a shopping cart down the sidewalk. Bruce sighed.

It was so unfair. Why should he have so much when others--not just Jack--but so many, had almost nothing at all? He admired Jack's determination to become self-sufficient, but...he could help him, make things easier for him. He'd had a hard enough life, already.

Maybe someday...maybe someday, things would be different, Bruce thought. Maybe someday they could finally be together, without all the complications that they faced today. He hoped so, anyway.

Bruce smiled at his boyfriend, who briefly gave him a skeptical look but then relented and rewarded him with one of his dazzling grins.

"Don't worry, Bruce. I'm not going anywhere. Why would I take a chance on losing my favorite source of free meals and hot sex? You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." With a triumphant smirk, he popped the last bite of his breakfast into his mouth, and watched as Bruce picked up the check.