THE LESS YOU'LL SEE
NOTES: Not my usual starting point, but a big HELLO to you guys! We're on Chapter 7, and I promise you, our boys and the plot line will be going somewhere from this chapter forward. Thanks for those who put up with the first six chapters – looking back, I'm almost regretting I put up some super raw portions, but hey, we all move forward here, don't we?
It's still tough for me to try to develop the promised side story of Hermit+Priestess here, so if any of you have any ideas on how Merritt and Henley's story should go, I'm all ears (in fact, if you even think I shouldn't be writing Hermit+Priestess, that's fine, feel free to tell me). But for now, all my humble efforts are focused on Lover's Death, and the roles Merritt and Henley will be playing will be mostly geared to getting said pairing together. 3
Still, I cannot stress these points enough, so I will put these at the start of every chapter:
Special note for Chapter 7: I do not own "My Own Summer (Shove It)" by Deftones. This masterpiece is theirs entirely, and I simply used the song for what I think is one of the more crucial moments in the story so far. I rarely use songs within the stories, but this song was too good that I have to make an exception.
This is primarily a Lover's Death story.
I do not own anyone (i.e., characters, etc) or anything (i.e., lines, scenes, concepts, etc) from the Now You See Me series. Absolutely no copyright infringement intended. I really am just a hopeless fan girl refreshing my feed for more stories about Lover's Death and Hermit+Priestess (daily, twice a day, might I add).
Some events in this story are inspired by my own experiences, and should you see yourself in the story, then let me give you a high five, but that honestly was not my intention.
Should anyone be willing to beta read the magic technicalities in future chapters, then raise your hand so we can talk. And can more of you please share awesome Lover's Death and Hermit+Priestess stories? We would all love that.
October 2007: Ghost of a Good Thing
Henley was often sorely underestimated. She supposed, though, she was pretty used to it by now: in fact, underestimation with her particular hobby was an advantage. People would see a pretty dimpled smile, red hair, and innocent brown eyes when they look at her, all spelling "damsel in distress". She always believed that the art of escapism lay in the perception of how difficult a situation was, before finally wowing the crowd that already concluded the hopelessness of the said situation and breaking out of it.
In their little group of tarot cards (as Merritt liked to say with sarcasm), it was no question that they each had their own specialties: Merritt, of course, with his mentalism; Jack with his sleight of hand; Danny with his overall showmanship and leadership. She owned them at escapism, of course, but now she knew she was being underestimated once more, and not for any skill that she lacked.
Two idiots – she liked to hide them under the aliases "Jack" and "Daniel" – were going around with their heads up their asses whenever they were around each other, and funnily enough, she wondered how they thought it fitting to watch their tics only in front of Merritt, and never in front of her. They weren't screaming signs: in fact, they were very small differences an untrained eye would not be able to catch – a quick squeeze on the shoulders, "accidental" bumps that lead to the inevitable grasping of elbows, the "looking-when-he-isn't-looking-and-looking-away-when-his-head-moves" routine… she was still a girl, after all.
Actually, scratch that – she still had her vision intact, after all. Only a blind bat would miss everything she saw.
She and Merritt were waiting for Jack and Daniel to arrive to discuss the blueprints they found in the meeting place on the back of their cards from almost three weeks ago. Unable to contain herself, she decided to just ask Merritt the question that was on the back of her mind.
"You knew from the start, didn't you?" she asked Merritt, whose head was on her lap as he read a book.
He shrugged. "You'll have to be more specific, love."
She rolled her eyes. "About Jack and Daniel."
"You think there's something going on between them?" he asked in a bored voice as he flipped the page.
"Isn't there?"
He smirked. "They both wish."
Henley gaped. "Are you saying—"
"No, Hen, they aren't 'hooking up'. Both of them have their heads up their asses trying to keep their feelings from each other, and from me when we're all together," Merritt explained patiently.
"Why aren't they keeping it from me, then? Did they really think I wouldn't see it?" Henley said, slightly offended.
Merritt shook his head, putting his book down and looking up at her. "Look at it this way, Hen: you're a safe zone for them, probably the only one they have. They think they can't slip up in front of me, because they think they won't hear the end of it once they do. Everyone else has a different orientation on what Jack and Daniel are – Jack has a new date, what, every week? And Daniel's just too Daniel to get anyone close to him. You, though – you never had expectations of what they should and shouldn't be. So you could consider yourself the sole witness to everything they want to be at this point."
"Hmm. I never thought of it that way," Henley said pensively.
"That's because you're too hard on yourself, love," Merritt said with a yawn before his eyes light up mischievously. "You really should lighten up, let me take care of your—"
"Children coming in, we do not want to hear or see Mommy kissing Santa Claus!" Jack said loudly as he burst through the door.
Daniel followed suit with a snicker on his face. "If Santa Claus wasn't completely evil, at least."
Merritt's eyebrows raised slightly, smirking. "At least Santa's getting some…thing," he concluded as Henley slapped him on the chest.
The overwhelming difficulty of the tasks set for them was unbelievable, and they needed all the time they could get to make sure they worked as a "single-celled organism", as the blueprints had put it. Practice, practice, practice – that was all they were doing together, and that's all they would be doing in the near future together. The thought slightly depressed Henley, and judging by the way the boys' eyes were glazing over and their occasional heavy face rubs during their daily meet-ups after school, she saw that it was getting to them, too. It's only been a few weeks, and they had barely two more months to get this right, but she decided she was doing something about this now.
Screw the plan… for now.
Henley stood in front of their meeting place's door on Halloween, waiting for the three boys. When they arrived almost together, and with quizzical looks on their faces, she clapped her gloved hands together. "Boys, we are going out tonight," she announced.
Their reactions varied: Merritt continued looking at her questioningly; Jack's eyes lit up as he said, "We are?"; Daniel's eyes darkened as he said, "No, we're not. The Eye—"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, Daniel, The Eye told us to practice our tricks every time we're together, which is why I signed us up to be the opening act for Walter Mabry's Halloween party. We can practice everything we usually do there, and we get a little money out of it to boot. I don't think The Eye will fault us for needing a bit of date money," she explained pointedly, casting a brief glance at Jack.
Merritt's eyes twinkled, and once more Henley marveled at how quickly he seemed to get her train of thought. "Especially Jackie boy here, burning through one date after another! Who's the floozie you're dating this week again?" he asked casually as he put an arm around Jack's shoulders.
Henley stole a glance at Daniel, who looked about ready to kill Merritt.
"Aww, no," Jack mumbled, inching away from Merritt's arm. "I'm not dating anyone." He was unbelievably uncomfortable, looking anywhere else but at any of them.
"Regardless, this is extremely inconsiderate of you," Daniel said haughtily, "You should have asked us first, Henley. This isn't part of the plan."
"I know, Danny, but just once, can we please screw the plan, even for just a bit?" Henley implored. "Everyone's on edge, I can see that, and we're essentially asked to pull off the near-impossible after Christmas. We should just have some fun while we still can."
Daniel opened his mouth to respond scathingly to Henley's words, but was cut off by Jack putting his hands on both his shoulders. Merritt's eyebrow raised slightly, and Henley had to fight herself from staring too much.
"Danny, please? Let's just… go out and have fun tonight."
Damn Jack Wilder and everything the idiot stood for in life.
Because "fun" turned out to be quite productive for them. "The Four Horsemen", Merritt had introduced themselves on a whim, and the name stuck. Their mini-show went without a hitch, and they were two hundred dollars richer, several notches more popular, and booked for two more functions at the end of it. They were the center of attention, even if they were the only ones in the room not properly dressed in costumes, and Daniel knew in this moment just how much he lived for the adoration, for the amazement, for the awe.
He was losing track of time, but he found that he didn't mind. The drinks just kept finding their way to his hands and – eventually – his mouth, and he felt himself go lighter and lighter with every shot he took. As the minutes passed, the high of their successful little show was parked to the side to make room for a loud bass line and a chilling rhythm that made him… well, extremely turned on.
Henley and Merritt were writhing a few feet next to him, as were quite a few other couples. He felt a small pang seeing his two friends: though he never articulated it, Daniel was truly happy that Henley found Merritt, a guy who loved her to the stars and back, but somehow, seeing them made him—
"Why so sad, man?" came a familiar drawl near the lobe of his left ear, sending more chills throughout his entire body. "Come on, lighten up!"
"Jesus, Jack," Daniel choked out.
"Sorry," Jack laughed, not sounding sorry at all. "I was just looking for—oomph!" He grunted as a moving force crashed into him, causing him to grab Daniel by the shoulders and half-dipping both of them towards the floor, with Daniel holding him by the back of his head and waist. A distant "sorry!" could be heard, but it no longer registered with either of them. It was dark, much too dark for Daniel to see what was in Jack's eyes, but he could have sworn he saw Jack gulp nervously as they held each other.
They stayed in that position for only a split second before Jack scrambled to stand up. He was thankful the loud music could cover up his stammered apologies, and the lighting would (he hoped to God it would) mask his blush. He didn't even bother to look at Danny's face – he just knew he would give too much away, so he tried to move to the edge of the crowd. Unfortunately, the close encounter with Danny didn't at all help his earlier problem: he could barely breathe, and he was now desperately hard.
A new song started, slower and more sensual, but with hypnotic guitar licks and that delicious rhythm that was sending everyone in a craze. Jack couldn't get away – in fact, the more he moved, the more the crowds closed in on him, and his senses were on maximum sensitivity, and he could smell him so close to him…
"You just told me to relax and lighten up, Jack," Danny's gentle voice whispered right into his ear. Jack suppressed a shudder: Danny's lips were cool, in contrast to the heat of his skin, and Jack caught the faint smell of alcohol mixed with the woodsy aftershave Danny liked to use. The sensation was absolutely addicting, and it didn't help that the tips of Danny's fingers were grazing both his forearms, now dripping with sweat. "You don't seem to be taking your own advice."
Something kept Jack firmly in place, and suddenly, the lines between want and need were completely blurred. Danny's touch was shy, hesitant, tentative, as it made its way to find his fingers and intertwine them with his. "I don't know, man, maybe I need some help to relax," Jack croaked as he chanced a glance at their intertwined fingers.
Danny's lips tickled the left side of his neck as he whispered, "Let's see what I can do."
Hey you, big star, tell me when it's over
Hey you, big mood, guide me to shelter
He felt Danny press up against his back just as someone shoved their way past Danny, sending their bodies completely together with a slight grind. Both of them froze at that minute as Jack became completely aware just how hard Danny was against him. But he couldn't possibly want Jack, there was nothing that he—
Don't overthink this, Wilder, he berated himself. This may be your only chance. Screw it.
Danny's grip on him was slacking, as though the revelation made him lose confidence, but Jack Wilder be damned if he would let J. Daniel Atlas go tonight.
Emboldened, he made a grab for Danny's waist and spun himself around, the tips of their nose practically touching. He pressed himself even closer than he already was for Danny to feel him through his jeans, and Danny's eyes widened.
He was thankful that Danny was only slightly taller than he was, because he was able to look at the showman straight in the eye, full of liquid courage and overpowering desire.
"You aren't going anywhere, Atlas," Jack said in a deep rumbling voice that was entirely not his own.
'Cause I'm through when the two hits the six
And it's summer
Daniel was hypnotized. He normally hated crowds, but with every wave of movement that sent him and Jack careening together, he was never more thankful for people smelling of alcohol, lust, and the night.
He and Jack didn't even need to move: the beating of his heart matched the threatening pounding of the music, and he couldn't look away from Jack's dark eyes.
Not that he wanted to, not now, when they were filled with something he wished he would see but knew he never would: desire.
And Christ, here they both were, still circling at each other in increasing tempo, in the middle of an extremely drunk dance floor, holding each other like they were each other's lifeline.
Another wave crashed into them, and Jack's hips knocked hard against Daniel. Daniel felt his stomach swoop as though he had missed several steps going down, or he was falling from a dream at the top of a tower. The loss of control was something he embraced entirely, and he thoughtlessly buried his head on the side of Jack's neck, nibbling and licking lightly, both pleased and displeased to hear Jack moan obscenely, his throat vibrating pitifully.
Cloud, come (shove it, shove it, shove it)
Shove (shove it, shove it, shove it)
Nothing but the rhythm was moving them together. Jack gasped as he felt Danny's lips on his neck, and frustrated that there was nothing else to hold on to, he crept his free hand underneath Danny's shirt and felt his way up, feeling his best friend shiver under his touch.
The sun (shove it, shove it, shove it)
Aside (shove it aside)
Jack Wilder was holding him, touching him, caressing him like he was the most precious thing in the world. Lord God, may someone smite J. Daniel Atlas where he stood now, because he was sure nothing in the world felt better than Jack's hand all over his body – his chest, his abdomen, his—
"Oh, God," Daniel choked out.
I think god is moving its tongue
Jack couldn't keep the grin off his drawl. "Too much for you, Danny?", only for him to gasp as Danny's hips snapped up to silence him.
There's no crowd in the streets
Danny put his hand at the back of Jack's head, drawing him closer. "Never with you," he said simply.
And no sun in my own summer
Jack keened as they started moving against each other, oblivious to the entire world, existing only entirely for each other at that moment. All those failed dates, all those wasted nights, now it all made sense… it's been so long, and it took him all those months to realize it, and it's been far too long since he's been so close, he was going to come…
The shade is a tool, a device, a savior
The crotch of Daniel's jeans, already uncomfortably tight when he first started drinking that night (the fact that he was drinking with Jack Wilder by his side didn't matter, no it didn't), was already straining, badly needing, wanting, to fuse with Jack, and never let him go.
He was gasping into Jack's shoulder, and he felt his friend shuddering violently, mirroring his own suffering.
See, I try and look up to the sky
Jack was reaching the breaking point, looking to the high heavens and fighting desperately to retain control before he bit into Danny's neck, making his best friend cry out, his hand slipping far down to brush against Jack's groin…
That did it for both of them.
But my eyes burn
Their minds were blissfully blank for a few seconds as they panted against each other. No one continued to pay any attention to them, all in a state of oblivious drunkenness. It was Daniel who seemed to regain his bearings first, and he looked down at Jack fearfully. The sleight had a silly smile on his face that was wiped clean when he saw the showman's expression.
"Whatever stupid idea you have in that little head of yours, Atlas, take it out right now," Jack said menacingly.
Daniel gulped. "Jack—"
Jack glared at him and manhandled Daniel away from the crowd, which was surprisingly easy. Daniel made a note that angry Jack was similar in strength and speed to that of a raging bull, as the crowd parted fairly easily as Jack opened a back door and pulled Daniel out into the open air.
He was barely able to register the stink of the alley Jack had taken him to when his best friend slammed him into a wall, holding him by the collar of his jacket. Daniel knew what just happened, but seeing the fire in his best friend's eyes and being in such close proximity to him again made him feel that his body was still up for a second round of what just happened.
"Jack, you know we—" Daniel tried to start, but Jack growled and immediately silenced him with the filthiest, angriest kiss he had ever received in his life. Jack pinned his hands on the wall on his either side, and Daniel lost himself in Jack's lips, which was all teeth, and growls, and anger.
It eventually calmed down, and Jack released him, instead tenderly holding his face as he deepened the kiss. Daniel responded enthusiastically, and jeez, he really wasn't going to question why his fucking tarot card reincarnate was probably smiling down at him right now. Whatever it was he did right, he wished he knew, so he could do it again and again, so he could have Jack like this again and again.
Now that he did, by God, he would never let him go.
When they finally broke apart after a few minutes, they separated, slightly out of breath as Jack sagged next to Danny on the dingy alley wall. He stole a glance at Danny, who had a small smile on his face, and Jack grinned, taking Danny's hand in his. Danny looked at their interlaced fingers in awe as Jack lifted them up to plant a kiss on his best friend's knuckles.
"You still aren't going anywhere, Atlas," Jack said warningly.
Danny shrugged. "Wasn't planning to."