THE LESS YOU'LL SEE
NOTES: Hi, all! So, we're on to Chapter 8, which is more Christmas fluff than actual storyline, so please bear with me a little bit longer. I've been waiting more than a year (by the story's timeline) for Jack and Danny to get together, and now that they have, I'd like to milk it for all its worth!
It was very, very tough for me to write Chapter 7, but I hope there was even a little bit of satisfaction there. I learn best by example, so if you could point me to any good material with technique I can use as inspiration for future material, that would be great and very helpful.
For Chapter 8, credit goes to Google Translate for the bits of Italian you'll be seeing here. I don't know why I thought it would be nice to make Jack Wilder part-Italian, but then again, this chapter really does not need to make sense in my mind. I'm just satisfying my inner fan girl shipping at this point.
The usual drill: I cannot stress these points enough, so I will put these at the start of every chapter:
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.
December 2007: Presents
If Jack thought about it, nothing really changed between him and Danny since Halloween.
Sure, the dates were out, because – and Jack smiled just remembering the little squabble they had – Danny definitely didn't like them ("I never did, but they seemed to make you happy, and what right did I have to keep you from them?" he said with a haughty sniff). And yes, Merritt never let them hear the end of it during their daily practices. Henley was a bit kinder, but not by much, and Jack honestly didn't mind – he just felt pleasantly touched that at least the two people closest to them were rooting for them even before they could even wrap their heads around the idea of them being together.
To Jack, the biggest (and best, if he did say so himself) change was obvious only to him and Danny.
"Hey, I—mmph," Jack's greeting when he entered their shared apartment was immediately cut off by the lips of one very fast and nimble Danny Atlas, who was now crowding Jack into the nearest stretch of wall.
The kiss went on for a few seconds before Danny took a step back and smiled a big, real smile that Jack knew was reserved only for him. His blue eyes twinkled and his cheeks were flushed. "Sorry, uh… hey Jack," he said casually.
"That was a very enthusiastic greeting, Danny Atlas," Jack drawled with a half-smile, coming closer and grabbing Danny's butt, which resulted in a half-squeal, half-yelp from him.
"I did not need to see that," Merritt groaned the next second, his hands over his face. Henley was next to him, smiling impishly and looking at the pair before them as they took a seat and took out the blueprints.
Jack took it all in stride and shrugged, his offending hand now (sadly) Danny-free. "About time the kids show Mommy and Santa Claus some other kind of action apart from their own," he said cheekily. "So, are we up for reviewing the itinerary? We are getting this thing started in January, after all. Danny?"
In that moment, his Danny (damn, it felt good to say that) morphed into J. Daniel Atlas, the leader of The Four Horsemen. As Danny ran down the list of things they had to accomplish leading to the grand show in January, Jack couldn't help but feel a little nervous about everything this anonymous group was asking them to do. If caught – though the blueprints told them they would not be caught for this task – they were facing the very real reality of expulsion (the best case) or a criminal case (the worst case). But looking at Danny, Merritt, and Henley, Jack was somehow comforted knowing that he wasn't going with this blindly on his own.
"Okay, so the blueprints are saying that at least one of us needs to be back on the 2nd for the first phase, so since my parents are spending Christmas elsewhere, that can be me—"
"Hold up," Jack interrupted. "Where will you be spending the holidays?"
Danny shrugged. "I've asked Marie Claire if I can stay in the apartment for the holidays."
"Uh, no, you're not," the sleight said in a no-nonsense tone. "You can come over for Christmas."
Danny looked like he was going to counter with another refusal, but he paused and bit back a smile, nodding once. "Thanks, Jack," he cleared his throat, cheeks coloring slightly.
"This is probably going to sound awkward after that discussion, but I could also come back on the 2nd, as I normally don't spend the holidays with my family," Merritt volunteered light-heartedly.
"Neither do I," Henley said quickly, but without explanation.
There was a short moment of silence, which was broken by Jack's loud laughter, followed by Merritt's wheezing laughter, Henley's high-pitched giggle, and finally Danny's short chuckle.
"Remind me to make a phone call to my parents tonight," Jack said, shaking his head disbelievingly. "It's kind of creepy to think if The Eye has tabs on our schedules and plans before even we do."
"Hell no," Danny said immediately, shuddering.
A week later, The Four Horsemen found themselves in front of the Wilders' home, all decorated for Christmas. Henley chanced a glance at Danny, who, despite his calm exterior, was obviously bat-shit crazy nervous about meeting Jack's family. Though Jack made it perfectly clear that he would tell his family exactly who all of them were, she figured it can't be easy for a control-freak like Danny to not know how Jack's family would receive him.
"Hey, stop being nervous," she whispered as they stepped up the threshold with their bags.
Danny chuckled. "That obvious?"
"To us, I suppose," Henley said with a small smile, squeezing his left hand in her gloved one. "Danny, I know you're nervous not knowing how Jack's family will take it, but I'm sure they won't do anything awful to you."
He shook his head. "I'm not worried for me, Hen. I'm worried for…" he gulped, casting a glance at Jack before looking down at his feet. "I hate not knowing."
"I know you do," Henley said with a sigh, pulling him close to her. "But you know two things. One, we've got you and Jack covered. Two, Jack obviously likes you enough to do this. Hell, I'd even say loves you enough to do this if it hasn't been just a month—"
"I do," Danny interrupted.
"You what?" Henley asked.
He looked back at her with wide blue eyes, and immediately, Henley understood. She smiled and kissed him happily on the cheek. "Did you tell him?" she whispered.
"Hey, you two, behave back there, Merritt and I don't like what we're seeing," Jack said in jest, but there was a worried look in his eyes as he eyed Danny and Henley.
Henley took a step back, raising both her hands in surrender and reassurance, and Jack's eyes were dimmed of suspicion just as the door swung open. "Jack!" came a happy female's voice. "You're home, amore mio!"
Jack grinned down at a smaller woman who was unmistakably his mother. He hugged her, allowing her to kiss him on each cheek, before he finally kissed her forehead. "I missed you, Mama," he said warmly before turning to the other three. "Guys, come meet my mother, Monica."
Monica Wilder was a remarkably beautiful woman with exquisite features, with long brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail, no makeup, and dressed very simply in an olive green turtleneck and black leggings. Henley could see now why Jack was as good-looking as he was: he shared the same tan complexion, deep brown eyes, fine nose, and face shape as his elegant mother.
"Wait, let me see if my memory serves me right," Monica said as she stepped in front of Merritt.
Smiling, Merritt took off his hat with his left hand, took her left hand in his right, and dipped down to kiss her knuckles. "Buongiorno, bella signora."
Monica smiled and took his face in her hands, planting a kiss on both his cheeks. With some amusement, Henley noted that Merritt blushed very slightly at that. "It's very nice to meet you, Merritt."
Jack's mother stepped in front of Henley, giving her a warm smile before planting a kiss on both her cheeks as well. "Bellisimo! You are as beautiful as Jack says you are, Henley."
Henley turned to Jack, who was now blushing lightly. She noted that Danny was watching her this time with narrowed eyes. "Oh, does he?" she giggled. "Well, from such a beautiful woman, grazie, Mrs. Wilder."
"Prego, mi amore," Monica winked at Henley before she turned to face Danny, who was now (at least in Henley's eyes) a pure nervous wreck.
He smiled a little too much and extended a shaking hand. "Buongiorno, Signora Wilder. Felice—fe—it's so nice to meet you—"
Monica laughed, surprising Danny by pulling him close in a warm embrace. "L'amore di mio figlio – I'm happy to meet you too, Danny," she said as she planted a kiss on both his cheeks before looking at his face. "You really do have amazing blue eyes, just like Jack said—"
"Mama, si prega di non dire loro niente altro! Please don't tell them anything else!" Jack complained suddenly, causing the three to turn to him in surprise.
Danny looked particularly intrigued at this development. "You never said you were fluent," he said curiously.
"Only when he's stressed," Monica chuckled. "So if you want to hear him speak perfect Italian, make him angry. Shall I show you to your rooms?"
"See, she liked you," Jack said happily as he placed Danny's bag on the bed set up a few feet to the left of his own, next to the window. "She wouldn't even have touched you if she didn't like you."
Danny gave him a small smile, happiness in every part of his face. "I like your mom. She reminds me of you."
Jack mock-frowned. "Oh, that's not good. Does that mean you were seized with the urge to drive her up against the wall and kiss her senseless, too? Hey man, that will hurt me too much."
"How do you put this… pervertito," Danny shook his head. "She said something awhile ago, though. What was it?"
Jack colored lightly. "Oh, don't mind that. It was a good thing, though, I promise you."
"Well, if it was a good thing, why don't you tell me?" Danny said with a half-smile.
Jack was thankful that Merritt and Henley had chosen exactly that moment to burst into their room with their own bags, having been taken on a tour around the house by Monica. The look on Danny's face, though, told Jack that he wasn't about to let this go, and an overwhelming feeling of dread seized his insides.
Over coffee later that afternoon, Mrs. Wilder was busy regaling them with stories of Little Jack, complete with photo albums, much to the chagrin and heightening embarrassment of Jack when Jack's father arrived from work. With greying ash blonde hair and cerulean eyes, Ken Wilder was warm and amiable, though not as much as his wife. The older man had Jack's devious one-sided smile, though, and Merritt found that he liked the older man as much as he liked Jack's mother.
"Hey, Pops!" Jack hugged his father before turning to the three. "Pops, these are my friends, Henley and Merritt."
Ken greeted both of them with a warm hug for Henley and a firm handshake for Merritt. He turned to Danny, and Merritt saw some hesitation and tension in both men's eyes, but Ken gave a real smile and extended a hand. "And this young man is not?" he joked to Jack.
"Yeah, Pops, he's not," Jack said, looking at Danny with warm eyes. "This is Danny, my boyfriend."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Danny said politely, taking Ken's outstretched hand and shaking it.
"Likewise, Danny. Jack was talking about you from way before, and how he was excited to go to Octa because you were going too. You've been a pretty good influence on him!" Ken said, clapping Danny on the shoulder.
Merritt detected a hint of nervousness and slight disappointment in the older Wilder's voice as he addressed Danny – his voice was much too loud for it to be real enthusiasm, but he also saw and knew Ken Wilder loved his son enough to never hurt him by voicing said nervousness and disappointment. Much to his relief, the way everyone was smiling and the way Danny's tense posture relaxed significantly told him that no one else seemed to detect the underlying thoughts in the patriarch's mind.
The Four Horsemen were kept extremely busy the next few days – not with school or show matters, but with holiday matters. The Wilder Christmas reunion was coming up, and they had finally pressured Mrs. Wilder into allowing them to help in the preparations. Sparing barely any time to spend together, they had finally allowed themselves to be shooed away by Mrs. Wilder when the last decorations were up and the last dishes prepared.
Merritt and Henley had excused themselves to go to town for a whole day together, while Jack and Danny opted to stay closer, heading instead to the park close to Jack's home. They jumped lazily from one topic to another, from the show to school to their friends to Jack's family. Jack was trying to teach Danny how to ape people's voices (which he was having little to no success with), sending both of them into peals of laughter as Danny attempted to ape Merritt.
"Okay, I noticed that you're a little pent-up physically, and you need some release," Danny tried in his best Merritt-sounding voice. "Given your physical dilemma, and my availability, I propose that we…"
Jack snorted. "Do you really think that's how Merritt used to pick up girls? Cheap and meaningless sex talk?"
"Cheap and meaningless, but uh, not time consuming," Danny responded, still in Merritt's voice.
"Oh my God, you sounded just like him when you said that line!" Jack howled with laughter, wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh, J. Daniel Atlas, you are amazing."
"Amazing enough for you to want to kiss me?" Danny said, now in his voice.
Jack grinned, pulling the other boy closer to him using the scarf wrapped around his neck. He planted a cold kiss on Danny's equally cold lips, blowing slightly on the lips, enjoying the mist that formed. "Sure, why not?" he said.
Danny's eyes widened as he reached into his coat pocket. "Oh, speaking of, I wanted to give this to you alone." He pulled out a neatly wrapped box and handed it to Jack. "Here."
"Is this a present?" Jack said excitedly, taking the box.
Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure I should dignify that question with an answer."
"Dick," Jack teased lightly, opening the box to reveal a pair of Ray Bans, much to his surprise. "Hey, this is… this is amazing. How'd you know I wanted one of these?"
"Well, I had a theory, since you were basically fixated on every photo that had a Ray Ban in it, but I had to confirm with Merritt," Danny said the last part begrudgingly.
"No deck of cards or handcuffs for the sleight of The Horsemen?" Jack said jokingly.
Danny looked at him with all seriousness. "I think you know that you're much more than that, Jack."
Jack smiled gently, placing a kiss on Danny's forehead. "Thanks, man. I—"
"Jack?" Both turned to the direction of the pleasant voice that called out Jack's name.
Jack let out a breathy and disbelieving laugh as he stood up with a whoop and ran to the girl. "Lara!" he cried out happily, picking her up in his arms and kissing her on the cheek rather sloppily.
Danny followed Jack carefully, a smile pulling the corner of his lips. The older girl turned to him with a curious look in her blue eyes as Jack reached a hand out to him. "Danny, this is Lara, my sister. Lars, this is my boyfriend, Danny."
With her cream-colored complexion, ash blonde hair, and blue eyes, she was a different kind of beauty from her brother, taking more after their father than their mother. Her lips turned up in a smile as Danny extended a hand to her. "Oh, you're gorgeous, Danny," she gushed.
"Hey, find your own boyfriend, Lara," Jack whined.
"No, I don't go around finding them, they should come find me," she said arrogantly.
"And you wonder why you're single," he scoffed at his sister.
Lara swatted him lightly on the arm before slipping her arms into Danny's left arm and Jack's right. "No, but I do wonder what's for dinner and what my presents will be tonight."
The Wilder Christmas reunion was insane. Danny didn't even bother trying to remember everyone's names after Jack introduced him to the tenth second cousin later that evening, but he did note that it was a sea of blonde hair and blue eyes. Every time he and Jack would get separated by the throng of people, it was always easy to find him by his boyfriend's dark brown hair (or, if he really couldn't find Jack, he would search for Henley's waterfall of bright red hair, or Merritt's signature black hat).
Boyfriend. He smiled to himself, liking how it sounded in his head. He realized just now how long he had waited for it.
"The crowd too much for you?" Jack said apologetically much later, when the crowd finally started to thin out, as he stood beside Danny out on the backyard.
"Nah," Danny shook his head. "I'm pretty good. You?"
Jack put an arm around Danny's shoulder, bringing them closer together with a smile. "Never better." He took a deep breath, inhaling the mist, feeling the cold air fill his lungs. "What are we going to do after all this?"
"After the show, you mean?"
"After everything, I guess."
Danny shrugged. "I don't know."
Jack turned to Danny in mock-surprise. "J. Daniel Atlas has no plan?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I do," he said quietly, looking at Jack with ocean blue eyes. "When all this is over, and we're back to our normal lives or on the run from the authorities, I'm going to continue kissing you thoroughly each and every day until such time you don't want my lips on yours. And when the time comes you don't want them and you get sick of it, I'm going to come to you every day talking you through why my lips should be back on yours. And I will do it again and again, because if it means I will need to be without you, then that's not a fucking option."
Jack froze, mesmerized at Danny's serious eyes and tone. He never knew him to be so expressive about anything, let alone about their relationship. He wasn't done, though.
"I have wanted to be with you, Jack Wilder, from the moment I saw you doing your silly shuffles more than a year ago. And now that I'm with you, I don't think I can learn to let you go under any circumstance, whatsoever," Danny gulped, as though realizing just how forthcoming he had been with his thoughts. "So what will happen after all this? I don't know. But I don't plan on ever letting you go, and nothing as petty as a criminal record, a failed show, and all the goddamned continents will keep me from wanting to be with you."
The cold December wind contrasted to the overpowering warmth inside Jack, and he was seized with a very real sensation in his chest as he pulled Danny even closer, pressing his cold lips against the side of the showman's face.
He felt Danny suck in a sharp breath as his lips grazed Danny's ear, ready to say what he knew Danny meant, and what he had always known, in the only way his simple vocabulary could comfortably articulate, hoping to God that Danny would know it.
"Me too," Jack said simply.
God damn it, Danny loved Christmas presents.