Everyone thought he was a cheerful person. As the youngest son of the Vessalius family, he found it necessary to be that way. His two brothers outshone him in every department that mattered in the noble world. Once, when Richard had been accepted into the most prestigious school in Sablier, Jack remembered going outside and staying there all night. Crying, though he knew it was a childish thing to do, even at the age of twelve. In that moment, when his parents had beamed at his brother and lavished praise on him, Jack knew that they would never look at him that way. He would always be the joke of the family. The kid who teased the servants, few as they had, and laughed during moments that were supposed to be serious. The kid who only had his looks going for him, and even then he was too pretty for a boy.

He snuck out of the house that night. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he decided that he would surprise them all one day. Be a hero. No one noticed his absence until he returned in the morning. But by then, he had willed himself to appear carefree at all costs. Life had gone as normal. Full of happy moments, full of sad moments he smiled through.

Oh, that Jack Vessalius, people said. Always sees things on the bright side.

But now that had changed because of his Glen Baskerville.

After retrieving the apple for Glen, the dark haired young man told him that he was the only son of the Baskervilles, but he rarely came home. The news was shared in the most offhand way, as if talking about the weather. He had stared into those violet eyes, feeling like a rabbit caught in a snare, heart thudding. No one told him that the powerful family had a son. He didn't think anyone knew. But Jack managed to cope by whacking Glen on the shoulder and running off.

Jack wanted to play tag, but the apple hit him in his back courtesy of his new friend.

Apparently Glen had no understanding of the game.

The two of them still teased each other about it weeks later.

This had been the greatest summer of his life.

"What's the matter with you?" Glen stared at him from the mahogany table. "Your face has gone through several odd contortions. It's rather disturbing seeing you grinning and frowning to yourself. I'm trying to write something."

Jack jolted upright on the couch. "Write what?"

"If I wanted you to know I would have clarified."

"Oh." He slumped back into the cushions. "You're so cruel."

"I'm not the person who spilled paint everywhere and gave the servants extra work."

"You know that was an accident!"

"You should be locked up in a tower somewhere."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"If you're so accident-prone it will help keep everyone safe." Just as Jack was about to rage, a smile appeared on Glen's face, stopping him in his tracks. "It will keep you safe, most importantly."

The sudden way Jack's heart thudded in his chest unnerved him.

"I'm a Vessalius. We get into trouble, but we always make it out okay in the end."

"You're either a fool or full of untapped genius."

"A compliment?" Jack bounded over to him. "The world is ending, isn't it!"

"Never mind, you're definitely a fool."

"No I'm—" He caught sight of the paper on the table. "Music?"

"It's none of your business."

Jack ignored the sudden coldness. "I love music. I've tried writing some of my own, but it's terrible. What I'm really good at is making things. You know, like watches and—"

"I don't care." Glen gathered his papers. "If you'll excuse me."

And then he walked out of the room without another word. Jack watched him go, not sure what the hell just happened. Glen was a rather secretive person; he had been working on making him feel more comfortable. Apparently the Baskervilles had encouraged him to be self-reliant since he would be the heir to everything when he turned twenty. That was only a year away. Glen seemed to think relying on others was a sign of weakness. But had Jack seeing some of his music really been something so terrible?

He took Glen's seat at the table, surprised to still find it warm.

The man was like an ice sculpture so signs of his humanity were a shock.

Jack buried his face in his arms, wondering whether they were even friends.

What he thought of Glen didn't matter. It didn't matter how much he cared if Glen didn't want to believe it or trust him. The clock in the room seemed to be making too much noise. He couldn't hear himself think. Jack's fingers itched to take it apart but he didn't want to get up. Not his property anyway, like the Vessalius family needed any more problems. Ruining the Baskerville's clock would make sure their name was erased in the world of nobility. When he saw Glen he'd promise to never mention the subject of his music. He'd tell him...he'd tell him that he...

Jack's head pounded as he slowly came to. Somehow, between thinking of Glen and listening to the incessant chiming of the clock, he had fallen asleep. His neck felt stiff and his cheek was sore from pressing it against the table. He blinked, finding it difficult to make anything out. It had to be eight in the evening at the earliest since the sun didn't set until then during these warm months. And then he noticed that someone was there.

He winced as he turned his head to the right.

Darkness blended into darkness, but...

"Glen?"

"Only you could manage to fall asleep like that."

Jack propped himself onto his elbows. "That's me, the fool."

"Hardly."

"Listen." He took a breath. "About earlier..."

"You don't need to say anything. I reacted strangely."

"I should've respected your privacy. I'm sor—"

"Jack."

He had never heard his named spoken with so much sorrow.

Then he couldn't think anything at all because Glen's lips were on his. How strange. How strange and yet how perfect. The two of them like this in the dark, barely able to see one another. In the daylight this would be unacceptable. Jack wished he could see his friend clearly and know him. But he wished even more that this wasn't a dream.

He wanted more, so much more, but Glen pulled away first.

"So we're really friends, then," Jack managed. "Good. Great."

"You could say that." A flicker of a smile. "I'm the one who's sorry."

"For this?"

"No. For not trusting you earlier. For not caring enough."

"Share your music whenever you want to."

"This is impossible."

"It's okay," Jack said, unable to decipher the sadness in Glen's voice. "This thing between us is a little strange, but I've never been happier. Of course we can't let anyone know, but as long as we're together, we'll—"

"Summer's almost over." The longest pause in the world. "You've been dreading that too, haven't you?"

Unable to speak, Jack pulled him into a hug. Glen returned the embrace after a moment's hesitation. They held one another, each with their own thoughts. But morning would come whether they wanted it to or not. They were unable to ever be together. That's just the way the world was. Even if they tried, what did it matter? Maybe it could happen, but their families were on different levels. They were both males. The Baskervilles would want Glen to carry on their genes by having children.

Every day they had left would be precious, bittersweet, until the moment came.

The moment Jack found the Baskerville mansion fading into the distance from his carriage.

If they had only been friends, not whatever they were now, would it hurt less?

A/N: Angst is delicious, isn't it? ;__; I hope I can update more often. I've been a little lazy, not to even mention the problems in my life. Sigh. But reviews are loved! Are you a fan of Jack and Glen? That's amazing, because these two need more support. This story will continue until I feel like I've wrapped it up. Thank you all for reading and being wonderful~