Oneshi--shots.
Prompts: 1. Flannel Pajamas, 2. Holiday Parade, 3. Imitate, 4. Picture Book, 5. Secrets, 6. Vacation, 7. Walnuts
Complete. Re-posted.
Word Count: 3458 (total)
Rated PG-13 for occasional language?
OCs.
--------- ~~~1~~~ ---------
“What the fuck are you wearing? Be naked. Now.” His hand tugged at the fuzzy, very useless waistband as he looked at his shorter husband with an expectant appraisal. Said man shifted and pouted.
It wasn’t as if Jack had avoided wearing flannel pajamas around Liam before. Huffing, Jack grabbed the man’s hands before he managed to tug the blue and black pants down to his knees. He had that look in his eyes again that said simply that he wasn’t going to be romancing more than ravaging, which meant pants went down to the knees instead of being pulled off completely.
He gave him a patient smile. “Lounge pants, Liam. You wear them when you wanna relax in the winter.”
Liam gave him a disgruntled look before glaring pointedly at his covered waist, because Jack wasn’t listening to him but he was sure his glare would effectively scare the pants from Jack. And then he’d be mostly naked with the correct section bared to him.
“It’s Christmas-y!” Jack remarked, tone just hinting on amused exasperation.
“You’re shiny enough. Strip”
“No” Jack denied again, only to let out a manly yelp when he was grabbed around the waist and lifted up until his feet didn’t touch the floor. Then his back hit the couch unceremoniously and really, all the fighting spirit Jack had failed miserably in such a position.
He did however throw a mocking glare up at the man. Noticing that the flannel was gone he snorted.
“You either really love me or really hate pa-” He was not allowed to continue, words quickly muffled by the taller man’s mouth.
To do: Buy more flannel pajamas.
--------- ~~~2~~~ ---------
Jack had spent the last ten minutes cursing loudly at the television. This was an annual celebration of the holiday season, starting the week before Thanksgiving and continuing until January 1st. Why? Well, while Jack enjoyed the Christmas season he did not enjoy parades. In fact, he hated floats and the crowds that cheered dumbly along the roads. Since he’d moved to New York he’d been affected more than he had in previous years. Frankly, traffic was impossible and anyone that dare need to go anywhere might as well take up walking.
He cursed though because his favorite shows were being interrupted. While on break he could appreciate morning television. He could not appreciate a 30ft tall Pikachu though. It got in the way of Katie Couric. Not that he admitted to that.
Liam ducked in and arched an eyebrow in question. Jack quickly hid a Katie Couric-induced blush by crossing his arms and acting as offended as he had been two seconds before. “I hate parades. ‘s nothing, hon.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief when his husband seemed to be uninterested, probably returning to his own amusements. He could convince himself that it wasn’t as if he were lying to his husband because he really did hate parades. Speaking of which, he picked up the remote and turned the channel, groaning loudly when yet another Christmas special was on.
Karma was a bitch.
--------- ~~~3~~~ ---------
There was a disadvantage to not seeing his children as often as he did. For one, they grew up and he wasn’t there so every visit was different and not always in a good way. And then, when he wanted to take them out, like he was doing with Risa today, they tended to pull things that good little boys and girls didn’t. Well behaved little girls didn’t run away in the opposite direction.
It would have been easier to catch her if she was four. Four meant shorter legs and a lot of flailing. Seven meant she could give Jack a run for his money; after all she was able to duck between parents loitering about in the walking areas of the aquarium. The 5’11’’ man got more than a few dirty looks tossed in his directed when he tried to pull a Moses on the crowd.
Four escape attempts later, Jack was lifting the giggling deviant up in his arms, giving her a stern look. “Now, you’re not going to run away from daddy again. People don’t like me knocking them over to catch you. Okay?” She nodded, eyes wide in that annoyingly innocent way children often perfected. He sighed. “Good. C’mon, we can go see the reef fish together.”
She smirked at how he had stressed ‘together’. Maybe she would be nice to her daddy for once. Really though, he should be grateful that her brother wasn’t out with them today. Hell would break loose and sting rays would be set upon innocent souls.
“Oh hey! Look at that” He set her down in front of the tank that seemed to hold hundreds of fish. He stared at the shiny colors swimming about before looking down at the girl, snorting and petting her hair back while she lured them closer-or so she would claim later on that evening-by doing a convincing imitation of a fish, face pressed within glass-smearing distance.
Shrugging, he leaned in and did the same.
--------- ~~~4~~~ ---------
He could tear his husband away from NYC every once in a blue moon to return to the ‘homestead’ in upstate New York. The car ride showed Liam on several fronts; annoyed impatience, indifference, and from time to time amusement when Jack remarked about something whenever striking up conversation once in awhile. Even Jack couldn’t talk constantly, despite popular belief. But he would talk about whatever and grin like a fucking idiot. Liam didn’t seem to mind.
This time around Jack had avoided telling his parents that they’d been coming; causing him to be called an idiot a few times from the man sitting next to him in the car. In that joking way that spoke volumes of how Jack was on his own if his mother decided to bitch him out. Liam knew his boundaries in the Stewart household, or made them up as he’d been around long enough.
Jack, who had been talking about going out to dinner later on tonight with his parents paused as he turned down the street he’d grown up on and saw his father’s car in the driveway. He glanced sideways at the man next to him. “Looks like I won’t have to use the cheap way in after all.” And by ‘cheap’ he had meant window, which was how Jack had gained entrance to his house over a decade ago, forgetting his keys a good part of the time. After all, if his dad had just gotten him a car he would have had to remember the keys. His logic was infallible, or was to him. His parents’ bank account said differently.
He pulled in next to the vehicle and surveyed the scene. Quiet. Unsuspecting. Turning the engine off he grabbed his overnight bag from the back and tried to suppress the grin at the larger bag Liam hoisted from the backseat. His husband had needs after all. Damn it.
“Maybe they’re taking a n-ap?” Jack froze when the front door opened and he felt like he’d been caught sneaking in past curfew all over again. His mother leaned against the doorway, eyebrow raised. Snapping out of it, Jack gave her his most winning ‘I am your baby boy; don’t hate me’ smile, walking up to her with Liam in tow who was smirking to himself. Jack couldn’t SEE the smirk, but he knew that Liam was silently enjoying the exchange.
“Mom, I’m not interrupting anything am I? I just thought…” His voice took on the tone of a scolded boy and she hadn’t even said a word. His mother apparently had scary powers that he forgot about each and every time, only to be rudely reminded later on the next time he came around.
She stood straight and put her hands on her hips. Jack frowned. Liam continued to secretly grin like a madman. Moreso when Jack would throw him an offended look. “Jack! How long has it been since you’ve even called? You little ass.”
“I …uh. Um.” He paused, looking like a kicked puppy, muttering. “Sorry”
“It’s okay, sweetie. You’ll just make it up by looking through the boxes of our old books. Remember those picture books you liked when you were little? Oh, I do!” she practically beamed.
Beside him Liam finally caved, snickering quietly like the dutiful husband he was. Jack flushed and walked in to the house, embarrassed yet again by his mother’s never-ending enthusiasm. He spent the next two hours in a dusty attic sneezing, plotting the demise of Liam’s overnight bag.
He'd blame it on the dog. That sounded about right.
--------- ~~~5~~~ ---------
Maybe it was guilt that made a person anxious around their friends and peers the day after something important had occurred. For Jack, it felt as if his beloved schoolmates were looking at him more purposefully today while he walked down the halls. Even in class, he felt eyes on him. He tried to catch them in the act so he at least had some confirmation but never once had he caught someone gawking at him like he had three heads. Because he felt like he had three heads right now. It didn’t help that he had avoided his best friend all day; the empty space regularly occupied by the looming teenager most noticeable.
He could blame his luck for this. He’d been stupid for trying …whatever it was that Liam and he were attempting. Jack didn’t know if it was a normal part of being a teenager but he assumed that doing things with another male, even if it were Liam who moisturized, wasn’t kosher. He supposed he could have said it was hormones. It’d be a lie, but he could justify it in his head as being as such.
Thinking about it made his head pound. God; and his mother had been so happy. He scowled and scuffed his shoe along the bottom of his locker, though undeserving it made him feel less conflicted. It was easier to break a toe than feel confused, too. He denied that anything between he and Liam existed other than friendship because Jack was delicate in ego as many boys in high school were.
“Hey!”
Jack jumped and turned to look at the person coming up alongside of him, letting out a breath in a low hiss, livid that he’d possibly just outted himself (ignoring the mild flash of heat at the word he’d just thought). He took a deep breath and plastered on Smile 87, the one he reserved for friends that started him outside of his locker for the millionth time this semester.
His teammate didn’t seem to notice the immediate behavior, giving him a smirk instead. “You seem a little tense. Heard you and your pal had a fight so he disappeared. I swear man, he was pretty possessive”
87 dissolved into disbelief and Jack rolled his eyes, flipping his combo lock open; impressed when his fingers didn’t shake. “Are you guys a bunch of girls now? Gossiping and dotting your i’s with hearts?” He smirked and leaned down to replace a few books to his locker, grabbing a different set to replace the others. Beside him he heard a snort. Almost defensive.
“Just trying to look out for you. Well, that’s taken care of! I gotta go before Mary nags me to death for missing lunch with her”
“Again, you mean?” Jack corrected. It was no secret that Zack was horrible with dates. It was even a wonder why Mary stayed with the guy, not that he was a bad guy.
With a wave his friend was heading off in the opposite direction. Jack took a moment to look after him until the boy rounded the corner and he could breathe a sigh of relief. He was safe for now. He tried to disregard any unease he felt when he couldn’t find the one person he both wanted to see and avoid at all costs. It was good that Jack couldn’t find him. It was good. It made it twenty times easier to keep a secret when the secret wasn’t throwing knowing smirks in his direction for everyone to see.
He still couldn’t help feeling disappointed when he walked home alone at the end of the day.
--------- ~~~6~~~ ---------
“If you had decided where you wanted to go for the holiday vacation we could have ordered the tickets for cheaper months ago.”
Jack gave his husband a wounded look, rolling his eyes as he leaned in to rest against the back of said man’s desk chair, arms wrapping around his chest. He peered at the screen with all the grief a penny pincher could ever feel. “Roughly $1600 for tickets alone though? It’s not like we’re crossing shark-infested waters here. Jesus.” He scowled, seeking out Liam’s neck for comfort.
Shifting, Liam tried his best to look at his husband but failed considering the man was good at huddling. He sighed, looking back at the screen. “You want to go somewhere cold for a winter vacation. It serves you right.” Only insane people and Jack wanted to go colder than home would get, not that Liam fathomed there was much difference between the two factors. Aspen.
Ridiculous.
Jack shifted to stand and Liam frowned, feeling a chill where his husband had been latched to. It only served him more thought on how he’d have to find a dignified means of being wrapped in three or so blankets next to some fireplace that Jack would insist on having.
“Just… make sure the cabin has a fireplace and I’ll be happy” Jack half grunted, half pouted. Let it be known that Liam knew his husband’s annoying preferences well. Not that fireplaces were all that annoying. Kind of glow-y. Liam scowled to himself in automatic shunning of the made up word that would be more Jack’s doing than his. Ever.
Liam raised a brow. “Already bookmarked one I thought you’d like.” One he would like with a fireplace and the clear intent that Jack wasn’t stepping a foot outside. Deciding to be especially impressive for his husband he drew up the page with the lodge on it. Behind him the warmth returned along with a few noises that were similar to squeals.
He wouldn’t call his husband out on it considering he wanted a willing participant in bed later on in the evening. The things he did for love… He grunted when Jack attempted to squeeze the air from his lungs in what he supposed was a hug.
“It’s fantastic. I’m not gonna look at the price because it’s amazing!” The man was practically swooning now, pressing kisses along his husband’s jaw. “But…” he paused, leaning away to get a good look at his husband, grinning slightly when the younger man looked up at him rather dubiously. “You do know we’re going to actually leave the cabin, right?”
Liam’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Of course” Not.
It was smarter to at least let the child believe he’d get to play his games before being coerced in to doing something the elder wanted. Jack might be older in years, and only slightly, really, but Liam was the one that acted it.
Jack gave him a rather loud kiss on the mouth and practically danced out of the room, surely going to make a list of activities and things he needed to pack. Liam snorted and did all of his husbandly duties, booking the cabin and flights before shutting down his computer, feeling accomplished. With a smirk to himself he got up and went to do some planning of his own.
Ho, ho, ho.
--------- ~~~7~~~ ---------
“Come here you little bastard.” He leaned forward a bit on the bench with a piece of bread from his dirty water hotdog he’d gotten while faring his way through Central Park. The squirrel he was trying to coerce into eating from his hand just gave him a dirty look. He gave one back and tossed the bread to some unsuspecting pigeons instead. Ungrateful domesticated wildlife.
He took one last bite from the remaining bits of his impromptu lunch, ignoring the possible things he’d ingested as a byproduct of some New York tradition. Sitting back, he looked at the pond that seemed to reflect his mood more than the weather overhead. He sighed to himself, clasping his hands nonchalantly in his lap.
It had been his brother’s birthday recently and he hadn’t been able to drop by his place to congratulate him on managing another year of managing to avoid mortal peril. Jack liked to think of birthdays like that, otherwise they would just be mundane occurrences. Plus, he liked the way it made people roll their eyes upon telling them this. Instead of being the one to bestow a gift and corny gesture Vince had been the one with more of a surprise. He was interested in dating his nanny; the woman being much younger than Vince, really.
And Jack couldn’t say anything against it either since he wanted his brother happy, even if it was with Liz. He scowled at the little squirrel that still seemed to be hanging around. Just as he was about to curse it out, the mood fitting for the action, another person sat down on the bench next to him. Raising a brow, he glanced to his side to see what he assumed was a 10 year old boy.
“You know, they’re a lot pickier when it’s cold” He shifted a hand to his side pocket, grabbing out something before leaning over in a near mock impression of what Jack had been doing earlier. And the little bastard of a squirrel came forward, the boy smiling triumphantly.
Later on in the evening once Jack had returned home, warming up some coffee, he retold the events of his day to a bemused husband who simply patted him on the head before heading out of the room to get something or the other. Jack rolled his eyes and tugged his laptop to rest on his crossed legs. Apparently Liam didn’t believe that squirrels only came to you if you had walnuts. Taking a sip of his coffee he shrugged it off. Liam just wasn’t the fanciful sort.
Not like he enjoyed being shown up by a 10 year old either. Can’t be victorious 100% of the time though, right?
Complete. Re-posted.
Word Count: 3458 (total)
Rated PG-13 for occasional language?
OCs.
--------- ~~~1~~~ ---------
“What the fuck are you wearing? Be naked. Now.” His hand tugged at the fuzzy, very useless waistband as he looked at his shorter husband with an expectant appraisal. Said man shifted and pouted.
It wasn’t as if Jack had avoided wearing flannel pajamas around Liam before. Huffing, Jack grabbed the man’s hands before he managed to tug the blue and black pants down to his knees. He had that look in his eyes again that said simply that he wasn’t going to be romancing more than ravaging, which meant pants went down to the knees instead of being pulled off completely.
He gave him a patient smile. “Lounge pants, Liam. You wear them when you wanna relax in the winter.”
Liam gave him a disgruntled look before glaring pointedly at his covered waist, because Jack wasn’t listening to him but he was sure his glare would effectively scare the pants from Jack. And then he’d be mostly naked with the correct section bared to him.
“It’s Christmas-y!” Jack remarked, tone just hinting on amused exasperation.
“You’re shiny enough. Strip”
“No” Jack denied again, only to let out a manly yelp when he was grabbed around the waist and lifted up until his feet didn’t touch the floor. Then his back hit the couch unceremoniously and really, all the fighting spirit Jack had failed miserably in such a position.
He did however throw a mocking glare up at the man. Noticing that the flannel was gone he snorted.
“You either really love me or really hate pa-” He was not allowed to continue, words quickly muffled by the taller man’s mouth.
To do: Buy more flannel pajamas.
--------- ~~~2~~~ ---------
Jack had spent the last ten minutes cursing loudly at the television. This was an annual celebration of the holiday season, starting the week before Thanksgiving and continuing until January 1st. Why? Well, while Jack enjoyed the Christmas season he did not enjoy parades. In fact, he hated floats and the crowds that cheered dumbly along the roads. Since he’d moved to New York he’d been affected more than he had in previous years. Frankly, traffic was impossible and anyone that dare need to go anywhere might as well take up walking.
He cursed though because his favorite shows were being interrupted. While on break he could appreciate morning television. He could not appreciate a 30ft tall Pikachu though. It got in the way of Katie Couric. Not that he admitted to that.
Liam ducked in and arched an eyebrow in question. Jack quickly hid a Katie Couric-induced blush by crossing his arms and acting as offended as he had been two seconds before. “I hate parades. ‘s nothing, hon.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief when his husband seemed to be uninterested, probably returning to his own amusements. He could convince himself that it wasn’t as if he were lying to his husband because he really did hate parades. Speaking of which, he picked up the remote and turned the channel, groaning loudly when yet another Christmas special was on.
Karma was a bitch.
--------- ~~~3~~~ ---------
There was a disadvantage to not seeing his children as often as he did. For one, they grew up and he wasn’t there so every visit was different and not always in a good way. And then, when he wanted to take them out, like he was doing with Risa today, they tended to pull things that good little boys and girls didn’t. Well behaved little girls didn’t run away in the opposite direction.
It would have been easier to catch her if she was four. Four meant shorter legs and a lot of flailing. Seven meant she could give Jack a run for his money; after all she was able to duck between parents loitering about in the walking areas of the aquarium. The 5’11’’ man got more than a few dirty looks tossed in his directed when he tried to pull a Moses on the crowd.
Four escape attempts later, Jack was lifting the giggling deviant up in his arms, giving her a stern look. “Now, you’re not going to run away from daddy again. People don’t like me knocking them over to catch you. Okay?” She nodded, eyes wide in that annoyingly innocent way children often perfected. He sighed. “Good. C’mon, we can go see the reef fish together.”
She smirked at how he had stressed ‘together’. Maybe she would be nice to her daddy for once. Really though, he should be grateful that her brother wasn’t out with them today. Hell would break loose and sting rays would be set upon innocent souls.
“Oh hey! Look at that” He set her down in front of the tank that seemed to hold hundreds of fish. He stared at the shiny colors swimming about before looking down at the girl, snorting and petting her hair back while she lured them closer-or so she would claim later on that evening-by doing a convincing imitation of a fish, face pressed within glass-smearing distance.
Shrugging, he leaned in and did the same.
--------- ~~~4~~~ ---------
He could tear his husband away from NYC every once in a blue moon to return to the ‘homestead’ in upstate New York. The car ride showed Liam on several fronts; annoyed impatience, indifference, and from time to time amusement when Jack remarked about something whenever striking up conversation once in awhile. Even Jack couldn’t talk constantly, despite popular belief. But he would talk about whatever and grin like a fucking idiot. Liam didn’t seem to mind.
This time around Jack had avoided telling his parents that they’d been coming; causing him to be called an idiot a few times from the man sitting next to him in the car. In that joking way that spoke volumes of how Jack was on his own if his mother decided to bitch him out. Liam knew his boundaries in the Stewart household, or made them up as he’d been around long enough.
Jack, who had been talking about going out to dinner later on tonight with his parents paused as he turned down the street he’d grown up on and saw his father’s car in the driveway. He glanced sideways at the man next to him. “Looks like I won’t have to use the cheap way in after all.” And by ‘cheap’ he had meant window, which was how Jack had gained entrance to his house over a decade ago, forgetting his keys a good part of the time. After all, if his dad had just gotten him a car he would have had to remember the keys. His logic was infallible, or was to him. His parents’ bank account said differently.
He pulled in next to the vehicle and surveyed the scene. Quiet. Unsuspecting. Turning the engine off he grabbed his overnight bag from the back and tried to suppress the grin at the larger bag Liam hoisted from the backseat. His husband had needs after all. Damn it.
“Maybe they’re taking a n-ap?” Jack froze when the front door opened and he felt like he’d been caught sneaking in past curfew all over again. His mother leaned against the doorway, eyebrow raised. Snapping out of it, Jack gave her his most winning ‘I am your baby boy; don’t hate me’ smile, walking up to her with Liam in tow who was smirking to himself. Jack couldn’t SEE the smirk, but he knew that Liam was silently enjoying the exchange.
“Mom, I’m not interrupting anything am I? I just thought…” His voice took on the tone of a scolded boy and she hadn’t even said a word. His mother apparently had scary powers that he forgot about each and every time, only to be rudely reminded later on the next time he came around.
She stood straight and put her hands on her hips. Jack frowned. Liam continued to secretly grin like a madman. Moreso when Jack would throw him an offended look. “Jack! How long has it been since you’ve even called? You little ass.”
“I …uh. Um.” He paused, looking like a kicked puppy, muttering. “Sorry”
“It’s okay, sweetie. You’ll just make it up by looking through the boxes of our old books. Remember those picture books you liked when you were little? Oh, I do!” she practically beamed.
Beside him Liam finally caved, snickering quietly like the dutiful husband he was. Jack flushed and walked in to the house, embarrassed yet again by his mother’s never-ending enthusiasm. He spent the next two hours in a dusty attic sneezing, plotting the demise of Liam’s overnight bag.
He'd blame it on the dog. That sounded about right.
--------- ~~~5~~~ ---------
Maybe it was guilt that made a person anxious around their friends and peers the day after something important had occurred. For Jack, it felt as if his beloved schoolmates were looking at him more purposefully today while he walked down the halls. Even in class, he felt eyes on him. He tried to catch them in the act so he at least had some confirmation but never once had he caught someone gawking at him like he had three heads. Because he felt like he had three heads right now. It didn’t help that he had avoided his best friend all day; the empty space regularly occupied by the looming teenager most noticeable.
He could blame his luck for this. He’d been stupid for trying …whatever it was that Liam and he were attempting. Jack didn’t know if it was a normal part of being a teenager but he assumed that doing things with another male, even if it were Liam who moisturized, wasn’t kosher. He supposed he could have said it was hormones. It’d be a lie, but he could justify it in his head as being as such.
Thinking about it made his head pound. God; and his mother had been so happy. He scowled and scuffed his shoe along the bottom of his locker, though undeserving it made him feel less conflicted. It was easier to break a toe than feel confused, too. He denied that anything between he and Liam existed other than friendship because Jack was delicate in ego as many boys in high school were.
“Hey!”
Jack jumped and turned to look at the person coming up alongside of him, letting out a breath in a low hiss, livid that he’d possibly just outted himself (ignoring the mild flash of heat at the word he’d just thought). He took a deep breath and plastered on Smile 87, the one he reserved for friends that started him outside of his locker for the millionth time this semester.
His teammate didn’t seem to notice the immediate behavior, giving him a smirk instead. “You seem a little tense. Heard you and your pal had a fight so he disappeared. I swear man, he was pretty possessive”
87 dissolved into disbelief and Jack rolled his eyes, flipping his combo lock open; impressed when his fingers didn’t shake. “Are you guys a bunch of girls now? Gossiping and dotting your i’s with hearts?” He smirked and leaned down to replace a few books to his locker, grabbing a different set to replace the others. Beside him he heard a snort. Almost defensive.
“Just trying to look out for you. Well, that’s taken care of! I gotta go before Mary nags me to death for missing lunch with her”
“Again, you mean?” Jack corrected. It was no secret that Zack was horrible with dates. It was even a wonder why Mary stayed with the guy, not that he was a bad guy.
With a wave his friend was heading off in the opposite direction. Jack took a moment to look after him until the boy rounded the corner and he could breathe a sigh of relief. He was safe for now. He tried to disregard any unease he felt when he couldn’t find the one person he both wanted to see and avoid at all costs. It was good that Jack couldn’t find him. It was good. It made it twenty times easier to keep a secret when the secret wasn’t throwing knowing smirks in his direction for everyone to see.
He still couldn’t help feeling disappointed when he walked home alone at the end of the day.
--------- ~~~6~~~ ---------
“If you had decided where you wanted to go for the holiday vacation we could have ordered the tickets for cheaper months ago.”
Jack gave his husband a wounded look, rolling his eyes as he leaned in to rest against the back of said man’s desk chair, arms wrapping around his chest. He peered at the screen with all the grief a penny pincher could ever feel. “Roughly $1600 for tickets alone though? It’s not like we’re crossing shark-infested waters here. Jesus.” He scowled, seeking out Liam’s neck for comfort.
Shifting, Liam tried his best to look at his husband but failed considering the man was good at huddling. He sighed, looking back at the screen. “You want to go somewhere cold for a winter vacation. It serves you right.” Only insane people and Jack wanted to go colder than home would get, not that Liam fathomed there was much difference between the two factors. Aspen.
Ridiculous.
Jack shifted to stand and Liam frowned, feeling a chill where his husband had been latched to. It only served him more thought on how he’d have to find a dignified means of being wrapped in three or so blankets next to some fireplace that Jack would insist on having.
“Just… make sure the cabin has a fireplace and I’ll be happy” Jack half grunted, half pouted. Let it be known that Liam knew his husband’s annoying preferences well. Not that fireplaces were all that annoying. Kind of glow-y. Liam scowled to himself in automatic shunning of the made up word that would be more Jack’s doing than his. Ever.
Liam raised a brow. “Already bookmarked one I thought you’d like.” One he would like with a fireplace and the clear intent that Jack wasn’t stepping a foot outside. Deciding to be especially impressive for his husband he drew up the page with the lodge on it. Behind him the warmth returned along with a few noises that were similar to squeals.
He wouldn’t call his husband out on it considering he wanted a willing participant in bed later on in the evening. The things he did for love… He grunted when Jack attempted to squeeze the air from his lungs in what he supposed was a hug.
“It’s fantastic. I’m not gonna look at the price because it’s amazing!” The man was practically swooning now, pressing kisses along his husband’s jaw. “But…” he paused, leaning away to get a good look at his husband, grinning slightly when the younger man looked up at him rather dubiously. “You do know we’re going to actually leave the cabin, right?”
Liam’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Of course” Not.
It was smarter to at least let the child believe he’d get to play his games before being coerced in to doing something the elder wanted. Jack might be older in years, and only slightly, really, but Liam was the one that acted it.
Jack gave him a rather loud kiss on the mouth and practically danced out of the room, surely going to make a list of activities and things he needed to pack. Liam snorted and did all of his husbandly duties, booking the cabin and flights before shutting down his computer, feeling accomplished. With a smirk to himself he got up and went to do some planning of his own.
Ho, ho, ho.
--------- ~~~7~~~ ---------
“Come here you little bastard.” He leaned forward a bit on the bench with a piece of bread from his dirty water hotdog he’d gotten while faring his way through Central Park. The squirrel he was trying to coerce into eating from his hand just gave him a dirty look. He gave one back and tossed the bread to some unsuspecting pigeons instead. Ungrateful domesticated wildlife.
He took one last bite from the remaining bits of his impromptu lunch, ignoring the possible things he’d ingested as a byproduct of some New York tradition. Sitting back, he looked at the pond that seemed to reflect his mood more than the weather overhead. He sighed to himself, clasping his hands nonchalantly in his lap.
It had been his brother’s birthday recently and he hadn’t been able to drop by his place to congratulate him on managing another year of managing to avoid mortal peril. Jack liked to think of birthdays like that, otherwise they would just be mundane occurrences. Plus, he liked the way it made people roll their eyes upon telling them this. Instead of being the one to bestow a gift and corny gesture Vince had been the one with more of a surprise. He was interested in dating his nanny; the woman being much younger than Vince, really.
And Jack couldn’t say anything against it either since he wanted his brother happy, even if it was with Liz. He scowled at the little squirrel that still seemed to be hanging around. Just as he was about to curse it out, the mood fitting for the action, another person sat down on the bench next to him. Raising a brow, he glanced to his side to see what he assumed was a 10 year old boy.
“You know, they’re a lot pickier when it’s cold” He shifted a hand to his side pocket, grabbing out something before leaning over in a near mock impression of what Jack had been doing earlier. And the little bastard of a squirrel came forward, the boy smiling triumphantly.
Later on in the evening once Jack had returned home, warming up some coffee, he retold the events of his day to a bemused husband who simply patted him on the head before heading out of the room to get something or the other. Jack rolled his eyes and tugged his laptop to rest on his crossed legs. Apparently Liam didn’t believe that squirrels only came to you if you had walnuts. Taking a sip of his coffee he shrugged it off. Liam just wasn’t the fanciful sort.
Not like he enjoyed being shown up by a 10 year old either. Can’t be victorious 100% of the time though, right?