#jack in de box

[emacrow]

Selina adopt a new stray.. well almost ghostly cat like stray.

Selina had just finished her heist to steal some valuables cat related jewelry, even though their weren't very high in valuable, she just wanted them as a decoration.

Only to hear the most desperate yowl of a cat above between the alley that she was about to leap over.

Only to see a tiny meta cat like toddler all caught and tangled up in a gothams clotheslines screaming bloody murder was happening upon him. His desperate yowling and frantic moving getting more tangled up then isn't helping was going to alert either batman or his robin spawns any minute if she didn't do something.

So she caught the clotheslines string and caught the kid whom immediately froze upon being held. The toddler look like a batman's adopt-bait except for the white cat ears, glowing cat-like eyes, whiskers and white two tail?

Yea.. she keeping him after she untangled him.

By the time she got him with her newest stray without actually alerting any bats was surprising. She have to come up with a name after she bathe him and feed him because he is much lighter then a normal toddler should be..

Once he was clean (ignoring the multiple scars, precision cuts and v line on his tiny chest until she get her phone for photo evidences later), and clothed, she temporarily put him in a box for just 5 minutes so she can fixed him up a temporarily bed next to her bed using the numerous amount of soft pillows she have.

Only for the blood curdling scream to be heard a she panicking ran back to the living room only to see the kid stop when she noticed she was in his sight.

OH, oh no, his isn't orange cat dumb..

She decided to do a little test which was pull up the a random spare blanket from her living room, lift it up to not show her body and drop it as she seemingly disappeared.

Blood curding yowling began once more.

Yep. He is dumber then orange cat dumb..

She brought the box in her room as she fixed him up a nice temporarily bed. She brought him to her kitchen for meal time. Checking his mouth to see those pearly white teeths and fangs.

Damn she didn't had much groceries beside a couple eggs, a soda can, red strawberry wine for girls night, salmon dish she was planning to eat later, and the half eaten bread loaf she brought 3 days ago..

Selina smiled a bit as she sip her soda watching her new kid nommed the pieces of salmon that she cut up into bit size pieces. Listening to softest loud purr coming from him was music to her ears..

Part 2

[higgukz]

jack in the box hope edition wallpaper

like or reblog if you save

all credits to mahoneysuga

[doctorwhoisadhd]

thinking about putting together a murray gold leitmotif fakebook

[taranturat]

Genocide Jack dressed up as Betty de Famme

Pretty fun to draw actually!!

[calipsan]

The battle Lestat has every day.

[jacksintention]

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[aricastmblr]

Las cuentas oficiales de redes sociales de BTS cambiaron a JACK IN THE BOX HOPE DITION

BTS_official - bts_bighit  

방탄소년단 -  BTS_twt  

BTS JAPAN OFFICIAL -  BTS_jp_official  

BTS (방탄소년단) - Facebook Official

[oceanusborealis]

Kid Snow - Movie Review

TL;DR – While it is an interesting scenario, and the cast is giving their all, you just can’t quite shake the feeling that the movie never finds its feet. ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 5. Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.Warning – contains scenes that include multiple flashing lights. Kid Snow…

[guumck]

[Jackpot in the Box]💜❤️FPS CoD Hazardous Infinite Loop☣️🎡☢️

La logique graphique a été crée par hasard sur Call of Duty Black Ops multijoueur dans la section de conception d'avatar puis affinée ultérieurement avec Photoshop pour compléter la conception :

(1) Le premier symbole, l'avertissement nucléaire en rouge représente la naissance, la génèse, le bouleversement du début de la vie, ou bien un gros problème, une crise majeure. Un symbole largement reconnu et souvent utilisé.

(2) Le deuxième symbole, le smiley jaune, le sourire et la joie symbolisés, est une représentation emblématiques et hautement répandue. il vient logiquement en seconde position. Il évoque à la fois la gaieté et l'innocence de l'enfance, mais également le détachement, l'aveuglement et l'ignorance des problèmes.

(3) Le troisième symbole, le dé, incarne l'expérience de l'âge adulte et les aléas du parcours de vie. La teinte vert kaki évoque la guerre comme un jeu de hasard, semblable à la roulette russe. Son positionnement en bas semble soumis à la gravité.

(4) Le quatrième symbole, la fleur de Lys, symbolise la vieillesse et l'expérience de vie cumulée. Il représente l'ultime étape avant la mort, marquée par le sang royal figuré par le bleu. Selon ma perspective, ce stade est atteint par l'acquisition de connaissances et de résilience au fil du mode de vie, et non seulement par héritage. Il requiert une utilisation astucieuse de l'intellect. Ce n’est pas seulement par l’héritage qu’on peut accéder à ce rang, il faut savoir utiliser sa caboche.

(5) Le cinquième symbole, le crâne, évoque la mort inévitable. Incliné comme une tête guillotinée émergeant de la mort elle-même, il rappelle la vanité et la vénalité, l'excès d'orgueil. Il adresse à l'interlocuteur un message : éviter d’avoir la grosse tête. Apparaissant en dernier, comme l'ultime étape de l'aventure qu'est la vie, malgré son inclinaison il semble se réveiller, suggérant de ne pas succomber à l'hubris dans la quête de gloire, pour ne pas se brûler les ailes et éviter une chute abrupte. Enfin, puisque la partie est terminée, il propose implicitement d'en recommencer une.

(6) Les couleurs violette et rouge existent en tant que gardiens d'un monde souterrain invisible dissimulé derrière la quatrième branche de l'étoile. Pour le découvrir, il faut commencer à compter comme sur une horloge à partir de midi. Une fois le 4ème stade atteint, celui de la sagesse, la mort nous adresse ces mots : "Regarde bien derrière toi avant de continuer, tu ne l'as pas remarqué mais tu as enjambé une brèche invisible. Surveille tes pas la prochaine fois, et bienvenue dans mon jardin."

(7) Les symboles s'intègrent parfaitement à l'opposé des couleurs de fond. Ce contraste peut être interprété comme la présence d'une force opposée, surveillant vos actions et manoeuvrant en coulisses, même lorsque vous êtes sous les projecteurs, et surtout quand il s'agit de glisser sous les feux de la rampe.

(X8X) Le design a émergé de façon hésitante, hasardeuse et aléatoire, avec de longues pauses entre les périodes où je l'ai repris et finalisé. Trois étapes principalement, dont voici un résumé du cheminement :

(l9l) Chronologie: [2010] - Création de l'avatar sans roue chromatique. [2017] - Roue chromatique ajoutée en arrière-plan sur photoshop. [2024] - Finalisation et description écrite sur l'éditeur de texte.

[geekpopnews]

Confira os novos lançamentos pela Editora Panini para 2024

Durante seu painel na CCXP23, a Panini anunciou seus lançamentos programados para o ano de 2024. Confira aqi: #Panini #CCXP23

A editora Panini anunciou alguns dos seus lançamentos programados para 2024. Esses anúncios ocorreram durante o painel realizado na CCXP23, neste domingo (03). Durante o painel a Panini revelou a publicação de grandes clássicos da DC e da Marvel, além disso, anunciou o relançamento de alguns mangás mais pedidos. Para os fã das DC haverá o lançamento dos Omnibus de Mulher Maravilha, do lendário…

[anthonysperkins]

Cadet Simmons (Arthur Storch) gives Cadet Sgt. Jocko de Paris (Ben Gazzara) a shoeshine in The Strange One (1957) dir. Jack Garfein

"Sailor's Dream" (1959) by Tom of Finland for Athletic Model Guild's Physique Pictorial magazine created by Bob Mizer

Bill Parritt and Jack Haworth for AMG in the Lazy Sailor (1961) dir. Bob Mizer:

"Anyone who has ever had to take orders from a superior he did not especially like will appreciate this film. The young sailor is pushed around and abused by the officer until he can take no more. That night, he dreams that he has the upper hand and makes the officer do all the menial tasks such as shining his shoes etc. They brawl—neither wins but both end up with a new respect for each other."

"Shoeshine" (1957) by Etienne (Dom Orejudos) for AMG's Physique Pictorial:

"'SHOESHINE' by Etienne po box 1251 90 Illinois is part of an armed services series he has created, in which he depicts the fine wholesome comradships which develop among the defenders of our liberties. Send him $1 for a general art catalog."

Josef (Clyde Cook) uses his hand to quickly rub Willi's (Ramon Novarro) shoes clean in Daybreak (1931) dir. Jacques Feyder

[darkmovies]

Puzzle Box (2023) Date de sortie : 12/08/2023 Réalisateur : Jack Dignan Scénario : Jack Dignan Avec : Kaitlyn Boyé, Laneikka Denne, Cassandre Girard

[sweetshysuga]

More

Oui, j'ai soif. J'ai besoin d'aller surfer sur le rythme. Je suis un poisson qui a rencontré l'eau. Imprégne-toi de la musique. Eenie meenie miney mo. Une danse de bébé fluide. Garder ma passion, je dois y aller. Je ne suis toujours (pas assez).

Depuis 11 ans, je m'enseigne à moi-même. Soulignant avec un surligneur, c'est l'art d'apprendre. L'apprentissage sans fin. L'art qui naît de la chute et du dérapage. Même de là où je suis, je fais en sorte que ça bouge, que ce soit à moi, que ce soit bien. Elle redevient la chanson préférée de quelqu'un. C'est la seconde moitié de ma vie, la raison de ma vie, et la joie de ma vie. Avec ça comme force motrice, je continue.

Je fais tout. Je fais tout. Hah ! Criez. Je dis 'plus'. Hah ! Ouais, c'est ça! Parce que j'en veux plus.

Kick snare dans mes oreilles, quand j'entends le son je le frappe. Je n'arrête pas, sans un moment de repos, de faire ma mixtape. Même quand je reçois des commentaires, je réponds. Je le mangerais volontiers, KitKat, c'est doux pour moi (j'apprécie). Des relations mutuelles, qui jouent en ma faveur. Pompez de l'essence, et je roule à nouveau au rythme.

Tout le monde devrait faire attention parce que je suis imprudent. Ivre de peintures cool qui incarnent l'art, je continue à donner un défi comme Dalí. Je le veux, le stade avec mes fans, je le veux encore. Je balaie dans mon sac tous les trophées, les Grammy's aussi. La célébrité et l'argent ne signifient pas tout, je le sais déjà. Mon travail me fait respirer, alors je veux PLUS. Inspirer, inspirer, expirer, expirer. Je me sens vivant.

[that-weird-thing-in-the-woods]

Heyyy so if you’ve been around here long enough and payed attention to some of my hints about future posts so here you go!

🦭🌊Selkie au🦭🌊

=====================================

So Danny with Jazz are looking through some old family books while Jack and Maddie are at a ghost Hunter convention or something and after like 30 minutes of this Danny finds a very old book, Danny and Jazz weren’t going to read it but the title and a note on the front got there attention

The title itself looks like it was scratched out and is unreadable but the note on the front says ‘For future generations of the Nightingale family’ while Danny is a bit confused about who the Nightingale family is but Jazz looks intrigued and when Danny asks her to explain Jazz says that the Nightingales were their dads OG family name so now their both interested in this book

So they read it and find out that their blood line from their dads side is full of silkie blood and that the ones who found this out hid it from the others in the family and next to the book was a box with a integrate design of seals and waves marked out by silver -{ Plot Convenience }- and as they open it they find three pelts, two fit them perfectly but there is a anther one that is much MUCH smaller than theirs and they just think is was a old relatives and just keeps it in the box

And a few weeks later they are still trying to figure out what to do with this stuff but they hid the book under Jazz’s bed under some extra blanket she keeps under there and his the box under Danny’s bed behind of some old stuff so that if Maddie or Jack find something under one of their beds they don’t find the rest and it was easier from them due to their parents being tired from the Conversation and not really paying attention to what they were doing

But they had to put plans on hold for what to do as Jazz was going to go look at some colleges that she may want to attend for a few days so she leaves but not before she and Danny take out a piece from the portal so they don’t have any emergency’s while Jazz is gone and can’t help

And while Jazz is gone, Maddie and Jack catches Danny changing from ghost to human and Maddie knocks him out and Jack brings him down to the lab and while Maddie is getting things ready for the experiments and stuff, Jack is putting on the restraints and that’s when Danny wakes up and he start to move and get out while pleading for them to let him go and that’s when Maddie and Jack do what the people here in the Dc x Dp love to do traumatize the fuck out of this boy 

And a few days before Jazz is supposed to came back Dani goes to the Fenton home so jazz and Danny can explain what they wanted to ( they texted her saying they wanted to tell her something very important because since she’s Danny’s clone daughter and has his DNA she should have some silkie blood in her and want her opinion on this ) so when she doesn’t see Danny Mama and that’s when Maddie finds her and knocks her out like she did with Danny

As jazz comes home and sees an empty house she just thinks Danny is out with Sam and tuck and her parents are doing something and as she just abouts finishes unpacking she hears a wail and cries that she recognizes as Danny’s voice and big sister instincts ( and a bit of silkie instincts ) kick in and she goes running to the lab

She finds Danny pined down to the table and Dani’s body next to him her body looks like it is going to destabilize any second and that’s when Maddie and Jack notices her and they all start to fight and Jazz manages to knock out her parents and get Danny out of his restraints and he goes to Dani but not before grabbing one of the ecto injections and helping her but due to the damage Jack and Maddie did, she de-ages to about a 1-2 year old

And now that Dani isn’t going to die, Danny and jazz start running to their rooms so they can grab the box and book and some money because they can’t really grab to many things to where their going and run out of the house to a bus stop at the edge of town, where no one goes but buses still stop and they get on and they do this a few more times until they are at a port town and managed to get on one of the fairies is going to a remote island where there is only about 70 people total and as they get there they hide until it is late at night so no one sees them

And they open the box and wrap the pelt around them and little Dani and as they do a pod of seals come closer to them and start making noises almost like their call them back into the water, back home…

And as they start to walk into the water and swim to the pod they know they made the right decision and maybe they can be around humans again

Someday…

——————————————————————————

And now onto the DC part of this thing!

So while on a mission to a remote fishing island because something the fishermen seeing at night and Damian was sent out because the Batfam got mad at him due to him seriously injuring a mugger who was injuring a small animal and now he’s here

As he walks around the island it is around 1 in the morning he notices some sounds around a part of the island no one goes to due to sharp rocks around and as he climbs down that’s when he sees them a seal and their pup swimming around until a large wave causes by one of the boats in the water hit the pup and send them up on the beach and almost immediately Damien goes to help the pup back into the water back to their mother who is swimming close and watching him help their pup

And as he puts the pup back into the water they swim back to their mother and he calls this a good day

The next day around that area he comes back and sees the mother and pup again who seem happy to see him

And this goes on for a few days until a few days before he’s supposed to go back to Gotham he goes to the area to see the mother-pup duo and that’s when he sees them a person around his age with a toddler around 1-2 years old as he is standing there he makes eye contact with the person and…he recognizes those eyes as the mothers eyes and they smile at him as the little girl who he now knows as the little seal pup and runs up to him and holds her arms up expectantly and who is he to deny her so he picks her up and walks over to the mother and now that he is closer he notices the brownish red seal that sometimes came around this here but as a very tall woman who looks to be 18-19 or very early 20s

And they explain who they are ( while Damian is internally simping over the pretty silkie boy, Damian called dips this is his beloved now ) and what brought them here and stuff and Damian makes it his mission to protect them ( and get into a relationship with the pretty boy ) so he stays for a bit longer than the OG mission needed too but the Batfam sent him here so they didn’t have to deal with his actions so if here for a bit longer why would they care

Meanwhile, at the Batcave : running around the headless chickens trying to find out why there youngest isn’t coming back in Gotham when he should have

——————————————————————————

And now on to the details!

For Danny’s I’m thinking something like this

And for his pelt

Mixed with this

-{ I refuse to believe Danny isn’t a dramatic ass bitch when it comes to fashion }-and here is the hair I’m thinking for him

And for Jazz I’m thinking this

And for her pelt this is what I’m thinking

And hair

=====================================

And that’s it! This is inspired my the movie “Song of the sea” that movie has me in a chokehold anyway I hope you guys like it -{ also tumblr kinda kicked me out well I was writing this so if some part are weird that’s why}- Byeeeee

[aricastmblr]

Jimin & Jung Kook Jack In The Box (HOPE Edition)' Unboxing Video en Youtube shorts Tatuajes

[karajaynetoday]

nothing's going right, and everything's a mess, and no one likes to be alone | jack hughes

author's note: don't ask me how the university semester timeline in this works. i have simply given reader a three week break in march bc why not. this is fanfiction okay, anything can happen 😂 no one proofread this for me so soz for any typos!

word count: 3.4k words

warnings: none that i can think of? but lmk if i've missed anything. soz if the ending makes you mad LOL i do love a cliffhanger

read part one here

read part two here

(This is a fem reader insert)

More writing here (soz that the masterlist is not up to date lol) | send thoughts/feedback/suggestions here

Somehow, the ill feeling of waiting until summer to see Jack again began to fade with each passing day. The itch to text him every time something exciting or infuriating happened to you began to lessen. The thoughts of him when you saw a funny meme he’d like, or your shared favourite foods on special at the grocery store, quietly stopped happening as frequently. 

But then there were the things that didn’t stop. The sharp pain in your chest whenever Jack’s smiling face popped up on your social media feed. The butterflies in your stomach whenever your parents brought him up in conversation, fuelled by whatever the latest updates were from their group message thread with Jim and Ellen. The joy that would wash over you when you heard about a Devils win or a Jack Hughes goal, followed almost always by a wave of sadness that you were hearing about it second or third hand, rather than from Jack himself.

You were the one who’d asked for space. You needed time, you’d said. Given the blow up of All-Star weekend, all Jack was doing was respecting your wishes; but a huge part of you not so secretly wished he’d be a bit more disrespectful and reach out. Your mind was a mess of conflicting thoughts, and your heart wasn’t sure which emotion to feel or where to go next. 

Since kindergarten, you’d barely gone more than a few days without seeing or communicating with Jack in some way. Now you were nearly a month without a word, and even though you were still mad at how he’d treated you, you were craving a return to the friendship you’d become so accustomed to. Jack knew you better than anyone, could basically read your mind with a single look, and although you had plenty of friends at college and still around in Toronto from high school, none came close to the camaraderie you shared with Jack. He was someone you could talk to for hours, or sit next to in silence for the same amount of time, it didn’t matter. With Jack, you could be utterly and entirely yourself, no complications. Now it felt like you were always pretending. And it was exhausting.

It was about 9pm on a Thursday night when you found yourself pushing through that exhaustion to try and complete yet another university assignment. For motherfucking economics. You couldn’t wait until you’d completed all of your compulsory economics credits because it was the absolute opposite of your cup of tea, when it came to academic subjects. This assignment was your last one, and you weren’t sure whether to cheer or cry at the idea of hitting the submit button on the online portal. Maybe you should’ve bought a confetti cannon to celebrate. Or a box of wine. Or booked yourself a flight somewhere fun, given you had a break from classes soon.

As soon as the thought of a trip crossed your mind, your phone began to buzz with an incoming video call. A video call from… Luke. Luke Hughes. 

Your face scrunched in confusion, as you swiped to answer the call, met with Luke’s smiling face and messy curls. 

“Hey sunshine! Long time no see. How have you been?” Luke spoke cheerily. Almost too cheerily. 

You were immediately suspicious and narrowed your eyes at the youngest Hughes. 

Luke was 3 years old when you met for the first time; he could barely remember a life without you in it. Given how inseparable you and Jack were, Luke became your de facto little brother, always tagging along where he could and joining in your adventures. Later on, when he became a teenager, you were the one Luke would come to when he was having issues with his friends, or trying to build up the courage to ask out the cute girl in his math class, or missing his brothers when they moved away. You were his second call after Ellen when he felt homesick at Michigan, and you were his first call when he had fucked up something that he felt his brothers would never let him live down. Emotional support and damage control, with a healthy dose of teasing and laughs thrown in. That was the dynamic between you and Luke. It also meant you could read him to filth when he was lying to you, and your honesty radar was through the roof at this sudden video call.

“I’m fine, Moose. Just trying to wrap up my final assignment before the break without losing my entire mind.” You offered weakly, half-expecting Luke to make a joke about your mind having been lost years ago, but the joke never came.

Instead, you saw the concern flicker across Luke’s face, just for a moment, before he forced a smile.

“How long is your break for? Any plans?”

“Three weeks, and not really. I promised my mother I’d spend a few days helping her with planning for their anniversary party in June, but that probably won’t happen until right before I go back to school.” You chatted absently, hitting save on your essay and standing up from the couch, bringing your phone with you as you moved into the kitchen to make yourself a drink.

You propped the phone up against the vase on your kitchen bench, reaching up into the cabinet to retrieve a glass. 

“Well, you should come visit. We’ve got like 5 home games in a row or something ridiculous coming up. It’d be fun!” Luke’s tone was cheerful, but cautious, like he wasn’t sure how you were going to react. 

You hummed in response, moving slightly out of view of your phone to get some ice cubes from your freezer and a soda from the fridge. 

“Besides, I heard a rumour that you’ve got an airline voucher to use. I’d hate for it to expire or something.” 

You could feel your heart starting to beat faster. Luke knew about the voucher. Did that mean Jack had told him about your fight? 

“The voucher won’t expire for three years. I’m sure I’ll manage to use it before then.” You deadpanned, stepping back into frame to see Luke rolling his eyes at you. 

“Yeah, sure, but will I survive that long without seeing you? Absolutely not. Come on, sugar. Please? Even if it’s just a weekend?” Luke had moved into full begging mode, with puppy dog eyes and everything.

You sighed, fidgeting with the straw in your drink and avoiding his gaze. 

“I don’t… we haven’t talked at all, Luke. I don’t know what he’ll do if I just show up there.” You half-whispered, feeling that all-too-familiar wave of sadness coursing through your veins. 

“He talked about you tonight at dinner. Says he misses you. But he doesn’t want to push, or not give you the space you wanted. But right now, he’s on the couch watching Gossip Girl, so…” Luke stated matter-of-factly, staring you down with a knowing look on your face.

Gossip Girl was something you’d insisted Jack get into when you were teenagers, as long as he “wanted to be called your official best friend”. And The OC. And Gilmore Girls. And One Tree Hill. And basically any other teen drama series you could think of. Collectively, those shows had thousands of episodes, and you always found yourself settling down to watch them whenever you were missing Jack more than usual. You’d never realised before that he did the same.

“Should… should we tell him I’m coming? I don’t want him to get upset by a bad surprise.” 

“Not at all, sugar. Book the flight and send me the details, I’ll sort out the rest.” Luke’s beaming smile made a smile of your own creep onto your face, as you nodded at him and went to retrieve your laptop from the couch to log onto the airline website.

“Now that that’s sorted, I was wondering, what does it mean when a girl asks me what my sun, moon and rising are? Should I be worried? Or is it a good thing?”

– 

Two days later, you were done with your semester and on your way to the airport. Luke had suggested you book a one-way flight, “That way, you can go home whenever you like!”, but you were starting to feel like the whole thing was a mistake. 

Nonetheless, you pushed through those feelings and boarded your flight. The whole ordeal took less than two hours, and soon enough you found yourself navigating the arrivals area at Newark airport. You spotted Luke’s lanky figure, clad in a Michigan sweatshirt, with his back to you. You couldn’t help but creep up on him and poke his side, cracking up with laughter as Luke jumped at least three feet into the air. He’d always been the easiest to scare, ever since you were kids. 

Luke cussed you out, and then pulled you into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Missed your face, sugarplum.” Luke murmured, as you pulled away from each other and he rested his hands on your shoulders, studying you. 

“Aw, Lukey. I’d say I’d missed yours too, but we really gotta do something about that hair.” You poked your tongue out as the youngest Hughes brother’s jaw dropped in mock offense. 

You retrieved your bag from the luggage carousel, and headed out to where Luke had parked. The two of you fell into easy conversation as Luke navigated through the New Jersey streets back to the apartment he shared with Jack. 

You managed to bury most of the nerves, but they came bubbling back to the surface when Luke pulled into the parking garage at the bottom of his building.

“Is… um… Is Jack home? Alone?” You managed to squeak out, and Luke looked at you like you were crazy. 

Ever since All-Star weekend, you’d been having a recurring nightmare about Jack and the girl from the messages you’d accidentally become privy to. In particular, it was a scenario where you would come home from wherever you’d been out, and opened the apartment door to find them… entangled, on every possible surface you could think of. You felt yourself starting to feel ill as the images from your nightmares started to flash back into your mind. 

“He’s alone. Ever since… ever since he came home early from All-Star, he’s been alone. None of the… usual visitors have been over. And he hasn’t been going to theirs, either. Not even when we’re on a roadie.” Luke said carefully, and you could tell he was trying not to upset you.

You could also tell that he was being honest. Because you could always tell when he was lying. But your mind was running a million miles a minute. Jack hadn’t… for a month? Because of his fight with you? You loved Jack, but you also knew (despite wishing that you didn’t know at all) that it had been years since he’d gone that long without intimacy. In fact, it was probably the longest since losing his virginity that Jack hadn’t fulfilled his desires. 

Your mind was starting to wander into the gutter, and you pressed your eyes closed to bring yourself back to Earth. All you could do was nod at Luke, before you both hopped out of the car and into the elevator. Luke insisted on carrying your luggage, so you found yourself fidgeting incessantly with your hands as the elevator climbed to the correct floor. 

You trailed behind Luke as he strode towards the apartment door and unlocked it, stepping inside and putting your bag down. He looked back and waved you into the apartment, pressing a finger to his lips. You tiptoed across the doorway, and your heart softened at the scene before you. 

You could see the back of Jack’s head leaned up against the couch, and an episode of Gilmore Girls playing on the TV mounted on the wall. In fact, it was one of your favourite episodes; where Jess comes back and shows Rory the book he wrote, and calls her out for dropping out of Yale. You smiled ruefully as you thought about the parallels between that episode and your current situation with Jack, as the argument between Jess and Rory played out on the screen.  

What do you mean?

You know what I mean! I know you. I know you better than anyone! This isn't you!

… 

This isn't you! This! You going out with this jerk, with the Porsche! We made fun of guys like this!

You caught him on a bad night.

This isn't about him! Okay? Screw him! What's going on with you? This isn't you, Rory. You know it isn't. What's going on?

I don't know. I don't know…

“Are we Team Jess or Team Rory this time, Jacky?” Luke called out, making you jump. 

“Team Jess all the way, obviously. Where have you bee-” Jack stopped dead in his tracks as he turned to face his brother, and instead saw you in the middle of his living room.

Jack’s face was a revelation. Confusion, at first. Then the briefest flash of hurt and anguish. Then a smile. Then caution and uncertainty, as he slowly stepped towards you. 

You let a breath you hadn’t realised you were holding, and quickly moved across the room, clumsily throwing your arms around your best friend. You felt Jack freeze momentarily, almost as if he was shocked at your touch, but that soon passed and you felt his hands slide around your waist and squeeze, bringing your bodies as close together as possible. 

You nestled your head on Jack’s shoulder, breathing in his scent. His thumbs softly rubbed up and down your side, and you felt him press a soft kiss into your hair. You stayed like that for a minute, or maybe longer, relaxing into the embrace.

The sound of the apartment door slamming shut made you jolt, and you rolled your eyes as you realised that Luke had tried to sneak way unnoticed and failed miserably. 

“Hi.” Jack whispered, pulling back from you slightly but keeping his hands locked around you. 

“Hi.” You whispered back, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes. 

“Is it still shit hair? Or better now it’s longer?” Jack teased, rolling his tongue between his teeth.

“Better. But only slightly.” You teased back, your hands slipping down to the back of his neck comfortably. 

The warmth of the surprise arrival was starting to fade. The dread you’d felt over addressing your fight with Jack was starting to set in, fast. The guilt you felt for being the catalyst for over a month for not speaking to your best friend was washing over you. Your heart rate was through the roof, and your palms were beginning to sweat. 

Jack sensed your change in mood, and pulled away from you to look you up and down.

“Are you hungry? Do you want to shower? Or take a nap?” He was nervous, too.

“I ate before my flight. And showered this morning. And it’s 11am, so I think I’m good on the nap front. But I do think we should… we should talk. About everything.” You were basically tripping over your words at this point, but Jack’s reassuring nod helped to calm your nerves. 

Wordlessly, Jack took your hand and led you over to the couch, gesturing for you to sit. You sat down and faced him, crossing your legs and resting your hands on your knees, still fidgeting with your hoodie sleeves. 

“I’m sorry - “ You both said unanimously, a gentle laughter filling the room. 

“I’m sorry I needed so much time apart, J. It fucking sucked, and it was my fault, and I just didn’t -” You began to ramble, only stopping when Jack leaned over and squeezed your knee reassuringly.

“You only needed that time because I was an asshole, sugar. It’s on me, really. I had no right to treat you like an occasional friend, or something that I shouldn’t prioritise -” Jack paused as you cringed, remembering the text messages that referred to his time with you as “boring family bullshit”. 

“I was thinking with my dick, not with my head, and that’s not fair on anyone.” You shot Jack a weird look, and he looked sheepish in return.

“Quinn… Quinn said that to me. After you told him to tell me about the messages. He’s right, thought. It wasn’t fair.” Jack continued, pausing to take a deep breath. 

“This whole… thing, this life -” Jack gestured broadly at the apartment around you, and you glanced around properly for the first time. Framed jerseys of Luke and Jack’s adorned the walls.Various photos of the Hughes family scattered about the place. The fridge, with a gas bill stuck to it, along with a polaroid of you and Jack from last Christmas. And a photo from your senior prom. And a group photo of everyone from last summer at the lake house, Jack’s mouth open in laughter with his arm slung over your bikini-clad shoulders. 

“It’s all I thought I ever wanted. And it’s amazing, and I’m so grateful. But it’s worth nothing to me, the money, the girls -” You felt yourself involuntarily cringe again. “The fame, the accolades, it’s worth nothing to me without the people that I love by my side. And if those people don’t know how much I love and appreciate them, because I treat them like shit, then that’s on me. No one else. Me.” 

You sat quietly, taking in Jack’s emphatic statement. You weren’t quite sure what to say. So instead, you gently reached over and took Jack’s hand in yours, lacing your fingers through his and squeezing softly, for a moment while you gathered your thoughts.

“I know the life you live, Jack. You don’t have to be sorry for it. Playing hockey was all you ever dreamed of, and I honestly can’t blame you for… enjoying… all the perks it comes with.” You swallowed the wave of nausea that hit you, before continuing. 

“I don’t… I don’t know what life looks like without you in it. The last month was such a bizarre experience, and not one that I ever want to repeat, but I also… I need to… Can I be honest?” You spoke softly, glancing up from your hands to meet Jack’s gaze, and he nodded encouragingly at you. 

“I wasn’t just upset because you made me feel like I was inconveniencing you, or cock-blocking you -” It was Jack’s turn to cringe. “I think I was upset because I was jealous. Because that will never, ever be me. And I think… I think I want it to be? Maybe? Fuck, I don’t know!” You dropped Jack’s hand and stood up from the couch, and started to pace the room. 

“Sugar, please sit down.” Jack pleaded, and you paused, looking back at him on the couch. One look was all you needed, and you narrowed your eyes at the smirk on his dumb face. 

“Why are you smirking? I am experiencing emotional distress, you asshole.” You seethed, running your hands through your hair in frustration.

“Tell me more about this jealousy thing. I’m intrigued.” Jack’s tone was light and teasing, and washed over you like sour milk. Your head whipped in his direction and your face must’ve said a thousand words, because Jack’s smirk soon disappeared and he hurriedly stood up and walked over, reaching out to touch you. 

“See, this -” You jabbed a finger into Jack’s chest. “This is why I have avoided this conversation for almost my entire life. Because you think it’s hilarious that we could ever go down that path. That we could ever be something more than what we are. Because I’m not good enough,or pretty enough, or just enough and I never will be, and I hate it. I hate it so much.” Your voice cracked on the last few words, and you felt the hot tears start to bubble out of your eyes and stream down your face. 

Jack didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. He pulled you into a hug, bringing his hand up to your face and gently brushing away the tears with his thumbs. 

“Breathe, sugar. You need to calm down.” Jack said quietly, willing you to calm. That just made you cry harder. 

You were about to pull away, when you felt Jack cup your face with both hands, before leaning in to kiss you.