#the great food truck race is so fun cause i mention it to anyone and they’re like ‘yeah no i love that show’

[dearreader]

ohhhh i just realized that if spring is here then that means a new season of the great food truck race hosted by chef tyler florence will be here in a few months

[we-are-inevitable]

burning house // javid (small town au)

A/N: I FINISHED IT !! inspired by an amazing anon ask i got !!

WARNINGS: implied child abuse, injuries, breakdowns, mentions of slurs (said by a queer character)

Read On AO3!

***

“We should make out.”

David’s head snaps to the left, eyes wide as he stares at Jack. Jack, who is nursing a Sonic sweet tea, still in a pearl-snap dress shirt and starched jeans. They’re still sitting in Jack’s truck in David’s driveway, having just left a wedding; one of Racer’s sisters, who Jack has known for ages. David didn’t really know anyone besides Jack, Racer, Albert, Kath, and Charlie, but it was fun. 

It was fun, and now Jack wants to make out, and--

“I’m sorry, what?”

David asks, confused; he blinks a few times, trying to force himself to process what Jack had just said. Trying to will the flush in his cheeks to go away.

But then there’s Jack, looking at David through his eyelashes as he repeats, “We should make out.”

David freezes. Gulps, and his hands clench at his sides. 

Jack stares at him for a few seconds, before that signature Kelly grin of his sinks into a smirk. “I mean, can you imagine what Snyder’d say? Old bastard would have a heart attack. It’s worth a shot, if ya ask me.”

One by one, the pieces start coming back together, and- oh. Oh, right.

They were talking about how much of an asshole Snyder had been at the wedding. Kept making inappropriate comments about some of Racer’s sister’s friends- college kids, no doubt having been raised in this very town. Those comments turned into drunken rants about women, and then the transphobia hit full force, and then Snyder went on a very loud, very homophobic tangent.

Directed at David.

Snyder had been thrown out of the wedding after that; a few of the older fellas in town dragged him out, just because he was ‘causing a scene’ at the reception. It wasn’t like they were defending David- no, they likely agreed with everything Snyder was saying- but at least they had the decency and respect not to ruin the wedding of a lovely young woman by spewing hateful opinions.

Jack and David had left soon afterwards, after congratulating the bride and groom and saying one last goodbye to Racer, Albert, Charlie, and Kath.

And now, here they are, in Jack’s shitty truck, eating greasy food and sipping on too-sweet sweet teas, talking about… making out.

“I… Okay, elaborate, because- because I don’t understand what you’re saying,” David admits, raising his brows. “You want to… make out with me, just to piss off Mr. Snyder?”

Jack nods, then tilts his head and beams at David. “We might get lucky- Davey, there’s a chance’ll drop dead if he sees it. Wouldn’t that be great?”

David can’t hold back his soft bark of laughter. “I mean, if you’re really okay with it, then I don’t see why not,” He admits, and gulps. “You… you are okay with it, right? Like, the whole--”

“Are you askin’ if I’m okay with kissin’ you, when I was the one to bring it up?” Jack raises a brow. “C’mon, Davey, use that brain ‘a yours. ‘Course I’m okay with it.”

David studies him, just for a moment, and sees the sincerity in those deep brown eyes… It’s almost disorienting, the way that Jack would so willingly give up his status around town just to prove a point, just to support David, just to make a bigoted man angry.

And, okay, maybe it doesn’t help that David has wanted Jack to kiss him for a while now. And, yeah, maybe David agrees because this might be the only chance he has to kiss Jack Kelly.

After a few moments of silence, David sucks in a deep breath and says, “That's the least heterosexual thing you've ever said, but… Okay. Tell me the plan.”

***

Kissing Jack is the easiest thing David has ever done.

There’s tongue, there’s teeth, there’s a formulated desperation in the way Jack balls his fist against David’s shirt, the way he presses their fronts together, the way one of his arms winds up and around David’s neck.

It feels so real, so right, but then Jack pulls away and turns his head and says, “Oh, sorry, Snyder! Didn’t see ya there.”

And then it’s a race to hop out of the bed of Jack’s truck, climb into the cab, and peel out of that church parking lot before Snyder has a chance to get a hold of them.

David’s heart is racing, but it’s not from the adrenaline of running from Snyder.

David’s heart is racing, and Jack Kelly’s kiss is the culprit.

***

Jack doesn’t talk to David at all after he drops David off at his house.

David sends him a few texts, but they all go unread, which isn't a very usual occurrence. 

The next day, too, Jack is nowhere to be found at school; which is great , because David is alone for the most part, and David being alone means he gets shoved against the lockers by the Delancey brothers and is called every slur in the book. It doesn’t stop until Sean Conlon walks up and makes the other guys go away; David hasn’t really talked to him all that much, but he’s seen him at Jack’s rodeos and he knows that Sean knows who he is, knows that he's a friend of Jack's, so maybe that’s why he’s helping right now. 

“Those assholes need to stop causin’ trouble,” Sean says as he shakes his head and helps David up. “You okay, man?”

“Yeah,  I- I’m good, I think,” David sighs. “I’m used to that-- it’s fine, really. Thank you.”

Sean studies him for a moment, then frowns. “It ain’t fine and you know it,” He counters. “They give you anymore shit, come find me. I’ll set ‘em straight.”

Davit smiles sadly, and nods. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” He says, then gulps. “Hey- uh… Have- have you seen Jack today?”

Sean looks up at him, brows furrowed, and he shakes his head. “Nah. He didn’t respond to my text this mornin’, either. Somethin’ happen between you two?”

“What do you mean?”

Sean shrugs, and rubs the back of his neck. “Well, y’all are a thing, ain’t ya? Caught kissin’ at the church.”

David’s eyes widen just slightly, and he gulps. “...How do you know about that?”

“I--” Sean pauses, and he takes in a deep breath. It must hit him that this isn't what he thinks it is; Jack and David aren't together, and what happened isn't what the rumors are saying… He frowns, and looks up at David. “Honestly, some ‘a the fellas were talkin’ about it this mornin’ at the feed store. It’s not a secret anymore. I’m sorry.”

“Everyone knows?"

Sean nods.

It takes David a few moments to register what Sean has said, but eventually, it hits him like a blow to the chest. David sucks in a deep breath and nods, hands clenching, and without saying another word, he hurries down the hall and out the side door that leads to the courtyard. He can’t- he can’t stay at school. Not today, at least; or ever.

Not until he finds Jack.

***

“Hey, this is Jack. Sorry I can’t get to the phone right now! Leave a message after the beep.”

David rubs his forehead, waits for the sound, and says, “Hey, it’s… me again. I know this is- this is my fourth time calling, and I’m sorry, I just… I wanna make sure you’re alright? So, uh, I guess, call- call me back when you get this. Or don’t; you don’t- you don’t have to, I just… I’m sorry.”

The line goes dead, and David drops the phone.

***

He doesn’t hear from Jack all weekend.

Not until Sunday, at least. David is lying in bed that evening, reading one of his books for class, when all of a sudden his phone lights up beside him.

He looks up from the page and gulps, seeing Jack’s name and number flashing across the screen. Part of him wants to ignore it, like Jack’s been ignoring him, but he can’t do that. He can’t. Not now, not after everything; if David ignores it, then what good will that bring to their friendship? 

David grabs the phone and answers, sitting up. “Hello?”

“I’m outside,” Jack says, taking a deep breath. “Can- Can you come outside? I’m in the truck, I just--” He pauses, and David gulps. “I’m- I'm sorry, just… please , Davey...”

“I’ll be out there in a second,” David whispers, and hangs up the phone. He hurries to get dressed; all he does is put on a hoodie and change into a pair of sweats, and he quickly pulls on his Converse as well, before gathering his essentials- phone, wallet, house keys- and hurrying out of his room and down to the front door.

At least, he tries to.

“David, where are you going?”

David stops in his tracks and looks back to the voice- his mother, who is standing in the kitchen. He rubs the back of his neck. “I-... Jack needs me. He’s outside. He sounded shaken up about something, so…”

Esther frowns, and steps forward. “Is he alright?” She asks, concerned, but then she shakes her head. “No- it’s none of my business. Let him know he’s welcome inside, dear, and… Just- Just be back in time for school in the morning."

"Thank you, Ima," David says with a sad smile, before taking a deep breath and walking out the front door.

Just like Jack said, his truck is parked in the driveway. Jack himself had gotten out and is now leaning against the truck, his head down and his arms crossed and he looks so… so small . David walks a little faster.

He also notices, as he comes closer, that Jack is in unusual clothing for himself; David has only seen Jack in sweats and a hoodie a few other times in their six months of friendship, so seeing it now is… alarming. He's used to the cowboy getup; the boots, the jeans, the crisp button down and wide brim hat. But this, this is completely new territory. He nearly doesn't recognize him.

Nonetheless, David comes up to stand a few feet in front of him, biting his lip. "...Jackie?"

Jack doesn't look up. Instead, he takes a deep, shuddering breath, and his breath catches in his throat when it does so- he sounds like he's hurt, but he still doesn't take his gaze off of the ground before him. "Davey, I-- Just to clarify, we're still friends, and I ain't just- I ain't just dropping you, 'cause you're one of- one of the best friends I've ever had, but I- I can't… hang out with you in public anymore. And- And I know how bad that sounds, and I'm so sorry, I d-don't want to do this either, but--"

"What? Jack-- Jack, look at me," David cuts in, taking a few steps forward. That entire tangent is a lot to process. Jack can't see him anymore? He's never seen Jack like this; this is something new, something… scary. But Jack still refuses to look up.

David gulps, and continues moving until he's right in front of Jack, who in turn presses himself flat against the truck and winces . "Jackie," David whispers, then hesitantly brings his palm up to rest against Jack's cheek. Jack takes in a sharp breath at that, and then David gently guides Jack to tilt his head up, to look at David, and--

David’s eyes go wide. "Oh, my God , Jack…"

Jack shoots him a sad smile- but its not like he can smile very wide, with his busted lip and his black eye. They aren't exactly fresh wounds; Jack's lip is scabbed, and the coloration of his bruise says that it's at least a few days old… David gulps hard, covering his own mouth with his hand.

"I- I'm fine, really, just got into a scrape," Jack says with a forced chuckle, but David can see it- the pain, the sadness, the hurt- written all across his face. "I just- I've… been gettin' a lot of people askin' if I'm- if we're a thing, and they aren't- they aren't happy about it, and it- it would be best to lay low, 'cause I- I don't… I don’t know what else to do, and--"

"Who did this to you?" David asks, voice soft, as his hand- still on Jack’s face- tenderly moves from his jaw to his cheekbone. He doesn't mean to ignore Jack's comment, but… right now, this is more pressing than the judgement from the town. 

Jack takes a sharp intake and shakes his head. "I told ya, it- it's nothin', alright? I'm fine, and the face ain't even- ain't even all of it, s-so--"

"Not all of it?" David asks, taking a step back just to look down at Jack. "What else is hurt?"

"Dave--"

"No, Jack. Show me what happened."

And Jack is standing there, teetering on the edge of running away and letting Davey see, but he eventually takes a few quick breaths, furrows his brows, and slowly pulls off the hoodie.

And instantly, David’s blood runs cold.

Jack's sides are littered with bruises. Huge ones, right below his ribs- and right on his ribs, which makes David think there's a reason that Jack looks like it hurts to breathe. There's also a few scrapes on Jack’s skin, which have been scabbed over, and he looks… a mess.

Jack's shaking now, and as David glances up from Jack’s torso to his face, he sees tears welling in his eyes. "Jack…" David whispers, sad and desperate, and Jack shakes his head.

"I-I'm fine, Davey, I- I- I just-" A shallow sob rips from his throat, which seems to surprise him, because his eyes widen and he covers his mouth, as if he were trying to stop it. But David can see that he can't control it, not as the next sob wracks his body, and David watches helplessly as fear shrouds Jack’s features. Jack looks near frantic now, but the tears have begun spilling over, and there's no way of stopping them anytime soon.

Between one moment and the next, Jack is on his knees, one hand supporting his weight while the other covers his mouth. He's shaking so violently, eyes shut tightly as he whimpers and tries to control his breathing, and David feels his heart shattering in his chest for him. 

He drops to his knees in front of Jack, gulping. "Jack, I'm- I'm gonna touch you, alright?" He whispers, waiting a few moments, before he carefully and gently wraps an arm around Jack's torso. With barely any coaxing, Jack climbs into David’s lap and holds on for dear life; the sobs come harder now that his face is hidden within the crook of David’s neck, and they- along with the whimpers of pain, likely from his ribs- make David’s chest tighten.

"You're safe, you're okay," David whispers, as best he can, and focuses on gently rubbing Jack’s back. He shifts, moving from his knees to sit with his back against the truck, and Jack sinks further into his lap, fists balling the fabric of David’s hoodie.

This isn't fair. It's not fair at all, because David should have known the kind of backlash they'd be facing. David should have been able to see it coming; especially for Jack, the town's golden boy, the one that everyone loves, the last person they'd expect to disappoint the community. 

And here Jack sits, broken down by fists and harsh words for something that David encouraged.

Jack doesn’t deserve this.

They stay like this for what feels like an eternity, as Jack has his release and David is there to pick up the pieces. This is wildly new territory; David has never once seen Jack cry, aside from the night that he had to get stitches after Dolly kicked his thigh, but… even then, Jack was laughing through the pain.

David can easily see, though, that this is a different kind of pain.

It takes a long while, but Jack eventually begins to calm down. The sobs are few and far between, now; there are still aftershocks, but for the most part, Jack seems to have gotten it all out of his system. He doesn’t move, though; he's still in David’s lap, still catching his breath, still holding onto him… David just wants to hold him, protect him for hours, but Jack shifts and David loosens his hold.

As Jack sits up, David frowns seeing the tear tracks on his cheeks. It's like David can’t hold back; he reaches up and wipes the tears away with the pad of his thumb, and Jack sniffles. "I-I'm sorry," Jack whispers, shooting David a sad, desperate smile. "That's ne-never happened before."

His voice is a broken thing, high and desperate and choppy and fragile, and David can't help but frown. "It's alright, Jackie, you don’t… You don’t have to apologize for that. Ever . It's okay, you're okay."

Jack nods, not quite believing David's words, but he climbs out of David's lap anyway. He pulls his hoodie back on a moment later, then looks down at his lap. "...I shouldn’t've kissed you," Jack whispers, which makes David turn to face him.

That's all the confirmation David needs. "This happened because of the kiss," He mumbles, gesturing to Jack’s bruises. "Did- Did Snyder do it?"

Jack doesn't answer for a long time.

He looks spacey and out of it, staring up at the stars in the night sky, until he slowly shakes his head. "No," He whispers, hands clenching at his sides. "Not directly, at least. He… He told my dad, and he… Dad didn't take it too well, s-so…"

David’s heart drops to his stomach.

"You… your dad- he did this to you?" David asks, voice soft, and he shakes his head as Jack nods. "Jack, you-- You have to tell someone, he can't just get away with--"

"Who am I s'posed to tell, Davey?" Jack asks, defeated. "Everyone already knows my dad's a piece 'a shit, and no one's done shit about it. He- he ain't ever been good, Davey," Jack frowns, and shakes his wrist- something he does when he's anxious. "The cops don't care, the judge don't care, and he- he's been like this for years, Dave, slappin' me around, but- but… this is the first- the first time it's ever, uh, been… been this bad." Jack frowns. "He said he ain't gonna put up with his son bein'... bein' a fag. I told him to shut the fuck up, and he, uh, started in on me. I shouldn’t've provoked him."

David shuts his eyes and covers his mouth, shaking his head as Jack’s words sink in. He gets it now, why Jack doesn't want to be seen with him for a while; and though it hurts, David would move to the other side of the country in a heartbeat if it meant keeping Jack safe. 

"I… I am so sorry, Jack," David whispers, and reaches over to take Jack’s hand in his own. "None of this is your fault, and you don't- you don't deserve any of that, okay? Not at all. You… you know you don't have to put up with that, right? You- You can move out, come stay with us, and--"

"I ain't gonna put that burden on your folks, Dave," Jack whispers. "'Sides, I… I can't just leave the farm. I still have rodeos comin' up, and I gotta practice with Dolly, and- and it's almost calving season… My dad's too fuckin' drunk all the time to take care of shit like that. I have to stay."

David frowns, and rubs his forehead. Of course Jack wouldn't leave, he's far too stubborn for that, but… but at least the offer is there. "If you're sure," David murmurs, "but the offer still stands."

Jack nods and lets the silence stretch between them. Only for a few moments, though; soon, he squeezes David’s hand and turns to look at him. "Davey," Jack whispers, "I… I need you to promise something."

David looks into Jack’s eyes. "Anything," he whispers, the words heavy, but full of meaning.

Jack grins at David’s response, just softly, but his face falls as he glances away. "If you see my dad, run. Get the hell outta Dodge. Don't try to talk, don't try to give him shit for doing this, just- just run. I don't want somethin' to happen to you."

"Do you really think he'd come after me? Even if you stay away from me?" Davis asks, gulping. "You- you explained what happened, right? That you aren’t--"

"I tried, but I- I guess I wasn't convincing, so--"

"Convincing?" David asks, raising a brow. "You… had to convince him?"

"He tried 'beating the queer' out of me," Jack admits, and gulps harshly. "I- I guess it wasn't enough, 'cause I'm still…"

He trails off, but David picks up on the hint. "Oh, Jack…" He whispers, and looks away. "Are you--"

"I- I don't know yet," Jack sighs. "I… think I still like girls, and… and I ain't ever been with a guy, b-but… I just- I don't know, Davey, it's all t-too much."

David nods, and wraps an arm around Jack's shoulder. "It's okay not to know, alright? It… It was confusing for me too, at first. I'm right here if you ever want to talk about it, alright? I promise."

"Thank you," Jack whispers as moves closer, leaning into David’s embrace. He opens his mouth to speak again, but reluctantly shakes his head and rests against David’s chest in lieu of responding.

They sit there for a long while. The breeze has picked up- the grass sways, and the fields around the property and across the street seem to be teeming with life. David can hear livestock and insects all around them, but he chooses to focus on Jack’s breathing, on Jack’s soft sighs next to him.

Under different circumstances, David would love this. He would have loved holding Jack, and being so close to him, but now… Now all he wants to do is keep Jack safe and never let him leave his side.

David turns to look down at Jack, who has his eyes trained on the stars above. He watches him for a moment, before slowly nudging his arm. "Jack?"

"Hm?" Jack looks up at David, meeting his eyes.

"Stay the night."

Jack tilts his head, and raises a brow. "Davey, I--"

"Jack," David murmurs, frowning. "Please, just… stay. Let us take care of you."

Jack stares at him, just for a few moments, before slowly nodding. "...If you're sure," Jack says softly, and looks toward the house. "Your ma won't mind?"

David scoffs. "I think she likes you more than she likes me. She won't mind at all," He says with a grin, then stands up and holds a hand out to Jack. "They… They're gonna have questions, though."

"I know," Jack sighs as he stands, using David's hand, and he soon rubs his face. "I wanna- I wanna tell them, but… will they tell anyone else?"

"They might try," David admits, and rubs his arm. "They just wanna help. You can explain everything to them, just… just know that, no matter what, you'll be safe here with them. With us. Okay?"

"Okay," Jack murmurs, staring up at the house. With a sigh and a decisive nod, Jack takes David’s hand.

They walk hand in hand up to the house, up the front steps of the porch and to that heavy wooden door. They walk in, into the warmly-lit living room, into the warmth of the home, into the safest space in the entire town.

Jack looks at David and smiles. Mouths thank you, and turns to face Esther and Mayer.

All with David’s hand in his own.