Chapter Text
Abbot Hardware rarely had regular customers. Maybe that was why Jack noticed Dennis coming in so often, because there was no one else to notice. Or maybe it was how stupidly cute he was. Oh well.
Dennis became less skittish over time. He liked talking to Sam, at least. Jack kind of got the feeling that Dennis was just tolerating him, but he could forgive it. He knew he was a little…rough around the edges. Anyone who was nice to Sam was a gold star in his book, anyhow.
It was late one afternoon, and they were just about to close for Jack to take the night shift at the station. Sam sat on the counter by the register while he counted change.
They both looked up at the sound of the bell above the door. Dennis stood there in a paint-streaked tee shirt and shorts, bag slung over his shoulder, looking apologetic.
"I know you're about to close," he said. "I'll be super fast."
"Take your time," Jack smiled, feeling Sam practically vibrate next to him.
"Yeah!" Sam agreed enthusiastically. "Take your time!"
Dennis smiled at the kid and found his way through the store with practiced ease. He found what he was looking for, a drill bit, and brought it to the counter. Sam got a terribly mischievous look about him.
"Do you like the beach?" Sam asked, while Jack rang up the items and quietly applied a discount.
Dennis smiled at him, lips turning downward in amusement. "Mhm. That's why I moved here."
"Really? Because you like the beach so much?"
"Well, actually, I haven't been yet."
Sam looked scandalized. Jack had half the mind to tell him to put whatever he was plotting out of his mind, but he wanted to see where he was going with this line of questioning.
"Dad and me are going to the beach this weekend! You should come with us-"
Jack looked up at Dennis. "You don't have to do that…unless you want to."
Dennis smiled amusedly. He looked between the two of them, eyes lingering warily on Jack for just a beat.
He patted Sam's head. "Sure, why not."
Sam whooped and cheered. While he was distracted by his victory, Jack slipped outside with Dennis, holding his bags for him.
"Seriously, you don't have to if you don't want to," Jack said again, searching for discomfort in his blue eyes.
"No, no. Sam's a good kid. It's good to humor kids like him," Dennis said, toying with his shoulder bag. "And…"
"And?"
"And I want to apologize. To you. For the other day, in the diner."
The words came out shattered and stuttered, but obviously rehearsed. Jack thought the way he floundered with it was cute, almost as cute as how he stared at the ground while he did it. God, he was an old pervert, wasn't he?
"That's sweet of you, but it's okay," Jack smiled. "I know I can be a little intimidating."
Dennis laughed, then looked embarrassed, then chuckled. God. "You're not, really. I've just…had some bad run ins with cops before. But…I realize that may have been an overreaction. Sorry."
Jack patted his shoulder, mostly because he wanted to feel of his softness. "You are forgiven. And, don't worry, I get it. I know some real assholes in the department with me."
Dennis smiled and gently took the brown paper bag from him, stepping off the porch. Jack felt like he was a fisherman desperately trying to reel something in, something he didn't fully understand.
"See you Saturday, at noon?" He called.
Dennis turned and smiled. He nodded before slipping his bags into the basket of his bicycle and walking it away. Down the street, he hopped on and rode into the treeline.
Jack leaned on the porch beam. Look, he fell hard and fast, ok? He couldn't help it, he just always knew what he wanted. For now, he'd go inside and talk to Sam, try to put the thought of a pretty young blond out of his mind for the night. Although, he would never have much luck.
Jesus, what would people think? He would basically be a cradle robber.
————————————
Jack felt a little bad that this was Dennis's first beach experience. The beaches of the coast were…ugly, at best. It was windy and cold, but Sam seemed plenty happy to be there. Dennis entertained him, seemingly of his own volition.
They built a pretty kick ass sandcastle, at least. Well, Sam built it and Dennis encouraged him.
The one thing Dennis didn't seem interested in was the water. He agreed to walk Sam in halfway, then retreated when it was up to his knees, despite Sam's pleading.
Dennis padded across the sand back to where Jack was situated, just close enough to the water to keep an eye on Sam, but not far enough in the sand that his prosthetic would make it hard to walk.
"Tuckered out yet?" Jack teased, watching Dennis sit next to him.
Dennis smiled. "No, but I hate swimming."
Jack noticed how Dennis had kept his tee shirt on. He didn't say anything about this observation.
"Sam's mom loved the beach," Jack said gently. "She brought him here everyday, maybe that's why he loves it so much. She, uh, she passed when he was barely two years old."
Dennis nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Ah…y'know. I worry about him. Sometimes I think his mom understood him better than I did."
Dennis bumped their shoulders together, turning to look at him. His blue eyes were the same color as the stormy sky.
"If it's any consolation, I've got seven nieces and nephews, and Sam acts just like them. He's a good kid, and you're doing a good job with him."
Jack smiled at him, taking in his sweet face. He let their shoulders keep brushing, which Dennis didn't seem to have any complaints about.
"How about you, huh?" Jack asked. "What brought you out here?"
Dennis shrugged noncommittally. "I, uh, it's dumb," he hummed.
"C'mon, I won't judge."
"I, well, I broke things off with my…partner. We had just gotten engaged but…y'know. I guess they just changed. I came here to figure out who I am, as corny as that is. We were together for so long that I kind of forgot what it was like to just be me."
Jack put an arm around him and patted his shoulder, which was supposed to be a friendly gesture and nothing more, despite the thumping in his chest. However, Dennis leaned his head on his shoulder, cheeks just barely pink.
————————————
"Have you heard?" Jack's friend asked him in the station break room.
Jack rubbed his tired eyes. "Be more specific."
"About the cold case?"
At Jack's raised eyebrows, he went on.
"A couple states over there was a cold case homicide. They dropped it for a few months, but now it looks like the killer's come this way. Their detectives think the suspect might even be in town."
Jack finished his coffee, pretending to look uninterested. However, he later hunted down the file and read through it.
A man was murdered in his home with a kitchen knife. The victims fiancee was reported missing two days later. The suspect was never found. Attached was the photo used on the fiancee's missing persons report. She had long blond hair, tiny freckles, and stormy blue eyes.
Either Jack was going crazy with his disgusting need for this young man, or Dennis looked really similar to her.
Probably the first thing.
————————————
It was late, and raining. The lights in the shop were on because Jack was stocking, but the closed sign was lit up. Sam was tucked into bed upstairs in his room. Rain pattered the old windows.
Jack heard the bell above the door. He raised his head and called, "Sorry we're clo- oh."
Dennis stood in the doorway, soaked down to the bone. "Hey."
Jack barely concealed a laugh. "Hey…you get caught in the downpour?"
"What's it look like?" Dennis gestured to himself.
Jack motioned for him to come in. He hunted down a towel from the backroom and ruffled his hair with it before letting him have it. He shivered just barely, which tugged at Jack's heartstrings a little too hard for comfort.
He went upstairs and grabbed one of his old shirts and sweats, probably older than Dennis, and showed him to the bathroom.
"Thanks," Dennis said with a sigh, bumping their shoulders together when he came back downstairs.
Jack smiled at him. "No problem. You looked…pathetic."
Dennis pinched the arm he was stocking with. Jack chuckled and bumped their shoulders again before patting Dennis's back. "C'mon. I'll give you a ride home," he suggested. Dennis hesitated, but smiled and followed him out to his truck.
They took the ride mostly in silence, aside from the occasional little quip or directions from Dennis. He really did live far out, buried in the woods.
They rolled up to the cabin, old and falling apart. Although, it seemed like Dennis was working hard on it, which explained his many hardware store trips.
He reached for the door handle, muttering a, "Thank you," before he paused. He leaned over Jack's bench seat and pressed a kiss to his cheek suddenly before studying him with his sharp eyes.
Jack felt his face heat up as he wondered if he was dreaming. "What was that for?' He laughed breathlessly.
Dennis seemed a little embarrassed with himself. "You're just really nice."
"Do you kiss every guy who's nice to you?" He chuckled.
Dennis's cheeks got redder by the minute. "Sorry, I just…I assumed you…"
Jack gently grabbed his chin, angling his face up and forcing him to look into his eyes.
"Hey now. I wasn't complaining. But…you can't do that and just scurry off," he smiled.
Dennis smiled back shyly. He leaned over and pressed their lips together properly. Jack let him set the pace, making him lap at Jack's lips before he parted them for him. He put a hand around Dennis's waist.
"Goodnight," Dennis said breathlessly after they pulled apart.
Jack laughed as he watched him hop out of the truck and walk up to his front door, waving him goodbye. He grinned the whole drive home.
————————————
Dennis wrung one hand in his work uniform. "Maybe I'm not…exactly who you think I am."
Jack looked up from his coffee with a raised eyebrow. His thumb stopped rubbing Dennis's palm under the table.
Every Tuesday since they kissed, Jack came into the beach side diner on his break and visited Dennis while he took his own break.
"What's that mean?" Jack asked, studying his nervous face.
"I, uhm, well. Maybe I just…what if i wasn't…"
Jack squeezed his hand. "It's ok. You can tell me."
Dennis swallowed thickly, squeezing his hand back.
"I wasn't born a boy," he whispered.
Jack felt his face soften. He laced their fingers together properly.
"Oh, sweetheart, I don't care about that," he said back, just as quiet.
He watched relief flood Dennis's face. Their hands stayed together under the table until Dennis's stopped shaking and they both had to get back to work.