Work Text:
“You’re so shit, man.”
Jack can’t help but feel hurt by Tommy’s words; they may be friends, but recently Tommy’s bit of bullying him seems to have bled over into the times when there’s not a camera shoved in his face. It’s worse however when they’re sat side by side on the edge of Tommy’s bed, playing quite possibly the most aggressive game of Mario Kart the world has ever seen, and Jack can’t decide if he wants to win, or turn his head just so and kiss Tommy.
It’s a scary thought, but not the first time he’s had one of such nature. Their age gap is… Somewhat concerning, but as Tommy grows older and closer to eighteen, it’s hard for him to keep the distance. The main thing stopping him at this point is the knowledge that Tommy is painfully straight; he’s made it so clear he likes women, over and over again, and so Jack keeps himself in check.
“Shut up,” he opts to say, “I’m good at this.”
To punctuate his sentence, he flies off the edge of the map, and curses under his breath. Tommy just laughs.
“See? Absolute shit. You suck, Jack.”
“Shut up ,” Jack mutters, genuine frustration starting to edge his tone. Tommy, however, doesn’t seem to pick up on this, and punches the air triumphantly as he finishes in first.
“Fuck yeah! Suck on that, Manifold!”
Jack tries not to tense up too much as he flies off the map yet again, failing to even place at the last second. “Fuck’s sake.”
“You’re actually so shit.”
Shit. Idiot. Loser. The terms float around in his head, echoing Tommy’s voice back at him. He puts down the controller as calmly as he can manage.
“Okay, what the fuck is up with you?” Jack turns his head to meet Tommy’s gaze despite wanting to look anywhere else in that moment. “Do you hate me or something?”
“What?” The grin on Tommy’s face fades in an instant. “Why would you think that, man?”
Jack arches an eyebrow. “Really? After all the shit you’ve said to me recently- even just now- you ask that?”
Tommy’s gaze falls to his lap, where he fiddles with his controller. “Did it really upset you that much?”
Jack frowns a little; Tommy sounds so small , and afraid, like he’s ruined everything. “It hurt, man.”
“I’m sorry.” Tommy’s grown quieter still. “I’m shit at feelings.”
“Hey.” Without thinking too much, Jack reaches out to put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “It’s fine. I suck at feelings, too.”
“You don’t get it.” Tommy meets his gaze again. “I meant- Oh, fuck it.”
Tommy moves forward in one fluid motion, pressing his lips to Jack’s own harshly. Too stunned to react, Jack sits still, unresponsive, and Tommy jerks away quickly.
“Shit- fuck- sorry-”
Tommy doesn’t have time to get out an apology before Jack’s hand finds it’s way into his hair and he’s pulled into another kiss. Jack takes it slow, keeping his hand tangled in Tommy’s hair.
When they break apart, Tommy meets his gaze carefully, and Jack just smiles. Mario kart music plays softly in the background, long forgotten now.
“You calling me shit every five seconds was your idea of flirting, wasn’t it?”
“… Shut up.”
Jack laughs, and fondly says, “Idiot.”
“You’re still shit at mario kart.”
“Fuck you.”
The two break into quiet laughter. Jack’s pretty sure that now, he’s okay if the bit continues- only he and Tommy will know the true intentions behind it, anyway.