Work Text:
Jay leaned on the back of his car, hands in his pockets. He watched the night sky. The group had just finished filming. Seth and Alex already left. It was just him and Tim in the parking lot. Jay decided to stay outside for a while. He needed to calm his nerves. Alex had been in a pissy mood that day. Jay hated getting yelled at… And Alex was yelling. A lot.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Jay made his shoulders relax. Although, when he opened his eyes, he saw Tim heading over to him. His shoulders tensed up again.
“You okay?” Tim asked, leaning against the car beside him. Jay just nodded. “Yeah. Recovering.”
“Alex was such a douche today. I can't believe he shoved you like that,” as Tim spoke, the memory flooded through Jay's head.
“Alex, calm down!” Seth tried. Jay stood in front of Alex, almost cowering. Alex was yelling some nonsense about how it was Jay’s fault they couldn't get a scene right. Jay tried to explain, but he got less than a sentence out before Alex shoved him. He fell backwards, landing on the ground with a sharp thud. Tears sprang to his eyes, but he fought with them. Seth held Alex back as Tim ran over to make sure he was fine.
“Yeah…” is all Jay replied with. He looked back up at the sky. There were no clouds. The stars shone bright. The moon shone just as bright. It was almost a full moon. Not quite, but close enough. Tim glanced over to him and followed his gaze. He looked up at the stars, immediately spotting some familiar constellations.
“I haven't seen a night this clear in a while. There's Corvus… Virgo… You can see a bit of Hydra… The treeline covers most of it, though,” Tim spoke, his voice was gentle for once.
“You know star stuff?” Jay asked, looking over to him. Tim just shrugged. “I had nothing to do for a couple years. I have a telescope somewhere at my place.”
Jay’s eyes shined. Tim looked over at him. He saw the expression on his face and sighed. “I don't have anything to do tomorrow… So I guess… I could show you,” Tim didn't make eye contact with him. Thank god it was night… Tim’s face burned red. Jay smiled wide. “Yes!” he practically cheered.
“Do you wanna follow my car, or just ride with me? After an hour or so, I can drive you back up here to get your car.”
Thinking for a moment, Jay responded. “I'll follow. It's no big deal,” with that, Tim nodded and got into his car. Jay got to his own, and they both drove to Tim’s. When they arrived, Tim led him inside. “You can just hang out while I find the telescope. I'm pretty sure it's in my closet somewhere,” Tim grinned. When Jay nodded, he walked off to his room.
Being left with his thoughts, Jay sat on the couch. He messed with his hands, staring at the calluses and hangnails. He chewed on his lip as he thought. Tim wasn't his friend… They never considered each other friends. Their passive aggressive comments toward each other confirmed that… Right?
Jay thought about it all. Maybe tonight they could get along. His mind wandered. He thought about Tim. He couldn't count how many times he'd found himself staring at his lips. He always wondered what they would feel like… Taste like. He looked at the peeling dead skin on his fingertips. Thoughts he would never have imagined before crossed his mind. What would Tim look like shirtless? Even…
‘No.’ Jay thought, forcing the thoughts away. He furrowed his eyebrows as he bit his lip. Tim came back pretty soon with a telescope in his hands. It was pretty much what Jay was expecting.
The two headed outside. Tim set the telescope up on the back porch and looked through the scope. He pointed it to the moon before he let Jay look. Jay stared through the scope. It was like he could reach out and touch the moon. It was amazing.
Behind Jay, Tim stood, watching. He looked up at the sky before he had an idea. Jay scooted over as Tim took the telescope and pointed it somewhere else. Jay looked back through the telescope. He was amazed… The views were amazing. He never thought much of space before. Now this… It was beautiful. Tim found himself staring at Jay. The soft smile that sat on Jay’s expression… It was a die for. Jay began to pull away from the scope. Tim’s head shot up to look at the sky. He was thankful for the night… It hid his blush.
“This is… Incredible…” Jay turned to face Tim. “Yeah. I haven't really… Used this thing in a while. It's been a couple years. College really… Threw me of course,” he commented. Jay leaned back, sitting on the back porch. Sure… There were some chairs beside the two of them… But the floor worked just fine.
Jay rested his hand on the floor beside him, putting most of his weight on it. He watched the sky. For the first time in a while, he relaxed. Alex’s film had him so stressed all the time. He felt like if it wasn't perfect, he'd be a complete failure… Some of that showed that day. Jay’s smile faded as he thought about it.
“Hey! Alex! That's enough!” Seth had yelled. “Are you okay?” Tim asked, helping Jay up. Jay yanked his arm away from Tim’s grip. “I'm fine,” he said, firmly. Jay walked away from the group. He wiped his eyes of any stray tears that may have stuck around. He then crossed his arms, gripping the sleeves of his shirt like his life depended on it. His hands shook.
“So, how long do you plan on staying?” Tim asked. Jay took it as a sign that he should leave. “Sorry… I'll go,” as Jay began to get up, Tim grabbed his sleeve. Jay whipped his head around to face him. “You can stay! I just meant that…” His voice trailed off as he looked up at Jay. They both froze, staring at each other. As Jay’s eyes trailed down to Tim’s lips, Tim looked down at their hands.
Tim realized that he was almost holding Jay’s hand… If he could just move a little bit…
Jay cleared his throat. Tim dropped his hand and mumbled a short “sorry” before Jay sat back down. Now they were both thankful for the darkness that hid their blush.
“Sorry-”
“Sorry-”
They both said at the same time. They turned to face each other as they spoke simultaneously. Both of their faces were stained with bright red blush.
Slowly, Jay rested his hand on the floor. Accidentally, he brushed his hand against Tim’s. While Jay yanked his hand away, Tim stared down at his hand. Jay waited a second before he placed his hand back down, making sure to keep to himself. “Sorry, I don't… Today’s been a lot, huh?” Jay tried to joke, wanting to move on from what just happened.
Tim kept glancing down at their hands. “Yeah, I guess so…” he mumbled. He gently brushed his pinky over Jay’s as he began to stare out at the grass in front of them. While he did that, Jay whipped his head around once again to look at Tim. Jay looked down at their hands. He got to see Tim intertwining their pinkies. Tim looked over to Jay for a moment. They stared at each other for a second. Tim glanced down at their hands and then out at the grass. Jay just stared at him as he did so. Jay couldn't help it. He gently moved his hand, allowing Tim to hold more of it. Tim quickly looked back over to him. His eyes trailed down to Jay’s lips. He stared, his mind wandering.
“Is this… Okay?” Tim asked, looking back up at his eyes. Jay hesitated before nodding. “Yeah… I think so,” he replied. “You think so?” Tim began to worry. “I don't want to do anything unless you know you're okay with it…”
Jay froze for a moment. He seemed to think about it. He glanced over Tim’s shoulder, then over his own. He was checking to see if anyone could see them.
“I'm okay with it,” he confirmed. Tim nodded. They paused for a while. Jay gently separated his lips only a little before felt himself involuntarily lean in just a bit. Before he knew it, Tim was leaning in too. Tim closed his eyes. He was barely a couple inches away from Jay before he froze. Jay felt his breath on his own. It felt like heaven.
Tim closed the distance. Jay felt a shockwave run through him. He returned the kiss gladly. The warmth of Tim’s lips would never leave his head. It was all he could ever wish for. He tasted like cigarettes with just a slight mix of vanilla. His lips were soft. With how rough they looked, he was surprised by how soft they were. It didn't last very long though. When they separated, they stared at each other.
Taking Tim’s hand fully in his own, Jay’s eyes landed on Tim’s lips… Again. A soft grin formed on Tim’s face. With his free hand, Tim rested his hand on Jay’s shoulder. It was Jay’s turn to close the distance between them. He kissed Tim, happily. This kiss lasted a little longer. Their lips danced against each other. It was almost cliche how perfect the kiss was. Their breaths were short against one another. Jay’s free hand rested on Tim’s neck, pulling him closer.
When they pulled away from each other again, they rested their foreheads together. “You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that,” Tim mumbled, softly. “I had no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Jay smiled. They both laughed.
“I like you so much, Jay…” Tim confessed. “I would hope so after a kiss like that,” Jay pulled away from him entirely and looked at him. A fond expression crossed his face. “I'm sorry for being kind of a dick to you since we met,” Tim sighed. “I guess I just needed an excuse to push down how I felt.”
“I was just as much of a dick to you,” Jay replied. His hand was still firmly in Tim’s. “Wow…” Jay looked away from him. He looked out at the grass. “What?” Tim asked, scooting closer to him. “You're an amazing kisser,” Jay blushed.
Tim found himself blushing as well. “How about we go inside and… Kiss some more?” Tim offered, albeit awkwardly. Jay snickered as he looked over at him. He stood up, pulling on Tim’s hand. “Come on,” Jay smiled. Tim got up and followed him inside. Shutting the door behind them, they headed to the couch.
They sat down, leaving barely any space between them. Tim hesitantly wrapped his arms around Jay and pulled him close. “You're not good at this, are you?” Jay laughed. Tim sighed and shook his head, grinning. “It's okay, me neither,” Jay admitted. The pair kissed once again, holding each other close.
Pulling away, Jay began to speak. “I'm so glad you invited me over,” he smiled. “Me too,” Tim smiled as well. Jay looked down at his watch. It was almost 10PM. “How about… Thirty more minutes,” Jay offered, basically on top of Tim by that point. “Sounds good to me,” Tim agreed. Once again, they kissed. They kept at it for a while. They would pull away for a minute or two to catch their breath before going right back to kissing. It was… Wonderful.
Eventually, Jay had to leave. He stood by the front door with Tim. “Thank you,” Jay mumbled, holding his hands. “Nobody will know, okay?” Tim looked up at him. Jay just nodded. “Nobody will know.”
As he waved his goodbyes, Jay headed out to his car. He couldn't stop the goofy grin that plastered across his face. His cheeks were slightly flushed as he got in the car and drove off. The original plan of Tim showing him astronomy stuff… Didn't last very long. They got a bit distracted.
The next morning, Jay dreaded going to Brian’s house. He stayed up the whole night overthinking. What if Tim was leading him on? What if it was some kind of joke? Would Tim do that?
He skipped breakfast, immediately going to his car after getting ready. Once Jay started the car, he took a deep breath. He gripped the steering wheel before he started driving to Brian’s house. He really should've thought about this before kissing Tim last night.
Once Jay got to Brian’s house, he knocked on the door, hesitantly. When Alex answered, Jay awkwardly stared at him for a moment. Alex stepped aside and let him in. Jay just kind of shuffled past him. He got to the living room and made eye contact with Tim.
Jay quickly looked down, sitting on the couch. Tim was standing against a wall. Brian was sitting on a chair next to the couch. Alex quickly walked over and plopped down on the couch next to Jay.
The day went by super slowly. Jay would catch Tim staring at him. Jay felt uncomfortable in his own skin. He felt like he was being picked apart by him. Soon, Alex and Brian started filming. Tim wasn't needed yet. Of course, Jay wasn't in the film very often. He had a few scenes with him in it, but that was it.
As Alex and Brian were filming, not paying attention to anything else, Tim finally caught Jay’s eyes. He nudged his head towards the hallway and mouthed something. Jay looked over to the hallway. He assumed Tim had mouthed “bathroom” since that was one of the only rooms down that hall. Jay glanced towards Alex and Brian for a moment. He nodded a short “okay” before Tim nodded as well.
Tim was able to slip away from the group. To Jay’s surprise, neither Alex, nor Brian noticed. Jay hesitated, but he made his way to the hall. He opened the door, and headed into the bathroom. He locked the door behind just to be safe.
Standing against the door, Jay looked up from the floor, and looked at Tim for a moment. “You looked like you had something on your mind…” Tim tried. He stared at Jay.
“Yeah…” Jay began. “I'm… Sorry I kissed you last night,” Tim’s face fell at his words. “I really shouldn't have…”
“Jay… What?”
“It's obvious that you don't like me like that… I shouldn't have done that,” it was almost funny how wrong Jay was. “Jay,” Tim’s eyebrows were furrowed. He had verbally confessed… Hadn't he?
“You're probably just messing with me… Or… Joking… You got what you wanted… Just…” Jay trailed off. He was overthinking. He was voicing those thoughts.
“Jay,” Tim said, firmly. Jay finally looked up at him. Jay’s eyes were watering. “I like you, Jay. I kissed you last night because I like you,” Tim took a couple steps towards him and rested his hands on Jay’s shoulders. Jay just stared at Tim for a moment.
“I've been so mean to you because I didn't want to accept the fact that I have these… Feelings for you. I wouldn't joke about this,” Tim looked him in the eyes. Jay couldn't keep eye contact for very long. He glanced away a few times. Tim caught him glancing at his lips a couple times…
“Look, Jay… I want to…” Tim tried thinking of the right words. He didn't know how to phrase what he was thinking. “I want to be with you, okay?” Tim finally landed on that. His cheeks flushed red at the thought. He didn't know why, but saying that embarrassed him.
“You're… Serious?” Jay asked, eyes displaying a bit of worry.
“If I wasn't serious, I wouldn't have kissed you last night. I like you so much, Jay,” Tim dropped his hands from Jay’s shoulders and took a couple steps back. He leaned against the sink. He sighed. “I'm sorry about being such an asshole to you…”
Jay stared at him. He didn't say anything for a moment. He was finally coming to terms with everything. Tim sounded genuine. Jay took a step forward. “Can I… Kiss you?” Jay asked, his voice was gentle. “God yes,” Tim breathed a sigh of relief.
He stepped forward again. Jay didn't know what to do with his hands. He awkwardly placed one of them on the sink behind Tim.
Jay leaned in to kiss him. Tim felt a rush of warmth race through his body as Jay kissed him. He would never get tired of the feeling of Jay’s lips on his own.
They separated for a moment. They stared at each other for a moment. It was Tim’s turn to lean in. They shared another kiss. This time, Tim wrapped his arms around Jay’s waist. Jay rested one of his hands on the back of Tim’s neck.
The world seemed to stop for a minute. In that little moment, everything revolved around them. It was all… Just them.
Jay hummed in surprise as he felt Tim’s tongue brush his bottom lip. He acquiesced to the silent request. They both stood there in the bathroom for a while. Time seemed to vanish around them as they felt the pure bliss of what was happening.
As Jay felt Tim’s hand brush against the skin under his shirt, he quickly pulled away. The touch seemed to yank him back to reality. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, getting any stray saliva off of him.
“We shouldn't be doing this…” Jay mumbled, taking a few steps away from Tim. “Jay…” Tim began. Fear flashed in his eyes. Jay noticed and quickly started speaking again. “No, I mean… We shouldn't be doing this here. In Brian’s bathroom… We've been in here for way too long… Alex and Brian are gonna get suspicious,” Jay began to panic.
Tim glanced over at the door. “Alright… You're right. We'll talk before we leave though… Right?” Tim asked. Jay quickly nodded. “We'll have to keep… Acting like we don't like each other,” Jay glanced down at the floor. Tim just nodded a silent agreement.
“I'll go out there… And if they ask, I'll just say you went to the bathroom after I got out,” Tim quickly thought. Jay just nodded.
With that, Tim quickly left the bathroom. Jay stood over the sink for a second. He turned on the water and splashed his face. It almost felt surreal how quickly things had changed between him and Tim. He took a second to breathe.
When he felt okay enough, he left the bathroom. He joined the rest of the group in the living room.
The rest of the day seemed to go by slowly. Tim and Jay stole glances at each other. They shot each other short smiles.
Things would be complicated for a while… But they could work out the finer details later.
For now… They could just sneak around together.
That would be fine for a while.