Chapter Text
Jack spied him from down the terminal hallway. He saw the impatient look on Miles' face brighten as their eyes met, Jack’s dazzling blue to Miles' muted, dusty green. Jack tried not to seem overly excited as he waited for Miles to pass through the gate, brushing his light brown hair off his forehead with his other hand in his pocket. His nerves were jumping and all he wanted was to get Miles somewhere secluded, and quickly, but he took a breath and kept himself under control. Miles smiled at the woman who handed him his luggage and all but ran over to Jack, lips twitching as if he was keeping them from splitting into a bigger grin. He stopped just in front of Jack, hands clutching a beat-up green duffel bag. Jack’s smile was small, quiet, his eyes calm behind his sunglasses. He was a complete emotional tornado inside, but that wasn’t what mattered. Miles opened his mouth, then closed it, unable to make eye contact.
“Good flight?” Jack said finally to alleviate Miles' anxiety. Miles laughed nervously and nodded.
“A little bumpy, and a little slow, but that’s to be expected.” he replied gratefully, shrugging one shoulder uncertainly. Jack bit the corner of his lip, clearing his throat. Damn, but the kid was cute. His open fist was opening and closing, as his mouth had, as if he wanted to touch Jack but was too anxious to try.
“Well, welcome to Arizona,” Jack grinned, holding his hand out for Miles to shake. Miles laughed again and shook. Jack could feel his hand shaking and had to look away for a moment. Everything about Miles was better than Jack had expected; sure, he had seen pictures over the internet and heard his voice over a Skype call, but put together and in real life, it was a little overwhelming. Miles' coyness had become awkward yet adorable shyness, and those eyes...
“Its great, seeing you in person,” Miles muttered as they walked down the rows of airport vendors. He shot Jack a little sideways look, saw that Jack was watching, and jerked his gaze to a tee-shirt stand. Color rose in his pale cheeks like a mini-sunset. “I mean, after talking with your crappy webcam for so long.”
Jack laughed. “I warned you that it was a piece of shit.” Jack retorted, tousling the other teen’s dark hair. It was soft and warm and Jack had to restrain himself from burying his face in it. Miles flinched and glanced up at him questioningly. Jack passed the touch off as nothing. “Anyway, how were your folks when you said you were leaving?” Miles looked down at his feet, a bitter smile on his lips. God, but Jack wanted to touch those lips.
“Oh, they didn’t really say much,” Miles chuckled, shrugging again. “Just that it would be my fault if I got home and my stuff was gone.” he tapped the dusty duffel bag at his side with one hand. “Wouldn’t matter if they did, the stuff I actually need’s in here anyway.” Jack frowned slightly and leaned into Miles' shoulder, wanting to hug him. The harsh lights of the airport held him back, however; Jack had no problem with kissing the kid he’d been waiting to meet for years in public, but he didn’t know how comfortable Miles was, especially with his family situation recently.
“Would they actually sell your stuff?” Jack asked quietly, brushing Miles' fingers with his own.
“Usually I would say no, but these days, I dunno. They might.” He pressed his hand into Jack’s, whose eyes widened fractionally at the response and the words. “All they could sell would be clothes and junk. I took my laptop and my electronics, so they can’t even keep me from going to class everyday.” Miles was taking a college online course that his parents disapproved of. They thought rich kids should go to school with the other rich kids, despite Miles' introvertedness and knack for hacking and programming. More and more Jack was coming to hate Miles' parents. His own had no idea that Jack had asked a teen a few years younger than himself to come to his apartment from half a country away, or that he preferred men to the skinny, pretty girls they kept introducing him to at parties.
“My car’s out here,” Jack said, pointing to the terminal exit. The arid air waited just outside of the air conditioned hall and Jack longed for it. The too-clean smell of the airport was starting to annoy him. As the doors hissed open, Jack squeezed Miles' hand. “You can stay out here as long as you like, I don’t mind.”
“When you start to get to know me for real, you might,” Miles grinned slightly, gasping when the dry air hit them. “Damn, its hot.” He grimaced and shook out of Jack’s hand, fanning himself frantically. His square glasses fogged up, clouding his eyes.
“You’ll get used to it,” Jack said cheerily, leading him to the car garage and his small black Camry. Miles collapsed in the passenger side, looking helplessly at the red landscape.
“That’s a mountain,” he said weakly as Jack started the car. “Yeah, it is.” Jack’s voice had a hint of a question in it. Miles buckled his seatbelt and waved at the scenery. “I’ve never seen a desert before!” he exclaimed, giving Jack an indignant look. “I’ve never seen a real live cactus - wait, is that a palm tree? And another mountain? Is the sky always this blue?!” Jack’s quiet laughter escalated in volume until Miles stopped talking, blushing fiercely.
“I’m glad I could show you this, then.” Jack chuckled, taking one hand off the wheel to muss the kid’s hair again. Miles stuck his tongue out, but he was smiling. Jack was more than happy to take his mind off his parents. “My apartment’s really close, only five minutes or so, and yes, there’s air conditioning inside.” Miles gave such an emphatic sigh of relief that Jack started laughing again. They chit chatted all the way to Jack’s cheap Phoenix apartment, mostly about what had happened between the last time they had talked over Skype until now. Jack hadn’t felt more alive and more awake than he did in a very long time. Everything was brighter and better, the air cleaner. He could smell Miles' deodorant over the dry scent of the cooled air as well as his own, slightly stronger. They got out of the car and went up the four flights of outdoor stairs to Jack’s apartment. The whole building was a dark orange-red, made to look rustic and inviting. The tourists were all on the first two floors while the poorer residents of Phoenix inhabited the top two. Currently, Jack’s was the only occupied room on the top floor. By the time they got to his door, Miles was panting, shoulders drooping and glasses hanging off his nose. Jack asked him if he was okay, concerned.
“I’m really in good shape,” he replied, wiping his forehead and blinking when his arm came back dry. “The air is just really thin and dry here, that’s all.” Jack let him into the apartment, twisting the air conditioner’s dial before shutting and locking the door. The windows were shut, and the interior of the room was dark and cool. Miles stood in the middle of the tiny living room, bag weighing down one shoulder considerably. He fidgeted, black Keds rubbing together. Jack smirked and grabbed the duffel bag, dropping it in the guest bedroom. The apartment was surprisingly roomy, a two bedroom - one bathroom - one kitchen/living room deal. The guest room was barren, as Jack spent most of his money on the rent, so Jack suggested they go into his room, where it was more furnished and not unnaturally white and bare. Miles agreed, a grin playing on his lips. Jack opened the door slowly, watching Miles' eyes light up when he looked inside. Jack had the urge to pick the kid up and throw him onto the bed, but he let Miles walk inside and turn around the room.
“Oh wow.” he said softly, green eyes wide and sparkling. The room was basic, gray walls with dark red trim, the bed messily made with a dark gray and black comforter/sheet set, the floor hardwood and actually cleared of clothes and junk for once. Jack’s clothes were in two piles in one corner - one pile dusty and stained, the other clean but wrinkled.
“Sorry its a mess, I’m not really the housekeeping type.” Jack put his hands in his pockets, watching Miles' face. He was like a child, eyes wide with amazement.
“Its fine,” he said absently, gazing up at a band poster. “My parents would never let me do this, oh wow.” he went to Jack’s photography wall, currently plastered with pictures of the autumn sunsets that Jack had taken most recently. On the center shot was a large, sandy rock with a gecko perched atop, looking inquisitively into the camera lens. “You were so lying when you said you sucked at taking photos.” Miles said accusingly, glaring at Jack. Jack shuffled his feet.
“These are the good ones, that’s all,” he mumbled. There was a reason he kept his photography in his apartment. Miles was having none of it. He strode over to Jack and stood on the toes of Jack’s flat sneakers, looking up at him scoldingly.
“These are great, and I’m sure the others were just as good.” he muttered, trying to keep a smile away. Jack raised his eyebrow and took off his sunglasses. Miles' grin slipped when their eyes actually met for the first time. Miles' went wide again with amazement behind his black-rimmed glasses. Pink rose in his cheeks once more. “Your w-webcam really is...” he swallowed hard, blinking. Jack had to bite his lip again; Miles' voice was shaking. “Sucky,” he finished, lips parting. Jack blindly groped for Miles' hand and found it, quivering and sweating despite the dryness. “Its good to see you.” Jack said quietly, voice low. He leaned forward and kissed Miles gently, hoping the brunette wouldn’t freak out. He was shocked when Miles pressed into him when Jack pulled back, licking Jack’s lips nervously. Miles' other hand was gripping the bottom of Jack’s shirt tightly. Miles was breathing unevenly, and Jack couldn’t say too much about his own. The A/C was jacked as high as it would go, but the room felt suffocatingly hot.
“That was the first kiss I ever had with someone I really care about,” Miles said softly, eyes on Jack’s throat, face flushed. Upon hearing that, Jack snapped. He bent forward again and kissed Miles more urgently, delighted when Miles' lips parted for him. He slid his free hand under Miles' arm, fingers spanning the thin waist. Miles' mouth was eager but unsure on his, but Jack took control, tilting Miles' head back slightly. They released their hands only to grab onto another part of each other. Miles stepped in closer to put his arms around Jack, shirt in his fists, and Jack wrapped his arm around Miles' back, one hand in his hair. Their tongues tangled, growing more and more frantic. Jack walked them backwards without breaking apart, easing himself down on his bed and pulling Miles after him. He opened his eyes dizzily, instantly turned on by Miles' desperate, longing expression.
He lifted the smaller teen up and onto his lap, hands creeping under Miles' shirt to feel the heated skin. Miles made an almost silent moan against his mouth that encouraged him to reach higher. Jack’s chilled fingers brushed Miles' nipples and a louder moan escaped the brunette. Jack all but ripped Miles' shirt off, apologizing when the collar got caught on his glasses. Miles, red-faced and panting, yanked his glasses off and tossed them onto one of the piles of clothing in the corner. Jack smiled and pulled Miles' face back down to his, attempting to slow down to calm Miles' nerves. That proved to be the wrong plan as Miles promptly dropped his jean-clad butt onto Jack’s lap, causing all the skin there to jump. Jack’s eyes went wide and he gasped silently. He hugged Miles close, devouring his mouth, and picked him up, slamming him onto the pillows and pressing his slightly larger frame down. Miles' shaking hands tugged at Jack’s shirt ineffectively, so Jack broke their kiss long enough to get his own shirt off. Miles pulled him back down with a fierceness that only turned Jack on more, and the skin on skin friction made it that much better. Another quiet moan of Miles' caused Jack’s lower half to tighten, and Jack made it his mission to coax more of those sounds out of the quiet, shy teen.