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In the dim light hovering over the porch sat John and Jack. John’s house had been burnt to the ground by the mysterious cult circulating in the town, so he had been staying with Jack. John was never the type of person to open up easily, Jack was the one person he felt he could actually be around, along with patty. On Jack's side, he was aware of the grumpy personality of his coworker, yet he still stuck around.
Rested in John's fingers was a cigarette, as usual. The smoke escaped from his lips, curling up as it rose into the cold night air. Jack held a mug in his hand, half filled with lukewarm coffee, staring intently at his grumpy coworker, despite the fact that he hadn’t spoken a word. The two of them sat in silence, not awkward, but a comfortable silence. They had worked together for so long that they had learned to appreciate the silence they shared.
However, the silence didn’t last for long. As John lifted his hand to his lips to take a drag from his cigarette, he paused, inhaling before he spoke.
“I’m tired, Jack.” He muttered, his head rolling back, looking up to the light illuminating their spot on the porch.
Jack’s attention was drawn immediately, his eyes focusing on those of John’s. His light personality in which he usually displayed faded, his brow furrowed, as concern washed over his face. Staring as John drew smoke from his cigarette.
“Like.. How?? What kind of tired?” He prompted, holding the usual softness he has in his voice, this time it was softer, almost. He usually held that lightness in his tone while talking to John, but on this occasion, it was different.
“...Just tired. It’s nothing much.” John murmured. He brought his head back down, averting his gaze as he tapped the butt off of his cigarette onto the wooden floor. “I miss my daughter.” He sighed, letting a puff escape his lips once more and watching it dissipate into the cold.
The air shifted, although Jack had seen those words through John’s actions, he felt surprised for him to say it, as he only ever stated it rarely. Jack’s gaze flew down to the mug propped in his hands in between his legs.
“I know,” Jack murmured, letting a few seconds pass before he drew air in his lungs to speak once more. “We’ll find her, John. I promise” He vowed, his gaze meeting that of the other man’s. He spoke tenderly to the grumpy man sat in the chair next to him, his words seeming like they furnished the freezing air that grazed the two men’s skin, the oxygen they shared in their lungs.
The silence returned once more, the only thing that could be heard was the breeze, accompanied by the crickets echoing in the distance, acting as a serenade to the two men sitting together.
John tossed his cigarette aside, grabbing another one from the box in his pocket, reaching for his lighter after. Jack fixated on his movements, his eyes following John’s short hands before shooting his gaze back up to his eyes.
“You want one?” John asked, his voice holding the usual gruff that it does every time he speaks.
Jack raised his eyebrows at the question, usually he would decline, but at this point, he felt tempted to, with everything going on in the town.
“..Sure, I guess one wouldn't hurt.”
Surprised, John met his eye with Jack’s, his eyes blown wider than his usual grumpy half-lidded expression. Every time he asked that question, Jack declined and drank coffee instead, or ate a donut.
“Really?” John questioned, actually surprised that his offer wasn’t turned down.
John’s fingers fumbled inside the box as he reached for a second cigarette, placing his own between his lips and offering the second one to Jack, who tilted forward towards John, so he could light it for him. The shorter man leaned in, getting close enough to place the lighter underneath the two cigarettes so he could ignite them at the same time. A light blush spread over Jack’s face, considering how close they were.
Jack took a drag, his face contorting into a disgusted expression before coughing it up, making John let out a sound between a huff and a chuckle.
“God, that's awful!” Jack laughed, looking down at his cigarette and rubbing the butt on his shoe before tossing it down into the wood floor.
John’s laughter trails off, his eyes drifting to meet the taller man’s gaze. The two of them blushed, noticing they were staring at each other a little bit more than usual. The air between them seemed to thicken, creating an unbearable tension. A spark seemed to ignite in the two of them at that moment. The light from above shined down on them, as the cold air stung their skin, although Jack’s hands seemed overly sweaty.
Although, it didn’t seem to last very long. John decided to break off the moment, turning his gaze away from Jack’s.
“Don’t… Don’t look at me like that.” John huffed.
“Like what?” Jack tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
“You know exactly what you’re doing.”
Jack chuckled before turning his gaze back to the coffee in his lap; it was undrinkable at that point, gone cold in the night air. He was so focused on the man sitting next to him that he only drank half of it. The silence returned once more, the stillness ringing in both of their ears, the only sound any one of them would make was their steady breathing, accompanied by the sound of John inhaling and exhaling from his cigarette. The air was now filled with the aroma of the smoke emitted from John, though Jack didn't mind.
At this point, they had forgotten all about everything that was going on around them, the cult, the missing people, their jobs, all they could do was focus on where they were at that moment, sharing the moment they had together.
“Why don’t we go inside?” Asked Jack. “It’s getting cold.” He added, glancing into John’s tired eyes once more.
“Why not?” He tossed his cigarette on the ground before getting to his feet, gesturing for Jack to follow.
Once they were inside, John plopped himself onto the couch, while Jack set his coffee cup by the sink, the ceramic making a clinking sound as it met the marble counter.
John glared over from where he was sitting, observing his movements, quickly averting his gaze as Jack started making his way over to the couch. He sighed as he lowered himself on the couch next to John, picking up the remote and flipping through some channels, in hopes of finding something entertaining, or at the very least, bearable.
Jack dropped the remote next to him after finding some random live tv show about house renovating.
“You watch this stuff?” John grumbled, with a hint of a playful undertone.
Jack chuckled at his friend’s remark. “I mean, who wouldn’t wanna watch some old lady style get her house renovated?”
“Not me, that's for sure.” John laughed.
As the minutes passed, they found themselves almost inching towards each other instinctively, seeming to find serenity in the tension between them. Jack moved his finger slightly, brushing it against the other man’s.
John turned his gaze to Jack, their eyes meeting, John didn't move his hand, but he brought it closer. Jack smiled warmly at his friend, god, how John hated that look… so kind, so innocent. Acting as if the whole town wasn't crumbling around them.
He turned his head away, yet, before he could even breath, he felt the warm sensation of Jack’s palm, turning John’s gaze back onto him.
“Damnit, Jack.” He huffed, however, he didn't move an inch. Instead, he lifted his hand up to rest on Jack’s shoulder, the soft gaze still fixated on him.
For once, John’s harsh gaze softened by a fraction, his free hand reaching up to hold the hand that was embracing the right side of his face. Not to move it, but to keep it there. Gradually, they inched closer to each other, it felt like instinct at that point. Jack’s heart was pounding out of his chest, he hadn’t been this close to someone in years.
John moved his hand from Jack’s shoulder to the back of his neck, finally closing the gap between the two of them, the taste of coffee and smoke clashing together.
The kiss started gently, but quickly evolved into something more deep and passionate as their lips moved against each other.
“God, I can taste the smoke on you.” Jack whispered, pulling away just enough to speak, before pulling John back in.
Jack’s hand traveled to the back of John's head, his fingers tangling in his curly brown hair. Meanwhile, John's hand was clasped desperately in Jack's shirt.
When they pulled away, they just sat there, staring into each other's eyes in an attempt to process what had just happened between the two of them.
“Fuck, Jack.” John breathed, his head falling over the other man’s shoulder, sighing into the fabric of his shirt, emitting warmth onto his shoulder. Jack wore a soft smile, his arms reaching up to wrap around John.
“I can’t tell you how long I've been waiting to do that.” Jack whispered, pulling John closer.
In that moment, the air seemed to have changed right where they sat, completely replaced by a whole new atmosphere, the tension subsiding into relief. It was just them, and they were both fine with that.