Jack's Room, 33 Apocalypse Ave., Sunday Morning

[bitten_notshy]

After he got back to the island, Jack spent most of the day Saturday parked in front of intentionally bad TV. It was easier not to think about what had happened in Beacon Hills if he was staring at Kardashian Kleavage. He went to bed early, fell into a dreamless sleep.

Sunday had promised more of the same until he checked his school email and realized his midterms were during the coming week. He groaned and turned on his laptop. Werewolf angst could wait: Right now, he had to pull a half-decent paper on the Bayeaux tapestry together if he had any hope of passing the last class for his major.

[OOC: Open to visits, calls, etc.]

Comments

[justlurkinghere]

And Derek was going to give him that 'I don't understand' look for this.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack sighed. Right. Of course this wasn't going to be that easy to explain.

"Sebastien was my guardian from the time I was seven or so," he said, more carefully. "I loved him very much. When I got older, the way I loved him changed. But he was hesitant, to let me fully into his court."

He realized that might be oblique. "To bite me. The vampire/courtesan relationship is very ... intimate. Anyhow, I spent a year trying to argue him into it and getting nowhere. Then Irina seduced me, then Sebastien finally gave in."

Happy ending, right?

"Not much like Kate at all, really."

[justlurkinghere]

"No," Derek said quietly. "I suppose not."

It still didn't sound terribly pleasant if you asked him.

[bitten_notshy]

Probably it wasn't, but Jack was just now realizing it.

He gave Derek a sidelong look. "I just meant that if Kate had come for me at that point, I would have done what you did."

[justlurkinghere]

"Confused sex for love?" Derek replied, emotion completely gone from the words.

[bitten_notshy]

"Yes. That," Jack said. His face didn't quite crumple, but it was close. "I'm still working on that one, if you want to know the truth."

[justlurkinghere]

Derek sighed, trying not to make it obvious that Jack's emotional state was in his scent on this one. "I am too."

And here is where he looked deeply distressed.

"I kissed Stiles."

[bitten_notshy]

"And that's bad?" Jack checked, since Derek's distress was -- about as hard to miss as his own upset.

[justlurkinghere]

"I shouldn't take advantage of him like that," Derek said like that should have been obvious. "I wanted."

He took a breath.

"I really wanted to do so much more."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack blinked. That hadn't been where he thought Derek was going to go, though he perhaps should have seen it coming.

"I don't think it's taking advantage," he said. "Bad form until he's graduated, maybe, but -- it's so different than it was for us."

[justlurkinghere]

"He wants to date." Meaning they had dates. "And I wanted--want--to wait until then. So he can reconsider this whole thing. Just because he seems interested, doesn't mean..."

[bitten_notshy]

"Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do?" Jack guessed. "I can see that. And what does he say?"

[justlurkinghere]

"He hasn't changed his mind." With an unsaid 'yet' in there.

[bitten_notshy]

"I really don't think he's going to."

Not before graduation, anyhow. Maybe at some point years from now, but many things could happen years from now. Derek might change his mind, years from now.

[justlurkinghere]

Derek sighed maturely, slumping back in his seat. "I won't be good for him."

Oh god, Jack. Jack, run.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack shrugged lightly. "If that was the standard, no one would ever have sex again."

[justlurkinghere]

"I'm not bringing you coffee again," Derek muttered.

[bitten_notshy]

"But you saved me from writing a midterm without it," Jack mock-complained. "You can't take that away."

He rubbed under his eyes. "All right. I don't think you'd hurt him. Or no worse than whoever he happened to date would, anyhow."

[justlurkinghere]

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a little messed up," Derek said, accomplishing the perfect deadpan for it.

[bitten_notshy]

"But you hide it so well," Jack deadpanned right back -- though his wasn't quite as perfect as Derek's. "There are lots of messed up people in the world who have love. Why shouldn't you be one of them?"

[justlurkinghere]

Well, for one, he didn't think he deserved it. But that went without saying.

"Remind me of that when graduation happens," Derek said, moving to put a hand on Jack's shoulder in manly solidarity.

[bitten_notshy]

"Of course," Jack nodded seriously, before flashing a quick grin. "Should I remind you to buy lube, too?"

[justlurkinghere]

Derek flushed red at that. "I have--" NOPENOPENOPE. "--I hate you."

[bitten_notshy]

And probably he would hate Jack even more when he finished laughing.

"No, no, I'm glad to know that you're prepared," he said.

[justlurkinghere]

Derek rolled his eyes, hating his life so much. And not at all happy to have sibling teasings from Jack what.

"Have you met Stiles? He'll have plans and research."