I climbed up the stairs and stopped outside the doorway, spying on them before they noticed me. Jack had opened the pocket door that hid his thousands of DVD’s, and he stood in front of it, inspecting his collection. Peter sat at the end of Jack’s bed while Daisy lay curled up in the bed, sound asleep next to Matilda.
“Don’t you have Saving Private Ryan?” Peter asked, looking up at Jack.
“No. I’m not obsessed with war movies like you.” Jack reached up and pulled one off the shelf. “I have lots of ninja movies, though. Or movies with robots. Those are good.”
“I should be happy you’re not pulling out something with ninja robots,” Peter rolled his eyes.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked, tentatively stepping into the room.
“Just trying to find something for Peter to watch, but he’s picky as all hell,” Jack said.
“I’m not picky. I just don’t love something just because it has explosions,” Peter said.
“What’s not to love about explosions?” Jack scoffed. “And besides that, I love lots of movies without explosions. Here.” He grabbed a DVD from a shelf and held it out to him. “Edward Scissorhands. Nothing blows up the whole movie.”
“But you have a crush on Johnny Depp, so that doesn’t count,” Peter shook his head.
“I do not have a crush on Johnny Depp.” Jack rolled his eyes. “And whatever. Do you want a movie or not? You only have like a day to watch this thing. Do you want to spend all the time arguing about what movie it is you want?”
“Hey, don’t rush me.” Peter got up and went over to the rows of DVD’s, brushing past Jack without comment from either of them. “I need to enjoy technology while I have the chance. Who knows where we’re gonna end up after this.”
“Where are you going?” Jack asked, taking a couple steps back so Peter could peruse his DVD’s more easily.
“I honestly don’t know. I’m hoping Ezra can figure something out.” Peter grabbed a movie and flipped it over, reading the back. “I don’t really want to think about it. My plan is to shower, relax, and sleep, because I’m not sure how much I’ll get once we go.”
“I see.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest, and his face tightened a bit. He was worried about Peter, concerned about where the three of them might end up, but he didn’t want to show it.
“Anyway, I think this one will do.” Peter held up Blade Runner.
“That’s what you picked?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “You were just mocking me about my robot movies. And I thought you wanted something about war.”
“I like this movie.” Peter shrugged. “I’m going to go downstairs and watch it, since that’s where I’ll be crashing tonight because my room is dismantled.”
“I have some extra blankets if you want to crash in your old room,” Jack suggested.
“No, I’m good.” Peter walked past me, giving me a small smile, and paused at the doorway. “Is Daisy alright in here?”
“Yeah, she’s fine for now,” Jack nodded.
“Thanks.” Peter waved at him with the DVD and headed downstairs.
I waited until I heard his footsteps disappear into the living room before I went over to Jack. “What was that about?”
“What?” Jack put back his movies on the shelf and glanced back at me. “I just lent Peter a movie. Most of his stuff is still in Australia.”
“Yeah, but you were being… nice.”
“I’m a nice guy,” Jack laughed and pushed a button so the closet door slid shut, hiding all his movies. “And I don’t hate Peter.”
“That’s not what you’ve been saying for like the past year,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Do you want me to hate Peter?” He looked at me, his eyebrows arched.
“No, of course not!” I said quickly. “It’s great to see you getting along. It’s just… strange.”
“I know.” He sighed and looked down at the floor, rubbing his feet along the carpet. “I hate the way Peter feels about you, and I really hate the way you feel about him-”
“I don’t feel anything for him!” I interjected. Jack glanced up at me, and I knew I protested too loudly.
“Well. Whatever. I still don’t like it.” He shrugged. “But you spent two weeks alone with him in Australia, and that turned out fine. I think I can trust you to be around each other for like two days.” He ran a hand through his sandy hair, disheveling it more. “And even if I can’t, he’s my brother, and he’s in trouble. I don’t want the last things I say to him to be in anger.”
“That’s really sweet, Jack.” I touched his arm. “And it’s really mature.”
“No, it’s not mature,” he sighed. “I just can’t hold a grudge. I’m a sucker.”
“You’re sweet, and I love you.” I wrapped my arms around him and smiled up at him.
Jack leaned down and kissed me, his lips pressing warmly against mine. It started out gentle, but quickly worked its way into something more. His arms wrapped around me, pressing me hard against him. His skin burned hot against mine, and his emotions flooded me with their fervor.
“Jack,” I breathed, putting my hand on his chest.
“Oh, right.” His eyes went over to the bed, where Daisy lay buried amongst his navy comforter. He grinned when he looked back, but I felt how disappointed he really was. “If only there wasn’t a small child on the bed, I would totally ravish you.”
“I’m sure you would,” I smiled.
“Too bad.” He gave me a kiss on the forehead and pulled away from me. “I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
“I was just gonna take a shower.”
“I need the cold shower more.” He walked backwards toward the bathroom. “Unless you wanted to join me.”
“That would defeat the purpose of a cold shower, wouldn’t it?” I asked.
“Maybe.” He shrugged and pulled off his shirt, revealing the perfect hard contours of his chest and stomach.
He disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the water turn on a moment later, and he tossed his shorts out into the bedroom, enticing me to join him. I probably would’ve, if it weren’t for Daisy in the room and Peter in the living room below us.
“Don’t you have Saving Private Ryan?” Peter asked, looking up at Jack.
“No. I’m not obsessed with war movies like you.” Jack reached up and pulled one off the shelf. “I have lots of ninja movies, though. Or movies with robots. Those are good.”
“I should be happy you’re not pulling out something with ninja robots,” Peter rolled his eyes.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked, tentatively stepping into the room.
“Just trying to find something for Peter to watch, but he’s picky as all hell,” Jack said.
“I’m not picky. I just don’t love something just because it has explosions,” Peter said.
“What’s not to love about explosions?” Jack scoffed. “And besides that, I love lots of movies without explosions. Here.” He grabbed a DVD from a shelf and held it out to him. “Edward Scissorhands. Nothing blows up the whole movie.”
“But you have a crush on Johnny Depp, so that doesn’t count,” Peter shook his head.
“I do not have a crush on Johnny Depp.” Jack rolled his eyes. “And whatever. Do you want a movie or not? You only have like a day to watch this thing. Do you want to spend all the time arguing about what movie it is you want?”
“Hey, don’t rush me.” Peter got up and went over to the rows of DVD’s, brushing past Jack without comment from either of them. “I need to enjoy technology while I have the chance. Who knows where we’re gonna end up after this.”
“Where are you going?” Jack asked, taking a couple steps back so Peter could peruse his DVD’s more easily.
“I honestly don’t know. I’m hoping Ezra can figure something out.” Peter grabbed a movie and flipped it over, reading the back. “I don’t really want to think about it. My plan is to shower, relax, and sleep, because I’m not sure how much I’ll get once we go.”
“I see.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest, and his face tightened a bit. He was worried about Peter, concerned about where the three of them might end up, but he didn’t want to show it.
“Anyway, I think this one will do.” Peter held up Blade Runner.
“That’s what you picked?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “You were just mocking me about my robot movies. And I thought you wanted something about war.”
“I like this movie.” Peter shrugged. “I’m going to go downstairs and watch it, since that’s where I’ll be crashing tonight because my room is dismantled.”
“I have some extra blankets if you want to crash in your old room,” Jack suggested.
“No, I’m good.” Peter walked past me, giving me a small smile, and paused at the doorway. “Is Daisy alright in here?”
“Yeah, she’s fine for now,” Jack nodded.
“Thanks.” Peter waved at him with the DVD and headed downstairs.
I waited until I heard his footsteps disappear into the living room before I went over to Jack. “What was that about?”
“What?” Jack put back his movies on the shelf and glanced back at me. “I just lent Peter a movie. Most of his stuff is still in Australia.”
“Yeah, but you were being… nice.”
“I’m a nice guy,” Jack laughed and pushed a button so the closet door slid shut, hiding all his movies. “And I don’t hate Peter.”
“That’s not what you’ve been saying for like the past year,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Do you want me to hate Peter?” He looked at me, his eyebrows arched.
“No, of course not!” I said quickly. “It’s great to see you getting along. It’s just… strange.”
“I know.” He sighed and looked down at the floor, rubbing his feet along the carpet. “I hate the way Peter feels about you, and I really hate the way you feel about him-”
“I don’t feel anything for him!” I interjected. Jack glanced up at me, and I knew I protested too loudly.
“Well. Whatever. I still don’t like it.” He shrugged. “But you spent two weeks alone with him in Australia, and that turned out fine. I think I can trust you to be around each other for like two days.” He ran a hand through his sandy hair, disheveling it more. “And even if I can’t, he’s my brother, and he’s in trouble. I don’t want the last things I say to him to be in anger.”
“That’s really sweet, Jack.” I touched his arm. “And it’s really mature.”
“No, it’s not mature,” he sighed. “I just can’t hold a grudge. I’m a sucker.”
“You’re sweet, and I love you.” I wrapped my arms around him and smiled up at him.
Jack leaned down and kissed me, his lips pressing warmly against mine. It started out gentle, but quickly worked its way into something more. His arms wrapped around me, pressing me hard against him. His skin burned hot against mine, and his emotions flooded me with their fervor.
“Jack,” I breathed, putting my hand on his chest.
“Oh, right.” His eyes went over to the bed, where Daisy lay buried amongst his navy comforter. He grinned when he looked back, but I felt how disappointed he really was. “If only there wasn’t a small child on the bed, I would totally ravish you.”
“I’m sure you would,” I smiled.
“Too bad.” He gave me a kiss on the forehead and pulled away from me. “I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
“I was just gonna take a shower.”
“I need the cold shower more.” He walked backwards toward the bathroom. “Unless you wanted to join me.”
“That would defeat the purpose of a cold shower, wouldn’t it?” I asked.
“Maybe.” He shrugged and pulled off his shirt, revealing the perfect hard contours of his chest and stomach.
He disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the water turn on a moment later, and he tossed his shorts out into the bedroom, enticing me to join him. I probably would’ve, if it weren’t for Daisy in the room and Peter in the living room below us.
