Young Writers Society

So, I honestly though I wasn’t even going to attempt NaNo this year as I’ve barely written 4K words in the last month, but eh, why not try at least.

Since I don’t really attempt realistic/romance stuff, I’ve landed with a very vague plot of these two guys meeting at an iceskating rink and falling in love.

The only true characteristics these characters have are that one has at least four kids (adopted) and the other has at least four cats (potentially adopted).

Maybe my love for hockey and skating will be worn down by the time I try to write this, but we’ll see XD. Maybe this will also be a safe place for me to cry in when my college tests suck.

So, I’ll be starting with a modern times romance story.

Kids guy

Name: Jacks

Description: Curly dirty blond hair, dark colored eyes, average height.

Personality: He's pretty quiet and polite but loses that calmness if something happens to his kids. He gets angry and shows his frustration during those times. Also applicable when very stressed/tired.

History:

-Grew up in Michigan, went to the University of Western Michigan for a couple of years, dropped out before getting a degree in biology. Came out as bisexual to family and friends. They were kinda "oh, eh" so he decided to move away and leave college and just kind of start over for himself.

-He didn't really have a plan in life, but he ends up in Colorado, maybe cause it wasn't the most expensive area and he does kind of likes different seasons. So, he's here and he's kind of just moving around, found a job at a local grocery store.

-After a year or so living in Colorado alone, he decides to get involved and starts volunteering at a K-8 private school, helping out teachers here and there, and starts meeting up with four kids all related during lunch, cause they all sit alone at lunch.

-They get to know each other better and he learns that their parents aren't in a good place financially so he eventually kind of fosters for them - but their parents aren't bad people, they're just in need of help.

-He kind of becomes a second dad/older brother to them and they all love each other and it's kind of cute cause he'll go on vacation with them.

-Let's say it's been three years since he moved to Colorado, which puts him at like 25.

Cats Guy

Name: Alexander

Description: Strawberry blond, golden brown eyes, 5'11.

Personality: A guy who can go from zero to a hundred depending on whether he likes the person he's talking with, and usually ends up as the talker and not the listener, but he doesn't try to be rude - he just gets very talkative and excited about things. If he's feeling sad/down then he'll either be oddly quiet and not talk at all, or try to make up for it by being way too chatty.

History:

-Grew up in Arizona, went to Arizona State University, got a Bachelor's in Sports Medicine, then finished a Masters program at Northern Arizona University to become an athletic trainer. Came out as gay to his family, who reacted with a little less enthusiasm than he wanted, but they parted somewhat amicably and let him leave when he wanted to.

-One of his loves is ice skating, and he really wanted to end up somewhere that he could have better access to rinks, and not be that far from home, just in case. He lands on a website about Denver, and it peaks his interest in wanting a different type of life, at least for right now.

-So, he arrives in Colorado, gets himself a decent one-story place, and he meets some nice neighbors, one of whom's working at an ice skating rink a little further into town.

-He applies for a basic job at the rink and gets it. In a couple of months, he's been in talks with the head athletic trainer there, and he's teaching a couple of skating lessons for anyone interested.

-He becomes good friends with this one couple, who loves to talk about the guy helping out with their kids, but he's yet to meet him. Keyword - yet.

-Let's see. If he went through a seven-year program in total, he could be around 27, as he's been in Colorado for a little while now.

A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE INVOLVING ICE SKATING???
COUNT. ME. IN.

(If you post it, please tag me!)

@Carlito Thanks for your interest XD. If I do end up posting somewhere, I'll definitely let you know lol. I have a very short/one line-chapter ideas right now, but it'd be cool to write a decent chunk for NaNo.

I think for my opening scene I want to have Jacks hanging out with his kids and then maybe dropping them off at school before heading over to the grocery store where he works. There, he can chat with customers and maybe his boss can be one of his kids' moms, who also know Alex, and they talk about the not-really-new guy anymore.

Then, I'm thinking of having at least a short segment on Alex with his daily routine and such before heading off to the ice rink and meeting up with his fellow workers. Maybe one of them is the neighbor of Jacks, and they're like "Hey, how have you not met him yet" and everyone just makes plans to do something together.

So, I want to set up both characters' lives before having them meet, so maybe at least a couple thousand words before they actually meet, especially because I want to see if I can mess with my characters and make both guys seem different and such.

From there, I definitely want the kids to meet Alex and like figure out if he's good enough for their *basically older brother* and like I want Jacks to also meet Alex's best friend/co-worker because I need like in-story shippers.

I want this to maybe extend into them slowly getting to know each other more from not only their friends but also a few times from random meetings. And then like they actually go on dates disguised as those mandatory "find a missing kid/cat" that has to happen.

And from there, I guess we'll see, but hopefully I can make it past these ideas XD

The only good part of waking up early on a weekday was that it was Friday. Jacks still had to force himself out of bed though, leaping to his feet to kick-start his brain.

All he needed to do was get the kids up, get them feed, then drop the gang at school. Task number one was starting now.

Jacks knocked on three doors, two on the right side of the hall, and the third with a sun sticker glued on it.

“It’s time to get up, kids!” He said with a grin. School days were some fun times, especially when the rascals’ parents were already out, and he got to wake them up.

He shrugged to himself when he did not hear anyone moving quite yet. The blond scratched his head before walking downstairs. Starting breakfast early was never a bad thing, after all. And, he surmised, maybe the smell would kick-start their engines. Food sure would help him feel more awake.

The man pulled out four bowls, then matched each with a spoon. Blue for Yeira, red for Paola, green for Keith, while Jacks got the yellow one that no one liked. He didn’t mind the color too much, as it usually got him to smile thinking about the fuss they all kicked up.

Even Char and Angie poked fun. And they were the moms in the relationship.

By the time he reached the last bowl to fill with cornflakes, the sole son strolled down the stairs. His brown hair laid flat, but Jacks figured the kid would get around to fixing it, as he was the one most obsessed with a perfect hairstyle.

“Good morning, Jacks.”

The blond nodded in greeting, giving the kid a small smile, the one that the girls complained they never got.

When asked, Keith just gave a smirk and told them to work harder at charming him. Jacks was never sure if he’d rather thank the kid or bang his head on a wall a few times. Both options felt off to him.

“Are your sisters up yet?” They knew that he would give them a few extra minutes, but he never let them skip breakfast unless they were throwing up on their feet. After a few disgusting encounters involving the ruin of soup for three months, he opted to let them sleep in if they were actually sick.

“I think I saw Yeira almost fall out of her bed, but I haven’t seen Paola.” Keith grabbed his green bowl and shrugged at the plain flakes. He raised an eyebrow at the meal choice.

“Don’t give me that, kid.” Jacks ruffled the kid’s hair and laughed at the indignant cry that followed. “I’m not the one not getting groceries. That’s up to your moms.”

“Whatever.”

“I’ll let the attitude slide for now, but don’t be getting any ideas once you hit puberty,” Jacks said, putting away the cereal. “I don’t need a sassy teenager to deal with in addition to all of the puberty.”

Keith laughed and showed off his mouth full of half-eaten flakes.

“That’s disgusting.” The blond took a breath. “Also, I’m gonna go check on the girls.” He started up the stairs, then paused. “I want to see you getting ready once I’m done though, as you seem to take the longest time to get ready.”

The kid nodded. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”

Jacks huffed. “Well, here’s to hoping Yeira won’t follow in your footsteps.”

With that, he reached first Paola’s closed door. “It’s time to get out of bed, miss!” He yelled and knocked on the wooden front.

"Jacks?" Came the reply. He pictured the girl in the middle of a yawn still in her pajamas.

"Yeah, it's me. You need to get up now though, alright?" He called over his shoulder, walking over to the final door.

"Mhm. Fine."

There was his spit-fire teenager. The last kid to get ready came in the form of the little princess with big brown eyes.

"Yeira?" He rapped his knuckles on the sun sticker. "Are you up, honey?"

The door swung open to a little girl in both a sleep shirt and jeans.

"It's too early, Jay," she pouted and reached for him. Jacks smiled down at her and grabbed her to swing around for a second.

Laughter leaked from the now-smiling brown-haired girl. He put her down carefully, then walked over to the closet to grab out an actual shirt for her to wear.

"Aw, why'd you stop?" Yeira skipped over to the blond, where he held up a striped, gray shirt. He figured it matched fine, so he reached over to help her change.

"I stopped 'cause I was getting too distracted by the adorable girl in front of me." He bopped her nose.

“Fine.” The girl threw her sleep shirt in a white box. That reminded Jacks to do the laundry later.

He waited until she was done with the bathroom before grabbing her hand.

“Ready to eat, hm?” He crouched beside her.

“Sure.” She smiled, showing off her tooth gap with a missing front tooth. Jacks pretended to clutch at his chest, overcome with cuteness.

“You’re too much for me, sometimes, little miss.” Yeira giggled. “Now, run along, please, and make sure that your brother is finishing up himself.”

“Yes, sir!” She raised a hand to her forehead then walked downstairs.

“Alright, Paola,” Jacks leaned on her door. “I hope you’re done in the bathroom because everyone needs to eat.”

He waited a couple of moments but then came a pressure against the door. The blond stepped away to let the dark-haired girl leave. She looked nice, in a typical middle school uniform that consisted of a clean white shirt with dark shorts.

“All ready for food, then?” He asked with a grin on his face.

Her stomach rumbled. When she looked up, her cheeks were flushed, but he burped to stave off her embarrassment.

They both laughed a few moments later.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said as she followed him down the stairs. “Laugh it up.”

Paola sent a close-lipped smile in answer, then ran into the kitchen.

“Finally!” Yeira stood on her chair to greet the two arrivals. “Let’s eat.”

Keith put his finished bowl into the sink. Jacks nodded to himself. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be too late today. The disapproving looks on their teachers were terrifying every time. They reminded him of his own professors, and he didn’t want to think of them.

College was past him. And in front of him, he had three kids all in different states of being ready.

The three of them sat at the round, wooden table in the dining room. Yeira hummed and pushed her flakes into the milk, while Jack shook his head. Paola smiled once, but her sister didn’t catch the short, soft look. He did though, and it did make him grin in response.
Soon enough, they finished, and the kids left their bowls as well. The blond cleaned the dishes and put them back in the cupboard before brushing his teeth.

Jacks gave them ten minutes to get their bathroom time, but he was pleasantly surprised to find all three kids at the bottom of the stairs when he arrived to check on them.

Yeira tried to put her hair up in an adorable, yet messy ponytail, while Keith brushed his hair somewhat, and Paola braided her own.

“You all look very nice.” He started grabbing their bags before turning back to them. “Did you get your lunches?”

Three nods answered his question. “Okay, good. Let’s get going then.”

He opened the front door. The small procession followed him outside and by his simple, red Camry. He unlocked the doors to let them in, then went into the back to adjust the booster seat for Yeira. She made a face but let him drag down the seat belt without further fuss.

“You’ll get there, miss. Don’t worry.” He patted her head, which brought a half-smile before she shook her hair.

“Alright,” he said, climbing into to the driver’s seat. “Does everyone have their seatbelts on?”

“Yes!” All three kids announced. “Except you,” came from Paola with a wry smile.

“Ah, thanks.” Jacks replied, and tugged the device down to his side before starting the car.

The drive to their school was a mostly quiet one, save for Yeira pointing out neat-looking birds and flowers. Her older siblings would try to identify them, but they would end with making up names, such as “Wild Winged Wrangler” instead of what looked like a regular pigeon.

Jacks shook his head at stop lights. Where they got their imagination from, he was not quite sure. Both of their parents acted straight-forward and kept to a very specific schedule, but who was he to judge?

Not everyone understood his own love for bagging groceries and helping people find their way around a store.

“Jacks!” Yeira yelled.

“Yes?” He answered, with his eyes still trained on the various cars driving around.

“How much longer?” He could imagine her with a pout all the way from the back seat.
“Only a minute, sweetie,” Jack said while taking a left at the next stoplight. “In fact,” he continued, “I think we’ve just made it here.”

The blond slid into the parking lot and found the nearest empty spot. “How was that, then?”

He looked at the three kids, who held varied looks of disinterest.

“Fine,” came the only answer from Keith.

“Well,” Jacks shook his head, “with such a compliment like that, I suppose I shall send you off now.”

“Boo,” Yeira said, but still undid her seat belt.

Jacks handed the kids their bags with a quick kiss on each of their foreheads. They tried to glare at him, but they had plenty of years to master their moms’ looks of fury.

“Have a good day, you little rascals!” He called, watching their backs get farther away.

“Bye!”

Jacks kept a grin on his face as he drove away from the school since that meant his actual job was starting soon.

Within ten minutes of keeping his eyes trained on the street in front and behind him, he arrived at his next location. Even if his friends did not care that much of driving smartly, no way was he going to be who inspired his kids to be bad drivers.

Also, he figured that he would be the one teaching them how to drive one day, so his own safety was fairly important to him, after all.

His grin returned as he noticed Char coming towards him, her dark hair curly as ever.

“Hey!” She greeted him with a hug. “How were our crazies?”

He laughed, returning the hug. “Pretty good. They took their time getting up, but that will probably be the norm for a few years now.”

“Fair,” she hummed. “Anyways,” she said, walking up to the store, “I have a request before we start work.”

Most of Char’s ideas went fine, but that announcement always made him feel a little nervous.

“Don’t give me that,” she bumped his hip. “I can tell when you’re having those bad thoughts.”

“Whatever you say, ma’am,” Jacks said, remembering his manners and that she was his boss.

“That’s more like it.” Her small grin made his back-pedaling worth it. As long as this wasn’t a bad plan.

“I was thinking about doing a joint fundraiser with Angie’s ice rink.” Char pulled open the door and turned on the lights.

He took a moment to look through the dozen or so aisles before responding. That wasn’t the worst idea, actually. “I like it.”

Her smirk made him want to roll his eyes. “I thought you would.”

What was up with that reaction? “I figured you’d like it as you can hang out with your wife, of course.” Jacks kept walking to her office at the back of her store.

“And I thought,” Char waved a hand, “that you’d like it cause there was a certain worker you thought was cute.”

Jacks blushed before he could stop it, then turned around to hide his face from her. The ribbing would not be worth it.

“I never said he was cute, I just said that I had never met him yet.”

“Semantics,” his boss almost shrieked.

He let his gaze wander to the dirty laminate floor in hopes of her stopping.

She huffed. “Fine, I’ll stop.” Char grabbed a name tag and vest. “But, you have to admit that you’ve never shown much interest in someone before.”

He supposed he could deem that true, as he was not one to show that kind of feelings. Ever. She would be one of the few he could deem safe in saying something like that, but he could not bring himself to try. Not yet.

Alex woke up to soft paws over his chest and face. He curbed the automatic urge to sneeze, not wanting to startle his cats, who certainly seemed comfortable all over him. Instead, the red-haired man drew out his hands slowly to indicate he was now awake.

His pets did little more than meow. That meant it was a free game if they were just going to ignore him like that.

He mentally shrugged before lifting his back off the bad. Hisses sounded all around him, but then the warm bodies jumped off the mattress.

Alex huffed, tired and sleepy. On days that he got close to no sleep, he regretted getting a job. Or moving away from his parents where he could have remained leeching off them.

“But, no,” he muttered as he thrust his body out of the bed, “I had to be a big boy and make my own money.”

Of course, that did not factor in his coming out, but that held little relevance to his inner argument. Irrational, yes, but still valid for his sleep-deprived mind at the moment.

Alex ran a hand through his short hair then let his shoulders slump. Today was Friday which was both a curse and a blessing, as that meant the weekend was so close, but he worked more on those once treasured days.

He sighed at his negative thoughts. The redhead changed into proper workwear and grabbed a banana to eat. He could write a novel with his despairing notes on how much he deemed his life to suck.

At least he had cats that sometimes counted as friendly to him but mostly saw him as a method of receiving food.

Maybe he needed to improve his pep speech skills, as all that did was made him feel worse. Pepper scampered over his feet then, which made him smile slightly before shaking his head. The dark-coated cat tended to get close to him, but not too close.

Would the animal never get over their first meeting? All he did was put his foot, for a millisecond only, on the other’s tail because she startled him. Was that really that bad? How did that merit her glares of fury from across his living room?

Alex did not think so. His other companions ganged up on him, so he threw out their opinions whenever they argue.

Which was way too often.

The red-head looked around his apartment to check on his other cats - an orange cream as Peaches and Lilac with a light-colored coat - before locking his door behind him.

He hired someone to install a pet door for them anyways, in case there was a fire somehow. Knowing his cats, they would probably be the culprits, in the end, just to spite him.

The drive to his work took only a few minutes, so Alex straightened out his brown shirt in the extra time he had from getting here early.

“Alex!” He turned around to see the smiling face of Angie standing in front of the rink, her brown hair as short as ever.

“Hi, boss.” The figure grinned at her in greeting.

She reached over to shake his hair, much to his chagrin, then yanked open the door.

“It’s such a lovely day, don’t you think?” He heard the question as he tried pressing his curls back down. His hair was a constant mess so he didn’t understand why she was so obsessed with ruining his routine every single time.

“Sure, ma’am.” He added the address just to annoy her.

“Ma’am?” She repeated, sending a pout over her shoulder. “Is that all I really am to you, Alex?”

He held his breath to make her wait, even if her voice took on a playful tone. “I don’t know, really. Most bosses seem to want to be professional,” he paused, poking her arm, “while others are decidedly not.”

“Ah, whatever,” Angie waved his words away. “Obviously, I am the perfect combination, as I have a surprise for you, mister!”

He perked his head up. “Really?” The last announcement had been somewhat of a failure as a birthday party going wrong. He got a car out of it though, so he deemed it was worth battling through.

“Yes!” She exclaimed and bobbed her head to shake her hair around. “Actually,” she said, drawing out the word, “I have two things to tell you about, whoops.”

“Well, what’s the first?” Alex tugged on his shirt to keep it straight, then looked up again.

His boss held a mixed expression on her face, something that looked expectant yet grim.

“I may have forgotten to tell you that the local school is coming here in a couple of hours-” Alex groaned. Of course, she didn’t remember rather important to what his routine is, and now he was going to rush cleaning everything up. He caught up to her words by the last few syllables in “that grocery guy you like.”

The guy he liked? “Huh?” That was the first word out of his mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t be silly,” Angie crowed, climbing on to her obnoxiously large computer chair. “There’s that guy that you can’t bring yourself to talk to and he’s so dreamy, isn’t he?” She tilted her head, drinking in what he assumed was a furious gaze.

“Angie,” Alex warned her, “please stop taunting me like that. Also, how could I like someone I haven’t even talked to before?” How did that make any sense?

“Oh, it’s possible,” his boss continued her speech as if he never spoke. “It’s exactly how I feel for Char, watching from afar for so long until that beautiful girl graced me-”

Alex rolled his eyes so hard they felt like they could fall out of their sockets. “Enough, already. We’ve all heard the most ‘glorious love story’ plenty of times.”

He frowned for a moment. That wasn’t possible for him, not someone who cared about very few things in his life, with one being the rink laid out in front of him, and three furballs back at home.

“So, what’s actually going on?” He steadied his voice, not wanting to let Angie know her words struck a chord somewhere inside.

His boss pouted, but eventually straightened her posture to look more professional. “The school is coming down, at 10, which I should have told you about that. Sorry.” Her face carried slight amusement and a sparkle in her eyes, but at least she tried to be mature. “The other is that Char and I want to hold a fundraiser to give some money to the homeless shelters in the area.”

Alex could feel himself nodding before she finished. Kids coming down wasn’t that much of an issue, really, but the fundraiser was a nice idea.

“I know you’re not that sorry of seeing Keith beside at home, and that’s a great idea to link the community together.” He felt somewhat impressed by her idea.

“Thanks! I sprang the idea on Char last night, so yeah, we’ve still got a lot to plan, but it’s looking pretty promising.” Angie grinned widely.

“I’m glad.” Alex smiled back. “It never hurts to do something that you can watch help others.”

“For sure.”

The two hovered near each other for a few quiet seconds, then Alex shook his head. He needed to get a move on for the incoming kids.

“I’ve got to get everything in order!” He called over his shoulder, jogging further into the rink.

“Have fun!” Angie snarked at his moving back.

He waved a hand behind him, curbing the urge to flash a rather unflattering sign as well.

Alex tended to dramatize how long it actually took him to organize all of the equipment, but he didn’t mind if it deemed him childish.

Angie proved to be far worse when she was on a rampage and the workers had left everything tossed around the rink.

He strolled into the equipment. Alex chewed on his lip considering what would be better - put them all away only to just take them out to make sure every kid has their gear?

He could just arrange them in a somewhat neat pile and then stack the skates. The red-head hummed aloud in his movements, not realizing how much time had passed by until his phone dinged.

He picked up the device. “Kids are coming in ten minutes,” read a message from Angie.

“Thanks for the info,” he texted back then slid his phone back into a pocket. He stretched out his arms and let loose a satisfying crack.

Time for the kiddos, apparently. Alex dusted off his simple uniform of a blue shirt and brown shorts, then took a final glance around the rink. He smiled for a second. Everything, from the kinda clean skates to a few sticks donated from the local hockey players, laid in fine piles lining the main room.

He jogged back through the building to get to the front, ready to welcome the kids in for their visit to the rink.

Alex brushed back his red hair one last time before swinging the door open. He was met with a slight wind and the sight of a school bus emptying a couple dozen students.

He waited a handful of minutes before the group gathered in front of him. His eyes caught Keith; the kid shook his unruly hair. Alex stifled a laugh and introduced himself instead.

“Hello, kids, and welcome to the grandest ice rink in the world - your very own Golden Station!” He bellowed, throwing his arms wide. “I will be your guide, the humble Alexander, at your service.” The man bowed almost parallel to the floor.

He rose from his position to loud giggles coming from the children. Mentally, he patted his shoulder. Alex grinned. He still had the magic that wowed Angie his first day of work.
“Who’s ready?” He opened his mouth wide.

“Me!” A chorus in agreement answered his question, which was the best kind of noise. Unless he was at a concert, in which live music was the absolute best kind of noise.

“Then, please follow me!”

Alex strolled through the building, pointing out certain important spots, such as “Bathrooms are that way, but they’re actually decent” or “A Colorado Avalanche hockey player once sat there, so we haven’t cleaned that chair in a year.” They were just fun little anecdotes he hoped wouldn’t get him in trouble with the adults in the community.

Looking back at the wide-eyed kids, the red-head took a moment to smile. After everything that had happened, he appreciated that he made it to a place that took on his peculiarities with no questions asked.

Alex felt at peace for the first time in quite a few months. He hoped to stay in that same mood for a long while.

"Thanks for shopping here!" A small group of shoppers smiled back at Jacks then left the store. The blond shut his eyes when a yawn overtook him. He sighed after. Maybe going to bed at one in the morning was not the best idea when he had a full shift the next day.

It was a lesson well learned, but one that would be very hard to overcome, as his habit of watching videos at night should probably stop. He might back it as a classic resolution that was never actually accomplished in the new year.

Jacks shook his head, letting his curls bounce around. He concentrated back on the groceries on his aisle, in which a couple thankfully distracted each other in a heated conversation. On the other hand, maybe he should just try to end this encounter to let the angry women pass through the store.

The blond bagged a couple pieces of fruit, reached over for a watermelon, then carefully placed the cookies bag in their cart. He said goodbye in the form of handing over their receipt and a smile that felt shaky even as he did it.

He huffed at their backs and their ever-increasingly louder voices. One set of crazy customers down, who knew how many more?

"Jacks!" The man spun on his heels to see his boss running towards him, much like earlier.

“Hi, ma'am." He gulped at her big grin. Smiles like that coming from Char sometimes meant someone made a simple mistake, or it could mean that the store was on fire.

With her, neither was a good thing.

"Jacks,” she said, tugging on his arm with one hand. The other clutched a folded paper.

“Yes?”

“I think I might have just the thing to break you out of your hardened little shell.”

The blond blinked. Out of his shell? What was he, a hermit crab? Did she count the kids as his little decorations? He bit his lip to not laugh at the sudden image of Yeira dressed as a barnacle. Maybe that should be her Halloween costume this year.

“Char.” He rolled his eyes. “I know you and Angie and the kids love to do all these crazy things, but that’s just not me, alright?”

“Give this a chance, will you?” The dark-haired woman flicked what she held, then shoved the paper in his hands. “I think the kids would like this too.”

“Alright, fine,” he muttered. “I’ll look at it.” At her relieved grin, Jacks felt a little worried. What would make her that determined to get him to this place of all things? “But, later. I’ve still got two hours to go on my shift.”

Char hummed. “Fine. I expect an answer no later than the weekend, which is something you’ll figure out the reason for once you read that handy-dandy sheet.”

Jacks shrugged. Whatever his boss wanted, she would probably get.

“See you for dinner, then kiddo!” The dark-haired woman skipped away to bother another employee.

The blond laughed for a second. She was too much sometimes. The pamphlet made him curious for sure, but the small mystery carried him through the last part of his job up until he was shouting goodbye to Char on his way out.

He heard a yell back, but that had turned into a normal reaction of the woman, so he did not feel too worried about her. When Angie yelled, that meant something might be up. He was grateful that specific thing tended to not happen much, around him at least.

Jacks dropped the paper into his gray bag, then strolled back into his car. He still had a couple hours until the kids were out of school, so he drove home in a calm fashion, taking the time to nod at his quiet neighbor across the street.

They were up to five words every month, consisting of the typical “Hi”s and a random muttering of vowels, but he thought he might be winning her over.

The blond unlocked his front door to step into an almost silent house. He drew a breath of unscented air and closed his eyes. Being alone sounded like a nice thing after the countless workers earlier, and having the odd combination of onions and chocolate out of his nose only added to the peaceful feeling he had.

Jacks looked down at his bag to see the paper glare from the artificial lighting. He grumbled but still scooper out it out, relenting yet again to Char’s demand. The blond figured he might as well get done with it to free some time in making a good argument as to why he did not need to do this activity.

The paper read as “New To the Sport of Skating?” Jacks growled. This was the third attempt by the darn Green family of getting him to skate. It wasn’t his fault that he had really bad coordination and absolutely hated being showed up and embarrassed. Especially when those dealing his losses were children half his age.

He scanned the single piece of paper, catching a few headlines declaring how he would be able to learn from a great instructor and that he could leave behind any mistakes in the past. Jacks shook his head. The last one claimed that he could learn in four, free sessions, but he broke his ankle two weeks in. That had hurt like a mother-blank, but he took pride in not cursing the entire building out.

He let out a few choice words once he got back from the hospital, still though, who could have blamed him for that?

His eyes did catch on the included picture and name of the instructor, which he noted worked at the same place Angie was the boss of. “Alex” was the dude’s name - why did that seem to strike a note? He looked vaguely familiar, but that four-letter name sounded like he heard it before. It’s not like he could be the guy Jacks saw a glimpse of and found somewhat cute, right? Yeah, there was no way.

The blond forced himself to laugh. No matter how much ribbing the married couple liked to give him on his crush, they would not get the satisfaction of seeing him trip over his feet yet again.

He rolled his eyes thinking of how much Angie at least laughed about getting the chance to see him and this Alex fellow actually meet. According to her, he was a sweet, chatty guy, but Jacks did not really care about who he was, as they weren’t that likely to talk, or really for longer than a few seconds. He could walk into the grocery store, or run into each other on a street. The possibility, at least the blond hoped, dangled on the edge of non-existent.

Jacks tapped his lip thinking of what he could do. He should start off by making bullet points to lay out why skating lessons were unnecessary, and they had to actually be good ones, as Angie did not back down for anything.

Next, a good idea would be to take a shower because - he took a look at his watch - he had an hour before the kids were due home. The blond did not want to set a bad example for any of the family members, so daily rinses were deemed something important to him.

After that, he could probably just pull out his ukulele and mess around with it, and end with cleaning up the place a little, just for the children to dirty the rooms again. He had a decent amount of fun dusting with music on, so he figured why not start then.

A quick shower left his hair drying into springy curls, with him looking up scientific facts on how learning a few skills to a high extent might be better than being mediocre at many different things. He pulled out a few wipes and started to dust the bookcases when the doorbell rang.

Jacks unlocked the door to see three faces with varied expressions: Yeira looked up, a smile present as ever, Keith held a cool smirk that contrasted with his messy hair, while Paola stared blank-faced before winking at him. All in all, they weren’t acting too out of the ordinary, which was a good thing, he supposed.

“What’s with the leer, Keith? You got something to tell me, kiddo?” The blond ran a hand through the eleven-year-old’s hair, pushing the brown strands away from his eyes.

The kid shrugged. “We went to the ice rink today.” Jacks felt a flash of suspicion flow through him. The day that Char told him of lessons came the same day the trip to Angie’s work happened? That was interesting.

“That’s cool.” The blond laughed. “Get it? It was ‘cool’?” He nudged Paola who rolled her eyes. Yeira giggled. Jacks smiled down at the young girl. “At least I have you to like my jokes, hm?”

She nodded. “Good girl,” he said, grabbing her bag. “How were your days then?” The blond asked over his shoulder, looking at the three kids.

“It was fine, I guess.” Paola shut the door behind them, then took off her shoes. The other two followed suit, then walked into the kitchen.

“We made bracelets in class!” Yeira said, and pulled out what looked like macaroni on a string. Jacks smiled. He vaguely remembered doing something like that in elementary school too.

“Very cute, girlie.” He thanked her for the gift and tied it around his wrist. It actually didn’t look that bad, with the hard shells matching in shape at least. “How about you Paola? Did anything fun happen?”

The girl in question shrugged. “We had a big debate in my English class about the Pokemon Go app, which was interesting, I guess.”

That definitely was something, Jacks thought to himself. “Did you say much? I don’t think I’ve seen you play that before.”

She snorted. “That’s because I never want to play such a stup-” Paola glanced down at Yeira who stood by her still, so she changed to “silly - thing like that.”

The blond bit his lip to stop from laughing at her near slip. Their moms would freak if they heard their kids saying anything bad, on an insane level. He tried his best to not even joke with that language knowing how receptive the youngest child is to everyone else.

“That’s fine thinking, miss.” Jacks winked at her, drawing a thin smile. “Alright!” He exclaimed. The blond clapped his hands to draw the gazes of all three kids. “Why don’t you all clean yourselves up for some kind of snack? Your moms will be here in a couple of hours, so we might as well take advantage of the last part of our afternoon, right?”

Nods answered his question. “Well, great! Have fun.” He waved them up the stairs, half because he did want to honestly get ready for food, the other to finalize what he could say in his defense against not wanting to take the skating lessons.

Alex yawned after the last few kids staggered out of the rink. The fifth graders ran all over the building, tripping over themselves by the time they made it to the actual ice skating time. A few of them grabbed all sorts of skates, so the redhead checked all of their equipment to make sure they had sturdy ones.

Although it might have been funny to see kids sent flying in speed skates, that would be cruel and a little painful to watch.

He waved one more goodbye to the class then started cleaning up. For a pack of eleven-year-olds, they caused less of a mess than some of the adults did, which did not surprise Alex that much. It did amuse him even when he had to wipe up grease stains from the fast food they all ordered.

But, that was something that just came with the job. And he had fallen for this work the day he showed up for an interview, so he got used to it, but that did not mean grumbling and complaining were unallowed actions.

He could do what he wanted since not too many people even worked here.

“Hey, Alex!” Angie poked her head into the equipment room he was trying to clean.

“Hiya boss. Are you here to help me clean this lovely establishment?” At her grin, the redhead held back a groan. She was up to something else entirely, it seemed.

“Hm. Maybe later, sport.” The woman winked, leaving the other blue eye to almost sparkle at the other. “I’ve got a job for you.”

A job? That was a new one. He had been bombarded with buying suspicious items off the internet and midnight shopping, but not an actual job request by his boss. Interesting.

“What’s the job then?” He narrowed his eyes at her bright expression. What had her all worked up?

“Well,” she drew out, tapping her fingernails together. “Char and I were chatting on our breaks that it would be awesome for you to teach a friend of ours how to skate.”

That seemed fine enough, he was an instructor after all. “Okay,” Alex said, but paused a beat later. “What’s the catch, then?”

Her grin turned sheepish. “He really doesn’t like ice skating.”

His first reaction was anger, but he held back an outburst and turned it into his eyebrows twitching furiously. He didn’t like skating? What was wrong with him? Alex already hated this despicable form of a human being that must loathe the sun and hid from all sources of happiness.

“Um, Alex?” Angie stood in front of him. “Kiddo?” He didn’t react besides a full body shudder, but that seemed to satisfy her, as she kept talking. “Anyways, this guy is one stubborn dude, but I really do think he needs to give skating one last chance as he has this ridiculous bubble surrounding him.”

The redhead snorted. There sure was some type of dark aura surrounding that guy for sure. He nodded to himself. This person had to have something biologically off about him.

“Great!” He snuck a look at his boss who grinned.

“What do you mean, ‘great?’” Did he miss part of her speech just now? He felt a little bad. But just a little, as he was nowhere near over that horrible person.

She chewed on her lip, her eyebrows raised high. “I mean, you just agreed to teach him? I’m happy because of that?”

Oh no. Alex pinched his nose. He might have said yes after a few badgerings by Angie, but he did not mean to join her cause in showing the world why skating was the best. He was such a people-pleaser sometimes.

“Boss, I -” he started, only for her to cut him off.

“I’m sorry to sort of force you into this Alex, but we need you to do this.” Angie waved her hands around. “Jacks has been driving me, Angie, and the kids crazy with his unending need to never do anything fun. He has the most enjoyment by simply going to work at the grocery store. The grocery store!” Her voice grew higher with every word. “Even I get bored here sometimes, and this place is great!”

He could see her point, but that did not mean he had to be happy about this. “I understand, and I guess I will help you, but you shouldn’t just strong arm someone, y’know?”

She grumbled out, “Yes, yes, I know,” before turning back to him with a smile. “Still, though, I really appreciate this, and I swear you’ll get some kind of bonus for this too!”

He shrugged. “I’m not doing it for the money. This guy needs to learn a few things about ice skating, and I’m pleased to volunteer as his guide.”

“Great!” Angie squeezed his shoulder, then started to shoo him out. “Let’s leave the rest of this until tomorrow, hm? You’re pretty much done anyways.”

“What?” He protested lightly, but did feel exhaustion setting in after all the kids and moving around. “Fine, I’ll go.”

“Thanks.” She shook her dark curls. “I’ve got a guy to convince to take those highly informative lessons tonight.” Angie yanked up her bag and spun her keys. “Wish me luck!”

“Good luck, boss.” Alex laughed as they came out of the rink, she nearly skipping once she locked the door.

“And good night!” She called over her shoulder.

“Yeah, good night,” he muttered. This day brought a few surprises indeed.

Alex hopped into his car, then drove a little quicker than normal back to his house. He had some planning to do for a certain stubborn man.

The redhead could not wait to get started converting this guy Jacks to the amazing world of skating.

Jacks turned on the oven to preheat a few minutes after five. Char and Angie were due half-past that time on good days and they loved food right when it was done with cooking. If he ate how they did, he would have burnt his tongue more times than the hours in a day within seventy-two hours.

He shuddered just thinking about how scale-like his mouth would feel, especially with all the tastebuds charred and practically falling off.

The blond hummed over the buzzing of the appliance. He pulled out a few vegetables from the refrigerator, chopping them into chunks. He took a bowl of rice he left to soak in water and poured it into an empty pot. The blond added first a few cups full of water, then the vegetables. His last move was to turn on the stove-top, then secure the lid on the pot of mixed rice that started to cook.

When the preheat sensor went off, Jacks whirled over to where a medium-sized salmon piece laid in a small amount of oil. He sprinkled pepper and a nice spoonful of butter before sliding the fish into the oven.

Jacks smiled, satisfied for now by the meal in progress. He had a good fifteen minutes left before the fish could come close to being done, which hopefully by then the kids’ parents would arrive to have a nice home-cooked meal.

Shoot. He didn’t write out his reasons for doing the lessons. Whatever. Char and Angie were just going to have to deal with him being “unorganized” as they liked to call him. Obviously, they did not look too closely at their kids’ rooms since those matched the term “unorganized” a lot better than the food grinder his brain was.

Jacks took off the pot’s lid and ran a spatula throw the contents. He was pleased to note that the rice stayed a light color for the most part, with a small portion near the bottom turning brown. he tested the air, but there did not seem to be anything burning, which he took for a win. The blond turned on the oven light to check on the fish.

“Hey, Jacks!” A shout startled him into hitting a cabinet. He rubbed his now pulsing head. He held back a curse and carefully spun around to meet who else but an expectant Yeira.

He pasted a wide smile on his face. “Hi, miss. What can I do for you?” Jacks tried to keep any sign of pain out of his voice.

She pouted. “I’m hungry.” His heart squeezed a little tighter at her expression.

“Aw, I’m sorry girlie.” Jacks squatted by the girl, stroking her hair. “Dinner’s gonna be ready in just a couple of minutes. Do you think you could hold out long enough for some yumminess?”
He poked her stomach, which she giggled a screech.

Yeira tilted her head as if to consider the option. “I guess.” She shrugged, then left the kitchen, to where he assumed she had been playing.

The blond checked the time then frowned. It was 5:31. He hoped Char and Angie arrived soon, as he was honestly getting ready for some food himself. The process of eating this would sure be great, but the guilty feeling later would not be worth it. Especially since the kids got their great performance skills from their mothers.

A shrill sound sprung his head up. Could that be the doorbell? Dang. He was good sometimes. Two women stepped into the kitchen, their arms spread wide for a hug. Jacks had a moment to brace himself before two sets of limbs wrapped around him.

He huffed out a laugh as they squeezed him. “Heya you two.”

“Hi Jacks,” Angie kissed his right cheek. Char patted his left side, grinning wide.

“It’s almost like we hadn’t just seen each other at work or this morning,” he mused, feeling a little amused. He felt better once they let him go. “It’s not like you greet your actual kids that way.”

They both laughed in answer. “Pssh,” said Char, shaking her curls. “We see them so much it’s really not that new.”

Jacks bit into his lip to stop from giggling. “Agh, whatever.”

“Also,” chimed in Angie, “we wanted to talk to you about those offered skating lessons.”

“Hm, let’s not.” The blond groaned mentally. He made a plan right then - maybe he could just draw out the conversation so he never has to listen to their most certainly to be a great argument.

The two shook their head in exasperation but responded with silent grins and what felt like a nerve-wracking threat to his current health.

He rolled his eyes at their never-fading smiles. “Speaking of -” Jacks wanted to change the subject quickly and now - “where are those rascals? The food should be done by now.”
“We’ll get them here in a second, don’t worry.” Char pet his head, which made him feel like a little kid.

Maybe that was why the gang of three all reacted with disgust when he messed with them like that. Hm. He could concede that they had a point.

In a couple of minutes, Jacks pulled out the salmon, put some rice on some plastic plates, and set the table. After he finished the final getting ready steps, he looked up to see five cheerful faces peering at him. They apparently rounded up the kids in time.

He was happy, mostly because that meant he didn’t have to feel guilty by eating the lovely just-out-of-the-oven food.

“Let’s eat!” He yelled, when everyone stayed in their places as if they were frozen and not moving into their chairs to eat like normal people.

That was a problem he needed to fix, so he startled them. A few seconds later saw to the whole group sitting down and starting to eat.

Jacks dug into the rice and he was rather proud of what he presented them. Even in addition the stress of trying to plan to bounce off any ideas the married couple sent his way.

The meal passed mostly in silence, with the kids popping in compliments that he met with grins and no it wasn’t a blush Angie - he just took a mouthful of hot food. After the food was gone, they cleaned up, washing the plates in the sink. Keith hummed a few tunes much to their amusement, and they may have harmonized, but no one needed to know that. Truly.

The family members under eighteen fled upstairs eventually, which made Jacks want to curse something out. The only idea that kept him from letting out words were the haunting images of their parents bearing down on him once a rather bad one came out.

“So,” Char drawled, shoving him onto one of the couches in the living room. “Let’s talk.”

Jacks groaned, and looked at the floor, not wanting to meet their gazes. “Let’s not.” He bared his teeth in a mock-smile.

“Aw, c’mon, Jay,” Angie reached across a table towards him. “Just hear us out.”

He huffed. “Why should I though? I’ve told you that I don’t want to take these lessons after trying twice. Twice, I tell you.” Jacks could only think of the practical fail reel that came from his attempts at skating.

Char bit back a smile. “We understand that kid, but it’s just an absolutely crazy thing to us, to the kids, heck, even this community that you don’t know how to skate.”

“Or like it,” Angie added with a grin. For the love of - he wanted to scream. Why did everyone in this Colorado town demand that he declare skating as the greatest sport in the world? He liked hockey at least.

“Let me guess,” Jacks muttered. “You’ve got this great instructor who’s really good at helping someone learn how to skate coming from a beginner. Am I right?”

“Maybe.” Both women shrugged. “However,” Char said, “this might be the perfect teacher for you.”

“What makes you say that?” He was curious, in a morbid kind of way, wanting to know more about the third person he would make quit in fear of losing their mind.

“He’s probably the most passionate about skating in Colorado let alone the entire country.” Angie laughed. “He freaked hearing about how much you couldn’t stand it.”

“Huh.” Jacks snorted. “I’m already traumatizing the guy, nice.” He scratched at his head. “Why don’t you all stop while you’re ahead and just give this up? I don’t want to send another person to therapy any time soon.”


Char rolled her eyes. “She did not go to the doctor’s because of you!” The exasperated feeling was starting to emit from the curly-haired woman more than the brunet - but Jacks was prepared to face this.

“Says who?” He challenged. The blond was happy to argue anything that didn’t involve taking more lessons, but he actually wanted to know about this too. He thought for sure that the timeline fit in perfectly for him to point out that he did something that terrified someone that much.

“Mhm, Jacks,” Angie tutted. “Don’t think you’re getting away from this idea that quickly now.” She raised a finger and twirled it. “We need to talk about this like adults.”

“But why?” He wanted to throw himself off the couch. “Why this time? You’re acting kind of desperate here.”

“Why don’t we leave that alone for right now.” Char chuckled, exactly like how one would when trying to not act suspiciously.

Jacks rolled his eyes so hard they felt like they would fall out of their sockets. “Really? Is that what you’re really trying to do here? Why is that simple question so hard to answer?”

At their silence, he kept going. “If you guys are planning some sort of retreat or vacation to some skating rink then feel free to do so. I’d go with you if I could, even if I can’t actually skate.”

Angie raised her eyebrows, while Char burst out laughing. “Oh no!” They whined. “You somehow caught on.”

Jacks huffed through clenched teeth. He was already tired of this conversation, but only - he peeped at his watch - ten minutes had really passed. Gosh, he thought. How long was this going to last?

“You know what?” Angie tapped her lip. “I think I have a good solution to this mess of a discussion.” The blond wondered what she was doing, as she followed that statement with pulling out her phone.

“Why don’t I just call Alex and get him to talk to you?” She grinned like she was proud of her thought process. Why would he want to talk to the other guy though? It sounded all that Alex fellow cared about was skating and he thought possibly cats. Jacks remembered the couple talking about him having cats or something. That was it. He probably was too busy to take a call half-past six on a weekday -

“Alex?” Angie said into her cell. “Hi, my busy worker of mine. I wanted to ask you for a favor.” She paused when a deep voice sounded from the phone. Jacks tried to listen in, but the guy was too quiet to hear his responses.

Guess he would just to wait it out. He sure hoped this instructor deemed him a lost cause as he barely had any free time at the moment, with all the kids and such. Mandatory lessons would give him even fewer chances to listen to music or watch the few shows he kept up with.

“Great! Thank you so much!” That was his only warning before a screen was shoved into his face.

“What?” His first instinct was to push the object away from him.

“Oh, come on, Jacks,” called Char from her perch on the couch. “Just talk to him for a moment, please.”

They wanted him to talk to the guy? What even was this? A blind phone call date?

The blond felt thrown off and didn’t even register that someone else was speaking to him, in which it seemed from the very phone he tried to run away from.

“Uh, hi?” He said in a quiet voice, feeling a strange combination of anger and shyness.

“Hi, for the third time.” The man’s voice sounded deep like he hit puberty at the age of ten and grew to be some sort of macho fellow. By his picture though, Jacks pegged him to be only a little older than himself.

“H-how’s it going?” The blond cleared his throat, cursing his dry mouth. He didn’t need his voice to crack like a twelve-year-old. He definitely did not need the reminder of his middle school days.

“Pretty good.” The guy sounded pretty amused at how flustered he felt. The only thing Jacks felt grateful for was that they weren’t talking in person. He was not actually blushing, but it made him feel slightly better that the other fellow couldn’t see his most likely red as a stop sign face.

“I’m Alex.” The blond appreciated his introduction, as he maybe had forgotten the other’s name in the few hours after he read the pamphlet.

“Well, I’m Jacks.” He wanted to bite his tongue once he added the last letter. Most people ignored his actual name, so he got used to “Jack” but it still kind of hurt someway.

“That’s a cool name, Jacks.” Alex said in an even tone, nothing seemingly pointing out that he found it weird or just annoying.

Jacks felt surprised at this practical stranger. He was already nicer than a large population of people the blond had met before. “Thanks for the compliment and for keeping the ‘s.’”

“No problem.” He was a little impressed too, if he had to tell the truth. It took the kids over a month to say “Jacks” instead of “Jack” or “Jackson.” He didn’t like having to constantly correct someone, but it was his name, so he figured he had to defend it someway.

Both ends of the call grew silent. Char and Angie were making strange hand gestures and arm movements, probably trying to say something, but Jacks had no clue. He shrugged helplessly at them, in which they responded with whacking their forehead.

Clearly, they had some things to work on when it came to reading body language.

“Well,” Jacks decided to get this over with, “I’m sure you know why Angie just called you out of the blue.”

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, she told me of this stubborn guy who couldn’t seem to able to skate or appreciate the sport.”

The blond kept from rolling his eyes, but only just. He figured the effort wasn’t worth it, as that couldn’t be broadcasted through a phone.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m an awful person who hates kids or something.”

More laughter erupted from the other side of the call. “You’re too much, dude.”

“Pssh, dude? Really? We barely talked a minute ago, and we’re on ‘dude’ level?” Jacks broke out into chuckles despite him trying to keep a straight face.

He turned his back on the seemingly very interested couple in the shape of two giggling women. If he was going to lose it talking with a stranger, then he wanted his privacy.

From as many people as he could.

“So, go on with your pitch and all that, Mr. Alex or another.” The blond waved an unseen hand trying to finish the conversation. No matter how much he was actually enjoying himself, the whole point was something he would always be against.

“Fine,” the other man sighed. “I do find it crazy that you’ve basically given up on ice skating lessons. I’ve heard that you’ve had bad experiences and even if you have the worst balance ever seen in human history, I swear I can help you get better.”

Nice try, buddy, but that wasn’t going to what could tide him over. “Sorry, Alex. I just don’t want lessons. I’ve never been good at skating in any form, or rollerblading or even skateboarding, so I just rely on either driving or just using my two feet. I’d like to say I’ve gotten pretty good at it. No thanks.”

Alex huffed. “Can I say one other thing?”

Jacks chewed on his lower lip. “Alright, fine. You’re at least more understanding than the other people Angie and Char have thrown at me.”

The other man laughed for a few seconds. “From my place, I feel like you’re kind of scared of doing stuff out of your comfort zone.”

Jacks rolled his eyes. “Are you my therapist now? If Angie has told you anything about me, that’s probably the first thing you learned, so nothing new there. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with not wanting to do dangerous stuff or things that will only lead yo me falling on my back five times.”

“But I could get you past that fear.”

The blond huffed. Did no one understand that he was fine with living with that thing that they perceived as fear. “I don’t care if I get called a coward or lame for not doing this, I just feel like I have the right to not agree to something like that.”

“Hm. That’s a decent point.”

Jacks gritted his teeth. “A decent point? I think I’ve earned the right to live how I want to.”

Alex paused before speaking again, this time with a quieter voice. “Could it be you’re compensating for not being able to live a certain way earlier in your life?”

“And just what do you mean by that, hm?” Jacks tried to keep his voice steady. Seriously? How did some guy just hit the nail on his beaten and old coffin?

“I think you know what I mean.”

“Is that your way of understanding my assumed situation? Why do I feel like you’re relating to this too?” Jacks was jumping on a random tangent here, but he felt bitter enough to throw the other guy for a loop too.

Silence hovered over the phone. His words seemed to flutter through the room, making him feel bad for a second. He had his own freak out, but he wouldn’t wish that on anyone, even if that person couldn’t seem to walk away from an argument.

“I’m sorry.” Jacks eventually broke the quiet spell. “That wasn’t my place.”

A pained laugh leaked into his ears. “No, it was. You’re more than right, as I wasn’t backing down either.”

They both seemed to be lost for words. The blond ran the last bits of dialogue through his mind, trying to see where the other made that jump to his own lifestyle. For Alex to have gotten to that conclusion, there was no way he hadn’t been there in his own time, trying to figure out just who he was.

“When did you know?” The words fell out of his mouth, leaving him in a slightly panicked state. What if this just isolated the two of them even more? He shouldn’t have said anything -

“A few years ago.”

Jacks nodded to the statement, before remembering he was in a phone call, not a face-to-face meeting. “Same, actually.”

“College?” He added, as that was when he had to face the truth and face however his family would react to his coming out.

“Heh. Yeah those times sure turned a notch in my wheel.” Alex cleared his throat, and it sounded like he was moving around somewhere. Maybe he was pacing? Jacks didn’t want to stress the guy out more than he already had.

“I didn’t even want to think of things like that in highschool, but my new friends at the college I went to kind of forced me into that scene, where I picked up on a few things.” The blond looked around the living room to check if anyone was still around, but thankfully Angie and Char had found it fit to leave him in peace.

He didn’t know if he wanted them to find out this way, or if they suspected in anyway. The sense of privacy was never really disturbed at their house, even if the kids ran around like crazy. That was something he hadn’t been expecting coming into this town all those months ago.

“Anyway, are we cool? I didn’t mean to assume or accuse you of anything, I just get frustrated sometimes.” Jacks doubted he would ever really meet this guy, but he did feel bad getting that mad with someone who was obviously just doing their friend a favor.

“Don’t worry about it. I should have realized you were reaching a breaking point. I dealt with a group of fifth graders all day. I guess I just ran out of gas entirely.”

Jacks shuddered. “I take care of three kids on the daily, and I get haggard by them. I couldn’t imagine thirty.” He whistled a sharp tone.

“Thanks, dude.” Alex chortled for a few seconds. “I thought I got used to it a while back, but I guess I still have more to learn.”

The blond could imagine that for sure. “Well, it’s been a heck of a ride talking with you. I think it’s time I took my leave though, as we both deserve some sleep tonight for the start of the weekend. Deep talk with strangers sure took a strange turn.”

Alex muttered something low.

“What was that?” Jacks asked

A few breaths later, came actual words. “Oh, sorry. I forgot what I was saying there. It’s definitely been different than what I thought this would be like.”

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

Alex thought of an answer for a little while. His cats strolled into his bedroom, and Lilac decided his lap was the perfect perch for her. Who was he to argue that?

“I think it’s a good thing. Even from Char and Angie getting together and everything, sometimes it’s hard to find a good time to talk with them and get as real as one can get without tears being involved.”

“I get that.” Jacks paused. The redhead tried to picture what the other man looked like, maybe a flushed face after all the arguing they did previously? A small part of him wondered whether the guy was cute, but he tried to shake that thought off quickly. No point in caring about looks if he was never going to go to lessons.

Jacks kept talking. “After college, I lost some friends, some close ones I never thought would leave, but when I got here, things started to click again, and I’ve gotten to be happy here.”

“That’s really great.” Alex grinned down at his sock-covered feet. “I’m very happy that you’re been able to get settled here. I came here thinking it was going to be closer to my old place, but it truly was different, thanks to the good people I met too.”

He turned quiet. The world seemed so against him in Arizona, but here, he really did feel welcome, and he felt more normal than anything else. The farther away he got from his parents that turned into semi-regular phone calls made him feel both better and guilty.

Better since it didn’t feel like the end of his life meeting Angie for the first time and seeing how everyone treated her and her wife. Guilty because he didn’t feel good at home - he couldn’t, not after his practical outing as different to his peers by his ex-girlfriend.

He was over that now, though, after quite a few months passed. The redhead doubted he could ever forgive the girl, but he didn’t need her apologies. He just wanted space, and with space came a sense of happiness of peace that he never thought he deserved.

“I actually did like this talk, but you haven’t convinced me to want to take more skating lessons.”

Alex huffed out a laugh. “Why do I feel like you’re lying and that I’ve really tempted you with my smooth words?” He chuckled at a quiet intake of breath. “Caught you, heh?”

He could see Jacks pouting, even over the cell phone. “M-maybe you might have a very small point somewhere in the convoluted pool of your argument.”

“Hmm. We’ll see about that, huh?” Alex bit his lip. I think I’m just going to have to keep talking with you until you give up and take them.”

The other sighed. “If I took one, only one, would that get everyone off my back for good?”

Got him. “Sure. That seems fair.”

Alex stared at Lilac sleeping now in his lap. He had some strange part of him begging to get to know this guy more. He really did want him to take the offer.

“Fine.” Alex gaped at the single word, and then he couldn’t help his laughter.

“Hey! If you’re just going to be a jerk about it -” Jacks’ voice grew heated.

“Oh, I’m s-sorry,” Alex forced through shaking teeth. “It’s just you sounded so mad saying that, it cracked me up.”

The other man sighed. “Nah, you’re good. I guess I’m just tired.”

“Does that mean you’re serious, though? You’ll actually take a lesson?”

“I’ll probably regret this later, but yes, I accept your offer for one lesson only, as long as I can leave whenever I want.”

Alex clicked his tongue. He wasn’t going to get out that easily. “One lesson is fine, but you have to stay for at least an hour.”

“Half an hour.”

The redhead was already shaking his head. “Nope. Forty-five minutes is the lowest time I’d give you. Some of that is going to be spent on stretches and getting changed, so I think this is a fair amount.”

“Ugh. I’m only agreeing ‘cause I’m feeling very tired -” Jacks ended with a yawn.

“Alright,” Alex smiled. “I’ll take it.”

They both laughed. “Well,” started the other man, “I guess we can go tell Angie and Char the good news, huh?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” mused the redhead. He had to keep from chuckling at the sight they would be after hearing what happened. He was getting a higher paycheck for sure. At that thought, he let out a short giggle. They all knew he didn’t do it in hopes of money, though. Alex just found it very hard to believe that anyone could hold that strong of a disdain for ice skating.

“On that note, I think I should end this, so I can give Angie her phone back.”

“Eh, that’s fair.” After a moment of random thought, Alex decided to add in, “Could I have one last request?”

“Uh, okay.” Jacks sounded far away, probably right before finding the two passionate women.

“As your future instructor, I would to request to know your actual cell phone number.” At the quiet static from the other line, Alex felt heat in his cheeks.

“If you don’t -”

Jacks cut him off. “That’s something I hadn’t thought of, but yeah, I guess so.”

Alex didn’t expect him to say yes, but he felt pleased in a way he was too tired to identify at that current moment.

The call ended in soft-spoken numbers and a tentative promise to talk again during the weekend.

The redhead put his phone down on the bed, gazing down at the pale-colored cat in his lap, that stayed throughout the whole conversation.

“Hello there Lilac,” he crooned, and picked her up. “Did you listen in on that talk?”

She purred once he stroked over her coat. As if called by the sound, his other pets wandered into the room as well.

“Come on, then, you little rascals.” Alex invited them to come next to him. Pepper cleaned her coat by his bare feet, while Peaches rubbed against his side.

He giggled at the feeling of her soft fur on his arm. A yawn came over him then, leaving him blinking back spots in his vision.

Maybe the day really did sap his energy, as it wasn’t even past eight. Alex shrugged at the prospect of sleep sounding better than even playing video games.

He put down a still purring Lilac by his side, and stretched out his limbs. The cats did nothing more than hiss for a second. They could do what they wanted while he slept. His mind soon fell to darkness.

Alex woke up to his alarm, set at a healthy seven-thirty time. He took a moment to think of how long he actually slept for. That had been the first time in a while that he didn’t have to get out of bed at some point during the night.

It was a nice feeling. Maybe he should give more tours or spend time convincing guys to take skating lessons more often. Was there a recruiting crew at the rink? He didn’t think there was before, but they could always make one.

Alex shook his head at his drowsy thoughts. Planning his future life and job right when he woke up was definitely not a good idea.

Breakfast sounded good though. He licked his lips, almost like his cats, at the thought of food. That meant getting out of his warm, comfortable bed, but his throat was feeling dry, so he figured that was a good thing.

Alex drew his arms back in a quick pull to lessen some stress build-up. His neck felt a little stiff, as did his jaw, yet the undisturbed sleep was worth the minor pain. He changed into slightly more respectable clothes, then wandered downstairs.

Peaches and Pepper followed him into the kitchen, leaving Lilac where ever she was. He knew that food drew them all out eventually, so he wasn’t too worried at the moment.

The redhead took out two bags, one of cat food, the other regular cereal, and filled the respective bowls. His pets meowed in thanks, while his own stomach grumbled in anticipation.

Breakfast took only a few minutes to finish, clicking the television on for some local news.

After he was done, Alex went to clean up and brush his teeth, to feel a little more human.

His phone was ringing by the time he made it out of the bathroom.

“Hello?” He murmured into the call.

“Hi, Alex,” a familiar voice chimed. “I wanted to ask if you were free to meet up for lunch.”

Bailey. He hadn’t seen her in a while, not since her New Years’ party. “Sure, why not? Our usual, even if we haven’t been there in forever?”

She laughed, a slight tilt to her words. “Sounds good as always.”

Alex hummed. “How have you been?” Last he heard she was traveling through Europe, and he had been busy with moving out here.

“I’ve been in Michigan for the last three months.”

It was hat long since they last talked? “What made you settle there, of all places? I thought you were from the west coast.”

“Well,” Bailey paused. “I may have found someone in my travels.”

His eyebrows rose. “May have? Is that your way of saying you’re already married to this guy?”

She snorted. “Not everything I say has to have a second meaning, mister.”

He waited to hear a rebuttal to his words, which made him incredulous when she didn’t protest.

“Miss Bailey! Are you implying you married someone that your best friend of ten years hasn’t even seen?” He gasped loudly.

“I am, of course,” Alex could see her rolling her eyes on the other side of the call. “I think we’re going to get engaged soon.”

“Ooh.” He whistled a sharp note. “Congrats are in order, then.”

“Maybe.” Bailey chuckled. “Either way, you might be meeting him soon, which is also why I wanted to come talk with you this afternoon.”

She sounded different than before, when they had both been drunk on eggnog and sullen after sudden breakups. This guy in her life seemed to have done some good, so it wasn’t like he was going to try to run him out of town anytime soon.

“You know I’m a nice guy, right? Has it really been that long since we talked that you think I’m gonna straight-up sucker punch the dude.”

“Hmm, is that so? Then why can I seem to recall somebody kicking a boyfriend out one night, for no reason?”

Images of the real jerk of a guy Bailey had in high school flashed through his head. He felt like he could still tap into that anger built-up from all the stress of school and family and the fact that the kid leered at other girls when Bailey was right behind him.

“I had good reasons for that, definitely.” Alex wasn’t that big of a jerk to tell her that he thought her boyfriend had been cheating on her, at least seemed to want to. “You’ll just have to believe your already established best friend for a decade on that one.”

“Hm, maybe I’ll give you that.” Objects shifted around in the background. Austa murmured something to herself. “Well, I guess I gotta go, but I’m looking forward to later!”

“Alright then, Bailey. See you later.”

Alex put down his phone after hearing her click the call off.

He fell onto his worn-down chair in the living room. His mind wandered, thinking of different things spurred on the random occurence of Bailey. Jacks’ words floated into his brain. Him calling himself a coward reminded Alex of how he had felt, quite some time ago.

The redhead was grateful that they ended on decent terms, but he did still feel a sliver of guilt for pushing the other man so far to elicit such a reaction. From what he had heard, Jacks remained decently calm in most situations.

They each said their apologies, though, so their dues were made. His weren’t though. Maybe he could call him later. That thought had him humming in assent. Talking to the other had been interesting the first time, and it might be even nicer if speaking about something unrelated to ice skating lessons.

A ringing sound broke through his thoughts yet again. His phone buzzed for the second time before even lunch. He was popular for some reason today.

His eyes popped seeing the name of the caller. Alex slid the phone open, and lifted it up.

“Angie? What’s making you call on a Saturday morning?”

He figured that Jacks would tell her and Char about their talk, but maybe she just wanted to talk even more about that.

“For one, I wanted to thank you for getting Jay to agree to lessons, even if it’s only one.” Ah. That made sense, he supposed. “Also, the kids were asking about you since Keith’s the only one that’s seen you lately. Does dinner tomorrow night sound okay?”

A homemade meal? Oh yes, please. “Sunday sounds perfectly fine, thanks boss.” He paused, thinking over her first sentence. “You don’t need to thank me for getting him to come. It’s my duty to try my hardest at convincing every Colorado resident of the wonderful parts of skating.”

They both chuckled. “Seriously though,” Angie piped in, “thanks. We’re all excited and hopeful that this will be the time he starts liking it.”

“We’ll have to see, but I’d be pretty proud to be the one to tide him over.” Alex couldn’t lie about the cloud floating from a well of pride that he would definitely feel if that happened. “I’m sure I can’t make him hate skating more than he already does, so it should be a win-win situation.”

“Hopefully, but you never know with Jacks. He likes to break through all sorts of decently thought out ideas.” He pictured Angie shaking her head in both exasperation and wonder. “It’s pretty unbelievable, and very, very irritating sometimes.”

“I bet.” Alex laughed at her tone. “I’m also betting that when he surprises the heck out of certain people, it’s more enjoyable?”

“Bah!” She cackled. “Just what are you accusing me of, mister? I’m not that cruel to sick Jacks on poor, unsuspecting, albeit cocky folk. How rude of you and of me for saying something like that!”

“Hm,” he started, acting like he was considering her words. “I suppose your true secret will just have to be safe with me then.”

“I suppose so, as well.” Her voice carried a smile at both her generally good mood and the light conversation. There was a shout in the background, loud enough to startle Alex. “I guess that’s my cue to check on the household, sorry Alex.”

“Nah, that’s fine, Angie. I’ll see you tomorrow night then?” He had to get ready to meet Bailey himself later, and get a start on his day in general.

“Yup! Hope you have a great day!”

“Thanks, you too.” Alex put down his phone and sighed. He was already feeling tired by how cheerful Bailey and Angie could be at a time before even eleven in the morning! Was he already turning into an old man and no one had the heart to tell him?

He doubted it was that serious, but sometimes his exhaustion kicked in and annoyed him to a very long extent.

The redhead decided that tea could wake him up, and give him an excuse to see if Lilac ended up eating or not. He walked into the kitchen to see pretty much empty bowls, which was a good thing. The last time his cats weren’t eating, it was a very scary-looking scene and not one he wanted to repeat in the future.

It took him a few minutes to boil some water, but the warm, sweet chamomile tea was worth the effort and brought a slow smile to his face. He loved the loudness of life, but the quiet, peaceful moments in between major scenes tugged at his heart strings every once in a while.

Once he finished his lovely drink, Alex checked his watch to see he had an hour or so until he needed to head out. He took his time with an almost too-hot shower, and left his hair to dry straight down. With a quick look at the weather, the redhead tugged on a light sweater since the mall they were meeting up ran way too cold even on sunny days.

All dressed, Alex gathered his cats to say goodbye and refill their water and food bowls. He didn’t want them trying to pull their packets down for a second time - the first time nearly gave him a heart attack.

“Bye you little rascals!” He called out to them. A few meows were his answer. Alex hummed aloud as he locked the door behind him, and climbed into his car.

He made good time so he was actually pulling into the mall parking lot a few minutes early. The redhead took a look around the area, taking in stores he didn’t recognize, but that probably came from his being too busy to really go out much anymore. This would hopefully be a fun little venture in between him working on Jacks’ lesson.

For someone so against skating, Alex felt determined to prove the man wrong, and flip his opinion, with whatever means necessary.

He broke out into a wide smile as he saw a flash of purple hair in front of the local restaurant. That had to be Bailey. No one else could rock that light shade of lavender as well as she did.

“Alex!” Even from a few paces away, he felt touched by the happiness on her own face at seeing him.

“Hey, Bailey.” He walked closer to her, letting his own grin grow even more. “It’s even better to see you and not just talk.”

“It really is.”

The rest of their conversation flowed decently through their delicious meal of freshly tossed salad and spaghetti. She had more of a vegetarian style, while he ate anything that contained starch, so it was a perfect combination.

They probably could have talked for hours, even when their food ended and they started to wander through the mall, but all great days must come to an end. With reluctance, Alex walked Bailey to her car, distracted by thinking of a certain statement she said over lunch.

“Sometimes,” she had declared with a sharp look, “you dive so deep into what you’re doing that you forget about people and things right in front of you.”

The purple-haired woman pulled up short, causing him to turn his hearing back on.

“Alex,” she said, “I’m really glad we got to meet.”

He was too, even with her cryptic messages. “Let’s do this again sometime, but definitely sooner this time around, huh?”

Her laugh rang out like a bell. “But, of course, mister!”

Alex was left shaking his head, even after Bailey drove off. He must have forgotten how much he had missed her, since the woman for a few minutes left him missing their times in high school. Maybe that connection he felt beating inside was why so many people thought they were dating years ago.

With a smirk, he loved to shock people with saying that they didn’t quite compute when it came to relations, and leave them stumped for a bit until a collective groan when his classmates figured it out.

It never really got old. Alex chuckled on his walk back to the old, trusty steed he called a car.

He felt mad tired by the time he got home, but chalked it up to probably not getting enough sleep the last few nights. Alex let out a few yawns as he brought his limbs into his bedroom and plugged his phone into the wall.

He could take a short nap, but there were still a few things he wanted to do before the weekend ended, starting with making a well-done schedule that may seem too much for Jacks, but was enough laid-out for Alex’s taste. Coming up with some activities that drew the reluctant soul into the art of skating sounded like a heck of a lot of fun for him.

But after shutting his eyes for a very small section of time. Not much at all, really, he amended mentally. He still had plenty of hours to do everything else he wanted to do, even if he was not going to come even close to any of them being finished.

The redhead fell asleep laughing at his thoughts.

Jacks spent his morning listening to music and may have danced around his room to pump himself up for the weekend. He had been caught by Char multiple times over the last few weeks, but they hopefully still kept the secret between them.

The blond could only imagine how the kids would react to his most likely ridiculous dance moves.

Besides that, all he did really for the first hours of the day was eat some eggs for breakfast and nod hello to the too lovey-dovey wives practically necking in the kitchen. At this time, seeing them kiss was like watching his sister and his mother kiss, which made his brain hurt.

He closed his eyes and pretended that the noises were coming from a movie on a tv screen, instead of right in front of him.

Lucky for him, they wandered back to some other room of the house that he didn’t care too much about, just as long as they didn’t come back anytime soon. How were their kids not as scared as him? Maybe they hid it better than he did. Char and Angie were cute when they were being romantic - other ways made him feel happy he didn’t have to look that disgustingly in love.

“Jacks!” He looked up from brushing his teeth. The blond held up a finger at the sudden appearance of Yeira. He spat out the minty paste, and wiped his mouth.

She waited for him to respond, practically vibrating by his feet.

“What’s up, little miss?” He narrowed his eyes at how cheerful she seemed - since was she, or any of the kids that matter, up this early? It was nice, but still kind of weird.

“I’m bored!” Yeira shrieked, shaking her head.

Jacks felt tired listening to her exuberant tone. How could kids be that, he waved mentally, for so many parts of a day?

“Well,” he said, “maybe go find your siblings and grab them out of their beds. How does that sound?”

“Oh.” Yeira smiled, showing off a grin with missing teeth. “That sounds fun!”

“Great,” he told himself as she scampered off. He would feel bad for Keith and Paola, but he wanted a little more alone time if he could manage it, especially since he did agree to the skating lesson after all.

A lump formed in his throat at the memory of that cursed call. Jacks figured he did feel rather exhausted at that point, and must have thought, why not, for him to say yes. He said that with the slight confidence of knowing that his utmost hate towards skating and all of the aches he had gained over the years pof trying to learn it must have boosted him too much.

Oh well. It was one lesson, only forty-five minutes long, and then he could go back to never having to face another skating instructor who didn’t care about the fact that he didn’t enjoy literally giving himself bruises.

He heard a giggle around the corner. Should he check on the possibly mischievous girls running around the house? Maybe he should spend some more time out of his head, actually, as he didn’t want to think of the evil lesson he would have to face eventually.

He resigned himself to a potentially not-so-pleasant fate of screaming children before the afternoon had evens tarted.

“Hello?” He called out, peeking his head out of the bedroom door. “Anyone out there?”

“Nothing -” answered who he figured was Paola. A smattering of chuckles accompained her word.

“Well, alright, then.” He mumbled to hismefl. He tried.

He wanted peace and quiet back again, so the blond crept and fell onto his very comfortable bed.

Twin sets of bellowing laughs woke him up unfortnautely. Even more bad was the fact that it was Angie and Char smirking at him, not some of the kids. No, of course it had to be the people most likely to rib at him for being too old already to be able to enjoy a morning like a normal person.

“Hi, Jacks.” He grumbled, slowly getting back up to his feet. That short nap made him feel more sluggish, if that seemed possible. He didn’t feel so great with that notion stuck in his head.

“How may I be of service to you gals?” Jacks more or so muttered quietly.

“We were thinking of going out to the library today!” Char grinned at his probably dumb-looking face.

Huh, that actually didn’t sound too bad - there would be plenty o quiet spots and it wasn't like the kids could go too crazy - they would get kicked out for sure.

With her next words, however, his mood dipped down again.

“There’s a special event going on in the next hour. It’s all about skating - hockey, figure, you name it! I think it would be perfect for the kids, and especially you, our next Mr. Awesome Future Skater, right?” Angie chuckled at his lack of words.

“I think this is something the five of you could do, right?” Jacks looked up at them, a sliver of hope trying to lift him up. “I’m not going to be too much fun anyway, so what’s the point of dragging me out there if I’m just going to be a downer through it all.”

“Hm.” The two paused at his words, as if they actually thought it over. “Well, I think the kids would be down that you don’t even want to give it a chance.” Char pouted her infamous down-turned expression, fit to cause trauma in most hearts that still held a soul.

“That isn’t fair, and you know it,” Jacks stammered in anger.
Angie frowned at his tone. “Are you really that mad at having to go to something like this? Just treat it as a documentary that you find boring but watch cause your significant other digs it.”

He rolled his eyes. Should he feel grateful that they didn’t try to guess his sexuality, or left that conversation to another day, or angry that they treat his strong dislike of skating to some dumb movie.

“My disgust for skating is different than aht, and you know it.” Jacks chewed on his tongue for a second. “I guess i’ll go, but only if I can get two things out of you.”

“Try us,” Char said easily, with a bright smile.

“First, no more trying to push me into things I don’t want to do for the next week. That includes next weekend,” he started. At their opened mouths to try to argue, he held up a hand. “PLease let me finish, then you can decide if this is worth the fight or not.” They appeased, but still looked perplexed and trying to not be angry, or at least seem it. “Second, I want to pick the music we listen to in the car, for the next week too.”

“What’s the reasoning behind that second one?” Angie tilted her head.

“You’re kidding, right? The only person with a good taste in music is an eleven-year-old. The rest of you don’t have too much of a ear for decent artists.” Jacks shook his head in disdain for those awful pop songs Paola not-so-secretly enjoyed and would put on replay as many times as possible on long car rides.

“Okay, I understand the kids, but not even us?” Char asked, with a small frown on her face.

“Says the woman who blasts Michael Buble whenever she can.” Jacks added dryly.

“He’s the best!” At her exclamation, the blond sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“He’s really, really not, Char. At least Angie has the decency to not view him as the greatest singer of all time, or so you like to claim.” He looked away from the seemingly shocked woman. She knew all about his complaints about never hearing anything different than the male performer.