The Offical (mental) List of Jack Kelly Smiles - Javid AU
Throughout the course of their relationship, Davey has found that he loves a lot about Jack. But what he loves the most is his smile, each different smile representing something unique he loves about Jack.
3.0k words
Javid high school AU
Jack Kelly’s smiles are not rare. He’s loud, boisterous, but in a good way. He can always be found surrounded by friends who are always laughing with- or at- each other. He’s charming, tossing smiles to anyone who looks his way, paired with a quick wink or witty remark. Everyone loves Jack and he loves being loved. It works.
He was smiling when David met him. It was David’s first day at his new high school and he wasn’t exactly having the easiest time making friends. David was more quiet, reserved. He introduced himself to his classes and took a seat, took notes, and watched the clock. This strategy worked until lunchtime. It was harder to disappear in the cafeteria. He would have to choose where to sit, rather than being given the only open seat in a classroom. He would have to wait in line for his food and try not to get lost in the swarm of his new classmates. So, he stood at the double doors of the cafeteria, waiting to gain enough confidence to enter. With a deep breath, he set his eyes forward and began to walk inside. Immediately ahead of him was a large and loud group of students filling an entire table. Everyone was thrown over each other and laughing and chatting, having fun. At the center of the table sat this boy, presumably their pseudo-leader, literally sat on the table with his feet on the cafeteria stool next to a backpack haphazardly tossed on the ground. His head was thrown back in laughter and when he looked forward again, the remains of his laugh made obvious by the smile on his cheeks, he made eye contact with David.
Shit. The last thing David needed was to be noticed by an entire seemingly popular friend group. He wanted to wait and find his place at this school before he tried to throw himself into friendships that wouldn’t last. But boy-on-the-table hopped up and off the stool and started walking toward David, hastily waving an acknowledging hand to his friends. Shit, shit, shit.
“Have I seen you here before?” He said as he finally met David at the doorway.
“Uh, no, I’m new. I’m David.” David replied, nervous.
“Nice to meet you, Davey, name’s Jack. You looking for somewhere to sit?” Jack turned so he was walking next to David, leading him to his table.
“You don’t have to-”
“Don’t sweat it, we always have an open seat.”
They did not, in fact, have an open seat. That was probably why Jack was on the table in the first place. Jack and David stood awkwardly as they realized there was no stool for Jack to lead him to.
“Fellas, this is Davey. He’s new and therefore we are to adopt him as one of our own. David, this is everyone, I guess.” Jack gestured at his friends, who were all kindly waving and offering a chorus of “Hi, Davey’s”
Jack took his seat back on the table and wordlessly a blonde boy who David recognized from his first period AP Chem class followed him, leaving an empty stool.
“Your throne, sire,” he said with a flourish. “I’m Race. I sit behind you in chem, right? Sorry I didn’t introduce myself, I’m never awake enough at 8 am for socialization, let alone ionic bonds.” So, maybe David wasn’t looking to be adopted by an entire friend group but it didn’t seem too bad. They all were nice enough and at least now David had somewhere to go until he found a more solid group of friends. And, of course, who can say no to Jack Kelly’s smile?
As it turns out, Jack and his friends are the solid friend group David was looking for. Race, Specs, and Finch were around to help him survive his AP classes with minimal damage to his mental health. Elmer, Romeo, and Albert would always be there to recap The Bachelor with him, no matter how hard the rest of their friends rolled their eyes. He could talk about music with Henry and books with Crutchie. He fit right in. And, of course, there was Jack. Jack and his awful jokes and stupid, perfect smile. Jack was quickly becoming his best friend, which was amazing and amazingly dangerous. David’s heart skipped a beat when they brushed hands in the hallway or when a patented Jack Kelly Smile was flashed in his direction. David was screwed.
Or, he thought he was screwed. It only took one simple movie date to turn quick, stolen glances to quick, stolen kisses. As their relationship grew, David got to know Jack’s smiles on a deeply personal level. It didn’t take long for him to begin The Official (mental) List of Jack Kelly Smiles.
The first kind was the kind everyone saw, the kind David saw when they first met.
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The second smile was the loving smile he shot to his friends when he thought they weren’t looking.
Let’s be real, Jack has a lot of friends. Yet, somehow, nobody manages to get lost or left behind. It was one of the first things David noticed about Jack and one of the things that made him fall for Jack in the first place. He cared so deeply for each and every one of his friends. Their friend group may not have a real leader but Jack was certainly their rock. He always made sure everyone was invited everywhere and he was always the first to support all of his friends.
Race was captain of the baseball team and, while he may not know much about sports, Jack went to every game. Baseball was important to Race and he worked so hard to make sure he would be able to earn a scholarship for college someday and that was enough for Jack and Crutchie to be in the front row for every single game.
It was one of Jack’s favorite traditions. Eating sunflower seeds and chatting with Crutchie and Spot, who was otherwise hesitant to hang out with Race’s friends. David was honored when he was invited to one of Race’s games on a Friday night.
The number of their friends who came to the games fluctuated, this week it was just Jack, Crutchie, Spot and David. David half-watched the game and half-watched Jack. Every time Race stepped up the plate Jack smiled but bit his lip as if he didn’t want to jinx anything.
Every time Race hit the ball, which admittedly was very frequently, Jack cheered, the smile never leaving his face. The pride Jack felt for his friend, his brother, was obvious and contagious. His lips stayed turned for minutes after Race’s at-bat was over, when even Spot had moved on to snacking and talking about an upcoming quiz with Crutchie. But not Jack, Jack was watching Race stand at second base with that same smile on his face. David wanted to mention how sweet Jack was, how much he admired Jack’s love and devotion, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment. So instead, he laced their fingers together and brought Jacks's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. He hoped that he got the message across.
-
The third smile on David’s list was the one he shared with Medda. This was one of David’s favorites. As a momma’s boy himself he fell in love with the way Jack treated Medda with all the respect and appreciation in the world.
The first time Jack invited David to dinner to meet Medda, David was beyond nervous. Although Medda had the reputation of being the fun mom who the rest of the boys loved, David couldn’t calm his nerves.
He had heard the way Jack talked about Medda. He gushed his appreciation for her selflessness as she took Jack in and the way she was able to become the mother he didn’t have growing up. And how, after five years, she became more of a mother than his biological mom ever was. So, her reputation preceded her by a long shot.
Jack and David had gone to the library after school to get homework done and were walking back to Jack’s apartment for dinner. They walked hand in hand talking about everything and nothing. They were both ramblers, each so passionate about their own interests they could go on for hours. So, it wasn’t abnormal for David to be this quiet with Jack, it was simply Jack’s turn to ramble. But still, somehow, Jack noticed something was up.
“You okay, Davey?” Jack knocked his shoulder into David’s as they walked.
“Nervous, I guess. I don’t wanna mess this up.”
“You’re gonna be perfect. Last time Elmer was over we watched Rent and he sobbed for like 45 minutes and then he proceeded to set the smoke alarm off while cooking a hotdog. Medda has seen it all.”
“Sounds like Elmer.” David nodded. “But unless you were also dating Elmer, I don’t think it’s the same.”
“Maybe I was, you don’t know everything about me,” Jack joked. “But seriously, you’re gonna be amazing. She’s not gonna be scary or anything. She knows that you make me happy and she wants to meet you, that’s all.”
David’s heart fluttered at the idea of Jack talking to Medda about him. He tried to find comfort in that instead of feeling intimidated by his own reputation.
And Jack was right, Medda welcomed him into their home with open arms. They talked about school and David’s family, the conversation was easy. He complimented Medda’s cooking and Medda told David that Jack has never been as motivated in school as he’s been since he and David got together.
David found it easy to be himself and enjoy his dinner, which was good because he was planning on spending a lot more time at Jack’s apartment in the future (Jack had his own room and David doesn’t).
After they ate they moved to the living room to watch a movie, Jack and David on the couch and Medda on a smaller loveseat. “You picked a good one, Jack,” Medda said as she scrolled through Disney+.
“Ma, stop.” Jack buried his head into David’s shoulder before looking back at Medda, cheeks pink with a blush.
Jack and Medda smiled at each other and David felt like he had a window into their daily lives. Happy and comfortable with each other, sharing the same wide grin.
It would honestly be hard for David to decide if Jack’s friends or Medda were the most important things in Jack’s life. He devoted himself entirely to his friends (as seen in smile #2) but Medda was his family. The only family he had. He openly loved Medda, never being embarrassed by how his friends tease him for being a momma’s boy, a baby. But with Jack and Medda together, smiling at each other and sharing their lives, David knew it was important that Medda liked him. More important than if Crutchie and the boys liked him, more important than anything. David knew he was safe in their smiles.
-
The fourth kind of smile was special to David because it was only for him.
Jack and David were in the back of David’s hand-me-down minivan, trunk open and beak seats down so they could lie in the back. His car wasn’t new or cool in the slightest but he was one of the few of their friends who had a car of his own, and that was enough. This was one of their favorite dates; they would pack snacks and blankets and drive as far upstate as they were willing to go. When the sun went down they would find a park or any open space, open the trunk and lie there for hours. Watching the sunset, watching the stars, pretending they weren’t being eaten by mosquitoes. Outside the city, they could see past the streetlights, up to the sky. It was beautiful and they were together so it was perfect.
They would talk about everything, school, their families, their friends, their hopes, their dreams, their future.
Or, they would sit in silence, enjoying each other's presence and looking at the sky.
Or, of course, being teenage boys, they would make out. The thrill of being alone and away from home taking over.
It was perfect for them.
This particular night, Jack had fallen asleep. David let him rest. It was getting late anyway and they had a long ride home. David would rather Jack slept now so he could keep him company on the drive. Jack slept with his head resting on David’s chest and David carded his fingers through Jack’s hair. With his other hand, David texted his parents, saying he’d leave for home soon and replied to some texts in the group chat with his friends. He was completely relaxed. He couldn’t help but think of a life where this was his day to day. Lying with Jack, fingers in his hair, looking at the stars. He wouldn’t have to tell his parents where he was going or when he’d come home. He wouldn’t have to separate from Jack at the end of the night, leaving him with a goodnight kiss but yearning for more. For Jack in bed next to him when he goes to sleep and when he wakes up in the morning.
Maybe someday. For sure someday, if David had anything to say about it.
But for now, David had to bring Jack home. With a kiss to the top of his head, he began to wake Jack up.
“Jackie, we gotta get home.” Jack looked up and David and yawned, then smiled.
This smile was different from what Race and Crutchie saw or what Medda saw. This was a sleepy, lovesick smile that was for David only. That proved to David that Jack wanted their future, too. He wanted to sleep with David and actually sleep with David every night, to live the rest of their lives together.
Jack’s eyes were still closed but he still looked at David, without breaking his smile he asked: “Do we have to leave?”
David sat up, forcing Jack to move from his position on his chest. “You’re the one with a curfew, babe, not me.”
“Forget the curfew, I wanna stay.” Despite his words, Jack stood and walked to the passenger seat.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, David kissed Jack’s temple. “You know I don’t wanna get on Medda’s bad side.” David backed out of the parking lot they were in, some random baseball field a couple miles off the highway.
“You’re too far on the good side to get demoted for one missed curfew.” Jack waited for David to merge onto the highway and took his right hand, kissing his knuckles and letting their hands rest on his lap.
Jack doesn’t drive but he loves being a passenger. He liked sitting with his knees pointed toward David, talking and singing to the radio. He liked looking out the window at the long stretches of road.
David liked driving, it was therapeutic to him, they were the perfect pair.
-
The fifth Jack Kelly Smile was the wide, open-mouthed grin of Jack’s laugh.
Jack laughed a LOT. He never took himself too seriously and his friends were all hilarious in their own kind of layered-inside-joke way. They were notorious for disrupting classes with side conversations turned to wholehearted laughter, especially as there were just so many of them they were bound to always have a friend or two in class. That was part of what was so beautiful about their friend group. They were all friends with each other, no subgroups. Any combination of their friends could be comfortable hanging out at any given moment. That was part of what made David feel so comfortable with them when he first came to their school.
Anyway, lots of friends plus a goofy personality equals always laughing. David loved Jack’s laugh. It was loud and obnoxious and not at all charming like the rest of his personality. Crutchie likes to tease him for it, saying it keeps him humble.
David’s favorite is when Jack laughs until he cries. He loves the pure joy on his face as everything falls away except for him and whatever he’s laughing at.
Like the time they all went bowling and Race slipped down the lane because he refused to wear bowling shoes. Or when Crutchie gave a dramatic reading of Othello for their English class in the worst British accent Jack had ever heard.
Jack would throw his head back and laugh until no noise could come out anymore. Then, the only way you could tell he was laughing and not crying would be the way his smile never left his face. Tears would rush down his cheeks and his face would grow red but his smile never faltered.
And as they sat now, in Jack’s living room, surrounded by all their friends, Jack was laughing with tears on his cheeks. Ever the affectionate type, Jack was sprawled across his friends, legs on Finch’s lap and head on David’s. David wasn’t sure that Jack actually knew what he was laughing at, at this point. But he was surrounded by the best people he knew and that was enough.
When Jack finally gained control over his breathing, David wiped the tears from Jack’s cheeks with his thumbs before leaning down and kissing him on the forehead.
Looking at that smile he couldn’t help himself. “I love you, Jack,” he said as if they were the only two in the room or even the world.
David couldn't hear their friends teasing because nothing could compare to the Jack Kelly Smile when he tells David he loves him too.