Unsaid - Joeck FanFiction
(This is purely fictitious and means no harm to irl people)
The first big group trip in a while was upon them. The mates, Josh, Caspar, and Oli had planned a trip to Sydney, Australia for some much needed down time with all vlogging equipment away. Their partners included, the mates also invited Joe and Dianne on the trip. Unknown to Joe, they also invited Jack, who wasn’t told of Joe and Dianne either.
Everyone knew something had gone down between the two of them, even if Joe and Jack never actually said what. Caspar and Josh had noticed the sudden change when Joe told them about Dianne. Suddenly, Joe had a girlfriend and Jack was nowhere to be seen. Busy schedules were blamed whenever one of them brought it up to Joe or Jack, but they weren’t even talking anymore.
So comes the plan to get both Joe and Jack on the trip, forcing them to interact. It sounded like a solid plan to Caspar and Josh. The boys would hash out any problems, maybe some heated words, but ultimately get back to good ole friendship.
When the morning came to head to the airport, Josh and his girlfriend, Oli and his girlfriend, and Jack would take an earlier flight than Caspar, his girlfriend, and Joe and Dianne. That way, Joe or Jack couldn’t back out right before take-off. It was hard keeping the secret on the very long flight to Sydney. Josh accidentally mentioned Joe and Dianne during a conversation with Jack.
“Well, Joe said the parasailing was sick so we’ll probably give it a go again,” Josh said.
Jack looked at him, “Joe?”
Josh quickly tried to correct himself, “Yea, joe said when he was in Sydney, he loved parasailing the coast. He told me to check it out myself,” he said.
Jack bought the lie and turned back to his movie, “Oh, ok. We should do it then,” he put his headphones back on.
Josh returned to his own show and slowed his heart rate back down. He pulled out his phone and told Caspar what had just happened.
Mate I almost f@cked up big time! I mentioned Joe and Jack got weird.
Dude! I asked about Jack and Joe clammed up again.
WTF is going on with them???
They made it to the mansion without any problems. Everyone drew papers for which rooms were there’s. Josh drew for Caspar and made sure there was one room left for Joe. Jack managed to pull a decent room this time. He went up the stairs to put his things down and change out of his flying gear. After changing, he walked out onto his own private balcony that overlooked the massive pool in their back garden. The mansion was placed on a hillside with Sydney and the afternoon sun stretching out before them. Jack loved these trips when the views were once in a lifetime. He heard noise and looked down at the pool. Josh, Oli, and their girlfriends were already trying it out.
“Jack! C’mon! Pool time buddy!” Caspar called up to him.
“Yea, man!” Jack yelled back and went to change.
His tan wasn’t worthy of being called a tan so he did a quick dip in the pool then lounged himself in the sun with his shorts pulled up. Josh and Oli played some water jousting with their girlfriends on their shoulders holding pool noodles. Jack peeked at them a few times, noticing the ease each of them had with the other. He turned his head away and soon felt himself drifting off.
“Heyoooo!” A voice came from the backdoors.
Jack’s eyes shot open. He hoped what he heard was in his head and not reality, but a second later he got his answer.
“Josh, get your toosh out the pool and show us where our rooms are!” Joe started walking towards the pool. Josh rocketed out of the water and rammed himself into Joe before he could get far enough to see Jack in his lounge chair staying stone still.
“Hey mate! Of course, I’ll show you and Caspar and company to your rooms,” Josh laughed as Joe pulled his damp shirt away from his torso. He led them back into the house and up the stairs.
Jack was still stuck in a waking nightmare and couldn’t bring himself to move. Oli noticed that Jacks eyes were wide open and waded over to the edge of the pool.
“Jack? You alright, man?” Oli said.
Jack blinked a few times then sat himself up and slid his legs to one side, placing them on the hot concrete, “Why didn’t anyone tell me Joe and Dianne were coming?”
“Well, Jack mate, we knew you’d back out if we told you,” Oli said, “Maybe you two can talk now. Get through your issues.”
Jack stood up and went for the backdoor to find a better hiding place or better yet, call a taxi to take him back to the airport.
Joe and Dianne were walking around their room which happened to be right beside Jack’s but much smaller. Joe went to the windows and looked down. He watched a glistening Jack get up and walk inside. His ears caught the far off sound of the backdoors slamming shut.
Without turning from the windows, Joe spoke in a hushed tone, “Jack’s here,” he said.
“Oh yea, he is. I must’ve forgotten to mention it,” Josh said. He rubbed his back to relieve the tension. Him and Caspar exchanged worried expressions.
Joe asked Josh and Caspar to give him and Dianne some privacy for a moment, so they left the room. Joe closed and locked the door behind them. Josh and Caspar rushed back down stairs and out to the pool, but Jack was gone.
“Where’d he go?!” Caspar yelled at Oli.
“He went back inside the house. I think I saw him run for your side of the house,” Oli said.
Josh ran back inside and went to his room. The door was locked.
He held his ear to the door and heard jack’s voice, “Jack? What are you doing in my room with the door locked dude?”
Jack stopped talking and opened the door, “I’m hiding and calling a taxi. I’m going back,” he said as he continued to pace and give details to a taxi service.
Caspar came in behind Josh and watched Jack pacing, “You’re not flying all the way back to England an hour after you got here, Jack,” Caspar came closer to him.
“Yes, I am,” Jack held the phone away from his ear. Hold music played, “You don’t know what happened and making us ‘work it out’ by forcing us together was a stupid bloody plan.”
Josh motioned to Caspar to leave the room and they went back into the hallway.
“We can’t let him leave,” Caspar said.
“Should we tell Joe what Jack’s doing then?”
Caspar sighed heavily, “We don’t even know what’s going on with him and Dianne right now.”
“Well, I’m going back up there and telling him about Jack,” Josh said.
He took the stairs two at a time and stopped in front of Joe and Dianne’s still locked door. He could hear Joe arguing with Dianne. Josh thought he heard Joe say they needed to leave.
Josh knocked loudly, “Joe? Mate, I need to talk to you.”
He heard them rush through some more arguing before the door finally opened up and Joe looked at him with anger and annoyance plastered to his face.
“What do you want, Josh?”
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to talk to you,” Josh looked to Dianne, “alone, if that’s alright.”
Dianne shrugged and left the room. Josh closed the door and turned back to Joe already getting his things back together.
“What the hell happened that you and Jack would rather take 22 hour flights back to England than be in the same room?” Josh said.
“Look, it’s really complicated and can’t be fixed over one trip to Australia,” Joe put a hand through his hair, “Dianne won’t let me leave though,” he braced himself on the back of a chair with his head hanging down.
“Joe, Jack’s already booking his way back. I think you need to have a talk with him before he finally gets a taxi to drive all the way out here,” Josh said.
Joe didn’t move fore several seconds, then breathed in deep and walked for the door.
Jack had been on hold since the boys found him trying to leave. His bare feet had made a light path in the carpet. It was getting cold in the room with the sun setting fast and he was still in just his swim trunks. The hold music was some kind of cheesy jazz lounge music. He finally stopped pacing and looked out of the window and down at the city he would hopefully be leaving in a couple hours. Through the loud saxophone and piano in his ear, Jack heard his name. He didn’t turn around.
“Jack,” the voice said again, louder.
Jack removed the phone from his ear and cancelled the call.
“How’ve you been, mate? Joe walked in further. Behind him, Josh and Caspar sneakily closed the door and went to busy Dianne and the rest of the crew to give Joe and Jack time.
Jack didn’t want to turn around, “Alright...you?” he said.
“Yea, good. Just finished doing the tour with Di.”
“Oh, cool. Bet that was fun,” Jack mumbled.
“Jack, would you just turn around.”
Jack obliged slowly and moved his eyes to the carpet just in front of Joe’s feet.
“Now look at me,” Joe said a little softer.
Jack trailed Joe’s body all the way up. He noticed Joe had more muscles and a darker color to him. He looked good, Happy. Until Jack met his tormented blue eyes.
The words came before he knew what he was saying, “I can’t be here with you and Dianne.”
Jack moved closer, “You know why. You know what you did, Joe.”
“We never said anything about what we were. How was I supposed to know how you really felt if you didn’t tell me?” Joe said.
“I thought the last night we were together was a good teller.”
“I didn’t plan my feelings for Dianne,” he said,”And when you didn’t give me a reason to stay....I guess I let it go.”
Jack moved to within inches of Joe’s face, “I called you. I went to your dances and stood after every one. I was there, but you ignored me,” Jack’s voice was damaged, angered, “you stopped answering and then told everyone about your new girlfriend. what was I supposed to do then?”
Joe moved away and put his back to Jack, “Maybe I just wasn’t ready to go there,” he turned back, “You’re the first guy and maybe I wasn’t ready. And maybe you were. It’s just poor timing,” Joe said.
Jack gave a sarcastic laugh and moved back to the other side of the room. Joe watched him shuffle around with his hands on his hips.
“Maybe you’ll always be too scared to tell everyone, but it’s 2019. Does Dianne not even know?” Jack shot back.
“There’s nothing to tell, Jack. We had a thing and now it’s over,” Joe said.
Jack went to him again, “Nothing? You’re calling months of sneaking off from our friends and secret hotel rooms nothing? You’re saying it was all just a fun bi-curious game for you?”
Joe moved back a step, “Yea, that’s all it was,” he swallowed.
“So...this,” Jack brushed his fingers down Joe’s torso, “this has no effect on you anymore?” He whispered.
Joe stopped breathing and let Jack’s hand fall all they way down to his hip before pushing Jack away, “you can’t do that anymore. I’m with Dianne. I have real feelings for her,” he said, “I’m not giving that up just because you got attached.” He walked towards the door.
“Attached? you’re the one who can’t let go! Why don’t we just see what the mates think about it, huh?” Jack pushed past Joe and ran for the backdoor where he could hear laughing and splashing. He arrived at the side of the pool a little out of breath and with Joe right behind him.
“Hey! I have an announcement to make!” Everyone stopped and stared at Jack and the crazy expression on his face, “All of you have no idea what’s been going on with Joe and myself, but tried to help us ‘fix it’ by getting us far away from home together,” Jack caught his breath and looked back at Joe. He looked dangerously angry, but his eyes held the most fear Jack had ever seen. He turned back to their friends, “Well, I’m happy to reveal...I’ll be leaving on the next flight back to London. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.” He moved past Joe and back into the house, up the stairs and into his room. For a moment he felt a very big weight lift from his body. Then, he fell onto his knees and started crying. He held his head between his hands and bent over, swallowing every breath in a sob.
Joe looked at the shock and confusion spread across his friends faces. He rubbed his head and shrugged, “Some things can’t be fixed so easily, but nice try mates,” Joe said with no humor in his voice. He went back inside, leaving everyone to mumble to themselves about what just happened. Joe was stood in the kitchen taking deep breaths when he heard a loud thud and agonizing broken sobs bleed through the ceiling. He rushed up the stairs and into Jack’s room to find him folded in on himself struggling to breathe.
“What the hell happened? Did you hit something?” Joe asked, coming over next to Jack.
Jack jumped up and away from him into a corner, “You happened! You let me think you felt things for me and then you ripped it all away!” he choked on his tears, “You can’t even admit you felt anything at all. I...I thought...” Jack cried.
“What?” Joe asked, moving closer to him like Jack was a scared animal.
Jack stilled himself and looked into Joe’s eyes, “I can’t believe I thought I was falling in love with you,” he said. He shook his head and shoved Joe out of the way to the door. He stopped short when he saw Josh standing in the doorway. Caspar, Oli, and the girls right behind him listening in.
“Jack. Jack!” Joe called after Jack rushing past everyone.
Dianne stopped Joe in the hallway, “Was that true? Did you have a thing with him?” Her tone wasn’t demanding, but curious and worried.
Joe rubbed her shoulder, “I’ll find you later. I’ve gotta sort this out,” he kissed her cheek quickly and went after Jack.
Joe found him walking down the road in only his swim trunks. The deep sunset cast everything in otherworldly elongated shadows. Jack’s pre-bleached hair caught the falling rays, making a light halo appear over his head.
Joe jogged to catch up with him, “You’re not leaving until we talk about what you said, Jack,” Joe said.
“Why? A few minutes ago, you wanted to leave too,” Jack said.
“I did, until you said you loved me.”
“I said I was falling in love with you, not that I was,” he mumbled.
“And the difference is?” Joe said and turned him around, “Point is you were getting really serious feelings and I trudged all over them,” he put his hand on Jack’s shoulder, “I should’ve come to you. I should’ve asked you how you really felt.”
“And I should’ve told you,” Jack said.
Joe pulled him into a hug. Their chests pressing tighter together with each breath. Jack rest his chin in the nape of Joe’s neck, breathing him in.
“Everyone knows about us now,” Jack whispered.
“Technically, they know you fell in love with me, not what I felt,” Joe teased, then looked at Jack’s still broken face and sighed, “We’ll explain what happened when we get back to the house. I’ll tell them.”
They returned to their embrace for a few more moments before breaking away and heading for the house. After a few paces, Jack stopped. Joe kept walking until he noticed and turned back to him.
“How did you feel?” jack asked.
joe walked back to him, “I...I think I was getting there,” he shrugged, “but it didn’t feel like real life to me. Like I could see how much you cared and it felt like a dream,” he lowered his head.
“So, you just...woke up,” Jack said.
“I didn’t think I could stay in that dream. I didn’t know I could’ve made it real.”
They looked at each other, the ghosts of their feelings mirrored in each of their faces.
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” joe finally said.
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