“You should call me Jack.” He sat on the bench, the hood of his jacket warm around the dark bruise on his neck that he hoped, for some reason, wouldn’t heal too quickly.

Theo pulled out his pack of cigarettes, offering one to Jack, flipping open his lighter. He debated—“What the hell?”—and had Theo light both. They were quiet for a moment—Theo as he took a long, practiced drag, and Jack as he puffed lightly and tried not to choke.

He was not successful.

Theo gave him a little pat on the back, just shy of too rough. “Fuck, Jack.” His voice broke a bit on the name. “Not a smoker, then?”

“Not really.” But even as he said it, he felt the first hit of nicotine to his system. Another thing he could get used to, and fast.

“So, you’re what?”

“Making up for my uneventful teen years, I guess.”

Theo raised his eyebrows straight to his hairline. “Uneventful? Captain of the lacrosse team, class valedictorian—this is you we’re talking about, right?”

Jack took another drag, shrugged. “Well. Rebellion-free.”

“You did toe the line, I suppose.”

“Yeah.” He breathed out, smoke curling through the air. “Yeah. Never had much choice. No time for anything...out of the ordinary.”

Jack shot him a shy grin. Theo crinkled up his lips and sipped at his coffee.

“I suppose I’m making up for lost time, myself.” A wry smile. “As you might have noticed.”

Jack leaned back against the bench, some of that morning lassitude still flowing through him. He relaxed into it, letting his legs fall open, and the side of his thigh lined up perfectly with the side of Theo’s. It burned like an electrical shock.

“Hmm.” Theo startled, turned his eyes away, but left his leg where it was. “This coffee is shit, Gardner.”

Jack’s mouth dropped open. Still a bit of a spoiled brat, obviously. “Feel free to get it yourself.” He frowned, looking down into his cup, “What’s wrong with it?”

“Sugar does not belong in coffee.” Despite the complaints, he drained his drink. “I take two shots of espresso, Gardner—” He grimaced and corrected himself as Jack nudged his leg with a smooth slide of their jeans. “Jack. With cream. Get it right tomorrow.”

Theo took on that pink tinge again. It looked odd on his face—it was naked. Vulnerable.