Watch Closely (2/2)

(A/N): As a whole, I am not entirely happy with this but rather than deleting it or abandoning it or whatever else; I chose to finish it off. I may re-write it in the future or just leave it alone all together. I'm not sure yet. On a side note, thank you for the positive feedback. I probably will be writing more for this fandom as I continue to get encouragement to do so. I plan on starting a longer chapter story in the future so if you have any further interest in my work; keep an eye out for that.

Neither Henley nor Merritt questioned Daniel and Jack when they left after dinner. Henley had a sort of hopeful yet knowing glint in her eye that made Jack nervous. She even went as far as giving Jack an encouraging smile when Daniel's back was turned. It made him feel as though she was helping him build up his hopes just so he could crash harder later.

Deep down, Jack knew that he really shouldn't think that way, Henley only ever had wanted to help him improve, even when they had first met.

He wasn't so sure why Henley was always so understanding and ready to put herself out there for them, always wanting to encourage anything that might lead to one's happiness no matter what that thought was. She seemed so interested in the happiness of her friends that it was sometimes a curious wonder whether or not she was concerned for her own happiness at all.

Jack already had been well informed about the past that Henley and Daniel had. Though upsetting, the pair had long since come to the conclusion that it had only been for the better. They preferred the solid friendship that had formed since the formation of the Four Horsemen rather than the acute hostility of the past. At one time, Jack had been able to see the two getting back together despite their claims of being happy as friends.

He and Merritt had both assumed that it was likely to happen, even whilst the other two seemed intent on denying it.

Henley was an incredibly beautiful woman, her personality perfect, her smile radiant, and her passion for her work inspiring. Anyone with eyes could tell that she was a priceless catch. However, Daniel never showed even the slightest bit of interest. He was never cold toward her, always willing to give her attention if the situation required it but unlike someone with blatant feelings for another; he showed absolutely no signs of being attracted to her.

He did, however, still get creepy once in a while if he heard Merritt trying to make moves on her. Everyone had come to the conclusion that it was a sort of reflexive response that the entire group had grown to live with.

Daniel was just one massive Rubik's Cube and Jack had never even come close to solving one of those damn things in his life. Intimidation wasn't quite the word to describe what he felt on the topic of J. Daniel Atlas.

Which is exactly why the walk that he had suggested suddenly seemed way more intimidating now than it had before. Now that he was completely alone with Daniel, things felt even more intense and Jack was overwhelmed with the need to say something, the need to pull his mind form his thoughts and to at least attempt to clarify why they were even on a walk to begin with.

He needed to fix things.

The trouble was, not only did he not know where to begin, he was still very certain that whatever came out of his mouth was going to further screw up the already mutilated situation with Daniel to begin with.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, though, Daniel paused and then stopped, sighing and then he was looking at him with his very dark eyes, eyes that only seemed darker now that they were walking outside at night with barely any lighting except what was provided by the moon.

Daniel stood there silently for a moment, leaving Jack with the opportunity to zone out slightly. That was, of course, until he realized he was doing so and quickly made the effort to play it off.

"What's wrong?" He questioned.

Daniel blinked, his face blank and slightly eerie in the darkness.

"How much further do you plan on walking before the talking starts, Wilder?" Daniel's voice was nowhere near being amused.

It was suddenly very clear to Jack that Daniel felt like he was being toyed with and that the man was absolutely in no mood for it.

Jack pushed his hands into his pockets and turned fully toward Daniel, about to say something when Daniel started moving off to the side. At first Jack thought he had had enough and had decided to talk away, however, it turned out that he was simply heading over to a tree nearby. He leaned back against it and perched a foot up against the trunk, his hands still in his pockets, and a bored expression on his face.

Jack cleared his throat and tried his best not to fidget however his feet wouldn't stay still and thus he gradually started walking after Daniel.

"I don't know what—"

"Let's skip this part and get to the bit where you're no longer inclined to bullshit me." Daniel deadpanned.

"I'm not 'bullshiting' you, Danny," Jack replied quickly, "I'm just— I don't know what to say…"

Daniel looked at him for a long moment before he shook his head and tilted his head back, his eyes still on Jack but his neck was on display. The sight would be captivating if not a little tempting if Jack didn't feel so cornered and as though every word he said weighed so heavily on the situation.

"Okay, fine," Jack mumbled then, supposing that even if he did start word-vomiting it would be better than saying nothing at all, "I'm attracted to you."

"Most people are," Daniel replied.

Despite how vain it sounded, Jack knew what he meant by it. Daniel was a well-known illusionist with a decent amount of groupies at his disposal if he so desired such a thing. Outside of his career, Jack had seen the man pull in both men and women who's pants he had been certain even Daniel couldn't talk his way into. Daniel had a way with people and Jack knew that in pointing it out, he was simply challenging Jack, questioning the difference between his confessions to that of someone else's.

"I've gotten to know you. Or at least I thought I knew you." Jack responded, his voice wavering a little from his nerves, "I knew you first as someone I wanted to be, someone I envied, and even hoped to meet. I met you and then we became friends and I got to see what no one else sees. I saw you off stage, met the guy behind the scenes and I loved everything about him. All I could think about was how amazing of a guy you were and you were perfect to me. I wanted you look at me differently, wanted you to see me and only me once in a while. Hell I started fights with you just to get your attention. You only saw it as me being an immature kid."

Daniel still looked unimpressed, something that Jack expected. It was clear that his confession was not out of the norm, not even the slightest. Despite that, though, Jack wasn't done.

"And then I hurt you and I saw you so much differently. I realized what it would be like to lose you even though I never had you to begin with and it taught me so much more about you just when I thought I knew nearly everything." Jack shrugged, feeling kind of stupid.

"So you kissed me because you're attracted to me," Daniel stated, choosing to filter out everything else, "because you wanted to do something even I couldn't ignore. Smooth, Wilder, really." Daniel kicked off of the tree and made a step to walk around Jack but Jack was quicker.

Jack quickly stepped in front of him, a hand having come up to Daniel's chest, keeping him where he had been.

"I wanted you to see me again." Jack muttered.

"I always see you, Jack." Daniel stated.

"No," Jack shook his head, trying to explain, "when I hurt you, you took me out of the picture and threw me to the side and it took me days to realize that if I wanted you to see me, I needed to do something myself. When I said I kissed you on accident, it was because I had wanted you to forgive me in a way less dramatic circumstance, in a way that you wouldn't assume I was just trying to curve what I had done."

Daniel looked at Jack for a long moment before his body seemed to relax, only then giving away the fact that he had been tense at all, which Jack took as a good sign to continue.

"I can't explain to you how sorry I am for how I've acted and what I had done. I don't want you to see me as someone who just wants to use you because of your name or someone that can't take you serious over a condition that you have no control over." Jack explained, still feeling silly for pouring his heart out to Daniel.

Daniel blinked a few times, his jaw clenching as it always did when he was in deep thought. The sight made Jack's hand drift up as if with a mind of it's own and he traced Daniel's jaw line with his fingertips.

"I just want you." Jack stated, unsure how much clearer he could be. "Every part."

Though he probably should have been, Jack wasn't at all prepared when Daniel hooked his hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

The kiss was frightfully different compared to the first. It was hot and quick, frantic and even a little desperate. It made Jack's heart stutter in his chest, even more so when he felt Daniel's free hand on his hip pulling him closer so there was little to no space left between them.

Jack buried his hands in Daniel's hair, biting the older man's bottom lip lightly. It felt like there was so much he wanted to do and was trying to do every single one of those things at once. He wanted to kiss Daniel everywhere and anywhere, wanting to find out what happened depending on where he chose to kiss.

That thought in mind, Jack broke the kiss. Daniel inclined his head to reclaim Jack's lips but Jack turned away and went for his neck, biting the space where his neck and shoulder met, causing Daniel's body to go rigid, his breath hitching slightly.

Jack found himself grinning against Daniel's neck upon finding the spot so easily and in a spot that he would be likely to have gone for first. The more Jack nibbled, sucked, and kissed, the more Daniel writhed, his breath uneven and coming in short pants, his hands fisted in Jack's shirt and pulling him as close as possible.

"Okay?" Jack asked, easing his effort slightly, kissing his way across Daniel's throat and to the other side of his neck, smiling when Daniel tipped his head back to accommodate the action.

Even if this was what Jack wanted, he did not want to make the mistake of ignoring Daniel's discomfort if there were to be any—he wanted Daniel's trust back if nothing else.

"Jack," Daniel stated, to which Jack pulled back and raised an eyebrow, shifting his thigh so he could press it right between Daniel's legs.

"Hm?" Jack asked.

Daniel closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Jack's shoulder, his hands sliding down to grip Jack's hips tightly.

"Use your words, Atlas," Jack purred, giving Daniel a lewd smile even though Daniel didn't see it, pressing his hips forward a few times so they ground up against Daniel, giving him only a tease of the friction he wanted.

Daniel mumbled something against Jack's shoulder, to which Jack responded with more grinding, his head turning into Daniel's neck where he left an open mouthed kiss, his lips just a few centimeters away from his ear.

"Speak up," Jack whispered in his ear.

"I said," Daniel muttered, picking his head up so Jack could see his face—and he had never seen Daniel's pupils so large before, "I want you. Every part."