Alex's POV:
I wake up the next morning when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I flutter my eyes open, seeing it's still dark. Jack is still asleep, so I figure I just imagined it. I curl tighter around Jack, closing my eyes again when I feel the tap on my shoulder once more. I open my eyes and turn around, my eyes resting on... Jack's dad?
"Get away from him," he says quietly.
"How did you find us?" I blurt.
"His phone, we can always see where he is. I came to get him since I figured he'd run off with a faggot like you."
"You can't take him away from me," I protest.
"You're right, I guess I'll remind you of our little plan. You stay away, you guys are both safe. You come into his life, I'll make life hell for both of you."
My heart clenches, and I know what I have to do. I can't hurt Jack. I just can't. I move away from Jack, luckily not waking him up in the process. I climb out of the truck bed as quietly as possible, jumping onto the grass.
I'm pushed to the ground, and I call out in pain. I feel a kick to my stomach, but I keep quiet this time. Jack can't know about this.
"I've given you one too many chances, Gaskarth. Get the fuck away from my son."
"You can't take away his happiness," I say through gritted teeth.
"You'll never make a straight man happy," he spits, raising his fist to hit me in the face. I close my eyes and prepare for the impact, but it never comes. I open my eyes to see Jack standing in front of his dad, blocking him from getting to me.
"It was you," he says shakily. "You're the one who told Alex to stay away from me."
"I'm doing it for your own good, you ungrateful little shit," he retorts, pushing Jack away from him. He falls and hits his head on the side of my truck, which fuels my anger. Adrenaline courses through my veins as I stand up to face his father, any traces of fear escaping my mind.
"You will not hurt your own son," I say, punching him in the face. "And you will not control his life," I continue, punching him again. He picks me up and throws me to the ground, causing me to scream in pain as the gashes in my hip make contact with the dirt.
"Get away from him!" Jack yells at the top of his lungs, pushing his dad away. "Why can't you just be happy for me? Just for one time? Alex makes me happy, and you know I've been depressed for quite a few years." He kneels beside me, sheltering me from his father as he attempts to hit me again. "Stop!" he cries out desperately. His dad doesn't listen and instead throws Jack out of the way by the neck of his shirt.
"Jack, call the authorities," I gasp after a fist connects with my stomach once more. He quickly nods and grabs his phone as I try to protect myself. I push him away and he trips over his own feet, so I take the opportunity to stand up, take Jack's hand, and start sprinting.
"Thank you, please hurry," Jack says into his phone before hanging up. "Alex, where are we going?" he asks, gripping my hand tighter.
"I'm not sure, but we need to hide away from the roads so your dad won't find us," I reply breathlessly. We run for about ten minutes before the adrenaline fades and I start to truly feel the pain. I stop running and collapse to the ground, dizzy.
"Alex? Alex! Holy shit, please stay awake," Jack says, panicking. He kneels beside me, pulling my head into his lap. He pulls up my shirt, scanning my body for wounds, but he only finds the cuts, which didn't bleed much surprisingly.
"I'm fine, I'll stay awake, it's just my body is going to be bruised as fuck tomorrow," I reply, trying and failing to lighten the mood.
"I'm so sorry I didn't see this earlier, baby, because then none of this would have happened," he chokes out, breaking down afterward.
"Hey, don't blame yourself," I reply, sitting up to hold him. I pull him into my lap and let him cry into my shoulder, because I can't imagine how heartbreaking it is to think someone was a good person your entire life and then have your entire world flip upside down within a few minutes. I rub circles on his back, saying shh, it's okay into his ear every so often. He calms down, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "I love you so much, Jack."
"I love you too, Alex. I love you so much. I can't believe my own father- no, I don't even want to call him that. We're in this together now, and he's going to get locked up, and we can be together. You did all of this for me. Fuck, I love you," he rambles, kissing me roughly. I kiss back until we hear sirens in the distance.
"We should walk back, we're probably going to get questioned," I mumble against his lips.
"Okay," he whispers, taking a deep breath.
"Look at me," I say, placing a finger under his chin to force his head up. "We're in this together. It'll be okay, I promise." He relaxes slightly, nodding in agreement. We stand up and jog hand-in-hand back to my truck, my body aching in pain, but I ignore it. After tonight, things will finally be okay.