Stefan did have the wherewithal to look sheepish at that. Jackson wasn’t going to wait for a response, but from within the room, Elliot spoke.
“You might as well come in. No need to shout this conversation down the corridor.”
Jackson opened the door wider, allowing Stefan to enter. Elliot was sitting stiff-backed on the sofa now, his sexy little glasses returned to their case, and the icy façade he so often maintained firmly in place. Chris, on the other hand, looked more relaxed than Jackson had seen him since they'd arrived, leaning against his bedroom door, shirtless in his joggers with a towel hanging from his neck and a grin on his face like he was enjoying the chaos. It was kind of nice to see the anxiety wiped away, even if it was at Jackson’s expense.
“Sit,” Elliot ordered, and Stefan complied. “Explain yourself.”
Stefan fidgeted under the weight of three gazes fixed on him, awaiting an answer.
“I was…manifesting?” he finally said.
“Manifesting?” Chris snorted.
Stefan nodded vigorously. “Yes. Jackson is everything I want in a partner. He’s fun and attractive and athletic, and I think we have good conversation…”
“Just because Jennings is all those things doesn’t mean you get to imply you’re seeing him.”
Jackson smiled a smug little smile. He liked it when Elliot complimented him, even inadvertently. “Exactly. And your manifesting upset my partner.”
“But I didn’t know you had a partner!” Stefan exclaimed.
Chris arched a judgemental brow. “Even if you didn’t, still a bit creepy, mate.”
“I…I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to—I—” Stefan paused as if to collect himself, then he tilted his head, an almost hopeful inflection in his voice that spiked Jackson’s irritation as he asked, “Are you and your partner ok?”
“We’re fine,” Elliot replied gruffly.
Everyone froze. Even Jackson didn’t know what to do as he gaped at his boyfriend.
“What?” Elliot shrugged. “Green already knows, and I don’t want this little shit thinking he has a chance with you.”
“Have I told you I love you yet today?” Jackson asked, crossing the room in one short stride to straddle Elliot’s thighs.
“You have, but feel free to say it again. I am bloody wonderful.” Elliot smiled at him and pulled him into a kiss. Jackson sighed into it, allowing himself to sink into Elliot’s lap as their hands started to wander. Stefan let out a startled squeak that neither of them acknowledged.
“They’re always like this.” Chris sighed. “Want to head over to the track and check out the athletics?” he asked a shell-shocked Stefan.
Jackson didn’t understand why he was still there. He’d apologised. Whatever. Jackson had more important things to focus on now. More important things like Elliot, who had socasually told another person about their relationship. Who, day by day, was opening up more, not just to Jackson but to everyone around them. Fuck, he hoped Chris and Stefan vacated quickly.
A couple of hours later, Jackson and Elliot managed to disentangle themselves from each other. They’d heard Darius come back in from physio and had been exceptionally quiet. Score one for the super-secret spy boyfriends.
Chris’s idea of checking out some of the other events had been a good one, and they agreed to head out and see what they could get into. The track events were well underway now, and Elliot had mentioned being keen to see some of them.
“We should see if Hewitt wants to join,” Elliot said as Jackson searched fruitlessly for his accreditation in the mess of his belongings.
“Yeah?” Jackson asked, a tiny bubble of hope forming in his chest. Maybe Elliot would continue his sharing streak, and Jackson could stop dancing around well-intended questions about his love life from his best friend.
Elliot nodded as they went to knock on the door of the room Jackson shared with Darius.
“Owens and I were going to head over to watch the athletics. Wanted to check if you were up for joining.”
“You two getting close?” Darius asked. "Anders mentioned he asked him to work with you in Leicester."
“Erm, yeah. He’s alright. We talk and stuff,” Jackson replied. Christ, it was going to be awful explaining how long he’d been hiding this for.
“It was good of him to reach out about getting you here,” Darius said. “I should’ve thought of it myself. I feel like I’ve been a shit friend to you lately.”
“You haven’t,” Jackson insisted.
