Chapter 24: That one friend who looks gay but totally isn’t

***

Jackson's wearing the somewhat scandalous outfit Bambam chose, but he still has to do work. But is work the only thing that happens?

***

Jackson’s still too conscious of the outfit he’s wearing, even though he relaxes slightly when Amber and Mark comment that he looks great. He hadn’t minded most of the outfit Bambam had bought for him, even if it’s a bit revealing for his liking. But the pants that’s too tight around his thighs reminds Jackson that although he had gotten confident enough of his disproportionately thick legs to wear skinny jeans, he’s still more sensitive of how his thighs look than he should be, especially when this pleather hugs his legs too closely. The excess material around his waist is a stark reminder that Jackson’s thighs and waist size never match up to the standard men’s pants sizing, even though it’s currently hidden by the long hem of his v-neck. Fiddling with the pants’ waist absently, Jackson doesn’t notice that Bambam’s already picked up on his discomfort and has taken off his belt to pass to Jackson until said belt is pressed into his hand silently.

Jackson gratefully takes the belt with a soft thanks, Bambam nodding with a knowing smile before he goes into the changing room. There’s only Mark and Amber in the room now, both focused on something other than Jackson (Mark’s playing some phone game, Amber’s checking the camera’s footage), so Jackson lifts up his shirt slightly to thread Bambam’s belt through his pants’ loops. He’s focused on the task, not noticing that JB’s returned to the room from the toilet, until the guy clears his throat.

“Oh, am I sitting in your chair? Sorry, give me a moment,” Jackson mumbles, hoping he doesn’t sound as flustered as he feels. It seems oddly inappropriate to be caught with his shirt up and his stomach slightly exposed while wearing his belt, even though JB’s already seen most of his body from when they had to shower while handcuffed together (maybe it’s just the remnants of being self-conscious about the excess material at his waist, Jackson thinks. Also, technically, JB had only caught a brief glimpse so maybe that’s why). His fingers move faster so he can fasten his belt.

“Well, it’s fine, I guess, you can have the seat,” JB says after a while, while Jackson’s still trying to figure out how to close the belt clasp (what kind of fancy belt does Bambam use, and why doesn’t it close normally?). Jackson finally figures out how the clasp works, closing it with a huff of exertion, only to see that JB’s already crossed the room to grab another chair. He takes a moment to appreciate how badass JB’s looks in a leather jacket (like, JB had already looked pretty alright – more than alright – with the long cardigans, but nothing beats a nice leather jacket), before the guy turns to walk back, chair dangling effortless in one hand (totally revealing the sides of his toned body exposed by the arm holes of the muscle tee that dips almost to his naval), and Jackson hurriedly shifts his attention to the changing room so he can pretend he hadn’t just been staring holes into JB.

Jackson doesn’t have to try too hard at pretending though, because Bambam walks out of the changing room just then, in the loose baby blue short-sleeved casual shirt Jackson got for him, paired with slim sandy brown bermudas and sandals. Jackson was going for casual and comfortable when he picked out Bambam’s clothes, since he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to beat Bambam’s superior sense of fashion. Figuring that if he can’t make Bambam look better, he can at least make Bambam feel more comfortable than all the tight clothes and high-heeled boots he wears, Jackson had chosen the holiday-at-a-beach-look for his friend, missing just the tacky Hawaiian shirt that he couldn’t bring himself to buy.

“Jackson, this is soooo not my style,” Bambam whines once he’s closed the changing room door behind him, although he strikes a pose anyway.

The diva pose Bambam makes has Jackson laughing uproariously within seconds, although it’s not difficult because the guy’s acting like he’s adjusting his sunglasses (which he doesn’t have) and holding a cocktail gingerly in the other hand (which he also doesn’t have). Despite it being Jackson’s intention while choosing the clothes, Bambam pulls off the look of someone on some summer vacation in some imaginary exotic place much too easily, striking poses like he’s actually on a beach instead of a mostly white studio inside Buzzfeed office, and Mark and Amber both join in Jackson’s laughter (so maybe Bambam is actually on vacation, but that’s about the only truth there is here, Jackson muses).

As they try to contain their laughter so the camera can pick up what Bambam’s saying, Jackson notes that Mark and Amber both still have the corners of their mouths turned up at Bambam’s exaggerated movements, although that’s probably what Jackson looks like too. When he briefly glances over at JB, however, the guy has a serious expression, lips downturned like he’d just tasted something bad. Jackson’s not sure why JB’s so grumpy, but he has noticed the guy staring daggers into Bambam since his best friend arrived unexpectedly this morning (which reminds him, he needs to make Bambam pay back for being a total jerk, hiding the fact that he’s arriving in LA today from Jackson, just so he can surprise him after conspiring with Amber).

Bambam’s taking a closer look in the mirror once the cloth’s pulled away, and Jackson gets up to join him, although it doesn’t stop his mind from wondering why JB’s suddenly grumpy today. He knows Bambam can be quite loud, especially when he’s with Jackson, and the surprise reunion with Bambam earlier today was probably bordering on obnoxiously noisy, both of them eager to catch up after almost a year of being further than a quick drive away from each other. But surely that’s not reason enough for JB to look like he wants to murder someone (someone who’s hopefully not Bambam)… right?

When Jackson catches JB’s eyes, the guy looks away too quickly like Jackson’s gaze is hot water and he’s scalded, and Jackson’s left with a strange feeling in his chest – a kind of feeling he can’t quite place beyond the fact that it’s not a happy one, even though he should be completely thrilled because he has his best friend since forever standing next to him.

Bambam gets along easily with his colleagues in the office when they eventually return to Jackson’s desk, so Jackson heads to the pantry alone