Unveiling J.A.C.I.E. (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 1

"You guys are going wild tonight!" I laughed into the microphone, fixing my in-ears a little.

The crowd cheered back at me, making me smile even more. My bass hung comfortably from my shoulder, ready to be used to play my next song. A song I knew people in the crowd would go crazy for.

"I heard some of you might be All Time Low fans," I said next, the stage light shining down brightly on me.

Everybody standing in the pit went even wilder at the mention of the band they had bought tickets to see.

My voice continued to boom through the speakers, a gentler version entering my own ears. "You guys excited?"

The yells were absolutely insane. This was always the point in my little set that got the biggest reaction. After all, I was just an opening act.

"Then I've got a little surprise for you all." I smirked as a countdown started in my in-ears.

My guitarist and I started at the same time, I with my voice, and she with the power chords Jack and I had been playing around with not too long before in the studio. A few people started to sing along, but the real audience response occurred when Jack walked onto the stage, playing guitar for the song we had written together. Suddenly, everybody was dancing along with us, freaking out that Jack was already on stage.

I couldn't help but grin when I started playing the bass along with the rest of the instruments, enjoying how much everybody always loved this part of my set. Jack approached the front of the stage, next to me, focused on playing the music. He would headbang a little with every beat and walk around a little. But he kept most of his energy for his own show.

During the last chorus, it was only Jack's guitar playing and my singing. I took my microphone out of its stand and walked over to him. This chorus was just for us. Every night, when I sang those words at him again, I was transported back to when we wrote it. The way he confessed his feelings for me and had the guts to kiss me again. If it hadn't been for this song, who knows what would have happened to us.

When the song ended, the crowd went wild and Jack left the stage again with a wave. I always wanted nothing more than to kiss him before he left the spotlight, to reminisce about our moment for just a second longer. But we still hadn't made our relationship public. To be fair, since we had started performing the song together, there were videos online and people were commenting that they were 'getting a vibe', but we hadn't come out about it ourselves.

I played one more song before my set ended. I couldn't help but grin as I left the stage with the rest of my band. The sense of fulfilment I got from performing these songs that I had slaved away for was something I cherished every night. A year ago, I didn't even have a clue what I wanted to do. Now I was producing songs, performing my own live, and on tour with my boyfriend's band.

I really had to thank that band for everything that had happened since I hit 'send' on my graduation project. They had hyped up my work, convincing me to release it. And they fully promoted the songs they were featured on. In no time, my song with Alex and my song with Jack got an unreal amount of listens. I had never even intended to become a performing artist. But with the success evident, they asked me to be a support act on their tour. After recruiting a guitarist and a drummer from my school, I was ready to go.

Jack was stood side stage, waiting for me to finish. I quickly ran over to him after putting my bass down.

"You were amazing!" I gushed as I wrapped my arms around his torso and kissed him.

"No, you were," he returned the compliment in between kisses.

"It seems like more and more people are singing along every night," Alex interrupted, sneaking a look at the crowd.

The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins. I was probably never going to get over it. As much as my heart laid in the studio, writing and producing songs, I couldn't deny that performing was thrilling. Performing a song with my boyfriend? Absolutely mental.

I literally couldn't keep my hands off of Jack. And he didn't seem to mind one bit.

"Alright, break it off," Alex added, nudging us a little. "There's people around."

Another good thing about being a support act? I wasn't working for All Time Low anymore. Yes, they had brought me out, but I wasn't their employee. This meant that any time I wasn't up on stage, Jack and I were free to act however we wanted. Not that we ever were not free to do so, but I no longer had a professional life to separate the personal from.

Jack and I reluctantly let go of each other, but kept our fingers intertwined as we went backstage. The All Time Low dressing room was full of energy, excitement, and laughter as they got ready to go on next. They were screaming along with songs, Jack joining in with no hesitation. I just stood there leaning against the doorway and laughing, the adrenaline finally starting to cool down.

After a while, Jack's eyes fell on me again. He was already grinning from ear to ear, but his smile turned softer and his eyes looked more loving. He broke away from the others and walked back up to me.

"You really were amazing up there," he said in a low voice, reserving the conversation for just the two of us.

I rested my head against the doorway as I looked up at him. "All thanks to you."

"You did this one yourself."

"Not without your help."

"Come on, just let me be proud of you."

"Fine," I gave in.

He leaned back down and cupped my cheek, kissing me softly. I immediately melted into it, almost forgetting about everybody else that was around us again. Almost. But I most definitely did notice how they suddenly had to make their way to the stage.

"Oh my god, I swear to god–" Rian exclaimed when he almost ran into us at the door.

Jack and I pulled apart and I immediately shot back, "you're the one that said you couldn't tell the difference between Jack and I being friends and being in a relationship. Now you get to feast your eyes."

"I'd rather not." He pushed past us.

We took a step to the side to let everybody else leave as well.

"I'm just gonna get changed," I told Jack, "and then I'll come watch you."

"Can't wait." He winked and followed his bandmates back down the hallway.