trash star - punznap

a trash star in a trash world

. °. • 。

it's quiet. in the distance the frogs sing, and the crickets chirp. it's nature's symphony. but suddenly a loud, scraping sound cuts through the air, ruining the night's peaceful concert. nick cringes, turning his head to the side, only to be met with a string of protests.

"i said no peeking!"

"okay, okay! i'm sorry."

he sighs and covers his face with his hands again, like a kindergartner playing hide and seek. god knows how long he's gonna have to stand like this, with his back turned and his eyes closed. he's already getting impatient, his feet tapping a rhythm on the tiles.

the scraping soon turns into creaking, and he doesn't know which one's worse. it sounds like old, rusted metal rubbing together. luke doesn't say anything, and nick can only trust him.

he hears a zipper being unzipped, most likely belonging to the duffel bag that luke brought in from his car. he tried to hide it from nick when he took it out of the trunk, tried to make him walk ahead of him, but nick caught several glimpses of it anyway. it confused him, but he knew he wouldn't get a response if he asked what it was for.

luke picks up and shakes what quite clearly sounds like a can of spray paint. the iconic rattling of the metal pea inside it is all too familiar. is he being surprised with an art piece? nick has never seen luke draw before, let alone spray paint anything. he thought he was the only kid left in school with old paint cans still in the garage.

"what are you doing?" he tries.

"you'll see.."

luke hums absentmindedly, spraying away.

"you're not gonna give me any hints at all?"

"mm.. no."

more spraying. the strong chemical fumes eventually reach nick's nose. he's almost missed this smell, or at least the things he associates it with. late, rebellious nights, running around in the streets until sunrise, discovering places he was never meant to find.

he wants to do it all again; he wants to go back to being that little rebel that he once was. but this time, he won't have to be alone.

he's starting to get tired of the darkness. his legs take him spinning a few laps, but it's only enough to keep him entertained for a short minute. despite the season it's a little chilly out, and he wishes luke could hurry up so he can have a warm hug. in his opinion, it's been way too long since they hugged.

the spraying stops for a while, before promptly continuing when nick is about to question it. he sighs, growing restless. but then the deafening metal scraping is back, and the duffel bag is zipped up, and a pair of hands ghost over his own. he shivers at the featherlight touch.

"you can look now," luke whispers.

nick can tell that he's smiling just by the tone of his voice. he slowly removes his hands from over his eyes, making his surroundings bathe in yellow light. luke grips his waist and carefully turns him around so he can finally be rewarded for his patience.

at first, he doesn't know what he's supposed to look at. but then he sees the rusted ladder by the wall, and the bag sitting next to it. luke holds him from behind, putting his chin on his shoulder and gazing up at the ceiling.

his heart skips a beat, because right there, scribbled in black paint, is a modification of his glorified illusion. vandalism of his vandalism.

i love my

TRASH STAR

so much

oh, his asshole dickhead idiot of a boyfriend. that pretty blond hair and his stupid blue eyes, and his perfect smile and his messy scruff. all his attitude and cockiness, his greedy lips and eager hands. he tastes like bubblegum, like teenage dreams, and he is nick's treasure; the most beautiful thing he's ever had.

he loves the dumbass more than words could describe, more than a human mind could fathom. they're just two vessels in their own realm, floating through the universe in sync, without care. because fuck what the others say - i adore you, luke.

you are my rock when the waves come crashing in. i am your star, cold and dead, but i try my best. you set my body alight, and i'm no longer trash.

i adore you. forever in this trash world.

♡♡♡

the end