Worship in the Bedroom [Cake]

12

"I know," Luke flushes again. Ducking down, he buries his face into the top of Calum's hair and giggles softly. "I'm sorry, I'm an awful boyfriend, I know."

Calum rubs his back soothingly and hums. "You're not," he assures him. "You're a great boyfriend, I love you."

It just sort of slips out. Calum doesn't even realize he's said it until Luke tenses and fists his hands in Calum's curls tightly. Calum's own hands still at Luke's lower back apologetically, face still tucked into Luke's neck with his lips hovering above his skin, warm breath making goosebumps rise. After a few seconds, Luke squirms until Calum releases him, and presses himself bodily against the wall. Hands spread out on either side of his body, Calum eyes the blonde and takes a cautious step backwards.

"I'm sorry," Calum says honestly. "It just came out, I didn't..." he trails off and tries to catch Luke's eye, but he's got his eyes locked ok Calum's chest firmly.

"Didn't what?" Luke prompts. "Didn't mean it?"

Calum shakes his head. "Didn't think."

Luke's thick eyebrows furrow at that. "Did you mean it, then?"

"Yeah," Calum doesn't even have to think about that one. He does, he loves Luke. Has since they first kissed, probably will for a long time, too.

Luke glances up at the response and meets Calum's eyes briefly, before flicking them back down to his shirt collar, again. "Thank you. I'm not- I can't- I don't think- saying it back, I mean, I can't-"

Calum's quick to shush him by grabbing Luke's cheeks and rubbing his thumbs across his cheekbones. "Hey, that's fine, I don't expect you to. That doesn't change the fact that I love you, though."

Luke nudges his face forward in a bumbling way to nose against Calum's cheek with a big, dopey smile on his face. "Thank you."

☆☆☆☆

Michael sighs heavily and strokes his hand down the side of Ashton's face slowly, despite how the older boy tries to nip at his fingers."My sweet, sweet, baby, angel." He whispers.

"Oh my god, stop, I'm fine," Ashton rolls his eyes, but Michael just shushes him and looks up to Calum in the doorway with a tragic frown on his face.

"He's sick," Michael sounds scandalized, like Ashton's weak immune system doesn't make him sick at least once a week. Honestly, Calum's used to it. He knows Ashton's practically a China doll when it comes to his health, has had to deal with the sick boy more than a few times on his own. Michael, however, acts like it's the end of the world every time the boy so much as coughs.

"He, apparently, didn't take his vitamins," Calum chastises from the doorway of their bedroom.

"There's just so many," Ashton whines, like taking 5 vitamins and two chewables a day is too much to ask. Calum tells him to do one thing, and it's too much. Originally, Calum had forced the smaller boy into taking vitamins because he was sick of listening to his violent coughing and pathetic little sniffles in their old dorm room. They work, apparently, as Ashton isn't always sick (Calum's going to count his colds twice a month as a win).

"There's a lot," Calum agrees, but gestures to how he's curled in bed under three blankets pointedly. "But if you'd taken them, you wouldn't be sick." Ashton scowls, and Michael's quick to pet at his sweaty hair and clammy forehead. Calum rolls his eyes at the two of them and crosses his arms over his chest. "Whatever, sorry for wanting you to stay healthy. I'll quit nagging you, it's much more fun to watch you suffer. Consider your invitation officially revoked. Michael?"

Ashton whines as he ducks under the blankets and sniffles pathetically. Michael pets at his lump of a body and frowns. "I can't leave him."

"It's a cold, he's not dying," Calum sighs in exasperation. Michael continues frowning at the lump of blankets letting out a long, incessant groan of pain in the bed next to him.