Falling Stars

When Fireworks Collide

You never except it. You never see it coming. The day your life changes forever starts off just like any other day, and Caspian wasn't an exception.

His alarm went off at 7. Caspian ignored it. His mother woke him up. Caspian ignored it. His sister pulled him out of bed. Caspian finally got up. Breakfast was eaten and teeth were brushed. The struggle to get out of the house with seven brothers and sisters left him ten minutes late. Nothing new there. Classes bored him to sleep, friends made him laugh, and the school day whizzed past. Swim training was a splash, homework was acknowledged but never completed, and eventually it was bedtime.

Just a normal day.

In fact, it wasn't even a good normal day. There was nothing special about June 5th 2016 at all. At least, not until there was.

That moment didn't come until ten past midnight. As per usual, Caspian was still awake. Whether it was the fact he was burning hot, in possession of a laptop, or just not tired, Caspian didn't know. But no matter the cause, the brunette wasn't going to sleep any time soon.

Upon this realisation, Caspian decided that staying in bed would be a waste of time, and so, with a loud and slightly dramatic sigh, his laptop was closed and feet hit the carpeted floor. Cas slipped a hufflepuff sweater over his naked torso and adjusted the pyjama trousers around his waist. There were a few places he sneaked off to at night when he couldn't sleep, but tonight was a roof night.

One of the highlights of having the bedroom Caspian had was the easy access it provided to the roof. All it took was a step out of his window and there he was. Caspian loved it for many a reason, but there was one in particular.

From where he was laying, the stars were in plain sight. Living in the depth of the country helped with that. Caspian had grown up with a love for the stars that never went away. Nights like these, when sleep was a far off dream, there were few things more calming than a clear sky full of twinkling pins of light.

What Caspian had never noticed, however, was that he wasn't the only one with access to the roofs. It simply never occurred to him that the house to his right could also gain access to this seemingly shared piece of roof. Caspian never had a reason to notice.

At least, not until Gabriel.

Maybe it was because it was dark, or due to the late hour, but as Caspian first set eyes on the strange boy before him, he decided he was the most gorgeous man he'd ever met. Intimidating and a possible serial killer, yes, but gorgeous none the less.

Cas had never had an issue with his sexuality, but living in the village that he did left him very few opportunities to express it. A half naked boy sat on his roof was a welcome surprise.

"Cold out isn't it?" Cas broke the silence with what was potentially the worst ice breaker he'd ever came up with. He perched himself on the roof, leaning against the brick wall of his house. Sleeves were tugged over his hands in an effort to keep out the cold. His previous statement was in no way a lie. It was freezing.

As the words left his lips, Caspian took the opportunity to check the kid out. His torso was bared and there for Caspian's ogling. Everything was perfect in his eyes. The freckles dotted over the boys chest were endearing, the trail of light blonde hair leaving a smile on Cas's face. Flaws weren't just unnoticed, they added to his beauty.

It took a moment for Caspian to make his way back to the guys face, and it was then that he noticed something peculiar. He'd never seen him before and, considering his village was home to around fifty people maximum, that confused himself.

This train of thought was broken when he got a reaction from the other. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the kid, but didn't utter a word. It would be a while before Caspian got a word out of Gabriel, unbeknown to him at the time.

"So um- you're my new neighbour?" Caspian wasn't sure what the protocol was when you met a stranger on a roof at midnight. It wasn't exactly something they teach you at school. Asking awkward questions in hope of making it less awkward was the greatest plan he could come up with, and so it continued.

"I like your socks."

"Let's hope it doesn't rain huh?"

"So... you new around here?"

The third question got a nod, and Caspian counted that as a victory. It was a strange sort of victory, but a victory none the less. Gabriel was barely even looking at him. Cas wasn't bothered. He didn't quite know what he was trying to achieve. He wanted silence and the space to relax, neither of which he would get if he started a conversation with the gorgeous stranger. Part of him wanted that conversation though, and so he didn't kept trying.

"I'm Caspian by the way. What's your name?"

It was the easiest of questions, but still he got no response. The more Gabriel ignored him, the more Caspian was intrigued. Even if he wasn't already confused as to how Gabriel wasn't on his radar, the never ending silence sure peaked his interest. Playing hard to get had always been a sure fire way of making Caspian pursue something.

"Are you in college?"

Considering there was only one high school in the area, Caspian knew he couldn't be attending it. That left the college, or the slight possibility that Gabriel was an adult.

"I'm still in high school, but I graduate soon. Hopefully college won't be so bad." Caspian punctuated his sentence with a shrug but neither the question or the statement got a response.

Eventually the brunette decided he was better off going back inside, and so he wished Gabriel goodnight and sneaked back through his window. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Caspian was out.

-

That was the first time Caspian met Gabriel Specter. Maybe it wasn't life changing at the time. There was no love at first sight, no sparks or fireworks. But to quote high school musical, that was the start of something new.

They just didn't know it yet.