No Homo

Chapter 4 - Guard Dogs and Games

By the time the whole shower fiasco was over and the boys had gotten dressed, it was getting late and the sun was beginning to dip low in the burning sky, flame-licked orange just beginning to give way to cool purples as the light began to dim. Thomas was adjusting his flannel for the fiftieth time that hour as if the slightest change in the angle his collar hung at would alter the entire look of his outfit. He studied himself critically in the mirror with a slight pout before tossing up his hands in defeated exasperation.

"How does this look?" The brunette asked his friend once more, holding out his arms for examination despite the fact that Minho only took one, quick glance at him before responding.

"No amount of fixing is gonna make you any less ugly." The Korean teased with a smirk before subtly returning his attention to his own mirror, pretending not to be focused on perfecting the minute details of his own look as he carefully maneuvered the tips of his hair into an upward swoosh. Thomas merely groaned in agreement before flopping listlessly back onto the mattress, resigning himself to a lifetime of rejection and imperfect flannels with a huff of disappointment, missing the frown that suddenly came over his friend's face.

"You look fine,  dude. No homo." Minho assured earnestly, just as he did everytime Thomas came complaining about his looks to him - And he meant it too, though he'd never admit it. He just didn't get why the boy thought he wasn't good looking. The way his deep, glowing amber eyes caught the sun, revealing hidden golden flakes, and played off of warm brown, untamed hair was mesmerizing. Not to mention the way the honey tones contrasted against pale, mole-speckled skin, all with soft cheeks and full, pink lips that puckered adorably when the boy pouted. The runner was, admittedly... Well, he wasn't ugly, that was the point. He would totally get with Thomas. If Thomas were a girl, obviously.

"Easy for you to say, Mr. sex-on-a-plate." Thomas scoffed, looking only mildly irritated as he rolled over onto his stomach then scrambled into a sitting position. "Look at me, I'm Minho. I have muscles and perfect hair." The brunette mocked, holding his arms in a body builder position for a moment before combing a hand through his hair and shooting the older boy a "sex" look with half lidded eyes and parted lips. "No homo." The boy barely managed to get out before Minho chucked a shoe at him and he lost his voice to giggles as he barely dodged the item before bursting out laughing at his own joke, holding his stomach as he rolled on the bed.

"Get up, fuckface. We're gonna be late." Minho growled, but it sounded pathetically unthreatening when he failed to stifle his own laughter, Thomas's giggles had always been contagious. The boy wheezed out one more laugh before his companion warningly shook another shoe at him, an unspoken threat to chuck it if he didn't get moving, and he finally pushed himself off the bed with an overdramatic grunt of effort. The Korean pushed open the front door and made his way down the steps, pausing to check the time and let Thomas catch up with him. His feet hit the sidewalk and he paused to enjoy the familiar, warm scent of a summer evening that flooded his nostrils.

The bright digital numbers printed across a ridiculous selfie of him and Thomas read 7:52, letting him know they weren't running too far behind schedule, considering Gally's house was about a fifteen minute walk away. Walking would be a must since neither of them were responsible enough to be a designated driver nor had enough cash to call a cab - And he had already seen plenty of Thomas nearly dying in a car crash for today, thank you.

"Is that last Halloween?" Thomas quipped, appearing behind Minho and leaning over him to get a better look at his phone, a light smile tugging at his lips as he gazed at the lock screen. The photo featured an irritated looking Minho wearing a cheap wolf ear headband and Thomas wearing, not only a red cape, but also a shit-eating grin as he slung an arm around his companion.