Luke gazed at Nick, his head slightly tilted. His eyes bore into Nick's as if the blonde was looking straight into Nick's soul. The raven felt uncomfortable by the thought. He hated being vulnerable as if everything he had was out there in the open. "What are you doing here?" Nick asked, wanting to stop Luke from probing into Nick's eyes.
"You woke me up. Plus, it's a bit concerning why you would even be out here in the first place." Luke stated, his voice soft. His piercing eyes finally glazed over Nick and spread to the ocean. "Now, what are you doing here, Nick?" The way he spoke it was more like an order than a question. Yet, concern intertwined with the intimidating tone.
"I just needed to clear my thoughts," Nick murmured, refusing to look at the blonde at all in embarrassment and awkwardness. He wanted to be alone. Solitude had always worked for him whenever his thoughts came to overflow out of the bottle they were kept tightly in. Then, if that was the case, why was he so grateful Luke was here?
"By going to the beach at this time of night?"
"Couldn't sleep."
Words were left unsaid, and the air too thick for them to break. The silence was overpowering, further heightening the awkwardness of their confrontation. Nick began fidgeting with his sleeve, unease clouding his mind. The way Luke was confronting him, it was as if Nick was a five year old that was caught. He disliked it very much.
"I'm sorry for waking you up." He finally looked at Luke, flashing a small apologetic smile. He hoped this attempt to cut the awkwardness would work.
"Eh, don't worry about it." Luke shrugged, sitting down on the sand. He patted the space next to him, beckoning for Nick to sit down. The raven plopped down next to him. Nick began building a small sand hill, trying to occupy himself with something and give his clammy hands from revealing their true emotions. Anything to not have to look at the blonde. "Talk to me, Nick."
Nick narrowed his eyes, side eyeing the blonde. "It's a bit personal," Nick spat, his voice sounding too defensive. He turned his attention back to the sand hill, then crushed it. In reality, he did want someone to confide in. But, that would mean revealing what he kept secret. He saw the blonde stand up, then put his hands in his pockets.
"I'll walk home then." Luke stretched his arms to the sky, then began stepping away to the direction of the house.
"No!" Nick grabbed Luke's wrist tightly. He didn't mean to, but he guessed his heart was pleading for help. Luke turned to face Nick, his expression softening. Nick bit his lip, retracting his hand back quickly, looking away. "Sorry. You can go if you want." He stared back down at the sand, his fists clenching.
The blonde sat back down in his original spot. A comforting presence dulled Nick's racing trains of thoughts. Nick drummed his fingers on his knee, unsure of what he wanted. There were too many paths to take, and only one he could choose to walk on. A hand reached for the restless hand. It held it still, then the thumb began rubbing Nick's hand in small circles. Nick gazed at Luke, genuinely surprised by such a tender action. "Talk to me, Nick. You don't have to tell me anything, but at least speak what you're feeling right now."
Nick searched in Luke's face for any signs of lying. Anything that said that he couldn't care less. When he found none, Nick sighed, his body relaxing into a state of prey. The moment when he genuinely felt open, revealing the inside of his cracking facade. "I just messed up badly. I'm feeling the consequences of my choices, even after years of doing them." His eyes began tearing up, his vision blurring. "I don't know what to do, Luke." He covered his face with his hands, his breaths choppy. He inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled. His eyes glazed over the dark ocean, its edges glistened with white from the foam.
"Hey, it's okay to make mistakes." Nick glanced at Luke, seeing an expression on his face that was too similar to Nick's. It hurt. "Trust me, I've made some myself. And they hurt." Luke looked miserable, and even worse in this situation. He looked exhausted. The slim moon wasn't helping at all. In fact, the light from it was forming dark shadows that casted over Luke's face like a veil. Dark shadows that emphasized the sleepless look in his eyes and the dark bags. The glassy look in Luke's eyes that resembled a cracked soul.
In that short moment of theirs, Nick wanted nothing more than to grab Luke and whisper soft words of love to him. To assure him it was going to be okay. To hug him closely, until he could at last see the bottled tears in Luke's eyes, and watch as they drip down his face. To brush away those tears, and get him back onto his feet.
"You look more shaken than I do," Nick said, almost chuckling to himself at the tragedy.
"Really?" Luke asked. Nick nodded, looking up at the sky. "Maybe, maybe not. But, listen to me, Nick." Nick turned his head to Luke, giving him his full attention. "What matters is that you attempt to fix those mistakes. As long as you try, I promise you, it will pass. No matter how long it takes." Without realizing it, a tear brushed down Nick's face. He coughed, his hands reaching to wipe the tears.
Only Luke beat him to it. His thumb brushed Nick's cheek, wiping the tears. He didn't know if he was hallucinating it or not, but Luke's hand lingered for longer than he should've. It disappointed him immensely that Luke's touch was lost. Nick chuckled, wiping the rest. "I'm so sorry for bothering you, Luke. Sorry for crying too. I know it's pathetic."
"Don't worry about it, Nick. It's okay to cry. We're friends after all." Friend. The word pained Nick, but he knew it was true. "Just remember my advice, okay?" Nick nodded, getting up. He brushed the sand off of his pants, shaking himself clean. After he was done, he extended a hand to Luke to help him up. The blonde grasped it, and Nick pulled him up. They were close, their noses almost touching. It made the raven stiffen, his whole mind crashing. They stared into each other's eyes for a second, then Luke pulled away. To Nick, it felt like a minute. He prayed his blush wasn't obvious. He loved Luke's eyes. They reminded him of the comforts of the coast. The sun-tanned beach, the laughter, the joy, the sky that always glowed a beautiful blue. He knew that after this trip to the beach, every time he saw the ocean, he would see Luke inside.
His blonde hair that felt like cotton in his fingers, his smile that shined similar to the sun. His face, dotted with marks that Nick wanted to kiss, brush against, gaze at for hours. His personality that radiated Nick's own. Luke feels so compatible with Nick, yet Luke was past his extended fingertips. He wondered if he would ever truly find out what Luke's body was like underneath his clothes. He choked on the thought, slapping away the impure thoughts that crashed into his mind.
They walked back to the house, both of them not talking to each other. They didn't need to. Enough words were said on the beach, and now they were both tired. As soon as they arrived back, they rushed to the bedroom. Luke collapsed onto the bed immediately, laughing quietly. He looked content. Nick smiled at the blonde. He climbed into bed as well, exhaling a long breath.
"Night, Nick."
"Night." Nick wanted to say something else, but he wasn't sure how to word it. It was as if his words jumbled into only a small sentence that one would think was insincere. "Thank you." He rolled over to his side, facing away from Luke.
"Mhm," Luke murmured, obviously tired.
Sleep overcame the two, and with that, a sign of peace coming closer into both of their lives.
As the week passed, everyone got closer to one another. George began revealing a chaotic personality as his comfort zone was overcame. He, surprisingly, hung out with Karl the most. It shocked Nick, but then again, he never took the time to get to know the brunette. Nick, meanwhile, was bonding more with Dream's friend group. He came to be very defensive and loving to them.
They kept going to the beach almost everyday, but made time for other activities. At the moment, they were going shopping at the little seaside shops near the beach. Karl kept on finding funky jewelry, while everyone else was laughing at the impersonations he would make of a "surf dude".
"Karl! You are so rude," Luke laughed, despite Karl's bluntness of his opinion. The shopkeeper was glaring at them, and Nick shrunk under his stare.
"Guys, we're pissing off the workers," Nick commented, suddenly feeling very self aware of his surroundings besides the fact that he was enjoying himself quite a bit. Karl and George only shrugged, causing more chaos. Their loud yelling could be heard in the whole store. Eventually, Dream dragged them out once he saw the shopkeeper rapidly approaching them. Outside, Dream was rambling a whole lecture, and finally, Luke slapped him shut.
Though, to Nick's silent delight, Luke bought him a bracelet. The bracelet had white seashells attached to them, and blue beads in between those seashells. Nick instantly wore it, and he felt happier than ever.
On another day, everyone decided to go to a seafood restaurant. As they began to order food, the plates began to pile. Karl was on the verge of puking his guts out, and Luke was trying to feed Dream spicy food yet again. Nick and George only chatted to each other, attempting to get to know one another. After everyone was finished with their food, to everyone's shock and dismay, Dream paid for the whole thing. The whole group kept on assaulting Dream for their pay for their part of the meal, but the blonde merely shrugged, denied the money, and continued on with his day. Everyone felt spoiled, yet guilty.
For their second to last day of being here, the group hosted a bonfire in their backyard. They had gone to the beach, as usual, then rushed to the stores to buy the food and supplies to do this little event. Dream was tending to the fire, and Luke was managing the food. Hamburgers were the choice for tonight, plus endless s'mores for dessert. The fire rose high, the sparks crackling with the freedom of the coastal air. Night was already upon them, and the boys had no time to lose.
They each sat around the campfire, laughing heartily and telling stories of their own. Music was blasting from Luke's speaker and the smell of delicious food was wafting through the area. Luke called them all over, and served each of them one hamburger with their choice of whatever they wanted to include in there. Each picked out their desires, then sat back down. Luke sat down next to Nick, and they were close.
To the point that Nick could feel the breath of Luke brush his skin, giving him goosebumps. The blonde was leaning over him, talking to George. Nick only stared at his food, looking at Luke from the corner of his eye while trying not to get flustered with their proximity. Sadly, after that little moment of theirs, Luke moved over to sit beside Dream and tease the blonde to death. Those two had quite the rivalry.
The bonfire lasted for hours, each boy ending with high, yet tired spirits. They all dragged themselves to bed, with sweet, sincere smiles on their faces. However, Nick knew that this happy vacation would soon end, and the raven would be drawn back to his sinful, yet self-destroying desires.
On the last day, they made sure to use the day for the fullest. Each woke up early despite going to bed late last night, to head to the beach. While they were there, Karl found a drive-in movie that was going on nearby. "Those still exist?" was the term everyone used when they peered at Karl's phone in utter confusion. The movie was horror and gory. Plus, it started late, so even better.
So, they stayed at the beach the whole day, then drove to the area. When they pulled in, there were cars littered around. It seemed the city had moved on to the new technology, aka movie theaters. They drove their car there, opened the sunroof, and some climbed up. Karl sat on the roof of the car with George. Dream was in the front, with driving privilege strapped to his forehead. Luke was in the front as well, and Nick was in the back trying to see.
Luke looked over his shoulder to see Nick standing up to see. "Hey, why don't you go out on the roof?"
Nick shrugged. "Karl and George would shove me off." Dream turned around as well, and chuckled to himself. "What's so funny?" Nick inquired.
"Just a suggestion of mine you probably wouldn't like."
"Enlighten me," Nick teased.
"Sit on my lap." Nick widened his eyes, peering at Dream curiously.
"Are you serious?" Nick asked. He didn't mind at all, plus he did want to see the movie better.
"I mean if it would help you see better, then yeah."
"Let's go!" Nick cheered, hopping out of the car, then swung Dream's door open. He leaped onto his lap, chuckling to himself. He settled himself comfortably, then relaxed into Dream's chest. He could feel Dream rest his hands in Nick's lap, careful to not be intruding. He liked that about Dream a lot. The blonde had respect, and made sure to never cross any boundaries.
They watched the movie comfortably, yet Nick could feel a set of eyes trained on him the whole time. He didn't look away from the movie however, but he saw out of the corner of his eye, Luke's distasteful expression that targeted at Dream and Nick. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were intense. Nick looked at the blonde, who quickly turned his attention back to the movie. The raven felt confused, unsure if he saw what he really saw.
He turned his attention back to the gory scene that was happening and was happily watching it. He decided to peer at Luke again, only to find his arms crossed. An unhappy look was flashed on his face, with a small pout on his lips. The blonde's attention was on the movie, but Nick had a feeling that either he or Dream did something that made Luke unhappy.
Was he jealous?
Nick blinked at the sudden thought, brushing it off. It was clear that he and Luke were only friends. He said so on that night at the beach. His eyes wandered to the bracelet that he kept on ever since Luke bought it for him. Was buying him this bracelet an act of friendship or something else?
His attention was caught back to the movie by a scream from the main character, and he watched the movie for the rest of the night without looking at Luke. He wasn't sure if he wanted to after seeing how unhappy Luke looked.
When everyone arrived back home, they each rushed to their rooms with quick goodbyes. Luke especially. Nick attempted to make conversation with him in the car, but Luke ended up talking to someone else. So Luke ignored Nick, and Nick was quiet the whole car ride back, trying to think of a way to apologize or at least get Luke's attention.
Nick heard the bedroom door swung shut loudly and he flinched.
"What's his problem?" Dream asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I dunno," Nick replied, his voice quiet. He really hoped he didn't do anything wrong to make Luke grumpy.
Nick knocked twice on the door after showering, ruffling his hair in nervousness. Would Luke speak to him yet or not? "Come in," the blonde called from inside. He walked inside, seeing Luke not even bat an eye at him. Nick placed the bundle of clothes down onto his suitcase, and bit his lip in frustration. He was getting more annoyed with the fact Luke refused to even recognize his presence.
He climbed into the bed, facing away from Luke. He pulled the covers over his body, sighing softly.
"Are you dating Dream?" Nick parted his lips in quiet shock, looking over at Luke. He was surprised at the sudden question. He was still angry though.
"What's it to you?" Nick scoffed, turning away again. He shuffled further away from the blonde.
"Answer me, Nick," Luke demanded. He could see the shadow of Luke hovering over his body. Nick fidgeted with the covers, unsure. There was no harm in telling him no, but the question was: why was he asking?
"No, we're not dating. We're just really close is all. I mean, we've known each other for years, so I guess it could look like that." Nick rolled onto his back, eyeing Luke from the corner of his eye.
"Oh."
Nick sighed heavily. "I'm gonna address the elephant in the room, Luke. Did I do something?"
"Mm, no. Just my own problems."
Nick sat up, looking at him angrily. "Your own problems? You were ignoring me, and talking to the others instead. That seems a bit precise," Nick snapped.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just got a lot on my plate right now." Luke looked at him with a sad smile, his face apologetic. Nick couldn't help but soften his gaze.
He laid back down, facing away from Luke. "Don't we all?" Nick grumbled, signalling he was done with this stupid conversation.
He shut his eyes, ready to go to sleep. He almost reached unconciousness, until he felt two arms snake around his waist. His breath hitched, as he felt a body come close, Luke pressed to Nick's back. "Luke," Nick murmured, his body stiff, unsure what to do.
"This okay?" Luke whispered. Nick could feel his breath on his neck, and it made him shiver. Luke held him closer, and Nick could feel the blonde's heartbeat drum steadily against his back. With all these feelings, Nick melted like putty in the gentle affection.
"Fine," Nick said, attempting to still be irritated. Luke hummed in return, clearly content. Nick could feel a gentle brush of Luke's hands against his bare skin. Before he knew it, he grabbed Luke's hands, and slid it underneath his shirt. He felt Luke stiffen, his hands hesitantly rubbing the skin around his waist in small circles. In every place where Luke touched, he felt a crackling of fire erupt in the trail of Luke's fingertips. Nick exhaled a relaxed sigh, shuffling himself closer to Luke.
A low chuckle flowed out of Luke. The warm, pleasant breath grazed Nick's neck, sending another tremor down Nick's body. "I'm sorry for making you mad," Luke whispered, rubbing his face into the crook of Nick's neck. The raven relaxed in his arms, his eyelids heavy. He couldn't care less about it anymore. All he could focus on were the trails of fire Luke was leaving on his bare skin. He closed his eyes, his heart purring in pleasure as sleep lured him in.
In the morning, the two awoke in the same position as before, but neither wanted to move. They breathed in each other, relishing in the presence of one another. They listened to each others' soft breathing, and gently grazed the other with soft, tender actions. Finally, they had to get up due to hearing footsteps approaching their way. They quickly detached from either, looking at the bedroom door with wide eyes.
"Hey! We have to leave! Get your asses up or else I'll wake you up myself," Dream called, his footsteps retreating afterward. Nick exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding.
Luke groaned in annoyance, sitting up. He stretched his arms upward, then got out of the bed. He began to pack while Nick stayed under the covers comfortably. Luke looked at him with a smile. "C'mon, Nick. We gotta get up, unfortunately." A pillow was thrown to Nick's face, and the raven sat up. He threw the pillow to the floor, sighing in annoyance.
"Fine, fine. Don't throw shit at me," Nick grumbled angrily, bringing himself off of the bed.
They began to pack, their atmosphere content due to last night's and this morning's events. Nick was feeling giddy. He fell asleep in Luke's arms, and he woke up in them. How could a morning possibly be better than that? The raven couldn't think of anything that could.
The blonde and raven finished packing and put their suitcases in the car. Everyone else was already in the vehicle, each eating a breakfast taco that was made by Dream. Nick almost screamed bloody murder at Dream for not making him one, but the blonde tossed one into his hands and to Luke's. Nick climbed into the backseat with Luke beside him. During the whole car ride, the two stuck to each other. Nick rested against him, and Luke merely brushed his hands against Nick's every so often. They were satisfied and positive with each other. Through the long hours, they didn't get tired of each other. Nick smiled in Luke's presence, and so did Luke in Nick's. It was almost a dream that they got along so well.
Dream dropped everyone at home, each departing with happy, yet sad goodbyes since it would be a while till all five would hang out like this again. Luke especially looked broken. He almost looked downhearted when Nick said his goodbyes. They both hugged each other, their contact lingering for a moment, and nothing more.
After Dream finished, they rushed home for a well deserved sleep. Especially for Dream, who drove the whole time. The blonde practically ran to his room immediately, mumbling a quick apology before slamming the door. Nick could practically hear the heavenly sigh that probably escaped Dream's lips when Dream collapsed onto his bed.
Nick chuckled to himself, then dumped his bags onto his bed. He began unpacking, thinking about Luke meanwhile. He finished with the task, and laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Back to his boring life. He rolled onto his side, curling. He couldn't help but think about Luke. Everything about him just made his life better. The candy in his eyes was the sunshine to his heart. Nick wanted nothing more than for Luke to be here now. He touched the bracelet, fidgeting with it while reliving memories in his mind that would not be forgotten.
He rolled onto his stomach, gripping the pillow that was cushioning his body. He smiled like an idiot, just thinking about him. Normally, he would dismiss such thoughts, but after what happened during this vacation, he couldn't help it.
He really was in love with Luke. His body warmed at the thought, and he closed his eyes, just imagining the blonde. He was beautiful in every way. His mind accepted these thoughts with glee, ushering him to move further into his relationship with Luke.
And that was exactly what he wanted.