Luke felt his foot hit something under the covers. "Umph..." He rolled over onto his back and palmed his eyes.
Oh, God. He'd just kicked Calum. Calum who had come home with him last night. Calum who had taken the lead and made him comfortable and at ease. Calum who had held him tightly and bent underneath him, then turned him on his back and made him tremble. Calum Hood, who had come into his life as a student, now existed in it as a friend and something even closer, and, he hoped, wouldn't leave it any time soon.
He flicked his eyes to his right, watching the back of Calum's head, half covered by the sheets. Calum wasn't stirring. Luke sighed and pushed his hair from his forehead.
"It's okay. I was already awake." Calum's voice was muffled by the sheets but wasn't thick with sleep. He sounded awake and calm.
Starting the day with embarrassment. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. "Oh...I'm sorry. I do that in my sleep sometimes."
Calum rolled over to face him. He settled back into the covers, the sheets coming up to his cheeks. He looked up at Luke. "Sometimes I snore, so we're even."
"I didn't hear anything," Luke said.
Calum yawned. So maybe he was still a little sleepy, Luke thought. It was adorable. "Maybe I was just too tired from everything."
Luke blushed. "Me too."
Calum closed his eyes and smiled. He hummed a bit of music, something that Luke didn't recognize. Then he sighed and brought his hands up to rub his eyes. He blinked a few times and laid his arms down in front of him, fingers almost touching Luke's ribs.
"How are you?" Luke asked.
"Heavy," Calum said.
Luke quirked a smile at him. "What do you mean?"
"I feel full—my body, I mean. And I feel like I'm weighted down into this bed. I feel like I've made some indentation here that would never rub out."
That's for sure, Luke thought. Even when you're gone, you'll still be right there. Don't ever stay away for too long, okay?
"Hmm," he said, unable to say anything else.
"But also light. So light. That doesn't make sense but I feel like I'm not all together. My individual molecules are spacing out."
"Light." Exactly what Ashton had said.
After a moment, Calum said, "It was really nice."
Luke's heart jumped into his throat. So they were going to talk about it. Oh boy. He knew there were two ways this could go with him: either he would freeze up entirely, or he would vomit words everywhere and scare Calum away forever. He swallowed the lump. Something simple. Something...
"It was." Well, he supposed that was good enough.
Calum looked up at him. He wanted to drape his arm across Luke's chest and pull himself close. He wanted to trail his mouth along Luke's body and climb onto him. But he didn't think that was what Luke wanted. Well, actually, he did think Luke wanted that, but he didn't think Luke could do it right now. He thought Luke was too uncomfortable. Maybe Luke was regretting things. He pulled the covers down to his neck, away from his face. "How are you?" he asked.
"I feel..." and Luke shook a little, wiggling his body around.
Calum laughed. Luke was definitely uncomfortable, but he was happy. Not regretful. That was good. "I feel a little like that too, now that I'm really waking up."
Luke turned his head to the side and realized how close he was to Calum. They were inches apart. Calum blinked his huge brown eyes at him.
Luke's id lunged forward and took over for just a second. It brought his hand forward and pushed Calum's hair from his eyes. It made him sit up a little, lean over, and kiss Calum gently. It made him pull back and stare at Calum's face.
Then his ego came through and shut the id back away in its cage in the depths of his mind. He leaned back again and sat up a little, propping his pillow behind his head and shoulders.
"Now I really feel like that," Calum said, and he understood that what Luke had just done wasn't as easy as it seemed—not as easy as it would have been for him to do, anyway. For Luke, that was a lot; and now he looked tired again. So Calum said, "Remember when we talked about the end of the world?"
Luke nodded, smiling a little but looking at the wall.
"Remember that last thing you drew on the board? All the little dots—stardust, you called it?"
Luke nodded again.
"I think maybe that's how we both feel. I think we've both gone supernova and now we're drifting around, initial forms of ourselves, ready to create."
Luke's chest hitched and he turned to look down at Calum. He drew in a shaky breath. And he nodded.
"Smile, Luke."
Luke heaved out a sigh and smiled—a true, sorry smile that glinted from his ocean eyes.
Calum felt like he was the teacher now. And he wasn't even that experienced, but Luke was lost at sea. "I know this is weird," he said. "Believe me, it's just as weird for me, too. But...I've thought about this a lot. And I know you have. We've even talked about it and...well, it doesn't feel wrong. It feels weird, but it doesn't feel wrong. To me, anyway. Does it feel wrong to you?"
Luke thought for a moment, and Calum waited patiently.
Yes, it was weird. Yes, it was insane. Calum should be in his own bed, sleeping soundly for however many more hours until he woke up naturally and went about his day. Calum was his student, and the number of rules that had been broken over the past month or so was indeterminable. But it did feel right. It does, he thought. And if it feels like it's right, then...
"No," he said. "It can't be wrong. It just isn't."
Calum nodded, tucking his legs up a little.
Luke put his hands behind his head and sighed once more. To say it out loud like that was cathartic. He felt calm now. He felt comfortable and transparent. It was beautiful. And he said, "How did we end up here?"
Calum laughed. "I think it happened when I hit the register button for your class."
Luke shook his head, laughing through his nose. "And what did we do last night?"
"Now that, I can't recall. It's all a lavender haze."
"What should we do about it?"
Calum groaned. "Any more questions, Luke? It's morning. I'm not ready to think."
"Actually, one more," Luke said, sitting up a little more and looking down at him with his eyes. "Tell me this. You say you like Ashton's hair and his laugh—"
"Luke, I was kidding around!"
Luke side-smiled, producing his one dimple. "You were and you weren't. He's a good-looking guy. But...well...what do you like about me?"
Calum thought for a while, staring up at the ceiling. Quietly, he sang, "What I like about you..." Luke smiled; he liked that song—it was wicked to play with the volume all the way up. Actually, he thought it might make a good song for the fundraiser he'd so randomly invited Calum to do with him—something everybody knew. He'd have to mention it later.
Eventually, Calum said, "I like...your shoulders."
"My shoulders." Luke frowned and smiled at the same time. "You like my shoulders."
"I love your shoulders." He propped himself up on his elbow to face Luke.
"Is that it?"
"No. I also like your hair and your laugh. I like the way your nose crinkles up when you laugh. You look like a little bunny."
"No! What?" And, of course, he laughed.
"Yeah. Just like that. And your eyes are like that water that's really shallow over a sandbar, seen from a thousand feet up. And you grow a great beard. I wish I could grow a beard." He reached up and very lightly, briefly, drew the back of his finger along Luke's jaw. "I like that we like the same music. I like that you put your hair forward and up like that. I like your chin. I like that dimple on your right smile. I like that you used to have a lip ring."
Luke put his hand over his eyes. "Oh, God. You noticed?"
"I noticed on that first day."
"Oh no..."
"I wish I could see you with it. Even just a picture."
"Really?"
Calum nodded. "I like your face, I like your chest, I like your back and your legs. I guess I've never really seen your feet but I'd probably like those too."
Luke was getting embarrassed. "You can stop now if you want."
"Your hands...I really like your hands."
"My..." Luke brought his hands up. There was nothing special. Was there?
"I like your voice—how deep it is when you're either serious or joking and how raspy it gets when you're nervous." Luke made some noise of protest but Calum kept going. "I like that you teach me no matter where we are or what we're doing. I like that you're so kind to me. I like that you've dragged me into this knowledge vortex and I'm becoming an academic like you. I like that you make me feel smart."
"You are smart, Calum."
"I know." He lay back down and rested his head in the crook of Luke's shoulder. "I know that because of you. And...I really love your shoulders."
Luke wrapped his arm under Calum's neck and placed his hand lightly on his back. He didn't know what to say. He was just some guy...he'd never been told anything like that before. "Thank you," he said, and it came out in a raspy whisper.
"Mmm," Calum replied. "And me?"
"Oh, Jesus, Calum. How am I supposed to follow that?"
"And I also love your words," Calum said.
"I..." Luke sighed. Here it was again. Maybe he was good at debate. Maybe he was good at speaking when he was being a teacher. But unless he was with Ashton who for some reason didn't make him nervous, the rest of the time when he wasn't in class or on stage, speaking was like trying to build a sand castle way too high up on the shore where the tide didn't reach. Everything, all the words, just kept falling apart and trickling away into a dry, witless heap. He just didn't know what to say.
"You like my jaw," Calum offered. "That's for sure."
Luke looked down at Calum again. His head was still on his shoulder and his eyes were closed. Yes, he really did like Calum's jaw. By God, Calum's jawline could cut diamonds.
"I do," Luke said. "And I like your arms. Your eyebrows."
Calum laughed through his nose, his eyes squinting further shut. Luke felt Calum's body shake a little and his abs tighten against his side. "You like my eyebrows?"
"Is that any weirder than my shoulders?"
Calum's eyes opened in clarity for a second, then slid closed again. "I suppose not."
They lay in silence for a while. Eventually, Luke looked over at the clock. It was 9:45. "Oh my God. We're going to be so late." He started to sit up.
"What?" Calum mumbled, and then— "It's a holiday, Luke, remember?"
"Wh..." He sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "Are you serious. I'm all over the place."
Calum splayed his fingers out over Luke's stomach. "I'm hungry."
Luke smiled, both at the gesture and at the request. Finally, something he knew how to do. "What do you want?"
Calum sat at the kitchen table. Luke brought him a plate of cinnamon pancakes.
"Oh, yes. Thank you," Calum said.
"Something to drink?"
"I know this is weird but...do you have chocolate milk?"
Luke grinned and turned toward the fridge. "Why is that weird?"
"Because I'm nineteen."
Luke stiffened for a fraction of a second. He knew what Calum meant: I'm nineteen, not five. But still, he couldn't help but think that he was with someone five years younger than him. I wasn't a big deal, but...
Oh, just shut up, he told himself. Why do you have to find something wrong in everything? Be more like Ashton. Be calm...be happy.
He got the milk and the chocolate syrup from the fridge and took them to the counter. As he stirred them together into two glasses, he sang quietly, "Chocolate milk party, it's a chocolate milk party."
Calum watched him from behind. He had jeans on, and they made his ass look great. His shoulder blades moved as he stirred the milk. Calum watched him wiggle his hips back and forth while sort of singing. "What's that from?" he asked.
Luke put the milk and syrup back and turned around, holding the glasses. He was bright red. "It's just something Ashton says sometimes. I guess I...picked it up."
Calum put a bite in his mouth and took his glass. "Thank you. That's adorable. You were dancing."
Luke, sitting down, grew redder and looked down at his plate. "I was?"
"Mhm. You spend a lot of time with Ashton, huh?"
Luke shrugged. "He's my best friend."
"Yeah. But what if I get jealous?"
Luke looked back up quickly; the color drained from his face. "Are you jealous? You shouldn't be jealous."
Calum let his shoulders slump a little. He looked morose. "I don't know, Luke...you said it yourself. He's a good-looking guy. Do I have competition?"
"No! Obviously not. Calum, if you think I like Ashton that way—"
Calum was drinking his milk, gazing at Luke over the rim of the glass. He put it down and licked his lips. His jaw worked, and Luke realized it for what it was.
"Dammit, Calum...I swear to God."
Calum broke into the laughter he'd been holding back. "Oh, you looked so worried!" He held his chest, leaning forward. "Oh, man."
"I will ff..." He sighed heavily. "Do you like the freaking pancakes at least?"
Calum rubbed his eyes. "Yes." He took a deep breath to stop the giggles. "Yes, they're delicious. I'm sorry."
Luke shook his head and took a bite.
"You and your head movements, Luke. Always nodding, always shaking."
"And you always joking around. I can't even tell what's real anymore." He smiled.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic."
Luke laughed through his nose and chewed his pancakes. He swallowed and said quietly, "This is real."
Calum blinked at him. "I'm not so sure."
Luke looked back at him, his expression confused, almost sad. What did he mean? This was the realest thing he'd ever felt... Was Calum on a different plane?
Calum shook his head. "I don't mean it like that. This is..." He waved his fork in the air. "This is ethereal. This is like a dream to me, something I never thought would actually happen. Something I thought I would only ever wish for. Last night I swear we were levitating. It feels...wobbly. But in a good way. Cracked. And I could fall through so easily and hit the ground so hard but I know you'd be there to catch me first."
Luke's mind spun. The room tilted a little. Or maybe that was just chemicals, arrhythmia. Maybe it was only his brain and his heart. "The words you speak..."
"This is broken love in the first degree."
Luke strangled out a sound and rubbed his forehead. "How do you say things like that?"
Calum spoke softly. "I don't know. It just comes to me. I should write that down. Luke?"
Luke raised his head to look at him—Calum with his big brown eyes and pretty lips and perfect symmetry and beautiful mind.
"Thank you," Calum said. He pointed a finger at his temple: "This was not a tangible thing before I came to you, and now I feel like I can use fifty percent more of it, just from talking to you and listening to you talk. I've written two full songs since I met you and I've got another one going from last night and just watching you cook and dance and sit and eat right now. Do you understand what you did for me, what you do to me?"
Luke blushed all the way down his neck. "I...I just..."
Calum got up from his chair and went over to stand in front of Luke. Luke stared up at him. "Well, come here," Calum said.
Luke stood and hugged Calum hard.
"Don't cry, okay?" Calum said.
Luke wiped away his tears. "All right."
They stood, embracing for a while. Then Calum grabbed Luke's shoulders and held him in front of him. "We're gonna kill Feldmann, yeah?"
Luke half laughed, half sobbed. "You are, Calum. You."
Calum shook his head, and Luke understood. He never gave himself credit, and now Calum was giving every ounce of it to him. Not without you, that shake said. Never without you. Luke bit down on his lip to keep from crying more.
Calum reached down, took Luke's wrists, and brought Luke's hands up to his face. Luke held his jaw again, just like he loved to do, and kissed him.
"You taste like cinnamon," Calum said. "You know, it's a natural aphrodisiac."
Luke couldn't help but laugh. Calum said it so matter-of-factly, as if he were telling him that cosine was adjacent over hypotenuse.
"We should probably finish eating, huh?" Calum said, grinning. "We have a long day of nothing ahead of us."
Calum stood behind Luke, his hands on Luke's shoulders. They were in the living room. "You ready?" he asked.
Luke sighed. "As I'll ever be."
Calum had mentioned that he wished Luke had picked him up the night before when he said he wanted to. "It's really sexy when people do that—carry someone while they wrap their legs around their waist and their arms around their neck."
"I didn't want to drop you though. You probably weigh more than me—you're so muscular."
"Pff. Okay." Calum had rolled his eyes.
"I'm serious! I would definitely drop you. I mean, I might be able to piggyback you but probably not the other way."
"Really?" Calum had sat up straighter and stared at him. "Yes. Piggyback. Let's do it."
Luke laughed. "For real?" And Calum had nodded vigorously. "All right...I guess."
Now Calum jumped up and Luke caught him under his thighs. "Oh—okay. I got you. Uhh...where do I go?"
"Wherever. Actually, take me to your guitar. I want a closer look."
Luke crossed the room, Calum's thighs squeezing him like they had the night before. His arms were wrapped over his shoulders, crossing over his chest. Calum was laughing just above his ear. He couldn't help but grin.
"All right. Almost—" And then he stumbled. His foot caught on nothing, and he yelped. He felt Calum's grip tighten around him in reflex, and they both went sprawling.
"Ahhh," Calum groaned, laughing hard. "Ow!" He rubbed his head.
When he could speak between giggles, Luke said, "I am so sorry."
"I hit my head on your amp!"
Luke wheezed with laughter. "I should never have put it there. This is just completely my fault." He held his stomach.
"It is," Calum said, splayed out on his back, grinning.
They both calmed down a bit, sighing out the last of their giggles.
"See. I told you this would happen," Luke said.
"Well I thought maybe you would step up and prove yourself wrong. But I was sadly mistaken." He turned his head sideways and smiled at Luke.
"Aww..." Luke pouted out his lower lip.
"Nnn...don't do that."
"What?" Luke said, giving him puppy-dog eyes.
Calum squeezed his hands into fists. He huffed out a breath. "Stop."
Luke scooted closer to him. He propped himself up and looked down at Calum. "Stop what?" he said in speaking-to-a-baby voice. "What's wrong?" Calum pressed his lips together and looked away. "Aw, no. Tell me what it is."
Luke went to turn Calum's face back towards him but Calum grabbed his hand from the air. He moved quickly, rolling Luke back over and pinning him down on his back, wrists on either side of his head.
Luke stared up at him. "Whoa."
"It's your face," Calum said. "That's what it is."
Luke swallowed.
Calum tilted his head, and Luke unconsciously did the same. Calum gripped Luke's wrists tighter and squared his shoulders. He stared down seriously for a while, but then suddenly broke out into laughter again, his tongue sticking between his teeth.
"What?" Luke asked.
"My taste in music is your face," Calum said, quoting another Twenty One Pilots song he liked.
Luke knew just the one. " "Tear In My Heart," " he said. "That's you."
Calum sighed, smiling. He let go of Luke and stood up, putting his hands out. Luke took them and Calum hauled him to his feet.
"I'll be honest," Luke said, comfortable from the serotonin rush. "I thought that was going to go somewhere else."
Calum raised his eyebrows. "Did you? Wow, Luke. I wouldn't expect that from you."
Luke flushed red. "Yeah, no, I..." He trailed off.
"Is that your thing?" Calum asked.
Luke somehow got redder. "No! I was just...I thought maybe..."
Calum shook his head, waiting. But Luke couldn't get any more words out. "If it is...I'm down," Calum said.
Luke barked a laugh. "It's...it's not. Not really. I much prefer..." He put his face in his hand.
Calum loved how awkward Luke was about all this. He nodded. "So do I."
Luke nodded, head in his hands.
Calum went back to the sofa and sat down. Luke watched him. He patted above his knees and said, "My turn to try.
Luke shook his head. "Not a good idea. I'm too heavy."
"Come on, Luke. You're a tad taller than me but you're so skinny...I think I can do it." He patted his legs again.
Luke came reluctantly forward and stood in front of him. "What do you want me to do?"
Calum laughed and rolled his eyes. "Do you remember how I was when you said you wanted to carry me?"
Of course Luke remembered. It was burned in his mind forever and he was glad about it. But...it wouldn't be the same if they switched places. Calum was cute and belonged there and Luke would just be so weird sitting like that.
"You're thinking it's weird. Stop thinking it's weird," Calum told him.
"Jesus..."
"Do it."
Luke groaned. He put one knee to Calum's right and hoisted himself up onto his lap. Good lord, it was awkward. But when Calum shifted slightly underneath him and then looked up into his face, most of that weird feeling slipped away.
"Okay," Luke said. "Go ahead. But don't be surprised when I'm too heavy to carry." He made it sound like he wasn't excited, but in actuality he was buzzing, wondering what it might be like if Calum really could carry him. And where Calum might carry him to. Boy, was he in some mood.
"Ready?" Calum said.
"Yes just do it already."
"Impatient." Calum hooked his arms around Luke's lower back and started to stand. Luke felt himself start to slide backwards immediately. "Arms around me," Calum told him, and he put his arms around Calum's neck and held him tight.
And Calum stood up easily, bringing one arm underneath Luke's leg. Luke wrapped his legs around Calum's waist. He felt Calum's right hand gripping his leg and his left hand pressing into his lower back.
"Oh..." was all he could say.
"Your legs are so long," Calum said quietly, turning his face to look at Luke. Luke looked dumbfounded. His mouth was open a little and he was hunched over as if Calum were going to drop him any second. "Relax," Calum said. "Straighten up."
Luke did the best he could. He leaned back just a little so he could look Calum straight on, if not from a bit of an upper angle.
"Told you I could do it," Calum said.
"I...guess you were right."
"You're quite light. I barely even need to hold you. You're like a little koala."
"Wow."
"Sorry." He giggled. "But really. I don't even need to keep my hands on you." And he started to remove his hands from Luke's body.
"No no!" Luke protested. He grasped Calum tighter but didn't slip down.
Calum laughed softly. "Just kidding." He returned his hands to Luke, very high up on his hamstrings.
"Little close, eh?" Luke said, staring at Calum.
Calum stared back, unblinking. There was another weird smile on his lips. He shrugged, and Luke's elbows moved with his shoulders. "I don't think so." He moved his hands the rest of the way up.
Luke couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You're such a sleaze."
"Aww. Now look what you've done. I was going to take you to the room but now I feel insulted."
"And a tease!"
"Nuh-uh." Calum shook his head and inadvertently Eskimo kissed Luke. He grinned. "You teased me first."
"Well...that's true. But you have to take me somewhere."
"All right. If you insist."
He started walking. Luke thought that maybe he really was taking him back to the bedroom, but then he turned the wrong way. "Uh...that's not..."
"Shh."
"Mm."
Calum took him back to where they just were. He sat Luke down on his amp.
"What..." Luke said, looking at where he was. "I feel a strange sense of déjà vu."
Calum reached up and took the blue Mira off the wall. He handed it to Luke, who took it with a confused expression.
"Do you know how to play "What I Like About You"?" Calum asked. "I think it would be good for the fundraiser."
Luke's mouth opened and he made a little noise then said, "That's...exactly what I was thinking."
"Lovely," Calum said. "Can I sit on the coffee table?"
Luke gestured absently. "You can do whatever you want."
Calum smiled. "Good to know." He sat down on the table in front of Luke. He waved at him to say Go on.
Luke plugged his guitar into the amp and turned it on. He formed the initial Bb chord and found himself suddenly nervous once again. Calum had never heard him play. What if he sucked? No, he knew he didn't suck. He was really good. He'd been playing for as long as he could remember. So maybe he wasn't nervous. Maybe that feeling was pure adrenaline.
Calum was just sitting there, smiling at him.
"Do you want me to sing, too?" Luke asked.
"If you—" He cut himself off. Yes. Yes he did. "Yes. Please do."
Luke nodded and began. He played the intro, and then started the rhythm chords. And then he sang.
"That's what I like about you, you hold me tight
Tell me I'm the only one
Wanna come over tonight?
Yeah
Keep on whispering in my ear
Tell me all the things that I want to hear
'Cause it's true. That's what I like about you."
Calum watched Luke's fingers play over the frets. Luke was really good. And Luke's voice was incredible—amazing pitch and a bit of rasp. Luke looked up at him on the last line of the chorus and smiled. And Calum picked up the second verse.
"What I like about you, you really know how to dance..."
Luke faltered on one of the chords. The purity of Calum's voice had punched him right in the chest. It sounded less like Calum's normal speaking voice and more like the way Calum sounded when it was dark out and he was very close to Luke's face, talking quietly and saying things directly into his mind.
Calum's smile twisted a little, and he continued to sing.
"When you go up, down, jump around
Think about true romance
Yeah..."
They sang the seconds chorus together. Then Luke sang the main vocals, hitting the yous in a way that made Calum fuzzy inside, while Calum sang the backups. Then Luke improvised a solo, and he let his final cord ring out. They'd both heard enough.
Calum clapped. "That's definitely it."
Luke sighed heavily. "That was great. Your voice..."
"When you say you play guitar, you're not kidding."
"I just wish you had your bass."
Calum nodded. "Don't worry, I can learn that pretty quick. It's the same thing over and over again anyway." Luke nodded in agreement. "But it's definitely missing something. Drums."
Luke played a little riff. "I can help with that. You know my friend Ashton?" he joked.
"You mean the good-looking guy?" Calum teased back.
"Yes yes him." Luke rolled his eyes. "I told you already—he's the best drummer I know. Could play with the pros in an instant."
"Well!" Calum said. "How convenient."
"Right? But we're missing something else too."
"Another guitar."
"Yeah. I can play the lead but then, like, I had to switch to the rhythm chords, you know? I can't play both parts at the same time. And that solo was shit."
"No. It wasn't." Calum poked him. "Really you're quite good. Better than I ever could have been. That's why I switched to bass in the first place. Never really got guitar."
"I badly want to hear you play."
"Well, we'll find another guitarist and well have a practice, yeah?"
Luke nodded. "Absolutely." He went to hang the guitar back up but stopped halfway and sat back down. "You know...I think I can help with that, too." Calum tilted his head at him. "Yeah. Remember? I once heard Michael play down at that bar by the bike shop when I was with Ashton. He was pretty good. He sang really well, too. He played a song I'd never heard before but there were some really pretty parts in it. Actually, he said he wrote it, didn't he? Somehow he combined his chords with, like, lead notes? And he did a bit of a solo-ish thing. Well he was by himself but—"
"Sounds perfect," Calum said. "Honestly, what a coincidence is that, right? We all met here at the school and we're all friends, I think. And we all play really well. Not to mention we're all hot as fuck."
Luke burst out laughing and almost dropped his guitar. "Oh my God. I can't believe you just said that. I mean, we've established that we think Ash is attractive but...well, you must think I'm a little cute, I guess."
"Luke, I swear."
"I know. Have confidence. Apparently I need your self-confidence! You think you're hot." He laughed again. "That's great. I think so too." His breath caught for a second and he squinted one eye shut. "And Michael too? I think he's more, like, pretty. Well, he does get that look on his face. Like, all the time."
"Oh yeah." Calum said, nodding. "I mean...yeah. He's different. But, like, the first time I saw him walking outside the sun hit his skin just so and like, he glowed white light. It was crazy."
"He is quite pale. I like pale skin."
Calum looked down at his own arms and faked a frown.
"Oh! No, Calum, I love your skin. You're golden."
"I know you do." He smiled. "And I kinda dig Michael's hair."
"It's been like three colors since we've known him. Ashton's always saying it's going to all fall out any day."
"I wouldn't argue that," Calum said, laughing. "Hey, did you see last night at debate practice that Ashton had red dye on his hands?"
"Christ, Calum, you notice everything. Yes. I talked to him about it."
"Yeah? What'd he say?"
Luke scratched his head. "I don't know if I should tell you."
Calum shrugged. "That's okay. I can guess pretty well." He stood up and stretched. "After all, I like to do the same thing."
Luke stood as well and put the guitar back on its hook. "I like that you like it."
Calum went to him. Without thinking, Luke took his waist in his hands. Calum brought his hands up to Luke's hair again but started picking at little tufts here and there. "I do wish it was a bit longer, though. Longer...maybe browner...maybe a little curly."
"Stop talking about Ashton!" Luke shouted.
Calum laughed and plunged his fingers into Luke's hair. "I promise." He put his forehead against Luke's. Luke pulled at Calum's hips and they pressed their bodies close together. Calum slid his hands down the back of Luke's neck. Luke dug his fingertips gently into Calum's sides. "I'm tired," Calum nearly whispered. "Can we go back to bed now? I feel like the plotline of this whole thing has advanced enough for one day."
Luke chuckled quietly. "It's three o'clock."
"Perfect time to be in bed."
"Don't you have work for some debate class?"
Calum drummed his fingers on Luke's neck. "I think I can get it done later. I really like that teacher, you know? He's my favorite. You should meet him some time."
Luke didn't know when things had gotten so comfortable. He wasn't complaining. He was going to say something like I'd like that when Calum kissed him. Luke took handfuls of Calum's shirt and pushed at him with the heels of his hands. They started to kiss and walk at the same time like in every movie, but Luke stumbled over Calum's toes and Calum hit his hip on the arm of the couch. Calum swore; they both laughed and just walked to the bedroom instead.
The covers were a mess, Luke's side pulled almost all the way to the foot of the bed and Calum's side folded underneath itself.
"Jeez," Luke said.
Calum went to the bed and in one quick motion had the sheets righted again.
"How did you do that?" Luke asked.
Calum came back over to him and pulled him down onto the bed. He turned Luke on his back and pulled his T-shirt over his head. He kissed Luke on the forehead, on the nose, on the mouth, on the chin, on the neck. He kissed Luke down his chest and down his stomach.
And Luke knew what was happening. He knew even before Calum's fingers undid the button of his jeans, before Calum pulled everything down and off like Luke himself had done last night. He knew very well as Calum kissed just above and just below his belly button. He knew as Calum continued downward.
His abs twitched and he brought his hands to Calum's hair. He arched a little and bent one leg, accidentally knocking Calum's elbow with his heel and making Calum hum a bit. His toes curled under. He tried not to make much noise.
When Luke was done Calum crawled up and laid down next to him. Luke's cheeks were flushed pink and he was staring up at the ceiling. Calum laid his arm across Luke's chest and pulled himself close.
Luke wanted to say something. He turned his head toward Calum. Calum's eyes were closed and he was smiling faintly. His hair was a little mussed up on the sides where Luke's thighs had been. Luke wanted to say something, but he didn't. He brought his arm up and laid it across his chest, over Calum's.
They slept.
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Any quotes, song titles/lyrics, and things of that type are not my work, and I take no credit for them (though I do thank those who made them for their incredible artistry).