**Rating Warning**
This is story is rated mature -- this chapter contains graphic sexual details. If you are not comfortable with that, please do not continue reading.
· · · · ·
Whatever Julian had told Morgan in the kitchen that night, Morgan didn't take it well.
Liam had heard them both yelling at each other in the den for a long time after he went to bed. He was in his bed with Dave, who he had invited to come in with him after it was apparent that Julian and Morgan weren't going to stop fighting any time soon. He wasn't going to leave him out there on the couch covering his ears all night.
Liam heard some of it... The argument.
Julian was saying really mean things by the end. He'd even heard Julian say mean things about him -- that he was stupid. That he just wanted to get laid no matter who it was with. That Liam would never be with Morgan if Liam hadn't scared all the other guys away with his desperation.
Ouch.
None of that was true but Liam wasn't going to get involved in their fight this time. Liam liked Julian better when he wasn't talking.
· · · · ·
The next morning, Liam woke up without any sheets. Dave was annoying to sleep next to. He was curled up like a huge cocoon in the duvet next to him.
Liam laughed quietly to himself. It had been weird not to wake up alone and he almost forgot what happened that night. Seeing Dave almost scared the crap out of him.
He got dressed and went out to find Morgan, to see if he was okay.
When Ethan told him Morgan left Liam's heart leapt into a panic, until Ethan explained he had just gone out to get breakfast and that he was fine. Julian and Morgan had just yelled at each other all night.
"Julian didn't come to bed until real late."
"Where is he?" Liam sat next to Ethan on the couch.
"He did leave. He left, Liam..."
"...where?"
"I don't know. He packed his bags and didn't talk to me last night at all. He hasn't called or texted me back." Ethan pulled out his phone to check one more time.
Liam studied Ethan's face for a moment.
"We have bad reception..."
"I don't think he loves me anymore, Liam. Things haven't been good. Leaving the house did nothing." Ethan threw the phone aside and looked back at Liam. The way Ethan was looking at him was making Liam tear up. He didn't remember the last time Ethan had been as sad and upset and he had recently.
He felt bad that they had kind of grown apart this past year.
He leaned over and hugged him hard. He wanted to reassure him like he always did, but for once Liam thought that maybe Ethan was right. Something in Julian had changed since they'd moved out.
"There's something about Morgan that's always made him just kind of...snap." Liam thought out loud, pulling away from Ethan. He held Ethan's hands in his lap.
"It wasn't always like that. You know... I only met Morgan back in high school 'cause he was Julian's friend. He was like...his best friend. Julian used to be on the swim team too, before he quit. They were always everywhere together... I had such a big crush on Julian and Morgan kept trying to get in the way. He didn't even like me like that, he was just being an asshole."
Ethan laughed and looked down at the floor, "Damn, he's just always been an annoying little shit... Way too much energy, so hyper, so all over the place... Anyway, Morgan kept flirting with me but eventually I convinced Julian that I liked him instead. It took forever for him to finally ask me out."
Liam hadn't known any of them in high school, and he wished he did.
They went to different schools in different towns and Liam had first met Ethan freshman year. At orientation, actually, before classes even started. Liam was trying decide to stay in a dorm or find roommates, and Ethan offered for him to stay at an extra room that was open at a place his parents owned nearby. Right when they first met. They got buddied up for an ice breaker after that. Ethan introduced him to Julian. The two were practically inseparable. They had felt so much closer back then, figuring out the world together.
He thought back to the first time he met Morgan at Ethan's parent's place.
It was at a barbecue to celebrate Ethan's first day at college. His parents wanted to meet the extra roommate lucky enough to share their second house with their son, or probably just make sure he wasn't batshit crazy.
So there Liam was, just standing around and talking to Ethan's mom most of that day.
When he saw Morgan, the gods had opened their hands upward in the sky to part the clouds -- the sun was shining right on him when his six foot frame came out of the pool like it was some kind of commercial for a new cologne. It didn't happen in slow motion, but that was how it all played out in Liam's mind. Liam remembered whispering 'oh no' to himself after Ethan pointed to him, saying that the other guy staying in the middle room was this thing in front of him. Ethan had smacked him, but he laughed. It hadn't been funny to him.
Morgan was tan, since he swam outside more back then. He was still just as fit now as he used to be. His skin was basically glowing like a glow stick because of the sun when he walked up to him.
Water dripped all over the place when he put his sopping wet hand out to say hello to him that day. Liam had shaken his hand, which was freezing cold and getting his all wet, and kind of just gawked up at him embarrassingly until Ethan had to introduce him.
He used to be so shy around Morgan at first... He had a misleading, charming demeanor. Especially back then. That first year together was funny to think back on. Morgan knew exactly what he looked like. He knew... He was kind of an asshole sometimes. How could Liam have not immediately had a crush on him?
Never once in a million years would Liam have thought the statue of a human being who walked out of the pool that day would ask if he could kiss him.
Morgan wasn't who he assumed he was that day at the pool. He was kinda mean. Too honest. Loud. Messy. Like Ethan said, hyper and all over the place. Morgan had new boyfriend constantly and Liam had gotten used to memorizing all of their names. He joked a lot and didn't take anything seriously, which made him super fun to be around.
He eventually became one of his best friends along with the others. He had lived with Morgan for such a long time and they'd all changed. A lot had changed in the past four years for all of them.
"What are you thinking about?" Ethan finally asked, looking back at him.
"...Just how different things are."
"...Yeah. I guess things change. I just thought Julian would change with me, not...fall out of love with me."
"Have you even talked to him?"
"Of course I've talked to him... Do you think he says much?"
Liam kind of laughed, but knew Ethan was still upset so he stopped.
"That's his problem, he never talks to me about stuff. I have no idea what that guy is thinking. Like, ever... He doesn't ever share anything with me. Liam, I'm sorry how I acted when Julian and Morgan were fighting that night. It's not your fault that Julian said your name."
Liam blushed. He had kind of forgotten about all of that already.
"I do think he had a crush on you, though. I know you don't think so, and that's because you're stupid and don't see how disgustingly adorable you are," Ethan pinched one of Liam's cheeks right on his dimple when Liam was about to laugh.
"Stop."
"...but I really think he did. He just kept denying it over and over... But then when he did that, I don't think I trusted anything he told me anymore. I just wish he could have been honest with me."
Ethan crossed his arms and sat back into the couch.
"You're talking like you guys aren't together anymore."
"...Liam, I don't think we are. Really. I think he straight up just left."
"You should go home and talk to him. He's probably there right now. Where else would he be?"
"...I don't think he wants to talk to me. Or he would have called me back."
"That's not true. Plus, sometimes you don't realize you want to talk about something until you do. Then you feel better."
Ethan laughed for the first time. "Liam, you're an angel."
Liam smirked, "What?"
"I said you're an angel. You're so stupidly optimistic all the time."
"I'm not an angel..." The way Liam said it was a little suggestive, he then realized, but Ethan just laughed at him and hugged his stomach.
"Oh god... You're hilarious."
Liam's smile faded into a glare and he rolled his eyes. "...You should go talk to him."
"Okay, fine," Ethan gave in, "...I'll go."
He got up, brushed his hair with his fingers, and went into his bedroom to grab his duffel bag. He grabbed a few articles of clothing off of the accent chair. "You know..." he said, almost like he was thinking out loud and forgot Liam was there, "I know that you want me to go just so you can be in the cabin with Morgan..." Ethan looked over his shoulder to back at him before picking up his shoes.
"-- What?!"
"I saw you guys... You saw me, too, Liam. Don't act like you didn't see me...!" Ethan started laughing.
"I-- mmm..."
"Were you..." Ethan stood up straight and smirked. He made a suggestive gesture with his hands.
"What?! No! He just kissed me." Liam put both hands over his face to cover how red it probably was.
Ethan laughed and walked closer to him. "It didn't look like that's what was happening." He was pointing a finger at him now and Liam was frozen.
Was he mad? Because he had told Morgan he would kick him out... Was he still going to kick him out?
"Liam, I heard you. Oh my God, the things I heard..." Ethan smirked. He was being dramatic about this and he knew it, just to embarrass him...
"Quit it," Liam laughed, still red in the face, "There weren't even noises."
Ethan imitated Liam's moan. "Morgan --"
"Oh my god, stop right now." Liam's smile fell completely and he grabbed Ethan's arm hard to get him to stop talking. The stabbing pain of humiliation in his stomach made him want to throw up. How did he let that kiss with Morgan escalate like that out in public? How had so much time passed outside? Why did the front of the cabin look way closer from that spot in the grass in the sunrise than it did earlier that night?
"Ow..." Ethan used a great amount of force and finally pried Liam's fingers from his arm. "Liam, just don't get hurt okay? I know you're having fun, and it's been a while, but... Please don't get hurt."
"You're not gonna kick him out of the house...? Ethan, please don't kick him out... Please? Please?" Liam grabbed his arm more gently this time and started poking him in his stomach so that he'd laugh. It worked, but Ethan pushed him onto the floor after managing to evade one of his moves.
"Honestly, Liam..." Ethan started laughing and threw his arms out at him. Liam looked up at him, and sat up on the floor.
"What?"
"How...did that guy NOT DO ANYTHING for this long?! That's crazy. Is that not crazy to you? ...I just can't believe he listened to me when I told him that."
Liam looked up at Ethan, who was a little out of breath from his ranting.
"...I don't know if he listened to you so much as he did what he wanted, honestly... He told me that I was too good and he didn't want to mess me up. Whatever that means."
Ethan looked confused. He continued to pack up his things, finally zipping everything shut. "He told you that you were too good? What does that even mean?"
"You know, the more I think about it, I think he meant that he didn't want to fuck up my life."
"...'Cause he will." Ethan pointed at him again, but his face was serious. "Go do what you want, Liam. I love you. But I really, really don't want to watch you fall really hard for Morgan like I know you are, and see him totally break you. If he fucks up your life, Liam, I'm going to be so mad."
"I honestly like him, you know. This isn't...a crush thing anymore."
"I know... Liam, you've liked Morgan forever -- since he fell twice trying to get out of the pool 'cause he was fucking drunk at my parent's barbecue and you couldn't even tell him your name . I have no idea what's wrong with you."
Liam laughed. Is that how it actually happened?
"Not like this. Something happened and... It's been different. It feel's so different."
Ethan looked at him funny but still smiled, "What's different?"
Liam widened his eyes, "I have no idea."
They both laughed but Ethan was still looking at him weird. He was probably nervous to go back home. Liam forgot he was leaving.
"I love you too Ethan, even though you're really mean." Liam stood up and walked aside so Ethan could leave. "Go talk to Julian...text me when you get there though."
Ethan smiled and gave him a big hug. They each tried to pick each other up, which was something stupid they always did, but Liam's leg was still kind of asleep from sitting on the floor and Ethan ended up having to pick him up off of the floor again.
"Hey..." Ethan started when he made sure Liam could stand on two feet, "Please don't forget that Dave is here... That poor, poor guy. Please be nice to him."
Liam blushed and tried not to laugh but it came out anyway. He hugged Ethan one more time and kissed him on the side of the head before he left.
· · · · ·
Dave, Liam, and Morgan were sitting on the floor around the coffee table in the den. The surface of the table was big, but it was a mess -- cards, chips, beer cans and a weed pipe were on the table but there were plenty of crumbs in between. It was a good thing Ethan and Julian weren't there.
Dave was finishing the rest of the popcorn. Morgan was telling a story -- he was really into it, but he was slurring his words and wasn't starting to make as much sense anymore. Liam completely forgot who he was even talking about... Some president? Civil war? He was pretty wasted.
He was okay if Morgan wanted to keep talking though, because it gave him an excuse to just sit on the floor and look at him. He looked really cute going on and on about whatever he was talking about right now.
He made gun noises and pointed his gun-shaped fingers at Dave, who stared back eating his popcorn completely unamused and dead-eyed when Morgan fake-shot him in the forehead.
Liam glared at Morgan, who looked over at him to check if he understood his little 'joke' about getting rid of the third wheel, and Liam shook his head in disapproval.
Dave was totally the third wheel in that cabin. Liam had tried really hard to not make things awkward for him. He knew what it was like.
He generally tried to avoid being alone with Morgan, as much as it pained him. Right in the heart. But there had been a few awkward moments already.
Ethan and Julian left two days ago and it had just been them three. Ethan got home safely -- said he needed some time by himself and he'd talk to him when he got back. Liam assumed things were over, but wanted to respect Ethan's space. He made a mental note to call him as soon as they got back home, but he couldn't stop thinking about Ethan being sad and being at the cabin was a good distraction.
It was still a great time, they basically spent all day at the lake together. Liam was having fun, but Morgan kept...being Morgan. Which was fun but he also felt bad for Dave. Morgan wasn't being nice pretending to shoot him right now.
"And that's how that whole thing ended, one shot -- true story. Except the sex part I added -- the guy didn't bang anybody. I mean, he probably did, he had kids, I think, and a wife, but you know what I mean..."
"Morgan, I have no idea what you're even talking about right now." Liam was leaning back against the couch with an arm on the table, twirling the weed pipe on the glass surface.
"...Are you saying you weren't listening to any of that?"
"I heard it, I just have no idea what you're talking about," he explained. He glared and smirked over at Morgan across from the table.
The look in Morgan's eyes changed immediately. He smiled and raised his eyebrows at him a little.
Liam blushed and quickly wiped the smirk off of his face.
He glanced over at Dave, who was still stoically eating his popcorn, before looking back at Morgan. He hadn't meant to give him..a look. Did he accidentally give him a look? Because he was acting like it.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Dave announced dryly. He stood up and shook popcorn off of his shirt before he started walking out of the den with his empty whiskey cup, barely avoiding walking right into the doorframe.
Liam felt something grab his foot and realized it was Morgan's hand under the table. He looked over at him. He felt Morgan's hand start massaging his foot and it felt really nice. Liam smiled at him.
"Why aren't you listening to my stories, Liam..."
Liam's smile got wider across his face. He tried to kick Morgan's hand off but it didn't work.
Morgan pulled then, with his one hand, and Liam flew under the coffee table in complete shock at what was happening just then. He was really glad he hadn't hit his forehead on the side of the table. What was he doing?! He looked down, trying not to hit is head on the surface above him, and saw Morgan's face grinning at him. Liam smiled.
Morgan tried to...crawl under the coffee table, too? Liam already started laughing to himself as soon as he crouched down lower. He was lean, but he obviously wasn't going to fit under there. Morgan scratched the back of his shoulders on the edge of the table before he fell onto the carpet complaining.
"I'm obviously too disgustingly beefy to fit under here, so I'm going to have to ask you to please get out from under the table...so I can do things..." He crawled back now and sat on his knees.
"...No."
Morgan stood up and Liam saw his feet walk over to the couch before they disappeared. He felt Morgan grab him around his wrists and pull his torso up onto the couch cushions. When Liam looked up he got a full view of Morgan in his shorts and shut his eyes quickly before he accidentally saw something.
He felt Morgan's hand leave one of his wrists and a thumb graze over his lips. He smiled. The couch cushions beneath him moved and he opened his eyes, seeing Morgan walk over to the kitchen to get water. Liam slumped down to the floor before standing up and fixing his hair.
Dave walked back into the den with a fresh cup of whiskey and walked over to smoke from the pipe on the table. He took a big hit and coughed for a while.
"You guys. I'm leaving. I can't do this. This is ridiculous," he choked out between coughs. He waved his hand in the air to clear it out.
"What?!" Liam blurted out.
Dave pointed to him from across the table. To his boner.
"You guys are not subtle. Are you trying to be subtle?"
Liam blushed furiously. He was getting really mad about people pointing his boner out. Give a guy a fucking break and just ignore it.
Morgan just took a sip of his water.
"DAVE." Liam yelled. Morgan almost choked on his water because of how loud it came out. "Dave, I'm sorry. Look, let's just go home early. Let's all go."
"Go home? How is that different?"
Liam's face fell. "You're not...leaving leaving?"
"I am if you guys keep doing this shit, I don't want to see it. I'm serious. It's not cute... It's... It's... The most uncomfortable thing I've ever seen in my life. It stops now or I'm leaving."
"Dave, I'm sorry... I know it's probably annoying. I get it. Please don't leave..."
Liam stood in thought for a while. Dave wasn't saying anything. He couldn't handle losing someone else again... Dave was the best roommate they could have possibly found. He was awesome. He couldn't leave.
"Oh my GOD, how are we going to get the piano back out?!" Liam yelled with his hands in his hair.
Liam saw Dave look at him for a second and heard Morgan laugh in the kitchen.
Dave realized he was being sarcastic, right?
Dave smiled even though he was still trying to look mad.
Liam laughed and walked around the table to hug Dave, who eventually hugged him back reluctantly after backing his hips away from his.
"Well, this is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever seen in my life." Morgan muttered.
Dave turned his head to glare at him but kept backing away from Liam to make sure he didn't walk into his boner.
· · · · ·
Liam made sure Dave was not uncomfortable the entire trip back home in Morgan's car... Which was hard, because Morgan kept 'accidentally' dropping his hand onto Liam's thigh until he made them pull over and switched seats with Dave.
Liam called Ethan as soon as they got home. He definitely hadn't forgotten.
He walked into the living room and took out his phone, watching as Morgan took his duffel bag into his room and winked at him when he closed the door. He was really...something else.
"Hey, Liam..." he heard Ethan answer on the other line.
"What's goin' on? Everything okay?"
"Yeah... I can't stay here though. I have to move out by the end of the month, I can't afford to stay here."
"...Ethan, are you okay?"
"I'm fine... I feel like I got most of this out of my system before I came back here. Thank you."
Liam blushed. "...You know, you're going to be single for like two seconds."
"Fuck, Liam, I don't want to talk about that yet... I'm so not ready. I haven't been alone in like...ever."
Liam put a hand in his hair, "Oh my god! You can move back in!"
"What? How is that going to work?"
"We can share a room! Maybe we can get bunk beds..."
"I'm not sharing a room with you, hun."
Liam frowned. Whatever, it would have been awesome. "I'll live on the couch. I don't care. Whatever it takes."
"You can room with Morgan."
Liam turned around and looked at Morgan's bedroom door. He felt his stomach twist up into nots. "Uh..."
"...Are you guys not officially dating? I'm so surprised right now, listen to how surprised I am that you're not official." Liam could practically hear Ethan's eyes rolling to the back of his head.
"No, I mean... He's just asked to kiss me a few times... That's it."
"...Liam are you for real?"
"Yeah, I promise. I can't share a room with him... Are you crazy?"
He heard Liam laughing on the other line. "Wow... Are you sure that's Morgan?"
Liam laughed then too. "...Yeah, it's him."
· · · · ·
Morgan hadn't come back out of his room all day and Liam was practically sulking about it.
So much for the house supposedly being exactly the same as the cabin by the lake.
The two were incomparable. The cabin was heaven.
Liam stripped down to his boxers and went under the covers with his book, turning on one of his bedside lamps to shed some light in the dark room. About half an hour later, he thought he heard a knock against his bed frame but he wasn't sure. He heard it again, twice this time against the wall behind him, and laughed. He looked at his phone but Morgan hadn't texted him or anything. He knocked back twice.
A little while later a smiling and shirtless Morgan opened his door and just walked in, without even asking or anything. He closed the door quietly and walked over to him in the bed, sitting on the edge of it.
"What?" Liam leaned down a little and put his book down on his chest so he could remember where he left off.
"...What?" Morgan repeated as more of a question.
Liam looked up at him and smiled. "What?" He asked again, with more emphasis on the T at the end.
Morgan put his hand up around Liam's neck after he said it, and dragged his thumb around his jaw. Man...he really liked when Morgan touched his face like that. He felt Morgan's thumb brush his cheek and his lips. He sighed against his thumb and felt some of the hot air blow back up onto his face.
Morgan's thumb brushed his eyelashes and then his eyebrow when Liam closed his eyes. He felt Morgan kiss him really softly multiple times over and over again on his lips... It tickled him. That was the first time he'd ever done that without asking.
He felt Morgan's fingers run through the side of his hair and the feeling of electricity running through his body was unreal.
Liam playfully stuck his tongue out and Morgan pulled away quickly, but Liam got his neck a little on the second try. Morgan wiped it with his hand, laughing, and looked back down at him.
Liam smiled and put a hand on top of his book before leaning back against his headboard again.
"...I think I might have a problem." Morgan said, looking down at him.
Liam frowned with his other arm over his head. "...What problem?" Liam had is own problem happening between his legs, but he moved a pillow onto his lap and solved it. He didn't want anyone pointing out his boner again.
"You." Morgan was just looking at him in the eyes.
What did that mean? He looked sad... Whatever it meant, Liam didn't think it was good.
Liam's frown disappeared when he finally got a breath of air into his lungs. "Why? Morgan, what's wrong?"
Morgan was still just looking at him, even after he nudged him in the shoulder.
Liam remembered then, that Morgan had that big argument with Julian the day he ghosted out of everyone's life. He wondered if it was something Julian said.
Liam threw his book onto the floor, which took Morgan completely by surprise, and got out of the sheets enough to throw his legs around Morgan's lap. Morgan leaned back and looked up at him. Liam's heart always stopped for a second when he looked at him like that.
Liam leaned into him and pulled Morgan's head against his stomach to hug him. He almost thought Morgan was going to push him off, reject him for the first time in forever, but then he felt Morgan's arms around his waist, hugging him back. He ran a few fingers through Morgan's hair. He looked down to see Morgan looking back up at him. His mouth was leaning into his stomach and it was really...cute.
Liam ran both hands through Morgan's hair then and felt Morgan rub his hands over his back up to his shoulder blades before coming back down to his waist again. He kept doing it, nuzzling his face into his bare stomach now, and Liam gripped onto Morgan's hair harder with his fingers.
He felt Morgan lick his stomach and that was all it took for Liam to gasp and completely melt into a burning pool of lava inside. He bent over Morgan's head instinctually and Liam was surprised to feel Morgan's hands slide lower underneath him. Morgan picked him up and flipped them.
Liam's hands flew up over his head and he laughed at the sudden movement when he fell back onto the mattress. He interrupted his own laughter with a gasp after Morgan licked him down there through his boxers and sucked on the side of his thigh.
He thought...that Morgan was messing with him again. Flirting. He wasn't expecting...this.
"What's so funny?" Morgan was looking up at him from his waist and his voice was so deep and lustful that he was pretty sure he was having a heart attack. Or a stroke.
Wait... Was he going to take his boxers off? All of his fingers were gripping his waistband. Was this happening?
Where was Dave? Was he going to somehow accidentally see this right now?
Morgan smiled up at him then and kissed his thigh a second time, and Liam immediately bucked upward to pull his boxers off as fast as he could while Morgan tried to help him.
He started getting up on his hands, so he could take off Morgan's shorts, but Morgan immediately put him into his mouth. He started moving so fast that Liam couldn't do anything but stay steady back on his elbows and tilt his head back.
He felt like he could have cried. No one had touched him like this in such a long time and the relief showering over him was nothing like he'd ever felt before. He didn't want Morgan to stop, and to Liam's complete enjoyment he didn't stop that night until Liam finally fell asleep in the bed out of pure exhaustion.