FIC: WHEN OUR FRAMES COLLIDE 15b/16
Title: When Our Frames Collide
Chapter: 15b/16 - You With The Sad Eyes
Author: carolinablu85. or you can call me Ella! (or you can call me Al, if you like the song...)
Characters: Luke/Noah, Holden, Emma, Lily, Faith, Natalie, Ethan, Jack, ducks (OCs), Damian, Marcus (OC), Winston, Lucinda, Krista (OC)
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: sequel to my fic "Sins of the Father," refers to things that happened in that story, takes place a few months later!
Summary: Our Skywalkers break up with their respective Vaders.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: Today's chapter is brought to you by the song "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper !
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10a / Chapter 10b / Chapter 11a / Chapter 11b / Chapter 12a / Chapter 12b / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14a / Chapter 14b / Chapter 15a /
“Luke left his job at Grimaldi Shipping,” Noah finally spoke up. He had been sitting still and quiet for a few minutes, and he knew it was up to him to get the ball rolling here.
“Really?” Marcus raised an eyebrow. “What brought that about?”
Noah pursed his lips, wondering how much he should say. He knew he could trust Marcus with anything (and wow, when had that fully happened?), but this was also about respecting Luke’s privacy. “He found out some stuff about Damian, stuff he didn’t want to be associated with.”
Marcus smiled knowingly. “You don’t have to go into detail, it’s okay. What’s Luke going to do now?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if he knows yet. I mean, besides keep me out of trouble?” He smiled a little. “But I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”
“And what about you?” Marcus settled back in his chair. “What are you going to do now?”
Noah frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The semester’s halfway over, are you going to go back to school now or wait till the summer or fall? And what about Java?”
Noah looked downward, biting at his lip. “I, um, I don’t know. I don’t know yet. I mean, I don’t want to put off school, I could still make up what I’ve missed and graduate on time, but...”
“Why do you feel so uncomfortable with that, Noah?” Marcus went right for the heart of the matter. Noah could never figure out how he did that, how he saw through what people were saying to what they were actually thinking.
“I- it feels weird going back to what my life was in January.” Which seemed like a lifetime ago. “Now that I know it’s not really mine.”
“Do you think this is the life Noah Mayer would be leading regardless of who he is?” Marcus asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Noah mumbled, not sure he wanted to get into those thoughts again.
“Want to know what I think?” Marcus smiled when Noah nodded. “I think you’ve been through a lot in your life, and you’ve worked so hard to get where you are now. It’d be a shame to stop that now.”
Noah really wanted to believe that, he wished he could. “But I stole that kid’s life. Shouldn’t I be trying to do something important or good with it?”
Marcus regarded him seriously. “Noah, what happened to him has nothing to do with you.”
“I know,” Noah said lamely.
“Then why are you laying the blame on yourself? Why say you ‘stole’ his life? If you look at it logically, his life was forced onto you. You were not an active participant in what happened to that child,” Marcus said it so firmly, Noah knew better than to argue.
He let those words sift through the layers of his brain, hoping they’d stick. “Logically, yeah, I guess,” he finally said. “But then why do I feel so guilty about this?”
Marcus took a very slow breath, the cue Noah recognized as his way of not sighing. “Because that’s how you’ve always dealt with things. In a way, we’ve made some progress there. When we first started meeting, you would’ve been trying to find a way to punish yourself for everything. Wall yourself up and pull away from everyone.” He smiled. “You’re not doing that anymore.”
“You make it sound like I should be proud of all this,” Noah murmured, feeling his face flush.
He chuckled. “For better or worse, you’ve earned this. All you’ve done and worked for, you’ve earned whatever good things come your way. And that includes exploring your passion as a filmmaker, that includes you being gay and being with Luke and Luke’s family.”
He tilted his head, uncertain and feeling stupid for being uncertain. “That’s not, I don’t know, disrespecting the memory...?”
“No, I don’t think it is,” the man answered steadily. “I think you living the life you’ve worked so hard for, and finding joy in it despite everything... I think that honors Noah Mayer very well.”
Noah looked down at his hands again, trying to process it, make it real. Make it true.
“Do you think you could ever forgive the Colonel for what’s happened?” Marcus asked.
He felt his jaw clench tightly, enough for it to ache. “I still haven’t forgiven him for the stuff I already knew he did. How can I forgive him for this too? Why should I?” He could feel his heart starting to race, and took a few slow breaths to keep calm.
“Do you think you could forgive the Millers?” His voice was gentler this time. Noah appreciated that, though he’d never admit it.
Instead he stretched a little in his chair, keeping his eyes purposefully on his shoes. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’ve at least forgiven them for... being them, I guess.”
“But?” Marcus prompted.
“But,” Noah echoed. “I don’t know how I could ever be close to them or, or feel safe around them. Maybe Krista, maybe. But how do I trust them now? How can I think of them as my family? I just... I’m never going to have what the Snyders have together. I know it now. But I blame the Colonel for that more than Eric and Autumn.”
“Is that what upsets you the most?” he asked. “Not getting a family out of this? Or finding they don’t measure up to the family you’ve been with for three years? Let’s face it Noah, the Snyders have been your default- your only- view of what a family is.”
Noah was quiet for a moment. Part of him had been expecting Marcus to get them to this point. But he still didn’t know how to say what he was feeling. “I- I don’t know. I’m scared, I think. That this was a sign.”
“A sign of what?”
He shrugged. “That I’m just not meant to belong to other people. I never measure up to what they want. I mean,” he finally looked up at Marcus, willing him to understand. “I was never good enough for the Colonel. And now this? I couldn’t be Noah for the Mayers or Andrew for the Millers. So what am I supposed to think?” He gave a little laugh. “God, I sound pathetic, don’t I?”
“No,” came the immediate answer. “No, I don’t think you sound pathetic. But you know what? Instead of worrying about trying to something for someone else, just be you for you. That’s something we’ve always had to work on too, isn’t it? Not judging yourself by other people’s expectations?”
Noah nodded, conceding that. “Okay, then what do I do to get them out of my head?”
Marcus smiled, and Noah could see there was a little bit of triumph in it. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but it made him feel better anyway, like he had finally solved an impossible math problem in front of the teacher. “You have to start by taking yourself back from those people who tried to control you.”
He frowned, confusion taking over once again. “I don’t understand.”
“You said after you tore through those boxes, something in you felt better. There was a release, right? But those were just letter and photographs and the like. They were small, material things and so it’s only a small, material reprieve from the pain.” He focused determinedly on Noah. “If you want true closure, you have to confront the real things and not the photographs.”
Noah mulled this over in his head. God, it would be amazing to finally be free of his father. No, not his father. The Colonel, he reminded himself. (Now he knew how Luke felt, having to distinguish between Holden and Damian.) And the idea of that relief overpowered the terror of being in the same room as Winston Mayer again. He was nodding even before he looked back at Marcus. “How do I start?”
************
The knock at the door startled Holden out of his uneasy thoughts, and he stood with a grimace. Readying himself just in case, as every instinct he had told him that this was going to be who he thought it was. He opened the door, smirking a little at the startled look on the other man’s face. “What do you want?”
Damian recovered quickly, settling into a schooled, calm expression. “Where’s Luke? I need to speak with him. And what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you,” Holden answered the second question first, leaning against the doorframe, not letting Damian fully into the apartment. “I figured you’d show up and try to inflict more damage.”
“Where is he?” Damian asked again.
Holden glared. “With Noah. It’s Thursday night, isn’t it? They went out to enjoy a movie night with their friends. Who are all pretty much lucky to be alive, no thanks to you.”
Damian shook his head. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I’m not-”
“Leave, Damian,” Holden interrupted. “And not just the boys’ apartment. Leave town. Now. Do yourself a favor and get out before we come after you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Holden took a step forward, lowering the pitch of his voice. “I know neither of them are really, truly my biological sons. But I love them more than any other father on this earth has proven to, and I don’t want you anywhere near them.” He fought not to ball his hands into fists. The last thing he needed was for this to turn into a fist fight. “You know we did some digging, right? Lucinda, Bob, even Dusty Donovan lent a hand.”
“Digging?” Damian echoed derisively.
“We know what you did,” Holden kept at it. “Not just the bribes at Port Authority that caused a lot of this mess. We also know you bribed the doctors at Noah’s hospital in Georgia to keep the proxy in place.” There was a flash of realization on Damian’s face, pretty much confirming it. Holden had to look away for a second. “What did you tell them- the Millers- to make them turn on everyone? I know you did something.”
Damian smiled. Actually smiled. It was almost enough for Holden to reconsider his reluctance to throw a punch. “Does the date December 4, 2008 ring a bell?”
Holden searched through his memory quickly, not wanting to give Damian control of the conversation. “No. Why?”
“On that day, Noah Mayer was admitted to Oakdale Memorial’s Emergency Room,” Damian was still smiling.
Holden hid his flinch at the last second. Noah was in the hospital? No, they would have known. They would have been there. Hell, Luke would have thrown a fit... And then Holden realized. That was after the student election crap. Noah had moved back to the dorms, he and Luke were broken up. They had been so concerned with Snyder drama at that time, Lucinda’s illness, Luke’s erratic behavior... Noah had just disappeared off the radar until Christmas.
He hid the burst of regret and self-recrimination at that (God, had they all really forgotten about Noah like that?) and turned back to Damian, hiding his reaction. “Where are you going with this?”
Damian gave an oh-so-casual shrug of one shoulder. “I managed to get my hands on the medical and legal records from that incident. He was mugged in Old Town one night after closing at Java. He wasn’t hurt badly at all, minor cuts and bruises, but he was taken to the hospital to get checked out. And no one in your supposedly perfect, sanctimonious family was there. None of you showed up or made a fuss or offered to pay his bill or any other fit you go through when someone’s in trouble.”
Holden stared, dumbfounded. This couldn’t be real. “What does this have to do with the Millers?”
“Very little,” Damian replied. “I simply showed them the records, gave them the facts. They came to their own conclusions.”
He was still staring, but it was more in anger now. “You manipulated them, didn’t you? Made them think we had abandoned Noah because he and Luke were broken up. Anything to make us look bad.”
“I did no such thing. I showed them proof, Holden. Showed them that Noah had never had a real family, especially not the ones who claimed to love him, but only when it was convenient for them.” Damian raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t Noah deserve to have a real family of his own and be with them?”
“Too bad they didn’t turn out to act like a real family,” Holden snapped. “How can you live with yourself? Knowing what you did to him, and knowing what Luke went through because of it? And getting the Millers to think that we-”
“What, letting them believe the Snyder family wasn’t the most magical, perfect people in town? Before this, they thought you all had pretty much adopted their son and kept him safe. They didn’t know all the trouble and hurt he had been through. I merely told them the truth. I’m sorry if I lifted that veil away, but maybe they deserved to know.”
“The truth?” he took a step forward. “You misled them on purpose, just to get Noah away from Luke. And why? Noah wasn’t any threat to you. He was the only one who supported Luke working for you. He convinced Luke to give you a chance last year. Why would you do this to him?”
“It’s not about Noah, Holden,” Damian lectured patiently. “It’s about Luke. Luke was never going to come into his own with Noah there. He would never be able to live to his full potential with that dragging him down.”
“That?” Holden spat out. “You hypocritical bastard, you keep preaching about the value of family in Luke’s life, then you try to separate him from one of the most important-”
“Really? Luke is only twenty-one years old. Am I really supposed to believe that this boy will be all that important in the grand scheme of things?” Damian snorted.
Holden couldn’t keep himself in check any longer. He grabbed Damian by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him back until he slammed into the brick wall across from the front door. “You say Luke is ‘only’ twenty-one, yet you’re trying to set up his entire life. And furthermore, that boy has proven time and time again that he cares more about Luke’s future than you do.”
Damian tried to push back but Holden tightened his grip on the jacket, keeping him in place. “I don’t believe that.”
Holden shook his head. “I don’t know if you still have a problem with him being gay, and I don’t care. They love each other, Damian. Trying to send one of them to a different state isn’t going to change that. And no matter what, Noah is a part of our family now. You try to push him away from Luke, and we’re all going to pull him right back.”
“I can’t believe this,” Damian’s glare was getting stronger, though he still hadn’t broken Holden’s grip on his jacket. “I can’t believe you would let Luke just throw his opportunities away to fawn over-”
“How old were you when you first fell in love?” Holden cut him off. When Damian didn’t answer, he shoved him lightly again. “You really don’t get it, do you? You really don’t care. You didn’t just hurt Noah and Luke, you hurt the Millers too. You twisted them into something they’re not,” he stared, starting to realize the damage Damian had really done. “You made them hurt their own child.”
“I was just looking out for my-”
Oh hell no, Holden wasn’t about to hear Damian refer to Luke as his son, never again. “Well, you’re not going to, not anymore. I’ll say it again- leave town. Now. Don’t ever show your face again, or I swear I’ll find a way to tear you down to nothing.”
“I’d like to see you tr-”
“Damian.”
Both men turned, Holden finally letting go, when Lily appeared from out of the apartment as well. She marched right up to Damian, and he smiled peaceably. “Listen, cara, I-”
She slapped him. Hard. “How dare you,” she hissed, angry tears starting to form. “These aren’t your lives to control, to lord over. Luke and I, we don’t belong to you. Noah isn’t something you can just toy with.” She took a deep, shuddering breath, the tears starting to fall. “I don’t want you near my son anymore, Damian. Just go away.”
Damian’s hand was on his cheek where Lily had struck him. He stared at both of them for a moment and then, without another word, turned and walked away, his strides getting quicker and longer with each step.
Holden watched him go, waiting until the footsteps faded and the sound of a car starting and pulling away could be heard. Then he looked back to his wife. She was crying silently, shaking the hand that had slapped Damian. “Lily,” he pulled her close, holding her to him. Stroking her hair, he tried to calm her down. “He’s gone, he’s gone...”
Hopefully for good.
************
It was in the three seconds between the door opening and Winston Mayer appearing that Noah wondered if he had made the right decision to do this alone. Nearly all of them- Holden, Lily, Casey, Jack, Dr. Weston, Luke most of all- had wanted to come into the prison with him. But Noah had politely declined. He wanted to prove, more to himself than anyone else, that he was strong enough to face him on his own.
And as the door opened, and the sound of shuffling, rattling footsteps drew closer, Noah almost regretted it. He actually truly wanted someone to hold his hand right now. Luke preferably, of course, but anyone would do. Something to remind him that he was on the right side of the upcoming argument. That he wasn’t hated, that he was enough.
But then the second the Colonel was there in the doorway, Noah took it all back. Seeing his former father, swathed in orange, chained at the wrists and the ankles, his face hard and lined with so much age and anger it was actually shocking... Noah was glad no one else was here. Was subjected to this.
He made sure to keep his own gaze steady, matching Winston’s. He watched calmly as Winston was led over to the table and chained securely to it. The guards bustled around them, but Noah kept his eyes fixed forward. Winston did the same.
After the guards backed away, one staying by the door as the other stepped just outside, Noah studied the man in front of him more closely. He looked older. Every time Noah saw him now, he could see how everything dark inside Winston was starting to show on his face. There more lines in the skin, more gray in the hair. And, curious enough, a fading bruise on his jaw.
“You have twenty minutes, young man,” the guard reminded him as he took his position.
Noah’s eyes never left Winston’s face. “This won’t take that long.”
Winston quirked one eyebrow. “Really? No heart-to-heart talks in store?” He was as cold, biting, dismissive as ever.
Funny thing was, Noah didn’t feel it punch him in his gut the way it used to. It hurt, sure, but more because he could remember the countless times the Colonel had hurt him this way in the past, not because he actually cared how the man thought about him now. This is what we call ‘progress,’ he could almost hear Dr. Weston say.
“No point,” he finally answered. “And there’s no need for you to talk at all. I don’t need to hear anything you’d probably say.”
The Colonel studied him, maybe (hopefully) a little wary now. Definitely more confused. “So why are you here, Noah?”
He half-smiled, no joy in the expression. “To release you. From fatherhood.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his messenger bag, put it on the table in front of Winston. “Had some help from a lawyer, got this drawn up and approved yesterday by a judge. Guess what, Colonel? You’re no longer Noah Mayer’s father.”
“What does that mean?” Winston snapped, not bothering to look down at the paper.
Noah shrugged, taking the document back. “Your son, Noah? The kid who died twenty years ago? He’s been officially declared as deceased. No longer exists. And your son Noah, the one you tormented and punished and scarred for life? He just erased you from his life legally. You owe me nothing, I owe you nothing. No more ties. The whole damn Mayer line dies with you. It’s a nice thought.”
“You can’t-”
“Yes I can,” Noah cut him off calmly. “I did. You no longer have any son at all. He’s dead. He died a long time ago. Me? I’ve never been your son. I’ve got proof now. You’re not my father. And once I walk out that door in... what, ten minutes?” he looked over to the guard. The guard nodded, and Noah turned back to Winston. “In ten minutes, you’re never going to see or hear from me again. Ever.”
“Noah, I’m your-”
“Not anymore,” Noah wasn’t about to let him get any control in the conversation. “You’re nothing now. You’re a bad dream and everything I’m working to leave behind. You’re not a part of me anymore.” He decided ten minutes was too far away, and he was done now. “And now I’m leaving you with nothing. Thanks for the memories, Colonel.” He gave a sardonic, short salute and stood up, walking away from him.
The guard at the door looked like he was hiding a smile as he let Noah out of the room. The other guard, waiting outside, gave him an almost approving nod, which lent Noah the courage to ask, “The bruise on his face. How did he get it?”
The guard shrugged. “Last week. The guy who visited him started arguing with him, then all of a sudden we had to pull them apart. That’s all I know.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” Noah figured this was the last time he’d ever see these men and this place, but he wasn’t feeling all that nostalgic. He went quickly to the check-in desk, turning over his visitor’s badge and signing out. And that’s when he saw it on the sheet- the name of the person who had visited Winston last week.
Justin Miller.
************
Luke eyed the driveway for the six hundredth time, then looked back down at the notebook in front of him. He tapped his pen against the open page, eyeing the empty lines with equal parts excitement and frustration. Ah, the joys of being a writer, he told himself. He couldn’t help but grin- it had been a long time since he’d told himself that phrase.
“Trying to distract yourself?” his grandmother startled him, coming out onto the patio from the living room.
“Yep!” he answered in an overly-cheery voice.
“And is it working?” Lucinda smiled.
“Nope!” he used the same tone.
She gave her haughty chuckle, taking the seat next to his. “They’ll be home soon, and everything will be fine. Marcus would call if something were to happen. And Jack is there too. Noah’s fine, darling.”
“But he didn’t want anyone to go into the room with him. Marcus and Jack are waiting outside. If the Colonel tries to-”
“He’s imprisoned, Luke,” she interrupted gently. “Guards and chains and bars, he can’t do anything. Noah knows what he’s doing. He wants to do this alone to prove he can. And to spare of all us.”
“I know,” he said softly. “And I understand. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
She laughed again, then made a pointed glance down at his notebook. “Writing again?”
Luke shrugged, a little self-conscious. “Thinking about it. Something Marcus said, back while Noah was in Georgia. He kinda... I don’t know, reminded me why I used to write in the first place. I figured it couldn’t hurt to get back into it now.”
She nodded, smiling warmly. “And what about the rest of your time? Now that Damian is out of your life?”
He fiddled with his pen, tapping it on the paper again. “Actually, I’m thinking of getting back into writing for real. Maybe do some editorial stuff for the foundation? I’m going to be concentrating pretty hard on that for awhile.”
“Do you have a particular crusade in mind, or just in general?” she asked, reaching out to still the tapping of his pen.
He looked down, smiling a little. “I want to start a campaign for gay rights in hospital and medical issues. The state of Illinois doesn’t recognize same sex partners for medical proxy or for priority in visitation rights. I want to change that. I should have been able to be there for Noah after the accident, and I don’t want anyone else to go through that.”
Lucinda’s smile softened, and she moved her hand from his pen to his arm, squeezing. “Sounds like a fight worth having.”
He relaxed a little, grateful. “I figured I could put my writing to good use with this. Maybe draw up some articles, some open letters, some op-eds, anything to get the word out.”
“Well,” Lucinda waved her hand in the air grandly. “If this writing takes off and you need an outlet, come see me, darling. The Intruder could always use another decent writer on staff. Even if it’s just for the editorial section.”
“Oh yeah,” Luke laughed, shaking his head. “Imagine me, working for you and Emily Stewart. That’s a personality explosion waiting to happen.”
She joined in. “Heaven help us if all three of us disagree on something. We’d never get any work done.”
“Hunter would have a breakdown,” he added. They both continued to laugh at the absurdity of the idea... until they weren’t. Luke exchanged a glance with his grandmother, the possibilities of that suddenly not sounding so bad. He snuck another look out to the driveway- still nothing- and then turned back to Lucinda. “Um, actually, Grandmother...”
She nodded decisively, smile still in place. “Let’s talk.”
************
Luke let himself into the apartment quietly, making as little noise as possible. He could hear the clanging of pots and dishes in the kitchen, and the music on the radio- Motown, he recognized- told him Noah was in a good cooking mood.
Excitement bubbled up in him, and he was pretty sure he had a giddy grin on his face. Noah had been doing so well- amazingly well- the last few days. Really, ever since that night he tore through the boxes. Every day he got closer and closer back to his true self. Luke could look at him now and see sweet, shy, dorky, goofy Noah Mayer. The darkness and sadness and pain that always tried to take him down... it never would. Luke was sure of it.
He stood in the doorway to the kitchen now, leaning against the molding, watching as Noah chopped or stirred or did some cooking thing (Luke never got into the specifics of cooking) in front of the stove. He was intent on the task, his head nodding along to the Temptations unconsciously.
He watched as Noah leaned that long, beautiful body across the counter a little more, picking up a plate full of chopped... things (Luke had no idea what) and used a knife to slide them into a pan. Noah dropped the plate into the sink and then stretched his arms over his head, obviously having been cooking for awhile now.
And yeah, that was pretty much it for Luke. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms tight around Noah’s waist from behind before Noah could lower his arms, hugging him close. “Well hello lover.”
Noah jumped a little, startled, before relaxing back into Luke’s hold, turning his head to the side to steal a kiss. “Hi,” he smiled, letting his lips linger against Luke’s for a moment, then turning back to the stove. “How was the meeting at the Intruder?”
He kissed the back of Noah’s neck, semi-hoping to distract him while he was cooking. “Not bad, surprisingly enough. I think this might work out. What are you making?”
Noah squirmed just a little as Luke continued to amuse himself with kisses. “Shrimp teriyaki and stir fry. And Emma sent over an apple pie.”
Luke stayed where he was, resting his chin on Noah’s shoulder now so he could watch him work. “Wow, what’s the occasion?” He smiled when Noah leaned back even more, the two of them almost, almost swaying together to the song on the radio.
Noah shrugged, twisting again to surprise Luke with a kiss of his own to the side of Luke’s face. “Valentine’s Day.”
“Baby, it’s March,” Luke spoke slowly, confused.
“I know,” Noah turned down the heat on the stove, mixing together vegetables and shrimp. “But I wasn’t here in February. And... and we didn’t get to celebrate. I want to. For you.”
Okay, maybe just maybe he melted at that. “Noah,” Luke reached out to take the utensils out of his hands, setting them aside and then turning Noah around to face him. “I love that you planned this, and I love you, but I don’t want you to feel like you have anything to, I don’t know, make up for or whatever.” He framed Noah’s face with his hands, smiling wide. “Not to get all cheesy, but after everything that’s happened, it feels like every day is Valentine’s Day. Okay?”
Noah rolled his eyes, though a grin that matched Luke’s was on his face. “You failed, Snyder. That was pretty cheesy.” He leaned in and kissed him before Luke could get out a comeback. “And I want to do this, got it? After everything, and all that stuff with Damian, and how... how amazing you’ve been with me. I want to do this for you.”
“You had to go through that ‘Damian stuff’ too,” Luke quietly reminded him, one hand sliding down from Noah’s face to his chest, rubbing gently.
Noah laid his hand on top of Luke’s, squeezing. “All the more reason to celebrate something now. And hey, I get to prove how wrong he was about me, right?” He smiled at Luke, eyes adoring. “And how wrong he was about you.” He waved away Luke’s next attempt at a protest. “I want to do this, Luke. It’s my turn. We’re partners, remember?”
Luke studied him for a second more, then moved in to lightly kiss the underside of Noah’s chin. “You hold my hand, I hold yours,” he echoed Noah’s words from that backyard in Georgia.
Instead of going melancholy, Noah chuckled, chest vibrating against Luke’s hand. “That’s starting to sound like ‘you jump, I jump.’ Which probably isn’t the story or couple we want to base our own-”
“Shut up, nerd,” Luke cut him off, poking him in the side and kissing him roughly, pinning Noah against the counter. One of Noah’s hands came up to cradle his face, but Luke felt like being a little more daring. He slid both hands down to Noah’s hips, working them both under his t-shirt and grasped warm skin instead. His fingers squeezed as his tongue licked its way past Noah’s lips.
“Luke,” Noah half-moaned. “Dinner. Food. I... food. Pie,” he managed to say whenever his mouth wasn’t otherwise occupied.
“Mmmhmmm,” Luke replied, better words in mind. “Sex. Bed. Naked. Now.”
“’kay,” Noah didn’t really need much convincing. Without separating, they started making their way out of the kitchen. They had just made it past the doorjamb into the hall, shirts untucked and half-unbuttoned... when there was a knock at the door.
“No,” Luke groaned. “No. Damn it, just, no. I will murder whoever that is. No.”
Noah laughed roughly, his forehead dropping to meet Luke’s. “It could be-”
“I know,” Luke sighed. “An emergency, or family, or something important.” But damn it, didn’t the universe realize that sex with Noah was pretty important too?
Noah kissed his temple, taking a step away. “Family is something important,” he smiled, heading towards the door.
Luke followed, re-buttoning the top buttons of his shirt just in case. “With the Snyders? Family is something dramatic. Important isn’t necessarily...” he trailed off as Noah opened the door. Both of them stood there, silent and unable to move. Staring in shock.
“Um,” Krista gave an awkward, tentative wave. “Hi. Can we talk?”
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: Last chapter! Krista wants to make amends, Noah uses an unlikely ally to confront one last foe, Casey and Hunter come to an understanding, Luke has a interesting solution for Noah...