FIC: AS WE GO ON, WE REMEMBER
Title: As We Go On, We Remember
Author: carolinablu85
Characters: Luke/Noah, Casey, Reg, others
Rating: R, just for language
Word Count: 4,145
Summary: AU- Luke never got himself into these situations. How did this happen?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Less than nothing.
A/N: Was originally going to be written for the luke_noah monthly challenge #14, using the prompts Reunion (sort of), Outdoors, and Sleepy boys, but I didn’t get it done in time! It's a bit more talk-y than I usually write, but nonetheless! Enjoy!
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Luke grumbled for the forty-third time as he followed his friend towards the Lakeview.
Casey just grinned. “A: it’s not like I put a gun to your head. B: you need a night of cutting loose and getting that stick out of your ass. C: for the first time in years, you and I are both single. This is going to be like Wedding Crashers, man!”
He rolled his eyes. “Except that it’s not a wedding. It’s an awkward coming together of people who haven’t seen each other in years, just so they can small talk about their jobs and get way too drunk.”
Casey shrugged. “Sounds like a wedding to me.” He straightened his tie before grabbing Luke’s arm. “Come on, buddy. Let yourself have fun for once. And I promise, if by the end of the night you haven’t enjoyed yourself, I’ll let you fulfill that fantasy of making out with me. Deal?”
Luke couldn’t help but laugh, allowing his friend to drag him the last few feet into the Lakeview lobby, where large banners decorated with signs like “Welcome Oakdale University Class of 2010!” and “Happy 5 Year Reunion!” were draped everywhere. They headed into the Lounge where the party was already under way.
Luke shook his head and tried to look enthusiastic. But seriously. What was the point of having a reunion five years later? Had that much happened that he needed to see these people again? Most of them probably still hated him for-
“Dude, no one cares,” Casey cut into his train of thought.
“What?”
Casey pressed a glass of soda into his hand, drinking from his own beer bottle. Luke blinked. How did he get drinks so fast? Casey had magical powers in that way. He re-focused when he realized Casey was talking. “No one cares about what happened five years ago, Luke. Most of them probably don’t even remember that you were Class President and all that shit that happened. And Kevin’s not gonna be here, I checked. Don’t worry.”
“Sure. Sure.” Luke took a drink quickly, nervously, as though the carbonation would soothe him. Maybe he could just stand in this corner the whole night and no one would notice he was even here.
“Luke! Luke Snyder?”
Fuck. So much for that one. Luke plastered on a smile, turning towards the voice, but then stopped, eyes widening. With a more genuine smile, he stepped forward. “Reg! I didn’t know you were going to be here!”
His old friend grinned wide, hugging him lightly. “I didn’t either, it was kind of a last minute decision. It’s good to see you, Snyder.”
“You too,” Luke stepped to the side so Casey could shake Reg’s hand. As they small-talked for a bit, Luke glanced around the lounge again, but nobody was giving him a judgmental side-eye. Maybe Casey was right; maybe nobody remembered his horrendous term as OU Class President.
Movement caught his eye, and he turned his head to see someone making their way over to them. Tall, slender (really slender), in a suit that was absolutely made to be on that body. Carrying two drinks in his hands. Two? Luke would’ve frowned, but he realized the guy was approaching them. Hurriedly, he directed his gaze back to Casey and Reg.
Just in time to see Reg turn to the approaching Stepped-Out-Of-GQ-Guy. “Hey! Thanks,” he took one of the drinks from the man. “Noah, this is Luke and Casey. Guys, this is Noah.” The way he said Noah’s name made it obvious he was here with Reg. “Noah was nice enough to brave the flight to Oakdale for me.”
Luke watched- almost in slow motion- as Casey shook Noah’s hand first, watching with something like anticipation as Noah’s hand then extended towards him. He smiled (hopefully in a nice, normal way) at him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” even in that one word, Luke thought it was a nice voice. And the hand was a nice hand. And the body was-
Damn, Luke had been single for far too long. He cleared his throat. “So, flight? Where did you two come from?”
“Los Angeles,” Reg answered, leaning his shoulder just slightly into Noah’s. It wasn’t holding hands, or putting an arm around each other, but still. Luke tried not to stare at that small point of contact and wonder how it felt. “We met there, Noah was filming a movie at the office where I work.”
“Filming?” Luke raised an eyebrow at Noah.
He shook his head just a little. “Assisting. I’m not exactly Spielberg,” he grinned. “I’m low-level. Assistant to the assistant to the assistant of, et cetera.”
Luke couldn’t help but grin back. “Rising through the ranks, huh?”
Noah rubbed the back of his neck, deprecating to the max. “Trying to, anyway.”
Luke chuckled, and as he took another sip of his drink he noticed Casey eyeing him slyly from the side. Glancing back and forth between him and Noah. Luke raised his glass to cover as much of his face as possible, silently begging Casey not to do, well, anything.
And luckily, by some grace of God, Casey kept quiet. They talked with Reg and Noah for a while longer until they were lost in the crowd and in the call to mingle with their other former classmates.
But as the alcohol kept flowing and the room got more crowded, the combination of voices and repetitive bass notes reaching deafening levels, Luke needed a break. He slipped away unnoticed back out to the lobby, heading for the front door.
Stepping out into the cool air, he mentally cursed himself for leaving his jacket back at the table inside, as the temperature had dropped enough to sift through his dress shirt. But the peace and quiet were way more important than the jacket, so he stayed outside, leaning back against the wall.
A sound off to his left had him jumping and whirling around, and Luke discovered he wasn’t alone. But he also discovered he really didn’t mind. Mirroring Luke’s stance against the wall, sheepish smile in place, was Noah. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Luke relaxed, daring to move a little closer. “Needed some air?”
“Oh yeah,” Noah sighed. “That’s a lot of people in a little room. Sharing a lot of ‘good old days’ stories I know nothing about,” he was still smiling, not really upset. “I was suffocating on nostalgia.”
“At least you’re taller than everyone else,” Luke shot back. “You can get more clear oxygen than I can!”
Noah chuckled, deep and rumbly and just dorky enough for Luke to fall in love with it and relax. “You were breathing in the toxic air?”
“Swear to God, I was ten minutes away from singing the alma mater. Had to get out of there,” he deadpanned, hoping to make Noah laugh again. It worked.
“I don’t get the point of a five year reunion,” Noah admitted. “It doesn’t seem like people have enough time to-”
“To grow up in that time,” Luke finished with a nod. Thank God someone else felt the same way.
Noah smirked. “Yeah. It’s like having a middle school reunion while in high school. Pointless.” Luke laughed this time, growing quiet when Noah did. “So how come you’re not drinking the Reunion Kool-Aid?” Noah asked, almost gently.
“Huh?”
Noah seemed to choose his words carefully. “You kept, like, looking around all night like you thought someone was going to attack you.” He shrugged. “Like you really didn’t want to be here.”
Luke took a slow breath, let out a slower sigh. Trying to figure out how to explain it all took precedence over wondering if that meant Noah had been watching him tonight. “Casey dragged me here. And yeah, I was, uh, nervous to see some of these people again. My junior year, I made some bad choices. Pissed a lot of people off, spent most of senior year trying to fix it all...”
Noah snorted. “You made bad decisions in college. Gee, that’s an entirely new thing no one else has ever done.”
Luke laughed at his dry expression. “I guess, yeah. Just, I left for New York not long after graduation. I haven’t seen a lot of these people since, and I wasn’t sure how they saw me anymore.”
“You seem fine to me,” Noah shrugged. He cleared his throat then, maybe realizing how that sounded. Blushed a little. “I mean, you seem pretty well together. Not some major screwup.”
Luke blushed a little too. “You can tell all that from, what, a five minute conversation?”
“Maybe,” Noah smirked, holding his head up confidently now. “I’m a very good judge of character.”
“Congratulations,” he snarked back, to Noah’s amusement. He would’ve said more, but a group of partiers burst out of the hotel’s front door, taking a rather loud smoke break right next to them.
Noah wrinkled his nose slightly, at the smell or the intrusion, Luke wasn’t sure. “Do you want to head back inside? Or, um, maybe...” he spoke in a rush. “Maybe go somewhere else, find clear air again? Kool-Aid and smoke free?”
Luke should’ve said no for several reasons. One, he barely knew Noah. Two, what he did know was that Noah was here with Reg. Three, he was supposed to be mingling and having fun, per Casey’s instructions.
You are having fun, he suddenly realized. Just go with it. Casey would approve. “Sure,” he said before he could second-guess. “I know somewhere we can go.”
Noah lit up with a huge smile, one Luke hadn’t seen on him yet. Oh holy God. Yeah. Definitely no second-guessing. “Lead the way,” he said.
Luke resisted the urge to grab Noah’s hand, instead turning and walking back into the hotel. He headed towards the elevator, pausing when Noah held up a hand for just a second, dashing over to the makeshift bar right outside the lounge and grabbing a bottle from the tabletop, sneaking it back over to Luke.
They road the elevator all the way up to the top floor, then Luke- without saying a word and without Noah questioning- walked over to a set of doors at the end of the hallway, leading to a stairwell. Minutes later, they were up on the roof of the Lakeview.
“This okay?” he asked, shoving the concrete block in the door to keep it from shutting all the way.
“Yeah,” Noah actually sounded approving. “It’s a scientific fact that major moments in life happen when two people are on a roof together.”
Well. Yeah. Luke was somewhere between excited, because hey- he said ‘two people’ and ‘together’ so naturally- and confused. Did Noah not care what Reg was doing or what he would think of this?
Before he could ask that, Noah uncorked the bottle. “Drink?”
Luke felt his face get warm. “I, uh, I don’t-”
“It’s sparkling cider,” Noah said, in that gentle tone again.
Luke stared at him. “It’s...”
“Sparkling cider,” Noah tilted his head a little to one side. “I noticed you didn’t drink tonight, so I, well...” he laughed, shifting on his feet as Luke kept staring. “I’m not being lame here, am I?”
“No,” Luke managed to answer finally. “No, that’s... Thanks,” he smiled, taking the bottle from Noah and taking a large gulp. Hoping yet again that carbonation provided its own liquid courage.
“So you’re the ‘Luke’ of Reg’s stories, right?” Noah asked, getting comfortable on the ground, leaning back against a low brick wall.
Definitely in need of another drink, Luke nodded, sitting beside him, hoping it was an appropriate distance of close-but-not-too-close. “Well, depends on what those stories are.”
Noah laughed again. Was he going to laugh at all of Luke’s lameass jokes? “From what I can tell, you’re kind of ‘the one that got away.’ But then again, I could say the same about that other guy, what’s his name, Tony.”
“Ohhhhh Tony,” Luke sighed, memories resurfacing. “I saw him here tonight, I’m kinda surprised he didn’t try to hit on you.” Noah looked away quickly, face red, and Luke had to laugh. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Yeah,” Noah shook his head. “He’s, uh, forward.”
“Understatement. He’s like the drunk great-aunt at a wedding who follows around all the eligible bachelors,” Luke groaned.
Noah took the bottle back from Luke as he chuckled this time, taking a drink of his own. “Well, if weddings are anything like this, I’m staying home.”
Luke shot him a mystified look. “Never been to a wedding?”
Noah shook his head. “Nope. A few commitment ceremonies in the last few years, but no real, like, church and minister and seven-tiered-cake kinda things.”
Luke eyed him curiously. “So, slightly-still-mysterious-Mr.-Mayer, where did you grow up?”
Noah shrugged. “All over. Moved around a lot as a kid, probably eight or nine times until I was fourteen. Army brat,” he added.
“What happened when you were fourteen?”
“My dad died.” He answered so matter-of-factly, almost unemotional. “He was career Army, and after September 11th he volunteered to go back overseas. Was killed in Afghanistan.”
“Wow, I’m sorry,” Luke spoke carefully.
Noah smiled a little then. “It’s okay, it wasn’t... he- he wasn’t the nicest guy. I lived with my grandfather after that till I was eighteen and ran off to UCLA.”
“And became that aspiring filmmaker,” Luke added, bringing the conversation back to lighter topics.
Noah shot him a thankful look for that. “Yep. I mean, it’s what I do in my spare time. I basically temp for money. I just got a job doing marketing and whatnot for the Tribeca Film Festival.”
“New York?” Luke’s eyes lit up. “That’s my city.”
“Yeah, Reg said you do some charity thing there?” Noah prompted, passing over the bottle.
He nodded. “I run a foundation, basically supporting whatever causes I want. When I...” he paused, then just went for it. “When I stole the Class President election, there was an investigation and it looked like I might get kicked out of school. My biological father, lives in Europe, he sent me an inheritance to bribe me into quitting school and going to work for him.”
Noah winced. “Wow.”
“Yeah. But my other dad, my non-evil one?, he convinced me to stay and deal with the consequences of what I’d done. The investigation couldn’t get concrete evidence, so I wasn’t expelled, but basically everyone knew the truth. My term didn’t go so well.”
“And the money Evil Dad gave you?”
“At first I kinda rebelled and spent it on anything I wanted, and then I figured the best way to piss Damian off would be to donate it to gay rights. But I couldn’t find a charity I liked, so I started my own.”
Noah’s eyebrows raised. “Wow,” he said again, in a completely different tone. “That’s pretty admirable.”
Luke laughed, darker than before. “Nice that you think so. My boyfriend at the time, he didn’t quite understand. Thought I could put the money to better use.”
“What, he wanted to have a sugar daddy?” Noah lightened the tone back up.
“Yes and no. Reid just never understood my need to use the money that way; he called it my revenge on Damian, or my million-dollar-temper-tantrum,” he nearly spat out the words. “We broke up.”
“No kidding,” Noah said dryly. Then nodded. “No, I get it. It wasn’t necessarily about revenge, it was about righting a past wrong, right? Making sure you weren’t making the same choices Evil Dad would make.”
Luke felt himself soften. “Exactly,” he said quietly, smiling a little. It widened when Noah smiled back. Understanding. “So,” Luke shook himself out of the moment. “You’re moving to New York? If you need a tour guide, you’ll have to let me know.”
“I definitely will,” Noah answered, determined. Like, really determined.
Luke couldn’t hold it in any longer. “What about Reg? Aren’t you two-”
Noah cut him off with a surprised laugh. “Me and Reg? Really not that serious.”
“Really?”
He shook his head fervently. “Never have been. We hooked up when we first met, yeah, but it’s all... it’s way more Friends-With-Benefits-y than anything else. He just didn’t want to come to this alone, and probably wanted to save face in front of Tony. I’m not really boyfriend material. Never done a relationship before.”
“What?” Luke almost choked on the sip he was taking from the bottle. “Are you kidding? You?”
“I’ve done stuff,” Noah defended himself, cheeks pink again. “Just never been a boyfriend.”
“Ah, I get it. You’re a total ‘fear of commitment’ guy, aren’t you?” Luke teased.
Noah rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re a good judge of character too, aren’t you?”
Luke laughed, holding the bottle out of reach when Noah’s hand searched for it again. They continued talking and laughing for what seemed like hours- and probably was. Because all of a sudden Luke was blinking hard, and the night air had lightened and gotten chillier. They had fallen asleep on the roof.
And for as cool as it had gotten outside, Luke was somehow warm. He looked down and realized why- he was covered in a large midnight blue suit jacket. Noah’s. When had Noah put his jacket around Luke?
He turned, but the question died in his throat. Noah was still asleep next to him, leaning back against the wall. His tie was undone, hanging around his neck. His dress shirt was unbuttoned a little at the top. Eyes close, face relaxed, lips parted just slightly...
Goddamn. Luke had been single for way too long.
Noah started to stir next to him, and Luke knew he should look away, busy himself with something other than staring. Getting caught would be pretty awkward, especially considering they’d known each other for about twelve hours. But he couldn’t look away.
Noah cleared his throat softly, scrunching his face up for a second before his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, then realized someone was there next to him. He managed a befuddled smile. “You’re awake?”
“Yep,” Luke smiled back. He turned to face Noah completely, tilting his head so it rested against the wall they were sitting by. Still wrapped in Noah’s jacket.
Noah rubbed his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me?” his voice was still soft and a little-higher pitched, cracking from sleep. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it mussed up on one side.
Luke couldn’t help himself; he reached out and smoothed it back down. “You looked so peaceful,” he teased, adding, “I just woke up too.”
Noah chuckled, stretching out his legs and arms, twisting his neck to work out the kinks. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he admitted. “Sorry.”
Luke was not distracted by the movement of those long limbs. “Me either, so we’re even.” He inched a little closer. “Thanks for the jacket.”
Noah shrugged. “You looked cold. Of course, I was half-asleep at that point, so my judgment was affected. Normally I would’ve kept it for myself.”
Luke mock-glared. “Well, normally I’d give it back, but now...”
Noah mock-glared right back, pouting. “Fine. Next time I’m keeping it on.”
He said ‘next time.’
They both fell silent, staring out across the roof as the sun started rising around them. Luke was more than a little surprised- he wasn’t exactly the type of person to let a silence go unfilled. But this was so nice, perfect even. He enjoyed the silence as much as the words, and that was a definite first for him. He smiled to himself.
By the time the sunrise was over, they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, leaned more against each other than the wall. Luke realized he was breathing in time with Noah too. He watched their chests rise and fall together and glanced up to see if Noah was doing the same.
He wasn’t. He was staring at Luke. Intently. “Hi,” was the wonderfully articulate response Luke came up with, eyes now locked with Noah’s.
“Hi.” Noah’s voice reached his ears and settled around him, as warm as the jacket. Warmer. And then somehow time skipped forward and they were kissing. Luke wasn’t sure if it was him that leaned in or Noah, maybe both. That would make sense.
What he did know was that it was pretty damn amazing. Noah’s lips were more than warm. They burned across Luke’s skin, his mouth. He brought both hands up to Noah’s face, holding him in place, keeping that burn as close as possible. He felt Noah’s hands do the same.
When he finally had to pull back for air, he kept his hands where they were, a silent promise that this wasn’t over. Luke laughed softly. “You better not be lying about you and Reg,” he murmured.
Noah’s smile was still there, but the look in his eyes was sincere, promising in the same way that Luke’s hands were. “I don’t lie,” he said simply. Luke kissed him again. He smiled into it, because he had to believe Noah. His kisses didn’t lie either.
It was a little while later before they finally made their way off the roof and back down to the lobby. There were still party stragglers going in and out of the lounge, including (of course) Casey. He zeroed in quickly on Luke and Noah exiting the elevator and did a happy jig on his way over to them.
“Atta-boy, Snyder!” he fistbumped the air when Luke wouldn’t oblige.
Noah just laughed, glancing around a little. “I should probably try to fi-”
“Eh, don’t bother. Or worry,” Casey was still semi-dancing. “I don’t think Reg is all that concerned. Considering he and Tony probably haven’t woken up yet. Wink wink.”
“Casey, you don’t say ‘wink wink’,” Luke groaned. “And why are you awake so early?”
“Haven’t gone to sleep yet!” Casey sang, chopping his hands along to the rhythm. “I’m about to head that way now. I’m guessing you don’t-”
“I’m good,” Luke answered quickly. He wondered if it was too quickly, but Noah’s grin put that fear to rest.
“Attaboy,” Casey said again, patting Noah on the shoulder this time. “Dude, you tamed the Snyder Shrew. Impressive. What’s your secret? ’Cause there’s this girl I-”
“For the love of God, Hughes, go to bed.” Luke, his face no doubt bright red, shoved his friend away before turning back to Noah. Whose face was also red, but from barely contained laughter. “Shut up,” he warned.
Noah held up his hands. “Not saying a word.” He paused for a few seconds, then smirked. “Shrew?”
“Casey thinks I work too much and don’t play enough,” Luke explained. “I try to tell him he plays enough for both of us, but...”
“Too bad he’s not gay,” Noah commented. At Luke’s expression, he laughed again. “God, not for me! I just know a couple guys back in LA who would be all over him.” Noah put his arm around Luke’s shoulders, drawing him closer, lowering his voice. “Don’t worry, he’s not my type. I like what I have right here.”
Luke fought back a shiver, managed to smile instead. “Who said you have anything right here?” he teased.
Noah shrugged carefully. Very carefully. “Maybe I’m just trying to sweet-talk you into giving me my jacket back.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “No way. Nice try, though.”
“Okay, how about...” Luke was suddenly whirled around, and the hotel lobby disappeared. Because his entire world was now just Noah’s mouth on his, his lips and tongue, his hands at the small of Luke’s back, his chest pressing a heartbeat against Luke.
And then Noah pulled away, and they were back in the hotel. And getting applause from Casey who was still waiting by the elevators. Luke ignored him, staring at Noah, licking his lips a little to savor the aftertaste. Noah, breathing just a little ragged, was otherwise calm, one eyebrow raised in silent question.
Finally, Luke shrugged. “I... I really like this jacket.”
Noah broke out into that giant, delighted expression that was somehow more than just a smile. “What if I buy you a cup of coffee? Will you give it back then?”
When had this become his life? This kind of stuff didn’t happen to Luke. Hot strangers didn’t approach him, never turn out to be so sweet and understanding, never sit on a roof all night drinking sparkling cider and then want to stick around the next morning. Luke never got himself into these situations. How did this happen?
He must have taken too long to answer, because that gorgeous smile started to falter. Oh fuck no. “Yeah,” he said quickly, trying to remember what he was saying ‘yeah’ to. Oh, right. Coffee. He smiled softly, reaching for Noah’s hand, not surprised when it fit perfectly into his. “I know just the place...”
THE END
Author: carolinablu85
Characters: Luke/Noah, Casey, Reg, others
Rating: R, just for language
Word Count: 4,145
Summary: AU- Luke never got himself into these situations. How did this happen?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Less than nothing.
A/N: Was originally going to be written for the luke_noah monthly challenge #14, using the prompts Reunion (sort of), Outdoors, and Sleepy boys, but I didn’t get it done in time! It's a bit more talk-y than I usually write, but nonetheless! Enjoy!
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Luke grumbled for the forty-third time as he followed his friend towards the Lakeview.
Casey just grinned. “A: it’s not like I put a gun to your head. B: you need a night of cutting loose and getting that stick out of your ass. C: for the first time in years, you and I are both single. This is going to be like Wedding Crashers, man!”
He rolled his eyes. “Except that it’s not a wedding. It’s an awkward coming together of people who haven’t seen each other in years, just so they can small talk about their jobs and get way too drunk.”
Casey shrugged. “Sounds like a wedding to me.” He straightened his tie before grabbing Luke’s arm. “Come on, buddy. Let yourself have fun for once. And I promise, if by the end of the night you haven’t enjoyed yourself, I’ll let you fulfill that fantasy of making out with me. Deal?”
Luke couldn’t help but laugh, allowing his friend to drag him the last few feet into the Lakeview lobby, where large banners decorated with signs like “Welcome Oakdale University Class of 2010!” and “Happy 5 Year Reunion!” were draped everywhere. They headed into the Lounge where the party was already under way.
Luke shook his head and tried to look enthusiastic. But seriously. What was the point of having a reunion five years later? Had that much happened that he needed to see these people again? Most of them probably still hated him for-
“Dude, no one cares,” Casey cut into his train of thought.
“What?”
Casey pressed a glass of soda into his hand, drinking from his own beer bottle. Luke blinked. How did he get drinks so fast? Casey had magical powers in that way. He re-focused when he realized Casey was talking. “No one cares about what happened five years ago, Luke. Most of them probably don’t even remember that you were Class President and all that shit that happened. And Kevin’s not gonna be here, I checked. Don’t worry.”
“Sure. Sure.” Luke took a drink quickly, nervously, as though the carbonation would soothe him. Maybe he could just stand in this corner the whole night and no one would notice he was even here.
“Luke! Luke Snyder?”
Fuck. So much for that one. Luke plastered on a smile, turning towards the voice, but then stopped, eyes widening. With a more genuine smile, he stepped forward. “Reg! I didn’t know you were going to be here!”
His old friend grinned wide, hugging him lightly. “I didn’t either, it was kind of a last minute decision. It’s good to see you, Snyder.”
“You too,” Luke stepped to the side so Casey could shake Reg’s hand. As they small-talked for a bit, Luke glanced around the lounge again, but nobody was giving him a judgmental side-eye. Maybe Casey was right; maybe nobody remembered his horrendous term as OU Class President.
Movement caught his eye, and he turned his head to see someone making their way over to them. Tall, slender (really slender), in a suit that was absolutely made to be on that body. Carrying two drinks in his hands. Two? Luke would’ve frowned, but he realized the guy was approaching them. Hurriedly, he directed his gaze back to Casey and Reg.
Just in time to see Reg turn to the approaching Stepped-Out-Of-GQ-Guy. “Hey! Thanks,” he took one of the drinks from the man. “Noah, this is Luke and Casey. Guys, this is Noah.” The way he said Noah’s name made it obvious he was here with Reg. “Noah was nice enough to brave the flight to Oakdale for me.”
Luke watched- almost in slow motion- as Casey shook Noah’s hand first, watching with something like anticipation as Noah’s hand then extended towards him. He smiled (hopefully in a nice, normal way) at him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” even in that one word, Luke thought it was a nice voice. And the hand was a nice hand. And the body was-
Damn, Luke had been single for far too long. He cleared his throat. “So, flight? Where did you two come from?”
“Los Angeles,” Reg answered, leaning his shoulder just slightly into Noah’s. It wasn’t holding hands, or putting an arm around each other, but still. Luke tried not to stare at that small point of contact and wonder how it felt. “We met there, Noah was filming a movie at the office where I work.”
“Filming?” Luke raised an eyebrow at Noah.
He shook his head just a little. “Assisting. I’m not exactly Spielberg,” he grinned. “I’m low-level. Assistant to the assistant to the assistant of, et cetera.”
Luke couldn’t help but grin back. “Rising through the ranks, huh?”
Noah rubbed the back of his neck, deprecating to the max. “Trying to, anyway.”
Luke chuckled, and as he took another sip of his drink he noticed Casey eyeing him slyly from the side. Glancing back and forth between him and Noah. Luke raised his glass to cover as much of his face as possible, silently begging Casey not to do, well, anything.
And luckily, by some grace of God, Casey kept quiet. They talked with Reg and Noah for a while longer until they were lost in the crowd and in the call to mingle with their other former classmates.
But as the alcohol kept flowing and the room got more crowded, the combination of voices and repetitive bass notes reaching deafening levels, Luke needed a break. He slipped away unnoticed back out to the lobby, heading for the front door.
Stepping out into the cool air, he mentally cursed himself for leaving his jacket back at the table inside, as the temperature had dropped enough to sift through his dress shirt. But the peace and quiet were way more important than the jacket, so he stayed outside, leaning back against the wall.
A sound off to his left had him jumping and whirling around, and Luke discovered he wasn’t alone. But he also discovered he really didn’t mind. Mirroring Luke’s stance against the wall, sheepish smile in place, was Noah. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Luke relaxed, daring to move a little closer. “Needed some air?”
“Oh yeah,” Noah sighed. “That’s a lot of people in a little room. Sharing a lot of ‘good old days’ stories I know nothing about,” he was still smiling, not really upset. “I was suffocating on nostalgia.”
“At least you’re taller than everyone else,” Luke shot back. “You can get more clear oxygen than I can!”
Noah chuckled, deep and rumbly and just dorky enough for Luke to fall in love with it and relax. “You were breathing in the toxic air?”
“Swear to God, I was ten minutes away from singing the alma mater. Had to get out of there,” he deadpanned, hoping to make Noah laugh again. It worked.
“I don’t get the point of a five year reunion,” Noah admitted. “It doesn’t seem like people have enough time to-”
“To grow up in that time,” Luke finished with a nod. Thank God someone else felt the same way.
Noah smirked. “Yeah. It’s like having a middle school reunion while in high school. Pointless.” Luke laughed this time, growing quiet when Noah did. “So how come you’re not drinking the Reunion Kool-Aid?” Noah asked, almost gently.
“Huh?”
Noah seemed to choose his words carefully. “You kept, like, looking around all night like you thought someone was going to attack you.” He shrugged. “Like you really didn’t want to be here.”
Luke took a slow breath, let out a slower sigh. Trying to figure out how to explain it all took precedence over wondering if that meant Noah had been watching him tonight. “Casey dragged me here. And yeah, I was, uh, nervous to see some of these people again. My junior year, I made some bad choices. Pissed a lot of people off, spent most of senior year trying to fix it all...”
Noah snorted. “You made bad decisions in college. Gee, that’s an entirely new thing no one else has ever done.”
Luke laughed at his dry expression. “I guess, yeah. Just, I left for New York not long after graduation. I haven’t seen a lot of these people since, and I wasn’t sure how they saw me anymore.”
“You seem fine to me,” Noah shrugged. He cleared his throat then, maybe realizing how that sounded. Blushed a little. “I mean, you seem pretty well together. Not some major screwup.”
Luke blushed a little too. “You can tell all that from, what, a five minute conversation?”
“Maybe,” Noah smirked, holding his head up confidently now. “I’m a very good judge of character.”
“Congratulations,” he snarked back, to Noah’s amusement. He would’ve said more, but a group of partiers burst out of the hotel’s front door, taking a rather loud smoke break right next to them.
Noah wrinkled his nose slightly, at the smell or the intrusion, Luke wasn’t sure. “Do you want to head back inside? Or, um, maybe...” he spoke in a rush. “Maybe go somewhere else, find clear air again? Kool-Aid and smoke free?”
Luke should’ve said no for several reasons. One, he barely knew Noah. Two, what he did know was that Noah was here with Reg. Three, he was supposed to be mingling and having fun, per Casey’s instructions.
You are having fun, he suddenly realized. Just go with it. Casey would approve. “Sure,” he said before he could second-guess. “I know somewhere we can go.”
Noah lit up with a huge smile, one Luke hadn’t seen on him yet. Oh holy God. Yeah. Definitely no second-guessing. “Lead the way,” he said.
Luke resisted the urge to grab Noah’s hand, instead turning and walking back into the hotel. He headed towards the elevator, pausing when Noah held up a hand for just a second, dashing over to the makeshift bar right outside the lounge and grabbing a bottle from the tabletop, sneaking it back over to Luke.
They road the elevator all the way up to the top floor, then Luke- without saying a word and without Noah questioning- walked over to a set of doors at the end of the hallway, leading to a stairwell. Minutes later, they were up on the roof of the Lakeview.
“This okay?” he asked, shoving the concrete block in the door to keep it from shutting all the way.
“Yeah,” Noah actually sounded approving. “It’s a scientific fact that major moments in life happen when two people are on a roof together.”
Well. Yeah. Luke was somewhere between excited, because hey- he said ‘two people’ and ‘together’ so naturally- and confused. Did Noah not care what Reg was doing or what he would think of this?
Before he could ask that, Noah uncorked the bottle. “Drink?”
Luke felt his face get warm. “I, uh, I don’t-”
“It’s sparkling cider,” Noah said, in that gentle tone again.
Luke stared at him. “It’s...”
“Sparkling cider,” Noah tilted his head a little to one side. “I noticed you didn’t drink tonight, so I, well...” he laughed, shifting on his feet as Luke kept staring. “I’m not being lame here, am I?”
“No,” Luke managed to answer finally. “No, that’s... Thanks,” he smiled, taking the bottle from Noah and taking a large gulp. Hoping yet again that carbonation provided its own liquid courage.
“So you’re the ‘Luke’ of Reg’s stories, right?” Noah asked, getting comfortable on the ground, leaning back against a low brick wall.
Definitely in need of another drink, Luke nodded, sitting beside him, hoping it was an appropriate distance of close-but-not-too-close. “Well, depends on what those stories are.”
Noah laughed again. Was he going to laugh at all of Luke’s lameass jokes? “From what I can tell, you’re kind of ‘the one that got away.’ But then again, I could say the same about that other guy, what’s his name, Tony.”
“Ohhhhh Tony,” Luke sighed, memories resurfacing. “I saw him here tonight, I’m kinda surprised he didn’t try to hit on you.” Noah looked away quickly, face red, and Luke had to laugh. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Yeah,” Noah shook his head. “He’s, uh, forward.”
“Understatement. He’s like the drunk great-aunt at a wedding who follows around all the eligible bachelors,” Luke groaned.
Noah took the bottle back from Luke as he chuckled this time, taking a drink of his own. “Well, if weddings are anything like this, I’m staying home.”
Luke shot him a mystified look. “Never been to a wedding?”
Noah shook his head. “Nope. A few commitment ceremonies in the last few years, but no real, like, church and minister and seven-tiered-cake kinda things.”
Luke eyed him curiously. “So, slightly-still-mysterious-Mr.-Mayer, where did you grow up?”
Noah shrugged. “All over. Moved around a lot as a kid, probably eight or nine times until I was fourteen. Army brat,” he added.
“What happened when you were fourteen?”
“My dad died.” He answered so matter-of-factly, almost unemotional. “He was career Army, and after September 11th he volunteered to go back overseas. Was killed in Afghanistan.”
“Wow, I’m sorry,” Luke spoke carefully.
Noah smiled a little then. “It’s okay, it wasn’t... he- he wasn’t the nicest guy. I lived with my grandfather after that till I was eighteen and ran off to UCLA.”
“And became that aspiring filmmaker,” Luke added, bringing the conversation back to lighter topics.
Noah shot him a thankful look for that. “Yep. I mean, it’s what I do in my spare time. I basically temp for money. I just got a job doing marketing and whatnot for the Tribeca Film Festival.”
“New York?” Luke’s eyes lit up. “That’s my city.”
“Yeah, Reg said you do some charity thing there?” Noah prompted, passing over the bottle.
He nodded. “I run a foundation, basically supporting whatever causes I want. When I...” he paused, then just went for it. “When I stole the Class President election, there was an investigation and it looked like I might get kicked out of school. My biological father, lives in Europe, he sent me an inheritance to bribe me into quitting school and going to work for him.”
Noah winced. “Wow.”
“Yeah. But my other dad, my non-evil one?, he convinced me to stay and deal with the consequences of what I’d done. The investigation couldn’t get concrete evidence, so I wasn’t expelled, but basically everyone knew the truth. My term didn’t go so well.”
“And the money Evil Dad gave you?”
“At first I kinda rebelled and spent it on anything I wanted, and then I figured the best way to piss Damian off would be to donate it to gay rights. But I couldn’t find a charity I liked, so I started my own.”
Noah’s eyebrows raised. “Wow,” he said again, in a completely different tone. “That’s pretty admirable.”
Luke laughed, darker than before. “Nice that you think so. My boyfriend at the time, he didn’t quite understand. Thought I could put the money to better use.”
“What, he wanted to have a sugar daddy?” Noah lightened the tone back up.
“Yes and no. Reid just never understood my need to use the money that way; he called it my revenge on Damian, or my million-dollar-temper-tantrum,” he nearly spat out the words. “We broke up.”
“No kidding,” Noah said dryly. Then nodded. “No, I get it. It wasn’t necessarily about revenge, it was about righting a past wrong, right? Making sure you weren’t making the same choices Evil Dad would make.”
Luke felt himself soften. “Exactly,” he said quietly, smiling a little. It widened when Noah smiled back. Understanding. “So,” Luke shook himself out of the moment. “You’re moving to New York? If you need a tour guide, you’ll have to let me know.”
“I definitely will,” Noah answered, determined. Like, really determined.
Luke couldn’t hold it in any longer. “What about Reg? Aren’t you two-”
Noah cut him off with a surprised laugh. “Me and Reg? Really not that serious.”
“Really?”
He shook his head fervently. “Never have been. We hooked up when we first met, yeah, but it’s all... it’s way more Friends-With-Benefits-y than anything else. He just didn’t want to come to this alone, and probably wanted to save face in front of Tony. I’m not really boyfriend material. Never done a relationship before.”
“What?” Luke almost choked on the sip he was taking from the bottle. “Are you kidding? You?”
“I’ve done stuff,” Noah defended himself, cheeks pink again. “Just never been a boyfriend.”
“Ah, I get it. You’re a total ‘fear of commitment’ guy, aren’t you?” Luke teased.
Noah rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re a good judge of character too, aren’t you?”
Luke laughed, holding the bottle out of reach when Noah’s hand searched for it again. They continued talking and laughing for what seemed like hours- and probably was. Because all of a sudden Luke was blinking hard, and the night air had lightened and gotten chillier. They had fallen asleep on the roof.
And for as cool as it had gotten outside, Luke was somehow warm. He looked down and realized why- he was covered in a large midnight blue suit jacket. Noah’s. When had Noah put his jacket around Luke?
He turned, but the question died in his throat. Noah was still asleep next to him, leaning back against the wall. His tie was undone, hanging around his neck. His dress shirt was unbuttoned a little at the top. Eyes close, face relaxed, lips parted just slightly...
Goddamn. Luke had been single for way too long.
Noah started to stir next to him, and Luke knew he should look away, busy himself with something other than staring. Getting caught would be pretty awkward, especially considering they’d known each other for about twelve hours. But he couldn’t look away.
Noah cleared his throat softly, scrunching his face up for a second before his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, then realized someone was there next to him. He managed a befuddled smile. “You’re awake?”
“Yep,” Luke smiled back. He turned to face Noah completely, tilting his head so it rested against the wall they were sitting by. Still wrapped in Noah’s jacket.
Noah rubbed his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me?” his voice was still soft and a little-higher pitched, cracking from sleep. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it mussed up on one side.
Luke couldn’t help himself; he reached out and smoothed it back down. “You looked so peaceful,” he teased, adding, “I just woke up too.”
Noah chuckled, stretching out his legs and arms, twisting his neck to work out the kinks. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he admitted. “Sorry.”
Luke was not distracted by the movement of those long limbs. “Me either, so we’re even.” He inched a little closer. “Thanks for the jacket.”
Noah shrugged. “You looked cold. Of course, I was half-asleep at that point, so my judgment was affected. Normally I would’ve kept it for myself.”
Luke mock-glared. “Well, normally I’d give it back, but now...”
Noah mock-glared right back, pouting. “Fine. Next time I’m keeping it on.”
He said ‘next time.’
They both fell silent, staring out across the roof as the sun started rising around them. Luke was more than a little surprised- he wasn’t exactly the type of person to let a silence go unfilled. But this was so nice, perfect even. He enjoyed the silence as much as the words, and that was a definite first for him. He smiled to himself.
By the time the sunrise was over, they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, leaned more against each other than the wall. Luke realized he was breathing in time with Noah too. He watched their chests rise and fall together and glanced up to see if Noah was doing the same.
He wasn’t. He was staring at Luke. Intently. “Hi,” was the wonderfully articulate response Luke came up with, eyes now locked with Noah’s.
“Hi.” Noah’s voice reached his ears and settled around him, as warm as the jacket. Warmer. And then somehow time skipped forward and they were kissing. Luke wasn’t sure if it was him that leaned in or Noah, maybe both. That would make sense.
What he did know was that it was pretty damn amazing. Noah’s lips were more than warm. They burned across Luke’s skin, his mouth. He brought both hands up to Noah’s face, holding him in place, keeping that burn as close as possible. He felt Noah’s hands do the same.
When he finally had to pull back for air, he kept his hands where they were, a silent promise that this wasn’t over. Luke laughed softly. “You better not be lying about you and Reg,” he murmured.
Noah’s smile was still there, but the look in his eyes was sincere, promising in the same way that Luke’s hands were. “I don’t lie,” he said simply. Luke kissed him again. He smiled into it, because he had to believe Noah. His kisses didn’t lie either.
It was a little while later before they finally made their way off the roof and back down to the lobby. There were still party stragglers going in and out of the lounge, including (of course) Casey. He zeroed in quickly on Luke and Noah exiting the elevator and did a happy jig on his way over to them.
“Atta-boy, Snyder!” he fistbumped the air when Luke wouldn’t oblige.
Noah just laughed, glancing around a little. “I should probably try to fi-”
“Eh, don’t bother. Or worry,” Casey was still semi-dancing. “I don’t think Reg is all that concerned. Considering he and Tony probably haven’t woken up yet. Wink wink.”
“Casey, you don’t say ‘wink wink’,” Luke groaned. “And why are you awake so early?”
“Haven’t gone to sleep yet!” Casey sang, chopping his hands along to the rhythm. “I’m about to head that way now. I’m guessing you don’t-”
“I’m good,” Luke answered quickly. He wondered if it was too quickly, but Noah’s grin put that fear to rest.
“Attaboy,” Casey said again, patting Noah on the shoulder this time. “Dude, you tamed the Snyder Shrew. Impressive. What’s your secret? ’Cause there’s this girl I-”
“For the love of God, Hughes, go to bed.” Luke, his face no doubt bright red, shoved his friend away before turning back to Noah. Whose face was also red, but from barely contained laughter. “Shut up,” he warned.
Noah held up his hands. “Not saying a word.” He paused for a few seconds, then smirked. “Shrew?”
“Casey thinks I work too much and don’t play enough,” Luke explained. “I try to tell him he plays enough for both of us, but...”
“Too bad he’s not gay,” Noah commented. At Luke’s expression, he laughed again. “God, not for me! I just know a couple guys back in LA who would be all over him.” Noah put his arm around Luke’s shoulders, drawing him closer, lowering his voice. “Don’t worry, he’s not my type. I like what I have right here.”
Luke fought back a shiver, managed to smile instead. “Who said you have anything right here?” he teased.
Noah shrugged carefully. Very carefully. “Maybe I’m just trying to sweet-talk you into giving me my jacket back.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “No way. Nice try, though.”
“Okay, how about...” Luke was suddenly whirled around, and the hotel lobby disappeared. Because his entire world was now just Noah’s mouth on his, his lips and tongue, his hands at the small of Luke’s back, his chest pressing a heartbeat against Luke.
And then Noah pulled away, and they were back in the hotel. And getting applause from Casey who was still waiting by the elevators. Luke ignored him, staring at Noah, licking his lips a little to savor the aftertaste. Noah, breathing just a little ragged, was otherwise calm, one eyebrow raised in silent question.
Finally, Luke shrugged. “I... I really like this jacket.”
Noah broke out into that giant, delighted expression that was somehow more than just a smile. “What if I buy you a cup of coffee? Will you give it back then?”
When had this become his life? This kind of stuff didn’t happen to Luke. Hot strangers didn’t approach him, never turn out to be so sweet and understanding, never sit on a roof all night drinking sparkling cider and then want to stick around the next morning. Luke never got himself into these situations. How did this happen?
He must have taken too long to answer, because that gorgeous smile started to falter. Oh fuck no. “Yeah,” he said quickly, trying to remember what he was saying ‘yeah’ to. Oh, right. Coffee. He smiled softly, reaching for Noah’s hand, not surprised when it fit perfectly into his. “I know just the place...”
THE END