Save Me Chapter 4
Title: Save Me
Pairing(s): David Cook/David Archuleta
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Genre: AU
Disclaimer: The real-life characters do not belong to me, and the story is fictional.
Summary: David Archuleta is desperate, but when he meets and gets to know David Cook, he must decide if their unconventional relationship is merely a web of lies or his only hope to untangle a complicated knot in his life.
4
When his lips meet a patch of skin on Cook’s neck, David sucks in slowly, a noticeable shudder coming from Cook beneath him. He proceeds to leave kisses on Cook’s chest down to his abdomen. Somehow, in his dazed state, Cook thinks the deliberately unhurried way the boy is moving will drive him insane. Just when it begins to feel like he won’t be able to breathe, Cook flips their positions so that he is looking down at David again.
Cook moves up and whispers into his ear, “What’s your name?” He runs a hand along the boy’s side, the porcelain skin like velvet underneath his palm.
David’s eyes flutter shut. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I want to know,” Cook urges.
A pause. “It’s… David.”
Cook chuckles at the answer. “So is mine.”
“Well it’s not an uncommon name,” David replies rather dryly, but there is a tiny sign of a smile playing at one corner of his mouth.
“You can call me Cook.”
The fleeting tenderness in the enigmatic brown eyes is quickly replaced with suspicion. “You’re making it sound like we’re going to see each other again.”
But Cook does not break his gaze. “How can you be so sure that we won’t?”
“I’ve done this enough to know.”
His tone is so nonchalant, and something shatters inside Cook for a reason he cannot understand. Cook tries to comprehend why David’s words would mean so much to him, why they make him so damn angry.
“What are you doing?” David asks when Cook lies down next to him on the mattress. Cook just pats the space next to him and answers, “I'm tired.”
David’s eyes are dark, the hints of olive green nowhere to be seen. “I don’t need your pity.” He jumps a little when Cook suddenly sits up and leans forward until his face is merely centimeters away from David’s.
“This is what I want,” Cook says. “Isn’t that what matters?”
The stern voice irks David, but he has enough self-control to keep from talking back at Cook. Instead he murmurs, “I guess I have no choice then.”
+
I wish that you were mine
Baby, I got this feeling
That I just can’t hide
Don’t try to run away
There’s many things I wanna say
+
David cannot remember the last time he fell asleep with a client. On second thought, he is certain that it has never happened. It’s a situation to be avoided, because it holds an inherent intimacy that can blur the lines between business and affection. For that reason it is dangerous.
The strange and unfamiliar feeling of just lying there next to someone keeps David from falling asleep. Cook’s arm is underneath his neck, serving as a pillow, and his other arm is wrapped around David’s waist. The points where they touch are almost comfortingly warm. David wonders how that could be when this man is only a stranger and nothing more.
A quarter after midnight, his cell phone starts to vibrate on the nightstand, and David has to untangle himself from Cook’s arms to reach it. He immediately becomes uneasy when he sees Brooke’s name and number on the screen. There is only one reason why she would call.
“Brooke, what’s up?” he answers quietly, not to wake Cook.
“Archie.” She sounds tense. “I’m so sorry for calling you but Amber’s really sick, and… Gosh, she’s asking for you and I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“She’s sick?” David realizes that his mouth has gone dry.
“Yeah, Dave and I think she’s come down with the flu. Her fever’s pretty high.”
“Okay, um…” He glances down at the clock. “I’ll try to get there as soon as I can.”
He thanks Brooke and hangs up. For a moment a million thoughts run through his mind. He had told Brooke repeatedly in the past to call if Amber was sick. The last time she had the flu was when both of them had lost their parents, and David had sworn that he would never leave her by herself if she were ever ill again.
When he looks over his shoulder, he is surprised to find Cook awake, his back against the headboard.
“I’m… sorry I woke you.”
“You should go if you need to,” Cook suggests, ignoring the apology.
David gets up and walks to the closet for his jacket. He peers over curiously when Cook approaches him, fully dressed.
“You don’t have to leave,” David reminds him.
Cook smiles. “I know. I thought I’d drive you.”
“No, that wouldn’t be -”
“Wouldn’t be what? Appropriate?” He waits for an answer, but David remains silent. “Come on, let’s go. Weren’t you in a hurry just now?”
As soon as David puts on his jacket, Cook takes his hand and leads him out of the suite.
David thinks that Cook’s confidence could border on arrogance, but all that is immediately forgotten when his back touches the leather cushion of the car seat and his thoughts switch over to Amber. Cook asks where he lives and David mumbles back his address, but afterwards they are silent as Cook navigates his way on the streets and David stares out the window into the black.
+
David does not move when Cook parks in front of the apartment building, and Cook gently touches his arm to catch his attention.
“Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry…” David stammers, clearly nervous. “Um, thanks for driving me…”
Cook just smiles and gets out of the car, walking around to open the passenger side door. Before walking into the lobby, David turns to look at Cook who is leaning against the vehicle.
“Thanks again. Maybe we can…” he trails off, knowing how awkward it would sound if he suggested that they meet again. But before he can head inside, Brooke runs out through the double glass doors, nearly bumping into him.
“Brooke?”
“Archie, hey. Dave and I were in the living room and we saw you, and he…” She pauses when she spots Cook. “Oh, um, hello,” she greets, stepping past David and extending a hand. “I’m Brooke.”
Cook’s lips twitch a bit at the nickname, obviously finding it amusing. He is admittedly relieved that Cook cannot tell that he’s blushing in the dark.
“Hi I’m David Cook.”
“You dropped Archie off, didn’t you? Why don’t you come in for a bit?” Brooke offers with her usual friendliness.
Cook appears hesitant. “No, that’s fine. I was about to -”
“Really, it’s no trouble,” Brooke insists. “It’s cold out here, and you both should come in before you catch something.”
Well aware that it is useless to argue with Brooke, David gestures at Cook to join them. With a shrug Cook locks his car before following David and Brooke to her flat. As soon as his shoes are off, David disappears into Amber’s room just as Dave is walking out with an empty glass of water and a thermometer that he’d gotten earlier at a drug store.
Brooke leads Cook into the kitchen, where she fills a clean glass with water to hand to her husband. “So you’re David too, huh?” Her voice is one of disbelief at the coincidence. “That makes three of you. I call David Archie and my husband David Dave. What should I call you? You can choose between David and something more original.”
“Everyone calls me Cook.”
“Alright.” She nods, and then pulls out two ceramic mugs from the cupboard. “Do you want some tea? Hot chocolate?”
After a few seconds, he grins and replies, “How about some hot chocolate?” When Brooke pulls out the cocoa mix and starts to warm the milk on the island stove, Cook suddenly feels relaxed, as if all worries have left him. He thanks Brooke when she hands him a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and he can’t remember the last time he drank a beverage that didn’t contain caffeine or alcohol. He would like to blame his work and, well, Michael Johns for all the late drinks.
Just then, a small figure wrapped in a blanket wanders into the kitchen, pulling David by the hand.
“I told her to stay in the room but she complained that she was there all day,” David explains a little sheepishly before going to the pantry for medicine, and Cook gazes at him until Amber tugs on his hand.
“Hi. I’m Amber.” Her voice is muffled because she’s clutching the blanket around her neck, but Cook notices immediately that she has the same eyes as David.
“Hey, I’m Cook.”
“You mean you are a cook?”
Cook laughs and shakes his head. “No, my last name is Cook but that’s what everyone calls me. My first name’s David.”
“Oh… I like it.”
“Thanks.” He pushes his cup toward Amber. “Do you want some hot chocolate?”
“But I’m sick.”
“I don’t mind.”
Amber answers with a quiet “okay” and takes the hot chocolate from Cook.
When David comes out of the pantry to tell her that should go to bed, Amber says, “Cook, can you tuck me in?”
“Amber -”
“Of course,” Cook agrees before David can stop her. She grins and sets the mug back on the table before motioning Cook to follow her. He waits while she brushes her teeth and takes some flu medicine before tucking her in, thinking that this must be what it’s like to have a younger sister or a daughter.
“So what does David usually do when he tucks you in?”
“Well, he sings me a Spanish lullaby that our mom used to sing to me…”
“My high school Spanish skills would not help you fall asleep,” Cook jokes. “But I do remember one lullaby in English.”
“Works for me.”
Cook takes a moment to silently recall the lyrics in his mind, clears his throat and then opens his mouth to sing. “Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me. Starlight and dewdrops are awaiting thee. Sounds of the rude world heard in the day. Led by the moonlight have all passed away…”
In the doorway, David stops when he hears Cook’s voice, low and soothing. He’s pleasantly surprised to find how well Cook can sing, but then again he knows close to nothing about him.
“You didn’t have to do any of this,” David whispers to Cook when he comes out into the hallway and closes the bedroom door behind him.
“I know. But I wanted to.”
“… Why?”
Cook doesn’t answer, but leans slowly, until their faces are dangerously close. But just as David tries to turns away, Cook moves to kiss his cheek, letting his lips linger.
“I’m not sure,” he murmurs when he pulls back.
In that instant, as much as he wants to deny it, David can feel his heart race within his chest.
This is the last re-post for this fic. I'll be posting a brand new chapter soon. ♥
Pairing(s): David Cook/David Archuleta
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Genre: AU
Disclaimer: The real-life characters do not belong to me, and the story is fictional.
Summary: David Archuleta is desperate, but when he meets and gets to know David Cook, he must decide if their unconventional relationship is merely a web of lies or his only hope to untangle a complicated knot in his life.
4
When his lips meet a patch of skin on Cook’s neck, David sucks in slowly, a noticeable shudder coming from Cook beneath him. He proceeds to leave kisses on Cook’s chest down to his abdomen. Somehow, in his dazed state, Cook thinks the deliberately unhurried way the boy is moving will drive him insane. Just when it begins to feel like he won’t be able to breathe, Cook flips their positions so that he is looking down at David again.
Cook moves up and whispers into his ear, “What’s your name?” He runs a hand along the boy’s side, the porcelain skin like velvet underneath his palm.
David’s eyes flutter shut. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I want to know,” Cook urges.
A pause. “It’s… David.”
Cook chuckles at the answer. “So is mine.”
“Well it’s not an uncommon name,” David replies rather dryly, but there is a tiny sign of a smile playing at one corner of his mouth.
“You can call me Cook.”
The fleeting tenderness in the enigmatic brown eyes is quickly replaced with suspicion. “You’re making it sound like we’re going to see each other again.”
But Cook does not break his gaze. “How can you be so sure that we won’t?”
“I’ve done this enough to know.”
His tone is so nonchalant, and something shatters inside Cook for a reason he cannot understand. Cook tries to comprehend why David’s words would mean so much to him, why they make him so damn angry.
“What are you doing?” David asks when Cook lies down next to him on the mattress. Cook just pats the space next to him and answers, “I'm tired.”
David’s eyes are dark, the hints of olive green nowhere to be seen. “I don’t need your pity.” He jumps a little when Cook suddenly sits up and leans forward until his face is merely centimeters away from David’s.
“This is what I want,” Cook says. “Isn’t that what matters?”
The stern voice irks David, but he has enough self-control to keep from talking back at Cook. Instead he murmurs, “I guess I have no choice then.”
+
I wish that you were mine
Baby, I got this feeling
That I just can’t hide
Don’t try to run away
There’s many things I wanna say
+
David cannot remember the last time he fell asleep with a client. On second thought, he is certain that it has never happened. It’s a situation to be avoided, because it holds an inherent intimacy that can blur the lines between business and affection. For that reason it is dangerous.
The strange and unfamiliar feeling of just lying there next to someone keeps David from falling asleep. Cook’s arm is underneath his neck, serving as a pillow, and his other arm is wrapped around David’s waist. The points where they touch are almost comfortingly warm. David wonders how that could be when this man is only a stranger and nothing more.
A quarter after midnight, his cell phone starts to vibrate on the nightstand, and David has to untangle himself from Cook’s arms to reach it. He immediately becomes uneasy when he sees Brooke’s name and number on the screen. There is only one reason why she would call.
“Brooke, what’s up?” he answers quietly, not to wake Cook.
“Archie.” She sounds tense. “I’m so sorry for calling you but Amber’s really sick, and… Gosh, she’s asking for you and I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“She’s sick?” David realizes that his mouth has gone dry.
“Yeah, Dave and I think she’s come down with the flu. Her fever’s pretty high.”
“Okay, um…” He glances down at the clock. “I’ll try to get there as soon as I can.”
He thanks Brooke and hangs up. For a moment a million thoughts run through his mind. He had told Brooke repeatedly in the past to call if Amber was sick. The last time she had the flu was when both of them had lost their parents, and David had sworn that he would never leave her by herself if she were ever ill again.
When he looks over his shoulder, he is surprised to find Cook awake, his back against the headboard.
“I’m… sorry I woke you.”
“You should go if you need to,” Cook suggests, ignoring the apology.
David gets up and walks to the closet for his jacket. He peers over curiously when Cook approaches him, fully dressed.
“You don’t have to leave,” David reminds him.
Cook smiles. “I know. I thought I’d drive you.”
“No, that wouldn’t be -”
“Wouldn’t be what? Appropriate?” He waits for an answer, but David remains silent. “Come on, let’s go. Weren’t you in a hurry just now?”
As soon as David puts on his jacket, Cook takes his hand and leads him out of the suite.
David thinks that Cook’s confidence could border on arrogance, but all that is immediately forgotten when his back touches the leather cushion of the car seat and his thoughts switch over to Amber. Cook asks where he lives and David mumbles back his address, but afterwards they are silent as Cook navigates his way on the streets and David stares out the window into the black.
+
David does not move when Cook parks in front of the apartment building, and Cook gently touches his arm to catch his attention.
“Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry…” David stammers, clearly nervous. “Um, thanks for driving me…”
Cook just smiles and gets out of the car, walking around to open the passenger side door. Before walking into the lobby, David turns to look at Cook who is leaning against the vehicle.
“Thanks again. Maybe we can…” he trails off, knowing how awkward it would sound if he suggested that they meet again. But before he can head inside, Brooke runs out through the double glass doors, nearly bumping into him.
“Brooke?”
“Archie, hey. Dave and I were in the living room and we saw you, and he…” She pauses when she spots Cook. “Oh, um, hello,” she greets, stepping past David and extending a hand. “I’m Brooke.”
Cook’s lips twitch a bit at the nickname, obviously finding it amusing. He is admittedly relieved that Cook cannot tell that he’s blushing in the dark.
“Hi I’m David Cook.”
“You dropped Archie off, didn’t you? Why don’t you come in for a bit?” Brooke offers with her usual friendliness.
Cook appears hesitant. “No, that’s fine. I was about to -”
“Really, it’s no trouble,” Brooke insists. “It’s cold out here, and you both should come in before you catch something.”
Well aware that it is useless to argue with Brooke, David gestures at Cook to join them. With a shrug Cook locks his car before following David and Brooke to her flat. As soon as his shoes are off, David disappears into Amber’s room just as Dave is walking out with an empty glass of water and a thermometer that he’d gotten earlier at a drug store.
Brooke leads Cook into the kitchen, where she fills a clean glass with water to hand to her husband. “So you’re David too, huh?” Her voice is one of disbelief at the coincidence. “That makes three of you. I call David Archie and my husband David Dave. What should I call you? You can choose between David and something more original.”
“Everyone calls me Cook.”
“Alright.” She nods, and then pulls out two ceramic mugs from the cupboard. “Do you want some tea? Hot chocolate?”
After a few seconds, he grins and replies, “How about some hot chocolate?” When Brooke pulls out the cocoa mix and starts to warm the milk on the island stove, Cook suddenly feels relaxed, as if all worries have left him. He thanks Brooke when she hands him a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and he can’t remember the last time he drank a beverage that didn’t contain caffeine or alcohol. He would like to blame his work and, well, Michael Johns for all the late drinks.
Just then, a small figure wrapped in a blanket wanders into the kitchen, pulling David by the hand.
“I told her to stay in the room but she complained that she was there all day,” David explains a little sheepishly before going to the pantry for medicine, and Cook gazes at him until Amber tugs on his hand.
“Hi. I’m Amber.” Her voice is muffled because she’s clutching the blanket around her neck, but Cook notices immediately that she has the same eyes as David.
“Hey, I’m Cook.”
“You mean you are a cook?”
Cook laughs and shakes his head. “No, my last name is Cook but that’s what everyone calls me. My first name’s David.”
“Oh… I like it.”
“Thanks.” He pushes his cup toward Amber. “Do you want some hot chocolate?”
“But I’m sick.”
“I don’t mind.”
Amber answers with a quiet “okay” and takes the hot chocolate from Cook.
When David comes out of the pantry to tell her that should go to bed, Amber says, “Cook, can you tuck me in?”
“Amber -”
“Of course,” Cook agrees before David can stop her. She grins and sets the mug back on the table before motioning Cook to follow her. He waits while she brushes her teeth and takes some flu medicine before tucking her in, thinking that this must be what it’s like to have a younger sister or a daughter.
“So what does David usually do when he tucks you in?”
“Well, he sings me a Spanish lullaby that our mom used to sing to me…”
“My high school Spanish skills would not help you fall asleep,” Cook jokes. “But I do remember one lullaby in English.”
“Works for me.”
Cook takes a moment to silently recall the lyrics in his mind, clears his throat and then opens his mouth to sing. “Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me. Starlight and dewdrops are awaiting thee. Sounds of the rude world heard in the day. Led by the moonlight have all passed away…”
In the doorway, David stops when he hears Cook’s voice, low and soothing. He’s pleasantly surprised to find how well Cook can sing, but then again he knows close to nothing about him.
“You didn’t have to do any of this,” David whispers to Cook when he comes out into the hallway and closes the bedroom door behind him.
“I know. But I wanted to.”
“… Why?”
Cook doesn’t answer, but leans slowly, until their faces are dangerously close. But just as David tries to turns away, Cook moves to kiss his cheek, letting his lips linger.
“I’m not sure,” he murmurs when he pulls back.
In that instant, as much as he wants to deny it, David can feel his heart race within his chest.
This is the last re-post for this fic. I'll be posting a brand new chapter soon. ♥