THE boys take a trip to Will's house for his sister's graduation. But when they're forced to share only two guest rooms, Chris and Jonny decide to take their friendship to the next level.
It's a slash fic!
---
Ten o'clock in the morning, the four-door car rolled into the driveway of the small manor house. The engine quieted, and the driver's door immediately opened. A long leg stretched its way onto the gravel below, another leg soon to follow. The man stood up, carefully removing the sunglasses that protected his eyes. He folded the stems and slipped the glasses over his collar.
Then the passenger side door opened, and another man revealed himself. He was not nearly as tall as the first man, clocking in at about 5'10" as opposed to 6'0". He wore the same style sunglasses, though, which he decided to leave on. He turned around as he shut his door and peered into the back window. There were yet another two men still in the car, but both were sound asleep, with one man's head resting on the other's shoulder.
"Aw, look at them, they're napping. How cute," the second man said. Then he looked over the top of the car at the first man. "Honk the horn and wake them up."
The first man laughed and momentarily held onto the door. He looked at the two sleeping men, then slammed his hand down on the steering wheel. The roaring blare jolted one of the men to consciousness, and he fuzzily looked around. He twitched his shoulder to wake up the other man, who opened his eyes much more peacefully.
"Jonny, we're here," one of the men said to the other. The first two men were already walking towards the house. The man called Jonny sat up, straightened his dark green cap, and unbuckled himself. As he and the other man climbed out of the car, the front door of the manor house opened.
"Will, you're finally here!" an older woman exclaimed, striding towards the first two men. She stopped first at the taller of the two, kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around him. When she pulled back, she placed her hand on his left cheek and stared at him. "I can't believe you're so grown up."
"Mum, I'm only twenty," Will replied, laughing. His mother smiled at him and released him of her hold. Then she turned to the shorter man, and smiled at him, too.
"It's nice to see you, Guy," she nodded first at the shorter man, then to the other two men who were standing behind him, "Chris, Jonny."
"It's nice to see you, too, Mrs. Champion," Jonny politely replied.
Chris beamed at her and said, "Thank you for letting us stay in your beautiful home."
"Oh, it's nothing," she waved Chris's gratitude away. "Melissa is very fond of all of you, so she's extraordinarily pleased that you could all make it."
"Of course, graduating is a big thing," Guy said. "We wouldn't want to miss something this important."
"Well, I'm glad." She turned to Will and reached her arm around him, placing her hand on his shoulder blade. "Come on inside, now, I've prepared some tea for you guys. We'll worry about luggage later."
She guided Will into the house, with Chris, Jonny, and Guy following closely behind. Guy had been to the house before, but Chris and Jonny had not. Chris was utterly stunned by the sheer brilliance of the carpentry inside, all of the carved doorways, smooth ceilings, and hardwood floors. It was much nicer than he could have imagined, which was saying a lot. Jonny found the interior decorating to be something noteworthy; most of the rooms were painted and draped in various shades of blue, giving the house a distinct relaxing quality.
The kitchen was small, but one doorway through it let to a much larger dining room. There was a long, elegant table in the middle, clothed in navy blue with a marvelous floral centerpiece. The light fixture that hung in the center looked a bit older, but it was still flattering. The four men took their seats at the table while Mrs. Champion fetched a pot of tea.
"There you are, dears," she crooned as she finished pouring the last cup of tea. The men all thanked her, then she left them to converse amongst themselves. Jonny sipped at his drink, eyes locked firmly on Chris. Chris swirled his cup around, amused by the ripples it created in the liquid. Guy ran his finger around the edge of his cup, thinking about the purpose of them visiting Will's family. Will downed most of his tea in the first swallow, and it only took him another half-gulp to finish it off.
"I'm gonna go bring in the suitcases and stuff," he mumbled as he carried his cup out of the room. The other three paid hardly any attention to his departure, and carried on with their absentminded ways.
"Do you guys think Will would hate me if I tried to hit on Melissa?" Guy finally spoke. Chris looked up at him, questioning, and also slightly disgusted.
"Really? We're not here ten minutes and already you're thinking about sex?"
Guy sat up in a bit of anger, and held his hands out in front of him. "Whoa, whoa. I never said I wanted to have sex with her. Although..."
"Guy," Jonny interrupted. Guy shot a look to Jonny, and though he knew what Jonny was going to say, he listened anyway. "Will wouldn't like it."
"See? And Jonny knows what he's talking about," Chris said, speaking almost entirely with his hands. In fact, there were several times where his exaggerated movements nearly caused him to knock over his cup. Chris moved his cup off to the side in order to prevent it from being spilled, and Jonny smiled to himself.
"Thanks, Jon," Guy said. He stared off across the room. "Still, I wonder what she'd be like in be-"
"Guy!" Chris shouted. "Stop it."
"Oh, Chris, just 'cause you're not gonna get any doesn't mean the rest of us have to hold off," Guy replied, rolling his eyes.
"You know what?" Chris stood up and began to walk around the table to the exit. "I'm gonna go help Will."
Once Chris was out of sight, Guy turned to Jonny. "Can you believe him?" Guy slowly shook his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, actually, I can," Jonny replied with a laugh. "And I think we should probably help them, too."
Guy reluctantly agreed, and the two men shifted their presence to the side of the car, where Will was removing large suitcases and traveling bags from the trunk and handing them to Chris. Chris was having a bit of difficulty lifting all of them, as his strength was not nearly as great as Will's, so Jonny offered to give him a hand.
"Thanks, Jay," Chris said as Jonny grabbed a bulky bag from Chris. It was even close to being too heavy for Jonny to carry, but he managed.
"No problem," Jonny muttered in return, and began to heave the bag up towards the house. He left it on the porch, where a few other pieces of luggage were, and turned to find Chris right behind him. They almost bumped into each other, but Chris swiftly dodged to the left before collision. Jonny continued walking back to the car as Chris dropped off the suitcase he'd been carrying, and before Jonny even made it halfway, Chris sprinted past him. The entire time, Guy was just leaning against the side of the car, looking dreadfully bored. Or dreadfully boring.
"Are you gonna help or what?" Will sneered at Guy as he handed off another suitcase to Chris. Guy tilted his head to Will, blinked a few times, then turned back. "I take that as a 'no'." Guy sighed and decided to take up an interest in his fingernails.
Annoyed by Guy's blatant disrespect, Chris blurted, "Guy wants to sleep with Melissa." Guy broke his concentration to stab Chris with an angry stare. Chris smiled at him, then ran off to the porch. Jonny patiently waited for Will to continue unpacking the trunk, and he laughed to himself.
Will gaped at Guy for a few moments, then decided it wasn't worth his time. He gave Jonny the last bag that was in the trunk, then slammed it down with a bit too much force. When they walked back to the house, a young girl was picking up the other suitcases and such, and dragging them inside.
"Melissa, put that down," Will ordered. "Chris can't even pick those up, you think you can?"
"I'm a lot stronger than he is!" she laughed. "It's been a while since you saw me last, dear Willy, I've got some muscle on me now." She reached for the handle of the nearest suitcase, but stopped before she touched it. "On second thought, why should I do this work if you don't think I'm fit to do it? These are your guys' anyway." She returned inside, her long, wavy hair swinging over her shoulders as she turned. Will caught Guy staring for a little too long, and so he smacked Guy's arm as hard as he could.
"Hey!" Guy shouted, rubbing his sore arm. Will ignored him and stormed up the stairs, grabbing as many bags as he could on his way inside. Chris and Jonny eagerly followed him, and Guy grunted as he trudged along.
"Oh, my, you boys did all that work already?" Mrs. Champion asked from the doorway of the kitchen.
"It wasn't so bad," Will shrugged. "So, where are all these going?"
"Oh, well, we've only got the two spare rooms, so I'm afraid you four will have to split and share," she replied.
Chris nudged Jonny and said, "Jay?"
"Sure," Jonny answered.
"OK, me and Jonny will share," Chris announced. Mrs. Champion looked a bit surprised in the quickness of their decision, but she was also pleased by it.
"Well, that works, then!" She clapped her hands together joyously. "So, Will, just bring those to the rooms upstairs. I think you know where they are," she added with a small wink.
-
"Jonathan," Chris sang, quite literally, "Buckland!" Chris hopped, also quite literally, onto the bed next to Jonny. "With a Mark in between."
Jonny blankly stared at Chris for a minute, then laughed. "Turn off the light, crazy."
Chris heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Ugh, I'm trying to serenade you, and all you do is bark orders at me?" He sighed again, then swung his arm over to the lamp and clicked it off. "There, is that better, master?"
"Yes." Jonny felt Chris slide under the covers, then silence filled the room. But there was this air that kept pushing itself onto Jonny, and it wasn't sitting too well with him. "Chris, could you not lay so close to me?"
"Why?" Chris innocently asked.
"Because I can feel you breathing on me."
"Oh. Sorry!" Chris moved over, and the air stopped hitting Jonny. He felt kinda bad about making Chris move, but he didn't give it another thought, just closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Suddenly, a humming came from the other side of the bed, similar to Chris's earlier serenade, and Jonny let the melody soar through him and fly him to dream land.
When he woke up the next morning, Chris was still sleeping peacefully beside him. He thought so, anyway. But as he lifted the covers off and sat up, a voice gently said, "Good morning, Jay."
Jonny turned to look at Chris, whose eyes were still closed, smiled to himself, and said, "Good morning, Chris."
"I thought you'd never wake up," Chris said with a smile as he lifted his eyelids. "I've been waiting for hours. Then again, I guess I wake up early." Jonny looked around in search of a clock, but he couldn't find one.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Meh, who cares? Time is an illusion." Chris buried his head in his pillow and mumbled, "I'm still tired, Jonny."
"Why don't you go back to sleep?"
"No, I can't," Chris whined. "Once I wake up, that's it. And I woke up, like, five hours ago."
Jonny narrowed his eyes a bit. "How do you know it was five hours?"
"Well, I don't really, that's why I said, 'like.'" Jonny found himself laughing, though Chris sounded painfully exhausted. "Mm. Jonny, wake me up."
"How am I gonna do that?" Jonny skeptically asked.
"I don't know! You're my best friend, you should know what to do to cheer me up and stuff like that," Chris said.
"Chocolate?" Jonny said with the beginnings of laughter. Chris sat straight up and glared at Jonny.
"I like the way you think," he grinned, and Jonny laughed along with him. "Thank you, Jonny. Maybe tonight, I'll sleep better."
"Good, because tired," Jonny shook his head, "not a good look for you." Chris scrunched up his nose and folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm sorry I can't always be the gorgeous ray of sunshine that blesses you with its warmth and attractiveness until you melt into a pile of envious goo," he facetiously ridiculed. Jonny just laughed at him and began to walk out of the room, all the while being watched by a smilling Chris.
As Jonny walked past the room Will and Guy shared, he could hear voices trying to speak loudly over each other. He didn't break from his path to the bathroom, though.
"No, Guy, I'm pretty sure that I didn't."
"Oh yeah? Then how come I was shivering half the night?"
"I don't know, you're built like a freakin' twig! Don't you get cold easily or something?"
"Well... yeah. But that doesn't change the fact that- hey! Get back here!" The voices were growing fainter, and the thundering of footsteps told Jonny that Will must have been storming downstairs.
"I'm not gonna stand there and..." Will's voice faded completely, leaving nothing but total silence. Then came a humming slipping under the door. Jonny finished washing his hands and checked his reflection. The humming grew louder and louder, and Jonny thought it sounded quite nice. Unsurprisingly, when he opened the door, Chris was waiting right outside.
Chris stopped humming and widened his eyes. "Seems like Will and Guy are having quite a row."
"Oh, is that what that was?" Jonny sarcastically asked. "I thought someone was killing cats."
"Maybe that's how it started. Maybe Will accidentally ran over Guy's cat-slash-best friend, and so to get back at him, Guy is going to try to take advantage of Melissa, but now I've gone and ruined it, so Will is angry with Guy for thinking that way." Chris stared off into space, caught up in his own crazy world. "Yeah."
Jonny raised his eyebrows at Chris with a bit of concern, then walked away to let Chris use the bathroom. He came downstairs to find Will and Guy silently- though they were both shooting each other violent stares- eating breakfast in the dining room.
"Jonny, would you like something to eat?" Mrs. Champion asked. She was already holding a plate filled with food out to Jonny, so he felt he couldn't deny her offer.
"Thank you," he said as he grabbed the plate and sat beside Guy. He took a few bites and decided that Mrs. Champion knew how to cook.
Guy set his fork down on his plate with a massive clink, and turned to Jonny.
"Hi, Jonny," he mumbled.
"Hey, Guy."
Guy blinked a few times, then inquired, "Does Chris steal the blankets from you?"
"Oh, no, do I?" Chris interrupted as he arrived at the doorway. "If I do, Jonny, I'm sorry. I don't mean to."
Jonny chuckled and replied, "No, you don't, Chris. Don't worry."
"Oh, OK. Good." Chris sighed a breath of relief. He walked fully into the room and took the seat on Jonny's other side. "You would tell me if I did, right?"
"Yeah, I would." Chris smiled his thanks. Mrs. Champion rushed to his side with another full plate.
"Ooh, this looks great," he hungrily said, rubbing his hands together. Mrs. Champion laughed and ruffled his hair as he began to scarf down the food. Jonny laughed, too, and then Will finally spoke.
"You're lucky, Jonny," Will informed. "You get a nice blanket covering you all night long." He flung his eyes at Guy, then returned to his breakfast.
"Oh, stop your bickering," Mrs. Champion ordered. "And finish eating up, boys, we've got some work to do today."
Mrs. Champion wheeled around and left for the kitchen. After she was out of sight, Will looked up and threw a bit of toast at Guy.
-
Mrs. Champion had them setting up a giant tent in the backyard. She told them to, anyway, but they weren't actually doing it. Will was reading instructions, trying but failing to forget his anger. Guy was laying in the grass, trying to get a tan. Chris had decided to hop on an old swing set in the far corner of the yard.
"Come push me, Jonny!" he shouted to Jonny, though he needn't have because Jonny was standing right next to him.
"Seriously?" Jonny laughed, and Chris narrowed his eyes.
"Fine, I can do this by myself." Chris began to pump his legs. He managed to get the swing up 5 feet before Jonny left to help Will.
"No luck with those instructions, eh?" Jonny casually asked. Will looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, look, someone who actually wants to help. Thank you, Jonny," he said. He flipped the paper he held to the other side, but he still wasn't understanding the whole thing. "This stuff is, like, gibberish to me." He threw the paper to the ground and walked over to the poles and tarp. "I think I'll do better with trial and error."
"Maybe we should start by shoving the poles in the ground," Jonny jovially said. "Might help."
"Probably. Here," he lifted one of the poles and offered the opposite end to Jonny, "take that, and then I'll lift this side and try to force it into the dirt." He paused for a second, then nodded. "Yeah, should work."
Jonny held the end of the pole, which was quite heavy, while Will raised his arms. Slowly, Jonny lowered the pole to the ground, and Will put down as much weight as he could on his end. Eventually, the pole stood successfully on its own.
"All right!" Will said after admiring their work for a while, and he high-fived Jonny. Then quite suddenly there was another body right next to Jonny's. Chris, after deciding that he'd tired of the swing, had jumped off and landed as far away as he could. It just so happened that this destination was also as close to Jonny as he could get without pommeling into him.
"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed. Jonny turned his head to find he was a mere three inches away from Chris's. "That was close."
All Jonny could think to do in response was laugh, and so he did. Chris took a step back to give Jonny some space, then looked at the single pole emerging from the ground.
"Nice work, guys," he grinned.
"Yeah, you wanna help with the next one?" Will replied with a hint of bitterness.
Chris grunted disappointingly and stared at the ground. "I might drop it or something."
"Hmm, touche. Perhaps you'd be better off tanning with Guy."
"OK!" Chris chirped, running to and collapsing down beside Guy. He turned his head to look at Guy, who was wearing his sunglasses. He looked like he could have been asleep. "Guy," Chris whispered. "Are you asleep?"
"Hardly," Guy whispered in return.
"You know, if you tan with those glasses on, you're gonna have a line," Chris said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it won't be tan where the sunglasses were. You'll have a line."
Guy took off the sunglasses, but quickly put them back on. "I can't see without these. Besides, I always wear them anyway, so this 'line' will be hidden."
"OK," Chris replied in defeat. He switched his view to Jonny and Will, since watching them was more interesting than watching Guy. They were a lot nicer, too.
Will and Jonny managed to get another pole up. They were working on a third one, but Jonny accidentally let go too soon, causing Will to practically throw the pole down, where it met the acquaintance of his foot. Will cursed up a storm, and Jonny apologized profusely. Chris laughed.
-
The lights were off and the room was quiet. Chris laid with his head resting on his hands against the pillow, staring into the darkness where he saw a faint outline of Jonny.
"Jonny, do you feel tired?" Chris quietly asked. Jonny shifted a little bit.
"Not really, why?"
"Can we just stay up for a bit and talk?"
"Sure," Jonny replied. "Did you have anything to talk about?"
"No, not really. I just thought it would be nice." Jonny didn't respond right away, but after a few moments Chris felt him turn on his side. The room was mostly dark, but one single beam of moonlight dancing through the window struck Chris's blazing blue eyes and made them sparkle.
"Chris, can I ask you something kinda... personal?"
"Sure, what?" Chris replied in a sweet voice. He patiently waited for Jonny, who took his time to continue, deeply breathing several times and eventually shifting into an upright position.
"Well..." he began, "have you ever wondered what it would be like if, you know... if we... you know..." Chris sat up, too, and looked directly at Jonny.
"If we hooked up?" he finished.
"That's one way to put it," Jonny muttered.
"Sometimes," Chris honestly replied, blushing a little, which was luckily not visible in the dark. "I assume you have."
"Sometimes," Jonny agreed.
Chris enlarged his eyes and curiously asked, "What do you think it would be like?"
Jonny thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know."
Chris fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. He knew what he wanted to say, but nervousness was holding him back. He tried to push through it as best as he could, and therefore successfully said, "We could always try it out. Then we'd know what it was like."
Jonny looked over to the dark shadow of Chris and also fought through nervousness. "Yeah, we could do that."
"How long are we here for?" Chris asked as he locked his eyes with Jonny's.
"A week," Jonny replied. "Well, six more days, now... no, five? Something like that."
"Then maybe we could try, but... take it slow."
"Slow works," Jonny said, nodding. Chris momentarily looked away, forging an idea.
"Like, now... just... just a kiss, right?"
Jonny croaked, "OK."
"OK." Chris scooted over a bit and leaned in towards Jonny. His eyes darted back and forth between Jonny's bright green ones and his lips. He was lucidly hesitant, but he urged himself to go on regardless. Jonny bent forward, too, and soon their lips met. It was like nothing either of them had experienced before, in a good way. Chris let out a shaky breath as they pulled away from each other. "Goodnight, Jonny."
Chris smiled and laid back down. Jonny too slid down and closed his eyes. "Night, Chris."
The next time Jonny was conscious, he was facing the window. The sun was really, really bright so he flipped over to face Chris. Chris was unsurprisingly already awake, just watching Jonny with a faint smile etched on his face. Jonny could feel Chris's eyes examining every inch of his face, and he wasn't sure quite how to feel.
"Hey," Jonny said to fill in what he was afraid might become an awkward silence.
"Hey," Chris smiled. "Looks like it's time to get up now, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I wonder what we'll be doing today?" Chris pondered. He looked around the room for a bit, then laughed. Quickly, though, he stopped and stared at Jonny, rather embarrassed.
"What?" Jonny apprehensively asked.
"Nothing," Chris said in a timid voice. "Do you think we'll be helping Mrs. Champion more?"
"Uh, probably." Jonny sat up, stretched and yawned, and threw his legs to the floor. Chris stood up at nearly the same time, and they walked out of the room together.
No sound was coming from Will and Guy's room, which could have been either good or bad. Maybe they were still sleeping, or maybe Will had strangled Guy at some point during the night. Jonny slipped into the bathroom and went to close the door behind him, but Chris was standing in the way.
"Chris," Jonny whispered as if to ask him what the hell he was doing.
"Listen, Jonny," Chris said in a hurried and worried tone, ushering Jonny further into the room so he could shut the door. "Nothing's weird between us now, right? Because, I mean, it's not like we even really did anything last night."
"No, things aren't weird between us," Jonny reassured Chris. Chris skeptically looked at Jonny for an abrupt moment, then seemed relieved.
"OK," he said, and left Jonny alone in the room. Something on the wall stuck out to Jonny, and he wondered why there was a clock in the bathroom, but not the guest room. The time read six, so while being surprised at how early it was, he also assumed that Guy was still alive, just sleeping.
When he was finished, he expected Chris to be waiting for him outside the door, but the hallway was completely empty. He yawned again as he walked to the room, deciding that he'd try to get more sleep.
He laid down on the bed, where Chris was also laying with his eyes closed.
"Still tired?" Jonny laughed. Without a response, Jonny looked over at Chris. Chris's breathing was deep and steady, and for a second he thought Chris was just messing with him. A few minutes later, Chris still hadn't answered, and Jonny smiled to himself.
-
Five large boxes were sitting downstairs in the living room later that morning. Chris prodded one of the boxes and asked what they were for.
"Tables," Will answered. "We have to set them up under the tent."
"Oh. OK!"
Will grabbed one of the boxes and began to lift it outside. It was heavy, but he was strong and managed to get it by himself. Jonny struggled to lift his own box, so Chris gave him a hand. Guy poked one of the boxes, and it moved about a centimeter. He decided that was enough work for him, and followed the others outside.
Upon seeing that Guy hadn't done anything to help, Will yelled, "Thank you, Guy! I'm glad you're here, otherwise stuff would never get done."
"Hey, it's not my fault I have no strength!" Guy motioned at his body and said, "Look at me, I'm tiny. I can barely lift air, look how slow my hand is moving right now!" Will just stared angrily at him, and suddenly there was a girlish laughter from behind them. Will slowly turned around to see Melissa standing nearby, laughing her head off.
"I'm sorry, Will, but it's just so funny when you're angry," she giggled. Will ignored her and turned back to Guy.
"Fine, but when it comes time to set up the party- food and stuff- you're helping," Will commanded.
"OK." Will began to walk inside to get another box, and Guy tried to quietly add, "Bossy." He said it a bit too loud, though, and Will stopped dead in his tracks. Guy knew he was in for it, but Melissa just laughed harder. Guy looked at her and winked.
Then something unexpected happened. Instead of decking Guy, Will just took a deep breath, smiled, and continued walking away. Guy was thankful, though surprised, as was Melissa.
Inside the tent, Chris and Jonny were trying to set up the table they'd carried together. They weren't having the best of luck, but they were at least enjoying each other's company.
"OK, the legs are supposed to fold back more than that," Jonny said as he observed the lop-sided table.
"Yeah," Chris agreed, "but I tried, and it wouldn't move." Jonny turned the table on it's side and grabbed the rebellious leg. Chris was right; it didn't want to budge at all. Jonny struggled with it for a minute or so, then just before he'd given up completely, Chris stood on the opposite side and pushed the leg with all his might.
"Come on, you... freaking... jerk!" Jonny yelled at the leg. There was a loud crack right after that, and it almost sounded like they'd broken the table. They didn't, though, they just fixed it. The leg finally popped out into it's proper position, and when Jonny stood the table back up, it was perfectly even.
He turned to Chris and smiled, and Chris held his hand up for a high-five. Jonny laughed and halfheartedly placed his palm to Chris's. Then Jonny walked over to the other box, and began to set up the next table. He and Chris had a much easier time with the second one, and they finished unfolding the legs and had moved it over to a corner before Will had even brought the third box into the tent.
"No sarcasm this time," Will said as he looked around at Jonny and Chris's work and dropped the third box in front of himself, "really glad you guys are here. Especially you, Jonny. Uh... no offense, Chris."
"None taken," Chris smiled. "Jonny's a lot better than I am at basically everything."
"That's not true, Chris," Jonny said. "I may be better than you at a few things, but not everything. And, certainly, you're better than me at quite a lot."
Chris tutted and shook his head. "Jonny, Jonny, Jonny. You are crazy." Will laughed, and Chris stared at him questioningly.
"Chris, you're about a thousand times crazier than Jonny is," he explained. "In fact, Jonny's the most normal out of all of us."
Chris smiled sweetly and turned to Jonny, affectionately pawing at his cheek. "Jonny's our rock." Jonny blushed as Will mumbled an agreement.
-
"Man, did you see Melissa hittin' on me today?" Guy asked as he and Chris walked upstairs to the bedrooms. Will and Jonny had already gone upstairs, as Chris and Guy had been held up by Mrs. Champion. Guy didn't mind so much, though, because Melissa was in the room, too.
"No," Chris laughed.
"She was flirting with me like crazy! You didn't hear all that laughing?"
"I did, but I would hardly call it hitting on you. Or flirting." Chris stopped outside the door of his and Jonny's room, and Guy turned to him and waved his hand.
"Well, what do you know, anyway? You never even talk to girls," he said.
"I talk to girls sometimes." Guy just laughed and shook his head.
"Mrs. Champion doesn't count." Chris narrowed his eyes, but joined in on the laughter shortly. Guy saluted Chris and left for his own room, and Chris turned around to open the door.
"Jonny," Chris called, leaping over to the spot where Jonny was sitting. "Why are you sitting at the end of the bed?"
Jonny looked at Chris for a few moments with some mild confusion strewn about his face, then replied, "I don't know. That's a good question."
"Well, I will sit with you!" Chris exclaimed as he collapsed backwards next to Jonny. He was contentedly quiet afterward, though he started to tap his fingers on his leg. Jonny watched him intently, a sort of chill burning in his chest.
"So..." Jonny began, and he thought it had been a mistake, because he had no clue how he was going to follow up. Chris must have read his mind, luckily, because he looked up at Jonny and nodded.
"What comes next, then?" he quietly asked. "By the way, last night went pretty well, I think." Chris's cheeks flushed a little, and he averted his eyes. The sight of Chris sent the burning feeling into overdrive, and Jonny tilted Chris's head back towards him. After one second of the hardest stare Jonny could have ever given anyone, he crushed their mouths together. Chris was taken aback for a fraction of a second, then a love for the abrasive side of Jonny he'd never seen before took over.
Chris let himself relax, and his mind was so wrapped up that he decided he'd let Jonny do whatever he wanted. Jonny's present desire only consisted of making out with Chris, but Chris wouldn't have minded if it had been more.
"I think that went well, too," Chris panted a few minutes later.
"Yeah," Jonny breathlessly agreed. He tried to reconstruct himself from the pile of debris that his insides had collapsed into, a difficult- but not impossible- task. "All right... taking it slow. Good night, Chris."
"Wait." Chris grabbed Jonny's arm. "We- we can take it a little faster, if you want." Chris began to crawl backwards into the spot where Jonny would sleep. He leaned against the wall a little, waiting for Jonny to follow him.
Jonny stood up and walked around to the side of the bed. He sat down on the little space that was left between Chris and the edge of the bed. He was silent for a while, and Chris feared that Jonny didn't want him anymore. For those brief seconds he felt abandoned and used.
But Jonny still wanted Chris. He reached over, grabbing the bottom of Chris's shirt and lifting it up. Chris felt a relief spread through him and he raised his arms above his head to help with the removal of clothing. Jonny ran his hand down Chris's bare chest, sending a rush of excitement throughout Chris's body.
He closed his eyes as Jonny's lips slowly found their way across his skin, all the way from his neck to his stomach. When he had reached just below Chris's belly button, Chris stopped him.
"Jonny." Jonny looked up, and Chris wiggled his finger to beckon him. Jonny leaned over Chris until they were almost touching. Chris's eyes lit up as he whispered, "Your turn."
Chris pushed Jonny onto the empty side of the bed with much more force than he thought Chris was ever capable of using. Unlike Chris's, Jonny's shirt was button-up, so Chris took his time slowly undoing the buttons and kissing the skin each one left exposed. Once the shirt was completely open, Chris moved up and reached over Jonny to turn off the light. He laid his head down on Jonny's chest and closed his eyes.
"Goodnight, Jonny."
-
"Jon, you have to help us," Guy said, wide-eyed, as he stood in front of Jonny's door. Jonny had just barely woken up, so it took a few seconds for him to process what was going on.
"With what?" he tiredly asked.
"Chris won't shut up, he's been jumping around singing all morning."
"He always does that."
"Yeah, but this is like, twenty times worse than usual."
"What do you want me to do about it?" Jonny asked.
"I don't know, tell him to shut up or something," Guy replied. "He listens to you!" Jonny was going to respond, but a loud voice interrupted him.
"'Cause IIIIIIIII! looooooove! the way you say good morning! And yooouuuuu!- Oh, hey, Jonny!" Chris stopped momentarily, waved, then continued to walk and hum. Jonny watched him and laughed.
"I'll tell him to stop," Jonny told Guy. Guy thanked him then left, and Jonny went to follow Chris. "Chris!"
"Yeah, Jonnyboy?" Chris replied as he turned around.
"You have a lovely voice, do you know that?" Chris smiled, and Jonny continued, "But some people don't appreciate it as much."
Chris frowned. "Guy's been telling me to shut up all morning." He sighed, then took a second before brightening up again. "But Mrs. Champion said she wants me to sing at the party tomorrow!"
"Really?" Jonny excitedly asked. "That's awesome."
"Yeah! But I'm kinda nervous." Jonny placed his hand Chris's shoulder, then decided to go for a full embrace.
"Don't be, you're gonna be great." Chris wrapped his arms around Jonny and smiled into his shoulder.
"Thank you, Jonny. You always make me feel better."
"Hey!" Will called from down the hallway. "I know you two are totally gay for each other, but you've got to cut the lovey-dovey crap and start getting ready. The ceremony's in a few hours."
Chris and Jonny broke apart, laughing at Will, but secretly their hearts beat faster. Jonny offered to let Chris into the bathroom first, and Chris kindly bowed his head in thanks.
-
There were a lot of people there, as expected, graduates and their families, friends, families' friends, and friends' families. Having a last name very close to the beginning of the alphabet, it was not long before Melissa was called up.
She looked terrifically stunning on this particular day, which she was glad about, since she'd taken so long to make herself look terrifically stunning. He might have done it regardless, but Guy kept his eye on her the entire length of the ceremony. She really was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Will glanced at him every now and then with a bit of contempt, but Guy just couldn't look away.
When all was said and done, Melissa walked over to the group and was instantly hugged by her crying mother. Melissa was crying a little bit, too, as was Chris. But no one was paying attention to Chris, anyway.
Will gave them both pats on the back in a very manly way, and shot more threatening looks at Guy, who was trying to get in on the emotional hug. Jonny stood back from all this, not wanting to cause a fuss, and Chris stood by him, trying to conceal his quiet weeping.
"They grow up too fast, huh?" Jonny muttered to Chris. Chris looked at him and smiled.
"Yeah, they do. I remember when she was afraid of even starting high school." He chuckled and added, "I remember when I was afraid of starting high school."
"I remember... when I met you. And you were afraid of picking the wrong major and screwing up your life."
"Oh, I'm still afraid of that." Jonny laughed a little, and though Chris was being serious, hearing Jonny laugh made him feel better.
"Don't worry, even if you did pick the wrong major, you still won't screw up your life." Chris was giving him an odd look, so he continued, "You could be a singer or something."
"Really, you think I could be a singer?" Jonny nodded his head, and Chris tried to smile, but his lips trembled. "Jonny, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Chris turned his head to hide, because he was afraid that he was going to completely break down.
Will called to them to leave and head for the car, and they did so, quickly catching up with the rest of the party. They'd actually taken two cars, since there were so many of them, so Chris and Jonny sat in Will's car with Will and Guy, while Mrs. Champion and Melissa drove off in another car. It was a short drive back to the Champion place, probably around ten minutes.
Chris talked the entire time. No one was even sure that he was talking about anything in particular, but he found a way to ramble for the whole ten minutes. Just before Will pulled the car into the driveway, Guy turned around and snapped at him. It didn't work, though, so he shot a look at Jonny. Jonny silently nodded, then slowly lifted his arm.
Chris let out a squeal as Jonny's finger jabbed him in the stomach. He looked at Jonny, mouth open, and just stared disbelievingly for a few seconds. "Anyway, there was this thing that I saw in a magazine one time, and it said that it wasn't really true at all, but I'm not entirely convinced, because then I saw this other magazine where it said the first magazine got its information wrong, and that it was true. Then there was this third magazine that said they were both wrong, and I'm not sure how that works, since one of them has to be right if they're both saying the opposite of what the other is saying, right? I mean, it's only-"
The proceeding laughter was more of a screech, and was the result of Jonny trying to tickle Chris to death. Chris's legs were flailing all over the place, as much as they could with the space limit, anyway. His arms were busy swatting at Jonny, but to no avail.
"Jonny!!!!" Chris laughed, but Jonny didn't stop. "Fine, I'll shut up!"
Jonny paused thoughtfully, went, 'hmmmm,' then continued to torture Chris. As nearly painful as it was being tickled, Chris actually loved it. It sounded immensely dirty, even in his own mind, but he loved Jonny's touch. Guy turned back in his seat, almost regretting silently asking Jonny to stop Chris. Chris's laughter was getting to the point where it was too loud and plentiful, and not much better than his speaking.
Luckily, the car stopped, and Guy was free of the insufferable personality contained within Chris. Guy flung the door open with great speed, and sprinted out of the car, nearly forgetting to close the door when he was finished exiting the giant hunk of metal. Will left, too, though much more gracefully, and Chris and Jonny stayed behind.
"OK, I think that's enough," Jonny said once he'd stopped. "Let's go back inside." He and Chris climbed out of the car and began to slowly walk to the house. It was a lovely and warm day, so they tried to enjoy the weather for as long as they could.
"Ah, why can't every day be as nice as this one?" Chris was smiling at the clear blue sky, then at Jonny. His eyes sparkled with the vitality they always had, but there was also something else in them. Something new, and something completely breathtaking.
"Because then there would be no bad days to compare it to, and then it would just seem boring instead of nice," Jonny smartly replied, and Chris smiled brighter.
"Jonny, how are you so smart all the time?"
"What do you mean?" Jonny laughed. Chris kicked at some of the dirt below his feet.
"I mean, how are you so smart all the time? You're always thinking. Before you speak, unlike myself." Chris sighed. "With me, it's always act first, think later."
"That's not a bad thing, though," Jonny reassured him. "You'll have a lot more adventures in life than I will because you don't always take the time to think first."
"I'd rather be smart than adventurous," Chris muttered. He stood still, and Jonny stopped with him. "I wish I were like you, Jonny. Or I wish I were you."
Jonny didn't expect Chris to say such a thing, but it was so sweet and kind, especially with the cute, loving voice Chris used to speak. "Really?"
"Yes, of course." Chris smiled and started to walk again. "Did you know, Jonny, that you're not just my best friend, you're my hero, too?"
"I am?" Jonny was just getting hit with shocking information all over the place. He and Chris had been friends for a few years, and they were certainly close, but he didn't realize that Chris thought that highly of him.
"Definitely." Jonny had a feeling that Chris meant to say more than just that, but before he had a chance, he was being called by Melissa, who had just returned to the house. He walked over to her, and she began to arrange his singing for the party the following day.
-
Jonny was in the room not two seconds before Chris's tongue was in his mouth. He did thoroughly enjoy it, at least.
"That's a little forward, isn't it?" Jonny laughed as he rested his forehead against Chris's.
"No, forward would have been me already clothes-less when you got in here," Chris replied in a whisper. "But I didn't want to rob you of any sort of fun."
Jonny smiled as Chris tauntingly bit his lip. "Well, thank you. But, uh," Jonny reached out and grabbed a handful of Chris's shirt, "does that mean we're past going slow?"
"We could still go slow," Chris said, dragging out the word "slow" in such a sexily uttered way that Jonny thought he might drop dead right then and there, "after all, we've got all night."
Jonny gathered some oxygen and leaned forward to kiss Chris, but he was interrupted. He quickly let go of Chris's shirt as Chris took a step back, and he turned to answer the door. It was Will.
"Jonny, follow me," Will said, then abruptly walked away.
"Uh...OK," Jonny sarcastically replied, shot a confused look at Chris, then followed Will.
Chris figured that while Jonny was gone, he'd lay down in the bed and wait. There wasn't really much else for him to do, and he wanted to keep his earlier statement of not ruining Jonny's fun true. So, he just stared at the ceiling and waited for Jonny to return. After what seemed like an eternity, the bedroom door finally opened.
"Hey, Jo-" Chris turned his head to the door, and had begun to sit up when he came upon the knowledge that he was sadly mistaken. "Guy, what are you-"
"Will doesn't want to share a room or bed with me anymore," Guy said, casually strolling into the room. "So, I'm bunking with you now."
"And Jonny's sharing with Will?" Chris asked, trying to hide his disappointment. Guy grunted affirmatively, and Chris's heart sank a little. "OK."
"Hey, man, you got the better end of the deal," Guy consoled, and Chris knew his emotions were showing too much. "Will is such a blanket hog."
"Oh. Good thing I got you, then." Chris was really, really trying to sound relieved, but he felt like it was coming out more as indifferent. Guy hadn't noticed, or just wasn't paying much attention to Chris, so it went out the window anyway.
Guy jumped onto the bed, and while he was a petite man, he ended up sending Chris about four inches into the air. Chris sighed, refraining from whining while doing so. He could already tell he was not going to enjoy this new sleeping arrangement.
-
Those were Jonny's footsteps Chris was hearing. It was his slippers, they'd always made that weird scratching noise. Sometimes Chris would wake up early in the morning and hear that sound, and he figured out after a while that it happened only when Jonny walked from his bedroom to the bathroom, and the other way around. It was actually comforting after a while, and this time was no exception. Plus, Chris could just feel Jonny's presence inching towards him.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Chris asked even before Jonny had made himself known. Jonny sat down beside him and stared out into the yard.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing." Chris eyed Jonny and shook his head.
"I couldn't sleep."
"At all?" Chris shook his head again, and Jonny sighed sympathetically. "I got, like, maybe an hour or two."
"Guy told me that it was Will who took the blankets. He was wrong." Jonny opened his eyes alarmingly wide.
"No, Will does," he said. "I don't think he was even asleep before he wrapped himself in the entire thing."
"It was the same way with Guy!" Chris exclaimed. His face lit up for a second, then returned to a saddened state. "I hate not being able to sleep with you, Jonny. And not in that way... well, not just in that way."
"Yeah, me too," Jonny quietly agreed. He looked back out at the yard, and saw a tiny bit of light emanating from the horizon. "So, why'd you come out here, anyway? Are you planning on watching the sunrise or something?"
"Well, I figured since I'm already out here, I may as well. But I just didn't want to stay inside anymore."
"Ah. I heard you walking- well, I don't know, I figured it was you. Just... the way you walk, you make, like, this distinct sound." Jonny decided that he was rambling and turned to Chris. Rambling or not, though, Chris was listening intently and watching Jonny with his sparkling eyes. "And then I waited a few minutes and decided to come find you."
"Cool," Chris replied, rather honestly despite the indifference the phrase gave off. He motioned toward the sky. "Would you like to watch the sunrise with me, Jonny?"
"Yeah." Chris smiled brightly, and Jonny couldn't help smiling in return.
"Listen, Jonny, I was thinking..." Chris began after a few moments of silence. "We're only here for another two days, and I don't see that we'll get the chance to be together again. But, you know, we do share an apartment. You don't always have to sleep in your room."
Jonny carefully examined Chris. "Right."
"You don't have to sleep in my room, either," Chris calmly continued. "Or, if you want, we could sleep in the same bed, but not do anything. You sleep on one side, I'll sleep on the other, and that's it. Just sleep. That's fine. Or we could talk. That's fine, too."
"Thanks." Chris quickly glanced around, then gently kissed Jonny.
"I like kissing you, Jonny," Chris whispered, and Jonny laughed a little.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I get, like, this tingly-ness," Chris replied, wiggling his fingers around. "But I get that sometimes even when we're just sitting like this. Like now, I can feel it," Chris innocently said, but he was soon struck with a realization. He let his hands fall into his lap and raised his eyebrows. "Does that mean I'm in love with you?"
"Um, I-I don't know," Jonny nervously stuttered. He wrung his hands and searched on the ground for some invisible distraction.
"Jonny, it's all right if you're not in love with me, too." Jonny looked at Chris and tried to pretend that he didn't know what Chris was talking about, but it was no use.
Jonny sighed. "It is?"
"Well, yeah." Chris's eyes glittered with warmth. The sun was a little higher in the sky now, and was bathing them both in orange. "As long as we're still best friends, I don't care what does or doesn't happen between us."
"All right," Jonny said in a hushed voice. He moved over a little bit closer to Chris, and wrapped his arm around the other man. Chris smiled and rested his head on Jonny's shoulder.
"I've never been in love before," Chris mused as they both watched the sun slowly trudge up the horizon. "So I don't really know what it's like. I don't think I have, anyway. I guess, then, that I also don't know now if I am. But I do like you more than I've ever liked anyone else before."
"I like you, too," Jonny said, secretly relishing the feel of Chris's long curls hitting his skin. "I think I've liked you for a while, actually, but I was afraid to. 'Cause I didn't know how you'd feel about that, and I didn't want to risk anything."
"You were afraid, but you were sleeping on me in the car the other day." Jonny rolled his eyes up, scanning his memory for such an event. He quickly remembered it, then quickly wished he hadn't.
"I guess I was, huh? Maybe I was letting myself like you, then..." Jonny looked down at Chris. "I can't believe you remember that. You were asleep before I was, and you only woke up a minute before I did."
"I remember everything, Jonnyboy," Chris grinned. "Like, I remember how pretty you look in the sunrise. Because I was watching you the other morning, after I had already woken up and couldn't get back to sleep, and the sun was rising, and you were very pretty. That sounds creepy, doesn't?"
"A little," Jonny laughed.
"Well, just think of it as platonic. Then it's not so creepy." Chris paused for a moment, and swirled his eyes around. "No, it's still kinda creepy... Oh well. Hey, Jonny, guess what!"
"What?" Chris sat up, and Jonny let his arm fall to his side.
"I get to sing today," Chris beamed. "Melissa wants me to sing Don't Stop Believing."
Jonny chuckled. "She would."
"Jonny, will you be there with me?" Chris asked. "I'm kinda nervous about it."
"Yeah, of course I'll be there," Jonny replied.
"I mean, like, will you stand next to me while I'm singing? You're the only person who doesn't make me feel self-conscious when I sing." Jonny ran his eyes over Chris's face. He looked almost frightened, like a wee little kid on their first day of kindergarten. He really wasn't in love with Chris, and he felt kinda bad about that, but he certainly liked him a hell of a lot.
"Yeah, absolutely. I'll always be there for you, Chris." Chris nearly teared up as he smiled, and he could feel his heart swell. It was love, definitely.
-
Chris sweetly smiled at Jonny as the last few notes floated from his vocal chords and drifted off into the ears of the crowd gathered just in front of the small platform he was standing on. Everyone began to clap, and Chris was pulled away from his focus on Jonny.
"Oh, thank you, thank you," he nervously said to the crowd, then started to walk with Jonny off stage, resting his hand on Jonny's back. Everyone was crowding around Melissa now. "And thank you, Jonny!" He quickly threw his arms around Jonny in a tight embrace.
"You were great, Chris," Jonny happily replied, then the two of them went to join the crowd.
"Well, guys," Melissa was saying, "I'd like to thank you all for coming. You all mean so much to me, and I don't know that I could have made it through these past few years without all of you." Her voice was starting to shake, so he took a deep breath. "And I hope that I'm able to keep in touch with every single one of you as I start my life as an adult. It's a scary thing, huh?" she quietly asked as she turned to Will, who was standing a mere six inches to her right. He nodded, and she gave a nervous laugh.
The people all cheered and said kind words to Melissa as they walked by. The party was, for the most part, over now, since it was getting late, the refreshments were nearly vanished completely, and Chris had already sung. A few people stuck behind to chat with Melissa or Will or Mrs. Champion, and so Chris, Jonny and Guy just wandered around with nothing else to do.
"What is it with you guys?" Guy asked as the three of them sat on the front porch and watched the cars leave.
Jonny glanced at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"
Guy kept his eye on a dark blue car that was slowly disappearing down the road. He shifted in his seat a little before replying, "I mean, when's the last time either of you had a girlfriend?" At this, Chris finally looked over to Guy. He stared for a few seconds, then drifted off, trying his hardest to think.
"It's been a while, yeah," Jonny said. "Why does it matter?"
"I don't know, it's just that..." Guy look down at his hands resting in his lap and sighed. "It's like everywhere I go, I have to find some girl to... chase," he hesitantly used the word, and even winced a little as he said it, "and I just don't get how you two can be content with not having anyone."
Jonny shrugged. "It doesn't feel like I don't have anyone, though, you know?"
"I guess it's 'cause you guys have each other," Guy quietly said. "Not that I think you two are... you know, but... well, I don't really have many friends, especially not any that I'm close to like you are with each other."
Jonny was so disheartened by Guy's somber mood that he forgot to panic over the mention of a possible relationship between he and Chris. "Listen, Guy," he sincerely began, "you'll find someone, you just have to be patient. It's hard, I know, but I believe that there's someone for everyone. So, there must be some girl out there waiting for you to chase her."
Both Guy and Chris looked up at Jonny as he spoke. Both of their hearts were touched by his words.
"You really think so?" Guy asked. Jonny nodded. "Thanks, man," he said, and he leaned forward to hug Jonny. The sound of the last car driving away died, and Jonny hugged Guy back. Chris could see from Guy's expression that Jonny really was their rock, the one who always tried to help, and who always succeeded. He smiled to himself.
-
The next day was a peaceful one. Everyone was just resting after the previous days of excitement, and the boys were enjoying their last day before they had to leave. Will was in the kitchen with his mother, Guy was somewhere in the house, and Chris and Jonny were laying in the backyard, watching the clouds drift through the sky.
"Look, Jonny, doesn't that cloud look like a cake?" Chris quickly said, pointing at some puff of white condensation floating above them. Jonny looked at where Chris pointed to, and as he did so, he felt Chris's fingers intertwine with his own.
"Chris, don't you think people are going to think it's weird that we're holding hands?" Jonny discreetly asked. Chris turned his head and smiled.
"No. I mean, who's around to notice? Everyone's inside. And anyway, holding hands doesn't have to be romantic. Friends hold hands sometimes, I'm sure."
"Yeah, like when they're dating," Jonny mumbled.
"We're not dating..." Chris thoughtfully said. "But we're friends, and we're holding hands."
"Yeah, and we're also-"
"We haven't done much yet, Jonny. Listen," Jonny felt Chris squeeze his hand a little, "if we walk in there right now, like this, no one's gonna care. I'll prove it!"
Chris sprang up on his feet and headed towards the house, dragging Jonny along with him. The back door was open, and they both coolly walked inside to where Will and Mrs. Champion were. They just stood in the room for a moment, then Chris elbowed Jonny a little.
"Um, hey everyone." Mrs. Champion looked up from her work and smiled at them.
"Hello. How are you two doing?" she sweetly asked.
"I'm good... Chris?" Jonny blinked at Chris and waited for him to answer.
"I'm good, too," Chris beamed, then he lowered his voice so only Jonny could hear. "See, you just have to act like you're not embarrassed right now."
"I'm not," Jonny replied in a near-whisper.
"Yes, you are. It's obvious."
"Well, I'm sorry that I just find it a little strange to-"
"Oh, what are you two on about?" Will asked as he walked over to the two.
"Nothing," Chris smiled. "Hey, where's Guy?"
"Yeah, and Melissa?" Jonny added. He and Chris both looked at each other.
"Ooooh!" Chris giggled.
"HEY!" Will shouted.
"Oh, Will, calm down. Melissa's a young woman now, she can take care of herself," Mrs. Champion calmly said. "Anyway, she's out with some friends. Guy, I think, is in the other room."
Will turned to his mother and hung his head. "Oh." Then he walked out of the room, most likely in search of Guy.
Mrs. Champion returned to her work, and tutted. "That boy needs to get his head on straight. But he's just so protective of his sister. Bless him." She picked up what she'd been working on; it was a platter of some sort. She carried it out through the door and into the dinning room. After a few moments, she showed no signs of coming back, so Chris felt it safe to talk to Jonny normally.
"See? No one said anything," Chris told him. He gave Jonny's hand another little squeeze. Jonny looked down at their hands and twisted his mouth.
"Yeah..." Jonny blinked a few times, unsure of himself, then looked back up at Chris. "Can we go back outside?"
Chris didn't even respond, really. He just smiled and bolted out the door, with Jonny trailing behind him once more. They laid back down where they were before, fingers still neatly laced together. And that's all they did for the rest of the day, until it grew too dark out. They just laid next to each other and held hands.
-
The car was all packed, and the people were all in disbelief. How could it have been time for them to go home already? It seemed like they'd only just arrived!
Alas, time is a tricky thing, and so their little vacation seemed to whisk away without much notice. The four men and Mrs. Champion were gathered alongside the car for one last farewell. Mrs. Champion made sure to hug each and every one until they had all died from being squeezed too hard.
"Oh, boys, thank you so much for coming, and thanks for all of your help!" Finally, she got to Will. She hugged him the tightest, then pinched his cheek a little. "Oh, I will miss you all so much. Don't be gone for too long, now. You're all welcome back anytime."
"Thanks for letting us stay, mum," Will kindly said, and Mrs. Champion smiled in return. They all piled into the car, and soon the sight of Mrs. Champion standing in the driveway and waving as they drove off was gone.
The drive back to their respective apartments was only two hours, roughly. As they had done when they drove to the Champion house, Will was driving with Guy sitting shotgun, and Chris and Jonny were sitting in the back. They were both awake this time, and deeply embedded in some weird conversation.
Their voices were hushed, though, so neither Guy nor Will could hear what they were saying. The only thing they could hear was the occasional giggle from Chris. Jonny laughed sometimes, too, but it was far too manly a laugh to be called a giggle.
Guy peered through his sunglasses and out the windshield at the road ahead of them. There were few cars around, as they were still driving mostly on back roads. Once the view became too vanilla for him, he turned to Will.
"Hey, sorry about trying to get with Melissa," he said. His apology could have been a tad more vigorous had he used friendlier terminology.
Since he was driving, Will just kept looking forward, but he did respond with a dumbfounded, "What?"
"She's a nice girl, really, but I realized that... well, Jon helped me realize..." Guy trailed off. Will quickly glanced over to see what was wrong. Guy was looking back at Chris and Jonny.
They were just talking, but something was different. They were sitting very close, and their heads were down, but facing each other at the same time. Jonny was saying something, a strange serious look on his face, and Chris was sharply listening and smiling. It was almost as if they weren't conscious of other people existing.
Then, suddenly, Jonny's words rang in Guy's ears, and he understood. "They're together, aren't they?" he asked as he turned back to Will.
"Who's together?" Will asked, even more dumbfounded that before.
"Chris and Jonny," Guy replied.
Will thought about it for a few moments. "Eh, I don't think they're actually together, they're just always like that."
"No," Guy firmly said, looking back at them once more. "No, this is different. They're together."
"You're sure?" Will skeptically asked.
"Yes!" Guy exclaimed. "Look, Will, there's a light coming up. When we stop, just look at them. You'll see."
Will narrowed his eyes at Guy, but agreed regardless. It was only a few hundred yards until the car rolled to a stop, and Will quickly turned in his seat. Now Chris was talking, but it was still as obvious as it had been when Guy first looked. Will didn't say anything until after the car started to move again.
"You're right," he said, defeated.
"Do you think they were hiding it from us?" Guy asked with a hint of paranoia.
"Nah," Will decisively replied. "I don't think they would do that. Not for more than a few days, at least."
"So, then, you think they've only been together a few days?"
Will was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "They did share a room for a bit."
Guy's eyes flew open and he shuddered rather violently. "Oh God, I slept in that bed!"
"Guy!!" Will laughed. "I don't think they would have done that." Guy shot Will a dirty look for a few moments, but soon came to terms with how ridiculous he was being. He started to laugh along with Will, though he secretly was still a bit afraid.
"I find it amazing that they're not hearing us," Guy stated after their laughter had died down. "They're still just talking."
"That's good, though. I think they're really happy with each other."
"They do look happy," Guy agreed. "And I'm happy for them."
"Yeah."
"...Do you think it's weird to be jealous, too?" There was a dash of fear in Guy's voice, like he wasn't exactly sure why he was feeling that way.
"You're... jealous?" Will asked in a voice that did not make Guy feel better.
"Kinda." Guy paused for a moment, then slowly he began to understand. "Well, maybe it's just because I'd like to have that with someone. I mean, look at them, they're so... I don't know. Happy sounds like an understatement," he quietly said.
"Oh, yeah. I know what you mean," Will said. "Hey, you know what? Tonight we should go out to a bar or something and try to find some chicks. There's got to be at least two single women who'd like us."
"Yeah, that sounds great! On one condition, though."
"Which is?"
Guy removed his sunglasses and pointed a finger at Will. "You can not, at any point during the night, try to kill me."
-
There was that scratching noise again. Chris was wide awake, staring into the darkness of his bedroom wall. There were usually between fifteen and twenty scratches before the sound stopped. But this time there were more, and they were getting louder. And louder. And louder.
Then, suddenly, they ceased.
Chris exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, even though he was still not tired in the least. The next thing he knew, there was a body laying next to him. He turned around as his heart beat faster and he even squealed a little. He was so caught up in his excitement that he kissed Jonny squarely on the mouth without even thinking about it. Jonny softly laughed as Chris pulled away.
"Sorry!" Chris whispered.
"Don't be," Jonny said, and gently kissed Chris.
"Are you going to sleep in here tonight?" Chris asked. He lightly ran his hand up and down Jonny's arm.
"If you'll let me."
"Of course I'll let you," he smiled. "I'll let you do anything."
Jonny rested his hand on Chris's waist and just looked at him for a while. Chris looked back, and it was an amazing feeling shared between them as they just stared into each other's eyes. Jonny reached over and kissed Chris's forehead.
"Chris, do you remember how you said it was OK for me not to be in love with you?" he whispered.
"Yeah. What about it?" Chris replied.
"Well, I want to be in love with you. I don't think I am yet. Yet. But..." Jonny brushed some of Chris's hair out of his face. "I will be soon."
"Really?" Chris asked, his eyes lighting up. Jonny nodded, and Chris snuggled up against him. Jonny wrapped his arms around him and held him close.
"Listen, Chris, I don't see how I could not be in love with you eventually. You're just..." Jonny struggled to find the perfect words, and Chris interrupted him before he could.
"The other day, Jonny, what you said to Guy... Do you think we're the someones for each other?"
"Yeah."
Chris just listened for a little bit. The room was silent, but he could hear Jonny's heartbeat. "Do you wish your someone was a girl?"
"No. I'm glad it's you." Chris smiled and continued to listen to Jonny's heart. He loved how beautiful it sounded, like it was there, beating, just to let Chris know it was his. He realized it was a little selfish to think that, but he also knew that Jonny would tell him that if he asked. Jonny's heart belonged to Chris, and Chris's to Jonny.
He slowly looked up at Jonny after a long silence. He decided that he wanted Jonny to hear his heartbeat so he could know, too.
"Jonny, will you do something for me?" he quietly asked.
"What?" From the sleepy tone in Jonny's voice, Chris could tell he was starting to fall asleep. But he was willing to stay up all night with Chris if he had to. If Chris wanted him to.
"Will you listen to my heartbeat?" Jonny looked at him blankly for a moment, but his tired mind was just trying to process what Chris said. When it finally did, Jonny moved and rested his head on Chris's chest. The rhythmic beating was his perfect lullaby, and it slowly lifted him off to sleep. "That beat's for you, Jonnyboy."
Chris could tell that Jonny was no longer conscious, but he didn't mind. And he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep at all. Not with such a beautiful person laying with him. He might miss something.
So, instead he just ran his hand through Jonny's hair and thought how wonderful everything was. They still had yet to really be physical with each other, but that was part of the beauty of their relationship. They didn't have to be. As long as they were just there together, harmlessly sleeping in the same bed, everything was good.
