FIC: No Guarantees (4b/4)
Title: No Guarantees
Chapter: 4b/4
Author: carolinablu85
Pairing/Characters: Luke/Noah, Faith, Charlene, Casey, Hunter, Maddie, Emily
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,720
Spoilers/Warnings: AU with some canon borrowing, brief mentions of Luke/Other and Noah/Other, very brief very vague mentions of drug use
Summary: Boys are stupid but love each other and love is better than stupidity so maybe this will have a happy ending?
Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of merit.
A/N: For jessnic85, I wish upon you all the Joels, the Britts, the Aarons (and Aarons), the Steves, the Jakes (and Jakes), and Thomases in the world. :D
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4a
***
“Really? A real office now and everything?”
“Yeah, I think Emily might actually feel guilty about this.”
“I don’t think she promoted you just because of that.”
“I hope not.”
“She didn’t. You’re a great reporter, that’s why.”
“I guess I’ll have to believe you. You- you sound good today. You’re feeling... okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Did your sponsor yell at you about drinking?”
“Malcolm’s not really a yeller. But we talked. A lot.”
“So you’re really okay?”
“I’m doing better, Luke. That’s really all I can say.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
***
“Faith said you guys talked yesterday?”
“Yeah. It, um, it went okay. I guess.”
“She can’t stop taking pictures, I hope you know. She misses the job a lot, I think. And you. We don’t talk about it much, but I can feel it.”
“She said your mom and dad are fighting a lot again. Is everything okay?”
“Nice deflection there, Mayer.”
“Right back at you, Snyder.”
“Okay, look, Faith thinks she’s all world-weary and knowing now, but she’s still naive about our parents. They’re going to break up again. I mean, they’ll get back together again too, but it’s never going to be smooth sailing for them.”
“So you’re the one who’s world-weary and knowing?”
“Yeah. Sometimes way more than I want to be.”
“You should cut them some slack though. If they love each other that much, that they keep fighting their way back to each other...”
“I know. I guess. I’ve been talking to them more often lately. Since... since, you know. I’ve needed them to tell me when not to do something stupid. I guess I’ll always need that, huh?”
“Hey Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you guys too.”
***
“I’m on my way.”
“No, Luke, you-”
“Where are you? Is there a hospital in town, or did you have to-”
“Luke. It’s fine. He’s just... he’s old, you know? The vet says he’ll have to rest the leg for a little while, but it’ll heal. You don’t have to drive out here.”
“Napoleon weighs as much as you do, Noah. How are you going to cart him around and make sure he doesn’t break the leg again?”
“Some- some people in town volunteered to help out. I don’t know why, but... A couple of men here have hunting dogs, they know how to take care of big guys like Napoleon. It’ll be fine.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Promise.”
“...Why did you call me, then?”
“I just, um, wanted to hear your voice. I’m okay now.”
***
“Hmm.... Fiji, I think. I’ve never been to Fiji. It sounds nice and exotic. No one there who knows me. I’ll buy a hut on the beach and write a novel. Drink coconut milk, or whatever, all day. Get a real tan.”
“One problem with that scenario.”
“Just one?”
“That I can think of. Huts don’t usually come with electrical outlets. How is your hair going to survive without a blow dryer?”
“I hate you, Mayer.”
“No you don’t.”
“No, I don’t. Your turn.”
“Anywhere But Here? I- I don’t know.”
“I think you do. And don’t say Hollywood.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“A-ha! Which means you were going to say somewhere. So spill.”
“I don’t know. I should say like, studying film in Prague or... I moved around a lot as a kid, you know that. Lived in bases, in so many different states and countries. I- I don’t know. I want to go to a small town. A real house, with real people in it. Cook a real dinner, or go to a barbeque, go to a park, or... I don’t know, this is stupid, I told you, I don’t-”
“Noah.”
“What?”
“You know I know a place like that, right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
***
“No, Mom, I promise we’ll come for the weekend.” Luke rubbed at his forehead, reminding himself that this was a good thing. Family dinners were good things.
“Your grandmother- both of them, actually- will be very happy to hear that.” He could hear her happy smile over the phone and relaxed a little more. It was a good thing. “Faith said she’d bake something to bring for dinner. I had no idea she even cooked.”
“Me either,” he admitted. “But she’s pretty good at it. Between that and photography, I think she’s got a whole, you know, life. Skill sets and stuff.”
“Funny, dear,” Lily sighed in that tired, fond way that only mothers could. “And what is her skill set up to tonight that she couldn’t talk to me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Luke sat back, propping his feet up on his coffee table. “She and Maddie have this weekly ‘Girls Night’ thing that I really don’t want to know the details of.”
“Fine, fine,” Lily laughed a little before growing serious again. “I’m glad you two are doing so well up there, honey. We’re all proud of you, you know that, right?”
He smiled. “I do.” The buzzer to his apartment sounded, cutting him off. “My dinner’s here, Mom, I gotta go. Faith and I will be at the farm on Saturday, okay?” He hit the button, letting the delivery guy up. “Love you.”
“Love you too, honey. Bye.”
Luke slid his phone into his back pocket, keeping it nearby at all times now. Just in case someone might call. Someone who usually called on Thursday nights, because Luke usually took Fridays to travel around the city for interviews and such, and didn’t have to wake up as early. So they could spend more of the night before talking...
He opened his front door, leaning against it to wait for the delivery guy. Until Noah called, he planned on moping into his pizza, pretending he wasn’t counting down the minutes until 8:57, which seemed to be the exact time Noah called every week. (Noah called him now. Silence and distance didn’t stretch between them, like it had when Luke first came back to Chicago and wasn’t sure if he was allowed to check on him. Tentative, short, awkward conversations became regular calls. And now Noah was calling him regularly. It was-)
The elevator dinged at the end of the hallway. Luke put his polite smile on, digging through his wallet for cash. “Hi, sorry, I hope you have change for...” he looked up and the polite smile disappeared.
“Um,” Noah shrugged. “I ran into the guy in the lobby and paid him.” He gave a careful, almost scared, half-smile. “You owe me twenty bucks.”
Luke gaped at him. “Screw the twenty bucks.” He rushed forward, grabbed the box out of Noah’s hands and dropped it to the floor. “I’ll give you more than that.” He went in for a kiss but changed course at the last second, pulling Noah into a hug instead, wrapping his arms so tight around him.
To his insanely huge relief, Noah hugged him back, his arms slinging low around Luke’s waist, fingers digging and twisting into his shirt. Luke ran one hand up to the back of Noah’s head, weaving his fingers into his hair, reminding himself he couldn’t actually pet Noah, even if he wanted to.
And he really, really wanted to.
He felt Noah’s sigh (happiness? relief?) in his own chest and couldn’t stop smiling. He hugged him tighter for a long moment, then slowly, regrettably, pulled back to look at Noah’s face. “Hi.”
Noah’s face was flushed and his eyes were bright, as bright as Luke had ever seen them. “Hi. You dropped your pizza.”
“Guess how much I care,” he murmured, eyes taking all of Noah in. He looked a little thinner, but Luke couldn’t tell if that was just a trick of his mind after not seeing him for so long. But his face was clear and lighter and... and he looked good. “Want to come inside?”
Noah swallowed hard and nodded, waiting for Luke to pick the pizza back up and grab his hand, leading him into the apartment. They were pretty much silent on their way to the kitchen, but the second Luke turned to set the pizza on the table, Noah moved close again, hugging him from behind, arms warm and perfect around him.
Luke closed his eyes, leaning back, and somehow just kinda knew Noah had closed his too. “Hungry?”
Noah shook his head. “Not particularly.”
He grinned. “I should rephrase. Have you eaten yet today?”
There was a pause, then a very quiet and petulant, “No.”
The grin turned into a laugh. “That’s what I thought.” He turned around in Noah’s arms, looping his around Noah’s neck. “Work or nerves?”
“A little of both,” he confessed, blushing. “I’m not so good at being spontaneous.”
He still wanted to kiss him. Badly. He settled for leaning up and pressing his lips to Noah’s forehead softly. “I think it went pretty well this time.” He brought his hands down to gather Noah’s, squeezing. “Eat dinner with me. Then we’ll talk.”
The pizza was only slightly smushed from its fall, so they sat together on the floor by the coffee table, snacking away. Luke pressed his big toe into Noah’s calf. “You look, um, lighter.”
Noah didn’t even make fun of him for that. “I feel it. I think I, you know, got things sorted in my head.” He ducked his head, blushing. “Priorities and stuff.”
“Priorities?” he tried to keep any inflection of any kind in any way out of his voice. He wasn’t hopeful, he wasn’t nervous, he wasn’t scared or confused. None of those things. Nope.
“Maybe focusing on just work for so long wasn’t the best thing for me,” he wasn’t quite looking at Luke, just over his shoulder instead. That silly half-smile in place. “And maybe I should be making room in my life for other things. People.”
“People?” Luke pressed a little, using his toe again for emphasis.
“You,” Noah amended. And then, amending even more, “And Faith, and Ameera and her- my family, and my neighbors, and friends from school I’ve kinda been neglecting.” He shrugged, embarrassed. “So many bad things happened, I just found it easier to not look at any of it.”
“Hard to do when you’re a photographer,” he said, scooting a little closer, their sides pressed together.
“Easy to do,” Noah corrected. “I get to hide all the time.” He shrugged again, but the easy way in which he did it, in which he spoke, kept Luke from worrying (too much). “I- I didn’t realize how bad it was for me until you came along.” He bit his lip. “And how much worse it’d be when you were gone.”
Luke held still for a moment. Then he slowly turned, laying his legs across Noah’s lap, facing him sideways. “I’m not gone now.”
Noah finally looked at him, half-smile back. “Me either.”
He hesitated for two seconds, if that. Then he reached out to hold Noah’s face in both hands, leaned in and kissed him softly. “I missed you,” he whispered against Noah’s lips, not willing to pull back.
Noah didn’t pull back either, so when his mouth quirked up into a smile, so did Luke’s. “Missed you too.” He tilted his chin just a little, just enough to bring another kiss out of Luke, longer this time. Deeper. “Missed everything.”
They never did finish the pizza.
***
Someone was watching him. Noah realized it the second he woke up. He held still, taking stock of himself and his surroundings. He wasn’t used to waking up in unfamiliar places. But then he smiled a little and opened his eyes, remembering. “Morning.”
Luke grinned right back. “Morning.” He was sitting up against the headboard, coffee in one and, newspaper across his lap.
Noah rolled onto his back, looking up at him. “I never pegged you as an early riser,” he inched over until his head was resting against Luke’s leg, almost dislodging the paper.
Luke rolled his eyes a little, petting Noah’s hair with his free hand. “I like to keep you guessing. Besides, farmboy, remember?”
“I remember,” Noah said softly. He rolled again, into Luke, draping an arm across his legs almost possessively. Mine. “Everything.”
“Good and bad?” Luke asked, almost nervous.
Noah nodded against Luke’s thigh. “But that’s okay. You know that, right? I... I remember bad things for good reasons.”
Luke’s fingers twisted playfully in his hair. “So I’m a good reason?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he lectured, straight-faced, until Luke tugged on a few strands of hair. Then he turned his head, laying a kiss to Luke’s knee. “You’re a good reason. And anyway, you’re not a bad thing.”
Luke’s answering smile was wide, beautiful, and Noah was suddenly breathless. “Baby, that’s a really roundabout way of saying you’re happy,” he repeated those words from weeks earlier, only half-teasing.
“Hey Luke?” Noah reached up to the back of Luke’s neck, pulling him down into a messy, sweet, almost upside down kiss. “I’m happy.”
“Me too.” If Luke’s voice cracked a little there, they both ignored it.
Noah finally sat up, draping himself around Luke’s side, resting his chin on Luke’s shoulder. “Good thing.” He read the paper with Luke, slowly sneaking his arms around his waist.
Luke leaned his head to the side, knocking it gently into Noah’s. “Hey.”
“Hmm?” his arms went a little farther.
Luke turned his head, kissed Noah’s cheek. “You’re not getting my coffee.”
Noah went still. “Luke,” he protested. Not whined. He didn’t whine. Or pout.
“Nope,” Luke grinned again.”There’s some out in the kitchen, if you want it that badly.”
“I’m going to remember this too,” he warned, pulling his arms away (but slowly, of course. He was only human.)
Luke kissed him again, loud and exaggerated. “Well, I hope you remember where the kitchen is.”
Noah grumbled, taking his time unfolding his body and climbing out of bed, stretching sore muscles (and remembering good things). “Coffee maker?”
Luke nodded, taking a sip of own mug to unsuccessfully hide his ogling of Noah. Noah couldn’t stop his blush, but also kinda didn’t care. “Oh, and breakfast will probably be delivered soon, so you might want to, you know, put on some clothes. Pants, at least.”
He was absolutely still not blushing when he poured a cup of coffee in the kitchen, now wearing sweatpants that were maybe an inch or two too short and an Oakdale University shirt. Whatever, it’s not like anyone else would see him, right?
His answer was the sound of a key going into the lock and the front door opening. In the seconds after, as he belatedly wondered if he should hide or run or yell for Luke, he realized who it was that probably had a key to Luke’s apartment.
And then Faith was there, holding a bag of what smelled like fresh bagels. She froze in the doorway of the kitchen, a mix of shock and relief and guilt and hope going across her face with impressive speed. Then she tentatively waved. “Hey boss.”
“Hey Faith,” he said softly, smiling a little, He was suddenly and confusingly nervous.
She relaxed a little at the smile, setting the bagels down on a counter and sitting down at the table, relaxing even more when he took the seat across from her. “So you, um, came over for breakfast?” she asked, trying to keep an innocent expression on her face.
He was very glad Luke had made him put clothes on. “Maybe,” he said defensively, mock-glaring at her. His own uneasiness melted away at the happy look on her face. “We’re okay,” he added gently.
She raised an eyebrow. “You and Luke or you and me?”
Another smile. “Me and every Snyder.”
She opened the bag of bagels and slid one across the table to him. “I miss the studio.”
“We miss you too,” he said. “I’m, um, I haven’t re-filled the position.” He glanced at her. “If you’re, you know-”
“I am,” she said quickly. “Noah, working for you was the first time I felt... like I was doing something. Worthwhile, I mean. I really liked...” she trailed off with a shrug. “It was a great job, Noah. I’d- I’d like to come back if I can.”
“You can,” he assured. “My emails are all screwed up now, I kinda need you.” He lifted one shoulder, going for nonchalant. “Plus, I’ve been getting these job offers that could probably use an extra eye and extra camera, if you ever wanted to-”
Faith was out of her chair and around the table so fast, he barely registered the move. “I do, I really do,” she said in a rush, even as she threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him sideways out of his chair. “I really... I’m so glad you’re here.”
He hugged her back.”Me too.”
“Hey,” Luke was leaning oh so casually, oh so I-wasn’t-eavesdropping-but-yes-I-was, in the doorway. “You’ve already got a boyfriend. Leave mine alone, Ace.”
Faith pulled back to glare at him, but Noah was staring wide-eyed at her. “What? You have a boyfriend?”
“No,” she said pointedly, still glaring at her brother. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just my...guy I’m dating. Sort of. A little.”
“Wait,” Noah barely noticed Luke take the seat next to him, ruffling his hair as he did. “Is it the computer guy? He finally succeeding in wooing you?”
“Luke!” Faith threw her hands dramatically into the air. It was such a familiar and missed gesture that Noah wasn’t sure if he was smiling more at that or at how embarrassed she was. “How much did you tell him?!”
“Just a few things, here and there,” Luke grinned, unconcerned, getting his own bagel and propping his legs up in Noah’s lap.
Faith’s glare didn’t let up, even when she turned to Noah. “Did he tell you everything? Did he tell you about the fish?”
“The fish?” Noah repeated, one hand unconsciously rubbing circles into Luke’s ankle.
“The fish.” Faith crossed her arms. “Luke told Hunter that I like goldfish.”
“You do,” Noah pointed out. “You ate them at the studio all the time.” He’d taken to buying them on his grocery runs so they’d always have some for her.
Luke was trying very hard not to laugh now. Faith continued to glare. “Yeah, well, it probably would’ve helped if Luke had told him that I like the goldfish crackers. And not...” she pointed behind him.
Noah turned and saw a fish bowl near the window. With a real, live goldfish swimming in it. Somehow he’d missed that last night. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh,” Faith shook her head, pointedly ignored Luke, who wasn’t bothering to hide his laugh anymore. “I mean, it’s sweet, he meant well, and Lafayette is cute and all,but... I hate my brother,” she concluded. She went over to the bowl to feed her new pet.
Noah’ brain caught up with her words. “Isn’t Lafayette the name of the other dog in The Aristocats?”
Quieter laughter from Luke, softer. “Told you he’d get it,” he announced, hugging Noah to him. Noah leaned into him willingly, not stopping the smile, but kept his eyes on Faith.
She pointed at Luke. “You shut up. I still hate you.” Then she looked to Noah. “And yeah, maybe it was on TV or something,” she teased. “Maybe I missed Napoleon, too.”
“He’ll be happy to see you,” he said. “He’s spending the weekend with one of my neighbors, but Monday, if you-”
“I’ll be there,” she promised. “Someone has to keep an eye on things over there,” she sighed, teasing again.
He felt Luke’s smile too. “Definitely.” he pulled them even closer together, tucking his face into Noah’s neck, kissing him. “Especially since the boss is going to be pretty busy for awhile. And by busy, I mean-”
“OhmyGodifyouwantmetoleavejustsayso,” Faith burst out in one breath, hurriedly grabbing her purse away. “This is just so inappropriate, I can’t even-”
“Hey,” Noah pulled out of Luke’s hold just enough to snag her wrist, pausing her tirade. (Snyders were good at those, he made a note.) “I’ll see you Monday?”
She looked at him, smiled wide and happy, and nodded. “Monday.” She pointed at Luke again. “Don’t kill my fish or my boss,” she warned before hurrying out with a slam of the front door.
Noah turned back to Luke and pulled, bringing Luke into his lap so they were facing each other. “You heard her. No killing me.”
Luke’s arms went around his neck, hands sliding through his hair. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, his eyes darting up and down and up Noah’s face. “I’ve got better things in mind.” Noah pulled again, Luke’s mouth meeting his. Slow at first, then not so slow. He could think of better things too.
***
One month later...
She didn’t necessarily look nervous, but Luke wasn’t necessarily a fool. He wouldn’t even be surprised if she knew why he was here. “Luke,” she greeted with nod, not warm but not unfriendly either.
“Hi, Charlene,” he sat in the booth, the one he had reserved in the far corner of the cafe. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
She nodded again, giving nothing else away. “Your sister has done a good job of pleading your case, I guess.”
“Apparently,” he said. And Noah’s case too, he added in his head. When Faith and Maddie had told them what they’d done (and had continued to do for the next couple weeks), he was actually surprised at how not-mad he and Noah were.
It was the missing piece of this puzzle.
He looked her square in the eye. “I’m not here for another story, or to beg for more forgiveness. I’m not here for me at all.”
She was still for a fraction of a second, and then her eyes flashed with realization.”He’s here, isn’t he?” He could see her fight the urge to look around.
He nodded. “Outside in the car with Faith. We’re taking him to my family’s farm for the weekend. For, um, for his birthday.” He hoped that wasn’t laying it on too thick, even though it was true. She didn’t really react to that (which, duh Snyder- she was there for his actual birth), so he continued. “We’re heading out either right now when I walk out of here, or... after he does.”
“He knows I’m here?” she asked, voice as soft as he’d ever heard it.
Luke nodded again. “But I don’t know what he’s expecting. If he’s expecting anything. This is your call, Charlene. If you want, I can go outside and send him in. Or I can start my weekend trip with my boyfriend now. We can try another time, or...or not at all.” Then he laid his hands flat on the table. “But you’d be stupid to pick door number three.”
Charlene actually broke eye contact, glancing around the cafe as though she’d be able to see Noah through the walls. “He’s...?”
“He’s good,” Luke said softly. “Great, actually He’s- he’d probably rather you pick the best option for you, not force anything, okay? He’s not expecting much.” Even quieter, “But he’s scared, of course. A little. I think.”
Charlene traced the edge of her coffee cup, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them, her eyes were clearer, determined. “I’d like to meet him.”
Luke was almost surprised at the sudden tsunami of relief that crashed over him. “Okay. Good. Yes.” To keep from babbling and ruining this moment, he stood, stuffing his hands into his pockets and rocking on his feet. “I’ll go, um, get him. You’re sure?” He had to check. Had to.
Charlene regarded him seriously, going for a calm she wasn’t quite feeling. “Go.” Luke took his own deep breath, trying not to run. Okay, maybe a part of him was scared she’d try to make a run for it out the back.
Noah, Faith, and Hunter were outside, all of them leaning against the car. Faith and Hunter were trying to break the silence, asking Noah photography questions one by one. And not quite succeeding.
He and Noah locked eyes the second he walked out. He smiled at Noah. Nodded.
Noah’s eyes went a little wider and he swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Luke reached for his hand, pulled him in. “You want me to stay with you? Or wait out here?”
“Um,” Noah looked to the cafe,then back at Luke, biting his lip.
Luke got it. “We’ll be out here, everything’ll be fine, okay?” He kissed Noah quickly. “And when you’re done, Grandma Emma’s sweet potatoes await.”
He congratulated himself when Noah relaxed, laughing softly. “Yeah. Yeah. Good. Okay.” He looked to the doors one more time, back to Luke. Kissed him again. “Love you.”
“I love you too,” Luke smiled when Noah squeezed his hand once, then walked into the cafe. To meet his mother.
He joined Faith and Hunter at the car. They were possibly distracting themselves by going over the flowchart of the Snyder family tree that Faith had made for Hunter to study. (Luke wasn’t the only one finally introducing a guy to the family this weekend.) Faith looked up when he settled next to her. “You’re not going in with him?”
He shook his head. “We’ve intruded enough. This should be just for them.”
“You’re not even curious?” she questioned, raising that eyebrow.
He hoped the ‘how crazy are you?’ look would suffice as an answer. He stayed where he was, eyes on the cafe doors. Waiting. He’d wait as long as he had to. There weren’t many things in life he could guarantee, but him waiting for Noah was for sure one of them.
He purposefully didn’t keep track of time; he didn’t want to worry. So he had no idea how long it took for Noah to walk back out. But he knew it took about two seconds for him to cross the parking lot to Noah and grab him. That was what mattered.
Noah hugged him back, breathing out slowly into Luke’s shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Luke pulled away to study him. Noah looked a little shaky, a little worn out, but also... “Okay?” he asked, keeping his voice light.
Noah nodded, offering a little smile in return. “Okay. Very... strange, but okay.”
They walked hand in hand back to the car. “So you, uh...”
Noah shrugged. “I need some time to wrap my head around things before we meet again. She’s not really what I expected, you know?”
“Yeah,” he squeezed Noah’s hand, intertwined their arms a little tighter. “But you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” Noah echoed. “She- she said to have my bodyguard call her when I wanted to meet up again.”
He ignored how happy that made him- again- Noah wasn’t ready for him to make a big deal out of it yet. “She called me your bodyguard?”
“Actually,” Noah glanced at him sideways. “I think she was referring to Faith.”
“Damn straight,” Faith nodded proudly, already climbing into the driver’s seat. “You two cuddle in the back. We’ve got a five hour drive to Oakdale ahead of us.”
Luke groaned dramatically, pulling Noah with him into the backseat. “Oh God, prepare yourself Mayer. A weekend of horrors and over protective mothers and chatty cousins and at least one hookup and divorce. Rest up now, while you can.”
Noah took the seatbelt out of Luke’s hands, buckled it for him, and kept his hands at Luke’s waist. Holding on, tugging Luke forward by his shirt. They kissed slow and sweet. “We can handle it.”
We. When he said it like that, it sounded like a promise. “Yeah.” He ran his hand up the side of Noah’s face. Another kiss. “We can. I like that we can.”
Noah smirked. “Baby, that’s a really roundabout way to say you’re happy.”
Luke used the hand at his face to smack Noah playfully. “Trust me. I’ll show you later.”
That was a promise, too.
THE END -- Thanks for reading!!
Chapter: 4b/4
Author: carolinablu85
Pairing/Characters: Luke/Noah, Faith, Charlene, Casey, Hunter, Maddie, Emily
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,720
Spoilers/Warnings: AU with some canon borrowing, brief mentions of Luke/Other and Noah/Other, very brief very vague mentions of drug use
Summary: Boys are stupid but love each other and love is better than stupidity so maybe this will have a happy ending?
Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of merit.
A/N: For jessnic85, I wish upon you all the Joels, the Britts, the Aarons (and Aarons), the Steves, the Jakes (and Jakes), and Thomases in the world. :D
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4a
***
“Really? A real office now and everything?”
“Yeah, I think Emily might actually feel guilty about this.”
“I don’t think she promoted you just because of that.”
“I hope not.”
“She didn’t. You’re a great reporter, that’s why.”
“I guess I’ll have to believe you. You- you sound good today. You’re feeling... okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Did your sponsor yell at you about drinking?”
“Malcolm’s not really a yeller. But we talked. A lot.”
“So you’re really okay?”
“I’m doing better, Luke. That’s really all I can say.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
***
“Faith said you guys talked yesterday?”
“Yeah. It, um, it went okay. I guess.”
“She can’t stop taking pictures, I hope you know. She misses the job a lot, I think. And you. We don’t talk about it much, but I can feel it.”
“She said your mom and dad are fighting a lot again. Is everything okay?”
“Nice deflection there, Mayer.”
“Right back at you, Snyder.”
“Okay, look, Faith thinks she’s all world-weary and knowing now, but she’s still naive about our parents. They’re going to break up again. I mean, they’ll get back together again too, but it’s never going to be smooth sailing for them.”
“So you’re the one who’s world-weary and knowing?”
“Yeah. Sometimes way more than I want to be.”
“You should cut them some slack though. If they love each other that much, that they keep fighting their way back to each other...”
“I know. I guess. I’ve been talking to them more often lately. Since... since, you know. I’ve needed them to tell me when not to do something stupid. I guess I’ll always need that, huh?”
“Hey Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you guys too.”
***
“I’m on my way.”
“No, Luke, you-”
“Where are you? Is there a hospital in town, or did you have to-”
“Luke. It’s fine. He’s just... he’s old, you know? The vet says he’ll have to rest the leg for a little while, but it’ll heal. You don’t have to drive out here.”
“Napoleon weighs as much as you do, Noah. How are you going to cart him around and make sure he doesn’t break the leg again?”
“Some- some people in town volunteered to help out. I don’t know why, but... A couple of men here have hunting dogs, they know how to take care of big guys like Napoleon. It’ll be fine.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Promise.”
“...Why did you call me, then?”
“I just, um, wanted to hear your voice. I’m okay now.”
***
“Hmm.... Fiji, I think. I’ve never been to Fiji. It sounds nice and exotic. No one there who knows me. I’ll buy a hut on the beach and write a novel. Drink coconut milk, or whatever, all day. Get a real tan.”
“One problem with that scenario.”
“Just one?”
“That I can think of. Huts don’t usually come with electrical outlets. How is your hair going to survive without a blow dryer?”
“I hate you, Mayer.”
“No you don’t.”
“No, I don’t. Your turn.”
“Anywhere But Here? I- I don’t know.”
“I think you do. And don’t say Hollywood.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“A-ha! Which means you were going to say somewhere. So spill.”
“I don’t know. I should say like, studying film in Prague or... I moved around a lot as a kid, you know that. Lived in bases, in so many different states and countries. I- I don’t know. I want to go to a small town. A real house, with real people in it. Cook a real dinner, or go to a barbeque, go to a park, or... I don’t know, this is stupid, I told you, I don’t-”
“Noah.”
“What?”
“You know I know a place like that, right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
***
“No, Mom, I promise we’ll come for the weekend.” Luke rubbed at his forehead, reminding himself that this was a good thing. Family dinners were good things.
“Your grandmother- both of them, actually- will be very happy to hear that.” He could hear her happy smile over the phone and relaxed a little more. It was a good thing. “Faith said she’d bake something to bring for dinner. I had no idea she even cooked.”
“Me either,” he admitted. “But she’s pretty good at it. Between that and photography, I think she’s got a whole, you know, life. Skill sets and stuff.”
“Funny, dear,” Lily sighed in that tired, fond way that only mothers could. “And what is her skill set up to tonight that she couldn’t talk to me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Luke sat back, propping his feet up on his coffee table. “She and Maddie have this weekly ‘Girls Night’ thing that I really don’t want to know the details of.”
“Fine, fine,” Lily laughed a little before growing serious again. “I’m glad you two are doing so well up there, honey. We’re all proud of you, you know that, right?”
He smiled. “I do.” The buzzer to his apartment sounded, cutting him off. “My dinner’s here, Mom, I gotta go. Faith and I will be at the farm on Saturday, okay?” He hit the button, letting the delivery guy up. “Love you.”
“Love you too, honey. Bye.”
Luke slid his phone into his back pocket, keeping it nearby at all times now. Just in case someone might call. Someone who usually called on Thursday nights, because Luke usually took Fridays to travel around the city for interviews and such, and didn’t have to wake up as early. So they could spend more of the night before talking...
He opened his front door, leaning against it to wait for the delivery guy. Until Noah called, he planned on moping into his pizza, pretending he wasn’t counting down the minutes until 8:57, which seemed to be the exact time Noah called every week. (Noah called him now. Silence and distance didn’t stretch between them, like it had when Luke first came back to Chicago and wasn’t sure if he was allowed to check on him. Tentative, short, awkward conversations became regular calls. And now Noah was calling him regularly. It was-)
The elevator dinged at the end of the hallway. Luke put his polite smile on, digging through his wallet for cash. “Hi, sorry, I hope you have change for...” he looked up and the polite smile disappeared.
“Um,” Noah shrugged. “I ran into the guy in the lobby and paid him.” He gave a careful, almost scared, half-smile. “You owe me twenty bucks.”
Luke gaped at him. “Screw the twenty bucks.” He rushed forward, grabbed the box out of Noah’s hands and dropped it to the floor. “I’ll give you more than that.” He went in for a kiss but changed course at the last second, pulling Noah into a hug instead, wrapping his arms so tight around him.
To his insanely huge relief, Noah hugged him back, his arms slinging low around Luke’s waist, fingers digging and twisting into his shirt. Luke ran one hand up to the back of Noah’s head, weaving his fingers into his hair, reminding himself he couldn’t actually pet Noah, even if he wanted to.
And he really, really wanted to.
He felt Noah’s sigh (happiness? relief?) in his own chest and couldn’t stop smiling. He hugged him tighter for a long moment, then slowly, regrettably, pulled back to look at Noah’s face. “Hi.”
Noah’s face was flushed and his eyes were bright, as bright as Luke had ever seen them. “Hi. You dropped your pizza.”
“Guess how much I care,” he murmured, eyes taking all of Noah in. He looked a little thinner, but Luke couldn’t tell if that was just a trick of his mind after not seeing him for so long. But his face was clear and lighter and... and he looked good. “Want to come inside?”
Noah swallowed hard and nodded, waiting for Luke to pick the pizza back up and grab his hand, leading him into the apartment. They were pretty much silent on their way to the kitchen, but the second Luke turned to set the pizza on the table, Noah moved close again, hugging him from behind, arms warm and perfect around him.
Luke closed his eyes, leaning back, and somehow just kinda knew Noah had closed his too. “Hungry?”
Noah shook his head. “Not particularly.”
He grinned. “I should rephrase. Have you eaten yet today?”
There was a pause, then a very quiet and petulant, “No.”
The grin turned into a laugh. “That’s what I thought.” He turned around in Noah’s arms, looping his around Noah’s neck. “Work or nerves?”
“A little of both,” he confessed, blushing. “I’m not so good at being spontaneous.”
He still wanted to kiss him. Badly. He settled for leaning up and pressing his lips to Noah’s forehead softly. “I think it went pretty well this time.” He brought his hands down to gather Noah’s, squeezing. “Eat dinner with me. Then we’ll talk.”
The pizza was only slightly smushed from its fall, so they sat together on the floor by the coffee table, snacking away. Luke pressed his big toe into Noah’s calf. “You look, um, lighter.”
Noah didn’t even make fun of him for that. “I feel it. I think I, you know, got things sorted in my head.” He ducked his head, blushing. “Priorities and stuff.”
“Priorities?” he tried to keep any inflection of any kind in any way out of his voice. He wasn’t hopeful, he wasn’t nervous, he wasn’t scared or confused. None of those things. Nope.
“Maybe focusing on just work for so long wasn’t the best thing for me,” he wasn’t quite looking at Luke, just over his shoulder instead. That silly half-smile in place. “And maybe I should be making room in my life for other things. People.”
“People?” Luke pressed a little, using his toe again for emphasis.
“You,” Noah amended. And then, amending even more, “And Faith, and Ameera and her- my family, and my neighbors, and friends from school I’ve kinda been neglecting.” He shrugged, embarrassed. “So many bad things happened, I just found it easier to not look at any of it.”
“Hard to do when you’re a photographer,” he said, scooting a little closer, their sides pressed together.
“Easy to do,” Noah corrected. “I get to hide all the time.” He shrugged again, but the easy way in which he did it, in which he spoke, kept Luke from worrying (too much). “I- I didn’t realize how bad it was for me until you came along.” He bit his lip. “And how much worse it’d be when you were gone.”
Luke held still for a moment. Then he slowly turned, laying his legs across Noah’s lap, facing him sideways. “I’m not gone now.”
Noah finally looked at him, half-smile back. “Me either.”
He hesitated for two seconds, if that. Then he reached out to hold Noah’s face in both hands, leaned in and kissed him softly. “I missed you,” he whispered against Noah’s lips, not willing to pull back.
Noah didn’t pull back either, so when his mouth quirked up into a smile, so did Luke’s. “Missed you too.” He tilted his chin just a little, just enough to bring another kiss out of Luke, longer this time. Deeper. “Missed everything.”
They never did finish the pizza.
***
Someone was watching him. Noah realized it the second he woke up. He held still, taking stock of himself and his surroundings. He wasn’t used to waking up in unfamiliar places. But then he smiled a little and opened his eyes, remembering. “Morning.”
Luke grinned right back. “Morning.” He was sitting up against the headboard, coffee in one and, newspaper across his lap.
Noah rolled onto his back, looking up at him. “I never pegged you as an early riser,” he inched over until his head was resting against Luke’s leg, almost dislodging the paper.
Luke rolled his eyes a little, petting Noah’s hair with his free hand. “I like to keep you guessing. Besides, farmboy, remember?”
“I remember,” Noah said softly. He rolled again, into Luke, draping an arm across his legs almost possessively. Mine. “Everything.”
“Good and bad?” Luke asked, almost nervous.
Noah nodded against Luke’s thigh. “But that’s okay. You know that, right? I... I remember bad things for good reasons.”
Luke’s fingers twisted playfully in his hair. “So I’m a good reason?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he lectured, straight-faced, until Luke tugged on a few strands of hair. Then he turned his head, laying a kiss to Luke’s knee. “You’re a good reason. And anyway, you’re not a bad thing.”
Luke’s answering smile was wide, beautiful, and Noah was suddenly breathless. “Baby, that’s a really roundabout way of saying you’re happy,” he repeated those words from weeks earlier, only half-teasing.
“Hey Luke?” Noah reached up to the back of Luke’s neck, pulling him down into a messy, sweet, almost upside down kiss. “I’m happy.”
“Me too.” If Luke’s voice cracked a little there, they both ignored it.
Noah finally sat up, draping himself around Luke’s side, resting his chin on Luke’s shoulder. “Good thing.” He read the paper with Luke, slowly sneaking his arms around his waist.
Luke leaned his head to the side, knocking it gently into Noah’s. “Hey.”
“Hmm?” his arms went a little farther.
Luke turned his head, kissed Noah’s cheek. “You’re not getting my coffee.”
Noah went still. “Luke,” he protested. Not whined. He didn’t whine. Or pout.
“Nope,” Luke grinned again.”There’s some out in the kitchen, if you want it that badly.”
“I’m going to remember this too,” he warned, pulling his arms away (but slowly, of course. He was only human.)
Luke kissed him again, loud and exaggerated. “Well, I hope you remember where the kitchen is.”
Noah grumbled, taking his time unfolding his body and climbing out of bed, stretching sore muscles (and remembering good things). “Coffee maker?”
Luke nodded, taking a sip of own mug to unsuccessfully hide his ogling of Noah. Noah couldn’t stop his blush, but also kinda didn’t care. “Oh, and breakfast will probably be delivered soon, so you might want to, you know, put on some clothes. Pants, at least.”
He was absolutely still not blushing when he poured a cup of coffee in the kitchen, now wearing sweatpants that were maybe an inch or two too short and an Oakdale University shirt. Whatever, it’s not like anyone else would see him, right?
His answer was the sound of a key going into the lock and the front door opening. In the seconds after, as he belatedly wondered if he should hide or run or yell for Luke, he realized who it was that probably had a key to Luke’s apartment.
And then Faith was there, holding a bag of what smelled like fresh bagels. She froze in the doorway of the kitchen, a mix of shock and relief and guilt and hope going across her face with impressive speed. Then she tentatively waved. “Hey boss.”
“Hey Faith,” he said softly, smiling a little, He was suddenly and confusingly nervous.
She relaxed a little at the smile, setting the bagels down on a counter and sitting down at the table, relaxing even more when he took the seat across from her. “So you, um, came over for breakfast?” she asked, trying to keep an innocent expression on her face.
He was very glad Luke had made him put clothes on. “Maybe,” he said defensively, mock-glaring at her. His own uneasiness melted away at the happy look on her face. “We’re okay,” he added gently.
She raised an eyebrow. “You and Luke or you and me?”
Another smile. “Me and every Snyder.”
She opened the bag of bagels and slid one across the table to him. “I miss the studio.”
“We miss you too,” he said. “I’m, um, I haven’t re-filled the position.” He glanced at her. “If you’re, you know-”
“I am,” she said quickly. “Noah, working for you was the first time I felt... like I was doing something. Worthwhile, I mean. I really liked...” she trailed off with a shrug. “It was a great job, Noah. I’d- I’d like to come back if I can.”
“You can,” he assured. “My emails are all screwed up now, I kinda need you.” He lifted one shoulder, going for nonchalant. “Plus, I’ve been getting these job offers that could probably use an extra eye and extra camera, if you ever wanted to-”
Faith was out of her chair and around the table so fast, he barely registered the move. “I do, I really do,” she said in a rush, even as she threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him sideways out of his chair. “I really... I’m so glad you’re here.”
He hugged her back.”Me too.”
“Hey,” Luke was leaning oh so casually, oh so I-wasn’t-eavesdropping-but-yes-I-was, in the doorway. “You’ve already got a boyfriend. Leave mine alone, Ace.”
Faith pulled back to glare at him, but Noah was staring wide-eyed at her. “What? You have a boyfriend?”
“No,” she said pointedly, still glaring at her brother. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just my...guy I’m dating. Sort of. A little.”
“Wait,” Noah barely noticed Luke take the seat next to him, ruffling his hair as he did. “Is it the computer guy? He finally succeeding in wooing you?”
“Luke!” Faith threw her hands dramatically into the air. It was such a familiar and missed gesture that Noah wasn’t sure if he was smiling more at that or at how embarrassed she was. “How much did you tell him?!”
“Just a few things, here and there,” Luke grinned, unconcerned, getting his own bagel and propping his legs up in Noah’s lap.
Faith’s glare didn’t let up, even when she turned to Noah. “Did he tell you everything? Did he tell you about the fish?”
“The fish?” Noah repeated, one hand unconsciously rubbing circles into Luke’s ankle.
“The fish.” Faith crossed her arms. “Luke told Hunter that I like goldfish.”
“You do,” Noah pointed out. “You ate them at the studio all the time.” He’d taken to buying them on his grocery runs so they’d always have some for her.
Luke was trying very hard not to laugh now. Faith continued to glare. “Yeah, well, it probably would’ve helped if Luke had told him that I like the goldfish crackers. And not...” she pointed behind him.
Noah turned and saw a fish bowl near the window. With a real, live goldfish swimming in it. Somehow he’d missed that last night. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh,” Faith shook her head, pointedly ignored Luke, who wasn’t bothering to hide his laugh anymore. “I mean, it’s sweet, he meant well, and Lafayette is cute and all,but... I hate my brother,” she concluded. She went over to the bowl to feed her new pet.
Noah’ brain caught up with her words. “Isn’t Lafayette the name of the other dog in The Aristocats?”
Quieter laughter from Luke, softer. “Told you he’d get it,” he announced, hugging Noah to him. Noah leaned into him willingly, not stopping the smile, but kept his eyes on Faith.
She pointed at Luke. “You shut up. I still hate you.” Then she looked to Noah. “And yeah, maybe it was on TV or something,” she teased. “Maybe I missed Napoleon, too.”
“He’ll be happy to see you,” he said. “He’s spending the weekend with one of my neighbors, but Monday, if you-”
“I’ll be there,” she promised. “Someone has to keep an eye on things over there,” she sighed, teasing again.
He felt Luke’s smile too. “Definitely.” he pulled them even closer together, tucking his face into Noah’s neck, kissing him. “Especially since the boss is going to be pretty busy for awhile. And by busy, I mean-”
“OhmyGodifyouwantmetoleavejustsayso,” Faith burst out in one breath, hurriedly grabbing her purse away. “This is just so inappropriate, I can’t even-”
“Hey,” Noah pulled out of Luke’s hold just enough to snag her wrist, pausing her tirade. (Snyders were good at those, he made a note.) “I’ll see you Monday?”
She looked at him, smiled wide and happy, and nodded. “Monday.” She pointed at Luke again. “Don’t kill my fish or my boss,” she warned before hurrying out with a slam of the front door.
Noah turned back to Luke and pulled, bringing Luke into his lap so they were facing each other. “You heard her. No killing me.”
Luke’s arms went around his neck, hands sliding through his hair. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, his eyes darting up and down and up Noah’s face. “I’ve got better things in mind.” Noah pulled again, Luke’s mouth meeting his. Slow at first, then not so slow. He could think of better things too.
***
One month later...
She didn’t necessarily look nervous, but Luke wasn’t necessarily a fool. He wouldn’t even be surprised if she knew why he was here. “Luke,” she greeted with nod, not warm but not unfriendly either.
“Hi, Charlene,” he sat in the booth, the one he had reserved in the far corner of the cafe. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
She nodded again, giving nothing else away. “Your sister has done a good job of pleading your case, I guess.”
“Apparently,” he said. And Noah’s case too, he added in his head. When Faith and Maddie had told them what they’d done (and had continued to do for the next couple weeks), he was actually surprised at how not-mad he and Noah were.
It was the missing piece of this puzzle.
He looked her square in the eye. “I’m not here for another story, or to beg for more forgiveness. I’m not here for me at all.”
She was still for a fraction of a second, and then her eyes flashed with realization.”He’s here, isn’t he?” He could see her fight the urge to look around.
He nodded. “Outside in the car with Faith. We’re taking him to my family’s farm for the weekend. For, um, for his birthday.” He hoped that wasn’t laying it on too thick, even though it was true. She didn’t really react to that (which, duh Snyder- she was there for his actual birth), so he continued. “We’re heading out either right now when I walk out of here, or... after he does.”
“He knows I’m here?” she asked, voice as soft as he’d ever heard it.
Luke nodded again. “But I don’t know what he’s expecting. If he’s expecting anything. This is your call, Charlene. If you want, I can go outside and send him in. Or I can start my weekend trip with my boyfriend now. We can try another time, or...or not at all.” Then he laid his hands flat on the table. “But you’d be stupid to pick door number three.”
Charlene actually broke eye contact, glancing around the cafe as though she’d be able to see Noah through the walls. “He’s...?”
“He’s good,” Luke said softly. “Great, actually He’s- he’d probably rather you pick the best option for you, not force anything, okay? He’s not expecting much.” Even quieter, “But he’s scared, of course. A little. I think.”
Charlene traced the edge of her coffee cup, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them, her eyes were clearer, determined. “I’d like to meet him.”
Luke was almost surprised at the sudden tsunami of relief that crashed over him. “Okay. Good. Yes.” To keep from babbling and ruining this moment, he stood, stuffing his hands into his pockets and rocking on his feet. “I’ll go, um, get him. You’re sure?” He had to check. Had to.
Charlene regarded him seriously, going for a calm she wasn’t quite feeling. “Go.” Luke took his own deep breath, trying not to run. Okay, maybe a part of him was scared she’d try to make a run for it out the back.
Noah, Faith, and Hunter were outside, all of them leaning against the car. Faith and Hunter were trying to break the silence, asking Noah photography questions one by one. And not quite succeeding.
He and Noah locked eyes the second he walked out. He smiled at Noah. Nodded.
Noah’s eyes went a little wider and he swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Luke reached for his hand, pulled him in. “You want me to stay with you? Or wait out here?”
“Um,” Noah looked to the cafe,then back at Luke, biting his lip.
Luke got it. “We’ll be out here, everything’ll be fine, okay?” He kissed Noah quickly. “And when you’re done, Grandma Emma’s sweet potatoes await.”
He congratulated himself when Noah relaxed, laughing softly. “Yeah. Yeah. Good. Okay.” He looked to the doors one more time, back to Luke. Kissed him again. “Love you.”
“I love you too,” Luke smiled when Noah squeezed his hand once, then walked into the cafe. To meet his mother.
He joined Faith and Hunter at the car. They were possibly distracting themselves by going over the flowchart of the Snyder family tree that Faith had made for Hunter to study. (Luke wasn’t the only one finally introducing a guy to the family this weekend.) Faith looked up when he settled next to her. “You’re not going in with him?”
He shook his head. “We’ve intruded enough. This should be just for them.”
“You’re not even curious?” she questioned, raising that eyebrow.
He hoped the ‘how crazy are you?’ look would suffice as an answer. He stayed where he was, eyes on the cafe doors. Waiting. He’d wait as long as he had to. There weren’t many things in life he could guarantee, but him waiting for Noah was for sure one of them.
He purposefully didn’t keep track of time; he didn’t want to worry. So he had no idea how long it took for Noah to walk back out. But he knew it took about two seconds for him to cross the parking lot to Noah and grab him. That was what mattered.
Noah hugged him back, breathing out slowly into Luke’s shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Luke pulled away to study him. Noah looked a little shaky, a little worn out, but also... “Okay?” he asked, keeping his voice light.
Noah nodded, offering a little smile in return. “Okay. Very... strange, but okay.”
They walked hand in hand back to the car. “So you, uh...”
Noah shrugged. “I need some time to wrap my head around things before we meet again. She’s not really what I expected, you know?”
“Yeah,” he squeezed Noah’s hand, intertwined their arms a little tighter. “But you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” Noah echoed. “She- she said to have my bodyguard call her when I wanted to meet up again.”
He ignored how happy that made him- again- Noah wasn’t ready for him to make a big deal out of it yet. “She called me your bodyguard?”
“Actually,” Noah glanced at him sideways. “I think she was referring to Faith.”
“Damn straight,” Faith nodded proudly, already climbing into the driver’s seat. “You two cuddle in the back. We’ve got a five hour drive to Oakdale ahead of us.”
Luke groaned dramatically, pulling Noah with him into the backseat. “Oh God, prepare yourself Mayer. A weekend of horrors and over protective mothers and chatty cousins and at least one hookup and divorce. Rest up now, while you can.”
Noah took the seatbelt out of Luke’s hands, buckled it for him, and kept his hands at Luke’s waist. Holding on, tugging Luke forward by his shirt. They kissed slow and sweet. “We can handle it.”
We. When he said it like that, it sounded like a promise. “Yeah.” He ran his hand up the side of Noah’s face. Another kiss. “We can. I like that we can.”
Noah smirked. “Baby, that’s a really roundabout way to say you’re happy.”
Luke used the hand at his face to smack Noah playfully. “Trust me. I’ll show you later.”
That was a promise, too.
THE END -- Thanks for reading!!