As the World Turns fic - Kiss Me At Midnight
Title: Kiss Me At Midnight
Pairing: ATWT - Luke & Noah
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,125
Summay: Luke is a jerk. Noah agrees.
Disclaimer: All in good fun. Take it for what it is.
The room was crowded, noisy and so damn hot, and Luke hung back, stayed at the fringes. He watched everyone around him smile and laugh. He covered an amused grin as the littler kids stole curious glances at the mountain of presents under the tree.
He leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest. Somewhere through the jumble of excited voices, he thought he'd heard his mom say Noah's name, but he quickly convinced himself that he'd heard her wrong. That was just another of his long list of mistakes and it was best not to go there.
After just a few more minutes, dinner was announced and it was a mad rush as everyone found their seats. He found his and had started to pull himself in, when familiar hands covered his own.
"I got you," Noah whispered in his ear as he helped Luke slide in his chair.
Luke swallowed and as he spread his napkin over his lap with shaking hands, he wondered how he would eat. Matters weren't helped any when Noah took the last remaining seat - across from him. Luke ignored the curious glances and sneaky, sly grins tossed his way from his family. He glowered at everyone and wondered if he could kill everyone in their sleep - with a candy cane.
If he ignored the fact that Noah was overly nice to him all through dinner, and ignored the all out amused expression his brother wore, and ignored the fact that *everyone* was watching him during dinner, it wasn't bad.
In fact, he figured he had done pretty well through dinner. He didn't stare every time Noah licked his lips - all ten times - and when dessert rolled around, he was ready to congratulate himself on a job well done. He was also ready to go in the other room. It was quiet there, and somewhere Noah wouldn't be.
But then Noah had held out a slice of blueberry pie. He looked expectant, hopeful, and it tore at Luke's insides. He told himself it was just a piece of pie, and quickly reached out to take the plate from Noah. When his fingertips gently brushed over Noah's, he froze and looked up quickly. But Noah's expression hadn't changed, and once Luke had the small plate, began talking about his current classes with Lily.
Luke concentrated on eating the pie, sure that there was a special hell specially reserved for moms that invite ex-boyfriends to Christmas dinner.
"Luke's going back after the Christmas break, aren't you Luke?" Lily asked brightly.
Luke groaned quietly, wishing he could slide under the table. Instead, he swallowed and smiled. "Um, yeah. Just one class this session, though. The doctors want me to start back slowly."
Luke hadn't thought it possible, but Noah's expression brightened. "That's great, maybe we'll see each other," he answered hopefully.
Luke picked up his glass of milk, suddenly very interested in it. "Yeah, maybe," he mumbled into the glass before draining it of its contents.
After dinner, the kitchen emptied quickly and Luke stuck around to help clear the table. Lily took a pile of dirty plates from him and used that as her chance to say something.
"What are you doing?" she hissed quietly.
"I'm - helping you," Luke answered in confusion. What did she think he was doing?
Lily took one quick glance at Noah. He was standing by himself at the edge of the room and looked only a little uncomfortable. Luke followed her gaze.
"Why's he here, mom?"
Lily sighed. "He's here for you. Stop helping me and get over there." As she said this, she turned him around and gave him a careful push towards Noah.
Luke let himself be pushed, and then stopped in front of him. Suddenly, there were too many people there besides them. For the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to say.
"Hi," he settled on. Simple, but it was a terrible conversation starter.
Noah rescued him and flashed a big smile that was only for Luke . "Hi yourself. You're walking," he pointed out.
Luke chuckled. "Yeah, for a few weeks now. Still a little stiff, but getting better with it every day." He hesitated a moment, unsure. "I'm - I'm glad you came," he finally said in a rush.
Instead of answering him, Noah cupped the side of Luke's face in one hand and dipped his head down, lightly brushing his lips over Luke's. "Mistletoe," he answered before Luke had a chance to ask. "And me too."
Luke chuckled at the mistletoe hanging in the doorway. "I wonder who put that there," he joked.
"Somehow, I think your mom had something to do with that. Look, is there somewhere we can go?" Noah asked as he waved a hand at the crowded room.
Luke grabbed Noah's hand and tugged gently. "Yeah. Come on."
The only quiet place in the house was his room, so he went there, locking the door behind them. He sat on the bed, picking at the seams on the quilt. He was thankful, very thankful, they'd had the hospital bed taken out a couple of weeks ago. His chair sat empty and forgotten in the corner, like a ghost. With any luck he wouldn't need it again.
Noah, he noticed, hadn't sat down yet. He was still standing awkwardly just inside the door.
"I was a jerk," Luke said quietly. He looked up. If there was even a sliver of hope of them fixing this, he had to stop being a chicken, had to face Noah without backing down.
Noah crossed the room slowly and sat next to him. "Yeah, you were. But you were also overwhelmed and scared." Luke's hand was on his thigh and Noah slid his own hand over it, linking their fingers together.
"But you still let me push you away." Luke turned his hand over and linked their fingers again.
"No. What I did was give you the space you needed until you came to your senses." He reached out with his free hand and brushed Luke's bangs out of the way.
"Is that what they're calling it? Space?" Luke teased. He grasped Noah's hand and held on, positive he was never going to let go again. Not if he could help it.
Noah pulled their joined hands into his lap and looked down, staring at their linked fingers. "And have you?" he asked, so softly that Luke almost didn't hear him. "Come to your senses, I mean."
Luke turned on his bed, faced Noah and wrapped his hands around his neck, holding him close, touching their foreheads together. He kissed Noah slowly, carefully, thoroughly. “I think so,” he finally answered.
Pairing: ATWT - Luke & Noah
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,125
Summay: Luke is a jerk. Noah agrees.
Disclaimer: All in good fun. Take it for what it is.
The room was crowded, noisy and so damn hot, and Luke hung back, stayed at the fringes. He watched everyone around him smile and laugh. He covered an amused grin as the littler kids stole curious glances at the mountain of presents under the tree.
He leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest. Somewhere through the jumble of excited voices, he thought he'd heard his mom say Noah's name, but he quickly convinced himself that he'd heard her wrong. That was just another of his long list of mistakes and it was best not to go there.
After just a few more minutes, dinner was announced and it was a mad rush as everyone found their seats. He found his and had started to pull himself in, when familiar hands covered his own.
"I got you," Noah whispered in his ear as he helped Luke slide in his chair.
Luke swallowed and as he spread his napkin over his lap with shaking hands, he wondered how he would eat. Matters weren't helped any when Noah took the last remaining seat - across from him. Luke ignored the curious glances and sneaky, sly grins tossed his way from his family. He glowered at everyone and wondered if he could kill everyone in their sleep - with a candy cane.
If he ignored the fact that Noah was overly nice to him all through dinner, and ignored the all out amused expression his brother wore, and ignored the fact that *everyone* was watching him during dinner, it wasn't bad.
In fact, he figured he had done pretty well through dinner. He didn't stare every time Noah licked his lips - all ten times - and when dessert rolled around, he was ready to congratulate himself on a job well done. He was also ready to go in the other room. It was quiet there, and somewhere Noah wouldn't be.
But then Noah had held out a slice of blueberry pie. He looked expectant, hopeful, and it tore at Luke's insides. He told himself it was just a piece of pie, and quickly reached out to take the plate from Noah. When his fingertips gently brushed over Noah's, he froze and looked up quickly. But Noah's expression hadn't changed, and once Luke had the small plate, began talking about his current classes with Lily.
Luke concentrated on eating the pie, sure that there was a special hell specially reserved for moms that invite ex-boyfriends to Christmas dinner.
"Luke's going back after the Christmas break, aren't you Luke?" Lily asked brightly.
Luke groaned quietly, wishing he could slide under the table. Instead, he swallowed and smiled. "Um, yeah. Just one class this session, though. The doctors want me to start back slowly."
Luke hadn't thought it possible, but Noah's expression brightened. "That's great, maybe we'll see each other," he answered hopefully.
Luke picked up his glass of milk, suddenly very interested in it. "Yeah, maybe," he mumbled into the glass before draining it of its contents.
After dinner, the kitchen emptied quickly and Luke stuck around to help clear the table. Lily took a pile of dirty plates from him and used that as her chance to say something.
"What are you doing?" she hissed quietly.
"I'm - helping you," Luke answered in confusion. What did she think he was doing?
Lily took one quick glance at Noah. He was standing by himself at the edge of the room and looked only a little uncomfortable. Luke followed her gaze.
"Why's he here, mom?"
Lily sighed. "He's here for you. Stop helping me and get over there." As she said this, she turned him around and gave him a careful push towards Noah.
Luke let himself be pushed, and then stopped in front of him. Suddenly, there were too many people there besides them. For the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to say.
"Hi," he settled on. Simple, but it was a terrible conversation starter.
Noah rescued him and flashed a big smile that was only for Luke . "Hi yourself. You're walking," he pointed out.
Luke chuckled. "Yeah, for a few weeks now. Still a little stiff, but getting better with it every day." He hesitated a moment, unsure. "I'm - I'm glad you came," he finally said in a rush.
Instead of answering him, Noah cupped the side of Luke's face in one hand and dipped his head down, lightly brushing his lips over Luke's. "Mistletoe," he answered before Luke had a chance to ask. "And me too."
Luke chuckled at the mistletoe hanging in the doorway. "I wonder who put that there," he joked.
"Somehow, I think your mom had something to do with that. Look, is there somewhere we can go?" Noah asked as he waved a hand at the crowded room.
Luke grabbed Noah's hand and tugged gently. "Yeah. Come on."
The only quiet place in the house was his room, so he went there, locking the door behind them. He sat on the bed, picking at the seams on the quilt. He was thankful, very thankful, they'd had the hospital bed taken out a couple of weeks ago. His chair sat empty and forgotten in the corner, like a ghost. With any luck he wouldn't need it again.
Noah, he noticed, hadn't sat down yet. He was still standing awkwardly just inside the door.
"I was a jerk," Luke said quietly. He looked up. If there was even a sliver of hope of them fixing this, he had to stop being a chicken, had to face Noah without backing down.
Noah crossed the room slowly and sat next to him. "Yeah, you were. But you were also overwhelmed and scared." Luke's hand was on his thigh and Noah slid his own hand over it, linking their fingers together.
"But you still let me push you away." Luke turned his hand over and linked their fingers again.
"No. What I did was give you the space you needed until you came to your senses." He reached out with his free hand and brushed Luke's bangs out of the way.
"Is that what they're calling it? Space?" Luke teased. He grasped Noah's hand and held on, positive he was never going to let go again. Not if he could help it.
Noah pulled their joined hands into his lap and looked down, staring at their linked fingers. "And have you?" he asked, so softly that Luke almost didn't hear him. "Come to your senses, I mean."
Luke turned on his bed, faced Noah and wrapped his hands around his neck, holding him close, touching their foreheads together. He kissed Noah slowly, carefully, thoroughly. “I think so,” he finally answered.