disclaimer/warning: right. I own none of these characters. They belong to the STUNNING Diana Wynne Jones, the very first line is her's too. (gods, she's amazing) Though I have trouble really saying that anyone owns the gods, so a lot of these bits are my take on mythology, but basically they're hers. I make no money, mean no disrespect. Just wanna make things happy. I can't promise to put them back yet though 'cause I'm not done with them yet. Umm...two boys, kissing, cuddling, falling in love with each other. If bothers you don't read (if bothers you...why are you on my page?)
A Different Kind of Faith
Part one: let sleeping gods lie
“I have to go to sleep now, it’s urgent.”
David laughed slightly, still a bit hysterically at the comment, quieting as he realized that Luke had already drifted off. He jumped slightly when Astrid spoke.
“He’s really quite something,” she murmured. “Doesn’t look like an earthquake could wake him now.”
“Yes…” David let his eyes rest of Luke’s relaxing form…and that was it. Luke finally looked entirely relaxed, comfortable. He was…he was utterly beautiful. David felt his face flush and started to turn away.
“David?”
“Yeah, Astrid?” David answered, vaguely worried.
“Luke’s staying with us isn’t he?”
David hesitated, “I think so.”
“Well…” Astrid gazed at the street; “there’s only two bedrooms. There’s a twin and a queen. I was going to take the queen, but if you and Luke don’t mind sharing, it’s yours.”
David blushed slightly, “we’ll work it out.”
“Hopefully, because we’re here and Luke isn’t showing signs of waking.”
David looked back at his friend and thought quickly.
“I can carry him I think. On my back.”
“Alright.”
David crawled across the back seat to pull Luke’s nerveless body towards the car door. There he knelt and lifted the limp form onto his back.
Luke was warm. So warm. His presence on David’s back was blindingly real as he carried Luke up the staircase into their new apartment.
“The master bedroom’s the first to the left, David,” Astrid informed him. “You might as well put him in there.”
“Thanks.”
The room was still sparse; no doubt they could bring things from ‘home’ later. The bed was set in the middle and David settled Luke on the right side of it. The large bed that dwarfed Luke was made up with pure white sheets that in no way complimented Luke’s pale skin, but nevertheless David stopped and stared. How Luke was simply spread on the bed and David had put him there and…gods he was relaxed, and half-smiling and simply, stunningly, beautiful. High, carved cheekbones, delicate structure, red lashes resting heavily on pale, lightly freckled skin.
“David…ok.”
David spun around at the sound of Astrid’s voice. “I…”
She smiled. “Would you like dinner? Allen’s mum’s offering.”
David nodded, “if you like.”
Astrid shrugged, “all right then. Um…David?”
“Yeah?”
“If you and Luke end up, you know…”
David sputtered. “Astrid…!”
“Well, I just want you to know I wouldn’t mind.”
“Astrid!”
“In fact,” the blond woman was starting to grin, as David shifted uncomfortably, “I think it’d be entirely suiting.”
“Astrid!”
“What?” she grinned merrily.
David sputtered “he’s…he’s Luke! He wouldn’t…not me!”
“Yes, you,” Astrid laughed. “C’mon, dinner.”
“But, Astrid…”
“We can discuss your burgeoning homosexuality later, David. Aren’t you hungry?”
David smiled unintentionally, “starved.”
“Dinner.”
David trekked down the stairs behind Astrid only to get swept up in Allen’s mum’s cooking and Allen’s sister’s prattle. Allen leaned towards him during the first course.
“Sorry about your folks.”
David shook his head just as Allen’s mum looked up.
“Allen, no whispering at the table.”
“Yes, mum.”
Allen’s mum turned towards Astrid.
“So dear, what will you be doing now that you’re on your own?”
Astrid smiled prettily at the older woman. “I was thinking of going back to being a typist. David may have to stay here for school though.”
The woman just smiled back, “perhaps he could be in Allen’s class. And what about the other boy, Luke?”
Astrid looked at David. “I think Luke will be staying with us. But as far as I know he’s finished his schooling.”
David nodded in affirmation.
“What will he do then?”
“Whatever he wants I think.”
Allen leaned over to whisper again. “Wanna come see my room after dinner?”
David shook his head; “ I have to…take Luke some dinner. He fell asleep.” He had been so close to saying simply: ‘I have to get back to Luke.’ He wanted to get back to Luke. Back to that pale body spread out on that bed that they were to share. The rest of dinner passed in a haze of vague fantasies for David. He wasn’t at all sure exactly what he wanted, but the meal dissolved in his mouth without him even noticing what he was chewing. He cleared his plate mindlessly. And then stopped dead in his tracks when Allen’s mum stood before him.
“Ummm…”
She just smiled and handed him a plate of food. “Here, take this up to your friend, if he’s awake I’m sure he’ll want dinner.”
David nodded, blinking quickly, “thank you.”
“I hope you are comfortable.”
“Oh, yes…thank you.” Manners, David reminded himself. Manners are good. Especially when they aren’t required. “Everything’s perfect. Thank you ever so.”
“David?”
David turned around, “yeah, Astrid?”
“Are you going back up?”
“I was planning to. You staying down here?”
“Yeah, I’ll be up eventually.”
“Whatever you like.”
He left, heading up the stairs careful not to spill the food. He left the food on the table and slid into the bedroom, sitting on the large bed. Luke showed no signs of waking. Watching his friend sleep David realized that he was tired too. It had, quite admittedly been a long day. Days if you wanted to be really precise, and no one would blame him if he went to bed a bit early. And the soft sheets looked so inviting…not to mention Luke’s presence on the other side. Pulling off Luke’s shoes he pulled the covers over the other boy, then divested himself of most of his own clothes and slid into the other side of the bed, turning out the light as he did so.
He lay still in the huge bed mostly listening, he could hear Luke breathing a body space or so away from him. Luke’s mere presence sent his nerves thrilling. When had this happened? When had he started to notice? The radiance in Luke had always been there, and it continued even when he was asleep. But there was something more too, and it was beginning to make David ache. But eventually he fell asleep.
The David woke Monday morning feeling warm, comfortable, and safe. Exceedingly warm in fact. Luke had shifted against him in the night to curl himself around David. He seemed to be using David as some mix between a stuffed animal and a body pillow. One knee was bent across David’s legs and one arm was thrown over his chest, locking him tightly against Luke, whose bright red head was resting in the crook of his neck and shoulder. David breathed in, Luke smelled like fire, metallic and spicy. David was…
“Mornin’.”
David blinked down at Luke, he wasn’t entirely sure if his friend’s mouth had even moved when he spoke.
“Morning.”
“You mind this?”
“…This?…oh, no,” David flushed. “No, I don’t mind.”
“Alright.” Then a few moments later, “do you like it?”
“I…yes…”
“Good,” then Luke, of all things, snuggled back in against David. Suddenly he looked up. “Go back to sleep, I’m not getting up for a while yet.”
And the next time David woke it was almost noon. Luke was still curled up against him, even tighter than before and David’s own body had shifted to return the comfortable embrace. Luke was intensely warm. The heat never seemed to leave him. David was incredibly warm and comfortable and there was this lovely sated feeling…and he had this tiny crick in his arm that was driving him mad.
As David moved slightly Luke’s grip on him tightened and he buried his face in David’s neck.
“Mmm, don’ move.”
David could feel himself blushing. “Sorry.”
Bright blue eyes immediately unfogged and smiled up at him.
“Don’t be, you’re comfortable.”
David couldn’t help it, the blush spread as he looked down at his friend. “…thank you.”
“You’re extraordinarily welcome,” Luke purred, snuggling close again, “just don’t move.”
David sighed, laughing slightly, and settled himself. Luke certainly wasn’t the only was who was comfortable…now that that damn crick was gone. Luke was wrapped around David as if he had far more limbs than was truth. One slim leg was tucked up against David’s hip and the other slid between his own legs. One pale hand was curled on David’s chest and while the other wrapped under his neck.
And David liked it.
“David, is there are reason your subconscious is panicking?”
David jumped as Luke’s warm, sleepy voice washed over him.
“I…what?”
“Heart rate, you know, the muscle right under my ear? Thumping, rather loudly? Among other things.”
“I…”
Luke sighed. “Forget I said it.”
“Luke…”
Luke’s head came up and a pointed chin rested itself on David’s chest.
“What would happen if I kissed you, David? Like I wanted to before.”
David’s eyes widened comically, “like you what?”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on your bed that night, but I simply didn’t want to leave. And when you told me I couldn’t see you till Monday, well, I wanted rather desperately to kiss you then. And I was thinking,”
“Umm, Luke,”
“Yeah?”
“How long is ‘for the moment’?”
Luke simply smiled up at him.
“My moments tend to be rather long,” his lips brushed against David’s neck. “For instance I could say, I was only in prison for a moment, but It’s also just been a moment since you let me out, or that all of eternity’s a moment. How long do you want me to stay?”
“…”
“And that makes ever so much sense,” Luke smirked. He hoisted himself up so he was leaning over David. “May I kiss you?”
He didn’t quite wait for the answer, however, as he bent and his pale lips brushed over David’s.
David could just feel his entire face flush red. Luke peeled back from the kiss and giggled. David winced and Luke smiled at him, nuzzling comfortably into David’s neck.
“Don’t look so offended.”
“You can’t possibly blame me for being a little confused.”
Luke nodded into David’s neck. “You’re necking with a deity, of course you’re confused.”
David shuddered, “don’t really need that driven in, thanks.”
Luke pulled back, but only slightly. “Is something wrong, David?” he sighed. “I can back down for a bit if you like.”
“I…Luke what exactly is this? I mean…if you’re still just trying to say thank you…or are you actually…attracted to me? And…and…well, just when did you decided whatever.”
The sweet, relaxed smile returned to Luke’s face. He spoke almost directly into David’s ear, “I really was attracted to you from the start, David. But I thought it was just one of those ‘if I wanted to I’d get over it’ . But when I started doing things I didn’t mean to do- like falling asleep on your bed- I realized it was more than that.”
David blinked. “More?”
Luke laughed. “You’re a silly man, David. I love you.”
“Christ.”
Luke shook his head. “Far from it, darling, far from it.” He settled his head back on David’s chest. “Now, can we go back to sleep?”
David turned to look at the clock, the shook his head. “It’s almost one.”
“I’m tired, David, I like being in bed with you, and I’m comfortable.”
“You’re still tired?”
“I’m making up for a couple centuries of lost sleep, a day or two isn’t too much to ask is it?”
David’s eyes widened. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t…I keep forgetting…”
Luke smiled, stretching up, kissing David. “No, don’t worry,” he snuggled back down in the bed. “You get up if you have to. Just don’t wake me up till tomorrow.”
David started to get up, shivering as he left Luke’s heat. The other boy was warmer than anyone rightly should be and the room, comfortable for a summer day, felt cold by comparison. Luke dragged the covers back around him and smiled sleepily up at David.
“Wake me up tomorrow?”
David nodded, then on impulse leaned down and kissed Luke firmly, right on the lips. Luke caught him around the neck and pulled him close, kissing him back, David could feel him smiling into the kiss, a smile that was still evident when Luke let him go. Luke’s slim hands slid down David’s arm to grasp his own.
“Thanks.”
With that Luke curled in around himself and promptly fell asleep.
god, this is one of my favorite stories *ever* and yes, there will be more. Lots more. Diana Wynne Jones is a GODDESS and using mythology gives me so much story. wow...(sorry, self indulgent me. umm...yeah, sorry.) Bestest book ever though...right next to Lord of the Rings
so, wha'd'ya think?
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