rising from the ground

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Title: What Is Undone
Rating: R
Chapter: Part Four
Pairing: Luke/Noah
Summary: Sometimes love is your only chance.
Disclaimer: Sadly I don’t own any of the boys I like to play with. All rights for the characters go to P&G, ATWT, JP, CG, etc.
Beta: The phenomenal and wonderful mactwck. Thank you!
W/C: 6227
Warnings: Attitudes that will piss you off, some violence, definite cursing...a little cracky which begins here.
Author’s Note: More crackiness. Posting early just in case I don't get a chance to post later this week. So hey! Bonus! Enjoy! And feedback is yearned, loved and appreciated.


Part One
Part Two
Part Three





Part Four



It was as if time rushed past in slow motion, if that was at all possible. When Luke realized he had been there three months, it had taken all his strength not to scream in rage. He had been planning his great escape since the minute he had stepped into this hellhole. He should have realized that he couldn't have been the first one to attempt it.

“It’s not like anyone hasn’t thought of it, Luke.” Marc spoke low, leaning on the table, as he they sat in the library. “Every one of us has tried.”

Luke raised an eyebrow, ready to insist, that it couldn't be possible because someone would have succeeded but Marc face stopped him.

He meant it. Everyone.

“Marc, this place, it’s not like Echo Lake at all, is it?”

Ryan snorted next to him and Luke brought his gaze to his young friend. Meeting red-rimmed eyes that held nothing but desperation and sadness, Luke frowned. “I’ll take that as a no.”

Ryan sniffed, warbling as he spoke. “Echo Lake is where they take you when there’s hope, Luke. When they believe they can change you. Here, it’s where they bring you when they just want you to disappear.”

Marc sighed, looking down at his book. “Stop exaggerating, Ryan.” His eyes shifted down the table, where Paul stood, checking on them. “That’s your broken heart talking.”

“So, then, it’s not…I mean…there’s just something wrong with this place. Not that I imagine Echo Lake was any better, but…”

Marc nodded in understanding. “There is something wrong with this place, Luke. Every single fucking thing about this place is wrong. They don’t make you disappear.”

Luke put a hand to his chest, willing his heart to slow down.

“They make you someone else.”

That was the truth, as scary as it might seem. As crazy as he knew those who hated them could be, he also knew that their ways of changing you were slow and torturous. They took your mind, made you doubt and fear. They were loud and evil.

However, it took them a long time to break you.

What was happening around them, as far as he could see, was like a disease that was spreading. People were changing overnight. He knew it wasn't everyone they targeted. It was those they couldn't break, and those that refused to cower to their manipulations.

People like Marc, Evie, and Ryan.

Unfortunately, he was also in that group.

His eyes fell to the end of the table, where Noah sat between two newer girls, concentrating on whatever he was reading.

Noah would never be broken.

He was different. Not the way he purported to be, because he was doing something.

Luke didn't know what, though.

*

“Has anyone tried to make a run for it?” Luke asked Evie, nodding to the clump of trees that surrounded the estate. “They can’t always keep an eye on you.”

Evie shook her head. “No, they can’t. But the lasers they have covering the trees tend to keep everyone away.”

Luke laughed for a moment until he realized Evie hadn't joined him. He looked at her. It wasn't a joke. She was dead serious. “Lasers?”

Walking with purpose, she picked up a nearby rock then came back to his side and guided him closer to the trees. He wondered why no one stopped them, but then realized that the staff member they had on that end was Rodney. Despite their first meeting, Luke’s impression of Rodney had changed. He wasn't like the others. There were moments when Luke knew that Rodney understood that what was happening was wrong. He wondered what kept him there, but never asked.

He let a lot of things slide, enough that they had some freedom, but not enough that anyone got suspicious. Luke guessed they never looked at Rodney, assuming he was too dumb to be any kind of trouble. It made sense. It was Noah’s odd friendship, of sorts, with Rodney that had convinced him, not all was what it seemed with the big, scary man.

“Hi, Rodney,” Evie greeted him with a smile and a wave, which was returned heartily. They walked behind him toward a nearby clump of trees. “Watch.” She threw the rock as far as possible and when it landed, there was a sudden spark of electricity. Luke’s mouth dropped open for a second but she quickly pulled him away back to the path.

“So, yeah. Lasers.”

*

“Room inspection, Luke. Ten minutes.” Paul pointed his finger at him as he strolled by. Luke heard him repeat the same line but with a different name all the way down the hall. He looked around his room. It was fine, he supposed. He glanced out his window; the night sky glittered with stars. He missed being able to lie on his back and look at them. He missed home.

He brought his mind back to the present. Nightly inspections were the worst, as they were the most thorough.

He didn't care much though. It wasn't as if he had anything to hide. Everything important was right inside the folder on his desk. If they were not smart enough to think much of it, then so be it. He knew at some point his luck would run out and they would check.

There had to be a safer place to put things.

He wondered again, where exactly it was, that Noah kept the portfolio Ryan told him he was keeping.

He would ask Noah at their next game.

Luke smiled. Game night had become his favorite. It was usually Evie, Noah, Luke and one of the newer girls, Gaby. They would sit around in the lounge, and under the pretext of playing chess, and talk. Well, Noah would listen, while the others talked. Luke told them about his home life. His parents and siblings, the farm, the horses, and Oakdale were frequent topics. The truth was, the girls never listened to him. They would be speaking quietly about other things.

Luke knew Noah paid rapt attention. His eyes would light up when Luke told a story about his family or the life that he had left behind. It even got to the point where he would ask a question or two.

“Aaron’s your brother, right?”

Luke nodded, pushing away tears and grief at the thought of his family. They would have given up, thinking he had chosen Damian over them. They probably hated him by now. He didn't even know if his mother was okay or not.

“They’re looking for you, Luke.”

Noah spoke quietly, looking at the board as he did. The girls had fallen silent, staring at him as he made his move. Luke followed suit, knowing that they were being watched, not heard, but definitely watched.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Luke.”

He looked up to meet Noah’s eyes. “What?”

“They are.” It was so final, so sure that Luke knew Noah wasn't just saying something to make him feel better. There was no doubt in his tone.

“Really?”

Noah nodded, returning to the game just as Paul came up to check on them.

Luke smiled at the memory and the warmth he had felt, when Noah had told him his family was looking for him, returned. There was only a few minutes left so he glanced around the room once more, checking behind the door and in the closet. He glanced up on the shelf, seeing his backpack there. It was always ready for him. Pulling it down, he checked to make sure everything inside was what they would want to see.

His hand dug inside, shoving aside some clothes and shoes. Nothing much else in there. He stopped when his fingers brushed across something hard and square. Luke frowned, trying to place the item. It wasn't in his backpack more like in the lining. He remembered there was a huge hole there where Faith had ripped it open during one of their many fights. He worked his fingers in the hole, determined not to break it more. He could feel something there, solid. Worming his fingers around it, he pulled and prodded, until he grasped something.

No fucking way.

Pulling back, he found himself staring at his cell phone. It must have fallen inside the lining when he had dropped it in the backpack. His hands trembled as he pressed the on button. He heard someone calling down the hall. “Five minutes, everyone.”

Shit.

He didn't have any time. Ducking behind his door, he hit the redial button as soon as the screen lit up, put the phone to his ear, and prayed that someone, whoever the hell he called last, was home. The ringing seemed to last forever and Luke watched through the crack in the door for anyone approaching.

“Snyder? Dude. What the hell?”

Luke closed his eyes. Oh, Jesus. Kevin.

“Kevin, listen to me. I need your help.” Please, Kevin. Please. He needed him so much, right now. “You need to listen to me.”

“Don’t tell me. You want to tell me that you have the hots for me, right?” Kevin’s words slurred, voice low and rumbling. Luke made out some other noise in the background. A party, more than likely. “Your father already told me so you see, I know.”

His father? Damian. Luke opened his eyes and breathed deep. He didn't have much time. “Listen to me. I need your help, Kevin. I’m in trouble and I need you to tell my Dad where I am.”

“Your father knows...”

“Not Damian! Holden. My Dad. Tell him, they have me somewhere up North. I don‘t know the exact state but it‘s near Canada. That much I know.” Noah had told him that.

“I don’t want to do anything. You need help, Luke. Your father’s right. I don’t want a faggot for a best friend. I don’t want you for anything. Don’t call me again.”

“No! Kevin, no!” The line went dead and then a second later, his phone made a last beeping sound and the light faded. He was still talking into it, like that would make a difference. He had been so close. Why wouldn’t Kevin help him? Why didn’t he care? He was shaking, and large sobbing noises started to escape.

He wasn't alone now. He could feel warmth next to him, felt fingers brushing against his own. When he looked up, Noah was standing in front of him, his mouth turned down in a frown. He was trying to calm him; hands just shy of touching Luke, eyes conflicted at seeing Luke’s anguish.

Luke opened his mouth to reassure him, to tell him he was fine, remind him he needed to be in his own room. All that came out was a strangled half-sob and he whispered, “Why doesn’t he love me?”

Noah stopped for one moment, taking in Luke’s face, staring into his eyes; then before Luke knew what was happening, Noah was hugging him. Touching his hands to Luke’s head, stroking, muttering into his ear comforting words. It was unexpected and Luke let his body sink for a minute, relishing the warmth of another body, of Noah.

When Noah pulled away, his hands grasped Luke’s face and he spoke quietly, wiping the wetness from Luke’s cheeks. “Take a deep breath. Stay calm. Inspection in a minute.”

Luke understood and he leaned his face into Noah’s hands, closed his eyes. They felt so good, so real.

He remembered the phone in his hand and panicked, his eyes flying open and he lifted his phone. “Oh God. Noah.”

The other boy shook his head, grabbing the phone into his hand. “I’ll take care of it.” He took a moment to stroke his thumb over Luke’s cheek before letting his hands fall. “Get ready.”

Then, he was gone just as fast as he had come.

*

Kevin swayed some in the chair he occupied, grinning as he swung the beer can to his lips and took a deep drink. He could hear Troy and Matt in the back, making jokes about school and the town gossip.

Someone mentioned Luke’s name and he grimaced.

Luke. Why did he call him? He didn't want to hear about Luke’s feelings. He was supposed to be his best friend. He wasn't supposed to feel that way. Luke was the one person in Kevin’s life he counted on. He had betrayed him.

“Fuck Luke.”

He grabbed another beer from Andy as he walked past, ignoring the voice whispering in the back of his head. He couldn't make out what it was saying. He didn't want to.

He just wanted to forget.

*

Noah breathed in, trembling fingers clutching at the board hidden just to the side of his bed. His grasp was too loose and he struggled with it until it finally gave, creaking just a little. He lifted the board only a few inches, slipping the phone inside and hearing it fall against the papers in there. He shoved the board back in place, standing and tapping his feet against it a few times to make sure it was solidly back in place.

It was fine now.

Noah’s heart slowed down, eyes taking in his room, looking for any signs of being watched. They didn't normally bug the rooms because they tried to make this place seem normal. He knew that. Paul had told him that.

There was a tingling in his hand, from touching Luke; Noah shivered a little. The heat still on his skin, the feel of Luke, like an echo that seemed to reverberate. He hadn't ever felt that way, not with anything or anyone.

He closed his eyes and held in the frustrated groan that wanted to escape.

It wasn't possible.

He couldn't do that to Luke. Caring about him wouldn't only hurt Luke, but get him killed.

He told himself to stop. Luke would never feel the same way. He was his friend. There was Kevin. Luke hadn't told him, but the way he talked about that guy, Noah knew. He swallowed down the sharp jolt of envy that bloomed in his chest.

Luke didn't belong to him.

Better was for him that he didn't.

*

Luke wasn't sure how he had managed to make it through the inspection without breaking down. Paul came in, chattering away, as they checked inside his desk, under the bed, in the closet, under the covers, and in his backpack. They took away all his privacy and displayed everything he owned to the open air. Luke simply sat on the bed and followed the progress with blank eyes.

He wasn't seeing any of it, his mind still on the conversation he hadn't had with Kevin. Luke had no clue how or why Damian had told Kevin about Luke’s feelings and he didn't care at that moment. All that mattered was that his worst nightmare had come true.

Kevin hated him, for having those feelings, for learning that he was gay.

Your father’s right. I don’t want a faggot for a best friend. I don’t want you for anything.

The words rumbled through his head, drowning out Paul’s voice, and Luke gripped the comforter beneath his hands hard. Kevin hated him. He had left him here. His only hope had been Kevin and he let Luke down. The grief mingled in with the anger now and Luke was shaking, unable to stop.

“Luke, are you okay?”

He glanced up at Paul’s concerned expression. The blank eyes that searched his face were not normal. It was all a lie.

“Fine.” He wrapped his arms around himself and muttered, “I’m just tired.”

Paul nodded, smiling, vacant, and distant. “Well, then it’s a good thing its lights out in the next hour I guess. Get some rest. See you in group.” Without a glance back, Paul left the room, making his way, Luke assumed, down the rest of the hall continuing his inspection.

There was no way he would sleep.

Luke grabbed his pajamas off the chair next to his bed, and headed to the bathroom right off his room. He could change, at least. Keep pretending his whole world hadn't just shattered. Lie to himself that there was still hope, that someone would find him, and that he would find a way home.

He leaned against the sink, closed his eyes, and let the warm tears trail down his face.

*

Noah watched Luke from the corner of his eye, catching the slump of his shoulders, and that feeling that had gripped his heart since the night Luke had tried to make that call for help intensified. It was as if someone had turned the switch. The Luke he knew and admired, the one he wanted to be like, had disappeared, and in his place was this shell of a person. He walked around in a haze, never meeting anyone’s eyes. He didn't argue with the staff, or make fun of Kreeger.

Luke only spoke when spoken to and his replies were quick. He didn't care anymore. Hope had lived inside Luke this whole time. Kept him from giving in, from letting them win. Now that was dead and the look of glee in Kreeger’s eyes at how broken Luke was, nauseated Noah.

He wanted Luke back.

Noah watched Ryan approach Paul again, prepared to stand but Evie waved at him and made her way over. Ryan was pleading again, eyes huge and lovesick, face pale. He hadn't been eating. Broken and hurt, Ryan had become sullen and angry.

This place was killing them, slowly.

It was winning.

Noah raged inside, felt the red heat of it through his body and he held still, afraid that even one movement would open him up and it would come pouring out. If he started, he would never stop.

“Don’t lie!”

Noah’s head came up, eyes darting to Ryan, watching helplessly as Evie grabbed at their friend’s arms, speaking to him in his ear. Ryan shook her off and launched for Paul, shaking him hard. “Who are you? Who?”

Paul pushed Ryan’s hands away, eyes filled with something but almost instantly, it was gone, replaced with blankness. “Ryan, you need to calm down.”

“You said you loved me!”

Noah closed his eyes, hands gripping the table to keep from jumping up and going over to comfort his friend. If he got involved, it would be worse. When he opened his eyes, Evie was holding onto Ryan’s shoulder, soothing him. Paul was staring at them, speaking as well and Noah made out his quiet, “Of course, I love you, Ryan. I love everyone here.”

“Shut up!” Ryan screamed, pulling from Evie and running out of the room.

Noah met Evie’s wide eyes, saw the fear and shock in them, he was sure it was reflected in his own, and motioned for her to follow Ryan. She nodded and took off. He watched as two more staff came up to Paul. They started to speak in quiet tones, eyes all falling on the doorway where Ryan had disappeared. His instinct warned him something was wrong.

Evie walked back in a few minutes later, shaking her head. She walked over and sat across from him, wiping at the sweat on her forehead. “I couldn’t catch him. I don’t know where he went.”

“We’ll find him.”

Evie nodded, turning to look over at Luke, who had taken to sitting by himself at a back table. “Is he doing better?”

Noah followed her gaze, pushing that glow that heated him whenever he looked at Luke. “I don’t think so.”

“He’s different. Quiet. Morose.”

“Hopeless.”

Noah shoved one hand through his hair, eyes never leaving Luke and his voice trembled just a little when he spoke. “I don’t know how to fix it. This place…it can’t break him. Not him.”

Evie’s smile was sly and quick, so much that Noah missed it completely. When he looked back at her, she was serious, tapping one finger against the table. “There’s got to be something. He was so sure. Always. He believed he would make it out. Hell, he had me believing it. He really thought someone would find him. Or he’d escape.” Evie stopped talking when Noah’s head turned her way, his lips in a tight line, eyes narrowed. “What?”

“I think I have an idea.”

*

Luke blocked out everything as he trudged from his therapy session with the reverend to his room. Today had been especially grueling. He had talked about his mother, about everything she had ever done for him, how much she loved him. Rev. Matthew worked his way around all that, finding Luke’s guilt, spreading it out in front of him, working it like a wound that hadn’t quite healed.

It wasn't going to work, not really. He loved his parents, and nothing they said changed that.

“But will they always love you, Luke.” Rev. Matthew’s eyes projected concern. “Are you the son that they can love, is the question.”

He was. He knew he was.

His parents...had given up.

The thought came unwarranted and Luke tried to dismiss it but it had to be true. He was still there. No one had come for him. It was as if he didn't exist to them. That was the only explanation. He wasn't what they wanted.

Luke rounded the corner of the hall, and froze as he caught Noah leaving his room and walking down the corridor, disappearing down the other end. He was on his way to Evie’s room. Luke rushed toward his room and entered, his gaze falling immediately to a manila folder peeking out from under his pillow. He glanced behind him, before dropping his books in a heap on the desk and walking slowly to the bed.

He didn't know what this was all about and his hands trembled when he pulled the folder out, clutching it in his hands. He wondered briefly, where he could go to read it. The closet, but really the mere idea of that made him want to laugh. No closet.

Luke turned toward the door, knowing the best spot was behind it. He could keep an eye out; while he looked through whatever it was Noah had left for him. Moving quickly, he leaned against the wall, pausing to listen and hearing nothing, he opened the folder.

His picture stared up at him, in black and white, with the words “Family frantically searches for missing teenager” scrolled in bold over it. Luke closed his eyes, tearing up and he expelled a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

They were looking for him. They hadn't forgotten.

He pulled the paper up and found another article, this one longer and from one of the papers in Chicago. It was dated only a month ago. He felt the giggle bubble up and out of his chest, the relief immediate. They hadn't given up on him. Every article tugged at his heart, made his stomach hurt. The one showing their family photo caused a small whimper to leave his mouth.

There were other articles in the stack. Something about a killer in Oakdale. Someone up for murder. Announcement of Jennifer Munson’s death. There was an explosion. Hal Munson had died in the line of duty.

His whole life sectioned off for him to read, to understand, and know. It connected him to everyone he loved, all the people he knew and missed.

There were footsteps coming and he closed the folder, clutching it to his chest. He had to hide it until he could read it properly. Since there was no inspection that night, he could read it after lights out. Opening his desk drawer, he gently set the folder inside, closing it quietly.

Noah had just done it again. He had saved his life. It was becoming a habit for him.

Luke stepped around the door, staring straight into Noah’s room, not seeing him there yet. He wondered if he should go look for him. He wanted to thank him but he was afraid if he saw Noah, he would hug him or…well, he would just end up getting them both in trouble.

He needed time to process everything.

He needed some air, space, and room to think and to breathe, just to be for one moment. There was so much that had happened, so much loss that he had missed. He couldn't begin to imagine how Will was feeling, losing his father and his sister so close together. How Parker reacted to Hal’s death, something Luke was afraid to know if they had in common now: the loss of a parent. Hal had always been a good man. Funny and kind as far back as Luke could remember.

He closed his eyes, quietly stepping from the sidewalk to the green grass that surrounded the house. There was a few staff roaming the grounds, watching stragglers like him but not too closely. Those alone rarely concerned them. It was always the groups or couples walking around that they focused. It was why Luke liked to come out alone. He had very limited freedom when he did but it was better than none.

It was enough to think and wonder. Those articles had given Luke hope that his family hadn't given up. They hadn't given details about his mother, his dad or sisters. He was grateful, though, to know that he was missed, that he shouldn't give up.

He owed that to Noah.

There had to be something he could do in return.

Luke knew very little about Noah, despite having spent as much time with him in the last months, as he had with Marc, Evie, and Ryan. Nothing he had been told, anyway. All the little facts he had collected had been through observation.

He knew Noah liked to eat healthy. It was a little strange for someone like Luke, who lived on junk food. He knew that when no one was looking Noah would make sure to take care of his friends. It was never anything grandiose because Noah was just not that type. Look up the word subtle and you would find Noah’s picture. The little things mattered, in Luke’s opinion. Things like straightening out Evie’s braid when it started to fall loose, brushing off crumbs from Marc’s books or standing next to Ryan to stop him from following Paul and getting hurt again.

It was the other little things that tugged at Luke’s heart though, those that were solely about Noah.

Noah had a habit of playing with the top button of his shirt when he was nervous. Some sort of tic he probably had since he was little, that when he would catch himself, his eyes would dim for a moment, and he would pull his hand away as if he had been burned, as if he was afraid someone would see and reprimand him. When he was worried, Noah would bite his lower lip – something that made Luke have to look away after a few moments – mostly to stop his heart from hammering out of his body and force his stomach to the stop the fluttering there.

Alternatively, sometimes when no one was looking he would stare off into space, hands clenching and unclenching, his face , for just one minute, showed that little boy, inside Noah. The one that was scared and alone, and almost as soon as you saw it, it was gone and the calm façade would return.

Luke imagined being raised by a Colonel couldn't have been easy, especially when Noah was…

He stopped that thought. He didn't know that Noah was gay. He assumed of course, because everyone here was, wanted to be, or would have been. Noah had never admitted to being anything. Whenever their conversations veered in that direction, which wasn't often since they were constantly watched, he never engaged.

Luke furrowed his brow, remembering warm hands on his back, on his face, soft. He could still recall that sharp ache that opened in his chest whenever Noah looked at him. The pull he ignored when they were close, because it was Noah, and Noah had secrets. Luke knew that, too. What they were remained a mystery, he was sure would continue to be that way, until Noah wanted it to be different.

He’d been walking slowly over the grounds, winding his way up paths and down hills until he’d left the house far behind. Shocked that no one had stopped him so far, he halted in his tracks, looking around. This was new, this place, which he was standing in. It was a field, a good hundred yards from the house and from this vantage point he could see others walking. No one looked his way, though. There was a clump of trees not too far off and he wondered over. He sat with his back to the house and people, facing the woods, endless and shadowed in the setting sun. He would have to go back soon. Someone would miss him and come looking.

He studied the tall trees, branches converging into one another, forming a blanket of leaves and bark that made this side of the woods look darker, scarier.

“How do they get them to stay?”

“I don’t know. As far as we can figure, they hang them from the trees, see the branches aren’t so thick, they have room there, you can even see the wires from here.”

Luke narrowed his gaze, studying the trees more intently. Looking for what, he wasn't sure. He couldn't make out anything from where he stood. The trees were too thick, all the branches colliding with each other. He was sure there were no wires there. He glanced behind his shoulder to make sure he was still alone. When no other person seemed near, he looked around and found a medium sized rock on the ground. He grabbed it in his hand, and took a deep breath, and he brought his hand back. This was just a hunch. He let it go, threw it as hard as he could, and watched it sail across the air and into the perimeter of the trees, waiting for the sparks that were supposed to indicate the security system.

Nothing happened.

There wasn't anything there. He looked into the dark of the woods, wondered what was on the other side or if it simply led further into darkness. He knew there had to be help on the other end. He took a step forward but stopped on instinct. They would be looking for him soon. He wouldn't have any time, maybe a few minutes to go through, and if they found him, they would figure it out.

He had to be smart about this. There was probably some sort of map of the surrounding area. His best bet would be the library. Geography was one of the subjects they were encouraged to read. Of course, he would have to figure out exactly where the hell they were. He had no real clue. A northern state was what he could figure since they were, according to what Noah knew, “near Canadian border.”

That left quite a few options and he didn't have time figure them out. He would have to take a chance. He needed supplies and a plan.

Blood rushed through Luke’s veins once more, mingled with determination and hope. Pulling his jacket tighter, he returned to the clump of trees and sat down. He was tired but he had a plan now. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes for just one moment and feeling that rush of happiness roll through him.

*

Noah’s feet crunched on the grass that was turning just a bit yellow now that they were so near autumn. His eyes scanned the rolling hills behind the house, stopping to reassess the area. He had to be somewhere here.

Marc had told him that they couldn't find Luke and were starting to get angry about it. That was all he needed to hear and set off to find him. He had vaguely heard Marc say something about causing a distraction to give him a few moments. He had searched the paths that Luke usually took with Evie, and the ones Noah knew he took alone. He would watch him from his windows sometimes. It was in those moments he felt free to watch Luke without anyone seeing.

He threaded across the right side of the lawn heading toward the wooded area on that side. Almost no one went to a grouping of trees there. Most of the others were afraid to stray that far from the house.

Luke wasn't like everyone else.

His heart slowed down when he made out a pair of legs sticking out from behind one of the tress. Seeing Luke reclining, Noah paused, taking a moment to approach him. He seemed to be asleep.

Noah focused on the grounds surrounding them, keeping his sight on the looming house far off in the distance. He imagined some sort of army of staff running out the front door towards them. He was aware what would happen, if they were caught alone, unsupervised. None of that mattered as much as the fact that they couldn't afford to be caught where they were. Noah glanced behind him at the thick undergrowth of brambles and the towering branches of trees that nestled together, as if they were blocking the path. Guarding them from prying eyes.

The less attention they got here, the better.

His eyes returned to Luke’s prone body, watching his chest rise and fall in even breaths. Something clutched at his stomach, heat pooling, and want so sharp that he was afraid what he might do.

“You know they say it’s rude to stare.”

Noah jumped, eyes meeting Luke’s, shaking his head as he backed away. “I’m sorry…I thought…I was trying to figure out how to wake you up without, you know…”

Luke’s smile was bright, and it was all Noah could do to hold back the whimper he felt at the back of his throat. He was beautiful and he didn't even realize it. Getting to his feet, Luke started toward Noah, who backed up automatically. He couldn't…he wouldn't survive touching Luke. The smile faltered and Luke shook his head, holding out a hand.

“Shake at least.”

Noah sighed, stuffing both hands in his pockets. His eyes always so haunted, gave a new light, something rarely seen there. “I can’t, Luke. I can’t touch you.” He ducked his head away, missing the hurt in Luke’s eyes. He sighed into the breeze, head bending down further. “I want…to. So, I can’t.”

Luke let out a small “Oh,” at the honesty, while his insides turned into mush, legs trembling. Noah wanted to touch him. It wasn't what he expected and he fought the urge to grab for him. “I…okay.”

Noah’s shoulders relaxed slightly and when he looked back at Luke, his eyes were shuttered once more, but Luke was learning to read them even like that. They stood in silence for some time, unsure where to go from this point. Luke decided it was time to put some cards on the table. If he told the truth, he was testing Noah. Clearing his throat, he pointed to the trees and beyond. “This is the only way out of this place, isn’t it?”

Noah stared at him for a good minute and Luke held his breath.

Please, Noah. Tell me the truth.

After what seemed like an eternity, there was a slight nod from Noah and his whispered reply, “Yeah. It’s the only way. It’s your only way,” caught in the space between them, hanging there until Luke laughed, because it was that or cry.

“Shit. I wasn’t sure…I didn’t think you’d tell me that.”

Noah raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “I try not to lie, Luke.”

He loved the way his name sounded on Noah’s tongue, as if he thought about it before saying it. He had never quite heard it said that way. It made his heart clench and he breathed in deep, needing some air. “I guess we should go back.”

Noah nodded, pointing in the direction he had come from. “Go that way and around to the other side.” When Luke sent him a confused look, Noah simply said, “They can’t know you were here. They’ll come look. You can’t afford that.”

Luke nodded, starting walking and stopped, turning to Noah. “Thank you for doing that for me.”

Noah’s face brightened and suddenly Luke watched the corners of his mouth turn up and he stood there, stunned. Noah’s smile was so bright that it hurt his chest to look at it. He stood frozen until Noah motioned with his hand that he needed to move. He dragged his feet a few steps backwards, not wanting to take his eyes off Noah.

He thought he saw the other boy’s face flush and he grinned suddenly. “Are you blushing, Mayer?”

Noah shook his head and Luke laughed when he heard a mumbled, “Shut up.”


Part Five


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