Title: One Moment
Authoresses: NoChristmasJokesPlz and ANT-chan
Fandom: ORIGINAL
Rating/Genre: Romance/Drama/Humor/NC-17 (for SLASH - which means lots of GAY - foul language, a smidge of violence, and sexual situations. Warnings may change depending on chapter.)
Summary: Sasha Adelais has resigned himself to the single life at an early age. He's awkward, nerdy, short, and distressingly girly. Not dating material. Or at least, no one but Aiden Patroclos has ever seemed to think so. M/M

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One Moment

Chapter 15: Lazy Mornings

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Aiden was forcibly dragged from slumber the next morning by slender hands shaking him. He groaned, cracking open clouded hazel eyes. Still half-asleep, the dark-haired man nuzzled into the warm shoulder his head was resting on. The warm body beneath him squirmed, shaking him harder, and it was only then that Aiden realized he was half lying on his boyfriend. Thinking he was crushing the smaller teen, he started to roll away, but Sasha's arms darted around him. "Nnoo..." the boy whined sleepily. "Y'r phone's ringin'..."

"Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone./ This place is a mad house,/ feels like bein' cloned./ My beacon's been moved/ under moon and star./ Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?"

'Aaron,' he growled mentally. The clock on his bedside table read 5:57; a full three minutes before the alarm would go off - giving him enough time to be ready before he had to take Sasha home. There was nothing that annoyed him more than to be woken up just before his alarm went off. He snatched at the phone, failed the first time, and growled when he finally succeeded.

"Katana to the head, motherfucker," Aiden groused into the mouthpiece.

If he'd been more awake, he would've been able to almost hear Aaron roll his eyes. "Is it safe to come home yet?"

"Wha?"

His twin sighed in annoyance. He knew from many years of experience that Aiden was a heavy sleeper, and was slow to get his brain started in the mornings if he was woken up before he was ready. "Is it. Safe. To come. Home?" he repeated slowly. "You. Sasha. Naked. Will I be scarred for life if I walk into the house?"

"Oh... uh. Yeah, it's safe..." Aiden cast a heavy-lidded glance at the brunet cuddling against him. He cradled the phone on his shoulder, freeing his hand to switch off the alarm clock. "We were just... getting up."

"No," Sasha grunted sleepily, burrowing deeper into his boyfriend's chest. "Weren't... Too comfy..." Aiden smiled and gently nudged the drowsy teen.

"We have to, Asteri," the elder murmured. "Come on, get up. Kendall's probably gonna burst in on us any minute."

"A terrifying thought," Aaron quipped.

Sasha's blue eyes opened, twin slits of a clear blue sky, and frowned. "Oh, fine. Can we shower first?"

"Course," Aiden murmured, dipping his head to capture the brunet's in a languid kiss. Sasha hummed against his mouth, arms winding around his neck as he kissed back.

"Hey- hello? Would you - ugh! Still here, ya know!"

The dark-haired teen broke the kiss with a snarl, glaring at his phone. "Fucker," he hissed, abruptly flipping it shut and tossing it back onto the bedside table. He returned to his grinning boyfriend, smothering the little giggles with his lips. "Morning," Aiden purred, nipping at Sasha's lower lip.

"Morning..." the petite teen arched against him, stretching. The elegant curve of his naked body had Aiden's mouth going dry, and he couldn't help but kiss him again - a deep, probing kiss this time.

Sasha absolutely melted. He tightened his hold on his boyfriend with a soft mewl, his legs winding around Aiden's hips. One hand fisted into the elder man's short, dark hair, and soft lips obligingly parted under his insistent tongue. The brunet bucked his hips slightly, and Aiden drew back with a sharp gasp. Sasha pushed him off gently, smiling.

"Gotta shower," he reminded his boyfriend, one brow arching playfully. Before Aiden could reply, he rolled out of bed, stumbled slightly, then straightened and stretched, unaware of the older teen's eyes falling to his delectable backside. "Mmmm..." He yawned and raised his arms high above his head, arching his back again.

"Keep stretching like that and see if I don't drag you back into this bed," Aiden warned.

Sasha turned to look at his boyfriend, his face heating slightly. Blue eyes took in the tempting scene before him. Aiden as settled on his stomach, sheets pooling at his waist, revealing toned, tawny skin to the morning light. Hazel eyes were gazing at him hungrily, roving over his naked form. The slight curve to his boyfriend's lips had him torn between covering himself from his sight or simply crawling back into bed with him.

The older male seemed to see his turmoil, for his grin widened. Aiden slid from the bed, standing tall and stretching much like Sasha had moments earlier. The brunet's eyes widened, tracing the defined lines of his torso, following them down... and down...

Aiden smiled as the boy's face when bright pink, and averted his eyes. He stepped closer, hearing Sasha's breath hitch. "Shower together?" he asked, his voice low.

Sasha gulped and nodded hastily. Aiden smiled. "Good." He took his Asteri's hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed the petite brunet's fingertips. "We'll save time and water," he said.

Sasha giggled, though his face was still burning that alluring shade of pink. "And I'm very serious about conserving water," he replied, nodding firmly. He laughed brightly as Aiden led him to the bathroom, half-stumbling behind his tragically long-legged boyfriend. He laughed even harder when he was swept up with startling ease and set on the counter while Aiden went to turn on the shower.

Now bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Sasha's legs kicked childishly while the elder man's back was turned. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. "What's your favorite color?" he asked.

When Aiden turned and arched a dark brow at him, the young man cursed himself. Why did he have to ask such juvenile (in his mind) questions?! But then his boyfriend hummed thoughtfully. "Red," he said at last. "I like blue just as much, but blue's always been 'Aaron's' color. Red's always been 'mine'."

"Yours?" Sasha pressed, genuinely curious.

"We had to do something when we were in grade school so people could tell us apart. I always wore somethin' red, and Aaron, blue," he paused with a smirk. "Not that we always followed that rule. But they don't know that. This's the modern form of that." The man gestured to the red dragon tattoo on his back. He moved slightly away from the shower. "This too hot for you?" The petite brunet hopped down and padded over to the tub, testing the temperature.

"No, it's fine."

"Good. So what's your favorite color then?"

Sasha thoughtfully chewed his lip. "Hm... I think I like gold." His gaze drifted up to Aiden's eyes, and he smiled. "Sort of a tawny gold."

Aiden's cheeks flushed slightly, and Sasha giggled. He squeezed his boyfriend's hand and wordlessly turned the shower knob, stepping over the edge of the tub and into the pleasantly warm spray. Aiden followed, pulling the shower curtain closed.  He turned to Sasha, whose back was to the shower head, the water pouring over his back and shoulders. His eyes were closed in bliss, a tiny moan slipping past his slightly parted lips.

"Oooh... That feels divine..." The muscles in his shoulders were stiff and sore, and this was doing wonders for him. Aiden noticed this and smiled slightly. His hands slipped over his Asteri's shoulders, and he kneaded them gently. Sasha groaned. "Thank you..." he murmured as his dark-haired boyfriend began massaging his shoulders.

The young man swayed slightly with the movements of Aiden's hands, sweet bliss taking over. He leaned against the taller man's chest, a little mewl of contented pleasure sneaking past his lips. Sasha kissed the skin over his boyfriend's heart. The gesture wasn't lustful in the least, simply content and affectionate. He could just barely hear the man's heartbeat over the cascade of water.

Once the brunet was all but putty in his hands, Aiden shifted his hands into the boy's hair. He tipped his Asteri's head back, just enough so that the spray could reach it, running his hands through soft hair that was quickly becoming the color of rich chocolate. He sighed quietly, watching as little droplets clung to Sasha's neck and drifted down his collarbone. The young man was utterly breathtaking.

Sasha's eyes flickered open when Aiden drew away, unable to stifle the tiny whimper of discontent. Aiden soothed him with a gentle kiss, holding up a bottle of shampoo. The brunet smiled and closed his eyes again. He snuggled into his boyfriend's chest as the elder man popped open the red bottle and poured some shampoo into his hand. It smelled rich and warm with a faint spice that made up part of Aiden's wonderful, masculine scent. He closed the bottle and set it aside, before rubbing his hands together and then running them through the petite brunet's hair.

Sasha was practically purring in seconds. His boyfriend was gently lathering the shampoo in his hair, taking time to massage the brunet's scalp as he worked. "Head back," he murmured after a minute or two, shielding Sasha's eyes for him while he rinsed the suds out. When Aiden leaned away again, the boy combed his hands through his hair to keep it from falling into his face. He blushed as the man brought a washcloth to his body, rubbing the soapy fabric in slow circles over his skin. The younger teen shivered as it caressed his chest, his arms, his stomach...

But Aiden took pity on him before it traveled lower, and handed it to him so he could finish. While Sasha was quickly cleansing himself, Aiden moved around him into the spray. Sasha tried not to be distracted by the way the water fell down his boyfriend's very attractive form. Licking his lips, he grabbed for the shampoo bottle, squeezing a bit into his hand. Blue eyes narrowed up at Aiden. "You're too tall for this," he said, pouting.

Aiden laughed. "Here, then." Sasha tried not to jump as the man sank to his knees, now level with the brunet's ribs.

Sasha's hands were gentle as he lathered up Aiden's short hair, working backwards and massaging the back of his neck. The dark-haired man tilted his head forward, kissing Sasha's ribs with a small moan. Once his hair was rinsed, the brunet pulled him back to his feet and began washing him. Sasha was a little crueler. The cloth traveled over Aiden's broad chest, teasingly circling a nipple, but not touching. He trailed down lower and lower and lower, looking as if he would completely abandon his task and stroke his boyfriend, but instead smiled coyly and pressed the washcloth into Aiden's hand.

"Tease," Aiden growled, eyes flashing gold with lust.

Sasha clasped his hands behind his back, putting on his best innocent smile. He supposed the fact that he was currently standing naked in Aiden's shower detracted from it, because his boyfriend's eyes narrowed. His lips were captured in a hard kiss that lasted not nearly long enough. "You're lucky we have to be somewhere this morning..." the older man trailed off, his voice dripping with sensual intent.

'You call that lucky?' The brunet was aware he was pouting as Aiden finished washing. He really couldn't care less about where they had to be.

Aiden was dutifully trying to ignore that very same pout. If he focused on it for too long, he'd start doubting the need to leave the apartment any time soon. 'Being the responsible one sucks,' he thought venomously. He heaved a sigh as he rinsed off, and shut the water off. The dark-haired man opened the shower curtain and grabbed a couple of towels. He smirked, throwing one over his Asteri's head, earning him an adorably startled squeak. The little noise became a muffled giggle as Aiden playfully rubbed the boy's hair through the cloth.

Sasha threw his arms around Aiden's waist, hugging him, and attempted to nuzzle his chest through the towel as his boyfriend rubbed his hair dry. He couldn't stop the ceaseless flow of childish giggles even if he tried, until the towel was pulled away. Aiden took one look at Sasha's now frizzy hair and began to laugh, almost doubling over, and held his stomach.

"Hey!" The petite brunet took advantage of his boyfriend's stooped position and threw the towel over his head, rubbing fiercely, more to muss his hair than to dry it. When he lifted the towel away, he almost fell over laughing himself. He stopped laughing abruptly, however, when a powerful arm locked around his waist, and large hand tilted his head back to kiss him deeply.

"Mmm," Sasha moaned softly into the kiss. His hands moved on their own, it seemed, combing through his boyfriend's extremely messy hair and pulling him closer. Aiden stroked his cheek, lips sliding delightfully with his. He barely even noticed when the taller male hauled him up and out of the tub, setting him back down on the bathroom's linoleum floor.

Aiden drew away, sure that if he continued kissing the beautiful brunet, he would never stop. He shook his head roughly, sending water droplets flying everywhere. He grinned as the smaller man laughed brightly at his antics, running a hand through his hair to tame it a bit. Aiden wrapped one of the towels around his waist. "I'm gonna go get our clothes. Stay here and tame that mane of yours, eh?"

"And whose fault is that?" his Asteri said pointedly, wrapping a towel about his shoulder.

Aiden's response was completely unrepentant. "Mine."

Sasha gave him a playfully admonishing glare. "As long as you know. Now, go fetch those clothes, m'kay?"

"Yes, your majesty," Aiden said, bowing mockingly, before turning and striding out. When he was gone, Sasha rifled through the cabinets until he found two brushes-- one red and one blue. He took the red one, smiling, and ran it through his hair until it fell in its usual hank over his eyes, where Aiden would be sure to brush it back so that he could see those big, baby blues. He was just returning the brush to its place beside Aaron's when Aiden reentered the bathroom, fully dressed (causing Sasha to pout slightly) and carrying a bundle of clothes too small to be his own.

"Whose are those?" the brunet asked curiously.

"Some of Aya's. She said I could let you borrow them. They'll still be a bit too long, but should fit you better than mine."

Sasha's pout intensified. "But I like wearing yours."

Aiden smiled crookedly. "I know you do, Asteri, but these won't need adjusting every two seconds." 'And it'll be a little easier to resist you,' he added mentally.

While Sasha was dressing, Aiden took the time to run a brush through his hair and quickly brush his teeth. He was just rinsing out his mouth when muffled laughter reached his ears. The dark-haired man wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he glanced up. He choked back the snort of laughter that bubbled up from his chest, resting an elbow on the counter for support. Though he was right in saying that Aya's clothes would fit better than his, he'd forgotten one very important fact - Aya was a curvaceous woman. The shirt fit fine, though it was a bit long on the short teen.

The pants however, were what had them laughing. They fit well enough about the thighs, but since they were made to fit a woman with attractively curvy hips...

Sasha shimmied a bit, and the pants slid to the floor.

"Whoops," Aiden chuckled. "Sorry about that! Gimme those. I can get another pair - with less room in the hips." The brunet giggled and handed them to him, pulling the T-shirt down until it protected his modesty. Aiden exited the bathroom once more, heading towards his own room this time. Noa wouldn't even notice if he let his Aster borrow a pair of jeans. And if she did, well, it was her fault for keeping them here anyway.

Sasha took the proffered pants without protest and drew them over his hips, shifting slightly and smiling. "These will do. At least I won't accidentally flash some poor unfortunate stranger."

Aiden dipped the younger teen's head back for a kiss. "I wouldn't call the stranger unfortunate." He smiled at the flush that colored the boy's cheeks, and then twined their fingers together. "Ready to go?" The brunet started to nod an affirmative, before pausing, releasing into the living room, collecting the clothes on the floor. He folded them neatly and tucked them under his arm, his blush deepened when he saw Aiden watching him.

"Um... you... you said I could keep them..." he murmured shyly as way of explanation.

"So I did," the elder man said softly. It was all very high school romance, but damn if the thought of the young man wearing his clothes wasn't a turn on. He raised an arm in silent request for Sasha to return to his side. When he did so, Aiden couldn't help but grin. He idly brushed the boy's hair from his eyes, before taking his hand and leading him from the apartment.

As they walked, Sasha tugged at his too-long pants. That caused a thought to strike him. He knew these were Noa's, and he remembered her asking for clothes upon their first meeting. Combined with what Keres had said about her yesterday...

"It was Noa wasn't it?" he asked, causing Aiden to glance at him, startled. "Your first girlfriend - the one you talked about?" He'd already had his suspicions, but the way his boyfriend winced confirmed it.

"Yeah," he replied slowly, "she was. I've uh, known her since as far back as I can remember. She's always been Mom's star pupil, so she's basically family." He shrugged. "Mom always used to say we'd be married someday, for all the arguing and fighting we did. Hell, back then, I agreed with her. But that didn't work out..."

Sasha frowned. He couldn't stand the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't help it. The brunet had already grown so attached to Aiden, so used to having him close, that even the thought of him with someone else...

It made him want to hit something, and hit it hard. His arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend's, his grasp more possessive than affectionate. He felt sick to his stomach with jealousy, and he hated himself. His looked away from Aiden when they reached the parking lot and released his arm, padded quietly around to the passenger side of the Jeep.

Aiden noticed Sasha's sudden sullen behavior, and he frowned deeply. Once they were both buckled into their seats, the keys in the ignition, the elder man turned to his sweet little Asteri, and touched his cheek. "Somethin' wrong?" he asked gently.

Sasha averted his eyes, twisting his hands in his lap. "No it's... nothing..." He glanced up, and flinched at the flat disbelieving look on Aiden's face. "It's just... something stupid..." But the admission of their past together had another question nagging at him. "If you guys dated... then w-why does she keep clothes at your apartment?"

At this, his boyfriend snorted, putting the Jeep into gear and pulling out of the parking place. "Because she's annoying. When she's tired of staying at home she invites herself over. Crashes on the couch a lot. Sometimes she even crawls into bed with one of us - she used to stay over at our house all the time when we were kids. Now that Aaron's got a girlfriend, she narrowed that down into crawlin' into bed with me, crazy bitch." This was said with a wry little grin. It was such an obvious bait, but Sasha fell for it anyway. His eyes narrowed, his full lips twisting into a scowl.

Hazel eyes sparkled. "You jealous, Asteri...?" he purred.

"M-Maybe..."

They pulled up to a stop sign, and Aiden leaned over so he could whisper in his ear. "Then I guess you'll have to sleep in my bed a lot, to keep her out, hmmm?"

Sasha's heart lifted at the light-hearted teasing, and he smiled genuinely at his boyfriend. "Or you could hide from her in mine."

Before he pressed the gas again, he pecked the brunet's cheek. "Sounds like a plan." His smile widened at his sweet little boyfriend's happy giggle.

The ride passed comfortably, with playful, back-and-forth banter that Sasha found both comforting and heartwarming. He liked to hear the fondness in Aiden's tone, to see the affection in his hazel eyes when he chanced a sidelong glance at the petite teen alongside him.

In what felt like no time at all, they were pulling into Sasha's driveway, and the younger male felt silly for even thinking of being jealous.

Sasha basically skipped all the way to the front door, too giddy for even thoughts of Kendall's reaction to darken his mood. Aiden chuckled as he followed his energetic boyfriend up onto the porch. The brunet fumbled through his school bag (which had been left in Aiden's Jeep) for a moment, yanking his house keys from it. It wasn't needed though, as the door was flung open just as he was reaching for the lock. "Birdie!!!" the very pregnant and always energetic Dayzee greeted him. She scooped the alarmed Sasha up into a hug. "Ooooh we were so worried when you didn't come home from schoooool!" The redhead squeezed him tight, making the short teen wheeze. "But you were out having fun with that boyfriend of yours!"

Dayzee glanced up at Aiden, who shifted nervously, remembering acutely how scary this woman could be. "You took good care of our Sasha, right?"

"Of course!" the older man replied immediately.

The redhead beamed.

"Well, then, I insist you join us for breakfast, m'kay? The Boss made omelets and bacon, and hers are the BEST!" She skipped back up the front steps, stumbled slightly, and fell against a tall, muscular man with his blonde hair in a ponytail. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and worn jeans, as well as a worried expression.

When he spoke, his accent was thick and German. "Dayzee? I told you not to run up or down the stairs! You could fall!"

Dayzee giggled. "Well, jeez, Gussi, it's not like I was really running, I was skipping! There's a biiiiig difference, m'kay?"

"You could still fall!" He took her gently by the arm and led her slowly up the stairs, before glancing back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sasha, she's just..." He smiled lovingly at his wife, releasing her arm so that she could bounce into the kitchen. "She's just Dayzee."

Sasha laughed brightly as he stepped inside and shut the door behind Aiden and himself. He lifted himself up on his toes so he could peck his boyfriend's cheek. "I'm going to go get changed, okay? You can start on breakfast if you want."

"Throwing me to the lions, huh?" the older man grinned, before ruffling his hair. "I'll see you in a few." They parted there, Sasha bounding up the stairs and Aiden following Gustav into the kitchen.

He was immediately assaulted by the now-expected whirlwind that was Desdemona Adelais. "Aiden, sweetie! It's good to see you again! How are you?!"

"Good, ma'am," he said politely. "We stopped in to get Sasha some breakfast and a change of clothes before I took him to school."

Mona tittered. "You take such good care of him! But none of that 'ma'am'! Call me Mona, sweetie! I'm too young to be a ma'am! How was dinner with your family? Did Sasha have fun?"

"Oh, yeah. He did. They're practically in love with him already... he was telling them all about you. Mom's excited to meet you."

'Excited to have a meeting of the, incredibly insane, minds...' he added silently.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that!" Mona said happily, her hands cupping her cheeks. "I've been so worried that the people who could very well be our in-laws someday wouldn't like me!" She whirled on to lead him into the kitchen.

Aiden stopped dead, and his jaw dropped. 'In-laws?' He managed to shake himself out of his stunned silence just as Mona turned around to look at him.

"Come on, my Collette made breakfast!" she said. "Oh, I remember when I first met Kellen's family. They didn't like me one bit. Thought being an artist was a surefire way to living in a cardboard box! Hah! Well, look at me now!" She grinned evilly at him, clapping her hands together. "I've got money, a nice house, horses, and three gorgeous children with their precious little delinquent! I may not have more than they do, but I'm happy with what I've got while they stew in their bitterness because I stole away their pride and joy. You know, he did whatever he wanted when he lived with them, and they let him. If he had gone on like that, he would've died, I tell you, shot, stabbed, or worse! But, nope! My little Colie just at to bat her long lashes at him once and he turned his life around for her!"

Aiden blinked under the assault of her rambling, one question surfacing in his mind. 'Who the hell is Kellen?' Mona seemed to realize this, as she frowned suddenly, then smiled again. "Oh, right, right! Kellen's my husband, gods rest his soul. He was a great man, all fire, and I loved him to death." With a playful wink at him, she smiled, "And judging by my three kids, I loved him quite often, didn't I?"

For all the personality differences between Desdemona Adelais and Keres Patroclos, for a single instant in time Aiden thought he was looking at his mother. And then that moment passed, and he was staring down at the heart-shaped face of Sasha's mother once more. 'Oh gods above,' he thought, 'they're going to be best fuckin' friends.'

"I would've loved to meet him," Aiden said absently. But then he thought on it more, and laughed quietly to himself. "Then again, if he was anywhere near as protective as Kendall is..."

Mona's smile took on an impish quality. "He would've eaten you for breakfast, dear."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"I'm sure your father is much the same way. It's all part of being a father, after all."

"Ah..." The dark-haired teen shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe..." Mona's eyes were innocently inquisitive, and he felt compelled to continue. "I uh, don't really have any memories of my dad. He died when I was really young."

"Oh, you poor thing. At least my Sasha had his daddy for a while. And they were close as can be. I remember once coming home from a gallery opening, Sasha was about four years old, and they were curled up together on the rug in the den, watching the Lion King-- both asleep, of course. Oooh, I'm sure I have a picture of that... Hold on." She whisked away for but a moment, returning with an impossible heavy-looking photo album. She flipped it open to a page, and pointed to a  clear photograph.

Aiden's heart melted. A tiny brunet boy was nestled against the broad chest of a tall, well-built man with thick, dark auburn hair, his arms around the sleeping child that was Aiden's Asteri. Sasha's index finger was pushed against his Cupid's bow lips, which were curved slightly in a content smile.

'Damn, that's cute...'

The book snapped closed, and Mona tucked it under her arm. "Breakfast time, now, kiddo! Let's go, because I am STARVING!"

~*~*~*~

"So, did you do it yet?"

"No."

"Aw, come on, Sasha-boo! You can tell me!"

"No!"

"Sasha-boooo, I won't tell anyone! Just tell me! Did. You. Do. Iiiiiit?"

"NO! WE DIDN'T!" Sasha whirled around, shirtless, to glare at Colby, who was seated on his bed, smiling innocently.

"Well, jeez, guess you didn't, judging by the mood you're in," the redhead sniffled mockingly. Sasha wanted to wring his scrawny neck, but instead settled for pretending that his discarded t-shirt was the offending redhead and twisted it violently. Noting his friend's apparent irritation, Colby put on his best wounded face. "Sorry, Sasha-boo, I'm just curious."

The brunet let the twisted shirt fall to the floor and he sighed deeply. "It's okay. Just... I don't really like to talk about it. It's embarrassing. I mean, we've done everything but do it and it's starting to piss me off." He suddenly realized that he'd let a bit of vital information slip, and he turned to his colorful friend, his unspoken threat burning in his eyes. "That does not leave this room under any circumstances," he growled firmly.

"On my honor as a gay, it does not leave this room," said Colby, left hand raised, the other over his heart.

"Good," Sasha slipped Noa's pants from his hips and kicked them aside, pulling on a pair of black boxer-briefs. When he turned to grab his shirt from his bed, Colby's eyes locked onto his thigh.

"Oh... my... god..." he murmured.

"What?" Sasha asked, tugging on his shirt.

Colby straightened, a cat that ate the canary grin firmly in place. "Oh... Oh nothing. Nothing at all."

Sasha eyed him warily, but turned away to pull on his jeans and favorite checkered Converse. The very instant his shoes were laced and his bag over his shoulder, the wild redhead darted from the bed and out the door, screaming at the top of his lungs, "SASHA HAS A HICKEY ON HIS THIGH!"

"God damn it, Colby, I'll kill you!" Sasha shrieked, racing after the other boy.