Mal sat at the edge of the water, his pants completely soaked. He couldn’t stop thinking about Moses. The way his hair fell into his face, his thin frame, his amber eyes, his lips, his soft, deep voice. Everything about him was almost intoxicating to Mal. He thought about how he ran away, how he fled without even looking back. Mal was used to leaving. He left home, he left his first school, he left everything without even saying goodbye, and hadn’t looked back since. He tried not to care about the parents he left behind, or anyone else in his life he’d ghosted. He hadn’t even contacted any of them in 8 months. In his mind, it wasn’t worth it. It would bring up too much of the residual pain he’d tried so hard to rid himself of. He met Dean through his brother, who rented out a room to him in his house. Dean gave him so much, yet so little. Everything Mal had gotten was earned. Loyalty, respect, money, knowledge, he worked every day of his life to earn. He had to, that comes with the territory of being clean, after all. So it didn’t matter if he’d ever see his parents again or have some semblance of his old life, he didn’t want it. He refused to need it. He dipped into the cold water, submerging himself completely in it. It shut the noise of the outside world out, and Mal liked it that way. It was like a piece of closure for him, something pleasant he could use, if only for a moment. He thought about the way Moses held him, a hunger was lurking inside of him. He just found Moses irresistible in spite of himself. His bashfulness made it even more fun to tease him. The way he asserted himself was something Mal found attractive. Mal rose up to the surface again, taking a deep breath of summer air. He wanted to know more about this boy Dean had talked so much about. He wanted to know what made him click, what pushed his buttons. What he’d look like underneath him. What would it be like to kiss those lips? He touched his face where Moses had held it, and his cheeks flushed. Damn. I really want him. He felt silly for running away. I should go back. I’ll just have to control myself. He sighed and got out of the water, putting his shirt back on and heading to his car. The drive back was uneventful, and he felt a little restless to get home. I wanna see him. Mal opened the front door, jumping back a little. Moses was on the floor in a fetal position, completely asleep. It looked like he’d been crying. What in the hell happened while I was gone? This boy is takin’ up so much of my headspace, and this sure as shit ain’t helpin’! Well, I gotta get ‘im off the floor at least. Mal gently lifted the boy off the ground, and he was much lighter than Mal had originally thought. He was half afraid to wake Moses up, but he didn’t seem to stir. His eyelids were slightly puffy, some residual water on them from tears. Mal felt his chest burn, and he felt a great need to protect this person. He carefully placed Moses on his bed, as his room was closer to the living room and he didn’t want to wake him. He sat by the bed, watching Moses’ chest rise and fall. Moses was grabbing at the sheets in his sleep, almost as though he was reaching out for something. Against his better judgment, Mal grabbed his hand. Moses was mumbling something he couldn’t quite make out, and his eyelids fluttered as he scrunched his eyebrows up. His hand was soft and warm, which contrasted greatly to Mal’s big calloused hands. Moses was holding his hand like it was something precious. After a while, his eyes lazily fell open, and he jolted a little in surprise. Mal expected him to yell or let go of his hand, but he held onto it, squeezing it slightly.

“I’m sorry. You were out cold on the floor of the living room, so I moved ya.”

“This your room?”

“Yeah. It was closer. I just didn’t like the thought of ya lyin’ on the floor, so that’s why I brought you here. It was closer too.”

Moses nodded as if to thank him, caressing his hand. Mal moved to sit on the bed.

“Your room is nice. I like your posters and stuff. Ya like movies, huh?”

“Yeah. Quite a bit.”

“Me too. Music is my favorite though. I play guitar, actually. Well, I used to, anyway.”

“Why’d ya stop?”

“Dad broke my guitar when he was drunk.”

Mal’s heart sank, and he squeezed his hand in an attempt at comfort. Moses reciprocated the gesture. 

“I was really pissed at my dad for a long time. I mean, I’m still pissed, but I don’t really care anymore.”

“Dean was honestly a totally different person by the time I met him.”

“How?”

“Well, for one thing, he was sober.”

“For real?”

“Yeah. I was the one who wasn’t…”

Mal looked down at the intertwined hands, his stomach feeling hot again. He inched closer, cautiously so he didn’t freak Moses out.

“How long ya been clean?”

“6 months. I was a fuckin’ mess, man. I’ve been pretty fucked up. For a long time.”

Moses leaned in closer.

“Me too. I’m pretty much an expert at bein’ fucked up at this point.”

Mal took hold of his other hand, and Moses blushed, his amber eyes darting around nervously.

“You have pretty eyes.”

“Yours are prettier.”

“Mine are sooo boring.”

“Naw. It’s like lookin’ into the night sky. Everything about you is…”

“Is?”

“Hot.”

Mal was surprised by how honest he was being, but welcomed it. They were almost touching now, and Mal could hear how fast his heart was pounding in his head. Moses bit his lip, looking down. Mal let go of one of his hands to cup his face. Moses blushed even harder, his chin trembling slightly. To him, this felt just like his dream, and he didn’t know what to do. Mal was so close to him. Mal felt like his heart could explode at any moment it was beating so fast.

“What do you wanna do,” Mal asked, his voice breathy and small, desperate almost.

“Whatever you want.”

Mal grabbed Moses by the waist, pulling him onto his lap, and their lips met. Moses tasted sweet in his mouth, and Mal found himself wanting more of him. He gasped as Moses pushed his hips forward, grabbing Mal by the hair. Mal touched the small of his back underneath his shirt. The kisses became breathless and desperate, as if they were becoming one. Mal didn’t know where he ended and Moses began, and in that moment, he didn’t care. He heard the soft gasps escaping them both as Moses moved his hips further up, playfully biting his lower lip, pulling his hair slightly. He pulled away, smirking at Moses.

“Who told you you could stop,” Moses grunted, his eyes flashing wildly. His long hair was a mess now, his cheeks perfectly flushed. His clothes were rumpled and he had a weak smile on his face. He released Mal’s hair, migrating his hands down his waist.

“Are you gonna keep goin’ or are we gonna be here all day?”

“Don’t challenge me, pretty boy.”

Mal pushed him down on the bed, nipping his neck and ears. Moses let out little gasps that excited him. Moses caressed his face, leaning in for another deep kiss. He grinded underneath Mal, running his hands under his shirt, feeling the firm muscles of his lower back. Mal moaned into his mouth.. Moses responded by adding more friction and rhythm to his grinding, making the sensation more intense for both of them. He grabbed Mal by the waist and nipped at his neck, teasing his flesh until it left a few marks. Mal yelped as he felt the sensations from both his upper and lower half.

“Please,” Mal whimpered.

“Not yet.”

Mal whined as Moses teased his neck.

“Look at you. You’re too easy.”

Moses felt a strange feeling as he continued, almost as if he was the most powerful man on earth. He didn’t know if it was pleasure or adrenaline from the situation, but it made him feel unstoppable.

“Moses, I can’t hold it. Please.”

Moses cracked a wicked grin.

“I got you, baby.”

He gently held Mal as he pushed his hips up in a deep thrust, sending them both into a deep wave of pleasure.

“Fuck, Moses…Moses!”

Moses clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth. It wasn’t his first time doing this with someone else, but it felt different this time. Much more intense, and every part of his body felt like it was on fire. He leered at Mal with a smug smirk, seeing the beautiful mess the boy had become. Mal collapsed on the bed next to him, panting softly, a breathy laugh escaping him.

“Wow,” he murmured, “we should do that more often.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just ‘cause it happened once doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen again.”

Mal pouted, much to Moses’ amusement. 

“You’re a jerk!”

“Ya just now realized that?” Moses scooted closer to him, holding his arms out, “c’mere.”

“Fine.”

Moses consoled the pouty boy, and they laid together for a while. Moses felt warm on his chest, his slender arms draped around him. It was safe. Right, somehow. Mal could hear his heartbeat, and see the soft rising and falling of his chest. It was comforting, being together like this. It was something neither of them had really experienced before. It was as though they were the only people in the world, and it made Mal almost forget about the things he was still trying so hard to get away from. If he could finally escape all of it, maybe he’d start healing.