miracle (miracle) wrote in luke_noah, @ 2008-12-22 11:01:00 |
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Original poster: indigo_5
Title: The Way It Might Have Been
Author: indigo_5
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: I own neither Luke, Noah, nor anything else related to ATWT. The show would look a lot different if I did.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: This is just a silly little one-shot. The idea basically is, What if it wasn’t a soap opera? I’m going back to how Luke and Noah met, but with none of the craziness. No homicidal lunatics, no kidnappings, no fake marriages, etc. Just Luke and Noah. How might it have gone?
Notes: Feedback is my heroin.
If only I hadn’t dropped those damned videotapes. It made no sense, but Luke kept coming back to that stupid memory, over and over again. It was when he dropped the tapes that he had first touched Noah’s hand, first come face to face with those dazzling blue eyes, first felt his heart leap and realized that he felt something for the new intern that he really, really shouldn’t. Because it was pointless. And it was only going to get him hurt. Again.
Consciously, Luke knew that he would have realized it eventually, tapes or no tapes. But in his mind, he kept coming back to that moment. Noah’s hand had been warm and soft, his face friendly and open. He’d smiled at Luke, asked if he was okay. Which he wasn’t. But he couldn’t say that. And now, weeks later, he just wished Noah had never even shown up in Oakdale. Except he didn’t really wish that. Not really.
Pointless. That seemed to be Luke’s new favorite word these days. It had been pointless to come out to his parents, to go through everything he went through, when at the end of it all he was still alone. It was pointless to hope for a boyfriend in a town like Oakdale, and pointless to even let himself wonder whether Noah might ever be interested in him. Luke looked up, staring at Noah across the room, watching him joking with Maddie, so obviously into her. Pointless.
Just at that moment, Noah glanced over at Luke, still laughing at something Maddie had said, and Luke looked down quickly, pretending he hadn’t just been caught staring. He couldn’t help himself. Noah was the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen in real life, and he just wanted to soak the vision in. But he couldn’t let Noah catch on. He glanced up again, noting with relief and not a little hurt that Noah had resumed his conversation with Maddie as if he hadn’t noticed a thing. Noah liked her, Luke was sure of it. And why shouldn’t he? Maddie was a great girl. Luke pretended not to notice the slow somersault his stomach did at the thought, and he slammed the laptop closed with a frustrated sigh.
“What did that computer ever do to you?” Maddie’s voice was light, joking, teasing. Good. She hadn’t picked up that anything was wrong.
“Nothing,” Luke said, not looking at them. “I’m just in a rush. I’ve got to get home.”
“Oh, really?” Luke looked up when Noah spoke, surprised at the tinge of disappointment in his tone. Stop it, he told himself. He’s just being polite. “We were going to ask if you wanted to go out for some pizza with us.”
Pizza. With Noah. And Maddie. Watching the two of them laughing, touching, flirting. Luke’s stomach turned over again. “I can’t,” he muttered, gathering his stuff together. Looking up again, he noticed their faces and realized he’d need to say more than that, if he was really going to keep them from guessing that anything was up. “I mean, not tonight,” he added. “Some other time, okay?”
“Sure,” Maddie said, a quizzical look on her face. Luke didn’t look at Noah’s face. There was no point in making himself feel worse than he already did.
“’Night,” Luke said, his head down, and he hurried out the door.
****
He did a lot of hurrying out of doors as the next two weeks went by. Noah and Maddie seemed to be closer than ever, finishing each other’s sentences now, speaking their own private language. Both at work and out of it, they were hardly ever apart. They kept inviting Luke out to join them for dinner, or movies, or anything else they did, but Luke kept finding excuses not to go. It was starting to get awkward.
“Luke, what is going on?” Maddie gazed at her friend, her expression hurt, confused. Luke had just turned down another invitation, and he couldn’t run away this time. Noah was off running an errand for Kim, and Luke and Maddie had a stack of filing to get through that was going to take hours. Shit.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Luke kept his gaze focused on the papers in front of him, trying to think of a way to change the subject.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Maddie said. Luke bit his lip, furrowed his brow, but didn’t speak. And suddenly Maddie’s hands were on his. “Hey,” she said, getting frustrated now. “Look at me.” He did, finally. “What is it? What did I do?”
“Nothing!” Luke swallowed, looked over her shoulder, tried to find the words. “It’s not you. I swear. It’s just been really busy at home, and I haven’t really been in the mood for going out.” And I want to jump your boyfriend’s bones every time I see him, so it’s just easier for me to stay away.
Maddie stared at him. “There’s something more going on,” she said. Luke looked back at her, swallowing hard. Maybe he should just tell her the truth. She’d always been able to read him anyway. Maybe at least that way, she’d quit hassling him to spend time with them. He opened his mouth, not sure what exactly was going to come out of it. But there was a sound at the door, and they both swiveled around to watch Noah walk in. “Hey!” she said, her face lighting up the way it always did around Noah.
Idiot, Luke thought as he turned away.
****
It was really pretty funny how it finally came about. It was July 3, and the three of them had been given a massive pile of tapes to go through to find enough old fireworks footage for the special that Oakdale Now was planning for the next day. Which meant there was a deadline, which meant they were staying late. But Maddie had been called away by some drama with her brother’s girlfriend, so it was just Luke and Noah at the station. It was after 8:00, they were finally taking a break for dinner, and Luke had started to relax around Noah for the first time in ages. Or maybe ever.
“Who is General Tso, anyway?” Noah asked, digging around in the takeout container for the last morsel.
“Someone who makes really good chicken? I don’t know.” Luke pointed an egg roll at his new friend, wagging it jokingly. “Here’s one for you. Why do they call it Peking Duck when they don’t call Peking Peking anymore?”
“Because Beijing Duck sounds stupid.”
“Ah, of course.” Luke grinned, and Noah laughed at him, tossing the empty container onto the floor. They were sitting on the floor of the studio, the remnants of their dinner surrounding them, and Noah stretched his arms over his head. Which caused his shirt to rise up slightly, flashing a half-inch of skin above his waistband. Luke’s grin disappeared and he looked quickly away, licking his lips involuntarily.
“This was really fun,” Noah said. His voice was casual, as if he hadn’t noticed Luke staring. Good. Luke nodded, flashing a small smile at his coworker. “We should do it again sometime,” Noah continued. “Dinner, I mean.”
Not again. “Thanks, but I don’t want to butt in on you and Maddie,” Luke said.
“You wouldn’t be butting in.”
“Sure. There’s nothing like a third wheel to add a little spice to a romantic dinner.” Luke kept his gaze firmly away from Noah, packing the empty containers into the paper bag they came in.
“A romantic… Luke, Maddie and I aren’t going out.” Noah sounded so surprised, so bewildered, that Luke couldn’t help but look up. “Is that what you thought? We’re just friends. That’s all.”
“Oh,” Luke said. He couldn’t hide his surprise, but he couldn’t think of anything more profound to say either.
“Is that why you keep turning us down? Are you…” Noah’s voice trailed off, and a new emotion appeared on his face, one Luke couldn’t quite identify. “You’re jealous. Is that it? I know you and Maddie went to prom together. Did you think I was moving in on your…”
“No!” Luke laughed, in spite of himself. “Trust me, Noah, that’s not it. I’m not interested in Maddie.”
Noah was just staring at him now, like he didn’t quite believe him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m totally sure. I’m gay.” Shit. Why did you just say that? Luke looked down again, spilling a half-full container of sweet and sour sauce on his hand and hastily wiping it off with a paper napkin. Say something. You have to say something. Several years seemed to have passed since Luke had last spoken, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of what to say next.
“Well, good.” Wait. What? Luke froze. But Noah’s warm hand was covering his sticky one now. “Because I wasn’t actually asking you to join me and Maddie for dinner just now. I kind of meant just you and me.”
Luke concentrated on breathing. Not possible. Don’t go there. He still couldn’t look up. “What?” he managed.
Noah’s hand was gone. “Shit. You’re not interested. Okay, well, look, let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything, okay? I mean --”
Luke needed to get that hand back. He looked up. Noah was looking away now, still babbling. He reached forward and grabbed Noah’s hand, causing Noah to turn those stunning eyes to him again. Wow. Luke swallowed. “I’m interested,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve been interested for… kind of a while now.”
And Noah smiled, shyly, and Luke forgot his words. Noah’s eyes were shifting to his lips, then back up to his eyes again, and he was leaning forward. Oh my God. He’s going to kiss me. There was a hand on Luke’s face. Noah’s hand. Oh my God. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. And then Luke stopped thinking, because Noah’s lips were on his, soft and strong, gentle, tender, perfect. Luke closed his eyes and sighed into the kiss, opening his mouth, moving his non-sticky hand to the back of Noah’s neck, sliding his fingers into dark hair that was just as soft as he’d imagined it. And Noah’s tongue was touching his now, ohmygod, and it was getting a little less gentle, wet and deep and intense. Noah made a little sound, a low, quiet sound that could have been a whimper or a moan or a growl, and Luke pushed forward harder now, everything harder now, kissing him more, wanting to hear that sound again. And Noah was kissing back, meeting every move of his lips, every thrust of his tongue. Somewhere in the back of Luke’s mind he knew they’d have to surface for oxygen soon, but he never ever wanted to remove his mouth from Noah’s.
Finally, eventually, they stopped, leaning close together, breathing heavy. Luke drank in the sexiest sight he’d ever seen, Noah’s lips swollen and wet, his eyes dark and half-lidded, his face flushed. With lust. For him. God. Luke was torn between the desire to push Noah to the floor and strip his clothes off and the desire to do a little dance of joy that he’d caused a look like that on someone as gorgeous as this. But both would have to wait.
“Me too,” Noah said at last, his voice rough. Luke was confused for a moment, but then realized what he meant. Noah was interested too. Thank God.
“Good,” Luke said, smiling. He licked his lips, staring at Noah’s mouth, restraining himself from covering it with his own again. “What do you say we finish up with these tapes and get out of here?”
“Definitely,” Noah said. And Luke realized he had a new favorite word.