miracle (miracle) wrote in luke_noah, @ 2007-12-08 04:10:00 |
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Original poster: dedebee
Author: dedebee
Characters: Noah, Luke, Holden and a cameo by Faith
Rating | Word Count: PG-13/R, 2500
Spoilers | Warnings: Up-to-date with the show and current storyline
Summary: Noah's plans for Luke unfold.
Notes: This chapter is a little longer than the others, but I'm sure it'll be worth it for everyone. Like I said before, I'm not very good with the R-rated details, but some of this chapter might cross over into that territory (it's not hard-core though, I promise). For the most part, the chapter is really PG-13ish. Anyway, without further ado, enjoy!
"The Next Level," Chapter Four
Noah infuriatingly stared at his reflection in the mirror. He tried to fix the tie around his neck repeatedly, and each time he failed. He wanted it to look perfect for tonight, but it wasn’t easy as Luke made it seem. For a moment, Noah considered driving up to the farm right away to have Luke help him, but he reconsidered. He knew he had to do it all by himself.
After yet another failed attempt to get his tie perfect, Noah gave up and figured it was as good as it was going to get. He checked himself out in the mirror one last time, straightening out his navy blue suit jacket and brushing the lint off his khaki pants. What are you doing, he thought to himself. You’re gonna be late. A final once-over around his dorm room to make sure he didn’t forget anything and he was headed out the door.
He had gone to great lengths to make sure everything would be perfect, or at least he did, with Dusty’s help. It was Dusty who booked an extra room at the Lakeview and made arrangements with the concierge to sign in under a fake name. It was also Dusty who offered to take Mrs. Snyder out for the night in order to keep her away from the hotel. He even tried to refuse Noah’s money and pay for the room himself, but relented under Noah’s insistence. Noah told him that it wouldn’t feel right to him, and Dusty respected that.
As Noah pulled up to the farm, he could feel the perspiration form on his palms. The night hadn’t even begun yet and he was already nervous. He tried to shake it off before checking himself out for the final time. Once he gave himself the okay, he stepped out of his truck and walk towards the entrance. He knocked on the door a couple of times before walking into the kitchen, where he found Luke’s father, Holden, standing at the stove, and his sister, Faith, seated at the table.
“Noah,” Holden said, turning around. “Come on in! It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Mr. Snyder.” Noah’s voice cracked a little. He hoped Mr. Snyder hadn’t noticed.
“Hi Noah!” said Faith. She picked her head up from the book she was reading and smiled.
“Hey Faith,” Noah replied. “What are you reading there?”
“Some stupid book I have to finish before winter break,” she said. “I can’t wait…two weeks without any school!”
“That’s funny. I can’t wait until I can go back.” Noah tried to make a joke, but it was a serious situation. In a couple of days, Oakdale University would shut down for the holidays, and it was school policy that no one was allowed to stay in the dorms over the break. All the students, including his roommate, would be headed home to spend the holidays with their family, something Noah didn’t have. He had yet to accept Luke’s offer to stay at the farm, as he was looking into other possibilities, but it didn’t seem like anything would pan out.
“Faith, why don’t you go get Luke and tell him Noah’s here?” Holden directed. “While you’re at it, tell your sister to wash up for dinner also.”
Faith let out a sigh. “Alright,” she said, as if she were annoyed to be forced out of the room.
“So Luke tells me you guys are going out tonight?” Holden asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Noah replied. As kind as he was, Noah always found Mr. Snyder a little intimidating.
“Somewhere nice, I’m guessing? You look pretty dressed up.”
“We’re just going to the Lakeview,” Noah said without thinking. “I mean, uh, for dinner,” he added. “We’re going to the Lakeview for dinner.”
“Sounds like fun,” Holden said, in a serious tone.
“It’s just dinner.” Does he know? Noah thought. He tried to remain calm in order to keep himself from getting psyched out.
“Look, Noah,” said Holden, as he moved closer, “Luke told me about your living situation. I want you to know that you’re more than welcome to stay here, at the farm, during the school break.”
“That’s really kind of you, Mr. Snyder—“
“Please, call me Holden.”
“Uh, Holden,” Noah said uncomfortably. “Like I said, it’s really kind, but I don’t want to impose.”
“You wouldn’t be imposing, I promise. We have plenty of room here, and it’s the least I could do, especially after all you’ve done for the family, and for Luke.”
“Well, sir, I’ll think about it.”
A voice came in from the hallway. “Think about what?”
Noah turned around and saw Luke walking into the kitchen with his cane. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of his boyfriend, looking very handsome, all dressed up in a black suit. His white button-down shirt was undone at the top quarter, exposing part of his chest.
“I was just telling Noah that he was welcome to stay here, in the guest room, over the break,” Holden said, emphasizing the middle part.
“And I was telling your dad I would think about it,” Noah said.
“Oh come on,” Luke said, “It’s not like you have anywhere else to go.”
“Gee, thanks for reminding me.” Noah gave him one of those looks, indicating Luke had gone too far.
“Well, it’s the truth!” Even though Luke was desperate for Noah to stay with him during the holidays, he didn’t want to let on, opting to try and convince Noah there were no other options instead.
“Shouldn’t you guys get going?” Holden interjected, in an attempt to play peacemaker.
Noah looked at his watch. “Yeah, I guess we should,” he said. “Shall we?” He gestured over to Luke.
“Alright, let’s go." Luke grabbed a messenger bag hanging off the coat rack.
"What's that?" asked Noah. "Why do you need a bag?" Does he know?
"It's just my man-purse," Luke joked. "It's got my wallet and stuff in it." Noah breathed easier. "Bye Dad." Noah nodded towards Holden and they made their way to the door.
“You guys be safe,” said Holden. Noah almost stopped dead in his tracks.
“Don’t worry, we will!” Luke shouted.
Once outside, Noah headed to the passenger side of his truck first and opened the door for Luke.
“Uh, thank you?” Luke said, before getting into the car. As Noah walked around to the driver’s side, Luke smiled. As cheesy a move as that was, he couldn’t help but swoon a little at his boyfriend’s kindness.
Noah entered the vehicle and started the car.
“Luke,” he said, while waiting for the engine to warm up. “I just, uh, want to tell you…you look really, uh, nice tonight.”
Luke laughed. “Thanks,” he replied, charmed by the compliment. “You look really nice yourself.” He leaned over and gave Noah a quick peck. “So where are you taking me tonight, Mayer?”
“To the Lakeview.”
--------------------------
As the two of them finished their dinner, the waiter came over and left the bill on the table. Luke reached for his wallet, but was stopped by Noah.
“Don’t worry, I got this,” he said.
“Are you sure? Because I can pay.”
“Actually…it’s, uh, part of your Christmas present.”
“You bought me dinner for Christmas? How romantic.” Luke masked his disappointment with sarcasm.
“Well, it’s just one part.” Noah could feel the night getting away from him.
“Noah, I’m sorry,” Luke said apologetically. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just me and my stupid mouth again.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Noah. As the waiter returned to pick up the bill, he placed his hand on top of Luke’s.
“Wait…does that mean you’re giving me my gift tonight?”
“Uh, yeah.” Sweat beads started to form on Noah’s forehead.
“Well, if that’s the case, I guess I should give you your gift too.” Luke reached into his bag and it suddenly dawned on Noah why he insisted on carrying it around. “I brought it just in case.” He pulled out a rectangular-shaped box covered in wrapping paper, adorned with a bow, and handed it to Noah.
“Thanks,” Noah said, as he stared down at it.
“Go ahead, open it.”
He removed the bow, tore off the paper and detached the lid from the box. Inside was an assortment of classic comic books, including issues of Spider-Man, Captain America, Superman, and Batman, each wrapped in a protective cover.
“I remember you said your dad wouldn't let you have comic books,” Luke said. “I just thought that now, you could have some of your own, and you wouldn't have to hide them." Noah didn’t know what to say. He couldn't believe Luke remembered that conversation.
“You hate it, don’t you?” Luke said, worried by his silence.
“No! No, I don’t,” Noah replied. “This is…this is really nice, Luke. Thank you. I love it.” Once again, the words came out of his mouth without thinking.
Luke was taken by surprise. He tensed up at Noah’s comment. “Well, uh, I’m glad you like it.” Now Luke didn’t know what to say. As both of them remained quiet, Noah thought to himself, It’s now or never.
“Luke,” he said, after clearing his throat. “Remember what we were talking about the other night? When we watched ‘Casablanca?’”
“Uh, yeah,” Luke said, puzzled. He remembered what they talked about, but he was sure Noah had blocked it from his memory.
“Well…” Noah desperately tried to summon the courage. “If you’re still…ready…I got a room…here, at the Lakeview.”
Luke couldn’t believe the words coming out of Noah’s mouth. “You got a room here? How? Don’t tell me my mom—“
“No! Your mom doesn’t know anything about it. Actually, it was Dusty—“
“Dusty??” Luke asked, shocked beyond belief. “You had Dusty get you a room?”
“Yes, I mean, no…he helped me with it, but I paid for it myself and everything.” The romantic moment Noah pictured in his head was going horribly awry. Noah knew Luke’s stance on his mother’s relationship with Dusty but had hoped he would overlook that.
“So basically, Dusty is our pimp,” Luke said sarcastically. He pursed his lips to convey his annoyance.
Noah rushed to his friend’s defense. “I know how you feel about Dusty, Luke, but he’s a really good guy,” he said ardently. “I mean, he promised not to tell your mother, and he even took her out tonight to keep her away from here. He helped me out because I wanted to do something special for you, something to show you how much I cared about you, and he understood all of that, no questions asked.” Noah turned his head to the side, angry at both himself and at Luke for ruining the night.
“Noah,” Luke said, embarrassed at himself, “I’m so sorry.” He reached over the table with both of his hands. “I guess I let my stupid mouth take over again.”
“I just wanted to be alone with you tonight, no roommates, no family, no interruptions.” Noah kept his head in profile. “I wanted tonight to be...a night you wouldn't forget.”
“It still can be,” Luke said earnestly. “If you want to.”
Noah turned and looked at Luke. One glance at his face and all the anger faded away. He extended his arms and placed both of his hands over Luke’s. “I want to.”
Luke began to grin widely. “So what’s the room number?”
---------------------------
The door to Room 310 opened and both boys walked in. They marveled at the sight of the luxury suite.
“Wow,” Luke said, astonished. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the inside of one of these rooms before. This is really nice.”
“Well, not to brag, but it was pretty expensive,” Noah answered. He took the “Do Not Disturb” sign off of the doorknob and placed it outside. “I wanted to get you something else, but the room kind of tapped me out,” he offered.
“It’s okay,” Luke said. “This is more than enough.” He turned around to face Noah, trying to maintain his resolve. “So….” Luke uttered, not knowing what else to say.
“So....” Noah countered in return, trying to hide his apprehension as well. They gazed at each other from a short distance, but it seemed so far to both of them. Slowly, but surely, they shifted closer to each other until they were inches apart. Noah leaned in to give Luke a kiss.
“Noah,” Luke interrupted. “Have you ever, uh…I mean, I know you and Maddie…but, have you ever… with anyone else?”
Noah backed off before replying. “No,” he said. “Maddie was…the only person.”
“Really?” Luke breathed a sigh of relief and let out a small laugh.
“Yeah,” Noah said, ashamed. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” Luke apologized. “I just…I’m just surprised. A handsome guy like you….”
Noah laughed. “And what about you?” he asked, as he faced Luke again and started to bridge the distance. “I figured a cute guy like you could have had anyone he wanted.”
“I guess I was just waiting for the right person.” Luke smiled, and Noah immediately kissed him on the lips, attempting to steal it away. Luke recoiled a bit before passionately returning the favor. They pulled their jackets off of one another and threw them down on the floor. Luke slowly undid his boyfriend’s tie as Noah unbuttoned Luke’s shirt. Luke did the same to Noah, and their shirts soon joined the space their jackets occupied once they were undone.
They both stepped back a little and took each other in. They explored their bodies with their hands, from their chests, to their backs, to their upper arms. Their eyes locked once again before they resumed kissing. After a little while, Noah pulled his lips away from Luke’s mouth and began to peck away at his neck. Luke moaned in ecstasy at the feeling.
“Noah…did you…bring…protection?” Luke asked, as Noah moved his lips to his ear.
Noah stopped and returned to Luke’s gaze. “Yeah,” he replied.
“Okay, good.” Luke smiled in relief. They began to kiss again, rubbing their hard bodies against one another. The sensation of their bare chests touching was almost too much for both of them to handle. As Noah’s hands reached for the opening of Luke’s pants, he pulled away one last time.
“Noah, please,” he said, catching his breath. He tilted his head so his forehead pressed against Noah’s chin. “Before we do this…I just…I need to hear you say it.”
Noah paused briefly, before placing both of his hands on Luke’s face, bringing it up so their eyes would meet. They stared into each other intently. “I love you,” Noah said tenderly. “I love you, Luke Snyder.”
A single tear streamed down the side of Luke’s face. “I love you too, Noah,” he responded, his voice cracking with emotion. Noah wiped the tear off of Luke's cheek and they began fervently kissing once again. The two boys wrapped their arms around each other as they moved over to the bed, collapsing onto the mattress and into one another.
END OF CHAPTER FOUR