Week Ten: excerpt of chapter ten


It’s 12:18 tomorrow morning
                  my head is resting next to you
                                    my feet are hanging off
 the edge
                  { but that’s strangely okay. }
                                    I think it’s real now
                  after all that effort
it’s real
                  { so are you. }



They stopped at McDonalds on the way back because it was close and Aiden was determined to prove a point to Carlos. It was getting towards midnight and against his better wishes Alex started yawning. Mark had offered to drive him home afterwards, but all Alex wanted to do was curl up in bed and go to sleep. Mark seemed to notice on the walk back from McDonalds, slinging an arm around Alex’s shoulders and pulling him close.

“Do you wanna crash at Carlos’s?”

Alex sighed in relief, slipping his eyes shut and relying on Mark to guide him again. “If that’s okay.”
Mark chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to Alex’s temple. “I’m sure it’ll be fine; you can sleep in with me.”

In the back of his head, Alex realised that Mark only had a single bed, but he dismissed the thought in favour of concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.

When they got to Carlos’s house, Carlos invited Alex to stay the night anyway. He gave he and Mark a sideways glance before disappearing into his own room and when Alex looked at Mark he was frowning.

Mark leant Alex a shirt to sleep in, despite it being a little too big for him, seeing as Alex had only just started his first growth spurt. Mark got into bed first, up against the wall, and put his arm out along the edge of the pillow. Alex got in after switching off the lamp on the bedside table, using Mark’s arm as an extra bit of cushioning and placing a hand on his waist. He felt Mark’s breath ghost across his skin before Mark was pressing their lips together.

Alex was exhausted, but he kissed back, sliding his hand up Mark’s chest, over his shoulder and up into his hair. He lifted one of his legs to hook over Mark’s hips, pressing their chests closer as Mark slid their tongues together. Mark’s hands felt like they were everywhere on Alex’s body, and he welcomed the feeling as comforting. He loved kissing Mark. He loved the soft touches and firm grip, the soft puffs of air against his cheek as Mark breathed through his nose. Even just the shape of Mark’s lips had become familiar with the amount of times they had been against Alex’s own. When Mark broke away, Alex found himself chasing his mouth despite how tired he was. Mark giggled softly in the dark.

“You’re tired, we should sleep.”

Alex hummed, turning over and pressing his body back into Mark’s. Mark slung an arm over his waist, nuzzling into the back of Alex’s neck and kissing the top of his spine.

It took Alex a moment to fall to sleep, whereas Mark was soon snoring softly, his breath ruffling the hair at the top of Alex’s neck. It was then, listening to the sound of Mark’s breathing and cars on the main road, that Alex realised. Against all his best efforts, all the times he had sworn to his ceiling that he wouldn’t, Alex had still fallen in love with Mark.

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