Sweaters & Cigarettes (49 page)

"Babe, you ready?" he
breathes, the impatience clear in his voice, and Theo nods eagerly, eyes
closed.

"Yes," he pants.
"God, yes."

That's all Max needs to hear.

It's only a matter of seconds, it
seems, before Max has gotten a condom and put it on, and by the time he starts pushing
into Theo, Theo is a panting, moaning mess. It feels amazing, but it's so
slow
,
and it's driving him crazy, his entire body on edge.

"Come on, babe," he
breathes, pointedly moving his hands down to Max's ass, as if to push him in
further, faster, and Max groans at the unexpected pressure.

"Oh god," he bites out,
allowing Theo's hands to persuade him, before he slows down again. And Theo
lets out a noise of impatience.

"Just
move
," he
says, in a way he would normally be a little embarrassed about, sounding equal
parts desperate and completely intoxicated by the whole thing.

For a moment, Max looks like he's
about to say something. He doesn't, though. Perhaps he hears the sheer pleading
in Theo's wrecked voice, or perhaps he just wants this just as much as Theo
does, but either way, he takes Theo completely by surprise, when he pushes in
all the way, in one, deep thrust.

And Theo makes the most undignified
sound, a strangled moan that matches the way he suddenly clings to Max, pulling
him closer, deeper, groaning against his neck. And he's sure that Max is about
to ask if he's okay, so he stops him, pressing their lips together in a searing
kiss. And Max doesn't ask. He doesn't ask, because Theo is so beyond okay, and
Max just feels
so good
, and when he starts thrusting slowly, Theo
honestly wonders how the hell he manages to survive whenever they do anything
like this, together. Because it's like dying, like slowly dying from a
complete, extraordinary excess of amazing emotion and sensation, and this time
is no different.

Max was right, though; they should
have slowed down a bit. Rather than going on for a long time, slowly and then
faster, the pace picks up pretty quickly, and Theo feels that familiar heat
coil in his stomach, the sensation building and building, until he can't make
any sound but incoherent moans and pants and happy noises. Max matches them,
moving into him with deliberate, deep thrusts, and before long, they're both
falling over the edge, out of nowhere, Theo suddenly coming hard and fast, even
without Max touching him; just feeling him inside seems to be enough. And Theo
clings to it, savors it, revels in it, as they ride it out together. It's just
all kinds of amazing, and Theo closes his eyes as Max kisses him, deeply and
desperately, pressing their bodies together, skin hot and slick with sweat.

It feels like ages later, that they
actually stop, and by then, Theo just feels like a soft and thoroughly
satisfied mess, like they could just as well stay like this, forever, suspended
in time.

They don't, though. Instead, they
eventually pull apart, and after cleaning up a bit, they return to bed and curl
up together under the covers, still somewhat sweaty and exhausted. Theo pulls
Max to him, Max placing his head against his chest.

"Theo," Max murmurs, as
Theo moves his hand up to stroke his slightly damp hair. He hums in
acknowledgment, and Max swallows dryly. "You're the most amazing person
I've ever met."

Theo looks down at him.

"Ditto," he says, and
kisses the top of his head. "We should get you tipsy more often, you say
such lovely things."

Max smacks his hand against Theo's
chest lazily, and Theo chuckles. Then they just stay like that for a few
seconds, before Theo notices something that he didn't notice, earlier.

There's a distinct banging sound,
coming from the wall behind the headboard of the bed, and they turn to each
other, frowning. Max then glances at the wall, before he seems to get it.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding
me," he says, as it's pretty obvious what's causing the noise. The banging
is rhythmic, but fast, and along with the sound of a girl moaning loudly,
there's not much room for interpretation.

"Are they―" Theo
says, glancing at the wall. "Have they been going at it, this whole
time?"

"Think so," Max says.
"Not that that's a good thing, at this point. He doesn't really sound like
he knows what he's doing."

Theo frowns at Max.

"Well, he's going way too
fast, for one," Max says, gesturing vaguely at the wall, putting on a mock
know-it-all expression, almost like he's narrating a documentary. "He's
been going on like that since they started, so she's probably pretty numb, by
now. And if nothing else, she's faking it."

"How can you tell?"

"Because lady parts need more
than just the in-and-out," he says dryly, sounding a bit bored concerning
the subject. "And also, last time I heard moans like that, I was watching
porn, which is saying a lot."

Theo just looks at him, narrowing
his eyes in a mix of half-joking doubt and amused suspicion. Max just shrugs.

"What?" he says.
"It's not my favorite kind of porn, but it'll do. And besides, female
anatomy isn't
that
hard to figure out."

"Says the gay guy," Theo
points out, and Max rolls his eyes, a bit self-consciously, before regaining
his expression of slight boredom.

"Exactly," he says.
"I'm objective. And I've actually tried it, remember? Back before I knew I
was a gay guy. Not exactly my cup of tea, but if I learned anything, it's that
sex with a dude is just
way
easier. And way more fun."

Theo can't help but laugh, glad to
feel that hearing Max say that doesn't actually make him jealous, anymore.
Sure, it's not that he really
wants
to hear it, but it doesn't bother
him like it used to. He's not sure why. Maybe it's simply because he has just
completely accepted Max for who and what he is, promiscuous past and all. And
Max's assurance that Theo is the only one he's been with that actually matters,
probably helps a lot, too.

The pounding in the wall continues,
along with the girl's moans, which Theo can now hear sound pretty exaggerated
and monotone, like they're mostly there to egg the guy on, and the guy's grunts
and moans sound more like he's lifting weights, than having sex.

Max groans loudly in frustration,
rolling his eyes.

"Oh, for the love
of―" he mutters, before actually turning to the wall and banging on
it with his fist.

"Come on, guys!" he
yells. "Give it up, you're trying too hard!"

Theo's eyes widen in surprise, but
the couple in the other room definitely heard Max's reprimand, because they've
suddenly stopped moving, and Theo swears he can hear the girl make what sounds
like a noise of agreement. The guy replies something, which the girl apparently
refutes, because then the guy groans in frustrated disappointment, and judging
from the distinct sound of the bed creaking, he rolls off of her. And Theo
can't help but laugh out loud, turning to his boyfriend.

"Well, what do you know?"
he says, and Max chuckles, leaning back against Theo's chest, humming in
satisfaction.

"Yeah," he says, snaking
his arm around Theo's torso to hold him closer, and for a few seconds, they
both just enjoy the newfound silence.

Theo trails his fingers along Max's
tattoos, looking down at him, as Max closes his eyes, and suddenly, he's just
hit with a surprising pang of sadness.

"I'm really gonna miss
you," he says, and Max hums in agreement, before he seems to think of
something, and all of a sudden, he tenses up.

"Oh, shit," he says,
sounding surprised, more than anything. "I totally forgot. Fuck, I'm such
an idiot."

Theo frowns, mildly alarmed.

"What?" he says, and Max
props himself up on his elbow, to look at Theo properly.

"There has been a slight
change of plan," he says, and when Theo just stares at him, a bit
apprehensively, he explains. "Turns out... I'm not actually leaving."

Theo just blinks, trying to process
what Max just said.

"Wait, what?" he finally
blurts, and Max nods, almost excitingly.

"Yeah," he says.
"I'm staying. Awesome, right?"

Theo just blinks again, thoroughly
confused, his mind kind of reeling.

"But what about your
dad?" he asks, his tone conveying his confusion. "What about his
job―?"

"Oh, he's still going,"
Max explains. "And my mom. But not me."

And Theo stares at him, completely
dumbstruck, for what feels like several seconds.

"What?" he finally says,
frowning, with a quick shake of his head. "Rewind, here. What the hell
changed? Not that I mind, but you know... What happened?"

Max sighs, as though gearing up,
like he momentarily forgot that this is all news to Theo.

"Well, I found a place to
stay," he finally says. "With Gavin."

Theo's eyebrows go up.

"Really?" he says, and
Max nods.

"Yeah," he says. "He
heard about the move, and got all pissed about mom and dad not asking him about
it. He came over and asked what the hell they were thinking, seeing as how I'm
graduating soon, and that him standing for that was 'not bloody likely'. That's
a direct quote, by the way."

Theo just stares, stunned joy
blending in with the confusion.

"So, what, you're staying with
him, then?" he asks, and Max hums in confirmation.

"Looks like it," he says.
"Him and his wife. They've got a spare room, anyway, so he said I could
move in, whenever. And he's practically family, so..."

He sighs, a bit tiredly.

"And honestly," he says,
"the thought had occurred to me. I just didn't wanna ask him, felt like
that would be asking a bit too much. Guess I'm lucky that he apparently didn't
think so."

Theo remembers Max mentioning how
he didn't want to impose on anyone, back when Theo suggested that he might come
stay with Theo's family. He must have thought of Gavin, even then, but been too
afraid to ask him.

Still though, it takes several
seconds for this news to sink in, for Theo to actually allow himself to be
happy about it. He has been accepting a much sadder version of the situation
for the past few weeks, after all, so it's a bit difficult. But Max waits
patiently, and when the news eventually does sink in, Theo smiles, and he pulls
Max's face to his own to kiss him, eagerly.

"Wait," he says then,
after a moment, pulling away. "Why didn't you tell me, sooner?"

Max looks a bit sheepish.

"Well," he explains.
"I just found out, yesterday. And I kinda wanted it to be a
surprise."

Theo frowns.

"Is that why you've been in such
a good mood, all night?" he asks, thinking of how Max has been unusually
smile-y and happy, despite the less than ideal conditions of a high school
dance, and Max nods, with a slightly sly expression. He quirks a smile.

"And also, without the excuse
of me moving away, I might have had to actually admit that I kinda wanted to go
to the dance."

Theo raises his eyebrows, amused.

"Oh, you wanted to, did
you?" he asks, and Max groans, kissing him.

"Maybe," he murmurs
against his lips. "But only 'cause it's you."

Theo laughs.

"I can live with that."

The mood feels considerably
lighter, after that. Not that it was anything else before, but now, Theo feels
completely elated, and for the better part of half-an-hour, he and Max just lie
there, curled up together, and Theo just feels so happy.

Max is staying.
Theo doesn't even care about the fact that rationally
speaking, they could still have reunited after graduation, even if Max did move
away. Because he can't be rational, not when it comes to Max. He just can't,
and he can't imagine being without him, whether it's for days or weeks or
months. He's just so incredibly relieved that that won't be happening, because
he honestly feels like he wouldn't have known what to do with himself.

And he suddenly feels an intense
surge of gratitude toward Max's surrogate uncle, who swooped in to save the
day.
Very
deus ex machina
, Theo thinks to himself, and vaguely
wonders what would have happened, if Gavin hadn't come along, seeing as how Max
seemed to have decided against actually asking him for this huge, personal
favor.

A few more minutes of silence pass,
until it's suddenly once again broken by the couple in the other room. Theo can
clearly hear the guy say something along the lines of
you wanna go again?
And
Max groans, apparently not yet asleep, resting against Theo's chest.

"No, she doesn't!" he
yells. "Go to sleep, it's embarrassing!"

The couple doesn't go again, as
though actually heeding Max's obnoxious advice, and Theo laughs.

"God, you're an asshole,"
he says affectionately, and Max hums in approval, cuddling closer again and
pressing a kiss against Theo's skin.