Shimmer (boyxboy/alien)

Chapter 10: Shallow

"These shimmers we portray, they're false!"
☆

Austin slowly turns to face Joe, with his grip still present, but less tight. "What is it?" He asks a little apprehensivly, his mind racing to find a reason or an excuse as to whatever Joe was going to suggest. 

"Sorry."

"Excuse me?" Austin looks at Joe with surprise as Joe finally lets go of his arm. 

"The other day, when you were talking to me. I guess you were trying to be friendly and it was pointed out to me that I may have come across just a little rude." Joe looks at his feet, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other.

The relief on Austin's face is evident as he graces Joe with an infectious smile. "See." he says raising a solitary eyebrow.

"What?" It's now Joe's turn to feel nervous. 

"You are a nice guy, I knew it!" Austin then turns and heads out of the bathroom, leaving Joe to glance up at his own reflection. 

"I'm a nice guy!" He repeats, straightening up his posture as he smiles at himself.

"Shut up!" The call comes from the closed bathroom stall, reminding Joe once again that he was not alone. 

His smile turns into its usual nonchalant state. "Whatever!" He says partly to the guy and partly to himself, before he heads out of the door.

***

"Just...just a little to the left. Yeah that it..."

"Just there?" 

"Oh my God Luke...yes just there!"...

Vinnie had been stood outside his and Will's bedroom door now for 5 minutes, hesitant to enter because of the dubious commentary which could be heard on the other side. Finally he decides to be brave and knock.

"Come in!" Comes the answer almost straight away, filling Vinnie with relief and panic at the same time as to what he was going to walk in to...

"Oh, you're sampling!" Vinnie says, his whole body relaxing from his shoulders down as he sees Luke topless, his palms spread out wide, hovering slightly over his chest as tattooed images danced over his toned pecs and stomach, with Will sat up on the bed. Legs stretched out, arms tucked behind his head as they rested on the headboard, watching as the inked images found a home on his boyfriend's skin. 

"What do you think Vinnie?" Luke looks across to the guy now dropping his bag by his own bed before scooching next Will on his. 

"I like the ones on your arm." He comments, pointing at the patterns wrapped around Luke's bicep. 

"That's what I said." Will smirks as he looks sideways at Vinnie, with Luke oblivious to his boyfriend's possible underline motive as he looks down admiring his own shimmer. 

"Ok!" He decides, shaking both wrists, making the extra tattoos disappear before reaching for his black tee and pulling it over his head. 

Will just watches until he's finished before he turns to Vinnie. "Why did you knock?"

Vinnie swallows his slightly watered mouth. "I thought you were...you know..." 

Will's mouth opens wide in pleasant surprise as he lightly smacks Vinnie's arm. "As if I'd be so reckless! Besides...we did it already in the kitchen...Ow!" 

This earns a smack back from Vinnie. "That is reckless! If the commander ever caught you!" 

"But he didn't...anyways, you can talk about being reckless." Will bites back.

"You know I had no choice but to be Micheal. Anyway it's done now and Micheal is officially dead." 

Luke now perches on the end of the bed. "Micheal? Your damaged shimmer? What's going on Vinnie?" 

"The guy who saved me, who saved Micheal that night, he couldn't let him go. I had to be him to give him closure, but I think now I've been successful. He's finally looking at Austin."

"You made that sound easy!" Will snorts.

"Trust me it wasn't. I got beat as soon as I stepped foot into that school, then the shimmer started to degrade before his eyes. I just about managed to transform into Austin and fool him before he caught up with me." 

"Jesus!" Luke says in shock. "You could have revealed your true self!" 

"I know." Vinnie says with a sigh of relief. "But it turned out ok..." Vinnie ends the sentence but it seems to Will like he has more to say. 

"What's up?" He asks, leaning forward a little to catch Vinnie's eye. 

Vinnie glances up at his friends a little unsure of what he was going to say. "These shimmers we portray, they're false. I know they're false, but sometimes I just wish we didn't have to do this." 

"You know why Vinnie." Luke says from the end of the bed. "How are we to integrate if we don't understand humanity? We need to find the most successful disguise if we want to survive this planet."

"I know, but..." Vinnie looks up at Luke and Will. "Is it so wrong to want someone to like me for me?" 

Will instantly takes Vinnie's hand in his. "Vin, you, the real you is so perfect, but it doesn't work like that here, you know that! Everything here on earth is based on appearance. 

"Yeah I know." Vinnie says forcing a smile. "I just think that Joe, maybe, just maybe he might be the one who may just look beneth my skin." 

"You think so?" Will says with an air of hope in his voice. 

Vinnie nods with a more convincing smile. He then looks between Will and Luke. "You two are so lucky you have each other. 

"Hey we have our moments." Will says, smirking fondly at Luke who returns the gaze. "His shimmer is apparently classed as 'babe magnet', according to his research." 

"Haha a babe magnet! What even is that?" Vinnie says laughing. 

"Well, I get a lot of female attention, they stick to me." Luke says rolling his eyes, but it was evident that he liked that title.

"And you're ok with that?" Vinnie asks Will in question.

"They may idol his body but Luke's soul is mine!" Will says in jest but the look in his eyes which he gives Luke tells him he knows the rules. 

Vinnie smiles at the interactions between his friends. He was pleased for them, they had each other, but it reminded him again that it was something he may never have, not truly, whilst he lived under this perfect skin.