Seventeen

5

☆☆☆☆

Twenty licks their lips slowly, eyes flickering overs Ashton's features like they can't get enough of the boy's face.

Ashton unscrews the bottle of Jack Daniels and holds the bottle up to his pretty pink lips, throws his head back to reveal the long column of his throat, and takes a swig of the alcohol. His Adams apple bobs as he swallows, face scrunched up, and Twenty wants to kiss him. Kiss his throat, mainly.

"Here," Ashton holds out the bottle, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his dress shirt. Twenty eyes the brown bottle curiously, staring at it like it's something foreign and not something Michael had brought up for them.

They gently grab the bottle while pulling their sleeve down over their hand, then twisting around the bottle to clean it off. Ashton watches the action curiously. "Sorry, germs," Twenty explains.

"You've never cared about germs before," Ashton points out, but Twenty just shrugs.

"People change," they explain softly, bringing the bottle closer to their mouth. "I've never had alcohol before. Does it taste okay?"

"You've never had alcohol before?" Ashton raises his eyebrows and moves closer on the blanket Michael had spread on the roof of the art gallery before letting Twenty in.

Twenty shakes their head. "I'm underage."

"You're twenty five," Ashton points out. Twenty shakes their head, but doesn't mention it. They don't want Ashton digging too deep into their mind, they can't let him in just yet.

Twenty brings the bottle up to their lips and take a sip of the alcohol, letting it burn their tongue and throat as they swallow. It leaves a disgusting taste in their mouth, which makes Twenty shake their head and stick their tongue out. Ashton laughs fondly and pulls the bottle back.

"You're cute," Ashton tells them. Twenty flushes light pink and looks down at their crossed legs, fighting a smile. Twenty likes Ashton. They like Ashton a lot. They like Ashton more than anyone else in the world, which was why Michael let them have the date that was meant for he and Ashton. Michael didn't mind, Twenty didn't think so, anyway.

They rub a the shoelaces of their black boots and refuse to meet Ashton's eyes for a second, which only prompts Ashton's fingers pushing up under their chin. Twenty looks at him and smiles again, still blushing furiously.

"I feel like I don't even know you, sometimes," Ashton whispers, which is true. Twenty doesn't know him very well. "Tell me about yourself."

The words sound like they're screamed in the empty night sky above the two of them. It's silent, except for the occasional honking of a car horn or a siren from a distance in the city. The roof offers some solitude, even in Manhatten.

"I'm twenty," Twenty says, and Ashton laughs, like it's a joke and not their name and age. Twenty smiles at him again, mainly because his laugh is beautiful, while Ashton's hands travel along their face and cup their cheeks. "I like things clean and I hate germs. I also love you."

Ashton's face sobers at that, head tilting to the side while his laugh turns into a small smile. He leans closer and breathes against Twenty's mouth for a moment, thumb caressing their cheekbones slowly. "Yeah?" He looks down at Twenty's mouth. "I think I love you, too."

Twenty seals the deal by slotting their lips together easily, kissing Ashton's mouth in a deliberately slow way, because they like when Ashton falls apart at their hands and mouth. They like how Ashton thinks he can handle slow until, suddenly, he can't.

They love Ashton, they want to see more of Ashton, no matter what it takes. If it means pushing Michael out of the picture for a while, then fine. Twenty can do that. They want Ashton to themself.

Ashton can't be good for Michael, but for Twenty- well. He's perfect.

The two of them spend hours on the roof, whispering and, in Ashton's case, drinking a bit, but still pressing gentle kisses to each other's lips. The sun's coming up by the time they fully part, but neither of them care. Ashton grabs the blanket off the ground as he stands, looking over to catch sight of shining green eyes, and smiles. He's in love.