Salty Skin ☾cake au

7

Calum's annoying phone alarm blared throughout his quiet room and he felt cold when Luke unglued himself from the tan boy to hold his hands over his ears.

"What is that?! Turn it off!" Luke said over the obnoxious beeping, burying his face in Calum's chest.

Calum reached over to his night stand and slid his finger across his phone screen to stop the blaring. Luke's hands finally dropped from his ears and he relaxed against Calum as the tanner boy slid from out of Luke's grasp.

"Where are you going?" Luke muffled against the blanket. All that could be seen was his eyes and up, since he wrapped himself in the comforter and Calum thought it was adorable.

"I have to go to school."

Luke pushed the blanket down only far enough for his mouth to be exposed and he looked at Calum curiously, "What's that?"

"Hell."

Calum went into the bathroom of his room and started brushing his teeth while Luke jumped out of bed to stand at his side, leaning against the counter and watching Calum spread toothpaste on a toothbrush. He fiddled with a bottle of cologne that was on the counter, moving it between his hands and touching it different ways. "Can't you go later? The sun isn't even up yet."

"I wish," Calum said with a mouth full of toothbrush. He rinsed and put the toothbrush in its holder and looked at Luke in the mirror. "You can come with me if you want."

"Okay," Luke cheered.

"That was sarcasm."

"No, I wanna go."

Calum was about to say something else when Luke accidentally sprayed the cologne in his own mouth and started to cough profusely. Calum turned to him and held his face as Luke practically hyperventilated, the dark haired boy unable to hold in his laughs.

"Oh my god," Calum said between giggles and turned the faucet back on, "Are you okay? Drink some water."

Luke violently scooped water into his mouth with his hands until he could no longer taste the fowl liquid on his tongue. "What... is that stuff?" He said between drinking.

"It's cologne. You put it on your body to make you smell good." Calum chuckled.

"I want to go to school." Luke said, standing up straight again.

Calum sighed and grabbed Luke's hand as he led him back into the bedroom and sat him down carefully on the end of the bed. He made his eyes level with Luke's and held himself up with his hands pressed on Luke's thighs, his fingers feeling warm against the plaid pajama pants Calum let him borrow. "No, you don't," Calum answered. "Trust me. Just stay here. My parents and sister will be gone all day and you can eat all my food, wear anything of mine you want. If I could stay, I would."

Calum walked away to get a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt before going into the bathroom to change. Luke stood up and waited outside of the door for Calum to finish. Calum came out of the bathroom, fully clothed and looked over Luke who held a sad expression on his face. "Please, Calum," Luke pleaded, "I promise I won't bother you."

"That's not why I don't want you to go." Of course he didn't want Luke to go with him but not because he thought he would bother him; actually, he would love to be "bothered" by Luke. Calum didn't want Luke to go because it's one thing if people treat Calum like shit, but it's another if they do it to Luke. Calum could never live with himself if anything or anyone hurt the innocent boy, but Calum gave in because he was weak and would probably eat rotten roadkill if Luke begged him hard enough. He exhaled and smiled defeatedly at Luke, "Take off the extra clothes. I'll help you get ready," Calum laughed.