RED [BXB]

TWO

"Oh my god," the red-head practically screamed. "What the hell?"

Mason was too shocked to comprehend anything, barely registering the sound of Luke's voice as it drifted from his plump lips and vibrated over Mason's eardrums. It was an even bigger surprise, though, when the boy charged at Mason with a shit-eating grin, engulfing his stiff body into a one-sided bear hug.

Uncomfortable, Mason only patted the overly-excited boy's back. He knew Luke, sure, but they were never close enough to be giving each other hugs. He had to admit, however, it didn't feel too bad with Luke's body pressed against his.

He was warm against Mason; their slight height difference made it so that Luke's head was tucked into the other's neck, his hot breath making goosebumps rise on Mason's skin. Luke also smelled really nice, kind of feminine, even. It seemed as though he'd applied one of those floral-scented lotions, but it wasn't overbearing. It was nice, and though Mason usually hated that smell, he found himself inhaling it discreetly.

Alas, Luke pulled away from the awkward embrace, not at all affected by the fact that it was never reciprocated. He beamed up at Mason, rocking excitedly on his feet. "It's so good to see you, man!"

Mason smiled back, albeit a little tightly. "Yeah, same here. The hell are you doing in here, anyways?"

He hadn't seen Luke since their high school graduation, quite a while ago. And, even then, it wasn't much of an encounter. The only reason the two boys even spared a greeting towards each other was because they'd been on the same football team together. Now, though, with the way Luke was grinning and acting around him, it was like they'd been life-long friends.

Luke shrugged in response, "I'm guessing this is my new dorm."

Mason blanched. "Dude, I didn't even know you went here."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, it's a big campus. Explains why we never ran into each other."

"Well, I guess we won't have that problem anymore. Y'know, now that we're roomies," he responded, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Mason pulled his lips in tightly, unsure of how to fill the silence that stretched out between them. He decided to seize the opportunity, allowing his eyes to rake over the other's body like they'd wanted ever since he walked in.

Aside from the blaring red-hair, Luke remained largely unchanged. He'd slimmed down quite a bit, but that was probably due to losing much of his muscle mass, given the fact that he'd probably not played football—or any sport, really—since high school.

Mason, though he'd quit football, hadn't stopped exercising at all. Working out was something he genuinely enjoyed: It was a way to alleviate his stress and pent-up frustrations. Had it not been for him hitting up the gym every other day, he was pretty sure he would've violently taken his anger out on someone and went to jail for assault, by now. If anything, Mason had become bulkier.

Having never been good at holding his tongue, the boy voiced his abrasive thoughts, "The fuck's up with your hair, dude?"

Luke snorted in amusement, "'Twas a dare, kind of stuck with me. Pretty damn ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'll say," he conceded. "But it doesn't look that bad. It suits you."

Luke jokingly rolled his eyes, busying himself with the suitcase Mason hadn't seen him roll in. He pulled it further into the room, until it was placed at a comfortable distance from the closet. When he bent over to unzip it, Mason flushed.

God, Luke's ass.

The magnificence of its round curve was something anyone and everyone—gay or straight—could unanimously agree upon; it was drool-worthy. Even during football practice, Mason would sometimes slip up and catch himself staring at it in those fucking tights. He wasn't alone, though: The guys on the team would often join in on the fun, jokingly slapping Luke's butt and going on about how they wished he were a girl.

However, that was one thing Mason could never agree with them on: He never wished Luke were a girl. And now that his glory was being flaunted in Mason's face, it was almost too much for the latter. He had to grit his teeth and avert his eyes; otherwise, he'd be feeling an unwanted stirring in his groin.

It was really hard to be a closeted homosexual.

"So, you were alone in the dorm?" Luke asked distractedly, occupied with folding his clothes onto the shelves.

Mason flinched, clearing his throat as a faint blush rose to his cheeks. He knew for a fact that he hadn't been caught staring, but the inappropriate thoughts he was having about the boy were enough to fluster him. It felt as though Luke knew exactly what he was thinking, and that, on its own, was petrifying.

It took him longer than it should've to respond, and, when he did, his voice was shaky. "Yeah, I was."

Luke chortled. "Man, sorry to rain on your parade. I'm guessing you must really hate me right now."

Mason wasn't overjoyed with the situation, but it wasn't half bad, given the circumstances. "Nah, it's cool," he responded. "At least it's you."

The other boy halted his movements, turning to look at Mason with a raised eyebrow. As if just realizing what he'd said, Mason's eyes grew wide.

"What I meant was," he laughed nervously, "I meant—at least it's not a stranger, y'know?"

Luke's eyes swirled with a tinge of amusement. "Yeah, right."

"I—I've got class," Mason announced suddenly. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Good luck," he responded chirpily.

Mason nodded to himself, slipping on his leather jacket. He'd already twisted the doorknob, but the sound of his name being called stopped him from stepping outside the room. He turned his head towards Luke, tilting his head to he side in silent question.

"Do you get top or bottom?"

Mason's brows drew in confusion. "What?"

Luke's lips spread into a smirk, the double-meaning behind his own words humorous to him. "The bunks, Mason. Which one do you want?"

"Oh." Mason shrugged, "I usually sleep on the top, but it's no big deal. If you want it, you can have it."

"No, it's fine. I prefer bottom, anyways."