the Secret Life of Damien Carmichael

14. Defending Damien (part I)

It was the second week in October when Oliver finally spoke to Damien again. Damien was starting to give up hope that he would hear from the other boy before midterms, if ever again, so when he finally got a text at one in the morning, he couldn't help but be thrilled.

Oliver: Can't sleep. I miss you.

Damien blushed at the honesty in the words and looked over at the bed several feet from his own where Oliver was laying on his back holding his phone above his face. Damien smirked, and typed back a quick, if cheeky reply:

Shall I join you then? ;P

He was mostly kidding though he knew if Oliver actually said yes this request he wouldn't hesitate in following through. His phone buzzed and Damien nearly dropped it on his face as he rushed to unlock it and see Oliver's reply:

Would you?

Damien blushed, looking around the darkened dormitory. It was Sunday morning, which meant that if Damien set his alarm for early enough no one would ever know. He hated that he still cared what people thought about him. His worst fear had already been realized, his parents knew, and they didn't hate him. On the contrary, they had invited Oliver to the Manor for the holidays without even meeting him. No one got to have such a privilege without Damien's parents meeting them first. It was a sign that they trusted Damien, that they cared enough about him to let him bring someone home that he clearly cared about, even if they didn't know him.

Damien grinned, locking his phone again, he snuck out of bed and crept across the carpet towards Oliver's bed, praying he wouldn't hit one of the squeaky floorboards and wake someone up. Blessedly, the floor remained silent, and he slipped into the bed beside Oliver. It was hardly big enough for both of them, but Damien didn't mind. Oliver grinned, and wrapped his arm around Damien's waist, pulling him in close. Damien buried his face into Oliver's chest, inhaling the magnificent scent that Damien suspected was a mixture of some cologne that he couldn't quite place, and something uniquely Oliver. Whatever it is, it's pure heaven, he thought. Setting his alarm for 5 AM, Damien slipped his phone into his back pocket.

"This is nice," he whispered. Oliver hummed in response, letting out a contented sigh. Damien giggled despite himself. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if it could always be like this. Just the two of them, curled up in the same bed, ideally a bigger one, Damien thought. It was so cozy, he sighed, letting his eyes droop closed. He fell asleep almost instantaneously.
All too soon his phone buzzed in his back pocket, informing him it was time to wake up. He groaned, hating himself for setting an alarm on a Sunday. Warm breath exhaled onto the top of his head and Damien looked up to see Oliver still sleeping soundly, his arms still wrapped tight around Damien's lithe waist. He sighed happily, he didn't want to get up. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Damien hit snooze and allowed his eyes to fall shut once more. A few more minutes couldn't hurt, he thought sleepily.

Unfortunately for Damien however, a few minutes became several hours, and it was nearly eight-thirty when he finally roused once again. His phone had long since given up on trying to awake him, and the bed was cold and empty. Damien frowned at the loss, then shot up in bed when he realized what time it was. The dorm was still mostly full, few had gotten up already, except... Damien looked over to find Tyler's bed empty. Shit. It was then, as he crept out of the bed that he heard a commotion coming from the living area. Damien ran out of the dormitory.
There, in the middle of the living area, stood Oliver and Tyler, looking as though they were about to come to blows.

Several students crowded around them, cheering for them to fight. Damien's eyes widened, as he stared at the two, dumbstruck. "Fight, fight, fight." The words had barely registered in his brain for what they were when he saw Tyler grinning dangerously.

"What's the matter, Martin? Too chicken to stand up for your boyfriend properly?" he teased.

"What's your game here? You think you can just blackmail us?" Oliver growled. Tyler smirked. "Why can't you just leave us alone?"