Chapter 3: Baby Steps

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"It's just the place that changes, the rest is still the same"

Waking up in Joel's bed was something that Chris was beginning to get used to, but the panic in his heart when he looks to his left and sees the black haired boy delicately breathing onto his shoulder and molding his body around his was something that he hadn't gotten used to. Joel looked serene in the morning light, the gaps in the blinds sketching the first signs of dawn onto his skin, his chest rising as cars began to whirr on the roads beneath his apartment.

Joel had started his new job three weeks ago, leaving Chris working long shifts alone in the bar and doing coke at 2 AM to keep himself chirpy and welcoming to the drunken crowd. The two of them had settled into an odd routine of spending the early hours together and parting when Joel's hectic schedule called him out of their calming bubble. Chris preferred it when it was a working day and he woke up in either his own bed or Joel's but without the black haired boy next to him, reminding him that while he had moved, he still hadn't patched up loose ends with his family or himself. Sometimes he woke at lunchtime and Joel had left him a note telling him what time he should be finishing work, Chris often scrunching up the piece of paper and throwing it into the bin with a sigh before closing his eyes and hoping he could detach himself from the boy that he was falling for. Chris was scared, because Joel made him feel as though he was safe, and Chris couldn't cope with that only being a temporary measure.

Joel stirred next to the older boy, a sleepy huff escaping him as his eyes began to flutter open. Chris instinctively shuffled to face him, giving him a lazy smile before kissing the black haired boy's mouth gently.

"I wouldn't kiss me if I were you," Joel grumbled, scrunching up his nose. "My breath smells like ass."

"You are an ass, so it's a smell I'm used to," Chris teased, Joel laughing through his nose and fluttering his eyes open fully, squinting slightly in the morning light.

"Touché," Joel responded, flinging the duvet off himself and stretching his limbs in every direction, jokingly kicking Chris in the process. "Coffee?" the black haired boy continued, cracking his neck and sitting up in the large bed.

"Yes please," Chris responded, joining Joel in removing the duvet before standing. "Seeing as it's a weekend, do you want to go shopping or something?" he asked cautiously, still not entirely sure what level their relationship was at.

"Shopping?" Joel queried, chuckling breathily. "I might be gay, but I still fucking hate shopping."

"You know what I mean, like, not necessarily shopping but - like, we could go out somewhere? Fuck, I don't know," Chris babbled, his own brain telling him off for asking such a stupid question.

"That sounds nice," Joel responded, walking around the end of the bed and searching for Christopher's body, his hands meeting the brunette's waist and pressing a kiss to the crook of his neck. "But I also think you should finally get in touch with your brother," he continued, running his right hand through Christopher's unruly hair.

Chris sighed, breaking away from the embrace and running his own hand through his hair, scratching at his neck. "Yeah, maybe," he said without really meaning it.

"Please," Joel said before taking Christopher's hand and running his thumb over the back of it. "I'm sure he'd love to hear from you," he smiled, pulling a huffing Chris back into his arms, the older boy giving in with a defeated sigh and pressing his face into Joel's shoulder.

"Okay," Chris agreed. "But only if you make the coffee," he teased, pulling back from Joel's shoulder and pressing a peck to his cheek, leaving the embrace again to grab his phone from the bedside table.

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