Strike (Cake) [Completed] (#Wattys2017)

17: Sunday Morning

                 

Calum's arm was completely numb the next morning, bent between his chest and Luke's back. He didn't care. Luke was still asleep. And as much as he wanted to do everything he could with Luke before he had to go, he wasn't going to wake Luke up.

            He waited for nearly half an hour before Luke finally drew in a deep breath and brought his hands up to his eyes.

            Luke started to roll onto his back and felt himself squishing Calum. "Oh. Jesus. This keeps happening." He scooted over and looked at Calum. "I keep, like, hitting you or something in my sleep."

            Calum smiled. "It's Sunday."

            Luke dropped his hands to his chest and nodded. "I know."

            "What do you want to do before I go?"

            "Just lay here with you."

            "You don't want to..." He wiggled his head a little.

            Luke smiled tiredly. "We'll see."

            "All right. Whatever you want. My arm is dead."

            Luke turned on his side to face him and picked Calum's arm up. He brought Calum's palm to his face and kissed it, then held Calum's hand.

            "Well," Calum said, "that would be really sweet if I could feel—"

            Luke started shaking his arm, and it woke up right away and turned into that weird tickling feeling and then pins and needles.

            "Luke, what the heck?" he said, laughing. He pulled his arm away and held it against his chest.

            "Better?"

            "Yeah. It's a good thing you didn't dislocate my shoulder. What's...you're so weird."

            "I change my mind. Can we make breakfast again? And play music on the TV?"

            Calum smiled, opening and closing his fingers. "Anything."

            "I want to hear old jazz. And I want French toast."

            "I know a great recipe," Calum said, and gave him a kiss. "You have bananas, right?"

            "I do."

            "Then you're gonna love these."

            "Let's go. I know just what to play." He grabbed his phone from his charger and went out to the TV. Calum went into the kitchen and set up a pan and started scrambling eggs in a bowl.

            A saxophone started playing slow from the living room. "What's this?" Calum called.

            Luke came into the kitchen behind him and wrapped his arms around him. "It's Sonny Rollins. "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face"."

            Calum laughed softly, truly enjoying how comfortable Luke had come to be with him. "Interesting name."

            Luke kissed under his ear and let him go, hoisting himself on the counter next to the stove. "I like watching you cook."

            "I'm not very good."

            "I don't think you can mess up French toast."

            Calum dipped a slice of bread in the eggwash and went to put it in the pan. It dripped all the way there and got on the burner. He plopped it in the pan and shook his head. "Oh, yes you can. I can."