Silence Says | ✓

Chapter 15

Noah's apartment was large and open plan with wooden floors and huge windows along one wall that looked out across the ocean. There were boxes of Noah's things next to the kitchen counter and shoved behind the sofa and a large plush rug in front of the TV. Toby walked over to the rug and flopped down onto it on his stomach. The texture felt nice against his hands and face.

Toby felt a four legged weight land on his back and a moment later something brushed against his ear.

"She can sense vulnerability," Noah said as he lifted the fluffy white cat off of Toby's back.

Toby rolled over and made a sound of want as he reached his hand in the cat's direction and waggled his fingers.

Anyone else would have reminded Toby to use words, but Noah just grinned and set the cat down next to him. While Toby made a new friend, Noah took Toby's shoes off for him.

"Feet, feet, feet," Toby murmured as he wiggled his toes on the rug.

"Cute feet," Noah said as he bent down to place a firm kiss on Toby's lips.

Toby squirmed his jacket off without sitting up and then tossed it aside as though it had personally wronged him.

Noah smiled and ran a hand through Toby's hair. "The school uniform was cute, but I think I like you better without it."

"You can take my shirt off," Toby said. "If you like."

"I would like," Noah said as he began to slowly untuck Toby's shirt from his pants. "Would you like?"

Toby chewed on his lip as he nodded his head. "I decided."

"Mm?" Noah started on the top button of Toby's uniform shirt. "What did you decide?"

"Um..." Toby rolled his head to the side. Actually saying the words was difficult. "You could shower with me."

There was a pause before Noah spoke again. "I could. Do you want me to?"

Toby's lips tightened and his eyebrows drew together. This was far simpler inside his head. "I feel kind of... self conscious. When I think about being naked in front of you. But I think I just need to do it."

Noah stalled halfway down Toby's buttons. "If you're not comfortable..."

"It's just new. Things that are new are always uncomfortable. They don't stop being uncomfortable by not doing them. And then sometimes you miss out on nice things because you're too busy being scared."

"I'm not sure this is quite how whoever taught you that intended for it to be applied, but I guess it works." Noah resumed unbuttoning Toby's shirt. "But remember, if you start to feel too uncomfortable you can always tell me to stop and I'll leave you alone. That's always okay."

"You know I have no trouble saying no," Toby said as he helped Noah with the last of his buttons. "Saying yes is a lot more difficult."

Noah pushed open Toby's shirt and placed a kiss on the centre of his chest. "Saying yes to you is my favourite thing."

"You're my—mnh—favourite thing," Toby said as Noah trailed kisses from his chest to up and along his collarbone. Toby shoved his shirt off entirely and then lay down again. The rug felt nice against his back.

"God fucking damn," Noah murmured, and then nipped lightly against Toby's neck.

"I don't like my belt. You should take it off for me."

"Of course," Noah said as one of his hands crept down Toby's stomach. "Comfort is very important."

Toby tugged at the bottom of Noah's shirt. "Off."

Noah's T-shirt came off far more quickly than Toby's button down shirt had, and as soon as Noah tossed it away he turned his attention back to Toby's belt. Toby liked the feeling of Noah's hands down around the band of his pants, liked the sound the belt made as it slid out of his belt loops.

"Pants?" Noah asked, and Toby hummed his assent. He wasn't sure whose pants Noah had been asking about, but his own felt too tight and Noah's were hiding his beautiful body, so he didn't really care.

'Both' was apparently the answer, because after kicking off his own pants Noah started on Toby's. There had been so many little worries on Toby's mind when he'd been planning this, but they'd all but been forgotten now. It didn't matter what kind of underwear he was wearing or that his naked body wasn't as impressive as Noah's. Not when Noah was looking at him like he was now.

"Rules on touching?" Noah paused to asked.

"Yes," Toby said, and then when Noah just raised his eyebrows expectantly he took Noah's hand and placed it on his crotch.

"Oh, I see. Yes." Noah used his thumb to rub a line down Toby's erection through his underwear. "Yes?"

Toby groaned and squirmed against the rug. All insecurity had vanished, replaced with pure need. "Shower. Now."

In the end, there was nothing ceremonial about how the two of them ended up naked together. They kicked their underwear off on the way to the bathroom, and then paused only to wait the few seconds it took for the shower water to heat up.

There wasn't room for many thoughts in Toby's head. Feelings had overwhelmed and scattered them. Skin against skin felt amazing. Hands felt... Toby gasped and reflexively ground himself against Noah. He didn't need thought. His body knew exactly what to do.

It didn't last long, at least not on Toby's side of things. When he came, it was with his body pressed against Noah's and Noah's arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

Toby sat down on the floor of the shower and watched as Noah finished himself off. Noah was the same exhibitionist as ever, but being able to watch it in person made the whole thing more intense. The noises Noah made had sounded different through Toby's earphones, and the frame rate hadn't been fast enough to capture the smoothness of each stroke of his hand.

After he was done, Noah slid down the wall of the shower to sit next to Toby.

"Here. Wash you," Toby said as he began to rub a cloth he'd soaped up against Noah's knee. "I want this to be everything. For just the entire world to be this, forever."

Noah leant up to kiss Toby on the top of his head. "One day you won't have school anymore. One day you won't have to be home by ten. Maybe, one day, you won't have to go home at all because you'll already be there."

"One day," Toby agreed.