LAYERS

Plum and Max

The television was the only source of light in Plum's room. It wasn't an issue, as the room was relatively small, so the glow emitting from the screen brushed every corner.

Most prominent in the dim lighting was Plum, already wrapped in his blanket. As Max closed the door behind himself, he entertained a private thought about how Plum looked like a pastel burrito.

The usually cozy atmosphere of the room was tainted by Plum's sulking, and Max sighed as he watched his boyfriend.

"Hey," Max murmured as he climbed into Plum's bed. Max sat as close to Plum as he could manage, though the efforts were mildly discouraged by the blankets curled around Plum. "Is something the matter?"

Plum turned to look at Max. The only part of Plum that remained visible was a small section of his face, only vacant of the blanket so he could see. Max didn't need any other part of Plum's face to know what Plum was feeling, though. The frustration crinkling the corners of his blue eyes told Max enough.

"It's nothing," Plum said bitterly.

Max voiced his concern with a smooth sound in the back of his throat as he pressed closer to Plum. "C'mon, you can tell me," Max pleaded, lingering on the last letter of his sentence.

Plum moved his eyes away from Max, focusing instead on the television.

Not willing to be ignored, Max pressed closer and closer to Plum, hoping to get Plum to look him in the eye. A breathy snicker escaped out of Max when Plum leaned further away.

After a few more moments of Plun avoiding him, Max finally had enough. Although Max has always had plenty of patience reserved for Plum, he could be rather frustrating sometimes, regardless of how long they've been together.

Max got to his knees and thrust a leg over Plum. Only the blanket and their clothes separated their skin from each other as Max straddled Plum.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Plum's words stumbled in their rush to come out, his pale face getting pinker with every word.

It was hard for Max to prevent himself from acknowledging how cute Plum looked. Despite his internal monologue appreciating how adorable Plum is, Max sternly told him, "Look at me."

"No," Plum replied, looking off to the side. The T.V. was now blocked by Max's body, which made Plum's spite even harsher.

"Look at me," Max repeated.

In a moment of Plum acting his age, he stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes, fully expecting Max to give up.

However, Max knew what to in this situation.

Max pulled his hand up to caress Plum's soft face, smiling as he watched the already pink skin darken to a blazing scarlet. Cupping Plum's face with his right hand, Max rubbed his thumb on Plum's cheek delicately and moved his other hand to brush Plum's hair away from his forehead.

"What are you do-" Plum's inquiry was cut short when he felt a soft sensation press against his forehead. Plum's eyes immediately shot open, only to see his boyfriend's chin.

Although it was quite obvious what Max was doing- kissing Plum's forehead- Plum couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

"Giving." Max kissed Plum's left cheek. "You." Then his right cheek. "Love." And finally, the tip of Plum's nose.

"Stop!" Plum laughed.

Max immediately obeyed, much to Plum's disappointment. Plum opened his mouth to voice it, but immediately shut it upon seeing the expression on Max's face.

"What's the matter, love?" Max questioned, a small frown creasing his lips. "Is this something to do with Ashley? Did he do something wrong?"

Plum flopped backwards on his bed, the bouncing hindered by Max's weight. "No, not that I know of..." The sentence trailed off, and Plum took a breath. "I just- I don't trust him. Mint's been pretty reckless recently and I don't want her to get hurt like she did with-" Plum lowered his voice, as though he didn't want to take the chance of any other ears hearing. Particularly Mint's. "Like she did with Gene."

Max looked to the side, then released a sigh. Kissing was a common occurrence between the couple, but Plum's nerves smoothed as Max closed the distance between their faces and pressed his lips to Plum's. It was short and sweet, but enough, and Max swung his legs off of Plum and crawled under the covers with him.

"I'm sure Mint will be fine," Max assured. "I know you worry about her, but this Ashley dude? He doesn't give off any bad vibes, not to me, at least.

Plum reached out a hand to hold Max's face, sweeping his short brown hair behind one of his ears. "I know," Plum said, voice cracking. "I just don't want to get too comfortable only to be disappointed again."

"I get what you mean," Max said, in an attempt to console plum. "Don't worry, I'll be right by your side to protect you. Ashley won't lay a hand on you as gene did, I promise you. Okay?"

Plum smiled at Max's words. The, "I love you..." slipped from his lips before he could stop them, only getting there in time to let the words trail off.

Max grinned. "What was that?" he asked, voice twisting around his teasing tone. He'd heard every word clearly.

"Nothing!" Plum sputtered, face returning to its red state as he flipped onto his side, back to Max.

Max laughed as he pulled Plum closer to him by the waist.

"I love you too," Max said as he kissed the back of Plum's neck. "I always will."