Brand New Day (11/15)

[noelleleithe.livejournal.com]

Title: Brand New Day
Chapter: Eleven
Author: noelleleithe
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Luke/Noah
Word count: ~1,755
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything here except my own words and a handful of original characters. Opening lyrics by Sting. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's notes: This is AU, Noah POV. Some story and dialogue is taken from his early days in Oakdale, but a lot diverges from canon (particularly in compressing the timeline). HUGE THANKS to wasabi_girl1 for tackling the monster beta! *mwah*

Chapter One || Chapter Two || Chapter Three || Chapter Four || Chapter Five || Chapter Six || Chapter Seven || Chapter Eight || Chapter Nine || Chapter Ten

~~~~
It could happen to you just like it happened to me,
There's simply no immunity, there's no guarantee.
I say love's such a force if you find yourself in it
You need some time for reflection
~~~~

Luke's Vibe pulled up in front of Nan's two hours later, as Noah was stowing his bag and backpack behind the seat of his truck. Noah was about five minutes away from calling and telling him not to worry about it, he'd be fine alone. He was half relieved and half terrified that Luke had shown up, which seemed to be becoming a common state for him over the past couple of weeks.

He tried not to think about the drugstore stop he'd made on the way back here. No expectations, he reminded himself. Just a precaution.

"Hey," Luke greeted him, pulling his own bag and backpack out of his backseat. "Is it okay to leave my car here?"

"Yeah," Noah said. "The landlady's cool. She's not home, but I left her a note and told her what's going on." He paused. "I guess your parents were okay with this?"

Luke nodded, walking closer and setting down his bags. "They're pretty good about stuff most of the time," he said. "Of course, I'm supposed to call them to check in or they'll start sending out search parties." He lowered his head and blushed. "And, well, they also don't know about, um."

Noah got it and joined in the blushing. "Ah. Um. Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Look, I don't want you to lie to your parents or anything here--"

"No, no, really, it's okay," Luke said, smiling a little uncertainly. "I mean, if it were Maddie I'd go. And well, this isn't exactly the same, but I'm still helping out a ... a friend, right?"

Noah nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I just don't want you to get in trouble because of me," he muttered, kicking at a rock next to his foot. "Especially since they were so nice to me."

"I won't get in trouble," Luke said firmly. "Besides, I'm 18 years old. I technically don't need their permission anyway."

Noah lifted his head and cocked it to one side. Luke certainly seemed sincere, but the nerves were still apparent. This wasn't as small a thing as he was trying to make it out to be. But Noah could think of no way to change things without hurting Luke, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Besides, he admitted to himself, he really wanted Luke to go.

He smiled and nodded to his truck. "You ready to get going?"

Luke returned the smile. "Yep," he said, picking up his bags and carrying them around to the passenger side. Noah followed him, stepping ahead to open the door and pull the seat forward. Luke stuffed his duffel bag back there but kept the backpack. "My laptop's in here, so I'll keep it up front."

Noah locked the seat back into place and stepped back again, holding the door while Luke climbed inside. Luke grinned at him. "Such a gentleman," Luke teased, and Noah blushed.

"Shut up," he murmured, looking away, but a tug on his hand drew his attention back to Luke.

"Hey," Luke said, pulling him closer. "Don't be embarrassed. I kinda like it." He pressed a quick kiss to Noah's lips, and Noah smiled as they drew apart.

"Buckle up," Noah said, closing the door and walking around to climb in the other side. He secured his own seat belt before starting the truck and backing out carefully.

Luke was quiet while Noah navigated the streets of Oakdale toward the interstate. Once Noah pulled them onto the wide roadway and accelerated to full speed, though, Luke reached out his left hand and pulled Noah's right one off the steering wheel, tangling them together on the seat between them. Noah glanced at their hands and then at Luke's smiling face, and he smiled back.

~~~~

Luke didn't stay quiet for long, of course. Soon he was telling Noah more stories about growing up in Oakdale, most funny but a few serious. He explained the events that led up to his kidney infection and transplant, and he admitted to an alcohol problem that he'd managed to put behind him. Noah told him about fishing trips with his dad but that those happy moments were the exception and not the rule. He also acknowledged it was hard for him to talk about, and Luke didn't press.

They held hands the entire time, and Noah was grateful for that feeling of being grounded. He hadn't really processed Aunt Ruth's death yet, the last of his family gone, and he wasn't really sure how to deal with it.

Noah started yawning about three hours into the drive, trying but failing to hold them in.

Luke squeezed his hand. "Why don't you let me drive for a while?" he said. "You had a tough night last night."

Noah opened his mouth to protest, but another yawn caught him off guard, and he admitted defeat. "Okay, okay," he said. "We'll stop at the next exit, get something to eat, too. It's past lunchtime." He twisted his hand in Luke's to link their fingers together. "Thanks."

"What for?" Luke sounded genuinely puzzled, and Noah shot him a look.

"For being here," he said. "I mean, because I probably would've driven off the road, but also, well." He squeezed Luke's fingers, not knowing how to express what he felt. "Just for being here."

Luke seemed to get it, though. He smiled.

~~~~

They opted for drive-through sandwiches and a quick tank top-off, shooting to make it to Memphis before dark. Luke insisted that Noah try to nap in the car, pulling a t-shirt out of his duffel bag and rolling it up as a makeshift pillow. Noah could only laugh and give in.

He didn't know how long he dozed, but he woke up just as they crossed into Arkansas. "Mmmm." He rubbed his eyes, then his neck. "What time is it?"

"Almost six," Luke said, flashing him a grin. "Sleep well?"

Noah dropped his head back against the seat. "I guess," he murmured. "Need me to drive?"

"Nope, I'm good," Luke said, reaching out for Noah's hand and giving it a squeeze. "You just navigate me to where we need to be."

Noah yawned one last time and stretched his free arm, rotating his shoulders to loosen them up. "Well, we're just about an hour away now," he said. He glanced over at Luke. "The house isn't anything fancy, but it'll be clean and, well, free."

Luke squeezed his hand again. "It'll be fine," he said. "You shouldn't have to face all this alone."

Noah turned his head toward Luke and smiled. "I'm not." He watched as Luke smiled, too.

~~~~

The house looked smaller, somehow, when Luke pulled the truck up in front of it. Noah just sat and stared for a few minutes.

"Hey," Luke said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "You okay?" He stopped and laughed at himself. "Stupid question," he muttered.

Noah lifted his arm across his body to slide over Luke's hand. "No, it's fine. I'm okay. It's just ... it's weird to think that she's not in there. That she's not going to be there."

"Yeah," Luke said. "You know, if you'd rather go to a hotel or something--"

"No, no, it's fine," Noah said. He took a deep breath. "It'll be fine."

He opened his door and climbed out, reaching back in to pull Luke's duffel free. Luke was doing the same with Noah's bags on the other side, so Noah shouldered Luke's backpack as well and headed toward the house. He stopped on the porch and turned toward Luke, who was a few steps behind him.

"Oh, hey, you have the keys," Noah said, holding out a hand. Luke reached forward and set them in his hand, giving it one quick squeeze for good measure.

Noah turned and unlocked the door, pushing it open and stepping inside, reaching automatically for the light switch. He blinked against the sudden brightness, the room slowly coming into focus, looking just as it did when he'd left almost two weeks earlier, right down to a small stack of mail sitting on the coffee table.

He stepped further into the room, hearing Luke push the door closed and lock it behind them. Noah set the bags on the sofa and kept walking into the kitchen, flipping on a light again. Clean dishes sat in the drainer next to the sink, and everything was neat and tidy. The way Aunt Ruth always kept everything.

Hands slipped around his waist from behind, enveloping him in warmth. He brought his hands up to cover the ones linked across his stomach and leaned back against Luke.

"It's just, she was so nice to me, you know?" Noah said. "And she was all I had left. Now I'm really alone."

"Hey." Luke's voice was soft but firm. "You're not alone. Okay?"

Noah nodded. "Okay."

~~~~

Luke kept taking care of him. He took his bags into the room Noah pointed out as the office-slash-guest-room and set Noah's in his own room. He rooted around in the kitchen and came up with sandwiches and sodas for dinner, and he refused to let Noah help with cleanup, instead pushing him toward the bathroom.

"You go on to bed," he said. "You need the rest. Tomorrow's going to be pretty crazy."

Noah nodded but reached out for Luke's hand, pulling him in close. He pressed his forehead to Luke's as he wrapped his arms around Luke's waist. "Thank you," he said softly. "That's never going to be enough, but thank you."

Luke leaned forward just enough to press their lips together lightly. "You're welcome," he murmured against Noah's mouth. "Now, rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Noah was soon alone in the room that had been his for five years. He stood in the middle of the floor and turned slowly, looking over the things he'd chosen to decorate the space. Old movie posters, mostly. A few pictures from school, mostly him with Mike and the rest of the gang. The flag and medals from his father's funeral, in a wood and glass display case. A picture of his mom holding him at his first Christmas, when he was barely two months old. A few boxes of comic books and some winter clothes in the closet.

His entire life, nearly 19 years, was contained in this room. Everything he'd ever cared about fit into this ten by ten space.

He paused, and smiled. No, he thought. Not everything.

Comments

[luvflix.livejournal.com]

I kind of like the old fashioned values you've given the boys, that Luke has his own room. Just suits them I guess, regardless of what may happen later, at least the motive is there to take it slow.