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1. good 4 u
It’s early in the morning when Luke meets with Din at the campus café.
The clock shows 8:50, ten minutes left until their first lecture of the day, and Luke rushes into the café, too late for his own good. There’s already a line of about twenty people and he curses under his breath, debating whether he should wait and risk being late—and “risk” meaning he would 100% be late and just suck it up—when he sees a familiar head right in the front of the line, leaving the cash register.
A grin pulls his lips and he swings the free strap of his backpack around his shoulders. “Din!” he calls out, rushing to meet with him, earning more than a few looks from the people around. “Can’t believe you made it here before me,” he gasps as he tries to get his breathing under control. Din offers him a small smile and steadies him with a hand on his elbow when Luke stops next to him.
“TikTok?”
“Nooooo…” Luke starts, eyes narrowed, but the way Din arches his brow, it’s clear he doesn’t believe him. Luke narrows his eyes further, enough that he only sees Din through two slits, and sticks out his tongue. “Rude.” Din just laughs, stepping away just in time to avoid Luke’s punch to his shoulder. “I just went through a few of them, that’s it.”
“A few?”
“Like, ten,” Luke guesses, fiddling with the straps of his backpack. Din arches a brow. “Maybe twenty.” The brow rises more. “Okay, but no more than fifty.” The other brow joins, and Luke tries to swat him again. “I don’t have a problem, okay?”
“Never said you did,” Din muses. Luke sticks out his tongue again.
“I don’t like your tone, sir. And in my defense, I was watching Olivia Rodrigo TikToks. It’s not my fault that a million of them dropped last night now that good 4 u is out.” He glances at Din, watching Din’s face fall, and narrows his eyes. “Stop that,” he chides, waving at his face. Din just frowns more, clearly on purpose, and Luke just smushes his hand against his face. He pulls back with a laugh and grabs Luke’s wrist. “It’s Olivia Rodrigo. You cannot judge me for that.”
“Whatever you say, Luke.” Din shrugs and Luke just pushes him again, scrunching up his nose. He only pulls his hand back when Din attempts to bite it.
“Rude.” He ignores the skip of his heart when a smirk appears on Din’s face, stretching the thin mustache across his face. Luke stares at his lips for maybe too long, the soft dimples at their corner, before he snaps his eyes up. Blonde strands drop over his cheeks when he shakes his head and crosses his arms. “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean Sour won’t be a masterpiece when it comes out. And yes, I am rioting if it doesn’t earn a Grammy.”
“Isn’t that like months—” Din starts, but Luke shushes him up by waving his hand to his face again without looking, hitting his chin again. Din just chuckles and ducks away.
“It’s gonna be a masterpiece, Din,” Luke insists, widening his eyes as he stares at him. Din arches a brow—an inevitability when spending time with Luke—and tilts his head in that adorable way of his—no, Luke’s definitely not being subjective there, it’s a fact that Din’s adorable. Luke just sticks out his tongue again and crosses his arms. Din lets out a loud laugh and moves away from Luke just as the barista calls his name.
Luke tries to keep his face angry when Din returns and snaps his drink from Din’s hand quickly. “I didn’t think someone with the emotional capacity of a math textbook would understand Olivia’s album anyway,” he huffs. “Do you have any idea how many TikToks I saw of people planning to find a fake partner to break up with so they can experience the album to the fullest? It’s a cultural phenomenon, Din.” Din glances at Luke as he pushes the door open for both of them, letting Luke go in the front. The sun hits his brown eyes momentarily before he pulls on his sunglasses, rich and brown and beautiful, and Luke finds himself staring for a few moments.
He only snaps his head away when the door closes behind them. He hopes the sun is enough to hide his blush.
“And you’re one of them?” Din muses, taking Luke out of his thoughts. Luke arches a brow and lets out a soft snort.
“My sister’s boyfriend declined my application, so unfortunately, no.” A soft laugh escapes Din and despite himself, Luke smiles. “It’s okay. I’ll just pretend to have an imaginary boyfriend for the next week and then I can pretend to break up with him. I’m gonna call him Bob.”
“Short for Robert?” Din teases, and Luke gasps. He dramatically presses his hand over his chest.
“How dare you? His name is just Bob. You couldn’t even bother to learn it?” He blinks furiously, pursing his lips to try to put on an angry face, which only makes Din laugh louder. Luke tries to fight a smile as Din lets one hand settle on the strap of his backpack.
“Or,” he says softly, lips still pulled into a smile when he turns to Luke, “I can pretend to be your boyfriend.” His eyes meet Luke’s, and Luke feels grateful that Din has quick reflexes, or else he would’ve definitely spilled his entire iced latte to the pavement, tripping on air with Din’s words. He blinks several times, his heart beating in his throat, and looks at Din.
“You’re kidding,” he breathes out, Din’s fingers burning his skin under his elbow. Din arches a brow.
“I’m serious.” Luke blinks again, searching Din’s face, and finds no hint of a joke. He inhales sharply.
“You don’t…” he starts, trying to find the right words. “You don’t even know Olivia Rodrigo.” Din tilts his head again and damn he’s too adorable for his own good, and Luke finds himself staring at his lips, the corners twitching into a smile again, eyes faint but warm behind the sunglasses.
“Do I need to?” he asks, and really, Luke can’t come up with an answer, because it’s a no. It really doesn’t matter what Din knows or not, what Din wants, because he’s offering and it’s fake and it’s supposed to mean nothing… “I’m just saying, I can act like your boyfriend for a week if you need me to, before I pretend to leave you for a blonde girl.” He smiles this time, arching a brow, and the lyric reference flies over Luke’s head. Another time, he might’ve chided Din for lying to him about Olivia, but his mind is reeling and his heart is hammering and all he can think about is that Din is asking him out…
To be his fake boyfriend. For a week. Until Sour comes out. Luke bites down on his lip, blinking away a sting in his eyes. “Why would you even do that?” he asks, voice so quiet that he hates it. Din searches his face for a few seconds, the smile dissipating from his face, and shrugs.
“I’m single,” is all that he offers, and somehow that’s enough to break Luke’s haze. A snort escapes his lips, followed by a laugh. He watches Din visibly relax, a hesitant smile appearing back on his face as Luke covers his mouth to stop himself from laughing. He shakes his head, bangs falling on his eyes, and pushes them away before he turns back to Din.
“Good answer,” he offers breathlessly, and Din’s lips curl up into a smile. The sunglasses slip down his nose enough for his eyes to find Luke’s when he turns to him.
“Is that a yes?” Luke’s probably imagined it, but he can almost hear hope behind Din’s voice. He searches Din’s face, heart skipping a beat again, and the words come out without his intention.
“Okay.” He shakes his head again, biting down on his lip as if that can calm his heart down. “Fine. Okay. I’ll be your fake boyfriend for a week so you can break up with me right before Sour comes out and find a blonde girl and I can have my heartbroken ex moment.” He rushes the words out in one sentence, ignoring the twist of his heart when he mentions the blonde girl, and his eyes find Din’s again. He extends his free hand. “Deal?”
Din grins. He lifts the opposite hand, but instead of shaking Luke’s he takes it in his and moves his fingers through Luke’s, dropping their clasped hands between them. Luke’s breath hitches in his throat when Din’s calloused skin slides through his, warm and strong and comforting. “Deal,” Din whispers, and Luke’s heart definitely jumps in his chest with that one word.
It takes him only a few steps and more than several glances stolen at Din to forget it’s supposed to be fake. He leans against Din and hides his smile with his latte, a soft skip in his step.
The smile stays on his face the entire class.
2. happier
It’s dark outside when Luke makes his way to the café, his bag dangling from one shoulder, his glasses slipping down his face every now and then. His hair is a mess, sticking out in every direction, and he’s so exhausted that he yawns every now and then, steps loopy on the pavement. He has to blink his eyes several times to adjust to the light once he pushes open the café door.
His watch reminds him when it hits midnight, and Luke just glares at it.
The café is busy, as it always is during late hours, and Luke’s shoulders slump when he looks at the line. He rubs his eyes again and nibbles on his lower lip, wondering whether it’d be worth it to stay in the line to grab jasmine tea. Technically, he does have an incredible amount of tea bags in his room that he hasn’t even been touching, but the tea at the café is “free”—meaning prepaid, but his father pays for it anyway, so it works out—and requires no preparation, and Luke’s been staring at his computer for way too long to bother with anything.
He sighs and drags his feet to move to the back of the line, pulling his glasses off—his vision is slightly bad, and he can afford a bit of blurry vision—and tucking them in his pocket. He’s so distracted and tired that he doesn’t notice the familiar footsteps approaching him.
At least until two firm arms wrap around his waist.
A loud squeal escapes Luke’s lips as he’s hauled up into the air, feet dangling from the floor, and the only thing that keeps him from screaming even louder is the familiar brush of a mustache against the back of his neck. He feels Din’s lips on his shoulder, stealing a kiss as Luke’s hands fall onto his arms, and only then drops Luke onto the ground.
“Din,” Luke squawks, determinedly ignoring the attention their display is drawing. He spins around to face Din’s cheeky grin. His punch lands less roughly than he’d like on Din’s chest.
“Ouch,” Din grouses, grabbing Luke’s wrist as he attempts to hit Din again, and keeps it pressed right over his heart. Luke refuses to admit that his heart stops just a little bit, and not out of fear, at the gesture.
“You can’t do that, ” he hisses back. “You almost gave me a heart attack! Why would you sneak up on me like that?” Din laughs at him, brushing his bangs away from his face, and Luke tries to swat his hand away. Din easily holds it too and presses a warm kiss to Luke’s knuckles. Luke’s heart jumps at the touch,, and he hopes Din didn’t realize he stopped breathing the moment Din’s lips brushed Luke’s hand.
“In my defense,” Din murmurs against Luke’s hand, still smiling, and Luke just stares at him with parted lips as he continues, “I did call your name multiple times. You were just distracted.”
Luke has to clear his throat several times before he can answer. “I was tired.” He tilts his chin up defensively. “Did you ever have to spend an entire night staring at your code during office hours?”
“I took the same class last year, Luke,” Din deadpans, and Luke just glares at him and sticks out his tongue. He crosses his arms over his chest and definitely doesn’t melt when Din just keeps holding his hand.
“Well, then, you know exactly how it feels.” Din opens his mouth, and Luke just wags his index finger at him. “Do not tell me it was easy for you. I will literally dump your ass right now if you say that.” Luke gulps at the empty threat, arching his brows at Din, and watches as a smile curls on Din’s lips.
“Whatever you say, love.” Luke’s heart jumps at the pet name. Din doesn’t mention that the threat means nothing when he’s the one that’ll be breaking up with Luke in about five days.
Luke tries not to think about it either.
“How did you know I was gonna be here?” Half subconsciously, he tilts his head to the side to mirror Din. “I thought you went to sleep early.” Which is, surprisingly, true. Somehow, two years of college didn’t mess up Din’s sleep schedule so much that he’s able to go to sleep before midnight. Luke searches Din’s face as his smile softens, dimples appearing on his cheeks again, and Din just tugs at him to pull him away from the line. Luke only has a moment to protest—several people lined up behind him already, meaning he’ll have to wait for more people if he wants that jasmine tea—but Din’s quicker.
“You come here every night after your office hours,” he says easily, and Luke just blinks at him. “And you order jasmine tea. The barista told me.” Din flashes a grin towards the café before he pulls Luke to a table, two tumblers resting on it, and waves his hand towards it. “And I thought I’d get one for you before the midnight rush hit. It’s my tumbler but I cleaned it up carefully, so it should be fine. And it was warm last I checked.” Din walks around the table, letting Luke’s hand go momentarily, and pulls out a little muffin. “I got a muffin, too. You said chocolate helped after a harsh study session. So…” He rubs the back of his neck and looks up at Luke, a soft blush dusting his cheeks. “Here it is. Hope you like it.” He shifts from one foot to another, looking shy and awkward, and for a few seconds all Luke can do is stare.
Jasmine tea. Chocolate muffin. A tumbler. Din came to the café before midnight rush, just to get Luke jasmine tea, asked the barista about it to make sure he got it right, put it in a tumbler so it stayed hot, and got a muffin on top of it all. Luke blinks several times, something like tears stinging the back of his eyes. He looks up to meet Din’s eyes and realizes there’s something in Din’s hand.
A bouquet of flowers. Makeshift, by the look of it. Daisies. And if Luke had to bet, he’d say Din collected them himself.
“I almost forgot,” Din murmurs, walking closer to Luke. A bright green ribbon is wrapped around the flowers with a delicate knot. Din pulls a daisy out and tucks it behind Luke’s ear, fingertips brushing Luke’s cheek, and doesn’t even look away as he smiles. “I thought they’d look good with your eyes,” he whispers, so quietly that only Luke hears. His breath hitches in his throat when Din’s fingers drop down and he cups his cheek,. “I was right.”
Luke just stares.
“Din,” he gasps, barely breathing, and reaches up to his ear to brush the flower. His eyes fall onto the bouquet first, and then the table. “You did all this for me?” His voice is strained, thin, but he doesn’t even care. He turns back to Din when Din’s hand settles on his side, guiding him to the table.
“Of course.” Din says it so easily that Luke has to bite down on his lower lip. “You’re my boyfriend, right? I wanna make sure you’re happy.” The words are innocent and Din’s eyes are so, so warm, so honest, but tears rush to Luke’s eyes. He blinks and looks at the table to hide them.
“Right,” he whispers, eyes firmly focused on the jasmine tea. “Of course.” Din’s hand tightens on his side briefly, his soft lips on Luke’s hair, before he moves and pulls Luke’s chair. Luke offers him one more glance, plastering a smile on his face, and sits down. “Thank you, Din.”
He hopes his voice doesn’t sound as choked up as he feels. He winces only slightly when Din’s hands fall on his shoulders and squeezes, and Luke finds himself leaning back into the touch.
“Anytime, love.” He drops another kiss to Luke’s hair.
At the end of the night, Luke doesn’t give the tumbler back to Din, and Din doesn’t ask for it. He presses a kiss on Luke’s forehead as goodnight before he disappears behind his own door, the hallway too silent without Din.
When morning rolls around, Luke only cries a little bit when he finds the daisies have wilted overnight. .
3. favorite crime
It’s approaching six p.m. when Luke starts packing up his stuff.
He’s been sitting in the café for hours, right after his last class of the day, staring at his laptop, and trying to solve a physics set. He was about halfway through, which would’ve been a more impressive feat had he not started about three days ago, and his eyes were bloodshot just from looking at the same equations over and over again.
And over again.
Sighing, he tucks his laptop and iPad in his backpack, the apple pencil with the chewed toy on the back placed safely in its case, and throws the bag over his shoulders. He pushes open the door, stepping into the chilly SoCal night, and huffs out a breath. He’s just about ready to head to the cafeteria when a familiar voice stops him.
“Luke!”
Luke’s heart skips a beat as he turns around just in time to see Din step into his personal space. A small yelp escapes him as Din’s arms wrap around his waist and he pulls him close, his chest warm against Luke’s, and his lips drop to Luke’s forehead. All air leaves Luke’s lungs and it takes him a few moments to find his voice.
“Din,” he gasps, leaning back just enough to stare at his face. He narrows his eyes. “You really like scaring me, don’t you?” One corner of Din’s lips kick up, revealing a shallow dimple, and Luke finds himself staring. He only holds himself back from smoothing it up with his thumb by grasping the lapels of Din’s jacket tightly. Din drops another kiss to his forehead, tugging him closer, and slots one arm around Luke’s waist under his backpack
“Not my fault,” he murmurs, and Luke would’ve glared if he wasn’t too distracted by Din’s fingers brushing his side. His flannel is thin enough that Luke can feel the calloused fingers brushing right under his ribs, drawing absentminded circles. “I did call for you. Again.”
“Once. You called out to me once.”
“Twice, actually.” Din smirks, and Luke shoots him a glare.
“Whispering my name doesn’t count.”
“I called out ‘love’,” Din counters, booping Luke’s nose, and it’s so unexpected that all Luke can respond with is a blink. A chuckle leaves Din’s lips and he kisses Luke’s forehead again, tightening his hold around Luke’s waist.
If it wasn’t for Din, Luke thinks his knees would’ve definitely given out now.
“Not my fault you couldn’t hear me.” Din smirks again and Luke forces himself to pull his thoughts together. He shoots Din a glare.
“Rude,” he says just as Din’s fingers start playing with the strap of his backpack. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days.”
“Uh huh.” Din doesn’t sound bothered by it at all. He tugs at Luke’s backpack again, the strap falling down Luke’s shoulder. Before Luke can even try grabbing it, Din pulls it off his arm and throws it over his own shoulder.
“And you won’t have a boyfriend to carry his stuff for,” Luke shoots back, earning a loud laugh from Din. He presses his lips to Luke’s temple again—it’s definitely Luke’s imagination, but it feels like Din just can’t get enough of him, and even though Luke knows deep down this is all supposed to be fake, he finds himself feeling the same way second by second—before he pulls Luke just enough to avoid a rock on the ground. He nuzzles Luke’s cheek and drops another kiss before he straightens up.
“If you did have a heart attack, I’d save you,” Din claims, so firmly that Luke’s brows climb to his forehead. He lets out a snort.
“Right.”
“I’d carry you on my shoulder and rush to the health center.”
“That’s, like, ten minutes by walk?” Din grins, his brown eyes shining mischievously under the setting sun. He squeezes Luke’s waist and shrugs.
“I can run it in five if it’s you.”
If anyone asked, Luke would refuse to admit that he melted at that.
“Where are you taking me anyway?” Luke asks, changing the topic, and looks around the place. They’re definitely not going to the cafeteria—it’s not too far from the café, and they’ve been walking for over a few minutes. Luke feels only slightly embarrassed that he didn’t even realize they passed by it, but those thoughts fly away when a brilliant smile appears on Din’s face. He squeezes Luke’s waist.
“You’ll see,” he chirps, and Luke just stares at him. He presses a hand to cover his heart, pretending it isn’t hammering against his ribs. He’s definitely not excited about this…surprise Din prepared for him.
“I’m hungry,” Luke points out, and Din’s grin just widens. He glances at Luke.
“I know.”
“But we’re not going to the cafeteria.”
“Nope.” Din pops the P as he steers Luke between the buildings, leading him to the large pool on the other side of the campus. Luke arches a brow as he ducks to avoid an overhanging branch.
“Are we walking to a restaurant or something?” Luke asks, turning to Din, and Din just chuckles. “You know that’s like, at least a twenty minute walk, right? And I got work to do.” Which is, admittedly, true, but Luke realizes that if Din tells him that’s what they’re doing…he’ll go with him anyway. He’ll follow Din, waste a few hours just walking with him so they can talk and laugh and just be together. The thought makes his stomach curl unpleasantly.
“We’re not going to a restaurant,” Din says, pulling Luke under the arch that opens to a small clearing with a little fountain in the middle, trees placed around the edges, and tables dotting the ground. Luke opens his mouth to argue but all words die on his tongue when he actually sees where Din is leading him.
A table covered with a white cloth, fake candles resting in the middle, a makeshift daisy bouquet placed in a glass cup right next to it. There are two food covers on either side, chopsticks neatly sitting next to it, and even the chairs are covered in cloths that look like fancy red velvet. Luke blinks several times, thinking he must be dreaming—there’s no way Din did all of this for him, right? He’s not even… They’re not even dating— but the table doesn’t disappear, and when he turns to Din, who’s placing Luke’s backpack next to one of the chairs, he finds a soft smile.
“Surprise,” Din whispers and gently lifts the food covers to reveal two large plates of sushi, complete with wasabi and soy sauce. The sushi definitely comes from a restaurant, as it looks nothing like the rubber the cafeteria tries to sell to students. “I know sushi’s your favorite food,” Din whispers, smoothing the cloth, “so I wanted to prepare a little dinner. For just the two of us.” He shrugs and turns to Luke, biting his lower lip for a moment. “I know Tuesdays are rough for you and I just thought we could destress. Have a little date.” Din’s smile widens. “Our first date.” A soft chuckle escapes his lips and Luke finds himself staring at his lips, watching the dimples appear at the corners, and notices his mouth feels dry. “What do you think?”
Luke blinks, staring at Din some more, unable to come up with an answer. His eyes fall onto the sushi plates—it’s a total of twelve pieces, two rolls, and from the look of them Luke can tell they aren’t from a cheap restaurant—the wine glasses that Luke assumes are filled with diet coke from their look, the chopsticks, the cloth, the damn flowers and the candles…
“Din,” Luke whispers and takes a shaky step forward. He thinks he’ll just grasp the air when he reaches for the cloth, but his fingertips brush the silky fabric. A soft gasp leaves his lips as he lets his fingers trail up, tracing the edge of the plate, the neck of the glass, fingers trembling all the way, before he finally looks back up at Din. “You want to have a date with me?” he blurts out, his mouth moving faster than his mind can think. He meets Din’s brown eyes just as a soft chuckle leaves Din’s lips.
“No, I just prepared all of this for myself,” Din jokes, stepping into Luke’s personal space, and Luke’s breath hitches in his throat. Somehow, Din produces a flower—a blue one this time, hanging from the plants around the table. He tucks it gently behind Luke’s ear and smiles. “Dinner?”
Luke opens his mouth to protest. Say that they’re not actually dating—Luke isn’t actually Din’s boyfriend. There’s no reason for him to do these…sweet gestures for Luke. It was a stupid arrangement to begin with and Luke never thought…
Yet the words get stuck in his throat, and looking in Din’s eyes, Luke realizes that he wants this. He wants the dinner. The…date. Even knowing it’s fake, he wants to spend more time with Din, be around him all the time, snuggle into his arms and feel his lips on his hair. He wants… Din.
“Okay,” he whispers, watching as a brilliant smile spreads on Din’s face. Din presses a quick kiss to Luke’s forehead before he pulls his chair, letting Luke sit down, and quickly takes his own place. His eyes are glinting brightly under the dim light of the fake candles.
“Thank you for this,” Luke forces out just as Din pours some soy sauce on Luke’s plate. He offers Luke a small smile.
“Anything for my love.”
Luke ignores the tears that prickle his eyes as he dives into the food, putting enough sushi in his mouth to forget that this isn’t real.
Forget that deep down, he wishes it was.
4. brutal
The notification is entirely too loud in the silent room.
Luke jumps when his phone buzzes, the screen turning on, and almost drops his Apple pencil on the floor trying to grab his phone. He should’ve turned his ringer off—this damn homework is hard enough already and a headache is building in his temples, so much so that he can’t even play music —but of course he forgot, and a part of him just wants to chuck the phone to the other side of the bed.
Instead, he puts it on silent mode, and he’s just about to get back to his work—meaning, making absolutely no progress in this homework—when the screen lights up again. And Luke stops when he sees the familiar name.
Din <3: I found this really cute café about five minutes away
Din <3: Thought you might enjoy a little break? I know you’ve been worried about homework
Luke stares at the text, nibbling on the rubber on the back of his Apple pencil, and shakes his head. Part of him wants to go—that not-so-little part of him that wants to spend every waking moment with Din, that flutters whenever Din smiles at him, that expands and twists and worms its way deeper into Luke’s heart with each kiss Din drops on his forehead or each cup of coffee he brings Luke or each brush of his fingers against the back of his hand. That part yells at him to go but Luke just sighs.
Luke: i wish
Luke: swamped with work rn
Luke: raincheck?
He drums his fingers on his iPad nervously as he waits for Din’s answer. Would he be upset? Luke is the one that asked him to be his fake boyfriend, and admittedly, Din’s been doing an excellent job being one. Surprise dinners, coffees and jasmine teas and muffins, morning kisses on the cheek and goodnight kisses on the forehead, cuddles and hand holding and hugs… Din’s so constantly around Luke, showing so much affection that Luke could easily forget this whole thing is supposed to be fake…until he gets a stark reminder that it will end in just over a day.
His eyes flicker to the time. 8:38 pm, Wednesday. A day and twenty-two minutes. His heart squeezes in his chest.
He blinks away his thoughts and focuses back on his phone when it lights up again.
Din <3: Physics?
Luke: yea
Luke: this set’s kinda kicking my ass
Luke: sorry
Din <3: No worries. Good luck!
Luke waits, staring at his phone, but eventually turns it off when Din doesn’t send anything else. He’s entirely too busy to worry about whether something he said might’ve upset Din or not. He puts his phone aside, curling on the bed, and pulls his knees closer to himself. His work blurs in front of him, no matter how many times he blinks his eyes.
By the time someone knocks on the door, Luke’s barely made any progress, having written about two lines of half-finished equations and a bunch of question marks around the page. His shoulders slump as he stares at the door and wonders whether he can open it with just his eyes.
There’s another, softer knock, followed by a quiet voice, “Luke?” and that makes Luke sit up. It’s either his ears playing with him, or he recognizes that voice… He slips off the bed easily, iPad thrown aside, and pulls the door open.
He comes face to face with warm, brown eyes and a small smile. Din tilts his head to the side, two takeout boxes clutched in his hands. One of them is a Starbucks, and if he looks inside, Luke’s pretty sure he’ll find a venti iced matcha green tea latte with vanilla sweet cream cold foam and two pumps of vanilla—yes, he’s a basic white girl, sue him —and the other box is from In & Out, and Luke knows for a fact that they don’t deliver. His heart skips as he looks up and meets Din’s eyes again, the edges of his face blurry, and has to blink several times to focus.
“Hey,” Din murmurs, adjusting the takeout boxes in his hands so he can tuck a strand of Luke’s hair behind his ears. Luke finds himself leaning into the touch—Din’s hands are colder than usual and Luke imagines him going out at night just so he can get Luke a burger and a coffee, driving for what must’ve been around thirty minutes—knowing how far the nearest of those restaurants are—and something in Luke’s chest squeezes.
“I know you’re swamped with work but I thought I’d get you some snacks and coffee. In case you haven’t eaten yet.” Luke doesn’t say it, but he realizes Din’s right—he’s been stuck in his room the entire day and missed dinner time entirely. “I can leave if you want me to but, uh… Just wanted to bring these. Double double with extra pickles and animal fries, milkshake, and an iced matcha latte.” Din opens up the Starbucks bag and smiles. “I also got a muffin and some chips. Hot Cheetos. I remember you saying those were your favorites. Just in case.” Luke looks inside the bag to find a small pack of Cheetos and a Starbucks muffin and the knot in his chest tightens. He has to blink to get rid of his tears.
“Do you… I can go?,” Din murmurs when the silence extends, and Luke finally lifts his head. Fresh tears fill Luke’s eyes and something breaks in Din’s face. He takes a step in to set the takeout boxes on Luke’s desk, right next to the bed, and then suddenly two strong arms wrap around Luke. Tears immediately rush down his cheeks and he buries his face to Din’s shoulder, hugs Din back tight enough that he wonders whether he’s hurting Din, and a silent sobs shake his shoulders.
“Hey,” Din murmurs, rubbing Luke’s back. “Hey, I’m here. I’m with you, Luke.” Luke feels Din’s lips on his hair and it only makes him cry harder, hitched sobs escaping his lips every now and then. Din’s grip around him tightens with every sob. “You’re okay. I’m with you now, okay? Whatever you need. I’m here.” Din’s voice is shaky, too, as he peppers Luke’s hair with kisses, rubbing Luke’s back, and Luke only vaguely realizes they’re both in his room now, the door closed, when his back hits the bed. Din’s strong arms wrap around his hips and lift him up to the bed that’s just slightly too high for Luke to sit down, and Luke feels his lips on his cheeks. Din stays standing in front of the bed, not letting Luke go even for a second as Luke cries into his shoulder, his faint mustache tickling Luke’s cheek whenever he presses a kiss.
It takes Luke a few minutes to calm down, and then another few minutes to lift his head. He expects Din to let him go when he straightens up, but instead, Din moves his hands up to cup Luke’s cheeks, wiping away his tears, and searches his face.
“Better?” Din whispers, and all Luke can answer with is a gulp and a nod. “Stress?” Luke nods again, tugging Din closer, and presses his forehead against Din’s. Din lets him, rubbing his back with one hand as the other stays on his cheek, brushing his cheekbones. Silent tears keep streaming down his face.
“The set’s due midnight,” he blurts out when he finds his voice, and Din’s hand momentarily stills on his face. “I’ve done most of it but there’s this one question and I can’t figure it out and it’s like, worth, twenty five percent of the set and I’m just scared I won’t be able to finish it before it’s due and—”
“Hey.” Din’s voice is soft, but it cuts Luke’s rant in the middle. Soft hands cradle Luke’s face and Din pulls back just enough so he can catch Luke’s eyes. His thumbs gently wipe away Luke’s tears. “Hey, look at me, Luke. Breathe with me.” Din inhales loudly and clearly, searching Luke’s face, and waits until Luke takes a shaky breath too. “Out,” he murmurs, and Luke follows along, slowly swaying into Din’s arms.
“In.” Luke’s fingers wrap around Din’s sweatshirt and tug him close so he can rest his forehead against Din’s shoulder, and breathes in.
“Out.” He wraps his arms around Din and ball the fabric between his hands, nails digging into it, exhales.
“In.” He feels his breathing calm down, tension leaving his body, and when he blinks his eyes open no tear comes out.
“Out.” His lips part at the exhale and he turns his head to nuzzle Din’s neck, inhaling the soft scent of deodorant and mandarins—Din’s shampoo. Din rubs his back, dragging his nails along Luke’s t-shirt to make sure Luke can feel it, and soft lips press right above Luke’s ear.
“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Din murmurs, moving his hand to Luke’s hair and carding his fingers through the knotted strands. “I’m gonna sit down with you and you’ll explain the question to me. We’ll go over lecture notes, your notes, we’ll text people if necessary, or even email the TAs. We’ll figure the question out together, okay?” His voice is soothing and firm, and the way he says it, Luke believes him. Din drops another kiss to Luke’s head before he gently pulls back and meets his eyes again. “How does that sound?”
Luke searches Din’s face, opening his mouth to say Din doesn’t have to do that for him. No doubt Din has his own work he has to finish—he’s a year above Luke and rumor has it that sophomores have the hardest schedules in the school. But looking at Din’s eyes, Luke realizes that he needs him right now—if Din leaves, he’ll break down all over again, and he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to pull himself back up from that mindset in time to finish this question.
“Okay,” he whispers instead, clinging to Din tightly. “Okay, we’ll do that.” He watches as a smile spreads on Din’s face. He presses another kiss on Luke’s forehead before he moves away, just enough to grab their drinks and snacks, and climbs onto the bed.
With Din’s help, it doesn’t take Luke too long to finish the question. They settle on the bed together, Din’s back against the wall and Luke resting on Din’s chest, Din’s fingers rubbing gentle circles on Luke’s side, as Luke pulls up the question and his class notes. Din’s never taken the class but somehow talking to him, trying to explain the question to him, helps Luke walk through it himself. Through it all Din is patient, helping Luke up with the food and the snacks, holding his drink when Luke needs to write, silently listening to Luke working through the problem, dropping soft kisses on Luke’s hair whenever Luke seems to tense or stress out again. In less than two hours the question is all written up.
Luke drops the Apple pencil to the side and rubs his eyes, still exhausted from all the crying, and slumps over Din’s chest. “I think I’m done,” he whispers, staring at his iPad for a few seconds before he quickly pulls up the website to submit the work. As much as he thinks he should probably go over the question, he doesn’t want to look at it ever again. He turns to Din instead, resting his head on Din’s shoulder, and finds Din smiling down at him.
“See, that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Din murmurs, pushing Luke’s bangs away from his forehead, and Luke just snorts.
“Yeah, right,” he mutters, snuggling further up into Din. “That question took me about seven hours.”
“But you figured it out at the end,” Din points up, and Luke just closes his eyes.
“Only thanks to you,” he whispers, and realizes how true that is. If Din didn’t intervene in time, Luke doesn’t think he would’ve been able to finish the question in time. He probably would’ve stressed himself out even more, not understanding anything he was looking through, and would’ve submitted the set without it. If Din didn’t come…
“I’m sorry I freaked out on you.” Luke’s voice is small and tearful. He looks away, not wanting to see Din’s reaction, and instead stares at his fingers over Din’s chest.
“Luke,” Din says quietly, but Luke doesn’t let him continue. He shuts his eyes and shakes his head.
“It was just a stupid question and you stayed with me when you probably have your own work and I just… You weren’t obligated to or anything and I’m sorry—”
“Luke.” Din cups Luke’s cheek this time, tilting his head up, and that stops Luke. He brushes the stray tears away. “I didn’t mind it,” he whispers, ducking down to press a kiss to Luke’s forehead. Luke blinks several times, searching Din’s face—even his sister can’t stand it when Luke gets overstressed about work, and Din’s just…
“But I was worrying for no reason,” Luke says blankly and Din just chuckles. He steals a quick kiss from the tip of Luke’s nose.
“It wasn’t for no reason. You were stressed about homework. It’s understandable.”
“But it was a doable question.”
“It was. But that doesn’t invalidate your stress.” Din catches Luke’s gaze, brushing his hair away from his face and smiles again. “And you didn’t waste my time. I love spending time with you, Luke. I would’ve chosen to be here regardless. Don’t ever think otherwise, okay?” Din curls his fingers around the nape of Luke’s neck, smiling down at him, a soft dimple on his face. Luke finds himself staring at it and this time, he doesn’t stop himself. He reaches up and brushes his thumb over the dimple, watching it deepen when Din’s smile widens. His breath hitches in his throat.
“Din,” he whispers without thinking about it, flickering his gaze up to catch Din’s eyes. “Can I kiss you?”
Another time, he wouldn’t have the courage to ask. But after the night he’s had, the question slips from his tongue easily, his fingers spread out on Din’s cheek, brushing the ends of Din’s curls. Din stops breathing as he stares down at Luke and he nods, so slowly that it’s barely noticeable, but that’s all Luke needs. He leans in, closer, slow enough that Din can pull back if he changes his mind…
He doesn’t. He meets Luke in the middle, his lips just a soft brush on Luke’s, but it’s enough to take Luke’s breath away. Luke finds himself closing whatever distance is left between them and tugging Din close, fingers carding through Din’s hair, heart hammering in his chest. By the time he pulls back he’s half resting on Din, fingers curled around Din’s shoulder. He blinks open his eyes to find Din staring at him.
A smile curls on Luke’s face at Din’s expression—eyes wide, lips parted, hair all over the place from Luke’s hands. Din’s eyes flicker to Luke’s lips and he smiles too before pulling Luke into another kiss, tugging him so close that Luke has to throw his leg around Din’s hips to steady himself.
“Stay,” Luke whispers the next time he pulls back. He presses his forehead against Din’s, closing his eyes, and tries to get his breathing under control. “Please. I can… You can borrow my clothes. I’ll just go outside if you want to change in private but—just—please… Stay.” He doesn’t look at Din, afraid of what he’ll find in his eyes. Part of him is sure Din will just say no.
Instead, Din’s grip around his chest tightens. “Okay,” Din whispers, stealing another kiss from Luke. Something in Luke’s chest uncurls and he slumps over Din’s chest, completely relaxed, tucking his head under Din’s chin. Din’s lips press on his hair. “I’ll stay.”
That night, Luke sleeps better than he’s slept in months.
5. enough for you
8:36 p.m PST. Thursday, May 20 th . Twenty-four minutes before Olivia’s album comes out. Twenty-four minutes before Luke curls up under multiple blankets, tears streaming down his face, and listens to Olivia rip his heart out about a relationship he never even had.
Twenty-four minutes until Din “breaks up” with Luke, pretending to leave him for a blonde girl. Ending their fake relationship just so Luke can have the full breakup experience.
Twenty-four minutes…and Luke’s already crying.
It’s dark already, the moon shining in the sky, faintly illuminating Luke’s room. The lights are dimmed so it’s hard to see around the room, his computer shining bright right next to his legs on the bed, soft sniffles and shuffling of the blanket and the soothing sound of breathing the only noise in the room. Luke shifts on the bed, settling more firmly on Din’s chest, and the sound of his heartbeat fills his ears as well.
Even closing his eyes isn’t enough to stop Luke’s tears.
That morning, after the tiring night, Luke managed to wake up with Din’s alarm, more rested than he ever felt any day. A part of him thought Din would leave in the middle of the night, after making sure Luke was asleep—it was a twin bed, at the end, too small for two people, and there was no reason for him to feel obligated to stay. Instead, Luke woke up surrounded by Din’s warmth and scent, Din’s fingers gently carding through his hair, soft kisses pressed on his hair.
He pretended to sleep five more minutes just so he’d savor the feeling of Din’s arms around him before he stretched, blinking his eyes open. “Hi,” Din said when their eyes met, lips curling into a smile, and Luke melted in his embrace when Din pulled him in for a kiss. It was slow, steady, undemanding, as if Din was just happy to be around Luke, and being in his embrace that morning, it was easy to pretend that feeling would last after the night.
Only when the clock ticked closer and closer to 9 pm that it started to dawn on Luke that they’d be breaking up sooner rather than later.
Fresh tears spring in Luke’s eyes at the thought and he snuggles further into Din’s chest, squeezing his middle, fingers balling Din’s t-shirt in his hands. The sleeve of Din’s sweatshirt covers the back of his hand, too big on him to fit perfectly, and it feels warm under the covers, but Luke doesn’t care. Din gave it to him in the morning when Luke “forgot” to bring a jacket, and Luke isn’t planning on taking it off anytime soon.
Anytime before nine, at least.
Luke buries his face to the crook of Din’s shoulder, sniffling quietly, and moves his hand up to Din’s neck. Din squeezes his chest in return, pressing his lips to Luke’s hair, and Luke has to bite down on his lip harshly to keep his sobs at bay. Din’s fingers move to the small of his back, then his hair, softly unknotting the strands, as his lips dip down to Luke’s forehead. When Din’s free hand comes up to hold Luke’s chin and tilt his head up, Luke lets him.
Din’s eyes are red rimmed as well.
“Hey,” Din murmurs just as his thumb wipes away Luke’s tears. He moves his hand, brushing Luke’s other cheek with his knuckles, and kisses his forehead again. “Hey,” he repeats, voice croaked from tears, and Luke feels a firm press against his forehead. His eyes flutter shut as he inhales Din’s scent, lifting his fingers to cup Din’s cheek, trying to memorize every single detail before…
Before he loses this.
“The album didn’t even come out yet, and you’re already crying,” Din tries to joke, one corner of his lips tilting up, but it falls flat. Luke makes a desperate sound at the back of his throat as he clings onto Din even more, curling his fingers around the nape of Din’s neck, and pulls him into a kiss. He expects Din to fight—in less than twenty minutes, they’ll break up, and Luke doesn’t think he’d want to kiss again so soon before that—and yet Din meets him halfway, grasping his hair, and Luke can’t hold back his sobs anymore. The first one escapes his lips, muffled because of the kiss, and he has to bury himself to Din’s neck before the second one.
“Hey,” Din whispers again, desperation tinting his voice, and he tightens his grip around Luke. Soft lips press on his forehead again. “Don’t cry, Luke. This isn’t the end.” Din’s voice is so soft, so soothing, and Luke wants to believe him, but his mind is clouded and his heart is hammering in his chest and he’s focused on that one moment, that tipping point at nine, that nothing’s really getting through to him. “We’ll see each other tomorrow morning, remember? We have our class together.” Din kisses his hair again, dipping his head to drop another kiss on his nose, and then presses his forehead against Luke’s hair. “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Din whispers, and even without looking at his face Luke can tell he’s honest. “This isn’t… I just wanted…”
“To give me a fake breakup so I can cry listening to Olivia?” Luke offers, voice thick from tears, and Din huffs out a shaky laugh. He kisses the spot between Luke’s brows.
“Fair enough.” Din’s breath washes over Luke’s skin, and Luke has to shut his eyes tightly again. He buries himself to Din’s neck and tightens his hold around Din’s shirt, as if he can keep him there that way. If he holds just tightly enough, maybe Din will stay with him, listen to the album together, his arms tightly wrapped around Luke like right now, soft kisses on his hair, his face, his lips…
“Din.” The word leaves Luke’s lips in a whisper. He lifts his head just enough so his voice isn’t muffled, staring blindly at Din’s chin. He blinks his tears away but even that doesn’t help—his vision is blurry, and after a few seconds he just gives up. He moves his hand, tracing Din’s clavicle, the line of his neck, his cheek, savoring the feeling. Stay, he thinks, the word at the tip of his tongue, before he lifts his head to meet Din’s eyes.
Stay, please.
“Thank you,” he whispers instead, palm pressed firmly to Din’s cheek. A soft smile curls on Din’s cheeks. Luke feels something wet on the tip of his thumb and realizes Din’s crying as well. He wipes away the tear, holding Din closer, so much so that there’s no gap between them. “For giving me an amazing relationship.” Showing me what it’s like to be a good boyfriend. Making me happy. Making me laugh. Smile. Making me fall head over heels.
Din’s fingers wrap around Luke’s strands, pushing them behind his ear. “It was my pleasure,” Din says, and Luke has to bite down on his lip tightly to keep his sobs at bay. He buries his face back to Din’s chest, shutting his eyes tightly. The tears wet Din’s shirt.
He doesn’t move even when the reminder on his phone interrupts the two of them. His heart jumps in his chest and he hugs Din tighter, pressing his forehead right over Din’s heart, and he stays. He doesn’t even bother turning off the alarm.
“Luke,” Din whispers, and something cracks in Luke’s heart. He grabs Din’s shirt and stays. “It’s nine.” Luke just makes a desperate sound and nuzzles Din’s neck, refusing to even move. Tears stream down his cheeks non stop but he doesn’t even bother wiping them. “The album’s out.”
“No,” Luke whispers, shifting so he’s half on top of Din and presses his cheek on Din’s chest. Din’s heartbeats are loud against his ear. “Stay.” He closes his eyes, prepared for Din’s rejection, but instead Din just laughs. His hand falls back onto Luke’s hair.
“I thought you wanted to listen to the album as soon as it came out,” Din says, and Luke just lets out another desperate whine. He tugs Din closer, throwing a leg over Din’s thighs for good measure.
“I can listen to it later,” he argues, voice muffled through Din’s chest. “Five more minutes.”
“Luke.”
“Ten more minutes,” Luke says, panic rising in his chest, and lifts his head. Din’s eyes are shimmering with tears as well when they meet Luke’s. “Fifteen more minutes.”
“Luke.” Din’s voice tracks as he moves his fingers down to Luke’s cheek, gently wiping away his tears with his knuckles, and wraps them around his chin. Luke melts into the touch when Din’s thumb traces his lower lip. “We’ll see each other tomorrow. I promise.” He swipes his thumb again, holding Luke’s gaze for a few moments longer before he finally shifts. Luke feels completely numb when Din pulls him into a sitting position, his hand still cradling Luke’s face, and he sways into Din when he captures Luke’s lips. “Tomorrow. Okay?”
Luke meets Din’s eyes again, searches his face, and nods. His throat is too tight and dry to say anything, no matter how many times he gulps, so he just pulls Din in again, one last kiss, his fingers curled around the nape of Din’s neck to hold him close.
“Tomorrow,” Din whispers again when they separate, and Luke just nods. He blinks his eyes open, staring at Din’s face, and finally lets his hands slip down Din’s neck. Even under Din’s sweatshirt, he feels cold all over when Din pulls his legs from underneath Luke and slips off the bed.
“Din,” Luke whispers before Din can even move to the door. Din stops right by his desk and looks up, eyes shining bright under the dim light of the room. Luke’s fingers wrap around the sleeves of the sweatshirt. “I have your sweatshirt.” He tugs at the sleeves, not really making any real attempt at taking it off. He feels like he might freeze if he tries it now.
A chuckle leaves Din’s lips easily. “Keep it,” he says with an easy shrug. “So I have a reason to see you tomorrow.” Luke’s heart skips a beat and he nods, curling his fingers close to himself. He blinks away his tears to be able to see Din clearly.
“What about my reason?” The question slips his lips and Din just offers him a smile. He tugs at the pile of clothes on Luke’s chair, pulling out one of Luke’s many denim jackets, and pulls it on. Despite himself, Luke lets out a quiet laugh when the jacket tightens around Din’s shoulders. Din’s eyes brighten when he hears it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Luke,” he promises one last time, holding Luke’s gaze for a few more seconds before he leaves. The sound of the door closing echoes around the room, and suddenly, it feels entirely too silent. Too empty.
The first sob escapes Luke’s lips before he even starts the album. He shuffles to Din’s side, hugging his pillow tightly, and blindly reaches for his phone.
He has to put the volume to maximum to be able to hear the songs through his sobs.
+1: hope ur ok
Twenty-nine minutes.
That’s how long it takes for Luke to throw away the blanket and jump out of the bed, rubbing a tissue over his face to wipe away his tears—normally, he’d use his sleeves, but it’s Din’s sweatshirt and he’d be damned to ruin it—rushing to the sink in his room to splash water to his face.
Twenty-nine minutes, and Luke’s already done with the album, as much of a masterpiece it is, and decides it’s time to find Din. Find Din, hug him to death, kiss him until he forgets the last twenty-nine minutes, and ask Din to be his boyfriend for real this time. It’s not even been an hour and Luke misses Din like crazy, and there’s no way he’s spending another minute without him, let alone wait for the last two songs to finish.
He wants Din. No ifs, ands, or buts. This whole…joke, the fake relationship, the “fake” dates and hugs and cuddles and kisses, all of it stopped being fake to Luke long ago, and Luke’s done pretending like he’s not head over heels in love with Din. Part of him thinks he might’ve had feelings long before he agreed to this stupid fake relationship thing—and maybe that’s why he even said yes —and after last week, after seeing Din treat him like a literal prince, Luke would be damned if he let Din slip from his fingers.
It’s crazy, it’s stupid, it’s insane, but he loves Din. He loves him, and all he wants right now is to be with him. Puffy eyes and messy hair and all, he wants to bury himself to Din’s chest and forget that they ever broke up. Forget he ever let Din walk away at all.
He doesn’t even hesitate before throwing the door open, ready to rush out, and barely stops himself from crashing into the person standing right in front of him.
A hand on his elbow is enough for Luke to recognize him. The touch is firm and grounding, but soft at the same time, Din’s thumb circling the inside of his elbow absentmindedly. “Luke,” he whispers, not a question, not even a statement, just a relief, a released breath, and a shiver runs down Luke’s spine. His eyes find the denim jacket first—Luke’s jacket, snug against Din, stretching over his shoulders. Then his chin, the light stubble there, the red lips, full and parted, and then the chocolate brown eyes he’s gotten to know intimately in the last few days. So intimately that Luke knows they’re lighter around the pupils, little speckles of gold glimmering under the sunlight, melting into the dark brown in the edges. They’re shining now, too, but for a different reason—there’s a curtain of tears over them, collected against Din’s lashes, streaming down his cheeks.
“Luke,” Din whispers again, tightening his hold around Luke’s elbow, and Luke finds himself leaning into the touch. Pretty, he thinks. Din’s pretty, even with the swollen eyes, the tear tracks, the curls that have fallen over his forehead. He’s so pretty and Luke’s feels breathless watching him, memorizing every detail, and thinks once again just how stupid he was to think this thing between them could’ve stayed as fake. Luke was a goner the moment Din proposed the arrangement.
“I couldn’t wait.” Din’s words take Luke out of his thoughts. His eyes fall onto Din’s lips, wobbly at the bottom, and part of him aches to reach out to run his thumb over it. “I know we said morning but I was listening to the album and I just couldn’t help thinking…” Din’s voice trails off when Luke presses his fingers on Din’s chin, smoothing over his lip. A sigh escapes Din’s lips and he lets his eyes flutter shut, instinctively pressing against Luke’s touch. The fingers around Luke’s elbow drop to his wrist and Din pulls his hand close, pressing it against his chest, and Luke feels his heart pounding under his palm. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Din confesses, voice so small that Luke barely hears it. His breath hitches in his throat as he watches Din’s brows pull into a frown.
“If I read this wrong and you don’t—want me, I’ll leave, but I just wanted to give it a shot because Luke, I really like you, for real, and I—”
Luke doesn’t let him finish. He curls his free hand around the nape of Din’s neck and pulls him down. His lips crash onto Din’s, enough that their teeth clatter together, but Luke doesn’t care. The kiss is sloppy and desperate, Luke’s arms wrapped around Din’s shoulder and his fingers digging into Din’s hair, Din’s arms wrapped around his waist to pull him close. It’s almost painful, the way Din’s fingers dig into his skin over the sweatshirt but Luke doesn’t care, aching to pull him close, closer, until there’s no distance between them. He only breaks the kiss when he feels like he can’t breathe and presses his forehead against Din’s, basking in Din’s warmth.
“Yes.” The word slips from Luke’s tongue easily before he leans in for another kiss, capturing Din’s lips again. “I’ll go out—” Luke’s words are cut when Din kisses him again, quick and fast, and a chuckle leaves Luke’s lips. “With you,” he finishes, gripping Din’s— his— jacket tightly. “Yes. Please, yes.” Luke stops, biting his lip, his breathing still labored, and blinks his eyes open to look at Din. His heart skips a beat when he sees a brilliant smile on Din’s face.
“Yeah?” he asks, and Luke huffs out a breath. He gently hits Din’s shoulder.
“A million times,” he teases, and a laugh escapes Din’s lips. “Billion,” Luke steals a quick kiss from his cheek, “trillion,” then his chin, “a hundred billion trillion times,” and his neck, nuzzling the spot right above Din’s clavicle, arms still loosely wrapped around Din’s shoulders. Din’s hand falls on his hair and trails through the strands, and soft lips press against Luke’s hair.
“I’m glad,” he murmurs, voice thick with tears, and Luke just buries himself further into Din. “I missed you, love.”
Another time, Luke might’ve teased him, saying it was only thirty minutes. Now he just laughs and turns to look up at Din.
“I missed you, too.” He lifts a hand to brush the dimple that appears on Din’s cheek and mirrors his smile. “A whole lot.”
Din just answers with a kiss.
(It’s only minutes later that they realize they’re still standing in front of Luke’s door instead of inside, and only when Cobb, Din’s roommate, peeks out of his room and yells, “Get a room, you two!” Din chuckles, unwrapping his arms from around Luke to hold his hands.
Cobb pops his head out again. “But I will want the deets tomorrow.” He wags his brows and Luke flushes red all over, staring at Cobb, as Din ushers him inside.
“I’m happy for you!” Cobb yells one last time before the door is close. This time, Luke finds himself laughing with Din, right before Din cuts it with another kiss.)