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Bono takes a deep breath. Sometimes, it's a little too much to take in. To believe. To accept. Sometimes he just needs a moment. To reset.
Water laps gently at his feet, the sand beneath him still warm from the day's hot sun. At the horizon, swathes of yellow and copper paint the cloudless sky as the sun sets. It's quiet, the sound of voices from the rented villa - Lewis’ extended family - unable to carry across the short breadth of the private inlet.
The distinct sound of slow, steady footsteps across the small beach indicates Lewis' approach, not that he needs it. It's like a sixth sense now; for longer than he cares to admit, Bono has been able to tell when Lewis is around. A foot nudges his side.
"Penny for them."
Lewis sits next to him, stretching his legs out into the cool water to match Bono, thigh gently resting against his like it's meant to be there. He's changed his t-shirt; the old navy one he wore during dinner probably hanging up to dry somewhere after his niece and nephew, cackling mischievously, pushed him into the pool. Bono had smiled as Lewis chased the children, dragging them into the water with extra splashes for revenge. Their combined laughter was infectious.
“Nothing,” Bono replies, stalling for time because he knows Lewis won't take that for an answer. A hand rests on his knee, reassuring, questioning. Familiar, tattooed fingers covering the pinkish skin that had caught too much sun that afternoon. Fingers that had subconsciously traced shapes on his chest that morning as they lay together.
Bono takes a deep breath. “You really didn't have to inv…”
“Stop.” Lewis turns to face him. They've had this discussion before, several times. Yet his doubt lingers. The invitation had seemed, to Bono, spontaneous. A throwaway comment. One that had surprised him. He had given Lewis every opportunity to backtrack, but he was adamant - to the point of pulling Bono’s suitcase from the wardrobe in his one-bedroom flat and insisting he start packing.
“Hey, I want you here, ok?”
Bono can feel Lewis’ eyes on him, watching his expression carefully. In the distance, the sky deepens in colour; beautiful crimson and scarlet mark the boundary between the ocean and the soon-to-be starry sky.
“You wanted to spend time with your family, you don't get that much these days.” They're going to go round in circles again, he knows it, but maybe it's better than doing it solo.
The hand on his knee moves to the back of his neck, fingers and thumb pressing gently, massaging. Occasionally scratching at the short hair at the nape of his neck. He closes his eyes, relaxing, any hint of fight slowly ebbing. They sit in silence, ripples of water easing his mind. If only it were possible for them to take his self-doubt away with them forever. Bono feels the slight movement, the subtle change in position as Lewis leans in, pressing a kiss to his throat. To his jawline. To the spot behind his ear that sends a shot of warmth throughout his body.
If there's one thing in life Lewis knows how to do, it's win. Thankfully, that means Bono wins too.
“That includes you.”