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Steve’s room was so quintessentially him. The posters on the wall, the achievement certificates, just proof that he was such a good person. Andrew was behind the camera, as usual, listening to Steve explain why sex was so good with his girlfriend. What else was Andrew supposed to do, other than say “that’s so cool.”
“I haven’t had sex since summer,” Matt said, flopping over on Steve’s bed.
“I haven’t had sex since, ever,” Andrew admitted.
Steve seemed almost personally offended by that. Andrew almost wished he hadn’t admitted that, but maybe Steve had ideas on how he could finally have sex. It would be nice to finally do something about it. It really felt like he should, at least.
Andrew had the camera spinning slowly above the three of them as they lay down.
“Today was like,” Matt paused, “it was like, I think, the best day of my life. Like, I mean,” he paused again, clearly thinking through what he meant. “I can’t think of any day that I liked better than today, you know?”
Andrew considered that statement for a minute. It was true for him at least, although his life as of late, before his powers really wasn’t great. Today though, learning how to fly, saving Steve’s life, and Steve’s gratitude really pushed the day into the best possible day he could have had.
“Yeah,” he said, looking over at Steve.
Steve waited a beat before just saying “Unanimous.”
Andrew hoped that Steve was thinking about him. That Steve was remembering how Andrew was a part of what could be Steve’s best day ever. Andrew was thinking about Steve. If it was just him and Matt, he definitely wouldn’t have had as much fun, and it was Steve who had come up with the idea of flying anyway.
Andrew sat in the library with Matt and Steve. It was nice having friends to sit with. Matt tended not to hang out with him so much during school before. Andrew was aware that he was probably dragging Matt’s reputation down before, and as much as Matt tried to act like he didn’t care so much about what people thought of him, Andrew knew how much he really did. But it was nice that Steve and Matt were both sitting with him. It was nice having friends.
“I’m thinking about booking it to Maui this week,” Steve said, holding Andrew’s camera.
Andrew did like the idea. Going somewhere to escape always sounded nice. “Well, we could do it. I mean I was thinking the same thing, except I’ve always wanted to go to Tibet.” Andrew couldn’t stop himself from smiling. The possibilities were endless. And Steve seemed like he would get it.
Tibet was the dream. The serenity and freedom were endlessly tempting. It was okay, Andrew knew it would probably be a long shot trying to get both Steve and Matt to go with him. He didn’t mind not going yet.
Matt made a flimsy excuse to leave. Andrew was fairly sure he would have known if it was his aunt’s birthday, but all the same he let Matt leave. It wasn’t like he hated spending time with Steve.
Andrew didn’t want to go home and he knew that for sure. Home was never fun. “Do you want to go into the city?” he asked Steve.
“Nah, it’s rush hour bro, there’s going to be so much traffic,” Steve started.
“So what?” Andrew asked.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. Let’s go,” Steve said, excitement taking over his face. That was good. It was always good when Steve was excited. Andrew wanted to bask in his smile.
They rocketed straight up, Andrew watching Steve as he continued to smile. Being so far above everyone was thrilling. Flying was freeing.
“So where to?” Steve asked.
“Follow me,” Andrew said, unable to stop himself from smiling.
“Hey, you wanna stop for a milkshake?” Steve called out, when they were over Seattle.
“Yeah,” Andrew said, swooping down.
They sat on a rooftop, the Puget Sound to their left. It was nice being this high up, undisturbed, and away from everyone else. Andrew telepathically grabbed his camera and started moving it around them in a circle.
“Dude, when did you start doing this?” Steve asked, amazed. It was nice being able to impress Steve. Andrew liked that feeling. He explained what was going on to Steve, and it was nice feeling like he was values. It was nice, in Steve’s words, to be the one “thinking up new shit we can do”. It was also nice admitting that he was doing that. Nice to take credit for his accomplishments.
Andrew looked over at Steve again. The urge to just lean in and see what would happen was strong. Something about being alone on a rooftop, knowing people couldn’t barge in on them, was nice.
Andrew felt like he could be honest. Steve was talking about his parents again. Andrew explained his own situation back to Steve, how he was lonely growing up, how even Matt practically abandoned him in high school. It sucked, but it was better now. He had Steve after all. And Matt was back to being his friend too. He almost forgot what it was like to have friends, forgot what that warmth felt like.
They both looked over at the Space Needle. The Space Needle was nice, consistently rising up over the skyline in its odd shape. Andrew liked that it was there. It was a classic Seattle fixture after all. Touristy sure, but it was a place he had good memories with his dad.
“You know,” Steve started, still looking out towards the Space Needle, “I think I’m going to break up with her.”
Andrew looked over at Steve. Steve’s expression was inscrutable. Not that Andrew had much experience reading Steve’s emotions.
“Why?” Andrew asked.
“I don’t want to end up like my parents. Loveless.” Steve turned to Andrew. “I want more.”
Andrew nodded, looking back at Steve. Andrew couldn’t imagine Steve being single for very long.
Steve gave Andrew a suit to wear for the talent show. It was very nice of him. Andrew wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that, but he was excited for the talent show. Matt didn’t want a part of it, clearly, and would probably stick with filming their performance. It would be nice to be on stage with Steve though. Steve’s charisma would, in theory at least, make him seem like a better person too. It was a nice idea, the talent show, and Andrew couldn't possibly be happier.
Everyone’s attention was on Andrew, it was like standing right in front of a firehose. Everyone loved their performance. He couldn’t stop smiling. Even Matt seemed excited by this, and Matt hadn’t even been supportive of them showing off yet.
Steve had also had a huge smile on his face. Andrew liked that, he liked being part of the reason why Steve had been smiling.
And yeah, sure Matt could say whatever he wanted about Andrew’s ego, but Andrew felt like he deserved it. He was on top of the world. And everyone knew it.
They were at a party, and this time, Andrew couldn’t go off into the woods. It was kind of nice. Steve came to greet them as soon as they got there. Everyone looked excited to see them. It was all new to Andrew, and he liked it.
“Andrew, come on,” Steve called as he led him further into the house.
Andrew obviously had no choice but to follow. The cheering as he followed Steve was also cool.
He was talking to a girl somehow. The girl had bright red hair and Andrew was pretty sure that it was a wig. He wasn’t sure where Steve had disappeared to, but he didn’t mind talking to this girl. Monica, he finally remembered, was pretty cool. He let her cajole him into playing beer pong, although truth be told, he didn’t need much cajoling. He wasn’t sure what normal teenagers did at parties.
He and Monica made their way over to the ping pong table where all the cups were lined up. That’s where Steve was, as it turned out. The epicenter of the party.
“Steve!” Andrew exclaimed, excited as always to see him.
“Andrew!” Steve smiled back.
“I’m going to play beer pong,” Andrew explained. Was Steve confused? Andrew wasn’t sure.
“I see you have a partner, have fun,” Steve said.
Beer pong went well, as expected. Andrew did have a little extra help after all. Before he quite processed that they won however, Andrew was being kissed by Monica.
It was nice, he supposed. He also kinda hoped he’d be more into it. He expected a little more when kissing a girl. It was his first time though, it probably would get better.
He really wasn't enjoying the situation once they were in bed. It did not get better. Monica was definitely attractive, but did he like it? He wasn’t sure.
It felt nice to be wanted though.
But it also felt weird.
Andrew had left the party almost immediately after Monica was done. That was maybe a mistake, going home hadn’t been an improvement. Home was home as it always was. Worse than usual maybe.
Andrew was in the middle of a thunderstorm which was an apt representation of his feelings. He had never liked thunderstorms as a kid. Maybe the lightning wouldn’t touch him. That was one less thing to worry about.
“Hey asshole!” Andrew heard, thinking nothing much of it. Sounded a little angry.
It was Steve, flying after him.
“Where’s Matt?” Andrew asked, unsure of what was happening. It felt like he had missed a step going down a staircase.
“Hung over, dude, it’s not safe.” Steve stated, clearly at least a little concerned. “Let’s just,” he continued.
“No”, Andrew yelled back. Andrew came out here, to the storm because it was his best option. Steve clearly didn’t understand.
“What are you doing?” Steve asked, angrily. Andrew was not a fan of people being angry at him. He hadn’t done anything to deserve this, not this time.
“I’m filming a storm. Never-before-seen footage from inside one.”
“No, Andrew”, Steve said, “we’re getting down. You’re my best friend. Please don’t do this.”
That was certainly a statement. And Andrew knew, deep down, that he needed to hear that. He needed to know that Steve cared about him. Matt had to care about him, he didn’t have a choice. But Steve? Steve chose to care about him. Andrew acquiesced, and down they flew.
“So, what’s the deal with your face?” Steve asked, once they were safely sheltered in a building.
“My dad.” Andrew said, refusing to make eye contact. He couldn’t definitely not right now.
“I’m going to call the cops.” Steve stated, plainly. It wasn’t an offer.
“No, don’t” Andrew replied, looking over at Steve.
“Andrew, that’s not how these things should be handled,” Steve started.
“No, don’t act like you care, you don’t give a shit!” Andrew yelled. He didn’t want any of this, not the fake concern, because yeah, maybe Steve did care about him, but not that much. That was too much.
“You’re my best fucking friend, idiot” Steve yelled back. “When will you understand that I care about you? I hang out with you every fucking day. I don’t tell anyone about my parents or how I feel and shit.”
Andrew paused. “I’m sorry Steve. I’m an idiot. Oh god, I’m so sorry.” He looked over at Steve again.
“Andrew it’s fine, but just,” he paused. “I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt, whether it’s your dad, or just you being reckless. Just, please let me help.”
Andrew looked away. There were too many emotions running through his veins right now. But Steve did have a point. Andrew did need help. “Ok” he mumbled.
There were arms around him. It took him a beat but he hugged back. In the midst of being swept away with the torrent of emotions, Steve was the only thing he could hold on to. And hold on he did.
“Andrew please,” Steve started, voice tight with fear and sadness, “stick around for me.”
Andrew nodded on Steve’s shoulder and took a step back. “I don’t know what will happen if you call the police.”
“It’s ok, we can talk about it though. We can talk about anything you want to talk about. Or I can talk.” Steve blurted out.
Andrew waited. Steve did seem genuine, but Steve always seemed genuine except for when Andrew couldn’t handle it. Steve was just. A good person. Not the way Andrew was. Better. Likeable. Probably someone whose father wouldn’t take their anger out on. Probably also someone who wouldn’t have sex that was mediocre at best.
“Did you actually like having sex with Samantha?” Andrew asked, before he could stop himself.
Steve looked at him, expression unreadable. Not unknowable, but not something Andrew was familiar with. “I mean yeah man.” Steve didn’t elaborate, and Andrew was grateful for the brevity.
“Oh.” Andrew responded. Keeping it short and sweet.
“Did you like having sex with that girl at the party?” Steve asked once the silence got uncomfortable and the rain got louder.
“No,” Andrew responded, maintaining eye contact with his feet. “I just,” he trailed off. He wasn’t sure where he was going with that.
“Its okay,” Steve said, “not all sex is good.”
“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Andrew replied. It was an easy out. That also had to be it since Andrew wasn’t going to entertain any other possibility.
“Come on, I think the storm’s over,” Steve said, clearly ready to leave this building. The rain did seem to have lightened. Andrew was ready to leave too, he didn’t think he could stand talking about his feelings for much longer. Not with Steve at least.
“Where are we going?” Andrew asked, still unsure of where this conversation left him and Steve.
“Come with me,” Steve replied, smiling back at him. It was dark in the building and Andrew couldn’t see it then, but out here, despite the greyness, he knew Steve’s smile was bright.
“Why are we at your house?” Andrew asked once it came into view.
“My parents aren’t home, and I don’t want you to go back to your home either,” Steve replied, “You can stay over.”
Andrew was smiling despite himself. Despite everything that had just happened.
They walked the short distance to Steve’s house, their shoulders bumping against each other every few steps. Steve let them in through the front door, and up to Steve’s room they went. Steve motioned for him to take a seat, and Andrew did. Steve turned to his closet.
“Do you want to change into something?” Steve offered. That did seem like a good idea to Andrew, so he took Steve up on that. Steve gave him the clothes and Andrew went through the motions until he was dressed in Steve’s sweatpants and old t-shirt. Steve took his wet clothes and started the laundry machine. He really was too nice to Andrew. Far nicer than Andrew deserved.
They sat in Steve’s room for a while. Silent. But it was nice, almost, just sitting there, with someone who Andrew was pretty sure wouldn’t hurt him, and actually actively wanted to help him. It was definitely something Andrew could appreciate.
“I really think we should call the cops,” Steve finally said, looking at Andrew.
“It’s his word against mine,” Andrew started. He did have some video footage, but he didn’t want to give it to them. “He was a firefighter,” he tried to explain.
“Andrew, I’m sure you have footage man,” Steve said. “It’ll at least make sure you don’t have to stay there.”
“Where will I go?” Andrew asked. “What about my mom? She’s sick, she needs help, and she needs medicine, and medicine is expensive. He loves her, he wouldn’t want her to get worse.”
“You can stay with me. You’re almost eighteen, and you’ll be alone, or off to college, and it’ll be okay. And what about Matt, can he help?” Steve seemed sure about his plan. Andrew wanted to believe in him.
“I don’t know if Matt will help.” Andrew responded, mulling the rest of what Steve said over. “Could I really stay with you?”
“I don’t even know if my parents would notice,” Steve replied, laughing a little. Bitter, almost.
“I still don’t know about my mom,” Andrew replied. “She really does need medicine.”
“Andrew, I promise, I’ll help you figure something out. You can keep doing your repair shit, and I can help. There’s programs for that.” Steve responded, clearly still set on the idea of calling the police.
“Ok. Maybe. I don’t know. Not today though.” Andrew looked away. It was complicated, and messy, and Andrew really didn’t want to talk about it.
Andrew woke up in an unfamiliar environment. The bed was warmer than it usually was when he woke up in the morning. Oh. He was in Steve’s room, in Steve’s bed. Andrew didn’t hate the feeling of waking up next to someone as much as he thought he would. It was nice, almost.
Andrew wasn’t quite sure what the protocol was for this situation. He wasn’t sure if there was a normal response to his situation in general. What do you say when your friend talks you down from doing something admittedly stupid and promises to help you?
Maybe his best course of action was to pretend to sleep. He lay awake, eyes closed, thoughts racing. He was pretty sure he was remembering the events of the past two nights correctly, which was almost embarrassing.
“Hey, Andrew,” he heard whispered to him, as someone was tapping his shoulder. Steve must be awake.
Andrew rolled over. “Yeah?” he asked.
“Are you hungry?” Steve asked.
“Yeah” Andrew replied, trying to sound normal.
“Come on,” Steve said, rolling out of bed.
Steve’s kitchen was simultaneously the same as and different from Andrew’s kitchen. Steve’s kitchen was organized, nothing was out of place, and it was massive. But Steve’s kitchen also had the same loneliness Andrew’s had. It felt untouched in a similar way.
“This is where the magic happens,” Steve said, smiling at Andrew. There was the sun, despite the classic grey and rainy morning. Andrew couldn’t help but to laugh.
Steve knew how to make pancakes. That was more than Andrew could say for himself. Steve was standing there, in his huge house, in his huge kitchen, and
“I need to go home.” Andrew said, while Steve was fiddling with his fork. They had finished the pancakes quickly. They were both starving, clearly.
“Do you need to?” Steve asked, not meeting Andrew’s eyes.
“There’s so many things I need to do there.” Andrew refused to look up from his empty plate.
“What do you need to do that can’t be done by someone else?” Steve asked. They still weren’t looking at each other.
“I can’t leave my mom in the strangers’ hands.” Andrew could feel the weight of Steve’s gaze on him. “I know my dad sucks, but I can’t abandon my mom.”
“Can’t you go when your dad is out? Or go when someone else is with you?” Andrew couldn’t look at Steve. He didn’t want to see the pity on Steve’s face. He looked up anyway. It perhaps wasn’t pity on Steve’s face, but if it wasn’t pity, Andrew didn’t know what it could be.
Steve was stubborn, so it worked out somehow. Between the two of them, and Matt, once they looped him in, they were able to figure out a plan. Andrew didn’t have to see his father, his mom got the help she needed, and Andrew got to see her when he wanted to without worrying about his dad. Life wasn’t good, necessarily, but it was better.
You could maybe call Andrew a coward for that. He wouldn’t argue, but he didn’t really see another way.
Officially, Andrew lived with the Garretys. Andrew wasn’t quite sure how Matt felt about that, but it was fine, Steve had assured him multiple times that Matt wouldn’t hate Andrew for that. Andrew tried to believe that.
Andrew was playing a game with his mom. She seemed pretty happy about it, even if she was losing. It was fine, it was just Candyland after all. The hospital didn’t have a great selection of games, but it was nice.
“So, what’s got you so happy lately?” she asked him.
“Not much, I’m glad that you’re doing better,” Andrew said, drawing his next card.
“No, you’re happier than before.” She smiled. Andrew missed that. It had been a while.
“Maybe I’m just glad that I can spend more time with you.” He missed that, over the past few years. Spending time with his mom.
“Oh, Andrew,” she said, taking her turn at the game. “I’m glad you’re happy though, I was worried about you earlier.”
Andrew played his round, not really sure what to say.
“You know, I’m looking forward to your graduation,” she said. “I hope they’ll let me watch. I’ll be the loudest cheering section for you.”
“I can’t wait to be done with high school,” he replied.
“Give it some time and you’ll miss it,” she replied, smiling.
“Coming over to mine tonight, right Andrew?” Steve asked during lunch. Andrew was still a little excited that he had people to sit with during lunch.
“What about me?” Matt asked, jokingly.
“Like you won’t be with Casey,” Andrew replied.
“Matt’s never home anymore, is he Andrew?” Steve asked, nudging him.
“No, never. And when he is, he’s always talking about her.” Andrew replied, feigning sadness.
“Oh please,” Matt replied. “Andrew, we’ll see how you are when you finally get a girlfriend.”
Andrew’s heart dropped. He couldn’t quite explain his reaction but it also wasn’t something he thought he wanted to explain. He laughed it off and started teasing Steve about still being single. Andrew was a little surprised about that since it had been a few months after all. They were pretty busy months though, and Steve had the rest of the schoolyear and summer ahead of him.
“How’s your mom?” Steve asked, as they were leaving the cafeteria.
“She’s doing okay, I think,” Andrew replied. The doctors had said she was doing okay because she wasn’t getting worse. But she also wasn’t getting better.
He could try again to see if he could do anything to help. His powers had to be useful for something good.
“So, what are your spring break plans?” Andrew asked as he and Steve sat in Steve’s living room, watching some terrible action movie.
“Well, my parents both haven’t really been paying attention to the school schedule so nothing with my family,” Steve explained.
“Do you want to go somewhere? We have the week, we could fly for free,” Andrew proposed.
“Where do you want to go?” Steve asked. “You clearly have somewhere in mind.” And Steve was smiling that blinding smile at him. Andrew was unsure how other people dealt with seeing that regularly.
“Well, it’s not really that far, and we definitely could drive there,” Andrew started, a little more unsteady than he had thought he would be, “but you know Cape Flattery?”
“I’ve actually never been,” Steve said, clearly interested in the idea. That was good.
“It’ll probably be cold and rainy, but it should be fun,” Andrew said, hopeful.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Steve said, smiling.
It was fun, to disconnect from everything else going on in life and hang out on a beach for a few days. It was something that Andrew was glad he got to do, and gladder still that Steve had come along with him.
Camping was fun, as camping typically was. Relaxing, and quiet too. And since it was the end of February, the beach was incredibly empty. He and Steve had practically had it to themselves for the five days they were out there.
“So, Andrew,” Steve said, sounding unsure to Andrew’s ears again.
“Yeah?” Andrew replied, smiling and looking over at him. They were packing up the tent, which Steve’s parents had let them use. It was unclear if Steve's parents had explicitly let them, or if they just hadn't noticed.
“Had fun?” Steve asked, pausing a little too long before asking. Steve also wasn’t making eye contact exactly, he seemed to be looking a little lower on Andrew’s face than his eyes. Andrew wasn’t sure what that was about.
“So much fun,” Andrew promised, still smiling. He was just so happy. Spending that much time with just Steve was also so much more fun than he thought it would be.
The funeral was in a week, his aunt said as she was driving him back to the Garrety's house from school. Took some time to arrange things apparently. Andrew still couldn’t believe it. Matt was in the car with him, he wasn’t driving either he supposed.
Was someone going to tell his dad? Was he going to tell his dad?
But his mom was dead. That couldn’t be right, could it? No, he was planning on going to the hospital later, to tell her how his day at school was. He was going to tell her about how he managed to do well on that test that Steve helped him study for. She always liked Steve, glad that Andrew had friends, even if it took him until his senior year to make them. She couldn’t do that, die in the middle of the school day.
What was Andrew supposed to do now. “Can I see her?” he asked, hoping maybe his aunt would let him. Maybe his powers could bring back the dead. It was a long shot sure, but he had to try.
“Oh, honey, I don’t think so,” she replied, and Andrew could tell that she was honest but he hated it. “We already signed asking for the funeral home to take her body.”
He could break in, probably. That wouldn’t be too difficult. “Which one?” he asked. Matt looked at him with suspicion, but Andrew was pretty sure Matt would let him have this one.
Andrew was standing in front of his mother’s body. He knew people said that bodies looked peaceful, but she just looked lifeless. He supposed she wasn’t suffering anymore, at least. He knew that it had been rough for her.
Would it even be worth it to bring her back if he could. She was suffering after all, and she had tried to hide it, Andrew knew, but she was clearly in a lot of pain. Andrew wanted her back, but that was purely selfish of him. He wasn’t even a good enough son.
Was it even worth it for him to continue living? He wasn’t sure what he had keeping him alive. Matt probably wouldn’t take it well though, if he died. He seemed pretty shaken up by the news, and he had hugged Andrew for a while when they found out. His aunt too, didn’t deserve to be put through that twice.
His mom also would have wanted to see him live his life out properly. He could go to college, and try new things, and meet new people. Which he could never tell his mom about. Andrew wasn’t sure if he believed in an afterlife. And after getting his superpowers he was even less sure about what to believe.
Andrew had a feeling that the next few weeks would be difficult. Dealing with everything, hearing back from colleges, and worrying about graduation. He definitely owed it to his mom to graduate though. She had been looking forward to that after all.
"Hey," Matt said, walking in. Andrew started crying as Matt hugged him for the first time since they were kids.
“Hey man,” Steve said. Steve was at the door. At Matt’s house.
“Hey,” Andrew replied. He hadn’t been expecting this, although maybe he should have.
“How are you?” Steve asked, a little tentative.
“Okay, I guess. How are you?”
Before he could react, Andrew was wrapped in a hug. It took him a moment to remember what to do with his arms.
“Dude,” Steve started, eyes looking a little damper than usual, “I’m fine, I was just worried about you.”
“Oh,” Andrew said, looking back down at the doorway. The rubber weatherproofing strip wasn’t really that interesting.
“Hey Steve,” Andrew’s aunt said, walking by and seeing him at the door.
“Want to come in?” Andrew asked, looking back up at Steve.
“No, I don’t want to intrude, I know you’re probably busy,” Steve said, clearly looking like he would leave.
“No, come in,” Andrew said. “You came all the way here, to check on me.”
“Yeah, I mean Matt mentioned that you had been extra quiet lately. More than your usual quietness.” Steve explained, seeming less sure of himself than Andrew had seen.
“No, thank you.” Andrew said. “I don’t know if I am okay. But I’m working on it, and I know that I need to just get through the funeral and graduate.”
“Yeah, those are some good goals,” Steve said, finally walking in. “Funeral is next week, right?”
“Yeah. We’re burying her next to her parents.” Andrew sat on the couch. It felt even stranger being in the Garrety house now. His mom was the Garrety and she wasn’t there anymore. Andrew was just a Detmer, which he didn't want to remember.
The rain fell as everyone was gathered at the freshly buried casket and installed tombstone. It was March in Seattle, after all, so the rain wasn’t extraordinary or even remarkable. It wasn’t even heavy enough to warrant the cliched black umbrellas that all the movie funerals had.
Andrew was as far from his father as he could be. Even though his father was there after all. One thing Andrew definitely couldn’t deny about his father was that he definitely loved his mother. Not inviting him to the funeral and not allowing him to mourn would just be unfair.
Andrew’s aunt was in front of him. Matt was to his right and Steve was to his left. He was at least surrounded by people he could semi-confidently say cared about him. Even though the one person he knew he could always say cared about him was now buried.
Andrew should’ve known to expect this, but he still didn’t really expect it. He was seventeen, which seemed to be quite a tragic age to be.
Lying in bed and avoiding the world seemed to be working for Andrew at the moment. It was far easier for him to get out of bed when he had pressing issues, and things to do, like help arrange his mom’s funeral. His mom’s fucking funeral.
“Andrew,” Matt yelled, his knocking finally stopping.
Andrew didn’t respond. That felt unnecessary. The ceiling was quite interesting to look at.
“Andrew,” Matt said, suddenly seeming to be right next to him.
Andrew put in the effort of turning his head to the side Matt’s voice seemed to be coming from.
“I’m not making you go to school,” Matt started. That worried Andrew. “But you will feel better if you leave this room at least.”
“I’ve showered.” Andrew said.
“See something other than the bathroom, please,” Matt said. There was a desperation in Matt’s voice that he hadn’t before.
Andrew nodded, and started to sit up.
“Thanks for listening,” Matt said once they were in the kitchen.
“Yeah.” Andrew said, still looking at the countertop. There were a lot of specks in it.
“I know that I don’t really understand how exactly it is for you,” Matt said, passing the coffee he had just made over to Andrew, “but I do know that even if you don’t feel like it just going through the motions will help.”
“It does,” Andrew said, taking a sip from the mug. The mug was green, his mom’s favorite color.
“I know you may not want to go to school, and they’ll understand if you don’t, but I do still think it will help.” Matt said. Andrew could feel Matt’s eyes on him. He knew it wasn’t pitiful, because Matt lost his aunt the same way Andrew had just lost his mother.
“I can try tomorrow,” Andrew promised.
School, thankfully, had been tolerable the past few days. Andrew very much was just going through the motions, and hadn’t been processing much. And Matt was definitely right, it did help.
He also mostly had Steve and Matt as his shadows throughout the day. He didn’t think it would be quite so nice having such little alone time, but he definitely didn’t mind. It was quite nice knowing there were people who cared that much about him.
Andrew really couldn’t guarantee he would still be alive if either one of them hadn’t been around. Which was something to maybe reassess at a later date, although it did seem to be working fine for now.
It was also almost time for graduation. That was almost worse, knowing how close Andrew’s mom was to seeing him graduate. If she had been able to stay alive for just one more month, she could’ve seen it. At least it wasn’t in question that he would graduate. His mom did know that he was guaranteed to walk across that stage. That must have been a comfort for her.
Andrew would also be going to UW, which was where Steve would be going too. Matt had decided to end up at Chapman. And despite it all, despite everything that had happened over the past two months, Andrew was looking forward to it. It was a little crazy to think about, he would be properly done with high school, and sure he was staying in Seattle but it was big enough that it was pretty unlikely his dad would ever run into him, and sure more than half the kids from his school were going there, but it would be a fresh start all the same.
He visited his mom’s grave for the first time after the funeral. Steve and Matt by his side. He told her everything that had happened. How excited he was, to graduate, to see Tibet, to go to college. He didn’t know what he wanted to do yet, but he did have time after all.
And that was the worst part, almost.
But it was fine. It was almost back to normal, which Andrew didn’t think he could have. No, actually, normal wasn’t quite right. It wouldn’t be back to what it was like before his mom died, and before he got his powers, and everything just kind of happened. But there was a new baseline. He had a friend that wasn’t related to him now, which was definitely more than he could say before all of that.
Steve was, in Andrew’s eyes, an angel. Andrew maybe could’ve gotten through his mom’s death with just Matt and his aunt, but Steve did make things better. It was nice having someone around who hadn't been wrapped up in grief the same way. Him being around made Andrew’s days better.
Andrew also had asked Steve about living in the dorms together. Steve agreed, much quicker than Andrew had expected. It would be fun. Matt could always fly up from Chapman to stay with them too.
Tibet was everything Andrew had expected and more. It was a nice way to end that chapter in their lives. It was so much more peaceful than he had expected. He was also so thankful that he got to share it with Steve and Matt.
It was also one of the last times that all three of them got to hang out together before Matt had to leave for college. Matt apparently started in August which was ridiculously early, especially considering that UW started almost a month later.
“and remember, if you hurt him, I will come back and end you,” Andrew caught Matt saying as he came back to where the monastery was.
“I’d never intentionally,” Steve replied, sounding very serious.
“Good. Just making sure.” Matt said, catching sight of Andrew and waving him over.
“What were you guys talking about,” Andrew asked, genuinely curious. It was a bit of an odd conversation, and neither of them looked particularly willing to share with him.
“Oh, just how the two of us will be separated from Matt,” Steve volunteered.
“Yeah, it’ll be weird, I grew up with Matt my entire life,” Andrew said. They had grown up seeing each other most days of their lives, after all.
“No, I know,” Matt said, looking somber. “But I’m always there if you need me, anytime.”
“You too,” Andrew told Matt. “Just a quick flight,” Andrew smiled, trying not to cry. He wasn’t quite sure why it was making him so sad.
“Oh Andrew,” Matt said, pulling him in for a hug.
Andrew couldn’t help tearing up just a little. Matt’s shoulder was definitely damper than it had been before they had hugged.
“I’m glad you dragged us out here Andrew,” Matt said, when they separated. “It was so peaceful.”
“Yeah man,” Steve said, finishing up with all his backpack straps.
“I’m glad you guys both came with me.” Andrew said, not trying to hold his smile in. He fidgeted with his own backpack straps, waiting for Matt to finally finish before they could leave. It had been a good time in Tibet. The monks were very accommodating, and it was definitely nice to get away from everything for a while.
“So, Andrew,” Steve started, voice unsure over the phone, “do you want to do something today?”
“Yeah, I haven’t been doing much,” Andrew replied, smiling. He had been just a little worried that Steve would hang out with him less once they went back. New chapter, but not new Steve.
“Ok cool, I’ll come get you at 3:00?” Steve asked, clearly relieved.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Andrew said.
“Hey honey, who was that?” Andrew’s aunt asked.
“Oh, it was just Steve,” Andrew replied. “We’re doing something at 3:00,” he explained.
“Oh, okay, have fun. Does he want to come over for dinner? House has been pretty empty since Matt left for college,” she asked.
“I’m not sure, I’ll ask,” Andrew said. Steve probably wouldn’t mind coming over for dinner, things with his parents hadn’t really gotten better and Steve mentioned that he was still eating dinner alone more often than not.
He had been hanging out with Steve quite a lot lately, especially since neither of them had much to do before they started school again. It was the end of summer after all, and the August temperatures made it very tempting to spend all their time at a lake or a river, or even the ocean.
It was nice though. He was actually thinking about what the future would be like instead of focusing on what he had already done.
“Hello! You must be Steve,” His aunt said, greeting Steve at the door. “I’m Andrew’s aunt.”
“Hello, nice to meet you Mrs. Garrety,” Steve said. Steve was historically good with parents, so Andrew hadn’t been too worried about whether or not he would make a good impression on them.
“Come in, come in,” she replied, ushering both the boys in. As expected, Steve didn’t have dinner plans and did go over to the Garretys for dinner. Andrew called his aunt as soon as he had asked.
Dinner was a fairly standard affair. It wasn’t anything special, Andrew’s aunt just made pasta. Steve answered all of his aunt and uncle’s questions, a lot of them were about his living habits. That wasn’t something Andrew had really considered before deciding to live with Steve. He really just considered the fact that they were friends.
After dinner, Andrew invited Steve up to the guest bedroom he had been living in for the past few months. Most of his stuff was still in boxes.
“So, this is where the magic happens?” Steve asked, clearly joking.
“Yeah,” Andrew replied awkwardly.
“Are you excited for college,” Steve asked.
“I actually am,” Andrew said. “I think it’ll be nice doing something more. Are you?”
“Man, I’m thrilled.” Steve said, flopping onto Andrew’s bed. “Parties, no parents, can’t get better.”
“Your parents still avoiding being home?” Andrew asked, lying down next to him. They were both staring at the ceiling.
“Yeah. I think they’ll get a divorce once I’m off to college.” Steve stared straight up at the ceiling resolutely.
“That sucks man, I’m sorry,” Andrew replied, looking over at Steve.
“No, it’s okay, I think. It’s been coming for a while now.” Steve turned, now looking at Andrew. Their faces were only a few inches apart.
“Yeah, probably. Still sucks though.” Andrew said, looking at Steve’s face. He never really had the urge to kiss someone as much as he did then.
“Yeah,” Steve replied.
Move in day hit Andrew like a truck. His life had changed more in the past year than most people’s had but at the same time he had hit the milestones. Graduation, check. Starting college, checked off now. It was just him and Steve in the room, Steve’s dad had come in to help lug his stuff up and his mom had stopped by for a few minutes. They had clearly been avoiding each other and Steve had been uncomfortable with them in the same room. Andrew’s aunt and uncle were more than thrilled to help him move in, but it also wasn’t as if they needed to linger. Andrew hadn't brought a lot.
“So,” Steve started. “Do you want to go to a party?”
Andrew should have known that Steve would have a party to go to on the first day. That was Steve’s personality after all, he was magnetic. It also definitely helped that most of their high school did end up going to UW after all, and Steve definitely had friends who were in frats.
“Sure,” Andrew found himself accepting before he could really think about it. Matt probably would have been proud.
“It’ll be fun,” Steve promised, climbing up and laying down on his bed. The dorm room set up was definitely something that Andrew needed to get adjusted to, especially since it did seem like he’d be spending a lot of time with Steve now. It would be nice though, to spend so much time independently.
“Where is it?” Andrew asked.
“One of the guys on the football team the year above us is in a frat, the frat’s throwing for anyone interested in rushing, so when we get there, you just need to say you’re my roommate and interested,” Steve said, rolling over and looking at Andrew.
“Do you think you’ll join?” Andrew asked.
“No, not a social one at least,” Steve replied.
“No chance of us getting new powers at this party hopefully,” Andrew joked.
“God, I hope not,” Steve said, smiling down at Andrew. The room had been blazingly hot despite the cooler September weather, and Andrew only felt warmer.
They were both a little drunk and walking back to their dorm room. Andrew had said “wait Steve I feel like we never walk around anywhere,” and Steve had enthusiastically agreed to walk around their college campus with him. They had walked through Red Square, not nearly as devoid of people as they had expected, and they had walked through the quad, which also had more people than they had expected.
The party itself had been pretty standard, Andrew didn’t really feel like there was anything particularly interesting going on and he also hadn’t really felt like talking to all the new people who he didn’t know. He felt surprisingly naked without his camera. Steve also didn’t seem like he had been having a particularly good time.
They had a good amount of time before classes started, move in for freshmen was earlier than upperclassmen, and it was nice getting to walk around the campus. Andrew did stand by what he had said about not walking around. Flight made things much easier.
“Andrew,” Steve started once they were nearly back. The sun had set a while back but between each other and the alcohol Andrew didn’t really feel cold.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“I think this year will be a good one, I’m glad we’re roommates.” Steve fumbled for his ID card, freshly printed that day to get them into their building.
“Yeah, me too,” Andrew said.
It was two weeks into the quarter when Andrew came to a terrifying conclusion. He was very much in love with Steve. Realizing that he was gay was only secondary to that, and in comparison not nearly as frightening. Andrew regretted not realizing that before he agreed to be roommates with him. It was a little tough seeing the guy you were in love with just about every morning, since their schedules had them waking up at the same time. They also spent a lot of time together too which didn’t help matters in any way.
Steve was also generally a pretty nice person which meant he would do things sometimes, like grab something from the store for Andrew if Andrew had mentioned that he needed it earlier. Or once bringing Andrew an energy drink if he knew that Andrew had an assignment due that night that he hadn’t started yet.
It did also mean that Andrew now had to come to terms with his sexuality, which seemed like the easiest part of the whole revelation. In hindsight, it probably did make sense, he never had really been into girls the way Matt or Steve were. Which was another wrench thrown into this affair. Steve was so very straight. Steve had a girlfriend for most of high school, and he definitely never even hinted at not liking the idea. Was there a chance that Steve was in fact not straight? Possibly, but it seemed rather unlikely to Andrew.
Suzzallo’s somewhat menacing ceiling loomed above him as he contemplated his possible solutions to his problem. His best chance was probably to try moving on. Yeah, that’s what he would do. Branch out a little maybe, try to make new friends.
The girls living across the hall from them were pretty nice, and Andrew had run into them a few times over the two weeks they had been there. Kelsey, from California, was really into movies the way Andrew was. Kelsey’s roommate, Kelly, was out for the weekend, going home to visit her parents. Kelsey had invited Andrew over to watch a movie, which was now Andrew’s Friday night plans.
He was doing a pretty good job distracting and distancing himself so far, and he was pretty sure that Steve hadn’t noticed. It did seem like Steve’s classes had picked up as well, and Steve was out of the room a little more often than he was before. Andrew just needed to pull himself together and he needed more friends, as much as he wished he didn’t. This wasn’t something he could discuss with Matt, given that Matt and Steve were good friends, and it also definitely wasn’t something he could discuss with Steve, which is what led him to this. Making new friends.
College was kind of the time for that after all. Everyone was more or less willing to make friends, and Andrew was a part of that. Kelsey did seem nice at least. Andrew walked out of his room and knocked on Kelsey’s door.
“Oh, good you came!” Kelsey said, far more enthusiastically than Andrew had expected. “I couldn’t really figure out the best way to watch it, we don’t have our beds lofted high in here,” she said.
“We could just sit in the desk chairs?” Andrew asked, really unsure. He also hadn’t really thought the logistics of this through.
“Ok yeah,” Kelsey said.
They settled in, Pacific Rim playing on Kelsey’s monitor. Mako and Raleigh were sparring on the mats when Kelsey leans over and kisses him, awkwardly and unsurely. She looked about as unhappy to be kissing him as he was to be kissed.
They sat in silence for a minute. “I don’t think I like boys,” Kelsey said, resolutely looking forward.
"I don’t think I like girls,” Andrew replied, feeling a little better.
“Oh, thank god,” Kelsey said. “Let’s just forget this then.”
“Works for me,” Andrew said, just as willing to put that behind him. It would be nice having a friend that understood that.
The movie played on a little longer before Andrew finally asked, “Why me though?”
“You seemed nice and approachable,” Kelsey said, a little more embarrassed. “I figured if I didn’t like you, I probably didn’t really like any men.”
“At least you figured it out,” Andrew said.
“Yeah,” Kelsey said. “I wasn’t the reason you realized you didn’t like girls, was I?”
“No, there were a few things before that, but you really surprised me when you kissed me,” Andrew said, being more honest than he had in a while.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Kelsey said, blushing. It would’ve been easy if they had liked each other after all. Sure, it would’ve been the mythical ‘floorcest’ that Matt had warned him to avoid, but it would have been easy.
“We should definitely be friends though,” Andrew said.
“Oh yes, for sure,” Kelsey said, smiling.
That felt nice, and it certainly was nice to have a friend who kinda understood at least. Andrew smiled a little.
“Andrew, wake up,” Steve said, poking Andrew. Steve’s bed was lofted, and Andrew’s wasn’t so Steve could reach Andrew even if he was standing on the floor.
“What?” Andrew said, still groggy.
“They’re handing out free t-shirts at red square let’s go,” Steve said, with far more excitement than Andrew could muster at the idea of free t-shirts.
Andrew looked over at Steve’s face and made the decision to go. What he was wearing would be fine, it was a college campus after all, but it really was more about just relaxing and doing more social things.
Andrew rolled out of bed, put his shoes on, and walked out the door with Steve.
“Why are you so excited?” Andrew asked, while they were in the hallway.
“It’s our first free t-shirt,” Steve said, “it’s just part of the college experience.”
It was a grey and foggy morning, like so many of the mornings were, but it wasn’t particularly cold. They got to the square far quicker than Andrew had expected, and it was also nice walking around with Steve.
Maybe him and Steve were a little codependent, because Andrew had missed him despite living in the same room.
“Have your classes been busy lately?” Steve asked, clearly curious on their way back.
“Yeah,” Andrew said, deciding to leave it at that.
“Oh yeah, mine too.” Steve replied, not looking over. “Do you want to go to a party tonight?”
Andrew should’ve said no. “Yeah, sounds fun,” he said.
The party was your typical party. Copious amounts of alcohol available. Andrew had learned his limits by now, and he was fairly certain he didn’t want to get too drunk. He had achieved that goal, he felt as him and Steve left as the party was dying down.
Steve was effervescent, and Andrew was just so irresistibly drawn to him. Luckily Steve seemed willing to put up with him so far. They had been a beer pong team, winning quite handily. Whether or not that could be chalked up to their special skills was a little up in the air, at this point using their powers was like breathing.
The walk back to their dorm was silent. Just them and the damp ground. Steve was sticking pretty close to Andrew, their shoulders and elbows bumping into each other. Andrew would take what he could get, it was nice being close to Steve after all.
“Have you ever thought about what kissing a guy would be like?” Steve asked, shocking Andrew so much he stumbled.
Andrew was silent for longer than was probably socially acceptable. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
“Oh.” Steve said. He stayed silent for a while.
Andrew’s heart was racing. He wasn’t quite expecting this; he hadn’t thought that Steve was that drunk but maybe he just wasn’t paying attention.
“I thought about it too,” Steve said as they walked into their room. Andrew closed the door behind them.
“Well do you want to try?” Andrew asked, before he could stop himself.
“Yeah,” Steve said, looking directly at Andrew.
There were moments that Andrew felt like he was being looked through, rather than at. This moment felt like very much the opposite of that.
Steve got even closer to Andrew than he had been. Andrew leaned in, and before he realized it, they were kissing. And maybe that was all that Andrew could have, a drunken kiss that they didn’t talk about the next morning, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t make the most of it.
Kissing Steve was everything that Andrew had expected, but more somehow. Andrew wasn’t sure if kissing anyone else would compare to that. They did break apart, looking at each other for just long enough for it to be awkward.
“Well, goodnight,” Andrew said, crawling into his bed, trying to avoid the tension.
As Andrew awoke the next morning, he instantly remembered the events of the night before and left the dorm as quietly as he could. Steve was still sleeping, and Andrew didn’t really want to see what would happen.
The possibilities were endless though. He didn’t want to let himself hope that Steve actually was interested in him. While it would be the best-case scenario, if he let himself hope too much, it would probably just lead to heartbreak.
Andrew decided to head over to Suzzallo, he had all his study materials after all, so he decided to just make the morning as productive as he possibly could.
“Andrew, hey!” Kelsey said, jogging to catch up with him.
“Hey Kelsey,” Andrew replied, trying not to sound like he had just kissed his best friend the night before.
“Are you going to study somewhere?”
“Yeah, I was thinking Suzzallo,” Andrew replied.
“Oh, it’s going to be so busy there,” Kelsey said. “I’m heading out to physics building if you want to join me.”
“Yeah, sure,” Andrew said, knowing that the chances of Steve going there was pretty low. The physics building was pretty cool anyway, and the big pendulum was something he wanted to mess around with but hadn’t had a chance yet.
Andrew and Kelsey got to the physics building quicker than Andrew expected, Kelsey walked surprisingly fast. He got out the books he was going to use and his laptop and tried his best to read his assigned reading.
After re-reading the same sentence about ten times, without processing a single word, thoughts of Steve running through his head, Andrew realized that it may be a lost cause to study. He decided to simply stare at the giant Foucault pendulum hanging in the lobby for a while, twisting it ever so slightly so the pendulum would not rotate with the earth.
“Are you okay Andrew?” Kelsey asked, after about twenty minutes of Andrew intensely staring at the pendulum.
“I kissed Steve last night,” Andrew said, finally giving in to his urge to tell someone about this new development.
Kelsey looked back up at him from her laptop, shutting it. “Sober?” she asked.
“No, we were both drunk,” Andrew said, “we didn’t talk about it either, we just kind of went to sleep.”
“Together?” Kelsey asked, sounding a little shocked, finally.
“No, in our own beds. He just asked if I had ever thought about kissing boys and said that he had too,” Andrew replied.
“I mean my gaydar sucks,” Kelsey said, “but do you think he likes guys?”
“I just don’t know,” Andrew said, leaning back in his chair. “I mean I wish, but I know it’s not likely.”
“Maybe he’s realizing things too.” Kelsey smiled. “Maybe kissing you is how someone realizes they’re gay, we’re what two for two?”
Andrew couldn’t help but to laugh. “Even if he’s not into me, I think losing him as a friend would maybe be the worst situation. Steve’s just been there for me for so long and through so much.”
“Well, you know what, I’m sure he feels the same way about you,” Kelsey said, still positive.
Steve wasn’t in the dorm room when Andrew came back. He had taken his backpack with him, so Andrew wasn’t really sure how long Steve was going to be gone. He really couldn’t fault Steve for wanting to hide a little, especially given that Andrew very much had avoided talking to Steve that morning.
Still feeling rather restless, and unwilling to stay in the dorm room just waiting for Steve to come back, Andrew decided to fly on down to Matt. He’d probably get good advice there and the flight would certainly clear his head.
By the time he had landed just outside of Matt’s college campus, it was nearly dark. The flight had taken him longer than he had expected, but he knew that Matt would always let him stay. It definitely helped that Matt’s roommate was local and went home just about every weekend.
Andrew picked up his phone to see a missed call from Matt. He probably had gotten the call when he was flying over a desert, somewhere where the signal would have dropped. He hit the call button, Matt would need to let him in anyway.
“Andrew, hey,” Matt said, sounding relieved.
“Can you let me in? I’m almost here,” Andrew said, getting straight to the point. He was more tired than he thought.
“Um.” Matt paused long enough for Andrew to worry. Did he have a girl over? Was Casey visiting or something?
“Matt?” Andrew asked again.
“Yes, sorry I’m coming where are you?” Matt asked.
“Just outside your dorm door I think,” Andrew said. The name on the building matched up with the name that Matt had told him and Steve before he had moved in.
“Andrew!” Matt exclaimed, not from the door that Andrew thought was the entrance.
“Matt, can I stay with you tonight?” Andrew asked, realizing that he actually hadn’t asked at all.
“Sure,” Matt said, looking a little confused. “Why’d you get here so late?”
“I made the decision to fly over here pretty last minute,” Steve said. He walked into the building where Matt was holding the door open.
“Cool, yeah,” Matt replied.
“I kissed Steve,” Andrew blurted out before he could really think about how he was going to tell Matt this. He thought about it the entire flight over and still hadn’t come up with anything better.
“I kind of already know,” Matt said, stopping abruptly. “Steve is here.”
If Andrew had been walking, he probably would have walked right into a wall. It was nice of Matt to stop them from walking further.
“Oh,” Andrew said. “That’s cool.”
“Yeah, can you maybe talk to him?” Matt asked.
“He came all the way here I don’t know if he wants to talk to me,” Andrew said. “He wasn’t even in the room when I came back.”
“Yeah. You really should talk to him.” Matt said. He seemed so sure of it, and Andrew really did want to talk to Steve even though he was so anxious that he felt nauseous.
“Okay sure, yeah,” Andrew finally relented. Curiosity had really gotten the better of him there, although between wanting to know how Steve felt and really not wanting to know how Steve felt, Andrew was pretty torn.
“This is my room,” Matt said, leading him to a door that had two little Avengers themed nametags, one reading ‘Matt’ and the other reading ‘Philip’. “You two are lucky, Philip is out this weekend. I’m going to go hang in the lounge for a bit while you work things out.”
“Hey Matt,” Steve said, not looking up from the Legos he was messing with.
“Hey, it’s Andrew,” Andrew said, feeling distinctly awkward in a way that felt all too familiar.
“Oh.” Steve said, the Legos all dropping down to the desk. “When’d you get here?”
“Just now.” Andrew finally looked at him properly. Steve looked a lot more tired than he had thought.
“So.” Steve said.
“Yeah.” Andrew agreed.
“No, you can’t say that,” Steve said. “What are you even saying.”
“Dude I don’t know, I mean we kissed last night,” Andrew said.
“Well yes,” Steve said. “And you were gone this morning.”
“I thought you’d want space,” Andrew replied. “That’s why I’m here, I didn’t think that you would be here.”
“So do you not want to talk about it?” Steve asked, sounding a little hurt.
“I’m a little scared,” Andrew said. “You’re my best friend, not counting Matt who has to be my best friend.” He wanted to say more but decided to wait.
“Andrew,” Steve said, getting up from the chair he was sitting in. “There’s nothing to be scared of, I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”
“Oh, okay,” Andrew said, looking down at the floor. He didn’t want to lose Steve as a friend either, but his earlier conversation with Kelsey had given him a little too much hope that Steve would actually love him back.
“I mean, I really hope that we can stay friends, I know you kind of have your thing with Kelsey, and I never meant to intrude.” Steve said. Andrew looked up, a little surprised.
“What thing with Kelsey?” Andrew asked confused.
“I thought you like her.” Steve muttered. “Weren’t you hanging out with her today?”
“No, she’s my friend. We’re both gay anyway.” Andrew said, still confused.
“Oh,” Steve said, sounding a little happier. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah clearly. So, what are your thoughts on us kissing,” Andrew said, instantly wincing. That was a little too bold.
“I’d like to do it again,” Steve said, turning his smile back at Andrew. It was like the sun shining after all, and Andrew couldn’t help but to smile in response. Steve leaned in, hands on Andrew’s hips, and kissed him.
Andrew couldn’t stop smiling which did make it harder to keep kissing Steve. He was really torn between a rock and a hard place, if those were two good things.
“So, are we dating then?” Andrew asked, once they took a break.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Steve replied, still smiling brightly.
“Hey are you two done?” Andrew heard from outside the door. Andrew and Steve took a step away from each other.
“Yeah,” Steve called out.
“Alright I’m unlocking the door and coming in,” Matt said, loudly.
“Dude, you locked us in here?” Andrew asked. He hadn’t realized.
“Yeah, I wanted to make sure you guys worked it out,” Matt said.
“You do know that we can just unlock the door ourselves, right?” Steve said, smiling a little too widely.
“Yeah, whatever.” Matt said, looking over the two of them analytically. Andrew could feel Matt’s scrutiny, and also Matt pulling his shirt down where it had gotten rucked up. “So, are you two dating?”
Andrew looked over at Steve, who was still smiling. Andrew hadn’t seen him smile that much in a while, really. “Yeah,” Andrew said.
“Oh, thank god,” Matt said. “I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take of you guys looking at each other so sadly.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, finally looking over at Matt. “Thanks.”
“Yeah Matt,” Andrew said. “Thank you.”