A/N: Wow, okay. This chapter was made ALL in ONE night. I played Brotherhood and I got so inspired to write this. Anyways... Hope you guys enjoy this - I write especially for my readers & reviewers. This chapter was a lot easier than the other ones and it seems soon enough, you guys will be getting what you've been waiting for. Just be patient and keep on reading!

And thanks for waiting this long :)

Chapter Eight

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday

Desmond pushed back his sheets frantically, stomach filled to the brim with dread.

He swung his feet over his bed and jumped up, looking for his overflowing laundry basket. He needed his cellphone; he had to delete the texts from yesterday. But what if Malik sent new texts? Surely Malik wouldn't mind sexting if he was willing to do phone sex! Desmond groaned out loud as he stared at where his laundry basket should be – but wasn't. Desmond ruffled his fingers through his hair – or at least what he had left of it, it was growing in pretty quickly – wildly, in frustration that was ready to explode.

It was noon, so his parents had to be out at work. Desmond tugged on a pair of pj pants, glancing at the American Eagle bag before he walked downstairs shirtless, finding it relatively warm. The sun shined through the window, making the whole white house light up magically. Desmond hated this house – how modern it was and that everything in it had to be perfect. Including the people. Desmond assumed his mother wasn't happy when she figured out her son had a 'flaw'. With a groan, he made his way to the kitchen and sighed as he began to open the cupboards. All his favourite foods were fresh, unsealed and ready for him to chow down.

Desmond knew his parents; they were going to make him feel guilty as hell for the first while.

Frowning, Desmond noticed a small folded up piece of pink paper on the kitchen island. Hesitantly, he approached it then picked it up, opening the note with fear.

Your mother just has some things to figure out. I always sort of knew. Take more care of your phone, Desmond.

Love, Dad.

Well, at least he could rely on his dad if things turned sour. But what did he mean that he... always sort of knew? Had Desmond been giving out gay signs without even knowing it? Biting his lip, he noticed beside the note was his cell phone, turned off – obviously someone had turned it off. He picked it up and flipped it open, waiting for his screen to welcome him as it did most of the time. Desmond stood for a minute, waiting for his phone to respond. But that's when he remembered that it only had one bar of battery left and that it had probably died sometime in the night. Quickly, he ran up to his room and tossed the place upside down looking for his charger. But of course, it was already plugged into the wall behind his bed. As fast as he could, he plugged the thing in and waited eagerly as he screen booted up and he had his welcome screen greet him.

There were no new messages; either that was good, because Malik hadn't seen him any, but it could be bad, meaning his mother had looked through them. Eagerly, he went to messages and then received. His heart sank a tiny bit as he noticed three texts that he hadn't read, but weren't marked as unread.

Sorry 2 bother you during that... -m

You have no clue how bad my hormones are -m

I wish i could have been there to help you uh come... –m

Desmond wanted to scream. Who sent texts like that?

Just as he was about to delete them all, a new one popped up in the middle of his message purging.

Wanna come over today? –m

Desmond bit his lip as he began to make his way to the bathroom. He already knew what would happen if he went over to Malik's house – a lot more kissing would ensure. And Desmond didn't know if he exactly wanted that – well hell, he did, just with someone else entirely. Quickly, Desmond pulled down his PJ pants and his boxers, setting his phone on the counter. He slipped into the shower, smiling as he felt the warm water beat down on his back and relieve him off some of the stress that had been building up. Maybe he could call Ezio, see what he was doing, all to stare at his next door neighbour with a pair of binoculars through the window like a creep. Desmond groaned as he thought of Mr. Hastings. He wanted nothing more than to see the inside of his house, to see what his bedroom looked like. Anything to feel his sheets, to snuggle underneath them and to lay his head on his pillow. Desmond wanted to see what kind of shampoos he used, if he used scented or regular soap. What kind of coffee he drank in the morning – or if he was an expresso drinking person. Desmond wanted to scan his teacher's bookshelf, see what kind of novels he curled up with at night. Desmond suddenly felt jealous of the books – the fact that they had Mr. Hastings undivided attention and gaze for hours. Suddenly Desmond laughed, feeling ridiculous. Jealous of books? Pathetic. Desmond sighed as he washed his hair, feeling his legs turn to jelly as he imagined Mr. Hastings' arms around him.

But then Desmond remembered how much he wanted Mr. Hastings to moan his name in his amazing British accent, and he knew he wouldn't be able to let go. It was infatuation, not pure devotion. Desmond was smart enough to know the difference between the two. But maybe if he had the time to get to know his teacher – maybe lust could bloom into a subtle shade of love.

Just the thought of being in love made Desmond smile, no matter how corny it was.

When he stepped out of the shower, he walked over to see that Malik had texted him again.

sorry if I seem clingly… I just want this to work… if you dont want to hang its ok -m

Desmond sighed. How long had Malik liked him? He couldn't say no – he knew how the cold slap of rejection felt. Quickly, he texted that he would be over in ten minutes.

"Hey, Leo, it's Ezio."

"Oh, hey," Leonardo smiled, holding his phone to his ear. It had been a while since he had heard Ezio's voice.

"Want to come over today? Everyone's out." Ezio grinned. He remembered Friday – how they had almost kissed. Almost.

"Oh, sure. I have something to tell you too!"

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you when I get over. See you soon!" Leonardo laughed, barely holding in what he wanted to say.

"Alright, don't be a slowpoke. Get your ass over here!" Ezio smirked, playing with a coin in his hand.

"Hi," Malik smiled shyly and let Desmond walk in awkwardly. Slowly, Desmond took off his shoes and put them by the door, in case he needed to make a quick break for it. "Where are your pink Converse?"

"Oh. Those… uh, I couldn't find my other shoes," Desmond blushed.

"I remember when Ezio bought those for you… When, last year?" Malik took Desmond's jacket and hung it up, and Desmond bit his lip. Perhaps he could leave that jacket behind if he had to. It would be hard, but maybe he could sneak back in and take it when he was sleeping. Already, Desmond was thinking of an exit strategy and planning routes through Malik's hallways.

"Yeah, something like that." Desmond replied back blankly, mentally slapping himself in the forehead. Come on Desmond, try to make it so you care, his conscience tried to talking him out of being an asshole, but it was hard. He wanted Mr. Hastings to grab his hand and pull him up down the stairs, not his old friend. As they went down the steps, Desmond remembered how many times he had been here. As they passed the rec room, Desmond wanted nothing more than to bury his face into the leather sofa that sat in front of the small box that hardly resembled a TV, but worked perfectly fine. He wanted to go back to the time where he, Malik, Ezio and Leonardo had played pool in the corner. Desmond wanted someone else here – so that they wouldn't have to be alone. And suddenly, when they walked into Malik's large bedroom, Desmond felt threatened. Before, it hadn't been a big deal – lying on Malik's bed, watching good bad movies until midnight and then falling asleep side by side. But now, suddenly everything was a tiny bit different.

"What do you want to do?" Malik asked as he reached over Desmond's shoulder and closed his door with a grin.

"Uhh… doesn't matter to me," Desmond mumbled. Anything but make out.

"Want to watch a movie like usual?" Malik smiled and suddenly Desmond felt a bit better. Something familiar.

"Sure. Whatcha got?" Desmond tried his best to sit casually on the bed, trying not to invite Malik to jump on top of him. Instead, he sat cross legged, watching as Malik crouched down to go through his collection of DVD's. They had watched all of them at least twice. He wondered what Malik would pick out this time now that they were… dating?

"How about… 28 Weeks Later? I'm in the mood for a zombie flick," Malik laughed and Desmond smiled at him, nodding. For some reason, Malik's Arabic accent soothed Desmond, it reminded him of Altair. Who he knew wouldn't want to get in his pants.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind some blood and guts either." Desmond grinned and fell onto his back, relaxing slightly. He looked around, staring at the posters of movies that they had taken from the theatre. Or so, Altair or Ezio had gotten for him. Desmond had taken one – the Sherlock Holmes one. It had been a Christmas present; Desmond remembered seeing that movie on opening day with Malik and how he had eyed the poster. Desmond looked for some sign of Malik's heritage but found nothing – he never did embrace it like his parents did with their rooms. It was like walking into the 12th century Jerusalem when he looked at their bedroom. His… boyfriend's book shelf was filled to the brim with novels that he had collected over the years, starting from the Cat in the Hat to what he had just recently purchased, a novel on physics for his grade twelve course. Desmond sat up and pulled himself up to the head board, adjusting the pillow so he could lay against it comfortably. He watched as Malik popped the DVD into his PlayStation 2 and jumped back on the bed, wearing a pair of simple blue jeans and a plain green t-shirt. Desmond faintly remembered telling Malik how nice the colour seemed on his olive toned skin. The trailers began as Malik sat beside Desmond, stretching his legs out and leaning slightly against his new boyfriend.

Desmond felt himself gulp loudly as Malik pressed play and the movie began.

Leonardo walked in through Ezio's doors, only to be greeted by a massive bear hug. Leonardo found it strange, usually he was the one to hug Ezio or anyone else – not the other way around.

"So, what's this exciting news you have to tell me?" Ezio grinned, waiting for Leonardo to confess his feelings. They had been so close to kissing at lunch but then during Art, there had been a sudden change in his intentions. Ezio figured it must have been the miserable weather.

"We have to sit down for this," Leonardo grinned as he kicked off his shoes and raced to Ezio's kitchen, with his friend trailing right behind him.

"Oh?" Ezio smirked and stayed close to Leonardo, constantly invading his personal space. He couldn't tell if Leonardo noticed or not, but he had to drop hints. Tell him it was okay. Tell him he wanted Leo to kiss him. That he wanted to kiss Leo. That it was weird. Strange, kind of a foreign feeling but damn, Ezio wanted to kiss his best friend so bad.

Leo rummaged through his cupboards, looking for a snack. Ezio turned around, opened the pantry and tossed Leo a packet of skittles. This seemed to be what Leo was looking for, because he instantly opened the package and devoured them all in a single dump of the bag into his mouth. Ezio looked at him, eyebrows raised and waited for his friend to finish.

"Well…?"

Leonardo looked at him with bright eyes. This was it. This had to be. Ezio felt his heart skip a beat and he leaned in closer to him, ready to kiss him when the moment was right.

"I think Altair likes me!"

This hadn't been exactly what Ezio had been waiting for. "And this is good news how…?"

Now it was Leonardo's chance to be hesitant. He even blushed slightly and Ezio found it absolutely adorable. Better than the way the girls at school blushed.

"… I like… I like Altair, Ezio…" Leonardo smiled sheepishly at his friend and Ezio felt his hope shatter all around him.

"Oh."

Desmond could tell Malik was losing interest in the movie, and gaining some in nudging Desmond's foot with his own. It wasn't annoying, but it wasn't amusing. He occasionally felt Malik nudge into him closer and Desmond could tell that Malik wanted him to put his arm around his shoulder. And just so he wouldn't make it awkward in case Malik asked, he gingerly did so. He felt Malik's warmth instantly and it unnerved Desmond more than he could comprehend. Here they were, two close friends, two guys, cuddling like a boyfriend and girlfriend would. Desmond knew that Malik's masculine frame felt more comfortable than a tiny female's, but it wasn't the right age. He wanted Mr. Hastings. He wanted to feel his rough hands, his experienced and older lips on his neck, on his own lips. And that's when Desmond noticed he was curling a strand of Malik's hair. He looked over, feeling the dread fill his stomach, only to meet Malik's eye.

Words caught in his throat, he could only smile.

And that's when Malik jumped on the open opportunity, kissing him hard.

Desmond nearly fell back, but he still had his arm around Malik's shoulder so he couldn't exactly pull back quickly without hurting Malik's neck. Instead, he let Malik kiss him, hardly moving his own lips along to his eager boyfriend's. Desmond didn't feel the flare in kissing Malik. Something inside him twisted up, but it was nothing like Desmond had read or experienced with his failed kiss with Mr. Hastings. But something suddenly changed and Desmond felt his cheeks turn hot and his heart hammer inside his chest.

Malik gently climbed into his lap and straddled him and Desmond gasped audibly, breaking their kiss for a moment.

"Is this okay…?" Malik whispered, running one hand along Desmond's chest and the other rested on his waist, playing with the fabric of Desmond's shirt. Desmond didn't exactly know how to respond. In a way, it felt good but in another, it felt completely wrong. Like he was betraying Mr. Hastings. Then Desmond reminded himself he was being completely silly – he and Mr. Hastings would never be. They were their very own Romeo and Juliet, without actually ever getting the chance to fall in love. So without saying anything, Desmond leaned in and kissed him, his lips battling for dominance against Malik's. He heard the younger boy make a surprised noise before he began to kiss back, with all sorts of emotions and feelings exploded within them. Desmond titled his head, so their noses weren't crushing against each other anymore and slowly but surely, he parted his lips slightly, kissing Malik harder and more passionately. Desmond quickly closed his eyes, feeling awkward seeing Malik so close that he could almost see his pores. Desmond felt his cheeks flush as he heard Malik moan softly and this noise felt like music to his ears.

Desmond heard Malik's breath hitch as he tore away from the kiss and started to suck at his neck, a sudden instinct overpowering him. His moist lips felt odd against Malik's warm neck and Desmond felt Malik's fingers run through his hair, grabbing a fistful of it when Desmond brushed his lips gently against Malik's collar bone. Opening his eyes slowly, he got a lungful of Malik's freshly showered scent, a soothing scent of Old Spice, something that heightened Desmond's senses. Without even knowing it, his fingers suddenly ran across blazing hot flesh and Desmond glanced down, to see his hands slipping up under Malik's shirt. Desmond felt his cheeks burn as he glanced at Malik, who was biting his lip and curling his toes.

"M-more…?" Desmond asked awkwardly, unsure of what he was offering. Everything he had just done – he had no clue he could do it.

"Please," Malik breathed, squirming on Desmond's lap. It didn't take much to turn him on, apparently. But Desmond felt the same way. He wanted more, he wanted to explore more of Malik and kiss him all over. As slow as possible, he began to peel Malik's shirt off, grinning as he watched him raise his arms to help him. Without thinking about it, Desmond began to kiss his chest, grazing his teeth over heated flesh, running his fingers up his side and along his back, feeling every muscle that Desmond never thought he had. But Desmond couldn't explore anymore, Malik was tugging at his shirt, trying to get it over his head. Without reluctance, Desmond helped him and suddenly they were both shirtless, trying to suck the life out of each other as they kissed clumsily, trying to keep the fire between them burning.

Then before Desmond knew what he was doing, he pushed Malik off him and onto his back. Climbing on top of him, Desmond pinned Malik down and lowered his head to kiss him again, this time softer but it still held the same amount of desire that had overcome them both. Butterflies in his stomach, Desmond slipped his warm, moist tongue into Malik's mouth to earn a loud moan from him. He felt his own tongue glide across Malik's and suddenly, something over came he that he wanted everything so badly. A sporadic lust worse than any other feeling Desmond had felt. It was like a poison, taking over his body, but at a much faster rate.

Desmond hadn't meant for it to go this way, but suddenly they were a flurry of limbs, pants and moans trying to fuck each other with their clothes on.

"You… You like Altair?" Ezio tried to make the thought work in his head, but it just didn't.

"Yeah! Didn't you… know?" Leonardo frowned, feeling Ezio's mood darken dramatically. "I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner… It was just… We've been hanging out lately and-"

"You two have been hanging out? When?" Ezio had never seen them hang out outside of school.

"He comes to my painting lessons sometimes and just watches me paint. He's so…" Leonardo searched for the word. "…Patient."

Ezio wanted to snarl, to hurl a lamp across the room. He was being patient because he was waiting for something from Leonardo. Ezio knew he wasn't a player like himself, but he was a cunning bastard. But Ezio saw in Leonardo's eyes how his thoughts of Altair were very different.

"Alright then. That's cool. Tell me how that goes then," Ezio scoffed, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. It was almost painful to keep his mouth shut.

Leonardo beamed and hugged him tightly. "Thanks… I knew you'd understand, Ezio. You're like a brother to me…"

Then why in God's name did you try to kiss me? Ezio growled inside his head, hugging his lost opportunity tightly.

It wasn't until they heard Malik's parents get home that they stopped, both drenched in sweat and the room reeked of dry friction. Desmond glanced at the clock and nearly laughed out loud. It was almost dinner time. After 28 Weeks had finished, they popped in a movie, not caring which one, just for background noise as they tried different kisses in different parts. Although, they both insisted on keeping their pants on but at times, Desmond found Malik's hands wandering to his belt buckle and he knew that he had wanted it bad.

But it was only the third day. He wasn't going to lose his virginity on their third day, for Christ's sake. But Desmond knew it was almost time – he was in grade eleven after all. He was seventeen. Ready for action, while still young, not quite an adult yet. But when both their stomachs were growling like mad, they decided to wander upstairs to the kitchen (putting on their shirts first of course, and soaking themselves in cologne). Desmond hadn't even checked his phone all day and when he opened it as they were going up the second set of stairs, he found urgent messages from Ezio.

des I have a crisis on my hands –e

Wait nvm that last text nobodys dying –e

U cool 2 hang out tomorrow? –e

Ask me u idiot –e

Too busy jerking off to porn? –e

Desmond laughed and shot off a quick text, telling him that he would be too busy to hang out tomorrow, but that they could hang out Wednesday and that he had news to tell him. He then dropped his phone into his pocket and followed behind Malik. His parents were shuffling around in the kitchen, and it sounded as if they were unpacking bags.

"Wait, have you… y'know… told your parents…?" Desmond whispered into Malik's ear, nibbling it slightly.

"Oh. Yeah… They know. They're okay with it - I was kind of surprised. I figured they would have sacrificed me on the altar," Malik laughed and took Desmond's hand, wheeling him into the kitchen. Before Desmond could tell him how lucky he was, their family began to shoot off a conversation in Arabic. Somewhere in the foreign language, Desmond heard his name mentioned, and Kadar's. Somewhere he heard Malik's parents reply with the word Maria. Desmond smiled, surprised when he felt the scent of Chinese food fill his nostrils.

"We're having Chinese food. My mom's too tired to cook," Malik grinned and ran to the table, immediately helping himself. Desmond saw Malik's mother wink at him out of the corner of her eye before she smiled politely at Desmond, whispering words to her husband. Desmond had always liked Malik's parents, unlike him at school, they were easy going, kind, and always polite to the guests they had over. Their smiles were never forced, they were always genuine. Desmond stole a glance at Malik and quickly regretted it, seeing all the marks that had set in on his neck. Hickies galore, Desmond groaned in his head.

Ezio was lying in his bed, listening to Leonardo pour out his feelings about Altair. The boy had always been passionate, but that had been about art and music – now it was about a guy that Ezio, to be quite honest, had always been jealous of. Altair was quiet, but he was always casting his eyes across the room, calculating everyone, making assumptions and kicking ass. He was smart in his work, knew when to keep his mouth closed but when he spoke to insult, they did more damage than Ezio's idiotic name calling could ever do. His calm insults cut like knives, while Ezio's merely bounced off anyone who wasn't intimidated by him.

"He's so nice and he's actually a gentleman. I never expected that but he really is, Ezio. He knows how to cook and whenever I'm at his house, he makes me dinner because his parents are hardly around. He's so independent, it makes me feel like I'm living with him like we're at college or something. It's amazing Ezio. He's amazing."

When Desmond got back to Ezio, he sighed out loud. He didn't want any more news.

Especially if Desmond was going to pull a Leonardo and drop a bomb on him; like if he had a secret gay lover. Ezio swore he might punch someone if any more people around him turned gay.

"Are you listening?" Leonardo asked and kicked the bunk bed, earning a groaning 'yes' from Ezio.

"Anyways, and so…"

"That was good," Desmond smiled and licked his lips, trying to savour the taste of the wonderfully fresh Chinese food in his mouth. "Tasted great."

"Not as great as you," Malik laughed as he began to change into his PJs. Desmond blushed and stole a pair of Malik's track pants, feeling right at home as he laid on the bed and let Malik jump into his arms. With a smile, he pressed play on the PlayStation 2 controller and another movie started up, and this time, they watched it without breaking out into a sudden make out session. Desmond felt calm, that perhaps being with Malik wasn't so bad. He would definitely get his satisfaction for his hormones on a regular basis and now he had someone he could curl up and sleep with. They were moving fast but Desmond was too lost to start tracking his steps back. They were both comfortable, probably from the years they had gotten to know each other before hand, and Desmond wasn't going to jeopardize that.

Instead, they watched through 50 First Dates, exchanging small kisses that held nothing more than a small flutter of affection.

Not lust.

After the movie was over, they laid in each other's arms, listening to the clatter of Malik's parents upstairs as they turned on the TV and began to watch Prime Time TV.

"I never expected to be lying with you here, like this," Malik admitted as Desmond thumbed Malik's dry lips, feeling how swollen they were after their hours of kissing. Desmond was lying on his side, as was Malik, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"No? And why not?" Desmond grinned, feeling as if they were the only two people left in this whole world. Anything else didn't matter but them, the only two people in this room, with each other.

"Because… I always thought you were straight," Malik sighed and nipped at Desmond's thumb playfully.

"Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?" Desmond chuckled.

"Why yes, I bite my thumb at you, sir," Malik replied in a monotone, and instantly burst into fits of laughter.

"Well, I guess I'm not – if that reassures you in any way," Desmond smiled and pressed their lips together momentarily before he pulled away, staring into Malik's hopeful eyes.

"I know – that kiss in the dressing room… It uh, kinda cleared things up," Malik grinned and snuggled into Desmond's chest.

"Hey, one sec," Desmond pulled away and sat up, much to Malik's confusion. Desmond pulled off his shirt and laid back down, pulling Malik into him. "There, better."

"Much better," Malik whispered and wrapped himself around Desmond's warm, sculpted body. It was better than the usual stuffed animal.

Grinning, Desmond mumbled into Malik's ear, "this day went by too fast."

"Tell me about it." Malik snorted and kissed Desmond's chest softly, sending shivers down his spine. "It took us an hour to eat. Then that movie was almost two hours long… It's almost nine."

"And I'm exhausted. You wore me out today, you dick." Desmond laughed.

"Oh shut up and stop your whining. That was only first base too."

Desmond felt a blanket of awkwardness begin to set onto them.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, wait until second," Desmond felt Malik grin and a sudden confidence loom around him. Desmond felt slightly uneasy. He had never seen this side of Malik before and even so, he was adjusting to a more affectionate and secure person. In a way, Malik had been like Mr Hastings, always condescending and being negative about the world. Just purely cynical. Perhaps that was just him when he had to wake up early in the morning and attend physics, art, history and gym. They were pretty painful subjects for second semester.

"Oh. Okay." Desmond bit his lip and felt his eyelids begin to droop, fatigue battling his consciousness. "Shit, I'm gonna pass out soon. I think I'm gonna try to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, alright?" Desmond yawned and kissed Malik on the top of his head before he closed his eyes, hearing Malik mumble something into his chest. He didn't have a chance to answer him because almost instantly, he fell asleep.

The Tuesday morning wasn't awkward at all, unlike Desmond had thought it was going to be.

He woke to find Malik still sleeping, arms draped across Desmond's waist, snuggled close to his boyfriend. It only took him five minutes to wake after Desmond and when Malik opened his eyes, Desmond was filled with an odd warmth that he had never felt before. It made him feel content, at home, perfectly safe and secure with Malik in his arms. Like nothing could hurt him.

"Morning," Desmond whispered and Malik returned his greeting with a smile.

Instead of getting dressed and going home, Desmond stayed. He let Malik rest in his arms, waking up slowly, slightly grouchy but Desmond's smile seemed to melt his negativity away, as silly as it sounded. They talked about last night, how wonderful it had been, how endearing it was to wake up to each other (Desmond was surprised to hear Malik saying 'endearing'), what movies they would watch, what to have for lunch (breakfast first), and if Desmond would stay for dinner. He would.

And in between the movies and the TV shows, there was kissing. Lots of kissing.

Malik's parents were gone and even once, they heard Kadar step in. But as soon as they heard him came in, they heard him leave just as quickly. He must have seen Desmond's shoes at the door.

It was like they were glued together. Desmond was even tempted to take his shower with Malik – but that was too soon. Maybe another month or so. Desmond was forgetting how alike he was to Altair in looks, how quick that had bonded (almost too quick to be true), and how sometimes when the talking grew thin, hungry kisses would take over and even then, they wouldn't stop until stomachs growled or someone had to use the bathroom. Desmond found Malik intoxicating, impossible to stay away from.

This is how Desmond knew Malik was his first actual boyfriend. Someone he was now serious about. Four days – it seemed like forever to him.

Twice, Desmond had gotten dressed and every time, he seemed to lose his shirt only ten minutes later. Both of the times, Desmond had let Malik begin to undo his belt while trying to keep rhythm to his breath taking kisses. Desmond felt their hot bodies pressed together, grinding and trying to make the other person break first. It was almost Malik every time who lost, begging for Desmond to kiss him or run his hands over his ass. Desmond liked Malik's ass – it was firm, something he liked to grab onto when he pulled him in for a kiss. It made everything feel so much more sexual, not that they weren't getting hot and heavy without groping. But Desmond wouldn't let Malik near his crotch, even though Malik tried to lead his hands there, Desmond couldn't do it. Not yet.

And whenever Malik began to undo Desmond's zipper, there was an eager excitement in his eyes as he went for the next step, to pull down Desmond's light blue boxers. But Desmond wouldn't ever let him. He could grab his wrists and pin him either against the headboard, the wall, or down on the bed, kissing the thought of doing anything second base related, out of his pleasure filled brain.

Desmond hadn't expected to stay a second night in a row, having dinner with him again. This time, they slept in their boxers. One less article of clothing than the night before. Desmond knew he had to leave in the morning, or else he might regret how his hormones would make him do crazy things. They slept like two butterflies in a cocoon, fitting perfectly together as they fit in all the right places. And Desmond learned that Malik always liked putting one leg over Desmond's thigh and wrapping his foot around one of Desmond's own.

It made him smile on Wednesday morning that he learned for the first time in all of their years, that Malik snored.