The fact that Ash was sitting at his table made Aaron finally shut up much to Luke's dismay. Even though he complained about his roommate's constant ranting (he even spoke in his sleep), he enjoyed the deep masculine voice that always seemed to send shivers down his spine.

Instead of blabbering on, Aaron was now surprisingly quiet and fiddling with his spoon.

"Hey man, you coming or what? Training's about to start!" Shouted a tall blond.
At the mention of training, Aaron leaped from his chair and almost flew towards the exist, leaving his untouched food on the table. Trey smiled, it was like wings had suddenly grown out of his back.

Luke sighed and got up as well. Aaron had once again left his lunch tray behind and being the dedicated friend he was, he put it away while Aaron was off again with his "dickhead friends".

Trey was a little scared of being left alone with Ash so he offered him an apologetic look and followed Luke like a lost puppy.

                        ***

Luke slowed down and turned around when he noticed Trey's hasty steps behind him.
"I don't think we have the same classes today Trey, I have to go train right now. But you might be with Ashton though." He said softly.

Trey's eyes slightly widened when the blond mentioned his roommate. He remembered that Luke had once mentioned his full name.
But why did Luke know his name?
Trey wanted to know more but refrained from asking too many questions.

The blond boy walked away, leaving a confused Trey standing alone in the middle of the hallway.

"You coming? Or you maybe fancy detention?" Trey turned around to find a bored looking Ash leaning against a wall staring back at him. He shook his head quietly and followed him.

Trey was still very curious about why Luke knew Ash's full name but he didn't dare ask Ash anything about it. It wasn't his business. Trey had his own share of secrets and so did Luke apparently.

He would soon come to realize that everyone else here had their own secrets.

                       ***

Luke pushed the doors to the changing room with a grunt. How Aaron had persuaded him to take up more sports classes amazed him. That boy could really ask anything from him and he would do it without thinking twice.

He walked over to the track where only a few students were warming up. Not many liked extra classes so it wasn't a surprise to him. He groaned, shielding his eyes from the sun as he searched for his roommate. Sure enough, there he was, stretching his long legs and preparing for a run.

As always.

Luke reached the middle of the track and decided to just stretch for today. There was no way he was running, it was just way too hot. So he sat down as a group of students started to jog, Aaron already far ahead of them.

Luke tried not to stare so much and carry on with his stretching, tucking a knee to his chest and slowly drawing it backwards to pull on his ankle. But how could he ignore Aaron? His cooper hair shone in the sunlight, his lean muscles stretched with each stride and a look of sheer determination was plastered on his face.

Every time he trained, Luke wondered if he was watching a national athlete. And it made him wonder how the hell he had ended up here. Luke has seen the medals and the cups, tucked away in Aaron's drawers, but he had never dared to ask about them.
Even up until now.

He knew better than to pry into his past.

Luke shook the thoughts away. Curiosity always killed the cat and he somewhat valued his life, so he went back to watching the other group of students. They were much less interesting compared to Aaron. Definitely not cut out for running long distances and sticking together like a pack. They took up most of the track's width, lazily jogging.

Bunch of idiots.

This was a running class not a walking class.
And that seemed to annoy Aaron even more. Each time he passed them, he had to slow down and fit through a small gap that seemed to get even smaller with each lap. Until the group took the whole space and walked even slower, grins plastered on their faces. What the hell were they up to?

Aaron rounded the corner once again and Luke gritted his teeth. There was no way he could get through theme without going around. And he knew Aaron. They boy had real temper issues. This was not going to be fun.

Aaron slowed to a jog as he neared the group and just decided to go around. It was hot and he was on his last lap, he couldn't be bother to pick a fight right now. But just as he passed the boy on the far right, he tripped and fell to the ground, clutching his ankle and howling in pain.

Someone had done it on purpose.
The group walked away smirking and Luke rose, running towards Aaron who was clutching his ankle.
Shit. He looked hurt.
But before Luke could reach him, Aaron stood up, ran towards the group despite the pain and grabbed the tallest boy's collar, before sending his fist right into his face.

Oh there we go thought Luke. People rarely messed with Aaron but apparently they needed a reminder. He slowed to walk and crossed his arms.
Damn that boy knew how to throw a punch.

The taller boy reeled back, blood pouring from his now broken nose as he glared at Aaron. The rest of the group took a step back, not daring to interfere.
"What? Is your ass so fat that you have to take the whole track? Some people are training asshole watch where you're going!" He seethed, felling his ankle throb.

"What? Is your ankle so fucked up that you tripped smartass?" Retorted the boy as the group howled in laughter, supporting their leader.
"Shut the fuck up Simon."
"Or what? You'll bash my head in and send me to the hospital in a coma? Just like how you did with Jeremy?"
"Yeah. I just might." He replied, ready to send him to the ground.

"Hey! That's enough back off you two!" Shouted a teacher. Aaron turned his head slightly, still gripping the boy's collar and saw Luke standing next to the sports instructor. He was secretly thankful that he had gone to look for him because his ankle hurt like a bitch and he was in no position to fight a group of five assholes on his own.

But he didn't let it show.
Because he never let his weaknesses show, that was his only rule.
So he simply glared at Simon before brushing past Luke.
"Mind your own business princess." He simply muttered, making sure only Luke heard him.

The blond boy didn't reply and gritted his teeth as he watched Aaron limp away. He was in more pain that he let on.
But he wasn't going to complain or cry.
That's just who he was.

                       ***

After his classes were finally over Trey headed back to his dorm. He decided to take a shower after his training. Trey was exhausted but he had homework to do.

So when he came back from the showers, he sat at the small wooden desk and started his work.

He was in the middle of a complex equation when he heard the door open. He didn't dare turn around and continued chewing on his pencil even though his dedication to maths had left him the moment Ash had set foot in the room.

The tall boy didn't say a word and only headed to the shower. He closed the door behind him and double checked the lock like he always did.

Ash felt his sore back muscles slowly relaxing under the pressure of the scalding water pouring down on him. The water droplets dived in the dips and curves of his muscular body as if racing one another to the ground. The steam clouded the small space and fogged Ash's mind.

For one moment, he forgot about the freckled boy next door, he forgot why he was here.
He forgot the world surrounding him and even if it was just for a short instant, Ash got a glimpse at what peace looked like.

But reality quickly caught up and with it multiple thoughts spiraling in his head.

Ash sighed as he ran his hands in his locks rinsing out the shampoo. He turned the water off and shook his head to dry his hair. He finally grabbed a clean towel and tied it around his waist.

He was about to open the door when he remembered that Trey was in the room. Ash recalled how obliviously the small boy had ogled his body the first time he had seen him and decided to dress in the shower to avoid being a distraction.

He smirked, left canine scraping his lower lip as he remembered the flush of Trey's cheeks upon catching him half naked the first day. Trey was like an open book for him to read and even though Ash denied it, he pretty much enjoyed that side of him.

Trey was so different from everyone else he had come across and much more interesting than any other boy or girl here. Moreover, Ash had an unexplainable instinct to protect him even though many aspects of the small boy had repulsed him at first. He finally turned the shower off and dressed up, not bothering to check his appearance in the mirror.

He didn't like mirrors.

"What are you- Oh my gosh!" Yelped Trey almost falling off his chair when he felt Ash's breath against his left cheek. With his earplugs in he hadn't even heard the tall boy come out of the shower.

Ash was quietly leaning over Trey's shoulder without making any contact.
"You seem like an above average student Johnes. I need a tutor, you in?" Replied Ash trying to ignore the way Trey's cheeks decided to flush red on their own accord. They were way too close for comfort but oddly Ash wasn't as bothered by it as he thought he would be.

"I haven't got all night." Continued Ash finally getting away from the flushed boy.
Trey's eyes had widened.
"How do you know my name?" He asked slightly taken aback
"Attendance in class." Shrugged Ash like it was obvious.

"Um-okay I guess. But are you sure? I'm probably not the brightest cookie."
Ash snorted at that and Trey's faced turned even darker.

"Yes I'm sure, l hope you're a brighter cookie than me Johnes. Let's start with what you got over here. I suck at pretty everything but maths is real mess."

During the next two hours Ash tried resolving the equations as Trey patiently explained them to him and corrected him when he was wrong. Trey was mildly surprised, Ash had lied when he said he wasn't very bright. In reality, he was quite smart. And a fast learner too.

Trey was secretly pleased with the efforts he was putting into his studying and he was glad he could help his roommate.

He was reading Ash's answers when he heard a light snore come from his roommate. Ash had finally succumbed to sleep, his head rested on the open textbook his handsome face turned towards Trey. His long eyelashes brushed against his high cheekbones and his bangs slightly rose each time he exhaled.

Trey smiled at the sleeping boy and couldn't refrain himself from staring at the silent piece of art he had in front of him. Ash looked so innocent and vulnerable in his sleep. You wouldn't guess he was a scary and moody giant once awakened. When he slept, it was like he was replaced by the child version of himself.

Trey threaded his hand in Ash's slightly overgrown black locks.
The other boy stirred in his sleep and Trey froze his hand still in Ash's hair. If he woke up he would surely kill him.

Ash didn't move and Trey finally let out a breath as he continued to absentmindedly ruffle the dark locks. They seemed to shine in the dim light of the dorm, a faint woody sent drifting from them.

Trey felt as if he was petting a ferocious beast capable of tearing his hand off if woken up. He was very cautious of his movements, but the lack of sleep from the past few nights caught up on him and he ended up slowly dozing off, his hand still in Ash's hair.

Unfortunately, the peaceful aura suddenly shattered as Ash brusquely awoke and grabbed Trey's arm a wild look lying in his eyes. Trey's heart had definitely stopped now. He was frozen in his seat as the feral eyes scrutinized every inch of his face.

And despite the fear, the only thing he could concentrate on was Ash's large hand wrapped around his delicate wrist and the electric tension that seemed to flow between them.

Ash was also shocked but didn't dare let his mask slip once again. He was touching someone.
After two years without any proper human contact, he was touching someone.

He felt the bile rise in his throat and dropped Trey's arm immediately.
"Go to bed it's late." He simply said. Trey was sure he was going to hit him after this probably unwanted contact. Not wanting to provoke Ash any further he rushed up the metal ladder and into his bed.

Ash slammed the bathroom door behind him, not even bothering to lock it. He heaved the contents of his stomach in the toilet breathing
heavily, beads of sweat pooling at his forehead. The last time he had vomited was the evening Trey had arrived.
That boy really meant trouble for his sanity.

Ash tried to calm his shaking body and washed the foul taste out of his mouth in the sink.
He finally went to bed glad that Trey had turned the lights off. He hated when people saw this side of him.

Trey was shocked and still felt sparkles around his wrist. The moment seemed to play again and again in his mind.

He was slightly upset though, he felt like he wasn't doing any progress and it frustrated him. He really wanted Ash to open up so they could be friends. He was sure that under all this sarcasm and dry humour was a lost boy who was only trying to reach out to him.

Why was everything so-
complicated?

Hehe they finally touched 🤭 Was it how you expected?
Hope you liked the chapter, ready for the next one?