Joe lay on top of the covers: it was too hot for blankets. It was the heat keeping him awake, he told himself. Well, it accounted for the rest of his strangeness so why not this? He'd abandoned his shirt hours before and it lay on the floor in a heap next to his discarded pyjama bottoms. The sheet beneath him was damp and his dark hair and boxers were wet through with sweat.
A great puff of air was released from his lungs, briefly cooling his forehead. Seconds later, though, the suffocating heat was back and worse than ever.
Eventually he jumped out of bed and checked the time. Almost three. He crossed to the window and slid it open. The blast of air hit him, cooling his sweat-soaked skin. The chill was a relief, and he closed his brown eyes for a minute, savouring it. But then the temperature became normal and the refreshment was gone. He sighed and opened his eyes.
"Wah!"
Cary grinned his toothy grin. "I thought you might be up," he chuckled. "You up for a late-night swim?"
Joe shook his head slightly and smiled in disbelief, but replied, "Alright. I'll be out in five."
The blond nodded and his head bobbed away from the window, leaving Joe with a view of the moon-lit street. He closed the window and replaced his boxers with swimming trunks, slipping a shirt on over the top. After scribbling a brief and uninformative note for his father that he taped to his door, he raced down the stairs. Shoes on, he joined Cary in the street.
"Evening," he greeted Joe. "You ready?"
"Ready," the brunet confirmed with a nod.
Cary opened the car door with an elaborate bow and Joe got in, rolling his eyes. As quietly as he could, he shut it and went around to the other side. He got in and started up the engine that sputtered to life with a loud grumble. The two of them tensed up. What if somebody heard? But there was no suggestion that anybody noticed them, so they quickly left before anybody did.
Despite it not being said, Joe knew where they were going. Every night it was too hot, they went there. If sleep was evading them and they needed to cool down, it was their place. The lake was in the local park, relatively small as lakes go, and was surrounded by trees. The boys were fairly certain it was manmade, but didn't care enough to ask.
In this weather, the water level had dropped dramatically, so it was barely four feet deep, probably shallower. The lack of rain had affected the park badly. The plants were dying, turning the floor of the woods into a noisy, crunchy mess. The lake was almost half it's usual depth, and had fish been living in it, they would surely have been gradually dying.
Normally, when it wasn't the middle of the night or forty degrees, let alone both, the park was busy as hell. There were mothers with their toddlers, dog walkers, bored teens hanging around, elderly couples. The last week or so, however, it had been near empty. It had just been too hot. In this weather, people rarely ventured out and even when they did, they wouldn't waste their time going to a singed, deadened park. They went somewhere cool, or somewhere they had to.
Cary parked the car in the deserted car park and hopped out, Joe doing so moments later. The two of them had kicked off their shoes in the car, preferring the feel of freedom they could rarely experience. He was fanning himself with a bit of paper he'd found on the dashboard, but to little avail. The muggy, still air was going to be harder than that to evade.
Cary went and stood by him, gently taking the piece of paper out of his friend's hand and putting it back in the vehicle. He locked it before turning back to the brunet. He took Joe's sweaty hand in his own and smiled up at him with wide blue eyes and straight white teeth.
"Shall we go? We probably only have a couple of hours."
They never stayed too long. Back home before people woke up, which meant leaving no later than five - Cary's mother was an early riser. It wasn't that they'd get in too much trouble - people had been going to crazy lengths to keep cool. Rumours claimed that Lisa from their class had taken to sleeping in the garden, and apparently Jack had rigged up a complex mechanical structure to keep him fanned all night (he denied this, but his sister swore blind it was true). Going for a late-night swim wouldn't be a problem in anybody's eyes. They didn't want to risk their secret place getting out though, stupid as it was. Others might turn up, and what would they do then?
"Let's go," Joe said with a nod.
It was too hot to run, or to pick up any decent speed, in fact, so they walked the five minutes or so to the water, hand-in-hand.
When they got there, Cary immediately ripped off his shirt and leapt into the water, creating a massive splash that almost hit Joe.
"Come on in, the water's fucking freezing," the blond said with slightly chattering teeth, pulling his wet blond hair out of his face.
Joe laughed and removed his shirt, dropping it on the ground and going to sit by the water's edge. Dangling his feet in, he shivered. "You're right," he chuckled, half-closing his eyes with enjoyment. "It's lovely and-"
He speech turned into a screech as Cary grabbed his arms and tugged him into the water. Gasping and coughing, he emerged from the water messily, swearing.
The younger boy laughed hard, and swam the short distance to the other quickly. "Sorry," he chuckled, not meaning it.
"Yeah, sure," Joe grumbled good-naturedly, punching Cary's arm playfully.
Grinning, Cary took Joe's hand and interlaced their fingers. His wide grin softened slightly as he looked at their hands, and he took on a look of mild fascination.
After a moment of listening to nothing but their breathing and the quiet noises of night, Joe said, "Are you okay?" He said it under his breath, as though he were in a sacred or holy place and didn't want to disturb the peace. Which, he supposed, he didn't.
Cary didn't answer immediately, instead looking at the scenery around them. It was a rare occasion when the pyromaniac was quiet. He was normally so manic and fidgety, always wanting to do something or go somewhere. Right now, subdued by the situation, was the first time he'd been properly calm in days.
In the end he nodded, sighing contentedly. "I'm more than okay, Joey," he replied, leaning the side of his head against the other and closing his eyes.
Joe's hand went to the small of the smaller boy's back. "That's good," he said gently, tucking Cary's head under his chin.
They stayed like that for a while, holding onto each other with tender hands, eyes closed blissfully. Around them, the sounds of nature played continuously. The mild rustle of leaves or the lapping of water or some animal's small squeak. It only added to their relaxation, their complete and utter oneness.
It was Cary who spoke and broke the relative silence. "My feet are numb," he murmured blandly, although he didn't move.
Joe tried not to let on his disappointment. "Want to move?"
With a nod, Cary detached himself from Joe and sat on the side of the pavement, legs over the edge. His toes almost brushed the surface of the water, but he was just about too short. He patted the space next to him, inviting Joe to sit too. Joe did so, his feet just in the water.
"Water level's low, isn't it?" he said, not really expecting an answer.
Gnawing on his lower lip, Cary stared into the black water. Thank god the dark was hiding his red cheeks. "Joey, I'm going to do something, and I want you to not hate me for it, okay?" he said, a trace of sleepiness present in his voice.
Joe looked at him in confusion as Cary closed the foot or so between them and joined their lips. His eyes were closed.
He pulled away after a couple of seconds and returned his gaze to the inkiness spread out over the lake.
In a state of shock, Joe stared at his friend, eyes wide and startled. "C-Cary?" he said.
Cary didn't look at him. "Sorry. I've needed to do that for a while," he said in a monotone.
"B-but..." Joe trailed off, speech not coming to him easily. "What does..."
The blond stood up and picked up his shirt. He tugged it on over his head, leaving his hair a mess.
"I figured it was inevitable," he said. "Thought I might as well go for it."
The dark-haired boy continued staring, barely able to see his friend for the murkiness. "Inevitable?" he questioned.
"Like what we did there," Cary said. "Come on, Joey, straight boys don't do that shit."
"Well I, uh, know but..."
"They just don't," he said shortly, his voice a little muffled. He sat back down next to Joe. "Now what?"
Bewildered, Joe asked, "Now what what?"
"I don't know," he sighed. His blue eyes faced down and his hands twisted in his lap.
Joe shuffled a little closer and turned Cary to face him, hand on his cheek. Closing his eyes, he leaned in and kissed Cary, removing his hand from his face and using it instead to steady himself. They parted a few seconds later, but to Cary it felt like so much longer.
His eyes were slow opening, and when they had, Joe had straightened back up.
Their eyes met for a moment and despite the dark they finally saw each other clearly.
When they kissed a third time it was long and passionate and toothy, filled with heavy breaths and wandering hands. Cary dragged his nails down Joe's wet, smooth body; Joe's fingers entangled themselves in Cary's hair as he pushed the smaller boy forwards so his covered back was against the ground. They bit and gasped and sucked, each parting for air more unwilling than the last.
As Joe's lips went to Cary's neck, the blond let out a low, breathy moan that only came halfway to expressing the buzz he was feeling. Fireworks went off behind his eyelids when Joe's fingers found their way inside his shirt, and he clutched at his friend, pulling him closer still so their bodies were pressed against each another. He was liberated of his damp shirt - it slipped off easily over his head - and he wrapped his legs around the boy on top of him. Their hipbones touched through the thin fabric of their wet swimming trunks.
Their lips disconnected long enough, finally, for Joe to get some words out. "I guess you're right," he said ambiguously.
"Huh?" Cary grunted, lying back and looking Joe in the eye.
Joe smirked at the blond's messy hair and red face. "Straight boys don't do this shit."
The other rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. Hands either side of Joe's head, he brought him down and kissed him again.
It had to end eventually, though. Reluctantly, they pulled away, but neither opened their eyes.
"What time is it?" Cary asked. "We should probably..."
Joe stood up, leaving Cary alone on the gravel. "Come on, let's get back to the car," he said, holding out a hand.
The skinny boy took the proffered hand, and was pulled up into Joe's arms. He resisted the urge to nuzzle into him and instead stooped and picked up his shirt. Turning away from Joe, he tugged it on over his head. When he turned back, brown eyes were upon him, drinking him in.
"What?" he asked, gnawing on his plump lower lip.
Joe shook his head and retrieved his top before slinging it over his arm.
Shrugging, he explained, "It's still hot,"
Cary nodded uninterestedly and set off walking, Joe quickly following. Sometimes they winced, their bare feet unaccustomed to the pebbles on the path. They walked in silence, but soon enough Joe put a friendly arm around Cary's skinny shoulders. The blond looked at his friend in mild bemusement, but slipped his arm around his waist.
"Hey, Joey," Cary said, getting the dark-haired boy's attention. "I'm glad we did that, you know."
"Yeah, so am I," Joe replied, nodding slightly. "So you... Like me?"
The blue-eyed boy chuckled. "You think?"
Joe smiled too. "And I like you." He paused. "So what does that make this?"
He shrugged. "Whatever you want it to be. Boyfriends, just friends, friends with benefits." Cary winked mischievously, grinning.
"Cary!" But a wide grin was on the face of the brunet too. "I like the first option best."
"So do I," Cary said, trying not to sound flattered. "But we aren't telling. Not anybody. Deal?"
"Deal," Joe agreed.
"Not even Charles," he warned.
Joe grumbled, "Okay, fine."
They reached the empty car park and Cary unlocked the car and got in, leaving Joe to let himself in.
When they were turning out of the park, Joe checked the clock on the dashboard. "It's almost half-four," he said, half to himself.
"Mm. I'm going to be wiped tomorrow, man."
He nodded. "Straight home then."
Now they'd finally sat down properly, the sleepless night started creeping up on them. Both sets of eyelids started to droop, and after a couple of minutes, the dark-haired boy dozing off, head lolling forward into his chest.
"Hey. Hey, Joey. Don't leave me alone, man," Cary said, shaking Joe's knee. "I'm gonna crash in a second, and so's the car."
Sleepily, Joe said, "Just stay at mine tonight. Your parents will understand. It's dangerous for you to be driving."
Smiling gratefully, the other answered, "Yes, nurse."
When they got to Joe's they let themselves in as quietly as they could and went upstairs and into Joe's room (skipping the fourth step because it creaked).
"Where shall I sleep?" Cary asked, almost dead on his feet.
Joe shrugged. "Just sleep with me, man. Easier."
Not bothering to change out of his wet swimming trunks, he dropped onto the bed and Cary joined him. Despite the surplus of body heat, they dropped off quickly, each one clinging to the other in their sleep.
A/N
Okay, I wrote this one a few months ago but I've been reluctant to upload it because I really am proud of it. My logic is impeccable.
So please tell me what you think; if there's anything that could be improved, or anything that's good. I know it's long but if you're down here then the likelihood is that you read it all.
Thanks for reading c:
Rhi