After the annual Christmas Ball Caleb didn't drive home but to the flat Pogue had above the garage. He hadn't been able to go because he still hadn't healed completely from what Chase had put him through.

'Hey. Merry Christmas.' Caleb announced when he came through the door. Pogue laid on his bed and a read a motorcycle magazine. He made a face: 'My parents wanted to convince me to come home over Christmas.'

Caleb winced in sympathy. He could vividly imagine how that conversation had gone. He looked at his watch.

'It's three am which technically makes now Christmas morning which mean you can open this.'

He threw his present over to Pogue and sat down on Pogue's bed while he unwrapped it.

'Did you draw this?' He asked Caleb when the present turned out to be a tattoo with some designs as examples.

'No.' Caleb grinned: 'The mysterious person Tyler's dating did. I think we can now rule out anyone who's not in the Art courses,'

'That covers it.' Pogue rolled his eyes but he laid his hand on Caleb's arm and said sincerely:

'Thank you.' He pulled something out from under his pillow.

'A dream-catcher?'

'It works.' Pogue promised him with a flash of black eyes: 'And this.' He pressed two keys into Caleb's palm. Ever since his father had died Caleb had slept in Pogue's spare room more often than not but this made it official.

Maybe it was time they were done pretending that there was anything but those actual walls between them.

'Will you sleep here tonight?' Pogue asked.

'If it's okay for you.'

'Course it is.' Despite not having set a foot outside ever since he had come back home from the hospital Pogue wore make-up and street clothes as if he would walk out any minute. One of the black lines around Pogue's eyes were smudged and Caleb felt the urge to reach out and correct that tiny flaw.

'I'll see you in the morning then.' Caleb began to stand up but Pogue's grip on his arm stopped him effectively.

'Caleb. You can sleep here.'

'That's it? We're not going to talk about it?'

'Would talking make it easier?'

'No.' Caleb admitted. He was more nervous than when he had faced Chase. He sat back down on the bed.

'If we do this, there's no going back.' He reminded Pogue.

'I know.'

Caleb trembled slightly as he leaned in closely and stopped, close enough that his lashes brushed Pogue's skin with every blink. Pogue's hand came up against his neck and he closed the last millimetres between them.

/

In the morning Caleb showered while Pogue brushed his teeth and dropped a kiss on his neck when he walked past him back into the bedroom to put some clothes on. They ate breakfast together and talked about school and the Christmas Ball and their plans for New Year's Eve.

This new land wasn't as frighteningly foreign as it had seemed last night.

In fact it felt a lot like coming home.