Chapter 3

No POV

The lab door opened slowly, only being noticed by a few students. Cook was one of them. He looked around to see Freddie, who smirked at him and Cook let out a laughing-breath.

"And why are you late, Mr McLair?" Mr Dobbs questioned before even turning around to face the class. He raised one grey eyebrow when he received only silence and a sheepish look as a reply.

"Yeah Mr McLair, where've you been?" "Do you know what time it is?" Several members of the class mocked. They were only joking of course, but Cook could see Freddie becoming uncomfortable as his face began to turn pink. As adorable as he found the blush, Cook felt the overwhelming need to be a knight in shining armour. Freddie's knight in shining armour.

"Leave 'im alone yeah. At least he showed up. I know I fuckin' wouldn't have."

Everyone quietened down.

"That's quite enough Mr Cook!"

Cook raised his arms casually in surrender. The elderly man grumbled something about 'this generation' in disdain and turned back to the board, continuing his diagram of the human lungs. Freddie smiled at Cook gratefully. Cook just winked at him, grinning, and turned back to face the front of the classroom. This was the first time he'd actually bothered to show up to this lesson. It wasn't too bad if he was being honest, but he certainly wouldn't be returning. The only reason he came was because Freddie was in that lesson and Cook just wanted to know that he was okay and that that Josh bloke hadn't tried anything. Freddie seemed okay, and Cook was satisfied with that. As long as Freddie was safe Cook would always manage to get by. And he always would be safe. Cook would make sure of it. He'd long since promised himself that he'd protect Freddie at any cost. See, Freddie was vulnerable. He was sensitive, naive, trusting, far too innocent for a world as fucked up as this. People would try to take advantage of him, try to hurt him. But Cook was determined to keep that from happening.

The bell signaling the end of the period sounded, followed by the sound of hundreds of footsteps and voices in the corridors as students flooded out of their lessons.

"Ayy, Fredster." Cook slapped Freddie's back. Freddie smiled in return before looking around casually, as if looking for something, or someone. "Where's JJ?" He asked.

"Got the flu." Cook replied without missing a beat. Freddie's eyes briefly flashed with concern but the look was gone as fast as it had come. "Come on man, fuck English-lit. I've got spliff."

"Cook..." Freddie looked at him apprehensively, shaking his head.

"Freddie. Freddie. Freddie! Freddie!"

"Okay fine, fuck it!"

Cook's POV

I grin at how little effort it took to convince my friend before deciding to do something a little more risky than I'd normally do; I take Freddie's hand in my own. It's not as of we're awkward about touching each other and showing affection, as one of us always has a hand on the other's shoulder or back, but somehow hand holding seems much more...intimate? Freddie doesn't appear to think much of it though, merely rolling his eyes and giggling as I drag him away.

It doesn't take us long to find a spot on the campus fields out of the way of everyone near the back. As soon as we sit down I take out a joint that I rolled on the hill this morning out of my pocket and spark up, taking a few drags before handing it to Freddie and laying down. Seconds later, Freddie joins me and hands me back the spliff. We stay like that for a long time, the only sound being the whistling of the wind and exhales of smoke as we're too far away from people to hear any voices.

"Josh gave me his number." Freddie says nonchalantly. I take a large drag from the spliff and hold it in for a few moments, trying to calm my jealous instincts before replying. I don't know how Freddie expects me to answer, so I just reply with a deceptively apathetic-sounding "Cool." More silence.

When I think I'm collected enough, I ask "So, what happened last night then?"

"Not much. We just talked for a long time and went back to mine."

"Cool. He an alright lad then?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

I muster up every ounce of self-control I can find within myself before turning to Freddie and look at him. "Freds?" Freddie looks at me expectantly. "Josh; he didn't do owt...weird or anything, did he?"

Freddie furrows his eyebrows, seemingly confused and surprised by my question. He considers it for a few seconds and then shakes his head. "Not really. I mean, I woke up this morning and couldn't even sit up because his arm was wrapped around me like a bloody anaconda, which was a little odd I guess. But no, nothing too strange. Why do you ask?"

What Freddie tells me about Josh's arm infuriates me, but I'm glad that nothing else happened. "No reason really. Just got some strange vibes off the guy. Nothin' serious."

Freddie nods and turns his eyes back to the clouds. He passes the spliff back to me for the last drags, which I take before tossing it behind us and pulling out another one. Freddie chuckles, and I look at him, curious. He takes one look at my face before laughing harder. I guess the weed's starting to kick in then. "What's so funny?" I grin at him.

"How many of those fucking things do you have? We finish one and you've practically already lit another!" He begins to laugh again, harder this time, and fuck me but I can't help but laugh along with him. He just looks so fuckin' happy. Tears are streaming down his face as his laughter ascends into hysterical territory and I swear to god it can't get much better than this. Laying in the sun with the person you love as they smile and laugh and you know that in that moment they're filled with nothing but joy.
I spark up the spliff and pass it to Freddie. I watch as his lips close around the end and he sucks the smoke into his mouth and then into his lungs. They look pink and soft, and I can't seem to think about anything other that kissing them.

I know I seem out of character because, fuck, I'm Cook. I'm Cook. I'm fuckin' Cook! I'm Cook and I'm in love with my best mate. Nobody (with the possible and unofficial exception of Effy) knows, and that's the way it's got to stay. So I continue to go out and fuck all these sluts because I'm Cook and that's how I've always handled my problems. Yet, part of me still aches whenever I do because no matter how hard I try to tell myself that it doesn't matter, that it shouldn't matter, the fact is that they're not Freddie. They're not my Freds and they never will be because he's one of a kind.

He's always been the only one for me.