First Day - End of August

Troy nudged the door to his apartment open with one foot and dropped his bag inside the door as he stepped out of his sneakers. Blurry eyed, he stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the sofa with a groan. His first day of actual classes had included meetings that were nothing but a blur, assignments for classes he hoped he'd written down, basketball practice and an introduction to the theatre program's diva.

The last he could have done without - she reminded him way too much of Sharpay both in temperament and in the way she watched him. It made him feel like Gabriella's friends had the first day he'd arrived - like the main course on a dinner menu. To top it off, he'd worked his last full night shift until the end of the semester at his job, gotten no sleep before heading for class, hadn't eaten since lunch and he hadn't seen Gabriella for two days. She'd been immersed, as he was, in preparing for class and - regardless of how tired he was - he missed her.

Even as he sprawled across the worn couch, flinging one arm over his eyes, he wished she were there so he could hold her, touch her - see her. If he could keep his eyes open that long. The fact he'd forgotten to lock his apartment door behind him completely slipped his mind as he drifted on the edges of unconsciousness, his body shutting down unintentionally from the rigorous schedule.

The sound of his apartment door opening and then closing, with the lock being thrown, registered somewhere in the back of his subconscious sometime later, but didn't draw him from sleep; he wasn't able to react if he'd wanted to. Fortunately, as if conjuring her from his mind, cool fingers touched his cheek and her musical voice said his name with those soft inflections he loved so much.

"Troy?"

"Mmm hmm?"

She laughed softly. "Are you still awake, Wildcat?"

"Ugh." He groaned, his brain kicking in belatedly. "I wish I wasn't."

"Rough day?"

The couch dipped next to his waist as she settled onto it next to him, the heat of her body stretching across his chest as her fingers touching his hair. Lifting his arm with difficulty, he forced himself to concentrate - and was rewarded with the sight of her beautiful and understanding smile. His arm dropped around her waist, anchoring her in place. "Rough doesn't begin to cover it. You?"

Gabriella ran her fingers into his hair, a soft smile on her lips. "I got introduced early, remember? And I wasn't working a full time night job until the day before classes."

"I need the money."

"You need sleep more than you need money. Come on."

She made to move, but Troy shook his head, keeping his arm tight about her waist. "Nope."

"Troy."

His name was a warning he chose not to heed. "I'm fine right here. Just wake me at five."

"Five!"

He nodded, his eye lids slipping closed again.

"I will not wake you up at five!" She sounded indignant. "Let me go."

"Nope." He told her again, already feeling the lethargy of sleep creeping up on him. "You're... mine."

Gabriella sighed in exasperation as his words trailed off, his head dropping to the side and his hair falling over his forehead adorably. He was exhausted. Troy'd been working two jobs to try and get a feel for what the hours would be like when college had started, and they'd worked their time together around his shifts. It had meant sacrificing hours of sleep here and there to simply be together, but Gabriella wondered as she watched him if that had been prudent.

Dark bruises of lavender were visible under his eyes as he relaxed into sleep and her heart melted. Troy needed to be in bed - his bed - for a proper night's sleep if he was hoping to sleep well at all. Shaking him, she tried to rouse him, but it didn't work. Stroking his hair, a trick that had worked in the past, did little more than draw her name from his lips on a sigh and earn an approving squeeze from the arm about her waist.

Exasperated, she woke him in a surefire manner by brushing her lips across his.

Except he didn't respond. Frowning, she pressed closer to his chest and brushed his lips with hers again. A delayed reaction made his lips pucker slowly, as if kissing the air, and made her giggle. She did it again, watching as he puckered for air a second time and then frowned.

"Troy."

There was no response and she kissed him lingeringly this time, daring to trace the slightly parted seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue. His parted unconsciously, reacting to the kiss on a primal level rather than a rational one and her tongue teased the inside edges, waiting for a sign that she had his attention. Troy went rigid beneath her and she pulled back, looking down into sleepy, stormy blue eyes.

"Temptress."

"You need to be in bed."

"You should join me."

"Mom's expecting me home at a decent hour. Come on."

He groaned, releasing her reluctantly only to groan again as she grabbed his hands and urged him upwards. Her smile was sweet, coaxing as she led him through the small apartment to the bedroom. She flicked on the light, ignoring the pile of laundry in one corner as she steered him towards the bed. Stopping beside it, she pulled him close, wrapping her arms about his waist - and Troy's arms went around her automatically, his cheek coming to rest on her head.

"This is what I needed." he told her honestly with a contented sigh. "You in my arms."

"What you need is sleep," Gabriella corrected him gently, giving him a nudge backwards. Troy overbalanced and fell, taking her down to the mattress with him when he refused to relinquish his hold on her and she sprawled across his body unchecked.

He rolled, taking advantage of her position, and pinned her beneath him to the mattress, chest to chest. His hair flopped into his eyes and he flicked his head to the side to clear them with a sexy half smile. "What I need, Miss. Montez, is my gorgeous and understanding girlfriend to hold me while I sleep." Whatever exhaustion had gripped him was beat back by the sight of her. He dropped a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "I missed you today."

"Just today?"

"Every hour we're apart," he amended with a grin, dropping a kiss on the other corner of her mouth before bracing himself above her on his forearms. His smile faded. "Stay with me?"

"Troy..."

"Please? Just for a few hours." Searching her gaze, his own eyes held a beseeching inquiry. He wasn't above begging. "I need you, Gabriella."

Just like that, she melted. She could never deny him when he said that. "Alright, I'll stay - but only if you sleep."

"Wildcat honor." Rolling to the side, he made himself comfortable with her in his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. She squirmed against him for a minute before settling down and tucking her head against his shoulder. His lips found her temple in a whisper of a kiss. "Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"If you promise to greet me properly when you're more awake."

Laughing softly, the chuckle rumbling in his chest, he closed exhausted eyes and savored holding her once more as sleep came at him once more like a freight train. "Promise."