Sebastian woke up coughing. His mouth was bone dry and his head was pounding. He lifted himself up to look at his desk and saw the bottle was gone. Did he finish it? No. That would leave an empty bottle. Unless he put it in the- he spotted the bin by his bed. What? He tried to sit up but realised straight away it was a bad idea. His stomach churned and his eyes were burning in their sockets. He threw up in the bin, grateful that it was there, and laid back down. He wasn't ready to be vertical yet. The second his head hit the pillow, he remembered. He remembered Ned lying behind him, he remembered his nose against the back of his head, buried in his hair, he could still feel him kissing his shoulder, but when he turned his head, the bed was empty. His back felt cold. Fuck. He'd said something about pigs. That was definitely not supposed to happen. And now he was alone, all because he'd lost control. He reached for his phone, keeping his head on the pillow. Just looking at it brought memories of yesterday's phone call flooding back. Obviously, there was nothing from his parents now. Just three missed calls and a text from Ned.

Don't feel bad about last night. It's fine. You know where I am if you need any more help with your report :) x

Even in his texts, the kid kept smiling. He could see his face now, smiling away. Then not smiling. Then really close, then not at all, then he could just feel him and taste him and smell him and OH GOD I KISSED HIM.

He hadn't planned to kiss him. He'd forgotten about the very idea of kissing him. He was just supposed to get help with his Biology homework. He was supposed to be an asshole. He put his hand against his cheek, and it felt familiar, like something else had pressed against it, and as the whole evening whirred in his mind he buried his face in bedding, muffling his groan of annoyance. This was all wrong. Stop it, Seb. Think about something else. Think about school. School. Homework. Pigs. Ned. Think about choir. Ned. Think about sex... No. Definitely don't think about that. He pushed his head further into the pillow, hoping he could push the feathers into his brain until they forced Ned out. He just started to descend into blackness again when there was a gentle knock at the door. He knew who it was. He took a deep breath and sat up, even though it made him feel sick again. But that might have been Ned too.

"Yeah?" He came in with two big cups of coffee.

"Hey. Though you could do with this." Sebastian was pathetically grateful.

"Ugh, you're a saint. You didn't have to, especially after-"

"Seb-"

"I'm really sorry, Ned. It was just my parents, and the vodka-"

"Sebastian-"

"No, Ned. I was out of line kissing you. I'm sorry, you were just being so nice, and saying stuff I needed to hear, and God, I was so drunk-" Ned put the drinks on the bedside table and sat on the bed. He put a wary hand on his leg.

"Sebastian, you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't, I mean, it wasn't just you, OK? We kissed each other. It was... Good." He smiled sheepishly. Sebastian put his hand over the one on his knee.

"Really? You mean you-" Ned grinned even more and nodded. He noticed the bin.

"I thought that might come in useful." He leaned forward.

"Oh, God, you don't want to- I was just-"

"I don't care." He kissed him, so softly he could barely feel it, but just knowing he was there, knowing he hadn't screwed it up, knowing Ned liked him, it made his eyes stop hurting. He still felt sick, but it wasn't the hangover any more. He didn't even feel an urge to push it further. He was happy like this, a hand in his hair and one snaking up from his leg to his waist. Ned slowly pulled his mouth away, leaving their foreheads touching. "So... I just wanted you to know. It's fine." Sebastian nodded, lost for words. "Better than fine." He nodded again. "I think you need to go back to sleep." He didn't nod this time.

"No, but-"

"But nothing. I'll still be here later. Well, I'll be in my room, but I promise I won't go any further than that. Drink your coffee. Then drink some water. Come and find me later." He kissed him again, then took his coffee and left, smiling back at him as he closed the door. Sebastian jumped out of bed and brushed his teeth before climbing back under the covers. He didn't want to get caught off guard like that again.