Chapter 8

Without hesitation, Rex surged forward and smashed his lips to Noah's. He held still, humming his pleasure at being able to kiss Noah again. His hands came up and cupped the sides of Noah's head supporting it and shifting how he approached Noah's mouth. The difference in their heights changed in the way they had to kiss, but they adjusted quickly. The new angle had Noah's head tilting back so much more than he had months ago. It was an instant turn-on.

Noah had to steady himself by grabbing Rex's forearms. He was so big now that that was all Noah could reach from his limited position. A small moan escaped Noah's throat as gloved fingers dully scratched the short hairs behind his ears, the movement timed to the languid motion of Rex's lips. It was deliciously torturous how sensual it all was.

Oh, God, I've missed this.

His yearning for the feeling of Rex surrounding him, slowly engulfing him, and quickly driving him wild was alive and well. The temptation to lose himself in the lovely sensations of Rex -of him- of Rex and him together- was intoxicating. It was so damn easy to want this.

And, wow, he wanted this.

He wanted.

He needed...to stop this.

With a gasp, Noah broke the kiss, gulping for air. He didn't move. Mostly, because he couldn't. Rex still had a firm hold on his head. His covered fingers continued lightly scratching his scalp. It may not have felt as incredible as when Rex used his bare nails, but it was still causing Noah's brain to short-circuit. He placed his hands over Rex's, silently requesting that he stop. He stared into Rex's half-lidded eyes, breathing on his face. Each inhalation of air was filled with the scent of sweat, smoke, and sunshine. It was so essentially Rex Noah couldn't stand it.

Rex's eyes were shining with excitement. The craving for more was clear in his happy and crooked grin before he moved to kiss him again.

Noah jerked his head back as much as he could, rebuffing his attempt. "Stop," he said firmly.

"I should, but I'm too riled up. I want you," he groaned leaning in again. Then he froze as if saying the words out loud had shocked him back to his senses. With a shuddering breath, he placed a soft kiss on Noah's temple before resting his forehead against Noah's.

"Sorry," he said, his voice gruff and heavy with fading desire.

In a blink he released Noah. His grin was gone when he backed away. Without saying another word Rex headed straight to the end of the suite to the bathroom.

The incessant pull to be near him had Noah stepping forward to follow him, to reassure Rex that he was forgiven, that Noah shared the blame for the kiss and for wanting so much more. But Noah let him go. Moments later he heard rushing water. It sounded too heavy to be coming from the sink so he concluded Rex had started the shower.

Well, alrighty then.

Noah used the unexpected alone time to calm down. He berated himself for getting swept up in Rex. Being here was too welcoming, too familiar. They used to be incredibly overstimulated when they returned from missions. They would spend hours devouring each other, chasing their orgasms before the adrenaline wore off.

He jumped when he heard a yelp coming from the bathroom. Had Rex just gotten off? His brain supplied him with vivid depictions of Rex doing just that in the shower, most of which were pulled from memory more than his imagination. But the lack of steam from under the bathroom door meant it was probably a cold shower and that Rex wasn't getting the relief he wanted.

The poor guy must be freaking out about right now. Noah groaned. How was it that everything spiraled so badly every time they were together? It was like he was running a race where hurdles spawned just as he set a winning pace.

How many more times could he crash into those hurdles before he completely lost the race?

Only hours ago, his main concern was that Rex might not want him here in the first place. They had broken each other's hearts and have had only sporadic contact over these last few months where neither of them brought up the subject even once. Reading their text chat after that morning it was difficult to believe they'd ever gotten involved.

Yet, they had just demonstrated they were still very much into each other.

Holy shit, Rex wanted him.

But...didn't Noah already know that? Their last in-person conversation had been Rex stating that he wanted to be an official couple. He hated how good it felt to still be desired by Rex and how nice it was to know they were still highly compatible. But their desire and compatibility had never really been the problem.

Noah would be leaving. Again. In just a few days. If they gave in to their passions they would just be repeating things. Only it would feel worse because it would end sooner.

He wanted to quiet his buzzing thrum of thoughts by calling Bash back but then he remembered Rex had his phone and it was probably with him when he went into the bathroom.

The thought of going into the bathroom to retrieve his phone turned into wild thoughts of joining Rex in the shower. Noah shook his head, rejecting the idea. That would be counteractive to the reason why Noah wanted his phone and for Rex's impromptu shower.

Instead, Noah toured the familiar room, taking in the new additions as he thought about how he should approach things next. It was hard not to wince at the state of the place. The room was as messy as ever—stacks of comic books dotted the floor next to chip and candy wrappers and half-empty bottles of water. Rex had rarely needed to prioritize cleanliness when he was younger. Providence hadn't allowed him to have many possessions so he never had to learn how to maintain his bedroom.

When Noah first met him Rex's suite held nothing more than a nook cut out of one wall for his bed and TV that sat on the bare floor. He remembered thinking that it resembled a forgotten storage closet than it did a teenage boy's bedroom. Even Bobo's side of the room had more personality to it and it was nothing more than two twisted metal towers with a hammock tied between them.

At Noah's instigation, Rex started decorating the austere room. Discovering what appealed to Rex had been a lot of fun. It didn't take long for the room to transform into something that closely matched his personality. However, the lack of proper furniture left Rex with few options on how to display his things.

The once bare walls sported several movie posters Noah gifted him over the years. The TV now sat on a cheap stand, but at least it was off the floor. In front of the TV was an ugly brown loveseat they had salvaged from a garage sale in Noah's neighborhood.

Noah made his way to the same loveseat in the middle of the room. He flopped down on the left side -once upon a time it was his side- and tried not to remember all the times and things he and Rex had done on it.

Rex's jacket hung over the armrest and Noah resisted the urge to pick it up and fold it correctly. Having lived in a dorm that was a fraction of Rex's suite Noah quickly learned how easily a few misplaced items made the place look terrible. Noah was the kind of guy who needed to be in a clear, organized place for him to be comfortable. He closed his eyes and suppressed the need to clean. This was Rex's sanctuary, if he was fine living like this then Noah had to let it go.

"How can you live like this?"

"One day at a time," Rex had responded smoothly.

"This couch is covered in dirty clothes. It's disgusting."

"It's cozy," Rex had countered pulling Noah into his arms. "You're talking too much. Let's put that mouth to better use and you'll forget all about the room."

The suggestion in Rex's voice had Noah reacting just as Rex had wanted and his kisses ended the conversation.

God, there was no place that didn't hold some significant memories of their magical summer together. How had Rex survived being here day in and day out? They had made out and had sex on every surface in this room. Well, the only place that remained unspoiled was Bobo-Haha's updated artificial nest in the upper corner against the far wall. But even then they had taken advantage of the ropes that hooked along the walls for Bobo's use. It only happened once though, despite it being hot as hell having Rex hold his body weight as Noah pushed into him against the wall, the guilt of using the poor ape's mode of transport had put an end to that.

His attention was drawn towards the door as it clicked open and none other than Bobo-Haha entered the room, carrying a plastic grocery bag stuffed full of a variety of fresh fruits.

"Bo!" Noah exclaimed, genuinely happy to see Rex's partner in crime. "Hey-"

"-Is for horses. Do I look like a horse to you, Blondie?" Bobo's harsh words were tempered by his joking tone.

Noah laughed and pushed off the couch. "I wondered when we'd run into each other."

Bobo shrugged, apparently he didn't hold the same wonder.

"Would it be weird if we hugged?"

"Yeah, but I'll allow it," Bobo answered, and while he looked irritated at the request, his empty arm was already open in invitation.

"How magnanimous of you," Noah chuckled as he stepped in.

It was so strange receiving a half-hug from the ape. Bobo's fur was surprisingly soft for being so short, but he was still highly aware of how strong Bobo truly was. There was no mistaking that he was embracing a talking ape that could crush his ribs as easily as squeezing one of his oranges. He suppressed a shudder when Bobo patted his back in true bro code fashion indicating the hug was over.

"Thanks, kiddo," Bobo said, reaching for the nearest dangling rope. He transferred the bag of fruit to his left foot and made his way to his nest high in the air. Noah watched him expertly swing from rope to rope in silent fascination.

Noah regretted his grisly thoughts at the unusual warmth in Bobo's voice. It made him wonder how long it had been since Bobo had last been hugged. "Any time."

"I didn't mean for that. I ain't desperate for no hug," Bobo snorted in derision.

Noah's face went hot. "Oh, right. Of course."

Bobo clucked his tongue and seemed to take pity on Noah's confusion because he went on to explain himself. "'It's been a long time since the boy's taken a mission so seriously. He really took charge of things and executed the plan flawlessly and without complaint."

A bubble of pride began to swell inside Noah, not at himself, but for Rex. He knew that despite Rex's penchant for goofing off, he was leader material and would step up to any occasion when it came down to it. It was gratifying to hear evidence Rex was living up to his potential.

With a satisfied grunt, Bobo settled in his hammock and started digging in the bag of goodies. "I gotta say, it's scary how competent the Chief can be when properly motivated. I don't know how you did it, but whatever you're doing, keep doing it," he said.

And just like that the bubble of pride popped. Noah idly wondered how Bobo would react if he told him the exact nature of that proper motivation and that only minutes ago he had to put a definitive pin in that kind of behavior. He was saved from expounding on that idea as Rex emerged from the bathroom.

Oh, god. Rex was trying to kill him.

He hadn't tied the bathrobe well. It hung loose around his waist and barely kept Rex covered. He didn't even seem to care how close he was to exposing himself to them. His toned chest and legs were on display, and the glimpse of his thighs had Noah's heart thundering. He averted his eyes from the EVO hero. Inhaling deeply to steady himself he caught the comforting scent of Rex's favorite 3 in 1 body wash and his mouth filled with saliva. He swallowed thickly. Rex had to be testing him. The bastard.

"Yo, jackass," Bobo chided. "No one wants to see your junk. You're scaring our guy here." He bit into an orange and spat out the peel before continuing to use his fingers to unpeel the rest of the sweet fruit.

"I doubt that. And you know half of my stuff doesn't fit right anymore," Rex shot back. "Besides I only come out to get clothes."

The fresh, citrusy scent of oranges added mixed in the air as Noah turned to watch. One of the coolest things about Rex's room was the storage. Rex had loved Noah's awed reaction when he pressed on what Noah first thought was a random spot on the wall only for a drawer to pop out. His entire wardrobe was like that. Hidden in the walls. Noah never tired of seeing it in action. He regretted it a second later as Rex bent over in search of something to wear.

Noah nearly swallowed his tongue. The robe had ridden up in the back offering Noah a hint of Rex's plump backside.

"Goddamn," he breathed.

Rex looked over his shoulder at Noah's comment. His look of surprise turned into a thrilled shit-eating grin on his stupidly handsome face. He may not have meant to tease Noah when he came out of the bathroom, but he wasn't hiding the fact that Noah's reaction had pleased him. Noah pretended to study the art tacked onto the walls while Rex shuffled around. He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when Rex returned to the bathroom.

"Don't mind him, Blondie," Bobo encouraged. "He's been insufferable since his height kicked in. Thinks he's hot stuff now and not the dumb kid he's always been."

Noah chuckled at the attempt to assure him. If only Rex knew how recently Bobo was singing his praises. Noah crossed his arms over his chest and stared up at Bobo. "Oh, dumb is he? Really?" he asked incredulously.

Bobo grunted a warning down at him and Noah laughed and raised his arm palacting him. He was well aware of the ape's tendency to throw food scraps when he was annoyed.

"How are things going here?"

Bobo meant between Rex and himself.

Noah wasn't sure how to answer him. "He ran away from me when he saw me at the hospital. Thanks for sending him by the way."

"No kidding?" Bobo tilted his head back and laughed a great big guffaw that caught Noah off guard.

"It's not that funny."

"Oh, yes, it is."

"Looks like you guys made up though."

"Yeah," Noah sighed looking towards the bathroom as Rex reemerged. He blinked when he noticed Rex was wearing one of his shirts. It was an old favorite: olive green with a white stripe across the chest. He practically wore it every day during his high school freshman year. How had he gotten it? He realized it was one of the few shirts left behind at his parent's house. Noah had mixed emotions about how to feel about Rex raiding his closet. A part of him knew he ought to feel violated at the lack of privacy but he couldn't feel anything but delighted over it. But he wears it better than me, dammit, he thought.

Until recently, Noah had been a long-time fan of the oversized look. But seeing Rex in his clothes he couldn't deny that Sebastian had been right about the appeal to things being well-fitted.

"Nice shirt."

"Huh?" Rex said looking down at his chest and his cheeks darkened as he realized what he was wearing. "Oh, right. Sorry. Your mother said it would be okay."

Noah waved off his apology. "She's right. It's fine. You look good. I mean, it suits you much better than it ever did me," Noah rambled, his own blush heating up his face.

"Ah, so that's how it is," Bobo said cryptically.

Both boys looked up to the ape's habitat. "What?" They said in unison and their eyes locked as they chuckled at the twinning.

"Nothing."

Confused silence reigned in the room. They desperately needed a topic change. Despite having a pretty good inkling already, he asked Rex how the mission went.

"It was a piece of cake," Rex said enthused, grabbing onto the subject with gusto. "It would've gone better if you'd been there though," he added absently running his hair with the towel. Noah cringed as he watched Rex scrub the hell out of his hair.

"Hey, Chief," Bobo-Haha's voice cut through the room. His hand was over his ear and his gaze had the blank look that those who were listening to someone talking to them through an earpiece had.

Noah and Rex zeroed in on Bobo's urgency.

A grin so wide and sincere it was startling spread across his face. Noah knew exactly what Bobo was going to say. "He's awake."

There was no need to ask who he meant.

"He's asking for you."

Noah and Rex locked eyes, and in unison, they headed for the door and for the second time that day Noah raced after Rex in the hospital wing.

I've become fond of writing Bobo and Noah.

Yay, Six is awake!

I meant to post this on Friday, but a severe cold has been kicking my butt all week and I haven't felt well enough to work on this chapter. I'm going to work overtime to get the next chapter out this week.