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There was a calmness to the silence on the drive home. Miles sat in the passenger seat with the memory of the day as it filled and flooded his mind, from the whispered news throughout the halls of Everett Industries to the sweet moments with Hunter after the storm had blown over.
“Are you sure about this?” Miles has told him as they both watched the numbers on Hunter’s computer- bars and rapidly spiking lines that made no sense to a pre-med student. “You know it doesn’t have to be like this- it can all be silent.”
Hunter hadn’t taken his chin or spoke to him sternly then, he just muttered, “No. This is what I want.”
And Miles has agreed. And so the afternoon had been perfect. They sorted through files in tandem and hummed harmonies as they worked. Hunter recounted stories from his past assistants and Miles told ones of old girlfriends. And when the work was as done as they pretended it was, Miles climbed into Hunter’s lap and let himself be surrounded by such unattainable happiness. And neither of them minded when Fiona barged in, content to giggle between themselves and seal everything with overdue kisses.
It felt like some sick fantasy of Miles’s that had manifested itself. There he had been, spending a cozy afternoon splitting work with Hunter and letting minutes pass by as he memorized the lines and colors in those deep eyes. And all at once it had dawned on him just how different Hunter was behind all of the low demands and looming glances through glass office doors. Everything they had said about him was a shallow cut on the surface of who he was- Miles saw it then, inches away from those kind eyes and that wrinkled brow.
Now they sat in the car, the quiet settling after an afternoon of storytelling and hushed laughter. But there was no tension in the lack of noise- in fact, Miles could feel something intimate about the way they let one another decompress.
Instead of watching the glowing cityscape out of the window, Miles let his eyes drift to the side, where he lay his head slowly against the headrest to observe the near-stranger beside him. Hunter. His boyfriend. The man who had jeopardized his company for him. The man who had fought for him time and time again. The one who had held him in the dark and whispered assurances as he gasped for air in a room too small for comfort.
“I got you something,” Hunter said so softly that Miles wouldn’t have heard it if not for how carefully he was watching him.
“Hmm? For me?”
“Yeah. It’s in the backseat if- if you want it.” He stumbled over his words with a quick glance down to Miles, who was still staring at him with quiet wonder.
Miles reached blindly behind him into the backseat, sweeping his hand back and forth until he felt a small box. He pulled it into his lap with a disbelieving laugh as he saw the perfectly-tied tulle ribbon.
“A cupcake?”
“You don’t have to have it,” Hunter rushed to say, eyes not leaving the road. “It just made me think of you.”
“Of me with icing all over my chest and face?”
“You don’t have to have it, Miles.”
“No, no, I want it.”
Miles carefully picked it up out of the box and found a chilled chantilly cupcake with a beautiful display of several colorful fruits in the shape of a flower. Miles broke off a chunk with a blueberry and held it out to Hunter.
Hunter let his eyes leave the road again, and this time when he looked at Miles there was something unreadable there. The eyes that so often intimidated Miles were shining with the twinkle of far-off buildings and lamplights, with all the candor of a desperate lover. It took everything in Miles to keep the piece of cupcake steady and hold that stare as Hunter leaned down and ate it from his fingers.
“It’s good. I did a good job,” Hunter joked, but the fondness in his expression stayed everpresent.
Miles took a bite of his piece, crumbs catching on his chin and strawberries tumbling back into the box as he hummed around the rich icing. Even Hunter’s cupcakes felt expensive.
“It is. Thank you, Hunter, really.”
He simply smiled and whispered back, “Of course.”
The drive back to Hunter’s home, where he had insisted Miles stay with him for the night, wasn’t much further after they finished the cupcake bit by bit. Miles could’ve sworn they passed gates with codes and camera-guarded driveways, but he had begun to drift off as Hunter rounded the corner to his house.
When the car finally shut off and Miles heard the rattling of Hunter’s keys, he could hardly pry his eyes open to see where they were. He hadn’t realized how tiring the past couple of weeks had been, until it all settled and Hunter had promised him that they were safe. Now, all the weight of so many days spent with secrets crashed into him in a wave of exhaustion.
“C’mon, Miles, we’re here,” the sweet voice said near his ear.
“Hmm,” Miles simply grumbled in response, not shifting a single inch. He could fall asleep right here if it wasn’t for how badly he craved to be near Hunter.
“God, you big baby,” Hunter huffed and suddenly Miles felt scooping hands underneath him as he pulled Miles up and cradled him close to his chest.
Miles turned in towards his chest and let his eyes fall even tighter as sleep threatened to take over. He could dream right here in Hunter’s arms if he needed to- he had no fear about his safety like this, completely yielding to him at his most weary.
When Miles felt his back hit the satin of a luxurious king bed instead of the cotton of a much smaller guest room, he stirred to face Hunter who was watching him carefully, eyes darting back and forth across his face with curiosity.
“I don’t have to sleep in here. I know we just started this whole thing and I know we, well, slept together the other day but I don’t want you to think this is required. I can sleep in a guest room.”
“Miles.”
“I’m serious, don’t compromise your bed for me. I mean, we’re practically still strangers.”
“Miles.”
“Oh god, Hunter, I have to leave. I can’t believe I agreed to come here like this. You don’t have to, like, take care of me or anything-”
“Miles.”
His voice was louder, but not stern. The gentleness in and of itself was more unsettling than any of his commands ever had been. Miles was nothing less than entranced by the man sitting back on the headboard before him.
“I asked you to come here because I wanted to spend the night with you. Not take care of you or tend to you, unless you tell me that’s what you want. I just wanted you here with me tonight, that’s all.”
“I don’t know if I can.. I mean, I’m too tired tonight to-”
Hunter's expression remained blank, until he caught on and leaned forward to grab Miles’s hand with a gentle squeeze.
“No, I don’t need that. I don’t need anything. You tell me what you want and it will be. I just want you to stay.”
Miles couldn’t stop the lazy smile that stole his mouth, “I just want you. Here. Tonight. Just to lay with me.”
And so it was. Hunter pulled him down into layers of fresh-scented sheets and downy pillows that molded to fit their heads as they burrowed into one another. After stripping their shirts to combat the heat, Miles sleepily listened to Hunter’s endless thoughts, humming and nodding where he felt fit. Hunter didn’t seem to mind, with a steady hand running through Miles’s curls as he whispered on and on.
And as sleep overtook him, Hunter’s words a slow, melodic lullaby, he realized just how peaceful the waves of him felt after so much time lost at sea.