Even Better

Even Better

Summary: Seventeen, single, and weirder than pretty much all of the general population, gay boy Lucas is at a loss to finding any luck in his life at all. After bad thing after bad thing happens to him, he’s come to the point of fighting off his inner demons and attempting to go with the flow. It’s hard when the only things that happen to you are unlucky. Is his luck finally changing when he meets a young new transfer student from France? Who also happens to like men?

Chapter Two – She Said Something About Silver Umbrellas

Loud acid jazz and funk echoed through my apartment as I cleaned it up—Mopping, dusting, wiping down counters and windows…All of it. My neighbors had long since grown used to my loud music—I played it mainly when I cleaned.

I’d awoken and been unable to fall back to sleep, causing my cleaning routine to start up early. Which probably bugged the people all around me most likely being awakened by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies at 6 AM. Lazy bastards! Just because it was a Saturday didn’t mean that they should waste away their lives sleeping! (Not that sleeping is bad; it’s oversleeping that is.) Live a little!

I dunked the mop into the soapy water one last time before I finished up. I was done about two hours earlier than usual. I might as well go shopping early.

I slid into my shoes at the door, adjusting the suspenders on my odd outfit of the day, only pausing to turn off Zoot Suit Riot. I stretched and yawned, a little on the lacking side of sleep, and jogged down the steps to go shopping. It was ten in the morning—People had finally begun to awaken. I rolled my eyes at myself and stopped at a little local coffee shop, grabbing some caffeine to get myself going, then taking a shortcut through the back alleys to the health food store I shopped at.

After crashing over a pile of cans, running over my own foot with a cart, and after a half hour search FINALLY finding the shampoo I’d wanted, I made my way home.

I dumped the two bags of items onto my counter unceremoniously, staring at them a moment before giving in and beginning to put them away.

Odd Japanese music suddenly struck up in the now silent apartment and I jumped, running across the apartment to my room and digging around in my bed to find my cell phone, the source of the noise. Did I make an innuendo there?

“Uh…hello?” I asked after realizing that I didn’t know anyone and didn’t know anyone who would be calling me.

“Hello, my name is Susie and I’m calling to offer to you this great deal.”

I made a dumbfounded expression and attempted to mentally project it to Susie. I don’t think it worked. Have you ever noticed that if you change two of the letters in Susie you get sushi? Hurrr. I amuse myself.

“Um. Okay?”

“Yes, in a simple bargain of twenty dollars, we can get you to make her moan like she never has before!”

“Kaythanksbye.” I instantly hung up and blocked the number. I secretly wondered what she did if the person picking up turned out to be a woman. What would Susie do?

I made another funny. That isn’t funny. Except to me. So it’s a funny.

I gnawed on my lip as I walked back to the kitchen, finishing putting things away.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap.

Pause.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap.

“AAAAUGH!”

I yanked on my hair haphazardly as I paced, awaiting six o’clock with impatient anticipation. Ring the bell. RingitringitringitringitringitRINGIT!

I looked down at my attire once more. I’d kept on my black suspenders, but I’d changed to a pair of comfortable black slacks and a button-up black shirt. I’d also put on a black tie. For kicks. I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror again, starting to fiddle with my slightly messy hair once again, attempting to attain perfection. I ground my teeth together and looked at the clock. 5:59. I started chewing on my lip then made myself stop, not wanting to tear them up. Just incase some hot French boy decided he wanted to french. Dammit Luke!

I slapped myself, regretted it due to the red mark that appeared, and looked the clock again. Still 5:59.

I started pacing again, most likely now bothering the neighbor below me. I don’t think my neighbors like me very much.

I glanced at the clock. 6:01.

Ohgodohgodheisn’tcominghechangedhismindanddoesn’tlikemeohg—

I suddenly heard a knock on the door and sharply turned my head to it, hearing a pop in my neck. I stifled an ‘ow’ and brushed my pants off, walking calmly to the door while my mind started to panic. Shut up Edward Cullen. What do vampires know?

…Don’t know where that one came from.

I slowly reached towards the handle, opening the door. Oh sweet chocolate covered mountain bike handlebars, he’s hot.

Tristan stood in his glory before me, tall and sexy. As usual. But even MOAR.

His hair was pulled back into a ponytail on the back of his head, hanging down his back. A few shorter locks of his bangs hung around his face, framing the tanned skin. He wore a pair of black pants similar to mine, and a dark grey, short-sleeved button-up shirt, top few buttons unbuttoned to tease you with a warmly tanned collarbone and top of his chest, which I imagined to be very muscular. Like his arms.

“Hello Luke,” he said, and I swooned at his voice.

“H-Hi Tr-Tristan,” I replied shakily, realizing my hands were shaking almost uncontrollably.

“Are you ready to go?” He stood to the side, gesturing for me to go ahead in front of him.

“Oh, yeah,” I said, blushing and closing the door behind me, locking it up. I started down the hall, him following me.

“So since theatres don’t show old movies,” he said, breaking the silence as we went down the stairs to the street. “I’m going to take you out for Japanese, and then watch an old movie at where I’m staying.”

“Th-That sounds fantastic,” I said, smiling lightly as he held the door open for me. “Where are you staying?”

“There’s a couple that have a daughter that goes to the school,” he said, “And they are letting me stay in a spare room at their home.”

“Oh,” I said. I stood kind of awkwardly as he unlocked a simple car and opened the passenger’s door for me. “Is this your car?” I asked as I slid in, him closing the door and walking to the other side.

“No, they are letting me borrow it,” he said, smiling at me. He started it up and pulled off, his driving skills good. We drove in silence for a few moments before he reached over and clicked on the CD player. “Any requests?” he asked.

“Any…Evanescence?” I asked, requesting my favorite band.

“They might have some,” he replied, shrugging and gesturing to the CD case. I shuffled through it, grinning when I found The Open Door. I popped it in and asked him permission with a look to crank it. He laughed lightly and gestured with a hand. I grinned widely and I turned the knob a long ways.

“They have good taste in music!” I yelled over the music as I flipped through their expansive collections of CD’s. He glanced over at me and then chuckled as he turned his gaze back to the road. I turned a light shade of red.

After a relatively short drive, we pulled to a stop outside of a small Japanese restaurant I’d never been to. I turned down the music before he killed the engine, so I wouldn’t blast myself out when we turned it back on. Tristan walked around to the passenger’s side before I could get it myself and opened it for me.

I thanked him quietly and stepped up to the restaurant, viewing it while he locked up the car. It was a cozy little place, with a name in Japanese, and I figured that the owners had probably moved from Japan. It was small but comfortable.

I was startled slightly when I felt a hand rest on my low back, and I swung my gaze around, looking at Tristan, who was sporting a large smile. “Shall we?” I blushed and nodded, and he slid his hand up my back a little, causing a slight shiver to ricochet down my spine. I walked forward, letting him partially lead me with the hand on my back. He opened the door for me and a waitress led us to a table.

“Get whatever you want,” Tristan said, not picking up the menu but propping his elbows up on the table and lacing his fingers, resting his chin on his hands. “My treat.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

I smiled lightly and glanced down at the menu just as the waitress came to get drink orders. We agreed on hot jasmine tea and when she brought it I ordered a dragon roll, Tristan Tokyo-style ramen.

“I have to thank you very much for this,” I said, smiling over the table at him as he sipped at the jasmine tea. I wished to be that jasmine tea. Very much.

“It’s not a problem. When do your parents want you home?”

“Uhh...oh. My parents are dead,” I said quietly, glancing to the side.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, and reached across with his hand to lay it on mine softly.

“Heh, don’t be,” I said with a smile, laying my other hand across his. “It’s no fault of yours.”

He smiled and was quiet for a moment. “So who do you live with?”

“I live alone,” I replied. “I used to live with some distant relatives, but they kicked me out two years ago and I’ve been keeping up my rent and the like with a job I’ve got.”

“Oh? Before I came here for my final year, I lived with my father in Northern France, in a small fishing town.” He chuckled. “My mother is somewhere in Germany. I’ve not heard from her in a few years. She has a new husband.”

“Ah,” I said, nodding once. “And your father didn’t mind you coming here for your last year?”

“He was a little opposed to it at first,” Tristan said with a shrug, “But after a little persuasion he changed his mind.” He looked up from his gaze at the table, locking eyes with mine. “I’m glad he did.”

I blushed but found it impossible to tear my gaze away from those beautiful chocolate eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the approach of the waitress. She laid the dragon roll in front of me and the bowl in front of Tristan. “Thank you!” I said with a smile. “My compliments to the chef.”

She giggled lightly. “I’ll let him know. Anything else you need?”

“No, we’re fine,” Tristan said, appearing to have never taken his gaze from me, his thumb still stroking along the skin of the first joint of my pointer finger. “Thank you.”

She giggled again, smiling and brushing a lock of red hair from her eyes. “Anytime.” She turned and walked away to serve another table.

Tristan finally released his hold on me so we could eat. I snapped open the chopsticks and said a small ‘itadakimasu’ under my breath, picking up a bit of the unagi and avocado sushi and biting into it. “It’s very good,” I said to no one in particular. Tristan hmm’ed, enjoying his ramen.

The meal went by mostly in silence, and I spent a large portion of it in my brain, telling the little perverted voice in the back of it to shut up.

Oooh, look at how he’s eating that noooodle…

SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Before I could even glance at the bill once the girl dropped it off at the table, Tristan had snatched it up and was giving me a wide grin. I pouted slightly but for the most part it went ignored. I sighed and dejectedly finished up the tea as he paid the waitress with cash.

“Thank you for coming!” the girl called as we left. I waved and smiled before disappearing out the door with Tristan.

“Oh hey, it’s raining,” I said, bringing my hand up in the air to let the fat drops of waterfall on it. “It was cloudy yesterday and today…I should’ve seen it coming.”

“I like the rain,” Tristan said. “Even though we get it a lot, living next to the sea, I’ve always loved it.” He smiled at me, his hair getting drenched and hanging in his face. I blushed as the perverted voice started going off on a tangent and Tristan grinned, grabbing my hand and pulling me flush up against his chest. He seemed to tower over me, though he couldn’t be but a few inches taller. My face, ears, and neck entirely caught fire, and I hoped he wouldn’t notice in the dark light. His hands encircled my low back, mine pinned against his chest. He chuckled and loosened his hold for a moment so that I might free my hands. Once freed, I didn’t know what to do with them.

I heard him laugh again and flushed with embarrassment this time. He took one of his hands and led mine to encircle his back. I carefully traced his shoulder blades and the strong muscles beneath them. He leaned down slowly, until his forehead was touching mine. Our warm breath mingled in the cool air, and I leaned up a bit, closing the gap.

It was a short-lived kiss, but a very enjoyable one. The slightly tangy taste of the ramen still hung in his mouth slightly, and I imagined that he tasted sushi.

That was an odd thought for the middle of a kiss.

Then again, there was this story someone once told me about while kissing she thought of this Arabian horse—Getting back on track now.

I slowly broke the kiss, and Tristan chased my lips a little without realizing, earning a chuckle from me this time. I gave him one more small kiss before releasing my hold on him. He smiled at me and pulled me to the car, opening the door for me.

“Will the owner of this car care that I get it all wet?” Innuendos again, you notty boy you.

SHUT UP!

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” Tristan said, laughing. “If she did beforehand, she won’t once meeting you. You’re too cute to say no to.” I blushed as he started up the car, and we left the volume lower this time.

We drove for a while this time, small talk going back and forth. I noticed as we started leaving the poorer, small apartment, close together parts of the city, hitting the big, rich suburbs. With big, rich people houses. The kind of places where I really don’t fit in.

We pulled to a stop in front of a very large house. It appeared to be three stories, and probably had a big basement. The front yard wasn’t all that large, which could only mean the back yard was humongous. It was maroon with white trim, and had large trees around it, providing a small bit (Though not really much at all) inconspicuousness, and obviously a lot of shade. Tristan had opened the door while I was gawking and I stepped onto the wet sidewalk, still getting rained on. Tristan led me quickly to the front door, opening it. I slid out of my shoes in custom, and stood on the tile, dripping water. “Uh…can I have a towel?” I asked after a moment.

“Sure, I’ll be right back.” Tristan disappeared down the front hall and I stood there awkwardly, in some person I didn’t know’s house. I heard footsteps approaching, and figured it was Tristan. I was about to say something to him when the person who’d been walking appeared. Nope, definitely not Tristan.

She’d come down some stairs at the end of the hall to my right, and I remembered that Tristan had not gone up that way. She had long, platinum blonde straight hair, pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were grey, and she looked unnaturally tan. Her yellow tank top was too low-cut, and her pink shorts too short.

“Um…who are you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m Luke. Who are you?”

“Natasha.” We stood there for a moment in awkward silence before she hmm’ed and disappeared down the hall that Tristan had. Speak of the devil.

“I met Natasha,” I said as Tristan approached me and dropped the towel on my head, ruffling it in my hair a little. He made no comment except for a trademark chuckle at my statement. I batted at his hands lightly, pulling away and toweling myself off.

Don’t say anything, perverted voice.

Oh sorry, I was too busy picturing Tristan naked to make an innuendo.

I blushed and smacked myself, earning an odd look from Tristan, though I appreciated the fact that he didn’t make a comment on it. As he usually didn’t. Which was nice.

I attempted to dry my slacks off, and finally gave up, jutting my lip out and standing helplessly.

“Wanna borrow some clothes?” Tristan asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.

“Um…that would be nice,” I said. He laughed and pulled me down the hall, up some stairs, down another hall, and into a room, which I guessed to be his. Most of the stuff inside I guessed not to be his. What I figured as his was just a guitar case on a stand in the corner, a small pile of books by his bed, schoolwork, and a few items on the dresser. And clothes, obviously.

“Borrow whatever you need,” he said, gesturing to the drawers. “I’ll wait outside.” I realized as he left and I started at his ass that he’d changed clothes already, which was why he’d taken a longer time than I’d expected.

He closed the door and I went to the dresser, opening the drawers and locating some jeans, too big on me, and a simple black shirt, too big on me. Once I’d stripped I realized that my boxers were drenched too.

I blushed wildly but decided that wet boxers and jeans did not go well, nor did bare with jeans. I glanced at the door and opened a top drawer, finding what I’d needed.

This isn’t awkward, the sarcastic voice started up as I pulled off my own and put on a pair of his. I muttered irritably to myself as I then yanked on the jeans and the shirt, looking around to locate a belt so I might keep the jeans on my hips.

I emerged from the room shyly, glancing down the hall before feeling a tap on my shoulder. I spun and found Tristan on the other side of me, smirking. He’d been leaning against the wall next to the door, and I’d looked the wrong way.

“Um…I kinda had to borrow…everything,” I said, blushing a flaming red and averting my gaze from those beautiful brown eyes.

He chuckled lightly, ruffling my damp hair slightly. “It’s no problem. I’ll introduce you to the family letting me stay here and then we can watch the movie I picked out. I figured you would like it.” He smiled widely and I felt my heart flutter.

“Sure,” I replied softly, and he grabbed my wrist, leading me down the hall and giving a confusing tour. It all got jumbled together in my head after the front hallway anyway.

We finally ended up in what looked like a kitchen, but I figured it to be too large to actually be one so therefore stayed in denial. Two adults were sitting across from each other at a humongous dining table.

“Excuse me?” Tristan said, and I clung onto his every word with the amazing accent with impatience for his next words. “This is Luke. Luke, these two are Marybeth and Ben, who are graciously letting me stay here.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“I’m glad that Tristan already found someone to hang out with,” Marybeth said with a smile, nodding at the two of us. “He’s only been here a week.”

I nodded, and the three had a short conversation for a moment that I spaced out on. “Lucas?” I snapped back into focus at the sound of Tristan’s voice, blinking owlishly. “Huh?”

“Time for the movie,” he replied with a grin, pulling my arm again and into another room. And then another one. And another. It went on like this for a few more rooms until we stopped in a large room.

It had a giant couch, the kind that kind of swallows you up when you sit on it, and a loveseat just like it. Tristan went over to the big screen TV and started fiddling with things, putting a movie in and hiding the case so that I couldn’t see it.

I stood there awkwardly until he turned around and noticed me. He rolled his eyes and grabbed me, pulling me over to the loveseat and straight onto his lap.

He locked his arms around my middle before I could protest or escape, holding me tightly. I made a few weak comments about it, but he ignored me and started the movie.

Casa Blanca…I thought, feeling heat rise in my face and the strange twist in my stomach. He couldn’t have picked a better movie. I finally gave up on retaliation and cuddled into him, his strong arms no longer a cage but a sanctuary. I brought my knees up and sort of curled into a ball, taking in all his warmth. He hugged me closer and kissed my temple as the movie started up.

I gnawed on my lip as I snuck glances at him. He caught me once and raised an eyebrow, getting a blush and a sharp glance away in return. I felt more than heard his chuckle, his strong chest behind my back.

I breathed in his scent with relish, only half paying attention to the movie. The mingling scents of coffee and chocolate teased my senses, and I also noticed a small hint of some sort of spice. I wondered how he’d managed to smell so damn good. I felt his pulse and breathed in rhythm with his breaths.

Bliss is the word to describe it.

“Be safe.”

I laughed lightly and leaned forwards towards Tristan, laying a gentle kiss on his lips through the car window. “Thank you for a fantastic evening,” I muttered quietly. He smiled at me and watched until I was in the door of the apartment building. I glanced back out the window just in time to watch him drive off, and a triumphant grin snuck its way onto my face.

Bliss.

Chapter twooo!

I spent half of this listening to Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, and the other half to Pendulum. And thanks to all my reviewers! It’s a great support system.

These rice crispy treats are sooo good. They’re really bad for me, but they taste marvelous. Can…not…resist!

I’ll write to all of you naow. Teehee.

Darkest Lights: Lucas is the most adorable thing to hit the Earth, innit’e? I just wanna hug him to death. Or not. ‘Cause if he was dead he wouldn’t be very cute anymore.

crimson-reverie: Why thankee mah dear! I try to write…uh…well. And I attempt to be funny. I guess it worked? And THERE! You’ve got Saturday. And I’m not sure I did a good job. But whatever. LOOKPANCAKES!

She Crys With No Way out: That could be an innuendo. But let’s not go there.

Yes, Lucas has a very strange brain. Similar to mine. Only more mellow. ‘Nuff said.

Qzz: Luke can be a funny gai.

Blackoblivion13: Well apparently Tristan wants him, saying as they were snogging. Well, I suppose it didn’t really count as a snogfest yet. But there will be one. There will. And thankee! He’s just had some bad luck in his life. Which is a big part of the story. Luck, that is.

I’ll update this soon enough! That’s a knee slapper!