Chase slowly pulled away, and the cool air brushed across Nick's face where Chase's hand had been. Nick shifted against the warm shingles, taking a slow breath as he tried to settle his heartbeat.
For a few seconds, they stayed where they were, close enough that Nick could still feel the warmth of Chase's body beside him despite the cool night air settling across the roof. His own breathing came unevenly, and he became suddenly aware of how loud it sounded in the quiet. The party below seemed impossibly far away now, reduced to a dull pulse of bass beneath the shingles and the occasional burst of laughter drifting up from the backyard.
Chase exhaled and shifted backward, running a hand through his hair as he settled onto the roof again. He stretched his legs out in front of him and picked up his beer, taking a long drink before lowering the can against his knee.
He didn't look at Nick. Instead, his eyes moved toward the campus.
Nick watched him for a moment, unsure what he was supposed to do with the sudden space between them. A few minutes ago, they'd been laughing about some ridiculous story and now neither of them seemed to have any idea what came next.
Nick turned his attention toward the view.
From up here, the university looked almost peaceful. The paths between the buildings were mostly empty, illuminated by scattered pools of yellow light from the streetlamps. The buildings were scattered across the dark landscape, their windows glowing in uneven patches., and the clock tower rose above the trees in the distance, its dark outline cutting into the cloudless sky. Somewhere across campus, a car moved slowly along the road, headlights cutting through the trees before disappearing around a corner.
Chase took another drink.
It was strange. Downstairs, Chase had seemed like the kind of person who could walk into any room and immediately own it. He knew everyone. He made strangers laugh. People called his name from across the house. He'd barely been able to stand still for more than a few seconds before someone else pulled him into another conversation.
Up here, he seemed almost like a different person.
Nick shifted slightly beneath him, the shingles scraping against the back of his shirt.
"So..."
Chase smiled faintly, but his eyes remained on campus.
"I'm thinking."
"That's dangerous."
That got a real laugh out of him.
Chase shook his head.
Nick picked up his beer and took a long drink.
His heart was still beating faster than it should have been.
He glanced sideways.
Chase was staring out over the campus, his profile illuminated faintly by the glow from the house below. Without the grin, without the constant jokes and easy confidence he'd worn downstairs, he looked younger and more uncertain.
Nick looked down at his beer.
"So..."
Chase glanced at him this time.
"What?"
"You always do that?"
A small smile appeared at the corner of Chase's mouth.
"Do what?"
"Disappear from your own party with random guys and climb onto your roof."
Chase laughed under his breath.
"Not usually."
"Good."
Nick let the word hang there for a moment.
Chase turned his beer slowly between his hands, his attention still fixed on the campus below. The silence returned, but it didn't feel quite as uncertain as before. At least, Nick didn't think it did. Maybe they were both just getting used to sitting next to each other without having to explain what had happened.
Nick looked over at him.
Chase's profile was still turned toward the view, his expression difficult to read in the faint light coming from the house. There was something almost strange about seeing him this quiet. Downstairs, Chase had seemed incapable of standing still long enough for a thought to catch up with him. Up here, he barely moved.
Nick hesitated before shifting closer.
It was barely noticeable at first, just a small movement across the shingles. Then another. He leaned toward Chase, unsure whether he was going to say something or do something else entirely, but before he could decide, Chase seemed to sense him and turned.
His eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing across his face as he found Nick much closer than he'd expected. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Up close, Chase's eyes were even more striking than Nick had realized downstairs. They were hazel, but the darkness made them seem deeper, the brown around his pupils blending into muted green toward the edges. The faint light from the house caught in them, giving them a soft golden color that Nick hadn't noticed before.
Nick let out a long, quiet breath, his gaze dropping briefly before returning to Chase's eyes. He could feel the hesitation between them, the same uncertainty that had been there the first time, only different now.
His eyes dropped and stopped at Chase's lips.
Nick noticed the faint curve of them, the way Chase seemed to part them slightly as he breathed. For a second, Nick simply looked at him, caught somewhere between thinking about what he was doing and deciding to stop thinking about it altogether.
Then he leaned in.
His lips met Chase's.
It was soft and unhurried, nothing like the noise and chaos waiting for them downstairs. Nick felt Chase go still for half a second before he relaxed into it, the hand holding his beer lowering toward his knee.
Nick barely had time to register the warmth of Chase's lips against his own before Chase shifted.
He turned his body toward Nick, one leg folding beneath him as he faced him fully. The movement brought them closer, their knees brushing against each other as Chase set his beer down beside him.
When he kissed Nick again, there was more certainty behind it.
Nick felt Chase's hand settle against the roof beside his hip as he leaned closer, closing the small space that had remained between them. The kiss deepened, still slow and careful, but no longer hesitant as they relaxed into the moment.
Nick's hand moved instinctively, catching lightly against Chase's shoulder.
The fabric of his tank top was warm beneath his palm.
Chase pulled back just enough to breathe, his forehead nearly brushing Nick's. Their eyes met for a brief second before Chase leaned in again.
This time, Nick was ready for him.
The kiss lasted longer, and Nick found himself forgetting about the party altogether. The music beneath them, the voices coming from the backyard, even the cool air around them seemed to fade into the background. All he could really focus on was Chase, the warmth of him beside him and the quiet rhythm of their breathing between kisses.
The kiss lasted longer, and Nick found himself forgetting about the party altogether. The music beneath them, the voices coming from the backyard, even the cool air around them seemed to fade into the background. All he could really focus on was Chase, the warmth of him beside him and the quiet rhythm of their breathing between kisses.
Chase shifted closer.
His knee pressed against Nick's thigh, the faded basketball shorts brushing against the denim of Nick's jeans. Nick could feel the heat coming off him despite the coolness of the roof, and when Chase's hand moved from the shingles beside his hip, Nick felt his fingers catch lightly against the hem of his cutoff shirt.
For a second, Chase hesitated.
His eyes flicked toward Nick's face, checking him.
Nick didn't move away.
Chase slipped his hand beneath the edge of the shirt.
His palm settled against Nick's side, warm against skin that had cooled in the night air. Nick drew in a quiet breath at the contact, his shoulders tightening instinctively before relaxing again. The touch was simple, almost tentative, but it made him suddenly aware of the difference between the broadness of his own shoulders beneath the worn cotton of his shirt, and Chase's leaner frame pressed close beside him.
Nick's hand remained on Chase's shoulder.
Up close, he could feel the definition beneath the thin white tank top, the firm line of his shoulder and the lean muscle running down his arm. Chase's skin was warm and faintly sun-touched, just as it had looked beneath the lights downstairs, but from this close Nick noticed details he'd missed before. A small faded mark near his shoulder. The slight roughness along his jaw. A few strands of brown hair falling loose from beneath the backward black cap.
Chase's hand moved slowly.
His palm slid upward along Nick's side against his skin, following the hard lines of muscle beneath his skin. His fingers traced over the ridges of Nick's abs, each movement unhurried, as though he were discovering the shape of him rather than simply touching him. Nick's stomach tightened beneath Chase's hand, the muscles responding instinctively as his palm moved higher.
Then Chase's hand reached his chest.
His fingers spread across the broad plane of muscle beneath Nick's shirt, feeling the solid weight of it. Nick had spent years building the body that people noticed first. The broad shoulders, thick arms, and defined chest that made even a simple fitted T-shirt look more deliberate than it was.
Chase ghosted over Nick’s right nipple, flicking it lightly and Nick felt his breath catch. A quiet hiss escaped him against Chase's lips before he could stop it.
Chase paused for half a second.
Nick opened his eyes.
Their faces were still close, Chase's hazel eyes searching his expression again. There was a question there, but Nick answered it by pulling him closer.
Chase smiled faintly against his lips.
His hand remained against Nick's chest as they kissed again, his fingers shifting slightly over the muscle. Nick could feel the steady pressure of Chase's palm and the warmth of his hand against his skin, each small movement making him more aware of just how close they were.
Nick's fingers tightened slightly against Chase's shoulder. The white tank top stretched beneath his hand as Chase leaned into him, revealing the lean definition of his upper body beneath the thin cotton. His frame was different from Nick's, narrower through the waist and less bulky through the chest.
The kiss grew more intense without either of them seeming to make a conscious decision to take it there. Chase's hand remained against Nick's chest as he leaned into him, and Nick's fingers curled more firmly against Chase's shoulder. Their breathing became less steady, the quiet rhythm they'd fallen into breaking apart as they moved closer together.
Chase finally pulled back just enough to catch his breath.
His eyes dropped to Nick's shirt.
Then back to his face.
Nick understood the question without either of them saying anything.
He nodded once.
Chase reached for the hem of the cutoff shirt, his fingers catching beneath the fabric at Nick's side. He paused again, giving Nick another moment to change his mind, but Nick lifted his arms slightly.
Chase pulled the shirt upward.
The fabric dragged briefly across Nick's back and shoulders before coming free, leaving his upper body exposed to the cool night air and his dark brown hair mussed and untidy. Nick immediately felt the difference. The warmth that had built beneath the shirt disappeared almost at once, replaced by a chill that raised goosebumps across his skin.
Years of lifting had left his shoulders broad and his chest solid, his stomach defined without being excessively lean. In the faint light spilling from the house, the contours of his upper body were more visible than they had been downstairs, the shadows emphasizing the lines of muscle across his chest and abdomen.
Chase looked at him for a moment.
Nick caught the look.
"What?"
Chase shook his head, a small smile appearing.
"Nothing, you're just hot as fuck, dude."
Nick laughed softly.
"Sure."
Chase tossed the shirt beside them on the roof.
Then he leaned in again.
The moment their lips met, Nick forgot about the cold.
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