"He's still home." Cloud murmured as he took Cole up the porch.

Cole was still dazed from Cloud's hot and sexy confession. He hadn't expected it to come out so enthralling. He hadn't even been able to get the scene out of his head. It was when the door opened he snapped: Cloud loves me. Oh my golly goodness, Cloud loves me!!

He couldn't stop the grin that crept up his face as Cloud introduced him to the family. He smiled at Cloud's really cute brother that ran up to him only to have Cloud pick him up in one quick swing.

"Hi, I'm Aaron. Cloud's father."

Cloud's dad was everything like him when it came to appearance. The only difference might be because he was older and had a goatee.

"Cloud, this is my brother-"

"Tom, hi." He smiled at him.

The kid grinned at him and then stretched out his hand to him. Cole chuckled and shook it saying, "This is very manly of you."

"I know. Derick says I should always be a gentleman to everyone." He smiled and Cole saw that he had lost a couple teeth. "When I grow up, I wanna be just like Derick."

"You will be, sport." Aaron smiled then reached over to take Tom from Cloud. When he had Tom comfortably in his arms, he said to Cloud and Cole, "I'm sorry but we can't stay."

"Why is that?" Cloud asked.

"Uh, Sierra called and she said she has got news for me. Pray she got a peep at my promotion slip."

"That rhymed." Tom cackled.

"Oh, okay. Does Tom have to come along?" He asked then turned to Cole briefly, "Can you please wait in the living room?"

He nodded, "Sure." He turned then walked into the open living room.

Cole flopped down of the couch and ran a hand through his hair. He had to calm down and think. Any minute from now Cloud would be wanting a response and Cole had no idea if he could handle that.

"They are gone. By the way, I told them you were staying the night." Cloud said as he entered and sat beside him. "Also, Sierra is my dad's coworker."

Cole's eyes widened when he heard a particular sentence he said. "I'm staying over?"

"Yup. Let's go to my room."

"Wait, hold up." Cole stopped him and he turned to look at him. "What on earth is happening? In fact what on earth was that at the restaurant?"

"What? I was admitting defeat on our argument."

"Yeah and then you kissed me, in front of everyone."

"Doesn't hurt to tell the world I love you."

And there he goes again, blatantly saying the word like it was an easy thing to do.

"And on the train?" He crossed his arms. "What is with you and public display of affection?" Cole could still feel the heat of his hands on his from when they had gotten off the train. He frowned and added, "I thought you hated coming out?"

"I did and look what it cost me." Cloud was frowning at him, obviously angered by his words and that made Cole shiver with fear for a second until he understood what he was trying to say. "I lost my last boyfriend because I was scared. You have no idea how much it had hurt me then.

"He did everything he possibly could to show how much he loved me but the moment he tried to kiss me in public, I punched him right in the nose. He forgave me the first time I did it but I kept doing it. I kept punching him or hitting for every sweet gesture he did in public and then he was out of my life. And like that he was gone. He even moved out of town."

Somewhere in the confession, Cloud's voice broke and Cole knew that he was defenseless. But when Cole was about to apologize, his hard gaze came back and he froze solid. "So you see why I do the things I do? He just wanted to be able to call me his in front of everyone. That is what it is like to love someone and telling the world means you are proud of it.

"I am proud to be with you Cole, that is why I want the world to know." He came close to him and clasped his hands with his then rose it between them, "I love you, Cole."

Cole couldn't stop the tears that welled up in his eyes from embarrassing him. He tried to blink it away but Cloud wiped it off as Cole said, "How can you be so sweet and so, ugh, you?"

"That's why I didn't need more sweet in our relationship because I'm just that." He smiled and Cole had a feeling he was slowly melting away into bliss.

"My heart is beating too fast, I can hardly hear myself."

He rose an amused brow at him and said, "Should I kiss you now or do you think that's too much for your heart?"

"No, I think I'll be fine." He grinned at him then leaned up to kiss him only to freeze halfway, "Were you trying to tease me?"

He chuckled, "Yeah."

Cole groaned, rolling his eyes as he pulled away, "You couldn't just lie to save the moment."

He chuckled louder, "I'm Derick Cloud, I can get the moment back." Then he picked up his hands back and tried to look as serious as he was before. He leaned closer to him and said, "I love you, Cole."

He stayed quiet waiting for Cole's response. When Cole just rose a confused brow at him, he laughed, pulling him into a bear hug, "Yeah, I definitely can't remake moments."

"Yeah, you can't."

Cole patted his back lightly and was about to pull away when Cloud tightened his arms around him and kissed him. "But I wasn't kidding when I said I loved you. I kinda want to hear it back."

     Clearing his throat, he pulled away from him and changed the topic entirely, "So, for our next date, we should go to an amusement park?"

Cloud just stared at him for a while then rolled his eyes with a snort. "I don't want to go to an amusement park."

"Why?" he basically whined.

"Because it is so rowdy there." He shrugged then started to leave the living room making Cole follow him.

"That doesn't matter. As long as you are with me everything will be fine."

"But we just went to a date today."

"Does it matter? I like spending time with you." Cloud opened a door for him and he entered as he continued, "Plus, if we go there late, we might just make it to see the sunset."

Cloud closed the door behind him then pulled Cole so that his back was against the door and he was in front of me. "You really haven't answered my question."

Cole didn't know why but being attacked like that just now, turned him on a notch. He smiled coyly and said, "Do you seriously want the answer now?"

"Quite frankly, yes." Cloud didn't even flinch when Cole slid his hands under his shirt. "I don't know if you love me with the way you avoid the topic."

"Hm?" A finger slipped into the waistband of his jeans and he replied as Cloud exhaled shakily, "Do I really have to say it out loud before you believe that I do?"

Struck by Cloud's grey orbs as they widen with excitement, Cole was lost for a while, wondering how Cloud fell for someone like him. He was a loser and had no friends. When he got friends, he turned into a big slut. Never really affected when the girls spewed the word 'love'.

But standing in front of him right now was someone who gave a damn about him every way. Who didn't care about his past but cared about him. Just indirectly pointing out that he loved him had practically made Cole see the most beautiful face ever.

He might just actually be in love with him.

"Sleep with me."

"What?" Those three words he uttered threw him back down to earth leaving him confused. "Did you just say 'Sleep with me'?"

"Yes." He took a step back from him, giving him a little more space to move, "What's wrong with that?"

"Are you old fashion or what?" He scratched the back of his head and added, "Because that was the bluntest way I have heard someone ask me to have sex with them?"

He looked at him curiously, "What about the girl we met at Pizza hut? She looks blunt."

"Yes she is, but she beats around the bush before she gets there. You just said 'sleep with me.'"

Cole watched as his lips curved up into a smile and he released a very light laugh, "I didn't mean have sex with me. I literally meant sleep with me."

His hands slowly dropped down to his sides as she said, "The best friend kind of sleep with me?" Again, an image of Mattew came in his head and he mentally groaned.

"Pure and bloody innocent."

Exhaling, he covered the space between them and said as he ran a hand through his hair, "You make me want to be a good person."

"Does that mean your perverted side goes?" he looked at him worriedly and Cole scoffed.

"You wish." He snickered then kissed him.

_____

The sunlight broke through the curtain making Cole groaning in discomfort. He turned away from it and found himself snuggling against a warm body and the body suddenly wrapped itself around him.

He hummed blissfully until he started to feel something climb up his body. An eye opened and he saw Tom crawling up his brother until he was seated at his shoulder.

Cole found it cute and wanted to watch what he was about to do. The kid saw Cole and his eyes widened. He brought his finger to his lips and grinned and Cole tried to copy, making sure he didn't wake Cloud in the process.

Nodding, Tom looked back at his brother and did something Cole never expected him to do. He dug a finger deep inside his eye that Cloud had to wake up with a start.

"What the...?" He cried, sitting up straight and eventually knocking his little brother off the bed. He rubbed his face for a while then glared at Tom who just grinned back innocently. "What have I told you about hitting me in the eye?"

He started nearing the door when he noticed his brother was leaving the bed slowly, "Dad said I should wake you up for breakfast."

"Doesn't mean you have to hit my-"

"Cloud?" Cole interrupted when he started to raise his voice. You would think a little kid like Tom would be frightened but instead he laughed at him and ran away.

Sighing, he crawled back on the bed and sat beside Cole, "Sometimes I wish I didn't have a junior brother."

"How old is he?"

"Four years and he's already a bully." He rolled his eyes.

Cole noticed the eyes reddening and remembered when he had seen Cloud like this, "He must be doing this often?"

"You have no idea." He snorted and leaned against the headboard.

     They had slept in together with nothing but their briefs on. Cloud didn't even try to do anything except the occasional cuddling. Who knew he could be a big baby?

Looking away from his undeniably attractive chest, he moved closer to him so he could rest his head on it, "Your brother must be used to seeing people like this on your bed with you since he didn't ask why I was half naked."

"No, only Dustin has ever been to my room. I don't occasionally bring my girlfriends here. I use the guest room." He said as he wrapped his large arms around him then kissed his head.

"Oh."

They both stayed silent and Cole was about to ask him what he wanted to do today but Cloud beat him to it, "So you saw my brother when he came in?"

"Actually, when he was climbing on top of you."

"And you didn't tell him to stop or wake me up?"

Cole knew that snuggling time was over. He chuckled nervously, "Is that bacon I smell?"

And before Cloud could make another perfect sentence, Cole was out the door.