futile devices

Caleb kept Seb’s hands caught while they kissed, smiling at Seb’s whispered little compliment. “Maybe once or twice,” he whispered back, lipping at Sebastian’s bottom lip before kissing him again, deeper this time. Slowly as he got more and more embroiled in the press and slide of their mouths, Caleb released Sebastian’s hands, sliding instead to smooth against Seb, one on his thigh, the other on the small of his back. 

He puffed a little hot air as he felt Caleb’s fingers, a little cold, brush his warm, bare skin beneath his shirt.

Seb nipped a little at Caleb’s lip, but wasn’t too playful for this makeout session. All he could focus on right now is how good it felt to be close to Caleb, how much he loved him and needed him and would miss him.

His own hands sank down to Caleb’s shirt to feel the skin of his waist, now that he was free, and they slipped up his sides, pulling his shirt up a little bit.

A laugh left Caleb at the tickle, followed by a squawk of protest. His hands shifted, capturing Seb’s and restraining them behind his back, careful not to yank too much - though Seb had been out of his cast for quite a while, Caleb still wanted to be safe. He never wanted to hurt Sebastian if he could help it. 

He didn’t fight Caleb too hard when the man restrained him, flashing a big, toothy grin, the kind that made his nose scrunch up. He  opened his mouth to sass Caleb back but it was just met with a kiss; one that Seb happily responded to.

“Well… Maybe partially. As an afterthought,” Caleb joked, biting down on his lower lip as Sebastian’s mouth pressed warm and wet against his neck. He tilted his head a little to offer up more of it to Sebastian’s kisses, only to have the boy pull away. 

“Yes boss,” he replied with a sigh, biting the inside of his cheek to try and hide his smile - it was an unsuccessful attempt, but he tried all the same. He settled down beside Seb, arms curling around the boy to pull him bodily into his lap. 

He let out a small laugh as Caleb practically hefted Seb into his lap. “Who’s the boss now?” he teased, batting his eyelashes.

“Oh,” Seb giggled again, “Be still my beating heart.” He gave Caleb a tickle on his stomach as playful punishment for being so cheesy.

I didn’t mean it like that. 

[His tone is soft, teasing as he speaks, and his hands slip down to wrap around Seb’s waist, pulling him in close.]

Sorry. No tears, okay? Otherwise I’ll start too and then things’ll get really ugly.

[He presses his lips to Seb’s forehead when the boy kisses his palm.]

Yeah?

[He squeezed Caleb’s hand, and then moved his mouth to the man’s neck, pulling him close as he kissed him a few times.] Me too...

I love you. 

[He leans down to meet the kiss when Sebastian cranes up, mouth soft. He sighs when they pull apart, hands coming to cup Seb’s face.]

Me too. Anywhere you want, baby. 

[He moves his head to kiss the palm of Caleb’s hand, shutting his eyes.] I’m still here right now.

Hey, c’mon. You’ve gotta come back for Christmas - we’ve talked about this, remember? We’ll do it in New York or somethin’, if you don’t wanna come here. I just… Couldn’t go a whole year without seein’ you, kid. Hell, I can barely go a whole week at this point. 

[He pulls back and lifts himself to his tip-toes, placing a gentle kiss on Caleb’s mouth.] I’ll go anywhere for you.

Dunno - I reckon you could muddle along on your own just fine. You just might be a little hungrier. And you probably wouldn’t get smelly dog hands as much. 

Maybe. 

[He hedges, not wanting to come out and tell Seb just how much he’ll miss him. It’s not fair - he shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.]

You don’t need to thank me. M’really proud of you, kid. 

[He’s quiet for a moment, leaning in to press a kiss to Seb’s forehead.]

[Seb closes his eyes as Caleb kisses his forehead. He smiles a bit.]

I’ll miss you too. It’ll just be a little bit, right? Just a little.

I’m practising, I promise. But I think you can do some of the talking.

[He smiles.] Thank you, Caleb.

I’m workin’ on it, baby. I’ve got another year to practice, anyway. 

Right...

[He clears his throat.] So no excuses. I can’t do all the talking everywhere. [He smiles a little bit, bringing a hand up to cup Caleb’s perfect face.]

I know what you mean, baby. But soon it’s all gonna be real - you’re gonna be there. 

[He smiles a little bit, biting down on his lower lip.]

[He sounds like a stuck record but it bears repeating - he is so proud of Sebastian, and so happy for the kid too.; He’s a little sad for himself - being away from Seb is gonna be so hard - but his happiness definitely outweighs that. He cradles Seb close when the boy’s breath catches in a soft half-sob, rubbing his back and stroking his hair.]

It’s so weird that this is real. I feel like France is just a place I made up in my head, you know? I think about it and dream about it so much that it doesn’t seem like a real place. 

I’m so proud of you, Seb.

[He presses a few kisses to the top of Seb’s head, down over his temple too.]

You did such a good job. 

Hard work pays off, I guess...

[He huffs, feeling a little emotional now. The fact that he’s dreamed about this so much and that it’s actually a real, feasible thing... that he can hold a letter in his hands and say that it’s real. It’s overwhelming. So he starts to cry a little bit.]

I’m finally.... I’m finally gonna get out of here.

[Caleb’s cut off before he can share his excitement, Seb snatching the letter from him. Caleb lets him take it, unable to stop himself from beaming as Sebastian turns away to read it. Caleb’s ecstatic - he knew Seb had a better chance than most people but it was still exciting to know he got in. 

A laugh spills from his lips as Seb turns and leaps at him - Caleb catches him, lifting Seb’s feet clean off the ground with the force of his hug.]

You did it, baby! I knew you would!

[He spins Seb as he hugs him close, beaming fit to burst.]

[He goes back down to the floor, his hands still up on Caleb’s shoulders, face buried in his chest.]

I actually made it.

Okay, baby. 

[He pulls the letter from the opened envelope, setting the empty thing down before he carefully unfolds the letter. He thumbs it smooth, eyeing the embossed school crest before his eyes travel to the print below it. There’s several moments of silence as he reads, before he utters a soft murmur.]

What, what does it say?!

[He reads over it and hsi heart practically stops as he reads the address. Dear Mr. Kyle, we are pleased to inform you that you’ve been accepted to Sorbonne University for the 2016-2017 semester.

He gasps, not even reading the rest before he freezes, holding the letter in his hands like a statue.]

I... I...

[He turns around, practically shaking and still holding the letter. He looks up at Caleb, slowly, before smiling the biggest smile he could possibly muster, jumping to wrap his arms around Caleb’s shoulders.]

I made it!