Return of the Sun - 17. Chapter 17

The man from AA had fiddled under the hood for about an hour before instructing Scott to start the Rover and it rumbled to life sounding a lot quieter than it normally did. The mechanic slammed the hood and wiped his hands before pulling out some paperwork for Scott to sign.

He was again glad for the AA membership, always a wise investment for someone who didn't know the engine block from the alternator. His gran had been insistent that he get one before taking a road trip, and when she set her mind on something there would be no shifting it. So he signed the forms with a grateful smile to the mechanic, who gave him a nod before getting into his car and driving away.

Luke tossed the last of their bags into the back of the Rover and rested a hand on it, "Ready to go?" he asked, almost sounding reluctant.

It was Sunday morning, and after an early-morning excursion to call for a mechanic, they had finished getting ready to leave. It was almost as if the night before had been surreal; Luke had relaxed, still a quiet man, it had taken some time to get him to talk, Even though Luke had relaxed, he was still quiet and it had taken some time to get him to talk; but even then the conversation had been sporadic. Scott blushed at that thought.

Luke held up a finger, "No, before you get any more ideas."

Scott grinned, "I wasn't having ideas," he said, even though his face said that he was. He leaned out of the driver's-side window, "You coming?"

Luke shook his head in wonder at Scott, "I can see that keeping up with you is going to be a full-time job." He climbed aboard the rover, and buckled himself in. He looked reluctantly back at the camper, "Back to the real world then."

"Yeah," Scott said adjusting the visor on his head as he checked his mirrors.

"You know I hate that thing, right?" Luke commented. "It makes you look fourteen."

Scott rolled his eyes again and took it off, tossing it into the back, "Happy now?"

"Better," Luke agreed, as the Rover started its long journey home. Some time over the night it had stopped raining, and the sun was back in all its majesty; it was going to be another sweltering day. The kind spent on a beach somewhere sunning, or better yet in a beer garden with a tall pint where you didn't have to think about anything.

Scott wound his way towards Tunbridge Wells preferring a more direct route back to Hailsham than the one they had used to get there. It had been fine for travelling to, through all the scenery, but Scott was rather anxious to just get home; he wanted to talk to Serena and Darren and straighten things out with them about Dickie.

"Hot one," Luke said, surprisingly initiating a conversation, and Scott nodded his head, turning the car onto the road and accelerating slightly. Luke pulled out his sunglasses and put them on, resting back into his seat, "We need to talk..." he said, the nervous edge back in his voice.

Scott braced himself, here it comes.

"I..." Luke struggled to find words. "Look, mate," he rested his head against the frame of the door, "I'm no good at this..." he murmured shaking his head as he tried to form his thoughts.

"Right," Scott said a touch of bitterness entering his voice. He knew this story; Brian had fed it to him every morning-after. 'Great night, but I'm not looking for a relationship.' Same worn-out line, and every time Scott had heard it he had no choice to accept it. If he had been thinking he would've told Brian where to go the first time, but he had just kept falling back into that trap. Now here he was going through it again.

"No," Luke said, shaking his head. "No, I didn't mean that, aw fuck me," he rubbed his face. "Tricky this."

Scott looked over at him, "It's okay, I understand."

"Shut up, Scott," Luke grinned at him, "I'm trying to ask you what you think about all this. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, that's all."

Scott digested that a moment, "So," he said slowly, "you're not going to tell me it was a one-off..."

"Don't be daft," Luke shook his head. "I'm just trying to figure out what's next, that's all. I mean, you know... what now?"

"Well, for now I'm driving back to Hailsham," Scott smirked; sometimes he enjoyed being facetious.

"Don't be a pillock," Luke said sounding mildly annoyed. "You know full well what I'm on about."

"Yeah," Scott replied, the Rover accelerating out of a turn passing through a rural village, "I think you're proposing."

It was worth the dig just to see Luke's terrified reaction, his mouth hanging open as he gaped, obviously trying to figure out if Scott was serious. It was all Scott could do not to burst out laughing.

Luke recovered slightly and grinned, "Right, but seriously though, what do you want?"

Scott chewed his lip watching houses slip past as he swept around a small roundabout, what did he want? Could he get into a relationship with Luke? If he did what would that mean? How would he tell Gran... should he even tell Gran? Then of course there were his friends, and Luke's work, his work....

"I've never had a boyfriend before," Scott stated softly, "I'm not even sure what we're supposed to do in this situation."

"So you want to give it a go?," Luke asked. "Seriously, Scott."

Scott looked over at him again, the fun of awkward conversations. It had been simpler last night because they hadn't been thinking about the future, but on the trip home there was little choice but to face it. They were returning to reality and with it came a whole slew of problems.

"Ask me," Scott said softly. "Don't keep relying on me to make the first move, this one's yours."

Luke swallowed. "Right, then," he said, working up the courage, "I want you to be my... to be my... Bugger me this sounds silly."

"Yeah, just a bit," Scott grinned. "If you want we could stop at a pub, let you have a little Dutch courage."

"Yeah, get me into a pub right now, you'd never get me out again; I should be off my face for this." He looked over at Scott again, "Boyfriends, you, me...?"

"Sure," Scott shrugged, "not like I have any better offers lately."

"Asshole." Luke grinned back.

"That's my line," Scott replied. "Right, so that's the awkward part out of the way; boy, this is like working out a contract."

"Yeah," Luke agreed, "I should have a solicitor present." He scrubbed a hand through his short black spiky hair, "So what do we tell people?"

"That depends on you." Scott could sense Luke's apprehension, it was justified; it was after all his first day out of his closet and he wasn't exactly comfortable in his own skin in the first place. To suddenly burst out, prancing arm-in-arm with his new boyfriend up Hailsham High Street... that could be asking a bit much.

"Your gran is going to have my guts for garters," Luke murmured, resting his head on his hand.

"Wait a second," Scott said, "wasn't I the one seducing you?"

"Dream on," Luke countered. "If I recall I was the one who had to ask."

"Yeah, but I had to hit you over the head until you did," Scott retorted. "But you're right, Gran's a bit old fashioned; I don't think she'd understand..."

"Mum too," Luke agreed. "I don't know if I'm ready for one of her golden eppy's yet. So, we don't tell anyone then?"

"Well, not them at least," Scott agreed. "But Serena is going to know something's up, you can't put one past her."

Luke sucked his teeth, "You're right there. Griff's the same, though he'll never say anything."

"Right, then, so there's two that have to know," Scott concluded. "And I'd like to avoid Dickie for awhile..."

"That's probably for the best," Luke agreed. "Not that it would bother him, it's just Fleur was really upset when he told her..."

"Yes," Scott said dryly, "remind me to thank Dickie for that. Now I have the troglodyte mad at me."

"Ohh," Luke hissed, "yeah, she does look like one doesn't she."

"I meant her general demeanour." Scott replied, "How about we just forget this conversation before I get started on what I think of her right now."

"You are really going to get on with my mum," Luke responded nodding. "She thinks Fleur's a little off."

"Fleur is a little off," Scott agreed. "I think she keeps her ex-boyfriends in pickle jars..."

Luke settled back into his seat, "I'm going to have to tell Mum eventually aren't I." It wasn't so much a question as a statement.

Scott sighed, "You sure you want this Luke? I mean we could just stay friends or..."

Luke looked over at him, "I don't want to be your friend Scott; I don't want to go about like you don't matter, 'cause you do." He sighed, "Ok that made no sense..."

"I get what you're saying," Scott replied. "You're in love..."

"Steady on!" Luke exclaimed. "I never said that..." he looked panicked, "I mean, it's not that I don't...but I do... well I... fuck me!"

"Winding you up," Scott said with a smug smile, the Rover turning onto the A22 for the last stretch to home.

Luke shook his head, "Great, so now I'm batting for the opposition and my boyfriend's being an arse. I knew I should have stayed in bed."

"You're relaxed for your first day," Scott chivvied back lightly. "Seriously though, you sure about this?"

Luke looked over at him, "Well, aside from the fact you're still a pratt, I think I'm okay with giving this a try. But let's be careful, alright?"

"I figured," Scott nodded. "You're a policeman after all."

"Now that's going to be fun," Luke mused darkly as he played with a piece of rubber sealing on the window. "I don't want to deal with that yet."

"Yeah," Scott agreed again. He didn't blame Luke at all; being gay was one thing, being a gay policeman was another. That was inviting trouble, and Luke was young, he had a hard enough time keeping respect without adding to the problem.

Luke reached out to squeeze Scott's knee with his hand, "But if I can deal with Mum, I can deal with anyone. Give me a bit of time to figure all of this out, how I want to tell people..."

"You're serious about this aren't you?" Scott said looking over at Luke.

Luke nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're too pretty for your own good. Always were."

Scott blinked at him, "Huh?"

"Well, when I first met you..." Luke searched for a polite way of putting it, "You were very... girlish..."

Scott turned at him, a neutral expression of indignation on his face, "Girlish?" he asked, an eyebrow climbing slowly.

"Anyone ever point out that a vein in your temple throbs when you're annoyed?" Luke said trying to change the subject quickly, realizing he was probably a bit too late.

"Girlish?" Scott repeated. "Well at least I wasn't a little psycho with a pencil!"

"You were hogging the poster paints," Luke replied in a feeble attempt to explain.

"Girlish?" Scott demanded, his voice climbing a strangled octave.

"You know," Luke said waving a finger, "Remind me never to tell you stuff, you don't react well..."

"Girlish?" Scott repeated setting his jaw, "Great, so I was a girl in school... great..."

"Yeah, but you grew..." Luke looked at Scott's diminutive stature, "Well, you didn't exactly grow...but as you got older you turned into a wicked Striker..."

"Keep digging," Scott said, mildly annoyed at being referred to as a pansy.

"Oh, don't be like that," Luke said, playfully pushing Scott's leg. "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just saying that I think you're good-looking."

"You said I was a girl!"

"I said you used to look like a girl; you're not effeminate at all. But you're not exactly David Beckham either." Luke blew out a sigh, "Ok, right now, this kind of conversation is the reason I don't date..."

"Girl..." Scott was still indignant, "you weren't bloody thinking that when you were..."

'Ok, ok..." Luke said stopping the conversation right there. "You're not a girl, I'm sorry for saying it." He was laughing now, shaking his head, "Ok, changing subject, we're nearly home and I don't think we should kiss goodbye on your doorstep..."

Scott turned the rover off of the A22 and into the outskirts of Hailsham. Taking a quick look behind him he pulled it off to the side and leaned over and kissed Luke quickly. "Happy now?" he asked.

"This is so going to take getting used to," Luke replied leaning in to steal another one, "but yeah, I'm happy."

"Good," Scott stated turning the Rover back onto the road and relaxing slightly. There was nothing better than returning to somewhere familiar after a long trip away. Tomorrow they would be back to the regular routine, but things were different now. They had to be.

Scott sighed softly to himself, things were definitely more complicated, but they were also much better.