Return of the Sun - 16. Chapter 16

"You broke my rover," Scott said dryly, listening to the sound of the rain pounding on the roof of the vehicle. There was a flash, followed by a rumble of thunder and Scott turned to stare out of the window as they sat in dead silence.

Whatever had broken up the vacation, it probably had to do with the conversation with Dickie and his arrogant assumption that Scott wanted him; all it would take would be for him to open his mouth and say something. It would explain Fleur's reaction, it might also explain Darren's, but Luke's? That was a mystery. But then much about Luke was just unfathomable to Scott.

The slamming Rover door caused Scott to start. Luke was stalking back towards the caravan through the rain. Scott sighed; he might as well find out if he was right. He slipped out into the rain and was already soaked to the skin after taking a few steps.

"Are you going to tell me what I'm supposed to have done, or am I supposed to keep guessing?" Scott said angrily. He was getting wet, he was annoyed not just at Dickie's arrogance, but the fact that everyone took what he said as gospel.

Luke was almost back to the Caravan, he still hadn't turned. His hands were still balled and his body language was closed. Was he that upset over his brother's accusation? He did seem protective, and if the accusation were true, he would probably be justified in his hatred of Scott. But the accusation was false; it was an off-the-cuff comment Scott had made when he was drunk that had been misinterpreted.

"This is such bullshit!" Scott bellowed, taking two more steps forward, his hair matting from the rain, and he ran a hand through it to keep it from getting into his eyes.

Luke rounded on him, a tense expression setting onto his face; there was an almost sad look in his eyes as he looked at Scott. "He'll never love you," he said with a strange tone in his voice. "He doesn't love anyone but himself."

"I'm not in love with him," Scott said, desperate to make Luke realize this. It wasn't true, he wasn't deluding himself. The more this went on, the angrier he was getting at the whole situation.

"Everyone does," Luke snapped, "that's just the way it goes. He's smarter, he's popular, and everyone fucking loves him. He can't do anything wrong; every time he does people make excuses for him. He gets a girl pregnant, oh, it's okay, he just made a mistake. He drops out of school, well that wasn't his fault he's just taking a break till the baby's born."

Scott frowned, shivering slightly from the cold; what was going on? This wasn't what he had expected; he stood a moment dumbstruck trying to make sense of what Luke was saying.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Luke's shoulders fell slightly. "Serena has the cell phone so I'm going to walk up to the farm house and call the AA..."

"How about you just stay put and tell me what you're talking about," Scott said firmly. He had simply reached the end of his rope; was everyone insane in this country? Or had his friends picked that day, of all days, to collectively go crazy? Whichever, he wasn't about to let Luke go, not with the wrong impression.

"Why?" Luke said returning to his earlier angry state, "don't you think you've caused enough aggro for one day?"

"How dare you say that my behaviour is unacceptable!" Scott had flipped, he advanced on Luke, fury in his eyes, "You're so fucking condescending, who the hell do you think you are?" He was inches away from Luke now, soaking wet and yelling at him, "I've had enough of it. I've had enough of you, your goddamn brother who seems to think everyone is out to sleep with him, and I'm sick of everyone thinking they're better than me. I have just had it!" He seethed, realizing he wasn't making much sense, but then he had so many thoughts going around in his head that he just had to get them all out, "You've never liked me anyway!" He swore again, turned his back and began to storm away.

"That's not what I said..." Luke's voice was deadly quiet, a hint of fear in it. It was enough to stop Scott cold. He closed his eyes, trying to work out the meaning of that statement, and he looked back over his shoulder.

"What?" He asked, his own voice reflecting his confusion.

"I never said that." Luke repeated, his voice getting a little stronger, "You just have no clue do you? You've been too busy staring after my brother to realize it."

Scott's eyes slid closed as yet another piece of the puzzle slid into place, his head sank lower till his chin rested on his chest and he knew the world had indeed gone insane in a single day.

It took a while, the rain falling steadily between them, before Scott could find his voice, "Had you even thought to ask?" He turned at Luke who was staring at his shoes, the bitter policeman, the man who was so angry at the world and everything in it couldn't even face him. Scott took another step back towards him, "You just made the same assumption everyone else did, and you just wrote me off without even giving me a chance."

"I..." Luke began.

"No, I'm talking." Scott said firmly raising a finger, "You made up your damn mind, and then proceeded to make my life as miserable as yours. You know what I think? I think you love it that you're miserable, you love hiding in your brother's shadow, that way you can blame him every time you don't get what you want. Look at me..." Luke kept his gaze fixed on the ground, and Scott roared, "Fucking look at me!"

Luke glanced up, meeting Scott's wild eyes.

"Listen to me, I am not in love with your brother," Scott said slowly, deliberately, making it as clear as he could. "I said something to him, and he mistook what I said..."

"I..." Luke tried again, struggling to find the words, trying to put his perspective on the world at that moment together again. Scott's words had sent him reeling; there was confusion on his face as he warred between his anger and his hopes trying to work it all out.

"Ask me!" Scott demanded.

"But..." Luke tried again to form words.

"Say it!" Scott had his hands on his hips, still furious at the situation.

"I don't know how to ask..." Luke said in defeat as his shoulders sank again. His eyes looked at Scott with a mixture of hope and hopelessness.

"Fine," Scott replied, "if you won't I will. Kiss me!" He held up a finger, "but if I get one hint your usual facetious sarcasm, you can forget it!"

Luke stared at him nervously, blinking at him in the sodden weather. He looked strange again, contemplative, no longer wrestling with himself; he now seemed a different kind of uncertain. He opened his mouth and tried to say something.

Scott arched an eyebrow;"You have kissed someone before..." he stopped and blinked at Luke, realizing who he was talking to, "Oh..."

Luke licked his lips nervously, "Can't say that I have..." he said with a tense smile trying to make a joke out of his sudden lack of confidence.

Scott threw his hands up into the air, "You really don't know how to make things easy do you? First you make me miserable, then when you get what you want you..."

Luke kissed him, a coarse kiss at first, a rough pressing of his lips against Scott's. His eyes were wide and fearful of the rejection he was expecting, and for a moment Scott had a clear window into the terrified soul of the other young man. Scott smiled; gently parting his lips and returning the kiss, feeling Luke's hands wrap themselves about him, feeling the thrill of his touch.

Luke broke the kiss and shook his head, reaching up to turn Scott's visor so it sat sideways on his head, "Bloody useless thing," he muttered bending in again.

"Whoa," Scott stated, smiling, putting both hands up to stop Luke's advance, "You're getting ahead of yourself, you still haven't asked permission."

Luke looked a little lost, holding Scott around the waist and staring at him from a few inches away, "I still feel silly." he said. "What am I supposed to say, nice shoes lets..."

"Finish that sentence and you are walking home," Scott stated setting his jaw. "If I wanted cheesy pick-up lines I'd rent a Bond film..."

Luke gave him a devious look, "Well, hello there Ms. Moneypenny," he said in a flawless Sean Connery imitation, "Is M in his office?"

Scott laughed, "Ok, I so asked for that..."

"That is correct," Luke continued with the accent. "Now about that kiss..."

Scott rolled his eyes, "You sure you're Luke? You didn't get possessed or something in Canterbury? We are in the rural part of England, where all those alien crop circles appeared..."

Luke was kissing him again, and he sighed, relaxing into a kiss that this time was softer, more exploratory. Luke was growing eager developing a taste for the kissing, a hunger that he was just beginning to discover for the first time. And Scott pushed him away laughing.

"Ok, ok, stop..." he said slipping out of Luke's arms.

"What?" Luke asked in concern, his brow furrowing, obviously afraid he had screwed up somehow.

"It's okay," Scott replied trying to stop his giggles. "I'll be all right, it's just... you're a fucking asshole." He was laughing so hard at the absurdity of the situation; he was kissing Luke in the middle of a thunderstorm in rural Kent. The same Luke who had been so mean to him as a boy, the same one who had called him a prat and had treated him like crap. The same Luke who had just kissed him not once, but twice now.

Luke nodded, "I deserved that," he admitted, looking about as if realizing it was raining for the first time.

"Are you even gay?" Scott asked, sobering up from his laughter and looking Luke straight in the eye.

"I've never really thought myself much of anything," Luke confessed. "Too busy with life to stop and think about it. I mean, if you'd asked me last week if I'd ever kiss a bloke, I'd have told you to get stuffed... It's like, I don't know..." he finished lamely, "You're the first person that's ever gone out of their way to get to know me."

Scott nodded, "What about Darren?"

"Griff? Well, Darren's different than everyone else, we used to beat each other up at school. After you fight someone for the better part of four years, sooner or later you realize you respect them and after that fighting just seems so pointless. So we started going out for beers and playing pool; that's it, unlike you..."

"Who actually wouldn't leave you alone," Scott supplied.

"You and those damn chips," Luke snarled, shaking his head. 'Then I decided to change my beat..."

Scott arched an eyebrow again, "I thought your mother..."

"Yeah, well I couldn't exactly tell your gran the truth now could I?" He shook his head, "Hi there, Mrs. Walker. By the way I changed my beat just so I could see your grandson..."

Scott nodded his head, "So you do like me..."

"Like you? I can't stop thinking about you." He lifted his hand to the side of his temple and shook it;"You're driving me crazy."

"Oh," Scott said, "well then... that's nice..." he really didn't know what to say to that bit of news.

"Well, I would have thought the kissing would have given you a hint," Luke admitted, taking another step forward. Scott took a step backwards. Luke forwards, Scott backwards again and again until Scott felt his back press up against the door of the Rover.

"I, err, seem to have run out of places to run," he said looking about him.

Luke rested his palms on the door on either side of Scott, "You're nicked, mate." he said in his best British bobby tone.

"Don't I get rights or something?" Scott asked, waving a finger.

"How do they go: you have the right to remain silent or something..." Luke said leaning in a bit closer, "...you have the right to an attorney, if you can't afford one then..." They kissed again, Scott closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of Luke's kiss; he was certainly getting better with practice.

It was Luke who broke this kiss, stepping back and laughing. Scott blinked at him, "What this time?" he asked exasperatedly.

"You look like a drowned rat." Luke indicated Scott's bedraggled appearance.

"You're a fine one to talk," Scott replied, nodding to him. "Should we try to walk to the farm house or something?"

"We could stay here another night," Luke suggested looking back at the Winnebago.

Scott followed his glance, knowing full well what he meant by it. He felt his heart stop, and his stomach churn nervously, and he looked wide-eyed at Luke. "But, well we could... that is..."

Luke stared into his eyes, those deep brown globes that were looking at him now with no shred of malice, or suspicion; only genuine honesty. "Stay..."