T E N

"Do you think I'm fat?" Zion blurted out. Trace and Ashtyn lifted their heads, brows raised in confusion, and shock written across their faces.

"No," Trace replied. "Why would you ask that?"

Zion shrugged in a relatively casual manner, taking a bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Zion," Trace warned, his voice low. "Why would you ask that? Do you think you're fat?"

Embarrassment washed over him, as he diverted his gaze to the floor. "No," he breathed out.

Ashtyn shot his boyfriend a glare. "Don't interrogate him. Zion, you're not fat, okay? There's nothing wrong with your body."

Zion didn't answer, his mind clouded with his wandering thoughts. Irises of chocolate stared at his barely-touched sandwich. Bottom lip between his teeth, he chastised himself for asking such a question. Of course, neither of them thought he was fat. But he did. Every time he glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Every time he ate more than a salad and a small sandwich. Every time he ate more than a small portion of food during dinner.

"Ashtyn, can't you see he's upset?" Trace questioned, frowning. "Are you okay?"

Inwardly, he scoffed. Does it look like I'm okay?

But on the outside, he gave him a smile, all teeth, and forced himself to say. "Yeah, I'm okay."

But in reality, he'd empty his lunch into the toilet when he arrived back to his room. Even though he barely touched his sandwich, shame taunted him, reminding him of his weight.

Zion forced a laugh past his lips when Ashtyn made a joke, unaware of what he said, but it came out uninterested and dry. Almost like the taste of sandpaper.

Zion watched his friends eat their lunch, happily talking amongst themselves, as he peered at them through the shadows.

"Jeong." Jaehyung shook his brother.

His voice fell on deaf ears as Jeong grumbled, refusing to open his dark orbs. His head laid on his desk, raven hair sprawled out in front of him.

"Jeong," he repeated, frustration seeping into his tone. Finally, after two minutes of silence, he smacked him upside the head.

"What the fuck?!" Jeong snapped. His fists were clenched at his sides and his jaw locked.

Jaehyung shrugged nonchalantly. "You'll be late for your next class."

Curse words leaving his mouth, he stood up, stretching his muscles, as he dragged his feet down the hallway. His body overwhelmed with the lack of sleep, he droned on throughout the rest of his classes, scribbling down the few sentences he heard roll of the teacher's tongue onto the notebook paper. For the most part, he let his eyes flutter closed, escaping from the outside world for an hour. He slept for four hours throughout his classes and three hours as soon as he came back to his room.

Journey's footsteps padded the beige, worn-out carpet, causing Jeong to lift his head, his dark hair sprawling across his face. He'd been scrolling through Twitter aimlessly for half an hour, in a desperate attempt to occupy himself.

"Jeong," Journey breathed out, his voice low.

Jeong hummed in response.

"You know, I'm always here if you want to talk, right. I'll sit beside you and listen without judgment."

Jeong rolled his eyes. "I know. I'm okay, Ginger." Journey's blue orbs widened in surprise at the nickname given to him.

Ginger, he thought to himself, confusion laced into his features. Shaking his head, the wandering thoughts washed away from his mind. He focused on the boy sitting boredly beside him. His features were relaxed and disinterested. His head sat in his left elbow, his phone in his grasp.

"Ashtyn, baby, can I kiss you?" Trace's tone was laced with desire and his voice husky. His hooded gaze fell to his lips, as his teeth held his own bottom lip in their grasp.

The taste of alcohol stained their breaths, melding together with the faint stench of cigarette smoke.

Leaning forward, Ashtyn lifted his chin, leaving feathery kisses across his jawline, hearing a low moan bubble from the other boy's pink lips. A smirk painted across his face, he hooked his legs around Trace's waist, pressing himself against the blonde, as his back came in contact with the cold, tiled wall of the shower. Trace's hands wrapped around Ashtyn's legs, nails tentatively grazing the skin, his touch tantalizing.

His lips traveled to Ashtyn's neck, biting at every exposed inch, laying claim to what was his, as Ashtyn tugged at the strands of his blonde waves.

Steam painted the shower glass, as the water planted kisses onto Ashtyn's skin, embracing him wholeheartedly.

Ashtyn stroked the other boy's face with his hand, marveling in the beautiful features. A faint scar decorated his cheek, barely visible. Coffee colored highlights were laced into his blonde waves. Slowly, Ashtyn pressed his lips to Trace's, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip. Trace moaned quietly into Ashtyn's mouth as their tongues melded together.

"Can I touch you, baby?" Trace whispered, his voice raspy, as his finger trailed the length of Ashtyn's torso.

Panting, Ashtyn nodded, his fingers scratching Trace's back, as Trace's lips encircled Ashtyn's dick, licking up the base. Ashtyn instinctively threw his head back, quiet moans escaping his parted lips.

"F-Fuck, Trace!" Muffled screams echoed throughout the walls of their bathroom, as Trace inflicted pleasure onto the ebony haired boy. Groans rose from Trace's throat, falling from his mouth hastily. The way Ashtyn's body reacted to Trace's mouth was arousing to him, and he sped up his movements as a result, pulling loud moans from the other boy's throat.

Moments later, Trace's hands softly shampooed the black locks Ashtyn had. His fingers threaded through the strands, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, as he cared for the love of his life. "You're so beautiful, love," Trace murmurs in Ashtyn's ear. A shade of crimson was coaxed onto his face at the spoken words, coloring his ears, too.

Affectionately, Trace left feathery kisses across Ashtyn's body, as he applied soap that smelt of coconut.

After he quickly rinsed him and washed his own body as well, the boys stepped out of the shower, wrapping towels, torn at the seams, around their waists. "I love you, baby," Trace intertwined their fingers, planting soft kisses onto his knuckles.

Ashtyn laughed. "I love you."