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Alex couldn't stop staring.
He didn't know exactly why — couldn't possibly start to explain in a reasonable manner why the sight was so appealing, so enticing to him, but the fact remained that it was.
The fact remained that Charlie sat right across from him at the library table, his brow furrowed in deep concentration as his eyes skimmed the worn pages of a Great Expectations copy he was reading for English. His lips moved around the words as he went on, one finger tracing along the lines as he read.
He'd been like this for the last fifteen minutes, right after they had sat down for a free period post-lunch. Charlie had tried to make conversation but Alex was late on a Chemistry assignment he was supposed to hand over that afternoon, so he'd asked Charlie to please, be quiet while he finished his homework. Charlie had promptly nodded his agreement, then proceeded to plunge inside his backpack, muttering about how late he was to finish some novel for his English class. Alex had tuned him off for about two or three minutes to try and focus on his own textbook, and then. And then.
And then, when he distractedly lifted his eyes from his boring, confusing formulas, his gaze inevitably fell on Charlie. And there it stood, glued to the younger boy's face in a mix of wonder and confusion. And alas, ever since then, Alex just couldn't. Stop. Staring.
Because Charlie was wearing glasses — sleek, black-rimmed, square glasses that just happened to appear there, out of nowhere, elegantly poised on the bridge of his boyfriend's nose, and Alex all of a sudden — all in one instant — discovered that this was too much for him to handle.
He didn't know where this (this being an overwhelming feeling of fuck he looks so hot jesus help me) was coming from but he knew he needed Charlie to take those glasses off right about now. You know, for the sake of his sanity and all that.
Except that, instead of removing the offensive accessory, Charlie chose that exact moment to lift his eyes from the book and look straight at Alex, as if sensing the older boy's gaze heavy on him. Their eyes met, Charlie's bright blue irises shining with amusement from behind anti-reflective lenses.
“Didn't expect to like this book so much,” Charlie mused absently, and turned his attention back to the pages. With eyes cast down, his lashes threw soft shadows on his cheekbones under the afternoon light filtering through the nearby window. He lifted one hand to push his glasses further up his nose, unaware of his boyfriend possibly having a small meltdown three feet away from him.
Alex was so flabbergasted that it took him a full minute to remember how to function properly.
“Charlie?” He called, his voice sounding more strained than he anticipated.
Charlie's eyes immediately snapped up to Alex from behind his stupid (so fucking cute) glasses. “Hmm?” He tilted his head, curious.
“You didn't-- you never told me-- I didn't know you wore glasses?” It came out as more of a question than an actual accusation, Alex's voice lilting up at the end and almost, almost cracking with awe, both to his horror and amusement.
“Oh-- well, yeah,” said Charlie, one hand self-consciously lifting to push his black-rimmed glasses up his nose once again. He looked a little embarrassed, and Alex had a sudden urge to both kiss him breathless and slap him for being so cute. (Not necessarily in any particular order.) “I guess you just never saw me with them? I don't wear them all the time — they're reading glasses. I should wear them more often to study for longer periods but I just keep forgetting them in my desk at home.”
“I see,” Alex nodded vaguely in agreement, but in all honesty, he had only heard half of what Charlie had said. He was too distracted admiring the way his glasses fit ridiculously right on him — no surprise here, Alex was yet to find something Charlie couldn't pull off —, the light shadows they threw on his face, the way his eyes looked lighter blue against the black rim of his glasses. If someone had asked Alex one hour ago if he had a thing for bespectacled boys, he would have laughed it off. But now. Now there was evidence enough to show that yes, he was maybe a little too invested in his unexpectedly bespectacled jock boyfriend.
Charlie tilted his head further, looking confused. “Are you alright?” He asked, a small frown gracing his forehead. “You seem a little,” he waved his hand uncertainly, encompassing Alex's surroundings, “I don't know, you're looking a little off right there.”
Alex just stared back at Charlie, at a loss for words. His gaze traveled from Charlie's bright eyes to his mouth, slightly open in confusion, and then back to those ridiculous glasses. He swallowed thickly, taking an extra moment to gather back his wits.
Once he realized he wouldn't be able to utter a proper response, Alex took a slow, deep breath. He carefully closed the Chemistry textbook he'd been trying to decipher. Then he closed his notebook as well, tucking his pencil neatly into its spiral. Very calmly. Or so he hoped.
Charlie just seemed to grow more and more confused by the minute, though. “Alex...?” He tried warily, thrown off by Alex's behavior.
“I--” Alex started and then cut himself short, given how faint his voice just sounded. He cleared his throat and gave another valiant try. Pressing the flats of his hands on top of the table, Alex leaned closer to look at Charlie intently. “I think you should close your book and come with me.”
Charlie's brow furrowed deeper. “Sorry-- what?”
“I strongly suggest that you close your book,” Alex said again, more forcefully this time, “and follow me out of this library — as in, right now. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Charlie immediately, closing his book and shoving it haphazardly inside his backpack. Then he leaned into the desk, imitating Alex's stance. His eyes were gleaming with amusement behind his thin lenses. “Where are we going?”
Alex had to restrain himself not to adjust Charlie's glasses back up on his face, where they had slid down the bridge of his nose a little. (Or worse, not to grab Charlie by the ears and pull him into a kiss right then and there, in the middle of Liberty High's usually uneventful library.)
“Just come with me,” Alex said instead, sounding nonchalant, and stood up, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie's baffled expression as he followed him out of the library. The simple fact that Charlie seemed unaware of how fucking hot he looked at that moment just added to how much Alex wanted to press him into a wall and kiss the living shit out of him.
The empty hallways seemed endless, their footsteps echoing loudly against the polished floor. Alex could tell that every step they took brought Charlie closer to asking again what the hell was going on, but luckily the battered door of the unused music room popped up on the next corner and he was spared of answering any embarrassing questions.
Instead, Alex threw the door open and deftly used his good hand to grab Charlie by his sleeve and pull him inside. He heard the younger boy's surprised intake of breath, followed by a confused what, and then the door was closed and they were standing toe to toe in the penumbra.
Alex reached up to hold Charlie's face between his palms before the younger boy had the chance to further express his confusion. Then he pulled Charlie down towards him, meeting him halfway in a kiss he'd been aching for ever since he laid eyes on his boyfriend with those glasses.
It didn't take Charlie long to get on with the program. His surprise was clear in the muffled mmph he'd let out as soon as their lips met — maybe Alex hadn't been as gentle as he'd thought — but he was quick to catch on, his head tilting slightly to match Alex's angle. Charlie's glasses were pressing awkwardly against Alex's cheek, but that didn't matter. His hands rested on Alex's slim hips, his heartbeat thudded fast against Alex's chest, and they were kissing. That was all that mattered.
Alex nipped lightly on Charlie's bottom lip and the younger boy shivered, hands coming up to Alex's forearms to put some — small — distance between them. He gazed down at his boyfriend, looking both awed and at a loss.
“Alex?” Charlie's voice sounded deeply confused, but there was also a tinge of amusement in his tone.
Alex more felt than saw Charlie standing in front of him, and that just wouldn't do now, would it. He felt around the wall for the light switch and flipped the light on.
“Since when do you wear glasses?” Alex demanded, sounding more out of breath than inquisitive. He looked into Charlie's eyes behind his lenses and caught the moment his pupils narrowed when hit by the sudden light, blue irises standing out brighter than ever.
If his breath hitched even further, Alex was past carrying at this point.
“Since seventh grade, I think? I'm not sure,” fumbled Charlie, looking down at Alex dumbfounded. “It's like I told you, I don't wear them much, I mostly leave them at home... Why? You don't like them?” He lifted one hand to take said glasses off, looking self-conscious.
Alex caught Charlie's hand mid-movement, entwining their fingers and aborting Charlie's attempt to remove his precious glasses. “I actually like them a lot,” he declared. “Maybe even a little too much.”
“Oh-- oh,” Charlie's eyes widened when realization dawned on him. He looked absolutely surprised for a total of two seconds before a smug grin spread on his lips. “Really? The glasses?”
“Don't ruin this for me, Charlie,” warned Alex, his free hand moving back to his boyfriend's collar to tug him closer.
“Oh, no, I would never,” said Charlie apologetically — except Alex couldn't really believe his tone, not when he saw the delight painted clearly on Charlie's face after hearing this piece of news. (Not when Charlie was moving closer, just like Alex wanted, his chest pressing into Alex's, one leg sliding between his.) “I'll have you share some of the thoughts going through this pretty head of yours, though,” Charlie's hand slid into Alex's hair, cupping his neck gently. He leaned in, lips barely brushing against Alex's. “But that's for later. Sounds fair?”
“Yeah, sure,” answered Alex, breath heavy, some part of his mind (admittedly small) aware that Charlie could ask pretty much anything of him at that moment, and he would just say yes yes yes. Anything to have their mouths sliding back together as soon as possible.
Charlie just mumbled an okay, then under his breath before granting Alex his wish and pressing their lips together.
What followed were ten to fifteen minutes of an intense, enthusiastic make-out session that left Alex's heart hammering in his chest and Charlie's hands trembling with want where they rested against the small of Alex's back. When they finally gathered enough control to pull away, Charlie's glasses were askew on his face.
Alex snorted out a laugh, fond and amused at the same time.
“We should probably head back,” he said, hands lifting to adjust Charlie's glasses on his face. He looked gorgeous — cheeks flushed, lips full and pink and well-kissed, pupils now wide with those black square glasses framing them. Alex surged up and pressed a chaste kiss on the corner of Charlie's lips. Just because he could.
“We probably should,” agreed Charlie, taking advantage of Alex's closeness and sliding his nose affectionately against his. “But don't think I'll forget to ask you about the glasses thing later.”
Alex rolled his eyes but there was an amused smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “Wouldn't expect you to,” he pressed his palms gently against Charlie's chest, just enough to get some space between them so he could get to the door. He threw a look at Charlie over his shoulder as he opened it. “Actually, I'm counting on it.”
(Safe to say, Alex didn't hand over his chemistry assignment that afternoon.)