You Plus Me Equals

Max walked into the library the massive shelves that stood before him were a soft, clean light stained oak filled with thousands of books from the shelf after shelf. Each shelf was a perfectly modern match to the others, and a girl sat behind a big matching oak desk. She wore a long-sleeved blue shirt that was tucked into a pair of faded out jeans. She looked around his age no more than a few years older, if that, and she had tucked both sides of her hair behind her ears. Her long pretty earrings dangled into the long luscious brown hair as she leaned over a thick book in front of her writing something down.

Max walked through the little scanners that made sure no one was left with a book in their bag they hadn't already paid for or checked out. The scanner beeped regularly, and he walked past the front desk. The girl looked up at him, and her bright blue eyes watched him blankly for a moment before she smiled politely, he gave the girl a brief nod, and as if this were her dismissal she looked back down.

Max shrugged, but walked past the shelves of things for sale and all the current news and magazine sections of things going on in the world right now, in the multiple languages they provided.

Quite a few students were working on the free computers probably on more than one project; their teachers had crammed down their throats. Likely, with no thoughts whatsoever to what any other teacher was already shoving on the poor student's workload.

Most of them hunched forward like zombies mindlessly typing away as fast as they could, their heads hung too low and close to the screen.

Max walked past them and towards the stairs that led up to the second layer of the stacks. He took the stairs two at a time his black backpack bounced against his big fluffy sky blue and white striped sweater that said I became a zombie in black block letters across his entire left sleeve.

The second level was where all the informative texts for those kids lost in the boring text on the pages that relayed the information needed for their classes. The ones that required your brain to think at a maximum level just so that you could absorb the needed five percent. Just, the b.a.r.e minimum to not feel like a complete idiot when handing in your paper online or in-person to the teacher. If you had that kinda backbone nowadays. Most people didn't and sent it to the teach online, in the safety of their happy bubble.

Max walked down the little hallway created by the rows upon rows of shelves and the large, six-foot-tall glass windows.

The brightness they brought in would be significant and revive the whole gloomy upper space from the touch of the bright white fluorescent lights.

But it was nine at night, and the light from the bulbs was all we were getting in late spring since we hadn't gained an hour back yet.

The sound of his runners on the wooden floor was gentle and eerily the only noise on this level.

The library close in one hour, so it made sense that there would be very few people up here, but considering how packed it had been below, it would have made sense that the same could be said for up here.

But it was a Friday night, and not many people wanted to cram their heads full of the hard facts, like Aristotle, Socrates, Structure, and Interpretation of Computer Languages. The School of the Ages, The genesis of doctrine, pathology, neuroscience, and Vector Calculus. These were just not your nightly reading unless you wanted to fall asleep, that is.

Max stopped and turned then smiled, he walked down the aisle towards the body sitting on the floor and smiled down at the beautiful angelic face of a sleeping Leo.

He bent down, squatting low to the ground his feet flat; he leaned his head on his knees, watching Leo for a moment.

'I knew I would find you sleeping, but why am I so happy I was right.'

Max plopped down on the floor gently, dropping his bag down, trying not to make a sound. But the weight of his bag; and the attempt to be silent with his shoes made him clumsily lose his balance, and the sole of his shoe scuffed the floor.

Leo's eyes fluttered open his long lashes sweeping gracefully across the thick bouncy apples of his cheek.

He yawned.

"Oh, how long have you been here?"

Max smiled.

"I have only been here maybe a minute. Sorry for waking you, I tried not to."

Leo smiled up at him rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"No, no, it's okay, I said I wasn't going to fall asleep, and then I did."

"I know, I told you that you would," Max replied.

Leo frowned, tilting his chin upwards unhappily.

"Didn't I text you an hour ago telling you you were going to fall asleep when you said you had finished your night class? And that you were going to the library to study and get a bit ahead of your calculus class." Max ruffled Leo's hair gently, and Leo scowled at him.

"You don't have to be such a smart a.s.s about it."

"I know I don't, but where would the fun in life be if I didn't get to see the way your nose wrinkles when you are pouting."

Leo pouted, but couldn't hold back the smirk that stretched across his face. Max scooched his bottom across the floor and cuddled up to Leo, then settled his head on Leo's taller shoulder. His neck strained a little, and Max felt as Leo slid lower so that Max could rest his head gently in the little crook of Leo's neck.

"Do you want to go back to your place or mine?" Max asked, enjoying how Leo's warm breath blew across the top of his head as he brushed it gently with his chin.

"You have Netflix, so your place is better," Leo said.

"My place also has a barging in Sam, who uses it whenever he wants. Sooo... It might be best if I just take my Netflix account and my b.u.t.t over to your place."

"Sam is busy tonight," Leo said.

"Oh yeah, you know my best friend's schedule better than I do?"

"Nope, but I know mine. And I think Evan said he was scheduling Sam in for an all-nighter." Leo chuckled softly.

"Again..." Max whistled gently.

"Yeah, I guess it is springtime, perfect procreation time for mammals."

Leo laughed at Max's joke.

"So your place then?" Leo asked, then shoved Max's head off gently and stood up, dusting his jeans off before holding out a hand for Max.

Max frowned.

"But we have been to my place six times, and I have never been to your place not even once."

"Are you hiding something from me," Max asked.

Leo chuckled at his big-lipped pout.

"My dad used to say if you keep your lip open like that too long a bird is going to come and poop on it."

"Yes, I am secretly hiding another man in there, and you can't see him."

Max took Leo's pre-offered hand and jumped up.

"Uh, huh, yep, sure you are," Max responded.

Leo stuck his arm through Max's looping their arms together and leaned his head down onto Max's lower shoulder.

"Oh, come on. You don't believe me? That I could have another man in my room?"

"Nope."

"Aww, why not?"

"The only man I have to fight for you in that room is Mr. Bear, and I think I have the upper hand in that battle."

"Oh, I wouldn't go judging Mr. Bear like that, he has lasted twenty-years of sleeping with me."

"That's the only title I want to steal from him," Max said.

"Max!" Leo slapped Max's arm hard.

"What?"

"What if someone heard you," Leo said softly, Max looked over at his flushed, cheery face.

"I hope they did, should I say it louder."

"Shh," Leo raised his hand, trying to cover Max's mouth, and Max grinned and pinned his arms down around the black tee, pulling Leo into a tight hug from behind right at the top of the stairs.

The girl who had been behind the counter when he got here appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's closing time in twenty minutes." She said, staring at the pair of them as if one guy looking like he was humping another at the top of the stairs was a perfectly normal occurrence in the library. Then she turned and walked away.

Leo shoved Max's arms off him and clomped quickly down the stairs. Max couldn't see his face, but from the color of the backs of his ears, he knew Leo was sporting his new favorite color.

Pink

"So, your place?" Max called, running down the stairs to catch him.

He caught him at the last step and jumped out past him.

He couldn't hide his toothy grin when he saw his assumption was correct.

"No!"

"Aww, why?" Max w.h.i.n.ed.

"I haven't cleaned this week, okay." Leo huffed, then walked off past Max almost at a full run-walk.

Max jogged lightly beside him, easily keeping up with Leo's longer legs.

"I am run captain, not the wisest way to escape me."

"Be quiet," Leo growled and pushed open the door of the library and ran off down the steps ahead of him.

'Awe, now how am I not supposed to tease you when you make it so fun?' Max thought, then ran after Leo chuckling to himself.