"Come on, it's not that bad. You'll have a week to finish the essay; that's plenty of time for you to write up 2000 words." Their history teacher shook her head as she picked up a box and shook it. "Sort yourself into pairs and come pick a topic; this time we'll cover American history. Unless you'd rather skip the essay and just write a test right now?" The class groaned in unison. They had a week of break, why give them homework? Mix watched as his classmates made their arrangements, several of them asking Niam to pair with them. Not that they actually wanted to do a history essay with him; majority of them just wanted to be invited to his big house, and Mix knew it. "Mix, Mix!" A girl called Aye leaned over his desk so much he nearly got a full view of her cleavage. "Can you pair with me? We can write it at your house!" She grinned at him while Mix leaned back on his chair, a very awkward smile on his face. She bent over even more; Mix could see the lace of her bra peeking through the shirt. "My mom won't let me have girls over, sorry!" He blurted out as he leaned even further back. He would have fallen over completely if a firm hand didn't grab the back of his chair and steadied him back. "I'll pair with you." A soothing voice said as Mix smacked himself against the edge of his desk. He gave Earth a very grateful look and nodded. "Yeah that will be great." He smile before giving the girl an apologetic look. "Sorry, my mom is just like...really strict." He said, lying through his teeth. With disappointed pout she left and Mix let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. Thanks." "No problem." Earth spoke quietly.

"I'll go pick us a topic, alright?" The boy said before walking off to the front of the class and rummaging through the papers until he pulled out a strip and brought it over to Mix's desk just as the school bell rang, signalling the end of Friday's school day. "Oh wow, the Donner party? Damn." Mix raised an eyebrow. He knew it had something to do with pioneers in America and cannibalism. As they walked to the bike stand, Earth finally spoke. Now that they weren't surrounded by noisy classmates, Mix could hear his husky voice clearer. "Does your mom really not allow girls?" The giant asked as he unlocked his bicycle. Mix chuckled awkwardly. "No it's just...She asked me out last month and I rejected her, so it feels awkward. I don't really feel like getting in one small room with her for hours, you know?" Earth nodded. "So...you really don't like her?" Mix shook his head before kneeling down to tie his loose shoelace. He could swear he heard a quiet 'good' before standing back up and pulling his bicycle out of the stand. "So...my place, Tuesday...?" He asked before swinging his leg over the bar and sitting on the bicycle. Earth nodded. "Sure, sounds good. Or we could do it at my place, but that's quite far for you I think..." "You have internet?" "I live on a farm, not in a cave, Mix." Earth rolled his eyes.

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"Stop that, I just want to see him." His mother smacked when he kept bitting his nails. "You gonna see him tomorrow, can't you just let it go? He's working!" Mix begged his mother when she dragged his whiny butt towards the fenced area of Farmer's market. "I'm going to have a stranger in my house; I'd like to meet him first. Besides, I'd like some vegetables." She smacked his hand out of his mouth again before opening the wooden gate and walking amongst the various stalls, browsing, until Mix grabbed her elbow and tried to hide behind her back. "Wow." He heard her exhale as they stood infront of a big stall that sold various foods. "That's the guy you like? Damn." She whispered before approaching the stall and pushing her son forward. Mix felt his cheeks burning when his friend noticed him and gave him a wave. "Hey Mix." Earth smiled in a way Mix hasn't seen before. It was a big bright smile that made Mix's tummy feel funny. Not to mention, Earth's general look was now something Mix couldn't stop staring at. He's had on ripped jeans and a cream coloured peasant shirt with sleeves rolled up to his biceps and the string closing it dangerously untied, matching his lazily pushed back hair. "Hi." Mix said awkwardly as he quickly cut the eye contact and looked on all the produce. Apples, pears, carrots, potatoes, eggs, cream, cheese, and some bread and rolls.

"...is my mom." Mix muttered, gesturing to the woman to his left who was now very much interested in all the products laid on and around the stall. Earth nodded before beckoning towards the man behind him. "My dad. What can I get you madam?" Earth smiled at Mix's mother who was now closely inspecting the veggies. "Those carrots look amazing; can I have two bunches?" "Dad?" Earth nudged his father as he pointed at the carrots. "Two bunches." "Can't you-" Earth glanced towards Mix and back. His father did an 'oh, I see' expression before quickly tending to Mix's mom and selecting the nicest carrot bunches for her. Mix awkwardly smiled. He didn't know where to look as he didn't want to ogle Earth's bare arms and that sexy hairstyle, so instead he focused on the other things, mainly the stack of cheese taller than him. "Do you want to try some?" Earth smiled as he picked up a wedge and sliced a little chunk off, hovering it infront of Mix who instinctively opened his mouth and let the dark boy feed him by hand. Earth's fingers made a brief contact with Mix's lips before the two separated, noticing how giddily their parents stared at them. "So uhm...tomorrow? Lunch time? Mom will cook." "Oi!" "Sure." Earth nodded before they said they goodbyes and Mix dragged his mom away. "I get that you're smitten, but you really should take a new bag." His father elbowed him gently as Earth absentmindedly continued stuffing potatoes into a bag ripped at the bottom. He panicked when he noticed the tubers spilled all around him.

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"It's kinda cute, don't pout, Mik Mik." Earth chuckled quietly when Mix slammed the door to his room and grumpily folded his arms. His mom promised not to use that nickname when Earth came over, but when it slipped out during lunch and Earth snorted, Mix wanted to throw a tantrum. He hastily finished his meal and impatiently tapped his foot under the table until Earth finished his plate and got dragged away back into Mix's room. "It stopped being cute when I was five. It's embarrassing, and she promised not to say it infront of my friends." "It's not bad, it's cute." Earth said as he joined Mix on the bed, sitting with his legs crossed. "You laughed though..." Earth bit his lip. "Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, my mom has a nickname for me too and it's much more embarrassing to explain than Mik Mik. Yours at least still resembles your actual name while mine is just..." "Just?" "Nothing, never mind." Earth quickly opened his laptop and spread around some open books and notepads. "Come on, you have to tell me! You owe me, for laughing!" Mix leaned over Earth's laptop with eyes bigger than the moon. "It's...bm..." "Huh?" "It's Bum bum! Apparently as a toddler I used to run around naked and smack my butt infront of people and yell bum bum." "Oh my god." Mix squeezed his lips tightly, but it couldn't stop the laughter erupting from his mouth as Earth covered his face with a notepad, waiting for Mix to stop wheezing.

"Wow, look at the time!" Earth gasped when he saved the document and minimised the window. "Oh man, I really should go home or my mom will worry." He said as the little digital clock in the corner of his screen showed nearly 10pm. They finished the essay more than two hours ago and just spent their time watching silly videos until his laptop's battery started to run low and he closed YouTube, promptly saving their essay before they could lose it. Mix looked at the window; it was pitch black out there, and riding on a bicycle in such dark, especially that far, didn't seem like the safest idea. "Why don't you stay? Call your parents and go home in the morning? We are on holiday after all..." Mix suggested as he packed up all the books and set them on his desk. Earth hesitated. "Won't your mom mind?" "Nah, she's already asleep anyway. I can take the sofa downstairs, you can have my bed." Mix gestured towards it. "Don't be silly, it's your bed. I don't mind sharing but I think I need a shower." He said as he sniffed his shirt and grimaced. Mix couldn't smell anything bad, but handed Earth a towel anyway. "Do you want to go first?" Earth asked, but Mix shook his head. "No, I showered before you came. I mean! I shower in the mornings anyway so..." He gestured towards the bathroom. "There." "Thanks. Oh hey, do you think I could borrow some shorts or something? I didn't exactly pack a change of clothes." Earth smiled before closing the bathroom door. "Yeah I'll..I'll find you something. I'll put it on the door handle."

Mix managed to find a pair of his old boxer shorts that were now too loose and too ragged to wear outside, but he often wore them to sleep when he didn't have clean undies. Somehow the thought of Earth putting them on made his lower half a little excited and he slammed the shorts on the handle before running back to his room and forcing his mind to think of something else. When it finally went down and he slipped on one side of his bed in pyjama shorts and t-shirt, Earth finally returned, rubbing his hair with a towel. "Do you want one pillow or two?" Mix asked when Earth closed the door and approached the bed, finally coming to the light of Mix's overhead lamp. "One is enough, thanks." "Sure, you can..." Mix's voice trailed off and this time he couldn't help it; his jaw dropped and eyes opened so wide when he got the sight of Earth's nearly naked body. He was muscular everywhere; thighs, abs, firm chest, big strong arms. Mix wanted to drool all over them. The shorts that usually ended above his knees barely covered half of Earth's thighs, and seemed just tight enough to accentuate... "Good night!" Mix squeaked as he turned around with face burning and heart pounding so hard he thought Earth could definitely hear it. When the muscular boy joined him under the blanket and switched the lamp off, Mix wanted to disintegrate. How was he real? In the end Mix could only lay on his side for so long and finally rolled over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He briefly glanced to his side, only to see Earth's eyes also open, but the boy didn't say anything. Mix slowly put his arm under the blanket as it was a little chilly. He just wanted a little more warmth, but then it happened. Earth's pinkie touched his, and Mix knew; it wasn't accidental.