Flightless

"No, Jordan!" My patience was wearing thin as Jordan tugged again at my arm, trying to pull me from my comfortable position on his couch.

He crouched down in front of me, as he'd done the previous three times I'd told him no. "Come on baby, I won't be able to sleep knowing you're out here looking all sexy wearing my clothes."

"Well that won't be a problem, as soon as I can be bothered moving I'm changing into my own clothes," I motioned towards the bag he'd dumped by the coffee table when he'd come home from morning skate after effectively having kidnapped me for the night. "I still can't believe you made Tanger go through my room. You know he had to go through my underwear, right?"

My smirk wiped the pout straight off Jordan's face, a dark scowl quickly replacing it. "That's it," he declared as his arms engulfed my frame, hauling me into his chest as he stood, and heading for the bedroom.

After a small scream of surprise at his aggressiveness I managed to get out a rough, "Wait." It served its purpose, causing the boy to halt his steps, curiosity quirking an eyebrow. "Can I at least grab my music so I'm not bored out of my mind?"

Despite my many protests about not being able to sleep during the day, Jordan was as insistent as usual about me joining him for his pre-game nap. I was a little surprised he didn't just go with brute force from the start, only to remember he liked our bickering sessions a little too much for my irritation level.

He seemed to contemplate my request for a few seconds, before backtracking to the coffee table where I'd dumped my mp3 player the previous afternoon. Not bothering to let go of me, which I was hoping he'd do, he merely leaned over so I could grab the essential item before resuming our journey.

"You can put me down, you know. Not like I have anywhere to run."

A chuckle shook his chest, "But if I put you down I can't do this-"

Before I could even fully process his statement I was heading towards the mattress, still in Jordan's arms. Thankfully he used his forearms to absorb some of his weight so I wasn't completely squashed, but I still took it upon myself to yell at him. "Jordan! Are you trying to kill me?"

He rolled over onto his back before getting up and stripping down to his preferred sleep attire of just boxers, while I settled myself against the headboard. "Nope. Why would I do that? I haven't gotten to marry you or have a bunch of gorgeous babies with you yet."

The way he spoke about our future continued to catch me off guard every time. He was so casual about it, almost like there was no conscious thought behind the words, that they were already destined to become fact. The surety he exuded was unrelenting, borderline scary, but reassuring in its own way. I still had my doubts about this whole thing, as much as I was beginning to really like being with Jordan, annoying ways and all. I knew I could fall in love with him at some stage, but was barely two months after losing three of the most important people in my life the right time to start getting attached?

Snapping me out of my thoughts, Jordan pulled the ear buds, which I was trying to straighten out, from my hands. "Get down here," he motioned to his chest, indicating I was supposed to lie with him, not just keep him company in the bed.

"You're so demanding," I joked, complying with his request while grabbing back my vital link to music. Laying the leads on his stomach, as I got comfortable snuggled into his side with my head against his shoulder, I left them there to tickle him as I continued untangling them one handed. It took a little extra effort and time than usual but I eventually got it done under Jordan's gaze. "What?"

He waited until I glanced up at him, seeing a grin and tender eyes trained on my own. "I love you."

Feeling the inevitable blush quickly grace my cheeks I buried my face into his chest, wishing I could truthfully return the sentiment. Leaving a kiss on the skin above his heart was as close as I could get to that for now though, hoping it would be enough.

"You're supposed to be sleeping, boy," I warned him a few minutes later as his hand that had been settled on my waist started to creep under the t-shirt of his I was wearing. He halted his actions, leaving his hand exactly where it was, no doubt a smirk gracing his lips.

Shaking my head a little at him, I figured now was as good a time as any to crank the tunes. Deciding I was in an Atreyu mood, I set the player, placed an ear bud into my free ear, turned the volume down a little, and relaxed against my slow breathing pillow.