Xabi put down his pen and looked around him. Everyone in the classroom was deep into their final exams, some writing as fast as they could, some holding their heads with their hands as they tried to recall the answers to the questions. He looked back at his papers. He was the first to finish, and he already went through his answers twice. He knew he couldn't get it better even if he sat there for two more hours.

Finally he stuck his pen in his jeans' pocket, collected all his papers and the examination form and got up. Walking down the stairs, he read once again the questions. He put his test on his professor's desk, and with a nod turned to leave the classroom. His teacher whispered a quick "good luck" and "merry Christmas" to which he replied with another nod.

The halls were all empty, not a single student walking around. Everyone was either taking their exams or already leaving for the summer. Xabi made his way to his dorms room.

Steven wasn't there when he got there. He sighed and started packing, folding his clothes nicely and putting them in his suitcase and then taking all the other things he needed. The room was going to be theirs also next year so he allowed himself to leave there a couple pairs of shoes and some clothes. The pack of condoms and the small bottle of lube on the night stand caught his eye. He shook his head after a few moments; he wasn't going to have sex in the summer.

He had just finished when the door slammed open and Steven stepped inside, his face angry and annoyed. "That bloody professor gave us the most difficult questions in the world. I bet he doesn't know half of the answers himself." With those words he ped himself down on his bed. Then he looked at Xabi, and his suitcase. "Finished packing already?"

Xabi nodded.

"I should get started. My parents are expecting me." His boyfriend got up and disappeared in the bathroom, returning after a while with hands full of stuff he threw on his bed. "When is your flight?" he asked Xabi while looking around the room for his bag.

"In a few hours," he answered. "Closet, top shelf," he added and smiled when Steven got his bag from there. "Need help packing?"

Steven stopped with a pile of socks in his hands and looked at him, wondering. "Shouldn't you get going already? I've heard security and stuff in airports take forever."

Xabi nodded. "Yeah, soon. I have some time."

"How much time?"

A knowing smile took its place on Xabi's face. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, you know," Steven said as he put the socks on his bed and got closer to him, "the entire summer break is a long time not to have sex."

Xabi laughed. "Indeed it is."

~8~

Steven's hands tapped the wheel as the scene of the campus outside became the city buildings, his lips moving and forming the lyrics of the song on the radio. "Don't go breaking my, don't go breaking my - I won't go breaking your heart!" he shouted and then laughed at himself. He wouldn't even know this song if it wasn't for Xabi listening to it all the time two years prior.

He took his hand off the wheel to call his mother and let her know he was on his way when he noticed his phone wasn't with him. Going back in his mind, he remembered leaving it on the night stand in his room. "Shit," he cursed.

The moment he could turn around he did so. He was back in dorms in less than fifteen minutes. Xabi had already left, so he dug his key out of his pocket and tried to open the lock.

It was already open.

Steven frowned and opened the door. Xabi's head snapped up to look at him with something Steven recognized as desperation. His boyfriend had his suitcase opened on his bed as he hovered above it, and Steven could see he started unpacking it.

"What's going on?" he asked, confused.

"Why did you come back?" Xabi asked in return, avoiding his question.

"I forgot my phone." He stared at Xabi for a long moment. "Xabs, why are you here? Why…"

Xabi turned is head, suddenly looking very interested in the cream colored wall. "I'm not… going to Spain this summer," he said after a long moment of silent. "I'm staying here."

Stevie raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Did something happen?"

Xabi shook his head. "No. Well, not…" He couldn't seem to find the words and that made Stevie worry, because Xabi Alonso Olano always had what to say. "I had a fight with my parents," Xabi said, not looking at Steven. "They… They found out about us. They didn't like it."

Steven finally walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He went over to his bed and sat down. Xabi still didn't look at him. "How did they find out?"

"I told them."

Xabi's voice was full of regret, of sadness, and this made Stevie want to wrap his arms around him, but he couldn't bring himself to move and do it so he asked quietly, "when?" because he knew it didn't happen after he left the room and before he came back.

"Christmas."

Steven nodded. Xabi's early return on Christmas made sense to him now. He wanted to ask him why he had told his family, to ask why he didn't tell Steven what happened. He wanted to ask how Xabi could be so stupid and decide to stay the entire summer in the small dorm without even talking to him about it.

He didn't. He just sat there, his eyes focused on the Spaniard until he finally looked at him and then came to sit next to him, resting his head on Steven's shoulder.

Steven's phone rings, filling the room with a happy gavotte. He reached his hand and took it from the nightstand, checking the caller ID and then sighing. "Hey mom."

His mother's voice came to his ears, asking him if he was already on his way home and why he hadn't called yet and then, without waiting for his answers, telling him stuff like that his brother was already there and his father was taking a shower and more unimportant stuff.

Steven had his hand on Xabi's head while he listened to his mother's rambling, his fingers running through the soft hair. When his mother finished he said, "mom, I'm bringing a friend over for the summer."

Xabi tensed besides him and started to protest, but Steven put his hand on his mouth. His mother said, "alright, honey. I will make another bed."

Xabi didn't say anything when Steven hung up. Steven smiled and nudged his shoulder. "Guess you're going to stay with me this summer." He looked at the nightstand, the condoms and lube still on it. He grabbed them. "Well, we're going to need these after all."

Xabi cracked a smile.

~8~

The ride went silently. Xabi was staring out the window, refusing to look at his boyfriend. He could feel the looks Steven sent him every once in a while, but he kept his mouth shut. Around 2pm it started raining, and the sounds of the rain and the wind from outside the car relaxed him. He fell asleep, feeling exhausted from the pressur he felt during the passing week.

Steven woke him up after what seemed to be minutes, but when he looked at his watch he saw it was already 4:20pm. He ran his hand through Xabi's hair, making the Spaniard look at him. "Feeling okay?" he asked, a warm look in his eyes.