TITLE: There's No Place Like Home

AUTHOR: Sky Pie

RATING: PG

SUMMARY: One-Shot. Luke and Noah discuss stars, old movies, and what home means. Takes place during the summer of 2008 (some time after the army enlistment episode).

DISCLAIMER: All As the World Turns characters are not mine and no copyright infringement is intended. This is an original work of fiction. Any similarities to other fan fictions or stories are entirely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is just a fluffy little story I started in December 2008 that I finally decided to finish.

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"You see those three right there?" Noah leaned closer to Luke.

Luke's eyes followed the trail Noah made in the air with his index finger. "Yeah."

"That's the summer's triangle. Altair, Deneb, and Vega."

"Nice. Maybe that's what we should name our kids."

The two were lying on a blanket under an oak tree on the outskirts of the Snyder farm. They often went there to talk, to relax, to just be together. Ideally, they would have done more, but the knowledge that they could be seen from the kitchen window made them refrain from doing so.

The boys were stargazing this particular evening, with Noah pointing out different constellations and telling Luke the myths behind them. He had first learned about constellations with his father, but that was solely for tracking purposes whenever they went camping. Noah researched the stories afterwards, finding they always held his interest more.

Luke pointed to a particularly bright light above them. "Which star is that?"

"That's not a star, that's Venus." Noah corrected. "It's the first light to appear at night and the last light to go out in the morning."

"Huh. Venus. Wasn't she the goddess of looove?" Luke drew out the o, making Noah chuckle.

"Yep, she was the ancient Roman goddess of love. Aphrodite in Greek."

Luke wrinkled his nose. "Why did the god of love have to be a woman? Why couldn't it have been a man?"

"Well, there was Cupid. Or Eros, in Greek." Noah mentioned.

"Yeah, but wasn't he a chunky little baby who flew around shooting arrows at people and stuff?"

"That's a more modern image of him. I've read descriptions of him being depicted as a handsome young adult."

A smile curled on Luke's lips. "I think you'd look cute in a Cupid outfit." This caused his boyfriend to look at him strangely. "You know, half-naked with nothing on but a pair of wings and a cloth covering more sensitive areas."

Noah blushed. "Luke..."

Luke nudged him playfully. "Well, you would."

Noah turned to his side. "Okay, what other stars do you want to know about?"

Luke looked lovingly into the pair of blue eyes. "What about those two?"

Noah looked up in confusion. "Which two?"

Luke's hand turned Noah's head so he was facing him again. "The two that are in your eyes."

Noah actually snorted, beginning a loud fit of laughter.

Luke was not so amused. "What?"

"Snyder, that is so lame!" Noah managed to get out in between laughs.

"Oh come on! I was trying to be romantic."

Noah's laughter slowly subsided. "I appreciate the sentiment, really. And I've heard plenty of cheesy lines from classic romance movies. But that was just too much."

Luke rolled his eyes and not-so-gently jabbed Noah's side in an attempt to cease his laughter. "Okay, fine, it was lame. But at least I tried. I haven't watched all those corny old movies like you have."

By that point, Noah had calmed down enough from his laughing fit. He paused before saying, "We should use a famous movie quote. As kind of our own little thing, you know?" He looked over at his boyfriend to get the reaction from his suggestion.

Luke pondered this for a moment. "Hmm. How about..." he scrambled to think of a classic movie line. "'Here's looking at you, kid'?"

Noah frowned. "The context of the line is pretty sad, so probably not."

"Oh." Luke said in disappointment. "Well, I wouldn't know. It was just the first thing that popped into my head."

Noah scoffed as he sat upright. "I can't believe you've never seen Casablanca!"

"So sue me." Luke retorted as he sat up, gathering his arms around his knees. "What about... 'We'll always have...' Oakdale?"

Both boys laughed, Luke knowing it was a bad suggestion before finishing.

The two sat in silence for a while before Luke made another pitch. "How about, 'There's no place like home'?"

Noah nodded. "The Wizard of Oz. Although I must admit, it's not particularly one of my favorites."

"Yeah, me either. But I've had to watch it dozens of times thanks to Faith and Natalie." Luke explained.

Noah turned to look at him curiously. "But why that line?" He glanced at their surroundings. "Oh, duh. Because we're at the farm, which is our home."

"Well, yeah, that's true." Luke conceded. "But I was thinking more like... you are my home."

"What do you mean?"

Luke chose his next words carefully, not wanting to sound sappy or clichéd. "I know that I'm lucky to have such a big family and a house, things that many people don't. But even though I've always been surrounded by people who love me, I used to feel like no one really understood me. Even after I came out to everyone and was eventually accepted, I was still lonely. Then I met you, and we got to know each other, and even though you weren't out yet I felt this connection that I hadn't ever experienced before. And it wasn't just that I was attracted to you, it was..."

He paused momentarily. "Do you remember that first night we swam in the pond?"

Noah smiled. "How could I forget?"

"Right before, we were talking on the porch about how movies were your escape, and you joked about me writing the acceptance speech of our award-winning film..."

"I wasn't joking about that." Noah interjected.

Luke smirked. "Would you let me finish, please?"

Noah held up his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry. Go on."

Luke shook his head, smiling all the while. "That moment, it just kind of clicked for me. I had never felt so comfortable with anyone. Like we were on the same page. And ever since, you've been my home base. Despite all the crap we've been through. I think about where we are now and how close we are. It's like I've been on a bad trip, but now we're together... and I'm home."

He looked at Noah on his last word, the sincerity present in his voice and the emotion written all over his face. The two just looked at one another before Luke broke the gaze. "I'm sorry. That was probably cheesier than any old movie you've seen."

Noah grabbed Luke's hand. "No, not at all. I completely get it, Luke."

Luke smiled as Noah began his own speech. "I never really had a home growing up. We were constantly moving from base to base. I couldn't make friends even if I tried, because as soon as I got to know someone my father would pack us up and we would leave again. But even on the bases, I saw other kids with their parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, cousins. In new and unfamiliar places, they were surrounded by people who loved them. And I didn't have that. I tried to be grateful for what I did have, but it never felt like enough."

Luke gave Noah's hand a soft squeeze, encouraging him to continue.

"I could relate to Dorothy at the beginning of the movie, when she wanted to escape somewhere far away from all her problems. But at the end, she realized that she was happiest at home. I couldn't understand that feeling at the time. If I were her, I would have stayed in Oz forever."

Noah turned to Luke, his thumb lightly stroking Luke's hand clasped in his. "I didn't get it until I started living here with you and your family. I've never felt so accepted, so welcome. To come back after a long day and have people who are happy to see me, who want to talk to me and take care of me. Not having to meet any expectations and just being loved for who I am. This farm, your family, you... it's home to me. For the first time in my life. And it scares me to think that I may lose it, and I would never feel like this again."

Luke leaned in to rest his forehead against Noah’s. “You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he whispered. “You’re family, and I’m not letting you go.”

He then closed the distance between them, placing his lips on Noah’s. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that was hot like fire, making Noah’s entire body burn. It wasn’t sweet like ice cream, making him feel like melting. It was warm, like curling up next to the hearth with the person he loved most.

When they broke apart, the two sat in silence, eyes closed, listening to the sound of each other’s breathing.

Noah was the first to come back to reality. “It’s getting late. Your grandmother’s probably worried. We’d better head back.”

The boys got up, Luke gathering up the blanket under his arm. His free hand grabbed Noah’s as they headed towards the farmhouse.

“So if you’re Dorothy, who would I be?” Luke asked.

“Toto.” Noah grinned as Luke shoved him playfully. “Seriously, probably the Scarecrow.”

“So what, you’re saying I’m stupid?”

“No, you dork. The irony was that even though he didn’t have a brain, the Scarecrow was the most intelligent character in the movie. And,” Noah snaked his arm around Luke’s waist, “he was the one that Dorothy missed most of all.”

The two continued joking as they walked. They may have been yards away from the house, but both felt like they were already safe at home.