A/N- Hi! Just a note from me before reading: This is a slow burn love story set in a dystopian future, loosely based on the UK (as that's where I am from).
Please note: there are dark themes, particularly later in the series.
Thank you :) Daisy x
***
Daniel
Daniel remembered that when the world changed, it changed very quickly. He recalled dimly a happier time, of rainbow flags hung in June, he always liked rainbows so maybe this is why that memory stuck so well. And his mum of course. His mum smiling at him and holding him tightly.
He remembered her smell, the feel of her as she hugged him, telling him he was going to be a big brother. He remembered that hug getting weaker and weaker. The arguing at the end was hardest to forget, his Dad desperately finding someone that would perform the abortion that would save her life. But of course, that was illegal. She died weak and pale, and the baby died with her.
Lots of things were illegal now. Abortion bans were followed by even stricter rules on women, as they were banned from leadership positions and government entirely. Once women's rights were mangled, they moved onto the LGBTQ community. Being gay or trans, or anything that didn't fit into their new order was considered a sin. If you were gay it was a criminal offence to act on it. Even hanging a rainbow flag would get you a hefty fine with jail time, and parades were long since squashed out.
Daniel lived as a child through the changes, and saw them in glimpses of the news and catches of conversations, not understanding the magnitude of what he was seeing and hearing. School changed too, all his lovely, friendly, female teachers disappeared, and were replaced by strict men who told them much of what they had been taught about history, religion, the world, was incorrect. Their task was to fix it.
He remembered books being burned, bonfires built high with library and school books deemed inappropriate to read.
His father was blinded by grief, and did his best to raise him, but once he turned eighteen alcohol consumed him and Daniel was left to fend for himself. Now at nineteen years old, he was looking forward to finishing his studies and moving far, far away.
Dad would manage to sober himself up enough every Sunday to attend church. A mandatory event in the new world. Daniel didn't mind going to church, he liked the songs and found the bible interesting, if a little dry sometimes. But he did often feel uncomfortable when they would preach about the evils in the world, referring to residual feminists, LGBT groups and human rights groups in other nations around the world who were 'trying to drag us to hell' with their 'false words and lies'.
Today's service was another just like it. After the third preacher stood and began to talk about why women in a business setting was harmful to their brains, he zoned out. He didn't mean to. Instead, he looked across the church at the beautiful stain glass window, currently alight with morning sun. The vibrant colours filled the church with greens, pinks and blues. One particularly strong strand of pink had landed in a boys hair on the second row. Daniel watched it play in his sandy blonde hair, mesmerised. Suddenly as if sensing his gaze, the boy turned.
It was a new face. He must be of a similar age to Daniel, with a handsome boyish appearance, his eyes were dark brown, and as they fell on him he gave a small smile. He was lit so brightly by the window behind him that he seemed to glow with ethereal light. Daniel felt too stunned to do more than smile weakly back, before the boy turned back to the preacher.
He felt a strange squeeze in his stomach at the glance, and blinked rapidly, before turning his attention resolutely to the preacher. He didn't know what just happened, but he didn't think it was a good thing. Not by their rules anyway.
"And I would like to finish this service, by welcoming our newest family to the town."
Daniel sat up, suddenly interested as the preacher gestured to the boy in the second row and what must be his parents. An older man with greying hair and a moustache, next to a pretty brunette woman who must be his wife. There was another girl there too, around the same age, with similar sandy coloured hair to the boy. He watched them shuffle uncomfortably and smile sheepishly at the attention.
"The Weston's, who I'm sure you will all make to feel welcome here."
There was a round of applause, and Daniel caught a brief glimpse of that smile again as the family turned. He watched the boy raise a hand as he waved gratefully along with his sister.
After the service was finished, there was the usual mingling. People were shaking hands and chatting with each other. Many were giving his father, and by proxy him, a wide birth. His father muttered something about stuck up idiots and took a swig from his hip flask.
Daniel pushed through the crowd, heading towards the knot at the centre. The Weston's were surrounded by well wishers welcoming them to the town. He joined them, letting the crowd push him slowly towards them. To him.
"Hello young man, you are?" Mr Weston said, and Daniel ripped his eyes from his son to smile politely.
"Daniel sir, welcome."
The man had a stern face, and he smiled tightly and nodded his thanks.
"Thank you Daniel," Mrs Weston said, "you should say hello to Clara and Luke," she said, gesturing to the pair.
"Hi," the girl said, "I'm Clara," she smiled prettily at him and he smiled back. She was beautiful too, not quite as beautiful as her brother, but she too had those big brown eyes, framed by long dark lashes.
"Hi," he replied, before glancing at Luke. His mouth went dry. He was tall, with broad sloping shoulders, and was, somehow, even more handsome close up. The light was still shining on him in that odd, sparkling way and for a moment Daniel was speechless.
"Hi?" Luke laughed, breaking the silence with a slightly lopsided grin.
"Hi!" Daniel replied breathlessly. He realised how weird he was being just staring at him and stuck out his hand, "Daniel," he said, "welcome!"
Luke and Clara both laughed, and he looked between them, feeling mortified.
Eventually Luke took his hand and grinned, "nice to meet you Daniel. I'm Luke."
His handshake was firm and confident, and Daniel found himself knocked dumb. He felt his cheeks redden and he began mumbling something about checking on his dad and backing away. He knocked over a lady behind him and turned to help her apologising profusely. He reddened only further on hearing Luke continue to chuckle behind him.
He darted away, breathless back to his father and slumped down on the pew beside him. His father glanced at him, and then over towards the crowd. Daniel thought he saw Luke crane his neck over the throng and hoped that just maybe, he was looking for him.
His dad's eyes fell onto him and he glanced back at him. The steely eyes didn't look so intoxicated in that moment.
"What?" He said defensively.
He huffed and stood. "Let's go. Now."
***
Luke
"Whatcha reading?" Clara asked, as she jumped onto his bed. He put down his book sighing, there was no way he was going to finish it with Clara in his room.
"Nothing you'd like. What do you want?" He asked and she pouted at him. She did that a lot.
"I wanted to hang out with my brother, is that allowed?"
He rolled his eyes but smiled at her all the same. Clara was annoying and loud, but he loved her. They had shared a room until they were twelve, and as twins they'd always had a particularly close relationship. Especially since neither of them really gelled all that well with their strict, authoritarian parents.
"So what was with that guy at the church earlier?" She asked and Luke fought back a chuckle at the memory.
He had first spotted him sat near the back of the church, only a brief glimpse, a polite smile. He didn't properly register him until after the service.
There were so many people, mostly older couples who he'd instantly forgotten the names of. But when he pushed through, Luke was instantly interested. He was shorter than him, but not short by normal standards, with a tangle of dark black hair that was at odds with his pale skin. What was the most striking about him were his eyes. Shockingly blue, Luke had to do a double take. He had no idea eyes could look like that. He was genuinely excited to meet him, to talk to him.
But as soon as he had come close to him and Clara, he had turned beetroot red and when Luke shook his hand, he had practically ran away from them, knocking over an old woman in the process. Luke felt intrigued. He had been expecting to be bored in this small little town, but he had definitely changed things.
"His name was Daniel I think," he said smiling to himself.
"He was cute," Clara said firmly, "and did you see how awkward he was around me? So hot, I wouldn't mind a piece of that."
"Clara, gross!" he protested, throwing a pillow light heartedly at her. She caught it and grinned.
"You don't think he was cute?"
Luke thought about those eyes, and smirked, "I guess he wasn't bad looking. But what do I know about guys?"
"True," she conceded. "There was a cute girl called Sophie who seemed your type. Girl next door sorta face, brown hair, petite. Oh my God. What if-" she said suddenly sitting up in excitement. "What if I make friends with Sophie and you make friends with Daniel and we can have like a double date!"
Luke scowled, "Clara that is so lame."
"Do you not want to be friends with him?" She asked.
Luke thought for a moment and then sighed. He did want to find out more about Daniel, and if it made Clara back off for a bit, then what was the harm?
"Okay fine," he agreed, "I'll make friends with him."
***
Daniel
Daniel was gay. It was his biggest secret in a world where being gay was worthy of jail time or worse. He tried his best to convince himself otherwise, to date and kiss and fancy women, but he didn't. He couldn't.
Until now, he had sufficiently kept his desires in check by watching movies with handsome male leads. He hadn't been interested in men in the real world, hadn't let himself be interested. He knew the cost would be too high, the risks too great. That was until now.
Luke Weston. Fuck. The god that he was. Daniel couldn't think about anything or anyone else for the rest of the day...or night. He realised how foolish he had been in the church, behaviour like that could get him caught out, under suspicion. He had to stay away from Luke as much as possible, as if his life depended on it. Because it did. Eventually with that damming promise to himself, he fell into uneasy sleep.
He headed to school Monday morning, feeling on edge and skittish. Making his normal route through the crowds of students, towards his first classroom, he kept his head down, keen to avoid any well meant conversations. He deliberately made no friends, it was easier to be a social floater, and not let anyone close enough to catch him out in his secret.
He headed to the bathroom first, checking his reflection in the mirror. His dark black hair was as unruly as ever, his skinny face and body hidden by his oversized clothes. The only saving grace were his blue eyes. They had been his mums, and the only thing he liked about himself. When he looked at them, he could almost convince himself that it was her looking back at him.
"Come on Danny," she would have said. "You can do this."
He opened the door to the classroom and headed to his normal seat at the back, taking out a book and reading whilst the rest of his classmates filtered in.
