Another Nate/Jenny story - this time, a one shot! I can't help myself, I just love them so much. I own nothing but the plot. Please review. Thanks!
Nate loves Central Park in the winter. Every time he walks through it, peacefulness washes over him that he can't quite explain. Maybe it stems from running in the park with his dad growing up, he isn't sure. He savors it while it lasts, because he knows that his real life is anything but peaceful. His life is a shit show, complete with family drama, girl drama, and friend drama. The trifecta of misery, as he likes to think of it.
First, his drug addict father gets arrested for embezzlement, makes bail, and promptly flees to Dominica, leaving him and his mom without a cent (since the police froze their assets until they turn in his dad).
Then, he finds out that Blair, the girl he's dated since he was twelve, is cheating on him.
And then, the icing on the cake, he discovers that not only has Blair been cheating, but she has been cheating with his best friend, Chuck Bass.
The trifecta of misery indeed.
Which is why he is in the park on a snowy December day. He needs to clear his head, regroup, and figure out how he is going to handle his life.
The first problem: he's going to be effectively homeless in a day. Their townhouse is being repossessed and his mom has already fled to the Hamptons. Unless he wants to drop out of high school, he can't go with her. So he has to find somewhere else to stay. He would usually go to Chuck, but with their differences that's not going to happen. And he can't go to his grandfather. He cut Nate's family off when his dad got arrested. He can't stay with Blair and won't stay with Serena (staying in an apartment with the girl that you lost your virginity to and her family is too awkward, even as desperate as he is).
He has no clue what he is going to. So he sits on a park bench and stares out into the trees. Avoidance has always been a specialty of his.
He doesn't even notice when someone sits next to him. "Nate," the person whispers. His head jerks up to see Jenny Humphrey sitting there looking at him with a soft smile. Her blonde curls are wrapped around her head like a halo and her blue eyes are shining. She is sitting so close that he can smell vanilla and he unconsciously moves a bit closer like metal to a magnet. Of all people, Jenny is the one to come check on him. They aren't even good friends, just casual acquaintances. They have only known each other a few months, since that night that he accidentally kissed her. So he is confused about the relief that floods his system when he sees her there, but he doesn't question it.
Instead, his hand wraps around one of hers. But they don't speak.
After what feels like both forever and no time at all, Nate decides he needs to tell her what's going on. "As of tomorrow, we are getting kicked out of the house while the investigation is ongoing. We don't have any money for a hotel. My mom is hiding in the Hamptons. I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't go to Blair or Chuck or Serena." He realizes with a start that, despite the claim that he doesn't really know her, he has confided in her more than anyone else since he has known her. She's always had that effect on him, he realizes with a start.
The smile doesn't leave her face. "That's easy, Nate. You'll come stay at the loft with us."
Living with Jenny? What world had he suddenly dropped into? "I don't know if that's a good idea."
"Sure it is! You can crash on the couch or on Dan's futon. It's just temporary. And my family isn't like all you Upper East Side folks. My dad knows what it is like to fall on hard times. He'll help with no judgment, I promise. And if anyone asks, you're staying with us because you don't want to be in your big old house all by yourself while your mom is in the Hamptons. You and Dan are friends; it is totally plausible that you'd want to stay with him. It's perfect, admit it!"
"I… Jenny, are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay, let's give it a try. If it's okay with your dad, of course." He realizes that he still hasn't released her hand from his and she hasn't tried to pull it away. They aren't looking at each other but observing the scenery in front of them. It's thirty degrees outside, but it has been a long time since he felt so warm.
An hour later, after a stop at his place to grab his stuff, the pair gets off the subway in Brooklyn and heads to the Humphrey loft. Nate feels his heart beating faster as Jenny opens the door. "Home sweet home," she says. "Let me go talk to my dad, you can hang out here, okay?" He nods, but the family pictures all over the place have caught his attention. Jenny with her adorable pigtails and Dan with an awkward bowl haircut are especially hilarious. He keeps scanning them, progressing through time as he watches the Humphrey siblings grow up before his eyes. His favorite is the picture of little Jenny with what looks to be her very first sewing machine.
His parents never had photos of him in the house, at least not in rooms where they hosted guests.
Rufus comes out of the office with Jenny behind him. "I hear you're in a tight spot and need a place to stay?" Nate nods silently, uncomfortable. He's never had to ask for help before. "You can stay here. But there are ground rules. You will observe the curfew and abide by all the rules Dan and Jenny follow. You will pull your weight with chores. And you will let me know if you need anything." The older man smiles at him and Nate breathes a sigh of relief.
Who would have thought that his savior would be a washed up musician and his two kids in Brooklyn? But that's what happens.
Dan reacts well to the news, although he raises his eyebrow inquisitively when Jenny says she simply 'talked Nate into' staying with them. Dan of all people knows how stubborn and proud Nate is.
He gets in a routine with the Humphreys and before long he feels like a member of the family. He helps make eggs in the morning to go with Rufus' famous waffles. He plays soccer with Dan and helps Jenny with her homework. They have family dinners and movie nights. Rufus asks about school and congratulates him when he does well on tests. It's a family like he's never had before.
Three months pass. He goes to school, does all his after school activities, and makes up with both Chuck and Blair.
One morning, though, things change for Nate. It all starts when Jenny walks in on him as he is coming out of the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a towel. She's awkward and adorable, standing in front of him uncomfortably. Her hair is shorter and blonder, but it's Jenny, so she still looks great. She is just wow to him – he can't explain it. But he laughs a little at her reaction and offers her the bathroom. She says no. She'll just pee at work. She makes a quick exit, leaving him standing in the bathroom doorway in his towel. He just stands there, biting his lip and thinking about her. And he stays there until Dan notices and asks him what the hell he is doing.
It's like someone flipped a switch. After that, Jenny is always on his mind. She's not at school anymore, which is like a torture for Nate because he has to go all day without seeing her. Vanessa, Blair, Serena, they all fade into the background. Jenny is front and center.
He starts bailing on nights out with Chuck and opportunities to flirt with Serena to stay home with Jenny as she sews and they eat pizza.
Dan thinks it's strange. Rufus is suspicious.
But he can't help himself. The girl has him wrapped around her finger.
One night, she goes out with her new friend Agnes. Nate doesn't trust the girl, who is a couple years older and a model, and flighty, and sketchy. They first met at Waldorf Designs, when Nate brought Jenny her lunch one day, and he immediately got a strange vibe. But Jenny doesn't listen to him.
He finds her later at the creepy photographer's apartment that night. She is shirtless and dancing with Agnes as Max snaps pictures. Nate feels like he is going to throw up. He is simultaneously fighting the urge to kill Max and Agnes and fighting the urge to kiss the hell out of Jenny. She's angry and rebellious. He's stubborn and irate. He wins.
She yells at him as they begin the walk home. "You're not my father and you're not my brother. So why do you care?!"
Why does he care? How could he not care? She is everything.
"….Because," is all he can say, and even then it comes out in a whisper. He can't reveal that he is obsessed with her. She's clearly going through something and is vulnerable. She needs a friend, not another guy making a move on her.
When she leans up and kisses him, though, everything goes out the window. His brain blanks immediately. The kiss is over before it even has a chance to start. He hasn't had enough, but she starts to walk away. His hand reaches out and pulls her by the arm until she is pressed against him again. And he kisses her with everything he has. They stand on the street corner wrapped in each other until he has no idea where he is or what time it is. His hands roam over her body and he remembers how beautiful she was in just her bra, dancing so freely. He can't help it; Jenny is intoxicating.
Eventually they break apart and look at each other. Then they walk home in silence.
All he can think about is how he fucked everything up.
The Humphreys are the only people who have ever really given a shit about him. They took him in when he was homeless. He owes them everything. And yet he just kissed Jenny, consequences be damned. The guilt eats away at him.
So he stops talking to her. Her texts are ignored and he gone from the loft all of the time (he comes home late at night and is up before dawn, with a nod and a thank you to Rufus, who is up at the crack of dawn for some reason). At school, when he sees her coming he goes the other way. He knows after the fourth frantic texts that she sends him that she is confused and upset. It takes every bit of effort to force himself not to respond to her.
One day, he passes her on the corner of 5th and Park. She's just standing there, frozen, her eyes glistening with tears as she watches him walk. It physically hurts him to see her falling apart – he knows he is the cause. But he keeps walking.
Another month passes as he tortures himself by staying away from her. Sometimes he spots her and he feels like he can't move or even breathe. He is paralyzed by how much he cares about her. How much he misses her.
He goes to visit his father in prison in Staten Island and when he exits the prison Jenny is standing there, leaning against his limo and looking at her phone. He walks up to her and clears his throat, catching her attention. She jumps, startled, and smiles at him. He thinks he may have entered an alternate universe, a universe where she is not heartbroken and he isn't a giant asshole.
"Gossip Girl said you were coming to visit your dad for the first time, and I thought you could use a friend." He smiles at her because she is so right and she knows him so well. Seeing his father behind bars, and fighting with his mom about the visit, has taken a lot out of him.
They go have lunch at a random diner on Staten Island. The food is awful, but she smiles at him and he feels like he would literally eat shit if it meant he could see her smile at him every day.
"I'm sorry," he blurts out as they are finishing their milkshakes. "Jenny, I am so sorry."
Jenny looks at him for a second, her eyes blazing, as he shifts uncomfortably in the booth. "Why? Why did you do it? Why did you kiss me and leave me? What did I do to deserve that?" She looks like she is holding back tears and he reaches for her hand on the table. Just as his fingers touch hers, she pulls it away.
It feels like she just slapped him. He deserves it.
"I got scared. Your family has been so good to me. Better than my family ever has been. And how did I repay that kindness? By taking advantage of you. It was wrong, kissing you that night. I never should have done it."
She crosses her arms in front of her chest and her gaze hardens. "You didn't take advantage of me, Nate. But I'm so glad to know that you think I was such a mistake. Don't worry, it will never happen again. I'm going to leave – I'll see you around. Or not." She moves to get up.
He reaches out again to take her hand. "Jenny, don't leave." He's begging, but he doesn't care. He just needs her to understand. "Please. Let me explain, you have it all wrong." She must see something in his face, because she turns back to him. "I don't regret kissing you. I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to kiss you so much that it hurt, Jenny. I still do. I like you so much! But the way I went about it was wrong. You were drunk, and vulnerable, and I took advantage of that. I should have talked to you, taken you out on a date, asked Rufus and Dan for their permission. You deserve to be treated like a princess, Jenny, and I treated you like a meaningless hook up. After everything you and your family have done for me, I handled my feelings the wrong way. That is what I feel bad about. Not kissing you."
Silence envelops them for a minute.
"You really like me?" she finally whispers. It's like she doesn't know how much he cares about her. And then he realizes that she doesn't know. All she knows is that he kissed her and then ditched her. He nearly ruined everything.
He smiles at her. "I do. God, all I have been thinking about for a month, longer than that, is you. Your smile, your talent, your kindness, your capacity to love. I've been a disaster without you. All I want is the chance to prove it to you. One second chance. That's all I want. It's you. It always has been, since that night we kissed at the masquerade ball. I was just too much of an idiot to realize it."
She looks like she is glowing as she stands up and offers him her hand. Quickly, he takes it and follows her as she drags him out of the diner and to his limo. Before she can open the door, he pushes her against it, trapping her with his body. She still smells like vanilla and Jenny and he can feel his pulse quicken.
"What are you thinking?" she asks. He can tell she is out of breath, maybe even nervous to be so close to him.
"I'm thinking about how much I want to kiss you."
"Nate…"
"And I'm thinking that I missed you. And I'm sorry that I fucked it up."
"You didn't fuck everything up."
Nate laughs and his heart feels like it's flying when he hears Jenny giggling too. His hand moves up to cup her cheek. She looks so beautiful standing there in an old sweatshirt with her hair in a ponytail. He leans in until his lips touch hers gently. Fire spreads from his lips; it feels like her kiss is burning him as he deepens the kiss. His other hand goes to her waist as both of hers go into his hair.
He's drowning and he never wants to breathe again.
Her kiss is a drug that he can't even imagine giving up.
He loses track of time. Eventually, she pulls away, but her arms stay wrapped around his neck. As the Jenny fog clears, he realizes that he was just kissing her with abandon up against a limo in front of a diner on Staten Island. And he can't help but not care.
"You're not going to stop talking to me again now, are you?" she asks seriously, biting her lip.
His hand goes up to graze her cheek. "No, I'm not. But I do want to do this right. Like, take you on a date, buy you flowers, ask your dad's permission."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, okay," she says, her right hand sliding into his left.
As they ride back to Manhattan his hand squeezes hers tightly and her head rests on his shoulder. He realizes that Jenny Humphrey saved him in more ways than one.