Nasir the Beautiful
By Gayforkurt
...
Summary: Nasir's reputation as the star of Broadway's hottest new play precedes him. Agron, a new employee at the agency that represents Nasir, is less than impressed until a near-tragic incident throws the two men together.
A/N: So, I recently fell head over heels for the best love story ever that is Nagron. For the unenlightened, that's Starz's Spartacus series' epic love between Agron and Nasir, ex-gladiator and ex-slave. What can I tell you but that they're played by two gorgeous men. I was in awe and their storyline was the only hopeful thing out of the whole Spartacus tragedy. I hope my little offering meets with your approval. Warning: This is rated M and it's a modern AU to boot. COMPLETE
Disclaimer: Starz and their associates are the folks who own the recognizable characters. Me, I take the blame for the originals.
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…
Nasir Amadi was in a good mood and who could blame him?
The newspapers strewn about his hotel suite were the harbingers of good news in that every theater reporter had nothing but good things to say about his latest play.
"Oh, Nasir, you gorgeous thing, come, give me a kiss!"
Nasir rolled his eyes as Marsha Feinstein, his agent, threw her thin arms around him and made a loud 'mwah' noise on both his cheeks, to the raucous amusement of the other people packing his suite.
He took it all good-naturedly; he was one of the most laid-back people his fellow cast-members knew and now he just shook his head as the wizened little woman squeezed his waist.
"Thanks, guys, you know most of this credit goes to you, right?"
He was shouted down by the others and he was once again thankful for his coloring so that his blush didn't show.
'The Life and Times of Martin Moseley' had had its premiere just hours before and now they were assured of a very long run, if the critics' fulsome praise was anything to go by. Nasir had been acting long enough to know, though, that critics' opinions sometimes held very little sway over public interest and reaction.
Nasir was not the lead in the play which was why the way the others reacted to the critics' praise of him was so heartwarming. He was only the leading man's 'best friend' but somehow, his passion and authenticity came through and across the theater's footlights.
"Hey, beautiful, am I not getting a kiss, too?"
The noise in the gorgeous suite fell away as the others watched the unfolding of what promised to be a scene as interesting as any in the play.
Don Harker, the play's leading man and notorious slut, had a reputation for 'bagging' anyone he considered hot enough to gain his attention. Throughout the whole rehearsal period – actually, from the time Nasir had been announced to play the second lead – Don had mounted a campaign to get Nasir into bed.
Now Nasir looked up at the taller man, taking in the barely-concealed lust in the other man's bright blue eyes and smiled his gentle, self-deprecating smile.
"Uhm, Don, your wife is sitting just over there…" Nasir murmured, always slightly embarrassed by the other actor's attentions.
Don draped an unwelcome arm over Nasir's shoulder and then smirked when Nasir shrugged it off.
"So? She knew what she was getting when she married me, sweets." He quickly slid the same arm around Nasir's waist and pulled him close, his brandy-sweet breath wafting over Nasir's face.
Nasir frowned up at him and moved away again. "Well, I didn't sign up for sexual harassment so, please…"
He moved away and grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray, sipping at it thirstily as he strolled over to a group hanging out by the piano. Why there was a piano in his suite when he didn't play always puzzled him.
The group greeted him loudly as one of the guys – a lighting tech, if Nasir remembered correctly – tapped out a tune two-fingered on the gleaming instrument.
"What are you gonna do now you're the toast of the town, dude?" Frankie Bolliano asked Nasir with a smirk that barely kept his cigarette from falling.
Frankie was one of the other actors, the first one to really befriend Nasir and now the Kiwi native relaxed as he chatted.
"Nothing, I guess, other than do my thing every night that we're on. What, you think I'm suddenly gonna be too posh for you blokes?"
Shouted comments, some a little X-rated, greeted that sally and the mood in the suite lightened again. Every now and again the suite door would open and though one or two folks left, even more kept arriving. Soon the place was blue with cigarette smoke and Nasir found himself ensconced on the piano bench, squeezed in between the piano-tinkerer and a girl with an overflowing décolletage.
Marsha's agency was footing the bill for this shindig but as it was one of the largest agencies in the country, there were no worries about the cost. She simply wanted to throw a party that would be the talk of the town for weeks to come. It didn't hurt that her agency's star acquisition was about to become a star on the boards with this new play.
The door opened again around 12:30 and Marsha smirked as she saw another employee of the agency sidle in, trying to get it closed again against the press of bodies.
Agron Borstein was a tall, taciturn young man who seemed to have a whole history of sadness lurking behind breathtaking green eyes. She waved one small hand high above her head to catch his attention and watched as he grimaced at her through the haze of smoke.
"You got here pretty late, didn't you?" Her voice barely reached him through the wall of noise in the bloody place and Agron had to lean down to speak to her.
"I wasn't going to come but someone reminded me what you said," he almost shouted in her ear.
Marsha winced and shook her head before pointing to a waiter that was just approaching with a tray of canapés. Agron took the hint, grabbed a plate and selected several items for her while the waiter stood there patiently. He grabbed a second plate before the guy could leave and filled it up for himself, too.
Marsha leaned up to him and shouted, "Go get yourself a drink while I guard this for you!"
He nodded, straightened up and looked around for where the drinks were being served. When he sighted the bar, he nodded again and moved off, barely muttering 'excuse me' as he shoved past people.
Finally reaching the bar, he leaned forward to give his order when someone else spoke at the same time. Agron frowned, annoyed, and turned to look down at the other person but his words dried up in his mouth.
Huge, clear brown eyes framed by long, silky black lashes stared back at him and Agron felt wrong-footed when a soft though definitely male voice said, "Uhm, sorry, go ahead… you came before me."
Seconds later, Agron felt color rush to his face because, hand to God, he had not been thinking anything along the lines that the word 'came' sometimes brought to mind. However, the way the captivating dark amber eyes widened at his discomfiture snapped him back to himself almost immediately and he frowned.
He turned back to the waiting bartender and almost barked out his order, tapping his fingers impatiently on the counter as he waited for the drink. He could barely breathe and he was aware the other man beside him kept throwing him little, puzzled looks. Almost grabbing his drink, he spun away and melted back into the crowd, cringing at his behavior and hoping he never met the owner of those fascinating eyes again.
Marsha watched Agron force his way through the partying throng again and wondered what had happened to put her young friend into such a snit. His brow was drawn down and there was no evidence of the dimples she loved to tease him about.
"You alright?"
Agron grunted and took a long swallow of his drink, finishing almost half of it, and then he stared at her, looking as if he wanted to say something. Then he shook his head, grabbed his plate from her and shoveled one of the canapés into his mouth.
Marsha sighed and continued to pop the delicious little stuffed mushrooms into her own mouth. Agron was such a mystery to her sometimes. Ever since he'd aced his interview, impressing her with his seriousness, she'd tried to get him to loosen up a bit. Life, she'd told him, was too short to walk about with a metaphoric thundercloud over one's head. Every time she tried, though, he would give her a slight smile and roll his eyes, clearly simply humoring her.
She leaned into him now, her tight, dyed black curls close to his shoulder. "Loosen up, bubbeleh, lose the thundercloud!"
Agron couldn't help the brief chuckle and then forcibly lowered his shoulders. Yeah, it was a party, for Christ's sake! Maybe he just needed to get laid, he told himself sarcastically.
He eventually found a seat someone had just vacated and indicated that Marsha should take it. She told him she would only if he went and spoke to someone who wasn't a 62-year-old Jewish babushka of an agent.
Agron laughed at that and chided her: "You're no one's nana, you old reprobate!" She laughed as she waved him off and turned to chat over the loud music to the portly guy sitting near her. Agron smiled down at her, both his dimples on display and then he looked about the room.
He was looking around for somewhere to place his empty plate when someone bumped into his back and he turned around, ready to flay the idiot and stopped short… again.
This time it was the gleaming raven hair cascading down the person's back that caught his attention and his mood lightened slightly. When the man turned around to no doubt apologize, Agron found himself staring down into wide amber eyes… again.
The eyes were smiling this time and Agron's eyes fell naturally to the curved lips as the guy laughed up at him.
"Sorry! We keep… running into each other," Nasir said as he stared once more at the sexiest guy he'd seen in a long time. That was saying something because he was surrounded by good-looking actors day in and day out. This guy, though, had something indefinable that just called to him and now he hoped the guy would at least say something to him.
"Uhm, that's alright," Agron replied, his eyes flicking between the guy's eyes and his lush mouth.
Nasir swallowed, his face heating up at the look on the other man's face, and held out his hand.
"Hi, I'm Nasir… uhm, an actor."
Agron's eyes widened and he automatically gripped Nasir's hand now as he answered him. "Oh, yeah, right, I recognize you now."
Nasir tilted his head to the side and with a soft smile asked, "So you didn't recognize me at the bar?"
Agron's fair skin flushed as he looked off into the crowd for a second before looking back at the beautiful face in front of him.
"Well, I wasn't really paying attention…" He broke off as he saw the way Nasir's eyes widened and he tugged at the hand that Agron was still holding. Agron, however, gripped it and rushed to explain, "No, I mean, it was your eyes, really!"
Oh, God, kill me now, he moaned internally as he closed his eyes, not wanting Nasir to laugh at him.
"M-my eyes?!"
The slightly incredulous tone caused Agron to open his eyes. He stared at Nasir and then chuckled, shaking his head at himself.
"Look, I don't usually behave like a dork, okay? It's just that, your eyes are really fascinating and I didn't notice anything else. That's what I meant."
Nasir felt himself let out a sigh of relief. He had been getting what seemed like mixed signals from this guy. Case in point, the fact that he hadn't recognized Nasir earlier and seemed to be annoyed made him think he was definitely not interested, but the fact that he was still holding Nasir's hand must actually mean he was interested.
Now, though, Nasir smiled widely and blushed at the taller man's words.
Before he could formulate a reply, Don Harker's voice broke unpleasantly into the sweet little interlude Nasir and Agron were sharing. Once again, the obnoxious man's arm slid about Nasir's waist and he found himself being pulled away into the crowd as Don exclaimed, "Come here, beautiful, and explain to these guys again that you really do love me!"
The last Nasir saw of his handsome stranger was the cold look creeping into green eyes, a nasty twist to the previously smiling mouth. Nasir struggled against Don's arm and by the time he'd pulled away and explained to the laughing group of actors that he was in the middle of something, Green Eyes had disappeared.
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…
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Four weeks later, Marsha called Agron into her office and waved him to a seat as she finished up a call.
He waited as she talked; he looked around the office and thought back to the day she'd given him the job. He smiled and then shook his head. He had not thought he'd get the job because their personalities seemed so diametrically opposite. He was wrong; they seemed to share the same sense of humor, although she was a much more cheerful person than he.
He hadn't always been so reserved; circumstances had turned him from a rowdy university graduate to the aloof person he was now accused of being. He looked up as Marsha ended her call and braced himself.
Marsha stared at him for nearly a minute and then sighed. She removed her rimless glasses and then started talking.
"Do you remember that cast party we went to about a month ago?"
Agron frowned but nodded. "Yeah, waste of my time, that was."
Marsha rolled her eyes at him but continued. "Well, there was an accident this morning. I need you to get over to the hospital and hold off the vultures_"
Agron's eyebrows flew up and then dived to meet as he protested, "What? Why me? I have a full raft of clients working on right now!"
Marsha stared him down and he subsided. "As I was saying, I need you to hold off the vultures until we can stabilize the situation."
"Stabilize_? What situation? What's the mystery?!"
"If you'd let me speak, you would find out!"
Agron gaped at her, his eyes wide. Marsha almost never raised her voice and he was a bit chagrined that he was the cause of it right now.
She rubbed her eyes tiredly and then folded her hands together as she leaned forward. He had automatically shut her office door when he came in but she still lowered her voice.
"Look, the situation is a little … off, okay? Our… client… wasn't the one driving but he and the driver both seemed to have been a little 'compromised', for want of a better word."
Agron frowned massively. "Do you mean he was drunk?!"
His history with drunk drivers was a painful one and now he was being asked to be part of a cover up? If this fucking job didn't pay so well he would chuck it back in her face right now! He breathed deeply and calmed himself, waiting for her to continue speaking.
Marsha frowned at what seemed to be an excessive response from him. "Well, we don't know just yet but we don't want to take any chances that the paparazzi will come to that conclusion. We need you there to head them off the best way you can."
Agron sighed but he gritted his teeth and nodded. "Okay, yeah. Why else do you pay me the big bucks, huh?"
Marsha let the unpleasant tone pass and nodded. "Just keep everything discreet, okay? The agency cannot afford this kind of publicity. Thanks."
And that was the dismissal.
Agron turned back at the door. "By the way, who's the client?"
"Oh, right. It's Nasir, Nasir Amadi."
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…
.
Agron hated hospitals with a passion. Needless to say, by the time he had found the right room – a private one, naturally – he was in a right old mood.
He growled as he pushed past a couple of blokes who looked to be from the rags and pushed the door open. All forward motion stopped as he took in the sight before him.
Raven-dark hair spilled over stark white bandages and long, silky dark lashes rested on ashen cheeks. The continuous beeps of various high-tech machines were the only sounds in the large, quiet room and Agron found his footsteps taking him towards the side of the high bed.
What he remembered as rich, tanned skin was now pale and dry-looking and Agron had to restrain himself from taking one small, broad hand in his own.
The lashes fluttered up and blank amber eyes slowly warmed as they stared at him. A tube led from the soft-looking mouth but as Agron watched, a slight smile lifted one corner.
Agron swallowed hard and stared down at the wan, beautiful face. Beautiful. It wasn't a word one used with men but he could hardly stop himself because, yes, Nasir was beautiful.
His mouth was dry so, instead of speaking, he simply nodded and then watched as the eyes closed wearily, shuttering away the amber gaze.
Agron felt his knees weaken; he felt behind him for the nearest chair and pulled it closer to the bed before dropping into it. He stared at Nasir, his mind blank and then, suddenly, another face was superimposed over the actor's.
Duro.
His baby brother, Duro, had looked almost like this five years ago, just as Agron had finished university. A drunk driver, coming out of nowhere, had slammed into their car as they were coming from a restaurant. He had come out of it with barely a scratch but Duro… poor Duro had lost so much blood before the paramedics could get there. Agron had lost Duro two weeks later… he had been too weak to rally.
Now he was here, staring at another younger man, one of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen, lying bandaged and broken… just like Duro had.
Agron tightened his lips and stared down at the folder he still held. In it Marsha had given him all the available information on what had happened to put young Nasir in this hospital bed. Agron sighed as he flicked it open. Time to start spinning, he thought cynically.
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…
.
Two days later, Nasir was awake and aware enough to know that the man the agency had sent to him, the green-eyed Agron Borstein, seemed to detest him.
Nasir's big brown eyes followed the pacing figure as Agron outlined the story they were – or rather the agency – was going to go with.
"…And when you got into the car, you didn't know your 'friend' was impaired. Got it?"
Agron spun around suddenly and skewered Nasir with a look. Nasir almost flinched but he lifted his chin and then nodded. "Yes, that is actually true. I didn't know Don was_"
"Yeah, yeah," Agron interrupted rudely. "Save it for the inevitable interviews and talk shows, okay? Let's just keep the story simple. That way you can't screw it up."
He turned from the hurt look in Nasir's eyes and stared down at the ever-present folder he was holding. He couldn't stand to see that look again. It had been there every time that Agron had barked at Nasir and he felt if he spent any more time with the other man, he would begin to weaken and find himself liking the man.
The fact was, Nasir had fooled him, even briefly, into letting his guard down. That night, those few minutes at the cast party, Agron had nearly admitted what he thought about the other man's beauty. Even now, all bruised and broken, Nasir had a glow about him that pulled people in.
Agron was not going to be suckered in by a slut who didn't care who he slept with and who he hurt. Once again he went over the story, from the moment Don and Nasir had hooked up at the house party they and some of the cast had been invited to, until the moment of the thankfully single-car crash.
The fact that Don Harker was dead did not even soften Agron's feelings one iota.
…
"Why?"
Agron looked away from the view of the paparazzi swarming two storeys down to the frail figure standing near the suite's fireplace.
"What?"
Nasir looked down, bit his full lips and then looked up at the tall figure stood silhouetted against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Why… do you hate me?"
The light from behind Agron illuminated Nasir's sweet expression, a mixture of confusion and hope. Confusion because he clearly couldn't understand the man before him and hope that maybe he was wrong and he did not hate him.
Agron felt his heart wince and he looked away, debating whether to answer him. Finally, he took a deep breath and then…
"You're wrong… I-I don't hate you."
Nasir took a step, then another, but stopped a good few feet from Agron. "Then, why? You have been alternating between coldness and fury, ever since the hospital. I… I don't understand."
Agron let loose an abrupt, ugly laugh. "You actors, you're all alike, aren't you?"
Nasir recoiled, stumbling against the sofa, and dropped into its seat. "Why do you say that?"
"Because it's true!"
Agron caught himself and lowered his voice, his eyes hard as he stared at the other man.
"You all sleep around and don't give a fuck who you hurt!"
Nasir stared aghast at Agron, taking in the furious face, the wide green eyes and the heaving chest.
"I'm not like that! I've never been like that, Agron!"
Agron stalked towards him, grabbed a slender wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Oh, yeah, you forget. I saw you and Harker that night, didn't I? A married man – 'explain to these guys again that you really do love me'!"
Nasir wrenched his wrist from Agron's grasp and, angry now, yelled back at him. "That was a joke! He was joking! That's how he is… was!"
They stood facing each other, anger and passion and jealousy raging in the air between them – and then Agron moved.
Large hands grasped the sides of Nasir's head, holding him in place, and then Agron was kissing him, devouring him, and Nasir… he opened to him, a moan slipping free as his arms held Agron to him.
Agron's greedy hands slid into the long, silky hair, doing what they had itched to do from the start. He drugged himself on the taste and feel of Nasir beneath his hands and mouth and he swallowed the moans that slipped from Nasir.
Eventually the kissing slowed and by the time their bodies had calmed, they were stood with their foreheads together.
"I'm sorry… I have to go."
Nasir gaped up at him, unbelieving, his eyes large in his thin face. "Wha_ why?"
"I can't do this… I can't."
Agron grabbed the folder and fled the room, afraid that if he stayed he would weaken and go back to Nasir. He didn't want to get sucked into Nasir's orbit, into that of an actor. They weren't reliable and he, poor slob that he was, would just get hurt.
"Agron!"
Agron ducked his head and left the suite, closing his ears and heart to the Nasir's pleading voice.
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…
.
"What did you do, Borstein?"
Agron winced. Marsha's less than dulcet tones rang through the office and every head turned in Agron's direction.
"My office, NOW!"
Agron closed his eyes, all the better to block out the sympathetic looks he was getting from his colleagues. He even heard one bastard whisper about collecting for a farewell present but he blocked everything out. Focusing on controlling his breathing and his facial expression, Agron stalked towards the corner office where Marsha was rather uncharacteristically pacing.
He tapped on the open office door. "You yelled?"
Marsha spun around and skewered him with the most vicious gaze he'd ever received from her.
"Don't you sass me, boy!"
Agron stepped in and closed the door before sauntering over to one of the club chairs in front of her huge desk. Why such a small woman needed such a huge desk was a mystery.
He rubbed his eyes with one hand and waited for her to settle down and tell him exactly how he'd screwed up.
Marsha stared at him, half of a mind to fire the twit right there on the spot.
"Do you have a death wish where this job is concerned?"
"Huh?" Agron stared at his boss stupidly.
"I said_"
"Alright, I heard you… and I understand what you mean," he interrupted, glaring back at her. He sighed as she waited for him to continue. "Look, I don't want this assignment, okay?"
"Why, what happened. Don't tell me you tried to fuck him!"
"What? No! What the fu_? Did he say that?!"
Marsha gaped at him. "You do know we're talking about Nasir Amadi, right? No, I'm asking you… did you try to fuck him."
"Of course I didn't. He… he's just_ Look, we don't get along so I want out of this assignment, like I said."
Marsha let the silence drag out after that, and watched the younger man fidget before her. She wasn't born yesterday and she figured something must have happened.
"Well, you're in luck, he wants someone else; said you didn't seem happy being around him."
Agron let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Wait, what?
"He said I didn't seem happy around him? That's all?"
Marsha stared at him without answering. Maybe if she kept quiet long enough, Agron would let something slip.
Agron kept his silence for exactly one minute and then… "Who are you going to assign to babysit him, then?"
Marsha glared at him, her mouth in a thin line before responding. "I think Castus Morrissey would work, don't you?"
Agron gaped at her, anger and … fear… warring within him. Castus was one of the most easygoing guys in the agency, and kind of attractive as well. He wasn't Agron's type at all but he could see how Castus's dark good looks and humor could appeal to Nasir.
He realized that Marsha's shrewd gaze was boring into him and he swallowed hard before clearing his face of all expression. "Yeah, okay, I can see how Castus might work."
She gave him a narrow-eyed look and snarked, "I'm glad you agree. Now get out of here before I fire your ass. I'm so not happy with you, Agron. Take the rest of the day and get your shit together."
Agron fled her office, glad that he still had his job but fuming deep inside that Nasir was going to be Castus's responsibility now.
He saw the man in question across the office, laughing at some joke he'd probably just made to a bunch of admirers. The man's white teeth gleamed in his dark face and Agron felt his stomach clench, just watching him.
Fucking Castus.
.
…
.
Two weeks later, Agron was exiting the elevator when he heard Castus Morrissey's voice clearly from the office.
"God, I could fuck him all day!"
The filthy suggestions and loud laughter that followed made Agron's blood boil but he kept his face straight as he stalked past the group of loafers.
Just then, Marsha came out of her office and the group scattered. She saw Agron, crooked an imperious finger at him and he had no choice but to follow her back into her sanctum.
"Sit," she ordered as she closed the door behind him.
Agron wondered what he'd done now and waited for her to speak.
"Have you been sleeping?" Her dark eyes gleamed behind her glasses as she stared at him and Agron felt like a bug under a microscope.
He shrugged and then muttered, "Yeah, some."
"Well, why do you look like something my cat spat up?"
A bark of laughter escaped him. "You don't have a cat!"
She acknowledged this truth with a simple nod. "That is true. However, you understand what I'm saying."
Agron sighed and his shoulders slumped. It was then that Marsha realized that whatever was ailing the man before her was not physical. She watched him for a bit and then sighed herself.
"You know, I make it a rule of mine never to fall in love with a client."
It was a shot in the dark but it found a target. Agron's eyes widened, he went pale and then he flushed. She decided to take pity on him.
"However, I have come close a time or two and I don't blame my staff when it happens to them. What I do have a problem with is cowardice."
Agron spluttered as he stared at her, wide-eyed. Finally catching his breath, he burst out, "I'm no coward!"
Marsha rolled the thousand-dollar pen between well-manicured talons and smirked at him. "Really? That's not what it looks like from where I'm sitting. Why do you think my back is to the light?"
Agron stared, confused, as he digested this seeming non sequitur. What did her desk's positioning have to do with anything? Then he realized that, while her face was in shadow, his was bare to the light. She must be able to see everything crystal clear, exposed to the light streaming through the windows as he was.
He gave up the act and slumped, one had rubbing his eyes wearily. "Okay, okay… but in my defense, I had no idea," he said quietly.
She nodded sympathetically. "I find that's often the case, son."
Agron leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands dangling between. He bit the bullet and asked, "What do you think I should say?"
Without hesitating she said, "Apologize."
When his eyes flew up to hers she continued, "Beg, grovel, plead… I don't care. Just go do something and get rid of that hangdog look. It's depressing me."
Agron's mouth moved for several seconds before any words came out. "But, what about Castus… he's still on that assignment."
Marsha stared at him. "What does Castus's job have to do with anything, ya mook?"
Agron gaped at her and she took pity on him. "Look, while we're not doctors or priests or anything, we do frown on fraternization between our clients and our staff. In this case, with Castus as the 'handler' on record, you're free to do whatever nasty stuff you want to with the client. Understand?"
Agron stared at her for a long time until the light came slowly back into his eyes and she was, for the first time in weeks, treated to the sight of those dimples.
"Yes, ma'am, I understand!"
"Alright, get out of here… and if you try to hug me I will kneecap you!"
Agron was still laughing when he left the office and he flipped his colleagues the bird as he headed towards the elevators.
.
…
.
Agron tracked Nasir down to the theatre where a mid-day rehearsal was in full swing. The doorman recognized him and let him through to the auditorium where he found a seat in the dark and watched the players onstage.
Nasir was beautiful. While that earlier sparkle was missing, the passion with which he attacked his role was still there. Agron loved the way he moved and spoke, even the gentle humor that was all Nasir found a place in his role. It was no wonder that critics and audience alike loved him. He had not set out to upstage the lead actors but it was a foregone conclusion that he would be in the running for a Tony for supporting actor.
Agron watched him and let the brilliance of his performance wash over and warm him. As to whether Nasir would accept his groveling was yet to be revealed. He knew without a doubt though that, even if they never moved beyond where they had got, Nasir would never hate him.
Twenty-one and already a star, Nasir had a long future ahead of him and Agron wanted to be around for it. He wanted to be the one that Nasir thanked when he accepted that Tony. If he segued into film, he wanted to be there, too, when he accepted his Oscar or Emmy. Agron grinned in the dark as he fancifully planned out Nasir's career.
All too soon and yet not soon enough, the director finally called it a day and Agron rose from his seat when he saw Nasir head for the wings. Hurrying down the aisle and up the stairs to the stage, Agron followed the slender figure backstage, hoping Nasir wouldn't see him until he got to his dressing room.
He was in luck and, just as Nasir stepped through the door, Agron slipped in behind him, startling the other man.
Agron looked his fill as Nasir stared up at him, the big amber eyes wide as he looked at Agron.
"Agron, what, why are you here? Where's Castus?"
For a few seconds Agron stared at the beautiful face before answering. Finally he whispered, "I'm so sorry…"
Nasir took a long look at Agron, noticing the dark circles beneath the green eyes and said, "Let's finish that at the hotel."
The whole cab ride over not a word was said between them. Nasir opened the hotel door and allowed Agron to enter ahead of him and when he closed the door he took a deep breath. His eyebrows came together in confusion when Agron stepped into his space but he waited for him to speak.
"Nasir, you will never know how much I regret the things I said."
Remembered hurt seemed to flash in Nasir's eyes and he dipped his head before looking back up at Agron.
"Agron, we don't know each other very well… I get that."
"No," Agron cried and stepped closer. "You don't…" He stopped and took a deep breath to calm himself and order his words. "I had no right to say what I did to you, to lump you in a stupid generalization."
Nasir nodded and turned away to sit on the couch across the room. Agron hesitated and then joined him.
Nasir looked at him and then looked away shyly.
Agron was so tempted to pull him into his arms and kiss away that look. He restrained himself but picked up one of Nasir's hands, playing with the fingers.
"Okay, the thing is, I don't handle fear very well and," he paused as Nasir's eyes rose to his and he almost got sucked into their depth. "You made me feel things I didn't want to feel almost from the first time I laid eyes on you at that party."
Nasir blushed and then looked away from Agron. However, he straightened his shoulders and looked back at Agron seriously.
"I know I'm younger than you and I don't have a lot of experience, Agron, but you cannot lash out at me whenever you … feel things."
Agron held Nasir's hand between both of his and squeezed it gently. He looked pleadingly at the younger man. "I was told to come and plead, beg, grovel… whatever it takes to get you to give me a chance. Please, Nasir, I can't tell you how sorry I am because there simply aren't enough words."
Nasir looked down at their clasped hands and then sighed. "Are you a jealous man, Agron?"
Agron gaped at him. "Uhm, I guess?"
Nasir tilted his head as he looked at him. "You mean you don't know?"
Agron looked at Nasir and almost for the first time ever he smiled at him wide enough for his dimples to show, and Nasir was fascinated!
Chuckling abashedly, Agron looked away and then back at Nasir. "Nasir, I have never before felt this way about anyone. I don't know if I'm a jealous man!"
They smiled at each other and Nasir felt the last of the shards of hurt melt away as understanding flooded him. Agron had been afraid of being hurt and Nasir had not even realized the struggle the other man had been going through. All he'd known was that Agron attracted him like no other but he had seemed to dislike him from the night of the party. That kiss when they had last been together in this suite had taken Nasir by surprise but how he had wanted it from the first time he had laid eyes on Agron!
Now he held his breath as Agron lifted one large hand and leaned forward to press his lips against Nasir's. Nasir let him, staying still as if he didn't want to spook him, and Agron smiled softly as he straightened up.
Their eyes met and held and a whole chapter of words seemed to flow between them. When Nasir moved, Agron was there to haul him into his muscular arms and take Nasir's mouth like a prize for being good.
"So beautiful," Agron muttered as they pulled apart and he stared at the way Nasir licked his lips with his eyes closed. When they fluttered open, Agron leaned in again and kissed him, this time slipping his tongue between the lush lips.
Nasir moaned at the feel of Agron feasting on him and as he hardened he squirmed closer to the bigger body. Agron slid one hand under Nasir and they found themselves sprawled on the couch, Nasir writhing in Agron's lap.
A sudden tapping at the door brought action to a screeching halt and Nasir pulled back to stare dazedly into Agron's lust-blown green eyes.
Agron glanced towards the door and then back at his beautiful lover. "Expecting someone?"
Nasir blinked for a second or two before shaking his head, his silky black hair, mussed by Agron's hands, flopping about his shoulders. He looked so sexy that Agron leaned up and stole another quick kiss before letting him sit up.
"Uhm, I don't think I'm expecting anyone," Nasir muttered as he tried to adjust himself in his tight jeans.
Agron grinned smugly as he watched him, making no effort on his part to hide the massive erection in his own pants. Nasir rolled his eyes amusedly at him and, with a deep breath, got up to get the door.
The knock came again and someone called out teasingly, "Room service!"
Nasir's eyes flew to Agron's and he frowned before turning back to the door and opening it.
"Castus! What are you doing here?"
Agron couldn't see Castus from where he was seated but he smiled as he pictured the disappointment that would soon overtake the overconfident bastard.
Nasir stepped aside as Castus barreled forward, flowers in one hand and a large bottle of something in the other.
"Why, can't I come by to see how my favorite client is doing?" Castus's voice was supremely smug as he stepped fully into the suite.
"Or who," Agron called out as he sat up from the couch, making sure that his legs were still spread and his cock was making itself very noticeable in the tightness of his jeans.
Castus's eyes widened in his dark face and his mouth fell open as he stared at Agron, stunned. He looked back at Nasir, just noticing the swollen lips and tousled hair, and then his eyes dropped down his body to where his erection was straining against the material of his jeans.
Nasir still stood by the door as if any minute now he was going to ask Castus to leave and the dark agent's lips tightened as he realized this.
Agron grinned wolfishly and got up, towering over the other man as he lifted his chin to indicate the bottle of wine in Castus's hand.
"That for us?" His cheeky tone said very clearly that he knew what Castus had been after but, too bad, he had gotten in the door first.
Castus calmly placed the flowers on the hall table with the wine beside it and then suddenly lunged at Agron. Agron had been ready for the move, having read it in his body language, and punched Castus twice before the man could recover.
Nasir gasped but said nothing as he watched both men struggle. He had no doubt that Agron would prevail because the man simply had that 'get it done' quality about him. Sure enough, in less than a minute the scuffle was over and Castus was wiping blood from his lip as he glared at Agron.
Agron for his part had a crazy, wild grin on his face as if he would have taken on an entire army for Nasir. Finally Castus looked away, panting, and turned to Nasir with a sneer on his face.
"Is this who you were so hung up on?" He scoffed as he stalked towards the door. "You could have done so much better, y'know."
Nasir stared at him impassively, opened the door, handed him the things he had brought and said quietly, "I don't think so, really."
He shut the door firmly just as Castus turned around to say something and then he looked back at Agron, a small smile growing on his face.
Nasir and Agron stared at each other for a few seconds and then burst into quiet laughter.
He strolled towards Agron, slid one hand up the muscular chest to cup the handsome face, murmured "Now, where were we?" and drew Agron's face down to his.
Agron slipped his arms happily around the shorter man and pulled him tight into his body. He rolled his hips against their Nasir's and groaned into the heated kiss that followed.
Nasir moaned when Agron's lips slid down the long column of his neck and he threw his head back, hungry for the feel of the other man.
"Nasir, please," Agron gasped and Nasir, head swimming from the lust roaring through his body, eased himself away to grasp Agron's hand and tug him towards the master bedroom.
Agron's hands roamed all over Nasir as they undressed each other and soon he was crawling up over the other man, bracketing his body with his arms and legs. Never did he think that this afternoon would go like this. Never did he think that, even after apologizing, he would be given the chance to make love to the gorgeous man now writhing beneath him.
"Agron, I would wish that you did something more than just look," Nasir smiled up at him, that shy look back in his eyes.
A shudder went through Agron and he hardened further. He lowered himself slightly, allowing their cocks to slide together and when Nasir cried out, he pulled back, breathing harshly.
"Please, please tell me you've done this before, Nasir!"
Nasir's eyes and lips rounded enticingly and then he smiled hugely. "Yes, yes, I have done this. Not often but I want this with you…"
"Thank the gods!"
Agron leaned down and took the sweet mouth in a devouring kiss. He leaned back up on stiffened arms and stared down at the way Nasir's face was framed by his long, gleaming dark hair. Emotions roiled within him but foremost was the one swelling his heart and his cock.
"So beautiful," he murmured and before Nasir could look away shyly, he took his mouth again.
By the time Agron was sinking into the welcome heat of Nasir's body, sweat covered them both and words had left them but for 'yes', 'harder' and 'more'.
Agron, eyes and hands hungry for everything Nasir had to offer, knelt up and lifted Nasir's hips, reveling in the clutching heat as pleasure curled in his gut.
Nasir had one fist almost stuffed into his mouth to stifle his cries, his eyes closed tightly against the almost painful pleasure of their fucking, and Agron felt like he was about to dive headfirst over a cliff.
He grasped Nasir's cock tightly and fisted it, begging him silently to come so he could finish his mad dash into white hot pleasure. Nasir's body clenched and he cried out, tiny white ropes of come spurting out to smear between their rutting bodies.
Agron, his hand almost a blur as it worked Nasir, slammed into the luscious body and came, his muscles locking as he filled the condom deep inside his lover. With a long growl he emptied himself and collapsed, his breathing ragged and his heart pounding fit to burst.
Nasir's legs still clutched him and his heart hammered in his chest as his body shuddered.
"Nasir, Nasir, my beautiful boy," he murmured as his breath slowly steadied.
Nasir laughed, a low happy sound as his hands stroked down Agron's heaving back. When Agron finally eased to the side to lie on the bed, the condom taken care of, he turned his head to bury it in the fragrant hair spread across the pillows.
"Is it too soon," Nasir asked softly and Agron looked at him, knowing immediately what he meant.
Shaking his head, he smiled into the dark amber eyes that had first captivated him. "No, it isn't… I love you, Nasir."
Nasir smiled as his lashes dipped. He looked back up at this strange, passionate man and as laughter bubbled up in him, he answered. "As I you, my warrior, as I you."
Fin