Nick stumbled up the stairs to his dorm room. He yelped slightly when his knee knocked into the edge of the stair above him. "Shit." He whispered loudly. He sat down on the step and checked his knee, making sure there wasn't blood before carrying on up the stairs. He stumbled a few more times before reaching his door. Right when he reached for the doorknob, the door opened and a hand reached for his tie, pulling him into the room. He tripped over his own feet, but felt two hands catch him before he hit the ground.
"What the hell, Nick? I've been waiting up for hours for you to get your ass home! You said you'd be home at midnight. That was three hours ago!" Jeff was breathing heavy and his face was red with anger. Nick sat on the edge of his bed, taking his tie and jacket off. He was really trying to form words in his head, but anything with more than one syllable just wasn't going to happen right now. Jeff took a deep breath and sat next to him. "Next time, at least have the courtesy to tell me not to wait up." He moved over to his bed and Nick sighed.
"I'm sorry, Jeffy." Jeff snorted and rolled so that he was facing the wall. Nick suddenly felt the room spinning and started to cry silently. He laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, hoping he could just fall asleep and wake up to everything being perfect again.
He woke up to hear Jeff taking a shower, singing loudly. He smiled a little and sat up. He fell back down as soon as his head started to pound. He moaned quietly. The water shut off in the bathroom and Jeff came out to get dressed.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were awake." Jeff wouldn't look him in the eye and he sounded mad. Nick couldn't really blame him, but he didn't know how to make anything better with his best friend. Nick sat up and tried to think of some way to apologize.
"I'm so sorry about last night, or this morning, I guess. I shouldn't have gone out to begin with, but I really should have let you know I'd be home late. I wasn't thinking." Nick took a deep breath, hoping this would at least open up a conversation between them.
"Clearly." Jeff grabbed his clothes and went back in the bathroom. Nick sighed and got up to get ready for his day. The Warblers had a performance at a theme park after lunch and had rehearsals all morning to prepare. Nick didn't even want to perform today, but Warblers never missed performances unless they were on their death bed. He got his art notebook and put it in his bag. He hoped no one would notice him sneaking off after the performance to draw.
Jeff walked out of the bathroom, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the door. He never even looked at Nick. Wes and David walked in shortly after Jeff left. They saw Nick sitting on his bed zoning out and looked at each other.
"Nick? Buddy? What's going on?" Wes kneeled in front of Nick and touched his knee briefly to snap him out of his zone.
"Nothing. Can we just go?" Nick stood up and left the room, not waiting for an answer. Wes and David looked at each other again and followed Nick out of the door.
When Nick entered the practice room, Jeff was sitting alone on the couch in the corner, listening to his iPod. He was looking out the window frowning, not even noticing when Nick walked in with Wes and David following quietly behind him. He didn't feel like talking to anyone but Jeff, and Jeff refused to even look at him. He felt tears spring to his eyes, but he took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and sat down next to Jeff. He didn't even turn to see who it was.
Wes started practice with the solo that Blaine had, eventually moving on to the duet that Blaine and Kurt had, and finally the group number. Jeff stood up and got in the starting formation, which was right next to Nick. They practiced the number a few times, Jeff never smiling more than was required to keep Wes happy. They broke for lunch, Wes reminding them to meet back in the practice room at one to leave for the amusement park. Everyone left except for Jeff, so he stayed.
Jeff didn't seem to notice that there was anyone else left in the room until Nick sat down on the bench next to him. Jeff sighed and turned to look at Nick.
"What do you want?" He didn't say it loud, but there was certainly plenty of disgust in his tone that Nick actually shrunk away. Worry flashed through Jeff's eyes for a moment and Nick tried to act like nothing was wrong.
"I just want to know how to make this right Jeffy." Jeff smiled slightly at the pet name and Nick grinned. That was certainly a step in the right direction. They were both silent for a minute until Jeff looked up at him.
"I was so worried about you Nicky. I tried calling and texting you for like two hours. I kept thinking something had happened to you and I couldn't have lived with myself if I had let anything happen to you." Jeff let his head fall, staring at his feet. Nick saw a tear fall down his cheek.
"Hey, don't cry. I am so sorry. You don't know how sorry I am, Jeff. I should have at least called or something. I was so stupid. I know it's no excuse, but I was so drunk. I probably wouldn't have been able to dial a phone. I don't even remember how I got home last night, honestly. I'm just so sorry." Nick looked down, feeling more ashamed now than he could ever remember in his life.
Jeff reached over and touched Nick's face. Nick looked up quickly, shocked at the intimacy in the touch. Jeff took a deep breath and Nick could feel him shaking with nerves.
"I forgive you." He paused, breaking eye contact for a moment. He looked back to Nick and smiled. "I need to tell you something and I really need you to just listen and not say anything until I'm done." Nick just nodded, waiting for him to continue. He suddenly felt really nervous, and he felt a blush where Jeff's hand had been just a moment ago.
"I was worried, as any best friend would be, but if I were to be honest, I was worried because I think I might be in love with you." He paused when Nick's eyes widened. "I know you're not gay, and I know you can't return the feelings, but I needed you to know. It's not fair to keep it from you. I've felt this way for a long.." Jeff was cut off by Nick's lips against his. All thoughts were wiped from his brain except for how wonderful it felt to finally be kissing the boy he was pretty sure he loved.
After a minute or so, they broke apart. Nick squeezed Jeff's hand and smiled. "I think it's possible I'm completely in love with you too." They pressed their foreheads together, closing their eyes to capture the moment.
They eventually got up when they heard people start to come in the practice room again, but they continued to hold hands. Nick rubbed his thumb over the back of Jeff's hand. He smiled up at Nick and tried to pay attention to Wes, who kept glancing their way and smirking.
When they boarded the bus to leave, Nick pulled Jeff close to him and Jeff put his head on his shoulder. "You can sleep if you want. You didn't sleep last night." Jeff looked up.
"How do you know I didn't sleep at all?" Jeff yawned and Nick smiled sadly.
"You were worried. When you worry, you don't sleep. Just because I passed out, doesn't mean I don't know you better than you know yourself." He gently brushed Jeff's bangs back and kissed his forehead. "Just take a nap. I'll wake you when we get close." Jeff put his head back on Nick's shoulder and almost immediately fell asleep.
"Jeff. Jeffy. We're here." Jeff felt Nick gently rubbing his arm. He opened his eyes and yawned. He heard Nick laugh a little and he looked up.
"What?" He yawned again.
"You're just really cute. You also really need to wake up before Wes sees that I let you nap before a performance. I'll help you warm up again, but we'll need to do it somewhere he won't see." Jeff smiled and kissed Nick.
"Okay. Thanks for letting me take a nap."
"Thanks for being so worried about me that you actually need one." Nick looked sad for a minute, but Jeff touched his face.
"Stop. I forgave you. It's in the past. Let's just have some fun today, okay?" Nick smiled at Jeff's words.
"Sounds good to me."
They got up and headed straight for the closest bathroom to warm up their voices where Wes couldn't see. Nick serenaded Jeff, making him blush and giggle. They headed out to where the rest of the Warblers were waiting impatiently. Kurt was rambling on about something to do with what a woman next to them was wearing and Blaine was staring at him lovingly, probably not even hearing what he was saying. Wes was freaking out, straightening ties, demanding to hear scales, and pacing behind the stage.
Of course there was no need to worry. Everything went perfectly. The crowd loved them and the entertainment manager for the park asked them if they would be interested in doing one Saturday a month. Wes agreed to talk with the headmaster of Dalton to set something up. They all got back on the bus quickly, Jeff immediately snuggling up to Nick, even more exhausted than before the performance. They got on the road and Nick heard a snore come from his shoulder. He looked down and smiled. He couldn't believe this beautiful boy was somehow his, especially after everything he had put him through. He leaned his head down on top of Jeff's and started to drift off.