-Stay With Me-
Okay, random plot bunny I've had for a while that happens to fit teh August challenge over at the NicknGreg LJ - 'Storm'. Characters aren't mine. Song belongs to Josh Gracin. Hope you enjoy. Reviews are love.
A knock on the door pulled Nick from his sleep, leaving him to glare evilly in the general direction of the door as he dragged himself down the hall toward the source of the disturbance.
"What is it?" he groaned, spotting Greg through the peephole in the door.
The young man looked exhausted, he was shivering, and completely soaked, noticing this, Nick let the man in.
Greg laughed softly. "My car has a flat, I was walking home, but it started raining. Your place was closest," he explained, rubbing his hands over his arms in a futile attempt to warm himself.
"Hold on a sec. I'll get you something to dry off with," the Texan replied, wandering into the bathroom, returning with a blue, fluffy, over-sized terrycloth towel, offering it to his drenched co-worker.
"Thanks," the younger man smiled, drying himself off as best he could, his soaked clothes clinging to his body in ways that made Nick stare longingly at him, though he hid it well.
Baby, the clock on the wall is lying
It's not really that late
It's too cold outside to be walking around the streets of this town
Anywhere if you think you have to be can wait
Several minutes later, they were sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying cups of steaming hot chocolate. Greg was still shivering, Nick noted, and decided to tell Greg as much. "You can go take a shower, if you want, I'll give you some of my clothes."
"Okay," Greg agreed, swallowing the last of his drink.
After offering Greg an old Texas A&M sweatshirt and a pair of blue plaid pajama pants, Nick left the younger man in the bathroom, wandering back to the kitchen to toss the dishes in the sink, trying to keep his mind from the thought of his coworker in the shower.
"Ugh… Hey, Nicky?" Greg stepped into the hallway, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Did you know that you're out of shampoo?"
"There's more under the sink," he replied, as the younger man walked away. He closed his eyes, which did not prove to be an effective method of getting that picture out of his head. If anything, it had permanently etched the image in his brain. "I am in so much trouble." He busied himself with actually watching the dirtied cups as opposed to simply placing them in the dishwasher. The busier his brain was kept the less likely he was to do something stupid.
Why don't you stay with me
Share all your secrets tonight
We can make believe the morning sun never will rise
Come and lay your head on this big brass bed
And we'll be alright as long as you stay with me, yeah
Greg had only been out of the shower for a moment, and Nick only knew that because the water had stopped echoing against the floor in the small room, when the power flickered. A moment later, the room was bathed in darkness, and he was unable to see the hand in front of his face.
"Damn it!" He cursed, catching his knee on the coffee table as he picked his way through the living room to the supply closet where he kept candles and flashlights.
"Nicky?" A voice reached his ears as he fumbled around for any source of light.
He turned to see Greg standing behind him, shirtless, with the pajama bottoms low on his hips. "You okay?" He asked, knowing the man was unfamiliar with his condo and had probably had trouble moving around.
The younger nodded, grabbing an item off the closest shelf. A flashlight. "Here."
"Thanks." The Texan smiled, using it to locate a second one, as well as a few candles and a book of matches.
"You should save the candles. The news last night said this would be a big storm. We should just try and get some sleep." Greg informed him, tugging the hoodie over his head.
Nick agreed, leading him toward the guestroom. "You can crash…" He stared. "Not in here." There was a leak. Rain was draining onto the bed in the center of the room. "I need to call that roofing company and give them hell, now."
"I can crash on the sofa." Greg shrugged, looking at the disaster over Nick's shoulder.
But the older man shook his head. "No, no, trust me. You don't want to sleep on that ancient thing." He thought for a moment. Would he be able to control himself if he voiced his thought? He'd have to. "You can just crash in my room, with me."
Baby, there is just no use in hiding
The way that I am feeling right now
With you standing there baby I swear I can't help but stare
Girl you're wearing me out, wearing me out
The suggestion didn't seem to bother Greg in the slightest. "Alright." He smiled, a move which Nick reminded his brain not to overanalyze. "Should we get something for that first?" He motioned toward the room they were still standing outside of.
"Yeah, I'll deal with that. You go on in." He pushed the door across the hall open, glad to see a leak-free roof.
"'Kay." Greg slipped into the room while the Texan went off to the kitchen to find something to catch the water and protect the hopefully not already ruined mattress.
A moment later, Nick stepped into his room. Greg was lying on the floor, one of the spare blankets he kept on the chair by the bed draped over him. "When I said 'crash in my room,' I didn't mean you had to sleep on the floor."
Greg eyed him curiously. "What did you mean, then?"
In response, Nick climbed into bed himself, lifting the covers on the other side for the younger man, as a silent invitation.
"Oh."
"Yeah." A crash of thunder rumbled through the house, nearly causing Greg to fall over as he scrambled into the bed. "You all settled in?"
A nod was the answer he received, as they both drifted off to sleep.
Baby, stay with me share all your secrets tonight
We can make believe the morning sun never will rise
Come and lay your head on this big brass bed
We'll be alright as long as you stay with me
The Texan awoke several hours later with an unfamiliar blanket strewn over him. Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was his current bedmate, who had somehow managed to roll himself on himself half on top of the older man.
"Greg…" Nick prodded the younger in the side, hoping to get him to shift so that any evidence of his enjoyment of the situation was not contacting Greg's body. "Greg!"
With a sharp intake of breath, Greg neared the realm of consciousness, not quite enough, however, to actually wake. He shifted closer, the side of his head resting against Nick's throat, an arm curled around his torso. "…mm… sleepin…"
And this whole situation would be enough to fuel his fantasies for the next year, but if he didn't get Greg to move soon that might be all he ever got out of his attraction for his friend. "Greg!" He shook the man lightly.
"Fine…" Greg huffed, though he didn't budge. Instead, the hand that had been wrapped around his chest wandered south, gripping the Texan through his own pajama bottoms.
"Damn…" Nick groaned, arching into the touch. He knew he had to stop this. Greg was asleep. This wasn't right. "Greggo!" He shouted, shaking a little more desperately now.
This time, the younger man did wake, his eyes fluttering between open and closed for a moment before they adjusted to the light, or lack thereof. "Nicky?" He then seemed to realize just why he'd been roused from his sleep. "Oh, no…"
Baby don't go it looks like it's starting to rain
And it's so warm here in this apartment wrapped up in this blanket
So stay
The younger man moved to scrambled out of bed, moving for the door before Nick could even process what was happening.
"Hey! Wait!" He called, forcing himself to get out of bed and start moving. "Greg!"
Greg had his hand on the front door when the Texan finally caught up. He grabbed the other man's arms to keep him from escaping, and, in retrospect, it may not have been the wisest choice of action, but it had been effective.
"If you're going to hit me, get it over with." He whimpered, and Nick could tell he was holding back tears.
He shook his head. "Why… why would I hurt you?"
Unsure as to what was actually going on here anymore, Greg glanced apprehensively between Nick and the door, calculating his chances of escape.
Noticing this, the elder led Greg back toward the couch. Once he was seated, Nick released one arm, the other gently rubbing the one it still held. "I'm not going to hurt you, Greg."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
Nick nodded. "Why'd you bolt on me?"
Stay with me
Share all your secrets tonight
We can make believe the morning sun never will rise
Come and lay your head on this big brass bed
And we'll be alright as long as you stay
I'll be alright as long as you stay with me, yeah
"I thought that was rather obvious…" Greg bit his lip, refusing to meet the other's eyes. "I knew staying here was a bad idea…"
Nick shifted closer. "You think I'm going to hurt you because… you like me?" He had to laugh at the irony.
"It's not funny." The younger glared, pulling away from the Texan.
"Actually, it kinda is. Considering I also thought this was a bad idea for that exact same reason." He admitted, watching the other to gauge his reaction to that information.
"You… you like me, too?" He gaped, staring in utter disbelief at the older man. "You're not teasing me or anything, are you? You really like me?"
Nick nodded, a hand wrapped around the other's neck to bring him closer. "Not playing." He mumbled, before brining their lips together in a soft, hesitant first kiss. "You'll stay, right?"
"Yeah." Greg agreed wholeheartedly as he initiated another tender kiss.
Stay with me