THE CLOSET

No one gets soft in prison. You go in because one trick failed, but come out with a whole bag full. Nick looked around him, checking that no one was looking before picking the lock to Sonny's apartment. It was one of the tricks that he picked-up in prison. A soft click signaled the lock opening and he slid through the door before any unwanted eyes entered the passage way that lead to the apartment. He took care in closing the door behind him, never making more than the softest sound. Sneaking around was as natural as breathing to him.

Nick turned around and faced Sonny's apartment. That 'gay-boy' was up to something. He was not going to let such filth ruin everything that was perfect in his life. Gabby and the baby were his, all his. He deserved to be happy, deserved it because he worked for it. Will didn't deserve shit, he got everything thrown at him and was too much of a faggot to reach out and catch it. But Nick knew better, he was a man, a good man and he was not going to let go of what was his. He glanced at the kitchen, the bed, everything looked in place - he just needed a place to start searching.

The desk seemed the best option. Nick rifled through it, meticulously putting everything back in its place when he was done. There was nothing there but college papers and receipts. He paused to take another look around and noticed the bedside tables. In his haste to get the bedside drawer open he knocked over a tin can and had to go fishing under the bed for it. He returned the can to its place and wondered why the hell Sonny would have an old cocoa can by his bed. Maybe it was a gay thing.

Nick pulled the drawer open and discovered a folder resting inside. This was it, he knew it. grabbing the folder he opened the flap and saw his mugshot looking back at him, attached to a copy of his prison records. He wanted to hurl the papers across the room. That bastard was checking up on him. But what was there for him to find? Nothing, just the same facts that everyone else knew. Is this why that asshole was acting so smug yesterday. The past has a way of catching up to us, doesn't it Nick? He shook off the memory and returned to the folder before him. A blue post-it note floated to the table top and he hurries to pick it up.

He stared at the note. It sent shivers down his spine and froze him to the spot. He couldn't think. He should have been scrambling to get out of there now that he knew what Sonny was up to but he couldn't move. The sudden feel of a hand on his throat sends him to the ground and his knee connects hard with the floor. He pulled at the hand but the fingers only tighten, crushing his windpipe and caused the edges of his vision to blur, leaving only the word before his eyes.

A scratch at the door thawed his limbs and released the hold on his neck. Someone was coming in. Frantically he looked around for a place to hide and found it right beside him. He quickly replaced that folder in the drawer then sought refuge in the closet. There wasn't mush space but the door managed to close, protecting him from view. The little slots in the louvered door allowed him to see out; at least to the foot of the bed.

He could hear them; Will and Sonny as they entered the apartment. It was hard to discern the whispered words but the sound of kissing and clothes being ripped off was unmistakable. They finally came into view when Will fell on the bed, crawling backwards as Sonny followed on hands and knees towering above him with a predatory smile. Bile rose to his throat. This was the last thing Nick wanted to see. He couldn't bear to be witness to this, not again.

There was nothing good about two men together. It wasn't love but brutal and all about power. He had seen it in prison. How prisoners who didn't know their place were punished. How those who were too soft to fight back were treated. It had almost been his fate before someone saved him, but in prison nothing comes free. Nick brushed away the images that flooded his vision. That was a different life, he had moved on from that. He was the luckiest man in the world and about to have it all. No he did have it all and would do his best to keep it.

A loud moan brought him back to where he was and opened his eyes to what was before him. Clothes were discarded and tossed away without care. "Take it off." The sharp command from Will sent Nick fuming. He wanted to push open the door. Tell them how disgusting they were and how he was right for keeping Will away from Gabby's baby. But he couldn't and he couldn't look away.

Will's hands ran through Sonny's hair before grabbing the locks and pulling Sonny's lips towards his own. The kiss was fierce...but tender. Nick frowned at the thought. The contact was broken but Sonny continued it down Will's naked chest, to his abdomen as soft whimper escaped swollen lips. His eyes opened wide as he watched Sonny take Will into his mouth, but he doesn't linger there. He is watching Will, the way his eyes close, the arch of his back against the bed and the slow movement of his hand down his own body before resting on Sonny's head. He is moaning. Sonny. Then an orgasmic groan, that causes Nick to brace against the wall. He had to bite his lip to prevent his hand from smashing through the closet door and startling the two lovers.

Sonny moved upward, his body fitting perfectly against Will's as their lips and hips join together. I love you. The words are exchanged between kisses. He kept watching as Will removed a bottle from the bedside table and hand it to his lover, hip raises just a fraction off the bed when Sonny's hand traveled between them to find his core. This was different. Not what it's suppose to be. Why are they so tender towards each other? Why do they look happy?

They laughed between breathless moans. Will smiled when Sonny spread his legs wider before entering him. The sounds of pleasure and mutual ecstasy filled the room, the tempo increased with each new thrust. Nick watched it all. The rhythmic movement of their bodies. The sweat sliding off their skins. The sloppy kisses that are perfect where-ever they land. When he closed his eyes he could see Gabby and him on that bed. Hear her moan in his ears. Run his hand along her thigh as she called out his name. This wasn't the same as him and Gabby, no this was different, filthy. Then why couldn't he maintain the sense of disgust that he had built up in his mind? Why did he have to fight a smile when Will grabbed Sonny's ass to pull him even closer?

It wasn't hurt or confusion in their eyes as they looked at each other. It was the same way Gabby looked at him - with love and devotion and a sense of wonder that this person was all yours. That look made you feel like a giant, like a man who could challenge the world and slay monsters. I love Will and I'm not going to let you or anyone stand between him and his daughter. It wasn't about some gay-boy needing vindication was it?Sonny wanted to protect what he loved and Nick was the monster he had to slay to do that. If he was anything like Nick then he would do whatever it takes; including figuring out your opponent's worst fear and using it against much did Sonny know already?

He was not sure how long he was in the closet. Like a pervert he watched them make love then cuddled together afterwards. His leg was starting the cramp and his throat as dry as sandpaper but he had to endure it. Nick could not give them any ammunition to use against him. If he was found out it would mean back to prison. Back to the life he wanted to hide from. There were too many plans for that. He was going to be a husband and a father - everything he ever dreamed of. Sonny will love my daughter as much as I do. It wasn't the same, it couldn't be.

I'm gonna take a shower before going back to work. You coming? It was just what Nick needed to make his escape. As soon as they entered the bathroom he slid open the closet door and went straight for the exit. He stopped at the door to make sure he left nothing out of place. For the first time he noticed the framed photograph on the desk. Its Gabby's sonogram picture. Sonny and I are both looking forward to being a part, a big part, of my daughter's life. Maybe they would love her and make her the luckiest little girl in the world. But if Will was around where would that leave him? That little girl would want her dad; Will would be the one that she cries for; the one whose arms she would always want to run to. She would love Will more.

Nick couldn't have that. He was the father, not Will. She would love him. Cry for him. Run into his arms. No, no, Will can't have her, he doesn't deserve her. Will already had everything, plenty of people around him who love him and look out for him - his own father went to prison for him. Nick didn't have that. He was lucky to find Gabby and the baby girl. They were his family now and he would do all that was necessary to protect them.

His exit was quick and quiet. They would never know someone had been there. Nick looked around the hallway to make sure no one saw him leaving then dashed across town, in a hurry to get to Gabby; failing to realize he was not as careful as he thought. The little blue stick-it note sat on the floor beside the bed, having fallen from the folder in Nick's hurry to put the file back into the nightstand. The edges of the note curved upwards, as if protecting the single word written on its belly. The very word that started pulsing through Nick's mind as he crossed the town square. Vargas!

THE END