Expressing Moods
Type: Five shot
Pairing: Joe/Nick
Genre: Romance/Humour/Angst
Length: Five chapters
Plot:
Joe's POV in third person; Joe likes to analyse moods. To be more specific, Nick's different moods all the time. He pictures a huge canvas, one colour for each mood; a painting of Nick mentally. Cause Joe's not really very good with analysing people. But he can tell colours apart, and he's good at the meaning of colours. Nick doesn't understand though, why Joe needs to do this. Why Joe so desperately needs to have this mental picture in his head of the different sides of Nick's expressionistic moods. Nick doesn't understand how hard it is for Joe, to do something that doesn't feel right. Something like loving Nick.
- Chapter 1 -
... And when you're Stubborn and Naïve, I will be there for you to boss,
cause not a million questions can get me any further with you that day.
This I paint the colour of purple. ...
It's not like it's unusual for Nick to get heated up. You can't really notice it if you don't pay close enough attention. His mouth will be just a bit tighter, jaw a little more
set, eyes having difficulty to settle for one thing too long and shoulders tensed. When he's concentrating very hard he has a way of doing this as well and it can be
hard to know if something is really bothering him more than it should. His words are too professional at such times to catch the hidden meaning behind them.
But Joe has a way of knowing nonetheless. And today Nick's in a purple mood. Now, the colour purple is so much more than just a colour. Purple is a stubbornly, one-
minded colour. A naïve colour. Nick's mood is purple today, cause this is just how he's been acting since the two glasses of juice at breakfast and no more than salty
crackers with salad for the rest of the day. Joe doesn't like the purple mood. It's off-balance. The two of them exchange less conversation, meaning less small smiles
and no kisses on the cheek when they walk down a hallway or around a corner. Most of all there's one thing Joe dislikes more than any other thing on Nick's purple
mood days.
The softness in his eyes is completely hidden beneath the hard cold surface of attitude. Up until now Nick's gaze has only met Joe's twice, and Nick's only said a few
words to him. The first ones being, "I have this." And Joe just has to accept that without further discussion. "Okay." He has to bite on his inner cheek to not make any
more conversation as they part to go on stage. And Nick nails it, just like he said he would. Still it exhausts him, and Joe can see that he's paler and sweating more
than normal. But the canvas of Nick's mood today is plain purple, and Nick doesn't want Joe to hover and worry. Joe comforts himself with that. After the concert he will
let Nick point to the obvious mistakes they made and nod along.
He will make sure to do the changes Nick tells him cause after all Nick is the leader, and leaders need someone to boss. Joe stays calm and manages to keep a straight
face, because at this time it's the most inappropriate place to laugh, and Joe wants Nick to know he respects him. As Nick is finished pacing the backstage room with
Joe and Kevin, Kevin leaves first and pats Nick on the back and gives me a nod. We never leave each other blossomed up for the night. Nick will sight and drag a hand
over his weary face and through his mane of curls and give Joe a firm hug. It's the best time of the day yet the hardest, cause Joe has to bite himself in his bottom lip
to keep from whispering in Nick's ear. Instead he focuses on Nick's characteristic smell of coffee and coke and lime, and reminds himself of purple.
The next day Nick seems fine again, and he smiles to Joe as they go and get breakfast. Joe's inner canvas of Nick is changed.