Zak closed his eyes, listening to the steady breath of the man beneath him. The constant inhale and exhale almost hypnotic enough to lull him to sleep. But he didn't want this night to end. Not this night. Not when the seemingly impossible has finally happened. He'd lost track of how many years he'd spent loving Nick. After the first few, it hurt less to stop counting. He had learned to live with the pain, to manage it. He threw himself into his work and into random beds. Anything to mask the loneliness of his wasted heart. He had completely given up hope of ever having the love he so desperately ached for. He had stopped imagining scenarios that would end with him and Nick clinging to each other in the dark, lips grazing, hesitant hands searching. Those only made things worse. And when he had finally reconciled himself to a life of loneliness, the unexpected happened.
Zak nuzzled closer into Nick's side, feeling the warmth of his sleeping body wash over him like sunshine. He smiled to himself, pressing his ear against the warm skin to hear the steady beat of his heart. Much calmer now than it had been earlier that evening as their tongues tangled desperately, bodies pressed together for the first time. Zak had never been close enough to hear Nick's heart beat before. And the way it raced, threatening to beat its way out of his chest, was intoxicating. Zak smiled at the thought that he had done that. He'd been the one to make Nick's heart race, to fill him with desire. He'd loved this man for as long as he could remember, and for the first time he was able to feel the way their bodies fit together, like two halves of a whole. No, he didn't want to fall asleep. Not if it meant this night would only be a memory.
He placed a soft kiss on the warm skin, savoring this quiet moment of total happiness. He ignored the twinge of uncertainty nagging in the back of his mind. He worked hard to swallow any questions about what the morning would bring. Instead choosing to focus on the rise and fall of Nick's chest as he slept. Even if this was their only night together, Zak regretted nothing. He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat at the thought. Reaching an arm across Nick's chest, he pulled him in tight. He knew that everything would be okay when Nick woke up. He just needed to see his face; needed to read the emotion written in his features. Then he would know for sure. He squeezed his arm a little tighter around Nick, wanting to hold him there forever. The younger man shifted in his sleep, turning onto his side to face Zak. His head nuzzled under Zak's chin as an arm curled around his waist. Nick settled into the position, exhaling contentedly and placing a kiss on Zak's neck as his body again grew heavy with sleep. Zak smiled as he slowly drifted off, sure that whatever the morning brought, he was ready for it.