What Did You Do, Mr. Stokes?
Chapter Four
Greg had given Nick one week to figure out how he wanted to talk to his parents. Greg had helped him weigh the pros and cons of going to Texas or inviting his folks to Vegas; whether Greg should be there, whether the kids should be there, whether they would get them a hotel room or try to have them stay at the house…after going around and around about it Greg had finally said he would go with whatever Nick was comfortable with, but gave him a deadline to decide. Nick had agreed, but insisted in return that Greg give up his lease on his apartment. To that end, they both stood in the middle of Greg's apartment, sweaty and tired, surveying a mostly empty apartment that had sucked up most of their weekend.
Greg took a long draw from the bottle of water in his hand while he studied his fish tank and two warm, tan arms wrapped around his waist from behind, Nick resting his chin on Greg's shoulder.
"You sure you want a fish tank in your bedroom?" Greg asked.
Nick sighed as he rested his forehead on the shoulder of the man currently exasperating him.
"Greg," he said flatly, "no more testing me. I mean it." He rested his lips against the crook of Greg's neck and exhaled noisily.
Greg absently stroked the arms clasping his waist before he dropped his chin to his chest and smiled.
"Sorry. Our bedroom. Sure?"
"I'm sure. About it all. Except how to tell my folks, but I have," he checked his watch, "ten and a half hours before your deadline. But I'll figure it out." He stole the bottle out of the other man's hand and took a swig. "Why did you hang on to this place so long?"
"What? Why do you ask now?"
"I don't know. I've wanted to know for a while."
Greg sighed again as he perched on his haunches and sorted through some of the books in the box at his feet. "I guess it was a very expensive security blanket. I wasn't sure what your intentions were, Mr. Stokes." He cut his eyes at his partner and smirked. "I figured if you decided three boisterous children and their incredibly handsome, if sometimes annoying father was too much to take, I'd at least have somewhere to go."
"We're perfectly clear you're not going anywhere now, right?" Nick asked, running a hand through Greg's sweat damp hair, grabbing a handful and tugging to tip Greg's face up towards him.
Greg looked up and smiled. "Yeah. You're stuck with us for the long haul."
Nick reached for Greg's hand. Greg took it and Nick pulled him up and wrapped his arms around the other man's waist. "I'm sorry you didn't know that sooner. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"It's okay, Nicky. We're here now." He smiled again and bussed Nick on the cheek. "Now get back to work. These heavy boxes of books aren't going to haul themselves."
Nick grinned morosely as he rubbed his lower back. "Yes, master. But you are so giving me a back rub tonight."
Greg didn't even look up from the position he'd resumed on the floor amongst the boxes of books. "Of course, Nicky. And if you're really good I'll give you a front rub, too." He turned over the book in his hand to read the back flap, barely hiding the grin on his face.
Nick bent down to scoop up a box, snatching the book out of Greg's hands on his way. "These books won't haul themselves, you know," he smirked. "Why don't you get started on the tank?"
Greg smiled as he watched Nick head out the door, then let his gaze wander back to the large tropical fish tank. There was a time, not too long ago, that those fish were his only companions, the only living beings that depended on him outside of work. What a difference a few months made, he thought to himself as he hauled himself to his feet and began to disassemble the hood and the light fixture. "You guys were my first real friends in Vegas. And when I had a rough day at the lab, you were always happy to see me. Of course, that was probably just because you were hungry, but still. I appreciate it. You guys kept me sane. Ish. I hope you like the new digs."
Nick smiled to himself from where he had been standing, leaning against the door frame. He remembered being the new kid in town, and how lonely it was for awhile. He also remembered that up until a few months ago, he'd had no one to come home to, either. He didn't even have a fish tank. He couldn't imagine going back to that kind of loneliness, though at the time, he hadn't consciously registered that he was lonely. But, the more he thought about it, the more he understood why he always stayed late at work and worked everyone else's holiday shifts. Nick approached Greg quietly and laid a hand on the small of his back, dropping a kiss just below his ear. Resting his forehead briefly against the man's temple, he softly said, "I'm really, really glad we have each other to come home to." He smiled and kissed Greg again before resuming his book hauling duties.
Several hours later Nick lay face down on their bed-he wondered how long they would play the game of stressing theirs and ours, no that he minded-and watched the shimmer of the water against the walls of their bedroom as Greg worked the kinks out of his back. They had finally gotten Greg's old apartment completely cleaned out and turned in the keys. They'd claimed the kids from their sitter and fed them and put them to bed, after they'd been allowed to feed the fish. Nick smiled tiredly. It had been a productive but exhausting day.
When Greg realized Nick was drifting off, he very nearly let him. He had worked hard today, after all. But when he glanced at the clock-almost midnight-he remembered something. He let his fingers drift to the one ticklish spot he'd managed to find on his lover and applied a light pressure. He smiled as Nick jumped and rolled over, still pinned beneath him.
"What the hell, G?"
"You're not falling asleep until you tell me what you've decided. It's midnight."
Nick rubbed a hand over his face and yawned widely before crossing his arms behind his head. He looked at Greg steadily for a moment. "I'll send them tickets to come here, I'll put them up at the Eclipse, see if I can't get a deal on a VIP suite from Cath. I'll talk to them, alone, in the suite, then bring them downstairs to have dinner with you. You will amaze and astound them with your impeccable table manners and witty conversation. We will then drive them to our house for an amazing dessert that you've created, that we will share with our three well-behaved, adorable children…."
Greg couldn't hold in his laughter at this point. "It's a lovely little place, this fantasy land you live in, isn't it?"
Nick smiled broadly and evilly before forcefully reversing their positions and assaulting all of Greg's ticklish spots until Greg was breathless with laughter. "Okay, okay, I give!" Greg giggled. Nick grinned at him as he pinned his wrists above his head and dipped his own head, stopping a hair's breadth from smirking lips. "Yes it is. Now didn't you say something about a…rubdown?" He ground himself into Greg and Greg surged up to cross the space separating them and claimed his lips fiercely, still smiling.
"Yes, yes I did. And you did work very hard today, so I think you deserve it." He slipped one hand out of Nick's grasp to run it down the other man's back and slip it under the waistband of Nick's boxer briefs, kneading the flesh firmly as he pulled their hips closer together. Nick groaned at the contact, releasing Greg's other hand to grasp his face with both hands, biting at his lower lip before pushing his tongue inside. He licked at the roof of Greg's mouth-a move that never failed to pull amazing responses out of the man-before pulling his head back to look Greg in the eye.
"I love you. I'm so glad you're here, that you're mine."
Greg smiled tenderly, running one thumb over Nick's cheek. "Me too, cowboy." He grinned. "Now would you please fuck me into the mattress?"
Nick groaned again and let his eyes flutter shut before reclaiming Greg's mouth, ferociously. He pulled back until he could catch Greg's eye again. "Absolutely."
