A/N: I've obviously been feeling very "Niff"ty today (haha, get it? I made a pun). Here's another chapter! I got comments on how the last one was a bit rushed, so I'm happy to say that it will be moving a bit slower!
I don't really have alot to say I don't think!
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Glee.
It was nearing the end of February and tension was rising within the Warblers. Today particularly was off to a bad start.
"Where is Warbler Blaine? We are now thirty seconds behind schedule!" Wes complained, glancing back at his watch every few seconds. Even David and Thad looked exhausted from the Asians dramatics under their own expressions of worry and stress.
Nick and Jeff were sitting together on one of the loveseats, trying to drown out all of the commotion arising around them.
"Last time anyone heard of him, he was supposed to be seeing Kurt," a voice piped. Alexander, one of the newer Warblers that no one had noticed, effectively quieted down the loud chattering to a soft murmur. Jeff made a mental note to talk to him later. Anyone who wasn't Wes with his gavel that could quiet the Warblers down so quickly deserved some recognition. Or maybe it was just because he seemed to know about Blaine's personal life when no one even knew who he was.
Jeff just brushed that off.
"Wanky," Trent huffed, placing his chin in his hand as he waited impatiently for Warblers practice to start.
Blaine took that moment to walk into the room.
"Hi, guys! Sorry I'm late, but-"
"Sorry? We have Regionals approaching and then our annual trip to Dallas in right around the corner! We have no time for you to be skipping out on practice!" Wes scolded, angrier due to the fact he was stressed.
"Yes, yes, I know, but I'd like to say something before we start," Blaine said hopefully, looking a little nervous, which was strange because Blaine was never nervous when it came to the Warblers.
"The floor is yours," David said calmly before Wes could disagree with him.
Blaine smiled wide and looked around the room at everyone.
"Guys, I would like to introduce someone who is hoping to join us as one of the Warblers," he said happily. Commotion started up again and Wes called the room back to attention with a few beatings of his gavel.
"How is he going to learn all the steps before Regionals?" Jeff asked under his breath to no one in particular. Nick shrugged in response.
"Must be a real idiot if he thinks he'll be able to catch up with everything this late in the year," he answered, smiling over at Jeff. Their eyes lingered on each other for a second longer than they should have before they broke their gaze, blushing as they tried to focus on anything but their beating hearts.
When they looked up, they saw a familiar chestnut-haired boy enter the room, clutching the strap of his satchel.
Jeff and Nick's jaws dropped when they saw him.
"Guys, I would like to introduce Kurt Hummel."
More commotion ensued.
Suddenly, all of Blaine's colleagues understood why he was being so dodgy with talking and meeting them. Pretty much no one had really seen him for an extended period of time since before Valentine's Day, but now they knew he was probably busy driving back and forth to Lima and making sure everything was squared away on the Dalton end for Kurt's transfer.
"Guys! Calm down!" Thad called over the ruckus. The boys were seriously antsy this time of year and seemed to break out into noisy chatter whenever was possible. "What will you be singing for your audition piece?" he said, gentler, turning to the newcomer with a smile.
Kurt shot a glance around the room, noticing some faces and smiling at them.
"I was planning on singing a song from one of my all-time favorite artists," he said happily, grinning from ear-to-ear. Thad and David nodded to him and he took a deep breath to begin singing.
Say, wasn't that a funny day?
Many of the Warblers recognized the song as one of Blaine's originals. It was adorable, and Nick and Jeff whipped their gaze to Blaine, who was staring at Kurt in awe. He obviously didn't see this one coming.
Gee, you had a funny way—a way about you.
A kind of glow of something new.
Jeff, feeling gutsy and supportive of his friends, started humming along, adding his vocals to background sound. Nick joined next, following Jeff's lead, and soon all the Warblers familiar with the song were singing.
Sure—I'll admit that I'm the same.
Another sucker for a game kids like to play,
And the rules they like to use.
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel for you?
The remaining Warblers that hadn't been subject to Blaine's original music had caught the tune of the song and had joined in. Blaine looked so close to tears and couldn't contain the wide grin that spread across his face as Kurt turned to look at him.
Even Thad, Wes, and David were singing, and they were not supposed to show any bias.
The sun: telling me the night is done.
Well I refuse to let it stop our fun.
Close your eyes—we'll make it dark again
Jeff chanced a glance at Nick, blushing lightly when he saw the brunette's eyes on him as well.
And kiss; there's a thought, so how 'bout this?
Let's pretend that both our lips are made of candy.
After all, we need sweets every now and then.
All eyes were watching Kurt as he continued to dance his gaze over Blaine. All eyes, of course, except Nick and Jeff, who were getting lost in the lyrics and staring at each other.
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel for you?
As the Warblers got into the spirit of camaraderie, Nick found himself closer and in laughing spirits with Jeff. Most of the others were too busy being swept up into Kurt's melodic vocals and didn't notice the slight brushing of fingertips that may or may not be a bit too intimate for just friendship.
Here we are: two strangers in a very different place.
Who knows what could happen to us next?
Here we are with nothing but this little spark.
It's too cold outside to lay this fire to rest.
Nick could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at Jeff. The intimacy of their stare was palpable but the others around them were too absorbed in singing along to Kurt, who was obviously serenading Blaine.
Go? How so very apropos:
A goodbye just as soon as I said "Hello."
Well alright, I'll see you later.
It's true: it's just a fantasy for two.
But what's the difference if it all could have been true?
I guess this is better.
Jeff couldn't help but feel the words hit home and looked down bashfully, still humming lightly under his breath.
But don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel for you?
"I do…" Jeff muttered breathlessly.
Oh, don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel for you?
Don't you want the way that I feel for you?
The boys all broke out into whoops and catcalls, cheering for Kurt and giving him a standing ovation. Jeff and Nick broke their gaze and coughed awkwardly, clapping along with the others.
"Warbler Kurt, I'm pleased to welcome you into the group," Wes said, his mood considerably lightened, as he made it official with the pounding of his gavel.
Nick sighed in content as he curled closer to Jeff in the warm water, his back pressed snugly against Jeff's front. Behind closed doors, they were very comfortable with tender kisses and snuggles. Earlier that day they had both apologized for nearly slipping up at Warblers practice with showing everyone that they were more than just friends. They had agreed not to reveal their relationship until they were both ready, and although Jeff was ready, Nick was nervous to come out to everyone. However, they were both getting antsy about keeping such a huge secret, and it was brewing confusing feelings in Nick. Jeff would just kiss his cheeks and tell him he'd wait for him to be comfortable.
Nick was shaken from his train of thought when he felt kisses being pressed upon his back. He hummed as Jeff kissed down his shoulder blades.
"Mmm, Jeffie stop. You know what that does to me," Nick mumbled, nodding his head back to rest on Jeff's shoulder. The blonde giggled and wrapped his arms around Nick's torso, pulling him closer. Nick relished in the feeling of skin on skin contact with Jeff.
"I know, but I can't help it," he said, resting his chin on Nick's shoulder. Nick grinned.
Even though he knew Jeff better than anybody, he couldn't understand him sometimes. He seemed so eager for Nick to open up to everyone and be free with their relationship and with all the physical contact, but he was really dodgy when it came to going anywhere past than heated makeout sessions. The brunette was fin with chalking it up to Jeff just not being ready for something like that, however, they had that one encounter, meaning that wasn't the case. It was confusing to Nick, and he tried to ignore the sexual frustration that was building up, because no matter how afraid he was of coming out, he knew he loved Jeff and wanted a relationship with him. It didn't help that he was a teenage boy, still trying to get a handle on his hormones, and he was taking baths with his extremely attractive boyfriend.
"Hey, turn around and let me wash your hair," Jeff ordered, mumbling into the soft skin of Nick's neck. The brunette groaned and complied, keeping himself between the other's legs and just facing him instead. Jeff reached over and grabbed the bottle of shampoo and Nick marveled at how supple muscles rippled beneath his creamy skin. The blonde worked the substance into Nick's dark locks, both humming some song that they couldn't name for the life of them.
"If you don't close your eyes, shampoo will get in them," he teased, gently massaging Nick's scalp.
"Just keep doing that with your hands and I'll be fine," Nick purred, closing his eyes and becoming engrossed with the feeling of Jeff's fingers in his hair. The blonde blushed a little but continued lathering Nick's hair with shampoo and for a while, the only sounds in the bathroom were the sloshing of water as one of them moved.
"When do we get off for spring break?" Nick started, choosing to strike up small conversation.
Jeff shrugged. "Dunno, we leave for Dallas as few days before then though," he continued, brushing behind Nick's ears. The brunette shuddered.
"I almost forgot. Who else are we sharing a room with?" Nick asked, cuddling into the comfort of Jeff's hand.
"Dunno. Maybe Trent and Blaine," the other started before grinning wide. "Unless Kurt goes. Then we'll share with Kurt and Blaine."
Nick chuckled.
"Rounding up all the gays in one place. What do you want? A foursome?" he joked, before blinking open one eye to catch Jeff's expression. It was priceless and he was glad he checked.
"Hey!"
"When can I rinse?" Nick asked, bringing the conversation back to a topic that wouldn't fluster Jeff so much. Said boy rolled his eyes and took his hands away.
"Lean back," he instructed, pushing Nick down on his back and sitting up on his knees to accommodate to the size of the tub. He tried to ignore the suggestive growl that resounded from Nick's throat.
Nick dipped his head back and let Jeff help him rinse out all the shampoo. The blonde tried not to pay attention to the fact he was straddling his boyfriend's waist while they were both naked. It was just a bath.
Blowing bubbles in the water, Nick smiled playfully up at Jeff, his hair now slick and shiny as he sat up. Jeff felt his breath hitch as Nick wiped excess water from his face. He leaned against the rim of the tub after completing the task, Jeff still straddling him.
Nick giggled and slicked his hair back, the dark locks staying put on his head.
"Guess who I am," he snickered, and Jeff splashed him.
"Gee, I didn't know I was bathing with Blaine Anderson," he exclaimed, laughing with Nick. The shorter boy ran his fingers through Jeff's hair, styling it a certain way with intense concentration. It was that expression that was so adorable and Jeff loved it.
"Oh, so I'm Kurt now?" the blonde said with a giggle, looking at his reflection in the water. Nick kissed his nose.
"C'mon, hand me that shampoo so I can wash your hair, Jeffers," Nick teased, reaching out for the bottle from his lounging position against the tub. Jeff complied and ducked down, resting his head on the brunette's chest. He felt the vibrations of his chuckle reverberate in Nick's chest and he smiled as hands went to wash his hair.
Nick's skilled, artist's fingers worked wonders at massaging Jeff's scalp and the blonde hummed happily, getting lost in the feeling of fingers running concentric patterns on his head. The sound of moving water quieted and Jeff focused on the slight heave of Nick's chest as he breathed.
It was so very relaxing.
"Hey, don't fall asleep in the bath or you'll drown," Nick whispered, trying not to laugh at the other boy.
"You won' led me druwn," he slurred.
"Yeah, yeah, but you better get up. I fully expect a body scrub from you Mr. Sterling."
Jeff wrapped his arms around Nick's torso and snuggled closer. Yeah, he was falling asleep.
"Jeeeffff," Nick whined. "We can't cuddle in the bath," he said, halting the scrub of the shampoo on Jeff's blonde head.
Jeff hummed in response, not even hearing what the other boy was saying.
Great.
This was going to be a long bath and Nick wasn't getting his body scrub.
So what did you think? Please review and leave any comment, suggestions, or things you'd like to see happen in later chapters!
