Wow you guys. I haven't posted here since the summer.. oops?

I actually was trying to have this done by November because then it was the year anniversary for this thing, but life caught up to me and I really have no excuse good enough to explain why I haven't updated in so long. I'm so sorry, you guys. I really hope some of you are still out there and can pardon my tardiness on this update.

It's also a little shorter than I usually aim for, but I really just wanted to get something out here for you guys. I feel like a right ass for not getting this posted sooner enough so without further adieu, here is chapter nine.

Disclaimer: I own nothing because I'm poor and a horrible author.

Nick stayed by Jeff's side the entire time the blonde boy slept, worried if he left the other boy would be sick again and nobody would be there to look after him. He knew for a fact he wouldn't be acting this way if it was anyone else, but this was Jeff he was talking about. Nobody was going to stop him from looking after his best friend, not even Lucas.

The blonde boy stirred in Nick's arms, making the brunette look to Jeff. He didn't know what he expected to see when he looked, but he saw a boy that looked completely exhausted and yet he wasn't even awake, nor had he been awake for a few hours. Nick started to feel a little concerned for Jeff, wondering if maybe he was actually sick and didn't throw up from how much he drank the previous night. He decided he should wake the other boy to make sure he was okay, even though he really just wanted to let Jeff sleep it off.

Nick moved his hand to Jeff's shoulder and shook gently to see if he could wake the other boy carefully so he wouldn't freak out, not being able to have such luck. Jeff's eyes opened quickly when he was shaken and put his hand on Nick's to push it off. "What.. What happened?"

Nick removed his hand instantly when he felt Jeff pushing it off and pulled his body away from the blonde some in case he began to feel overwhelmed. He didn't want to scare Jeff away when he was obviously ill and Nick would do anything right now to look after the blonde and make sure he felt better soon. "You, um, kind of threw up." Nick saw Jeff's eyes widen when he heard what happened and the blonde sat up in the bed to try and move away from the brunette.

"I-I was sick?" Jeff started to move himself away from Nick and towards the wall that was behind him, but a sudden rush of nausea made him start to move the other way. He scrambled his way out of bed, nearly kneeing Nick in the hip as he moved, and just made it to the toilet for him to be sick in.

Nick winced as he listened to Jeff and tried to keep his thoughts away from what the blonde was doing. He knew if he got triggered and felt like he was going to be sick then he would be no help for Jeff and that's not what he wanted right now. Right now he wanted to be as much help for the other boy as possible, knowing that he obviously needed it right now.

After a few moments of silence Nick walked into the bathroom and kneeled beside Jeff, placing his hand on the blonde's back to rub it gently and hopefully be helpful in some way. "Does that answer your question?" was all Nick could say. He didn't know if Jeff would appreciate his joke, but he definitely wanted to try and lighten the mood some.

Jeff let out a groan as he pulled away from the toilet and slouched into Nick's side. "I can't believe I was sick twice." he mumbled, making it quite difficult for Nick to understand him, but he got it after a moment's thought.

The brunette smiled softly as he looked down to Jeff and wrapped his arm around him to pull him in closer. "It's fine, Jeff. Everybody gets sick every now and then." Nick didn't know what he was going to do with the blonde. It was quite obvious that he was not well, but Nick didn't know if he should take him to the doctors or just give him some gravol and hope that he feels better in a few hours. He decided to bring the blonde back to bed and let him rest a little while longer while he got some medication for him.

Jeff was very wobbly as Nick helped him stand in the washroom, then making their way back to the blonde's bed. Jeff felt so embarrassed that he had been sick with Nick present. He couldn't believe he had let himself drink so much that it caused him to be sick, but he hoped that Nick hadn't worried about him while he was asleep. Seeing Nick the way he was now made him think that the brunette didn't worry very much.

Nick helped Jeff get into bed before walking to the bathroom to get some medication for the blonde. He didn't know if Jeff had a headache or if he was just nauseas, but he brought out what would be needed for both cases and handed them to Jeff along with a bottle of water. "Here, take some gravol and tylenol and lay down a little longer. You've been out like a light all day, but I don't think it'll be good for you to be walking around while you're like this."

Jeff took the bottles from Nick with a small smile as he settled back into the mattress. "Thank you, Nick." He opened the pill bottles and took what he needed before swallowing them with some water, handing the stuff back to the brunette once he was done.

Nick took everything from Jeff with a kind smile, watching him carefully to make sure everything would stay down. He walked back to the bathroom and put the medicine away before going to grab the empty trash bucket to have at the side of the bed. Nick didn't know if Jeff still felt sick, or if he was feeling better, but he felt having the bin beside the blonde would be a good idea just in case.

After Nick had things set up he turned to look at Jeff and he saw the blonde starting to doze off already. He could tell that if Jeff was still able to sleep after resting for majority of the day that he must be really sick and all that thought made Nick want to do was hold Jeff close to protect him from the world and all of its different illnesses.

Instead, Nick moved to the bed and laid down beside the blonde again, wrapping his arm around him. Jeff was completely out of it which made him quite easy to move around and get comfortable with, but because he was fast asleep it made his limbs feel like they weighed more than they actually did. "Jesus, Jeff." Nick trailed off as he finally got settled in with his arm around Jeff and the blonde leaning on him, making half his body be on top of the brunette's. Nick knew that they could be in a better position, one that Lucas would approve of, but after what happened Nick didn't feel the need to comply with anything Lucas would ask of.

A few hours later Nick woke up with a small jolt as his dream ended and he sat up quickly in a small panic before taking a few deep breaths and allowing himself to relax. As he laid back against the headboard of the bed he realized there was a particular blonde missing from the bed and he sat up straight again to look around the dark room. "Jeff?" he called out quietly, looking to the bathroom door to find it closed.

Nick didn't know if knocking would completely invade the other boy's privacy, but after the day - or lack thereof - they had had, Nick felt the need to make sure Jeff was okay. He stood up from the bed and walked over to the door quietly, standing there for a minute biting his lip before bringing his hand up to the door to knock gently. "Jeff?" he called out again, this time a little louder.

Jeff looked away from the mirror to the door for a moment, clearing his throat some before speaking, "Yeah, I'm here. I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute."

Nick didn't know what to take from that reply, but he decided not to pry and just nodded his head before taking a step back from the door. "Okay. I'm going to turn on the tv for a bit, okay? It's late, but you should probably use up some energy." Nick turned around and walked towards the tv to turn it on before walking to the bed again and sitting down to relax. His gaze stayed on the television as images danced across the screen, but all of the brunette's thoughts were on what happened last night and how he was supposed to mention it to Jeff.

Jeff, on the other hand, stood in the bathroom facing the mirror as he heard the noise of the television start up. He could still see the tear stains on his face and he was surprised his voice hadn't given him away. Granted, it was slightly muffled by the door, but the blonde still felt that he definitely sounded like he had been crying, and if someone were to look at him? His eyes were puffy, his cheeks still slightly damp, his nose red from how many tissues he's put against it in the past half hour… Anyone that looked at him right now would think he had just been broken up with.

When Jeff woke up in Nick's arms, all he wanted to do was cuddle up into the brunette's side, but he knew with every aching fibre of his being that doing that would never end in anything good. He knew that Nick had a boyfriend and even though he hadn't seen the other boy in years, he knew all of his feelings were resurfacing now and that could be horrible for any, or all, of the boys.

Jeff shook his head to make the thoughts go away and turned away from the mirror to get more tissues. He knew Nick wasn't stupid and he would easily be able to tell what Jeff had been doing if he went outside at that moment, so instead the blonde fixed himself up some so it wasn't so obvious.

He grabbed a facecloth and some tissue, moving to the sink and filling it with warm water. Jeff didn't rush as he watched the water fill the porcelain, taking a deep breath. How was he supposed to talk to Nick about what he felt when there was someone else in the picture? Hell, even if Lucas wasn't there how would he talk to Nick about everything? He didn't know the first thing to say, or how to say it, or if they should be doing something else while they talk… Jeff sighed again as he turned off the tap and dropped the cloth into the sink. The blonde knew this was going to be difficult and he just hoped that Nick wasn't going to run out on him after he explained his reasoning behind his actions the night before.

Nick waited in the main room while Jeff cleaned up, the brunette not knowing that was what was happening in there. Several thoughts were going through his mind behind what Jeff could be doing, but he tried to focus on the TV instead of worrying for the blonde. Of course, as soon as Jeff walked out into the room he turned to look at him and smiled carefully, patting the area of empty bed beside him as an invitation for Jeff to join him there. "How're you feeling, Jeff?" Nick watched him carefully as the other boy walked towards him with a groan, the fact that it was fake not crossing his mind.

"Been better," Jeff replied, hoping his acting of being sick was better than he thought it was. The blonde didn't want Nick to be worried about him for being ill, but he couldn't go back out into the room and act like he was magically healthy again. He had been sick several times in the past 24 hours and even though Jeff was feeling better, he wanted the night to just relax with Nick before he ruined things by mentioning their much needed talk.

Nick bit his lip as Jeff got into bed beside him and stopped himself after a few moments, realizing he probably looked like some caring idiot and even though this was Jeff - Jeff Sterling… Nick still couldn't believe they were back in each other's lives - he wasn't about to let his walls down. "Well, maybe some Friends will get you feeling better?"

Jeff looked at Nick with a confused expression, realizing then that the TV was still on and he could hear the recognisable voice of Chandler Bing coming from the box. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed as he turned to look at the TV with a smile instantly on his face. "I haven't watched this show in forever." Jeff settled back on the bed, his back against the headboard and Nick beside him, as he got more and more invested with the show each passing second. Nick was smiling widely as if he had just won the lottery, realizing that maybe he had.

Making Jeff happy had been Nick's priority as a child and after they had split up that became more and more difficult, but seeing Jeff beside him now and the smile that was on the blonde's face made it all worth while. As if him moving was good and had true purpose that wasn't just his father ruining his life. Nick could feel himself beaming with joy and pride at the thought of Jeff being happy about something that he had done, and after the party the night before Nick had a feeling he'd have to be paying back Jeff for a lot of happiness that the blonde had provided him. This was only the beginning, however.

Nick knew there was more to be done that he could provide for Jeff. He wasn't so sure on exactly what it was, but he was sure there was more to happen between the two of them.

The only thing that he had to worry about now was Lucas.

Yooo, it's actually posted. That's great okay.

I hope you guys liked it and if you could leave a review or something to let me know I'm not just writing to nobody now that would be really great and much appreciated.

But yeah, thank you to anyone and everyone who has stuck with me through this horrible activity. I'm going to try and write more (especially with where this one ended hahaha), but I'm making no promises since I've been horrible the whole time this fic has been written.

But yeah, thank you. And I hope you liked it.