Eh, in case this was unclear earlier, because I never really mentioned it, Jared is Selena's cousin, and David is like, her best friend. It's not really important, but maybe it'll help some of you picture the characters better? Oh, and then also, you already know this, but I'll just say it again, Jared (her cousin) is on the student council with Joe, and David (her bestie) is friends with Nick.


Chapter 11 – Solace


Rain splattered against the window screens. The droplets caught in multiple miniscule wires and distorted Nick's view of the outdoors. He slid the glass window open and flicked at water caught in the wires.

He looked below to watch the large body of students trudging past the school gates. A sea of umbrellas and an army of feet walked on memorized steps. A few ran up to their friends and greetings were exchanged. He watched as others walked in solitude, seeming to either enjoy the morning shower or frown in dismay at another day in an endless line of school days. Two large school buses were parked along the sidewalk in front of the school. Nick could see his homeroom teacher speaking to both drivers as a familiar uniform-clad class president took notes slightly to the side.

Nick peered closer to get a better look at the boy's expression but the distance and the rain obscured his view. He felt a subtle shift in the air telling him that the classroom was no longer empty as someone entered, but he didn't turn to look who it was. Instead, he just continued to watch the traffic below.

"G-Good morning, N-Nick." The trembling voice was all Nick needed to guess who had entered, and he immediately turned around to greet her back.

"Good morning, Selena!" He offered a sunny smile and received a shy one in return.

Her bangs were slightly damp and the coat she removed shone from the wetness. She had changed into indoor shoes, but he noticed her knee socks were slightly damp as well. Perhaps she had forgotten her umbrella and had only had the hood of her jacket as protection from the rain.

"Kinda wet outside, huh?" He never really knew how to approach Selena. She always seemed ready to break. He had always been frightened that his loud voice would crack her somehow. However, he recognized a mask when he saw one. He had caught glimpse of the real Selena at a time or two. She seemed like someone to be admired.

"Y... Yes... I didn't know it was going to rain. It began when I was halfway to school already," she explained. Her overnight bag lay on top of her desk as she unzipped it and shuffled a few items around. Nick's bag lay by his feet, beside his desk next to the window.

"You're early today, Nick," she observed while unsuccessfully trying to flatten a damp, rolled up piece of paper. Probably the permission form, Nick surmised. He recalled her absence for the last two days and remembered David explaining she had caught a fever. He hoped she was feeling better now.

"Hmm... Ah, yeah. I didn't want to miss the bus." He grinned. "If I miss the bus, I'm stuck here for the week, probably licking envelopes in the principal's office while you guys have fun at the retreat." She giggled at the image and he thought it was worth making fun of his past punishment at the hands of the principal to see her smile that way.

"You seem different, Nick," she observed suddenly, catching him off guard as he was about to ask how she was feeling.

"Oh yeah? How is that?"

"A little less angry, I think."

He blinked at her and then blinked again. She only looked on with a soft smile on her face. "I'm glad you and Joe are getting along. Jared said Joe is calmer too."

Nick felt a faint blush creep along his cheeks that he refused to acknowledge. He had forgotten that there were other people in the world besides Joe and himself. And that thought caused the blush to strengthen. To have even thought that... was bizarre.

A bubble had caught in his throat and he cleared it. "Oh? Is that so?"

She nodded enthusiastically then paused as if listening for a coming presence much like he always did. She excused herself then, and in a rush of dark hair, pale skin, and school uniform, he was left alone in the classroom once more.

Shortly after her departure, a slightly damp Joe entered the classroom, grumbling under his breath with a few choice words about persistent girls and spring showers.

He stopped mid-rant when he realized he wasn't alone in the classroom and tilted his head in a form of greeting.

"Careful class president, if you grumble any louder, someone might hear and that will be the end of your angelic façade," Nick teased as he leaned against the window ledge.

Joe gave a slight snort and began to remove his wet school jacket. "Whoever said I was angelic should sit on the school flag pole and bounce up and down."

Nick winced at the imagery. "That would be your fan club. What's the matter? Not having a good morning?" He began to bridge the gap between himself and the other boy, but was forced to pause in mid-stride due to Joe's raised hand.

"Be careful, Jones. Any closer and you're in danger of being tackled and molested," Joe warned, smirking.

Nick raised his eyebrows and returned a smirk of his own. "You can't molest the willing."

The temperature seemed to have raised a notch or two in the classroom. Nick felt a pull coming from the other and he would be a fool not to allow himself to be reeled in.

He walked closer until only a step from either one of them would bring their chests together. Nick took the final step and pushed Joe to sit on top of his desk. He rested his hands on the desk's surface behind Joe to support his weight while the other youth leaned back and stared challengingly. A brief "good morning" was exchanged before their lips met in a fervent kiss. Joe's fingers curled around the back of Nick's neck while the other hand clutched at the front of his uniform shirt, both pulling him closer. Nick moaned into the kiss as Joe sucked his tongue into his mouth. He moved his arms to surround Joe's waist and pulled the other boy closer. The feel of the boy's body against his always left him heady, desiring more; so much so that he was left in a state of perpetual wanting. It was a curious feeling for Nick to want from another being so much.

Approaching voices broke through the haze in the brunette's mind and he tried to pull away, but Joe's arms and lips prevented him from doing so. A rising panic began to claw at his stomach, but a stronger excitement stirred in his groin as Joe continued the attack to his mouth.

"...We've talked about this before, Demi. I mean, we agreed on this! If we liked the same thing, either we both get it, or neither of us do!"

The girls! Nick's mind screamed, but Joe still refused to let go, and his treacherous body wasn't doing anything to help the situation either.

"Jonas..." he breathed in warning between kisses, "Stop..." He unwound his arms from around the boy to pull at the arms holding him.

"No."

Nick's eyes widened at the boy's flat refusal. His breath caught as Joe's lips traveled to his neck and lapped at the tingling skin. Groaning in both pleasure and disappointment, he steeled himself before he pushed away from the boy forcefully.

He stumbled backwards into a desk, the metal legs scraping against the floor. He stared disbelievingly at the scowling boy and tried to calm senses heightened by the other boy's touch.

"I warned you..." not to get close, was left unspoken as Joe stared at him from the small distance that separated them.

"Ah! Nick! Are you fighting with Joe again?"

"Really, now! We don't have time for you to drag your broken limbs to the infirmary, Nick!"

"Pfft..." Nick walked back to his desk on shaky legs that he hoped no one noticed. He noticed that Joe remained seated on top of his desk and felt a small glimmer of victory knowing that the other boy was in the same circumstances as he was.

The entire class soon filed in, equipped with their overnight bags. A few had brought pillows while some girls had stuffed toys peeking out of their bags. He could feel the excitement in the air. They would be away from their familiar homes and parents and siblings for an entire week. Nick understood the feeling, but couldn't exactly say he could relate.

Mr. Davis soon entered the class and briefed them on proper bus decorum and the seating arrangements. There would be three busses, the first seating students with last names beginning with A-J, the next for K-R, and the final bus for those with the last names S-Z. Nick took the usual protests concerning him seated beside Jonas in stride. It was unfortunate for them, he thought, that none of the girl's surnames began with a 'J.' Even if such a girl existed in their class, Nick was pretty sure that the teacher or Joe would do something about it to keep the seats the same and to keep the other girls' eyes in their designated sockets.

When Mr. Davis decided that they were ready, the students trudged down to the waiting buses and quickly filled the seats.

"Do you want the window seat?"

Nick briefly looked away from trying to stuff his bag in the overhead compartment to consider Joe's question.

"Yeah, I guess so. If you don't mind."

Joe shook his head and helped shove Nick's bag in before inserting his bag as well.

They took their seats, and once everyone was settled, the buses began to move.

They were seated at the very back of the bus, their last names being at the end of this portion of the alphabet. The seats beside them were unoccupied, and were therefore being used for extra storage purposes. Nick thought that the situation was too perfect, and thirty minutes into the drive, he was still expecting someone to claim the seats. In actuality, it was smart planning. The teacher sat at the very front while the class president sat at the very back. Sitting right beside the class president was the most likely person to be bothersome to the peace. No, rephrase that, Nick thought. He could ruin the peace, but he just chose not to.

Mild chatter filled the air, but as the hour passed, the excitement waned until only softly whispered conversations and light snoozing could be heard.

Joe had opened a book and seemed engrossed in it. Nick had been staring at the passing scenery for the past hour, sensitively aware of Joe's proximity and the body heat that teased at his nerves. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes tight when some not-so unwanted images attacked his imagination. He gripped his blanket as Joe turned to another page, seemingly oblivious to his dilemma.

Lulled by the bus ride, his eyes began to droop. He rested his head against the arm he had pressed to the window pane. He felt the slight vibration as the wheels rolled against paved ground. The dim overhead lighting further allowed the sleepiness to creep in. His eyelids shut and a dream was but a breath away when he felt a stirring in the air around him. He jumped a little at the hand that began softly kneading his thigh under the blanket.

He opened his eyes slightly to see Joe's face close to his, smiling softy.

The pale boy drew closer and kissed him gently. Nick fought the urge to look around, trusting that Joe wouldn't do anything unless it was safe, despite his earlier actions in the classroom. He kept his breath steady and quiet as Joe's lips and teeth teased his bottom lip with light nips and kisses.

He reached for the hand on his thigh to interlace their fingers, kissing back just as softly with his eyes open, gazing into Joe's dark ones. Joe flicked a tongue over his bottom lip and then pried his mouth open. He opened his mouth to brush his tongue against Joe's, at the same time trying to reign in the moans that wanted to escape.

Over the loud thudding of his heart, he heard cloth whisper as sleeping bodies around him stirred. From the front of the bus, he heard a few of his peers debating and imagining how the retreat center would look. Nick felt lightheaded, as if he and Joe were in the fringes of reality and they were thinner than air, too thin to be seen.

He felt Joe's other hand sneak under his uniform shirt and press flat against his quivering stomach. A veritable nest of butterflies scattered outward from his stomach at the intimate touch, tickling his insides. Joe withdrew his tongue from Nick's mouth to lap down his neck at the pulsing vein. He quickly stifled a desperate moan, but apparently not as quickly as he would have liked, because the other boy chuckled lightly, pulling away and looking quite pleased with himself.

A series of bumps suddenly shook the bus, and it seemed like a light was switched on as most of the student body roused from their stolen sleep. They looked outside to find the bus had left the paved road and had entered a muddy trail that was engulfed in the sides by trees. A light shower still sprayed and a low mist covered the ground, giving a sense of other worldliness.

Beneath the blanket, the two boys held hands as conversations picked up and the once peaceful atmosphere was interrupted.

"How many more hours until we get there?"

"Probably another hour or so," Joe replied without looking away from the book that he had refocused on.

Nick groaned and stretched in his seat.

"God, I need to walk around. My legs are asleep!"

As if on cue, the bus slowed and parked on the side of the road. Mr. Davis stood and called for attention. Joe gave Nick's hand one more brief squeeze before he stood in the aisle, ready to assist in anything the teacher needed.

"Alright, everyone, we're going to step out to stretch and get some fresh air. Please don't wander away from the bus. You have ten minutes! Mr. Jonas, please watch out for your classmates."

"Yes, Mr. Davis."

The bus emptied in short time as the students filed out. The road was deserted save for their bus and the other two that were a little behind them. Friends separated by buses and seats clustered together to catch up on the past two hours.

Nick and Joe stood together, kicking at the mist surrounding their feet, caught in a silent murmur of conversations. Nick thought it might have been a peculiar sight for their peers to see the two of them suddenly spending so much time together, but he knew that he couldn't have cared less, and apparently Joe felt the same way. A few of the boys approached them and they shared a light conversation before it was time to get back on the bus. The rest of the bus ride was spent in raucous laughter and loud conversations, as the excitement returned. In their little niche in the back, Nick had fallen asleep warm under his blanket, his hand held by Joe, thumb caressing over skin soothingly.

In the state between dreaming and semi-awareness of the real world, Nick felt Joe's warm breath against his ear as the other boy whispered words to him. "I have a surprise for you."

Nick hummed sleepily, leaning toward the other boy's warmth and feeling a chaste kiss on his cheek before more words made their way to his wandering mind. "We're sharing rooms."

Nick's dream took on a different turn, chasing away his dream of delicious foods in favor of another sort of pleasure, involving a lot of Joe's tongue.


With Love, Carlie :D