Trying not to be annoyed, Nathan slung Simon's arm over his shoulder and maneuvered them around.
"I can walk on my own." Simon informed him in a small voice. Nathan rolled his eyes and let go of Simon's arm.
He took a step back and watched as Simon put his legs together precariously, in obvious discomfort.
Nathan raised a cynical eyebrow, knowing what was coming next.
Simon took a hesitant step and collapsed forward. Nathan, who had been anticipating the action, opened his arms and caught Simon. He let out a small huff, Simon weighed more than he was expecting.
"Woah, woah, you're okay. You're okay." Nathan assured him, balancing Simon's weight on his side.
He could still feel the anger in his stomach but he felt his heart melt a little at his injured boyfriend's embarrassed expression.
"I'm sorry." Simon said quietly, eyes hitting the floor.
Nathan shook his head. "It's okay, it's all okay. Let's just get you back."
Simon nodded but grimaced half-way through. The walk was tedious, with Simon having to stop every few minutes in pain.
Nathan had meant to take him to his home but realised it would be too far so instead he took him to the nearest place.
Nathan awkwardly slid the elevator door open for the second time that day, he let Simon sink down onto the bed and walked to the kitchen.
He turned the tap on and let the water trickle down his fingers. His eyes widened when he felt the hot water against his skin. Hadn't they cut this place off by now? He supposed it was so underground the council just forgot about it...
He heard a quiet groan coming from the bed and quickly filled up a small bowl with hot water and grabbed one of the white tea towels from under the sink.
He walked back over to see Simon sat up on the bed, cringing slightly.
Simon risked a small smile at Nathan that he did not return.
Nathan silently put the bowl on the floor and knelt down in front of Simon, he was that much taller that they were nearly the same height.
"Let me look at you. Where does it hurt?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"No I'm not mad at you."
"Nathan...why do you sound mad?"
"Because my boyfriend just dropped from a fucking building!" Nathan said icily, immediately regretting it when Simon recoiled and hissed in pain.
"I..." Simon tried.
Nathan frowned. "How badly are you hurt?"
Nathan leant forward and reached for the zip of Simon's outfit, Simon hesitated but didn't stop him.
Nathan lowered the zip, getting nauseating deja vu, and saw the blueish blemishes blossoming across his skin.
"Jesus Christ," Nathan said quietly. "You really landed on your side, didn't you?" He tried to laugh but the sound didn't quiet find the humour he was looking for.
He glanced up and met Simon's eyes, he looked a little afraid.
"I didn't mean to shout." Nathan told him. "I was just scared."
Simon nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."
Nathan smiled shallowly before he eased Simon's shirt down over his arms. He reached down to the bowl of hot water that had cooled sufficiently and rung out the tea towel. He gently ran the towel over the largest bruise on Simon's abdomen. Simon hissed in anticipation but the noise died down when Nathan applied the warm liquid to his sore bruises.
Simon sat there and merely watched Nathan work, feeling the pain on his side ease a little.
"This is like a film." He observed a little shakily.
Nathan looked up at him as re-wetted the towel and ran it across Simon's collar bone, Simon shivered at the contact.
"Why are you trying to be like him?" Nathan asked.
"It's my destiny." Simon replied in that righteous way of his.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "That's bullshit, that what that is. You can't keep going out there and hurting yourself, you're going to drive me crazy worrying about you, and..."
"Really?"
Nathan halted for a moment, taken aback slightly.
"You'd worry about me?"
Nathan whacked his arm gently. "Of course I would, you dick."
Simon laughed.
Nathan smiled. "Thank God, a laugh at last."
Simon smiled and cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry." He repeated. "I wasn't thinking."
"Yeah," Nathan replied. "I'm cocky and I make jokes and that's about 90% of my personality but you and I are in a relationship and I take that seriously. I have every intention of making this work but I can't do that if you're dead..." He faltered. "...Again." He finished off, going silent.
Simon shook his head. "Don't upset yourself." He said, leaning forward and kissing him. He felt the pain in his abdomen shoot through him but he didn't care.
Nathan kissed him hungrily for a second before pulling away. When Simon opened his eyes, Nathan's were still closed.
Simon stared at his face for a second, pale and beautiful, until he opened his eyes and Simon was greeted with his bright blue orbs.
Nathan looked down for a moment and ran his hand along the familiar plastic of the outfit and Simon watched in concern as Nathan worried his bottom lip between his teeth.
"Nathan..."
"If you're really set on being...him..." Nathan began hesitantly, "then you'll need these."
Simon watched as Nathan shifted slightly and delved into his pocket. He pulled the flat keys from his pocket and handed them to Simon.
Simon frowned.
"You're giving me your flat keys?"
"They're yours, really. This place belongs to you."
Simon took the keys hesitantly and looked down at them for a long moment before looking back down to Nathan.
"Move in with me." He said.
Nathan was taken aback.
"What...why?"
Simon smiled. "Because it's more your flat than mine. Besides, you shouldn't be in that community centre forever."
Nathan fought the waves of embarrassment that swept over him. He shook his head before he surged up and caught Simon's mouth in a kiss.
"I've never moved in with anyone before." He murmured against Simon's lips.
Simon smiled, snaking his arms around Nathan's neck and pulling him onto the bed with him and kissing him again.
Nathan's head hit the soft pillow and he wrapped his arms around Simon's shoulders and pulled him down next to him, enjoying the comforting the weight of Simon's body pressed up against him.
Nathan pressed his lips to Simon's again and Simon moaned and opened his mouth into the kiss, Nathan was surprised at just how confident Simon seemed to be these days.
Nathan felt the air around him grow hot and, without thinking, manoeuvred his body until he was straddling Simon's waist.
He moaned when he felt Simon's warm hands slide up his back and pull him down slightly.
"Nathan," Simon whispered against Nathan's lips, voice strained.
Nathan gave Simon a pained smile before pulling away slightly, he looked down on Simon, breathing heavily and staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights.
"That was a little..." Simon began, taking a few gulps of breath.
Nathan nodded and retracted his legs from Simon's waist before hopping off of the bed.
He turned on his heel and held his hand out for the man.
"Come on, you should eat something before you pass out."
Simon reached up and took Nathan's hand, allowing himself to be pulled onto his feet.
His abdomen screamed at him but he ignored it.
…
Simon's back hit the locker softly and he couldn't help grinning as Nathan kissed him again.
Simon had barely zipped up his jumpsuit before Nathan had pounced on him.
"Nathan, the others will be here in a moment."
Nathan pulled back momentarily and rolled his eyes. "Shut up." He said playfully, kissing him again.
There was a certain desperation behind Nathan's playful kisses and Simon knew why, it was because he was scared. He'd never admit it, of course, he was far too proud. But finding him on the floor like that had shaken him. He'd been angry, Nathan was never really angry.
Simon's stomach was twisting with a mixture of pleasure and guilt.
Without thinking, he ran his hand through Nathan's thick curls and pulled the taller man flush against him, Nathan moaned into his mouth at the unexpectedly confident manoeuvre.
"Oh come on, guys." Came the sighing yet vaguely amused voice of Alisha as a parade of footsteps walked into the locker room. "Just shag already."
Simon and Nathan broke apart suddenly and both stared at the other silently, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking.
They hadn't slept together yet.
Nathan cast his eyes away quickly, knowing that Simon didn't need that sort of pressure. He'd come out of his shy little shell so much lately but he was still fundamentally awkward little Simon. Nathan was beginning to find it quite endearing.
He realised that he would actually miss Simon's cute little blush and muttered assurances when he became his future self.
Nathan blinked a few times, unsure how he felt about what he had just thought. He felt the muscles in his stomach tighten momentarily when he thought about Simon, the Simon he still considered his Simon, but tried his best to expel the feeling.
However, it took a little longer to dissipate than he had anticipated.
"Nathan, you listening to me?" Came a sudden voice in the darkness.
Nathan whipped his head round to see Kelly staring at him with a raised eyebrow. He looked back again to see Simon staring at him quizzically, but thankfully not worriedly.
He shook his head to himself, realising he was stood in the locker room surrounded by people, Simon's hands still lax in his grip.
He held Simon's hands a little tighter, pulled him a little closer.
"Sorry," he said, "totally blanked out for a moment there. Was thinking about..." He racked his brains for a moment. "...Food."
He turned back to Simon.
"We should get food."
"You're so fucking weird." Kelly pointed out, laughing slightly. "I asked what you guys were up to tonight."
Simon smiled a little sheepishly.
"I've asked Nathan to move in with me. I've just got my own...flat. We're moving his stuff in tonight."
Curtis raised an eyebrow from across the room.
"Don't you guys think you're being a bit premature, how long have you been together?"
Simon looked at Nathan for a moment, who smiled shallowly back.
"Well, you could say we have a bit of a history."
…
Nathan took Simon's hand in his as they walked out of the takeaway later that day.
Simon looked down at the interlocked digits.
"You're being very touchy today."
"Oh," Nathan said, "sorry."
Simon tightened the grip slightly and smiled.
The pair walked on in silence.
"What were you really thinking about?" Simon asked suddenly, stopping Nathan in his tracks.
Nathan avoided looking at him.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Before, when you said you were thinking about food, you don't generally blank out like that."
Nathan looked at Simon, into those wide, hopeful eyes and found that he didn't have the heart to tell him that his mind had drifted to the other Simon yet again.
But then he didn't want a relationship built on lies, either.
"I was thinking about Simon." He admitted.
Simon didn't react for a moment, then he nodded slowly, in that annoyingly understanding way of his, before he looked to the ground.
Nathan stopped walking, Simon let out a surprised little yelp at the sudden change of pace and turned to face Nathan.
"It hurt when I thought about him," Nathan told Simon earnestly, "it always will. But, I was thinking about you becoming him, and how much I'm going to miss what we have now."
Simon's eyes widened.
"You're going to miss it?" He asked softly.
Nathan nodded.
"I get that there's a destiny to fulfill and stuff that needs to be done and all that shit just...let's take it slow, okay?"
"Slowly?"
"I kinda missed the whole 'falling in love' thing the first time round."
Simon smiled and looked at Nathan fondly, omitting to mention that Nathan had just said love.
